Ian Flanagan Set to Depart As Munster CEO

Cian McGibneyRugby

Ian Flanagan has confirmed his intention to resign from his position at Munster’s CEO at the end of October. An interim person will be put in charge before a full time appointment will be made.

Under his watch Munster won the URC in 2023 but since that time Munster has fallen well below the expected standards of a team that achieved so much over the 2000s.  

The late Garrett Fitzgerald had to stand down due to illness but he was the man who had Munster ticking along with Jerry Holland as team manager. They worked well as a team along with the coaches they employed in that time, Alan Gaffney, Declan Kidney and Tony Mc Gahan.

Munster in recent years has lurched from one crisis to the next with no consistency in performance or in the coaches box. Let’s hope whoever the new person will be can get started asap in trying to correct the course of Munster and start the process where Munster can begin to heal any divisions they may have commercially as well as on the playing side of things.

This job won’t be solved or sorted in a matter of weeks, it will take months if not years of hard work to correct any issues that have cropped up over a number of years.

It will be interesting to see who may put the hand up to take on the CEO role full time. It will take time to appoint a full time CEO and I hope they do take all the time they can to make sure they get the right person for what will be a really tough job.

People like Donal Lenihan, Keith Wood will surely be sounded out as well as several people away from the Munster organisation. It is an interesting job that will test the chosen candidate like no other job they may have been in.

Munster have begun the process that has long been called for by those within and from outside the set up. It will take time to correct all the ongoing problems but with a strong character leading from the front and the willingness of players, support staff and supporters to try and all pull in the one direction who knows what can be achieved.

All the best to the new CEO whoever he or she might be and don’t forget to bring a good hard hat to work on day 1 because you might need it !!

New Season 2026

Cian McGibneyRugby

Irish rugby has restarted as the new campaign kicked off and for the first time since 2009 and 2010 all 4 sides were defeated and this has probably set people thinking even at this early stage of the season that we are almost 12 months out from the World Cup in October 2027.

Yes, the performances of all 4 teams had positives and negatives and all the sides will have plenty to work on as the weeks go on. Munster showed plenty in attack and had a strong set piece but Glasgow reset themselves at half time and made vital changes that had a big impact through the 2nd half and from Munster’s perspective the changes they made just did not have the same impact and the result went against Munster losing 26-20.

The panic button can’t be pressed as of yet, Andy Farrell has plenty to work on as we head into the Nations Championship in November. The URC will keep going until the middle of October and then the Champions Cup will kick in for 1 round before International rugby happens in November.

This season will come hard and fast at supporters, players and coaches along with the media and one feels that there will be plenty of ups and downs through the coming season. Clayton Mc Millian will have to work tirelessly alongside his coaching team of Mossy Lawlor, Denis Leamy, Jimmy Duffy and Jared Payne to try and get the side up and running.

It looks like it will be a trust the process type of situation for Munster for the campaign. They will need to probably win on Saturday against the Bulls to get the season going as they are away to Ulster and Leinster with home fixtures vs Racing 92 in Europe and then to finish October it is the Sharks in Limerick in the URC.

It will be a busy period and Munster will want to get a W in the winning column. The other 3 provinces will want to do similar over the next few weeks and change the feeling that Irish rugby is at a crossroads. Andy Farrell will have to try and bring through a few new players over the next year to challenge the established players to try and get things moving in the right direction with an eye on the 6 Nations in 2027 and then the World Cup in October of “27”.

For the provinces, it’s time to get going and see what the 2nd round of the URC delivers as all 4 sides will be looking for their opening win of the year…..

Danny Wren and Ambrose Lanigan Fitness Class

Cian McGibneyLocal News

A new venture is about to kick off this coming Thursday October 1st with Danny Wren and Ambrose Lanigan  about to commence circuit training down in the new facilities recently opened in Shannon Park, home to Tarbert GAA.

They recently had a trial run and had 11 people with them for the trial run of the circuit training. This Thursday will see the commencement of the training with their first class starting at 6.15am and the following week they will run 3 classes, 2 on a  Tuesday at 6.15am and 6.15pm and the early class on Thursday is also at 6.15am.

They are trialling the circuit training for 1 month and will then hopefully move to do other types of classes into the future. They are hoping when the football season ends, they may be in a position move the classes into the newly refurbished gym, that is to be confirmed in due course. Keep an eye out for details on that.

All levels of fitness will be catered for by Danny and Ambrose, Danny is a fully qualified personal trainer since 2020 and Ambrose is a newly qualified gym instructor and personal trainer since early in 2026. Ambrose was looking for something to fill the void left by retiring from football. Danny is still playing with Tarbert currently and they will be shortly preparing for the North Kerry Football Championship.

