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Ciaran Thompson pays tribute to ‘brilliant’ Donegal GAA teammate for ‘absolutely unbelievable’ heroics against Mayo

CIARÁN THOMPSON hailed Ciarán Moore for kicking his winner against Mayo.

Moore’s last-gasp point for Donegal after the buzzer at Dr Hyde Park last Sunday dumped the Green and Red out of the Championship.

Ciaran Thompson of Donegal playing Gaelic football.
Ciaran Thompson paid tribute to Ciaran Moore
Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
Donegal GAA players celebrating a winning point.
Ciaran Moore kicked the winning score for Donegal against Mayo
Seb Daly/Sportsfile

A draw would have been good enough for Jim McGuinness’ men to finish second in Group 1.

The winning score made no difference to them in that regard but it does mean they go into tomorrow’s All-Ireland SFC preliminary quarter-final at home to Louth with the momentum of being on the back of two victories.

And Thompson lauded flying wing-back Moore, 22, for bombing forward for the victory.

The Donegal star told SunSport: “He’s brilliant, he has serious legs, absolutely unbelievable.

“Coming from the half-back line there into the half-forward line, just to compose yourself then and stick it over was savage. Fair play to him.

“We always knew it was going to be a tight battle against Mayo, it always is. Mayo went ahead but we dug deep to bring it back level and we got one or two ahead.

“They brought it back level and it was just nice to kick the winner then at the end with the last kick of the game.”

Thompson knows Donegal’s home comforts are vital. They were in danger of finishing third when David McBrien’s second-half goal put Mayo in front — that might have meant a trip to Kerry or Dublin this weekend.

Daire Ó Baoill’s two-pointer and scores from Michael Murphy and Shane O’Donnell eased fears of that happening and while Fergal Boland thought he had kept the Connacht giants in the hunt for Sam with a late leveller, Moore had the final, decisive say.

Donegal have only lost one game in league and Championship football at Ballybofey’s MacCumhaill Park under McGuinness and Thompson is happy to be at home against the Leinster champs tomorrow.

He added: “We were always expecting that from Mayo. We knew they were going to come back and the goal was a bit of a sucker-punch.

“It was just massive to win and get a home draw.”

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Sam Mulroy doubles down on brave All-Ireland claim he ‘took a lot of slack for’ after inspiring Louth to Leinster glory

SAM MULROY is determined to secure a second date with his silver namesake after a summer of love so far.

The skipper helped Louth end 68 years of heartbreak in the Leinster SFC by toppling neighbours Meath in last month’s Croke Park final by 3-14 to 1-18.

Portrait of Sam Mulroy at the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Series launch.
Louth footballer Sam Mulroy poses for a portrait at the national launch of the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Series
Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
Louth footballer Sam Mulroy holding the Sam Maguire Cup.
Louth footballer Sam Mulroy poses for a portrait with the Sam Maguire Cup at the national launch of the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Series
Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

On a day when the country fell back in love with the maligned provincial Championship, GAA HQ was awash with noise and colour as Mulroy was his county’s knight in shining armour — firing 1-7 in front of 65,786 adoring fans.

With Dublin aiming for a 15th Delaney Cup in a row, the public’s relationship with the Leinster Championship had turned sour.

But Louth’s heroics — after Meath had knocked the holders out in the semis — have rekindled the grá for the tournament and now the new champions want more.

Mulroy got his hands on Sam Maguire at the launch of the All-Ireland knockout series this week before a preliminary quarter-final trip to Donegal tomorrow.

And the confident hitman has reiterated his belief that the Wee County can take home the big prize for the first time since 1957, a claim he reveals he has copped flak for.

He said: “Absolutely, I took a little bit of slack for it before, which was fine but I suppose it was a case of putting it out there into the world and saying, ‘Why could we not be in contention?’

“The group’s gone about doing the work to put us in contention and to play in these games. Obviously last week Meath beat Kerry and they beat Dublin.

“They’re results you wouldn’t be calling maybe last year with the rule changes and the two-pointers and the expansive game.

“So I don’t think you can rule anything out going into the next few weeks.”

Winning Leinster for just the ninth time in their history understandable took its toll.

The hangover carried into the All-Ireland group stages as back-to-back defeats against Monaghan and Down left their summer hanging by a thread.

Ger Brennan’s men did the business in the final round against Clare, but only just.

They eventually banished the Banner 2-17 to 2-14 last weekend to advance in third.

