Tribute To Charlie And Ita

As the 2^nd and 5^th anniversaries of my Grandparents deaths approach, I feel it is the correct time to write a piece to commemorate there memories. They are two people that I miss daily. When you spend nearly every day with them up until the day they died, they are bound to have an impact on you.

My grandad suffered with Alzheimer’s and let me tell you to watch a member of your family that you love and respect so much disappear in front your eyes is so hard. For the ten or so years in which he suffered I wished every day that I could have taken away his suffering. As a 16 year old when you get asked to help your Grandad get ready for bed , you tend to grow up quickly.

I have had to do things that I wouldn’t ask my best friend or family members to do , don’t get me wrong I enjoyed every moment with them both before they passed away and I wouldn’t take back a minute of it.

People look and me and think he is only interested in sport how could he manage to help other people out.  I also spent 2 years helping out with a group in Listowel Family Resource Centre. This work was very rewarding.

Back to my Grandparents , I watched Grandmother lose her husband of 60 years to this disease that you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. Although I only knew my Grandmother for 21 years , she was a woman I admired dearly. They were the perfect match for each other and to have survived 60 years together they knew each other really well. They reminded me of Richard and Hyacinth Bucket the couple from “ Keeping Up Appearances “.

As I said before I spent a lot of my life in that house and saw them at the best and also at the worst moments of their lives. I made a pledge when I was told that my Grandad was sick that I would do all I could to help them. I offered to look after them full time when they needed full time care and although I was angry when my family told me they didn’t want me to do it although they appreciated the offer they couldn’t ask me to give up my life , I am actually grateful to them for stopping me from doing it now.

When I made that pledge to myself that they looked after me when I needed them , I wouldn’t let them down when they needed me most. Having spent the last 10 years or so  in close contact with them I spent some special moments with them both , watching my Grandfather’s eyes light up when old friends called to see them.

They both were heavily involved with the community when they came down here in 1970. In recent years I have been told that my grandfather in particular had an impact on many people’s lives throughout the locality.

Charles Augustin Mc Gibney and Jane Ita Mc Gibney nee Clonan had a massive impact on other people’s lives and they had an impact on my life and two years on from my Grandad’s passing and also 5 years on from my Grandmother’s passing I just hope I haven’t let them down and that I picked up some good qualities from them both.  To you both I love you dearly and miss you everyday…. Thank You for all you did for me.

By

Cian Mc Gibney

17/02/2016

• Can you take me back to the start of your career , how did you start out in boxing ?

  I started boxing at the age of 7. I had a massive interest in sport as I grew up with 3 older brothers. My 3 brothers at the time were competing in boxing so I was always watching them train and compete. The rule as a kid for me was I had to be home when the street lights came on. I was very bored on the winter nights as I had to come in at an early time so one of the evenings I decided to go down to the boxing club with my brothers to train and fell in love with the sport straight away! I'm coached by my dad Tony, Anto Donnelly, Derek McArdle, Damian Douglas and Gavin Donnelly who all have helped me up until this day. They all train me in different ways which helps me hugely! I had my first fight when I was 7 years old in Dealgan Boxing Club which is the club I box out off. I had my first competitive fight when i was 11. In 2008 I won my first Leinster and All Ireland title. In 2012 I was able to compete Internationally so it was a big year for me. I traveled to Poland in 2012 for my first European championship which is where I won my first European title. I boxed Germany in my first bout who was at the time World no.3. I won 17-7. I boxed Turkey in my semi final, it was a tough fight but I won 17-12. My final was against Russia. My opponent was world no.2. It was a very close fight but I managed to come through as the winner winning  16-15. Since then I have boxed all over the World at European, World and Multi Nation Tournaments. I boxed at the World Championships in 2013 where I lost out very fairly to a brilliant opponent from the USA named Jajaira Gonzalez. It was a brilliant experience and I walked away learning a lot. My 2nd World Championships was in 2015 in Taiwan. I won my first fight against the world no.3 from Kazakhstan. My following fight I lost on the end of a bad decision against a boxer from China.

  In 2014 I also traveled to Germany for the Queens Cup Multi Nation. I boxed Germany in my first fight winning 3-0, I won my 2nd fight against Kazakhstan who was Senior champion in her country and in my final i boxed Sofia Nilson from Sweden who is now a very good friend of mine which I won 3-0. I was also awarded the Best Technical Youth Boxer of the tournament. In 2015 I won my 3rd European Title and also was awarded the Best Youth Boxer in Ireland.

• You have 13 Irish titles and 3 European gold along with 1 silver medal , how did you find winning those titles ?