They are looking at keeping it at 11 people per class at the moment given the size of the room they are currently in as of now. They will happily go to other places in the area if there is sufficient interest in the likes of Glin, Ballylongford, Moyvane and other places in the surrounding area and use the local facilities in those areas for their classes and groups.

Wishing Danny and Ambrose all the very best with their new venture and hopefully this will go from strength to strength as the weeks go by…

Munster 2026,2027 Season

Cian McGibneyRugby

Munster will begin their season vs Glasgow Warriors on Saturday week. They will end there preparations on Friday where the A side as well as the first XV will get a run out. Leicester Tigers will face the first XV down in Cork. The A side will play earlier in the day so a good share of the squad that will be used in the opening weeks of the season will see game time in either game.

Jack Crowley continues his recovery from a lower leg injury that has seen him ruled out since last April. JJ Hanrahan, Charlie O Shea look to be the two 10s Munster will look to have on board for the opening weeks of the new campaign.

Tony Butler has been brought back in to train with Munster having been released over the summer. He is involved owing to a number of injuries in the out half slot. Will Harrison is nursing a knee injury that was aggravated in the early part of pre-season. He has been brought in on a 1 year deal from Australia.

Clayton Mc Millian will hope the bad luck Munster have had due to injuries over pre-season won’t be repeated as the season kicks off in earnest on Saturday week. This season will test Mc Millian yet again and after several high profile incidents marred Munster last season off field in particular while performances on field didn’t meet the usual standards of the past few years. 

More upheaval this pre-season saw Mike Predergast and Alex Codling leave with Jared Payne and Jimmy Duffy coming to take up there new roles and they were involved from the beginning of pre-season which was a big help to alleviate any pressure and have a good head start before any players came into the building down at Munster’s High Performance Centre in the University Of Limerick.

The expectations from the Munster supporters will need to tapered given the Pool in the Champions Cup and the start to the URC. In saying that the players will have to hit the ground running as they face some tough opposition in the URC opening rounds before taking Racing 92 on in round 1 of the Champions Cup down in Cork in the middle of October. Munster will want to start off as strongly as the last campaign and will need to do so. This season won’t be easy and injuries to key players could hamper Munster but again it will be down to some of the young talent in the squad to lead from the front and take things by the scruff of the neck and begin the season on the front foot and see what happens from then on

ROG In La Rochelle Till 2031

Cian McGibneyRugby

Ronan O Gara’s new deal with La Rochelle has been confirmed after he put pen to paper on a 5 year deal that will take him to 2031. He has had good success since taking the job back in 2019 that has seen them win two Champions Cup titles and get to a Top 14 Final.

There is great security in the length of the deal and you can be sure winning a Top 14 will be a priority for ROG and his coaching staff that still has Donnacha Ryan on its books.

Ben Healy is part of the playing squad this season after his time in Scotland with Edinburgh didn’t work out too well, yes he was capped by Scotland at senior level but did not make a major breakthrough to compete with Finn Russell, Adam Hastings to get a regular spot in the Scotland squad.

He was also in and out of the Edinburgh side during his time in Scotland where others got ahead of him in the pecking order and he spent the latter part of last season on loan with Newcastle Red Bull. He has signed a two year deal and will have to work hard to get into the 23 regularly but with the amount of games in the Top 14 as well as Europe he will get his chance and will want to take it on the first go.

ROG’s decision to throw his lot in with La Rochelle will open the door for plenty of talk about him still succeeding Andy Farrell in 2031 even though loads of water has still to pass under those bridges and who is to say that either man will still be in said jobs by the time 2031 does roll around.

It will ease any anxious Leinster supporters who may have feared that ROG was in any conversations to succeed Leo Cullen at the end of the season. His track record as a coach should have been the only thing that counted for those in charge at Leinster if he had been interested in the job.

Certain ex Leinster players were very quick to dismiss the notion that Ronan O Gara would be suitable for the top job. His association with Munster seemed to rule him out straight off the bat which is ridiculous given his coaching career has gone from strength to strength since his first job with Racing 92 back in 2013.

It will be interesting over the next period of time how he gets on with La Rochelle, they have started the current Top 14 campaign on a strong footing and will look to continue to build on that strong start as the weeks go by.

ROG has achieved plenty so far in his career and will want to keep that up over the next few years with La Rochelle and of course the idea of International coaching will stay hidden away in the background with both France and Ireland keeping a close eye on his progress in particular….

