By Paddy McCarthy
I will start off my Out&About to tell you that I visited one of the best Irish establishments here in Manhattan to let you know that you have to make it one of your stops when you are in the city, and that is Langan’s Irish American Bar and Restaurant (114 West 47th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues). I keep telling you that when I am Out&About I always try to visit an Irish bar and restaurant as they always have everything you want as far as atmosphere and friendliness go and Langan’s has that and more, I should know because I spent so many great times there.
Yes! she did it again and that’s Katie Taylor with her undisputed super lightweight championship victory over Amanda Serrano at Madison Square Garden Stadium in New York City. Katie Taylor was triumphant in her trilogy fight against Amanda Serrano by majority of points. I have to say that Katie fought a very smart fight at Madison Square Garden on Friday night. No, I did not get a ticket so I had to watch it on television, I have to say this as well, that she deserves to be the winner as the stadium was packed with about 70% Irish and a lot of them came over from Ireland to see the fight and roar on Katie and they did do that. Before the start and the introductions for the fight we had another star, the one and only Cathy Maguire who sang the Irish National Anthem in our own language, yes in Irish and again she was brilliant. Cathy Maguire is an Irish singer, songwriter, model and TV presenter who was born in Dundalk, County Louth. At a young age Maguire became a child star, recording her first album at age twelve. At the request of several listeners, she was invited by Gerry Ryan to perform a live set on his radio program, an opportunity that sparked a career that included numerous TV appearances and production of three albums by the time she was 17, so we had two Champions on this famous night that will go down in history as the first full women’s fight program ever, now that’s something you can tell your grandchildren, nieces and nephews someday.
Here I am going to give you a little bit of history of the World Champion: The great Katie Taylor is an Irish professional boxer and former footballer. She was the undisputed and undefeated lineal world lightweight champion from 2019 to 2024, and has held the undisputed and lineal world super lightweight championship since 2023. Hugely popular in Ireland, she is credited with raising the profile of women’s boxing at home and abroad, and is regarded as the outstanding Irish athlete of her generation. She is considered by many as the greatest female boxer of all time.
In her amateur boxing career, Taylor won five consecutive gold medals at the Women’s World Championships, gold six times at the European Championships, and gold five times at the European Union Championships. She was the flag bearer for Ireland at the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony before going on to win the gold medal in the lightweight division.
Katie Taylor turned professional in 2016 under Matchroom Boxing. After winning the WBA lightweight title in 2017 and the IBF title the following year, her unification victory over Delfine Persoon in Madison Square Garden made her the eighth boxer in history (female or male) to hold all four major world titles in boxing—IBF, WBA, WBC, and WBO—simultaneously.
In November 2023 she repeated the feat at super lightweight when she beat Chantelle Cameron in Dublin for the IBF, IBO, WBA, WBC, and WBO titles, regaining the latter she initially won from Christina Linardatou in 2019.
Taylor was born in Bray, County Wicklow, the daughter of Irish mother Bridget (née Cranley) and English-born father Pete Taylor. She has an older sister named Sarah and two older brothers named Lee and Peter, the latter of whom is a mathematics professor at Dublin City University.
Her father, who was born near Leeds and grew up in Birmingham, first visited Bray to work with his father in the amusement arcades on the seafront. After meeting and marrying Bridget, he decided to settle in Bray. In 1986, he became an Irish senior light heavyweight champion boxer. Originally an electrician by trade, he eventually became Taylor’s full-time boxing coach. He also coached Adam Nolan who, like Taylor, represented Ireland at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Bridget also developed an interest in boxing and became one of the earliest female referees and judges in Ireland.
Between 1999 and 2005, Katie Taylor attended St. Kilian’s Community School in Bray. Her three older siblings all attended the same school. As well as boxing and playing association football at school, she also played ladies’ Gaelic football and camogie with her local GAA clubs, Bray Emmets and Fergal Ógs. She was a member of Bray Runners, a local athletics club, and several American colleges reportedly offered her sports scholarships while she was still studying at St Killian’s. However, she opted instead to attend University College Dublin, known for its sports scholarship program, which she qualified for via her Leaving Cert results. As her sporting career began to take off, she chose not to complete her studies at UCD.
For the week featuring the All Ireland Hurling Final between Tipperary and Cork we have embedded a special video on our website from the famous singer/songwriter Cathal Dunne featuring a new song that’s a new anthem for Cork! When everyone has sung the “Banks of My Own Lovely Lee” perhaps its time to sing “Cork My Home” and it still is for me.
I have to tell you that it is brilliant and even though my dad Tom McCarthy was a Tipperary man (RIP) I’m not too sure if he would be very happy, but you know what? Yes he would as he was a very fair minded man like myself, Up Cork!
The Cork Association has written to note the passing of Joseph M Murphy. Joseph was deeply cherished by all who knew him, and his enduring legacy continues to inspire. In 1994, he was honored by the County Cork BP&P Association for his exceptional dedication and service. The following year, he received further recognition in his beloved Cork – an acknowledgment of the strong ties he maintained with his roots.
For 34 years, Joseph was a generous benefactor of their Scholarship program, making a lasting impact on the lives of countless young people. His unwavering support and commitment to education reflected the values he held dear.
“Joseph was more than a supporter – he was a pillar of our community, a friend, and a true champion of the Association’s mission. He will be fondly remembered and deeply missed,” they said.
See you all next week when I am Out&About again…