Rory McIlroy was hitting 40-yard drives at the age of two. By eight he was the youngest full member of the Holywood Golf Club, which sits just outside of Belfast, and by 11 he was shooting level par around the Club’s par-69 course. It is not entirely by coincidence that McIlroy’s story so closely resembles that of Tiger Woods’ legendary childhood. Growing up in Northern … [Read more...] about Rory McIlroy Becomes Number One
Sports Archives
The Maras and the Rooneys
By Tom Deignan, Contributor
The long and enduring relationship of two Irish-American sporting families. In 2008, when the New York football Giants capped a spectacular drive in the final two minutes of Super Bowl XLII to become underdog winners against Tom Brady and the heavily favored New England Patriots, you have to believe Dan Rooney was among those cheering loudly. True, Rooney is not affiliated … [Read more...] about The Maras and the Rooneys
Rory McIlroy Named Sports Star of the Year
Rory McIlroy was named RTE’s Irish Sports Person of the Year at a televised ceremony in Dublin. The 22-year-old golfer from Holywood, Co. Down capped a memorable year by winning the U.S. Open just two months after he suffered a meltdown when leading the field into the last day of the Masters. McIlroy held off fellow Ulsterman (and British Open winner) Darren Clarke to take … [Read more...] about Rory McIlroy Named Sports Star of the Year
Pushing Through to Victory Amanda McGrory
Champion wheelchair racer Amanda McGrory tells Molly Ferns about her record-setting year and her plans for the 2012 London Paralympics. Few people begin a career at five years old. But Amanda McGrory, 25, the women’s winner of the wheelchair circuit in the New York City Marathon, can make that very claim. “I was five. I knew nothing, so my dad told me to go to the finish line … [Read more...] about Pushing Through to Victory Amanda McGrory
Olympic Torch to Pass Through Northern Ireland
The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Locog) has confirmed that over 60 towns and villages in Northern Ireland will be included on the route for torchbearers carrying the 2012 Olympic flame. The flame will be lit in Olympia, Greece, in May, and will then be flown by way of British Airways to the UK. The torch is scheduled to arrive in Belfast on … [Read more...] about Olympic Torch to Pass Through Northern Ireland