Listowel Harvest Festival 2026

Cian McGibneyLocal News

Listowel Races are fast approaching over the horizon, 7 days where the North Kerry town is brought to a standstill for the world famous festival. Can local trainer Eoin Mc Carthy pick up from last year when he won several races and kept the local punters happy as well as his owners.

Listowel is a sight to behold over the 7 days and brings everyone together and all business owners are all singing from the same hymn sheet which makes things work well. You get people coming to Listowel from all walks of life.

Many people return year on year and stay in the same place, do the same thing, eat the same food and that familiarity is what makes the Harvest Festival so special.

The Race Company works hard for the year leading into the Whit meeting in June and then the big one over the week in September.

Pat “Cash” Healy is a massive driver as the spokesperson for the Race Company and he does his bit to put in the reminders of the famed Festival when he appears at other meetings like Galway in the months preceding Listowel on TV.

Gerry Hannon the famed commentator who is another Listowel local who learned his trade in Listowel as well as other tracks is another local man who will be on home soil for the week to bring his dulcet tones to the commentary box on the “Island”.

Ger Mulvihill, who is the social media man for the Race Company will ramp up his preparations and keep the Festival visible on all of the social media sites as he has done over the past year.

He does this through interviews, features on local yards, the people behind the scenes who make it all happen. He will be up the walls in the build-up as well as race week.

It is a special week for this author as I can see another Race week fast approaching. I really enjoy the week and will go racing from Monday to the Friday. Good walking shoes will be required as I will be on my feet and moving for the 5 days I hope to travel.

It is great to be reacquainted with those I meet on a yearly basis as well as meeting new people who are down for a few days or the whole week from different places all over Ireland and further afield as is the case most years.

Sunday to Tuesday will be when most locals will venture to the track and then from Tuesday evening to Saturday it will be locals and many others who will be there for Kerry National Day on the Wednesday and Ladies Day on Friday.

John B Keane was spot on when he summed up Listowel Race week as a “State of Mind” because the few days take on a world of their own and best laid plans are often changed to fit in around a day at the Races.

To those who will go to the Races this year, enjoy yourselves and to those who may be in two minds and waiting for the weather reports I would urge you to pencil it in and then just let yourself go and take your day at the Races in your stride.

A word for TG4 who will broadcast the Festival on TV and that will bring the festivities to a broader audience as well as those here at home.

I wish all in the Race Company the very best for the Harvest Festival of 2026 taking place from Sunday the 20th to Saturday 26th of September…..

Katie Taylor Career Ends in Croke Park

Cian McGibneyMMA / Boxing

Katie Taylor’s storied career ended on Saturday evening in Croke Park in front of 83,000 on Jones Road. She fought Flora Pili of France who had not fought outside of France until Saturday. A number of other bouts happened on the card with guys like Paddy Donovan boxing and the card also included Molly Mc Cann who is related to Katie also adding to the family affair at Croker.

For Katie, this is the end of the road that began back in 2001 and was neatly rounded off in front of the record crowd. Taylor has won multiple National, European and World titles along with Olympic gold in 2012.

Eddie Hearn and Brian Peters have guided her professional career since 2016, Brian Peters was the man in the corner of Bernard Dunne when he won European and World titles in the mid-2000s. They have worked well over her 25 bouts as a professional to allow her flourish and achieve some big feats in the last 10 years.

Of course, there have been a number of close calls against a few fighters with Chantelle Cameron inflicting her only professional defeat and then in the 2nd fight between the pair she won back the belts she had lost previously alas there was to be no trilogy fight and from Chantelle Cameron’s point of view she will most likely view it as a missed chance.

Katie Taylor can now begin the long and winding process of reflection and looking back her career as she settles back into civilian life for want of a better turn of phrase. She will be inundated with opportunities and interview requests you can be certain. A book can’t be too far off either although one suspects, one is already in the works.

Her next move outside of family commitments will be interesting, does she want to get involved in training or punditry or will it be a clean break away from the sport for a period of time to allow her breathe and assess her options.

The event on Saturday was very special and showcased the best of what can be achieved with joined up thinking and team work. Yes money will also talk and will continue to dominate the world of professional sport.

Aoife Scott and Roisin O were asked to sing the Irish anthem and also gave the crowd a rendition of “Grace” a song made famous by Jim Mc Cann.

I think it was stroke of genius to have two women sing the anthem and you also had the haunting voice of Dolores O Riordan to add to the occasion not forgetting Westlife who also sang a few tunes.

