Henry de Bromhead is married to Heather de Bromhead. They have three children together: twins Jack and Mia, and their younger sister Georgia. He is educated at Glenstal Abbey School.
On September 3, 2022, de Bromhead’s son, Jack, is killed in a racing accident during the Glenbeigh Racing Festival. He is competing in a pony race, when he falls off his horse, and sustains fatal injuries, aged 13. All upcoming races during the festival are cancelled.
The LFA is established to promote and organize association football in the Irish province of Leinster, an area outside the traditional Ulster heartlands of the sport. The founding meeting is attended by representatives of five football clubs: Dublin University A.F.C., Bohemian F.C., Leinster Nomads A.F.C., Montpelier F.C., and St. Helen’s School F.C. Rev. Canon Morley of St. Helen’s School chairs the meeting, and Dudley T. Hussey of Bohemians is appointed the first honorary secretary.
Shortly after its creation, the LFA affiliates with the Belfast-based Irish Football Association (IFA), which donates £50 to support the new association. The LFA quickly organizes its first Leinster Senior Cup in the 1892–93 season, with Leinster Nomads defeating Dublin University 2–1 in the inaugural final. Soon after, the Leinster Senior League is formed, featuring clubs such as Bohemians, Britannia, Dublin University, Leinster Nomads, Phoenix, and Montpelier.
The primary aim of the LFA is to foster football in Leinster at a time when the sport is largely concentrated in Ulster. It becomes a key driver in promoting amateur and youth football, organizing leagues, and holding cup competitions for clubs across the province.
The LFA eventually becomes disaffiliated from the IFA in 1921 due to disputes over perceived Belfast bias, Sunday matches, and differences in focus between amateur and professional football. This leads directly to the establishment of the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) in September 1921, in which the LFA plays a leading role.
In summary, the Leinster Football Association’s founding in 1892 marks the beginning of organized football governance in southern Ireland, overseeing competitions and nurturing clubs outside Ulster, and its establishment remains a key milestone in Irish football history.
McIlroy grows up in a working class family as the eldest and only son among five sisters. Football runs in his family; his father, Harry McIlroy, plays for Lisburn Distillery, and his uncle Willie represents Portadown. He hones his skills playing street football during wartime shortages and leaves school at 14 to pursue his football career, initially working as a bricklayer.
McIlroy began his senior career with Glentoran in 1949, making 18 league appearances and scoring 8 goals, quickly attracting attention from English clubs.
McIlroy transfers to Burnley in 1950 for £7,000. He spends twelve years at Burnley, making 497 appearances and scoring 131 goals across all competitions. Known as the “Brain” of Burnley, he is renowned for his intelligent passing, vision, and footwork, playing a pivotal role in Burnley’s First Division title in 1959–60 and helping the team reach the 1962 FA Cup Final. He forms key midfield partnerships with players like Jimmy Adamson and Brian Pilkington, contributing to Burnley’s prominence in English football during the late 1950s and early 1960s.
In 1963, McIlroy joins Stoke City in a major rebuild under Tony Waddington for £25,000. Despite a difficult debut, he helps them achieve Second Division promotion in 1962–63, and contributes to Stoke reaching the 1964 Football League Cup Final. He scores 16 goals in 98 league appearances during his tenure.
McIlroy joins Oldham Athletic in 1965, serving as player-manager from 1966 to 1968. He makes 39 appearances with 1 goal while implementing attacking tactics and mentoring players, though promotion eludes the club under his management.
McIlroy earns 55 caps for Northern Ireland between 1951 and 1965, scoring 10 goals. He is a key player in Northern Ireland’s 1958 FIFA World Cup squad, helping the team reach the quarter-finals and scoring crucial goals in qualifying matches, including a famous win over Italy. He partners effectively with captain Danny Blanchflower, combining tactical awareness and technical skill to orchestrate midfield play.
After Oldham Athletic, McIlroy briefly coaches Bolton Wanderers in 1970, resigning after 18 days due to disagreements with the board. His managerial record reflects 124 matches with 46 wins overall.
McIlroy is appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2011 for services to football and charity. He receives the Freedom of the Borough Burnley in December 2008. The east stand of Turf Moor is named the “Jimmy McIlroy Stand” in his honour. He is remembered as Burnley’s greatest-ever player, and is praised for his elegance, vision, and leadership on and off the pitch.
McIlroy retires in Burnley, where he continues to attend matches and participate in local events. He passes away on August 20, 2018, at the age of 86. He is survived by his children, Paul and Anne, and his enduring legacy lives on among Burnley fans and football historians.
Jimmy McIlroy’s story exemplifies dedication, technical excellence, and loyalty, leaving a lasting imprint on both club and international football.
