As he emerged from a home dressing room, reinforced by the glow of the more joyous half of a Limerick double on Saturday evening, Billy Lee ducked away from the awaiting reporters for just a moment.

The first inter-county silverware of 2020 will be handed out at LIT Gaelic Grounds today, starting with the McGrath Cup final.

There will be no extra-time in either game in the event of a draw, with a penalty shoot-out to determine the victor.

Ruby Walsh and Pat Smullen were the stars at last night’s Horse Racing Ireland Awards, each receiving the Racing Hero Award.

Leitrim, Limerick, Sligo, Waterford, and Wicklow will support the creation of a second-tier football championship at Special Congress on October 19.

In 2018, Aidan O’Brien won the Colm Quinn BMW Irish EBF Fillies’ Maiden with subsequent dual 1000 Guineas winner Hermosa and it will be no surprise if Petite Mustique, who gave him back to back wins in the race with a facile success yesterday, emulates her illustrious stablemate.

A root and branch review of Limerick football has recommended the appointment of a full-time development officer and the creation of a retention officer post so as to improve the number of players willing to line out for the county senior team.

Billy Lee is open-minded about staying on for a fourth season as Limerick football manager and says he will depart if that’s what’s required.

Limerick football manager Billy Lee insists lessons have been learned as his side head into tomorrow’s All-Ireland qualifier with Westmeath in Mullingar.

If firmly held convictions were reshaped into cement blocks, Ronan McCarthy could build a tidy labourer’s cottage with them. Truculent? Not so much. Cranky? Has his moments. But when the Cork manager says he “tries to put a bit of thought into answering questions”, the available evidence supports the claim.

Sunday Sovereign was the star turn at Tipperary, the youngster enhancing his reputation with another deeply impressive display.

The old Mike Tyson deadpan came to mind as Limerick’s Munster final ambitions were obliterated in the opening 12 minutes of Saturday’s SFC semi-final at Páirc Uí Rinn.

The furnishings in Pairc Ui Rinn won’t rival Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano for comfort anytime soon, but no-one was forced to the edge of their seats Saturday night in Cork as the hosts romped to a 21-point Munster SFC semi final victory over Limerick.

Limerick manager Billy Lee has kept faith in the XV who defeated Tipperary in the first round as the Shannonsiders bid for a first Munster SFC final since 2010.

Limerick manager Billy Lee makes no attempt to downplay the importance of the Munster SFC win over Tipperary earlier this month.

Selector Shane Stapleton was the first to raise concerns about the overall state of Tipperary football after their seven-point defeat to Limerick.

Limerick football manager Billy Lee has gone against the grain by declaring he is not opposed to the three-handpass limit.

Courcey Rovers are considering appealing their expulsion from the Cork ladies football junior B championship.

Willie Mullins made it a fourth feature race success in five days at the 2018 Galway Festival and the theme of it not being the leading market fancy from the yard continued as Nessun Dorma caused an upset in the Guinness Handicap in the hands of Billy Lee.

On a day which provided across-the-card trebles for Aidan, Joseph and Donnacha O’Brien, progressive Ballydoyle colt Lucius Tiberius came from last to first to record a last-gasp victory in the Irish Stallions Farms EBF Nasrullah Handicap in Leopardstown.

Mayo 5-19 Limerick 3-7

It’s still difficult to wrap your head around the tumultuous goings on in Offaly last week, following their defeat to Wicklow in the Leinster football championship.

Our writers analyse the weekend’s GAA talking points...

Eight years have whizzed by since the Limerick footballers pushed Kerry all the way in a Munster senior football final.

Gary Brennan is well familiar with the shoes the Limerick footballers now walk in.

Limerick manager Billy Lee has blasted GAA chiefs for their treatment of teams in Division 4.

Laois 2-12 Limerick 0-9: Gary Walsh hit 1-6 and set up Paul Kingston for a 70th-minute goal as Laois got the John Sugrue reign off to the perfect start with a nine-point victory over Limerick.

Wexford’s hurlers and Kildare’s footballers may have failed to land provincial titles last summer but the presence of both counties in the respective 2017 deciders proved to be a winning combination for the Leinster Council.

In a fascinating race for the jockey’s title, reigning champ Pat Smullen has hit a rich vein of form and, following a 1,055-1 four-timer at Roscommon yesterday, is all but breathing down the neck of championship leader Colin Keane.

Curragh-based Japanese trainer Takashi Kodama described the outcome as “unbelievable” after saddling 25/1 shot Elusive Time to win the €100,000 Tote Irish Cambridgeshire at the Curragh yesterday.

Robbie McNamara has enjoyed plenty of success at the Galway Festival, but yesterday was a red-letter day for the Newbridge, Co Kildare-based trainer as Cascavelle gave him a first winner on the Flat and first at this meeting in his guise as a trainer.

They’ve found themselves sat at the same table each summer for the past 16 years and yet if you take out their escapades during June and July of 2011, they’ve never managed to raise their voice loud enough for anyone to notice them.

Some say everyone should work once in sales. Others tell you everyone is selling all the time.

Ger Collins and Seamus O’Carroll have returned to the Limerick football panel, new manager Billy Lee has revealed.

Former Cork All-Ireland winner and newly-appointed Limerick coach Paudie Kissane has produced results to prove that professional Australian footballers are leaner, fitter, and stronger than GAA players.