So many rudderless English chariots have drifted away on the Liffey over the years they must now pose a danger to shipping in the Irish Sea.

Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg both shrugged off health issues on a Formula One testing day when Red Bull finally showed some speed. 

A new poll shows that almost 80% of Irish people believe the Government should not support military intervention in Syria without a UN mandate.

Taylor Swift performed a duet with Cher Lloyd during her concert at the Los Angeles Staples Centre on Monday night.

Mark Webber is to quit Formula One at the end of the season to race sports cars for German manufacturer Porsche.

Work goes feverishly forward as the final touches are being put to the first phase of Youghal Greyhound Track’s refurbishment in time for tomorrow’s Annual Sponsors’ Night.

Sebastian Vettel doubled up in practice to post the fastest times in both of today’s sessions for the Singapore Grand Prix.

Sebastian Vettel superbly grabbed the 32nd pole position of his Formula One career and second in succession ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix.

Reigning champion Sebastian Vettel was fastest in qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix in his Red Bull by just six thousandths of a second today from Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, the current championship leader.

Forwards coach Graham Rowntree is determined to make life even tougher for England’s new Rugby Football Union chief executive Ian Ritchie as he prepares the Red Rose to face Ireland at Twickenham.

Sergio Perez was fortunate to escape with just concussion and a sprained thigh following a sickening accident in qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix.

THE rapidly-improving Boynagh Joy proved a shock 12/1 winner of the listed Cooley Fillies Stakes at Dundalk last night.

Swashbuckling captain Joe Van Niekerk tells Ian Moriarty that the French side are determined to put their best foot forward for the Heineken Cup.

Nico Rosberg and Mercedes will hope to have taken a step in the right direction following first practice ahead of Sunday’s European Grand Prix.

It was a case of as you were at the start of the Spanish Grand Prix as the top six on the grid retained their positions at the end of the opening lap of 66 at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya.

THE Aintree Grand National reminds me of JFK or Elvis. People remember where they were when they heard that the American president had been shot dead in Dallas in 1963. It’s the same with the news that The King had passed away 14 years later.

IT’S been a spectacular week on the field for Wayne Rooney, inset, and Man Utd, but perhaps the most important development was not Rooney’s devastating breakaway goal at the Emirates yesterday, but rather his pledge to remain a Red for the remainder of his career.

Fine Gael has managed to retain a 10-point lead over Fianna Fáil in the latest opinion poll.

Jenson Button continued his domination of the current Formula One season with his sixth victory in seven races to move a step closer to clinching his maiden world championship.

AS Torres’ second went in, to give the jammy Scousers their laboured win against a Chelsea side unfairly reduced to ten men, few could resist the temptation to declare this the week that the title race finally became a proper Red v Red death-match for the first time in almost 30 years. If Rafa can avoid reproducing his Keegan impression, that is.

A furious David Coulthard has accused Nick Heidfeld of “unsportsmanlike behaviour” after seeing his Chinese Grand Prix qualifying hopes wrecked.

IT’S refreshing to see Fine Gael’s Lucinda Creighton admit that the Lisbon Treaty was lost in part because voters had concerns about moral and social issues.

Felipe Massa will start from pole position around the new Valencia Street Circuit for Sunday's European Grand Prix.

Felipe Massa won his third race of the season, and with it took over the lead of the Formula One world championship for the first time in his six-season career.

Hungerford trainer Clive Cox has a pleasant dilemma to deal with through Miracle Seeker, the 10-1 winner of the totesport 0800 221 221 Oaks Trial at Lingfield.

Missiles, tanks and other heavy weaponry rolled through Moscow's Red Square in the annual Victory Day parade today, reviving a tradition of the Soviet era and demonstrating Russia's growing military confidence.

Kimi Raikkonen banished the memory of last Sunday’s disastrous start to the season by claiming a comfortable victory at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Ruby Walsh will ride De Valira in Tuesday’s Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle.

LEWIS HAMILTON edged out Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher on the opening day of the final pre-season Formula One test in Barcelona.

Tom Taaffe still hopes to run Kicking King in the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup despite a disappointing performance at Gowran Park.

De Valira is to be given an opportunity to book his ticket for Cheltenham in the Red Mills Trial Hurdle at Gowran Park on February 16.

LEWIS HAMILTON posted the fastest time of the day in practice for tomorrow’s Brazilian Grand Prix – but now faces another meeting with the stewards.

Ferrari’s Felipe Massa claimed pole position for tomorrow’s Malaysian Grand Prix after coming out on top in a thrilling three-way shootout in Sepang.

NOEL MEADE is “pretty certain” the Ballymore Properties Novices’ Hurdle will be Aran Concerto’s target at next month’s Cheltenham Festival.

Ferdy Murphy hopes Leading Man can continue his progress in the staying ranks with victory in Saturday’s Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock.

Peeress is set to face eight rivals as she bids for back-to-back victories in the Kingdom of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday.

David Coulthard has urged patience as he bids to extend his Formula One career with RedBull.

World champion Sebastien Loeb was left cursing a 10-second penalty which allowed Marcus Gronholm to take a slender lead into the second day of the Swedish Rally.

New world champion Fernando Alonso shocked McLaren by snatching pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai today.

Kimi Raikkonen signalled his intent to keep the world championship fight alive by setting the fastest time when practice began for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.

IT is the calm before the storm in Ireland this weekend with small fields at Leopardstown tonight and a programme which has little or nothing to recommend it at Wexford tomorrow.

McLaren chief Ron Dennis has his sights set on victory at Silverstone after a penalty denied Kimi Raikkonen in the French Grand Prix.

Fernando Alonso scored a dominant home victory for Renault in the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours today to tighten his grip on the world championship.