Sullivan is the son of Michael Sullivan from Abbeydorney, County Kerry, and Catherine Kelly from Drum, County Roscommon. He attends public schools in his native Boston, attending the Dwight Grammar School and performing well academically. His parents aspire for their son to enter the priesthood as a Catholic priest. To this end he enrolls at Boston College, but his passion for sports leads him to abandon formal education for professional baseball and later boxing. He quickly gains a reputation for raw power and aggression, earning the nickname “The Boston Strong Boy” during exhibition tours.
Sullivan holds the gloved heavyweight title from 1882 to 1892, with a record of 41–1–3 and 33 knockouts.
Sullivan’s fights are widely covered by newspapers, helping to launch modern sports journalism in the United States. He is one of the highest-paid athletes of his era, earning over $75,000 for a single bout. His “I can lick any man in the house” challenge becomes a symbol of Irish American defiance and determination.
After retiring in 1892, Sullivan opens the John L. Sullivan’s Theatre in New York City. He marries Annie Bates Lord in 1883 and has one daughter, Helen. He struggles with alcohol after his defeat to James J. Corbett in 1892 but later lectures against alcoholism. He dies at the age of 59 on February 2, 1918, in Abington, Plymouth County, Massachusetts. He is buried at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Roslindale, Suffolk County, Massachusetts.
Sullivan’s career transforms boxing from an underground, often illegal pastime into a national spectacle. He remains a cultural icon, celebrated in literature, film, and sports history.
Mills’s mother, Winifred (née Wills), is from Inchicore and her father, Thomas, is from Glanmire, County Cork. Her father works for Great Southern Railways. She has three siblings, Gertrude, Ada and Robert. Her mother dies when she is just eighteen months old, leaving her to be raised by her maternal grandmother, Charlotte Wills, who lives at 1 Abercorn Terrace, Inchicore. She is educated at St. Vincent’s Industrial School, Goldenbridge, where she plays table tennis and association football as well as doing gymnastics. However, camogie is her first love, which she starts playing at age five. She leaves school at a young age, and goes to work in Lamb’s jam factory.
Through her father, Mills is able to participate in and avail of the sporting activities in the GSR Athletic Union. Two pence per week are deducted from the worker’s wages to go toward the financing of the sports activities in the Railway. In 1947, she marries George Hill. They run the Red Seal Handbag Company from the North Circular Road, and later Hill Street. Later they become vintners, running the Seventh Lock public house on the Grand Canal, Ballyfermot.
Mills makes her camogie debut with the Great SouthernRailways club in Dublin in 1938 at the age of fourteen, and is promoted to the senior team for her second match. Three years later she makes her debut for Dublin while still sixteen and plays in Dublin’s unsuccessful 1941 All-Ireland Senor Camogie Championship final against Cork, winning her first All-Ireland medal after a replay against Cork a year later in the 1942 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship final.
In 1943, the same counties meet in the All-Ireland final for the third consecutive year. Once again Mills ends up claiming an All-Ireland medal, her goal from fifty yards range being described as the highlight of the match. The following year, 1944, brings a third All-Ireland medal. In 1945 and 1946, a dispute in the camogie association keeps Dublin out of the All-Ireland championship in spite of being Leinster champions in both years. In 1948, Dublin is back on form and Mills captures a fourth All-Ireland medal. She takes no part in the 1949 championship, however, the 1950s brings much success to Mills.
From 1950 to 1955, Mills captures six consecutive All-Ireland titles. In 1956, “the Dubs” surrender their crown to Antrim but it is soon reclaimed in 1957. In 1958, she is appointed captain of the Dublin camogie team. Led by her, Dublin defeats Tipperary to capture yet another All-Ireland title. She captures three more All-Ireland medals in 1959, 1960 and 1961. The occasion of the 1961 final is special as it is her 38th birthday and her last outing in a Dublin jersey.
In her playing days Mills is regarded as one of the all-time greats. She is regarded as camogie’s first superstar she has often been described as the Christy Ring, Mick Mackey, Nicky Rackard and Lory Meagher of the camogie world. With a haul of fifteen senior All-Ireland medals, she is the most decorated player in the history of Gaelic games at the time of her retirement. Since then Rena Buckley and Briege Corkery have won more than Mills.
Mills-Hill dies on August 11, 1996, from undisclosed causes, at her home on the Naas Road, Dublin. She is buried in Palmerstown Cemetery. In 2010, the camogie trophy for the annual inter-county All-Ireland Junior Camogie Championship is named in her honour. The Kay Mills Cup is a replica of the O’Duffy Cup. A plaque to Mills is erected at her former home, 1 Abercorn Terrace, Inchicore.
