Your lunchtime headlines.

A BUDDHIST monk will often retreat by foot to the mountains to find some zen. But when RTÉ rugby pundit Brent Pope wants inner peace, he heads to the Wicklow Mountains on his cruiser motorbike, a burly Suzuki Volusia.

Historian Catherine Corless, the Irish Coast Guard, crew of Rescue 116, rugby referee Joy Neville and campaigner Vera Twomey were among those honoured at tonight’s Rehab People of the Year Awards.

A FRIEND rang me the other day. Spitting teeth, she was, with fury. Reasonably famous, this friend, never mind in what sector of Irish life, but reasonably famous, writes Terry Prone. 

Growing up in the New Zealand countryside, we spent a lot of time outdoors and I always had a natural love of sport. I was lucky enough to try everything from skiing, surfing, horse-riding – and of course rugby – from an early age.

Sports psychologist Gerry Hussey, who worked with Ireland’s boxing team at the Olympic Games, has said that the athletes face very tough times ahead.

RTÉ reporter Olivia O’Leary is the latest in an ever-growing line of famous Irish faces to admit they have suffered from depression and undergone treatment. Slowly, the country’s cynical view of mental health is changing for the better, writes Claire O’Sullivan

Jimmy Woulfe canvasses with Willie O’Dea and finds knowledge of the local area is his number one asset.

Ailbhe Barrett is one of the people who has contributed to Brent Pope’s exhibition of outsider art, opening in Cork today, writes Colette Sheridan

1. Seisiun singing Sing Out Sunday takes over Dublin’s Helix Theatre this weekend for an event never before seen in Ireland, a ‘mass choir get-together’ led by The Voice UK’s vocal coach Mark De-Lisser.

Here are five of the best things going on this week.

We bring you a round up of all the latest news and reviews from the world of entertainment. 

Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan is to introduce 24-hour emergency counselling services for gardaí who suffer trauma from work duties.

The longest day and RTÉ make a good start, getting the troops off the beaches and into commentary boxes all over Europe.

The efforts of two students to promote mental health have earned them the accolade of All-Ireland Youth Volunteers of the Year.

Good guy, Donal Lenihan, and a fine analyst both in print and on TV, but don’t ever ask him if you’re looking well — and if you do and he tells you you’re the picture of health, then depart rapidly in several directions, writes Enda McEvoy.

MUSIC NEWS: What do you get the Bob Dylan fan who has everything?

Not a move endorsed by Julie Andrews, never mind rehearsed on the training field under the watchful eye of Joe Schmidt, but let’s start at the very end, writes Enda McEvoy. 

Feeding a family of six on a fiver is no mean feat, but Donal Hayes takes inspiration from his kitchenphobic wife.

Forget the lavish spreads of Masterchef and The Great Irish Bake-Off — the true test of a great cook is how to make mouth-watering magic from one very humble ingredient, the fiver.

Westmeath man James Boyle delivered a cracker of a best man's speech at the wedding of his brother Lar recently - with some help from Michael Lyster, Pat Spillane and Colm O'Rourke.

This is genuinely funny, even if you're not a rugby fan.

It all starts so well.

An afternoon of light, sweetness and the return of the redhead from Limerick, with the latter occurrence contributing substantially to the former.

Stars from the sport and music worlds have joined forces to reveal their private battles with depression as part of a major campaign urging young people not to suffer in silence.

Two hundred people from all over Ireland joined Santa Claus at Heuston Station in Dublin for this year’s inaugural run of the Santa Express yesterday.

Master Schmidt’s second day in big school and it will not prove edifying. A host of lessons await, among them ones in maths, logic and biology.

Has anyone really thought Trap's departure through properly?

I’VE OFTEN been asked what underpins my attraction to Simon Cowell — bad taste in men, a potential styling project, weird Machiavellian fetish.

Peter Clohessy’s going. So is Brent Pope. Mick Galwey has his tickets, and Alan Quinlan is on board. Anytime is a good time to travel to Australia, but for rugby fans, the 2013 Lions Tour is something else entirely. As holidays go, this is once-in-a-lifetime stuff.

Personalities from across a broad spectrum of Irish life yesterday took to their bikes to aid a suicide awareness charity.

WHEN Niall Breslin, better known as Bressie, appeared on the judging panel of RTE’s The Voice last year, he became a star.

Saracens coach Mark McCall and Harlequins boss Conor O’Shea have both been ruled out of the running to become the next Irish head coach.

Fourth in the table, one victory from four games and safety from the wooden spoon is not yet guaranteed. It has hardly been a Six Nations to savour for Declan Kidney’s men but tomorrow’s meeting with fifth place Italy is far from a dead rubber, not least because it could be the last time we see Ireland’s greatest ever player take to the field in a green jersey.

How will the Cork man be able to face Brent Pope and Tom McGurk tomorrow?

Hopes, plans, dreams — all scaled back yesterday at the Aviva.

A new awareness campaign is being rolled out nationwide in a bid to tackle Ireland’s suicide crisis.

When you think of him you instantly think of him smiling, his head and body tilted back in his chair, either sharing a joke with his old partner George Hook or maybe even having one at Hook’s expense.

Brent Pope has called for a rugby world cup club tournament which would see the top teams in Europe compete against the top teams in the Super 15.

One of the most prominent businessman of the Celtic Tiger era, Hugh O’Regan, was yesterday given a prolonged standing ovation during his funeral Mass.

With so many experts pressing hard to take the honours it was always going to take seamless confidence to win the title “Iron Man 2012”.