They built up the suspense and that worked well as the other bouts ticked along and it steadily built toward the big moment which arrived and Taylor and Pili were greeted with load roars of approval as they entered the ring.

Boxing has struggled in Ireland to regain the lost ground since 2016 owing to events at the Regency Hotel in earlier that year Thankfully for boxing fans, slowly over the past few years smaller shows have happened at the 3 Arena in particular and that has shown those in charge that there still an appetite for combat sports in Ireland be that MMA or Boxing.

Let’s see now into the future can Ireland now sustain the small bit of momentum garnered from the shows of the last few years. Will more promoters be willing to put up the money to have more shows in Ireland and give the next generation of fighters a chance to shine on a decent stage.

For Katie Taylor her long career as an amateur and professional has ended after many success and one or two disappointments over the years too of course. She spoke of her family in loving terms and also thanked her father Pete for his contribution to her career. They have had well-documented issues in recent times but Katie made sure in her final moments in a ring to recognise his efforts.

The talk of the greatest Irish sports person again reared its head immediately after on social media which of course is the 21st century version of judge, jury and in some cases executioner. Everyone is entitled to an opinion but can we leave the greatest of all time chatter until another time and allow each event have its moment before we tear it to pieces.

I was also thinking of the late great Jimmy Magee on Saturday evening as Katie stepped into the ring and could hear his words in my ears from 2012 when he said “Katie Taylor champion of the Olympic Games” after her win in the Olympic Final.  He would have really enjoyed Saturday in Croke Park no doubt.

Enjoy whatever is next Katie with the family on both sides of the Atlantic….

Mam’s 10th Anniversary

Cian McGibneyLife

I have written a few pieces this year as my Mam’s 10th anniversary will fall next Thursday.  It will make it 10 years exactly since Mam suffered a brain haemorrhage and then died 4 days later in University Hospital Kerry.

For those who have lost a parent or parents, this will be familiar and for those who have not lost anyone of importance, don’t take those relationships for granted. The events of that evening are still fresh but have begun to fade as the years have ticked by.

I have grown as a person in that time and although I was 26 when Mam died and in the opinions of people, “how was I going to cope” well I can tell you I have coped quite well and manged not to crack up although I was close to doing so a few times.

I learned plenty over the past few years, who I could count on and those you couldn’t count on in any circumstance. That group of people is very small and that was another lesson I learned very quickly.

I am also well aware that my Mam wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea because she spoke her mind and that particular asset is not really appreciated in Ireland as we don’t like hearing the truth and not a version of the truth.

I have done my best to improve myself and move on from that period but it still comes to mind on occasion depending on what’s going on in life. The amount of regrets I have since Mam died are small in number and I have also done my utmost to show her that I was able to move out and on with life.

3 years on from my move and I am still here, I did the adult thing and left home. I probably spent the first few months proving myself to those who kept telling me to go out and experience life. Yes the move has been the single best thing I have done or did in my now 36 years on this planet.

My reason for writing this piece is to mark Mam’s death but also it’s another reminder to those who questioned me and my ambitions to keep your opinions to yourselves which has become the norm now thankfully. I now just laugh or bite back at anyone who has something to say….

As I say, my mother wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea but she also did so much for many people in a quiet manner when it came to glasses in particular. Her final act of organ donation proved the type of woman my mother was and is.

In death, she was thinking of other people and her selfless act allowed a number of people to restart their lives thanks to her organ donation. Next Thursday at 12pm I will mark the moment my life changed forever.

Mam missed out on Fionn’s wedding earlier this year but she was remembered in the speeches and her presence was also at the top table unfortunately in picture form and not there in her full form. It is those moments you truly miss the loved ones that are gone.

If I seem distracted or grumpier than usual in the next week, I can only apologise to those who may encounter me. I will be steeling myself for the anniversary next Thursday the 10th of September…..

ROG, Fresh deal at La Rochelle Might Be In the Offing

Cian McGibneyRugby

Ronan O Gara looks set to sign a new 4 year deal with La Rochelle to continue as there head coach until 2031. He has won two European Cups but has yet to deliver the Top 14 title and if he does sign this extension, he will hope to get over the line and secure the Top 14 title in the next few years.

 His new deal would end at the same time as Andy Farrell’s latest contract with the IRFU. Time will tell whether both men will be in those respective jobs depending on results over the next year or so. For ROG, he has been linked with a return to Ireland regularly over the past 13 years since his coaching journey began with Racing 92.

