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A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

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SDonal Lenihan: Italy come to Dublin with a whiff of upset in their nostrils
Anthony Daly
SAnthony Daly: John Kiely’s honesty, Limerick’s response and why banning the handpass won’t fix hurling
Adam English and Darragh Corcoran 8/2/2026
Christy O'Connor: This week Limerick hit their standards and metrics 
It was a solid afternoon’s work for Limerick's system and showed how much they still trust it.

Mon, 09 Feb, 2026

Pep Guardiola file photo
S Colin Sheridan: Guardiola speaking up on Palestine reminded people silence is not neutrality — it is a choice
The criticism of Pep Guardiola expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people is often dressed up as sophistication but the truth is simpler: it's about the grotesque instinct to police compassion.

Mon, 09 Feb, 2026

Tipperary v Cork - Allianz Hurling League Division 1A Final
S Anthony Daly: Tipp won't take a backward step but Cork's intent is greater
For all the talk about Cork’s edge, there will be a sharpness about Tipp too, for more reasons than wanting to prove they’re better than Cork.

Sat, 07 Feb, 2026

France v Ireland - Guinness 6 Nations Rugby Championship
S Donal Lenihan's Paris inquest: A performance from a bygone era as Irish chase skillful French shadows
The skillset, offloading ability and counter-attacking play of every French player was at a different level to Ireland.

Fri, 06 Feb, 2026

France v Ireland - Guinness 6 Nations Rugby Championship
S Ronan O'Gara: Ramos on a different level as the misery rained down on Ireland in Paris
Ireland had a midfield penalty in the second period and Prendergast didn't get the distance his forwards desperately needed to get their teeth into. It could have been 29-21 and now Ireland could test their pulse.

Fri, 06 Feb, 2026

Ireland Rugby Captain's Run
S Donal Lenihan: Kick off approaching -  can injury-hit Ireland survive Paris? 
Ireland face a stern Six Nations opener in Paris Thursday night, with injuries testing scrums, lineouts, and backline resilience against Fabien Galthie's France. Here are the key areas

Thu, 05 Feb, 2026

Waterford v Limerick - Allianz Hurling League Division 1A
S Hurling league observations: Swarm tackles, free-taking woes and the need for reform
Swarm tackling, free-taking struggles and fading one-on-ones fuel debate as early hurling league trends raise uncomfortable questions

Thu, 05 Feb, 2026

Ask ROG! Munster and Ireland legend on his future, the Six Nations and the Irish 10 debate
S Ask ROG! Munster and Ireland legend on his future, the Six Nations and the Irish 10 debate
A fascinating 70-minute insight into an elite sporting mind.

Wed, 04 Feb, 2026

Tipperary v Cork - Allianz Hurling League Division 1A Final
S Kieran Shannon: Many good reasons why Páirc will be standing room only Saturday night
Cork’s hurlers are embracing expectation, turning league ambition into sell-out crowds and reviving the competition’s box-office appeal

Tue, 03 Feb, 2026

Galway v Cork - Allianz Hurling League Division 1A
Cork boss Ben O’Connor: 'They are trying to take the manliness out of the game'
'They don’t want any dust-up, they don’t want any bit of blood split, they don’t want a hurley broke. They want to make it a nice game for my little Johnny at home'

Sun, 01 Feb, 2026

Cork v Galway - Allianz Hurling League Division 1A
S Anthony Daly: Cork preparing for different galaxy as sticky Salthill test awaits
The wind is definitely some form of an equaliser for the Cork-Galway game.

Sat, 31 Jan, 2026

Colm O'Callaghan is challenged by Ciaran Brady 25/1/2026
S Éamonn Fitzmaurice: Football's finest minds are now exploring smart tactical possibilities
A full season of club football in the meantime has given the top minds in intercounty football the time and space they needed to really start thinking about the possibilities

Sat, 31 Jan, 2026

St Flannans College v St Joseph's CBS - Dr Harty Cup Final
Tipperary dominance continues as Doughan leads Nenagh CBS to Harty Cup glory 
Back-to-back final defeats for St Flannan’s. The latest team to endure pain in this age of endlessly emerging Tipp talent.

Sat, 31 Jan, 2026

Leinster Rugby v Stade Rochelais: Heineken Champions Cup Final
S Ronan O'Gara: What happened to Anthony Foley could so easily have happened to Uini Atonio
Standing there, watching this mountain of a man, an indestructible soul, wired up in a hospital bed was something that will live with me. It makes me wonder how well I really processed October 2016 in Paris

Fri, 30 Jan, 2026

Mícheál Bannigan dejected after the match 25/1/2026
S Maurice Brosnan: The problem with close-ups — what GAA fans are no longer seeing on TV
Teams have already stress-tested the angles and found the seams.

