BRENDAN O'BRIEN: Magic of cup not felt by all

Seamus O’Brien was barely a teenager when his brother Pascal arrived back home from seminary one time to usher him and another brother Brendan out the door and on to a train bound for Kingsbridge Station in Dublin.

BRENDAN O'BRIEN: Women’s boxing and Katie Taylor badly need a contest

Eddie Hearn has Katie Taylor primed to spearhead a breakthrough for women’s professional boxing but she can’t do it all on her own, writes Brendan O’Brien.

BRENDAN O'BRIEN: ‘Casual’ attitude does women’s sport a huge disservice

What is happening in Irish women’s rugby is a situation that wouldn’t be deemed permissible in the men’s game, writes Brendan O’Brien.

BRENDAN O'BRIEN: Is there something to Strachan’s idea?

“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight that counts but the size of the fight in the dog’

— Barry McGuigan

BRENDAN O'BRIEN: Cam Newton and Martin O’Neill should remember Arrigo Sacchi’s words

Cam Newton has been associated with Superman ever since he started celebrating scores and other big plays by pretending to rip his jersey from his chest like the Man of Steel, but no-one was ever under the illusion that he was perfect.

BRENDAN O'BRIEN: Rugby looking far and wide but losing focus at home

Last Saturday just cemented the sense of a sport that isn’t thinking with its head, writes Brendan O’Brien.

BRENDAN O'BRIEN: Less left to chance in modern sports these days as Leinster learn hard lesson

Amost 12 years later and it’s still hard to decide whether the disappointment of missing out on a weekend of little enough work and lots of leisure time in Boston for the Interprovincial hurling final was more acute than the mortification of being turned away by US immigration officials at Shannon, writes Brendan O’Brien.

BRENDAN O'BRIEN: Mayo the hot tip to save summer

Already nine games into their summer campaign, the guts of Stephen Rochford’s side know what it is to beat Dublin, Kerry and Jim McGuinness’ Donegal under the most unforgiving of championship microscopes, writes Brendan O’Brien.

BRENDAN O'BRIEN: Financial flaunting masks insecurity of fight game

The imminent meeting of Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas, and the inexorable awfulness of the build-up, may have scaled new heights of nonsense but Sin City and the fight game have always been perfectly in step when it comes to the art of show business and bluster and the business of making money.

BRENDAN O'BRIEN: Heroics of Ireland Women's rugby team inspires next generation

Big tournaments can be noisy, rude affairs. Whether it’s an Olympic Games, a Fifa World Cup or a Ryder Cup, these operations tend to pitch tent, plaster posters, and plant flags all over town.