"De Gaffer" Is A Gonner!

So there you have it, Steve Staunton got the boot.
The FAI have hinted that they'll get external consultants to assist with finding his replacement. It's hard to be positive about the likelyhood of us getting a really good manager.
There's no shortage of opinions, so I'll save you from having to listen to mine...

Highs & Lows

Made the trip out to Bray on Friday evening, for our clash with the local outfit. It's an uninspiring ground at the best of times, so I wasn't particularly looking forward to it.

I got out early enough to have something to eat, which was a nice luxury, considering how many times I've had to go straight from work to pitch-side.

The game didn't go our way though, with their lot taking the lead inside 10 minutes. We were absolutely terrible in the first half & didn't look like we'd get anything from the game.
The second half was a different story & we created all the play. That man again, Denis Behan got us back on level terms. That's how it ended & we knew that second place in the league would be the most we could hope for.

Following that game, the Rep. of Ireland played Germany & Cyprus in Croke Park. Neither performance inspired any sort of belief, in an already...

There was much more written here, but the poxy site decided to revert back to something which was saved over an hour ago. I'm too pissed off to rewrite the whole thing again!

Quick Little Catch-up

Been a busy few days & more to follow.

Friday, Cork City FC were playing Shamrock Rovers in the eircom League of Ireland Premier Division, at Turners Cross in Cork. I couldn't make the game, so I took the chance to cover Leinster v Llanelli in the Magners League.

It was my first time covering rugby, so it was a new challenge. Llanelli piled more misery on Irish rugby as they thrashed the home side. Better news on the football front however, with City beating Rovers 1-0. That great result set us up nicely for our rearrange fixture against UCD on Monday night.

I can't stand going to UCD games, because they have the most soulless ground in the world & their fans are made up of a few deviants who think it's cool to be unpopular & the players family members. They're moving ground next season, but I can't imagine any improvement. The league would be a better place without them!

We started brightly & were soon 0-1 up, when Gareth Farrelly crossed for Colin O'Brien, who finished sweetly from close range. Soon afterwards, we were 0-2 up, when Farrelly's throw-in reached Denis Behan & he flicked the ball on, over the keeper.

We let our concentration drop in the second half & they pulled one back, but we held on for the win & all three points. That result puts us second in the league, 8 points behind, with 5 games remaining. We essentially need Drogheda to slip up & us to win all our games. Football is a funny old game, so you never know.

We're away to Bray Wanderers on Friday & away to Drogs the following Friday. We've got a tough run-in, but there's still a lot to play for. We're also still very much involved in the FAI Ford Senior Cup, with an away draw against Bohemians, in the semi-final. I think that's the toughest draw possible & means one of the two best supported teams will be out of the final. We could do with winning that, to make up for the disappointment of losing the final in 2005. Heaven forbid UCD make it to the final, with their few dozen supporters. We haven't had a good record at Bohs this season. Ah well, it could be worse, we might not have made it this far in the first place.

Fingers crossed anyway.
As usual, my pictures are available on flickr...

That Derry Trip...

Have been up to my boobies with work, so posts have been limited this week. The weekend took a lot out of me, but it was well worth it!

I had been doing long hours last week, so I got the chance to leave early on Friday. I started work at 0600, so leaving at 1400 had no guilt attached. That was my cue to head for Derry, where Cork City FC were scheduled to play Derry City FC, in the eircom League of Ireland Premier Division.

The AA Roadwatch Route Planner reckoned that the trip would take 3 hours, but they never factor in road works or Friday traffic. Even without a stop, it would still take at least 4 hours. The journey is an interesting one, as you essentially travel to a different country, where the road signs have no Gaelic Irish on them & the speed limits are in MPH. Thankfully they've implemented a smoking ban up there, because it used to be unbearable!



I arrived in plenty time for kick-off & got parking right next to the ground. This is a real luxury, because my camera gear is very heavy & it's never ideal to have far to walk with it on my back. As I walked onto the pitch, the evening light was fading & some of the City players were warming up, in front of the few fans were first through the turnstiles. It was hard to set the custom white balance because the floodlights weren't fully on and there was still some sunlight.

Before long, the teams were on the pitch & I did my best to get the right combination of exposure, aperture & ISO, to capture the action. Derry started brightly & we were soon 1-0 down. Story of our season so far, starting slowly & being unsteady at the back. They could have been 2-0 up, but we pressed forward & the man of the moment, Denis Behan, stuck a sweet half-volley, on the turn, to bring us level. We had looked like the away side until then, but the Derry heads seemed to drop after our goal & we looked a lot more confident at the back.

