This Irish crew measures up to French cruIT IS an open secret among the international rugby fraternity that the raison d’etre of the game is to provide a fitting stage…Sat Feb 07 2009 - 00:00
Wallace delighted with new roleCOULD PADDY Wallace be the missing jigsaw piece? The flair and potential of the Irish back line named by Declan Kidney is beyond…Wed Feb 04 2009 - 00:00
Derry get over yellow peril to prove their class enduresDerry 1-9 Mayo 0-10: THE FOOTBALL landscape may have changed considerably since Derry were crowned National League champions…Mon Feb 02 2009 - 00:00
Erratic Benitez becoming a figure of funSIDELINE CUT: THE CHANTS on the football terraces across England and the insinuations in the newspapers all hint that Rafa Benitez…Sat Jan 31 2009 - 00:00
Tyrone-Dubs match sets off festive fireworksDublin v Tyrone AS BIRTHDAY parties go, tonight’s bash near the North Circular Road is guaranteed to be the talk of the town…Sat Jan 31 2009 - 00:00
Write off the humble newspaper at your perilSIDELINE CUT: If newspapers are to become a thing of the past, what are people going to use to clear out their ashes and carry…Sat Jan 17 2009 - 00:00
Lot of the fan beyond the ken of serious folk"IT WAS my fate, my destiny, to be a fan," wrote Frederick Exley in A Fan's NotesSat Dec 20 2008 - 00:00
Eerie echoes accompany GAA season's endSIDELINE CUT: IT IS one of the peculiar glories of the GAA that the great cathedrals in Clones or Thurles or Limerick are pencilled…Sat Dec 13 2008 - 00:00
Premier League circus loses a compelling actEXIT GHOST. When Sunderland take the field at Old Trafford this evening, the shadow of Roy Keane will, not for first time, stalk…Sat Dec 06 2008 - 00:00
A thrilla that stands up to repeated viewingSIDELINE CUT: JUST AS the dust has settled on Obamarama and the great leap forward for race relations in America, there comes…Sat Nov 15 2008 - 00:00
No winners yet in complex Cork endgameSIDELINE CUT: The wider GAA world can only look on aghast as Cork hurling's civil war continues in full spateSat Nov 08 2008 - 00:00
Dyed-in-the-red Robbie can kick on from hereSIDELINE CUT: The Dubliner has had a long and colourful career but he is still young enough to reap even greater reward for …Sat Oct 04 2008 - 01:00
Fortune favours the brave and the confidentIF THERE is one lesson all the great pretenders out there can learn from Tyrone’s latest All-Ireland coup, it is surely that …Sat Sept 27 2008 - 01:00
Cult of the modern manager in danger of spiralling out of controlTHIS MAY be a lousy time to be an international broker but it remains the Golden Age of the GAA Manager.Sat Sept 20 2008 - 01:00
'Players terrific from start to finish'KILKENNY REACTION: THERE WERE no champagne bottles or cigars in evidence when Brian Cody finally made his way to the press room…Mon Sept 08 2008 - 01:00
A golden sun shines on a proud nationSIDELINE CUT: The daily acquisition of more gold medals, of Chinese success and brilliance played out for the world to see, …Sat Aug 16 2008 - 01:00
Beijing basks in spotlight as epic spectacle kicks off Olympics five-ring circus in BeijingRAISE THE red lantern! At 8pm last night, the stirring beats of 2,008 fou drummers launched a breathtaking show of fireworks …Sat Aug 09 2008 - 01:00
Old rituals die hard as dazzling pageant unfoldsSIDELINE CUT: PERHAPS IN 1,000 years' time, when the Olympics have either gone intergalactic or ceased to exist, the surviving…Sat Aug 09 2008 - 01:00
Armagh cruise home as Fermanagh run out of steamArmagh 1-11 Fermanagh 0-8: ARMAGH DO not lose replays and the postman always rings twiceMon Jul 28 2008 - 01:00
O'Rourke unable to explain last 20 minutesALL AROUND Clones, there were gasps of relief and hasty plans made for next weekMon Jul 21 2008 - 01:00
Derry's dying embers trampledALL-IRELAND SFC QUALIFIER Monaghan 1-13 Derry 1-12 THERE WAS plenty of the wink-and-elbow language of delight sent in the direction…Mon Jul 21 2008 - 01:00
Fermanagh escape from Clones and earn return to cauldronULSTER FINAL Armagh 2-8 Fermanagh 1-11 FERMANAGH PEOPLE waited for 26 years to see their team in an Ulster finalMon Jul 21 2008 - 01:00
Scrupulous scribe of the sweet scienceSPORT: Classic chronicle of the four fighters who held the boxing world in awe throughout the 1980s, writes Keith Duggan.Sat Jul 19 2008 - 01:00
