Elle Sorensen and Amy Ahearne’s nerves of steel saw Crescent win back the Munster Schoolgirls Senior Cup title over last year’s vanquishers Mount Mercy at Garryduff via a shoot-out.

As Nama looks to the end of its original projected lifespan and its legacy will be examined, it must start being honest with itself and the public about the basic facts of its existence, writes Daniel McConnell

Alarm has been raised here after chancellor George Osborne told the Financial Times, in his first interview following the shock Brexit vote, that the UK now aimed to offset any slowdown in Britain by cutting its corporation tax rate all the way down to 15%.

The troika shot down any prospect of Ireland burning the bondholders in late-2010 and warned such a move would cancel any possibility of a future bailout, a senior Government adviser during the crisis has confirmed.

Cork City 0 Liverpool XI 2: Toni Gomes and Yan Dhanda scored as a Liverpool XI beat Cork City in front of a 4,335 fans at Turner’s Cross on Saturday night.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan could have €2.5bn to spend in pre-election budget giveaways because the economy is growing so rapidly, analysts say.

It was Ireland’s “best kept secret” that the economic bubble burst in summer 2006 not 2008, but the situation was effectively masked by politicians focussed on the 2007 general election and vested interests who did not want to break the silence.

A former advisor to Brian Lenihan has claimed the property market had crashed nearly a year before anyone realised.

Carlow maintained their unbeaten run in Division 4 with a dramatic away win over Waterford at Fraher Field.

Carlow maintained their unbeaten run in Division 4 with a dramatic away win over Waterford at Fraher Field.

Almost a quarter of the 145 hotels put into receivership at the end of last year are yet to come to market creating a pipeline of properties that will help transactions reach record highs again this year.

Waterford 0-14 Wicklow 0-10: Allianz Football League Division 4: Waterford reinvested their new found wealth in another adventurous attacking display on Saturday night at Fraher Field.

Waterford made it five wins in a row under Tom McGlinchey as they defeated Wicklow in their Division 4 opener at Fraher Field. Michael O’Halloran kicked four fantastic points for the victors.

So the ECB has finally made its move. Mario Draghi has “done what it takes”, writes By Kyran FitzGerald. 

McGrath Cup semi-final

Waterford 1-11 CIT 0-09: Waterford’s Shane Ahearne banged over a point from 60 yards three minutes into this McGrath Cup game to set the tone for the home side.

Stradbally 1-10 Ballinacourty 1-6

The Government and foreign bodies must invest significant funds into the education and housing sectors if Ireland’s stabilising economy is to turn into a full-blown financial recovery.

Waterford 0-12 Clare 3-11

Waterford 0-12 Clare 3-11

The Irish hotel industry still needs a further €1.4bn in restructuring to bring hotel debt to a sustainable level according to a new report by economist Professor Alan Ahearne.

Mount Sion’s Austin Gleeson has been a rising star of the Waterford club scene and is the now the talk of inter-county hurling.

The forthcoming ECB stress tests are unlikely to cause any major problems for Irish banks, according to NUIG economics lecturer and former government adviser Alan Ahearne.

The former special economic adviser to Brian Lenihan, Alan Ahearne, believes that the much vaunted successes of Finance Minster Micheal Noonan in renegotiating the Anglo promissory notes were simply part of the bailout programme.

Stradbally 3-18 An Rinn 1-03

Waterford have not beaten Kilkenny in the championship for 54 years. While the sides have only met six times in that period, the fact they all came in All-Ireland finals and semi-finals has left a scar on the Déise consciousness dating back to the 1959 All-Ireland final replay.

The Government must not ease up in any fiscal consolidation this year, despite growing political pressure for a softer budget, a conference heard yesterday.

Tracker mortgages should be taxed, according to a leading economist and one-time adviser to the Government.

Stress tests of the Irish banking system should happen as soon as possible and if the banks then need capital it has to come from an EU fund, former government adviser Alan Ahearne has said.

Waterford 2-8 Tipperary 0-9

Limerick and Waterford remain unbeaten in Division 4 of the Allianz Football League, while Clare were also victorious at the weekend.

The benefits for the Irish economy and banking system from a European banking union will far outweigh any potential downsides, the former government adviser Alan Ahearne has argued.

Stradbally 1-8 Nire 0-10

Irish hotels are nearly €7bn in debt and need to write off €2.5bn of this burden if the sector is to stay viable, warns a report by a former government adviser.

Carlow extinguished Waterford’s hopes of promotion at Fraher Field, Dungarvan on Saturday.

Waterford kept their hopes of making a quick-return to Division 3 alive with this four-point win at Aughrim.

Waste management firm Indaver has proposed to take over the stalled project to build a controversial incinerator at Poolbeg in Dublin, with no further cost to the taxpayer.

Clare collected both points on offer in a game which saw four players sent off. The quartet — three form Waterford, one from Clare — received their marching orders for second yellow card offences.

EUROPE requires and is going to get its own minister for finance, economist Alan Ahearne predicts.

WATERFORD GAA united to pay their final respects to a football legend and renowned educationalist Sean Ahearne of Brenan, Stradbally, yesterday.

FOLLOWING the success of the minors on Sunday, Clare capture their second Munster hurling title in three days when their intermediate side captured a first provincial crown at Cusack Park in Ennis last night.

IT’S no minor matter – in fact a Cork school has three major reasons to get very excited about this weekend’s All-Ireland finals.