Meath go in search of another Boylan

Eamon Carr

The selection of a Meath senior football manager has never been an easy process.

But some delegates will recall the year that a little known local lad was handed the job. It was September 1982 and the Royal were in disarray. There were no glamour applicants from outside the county knocking on the door. So the job was handed to a hurler from Dunboyne. The banter among the players was, "If he sticks around long enough, we might make a manager of him."

Sean Boylan put local pride back in the equation and by the time he retired 23 years later Meath had added another four All-Ireland titles, three National Leagues and eight Leinsters to their roll of honour.

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Cyclist Floyd Landis says he's "not losing any sleep" despite having been served with an arrest warrant by the French courts relating to allegations that he, and coach Arnie Baker, hacked the French anti-doping agency's laboratory computer system and stole documentation relating to charges that he used performance-enhancing drugs to win the 2006 Tour de France.

He was later stripped of his win.

Earlier this year, Landis revealed that he had doped and implicated several of his team-mates. He admitted to using the blood-booster erythopoetin, testosterone and blood transfusions. Having served a two-year suspension, Landis is back racing.

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Louth county board chairman Padraic O'Connor is the latest high profile GAA person to denounce the International Rules debacle.

At a meeting of the Louth County Board on Monday, O'Connor had a pop at the series claiming it added nothing to the concept of Gaelic football. Unfortunately, Padraic failed to mention the word circus.

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There's great excitement in the Premier County at the news that planning approval was granted for the €460m sporting, cultural and leisure development in Thurles.

The vision of the Dr Quirkey's Good Time Emporium empire, a racecourse, greyhound track, golf course, driving range and equestrian centre will surround a "resort-style casino" which will be embedded in the hotel.

A timber chapel is also included in the plans. A casino and a chapel? In Vegas it's "sin and spin", in Tipp it could be, "lay and pray".

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The IABA's centenary celebrations were launched this week with a gathering of greats to introduce the association's Centenary Year Calendar 1911-2011. (Great value at €10.)

From John McNally winning a silver medal in Helsinki in 1952 to Ryan Burnett claiming gold in this this year's inaugural Youth Olympics in Singapore, Ireland's amateur boxers have brought home a total of 13 Olympic medals.

With hugely talented young boxers, including World Senior and Youth champions Katie Taylor, Ray Moylette and Joe Ward also coming through the ranks, hopes are high for more medals in London 2012.

"Our reputation on the world boxing scene is growing at a very fast pace," says IABA President Tommy Murphy.