Eamonn Fitzmaurice, the new Kerry football manager, recently gave an interesting interview in which he discussed conditioning and physical strength in Gaelicfootball, saying underage players from Cork and Dublin, in particular, were more physically advanced than those from Kerry.

There was a time when a micro-economy depended on Denis Brosnan.

Odd the things you notice when you’re early.

They say Irving Berlin kept a musical genius chained up in his attic — starving, shoeless — and whenever the composer of White Christmas needed another hit, he lowered the Stira, climbed up and told his resident hit machine to crank out another one.

It’s a scenario that’s become depressingly familiar to members of sports clubs all over the country.

Last week there was something of a ripple about Michael Bent, a rugby player lately qualified to play for Ireland.

For purposes of illustration, I delve back into the chapter of my life working in the Dáil.

Perhaps the odd Aberavon player looked up last Saturday from the on-field combat in O’Dowd Park and thought he was back in Wales.

True confession: your columnist had forgotten all about Ireland playing Germany until I stumbled across the post-match analysis on Friday night’s television.

The end of an inter-county season usually brings with it reflection and peace.