My Blog (Eugene Ward)

This weekend the Munster and Connaght Football Championships are down for decision but that's not the only Gaelic Football silverware up for grabs this weekend. Many miles South of Salthill and Killarney, between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, a Gaelic Football tournament, a kind of Copa America of GAA, will take place.  Lima Gaels have made the camino de Santiago and will take part. The driving force behind the new GAA club in Lima is Declan Tighe and I take pride in seeing the crest, in which I had a hand in designing, displayed with the other GAA clubs of South America taking part. Lima Garls Abú

Mothering Sunday is the fourth Sunday of Lent. Traditionally, it was a day when children, mainly daughters, who had gone to work as domestic servants were given a day off to visit their mother and family. Centuries ago it was considered important for people to return to their home or 'mother' church once a year. So each year in the middle of Lent, everyone would visit their 'mother' church - the main church or cathedral of the area. Inevitably the return to the 'mother' church became an occasion for family reunions when children who were working away returned home. As the centuries passed the day evolved into the Mother's Day in the UK and Ireland that we know today Happy Mother's Day to all mothers. .

  DERRY CITY – 2026 LEAGUE PREDICTIONS (FULL LIST) FEBRUARY #1 Fri 6th – Sligo Rovers [H] → Derry 2–0 Sligo   Reality 2-1 #2 Fri 13th – Dundalk [A] → 1–1 Draw  (Played in April) #3 Fri 20th – Bohemians [H] → Derry 2–1 Bohs   Reality 0-1 #4 Fri 27th – Waterford [H] → Derry 3–0 Waterford  Reality 4-2 MARCH #5 Fri 6th – Shamrock Rovers [A] → Rovers 2–1 Derry   Reality 1-0 #6 Fri 13th – Shelbourne [H] → Derry 2–0 Shels  Reality 1-2 #7 Mon 16th – St Patrick’s Athletic [A] → 1–1 Draw   Reality 0-0 #8 Fri 20th – Drogheda United [H] → Derry 2–0 Drogheda  Reality 2-2 — International break — APRIL #9 Fri 3rd – Galway United [A] → Galway 1–0 Derry   #10 Mon 6th – Sligo Rovers [A] → 1–1 Draw   #11 Fri 10th – Dundalk [H] → Derry 2–1 Dundalk  Reality 2-2 #12 Fri 17th – Shelbourne [A] → 1–1 Draw   #13 Fri 24th – Shamrock Rovers [H] → 2–2 Draw   MAY #14 Fri 1st – Bohemians [A] → Bohs...

Halloween is originally Irish! The modern celebration of Halloween has deep roots in ancient Celtic Ireland, where it began as a festival called Samhain (pronounced Sow-in). Here’s how it connects: Origins: Samhain was celebrated by the Celts over 2,000 years ago, marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. It was seen as a liminal time when the boundary between the living and the spirit world was thin, allowing ghosts or fairies to cross over. Traditions: People lit bonfires to ward off evil spirits, wore costumes and masks to disguise themselves from ghosts, and left offerings of food for wandering souls — all customs that survive in Halloween today. Christian Influence: When Christianity spread to Ireland, the Church established All Hallows’ Day (Nov 1) and All Hallows’ Eve (Oct 31) — which merged with Samhain traditions. Over time, All Hallows’ Eve became Halloween. Spread to America: Irish immigrants in the 19th century brought these customs to the United S...

  I enjoyed watching the rugby on Saturday.   It was a great win for Ireland against South Africa but no prizes are being handed out yet.   Ireland topped the pool in 2011 and 2015 to lose the Quarter Final to Wales and Argentina respectively. Those teams are projected to meet in the Quarter Final and the winner will play Ireland should we beat the All Blacks.    You would expect the finalists to be the winners of the bottom two quarter finals but you never know. Fiji beat England recently and are projected to meet them in the Quarters so they have a good chance of getting to their first Semi-Final.      It should make for interesting viewing. From an Irish point of view, I wouldn't be getting too carried away as a very difficult Quarter Final awaits.

  So Derry lose on penalties. Gutted for the Candystripes. Grateful to LOITV who, at the last minute, gave fans around the world access to the game. Grateful to my daughter too who slept through most of it. They had chances. It's stating the obvious but if they had got a 2nd goal in the first half they would have progressed.    Derry City v Tobol Kostanay     The team played well and were unlucky. There were many great performances. Duffy and Connolly did really well. Brian Maher has had such a good season, it's a shame he is the one that missed the decisive spot-kick, Ben Doherty didn't convert either of course so he is not alone.     A lot has already been said and written about having to play the game in Dublin. Tallaght Stadium looked rather empty. I wonder what the attendence was. The cost of tickets and travel on a Thursday night I'm sure put people off. Had it been played in Derry, with a full Brandywell roaring the team on, in my opinion t...

 1 5th August 1998. Omagh. 25 years ago. Rem ember the day well and hearing news of the bomb on that Saturday afternoon as I was having a cup of tea. It was the year of the Good Friday Agreement and we thought bombs were a thing of the past. The Manic Street Preachers had a sort out at the time, If you tolerate this your children will be next.   Hard to belive its 25 years, where does the time go? I wasn't in Omagh much in those days but in 1999 and from 2001 to 2005 I worked there. Great people, great town, great community. Thinking of all those affected by that dreadful day,

  Good luck to Derry City in Kazakstan as they try and get through another round of the UEFA Conference League. Derry have faced such a long trip and will be hoping to get a positive result to take back to Ireland next week   . It was disappointing that they were not allowed to play the second leg in Belfast, the IFA said yes, Linfield said yes, it was UEFA that said no. Playing the 2nd leg at Windsor Park would have been interesting given the history Derry has with Linfield and the IFA, but UEFA rules wouldn't allow it https://www.rte.ie/.../1398991-uefa-turn-down-derry.../   The idea of playing at Windsor Park make me think..What if Derry rejoined the Irish League? Wouldn't an All-Ireland football league be better than the current situation? Is a summer season or Friday night games really best for football in Ireland?   Playing the second leg in Dublin puts Derry at a major disadvantage in the tie and it takes away from the enjoyment of reaching this stage of the...