Thanks to the encouragement of one special teacher, comedian Joanne McNally found her voice during her school years

Ayeisha McFerran has been passed fit to play some part in the women’s EuroHockey Championships which get underway next weekend in Antwerp.

The 126-time international has been part of each major ranking tournament with the Green Army since 2015, culminating in last summer’s World Cup silver medal.

Cork Harlequins, Catholic Institute and Cork C of I all grabbed the results they wanted to make it a perfect weekend for Munster hockey on the national stage.

Goalkeeper Aoife Hyland was in outstanding form as Scoil Chríost Rí claimed their first ever Lidl All-Ireland PPS Senior A title with victory over Loreto Clonmel at John Locke Park in Callan.

Two weeks ago they needed a late point to force a replay, this time around the girls of Loreto Clonmel needed no such dramatics as they turned in a dominant performance to record their second Munster title on the bounce.

Cork won the battle of the Harlequins in the women’s EY Hockey League as Darren Collins’ Farmers Cross outfit beat their Belfast counterparts 3-0 in Deramore Park to give a massive confidence boost to the new-look side.

Megan Frazer has been included in Graham Shaw’s squad of 18 players for next month’s World Cup in London despite concerns over her fitness.

Cork Harlequins found national glory out of reach for the second season running as Loreto’s corner efficiency saw the Dubliners come from behind to land the EY Champions Trophy.

Cork Harlequins’ remote hopes of overhauling UCD in the women’s EY Hockey League were ended in emphatic fashion.

If Loreto College, Cavan can seal a first All-Ireland post primary schools senior Ladies Football title tomorrow against Loreto, Clonmel it will mark an extraordinary turnaround in fortunes.

Boris Johnson has poked fun at the Brexit impasse by asking if an atomic microscope could be used to split the deadlock on future cross-border trade.

Naomi Carroll’s hat-trick saw Cork Harlequins sweep aside Trinity 5-1 in the women’s EY Hockey League, boosting the Farmer’s Cross club into a share of top spot.

Latest: Nicole O’Reilly and Jason Akandu, both 14 years of age, reported missing from their homes in Balbriggan, Co. Dublin have been located safe and well.

A Loreto nun working as a school principal in war-torn South Sudan is to be the recipient of the tenth international humanitarian award in honour of the Killarney priest, Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty.

Crescent College Comprehensive’s defence of the Munster Senior Schoolgirls Cup remains on course after they dispatched Bandon Grammar with a last-minute winner in West Cork on Wednesday.

Cork Harlequins are emerging as the primary challengers to Hermes-Monkstown in the women’s EY Hockey League after notching a third successive win on the road.

The second season of the EY Hockey League gets underway this weekend and 11 Olympians will feature, fresh from their Rio 2016 campaign.

Bandon were again left to wonder what might have been after their hopes of EY Hockey League qualification were scuppered by Instonians.

The double dreams of Loreto College, Kilkenny were dashed by a second half rally from St Brigid’s of Loughrea, who left MacDonagh Park in Nenagh yesterday as the O’Neills All-Ireland post primary senior A camogie champions.

Younger people are more influenced by social media, their parents should be aware.

Banbridge’s reign as Irish Senior Cup holders came to an abrupt end while there were also big successes for non-EY Hockey League sides on a turbulent cup weekend.

While Ireland’s men are still riding high on the back of Olympic qualification, the same can’t be said of South Africa.

Ireland’s senior women have moved into their final phase of preparation for their Olympic qualification campaign after selecting their squad for next month’s World League 2 yesterday.

UCC captain Fionn O’Leary hopes his side can be the ultimate spoilers as they make their Irish Hockey League debut at Instonians tomorrow.

Ireland coach Craig Fulton will be taking on some familiar faces this afternoon as his men’s senior team play South Africa on day one of the London Cup.

Peter Caruth proved his worth to Monkstown as his goals fired them to another Irish Hockey League success at Havelock Park yesterday.

Bandon and Cork Church of Ireland brought Munster’s national cup final representation to four with stunning Irish Hockey Trophy semi-final wins on Saturday.

Saturday will likely be remembered as the day Munster’s hopes of producing an Irish Hockey League finalist died, with all four teams suffering defeat.

Cork Harlequins hope Rachael Kohler and Karen Bateman can continue to defy Father Time as they face a make-or-break Irish Hockey League clash with Ards at Farmer’s Cross tomorrow (1.30pm).

Irish senior women’s coach Darren Smith says he is willing to support high performance hockey in Munster — but that the drive must come from within the province.

Julia O’Halloran made the crucial Irish Hockey League final intervention for Railway Union for the second year running as they saw off Loreto on sudden death penalties on a topsy-turvy finals day at Grange Road.

Despite Pembroke and YMCA’s best efforts, Cookstown and Lisnagarvey scraped through to the semi-finals of the Irish Hockey League despite losing 3-2 respectively on Saturday in the last round of group matches.

Saturday is ‘moving day’ for the Masters at Augusta but this was ‘moving weekend’ in the Irish Hockey League with several sides making big statements of intent.

The Irish Hockey League breaks more new ground this weekend as each side will play back-to-back fixtures for the first time.

Most of the €96m in State funding given to 56 private schools in 2011-12 was spent on teacher salaries, writes political correspondent Mary Regan

Treble-winners Cork Harlequins and Dungarvan were the big winners at this year’s Munster Hockey Awards, held at Garryduff on Friday night.

Munster may not have had a team at the business end of the Irish Hockey League but some of the province’s exiles made key contributions to a dramatic finals weekend at Comber Road in Lisburn.

Three Rock Rovers came to Cork with six Irish Hockey League debutants, a clutch of teenagers and little in the way of form — but still left Garryduff with a 2-0 victory that all but ends Church of Ireland’s qualification hopes.

OPPORTUNITY knocks for two of UCD’s leading lights as Ireland senior women’s coach Gene Muller has opted to shake things up for his side’s trip to Argentina next month.

AS Munster’s sole side with a win in this season’s Irish Hockey League, Ger O’Carroll’s Catholic Institute will be looking to progress their play-off claims tomorrow against winless Old Alex.