Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment Denis Naughten has today welcomed the decision to allow a power station in the midlands continue operating until 2030.

The gloves are off in the supermarket planning wars involving the UK’s Tesco and German discounter Lidl.

The fight itself certainly didn’t set the world on fire, but Muhammad Ali’s bout in Croke Park in 1972 was a sideshow for many who were simply in awe at having the man himself on their doorstep.

Waterford IT and Dundalk IT (DKIT) will contest this afternoon’s Trench Cup decider after both teams enjoyed extremely comfortable semi-final wins.

Ambitious Offaly football boss Pat Flanagan has tipped his team to seriously challenge Dublin in the coming years if they get their best players on the field.

All-Ireland club hurling champions Ballyhale have been beaten in the Kilkenny SHC semi-final, 2-15 to 2-13 by O’Loughlin Gaels.

Cork City will face Limerick in the Munster Senior Cup semi-final after putting six past Munster Senior League Division Two outfit Cobh Wanderers in Cobh on Saturday. 

It was a special day for a special little boy yesterday as supermarket chain Tesco created 104 new jobs by opening its latest Irish store.

Rhode 0-13 Edenderry 1-7

Kildare could be about to lose another senior footballer to the AFL, with reports in Australia suggesting that Seán Hurley is expected to join Fremantle in October.

Former Dublin senior footballer Jack Sheedy was this evening appointed as the manager of the Longford senior and under-21 football teams.

In the past week where teen suicides and youth mental health entered the public sphere again, the use of language by religious and ordinary citizens surrounding any type of death is baffling me.

Emmet McDonnell has been given the green light for a second season as Offaly senior football manager.

Former Offaly great Ciarán McManus played a leading role in Tubber’s victory over Ferbane in the crucial final round robin stage of the county senior football championship last night.

There are six candidates in the running to manage the Westmeath senior footballers next season, including incumbent boss Pat Flanagan, former Wexford manager Jason Ryan and ex-Mayo supremo John Maughan.

Shane Dooley showed just why Emmet McDonnell was quick to call him into the county football squad with a stellar performance for Tullamore in the Offaly SFC last night, helping his club to a 0-16 to 1-7 victory over Walsh Island.

Tyrone 1-27 Offaly 0-8

Kildare 0-19 Offaly 1-12

A number of young players will make the step up to Senior Championship football when Kildare and Offaly meet in this evening's opening Leinster SFC quarter-final at Croke Park (throw-in 5pm).

Bryan Sheehan, Anthony Maher and Aidan O’Mahony make their first starts of the year for Kerry in tomorrow’s McGrath Cup semi-final against Limerick at Fitzgerald Stadium.

Reigning kingpins Edenderry crashed out of the Offaly senior football championship on Saturday at O’Connor Park, Tullamore as Ross Brady’s brilliant 55th minute goal helped Clara secure a semi-final victory.

Two brilliant Dean Cummins first half goals helped Offaly senior football kingpins Edenderry to a 2-16 to 1-12 quarter-final victory over Erin Rovers at O’Connor Park, Tullamore on Saturday.

Amid reports that Fianna Fáil leader, Micheál Martin, was consulting with former party ministers and TDs on the future of the party, it should be pointed out to him that they are most certainly not the future.

Rhode confirmed their status as favourites to win the Offaly SFC crown when they put in by far the most impressive performance of the round, beating Tubber 2-16 to 0-10 at the weekend.

Don’t vote No for the sake of it.

St Mary’s claimed their first Hogan Cup success with a stunning performance at Croke Park on Saturday.

“Knives are carried too easily; they are nearly like a fashion accessory,” warned a councillor in Dundalk town after three people were hospitalised with stab wounds.

Three goals from Cian McMonagle fired St Mary’s Edenderry to victory over holders Dundalk Colleges in this Leinster Colleges SAFC semi-final at Navan’s Pairc Tailteann.

A 32-year-old solicitor and football mentor who punched a teenage player in the face in an unprovoked assault has been given a three-month suspended jail sentence.

THE south Kerry coroner, Terence Casey, recently said that more stringent drink-driving laws were leading to more suicides among older males (News, Jan 6).

IN Ireland, the word depression signals alarm bells in people’s minds; they label depressed people as mad, or in some way weak.

ATHY may be young, but they certainly know how to play.

ATHY were nowhere near their best but they still had too much firepower for an Edenderry team that showed plenty of grit but not enough attacking intent.

Tomorrow

TODAY

KERRY hurling boss John Meyler is being strongly tipped to take over Waterford.

GARDAÍ have launched an investigation into an alleged assault during an Offaly GAA game on Saturday night.

KEVIN KEHOE boarded the Good Counsel team bus yesterday afternoon in Athy in a celebratory mood. He had just overseen the New Ross school’s collection of the Leinster Colleges JAFC title courtesy of a 2-19 to 1-7 win over Marist College (Athlone).

ON last weekend’s Saturday Night Show, a man appeared who had lived on the streets for a number of years.

FORESTRY farmers have received approval for 1,500 hectares of new forestry planting for the current autumn planting season.

LAST year’s Common Agricultural Policy payments were sweet for the EU’s big sugar companies.

GAA President Christy Cooney yesterday unveiled the Club Wall at Croke Park which carries the crests of GAA clubs both at home and abroad, and revealed that he is heartened by the progress on improving lines of communication with grassroots clubs over the past year.