Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali has passed away and one of the World’s best boxer’s has exited stage left. He has spent the last 32 years battling Parkinson’s disease and in that time he campaigned tirelessly about the effects of the disease.

He was the first boxer ever to win the Heavyweight World Title on three separate occasions. He was sports first true showman and backed up all trash talk with many victories.  Like so many that will write and speak about “The Greatest “is the next few days we didn’t see Ali in all his pomp and glory.

He was of course more than just a boxer , He was a man that stood up for what he believed in , He converted to Islam and changed his name from Clayus Clay to Muhammad Ali. He also didn’t join up with the US Army during the war in Vietnam. For this reason he divided the nation

He won an Olympic Gold medal in 1960 at the age of 18 in Rome at Light Heavyweight. He turned Pro in the early 60s and went on to have a fine career that saw him hold the World Heavyweight Title on three times.

Looking at what Ali meant to people, he was a symbol for standing up in what you believe in , he had unwavering self-belief.  He was a classy boxer that could throw a flurry of punches and dance around the ring avoiding anything that his opponent may throw at him. He said he could “ Fly like a butterfly and Sting like a Bee”.

Like many of the stars of World Sport like Usain Bolt , Lionel Messi , Michael Jordan all you need to do is mention their names and it can get people talking and talking about all they achieved. Back to Ali , he really was “ The Greatest “ and although a small number of people may have though he was arrogant and all he ever did was trash talk but he backed up most of that trash talk with victories.

Ali died yesterday and after 74 years on this planet he leaves an incredible legacy that has gone far beyond the Boxing world. He lit the Olympic Flame during the opening ceremony at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

Muhammad Ali will never be forgotten and his achievements may never be equalled. He was a showman and entertainer and while many have imitated what he did few if any will ever do things and say things the way he did. He really was “The Greatest “.

By

Cian Mc Gibney

04/06/2016

Dublin 7s Festival

Saturday saw me make my way to Donnybrook to the inaugural Dublin 7s Rugby festival. It saw two different competition takes place where a domestic tournament took place alongside the main international tournament.

 It was refreshing to see teams like Italy, Germany and Norway take part in the shortened form of the game. This form of the game will return at the Olympics in August.  Donnybrook was taken over for the day with food stalls, a stage where various acts performed throughout the day.

 While the rugby was the key ingredient to the day, there was plenty of other activities to keep people entertained with a bouncy castle for the kids. There were plenty of other activities for the adults in the crowd with hair stylists on site alongside those Food stalls and also the customary clothing stalls that sold merchandise including, shirts, balls and caps.

Getting back to the rugby there were some terrific performances including some cracking moves specially designed for the 7s game with UCD trying a few moves that worked out and looked wonderful and these moves only added to each game.

Samurai the 7s only side made the trip from the UK and added real class to proceedings. While Italy in particular along with Germany showed some real quality and skill. They have made some real strides forward in the shortened form of the game.

All the teams that were involved this weekend brought something to the table and made it a very special day and with glorious sunshine it brought a few more people out to see what was going on. They showed the Pro 12 Final and Champions League Final on a big screen so people wouldn’t miss out on any of the action that was happening elsewhere in the sports world.

Special thanks goes to organiser Brian Mc Dermott and all his support staff for a well-run day. Thanks too to Peter Fitzgibbon, David O Brien and the team of IRFU officials with the support of some Leinster associate Referee’s that helped officiate in the domestic Tournament.

Here’s hoping this tournament can continue into the future and can become a big part of the thriving 7s circuit in Ireland.

By

Cisn Mc Gibney

30/05/2016

The West’s Awake

So Connacht did it, they are the 2016 Pro 12 winners after defeating Leinster 20-10 in a cracking final in Edinburgh yesterday. John Muldoon a veteran of 275 appearances for Connacht was the man entrusted with the most important job in Connacht Rugby history and that was lifting the Pro 12 trophy.

 Connacht stuck to the plan that has served them so well since Pat Lam took over and that was to attack with precision and dominate the breakdown both of which they did extremely well. This Province has had it all since Professionalism came in 1995 , they have been the poor relation with small amounts of funding and also they were threatened with expulsion by the IRFU “suits” in 2003. There was a proposal to remove them as the fourth province but that was defeated and I am sure that some of those “Suits” that wanted them gone were “cheering “ them on yesterday.

Yesterday was about much more than just the final , it was the culmination of many years of work by many coaches and players along with hard work executives. There of course is a Tarbert connection with yesterday’s win , Louise Creedon is Connacht PRO and is the grand daughter of the late Mrs Eithne  Creedon , a proud Galway women who I am sure was watching over Murrayfield yesterday.

Guys like Eddie O Sullivan , Warren Gatland , Micheal Bradley and Eric Elwood who were coaches during the 21 years of professionalism can take some credit for the win yesterday. They all had a hand in the development of the game out West.

