As they disembarked the team bus at the Shelbourne Hotel on their return to Dublin last Sunday, the heroes of Ireland’s Six Nations success were manhandled into the waiting embrace of Minister for Sport, Shane Ross.

A former Irish captain, who demanded high standards and wasn’t content for things to be run in a haphazard fashion — Roy Keane wasn’t the only panellist to fit this description at the Bord Gáis Energy ‘Winning in Business’ forum.

The week has been a game-changer for Billy Walsh.

The coming days are important for Irish football.

Roscommon are flying high this week after their second successive promotion under the watchful gaze of Killorglin’s John Evans.

I have to say that Twitter comes into its own on sad occasions such as the passing of the great Ray Treacy and I’m sure it must come as some considerable consolation to his nearest and dearest to see the outpouring of affection and admiration on the internet which has shown no sign of drying up since the shocking news of his death emerged.

Mick McCarthy has once again defended his sacking of Roy Keane in 2002 — insisting to this day ‘it was the right thing’ as Ireland manager.

Football Association of Ireland chief executive John Delaney has insisted Roy Keane’s turbulent past is irrelevant to his impending return to the international stage.

Martin O'Neill is to be the new Irish soccer manager and Roy Keane will be his assistant.

Not for the first time in recent Irish-Polish relations, the home consumers in the Aviva on Wednesday night were entitled to ask: where’s the beef?

It was a night when the worst fears of Ireland supporters came to pass.

Ireland's Euro2012 knock-out hangover was in full force in northern Poland today as fans lashed former captain Roy Keane for his post-match criticisms.

Former All-Ireland winning Clare captain and current Dublin hurling boss, Anthony Daly

It shouldn’t even be close.

What a difference a year makes. November 18, 2009: it’s Ireland v France in front of a capacity crowd in Paris, playing for a place in the finals of the World Cup and giving birth to a global controversy eclipsed only by Saipan in the annals of Irish football infamy.

ANDY REID is the victim of an ‘over-reaction’ from Giovanni Trapattoni on the night his international future was thrown into limbo – so says Ray Treacy, who was a bystander on the fateful evening in 2008.

Football Association of Ireland chief executive John Delaney has described Roy Keane’s outburst against Ireland on Friday as “sad” and urged the former Republic of Ireland captain to “move on”.

ROY KEANE believes that Ireland have only themselves to blame for failing to qualify for the World Cup and says that, instead of protesting about Thierry Henry’s handball and calling for a replay, they should just “get over it”.

NOW all of 85 years of age, Tomás Mac Giolla made a rare public appearance in the pages of Hot Press this week, reflecting on a colourful and controversial life in Republican and left-wing politics in Ireland.

IT’S not exactly on the same scale as Saipan — praise the Lord — but the footballing nation again finds itself split down the middle by an Irish midfielder for the first time since those unforgettable events on that Pacific Island six years ago.

IT WAS the Bible rewritten: from revelation to Genesis, rather than the other way around.

Roy Keane insists he has no regrets about his infamous World Cup exit following a row with Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy in 2002 and would “do it again tomorrow”.

THERE is a poster on display in Sunderland’s ground advertising ‘A Spectacular Wedding Fayre At The Stadium Of Light’. The event doesn’t take place until October but anybody wandering into the Directors’ Suite yesterday could have been forgiven for thinking that they had stumbled upon a preview, as celebratory speeches were made and cameras snapped the happy couple at the top table.

YOU COULD call it the worst-kept secret in the football world.

THE Irish camp should have penned a Thank You card to the entire Welsh squad. Two weeks ago it would have been impossible to imagine a scenario for this game where all the heat would be on Wales and not Ireland.

THE eircom League was yesterday portrayed as a sick patient whose only hope of recovery rests with radical surgery.

THE Republic of Ireland could be forced to finish their World Cup qualifying campaign in Britain in the event of Brian Kerr’s team finishing second in Group 4 and having to take part in a two-leg play-off game.

EIGHT candidates, including the interim holder of the post, John Delaney, are in the process of being interviewed for the job of Chief Executive of the FAI.

THE Genesis chief delivered a damning indictment of the stewardship of the FAI in one throwaway sentence last night when he suggested that minutes of one of their World Cup meetings had shown that more time had been spent in discussing the accreditation arrangements and organising complimentary tickets than in dealing with preparations for the World Cup.

FAI boss Brendan Menton quit his post as general secretary last night as the organisation prepared for the biggest shake-up in its history.

The Genesis report is revealed and Caroline O'Doherty assesses the FAI reaction

THE expectations of players used to the English Premiership led them to demand far higher standards of service and support than a time-warped FAI was able to deliver, the Genesis report found.

THE Football Association of Ireland’s report into the Saipan disaster will be made public this evening and the reaction of key players in the organisation should make for reading as interesting as the report itself.

Mícheál Lehane,