Kathleen MacMahon was suffering second-book syndrome when she fell ill. Holed up in bed for months, she created the vibrant ‘Long Hot Summer’, writes Sue Leonard.

A 21-year-old man who sped from his bed in the early hours of the Feast of the Epiphany, after it suddenly came to light his girlfriend might be with another young man, ended up in court on a charge of dangerous driving.

Japanese men, not unlike their Irish counterparts, can find romance hard, says Jonathan de Burca Butler . So they created Love Your Wife Day to help men express their love for thier other halves

Veteran entertainer Rolf Harris targeted young fans whose “penalty” for their admiration was to be sexually assaulted by him, a court has heard.

Theatre: Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Vicar Street, Dublin

Philomena ✩✩✩✩✩

A musical about our most famous tenor portrays him as talented and virtuous, says Colette Sheridan

As a raunchy trilogy climbs the US bestseller lists, Declan Burke asks Irish writers if they’ll be spicing up their output

It’s a leap year, so it’s acceptable for women to propose to their beloved. Forty-two percent of men would say ‘yes’, but are those safe odds, asks Sue Leonard

SIMON Cowell’s biography is the book most often left behind in hotel rooms, according to a survey.

PAT SPILLANE makes no apologies for being a GAA romantic. Unfortunately for the viewers of RTÉ, Pat suffers from a strain of footballing romance which is of the Mills and Boon variety – it is largely fictional and entirely predictable.

Leading French actor Boon, a modern-day answer to Chaplin and Keaton, is at his best in this quirky and utterly mad, tumbling film, one that races from one outstanding cinematic delight – and surprise – to another.

Television star Michael Elphick is to be cremated during a private service on Wednesday, his mother said today.

Manchester United have retained their position as the richest club in the world for the fourth year running, according to the latest survey of the game’s finances.