Billy Holland and his wife Lanlih have described the birth of their baby as "gift from Emmeline” on social media.

TWO defeats against England in 2019 mean Andy Farrell faces big challenges tomorrow afternoon at Twickenham. So what needs to happen for Ireland to win?

Andy Farrell began this week by warning his Ireland squad of the danger of turning up at Twickenham merely hoping it goes well.

You get the feeling now that Limerick are heading to Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Sunday with blood on their minds, writes Anthony Daly.

Conway has been rewarded with his longest Munster contract yet, a three-year deal, after a year in which he became Munster's third-highest try-scorer in history.

If Joe Schmidt could get a mulligan for one moment of what turned out to be a fairly average 2019 for Ireland, you’d guess it would be the first 20 minutes of the Six Nations campaign.

Privacy is, as more and more people — not just Harry and Meghan — have discovered, a priceless thing. Once surrendered, it is gone. Some squander it crassly.

IT said it all about the predicament in which Manchester United find themselves that their 2-0 defeat to Burnley at Old Trafford on Wednesday night felt like a huge deal for the visitors but, in a very strange way, just more of the same for those home supporters who clogged the exits with ten minutes still to play.

A crazy game of hurling in the month of January, as best described by Pádraig Walsh. The Tullaroan centreback and county star, was one of four brothers who helped the Kilkenny side to All Ireland intermediate hurling championship glory in Croke Park on Saturday night.

The past and the present are in a permanent state of war with each other, generally over which is best — and never more so than in football.

Hollywood loves to ring in the New Year.

Johann van Graan admitted Saracens’ losing bonus point at Thomond Park could be crucial in the final shake-up in Munster’s European pool campaign.

Ask any Munster supporter their thoughts on the Saracens personnel coming to Thomond Park this evening and they will take the matchday squad named by Mark McCall yesterday in a heartbeat. Ask the Munster coaching group the same question and they will not be taking anything for granted.

It is not just the levels of professionalism in the Saracens squad coming to Thomond Park that impress Peter O’Mahony but the quality of the individuals that give the Munster skipper pause for thought

This time last year Ulster used the back-to-back Champions Cup games against the Scarlets as the launchpad for the rest of the season.

It was all sweetness and light between Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp at the Football Writers’ Awards dinner in Manchester last Sunday.

A number of celebs dig deep into their family’s lives during WWII for a new TV series, writes Georgia Humphreys

"Since joining Ulster last summer, I’ve made it my home and have really enjoyed my time here."

Mark McCall says Saracens, who are tomorrow expected to drop their appeal to the punishment dished out for breaching the Premiership salary cap, will continue to battle for glory at home and in Europe.

Kyle Sinckler admitted “sport is cruel” after he was knocked out in the opening moments of England’s 32-12 World Cup final defeat by South Africa.

This is a contest fit for the final itself with the winner fancied to go all the way.

Larry Tompkins was physically so far ahead of the rest of the Cork panel at his first training session that he thought his new teammates were going easy to make him feel welcome.

A friend of mine read an article recently; it was about a group of women who, having transitioned to men, wanted to go back.

In a major lift to Eddie Jones’ men, the powerful Saracens number eight is on course to recover from the ankle injury that forced him off at half-time against Argentina 10 days ago.

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

By the summer of 1990, All-Ireland football champions Cork had Kerry’s number. So much so that Rebel fans were yelling ‘lock the gates’ as they dismembered the Kingdom in the provincial decider in Cork. However a bigger challenge loomed for Billy Morgan, Larry Tompkins, & Co — Meath. In his new book on Cork’s historic double season, Adrian Russell reveals how Colm O’Neill turned from peripheral to pivotal figure on the road to GAA history.

Liam Cahill could see that level of performance coming from his Tipperary side last Saturday night, writes Peter McNamara.

From watching Arsenal in Clonmel on Saturday morning through the third lap of homecoming celebrations on Wednesday night in Liam Sheedy’s Portroe, Seamus Kennedy’s All-Ireland diary takes us inside an exhilarating and emotional week in Tipperary.

Fit-again Mako Vunipola is approaching the best shape of his career — but try telling that to the lady who had to wheel the 122kg prop through Los Angeles airport back in June.

Kya deLongchamps finds 20th-century designed and inspired shelving is still an impressive support act in terms of style and quality

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.

Kevin Flahive says he and his Cork teammates weren’t surprised when Limerick dumped Tipperary out of the championship.

Fianna Fáil has hit back at Fine Gael for trying to claim Billy Kelleher's seat before it has even been vacated.

Billy Joe Saunders became a two-weight world champion after he defeated Shefat Isufi last night.

There will be a strange dynamic surrounding Saturday’s Guinness PRO14 semi-final between Leinster and Munster at the RDS. It’s been a difficult ten days for both Irish provinces but for different reasons.

BILLY “One Seat” Kelleher: that rather disparaging description of the long-standing TD and favourite MEP candidate, by his party colleague Malcolm Byrne over a perceived breach of an agreed boundary has generated much hilarity this week.

It is a measure of the quality in play at tomorrow’s Heineken Champions Cup final that there is so much mutual respect between the two teams, respect borne out of the shared experience of a successful British & Irish Lions tour two summers ago.

A rift has emerged between Fianna Fáil’s two candidates in Ireland South after Malcolm Byrne lodged an official complaint to party bosses about his party rival Billy Kelleher, the Irish Examiner can reveal.