Races yesterday saw lots of frills and fashion as well as thrills on the racing front.

“We’ll leave Kerry happy now,” said in-form trainer Willie McCreery, following the victory of Fact Or Folklore in the featured Guinness Premier Handicap on day four of the Listowel Festival.

Willie Mullins should deliver, on the double, with Wicklow Brave and Laviniad on tomorrow’s flat card in Listowel.

TV host Graham Norton will return to Irish shores this summer to top the bill at a festival to celebrate literature.

Virtually on the eve of the Cheltenham festival, where he hopes to have about fifteen runners, trainer Gordon Elliott doubled-up with favourites Akorakor and Alberta in Downpatrick yesterday.

Nearly Nama’d is fancied to beat Darwins Fox in the four-runner Le Grande Chase at Navan this afternoon.

The Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham is among a number of options considered for Orgilgo Bay following his front-running demolition job in the Listowel Races Supporters Club Lartigue Hurdle.

Rae’s Creek gets the nap to land a cracking little six-runner Cashen Novice Hurdle at the final stage of the Listowel festival this afternoon.

Noel Meade is set to make plans for the Kerry National nearer to the big Listowel event.

An appeal surrounding the counting of ballots of a local election poll in Co Kerry has been lodged with the Supreme Court — and it is believed to be the first such appeal in the history of the State.

Twelve-year-old schoolgirl Fiona Buckley will be hitting the books as usual next Friday — but on a grander scale. She’ll be reading from her newly-published novel as part of Listowel Writers’ Week.

The Kingdom will formally celebrate St Patrick’s Day from dawn to dusk and then, informally, deep into the late hours with many towns and villages hosting parades and other events to make the occasion.

He may have helped to make certain the Sam Maguire would be under no Kerry Christmas tree this year, but Dublin GAA star Bernard Brogan paved the way for Santa Claus in the great footballing town of Listowel last night by switching on the Christmas lights.

Geoffrey Chaucer provided Aidan O’Brien with his thirteenth victory in the Group 2 Juddmonte Beresford Stakes when getting the better of stable-companion Oklahoma City in yesterday’s feature at the Curragh.

Champagne was flowing and there were pints on the house in a Kerry pub last night to celebrate a stylish off-course victory at Listowel Races.

When it comes to the Irish you simply cannot beat tradition.

The Dermot Weld-trained Voleuse De Coeurs gave Tuam-born apprentice Leigh Roche the biggest win of his career when justifying 6/1 favouritism in the Hacketts Bookmakers Irish Cesarewitch at the Curragh yesterday.

Whether it’s judging Roses, the women’s fashion stakes or the horses, TV presenter DáithíÓ Sé tends to take it all in his stride.

Start Me Up gets the nap to land the Guinness Kerry National for Charlie Swan and Davy Russell at Listowel this afternoon.

Paul Gilligan has another festival date in mind for Wellforth following last week’s Galway success before he can start thinking even bigger.

One of Ireland’s largest maritime festivals kicks off in Cork tonight marking the start of a bumper bank holiday weekend of water and land-based activity.

Champion trainer Willie Mullins, currently in France pursuing potential stars of the future, dominated last night’s action in Punchestown, completing a treble with Raptor, Letherbelucky and Passage Vendome.

NEW PHASE, winner of the contest a year ago, repeated the trick at Cork yesterday when landing the Follow Us On Facebook Hurdle.

HIGH and Mighty, who last season won three All Aged Cups (Listowel, Rathkeale and Ballymena) in his second season, ran away with the Listowel All Age Cup in Rushy Meadows yesterday.

DYNAMIC Approach can lead his rivals a merry dance in the 10 Euros Admission To All Non-Festival Meetings Maiden Hurdle at Punchestown this afternoon, should the meeting survive a precautionary 8am inspection.

ACTION has been demanded over traffic lights and a roundabout leading to a ‘ghost estate’ on the N69 which runs along the Shannon Estuary from Limerick.

DR TOMMY is the hopeful nap choice in the Tayto Maiden Hurdle at Downpatrick this evening, on what is yet another dreadful Irish programme.

He’s never gone for the media circus but Anton O’Toole is as passionate about Dublin football now as he was playing in six consecutive finals in the seventies.

IT is unlikely Ruby Walsh will return in time for the Listowel festival, which begins on Sunday week.

MAYBE, one of the best juveniles seen so far this season, puts her reputation on the line in the Group 3 Silver Flash Stakes at Leopardstown tonight.

ALFA Beat must be strongly fancied to make a successful debut for new handler John ‘Shark’ Hanlon in the three-mile Leo Dolan Memorial Handicap Hurdle at Roscommon tonight.

A CAMPAIGN group has been formed to press Limerick County Council to carry out road works on a blackspot which has claimed five lives in the past three months.

THE locally trained Spill The Beans gets the nap in the www.tramore-racecourse.com Maiden Hurdle at the Waterford track today.

Horse Racing Ireland has confirmed it is investigating the non-payment of winning bets by a bookmaker following the Listowel race meeting.

EVERY strand of Tommy Murphy’s short life was represented at the crash victim’s funeral yesterday in west Limerick.

STEPHEN’S GREEN is the nap choice to land the Printing Works Maiden at Listowel this afternoon.

AMONG those who placed flowers at the scene of the fatal crash in Limerick yesterday were Patrick and Eileen O’Donovan, whose daughter Trish is married to Richard Feury.

NOEL MEADE, languishing in ninth place behind Gordon Elliott in the trainers’ championship, can edge up the list a little with Dilshaan’s Prize in the Rover Maiden Hurdle at Listowel today.

Three close friends killed in a road accident after enjoying the first day at the Listowel racing festival have been named.

Investigations are continuing after three men lost their lives in a two-vehicle crash in Co Limerick last night.

BARRY Geraghty was seen at his strongest when powering Beau Michael to a neck victory over Armaramak in the St James’ Gate Novice Chase at Galway yesterday, writes Pat Keane.

THEY thought she was the bee’s knees, did her parents, and they did their best to make her the cat’s pyjamas, too.

Pat Smullen notched a brace on day six of the Listowel Harvest Festival when guiding Rose Hip (13-2) to victory in the feature Guinness Handicap today.

GALILEO’S CHOICE gets the nap in the Listowel Printing Works Maiden on the sixth day of the Festival this afternoon.