Bomb cyclone. Thundersnow. Polar Vortex. Arctic Blast. Snowmageddon.

The Irish football year was book-ended and overshadowed by the tragic deaths of Derry City skipper Ryan McBride and the young Shelbourne striker Izzy Desu, writes Liam Mackey.

There was a sense of Christmases past, present, and future coming into focus as Manchester City played Leicester City in the League Cup this week, says Liam Mackey.

With Christmas still to come, it’s way too early to be talking about a golden era for the Premier League but you would have to say that the signs are certainly more encouraging than they have been in a long time.

What began as an idea to help improve heading proficiency in football could, in these fast-changing and uncertain times, turn out to be something which helps ensure that one of the sport’s signature but now increasingly controversial skills, can safely retain its place in the game, writes Liam Mackey.

Comedians tend to worry a lot about the ‘too soon’ moment, that minefield of a border between the darkly funny and the wincingly crass.