skip to main content

THANK GAA IT’S FRIDAY

THANK GAA IT'S FRIDAY John O'Leary & Kieran Duff Image Name: THANK GAA IT'S FRIDAY John O'Leary & Kieran Duff

Thank GAA It’s Friday is back on your screens for another summer packed with GAA goodness.
Episode 9 comes to you on Friday, August 28th on RTÉ 2 at 8:30pm as we build up to the big All-­
Ireland football semi-­final clash between Dublin and Mayo

The show’s creators bring you the complete weekly GAA package;; containing characters, games,
fascinating stories and communities both at home and abroad.

Mayo’s double All-­Star Alan Dillon has been a main feature on the inter-­county scene for over a
decade now. We caught up with the veteran Ballintubber man as he prepares to face the Dubs
again, recalling the sweet taste of the county’s 2006 victory over the same opposition. After
feasting on five Connacht titles in a row, will this be the year Pat Holmes and Noel Connelly’s men
finally end an All-­Ireland famine stretching back to 1951?

Thirty years ago, Mayo faced Dublin in the 1985 All-­Ireland semi-­final, a contest that was decided in a
replay. We travel back in time with Mayo’s Willie Joe Padden and TJ Kilgallon and Dublin’s Kieran
Duff and John O’Leary to paint a picture of the two matches. Will lightning strike again as the two sides
meet at the same stage in 2015?

The big ball small ball dilemma has caused many headaches for multi-­talented GAA stars in Dublin.
We caught up with Shane Ryan, David ‘Dotsy’ O’Callaghan and Mark Schutte as they talk
about their decision to take the so-­called tougher road. Dublin hurlers have watched their
footballing counterparts consistently trouble the business end of the football calendar but, for some
dual talents, hurling is a choice of the heart.

Irish cricket star John Mooney has also spent some time juggling the big ball and the small ball.
Straight from a GAA mad family, he recently hung up his boots with Dublin football club Man O’War
but is still involved in training at the club. John talks us through the links between GAA and cricket
in his local area and his pledge to his father to play cricket for Ireland.

It has been an eventful year for Cork footballer Valerie Mulcahy off the field but now her focus is
on a tenth All-­Ireland football title. As the Rebelettes face Kerry in the Ladies football semi-­final, the
four-­time All-­Star takes us through her journey to the top. From playing football with the boys
growing up, to the formation of Rockbán Ladies Football Club and a decade of near total
dominance for Cork, Valerie has enjoyed one of the most successful careers in Irish sport.

Thank GAA It’s Friday is repeated on Sunday 30th August on RTÉ 2 at 2:15pm, before the big
game on The Sunday Game.

Twitter: @ThankGAA

Email: ThankGAA@loosehorse.ie