Richard III’s remains may have been discovered in a car park in Leicester earlier this week but Owen Farrell would do well to pay greater heed to Shakespeare’s Henry IV ahead of England’s visit to Dublin this weekend.

No rugby.

Joni Mitchell is ringing in these ears this week.

Holywood golfer’s assertion last September that he felt more British than Irish was met with a consternation that bordered on the ridiculous.

First off, a round of applause for the folks in Croke Park.

You know times are tough when bad news is given a Hollywood makeover and presented as good news simply because it wasn’t quite as horrific as first feared.

So, all’s well that ends well, then, right?

It’s over a fortnight now since actor Gabriel Byrne denounced The Gathering as a ‘scam’ on national radio.

Nkosi sikalel’ iAfrika, which we heard in Dublin six days ago, is basically two songs mingled to make up South Africa’s beautiful national anthem and its status as a unifying number for the Rainbow Nation is confirmed by the five languages used in its delivery.

A broad smile colonises Jonathan Sexton’s chiselled features as his mind rewinds three years to the first time he faced the Springboks.