Latest news with #Kildare
Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
David Hyland: 'We were sick to our teeth over Leinster'
Kildare defender David Hyland is satisfied with the progress Tailteann Cup semi-finalists Kildare have made in a short space of time. The Lilywhites were beaten by Offaly in the Division 3 league final in late March and then exited the Leinster championship to Louth. But they've since blazed a trail through the Tailteann Cup and will meet Fermanagh in Sunday's semi-final at Croke Park. Hyland said Kildare's sweet quarter-final win over Offaly, turning the tables on two previous losses to the Faithful this season, proved just how much their young group has come on. "If you look at the performance we put in that day in the league final, and the performance we put in last weekend, it's chalk and cheese," said centre-back and ex-captain Hyland. "The development of the team has come a long way in the last two months or so." Kildare have clearly taken the Tailteann Cup seriously and appear desperate to win it. "We were sick to our teeth with the way Leinster turned out," continued Hyland. "We played the first two games of the Tailteann Cup and then after the Tipperary game we sat down on the Monday night and said, 'Look, we have an eight-week block now to go and win the Tailteann Cup'. "We talked about what that means for this team's development and also that it would secure Sam Maguire Cup football next year because that's ultimately why we're here, what we want to do. "After that, it was all shoulders to the wheel really. So I think it was that third game really where we knuckled down and said, 'Right, this is what we're after, four more games, let's go and win this Tailteann Cup'." Yet the experienced Athy man said that with silverware now in sight, they haven't allowed their focus to drift beyond Sunday's semi-final. "We can't because we haven't performed very well in Croke Park over the last number of years," he said. "So we need to get that off our back. And it's going to be a huge challenge obviously. It's all top teams that are left in the competition." Kildare have lost five league and championship games in a row at Croke Park since last winning a game there, a 2022 Leinster semi-final against Westmeath. And prior to that they'd lost 17 of their 24 Croke Park outings, across the league and championship, since contesting an All-Ireland semi-final in 2010. But boss Brian Flanagan has a talented bunch of young players at his disposal, many of whom contested All-Ireland U-20 finals in 2022 and 2023, winning the latter. Several more were U-20 winners in 2018. The Tailteann Cup may even be the best environment for those young players to learn their trade, though Hyland isn't sure. "I tend to disagree with that," he said. "I think the young guys we have here at the moment would be well able to mix it with the likes of a Down, a Clare, some of the teams that are in the Sam Maguire this year. We have to play the cards we were dealt obviously but I think that would have brought us on a bit more if we were in it." Attacker Jimmy Hyland looks set to miss out again with a lower leg injury and there are question marks over the fitness of Callum Bolton, Ben McCormack and Ryan Houlihan.
Irish Times
17 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Castletown House campaigners being sued by companies in row over gates and fencing ‘blocking' key access route
Companies being sued by a community group over new gates allegedly blocking public access to a period house and its estate are now suing the organisation. Last month Save Castletown Committee CLG brought a High Court action over gates and connected fencing erected by the owners of a 235-acre parcel of land within the historic demesne of Castletown House in Celbridge, Co Kildare. Campaigners say the gates and fencing are blocking public vehicular access to the house and grounds via a road known as Gay's Avenue. Celio Properties Ltd, Kilross Properties Ltd, Liffey Bridge Homes Ltd and Springwood Properties Ltd acquired the parcel of land in April 2023. READ MORE The rest of the estate – including the lands where the 18th century house is situated – is owned by the Office of Public Works. Late last month the companies brought separate High Court proceedings against Save Castletown Committee and two of its directors, Fintan Monaghan and Treasa Keegan. The companies have taken the proceedings against Mr Monaghan and Ms Keegan personally and in their capacities as representatives of the committee, court documents have stated. In its proceedings, Save Castletown Committee is seeking an order requiring the companies to remove the gates and fencing. The committee, with an address at Woodview, Castletown, Celbridge, says the gates and fencing are an development, as planning permission was not obtained. But in the companies' proceedings, they argue the committee has 'wrongfully asserted' that their lands are subject to a public right of way and a public right of access. The companies, with registered addresses at Millennium Park, Naas, Co Kildare, and Turnings, Straffan, Co Kildare, are seeking orders restraining the defendants from making a claim of public right of way in respect of their lands within the Castletown House demesne. The defendants say that establishing this public right of way is necessary to their argument in the unauthorised development proceedings. Both sets of proceedings return to court next week. In a sworn statement filed in the unauthorised development proceedings, Mr Monaghan said the public had previously 'enjoyed habitual access' to Castletown House via Gay's Avenue. This access has been blocked by the newly erected gates, he said. He said that the ongoing blocking of access to Castletown House at Gay's Avenue was having a 'severe impact' on the local community. Mr Monaghan said his group's purpose was to promote public access to the Castletown House estate and the reunification of the historic demesne lands. '[Save Castletown House] believes that Castletown lands are of vital historical, cultural and ecological significance for the community of Celbridge and Leixlip, and therefore considers that they should be in state ownership for the use and benefit of the people of the area and for the State as a whole,' he said.
