The basic inequity of the promotion and relegation system applied to the new structure of the All-Ireland hurling championship is so obvious that it is impossible to ignore.

The playing of a test match in Dublin last weekend between Ireland and Pakistan is a reminder that there is nothing inevitable in sport.

The story of the anthems offers a sharp insight into how a United Ireland has been imagined by too many of those who profess to desire it as something that is united only in geography but not in much else, writes Paul Rouse.

The motion tabled in the House of Commons, in London, by Jim Shannon, a DUP MP, is a straightforward one, writes Paul Rouse.

The word ‘sport’ is an interesting one. It is commonplace, part of the everyday conversation in the great majority of households on this island — and yet it is hard to define, writes Paul Rouse.

The case cast light on a culture of contempt and entitlement in sport, but rugby in particular, and it would be fascinating to examine where the sympathies of Jackson’s and Olding’s team-mates lay, writes Paul Rouse

Last week was an extraordinary one for Irish sport. The rugby Grand Slam and Rory McIlroy winning in America followed a Cheltenham Festival where the Irish dominated the English in race after race, writes Paul Rouse.

This was the day Ireland’s oldest international fixture, one which was first played in 1875, finally ended in triumph, writes Paul Rouse.

It’s not often a man folds a tent this quickly.

The allure of media productions controlled by the sports association is both obvious and understandable. And yet the downsides are significant, also, writes Paul Rouse