With the much anticipated New Zealand test looming large in the background, the opening international of the November Guinness Series always had a bit of a matinee feel to it, the prelude to the main event.

It is 100 days until the World Amateur Team Championships, which tee off at Carton House on August 29. 

Connacht centre Bundee Aki welcomed his return to provincial rugby as he seeks to ground himself after Grand Slam glory with Ireland.

Behind every team there’s another team.

Ireland will move above England to second in the latest World Rugby rankings issued today, adding fuel to Saturday’s trip to Twickenham with Joe Schmidt warning his Grand Slam-chasing side to expect an almighty backlash from Eddie Jones’s wounded animals.

Simon Lewis looks at what Ireland boss Joe Schmidt will be looking to gain from three games in November

Lee Valley will be hoping to put another dent in Mountbellew’s AIG Ladies Cups and Shields dream when they take on the Galway minnows in the Minor Cup final at Malone today.

Limerick Golf Club face Galway in today’s AIG Senior Cup final aiming to bridge the 15-year gap to their last victory in Irish club golf’s blue riband competition.

A pre-finals pep talk from All-Ireland hurling hero Joe Canning has helped Galway Golf Club return to today’s AIG Barton Shield decider at Carton House, where they will bid to avenge last year’s defeat to Warrenpoint.

Gary O’Flaherty is hoping to crown a successful individual season by helping Cork Golf Club to an All-Ireland title.

An amateur antiques dealer has been jailed after he was caught with 57 stolen antique books, including an extremely rare King James Bible.

Rachel was obsessed with horses from an early age.

Before paying rent and interest costs, profits at the four-star hotel resort Carton House climbed 68% to €1.55m in 2014.

Ronan O’Gara explains that Patrick ’Rala’ O’Reilly has been his precious friend and confidante over the past 21 years and he will be a huge loss for the Irish rugby internationals

There will be a new name on the cup at the Radisson-sponsored West of Ireland Golf Championship in Rosses Point this year.

Strength in numbers appears a policy paying dividend for a growing alliance of golf clubs, resorts and hotels in Ireland’s east and south-east, whose unified cause is attracting increasing numbers of British golfers to their part of the world.

Shane Lowry has given himself eight events up to the first week of June to secure full PGA Tour playing rights. 

THERE’S a brilliant scene in Woody Allen’s 1980 movie Stardust Memories where he is sitting in a stationary train carriage, his companions doleful — harried refugees straight out of a Diane Arbus photoshoot.

While tournament leader Ian Poulter appropriately fed the ducks a turkey roll, Ireland’s Shane Lowry feasted on an eagle and four birdies on a storm-interrupted second round of the Turkish Airlines Open.

East Cork’s Water Rock Golf Course has long flown in the face of accepted golfing industry wisdom.

Muskerry Golf Club have the chance to bury their demons of three years ago when their quartet bids for an All-Ireland title in the AIG Barton Shield at Carton House today.

You would imagine Paul McGinley has plenty on his mind right now, with the Ryder Cup just days away.

Weekend wins for Rosslare in Irish Senior Cup Leinster section and Warrenpoint in the Barton Shield in Ulster have confirmed the field for the national finals of the AIG Cups and Shields at Carton House, Kildare next month.

The Fota Island Resort has revealed its new owners, the Kang family, have invested €500,000 in bringing the Irish Open golf tournament to Cork — and Julie Kang has been one of the driving forces behind the event.

Pretax losses at the four-star hotel resort that hosted last year’s Irish Open narrowed by 11% to €1.83m in 2012.

Spanish Point gave Munster golf another reason to cheer at the AIG All-Ireland Cups & Shields National finals when they lifted the Pierce Purcell Shield at Royal Tara Golf Club.

Cork Golf Club’s dreams of an AIG All-Ireland Cups & Shields National Finals double may have been dashed already this week but the team is being backed to bounce back in today’s Senior Cup semi-finals.

“I’d love to be back here. I think it would be a great tournament on the O’Meara.

The question to Conor Mallaghan, owner/director of Carton House was simple and straightforward.

Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell have confirmed they will both compete in the Irish Open, completing Ireland’s line-up of Major champions at Carton House from June 27-30.

THE Aviva Stadium is the focal point of Ireland’s RBS 6 Nations campaign as they host both England and France, in Dublin 4, over the next few weeks, but Carton House, 30 kilometres west of Lansdowne Road, is the players’ home for the championship.

It appears that ‘Smoked Salmon Socialism’ sums up the Labour Party’s attitude to our present economic difficulties.

IT WAS the moment the Coalition finally delivered transformative change — but Leo Varadkar sarcastically singing The Red Flag while Labour lorded it in a luxury hotel favoured by the super rich may not exactly have been the sort of change people voted for.

Whatever about the long-awaited return to Royal Portrush for the 2012 Irish Open, Carton House director of golf Francis Howley is already gearing up for the 2013 tournament.

The Ladbrokes Irish Grand National is one of the most precious jewels in Ireland’s racing crown, and it was Lion Na Bearnai who came up trumps, returning at odds of 33/1, with the crowds happy to cheer him into the winners’ enclosure with his popular local trainer Tom Gibney.

MAURICE O’Meara grew up in Malahide, a mile and a half from the gates of Portmarnock Golf Club.

GAA President Christy Cooney has guaranteed Dublin a stand alone All-Ireland football quarter-final fixture next weekend.

REAL Madrid’s star turn was one of a 60-strong squad who last night descended on Carton House in an onslaught of foreigners not seen on the shores of the Rye since the days of the Norman invasion.

Cristiano Ronaldo touched down in Dublin tonight with his Real Madrid team-mates for a nine day training camp.

Tommy Barker visits a 200-year-old estate with teenage attitude.