Gaelic Games

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Gabriel Bannigan said he was "disappointed" to be stepping down from his role as Monaghan manager after two years at the helm but said the "goalposts have been moved" and he could not continue.

Bannigan initially joined Monaghan as part of Vinny Corey's management team in 2022 before succeeding Corey as boss in 2024.

Under Bannigan, Monaghan won the Division Two title in 2025 and reached successive All-Ireland quarter-finals where they were knocked out by Donegal and then Louth.

The Farney men were relegated from Division One this year after a tough league campaign in which they failed to pick up a point.

They bounced back well in the Ulster SFC with wins over Cavan and Derry but suffered an extra-time defeat against Armagh in the decider.

"I ma very disappointed to announce that I am stepping down as manager of the Monaghan senior football team," Bannigan said in a statement.

"When I was appointed two years ago, I accepted the challenge of leading the Monaghan team through an inevitable period of transition and it has been an absolute privilege to do so.

"I have always been 100% honest with the Monaghan people since I was given the honour of managing our senior footballers, I did not want to walk away from this project that I have put so much into.

"Over the last number of weeks, I worked hard on my plans for 2027 to build on the excellent foundations now in place. During this period, I have come to realise that the goalposts have moved, and the conditions are not right for me to continue and therefore I believe a new management team and fresh voices are now required to take Monaghan football forward."

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Tyrone's three-time All-Ireland winner Joe McMahon has joined the Sligo backroom team before the 2027 season.

McMahon, who won three Sam Maguire titles as a player and was part of the county's coaching group for their 2021 triumph, will work as Sligo's head coach alongside manager Dessie Sloyan.

Sloyan and Eamonn O'Hara were joint-managers during the 2026 season but the latter will serve as assistant manager next year.

The coaching ticket also includes selectors Paul Higgins and Eamon McGee, while McMahon's Omagh St Enda's club-mate Des McGuinness has joined as goalkeeping coach.

Sligo will again compete in Division Three next year after finishing fourth in 2026. They exited both the Connacht SFC and Tailteann Cup in the quarter-finals.

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The home leg of the Republic of Ireland's 2027 Women's World Cup play-off with Kazakhstan will be played at Pairc Ui Chaoimh in Cork.

Carla Ward's side travel to Kazakhstan on 9 October before the return fixture at the home of Gaelic games in Cork on Tuesday, 13 October.

The winner of the first round play-off will face either Belgium or Poland for a place in the World Cup in Brazil next summer.

The Republic of Ireland are looking to reach back-to-back finals after their historic qualification for the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Ward said she was "delighted" to be returning to Cork for the crucial fixture, where the Republic of Ireland have a 100% winning record.

The Republic of Ireland stunned the Netherlands in June as Amber Barrrett scored a last-gasp goal in a 3-2 victory.

That came after a famous 3-1 victory over France in 2024 in Euro 2025 qualifying, and a 1-0 win over Slovenia last year.

"The Netherlands game was incredibly special, particularly because the Cork crowd showed such passion," Ward said.

"We cannot take Kazakhstan for granted, especially with the significant travel involved between the two legs.

"We will need everyone in the stands to get behind the team once more to help us get over the line."

Matt Gault
BBC Sport NI senior journalist

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Mayo's emotional All-Ireland triumph on Sunday brought a collective release to everyone associated with the county, but victory on Gaelic football's biggest day also provided Ryan O'Donoghue a measure of redemption.

In the 2021 final, O'Donoghue missed a penalty that would have given Mayo the lead over Tyrone in the second half.

While O'Donoghue top-scored on the day with 0-8, Tyrone won the game, leaving the spot-kick failure - which came 12 months after the 2020 final loss to Dublin - to eat away at him for five years before he got another crack at the final.

And against Kerry on Sunday, the 27-year-old set the tone for a furious Mayo performance as he pressed and hassled the Kingdom defence from the first minute in a man of the match performance.

"The two main emotions are pride and relief," he told The GAA Social.

"After 2020 and 2021, if I'm being honest, I was never over 2021 until about a half-hour ago [at full-time on Sunday].

"Now I'm an All-Ireland champion, we're All-Ireland champions and I'm over it. I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason.

"There are a lot of things that have happened in the past couple of years on the pitch - 2020, 2021 and the Roscommon game [a 10-point loss in this year's Connacht semi-final]. I don't think today would have happened if we didn't go through those things."

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'This is for mum and dad'

O'Donoghue, who made his senior inter-county debut in 2020, had enjoyed a superb season for Andy Moran's side prior to Sunday's final.

But his indefatigable display - in which he scored 0-5 and launched the move that ended with Darragh Beirne's 40th-minute goal - has installed him as the frontrunner for the Footballer of the Year award (he would be the first Mayo winner since Moran in 2017).

It would be a remarkable achievement for a multi-talented sportsman, who fought in two All-Ireland boxing finals in his youth and played for the Republic of Ireland soccer team at underage level.

And like so many of his team-mates, Belmullet club-man O'Donoghue was able to savour the epic celebrations at Croke Park with his family, including his father Michael and County Down-born mother Brenda.

"What my mother and father have done for me since I was 11 years of age. Boxing, my dad used to leave at 4 o'clock in the morning to take me to Dublin to the National Stadium for Ireland training," explained O'Donoghue.

"Up and down the road to Castlebar when I was playing Kennedy Cup with Mayo, up and down the road, under-14, Minor. It's a long journey from Castlebar to Belmullet.

"My father worked two jobs. I was playing with Sligo Rovers 2014 to 2016. I didn't get paid, we had to pay our own diesel. There were bills to be paid and my father worked to get me up and down the road to Sligo.

"They've given me every opportunity, whether it's boxing, soccer or Gaelic. This is for them. That's the pride and the emotions in mum and dad. I'm so happy to have repaid them. There's been so many sacrifices. I'm so glad we've done it."

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Captain Jack Coyne to BBC Sport NI after Mayo's historic All-Ireland final win over Kerry at Croke Park: "I really don't know what to say, to be honest. It's the stuff of dreams. I've dreamt of this every day of my life. To be able to do this, I can't put it into words."

On fighting back and finishing strong: "That's kind of been us all year. With the new rules the game goes every single way. You could be up five points one minute, and the next down five. You just have to stay in it, and I think we done that today."

On ending Mayo's long run of losing finals: "To every man, women, boy and girl in Mayo, wherever you are, dream big things. Anything is possible and we've shown it today. I'm over the moon."

On Mayo manager Andy Moran: "He means everything. As a team we've had some tough days this year, and individually I've had some tough days. But that man has never had any doubt in me and this team. He's an incredible person, not even a manager. He makes everyone feel 10 feet tall and it's an absolute honour.

"This is my first All-Ireland final and it's most of the team's All-Ireland final. Andy came in at the start of the year and our aim was to win the All-Ireland. It's incredible, and he made us believe this was possible. Today is about Mayo and everyone in Mayo."