Leinster will be in the market for a new head coach from the summer of 2027 with Leo Cullen stepping down after 11 years with Leinster.

ROG has been quick to put it out there in his regular weekly paper column that no decisions had been made about his future even though his name was linked to Leinster as soon as Leo Cullen intimated his intention to step away.

The question of ROG to Leinster seemed to stir up several people who very quickly stated on record that he would not be a good fit for the job given his playing days were spent with Munster. That is amazing, straight away his playing days were the restriction to him possibly being involved in the conversation for one of club rugby’s big jobs.

By the look of it, La Rochelle look set to announce ROG’s 4 year extension in the coming days. Felipe Contepomi is another name linked to the Leinster job after his time with them as both a player and coach. He is currently coaching Argentina in a miniseries with Australia in place of this year’s Rugby Championship.

Leinster have begun there recruitment process for their next head coach and have said through Shane Nolan, chief executive that they will take their time in announcing the next person to take Leinster forward from next season and beyond.

With Ronan O Gara seemingly about to be ruled out of the reckoning with his supposed La Rochelle extension in the offing, it will be an interesting period as the new campaign approaches as to who Leinster have in their sights for the big job…

Katie Taylor, Croke Park Farewell and Finale…

Cian McGibneyMMA / Boxing

Katie Taylor will end her professional boxing career on Saturday, 10 years after her debut in November 2016. She was Olympic Champion in 2012 guided by her father Pete and Zaur Antia. She has been a trail blazer for women’s boxing over the past 25 years.

Many of today’s stars in female boxing have spoken about Katie in glowing terms, Clarissa Shields, Terri Harper, Chantelle Cameron and on a domestic front Christina Desmond has spoken of her admiration for Katie.

Much will be written in the coming days about her farewell in Croker, thankfully she will get the send-off and to box in Croke Park which for the latter part of her professional career was a stated aim.

 I am thinking of Jimmy Magee as I type, who was the man in 2012 who commentated on her Olympic Final, he was the voice of Irish boxing along with Dave “boy” Mc Auley and Mick Dowling among others.

Boxing has long since disappeared from television screen in this country owing to outside factors that have been well documented so I won’t be going over old ground. Slowly though in recent times, that seems to be changing and we have had a number of shows involving plenty of Irish talent.

At amateur level, TG4 has carried the can and given the National Championships in boxing their time in the spot light. RTE has left well enough alone and will re-enter the boxing sphere on Saturday evening for the first time in many years and let’s hope it will be not be a 1 and done scenario by those in RTE who have shown in recent times that they can get it right covering sport outside of the usual namely GAA, Rugby and Football in particular.

The recent coverage of the European Swimming and Athletics Championships was evidence of how well they can do things on occasion. The great and the good will be out in force on Saturday for what does promise to be a truly special occasion that most likely will transcend sport given all that Katie has achieved in multiple sports over the past 20 + years.

For Katie, who will no doubt treat Saturday as if is her first day out, It will be a special one with family and friends out in force to support her on the big stage one last time. She will box Flora Pili of France to try and become a 3 time undisputed World Champion on home soil.

Brian Peters and Eddie Hearn deserve credit for making this happen and those at GAA HQ for allowing this event take place. It certainly will be one of those “where were you when moments”. I am grateful for the fact I have seen Katie box locally twice at amateur level and although I didn’t see her box live as a pro, I have continued like so many to follow her career on the World stage.

She could well have ended her career a few years ago but has continued into 40th year in the hope of this final chance to end it on home soil in Croke Park which lasted hosted a boxing event in 1972 when Muhammed Ali fought Al “Blue” Lewis.

It’s a great bookend for Taylor as the “Greatest” Muhammed Ali was the last to box there and now one of women’s greatest Katie Taylor will pick up the torch on Saturday evening.

A number of good quality bouts will support the Taylor vs Pili fight, with people like Molly Mc Cann, ex UFC fighter and cousin of Taylor continue her fledgling boxing career while Paddy Donovan will go up against Tyrone Mc Kenna from Belfast.

 A number of other bouts will support the main event on the evening and it promises to be a good evening of boxing in the home of the GAA for the first time since 1972.

Taylor herself has come a hell of a long way since having to pretend to be a boy just to allow her to box in an event all those years ago. She has done so much for women’s boxing including fighting in a bout in front of Olympic officials that helped sway them to allow boxing have a place at the 2012 games where she won Gold.

To those travelling on Saturday, enjoy watching a genuine Irish sporting hero and legend in action on last time.

Katie, it’s been a pleasure and honour to see you fight and achieve all you have over the years….