The Chieftains’ Matt Molloy talks to Eoin Edwards about some of his and his instrument’s epic journeys

The Queen didn’t do a parachute jump, but Limerick yesterday exuded a spectacular summer glow for the opening of the Special Olympic Ireland Games.

An Irish endurance runner who travelled the globe running seven marathons in five days has secured another record – his daughter has become the youngest person at the North Pole.

An Irish endurance runner who travelled the globe running seven marathons in five days has secured another record, his daughter has become the youngest person at the North Pole.

ONCE Upon a Bedtime is a collection of animal tales (Little Tiger; €11.93 HB). With authors such as Ragnhild Scamell, AH Benjamin, Andrew Murray and Anne Mangan and illustrators including Michael Terry and Jack Tickle, these affectionate short stories about baby animals are perfectly structured for the very young.

TWO-TIME Major champion Sandy Lyle closed with a superb eagle for an opening round 66 to set the pace in the Handa Irish Senior Open presented by Fáilte Ireland, as he chases his maiden European Senior Tour title.

AN unrepentant Tony Blair has said he has “no regrets” about removing Saddam Hussein and joining the United States in attacking Iraq, arguing yesterday before a panel investigating the war that the September 11, 2001, attacks made the threat of weapons of mass destruction impossible to ignore.

Tony Blair was accused of being a “coward” today when he was driven into the Iraq Inquiry via a side entrance two hours before he was due to give evidence.

Tony Blair arrived early for his highly-anticipated appearance at the Iraq Inquiry today as he prepared to be grilled on why he took Britain to war.

FUN-loving policemen filmed using a riot shield as a makeshift sledge have been reprimanded for the prank.

BERNARD DUNNE has promised fireworks and an education for the challenger in his first WBA super-bantamweight title defence at the O2 Arena on September 26.

ALTHOUGH he probably knows the great Kerry links better than every other player in the field, Denis O’Sullivan makes his first competitive appearance at Ballybunion since 1991 when he takes part in the AIB Irish Seniors Open which begins this morning.

ARGENTINA’S Damian Marchiano has been confirmed as Bernard Dunne’s next opponent on the road to rehabilitation at the Hunky Dorys Fight Night in the National Stadium on July 12.

BERNARD DUNNE could be just two fights away from a shot at a world title according to promoter Brian Peters who said yesterday they had abandoned hopes of luring the European champion, Rendall Munroe, to Dublin.

WITH a shot at one of the four world titles inside the next 12 months as the target, Bernard Dunne will continue his rehabilitation before the home crowd at the National Stadium on July 12 against an opponent yet to be named.

HAD Andrew Murray taken the medical advice offered him, he would never have donned a pair of boxing gloves. But, do date, he has won three national senior titles as an amateur and, as a professional, holds the Irish light welterweight belt.

THE absence of four-time champion, Ian Tims, raised some eyebrows at this year’s national senior boxing championships.

The Irish boxing boom continues apace this Saturday with two Irish titles up for grabs on the Ladbrokes.com Fight Night at the National Stadium in Dublin.

AFTER the fiasco of the aborted McCullough-Martinez fight a week earlier there were no problems at the scales in Belfast yesterday when John Duddy and Howard Eastman weighed in for tonight’s sell-out middleweight contest at The King’s Hall (RTÉ2, 9pm).

FORMER European, Commonwealth and British middleweight champion Howard Eastman bids to turn John Duddy’s King’s Hall dream into a nightmare when they clash at the legendary Belfast venue on December 8.

ANTI-WAR campaigners yesterday stepped up calls for British troops to be withdrawn from Iraq after a respected international charity gave graphic details of the “ever worsening crisis” there.

WIMBLEDON champion Roger Federer has stoked up his rivalry with Rafael Nadal by claiming he would be surprised if the Spaniard reaches Sunday’s final.

Bernard Dunne gradually wore down American fighter David Martinez to rack up his 21st straight pro win at the National Stadium last night.

THE VERBAL salvo launched by the David Martinez camp during the week was off target, and Martinez himself was the first to admit it when he weighed in alongside Bernard Dunne at the Plaza Hotel in Tallaght last evening in advance of tonight’s super bantamweight showdown at the National Stadium.

BERNARD DUNNE will box for the European super bantamweight title in Dublin next October or November his manager/promoter Brian Peters, confirmed yesterday.

BERNARD DUNNE will box for the European super bantamweight title in Dublin next October or November his manager/promoter Brian Peters confirmed yesterday.

Cavan boxer Andrew Murray has netted a lucrative sponsorship deal with Paddy Power bookmakers.

Third seed and last year's runner-up Lleyton Hewitt will begin his quest for the Australian Open title with a first round match against Czech Robin Vik.

Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Gordon Taylor insists England’s players will be worth every penny of their promised win bonus if they can deliver World Cup success next summer.

Andrew Murray has amassed a huge amount of self-belief in a whirlwind three months and now feels he can make the grade among the world’s best.

HUNDREDS of people gathered in London’s Russell Square yesterday to remember the victims of the London bombings.

David Nalbandian again showed experience can be decisive at Wimbledon as he eased his way into the last eight with a straight sets win over French talent Richard Gasquet.

Greg Rusedski crashed out of Wimbledon in the second round after a marathon battle tonight, reducing the number of Britons left in the tournament to just three.

David Sherwood provided solace for British fans on an opening day of anti-climax for the wild-card hopefuls.

Greg Rusedski is looking forward to watching Andrew Murray flying the flag for Britain but insists he and Tim Henman are not done just yet.

Wimbledon 2005 was getting under way today with a host of British players set to see first-round action on what should be another scorching day in the sun.

British number one Tim Henman was today drawn against Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen in the first round of Wimbledon, which gets underway on Monday.

ANDY RODDICK remained on course for a third straight Stella Artois title yesterday with a hard-fought third round victory over Slovakia’s Karol Beck at Queens.

Englishman Andrew Murray’s impressive run at the Stella Artois Championship came to an end in the third round today.

BERNARD DUNNE faces the toughest challenge of his boxing career against Ukranian southpaw, Yuri Voronin, at the National Stadium on May 14.

GREG RUSEDSKI banished fears for Great Britain’s Davis Cup future in the post-Tim Henman era by sealing their place back in the World Group qualifying round in Tel Aviv.

The Leinster Youth team to face Ulster in Barnhall on Saturday has been named.

Irish boxers Kenneth Egan and Andrew Murray lost their Olympic qualifying bouts at the final qualifying event in Azerbaijan yesterday.

THE slim Olympic qualification hopes of Irish heavyweight champion Alan Reynolds were shattered in Gothenburg when he was stopped on the 20 point rule by local star Andreas Gustafsson in the third round of their semi-final bout.

IRELAND'S Peter Lawrie, last year's European Tour rookie of the year, leads the Algarve Open de Portugal in Penina after an opening round 66.

KENNETH EGAN has joined Paul McCloskey in the semi-finals of their respective Olympic qualifying tournaments, just two fights away from qualification for Athens.

PAUL McCLOSKEY is just two fights away from the Olympics after another resounding win at the qualifying tournament in Warsaw last night where he overwhelmed the highly rated Croatian, Borna Katalinic 40-19 to advance to the quarter-finals.

PAUL McCLOSKEY got his Olympic boxing qualification campaign off to the perfect start when he beat Halas Martin of the Czech Republic 37-13 in Warsaw last night.