Thu, 29 Jan, 2026

SSE Airtricity & League of Ireland 2026 Season Launch Event
Watch: Fiacre Kelleher and Eva Mangan look forward to new season with Cork City
Kelleher and Mangan were speaking to John Fallon at the League of Ireland launch on Wednesday.

Wed, 28 Jan, 2026

Tomás Kennedy celebrates at the final whistle with David Clifford 25/1/2026
S John Fogarty: GAA wasn’t and isn't ready for clock/hooter
The innovation is a deep source of frustration for TV producers.

Tue, 27 Jan, 2026

Olympic silver medallists Paul and Gary O'Donovan return from Rio 2016
S Gary O'Donovan made us laugh with 'pull like a dog'. He ended up being treated like one
Allegations of a toxic high-performance culture and failures of duty of care have put Irish rowing under fresh scrutiny. On Wednesday, representatives from Rowing Ireland and Sport Ireland will appear in front of an Oireachtas committee for sport

Tue, 27 Jan, 2026

Cork v Waterford - Allianz Hurling League Division 1A
S Anthony Daly: What Cork’s dominant win says about Ben O’Connor’s early influence
Cork’s electric league opener thrilled Páirc Uí Chaoimh, but sterner tests will define Ben O’Connor’s early progress

Mon, 26 Jan, 2026

parkrun Ireland and Healthy Ireland Celebrate their ‘Step into Winter’ Campaign at Malahide parkrun
S Colin Sheridan: If you didn't tell Strava, did you even go for a run? 
Strava tells a story. And more importantly, it lets other people watch that story unfold, kilometre by kilometre, in real time or painful replay.

Mon, 26 Jan, 2026

Clare v Dublin - Allianz Hurling League Division 1B
S Christy O'Connor: Eoghan O’Donnell return offsets Dublin’s disappointment 
Of the five Clare players Eoghan O'Donnell directly came up against on Sunday, he only conceded two shots.

Mon, 26 Jan, 2026

Cork v Cavan - Allianz Football League Division 2
Sherlock caps Cork return with two-point winner after late surge
The St Finbarr’s star marked his return to competitive inter-county action with a pair of orange flags off the bench

Sun, 25 Jan, 2026

RUGBYU-EUR-CUP-LA ROCHELLE-HARLEQUINS
S Ronan O'Gara: Punched in the nose, left sitting on our backsides
Champions Cup exits, leadership questions and fine margins leave La Rochelle and Munster facing uncomfortable truths and a long road back

Fri, 23 Jan, 2026

Paul Geaney celebrates 18/1/2026
S Paul Rouse: The building blocks of Dingle's incredible success
The margins between victory and defeat are so fine that logic can easily be scrambled: It may be that not even the people involved in this success can fully understand or fully explain why it has happened

Fri, 23 Jan, 2026

TG4’s Laochra Gael Season 24 Launch
Mother’s tears of pride as Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh honoured for Kerry career
“We saw a bit of the promo there and I looked over at Mom, and she had tears in her eyes,” said Ní Mhuircheartaigh, one of Kerry’s outstanding footballers of the last two decades.

Thu, 22 Jan, 2026

The Irish Examiner Gaelic Football Show prediction contest 2026 
S The Irish Examiner Gaelic Football Show prediction contest 2026 
Can you do better than our experts this year?

Thu, 22 Jan, 2026

Tipperary v Cork - Allianz Hurling League Division 1A Final
S Fogarty Forum: What now for National Leagues after the goldrush of 2025?
It would help if the start of the football and hurling leagues were staggered, as they were previously in 2024.

Tue, 20 Jan, 2026

Dingle v St Brigid's - AIB GAA Football Senior Club Championship Final
S When the aliens come, show them Dingle's epic with St Brigid’s in the All-Ireland club final
From a distance, the outsider might understand the All-Ireland club finals even better than we do; that this is not about sport at all, but about people gathering to remind themselves who they are

Mon, 19 Jan, 2026

Ruby Walsh: Cobden tackles early Jonbon job but can Henderson work his magic?
S Ruby Walsh: Cobden tackles early Jonbon job but can Henderson work his magic?
Form suggests that Clarence House chase is there for Il Etait Temps to lose rather than win, bu the Thistle Ask and Jonbon camps will be looking to spoil his party.

