Big things were expected but it didn’t go according to plan for Na Piarsaigh last year, especially after reaching the Cork SHC semi-final in 2017.

With new Cork senior football manager Ronan McCarthy being introduced to the media last Monday, attention on Leeside now turns to the replacement for outgoing hurling boss Kieran Kingston.

Sean O’Leary Hayes didn’t watch last year’s All-Ireland minor hurling final. He couldn’t.

Cork City have extended their lead at the top of the SSE Airtricity Premier League Division to 16 points following a 2-1 victory over Sligo Rovers at The Showgrounds last night.

Galway Utd are through to the semi-final of the EA Sports Cup after a superb 120 minutes of football and victory in a penalty shoot-out at sun drenched Sligo Showgrounds.

Allianz HL Division 1A

SSE Airtricity Premier Division

The Airtricity League Premier Division title race has been blown open tonight.

A scoreless draw at Sligo means Cork City lost their chance to close in on Dundalk last night.

Sligo Rovers 0, Derry City 0: Derry City’s pursuit of the top two was halted by Sligo Rovers at The Showgrounds in a scoreless yet absorbing SSE Premier Division fixture.

It was a good day for clubs from the west as both Sligo Rovers and Galway United recorded wins tonight in the Airtricity Premier Division.

Cork City have moved into second place in the Aitricity League Premier Division after a 2-0 win at Bray Wanderers tonight.

Ger Pender scored a first-half winner to lift managerless Bray Wanderers off the foot of the Premier Division as they shocked St Patrick’s Athletic, who finished with 10 men, with a 1-0 win at the Carlisle Grounds.

Sligo Rovers 0 Cork City 0: Sligo Rovers remain rooted to the bottom of the SSE Airtricity Premier Division table after Saturday’s scoreless draw at the Showgrounds. Dave Robertson’s side put in a brave, battling performance but a first win of the season still eludes the Reds.

Brian Herlihy has been appointed as the Cork minor football manager and his backroom team will feature a strong influence from the county’s 2010 All-Ireland-winning team.

Niall Gorey works for the company that makes the All-Ireland winners’ medals but yesterday he earned one to keep as Muskerry delivered one half of an AIG Cups and Shields double for Munster.

Casteltroy go into today’s AIG Junior Cup semi-finals at Carton House knowing there is extra pressure to succeed for the first time since 1972.

You would imagine Paul McGinley has plenty on his mind right now, with the Ryder Cup just days away.

There are some pretty stark realities facing the Cork minor management team led by Fermoy’s Denis Ring as they start out on yet another Munster championship campaign this evening, taking on Kerry at Páirc Uí Rinn (throw-in 6.15pm).

After four league games without a goal, champions Sligo Rovers got their season back on track as they came from behind to convincingly beat UCD 5-2 to regain third place in the table.

Killian Brennan stole the show as St. Patrick's Athletic maintained their relentless run as they beat Limerick 3-0 at Richmond Park to stretch their lead at the top of the Premier Division table to six points.

Tommy Stewart scored twice against his former club as Shamrock Rovers rubber-stamped their passage through to the semi-final of the Setanta Sports Cup with a 3-1 win over Linfield at Windsor Park, comfortably winning the tie 7-2 on aggregate.

Retired Garda John Moloughney (Templemore) has been elected Chairman of the Munster Council of the Golfing Union of Ireland.

Eddie Courtney kept his composure to land an injury-time winner from a 40m free and propel St Michael’s to a deserved victory over PobalscoilChorca Dhuibhne in the All-Ireland Colleges’ Senior A football championship semi-final at O’Moore Park on Saturday.

St Michael’s, Enniskillen produced a superb second-half performance to come from behind and win the Ulster Colleges MacRory Cup at the Morgan Athletic Grounds in Armagh yesterday.

IRELAND made a winning start to the defence of their R&A Trophy in the Boys Home Internationals over the Royal and St David’s links at Harlech yesterday — but they were made to fight hard for victory over hosts Wales.

THOSE expecting fireworks in the City Division U21 hurling championship final at Ballinlough yesterday between neighbours and great rivals Na Piarsaigh and Glen Rovers were left bitterly disappointed.

GLEN ROVERS selector Liam Martin has vowed his side will “rise again” after the heartbreak of yesterday’s Cork SHC final defeat to Sarsfields.

Westmeath GAA has been boosted with the news that the 2011 GAA Congress is set to take place in Mullingar it has been confirmed.

CHAIRMAN, Bill Murphy and all the outgoing officers were re-elected at a low key Munster Branch AGM held in Mallow.

BILL MURPHY of Fermoy is the new chairman of the Munster GUI Branch. He was elected in a secret ballot at the annual delegate's meeting in the Hibernian Hotel, Mallow, last night in a two man contest with Alan McIlraith of Tramore.

THE Golfing Union of Ireland’s plans to move its headquarters from Glencar House in Dublin to a state of the art centre at Carton House, in Maynooth, were outlined by president elect Albert Lee at last night’s meeting of Munster Branch delegates in Mallow.

CITY club Na Piarsaigh are the only side capable of breaking west Cork’s stranglehold on the Permanent TSB Cork county senior football championship.

THE Munster GUI branch last night agreed to run the preliminary rounds of the Pierce Purcell Shield, Jimmy Bruen Shield, Irish Mixed Foursomes and Junior Cup on a strokeplay qualifying basis next year.