Just before Cork headed back out the door of dressing room 2 for the second-half of yesterday’s senior All-Ireland final in Croke Park, Briege Corkery took to the floor.

That Oscar Wilde won’t be in Thurles tomorrow makes no difference. We know implicitly what he’d say.

For a dozen seasons, Tom O’Sullivan filled the back pages with defensive exploits. Last month, he made the front pages for doing his day job. Life has never been ordinary for one of Kerry’s enigmatic heroes

These are busy times for Conor Cusack in the sporting arena and beyond but he is rising to the challenge with his customary passion, writes Kieran Shannon.

Brian Cody paid a glowing tribute to his retired players yesterday, saying JJ Delaney was the “best defender I have ever seen”. 

Another year, another sack of books.

Nollaig Cleary leans against the dressing room wall in Caherlag, joking that a full year has passed since a dictaphone was last thrust in her direction.

Twenty years after helping Castlebar Mitchels to their last Mayo SFC title as a player, Pat Holmes returned as manager to lead them back to the promised land.

Former Mayo selector John Morrison believes the real curse afflicting the county’s September record is the mindset of the people.

A little over a week after the 2005 All-Ireland football final, this writer received an email from a fairly irate Kerry supporter.

The first All-Ireland SHC semi-final of 2013, Cork versus Dublin on Sunday, began in orthodox fashion with both sides happy to play a traditional 3/3/2/3/3 formation.

Cork manager Eamonn Ryan has confirmed that Juliet Murphy should "play some part" against Armagh in Saturday’s TG4 All-Ireland ladies senior football championship round 2 qualifier.

AT the final whistle a great roar erupted from thousands of Leeside throats and rumbled around Semple Stadium. But only at the final whistle.

Former Mayo star Aidan Kilcoyne is on the verge of an inter-county switch to London.

He gave rise to one of the great Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh legendary live commentary pieces – “His father is from Fermanagh, his mother from Fiji, neither a hurling stronghold”; yesterday Seán Óg Ó hAilpín formally announced his retirement from inter-county fare, thus ending what is surely the most unique story in top-class hurling.

Enda McEvoy and Diarmuid O’Flynn argue both sides of the debate

READING much into Mayo and Kerry’s last championship meeting is a tricky operation, given the massive changes the Connacht side has undergone.

ON the face of it, they shouldn’t have a lot in common but for Keith Higgins the mention of Kerry or London stir the same chastening feeling.

BOTH Kerry and Mayo will wear change jerseys when they meet in the All-Ireland senior football semi-final on Sunday week, August 21.

IT ended in ignominy for Ciarán Whelan. Pure and utter ignominy. A proud and celebrated inter-county career finishing on the scrapheap of all scrapheaps — as a losing substitute.

KILKENNY defender James Ryall has announced his retirement from inter-county hurling.

KERRY defender Tom O’Sullivan believes a long winter spent twiddling thumbs could be enough to persuade some of the county’s older players to give another year to the senior footballers.

Mayo manager John O’Mahony has announced that Trevor Mortimer will be the Mayo captain for the 2009 championship.

THOMOND Park night with a twist. Munster’s rugby cathedral had its beaming floodlights and immaculate playing surface on Thursday night, but the stands and pitch were quiet.

FERMANAGH manager Malachy O’Rourke has kept faith with the side that defeated Monaghan for Saturday’s Ulster SFC semi-final against Derry at Healy Park, Omagh (6pm).

WHEN Pat Kelly emerges from the Hogan Stand tunnel on Monday, it will be the first time he has felt the HQ turf under his studs since September 2004 when his first All-Ireland experience was spoiled by Colm Cooper.

Kilkenny County Board have tonight sensationally offered Cork a refixture of their National Hurling League tie, for this Sunday at either a venue in either of the two counties.