The second half saw us playing with far greater composure & we looked very threatening, going forward. When Derry failed to clear a corner, Denis Behan returned the ball across the face of the goal, where John O'Flynn was on hand, to head home from close range. We were good value for our lead & Derry never looked like recovering. Good work from Leon McSweeney down the left, lead to more attacks & kept Derry pinned back in their own half for significant periods.

Injury time seemed like an eternity, but the final whistle eventually came & the points were ours. The delight was shared amongst players & supporters alike as the arduous trip north had yielded the ultimate reward. There's always been a great relationship between Derry City & Cork City fans & neither set of supporters needs an excuse for a few pints. As the last few plastic seats returned to their upright positions, a throng of rival fans headed for the Oak Grove Bar, keen to lubricate their overworked vocal chords & relive the events of the night. It's a friendly bar, where the locals never miss the chance to exchange some banter. Before I knew it, it was 0230 & we were finishing up our last drinks.

I had plans for the following day, so rest was essential. It's not too often that I get up North with some leisure time available, so I was keen to make the most of the trip. I'd see pictures of Dunluce Castle, in Co. Antrim & as it's close to the Giant's Causeway, I decided to visit them both. When I got there, I was surprised to see so many tourists & disappointed to see them scrambling all over the mysterious rocks. It was a bit of an anti-climax, as I couldn't appreciate the site on its own merits. Dunluce Castle is fascinating because of its cliff-top location, but it's in poor condition & lacked the sense of awe that I had expected. None the less, it was worth the trip & certainly was a great way to spend a Saturday.

I can't get down to see Cork City FC play Shamrock Rovers tomorrow, so I'm going to cover Leinster v Llanelli in the Magners League. It will be my first time covering rugby, so I'm looking forward to the challenge.

Check back here for a report & hopefully some pictures.

EA Sports FIFA 08 - Game Launch

Couldn't make it down to see the FAI Ford Cup 1/4 Final replay, between Cork City FC & Waterford last night, so I amused myself at the launch party for FIFA 08, at Krystle Nightclub, in Dublin. It's the first year that the FAI eircom League of Ireland has featured in the game, so there was a bit of excitement in some quarters.

All 12 Premier Division teams were included & some of them were represented at the event last night. The majority of guests were fans from the various clubs though, with clubs like UCD actually managing to get a credible result in Europe. Hey, it's a computer game, anything is possible!

There were some good battles between local rivals too, with Bohs & St. Pat's managing to pass the ball around on the deck. A very realistic feature in the game, was St. Pat's still struggling to get a win.
I'm not a gamer, but the feedback seemed to be positive & the game play looked good. The Nintendo Wii version certainly looked like a lot of fun, once you got used to the controls. Everything is fun on the Wii though, isn't it!?

The complimentary Bud Lite probably added to the mood for some, but my mood was enhanced by the news from Turners Cross. Denis "Behanator" Behan had put Cork City in front & it looked like we'd emerge victorious from this vital Cup tie. The news got even better, with a flood of text messages, informing me that Behan had added a second. With that, I collected up my gear & headed for the exit. I had struggled with the lighting & my shots weren't as sharp as I'd have liked. It was my first attempt at photography in such a setting & I certainly learned a few things.

As I made my way home, I heard that Liam Kearney had put us 3-0 ahead & essentially sealed the victory. We could begin to look forward to the FAI Ford Cup 1/2 Final. Before I had settled on my preferred opponent, word filtered through that Behan had scored his hat-trick & rounded off a wonderful personal performance. Even on FIFA 08, I wouldn't have had us win this tie so comfortably. The gulf in talent was exposed & the most worthy team progressed. Another cup tie for City & another photo opportunity for me.

Clumsy Climax...

The mother of all mishaps rounded off my week. I'll get to that in a moment though, because first I need to set the scene.

I made the 3 hour trip to Waterford, to watch Cork City FC take on the local side in the FAI Ford Senior Challenge Cup. It started off being a nice day, with bright sunshine, little or no wind. There was a fairly decent away crowd & they made their presence felt, with a boisterous visual & vocal display.

Unfortunately, they were quietened inside 10 minutes, when former Cork City player, Dave Warren, scored for the home side. It was a lead they scarcely deserved & was their excuse to begin time wasting.

As the light faded, the photographic conditions deteriorated, in what is regarded as one of the most soul less eircom League grounds. I desperately tried to adjust the White Balance & upped the ISO, in a bid to salvage something from the arduous trip.



Goal chances were at a premium & the dark clouds moved in to pile more misery on a dismal night. As the second half started, the rain began to fall & the strong wind drove it into the faces of the home side. They're clearly used to the inhospitable conditions, as they made better use of the wind, repeatedly using it to hang long balls up in the air. It seemed to be their only tactic, as they conspired to kill the game. It's hard to blame them, since they're one of the worst teams in the league, playing one of the best. Knockout competitions, more often than not, lead to ugly football & this contest was no exception.



