THE Men’s National Football League can be seen—from the outside at least—like the weigh-in before a heavyweight title fight. The pugilists get close, look each other square in the eye with maybe some shadow-boxing or actual pushing, before stepping off the stage knowing that the real deal is just around the corner.

DEAR Santa, I’ve been a good boy this year—well, mostly. I’ve cheered, I’ve groaned, and I’ve written more words about GAA than I care to count. So instead of socks and selection boxes, I’m asking for something different: a few gifts for the game we love. After a rollercoaster 2025, here’s what I’m hoping for in 2026.

IRELAND'S Hidden Heartlands stretch across nine unmissable counties, each with its own history, heroes—and, of course, heart. We’ve chosen five great towns and villages you simply can’t miss. The only question is: which one will you visit first?

THE rumble of two stomachs demand that lunch be taken and where better than our scheduled stop at Mullaghmore Harbour? On the everlasting entry road, we pass three identical cobs leaning over the stone wall at the perimeter of their field, there are rabbits ahead and we park by seagulls at the water’s edge.

THE road to Croke Park is narrowing and the upcoming All-Ireland Senior Football Championship preliminary quarter-finals are poised to deliver the kind of drama, intensity, and potential upsets that have defined this GAA season.

WITH the Provincial Championships now wrapped up and the All-Ireland group stage in full swing, the 2025 intercounty football season has already delivered its fair share of drama. The draw has been made, the first round is half-way complete, and if recent results are anything to go by, we’re in for a rollercoaster summer.

THE intercounty championship is well underway, and we are nearing the semi-final stage in all provincial championships

TWO games into the league and it’s been so refreshing—the rules have really given football a boost

THERE'S a variety of wonderful reasons for heading to the City of the Tribes

FRIENDS and Family gathered in Salthill, Galway earlier this month to bid a fond farewell to Eamonn Nugent who passed away aged 31