No Irish domestic or international football fixtures are currently under threat from the coronavirus but the FAI are in regular contact with government and UEFA about the spread of the disease and say they will follow expert guidance about any measures which may need to be taken.

Stephen Staunton has urged his former Ireland team-mate Niall Quinn to give Stephen Kenny his full backing.

James McClean has emerged as a major injury doubt for Ireland’s Euro play-off against Slovakia next month after sustaining a medial knee ligament injury.

Happy new year, and let’s start as we are likely to go on in 2020; with black facetiousness.

Denmark's Martin Braithwaite edged between Duffy and Matt Doherty with 17 minutes remaining of Monday's qualifier to stab a volley beyond his former Middlesbrough team-mate Darren Randolph in the Irish goal.

If the football career of Ireland U21 newcomer Thomas O’Connor’s doesn’t work out, there’s a fair chance he’ll end up hurling at Nowlan Park.

The improvement in Ulster’s away form in Europe last season under Dan McFarland is something the head coach wants to see maintained and, if possible, bettered as they head into the unknown.

Vera Pauw will be forced into at least three changes in personnel as Ireland hunt a third successive victory in their Euro campaign against Greece today.

Parrott will become the third youngest ever Irish international on Thursday week in a friendly that will act as an audition for the decisive Euro qualifier against Denmark.

Rather than feeling bullish about another Dublin cake-walk next month, Denmark manager Åge Hareide is convinced Mick McCarthy will have Ireland better prepared than his predecessor Martin O’Neill.

It’s not ‘do or die’ for Ireland tomorrow tonight – more like a case of ‘do but not die’.

Sean Maguire has endured more than his fair share of all-too-familiar injury woes in recent years, so absolutely the very last thing he needed, days before Ireland hosted Switzerland in Dublin in early September, was something described by Preston manager Alex Neil as “the most bizarre injury I’ve ever seen.”

That I can say I feel for Richard Keogh this morning is not the same as saying that he was not guilty of an appalling error of judgment, to put it at its mildest, for his involvement in the events which culminated in the car crash on Tuesday night. One that saw two of his Derby County team mates arrested on drink-driving charges and the club captain and Irish international sustaining a serious knee injury.

Despite plenty of endeavour, Ireland’s attack lacked the requisite composure or finishing ability to adequately trouble their opponents for much of the 90 minutes.

Vera Pauw has set her sights on the Euro 2021 finals after she was unveiled as the new Ireland women’s team manager.

The agony and ecstasy riff is a familiar one in sport but rarely can it have had a more literal application than to the bittersweet situation in which Alan Judge found himself at the conclusion of Ireland’s 1-1 draw with Denmark in Copenhagen in June.

The FAI are looking to Germany again for a women’s international manager, with Maren Meinert emerging as a leading candidate for the job.

Michaela Walsh is through to the women's featherweight final at the European Games in Minsk, guaranteeing at least a silver medal.

IIreland might have back-to-back Euro qualifiers looming next month but Mick McCarthy doesn’t think it’s a gamble that, in advance of those big games away to Denmark and home to Gibraltar, his Irish contingent at Sheffield United are heading off to Las Vegas to celebrate the club’s promotion to the Premier League.

Stuart Lancaster needs no introduction to the dangers Leinster will be facing when they go toe-to-toe with Saracens in Saturday’s heavyweight Heineken Champions Cup final.

Gavin Bazunu will be back on familiar ground on Friday evening, when Ireland kick off in the U17 European Championship against Greece in Tallaght Stadium.

No Jonathan Sexton, Rob Kearney on the bench and Jack McGrath given the weekend off.

Pride, passion, humility.

New Ireland U21 boss Stephen Kenny insists he’ll put a stylish stamp on his team when they start the Euro campaign against Luxembourg on Sunday.

It’s best not to call it a comeback, for Rob Heffernan never really left, but despite the ravages of time clearly taking a toll, the 39-year-old hasn’t shut the door on his career just yet.

Martin O’Neill has said he would be disappointed if James McClean was not feeling frustrated about his restricted game time at West Brom.

Marie Hourihan knew the stereotypical ‘plastic paddy’ banter from her Ireland teammates wouldn’t last long once they discovered her deep affinity to the country.

At the Irish team’s hotel in Castleknock yesterday, a few of the senior players told Martin O’Neill about how much of a challenge they think Saturday’s World Cup qualifier in Tbilisi is going to be — and the manager was delighted to hear of their concern.

Larry Ryan dons his Santa hat to dole out Christmas presents to the sporting world.

Luis Suarez scored twice to help Barcelona to a 4-1 win over Espanyol in the clash of the Catalans at the Camp Nou last night.

For the week that’s in it, what could be more appropriate than to address the congregation with a reading from the Book Of Bob?

The Republic of Ireland will attempt to complete a maximum points haul from their October World Cup qualifiers when they face Moldova in Chisinau tomorrow evening.

Signed, sealed and ready to deliver — that’s Martin O’Neill as he sets his sights on steering Ireland to the World Cup finals in Russia in 2018.

France 2 Republic of Ireland 1: We’ll always have Lille and, for just short of an hour yesterday afternoon, an Irish team that the nation had taken to its heart made us think that we might have Lyon too.