The persistence of the visitors was rewarded just after the restart, when Leon McSweeney played Denis Behan in & when the Waterford defence seemed to hesitate, he composed himself & slotted coolly past the Waterford keeper.

The relief of the visitors was evident from the celebrations, as they saw their cup challenge revived. City haven't won this competition in 9 years, having lost the final in 2005. The cup is important to every club, but after a poor league campaign, City are desperate for success.

As the game wore on, City piled on the pressure & created some decent chances, but the winner didn't come & we had to settle for a draw.


Our minds turned to the replay, scheduled for Tuesday September 25th, I began to gather my rain soaked gear & headed for the car. Conditions were truly awful & I was under pressure to get everything into the boot, without getting too much more rain on it. As I stripped out of my waterproof clothing, I accidentally dropped the car keys into the boot. Distracted by the weather, without thinking, I slammed the boot shut & inadvertently locked myself out of my car.

There I was, in the middle of a storm, with no waterproof clothing on, staring in disbelief at my secured car. I was almost reduced to tears! I called the RAC but they weren't positive about being able to rescue me from my predicament. Standing alone, in the pitch dark car park, I waited for the patrol to arrive. The RAC called me twice in that period, to reassure me & ask if I was ok. The severity of the weather was evident from the disruption to our phone calls & they gave me confidence that they would do everything they could to help.

After what seemed like an eternity, the patrol vehicle arrived. He was well within the promised response time, but every minute seems like a lifetime, when you're soaked through to the skin, in driving wind & rain.

After no little effort, the patients of the patrol man finally paid off. He managed to open one of the rear windows, allowing access to the boot, from inside the car. The drama was over & I was back in business. I had to prepare for the trip back to Dublin, almost 2 hours later than planned.

I think I need to put this week behind me & try to be a bit more alert in future.
For anyone who's interested, there are some football pictures up on my flickr...

Clumsy Week!

Been a bit of a strange week for me.
On Monday, I spilled hot chocolate on my tie.
On Tuesday, I got mayonaise on my tie.
On Wednesday, a biro leaked in my suit jacket pocket & I got blue ink all over my white shirt.
Today, my suit jacket got squashed between the back of my chair & a pillar in the office. It now has a white line along the back, where paint/plaster has been pressed into it.
I wonder what will happen tomorrow!

By the way, Vanish Oxi Action got the shirt spotless. All the ink out after a short soak & a bit of scrubbing. Incredible stuff!

Gear Update

I forgot to tell you that I've got a 40D.
It's the mutt's nuts!
An absolute beaut!

The 6.5fps gives me much greater ability at football games &
the bigger, heavier body is a better partner for my 300mm f/2.8
than the 400D is. There are so many more options & functions than the 400D that it's taking me a while to get to grips with the beast, but I've already seen a marked improvement in my shots.

It didn't take me long to justify the spending to myself & after using this camera, I have come to the conclusion that it's the second best bit of gear I've ever bought. Second only to my 300mm f/2.8

Music For a Lazy Sunday Morning...

A little playlist from YouTube.
Just messing around with this, to see if it actually works.

Where I'm At...

Had a fair few problems with the PC I was using, so all previous posts were not saved here. Anyway, I'm just going to give a quick summary of the camera equipment I use and what I like to photograph.

At the moment, I've got a Canon EOS 400D with a BG-E3 Battery Grip.
It's a great camera for amateur photographers and with just over 10Mp, it gives very professional results.
In the lens department, I've got the Canon EF 50mm f1.8 II, the EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 III, the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 (Kit Lens) and the jewel in my crown, the EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM. I have a Canon Speedlite 550EX. With the 300mm f/2.8, I use a Manfrotto 680 Monopod.
Off the top of my head, I can't recall what tripod I have. I guess that shows how little I use it.
I use Transcend 266x CompactFlash Cards.

For fun, I have a Samsung NV10, which is an absolutely superb, little camera! It's great for slipping into your shirt pocket, when you're on a night out.

To carry it all around, I use a Lowepro Vertex 200 AW.

I've also got an AquaTech SS-300 Sport Shield Pro, because "Summer Soccer", in Ireland, isn't always blessed with sunshine.

Speaking of "soccer" (football), it's my favourite subject.
I've been a football fan all my life and since I was never going to get any recognition for playing the sport, I thought I'd try to photograph it instead.

I'm lucky enough to have access to FAI eircom League of Ireland games, which gives me a great chance to learn the skills and I get to watch some very exciting football.

I've never had any formal photography training and really am learning by my mistakes. Someday, I hope to be very competent and consistently producing great shots.

Here are some examples of what I've managed to produce, so far.
If anyone has advice or constructive criticism, I'd like to hear from you.