Raised in Rathfarnham, a suburb of Dublin, Harrington grows up in a sports‑oriented family — his father, Patrick Harrington, is a Gaelic footballer, boxer, and amateur golfer with a five‑handicap. He attends Coláiste Éannasecondary school and studies accountancy, balancing academics with a passion for golf.
Harrington begins playing golf with his family at age five and develops his skills at nearby Stackstown Golf Club. As an amateur, he represents Great Britain and Ireland in the Walker Cup three times (1991, 1993, 1995), winning the 1995 edition. He turns professional in 1995 at the age of 24, quickly winning the Peugeot Spanish Open in 1996.
In 2024, Harrington is inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, cementing his status as one of golf’s legends. Known for his meticulous play and consistency, he remains a respected figure in the sport, with a net worth estimated at around $40 million.
In summary, born on August 31, 1971, in Dublin, Pádraig Harrington’s career spans over three decades, marked by major wins, Ryder Cup success, and Hall of Fame recognition, making him a defining name in modern golf.
Johnny Lyons, the long-time sports presenter and editor at 98FM, is found dead at his Dublin home on the evening of August 19, 2015. The 49‑year‑old broadcaster had been away from work for several weeks recovering from a broken ankle and was expected to return to the air the following week.
Friends become concerned when they cannot reach him, prompting a search of his apartment in Dublin city centre, where his body is discovered. The cause of death is not immediately known, but 98FM confirms he died suddenly and peacefully.
Lyons joins 98FM in 1996 and serves as the station’s Sports Editor for nearly two decades. He is best known for hosting the popular Sunday morning show Now That’s What I Call Sport (9 a.m.–10 a.m.) and also presents Premier League Live on Today FM. His distinctive voice, passion for soccer, and larger‑than‑life personality make him a familiar and beloved figure in Irish sports broadcasting.
The news of Lyons death shocks colleagues and fans across the media and sporting worlds. 98FM’s management describes him as “the backbone of our sports team” and “a great friend.” The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) praises him as “a great football man who really understood the game” and plans to pay tribute at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium during the following month’s match against Georgia. Tributes pour in from fellow broadcasters, politicians, and sports figures, with some calling him “the unmistakable voice of sport in Dublin.”
Lyons’s funeral is held at the Church of St. Therese, Mount Merrion, Dublin, followed by burial at Shanganagh Cemetery in Shankill, County Dublin. The station and FAI both announce on‑air tributes in his memory. His sudden passing leaves a significant gap in Irish sports radio, and his legacy as a passionate, knowledgeable, and charismatic sports voice will be remembered by many.
McCullough turns professional in 1993, moving to Las Vegas, Nevada, to train under legendary coach Eddie Futch. Less than 2½ years after his debut, he captures the WBC bantamweight title on July 30, 1995, by defeating Yasuei Yakushiji in Japan, becoming the first Irish or UK boxer to win a world title there. He successfully defends the WBC belt twice before moving up in weight. He challenges for championships in super bantamweight and featherweight, including notable bouts against Daniel Zaragoza, Naseem Hamed, Erik Morales, and Oscar Larios. He is renowned for his relentless attacking style and exceptional durability, never being knocked down in his professional career.
McCullough’s career record consists of 34 professional bouts with 27 wins (18 by knockout) and 7 losses. He retires after a bout against Juan Ruiz in June 2008 due to injury, ending a career spanning 15 years.
McCullough marries Cheryl Rennie in 1993, and they have a daughter, Wynona, pursuing a career in entertainment. During his career, he faces mental health challenges, including depression and suicidal thoughts, which he overcomes with the support of his family and faith. He becomes a United States citizen in 2005.
After retiring, McCullough becomes a trainer for amateur and professional fighters and works to promote goodwill in sports as WBC World Ambassador for Peace. He is also involved in mixed martial artspublic relations and founds his charity initiative, IHOW. He publishes his autobiography, Pocket Rocket: Don’t Quit, in 2005. In 2019, he is inducted into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame for his contributions to the sport.
McCullough’s courage, low knockdown susceptibility, and international successes have cemented him as a revered figure in boxing, both in Ireland and globally. His story is one of triumph, resilience, and overcoming personal and professional adversity.
Gwynn excels academically as well as on the sporting field. The most outgoing of the Gwynn brothers at Trinity College, he cuts a handsome and dashing figure. He graduates from Trinity College in 1896, taking a double first in his finals.
Gwynn makes his debut for Ireland in a match against W. H. Laverton’s XI, scoring one run in the only Irish innings. The following year, he plays twice for Ireland, against I Zingari and South Africa. He scores 62 in the second innings against South Africa, his top score for Ireland.
