Before I led the Clarecastle team out at half-time of yesterday’s Clare county final, to collect our 25-year anniversary plaques, somebody handed me the 1994 county final programme. We beat a young St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield team that afternoon and, as I scanned the teams, Ger Hoey’s name jumped out at me.

Champions St Joseph’s are 60 minutes away from retaining their title after a semi-final victory over Doonbeg at Cusack Park on Saturday.

There are any number of ways of expressing the intimidating size of the task facing Cork City in the second-leg of their Europa League First Round tie against Progres Niederkorn here in Luxembourg this evening, but perhaps the most straightforward is to note that a side which hasn’t scored in its last three competitive games must now score three in one outing to secure an outright win or, failing that, two to extend the life of this tie into extra time.

Celtic and Rangers both have one foot in the next round of European competition as the Old Firm rivals recorded wins in the first qualifying rounds of Champions League and Europa League respectively tonight.

Should both clubs successfully negotiate their first-round ties, Cork City are intent on hosting their Europa League game against Rangers at Turner’s Cross – unless the authorities dictate otherwise.

Conor Counihan’s role as Cork’s Gaelic football project coordinator doesn’t officially commence until June 3rd but he’s already on duty.

Phil Healy and Ciara Mageean starred internationally with good early season form while there was a host of championship best performances at the Irish Life Health U20 & U23 Championships in Athlone over the weekend.

Disputes between the HSE and Hiqa over whether two care homes met acceptable standards contributed to the health watchdog’s €128,024 bill for legal proceedings in 2017.

The managers of Clare’s last two county senior football champions have confirmed that withdrawing county players from the panel was discussed this week, as Colm Collins’ men prepare for tomorrow’s round two All-Ireland qualifier against Laois.

Given my Clare loyalty and my Limerick connections to their underage Academy, I stole into Thurles yesterday like a thief in the night; head down, baseball cap pulled tightly down over my eyes, plain clothes, biro and notepad in my hand.

The pick-up time reminder at St Joseph's RC Primary School in Longlands, Middlesbrough, features a figure on a phone with a red line through it.

ANY appraisal of the life, times, work, and achievements of Dr TK Whitaker could just as easily be judged as an appraisal of the life, times, and development of this Republic and, to a lesser degree, modern democracies everywhere. 

A 22-year-old university student could face a hefty legal bill after she yesterday lost her High Court action for an injury sustained while playing hockey at school.

All seven of Elizabeth and Jim Lenihan’s children have been immersed in sport growing up in Deliga, near Milford.

Further focus on the teaching of literacy and closer links between schools and communities will feature in new Government efforts to tackle educational disadvantage.

A nursing home, where more than half of residents who died there last year passed without a relative or next of kin present, has been found to be non-compliant in all eight categories reviewed by health watchdog Hiqa.

You don’t have to go backwards now to go forwards with the work needed on St Joseph’s, a detached four-bed home in Cork’s Carrigeen Park, off the city end of the Ballinlough Road.

A mother has raised concerns over psychiatric treatment her son received before taking his own life aged 17.

Clonmel Commercials 1-13 St Joseph’s Miltown-Malbay 0-3, Clonmel

St. Joseph’s, Miltown 0-13 Cooraclare 0-9: St. Joseph’s, Miltown bridged a 25 gap when capturing the Clare senior football championship title, defeating Cooraclare by four points at Cusack Park, Ennis yesterday.

Cratloe relinquished a second senior crown inside seven days, when their footballers were surprisingly beaten by Clondegad on a final scoreline of 1-12 to 0-11 in the quarter-final of the Clare SFC at Cusack Park yesterday.

Coláiste Choilm (Cork) 0 St Joseph’s (Galway) 0

Coláiste Éanna, Rathfarnham 3 St Joseph’s, Galway 3 (after extra-time, Coláiste Éanna won 4-3 on penalties)

St Joseph’s College, Galway 2 Aloysius College, Athlone 1: St Joseph’s survived a second-half comeback from Aloysius College to secure the Connacht Schools "A" Cup in Eamonn Deacy Park yesterday.

A crisis in State-run care homes is looming due to lack of funding for upgrades, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has warned.

A school in West Cork has become the first in Ireland to embrace a new concept in after-school childcare which could create 2,000 jobs across the country within five years.

The quarter-final pairings for the Clare SFC were finalised at the weekend.

Portlaoise got a mighty scare from Emo yesterday before reaching the quarter-finals of the Laois SFC.

Primary schools are learning about internet risks from TY students, Education Correspondent Niall Murray says.

Double heartbreak yesterday for Kerry school Coláiste na Sceilge in Basketball Ireland Schools’ League finals, losing both the U19 and U16 C Boys deciders after taking in half-time leads.

Ballysaggart (Waterford) 4-13 Calry/St Joseph’s (Sligo) 0-08

Eoghan Cormican takes a look at each county ahead of the club championship.

St Joseph’s (Clare) 3-11 Seán Finns, Rathkeale (Limerick) 0-07

Last year’s beaten finalists, Cratloe, were knocked out of the Clare SHC on Saturday when their final group game against Crusheen finished in a 0-16 apiece draw.

Calry-St Joseph’s 5-13 Coolera-Strandhill 0-06

Holders Kilmurry-Ibrickane, Kilrush Shamrocks and Lissycasey are through to the quarter-finals of the Clare SFC following triumphs over the weekend.

The direct involvement of the Sisters of Mercy in primary education is almost at an end in a Kinsale school where six nuns first taught 700 girls at the end of the Great Famine.

Physical restraint as well as seclusion are still often used to contain out-of-control patients in the country’s mental health facilities, a report shows.

Fullen Gaels (Lancashire) 0-17Calry/St Joseph’s (Sligo) 0-12 (AET)

Calry-St Joseph’s (Sligo)1-12Skehana (Galway)1-11

Kilmurry-Ibrickane 0-10 St Joseph’s Doora Barefield 0-04