BreakingNews.ie
19 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
16 knife injuries inflicted on Kildare man does not fit murder accused's account of self-defence, court told
Evidence of 16 separate knife injuries suffered by a 50-year-old man during a "ferocious attack" in a Co Kildare apartment does not fit with a murder accused's account of having stabbed the deceased in self-defence, a prosecution barrister has told a murder trial. The 12 jurors were also told by the State on Thursday that the accused Ryan Kearney had told the first garda who arrived at the scene that it was "balaclava-clad men who had carried out the attack". Advertisement Mr Brendan Grehan SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, said the jurors would also hear that when the defendant was cautioned by gardaí, he had replied: "I stabbed Jeffrey but did not murder him, he was my friend, that's it". Mr Kearney (39), with an address at Loughnamona Drive, Leixlip, Co Kildare, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Jeffrey Jackson (50) at The Lamps, School Street, Kilcock, Co Kildare on February 8th, 2024. In his opening address to the Central Criminal Court jury on Thursday, Mr Grehan, prosecuting, said "The Lamps" on School Street is a two-storey apartment complex in Kilcock, which was home to witness Breda Kearney, who the jury will hear from in due course. Counsel said the deceased Mr Jackson, had been in a relationship with Ms Kearney for over a year in February 2024. Advertisement Mr Grehan added: "Ryan Kearney was a nephew through marriage to Breda Kearney in so far as the accused's uncle Michael Kearney had been married to Breda Kearney, but that relationship was no longer in existence". In relation to the evidence against the accused, Mr Grehan said Ryan Kearney had arrived at Ms Kearney's apartment with two bags of shopping shortly before 2pm on Thursday, February 8, 2024. He said Ms Kearney and Mr Jackson were in the apartment at the time. A short time after Ryan Kearney arrived, Ms Kearney left the apartment around 3.24pm to go to the local supermarket to get more alcohol; "perhaps a bottle of vodka". Counsel said Ms Kearney was visible on CCTV footage returning in the direction of the apartment at 3.34pm. Mr Grehan added: "It's a very tight timeframe and a very small window of opportunity for things to occur". Advertisement Detailing the evidence that will be heard, counsel said when Ms Kearney arrived back at her apartment she found Mr Jackson "in a very bad way" on the sofa, not conscious and bleeding from various wounds. The barrister said the accused had said something to the effect of "I think I killed him, I stabbed him in the neck". Mr Grehan said the evidence will be that Ms Kearney rang the emergency services at 3.41pm. The barrister said the call taker was told a man had been stabbed in the apartment. "Specifically, one of the things the call taker was told, which the prosecution says was by Ryan Kearney, was to the effect that a number of men in balaclavas were responsible for what had occurred inside". Advertisement The jurors, he said, would hear from a paramedic who had administered First Aid to Mr Jackson. He said the paramedic made a decision that there was no point in carrying out emergency resuscitation. The lawyer said the panel would also hear that Ryan Kearney repeated to the first garda at the scene "the suggestion that it was balaclava-clad men who had carried out the attack". Counsel said a knife was found on the kitchen sink and that blood was noted in various places, as well as "various wounds the deceased had suffered to the stomach and chest area". Ryan Kearney, counsel said, was arrested at the scene by Detective Sergeant Gerard Moore at 4.30pm. Advertisement During his interviews Ryan Kearney claimed he had acted in self-defence and been attacked by Mr Jackson "coming at him with a knife". When the accused was released from detention, Det Sgt Moore charged him with the murder of Mr Jackson. Mr Grehan said the jurors would hear that when Ryan Kearney was cautioned, he had replied: "I stabbed Jeffrey but did not murder him, he was my friend, that's it". The barrister said it is the State's case that when all the evidence had been heard the jurors would be satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that Ryan Kearney had murdered the deceased and that he had "lied to the call taker about others involved as he had lied to the first garda on the scene suggesting it was men wearing balaclavas who had attacked Mr Jackson". Ireland Man (42) spared trial for threatening to slit thro... Read More The lawyer also said it was the prosecution's contention that the accused's subsequent suggestion that he had acted in self-defence was not supported by the evidence in the case. He said the injuries inflicted on the deceased suggest a "fairly ferocious attack" on Mr Jackson. Mr Grehan said State pathologist Dr Sally Anne Collis found 16 separate knife injuries on the deceased. "They were distributed all around the body, head, face, chest, some on the legs; It did not fit with the scenario where Ryan Kearney suggested he had jabbed a few times, having taken the knife off Mr Jackson, who attacked him". Counsel said the accused had no injuries except a small cut to one of his fingers. In conclusion, Mr Grehan said the prosecution will submit to the jurors that the evidence doesn't fit with the accused's account of having acted in self-defence. The trial continues this afternoon before Mr Justice Paul Burns and a jury of three men and nine women. It is expected to last two weeks.
