Expectation weighing heavily on bashful PolesLETTER FROM POZNAN: SLAWOMIR, THE conduktor, is losing patience. It is hard to blame himSat Jun 09 2012 - 01:00
Small steps before the giant leapDEFINING MOMENTS: IN AUGUST 2009, the American track and field team appeared in Berlin for the first time since Jesse Owens’ …Sat Jun 09 2012 - 01:00
Flags, cheers but beware black horseTHREE COLOURS – green, white and orange – in Gdynia yesterday afternoon as the local football fans made the Irish feel as if …Wed Jun 06 2012 - 01:00
Locals give Ireland the warmest of welcomes“DZIEKUJEMY WAM” read the banner carried by Robbie Keane and Aiden McGeady as the Irish team received a heroic welcome in the…Wed Jun 06 2012 - 01:00
Plenty to think about upon exit for PolandTHUNDER STORMS in Budapest and perhaps a lightning strike in the mind of Giovanni Trapattoni tooTue Jun 05 2012 - 01:00
Old hand Duff has never felt youngerTHERE IS something of the eternal prodigy about Damien Duff so it seems hard to believe that he is on the cusp of his 100th cap…Fri Jun 01 2012 - 01:00
Tremors were felt in Ireland's team hotelSOCCER : ITALY’S TROUBLED preparation for Euro 2012 took a tragic turn yesterday, with the cancellation of their friendly against…Wed May 30 2012 - 01:00
The old country never looked so greenEURO 2012: DOES CESARE Prandelli have a spy? Could Vincente del Bosque have placed a man in Tuscany?Tue May 29 2012 - 01:00
Rampant Galway put Rossies to the swordCONNACHT SFC FIRST ROUND: Galway 3-15 Roscommon 0-10: IN the 33rd minute of this match, Joe Bergin didn’t so much catch as wolf…Mon May 21 2012 - 01:00
Blue moon poised to rise high over ManchesterSIDELINE CUT: As Alex Ferguson’s side visit Sunderland, all eyes will be back on the Etihad Stadium to witness what promises…Sat May 12 2012 - 01:00
Barry-Murphy admits to getting a reality checkAS JIMMY Barry-Murphy stood chatting in the shadows of Semple Stadium, the league cup was last seen being carried unceremoniously…Mon May 07 2012 - 01:00
Cork's age of innocence truly overGAELIC GAMES: NOT FOR the first time in a national hurling final starring Kilkenny, the fairytale was suspended abruptlyMon May 07 2012 - 01:00
Same old uphill struggle for New YorkCONNACHT SFC FIRST ROUND: WHEN CROSSMAGLEN Rangers won the All-Ireland club final on St Patrick’s Day, Alan Hearty followed …Sat May 05 2012 - 01:00
Old-fashioned Games with a 21st century debtSIDELINE CUT As the mind-boggling cost of London 2012 begins to hit home, the Olympics will rely on its unbeatable secret weapon…Sat May 05 2012 - 01:00
Swinford ceremony for late gardaDR PÁDRAIG Carney – Mayo’s Flying Doctor in the fabulous 1950s – will make a special appearance in Swinford on Sunday for a poignant…Fri May 04 2012 - 01:00
Kerrigan a central figure in Rebels' game planThe Nemo Rangers’ star’s versatility has made him hard to categorise: speed-merchant, goalscorer, playmaker, free-taker: he is…Sat Apr 28 2012 - 01:00
McGeeney continues to see big picture for KildareFOLLOWING A weekend of high drama, Kildare return to the top flight after three seasons of missing outTue Apr 10 2012 - 01:00
Doyle's late late show clinches promotionNFL DIVISION TWO Kildare 2-12 Galway 0-18: THE EASTER gods looked kindly upon Kildare in this thrilling promotion encounter …Mon Apr 09 2012 - 01:00
Cork show signs of summer promiseHURLING LEAGUE: IF JIMMY Barry-Murphy ever worried about the risk of returning to the post of Cork senior hurling manager, there…Tue Apr 03 2012 - 01:00
Late Horgan point sets up thrilling rematchTipperary 1-23 Cork 1-23: THIS MATCH had everything but a result and, as it was, Patrick Horgan’s late point for Cork leaves…Mon Apr 02 2012 - 01:00
O'Connor strikes late to help Cork steal points from under Mayo's noseCork 0-14 Mayo 0-13: THE LEAGUE champions showed plenty of cheek in the way they took this oneMon Mar 26 2012 - 01:00
Red card will not vanish as easilyALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION ONE: THE FOOTBALLERS of Dublin and Mayo weren’t even born when The Fog, the classic horror …Mon Feb 13 2012 - 00:00
Ryan insists Déise door is not fully closed to KellyGAA MANAGERS can never talk about a door without insisting it is never fully closed and that was the case with Michael Ryan when…Fri Jan 13 2012 - 00:00
Alex stung by his old favourite's criticismSIDELINE CUT : The sundering of the Ferguson/Keane alliance in 2005 was a shame for both men involved and, perhaps most of all…Sat Dec 10 2011 - 00:00