No need to get unhinged for walk-on partSIDELINE CUT: Studying the body language, and not only the bad language, as teams take the field has become de riguer for serious…Sat Jul 12 2008 - 01:00
Sisters have every right to keep it in the familySIDELINE CUT: ON THE timeless, dusty centre court lawn of Wimbledon, the Williams sisters double act will return with a vengeance…Sat Jul 05 2008 - 01:00
If Dubs win Sam, we'll know rare times are backSIDELINE CUT: NOW THE recession has replaced the weather as the national obsession, it has become clear the Dublin football …Sat Jun 28 2008 - 01:00
Galvin affair goes where no man has gone beforeSideline Cut : THE TROUBLE for Paul Galvin certainly began when he took momentary leave of his senses last Sunday but it was…Sat Jun 21 2008 - 01:00
Mayo have potential to find answersCONNACHT SFC SEMI-FINAL Sligo v Mayo Tomorrow, 3.30pm McHale Park, Castlebar A STRANGE day beckons around CastlebarSat Jun 21 2008 - 01:00
Galway hold all the acesCONNACHT SFC GALWAY v LEITRIM: THIS YEAR'S championship seems to be filled with lop-sided encountersSat Jun 14 2008 - 01:00
Simple game leaves Ballack unmovedSIDELINE CUT: THE MORE you see of Michael Ballack, the more it seems he is just not fully convinced by this whole football business…Sat Jun 14 2008 - 01:00
NBA finals reach parts you weren't aware ofSideline Cut : THE QUESTION was plain enough: "What did the guy from South Africa say about adversity?"Sat Jun 07 2008 - 01:00
Spring is evident in Derry's step"WE ARE in a good position now but the Ulster championship, you have to win three real tough games in order to win itMon Jun 02 2008 - 01:00
No rhyme or reason to these doomed RulesSIDELINE CUT : The GAA are flying in the face of all sporting logic by deciding to continue with the failed experiment that…Sat May 31 2008 - 01:00
Donegal no easy catch for DerryIT CANNOT be overstated how much is riding on this match for DerrySat May 31 2008 - 01:00
Euro vision just gets better as all-singing Munster wow judgesTV VIEW: BY NINE o'clock on Saturday night, all of Munster was rocking and there is a fair bet that thousands of television …Mon May 26 2008 - 01:00
Munster's magic defies categorisationSIDELINE CUT : IT IS highly likely Giovanni Trapattoni will have noticed the vast exodus from Munster for the shindig over in…Sat May 24 2008 - 01:00
Ryan ready to rally for battle aheadGALWAY V ROSCOMMON: MATTIE CLANCY came hurrying around the corner with his man-of-the-match silverware and came to a fast halt…Mon May 19 2008 - 01:00
Galway appear to have too much firepowerGalway v Roscommon THE STYLE of play Liam Sammon introduced, as much as the string of wins that followed, sent ripples of …Sat May 17 2008 - 01:00
Connacht SFCAs the Led Zeppelin classic goes, "There's a feeling I get when I look to the WestFri May 16 2008 - 01:00
It's official - summer is about to throw inSIDELINE CUT : THE GAELIC fields are trim and freshly marked in white. The changing-rooms are spanking cleanSat May 10 2008 - 01:00
Killarney far from cock-a-hoop at exclusionBASKETBALL: ALTHOUGH THE Irish basketball season does not begin until the autumn, the exclusion of St Paul's of Killarney from…Fri May 09 2008 - 01:00
'Cork will be some force'GER LOUGHNANE lounged against the wall in the tunnel of the Gaelic Grounds, a stadium he has been visiting for more years than…Mon Apr 14 2008 - 01:00
Torch of indignation won't be aflame for long SIDELINE CUTBoycotting the opening or closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics over Tibet would be a cheap, futile exerciseSat Apr 12 2008 - 01:00
One huge shot for O'Malley, one small but important step for his kindMayo 0-16 Kerry 1-12: THESE FOOTBALL counties create a peculiar chemistryMon Mar 17 2008 - 00:00
Favre takes final bow from Field of dreamsSIDELINE CUT: American Football legend Brett Favre has finally retired after an amazingly long and fruitful career as quarterback…Sat Mar 08 2008 - 00:00
O'Sullivan only as good as his next matchSideline Cut: The Ireland coach will have learned much from the traumatic events of recent months - perhaps the big lesson being…Sat Mar 01 2008 - 00:00
Nemo give Ballina a Masters classNemo Rangers 0-14 Ballina 1-4: WELL, SO much for having to wait for years before we saw a Cork team in an All-Ireland finalMon Feb 25 2008 - 00:00
