As exam time looms, Fiann Ó Nualláin highlights a plant said to lift the mood and ease stress.

I’d love to be able to blame our humiliating annihilation on the numbskull responsible for dressing us in a green kit, upon a grass pitch, but frankly that’s a feeble excuse. Saturday’s demolition served as a timely reminder of the enormity of the task facing Unai Emery.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is like a western Grand Theft Auto, and is one of the most eagerly-anticipated games of the year ahead, writes Ronan Jennings

Here are the top three films you don’t want to miss this week, writes Declan Burke.

I wanted to write from the age of 12. I am obsessive, so I don’t need self-discipline. 

Check out our spolier-free tips below.

Mia Hamm is a legend of women’s soccer in the United States. She is retired some ten years but she is still revered Stateside.

There was real drama in the final of the Gain Feeds Select Stakes on Saturday night at Waterford, from which the tremendously consistent Southest Suzie emerged victorious for Daniel Frayne of Wexford.

SORRY for being a Luddite. Clearly this shouldn’t be a letter from the Web Summit: There shouldn’t be anything so old-fashioned as a pen and parchment missive emerging from this event to tell you what’s going on here.

Hercules ***

This week, otherworldly fantasy ‘Earth to Echo’, Dwayne Johnson flexes his muscles in ‘Hercules’, James DeMonaco’s brutal and bloody sequel ‘The Purge: Anarchy’ and animated adventure ‘The House of Magic’.

IN ANY serious consideration of the ugliest cars ever made, the original Ssangyong Rodius — the name apparently comes, believe it or not, from the combination of the words Road and Zeus — sits comfortably at the top table.

Your daily, spoiler-free guide to what to look out for on the box.

Almost Christmas. Deck the halls.

THE celebration show now underway at the Lavit Gallery in Cork entitled RHA in the South features paintings and sculptures by invited members from the Royal Hibernian Academy.

Demi-gods embark on a perilous quest to locate the mythical Golden Fleece in the action-packed sequel to the 2010 fantasy adventure.

WELL, that’s certainly one way to put the ‘riot’ into Cypriot.

Enda’s German gong overshadowed

ACCORDING to last Monday’s Irish Examiner, birdwatchers from far and wide travelled to Kylemore Abbey, County Galway, to see a rare American visitor.

A Great Dane from the U.S has been recognised as the world’s tallest dog.

No tickets for London’s big event? Get into the Olympic spirit on a tour with a sporting twist, says Sally Howard

This week’s new releases

Never underestimate the intoxicating power of nostalgia.

A few years ago the good people in Croke Park got so incensed about one of these columns that they sent a rather spicy letter of rebuke to my newspaper.

A few weeks ago, this column had a chat with Robert Lipsyte, an American sportswriter of such eminence that ringing his house was like ringing 1-800-OLYMPUS and asking for Zeus himself.

Forged in the same cinematic fires as the muscle-bound romp '300', 'Immortals' is a feast of naked male torsos and rippling biceps loosely inspired by the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur.

A third 'Clash of the Titans' film has been given the go-ahead.

Liam Neeson has promised the 'Clash Of The Titans' sequel will have some impressive action scenes.

TEAL are such pretty little ducks — hardly as big as a wood pigeon — it’s sad to think of them stuffed inside a widgeon which is stuffed inside a mallard which is stuffed inside a goose, and the lot then put in the oven and roasted.

IN the very first poem of his beautiful new book, Theo Dorgan declares his loyalty and his aesthetic impulse:

Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) is struggling at high school and rowing constantly with his mother Sally (Catherine Keener), who has married a loser called Gabe (Joe Pantoliano).

With such a distinguished cast, this re-make of the 1980s classic is raised above the usual level of your average sand-and-sandals epic … though do expect to meet plenty of the customary warring Gods and battles between good and evil.

Former ‘Bond’ girl Gemma Arterton confessed her legs were covered in make-up at the premiere of ‘Clash Of The Titans’ tonight to hide the “war wounds” she incurred making the movie.

Monster-slaying movie 'Clash Of The Titans' will have its world premiere tonight with stars including Sam Worthington and Gemma Arterton taking to the red carpet.

A modern twist to a story involving the Greek Gods fighting among themselves and anybody else who cares to join in … and a lot of biff-bang fun it proves to be.

ZEUS, married to Hera, had a ‘fling’ with Io. For Io’s protection, Zeus turned her into a cow.

Liam Neeson is set to begin work on his first film since the death of his wife, Natasha Richardson.

ANYONE who has observed the world’s No 1 golfer stand statuesquely at the top of his follow through will know it is going to take more than a little knee operation to keep Tiger Woods out of contention at Torrey Pines.

THE 2008 Leaving Certificate began with a morning of English exams for more than 50,000 students, but most had a free afternoon to prepare for today’s second paper in the subject.

IT TOOK more than 1,600 years, but the ancient Greek god Zeus was honoured once again, pagan-style, by

The life-sized marble statues of two ancient Greek goddesses have emerged during excavations of a 5,000-year-old town on the island of Crete, archaeologists said today.