Today’s Racing

The U20 All-Ireland Football Championship is expected to revert to a summer start in 2021, GAA president John Horan has admitted.

The youngest in a family must expect ghosts, writes PM O'Sullivan. Moling Morrissey sits looking at a photograph of six brothers, lined up and arrayed in hurling jerseys. Pat… John… Eddie… Mick… Himself… Luke… Himself… The only one left.

Tom Ahern is making the leaps and bounds you might expect from a long-striding 6ft 9ins lock but the Munster second row’s progress through Ireland’s age-grade ranks is just as impressive as his performance levels.

That this is a big league season for the hurlers and footballers of Cork is stating the obvious.

An hour after the game, and anybody from Ulster who has a passion for hurling is still swamping Ballyhale Shamrocks manager Henry Shefflin, queuing for selfies, presenting hurls and jerseys for his signature.

To mark the anniversary of its founding, St Aloysius School in Cork City is preparing to open its doors on Saturday, November 16, to welcome back past-students and staff members who may want to take a stroll down memory lane.

Ireland will have to wait another four years for a crack at a first World Cup semi-final appearance after Joe Schmidt’s tenure as head coach came to an end with a comprehensive defeat to the world champions on Saturday.

Former Louth manager Eamonn McEneaney has called on counties to add “realism” to the All-Ireland SFC and back the Tier 2 proposal.

All-Ireland minor winning manager Bobbie O’Dwyer had laid much of the credit for the turnaround in Cork’s football fortunes at the doorstep of Conor Counihan.

It’s amazing the difference a win makes to your week, starting with the long drive home. You can’t wait for The Marty Squad, The Sunday Game, the next day’s papers, the next week’s podcasts.

Defender Murphy described Gough as an “excellent referee”.

One evening a few weeks back, Jackie Tyrrell and I were talking about the Dr Harty Cup when I mentioned to Jackie that my Harty medal from 1987 meant far more to me than the Croke Cup (All-Ireland) I won with St Flannan’s against St Kieran’s six weeks later.

Shane Lowry may have been at the centre of a whirlwind of celebrations and media attention since his Open Championship victory at Royal Portrush on Sunday but he is hoping his hard-earned status as Ireland’s newest major champion will not change him.

Some years some titles should be valued that bit more than usual, having been that bit harder earned.

Farmers like the McCalls can play a leading role in the battle for Ireland’s threatened bees, writes Ellie O’Byrne.

Nine months on and the thrill of the win has yet to wear off.

Post-election legal action, drinking with Nigel Farage, a brother involved in anti-Government protests, EU broadband funding demands — oh, and the little matter of the Ireland South MEP race. Fiachra Ó Cionnaith meets Fine Gael’s Sean Kelly.

The Munster Council are confident the 30,000-barrier will be broken for the second week running as a crowd of up to 35,000 is forecast for the Munster SHC meeting of Limerick and Cork.

Former Dublin forward Charlie Redmond has claimed Jim Gavin might only field his strongest team twice this year, and not until the five-in-a-row is within touching distance.

The inter-county training ban is under question as six of next year’s 10 Liam MacCarthy Cup teams will be permitted to return to collective training before their official start dates.

Dublin won back-to-back All-Irelands by finally wrestling the Cork monkey off their back and the other big talking point in Croke Park yesterday was the massive attendance.

Michael Moynihan has a few things to say...

At the end of the match yesterday, I shook hands with Dave Punch, the former Limerick hurler, who works for RTÉ. He asked me if I saw the attendance. I did, I said — 71,000. Dave corrected me. ‘No, Dalo, 71,073.’

John Meyler spoke with Eoghan Cormican ahead of the All-Ireland semi-final clash with Limerick.

The Waterford County Board have released a statement to refute claims made by former Sports Minister Martin Cullen that he could have delivered a new stadium for them a decade ago had they been willing to leave Walsh Park.

Only someone living in a cave, and maybe the odd cave man, could deny that there has been a long overdue change in perceptions when it comes to women in sport.

Paddy McBrearty couldn’t wait to get close enough to scream into Eoghan ‘Bán’ Gallagher’s ear after Sunday’s Ulster final defeat of Fermanagh in Clones.

He played in three All-Ireland final wins for Kilkenny, and won four medals in total, but the conversation that ended Kieran Joyce’s county career last October was a short one.

That finally brought an end to the gripping match five minutes short of three hours – one which is being labelled the longest inter-county hurling game of all time.

The Ardmore brothers don't like the Déise approach under Derek McGrath.

Mayo may not have beaten Dublin in a competitive fixture for almost six years, but Stephen Rochford says that his team ‘certainly don’t fear’ the three-in-a-row All-Ireland champions.

It was the Tuesday evening after Galway’s All-Ireland final win that the magnitude of their achievement finally registered with Conor Cooney.

Putting an end to the yawning 29-year wait for an All-Ireland title has lifted a weight of anxiety off Galway, believes All-Star centre-back Gearóid McInerney, who hopes the county will now hurl with greater freedom and confidence.

Given the wealth of underage successes the club has enjoyed in recent years, the turnover in the Na Piarsaigh team shouldn’t come as a surprise.

In considering these men, it is impossible to ignore the political climate of 1917, writes Paul Rouse.

GAA fans can start planning their summer this evening.