A BRIEF chat I once had with a civil servant sticks in my mind. On noting my occupation, she paused in her task and reminisced about how much she had enjoyed playing the recorder in a school band. Amid the tedium of form filling, I was struck by her expression of genuine pleasure at the memory of musical activity with classmates after a gap of decades.

HE didn’t mean for it to be a big bold statement, rather it was something he just said in passing as much as a matter of fact.

DUBLIN’S Peter Kelly will be avoiding the newspapers and sports bulletins between now and Sunday’s All-Ireland SHC quarter-final against Limerick.

Conal Keaney has quit the Dublin senior hurling squad and has opted to declare exclusively for Paul Caffery's Footballers instead.

Dublin hurling has been dealt a bloody nose with the news three top players have quit the county panel ahead of their clash with Kilkenny.

THE field of dreams, that’s Croke Park, to Dublin senior hurling captain Kevin Flynn.

Dublin hurling boss Humphrey Kelleher is remaining positive about the future despite the loss of Shane Ryan to the county football team.

Nicky Kehoe has been released as selector as the Dublin hurling team following a bizarre numbers mix-up.