Lewis Bennett

Daniel Wiffen finished fourth in the men’s 800m freestyle at the European Aquatics Championships in Paris, narrowly missing a medal as Germany’s Johannes Liebmann won in a European-record time. Danielle Hill qualified for the women’s 50m backstroke final, while Ellen Walshe won gold in the 400m individual medley and Mona McSharry claimed silver in the 100m breaststroke. John Shortt finished seventh in the men’s 200m backstroke, Jack Kelly reached the 200m breaststroke final, and Eoin Corby was eliminated in the semi-final.

Nineteen-year-old goalkeeper Conal McDermott has returned to Derry City after two years with Portsmouth, during which he also had loan spells at Bashley and Moneyfields. McDermott says the experience improved him both as a goalkeeper and as a person, and he intends to compete with Brian Maher and Tom Norcott for a first-team place. Interim manager Mark Connolly welcomed the local academy graduate's return, highlighting his commitment to the club and the importance of developing homegrown players.

Derry City are targeting former Celtic captain Scott Brown as their next manager after parting company with Tiernan Lynch. Brown, who is currently out of work after leaving Ayr United, has managed Fleetwood Town and Ayr and previously held a player-coach role at Aberdeen. Lynch leaves after a strong 2025 campaign that saw Derry finish second in the League of Ireland Premier Division, but poor 2026 results, European elimination by HNK Rijeka and only six league wins in 26 matches led to his dismissal. Former Derry captain Mark Connolly will take interim charge, beginning with the home match against Sligo Rovers.

Ireland’s men’s and women’s hockey squads have been named for the FIH Hockey World Cups in Belgium and the Netherlands. The men’s 20-player squad, unchanged from the qualifying team, will be led by head coach Mark Tumilty and begins its Pool C campaign against Australia before facing South Africa and Spain. The women’s 20-player squad, selected by Gareth Grundie, includes World Cup debutants Elizabeth Murphy and Holly Micklem but excludes injured former goalkeeper of the tournament Ayeisha McFerran. Ireland’s women will face Spain, New Zealand and hosts Belgium. Both teams must finish among the top two in their groups to remain in contention for the semi-finals.

Blaine McClure has signed a permanent contract with Nottingham Forest following a successful loan spell from Rangers, having made over 30 B-team appearances and contributing goals and assists. The 19-year-old midfielder, who has also captained Northern Ireland’s Under-19 side, expressed enthusiasm for continuing his development at the club. Nottingham Forest’s Head of Academy Chris McGuane praised McClure’s integration and progress and expects further improvement as he enters the new season.

Portsmouth have signed 20-year-old Northern Ireland Under-21 striker Eoin Kenny from Dundalk on a three-year deal, with manager John Mousinho confident the forward has the qualities needed to progress in the Championship. Kenny, who scored seven goals this season for Dundalk, joins a squad featuring fellow Northern Ireland players Terry Devlin and Makenzie Kirk as Portsmouth prepare for their third consecutive season in the division after finishing 18th last year.

Jamie McGonigle has joined Sligo Rovers on loan from Coleraine and aims to make an immediate impact as the club fights to move out of the Premier Division relegation zone. Drawing on previous experience in the league, he expects to settle quickly and contribute to the team’s attacking strengths. Manager John Russell praised McGonigle’s quality, work rate and goal-scoring record, expressing confidence that he will strengthen the squad during the remainder of the season.