Some players will depart the Connacht cause this summer with Robbie Henshaw , Aly Muldowney and AJ Mc Ginty will move to pastures new Henshaw will pitch up at the RDS next season with a Pro 12 winners medal safely tucked away in his back pocket , Muldowney will move to the Top 14 to join Grenoble while Mc Ginty will join the ever improving Sale Sharks , with Moritz Boshoff linking up with Connacht from next season there is no room at the Inn for Mc Ginty because of IRFU regulations that means only one non-qualified player can be in any one position within the 4 Provinces.

He will find a new home at the AJ Bell next season , of course next year Bundee Aki will become Irish qualified due to the three year residency rule or will Steve Hansen put a call in to bring him home , only time will tell !!

To sum up , yesterday was a watershed moment for rugby in Connacht. I have no doubt they will push on from this win as I have always said it all they ever needed was a trophy to go with all the good work they have put in. Yesterday they got the reward for well over 100 years of toil. Good things come to those who wait. Congratulations to all out West , To Pat Lam for filling this group with the confidence that anything is possible….. Ill sum up Connacht  like this Hunger , Hard Work , determination and Skill.

By

Cian Mc Gibney

29/05/2016

Ireland Squad For South Africa

The Ireland squad has been named for the three game tour of South Africa with new boys Sean Reidy and Quinn Roux the only two new names in the squad with a number of young bucks like Ringrose and Mc Closkey being left behind in favour of more experienced heads.

Lads like Matt Healy and Craig Gilroy can feel very aggrieved at being left out because this season they proved they could finish off any chances that came there way. Schmidt has again gone for the tried and trusted with the majority of players that played in The Six Nations.

You has to admire his loyalty to the players that have been so successful in his time as Ireland Head Coach. To me there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of forward planning with Japan 2019 in mind or even the November Tests later in the year. You can’t honestly blood new talent against Australia , New Zealand and that again like 2014 leaves only the Canada game where any new players will only get one game to show what they can do before the 2017 Six Nations.

Here is a mad idea, sacrifice one Test in South Africa and put a whole different XV on the field and see how they get on. The third test would be the ideal situation to put this theory into practice. I may being very naïve but pardon me , this all very similar to the period between 2011 and 2015. Although to puncture that period Six Nations wins in 2013 and 2014 put Ireland to the head of the table in Europe even though the 2014 win was on point’s difference.

Schmidt has decided to go with two out halves in Jackson and Sexton with Stuart Olding to cover the out half position if he is required. In the forwards , Tommy O Donnell and Chris Henry have been dropped with Sean Reidy and Quinn Roux the men to profit and gain the opportunity to win a first cap.

To me it just looks like Schmidt doesn’t really have any faith in young players at this moment and I think the good will that has been shown to him in 2013 and 2014 is beginning  to run thin with young players not being thrown in at the deep end. It just feels that the opportunities will be few and far between to give these guys the chance to show what they can do.

 Gary Ringrose and Stuart Mc Closkey should have been given the chance to try and form a partnership that could work into the future also trying out , Henshaw and Ringrose as a combo was a missed chance I feel.

Also the fact that Jared Payne will not most probably be Robbie Henshaw’s long term partner again with the World Cup in 2019 in mind , these summer tests should be used to test out players. The IRFU will of course want Joe Schmidt and his coaches to deliver at least one win in South Africa. This is the first test series in South Africa for Ireland since 2004.

Here’s hoping that at least one win can be achieved and the rough season at International level can end on a high. All the good work at provincial level that saw Connacht , Ulster and Leinster make the Pro 12 Semi Finals can give the National side the boost the need and hopefully help seal  a first Test win in South Africa….

By

Cian Mc Gibney

25/05/2016

An Open Letter

I put a video together a few weeks ago and it got some great support from people. I hope it helped people in some small way. It seemed to strike a chord with people and a number of people spoke to me in the days after it was uploaded. My reason for putting the video together was to demystify Mental Health and make sure that the people that matter have a voice and a way to speak out if they need to speak out.

Looking back at my own problems that happened to me in 2014 and a few times before that I realise that using Facebook as a means of trying to deal with my problems was wrong , but that is only my opinion of course whatever a person decides to do to try and help themselves is good because the more people open up the better.

We are in the middle of exam season and stress levels are at their highest level and people will do anything to help themselves this time. Take it from someone who didn’t do a great Leaving Certificate, I am still here and it isn’t the be all and end all , trust me…. Just do the best you can and nobody will say a thing to you.

I just hope my efforts to highlight these issues will help people and make it easier for anybody to just start talking about anything that is troubling them. I know that I have probably contradicted myself by putting this on my website and also sharing on Facebook and Twitter but I really just really wanted to reach out to people.

My own issues have been well highlighted by different pieces I have recorded and written and I have now steeled myself not to end up in the same position that I was in back in 2014. I am more open with people about issues and hopefully this piece will say if Cian Mc Gibney , Mr quiet and conservative can be open so can I……

By

Cian Mc Gibney

24/05/2016