Ireland’s women finished on a high in Santiago with a 3-0 victory over their Chilean hosts in the final game of a four-match series.

Opportunity knocks on Sunday as the men’s and women’s Munster Senior Cup finals take place at Garryduff with the potential for new names to claim the trophy.

Cliodhna Sargent’s last-minute penalty corner smash has kept Cork Harlequins’ outside chances of EY Hockey League glory alive.

Bandon’s drive for a treble continues with their men hot favourites to overcome Ashton in a Munster Senior Cup semi-final.

American author George Saunders has been handed this year's Man Booker Prize for his first full-length novel.

A 29-year-old debut novelist has been shortlisted for this year's Man Booker Prize for a book she began writing on her mobile phone on her way to work.

Cork Harlequins are emerging as the primary challengers to Hermes-Monkstown in the women’s EY Hockey League after notching a third successive win on the road.

Cork Church of Ireland and UCC marched into round two of the men’s Irish Senior Cup but the alarming decline in Cork Harlequins’ fortunes continues.

A quiet child, Rachel was an obsessive reader, but she wanted to become a vet. “My passions were animals and books,” she says.

Ireland proved far too strong for Turkey to complete their World League 2 pool games with a huge 13-0 win, with Clare woman Naomi Carroll netting four times at Belfield.

Hockey: Cork Church of Ireland’s promising season in cup competitions season continues after their seconds won a Leeside derby to advance to the last eight of the women’s Irish Junior Cup.

Helen Macdonald has won this year’s Costa Prize for her memoir H Is For Hawk.

Helen Macdonald has won this year’s Costa Prize for her memoir H Is For Hawk.

Actors Joan Collins, James Corden, and Sheridan Smith were among the actors included on the New Year’s Honours List.

Cork Church of Ireland 4 Bandon 1

Ulster Hockey have confirmed there will be no sanctions for clubs who attend an EGM to decide the future of the Irish Hockey League.

Ali Smith

The first round of the Irish Hockey League quickly descended into a nightmare for the majority of Munster sides, with Catholic Institute’s 3-1 win over Greenfields the sole bright spot.

Bandon’s incredible recovery at Belfast Harlequins in the women’s Irish Junior Cup highlighted a busy weekend of cup shocks.

Catholic Institute roared back into Munster title contention as two stunning goals helped them see off UCC 2-0 at Rosbrien on Saturday.

Artful

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.

Cork Harlequins came from nowhere to halt Catholic Institute’s Munster title march with a shock 2-1 win at Garryduff on Saturday.

Family ties are hardly unusual in hockey but rarely is it a generational thing — unless you’re Joan and Emma Dobson.

“Insta by the grace of God” is their club slogan, but Catholic Institute certainly haven’t needed any divine inspiration this season.

They say you don’t win titles at Christmas — but if you’re Catholic Institute, you can certainly win them in January.

Newly published this week

BANDON’S Irish Hockey League qualification hopes were dealt a bitter blow as they were undone by a late Three Rock Rovers goal on day one of the wildcard play-offs at Garryduff last night.

OPPORTUNITY knocks for Bandon and UCC as they bid to bolster Munster’s Irish Hockey League (IHL) representation next season by succeeding at this weekend’s wildcard playoffs at Garryduff in Cork.

CORK HARLEQUINS were left cursing themselves for going to sleep at the start of extra-time, allowing Cork Church of Ireland to plunder a golden-goal victory in Saturday’s Munster Senior Cup semi-final at Farmer’s Cross.

THE country’s top hockey clubs are fighting battles on dual fronts this weekend, with vital league clashes mixed in with the novelty of the start of their Irish Junior Cup campaign.

TRINITY College Dublin hope their Dutch wildcard inspires them to victory as the most open intervarsity tournament in recent years begins in UCD on Sunday.

A BLEAK weekend for Munster hockey saw all five of its representatives soundly beaten during the opening round of the Irish Hockey League.

EIMEAR CREGAN admits she has had plenty of lucky breaks along the way as she stands on the cusp of becoming the most capped Irish hockey player of all time.

MISMATCHES were the order of the opening day of the hockey season in Munster, with the province’s heavy hitters all recording big wins on Saturday.

BANDON will be glad to see the back of Cork Harlequins after the Farmers’ Cross outfit handed them final heartbreak for the second time this season at Garryduff yesterday.

Fans of Booker Prize winner John Banville can today read the first chapter of his forthcoming novel for free.

The Financial Times put a stop on its losses today as higher advertising revenues sent it into the black for the first time since 2002.

THE second volume of a biography of Henri Matisse, which took 15 years to complete, tonight became the surprise winner of the Whitbread Book of the Year prize.

IRISH author John Banville confounded all predictions last night by winning the prestigious Man Booker prize for his novel, The Sea.

IRISH authors John Banville and Sebastian Barry have been shortlisted for the prestigious Man Booker prize for fiction, it was announced yesterday.

IRISH authors John Banville and Sebastian Barry have been shortlisted for the prestigious Man Booker prize for fiction, it was announced yesterday.

Author Peter Carey has become only the second writer to win the Booker Prize twice - and revealed he would be taking out fellow nominee Ian McEwan for a slap-up meal to celebrate.