Cork C of I and Harlequins start the long road in pursuit of a place for Munster at the top table of the national league stage with their maiden games in EY Hockey League Division 2 tomorrow.

Ireland will take a fully fit squad to Japan for the World Cup.

Munster out-half Joey Carbery is part of the 40-man squad flying to Portugal today for an eight-day warm-weather training camp.

Joe Schmidt has made seven changes to the Ireland team to face France in Sunday's Six Nations clash.

Cronin has been dropped from the 37-man squad just a week after his first Six Nations start in 68 international appearances.

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.

All-Ireland senior champions Charly Shanks (Armagh) and Catriona Casey (Cork) collected the respective Player of the Year awards at the GAA Handball All-Stars in Croke Park.

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.

After a successful week of inter-club All Ireland golf for the men at Carton House the action heads north this week to Malone GC for the 2017 AIG Ladies Cups and Shields National Finals.

The kids of Coláiste Lurgan are getting their own reality TV show and we will definitely be tuning in.

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

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.

Ireland’s men made a huge statement as they began their Olympic qualification campaign with an 8-0 rout of Chile at the World League 2 in San Diego.

Hockey: Three Rock Rovers are the first side to book their place in the men’s Irish Hockey League semis after a Jonny Bruton-inspired win at Lisnagarvey. 

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

While there was disappointment for East Cork in the Private Home Care Ladies Inter-Club Championships at Monkstown yesterday when they lost in the finals of the Minor and Intermediate Cups, there was glory for Killarney in the Senior Foursomes and for Wicklow and Edenmore, the clubs who put paid to East Cork’s hopes of a famous treble, in the other two finals decided on another day at the superbly presented Co Cork course.

Monkstown Golf Club will be a hive of activity this week as it plays host to the national finals of the Private Home Care inter-club women’s championships from tomorrowthrough to Saturday.

Coláiste Lurgan are back with an 'as Gaeilge' version of the hit pop song. And it's stunning.

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.

The kids at Galway's Coláiste Lurgan covering 'Wake Me Up' - in Irish.

Or, faigh do cheann timpeall seo!

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.

Cork Church of Ireland will be all out to prove to Irish coach Andrew Meredith their players deserve a better crack at international recognition as they take on YMCA in a vital Irish Hockey League clash at Serpentine Avenue tomorrow.

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

Cork Church of Ireland showed they could be a dark horse for this year’s Irish Hockey League by routing Glenanne 4-1 at Garryduff on Saturday.

Catholic Institute ensured automatic Irish Hockey League qualification for the 2013/14 season as they resisted a strong UCC challenge to win 3-1 at the Mardyke on Saturday.

Great Taste 2012 Award Winners

There is something very magical about the Derby double. On Saturday night at Shelbourne Park the 81st Irish Derby final will be run and in that time only one greyhound has managed to win it more than once.

St Brigid’s became the fifth Dublin team in a row to win the Féile Peil Division 1 final after a comprehensive 1-6 to 0-0 victory over Portlaoise in O’Moore Park yesterday.

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

They didn’t make the Irish Hockey League semi-finals, but Catholic Institute took plenty of personal satisfaction in a 3-2 defeat of UCD which also ruined the students’ title hopes at Rosbrien on Saturday.

MELVIN BEAMISH’S quick hands earned Bandon a famous 3-2 Irish Junior Cup victory over Cork Harlequins on Saturday.

CORK Church of Ireland will look to a clutch of youngsters to help in their bid to reclaim the men’s Irish Junior Cup when they welcome Mossley to Garryduff tomorrow (2pm).

THEY may have restored some Munster pride on the national stage, but Cork Church of Ireland and Cork Harlequins will nonetheless be wondering how they left two-goal leads slip in their 2-2 Irish Hockey League draws with Pembroke Wanderers and Glenanne respectively.

IT was a profitable trip south for UCD on Saturday, as their men and women came away with big wins from Bandon and Cork Harlequins respectively to advance in the Irish Senior Cup.

WHEREAS Tramore have captured the Barton Shield on three occasions, Mitchelstown were contesting the national finals of any competition when they took on Ballina in the semi-final of the Irish Junior Cup at Castlerock, Co Derry, yesterday.

THE tail-end of Hurricane Katia has made the practice rounds for the Chartis Irish Cups and Shields finals at Castlerock, Co Derry over the past few days more a test of stamina than skill, although it is confidently expected calm will have been restored when the festival gets under way today with the semi-finals of both the Barton Shield and Irish Junior Cup.

FÉILE 2011 began with a bang yesterday as young footballers from around the country strutted their stuff at a host of venues in county Cork.

The Cavan and Dublin footballers, along with Clare hurlers, claimed victories in what was a depleted GAA programme of fixtures today.

JOHN JERMYN has returned to the international fold ahead of Ireland’s series of friendlies against the Netherlands in Seville, but there is still no sign of his Cork C of I club-mate David Hobbs in the squad.

AN overnight text from his brother, Freddie, coach to the Munster Branch, proved invaluable as Dwayne Twomey fashioned an unlikely win for Bandon over Co Sligo in yesterday’s semi-final of the Bulmers Irish Senior Cup at Castlebar.

PAT QUINLAN has suffered many disappointments in his 14 years representing Portumna in various inter-club competitions, so it was all the sweeter for the man from Ballinderry in North Tipperary that he should clinch their first Bulmers Irish Junior Cup triumph at Castlebar yesterday.