US entry not so elementary for WatsonGAELIC GAMES ALL STARS TOUR: LIAM WATSON enjoyed a perfect view of the Golden Gate Bridge as his aircraft made its descent on…Fri Dec 02 2011 - 00:00
Ali's stinging tongue hit Frazier the hardestSIDELINE CUT: GIVEN A chance to be magically transported to any of the storied boxing nights starring Muhammad Ali, many in …Sat Nov 12 2011 - 00:00
Hurling is not a matter of life and deathBOOK MICHAEL DUIGNAN: HE WAS a tough, athletic combatant on a hurling team whose players always seemed complacent and amused…Sat Nov 12 2011 - 00:00
Get the wave right Michael and you'll be okaySIDELINE CUT: The presidential candidates failed to make much of their sporting backgrounds, but the tough-tackling Michael …Sat Oct 29 2011 - 01:00
Time to revise unworkable close-season training banCLOSE SEASON: OF ALL the grey areas that cover the ways of the GAA, the close-season is the greyest of allSat Oct 22 2011 - 01:00
It's back to school for Davis with visit to her childhood classroom in KinaffeMary Davis was back home in Kiltimagh yesterday, no doubt feeling the better of meeting familiar facesSat Oct 22 2011 - 01:00
Gulps, gasps and relief as Ireland edge into play-offsTHESE NERVE-JANGLING nights in Lansdowne do not get any easierWed Oct 12 2011 - 01:00
Casual chats amid a whirlwind canvassThere was no sign of the iciness of his more formal television persona when Martin McGuinness took a stroll in GalwaySat Oct 08 2011 - 01:00
Boys in Blue back in town with Sam after 16 years and a frantic finaleGUESS WHO just got back today? Them wild eyed boys that’d been away.Mon Sept 19 2011 - 01:00
9/11 attack claimed a unique showman in TrantSIDELINE CUT: Dan Trant, who was tragically killed in the attack on the World Trade Center, was smiley and quick and – best …Sat Sept 10 2011 - 01:00
Brennan not one to bask in personal triumphIN THE general mood of goodwill and happiness floating through the Kilkenny quarters in Croke Park on Sunday evening, one moment…Tue Sept 06 2011 - 01:00
Corbett works his way in to Premier classTHE TRANSFORMATION of Lar Corbett has been so gradual and smooth that nobody really noticed it happeningSat Sept 03 2011 - 01:00
No class in RTÉ Establishment's crass attackSIDELINE CUT : The feeding frenzy carried out by RTÉ’s trio of panellists last Sunday on Donegal’s performance was lacking in…Sat Sept 03 2011 - 01:00
'It was the most physical challenge we had all year'GAELIC GAMES: LAR CORBETT has become a master of deflectionMon Aug 15 2011 - 01:00
'All-Ireland semi-final day is just a day for winning'GAA: BUSINESS TAKEN care of, Brian Cody could afford to reflect on the talk that has occupied the hurling nationMon Aug 08 2011 - 01:00
What county are you from? The bestCOUNTY COLOURS : When the English imposed the 32-county (34 if you’re the GAA) administrative carve-up of Ireland, they surely…Sat Aug 06 2011 - 01:00
McGeeney too tired and too hurt for it allALL-IRELAND SFC QUARTER-FINAL: YET AGAIN, Kieran McGeeney finds himself fielding questions about refereeing decisions that have…Mon Aug 01 2011 - 01:00
Mayo without hype are Mayo with hopeGAA : IT HAD to be. Four possible teams for Mayo, the Connacht champions, to draw from the qualifier lottery but there was a…Sat Jul 30 2011 - 01:00
Sideline machinations could decide this battle of self-beliefGAA: Kildare v Donegal METICULOUSNESS HAS become a trademark of both managers in the first of the weekend’s All-Ireland quarter…Sat Jul 30 2011 - 01:00
Understrength champions still a formidable prospectGAA: Cork v Mayo EVERY SO often, poking fun at the Connacht championship becomes something of a national pastime and this year…Sat Jul 30 2011 - 01:00
Browne keeping his eye firmly on the prizeGAELIC GAMES: TONY BROWNE will spend the next few days ascertaining the extent of a hamstring injury, but it is hard to imagine…Tue Jul 26 2011 - 01:00
'We're not apologising to anyone for getting the luck'ALL-IRELAND SHC QUARTER-FINAL: DALOMon Jul 25 2011 - 01:00
Safety net no longer part of the pictureGAELIC GAMES: THIS IS the weekend when they begin to fall like flies.Sat Jul 23 2011 - 01:00
'We will look to step up because we will need to'GAELIC GAMES: JAMES HORAN’S stock has risen sharply over his first year as Mayo managerMon Jul 18 2011 - 01:00
The kindness of strangersCOMMUNITY: IT BEGAN AS a routine trip to the doctor for the Doherty familySat Jul 16 2011 - 01:00
We don't run off cruciates these daysSIDELINE CUT: In the GAA days of yore, a cruciate or hamstring injury could be cured with a dab of a wet sponge, while a melee…Sat Jul 16 2011 - 01:00