Mulroy said: “Winning Leinster has been the main goal over the last number of years for this group. I suppose when you get there and you do it, maybe there is a case of coming down a little bit.

“There was obviously a lot of celebrating going on for a few days after but you have to, because it took a long time to get there and you have to enjoy it and live in the moment.

“But our performances against Monaghan and Down weren’t up to scratch and we knew going into last weekend that we had to win to save the Championship.

“I don’t know if we played better that way with our backs against the wall a little bit, but maybe it was the best thing for us.

“I thought at times last week we were good, so hopefully we’re coming back to some sort of form.

“It’s 68 years, so for the people of Louth it was a once-in-a-lifetime thing for a lot of people.

“Hopefully the gap is not as big the next time. I suppose it’s hard to get back on track, maybe, even just for people around the county and talking about it and not getting caught up in that.

“We were back training on the Wednesday, obviously with a job to do and we knew we were going into a tough group.

“It was a case of maybe you didn’t get to bask in it as much as you’d like, but we enjoyed the few days we got.”

TOP MARKS

Mulroy has the mindset of a top marksman as, despite firing a number of wides against the Royals, he still ran up a huge total.

The Naomh Máirtín hotshot admits putting those off-target efforts behind him was key, allowing him to fire a two-point free in the 65th minute to move Louth ahead of their neighbours and put one hand on the Delaney Cup.

The 27-year-old said: “Moments come and pass and it’s trying to stay on track and not get too caught up in it.

“By the time I took the last kick, I’d completely forgotten about the few before.

“The few I missed at the start of the second half, when you’re watching the clips back with the boys at the Wednesday training, you’re like, ‘Why did I take that shot’ or, ‘What was I doing there?’

“You nearly forget about them and I think that’s an ability and a skill that you develop over the years.

“Not getting too high and not getting too low with your shots or your chances or whatever it is because the game’s so fast.

“There’s no time. A younger Sam maybe would’ve dwelled on them and let it get to me and affect me.

“But I suppose now as I’ve grown as a player, I’ve definitely learned to just move on and forget about it.”

Louth have a free shot tomorrow. And their star man is full of belief ahead of their trip to Ballybofey for a battle of the Ulster and Leinster champs.

They are familiar foes too with Louth asking plenty of questions of Jim McGuinness’ side in an All-Ireland quarter-final loss last year.

Mulroy said: “I will putting that message to the group that we’re not going up to Ballybofey for the craic or to fulfil a fixture.

“We’re in a preliminary quarter-final for the All-Ireland series and we played in a quarter-final at Croke Park last year, so it’s a case of let’s try and go better again this year and progress as a team.

“It won’t be, ‘Let Donegal go through into a quarter-final’.

“It was either Killarney, Croke Park against Dublin or Ballybofey against Donegal so the options weren’t massively in our favour.

“It was always going to be a tough test no matter who we got, but you see there’s an opportunity and you try to say how are we going to go about winning this game.

“That’s the case now. so we’ll do our best to prepare and hopefully we’ll give it our all.”

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Met Eireann pinpoint when heatwave to end with major switch and ‘unsettled’ conditions on cards

MET Eireann chiefs warned there’s a big switch on the way with “unsettled” conditions – as we reach the longest day of the year. 

Alan O’Reilly from Carlow Weather said: “A little red sky before the sun rises on the longest day of the year and a lovely morning for the summer solstice here at Rathgall Hillfort in Tullow. 

People jumping off a dock into a lake.
Alamy
Temperatures will stay warm before a major switch[/caption]
Ireland temperature map showing highs in the 20s (°C).
Today will bring highs of 19C to 25C
meteologix.com

“A nice day ahead once again with just a small risk of a shower later. 

“Enjoy the longest day and remember for some today marks the start of summer.”

Met Eireann’s Ailis Hankinson told how temperatures peaked at 29.6C yesterday but a major change is in store.

She said: “So yesterday was the hottest day of the year with 29.6C recorded at Mount Dillon in County Roscommon. 

“But our weather will be cooler and more unsettled for much of the coming week though it’ll still be warm today. 

“And with that keep in mind that the UV index will be high or very high this weekend and if you’re in or near water do stay safe.”

There will be mixed conditions on the cards today but temperatures will remain warm. 

Ailish continued: “Today some mist and fog this morning near southern and eastern coasts will clear to leave a mostly dry day with a mix of cloud and sunny spells. 

“Some scattered showers will develop though mainly in the west turning heavy or thundery at times in the afternoon. 

