Christmas came early to customers of Ulster Bank in the West — thanks to an ATM glitch.

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.

Ballybunion ended a 34-year national title drought yesterday when its all-teenage team lifted the Junior Cup on day two of the AIG All-Ireland Cups & Shields National Finals at Royal Tara Golf Club.

Paul McGinley continues to make it clear that he will be his own man when attempting to mastermind Europe’s Ryder Cup defence at Gleneagles next year.

Stuart Grehan and Pat Murray are amongst the big names competing in the South of Ireland, which begins in Lahinch this morning.

Cillian O’Connor admits he is unlikely to be fit for Mayo’s third tilt at a Connacht title when they face London in Castlebar in the July 21 final.

Mayo manager James Horan will have been encouraged to hear that county captain Andy Moran took another big step on his road to recovery last Saturday evening.

Mayo manager James Horan has been dealt a hammer blow after two-time Young Footballer of the Year Cillian O’Connor dislocated his shoulder in club championship action on Saturday night.

Defending champions Ballintubber got the defence of their Mayo SFC title off to the perfect start with a comfortable victory over Breaffy in Clogher yesterday.

Gardaí have arrested a number of people in Cork and Mayo following a violent bank holiday weekend which saw two men stabbed in unrelated incidents in Cork and a man shot dead in Mayo.

Stephen Healy (Claremorris) will represent the home province on the final day of the Radisson Blu-sponsored West of Ireland Amateur Open Championship at Rosses Point today after a clear-cut 4 and 3 triumph over Nicholas Grant (Knock) in their quarter-final yesterday.

THE FIVE major titles at stake were evenly distributed around the country when the Chartis Irish Cups and Shields festival came to a conclusion at Castlerock, Derry, on Saturday.

WHILE Mayo manager James Horan spent yesterday sweating over the fitness of his players, the Mayo club championship threw up a couple of big surprises.

NA PIARSAIGH, Claremorris and Ballymun Kickhams are thefront-runners in Group A of Division 1 after the opening games of Féile na nÓg in Mallow yesterday.

MARC SHEEHAN hits you with a blizzard of statistics. There’ll be 4,200 children in action in Cork over the next three days in the 2011 instalment of Féile na nÓg, lining out for 181 teams and going into action in 40 venues.

TOURNAMENT specialists Royal Portrush and Douglas are hopeful of regaining national eminence when the closing stages of the Irish Ladies Senior Cup are played at Cork Golf Club, Little Island, over the next two days.

KEEPING Rathmore golfers out of the news these days is far from being an easy task.

THE outrageously talented 13-year-old Maguire twins from Ballyconnell in Cavan have been named in a Great Britain & Ireland preliminary squad for the 2009 Vagliano Trophy match against the Continent of Europe in Germany next July.

Darren Sutherland and Darren O'Neill will meet in a repeat of last January's Irish senior middleweight final tonight after Sutherland advanced from last night's semi final box-off at the National Stadium in Dublin.

Child star Lisa Maguire has blasted her way into the semi-finals of

Child star Lisa Maguire has blasted her way into the semi-finals of the Lancôme Irish Ladies’ Close Championship at Lahinch today.

Leading qualifier Tara Delaney cruised into the last 16 of the Lancôme Irish Ladies Close Championship with a 3 and 1 win over Charlotte Crowe at Lahinch today.

Carlow’s Tara Delaney sets out to capture an unprecedented third consecutive title at the Irish Open Strokeplay Championship in Rosses Point this weekend.

Competition in the AA Insurance Ladies Championship is set to intensify as the Western District approaches the final stages with County Sligo hoping to sweep the board, playing in an impressive five out of six competitions.

GAA club glory will be at stake from tee to green once again at this weekend's FBD All Ireland Golf Challenge, proudly supported by the Irish Examiner.

The West Waterford Junior Boys Foursome team created history at Dungarvan last Tuesday by bringing the first All-Ireland team title to the club.

A POWERFUL Clandeboye quartet boasting a combined handicap total of plus seven strode to an impressive victory in the Bulmers Barton Shield at Galway Golf Club yesterday.

MICK MORRIS and Billy Rice once played unavailingly in an Irish Senior Cup final for Limerick Golf Club against Shandon Park.

The quarter-finals have taken place in the Barton Shield qualifiers.