SIZE MATTERS – at least that is what social media will tell you.
The latest example came this week when a video from Virgin Media’s launch of their League of Ireland coverage.
Cork City’s Evan McLaughlin said Cork City are the biggest club in Ireland, and City fans were swooned and some non-City fans pointed and laughed.
This column is not here to discuss who is right.
We can understand why City fans might want to boast when one of the all-time great quotes by Damien Richardson was about how they were “ridden rock solid by Dublin.”
But those who are genuinely big often let others comment on their size – Shane Duffy and Real Madrid for instance.
And if size is important to you, bragging about being the biggest in the League of Ireland is not really something to brag about.
The League of Ireland last year burst through the million spectator mark for the first time which – absolutely – is a good thing.
But Leinster Rugby had almost half that off 14 games at three venues during 2024 with an average crowd across those games of 34,922. It is north of 50,000 for all four provinces.
The total average attendance across the ten Premier Division clubs last season was 37,990.
The TAM ratings for 2024 show that six rugby games in the top ten watched programmes; the only football one is the Euro 2024 final.
Is this rugby country? League of Ireland social media would go into meltdown if Guinness bring back that ad.
There are obviously mitigating factors.
Bohemians, Shelbourne and St Patrick’s Athletic are burst at the seams of their old grounds with regular sell-outs. Are they big or are their surroundings just too tight?
And, until this season, the League of Ireland has always lacked regular television coverage that comes with lots of promotion.
Virgin Media’s four-year deal to show at least one game a week will change that and should help the league grow in size.
Much like rugby that has held one-off games at GAA grounds, the February 16 Dublin Derby between Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers at the Aviva will be special.
The need for bigger stadia for regular games is also well documented with both Shelbourne and St Patrick’s Athletic working wonders to add some capacity for this season.
Derry City will also have a capacity increase this season while other clubs will, hopefully see ground developments in the near future.
But that also means fanbases must get bigger to go with it as gauging whether a sell-out means there are 10,000 or ten people missing out is not an exact science.
Shamrock Rovers and Cork City both have bigger homes at Tallaght and Turner’s Cross and have few sell outs.
While it would be unfair to use City’s First Division attendance as a barometer, getting tickets for either club’s games is rarely a problem.
Everyone wants to see the League of Ireland be big. But working towards sell-outs show it better than social media can ever talk about it.
Цілком очевидно, що шкідникам не байдуже, чим харчуватися, адже замість всюдисущих бур’янів вони вперто атакують плодові та ягідні культури. Дачники теж не здаються, і, якщо не вдається вигадати щось нове проти комах, вони вдосконалюють старі, але перевірені методи. Подробиці З усіх надземних комах ніхто не викликає у городників такого обурення, як попелиця. Цей дрібний […]
TOWIE’s filming in Bali has been thrown into more chaos after rain has halted filming.
The ITVBe series cast has flown out to the Indonesian island to start filming on their latest series, but the elements seem to have other ideas.
Junaid Ahmed, who has been on the show since 2022, shared a photo from his hotel room with his feet up on the bed.
He simply captioned it “Rainy Days in Bali” as he spends the day indoors.
It comes just hours after the group were seen donning bikinis and swimsuits to soak up the Bali sun as they started shooting the latest series.
Junaid is there with boyfriend Joe Blackmore, which is awkward considering Joe’s ex, Harry Derbidge, is also there with the gang.
Since arriving, he’s noting that the “jet lag was killing him” and had noted the heat and humidity had been getting to Joe.
But it seems Bali won’t be the only thing heating up considering the gang have all rallied around Harry amid his split with Joe, leaving them outsiders in the group.
ITV bosses have confirmed the BAFTA-Award winning show will air two separate instalments across this year, with the upcoming series tracking their time in Bali.
It comes after the TOWIE action has been streamed an impressive 45million times on ITVX during the past 12 months.
This is the second time the group have headed to the tropical destination.
An insider speaking exclusively to The Sun revealed: “Everyone involved with Towie loved shooting the last cast trip in Bali – so much so they have decided to go back to kick off the next series.
“It looks gorgeous and exotic on camera, and there is always loads of drama that plays out against the glamorous backdrop.
“Who could forget Dan and Ella hooking up in Bali last series – it fuelled the storylines for the rest of the run.”
Shortly after arriving this time round, the group hit the town for a night out and seemed to be getting on well – though there is a notable face missing from the team.
In January, it was confirmed Love Island star Matilda Draper had officially joined the show, joining her boyfriend Roman Hackett.
Producers even threw Matilda, 24, in at the deep end as one of her first scenes involved meeting boyfriend Roman’s former flame Dani Imbert, 26.
But her first big trip with the gang was stopped in its tracks when her visa didn’t come through in time.
A source told The Sun: “It was one of those logistical problems. Matilda had hoped all the travel paperwork would be done on time but she only signed onto the show the day before she began filming last week so there just wasn’t time to get everything ironed out.”
The Essex gang reunited for a night out just hours after landing in Indonesia.
BOBBI Brown is the most globally recognisable name in the beauty industry.
But despite the make-up mogul, 67, being the founder of a billion-pound empire, she never uses lipstick or gloss.