“It’ll be warm with highs of 19C to 25C in light to moderate southwest breezes.”

Tonight will be “mostly dry with clear spells and some scattered showers”, they will be heaviest in the north.

Tomorrow will bring a mix of sunshine and cloud cover.

The forecaster said: “Cloud and outbreaks of rain will build from the west towards morning. “It’ll be mild with lows of 12C to 15C in light to moderate southeast breezes becoming fresh at times along Atlantic coasts. 

“Tomorrow Sunday we’ll see cloud and outbreaks of rain clear eastwards through the morning and early afternoon with sunny spells and showers following. 

“Further outbreaks of rain will feed into the west and north though in the evening with the south seeing most of the dry and sunny weather.

“Cooler and breezier than recent days with highs of 15 to 19 degrees in a moderate westerly wind.”

Monday will see a “cloudy and breezier” start with some isolated showers. 

Ailish said: “Cloud will thicken further during the afternoon especially over the southern half of the country with rain following in the evening. Driest in the north with some evening sunny spells possible.

“Highs of 15C to 19C generally though a little milder in parts of the south and southeast.”

The meteorologist warned there’s some uncertainty for our weather mid week. 

She added: “Then I’m afraid it looks like it’ll continue unsettled through the rest of the working week with spells of rain and showers – becoming breezy or rather windy at times too. 

“But for today on this summer solstice, warm with a mix of cloud and sunny spells, scattered showers will occur mainly over the western half of the country with highs of 19C to 25C.”

Weather map of Europe showing precipitation, cloud cover, temperature, and pressure.
Temperatures will remain warm over the weekend
wxcharts.com
Map of accumulated total precipitation in Ireland and the UK.
It will be more unsettled as the week goes on
meteologix.com

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The shorts you need this summer that are comfortable, length appropriate & flattering, including a pair from Zara

An image collage containing 3 images, Image 1 shows Model wearing a sage green linen short-sleeved button-up shirt and matching shorts, Image 2 shows Woman smiling and wearing a denim jumpsuit, Image 3 shows Model wearing an embroidered cream-colored vest and shorts

WITH the weather still staying nice and hot for the foreseeable when it comes to fashion the aim is to be as cool as possible. 

Shorts are great for this, but they aren’t everyone’s favourite item of clothing to wear.

Until now. 

Because this year there are lots of options on the high street for comfortable and flattering shorts. 

Shorts that don’t make your thighs rub, or ones that give you a wedgie and worst of all are too tight around the waist. 

Here, Deputy Fashion Editor Abby McHale gives a rundown on the best comfy shorts that are perfect for summer. 

M&S, £19.50

Pull-on striped shorts.
MARKSANDSPENCER.COM
Shorts, £19.50, M&S[/caption]

These shorts from M&S have been receiving high praise indeed. 

With a number of five star reviews the shorts have been flying off the shelves.

And you can see why, with an elasticated waistband, lightweight fabric and three different patterns to choose from – they tick all the boxes for summer. 

Coming in sizes 6-24, for just £19.50 these are perfect for throwing on day to day. 

Tu at Sainsbury’s, £16

Woman wearing light denim shorts and a yellow and white striped tank top.
tuclothing.sainsburys.co.uk
Shorts, £16, Tu at Sainsbury’s[/caption]

Yes, denim shorts can be comfy if you find the right pair. 

This style is lightweight and high waisted, making them look super flattering. 

One Tik Tok user Kristinahullhome posted a video saying ‘You FINALLY find some denim shorts that don’t ride up or bunch up when you walk and are actually comfortable’. 

What’s more is you can pick these up from the supermarket for just £16. 

Uniqlo, £19.90

Pink striped shorts with pockets.
uniqlo.com
Shorts, £19.90, Uniqlo[/caption]

Uniqlo is known for its great selection of basics and that includes shorts. 

For just under £20 this pair comes in two different colourways pink and blue. 

Has an extra stretchy waistband and don’t cling to your thighs. 

Made from 100 per cent cotton to make them nice and breezy for summer and they range in sizes XXS to XXL. 

And even better they have pockets not only at the side but on the back too – functional and stylish. 

Primark, £14

Bright blue denim shorts with frayed edges.
primark.com
Shorts, £14, Primark[/caption]

If you’re looking for a pair of shorts that are a bit more casual then take a look at this pair from Primark.

For just £14 they are 100 per cent cotton, with a raw hem detailing, pockets and of course a stretchy waistband. 