  The Irish titles I won I trained very hard for. Some of them have been walkovers which at the time I would have been disappointed as i didn't get to compete for my title. But I trained very hard for them so after a while I realized I deserved them. I enjoyed my first European experience but I wasn't 100% confident flying over there as It was my first time competing Internationally. I cried my eyes out after I secured a bronze medal because i didn't expect to go over and do that well so winning the European gold was the cherry on the cake especially beating world class boxers. My favorite experience was when I went to my 2nd Europeans in Hungary. I traveled alongside Katie Taylor and also captained the team. My first was against a very tough Turkish boxer, I won that 2-1. My 2nd fight was against the Hungarian boxer who I beat 3-0. My final was against a French boxer who I beat 3-0. I loved the experience of it all. My European Silver came in 2014 when I traveled to Italy, again I really enjoyed the experience and learned a lot from this trip. I boxed Italy in my first contest who was a very tricky boxer. I stopped her in the 4th round. In my semi final I boxed a Swedish boxer who just kept coming forward, it was comfortable for me and won 3-0. My final was against and excellent Ukrainian boxer, the first two round I won on all the judges cards, in the 3rd round I took a standing count which I couldn't argue with because I stood blocking punches too long. In the 4th round it was even enough and I threw a 1-2 combination and caught her, the referee jumped in and give me a standing count. The clip is on you tube as straight after my final someone had uploaded it. At the time I was devastated but when I look back I can still be proud of myself as I made history by being the only female boxer ever to win European gold and a European silver medal from Ireland. 

  I also enjoyed my European experience in 2015 when I travelled to Hungary for the 2nd time. I was named captain also. My first fight was against the home boxer from Hungary. She was very tricky but thankfully I came through and won by stopping her in the 4th round. My 2nd fight was against Sweden who I mentioned is a good friend of mine, it was hard getting in but we were both after the same thing so we had to put the friendship to one side. I won that fight TKO 3.  My final was against the Italian who had boxed 60 kg at the world championships 3 months previous. I felt I won the first 2 rounds very comfortable, i think she would of edged the 3rd round but I came on strong in the 4th and nicked it! It was a great fight all together.

• How do you find keeping your weight in check as you box at 57 kgs ? 

  When I first started boxing competitively at 11 I boxed 42 kg. The following year I took a massive jump and entered the Leinster at 52 kg, I entered the All Ireland Championships at 54 kg and the Cadet Championships which is another Irish Championship at 57 kg. Since then I've kept my weight at 57 kg, every tournament I have boxed 9/10 times has been 57 kg so I made no secret to anyone about what weight i would be entered at. As the years went making 57 kg has got tougher, definitely! I started to develop into a women and I started to gain muscle which made it hard. I'm still competing at 57 kg but over the nest 1-2 years I will move up to 60 kg as it's an Olympic weight so I would like to gain the experience at a heavier weight. But for the 5 years 57 kg has always been the weight i competed at.

   

• How do you find the diet side of boxing , do you ever want to just break out and eat whatever you like ? 

  I hate the dieting! lol.. Because 57 kg got tougher for me as I got older I had to stay away from all sorts of sugar foods and fatty foods and stick to the water. Its a nightmare but I always know that them sort of sacrifices be well worth it in the long run. After a tournament I always binge eat, I always buy my chocolate before a competition and just tease myself until its over. The amount of chocolate I buy you could fit into a hamper basket lol. Some crazy part of me likes the healthy eating though because I always feel good in my body, my body is in good shape and when I feel like that I know my performances in the ring will be to the best of my ability.

   

• Do you have any special techniques while preparing for a fight ?

  The night before I box i don't get a wink of sleep especially if the tournament is huge. So i usually be twisting and turning in bed until it's time for weigh in. When I weigh in i make sure i have plenty of food in me and i'm fully hydrated. After wards I go straight back to bed and get a few hours sleep and I usually wake up feeling very good. Again I'll drink and eat more to make sure i have all the energy I need in the ring. When we go to the venue where i'm boxing I always listen to music. I hate people talking to me before I box because I always try and get into a zone where I'm focused but if people constantly come up and talk to me I get in a very bad mood lol. But after I box I'm the best person to talk to! 

   

• Do you think female boxers get enough coverage in the media ?

  I think female boxing has definitely picked up since Katie won gold in 2012, its growing very rapidly but personally I don't think we get as much recognition as we deserve. There's a lot of female boxers on the rise and nobody knows this because of the lack of recognition. A lot of people look at it as a mans sport and don't think female boxers shouldn't be boxing but over the next few years everyone will get a huge surprise at how good women are at boxing! 

   

• Can you explain the funding drive to me ?

