It is three weeks since Cork’s impressive performance against Limerick. A three-week break is a week too long and much of the momentum from that victory is lost.

Minority sports crave that moment that propels them into the national sporting consciousness. Think Katie Taylor at London 2012 and the O’Donovans in Rio 2016. Hockey Ireland’s Phil Oakley swears that after Irish ’s exploits at the Cricket World Cup in 2007, he saw lads using hurleys to play cricket in Mayfield on Cork’s northside.

Ireland will book their spot at next year’s World Cup if they overcome Afghanistan in their final qualifier this morning after Zimbabwe suffered a shock defeat to the UAE in Harare.

Graham Ford and his Ireland squad had long left these shores for warmer climes by the time the current chill descended, but the cold and wet of an already bleak Irish winter had long since reached his bones over the opening weeks of the New Year.

New Ireland coach Graham Ford will rely on experience when the team bids to land a place in what would be a fourth straight Cricket World Cup, this time via the ICC qualifiers in Zimbabwe in March.

Despite them getting far greater visibility in recent years, the president of the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) Sarah Keane has warned that women in sport are “in danger of losing our audience”.

The entire country went a little bit sports-mad this summer, so it comes as no surprise to hear Rugby World Cup 2015 is the phrase people in Ireland searched online for the most this year.

Cricket Ireland are “hopeful” a new national team coach will be in place for the showpiece one-day international against England at Malahide on May 8.

After breaking through with Netherland, Cork-born Joseph O'Neill has since tackled an eclectic range of subjects writes Michael Moynihan.

Rugby World Cup chiefs have warned fans not to buy tickets from unofficial sources amid exhorbitant pricing on ticket-sale websites.

‘Best Team in Europe’ proudly proclaimed Irish banners at Hamilton, revelling in England’s first-round exit from the World Cup. 

As he trudged off at Malahide on September 12, having scored a 31-ball six in a one-day international against Scotland, Andy Balbirnie might have dwelled upon a sense of missed opportunity.

On Saturday, just as Sinn Féin’s long-standing president Gerry Adams was preparing his keynote ard fheis speech, senator Kathryn Reilly rushed to the stage to make two key announcements.

When Ireland attempt to make it three wins from three Cricket World Cup games against South Africa in the early hours of tomorrow morning (3.30am Irish time), they will come across a man who did much to lift Ireland to their position today.

When O’Brien walked out to bat in Bangalore during the 2011 World Cup, Ireland needed 222 runs to win in 27.4 overs and England’s fielders were already going through the motions.

Cricket World Cup: Coach Phil Simmons is confident Ireland can qualify for the knockout stages of the World Cup next month.

Profits at the firm at the centre of the summer controversy over the GAA’s malfunctioning score detection system last year more than doubled to over €4.5m.

Captain William Porterfield wants to provide extra “ammunition” to Ireland’s fight to be allowed a place in the next World Cup when they meet Pakistan in Belfast this weekend.

IRELAND may be excluded from playing in the next Cricket World Cup, but the ‘foreign’ game may yet vie with Gaelic football for the hearts of sports people in Kerry.

A LONG night of celebration by eight Indians in Dublin ended in a violent row with two men stabbed. One was left fighting for his life.

Ireland's exit from the World Cup was confirmed today after a below-par batting display saw them go down by 131 runs to South Africa in Kolkata.

Ireland's Kevin O'Brien hit the fastest hundred in World Cup history to sentence shell-shocked England to an astounding three-wicket defeat at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium tonight.

Ireland coach Phil Simmons has named an 18-man squad for the World Cup qualifiers in South Africa in April.

An inquest into the death of Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer ended in indecision tonight, when a Jamaican jury was unable to determine the cause of death after hearing testimony from more than 50 people over five weeks.

A Jamaican specialist who analysed stomach samples from Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer said that lethal amounts of a pesticide were revealed in tests he administered.

The Jamaican pathologist whose autopsy found the death of Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer was murder is standing by his report despite a contradictory conclusion by three other doctors and police, a newspaper reported today.

According to reports, detectives are set to make a dramatic U-turn next week and announce that Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer was not murdered, but died from natural causes.

The Irish Cricket Union today confirmed that the three-match ODI series between India and South Africa will proceed this summer in Belfast.

PAKISTAN cricket coach Bob Woolmer was poisoned before being strangled, apparently rendering him unable to fight back, a BBC programme says today.

World Cup match referee Jeff Crowe has taken responsibility for the "human error" and confusion which meant the final was won 'twice' by Australia and ended in farcical scenes at Kensington Oval.

In a rare show of unity, political adverseries Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party) and Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin) today congratulated the Irish cricket team on their success at the recent World Cup.

Trent Johnson has said he is disappointed with the ending of Ireland's Cricket World Cup campaign yesterday.

Ireland's Cricket World Cup campaign continues today when they take on world champions Australia in the Super Eight stage of the competition.

A coroner’s inquest into the killing of Pakistan’s cricket coach will begin in the Jamaican capital on April 23, the lead investigator has revealed.

Two detectives from Pakistan are helping investigate the mysterious murder of the country’s World Cup cricket coach after Jamaican police failed to make a breakthrough after more than three weeks, a security official has said.

IRELAND will leave the Cricket World Cup after earning the respect of the cricket world with its brilliant performances.

IRELAND will leave the Cricket World Cup after earning the respect of the cricket world with its brilliant performances.

Muslims, Christians, Pakistani cricketers and officials of Pakistan Cricket Board observed a minute of silence, lit candles and offered prayers in a memorial today for murdered cricket coach Bob Woolmer.

Despite a number of injury worries during the week, the Ireland camp are hopeful of having a full squad to select from, ahead of their opening World Cup fixture with England tomorrow.

Pub and brewery group Marston’s said today its investment plans should help it overcome the impact of the UK-wide smoking ban later in the year.

DETECTIVES probing the murder of cricket coach Bob Woolmer said investigators were nowhere near identifying suspects as Pakistan’s shell shocked team prepared to head home yesterday.

Pakistan’s cricket captain and another senior team official were being questioned tonight by police investigating the murder of coach Bob Woolmer, according to reports.

Police hunting the killer of Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer are scouring CCTV footage and other electronic records today for clues.