May 1895 sees Gwynn make his first-class debut, playing for Dublin University against the Marylebone Cricket Club on May 20. This is followed three days later by a match for Ireland against the same opponents. He plays three further first-class matches that year, two against Cambridge University and one against Leicestershire. He scores 130 in the final match against Cambridge University, his highest first-class score.
In all matches for Ireland, Gwynn scores 220 runs at an average of 36.67. He takes six catches and one stumping.
After completing the induction course for the Indian Civil Service in the autumn of 1897, Gwynn travels to Burma for his first tour of duty. Tragically his promising career comes to an abrupt end a few months later. He dies in Rangoon of septicemia resulting from a tooth infection on February 14, 1898.
Christy O’Connor Snr, an Irish professional golfer born Patrick Christopher O’Connor, dies in Dublin on May 14, 2016. He is one of the leading golfers on the British and Irish circuit from the mid-1950s.
O’Connor wins over twenty tournaments on the British PGA and finishes in the top 10 in The Open Championship many times. Later he has considerable success in senior events, twice winning the World Senior Championship. In team events he plays in ten successive Ryder Cup matches and plays in fifteen Canada Cup/World Cup matches for Ireland, winning the Canada Cup in 1958 in partnership with Harry Bradshaw.
O’Connor is born in Knocknacarra, a village in Galway, on December 21, 1924. He catches his first glimpse of golf at the nearby Galway Golf Club, and from the age of 10 spends most of his spare time there. His foray into professional golf begins with caddying, first at Galway and then over at Tuam Golf Club.
In 1951, O’Connor turns professional with Tuam members funding his first tournament at The Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, that same year. His 19th-place finish garners a membership invitation from Bundoran Golf Club in Bundoran, County Donegal, which he accepts.
O’Connor’s first professional win is at the Swallow-Penfold Tournament held in 1955, the first £1,000 prize to be offered in British golf. He goes on to win the 1956 and 1959 British Masters. In 1958, he helps Ireland to win the Canada Cup in Mexico City playing with Harry Bradshaw. A year later, he moves to Dublin and joins The Royal Dublin Golf Club. Throughout the 1960s he wins at least one professional event during each year on the British Tour, a level of consistent success matched by very few other players. He rarely plays professional tournaments outside Britain or Ireland, at one stage saying he forwent playing at the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, because he could not afford to participate.
The only major championship O’Connor plays is The Open Championship. He plays the event twenty-six times between 1951 and 1979. His best performance comes at the 1965 Open Championship where he ties for second place with Brian Huggett, two behind five-time winner Peter Thomson. He easily outplays international stars like Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Sam Snead, and Gary Player. He receives an astonishing twenty invitations to play in the Masters Tournament but rejected all of them, citing prohibitive financial costs.
O’Connor plays in every Ryder Cup from 1955 to 1973, setting a record of ten appearances in the event which stands until it is surpassed by Nick Faldo in 1997. He is the Irish professional champion on ten occasions, including in 1978 (at the age of 53), and is twice (1961 and 1962) recipient of the Harry Vardon Trophy for leading the British Tour’s “Order of Merit.”
In the 1966 Carroll’s International at The Royal Dublin Golf Club, O’Connor finishes 2-3-3 (eagle-birdie-eagle) to win the tournament by two strokes. At the par-4 16th, he drives the green and holes a 20-foot putt. He then holes a 12-foot putt at the 17th and, at the par-5 18th, hits a 3-iron to eight feet and holes the putt. A plaque by the 16th tee commemorates the achievement. In 1970, he wins the John Player Classic, at the time its £25,000 first prize is the richest offered in golf (in 1970, even The Open Championship winner receives just a little over £5,000), making him the season’s leading money-winner, although not “Order of Merit” leader, which is decided by a points system not directly related to prize money.
Later in his career, O’Connor becomes the leading “senior” (over-50s) professional player of his day, just before the lucrative U.S.-based Senior PGA Tour, now known as the PGA Tour Champions, takes off. He wins the PGA Seniors Championship six times and the World Senior Championship in 1976 and 1977. He is elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2009 in the Veterans category.
O’Connor meets his wife, Mary Collins, in Donegal while he is a member of Bundoran Golf Club. They marry in 1954 and have six children together. During his early career he is known simply as Christy O’Connor, but his nephew of the same name also becomes a prominent golfer, and from that point forward they are referred to as Christy O’Connor Senior and Christy O’Connor Junior, respectively. He is known as “Himself” among his golfing peers. He dies at the age of 91 in Dublin’s Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, on May 14, 2016.