Making the perfect pair of shorts to sit back and relax in at home with a t-shirt thrown on to go with.

George at Asda, £16

Model wearing a sage green linen short-sleeved button-up shirt and matching shorts.
george.com
Shorts, £16, George at Asda[/caption]

Linen shorts are also a great option for both comfort and style this summer. 

These long length bermuda style shorts from George at Asda not only look smart but are great for those who want a longer pair.

Linen is one of the lightest and airiest fabrics around, so you’re sure to be kept cool in these all summer long. 

Next, £20

Red and white striped shorts.
next.co.uk
Shorts, £20, Next[/caption]

Made from 95 per cent recycled polyester, this striped pair from Next is a great sustainable option.

The striped detailing coming in both burgundy and blue are bang on trend. 

Plus the shape of the short means they are nice and loose, meaning extra comfort. 

With practical pockets and a textured feel, these are not only a comfortable option, but a stylish one at that too. 

Very, £30

Model wearing an embroidered cream-colored vest and shorts.
very.co.uk
Shorts, £30, Very[/caption]

Perfect for summer these embroidered shorts from Very are proving to be a big hit and are selling fast. 

With a stretch waist and made from breathable cotton fabric, with the embroidered design they’re a great option for your summer holiday.

The curved edge detail also sets this pair of shorts apart from the rest, plus it comes with a matching waistcoat too. 

Very says these shorts are true to size, so no need to go up or down a size when buying.

H&M, £19.99

Dark wash denim shorts with elastic waistband.
HM.COM
Shorts, £19.99, H&M[/caption]

Another pair of comfy denim shorts? 

This time with an elasticated waistband too? 

Who would have thought, well thanks to H&M you can get your hands on this pair for just £19.99. 

Dark denim always looks more expensive so this pair of shorts gives a real luxe feel for a very affordable price. 

With a loose fit and a length that isn’t too short, these would make great wardrobe staple denim shorts that you could bring out year after year. 

Zara, £29.99

Beige shorts with a braided belt.
zara.com
Shorts, £29.99, Zara[/caption]

Yes you can find a pair of comfortable, stylish and practical shorts in Zara.

This pair is not only £29.99, but the bermuda style means they are a really good length with no fear of them riding up. 

The belt adds an extra detail and shape to the look. 

These are the perfect pair that you can wear for smarter occasions such as the office whilst still staying comfortable. 

F&F at Tesco, £19.50 

White eyelet shorts.
tesco.com
Shorts, £19.50, F&F at Tesco[/caption]

White, broderie anglaise screams summer – so why not wear it in the form of shorts.

For just £19.50 this pair from Tesco is 100 per cent cotton. 

With pockets and an elastic waistband that goes all around the shorts, these will go with so many things in your wardrobe.

The scallop edge detailing around the bottom of the shorts also means they flare out giving a nice shape. 

How to find the perfect DD+ dress for summer

Looking for the perfect summer dress to fit your bigger bust? Deputy Fashion Editor Abby McHale has the perfect solution.

Looking for the perfect summer dress to fit your bigger bust? Deputy Fashion Editor Abby McHale has the perfect solution. 

Finding a dress that flatters your bigger bust can be hard, often dresses can leave your bra showing, squash your bust and just be ill fitting in general. 

However, there are a few things you can look out for that will make dress shopping easier. 

A V-neck is a really flattering neckline as it gives your chest some more space, however, don’t discount a square neck also, not only is this a trendy neckline, but will also give your bust the room it needs. 

Empire line fits are also super flattering, you just need to make sure they fall underneath the bottom of your bra, that way your bust will sit nicely before the rest of the dress skims your body. 

Wrap style dresses are also a great option but just make sure to look for an added popper detail, so that you don’t have to use a safety pin to hold the dress in place and stop your bra from showing. 

Extra shirring detail on the back will also give the dress more room for stretch around your chest. 

And if you’re looking for a backless dress then make sure there is one with a tie detail at the back that means you can still wear a bra.

If all that sounds like something you’re interested in then here at Fabulous we have created a collection specifically designed for DD+ boobs that ticks all of these boxes. 

Check it out here at Fabulousclothing.com 

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De Lima casts doubt about timing of Ombudsman order to Sara Duterte

MANILA, Philippines — Incoming Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima cast doubts on the timing of the Office of the Ombudsman’s order for Vice President Sara Duterte to respond to the complaints initiated by the House of Representatives over her alleged misuse of confidential funds. On Friday, the Ombudsman ordered Duterte, along with nine

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