Irish show jumper Bertram Allen last night said he was “devastated’ after winning the grand prix at London’s Olympia, only to be disqualified when a spot of blood was found on the right flank of his mount Quiet Easy.

Richard Fitzpatrick selects the biggest reads of 2015 across the various genres

John Banville’s first novel in three years references many of his own characters in a quasi paean to metafiction and artistic thievery, writes Val Nolan.

The latest acting veteran who may have joined the cast of Game of Thrones is Richard E Grant, according to unconfirmed reports in the UK.

WHEN twins Morwenna and Corwin Venton were 18, their father John fell off a Devon cliff while stumbling home from the pub. 

The publisher of an authorised best-seller about North Korean defector and human rights activist Shin Dong-hyuk has said it is anxious for an “accurate understanding” of the facts after he retracted substantial parts of his story.

Still got a pressie to buy or are you expecting some vouchers on Christmas Day? Richard Fitzpatrick picks the best book of the year in 10 different genres

Nine out of ten Irish companies are planning to throw a Christmas party for their staff this year.

SO there I was, last Friday, ready to put on a Viking helmet and leap into one of the amphibious craft that were used to land GIs on the Normandy beaches during the Second World War.

Residents in Clontarf, Dublin, woke up this morning to discover they'd been invaded - again - by a horde of vikings, 1,000 years after the last Battle of Clontarf.

More than 58% of SME owners believe the current business situation in Ireland is stagnant or worse then the previous three months.

Perhaps it was Giovanni Trapattoni seemingly on his way to the sack that caused Faroe Islands Lars Olsen to downplay his side’s hopes before they hosted Ireland last October.

The tough economic climate has resulted in small Irish businesses losing more than just their profit margins, according to a new survey.

Aoife Clark and Master Crusoe added just 0.8 time penalties on the cross-country at Badminton Horse Trials yesterday, rising four places to 12th.

Tony McCoy admitted he found it tough to choose the Ted Walsh-trained Colbert Station over Sunnyhillboy in tomorrows John Smith’s Grand National at Aintree.

Paul Nicholls has confirmed the Alex Ferguson-owned Harry The Viking will be handed an entry in the John Smith’s Grand National.

Paul Nicholls has confirmed the Alex Ferguson-owned Harry The Viking will be handed an entry in the John Smith’s Grand National.

Richard Fitzpatrick rounds up his top tomes of the year

MASS MARKETFICTION

MASS MARKETFICTION

Sole traders work long, lonely hours and receive little or no support from the Government.

This summer sees a selection of coastal buys and builds of the country’s boom period up for sale, at a fraction of peak values.

Brian Boru “thrice forgave all his outlaws the same fault”, but even he would baulk at letting the Quinn clan keep €500m in exchange for three months in prison.

XO

Thomas Becket

Early Aintree casualty Junior could bid for swift compensation in the Coral Scottish Grand National at Ayr on Saturday.

Jubilee Lines: 60 Poets For 60 Years

Don O’Mahony on the burgeoning business of graphic novels and comic art

Charles Dickens: A Life

Biography

THE autumn is upon us and you’re thinking of where to go for a quick break, a pick-me-up after the stresses of the summer and before the dark days of winter.

MOULD and bacteria that can cause food poisoning has been found on hundreds of office desks around the country.

Dirty office desks are harbouring germs which can quickly spread among staff as firms are braced for an outbreak of sickness absence through colds and flu, a British report said today.

The Kid, Sapphire Hamish Hamilton, €17.15

ARTS

Waterline

SHAMROCK ROVERS’ Champions League dream might have crashed and burned in Tallaght but at least they have the consolation of being parachuted into the play-offs of the Europa League.

The Case for Working with Your Hands (or Why Office Work is Bad for Us and Fixing Things Feels Good)

MICHAEL VICK got the better of Peyton Manning as the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Indianapolis Colts 26-24 in gridiron’s NFL, but the match was overshadowed by a sickening injury to Austin Collie.

ANOTHER disappointing result for Fulham but you can forgive the Cottagers if they only have eyes for their Europa League semi-final against Hamburg right now.

IN his letter on EU workers’ rights (September 7), Martin Ferris says the solemn declaration on the issue contains “no new instruments to promote or protect workers’ rights” and it has “no meaningful legal status”.