  The funding for women at the moment is, if your an Olympic weight 51 KG, 60 KG, 75 KG, you will qualify for some sort of funding whether its if you have a European, World or Multi nation medal you will automatically receive funding once your Senior Champion of Ireland. Because the men has all boxing weights in the Olympics they get funding a lot easier then the women. I train full time, I have no job as I put all my time into boxing and I don't receive any sort of income because I'm not an Olympic weight and I have no other sponsors. So it is very tough.

   

• Can you tell me the plan for the next four years ?

  My plans for the next four years is too become World Champion, European Champion and of course Olympic Champion. I want people to think of me when they think of female boxing. I want to continue making history but the Olympics in Tokyo 2020 is definitely the biggest goal of mine!

   

• Can you see yourself boxing professionally after your amateur career finishes ?

  I've started to think about that recently about the professional game. I would like to at some stage, if I got a very good deal I would of course take up that opportunity. I have a massive liking towards Oscar Dela Hoya's ' GoldenBoy Promotions' so it would be unreal if he started something up for the women because he seems to be a brilliant mentor and promoter. But Definitely as I said if I got a good offer I would consider it. It would be a brilliant experience all the same.

   

• Who are your sporting idols ?

  When I was younger and first started boxing Katie Taylor was a huge hero and inspiration of mine, I still think she is and amazing boxer but as I got older I started watching more than just Katie. I started to watch Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and straight away I fell in love with the he boxed. His power and the way he puts his combinations together is just something else. I could watch him all day! He's a strange looking Mexican, a nice looking Mexican! He's by far my biggest hero. I try to implement his style sometimes. He's Class. 

   

• Where did the nickname “Dynamo" come from ?

  When I won my first European title in 2012 a man named San Sheridan set up a fan page like he did also with Katie Taylor and it was him who came up with it. The girls on the 2015 European team were calling me Canelo and chanting El Canelo when I was boxing which I loved lol

   

• And finally Amy , what is the ultimate dream ?

My Biggest aim is to win and Olympic gold medal! There's not a day that goes by I don't think of being on the podium w

Ireland Vs France Review

So Ireland have lost today against France in Paris by 10 points to 9. Many people will say that this defeat is because of the injuries and also the weather had a lot to do with it but we have to face facts , having most of the 1^st half possession and not making any real inroads into the French defence when in possession. All Ireland had to show for that half an hour were three Johnny Sexton penalties in reply Jules Plisson added one for the French along with missing one just before the break.

Looking at Ireland in attack , they look more adventurous on occasion but at other times they look less than sure as to what they want to do. Jonathan Sexton looks unsure of what to do at times. He is looking to the guys outside him to run smart lines and create space for the wingers and full back. Jared Payne and Robbie Henshaw looked solid in defence but I am sure that teams realise that they at this moment in time don’t look like a pairing that will cause many problems in attack.

I have seen it written many times this week that there is a perceived Leinster  bias when it comes to team selection. A number of form players have not made it into the Ireland 23 and now in the wake of this defeat Joe Schmidt‘s team selection will come under closer scrutiny.

 Dave Kearney on the wing along with Andrew Trimble both of these players are trusted by Joe Schmidt but it does bring into question what do players on the outside need to do to get selected. Guys like Stuart Mc Closkey , Paddy Jackson ,Craig Gilroy and Matt Healy of Connacht will see that today and wonder will they get game time before this Six Nations ends.

This defeat today is another seminal moment in the Joe Schmidt era. Yes he has masterminded two Six Nations wins in 2014 and 2015 but that is in the past and we are after yet another quarter final exit at a World Cup has put a lot of Joe Schmidt’s processes under pressure. The French haven’t really changed since the World Cup. They still depend on big forwards that carry hard and then they create openings from that.

 Guy Noves of course is only two games into a four year cycle and will see some positives in the opening games of his tenure. Although both games were at home and that has to be taken into consideration. The French attack looked lost for the opening half hour but gradually through some heavy carrying and a strong scrum laid the foundations for this win.

From an Irish perspective players like CJ Stander and Tommy O Donnell stood up and were counted this week again but in the front row Nathan White was put under all sorts of pressure by both Antonio and Poirot. When Slimani and Ben Arous came on they really added to an already strong French scrum. Also the introduction of Maxime Machanaud at scrum half helped the French dictate terms when it mattered most.

