Adam Idah’s brilliant hat-trick in Norwich’s 4-2 win at Preston may have grabbed the majority of the headlines but the Cork native wasn’t the only Irish player to shine in the FA Cup third round.

It’s been said that if your romantic relationship can survive race week in Galway, well, it’s a union worth pursuing, such are the potential pitfalls on the track and in the snugs of those hallowed, cobbled streets.

The beef between the Republic of Ireland and Denmark has, as Ron Burgundy would put it, escalated quickly.

Blackburn Rovers defender Derrick Williams has been ruled out of Monday's European Championship qualifier against Denmark.

Spurs teenager Troy Parrott and Celtic's Lee O'Connor both make the move up from Stephen Kenny's U21 squad

Seamus Coleman will miss out as he serves a two-game suspension but will be invited to join up with the squad in Dublin for the final Euro 2020 qualifier.

Former Aston Villa defender Derrick Williams has come out in support of disgraced youth boss Kevin MacDonald after the veteran coach was sacked by the club in August following an investigation into claims of bullying that stretched back over 25 years.

Blackburn Rovers defenders Darragh Lenihan and Greg Cunningham have been called up for the Republic of Ireland's Euro 2020 qualifiers this month.

Mick McCarthy has named his Ireland squad for the forthcoming European Championship qualifier against Switzerland and the friendly with Bulgaria.

Chris Sutton fully accepts that Paul Pogba hasn’t reproduced his World Cup-winning form at Old Trafford.

A UK promotions company co-owned by former Ireland and Manchester United player Denis Irwin has accumulated profits of almost £600,000 (€670,000) since it was set up in 2014, according to newly filed accounts.

Conor Hourihane’s first taste of competitive English football was a League Two draw between Plymouth Argyle and Shrewsbury Town at the compact New Meadow Stadium just shy of eight years ago.

Manchester United starlet Ben Thornley’s burgeoning career was derailed by a tackle that resulted in the Bury native having knee ligaments looking like a ‘book opened up on its spine’.

Conor Hourihane proved the match-winner as Aston Villa continued their charge towards the Championship play-offs with an eighth successive win on Saturday.

Ireland's Derrick Williams has spoken out about being on the end of online racist abuse from one of his club's own supporters.

Spring is in the air. The cold hand of the previous year’s winter, which resulted in heavy snow and fixture cancellations as late as March was conspicuous by its absence but as April begins no one is taking the warm weather for granted just yet.

Two more days until the dawn of a new era for the Republic of Ireland senior men’s team and, with Mick McCarthy’s hand back on the tiller, there has been an inevitable focus on the contrast between his current rank and file and those under his command when he first roamed international waters with the Boys in Green.

Up to last weekend, Jack Byrne would have been expecting to complete his football duties this week by heading north to Ballybofey to face Finn Harps.

The parallels are striking. For Liechtenstein in Vaduz almost 23 years ago read Gibraltar in the Victoria Stadium on Saturday.

Also included is Aston Villa's Glenn Whelan, who was expected to have played his last game for Ireland after captaining the side in a 36-minute ceremonial cameo against Northern Ireland in November.

Daniel Storey's talking points after the FA Cup weekend

Midfielder Glenn Whelan will lead Ireland out as captain against Northern Ireland for what will be his 85th senior appearance. The Aston Villa man will not be part of the squad for the Denmark game.

Watching some of the scenes from recent GAA matches makes you wonder whether those who take part in such events ever consider that what they are doing is probably criminal in nature and that they might also be found personally liable in compensation to any victim, writes Jack Anderson

Shamrock Rovers will receive a League of Ireland record fee if goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu plays for Manchester City’s first team or the senior international team.

Glenn Whelan will be given the honour of leading Ireland out against Northern Ireland in the friendly at the Aviva in November.

Ireland international Anthony Stokes has joined Iranian side Tractor Sazi.

Alan Judge didn’t think it would take until he was hitting 30 for his big Lansdowne Road moment to arrive but there were spells it looked beyond him.

Celtic 2 Republic of Ireland XI 2: This was always going to be a day when the Brown name dominated Celtic Park yet a midfielder with a similarly sounding surname put his stamp on the occasion too.

Bohemians 1 Bray 0... Dinny Corcoran’s injury-time strike was enough to earn Bohemians their first win of the season as they triumphed 2-1 over bottom side Bray Wanderers at Dalymount Park.

Shane Duffy was named the FAI Senior Player of the Year for 2017 last night but the big Brighton defender was unable to collect his award in person as the weather took its toll on the annual televised ceremony in RTÉ, with the programme having to be shortened from a scheduled running time of 90 minutes to one hour.

In calling up Declan Rice to his squad for this month’s training camp and friendly in Turkey, Martin O’Neill has stressed that the highly-rated young West Ham defender, who is still eligible to play senior football for both Ireland and England, will not come under any pressure to decide his international future.

John Fallon looks back on Irish soccer’s 2017

Shane Duffy puffs out his cheeks and exhales at the thought of clinching World Cup qualification over the next week, fully aware he’ll experience better emotions than Ireland’s last successful tournament tilt.

If Ireland are to extract a buzz from their final two World Cup group games, then they’re going to have to search for it within, not in the fact that Gareth Bale will be absent for Wales.

While Darren Randolph was earning plaudits for his role in helping Middlesbrough keep a clean sheet against Preston – including one fine save to deny ex-Cork City man Sean Maguire – his Ireland understudy Keiren Westwood was having a much less happy time of it in the Championship on Saturday.

A new season and fresh venture looms for Jon Walters but the same desire endures as he contemplates a campaign which could culminate in Russia at the World Cup.

You heard them before you saw them.

New Limerick boss Neil McDonald wants his side to lay down a marker against defending Premier League champions Dundalk at the Markets Field tonight.

Irish international footballer Anthony Stokes has not paid over a €30,000 “practical expression of remorse” to a man he head butted in the VIP lounge of a Dublin nightclub, a court has heard.

Spurs scout and former Cork City player Brian Carey dreams of unearthing the next Jamie Vardy, a player he admired at non-league level for his blistering pace, writes Liam Mackey.

Blackburn have announced they have parted company with manager Owen Coyle by "mutual agreement".

FA Cup fifth round