BreakingNews.ie
19 hours ago
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Castletown House activists sued by companies over alleged public right of way claim
A set of related companies, sued by a community group over the erection of gates allegedly blocking public access to a period house and its estate in Co Kildare, have brought separate High Court proceedings against the group and its directors. Last month, Save Castletown Committee CLG brought a High Court action claiming gates and connected fencing, erected by the owners of a 235-acre parcel of land within the historic demesne of Castletown House in Celbridge, are blocking public vehicular access to the house and grounds via a road known as Gay's Avenue. Advertisement Celio Properties Ltd, Kilross Properties Ltd, Liffey Bridge Homes Ltd and Springwood Properties Ltd acquired the parcel of land in April 2023. The rest of the estate - including the lands where the 18th-century house is situated - is owned by the Office of Public Works. Late last month, the companies brought separate proceedings against Save Castletown Committee, and two of its directors, Fintan Monaghan and Treasa Keegan. The companies have taken the proceedings against Mr Monaghan and Ms Keegan in their personal capacities, and in their capacities as representatives of the committee, according to court documents. In its proceedings, Save Castletown Committee, who is represented by FP Logue solicitors, is seeking an order requiring the companies to remove the gates and fencing. The committee, with an address at Woodview, Castletown, Celbridge, says planning permission was not obtained. Advertisement In their proceedings, the companies claim the committee has 'wrongfully asserted' that their lands are subject to a public right of way and a public right of access. The companies, with registered addresses at Millenium Park, Naas, Co Kildare and Turnings, Straffan, Co Kildare, are seeking orders restraining the defendants from making a claim of public right of way in respect of their lands within the Castletown House demesne. They say that establishing this public right of way is necessary to their argument in the unauthorised development proceedings. Both sets of proceedings return to court next week. Advertisement Ireland Legal challenge over alleged unauthorised gates bl... Read More In a sworn statement filed in the unauthorised development proceedings, Mr Monaghan says the public has previously 'enjoyed habitual access' to Castletown House via Gay's Avenue. This access has been blocked by the newly erected gates, he claims. Mr Monaghan says that the ongoing blocking of access to Castletown House at Gay's Avenue is having a 'severe impact' on the local community. Mr Monaghan says his group's purpose is to promote public access to the Castletown House estate, and the reunification of the historic demesne lands. '[Save Castletown House] believes that Castletown lands are of vital historical, cultural, and ecological significance for the community of Celbridge and Leixlip, and therefore considers that they should be in State ownership for the use and benefit of the people of the area and for the State as a whole,' he says.
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Nadine Doherty: Vikki Wall being held to a 'different standard' by refereeing calls
Former Donegal footballer Nadine Doherty feels Meath's two-time All-Ireland winner Vikki Wall is held to a "different standard" to her peers when it comes to refereeing decisions. Speaking to RTÉ's Game On, Doherty highlighted Wall's sin-binning in Meath's 0-07 to 0-04 win over Kildare and felt the decision was harsh on the 27-year-old, with the yellow card incurred in the 44th minute when she was adjudged to have fouled Claire Sullivan. "The biggest talking point in that game was Vikki Wall's sin-bin. It wasn't a sin-bin for me," said Doherty. "I just felt that Vikki had the ball, she was at full pace which is a lot of pace but that's her strength, so she can't be punished for that. "And the Kildare player came across her, very clearly put two hands up to Vikki's chest. Vikki saw this late, turned her shoulder to protect herself as you would and straight away I knew she'd get a sin-bin, and you could see she was dumbfounded, as was everybody." Doherty feels that has not been an isolated occurrence and feels the player has been incurring more on-field punishment than has been warranted by the way she plays the game. "It just angers me to be honest because she's one of our top players," she said. "Look, Vikki is attritional, she has a lot of pace. Does she commit fouls? Of course she does. "But I just feel she's held to a higher standard. Not even a higher standard but a different standard when it comes to the majority of referees in this country. "I just think she's one of our top players, who has come home from AFL. She could easily have stayed out there (in Australia) for a year. "She has come home, back into that Meath team, she's upping the standard of our game and I just don't understand how week after week these calls are made against her." While she viewed Wall's sin-binning as "simply a bad call", Doherty did distinguish that from the wider issue of the charging rule in women's football. "I just think the charge rule is outdated. I don't know why it's in our game. Is it to keep our game and I put this in inverted commas, a 'non-contact sport' game? "The game isn't non-contact. It's full-contact, it's a physical game. I don't see the point of (the charge rule) because it actually puts refs in positions where sometimes I feel they don't actually know what the right call is. They might argue that. "Because it's such split-second tackles, it's all in the moment. But I just think at the weekend that Vikki was punished and shouldn't have been and I just think over the last few years, she's held to a different standard in that regard. "And teams also play into that. You can see it. When Vikki has the ball and she's at full tilt, teams play into it and sometimes that's the only way they can stop her is to draw a charge." Follow a live blog on the All-Ireland Football Championship on Saturday and Sunday on and the RTÉ News app. Listen to updates on Saturday Sport and Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1. Watch highlights on The Saturday Game at 9.15pm and The Sunday Game from 9.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.