Bobbi launched her eponymous brand back in 1991 and the products quickly rocketed in popularity as they leaned into the Nineties’ ‘no-make-up make-up’ trends.
The entrepreneur sold the brand to Estée Lauder in 1995 but stayed on as Chief Creative Officer.
She launched her second brand, Jones Road, in 2020.
Despite the billions of pounds her companies have netted from selling lipsticks and glosses, these are products that Chicago-born Bobbi never touches.
“I’ve not worn lipstick for three years, at least,” the beauty icon revealed in an interview with The Telegraph.
“I don’t think proper, full-coverage lipsticks look good on me – or a lot of women, for that matter.
“They look too hard and too ageing.
“I’m not a lip-gloss woman, either.
“I don’t know why anyone would want such overly shiny lips.”
Instead, Bobbi relies solely on lip liner for a supple pout – but not to line her lips, she claims.
“I use the edge of the pencil to add some colour to my lower lip,” she explained.
This creates a natural fullness to her mouth without being too heavy on product, and she goes over it with a subtle lip balm.
The American make-up artist believes the rebirth of ‘less is more’ make-up is part of a bigger movement towards natural features and using products to accentuate them, rather than mask them.
“I think of all the women in my life, my friends, my daughters-in-law, the midlife women who are on set for my shoots, and no one has this super-polished make-up or are the types of women to touch up their lipstick after lunch,” she added.
Hayley Walker, Beauty Expert at Justmylook spoke exclusively to Fabulous about the big beauty trends for 2025.
Haircare
Hair gloss treatments are a must-have as beauty enthusiasts love the salon-quality shine and enhanced colour delivered by the trending treatment.
Hair glosses are multifunctional as they nourish the hair while offering a vibrant, healthy-looking finish, combining 2025’s core trends. This treatment is perfect for those seeking an affordable, at-home glow-up.
2025 will focus on skin repairing and texture-enhancing treatments.
Skincare
Rejuran treatment, a celebrity-endorsed procedure, will see a rise in demand this year as many seek to enhance the skin’s appearance. The procedure entails injecting polynucleotides derived from salmon DNA to enhance skin texture and elasticity. “Rejuvenation is expected to dominate 2025 skincare trends as many seek to a achieve flawless, youthful complexion.
Skincare routines will also include back-to-basic products for a simplified routine.
Ginseng cleansing oil and panthenol cream are among the trending products for 2025. The cleansing oil is excellent for dissolving makeup and impurities without clogging pores and is enriched with nourishing properties to leave the skin feeling and looking refreshed and radiant.
Makeup
Makeup trends will follow suit to achieve youthful and radiant looks. Under-eye brighteners will be sought-after products for delivering coverage while enhancing natural radiance. This beauty tool will complement natural beauty while improving and brightening dull skin.
Makeup looks will be bigger and bolder in 2025 with cluster lashes expected to surge this year. These lashes bring the glam to glamorous looks as they deliver dramatic volume to enhance everyday or special occasion looks.
Peel-off lip stains circulated the beauty industry in 2024 and are expected to dominate in 2025. The growing popularity of this product is due to its ability to provide long-lasting, transfer-proof colour to lips, enhancing a natural aesthetic. Additionally, cherry-coded aesthetics are expected to be everywhere this year as the deep, rich hue can be achieved using peel-off lip stains or bold lip looks for a dramatic effect.
Nails
2025 will be another year of countless, show-stopping nail trends. Goddess Nails and Aura Nails deserve an honourable mention as these designs channel an ethereal, celestial aesthetic for bold, self-expressing nails.
Bobbi is well-known for her incredibly speedy application of make-up, and is famously able to put her whole face on in just four minutes.
She previously revealed: “I need make-up but I’m also one of those people who is always dashing, always late, always doing a million things, so I require a quick routine.
“I use my fingers to apply most of it, you don’t need a big kit full of brushes.
“Women who fall in love with Jones Road say it’s the easiest thing they’ve ever used, because you never look like you have bad make-up on.”
LOVE Island star Ekin-Su was pulled up by bosses over her behaviour on Friday night’s show.
The 30-year-old chucked a drink in the direction of Curtis Pritchard as she stormed off after an on-screen fight.
Now The Sun can reveal Ekin-Su was given a warning by All Stars bosses over the incident – as fans demand she’s “kicked out”.
A Love Island insider told us: “Love Island bosses regularly speak to the Islanders to remind them of expected behaviour.”
The explosive scenes were shown following a recoupling shake-up saw bombshell Danielle Sellers steal Curtis.
In a conversation with Curtis, he admitted closing off with Ekin-Su so early on had been a mistake and confessed: “I lied to you.”
Furious Ekin-Su accused him of making up “bulls***” and called him a liar as she stood up and dashed her drink at him, shouting: “You don’t exist to me. You’re done. Dusted.”
She then sarcastically wished Danielle “good luck” with Curtis.
Sitting down for a tense chat, Curtis confessed: “I’ll be completely honest with you. I lied to you.”
She accused him of making up “bulls**t” calling him a liar.
Ekin-Su stood up and dashed her drink at him before storming off, declaring: “You don’t exist to me. You’re done. Dusted.”
Last night’s episode ended on a cliffhanger as Curtis was forced to decide whether he wanted to recouple with Danielle or Ekin-Su.