The French will be extremely pleased to be two from two after a dismal World Cup, there big challenge will be in 2 weeks’ time when they are away from home. They will grow with these two wins although they still have plenty to work on in the next two weeks. What’s the betting on a France Championship win now ?? Ireland of course reach a cross roads , what does Schmidt do now , does he try and build the strength in depth up in the squad and try out new players and combinations or does he give the players another opportunity to right the wrongs of the last two weeks in London. I think he will go with the latter but I feel that no less than three wins from three will suffice to salvage this campaign…

My XV  to face England in two weeks would be : 15 Rob Kearney , 14 Keith Earls , 13 Robbie Henshaw , 12 Stuart Mc Closkey , 11 Craig Gilroy , 10 Jonathan Sexton , 9 Conor Murray , 8 Jamie Heaslip , 7 Tommy O Donnell ,6 CJ Stander , 5 Donnacha Ryan , 4 Devin Toner , 3 Mike Ross , 2 Rory Best , 1 Jack Mc Grath  , injury permitting of course…

By

Cian Mc Gibney

13/02/2016

Ireland Women Vs Wales Women Review

So a new chapter for Irish women’s rugby began last weekend when they faced Wales in their new home in Donnybrook which has replaced Ashbourne as the new home for the Women’s internationals , It is also home to Nigel Carolan’s under 20 team. It is an all-weather surface that helps teams trying to play a wider game.

Ireland were beaten by Wales in a warm up match over in Wales at the end of January which saw Wales triumph 15-5. This game was a different story with Ireland playing in front of a vocal home crowd.  Ireland of course have gone into this Championship without a number of Six Nations winners from last season’s winning squad.

Jenny Murphy and Alison Miller are part of Anthony Eddy’s 7s squad hoping to make the Olympics in Rio. A number of new players have taken the places of those players with Sene Naoupu  , Ciara Griffin and Claire Cooney to name just three players that Tom Tierney has brought into the squad to freshen it up for a fresh assault on the 6 Nations title.

Looking at the game last Saturday, Ireland had loads of possession but failed to take full advantage of the amount of the possession they had throughout the game. Both the scrum and line out didn’t fully function and this particular trouble kept Wales in the game and it led to some hairy moments. The Irish defence stood up to the Welsh attack that did look to punish a few turn over chances that presented themselves.

Ireland struggled to get quick ruck ball and this resulted in most of their attacks faltering. Captain Niamh Briggs did bring this to the attention of the match referee but her remonstrations fell on deaf ears. On the occasions that the ball did make it beyond out half Niki Caughey it failed to make it to wingers Elise O Byrne White or Maria Coyne to make the most of the attacking positions that they so often found themselves in.

With an eye to France next Saturday evening in the Stade Aime Giral , Ireland will need to tighten up on the basics with both a strong line out and scrum needed to stand any chance of gaining a first ever win in France. Also Ireland will need to be far more clinical in attacking positions as they will not enjoy as much time on the ball in France.

Tom Tierney has given this team a real mental edge and they will hope to build on the 21-3 win over Wales as they go in search of a first win in France.

By

Cian Mc Gibney

10/02/2016

Paul O Connell Tribute

So Paul O Connell has had to admit defeat in his quest in trying to fight back from the hamstring  injury suffered against France at the 2015 World Cup . He has announced his retirement from Rugby without playing a game for Toulon. He of course spent the majority of his career with Munster and captained them to Heineken Cup glory in 2008. He started out with Young Munster and cut his teeth in the All Ireland League and credits this time with them for turning into the player he went onto become.

He was a leader and this was evident as he was a captain for each team he was involved with , Captaining Ireland between 2013 and 2015 , He was Munster captain between 2008 and 2013. He was the Lions captain in 2009 down in South Africa. He was of course more than just and leader , he was an inspiration to all that played with him over the year’s. He was one of those rare players in sport that no matter what they did or said you would follow them into the trenches.

He presented the jerseys to the Munster Under 18 Club side in Thomond Park and to see parents and players fixed and engrossed in what Paul was saying was a thrilling moment , not many people have that special ability to hold a room for the whole of the time they are speaking but Paul was one such person.

He of course was famous for rousing speeches and saying the right thing at the correct moment and firing a team up before a game or at half time , everyone remembers his speech before Ireland faced France when he famously said “ Did You Put The Fear Of God Into Anyone”  This is only one example of what sort of a character he was. He also gave some memorable post-match interviews , namely for Munster after the quarter final in the Heineken Cup against Harlequins where all of the players were questioned and he said “ He was so proud of each player , he almost felt like an amateur rugby player”.

He of course was also able to have a game changing impact by making a huge hit on most notably Sebastian Chabal for Munster against Sale in 2006 and for Ireland in 2014 against Australia with the match winning tackle on Ben Mc Calman when he picked him up and drove him backwards.

Paul O Connell will never be seen again and it was a pleasure to say that I saw him on a number of occasions over the last 14 years , whether it was in the Red of Munster or the Green of Ireland. It was a real pleasure to watch him pick off  the oppositions line out.

He is a real legend of Rugby Union that commanded the respect of players across the globe and will be severely missed by all who soldiered with him through his career whether that was with Young Munster , Munster , Ireland or The Lions.

Paul , enjoy your retirement and thank you for all the memories….

By

Cian Mc Gibney

09/02/2016