Sat, 17 Jan, 2026

Paul Rouse: From empire to modern Marrakesh, golf's long game in Africa
S Paul Rouse: From empire to modern Marrakesh, golf's long game in Africa
The history of the Royal Club de Marrakech tells the story of golf in Africa and Morocco itself. 

Fri, 16 Jan, 2026

Limerick Sport Huskies players celebrate after the game 3/1/2026
S 'If they can't see, they can't be it' - why Limerick's senior women provide pathway that matters
Huskies operate out of the LETS school, including their national league team for games. Lions then work out of St Clement’s College, which is so accessible most of the players walk or cycle to it. 

Fri, 16 Jan, 2026

RUGBYU-FRA-TOP14-LA ROCHELLE-TOULON
S Ronan O'Gara: Drawing a line after humiliation against Toulouse and preparing for Leinster
We are starting a new, thrilling project with young exciting talent in La Rochelle but it will take some time. Is there the patience to wait? Have we got that time? Have I got that time? 

Fri, 09 Jan, 2026

Paul Rouse: The unique colour and noise of a night at the Africa Cup of Nations
S Paul Rouse: The unique colour and noise of a night at the Africa Cup of Nations
An evening in Marrakech watching Côte d'Ivoire play Burkina Faso in a knockout game offers a unique experience.

Fri, 09 Jan, 2026

Jean-Marc Bosman
S Jack Anderson: Three decades on, profound effects of Bosman still being felt
Thirty years ago, one of the most unlikely upsets in football occurred not on the field of play but in the then European Court of Justice

Fri, 09 Jan, 2026

Conor Geaney and Paul Geaney celebrates at full time 7/12/2025
S Kieran Shannon: The family three — Geaneys don't want annus mirabilis to finish yet 
“The joy and relief after we won the county final was nothing like I’ve experienced in my life.”

Sat, 03 Jan, 2026

Senan Kilbride 30/11/2025
S GAA talking points: Senan Kilbride's remarkable journey gives him chance to join elite crew 
Kilbride is now trying to do something that only Shane Curran has managed, certainly in the last 40 years – win an All-Ireland club medal on the field of play over the age of 40.

Sat, 03 Jan, 2026

John Dowling 6/1/2024
Kieran Shannon: Tralee basketball's growth gospel...according to John
The Warriors are supposed to be in transition after losing a pair of their leading lights. Except no one told head coach John Dowling and his young side

Sat, 03 Jan, 2026

Leinster v Munster - United Rugby Championship
Munster v Leinster at Thomond Park could define the early direction of Clayton McMillan’s reign
Clayton McMillan’s Munster side welcome Leinster to Thomond Park seeking proof they are building something lasting

Sat, 27 Dec, 2025

Clare v Laois - GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Round 2
In memoriam: Remembering some of the greats we lost in 2025
Every year teaches us something about absence. 2025 was such a year, and we remember the greats who are no longer with us

Sat, 27 Dec, 2025

RUGBYU-HKG-ATHLETICS-USA-JOHNSON
S Cathal Dennehy: A bold idea, an unforgiving sport - Grand Slam Track's uphill fight for survival
Its founder, Michael Johnson, said he’s refusing to “give up on the mission of Grand Slam Track and the future we are building together.”

Sat, 20 Dec, 2025

FBL-ENG-PR-ARSENAL-NOTTINGHAM FOREST
S Colin Sheridan: Small wins, big questions - Arsenal's marathon continues
A legend returns, wins immediately, and dares the world to follow her down the mountain. And really, who among us won’t watch?

Mon, 15 Dec, 2025

Kilcoo v Scotstown - AIB Ulster GAA Football Senior Club Championship Final
S Christy O'Connor's talking points: Distance is never an issue when will matches commitment
Kilerrin-Clonberne are a team apart but they have also largely followed the pattern of All-Ireland winners since Ballymacarbry’s dominance - when a dominant team arrives, they hang around.

Mon, 15 Dec, 2025

UFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor
S Paul Rouse: Much has changed in 10 years of this column but sport's importance is a constant
Ten years ago this week the sports editor of the Irish Examiner, Tony Leen, rang me. He said he had a space for a column in the paper.

Fri, 12 Dec, 2025

Grangenovlin v Barcelona - AIB Leinster GAA Football Junior Club Championship Semi-Final
GAA warns of match cancellations as referee shortage and abuse crisis worsens
County boards across Ireland warn that rising abuse and declining referee numbers risk widespread fixture disruption unless clubs urgently step up

Thu, 11 Dec, 2025

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