The focus is sunny southern France this week following a recent trip I made to the Languedoc courtesy of O’Briens, writes Leslie Williams.

On a night when British challenger Decorated Knight, ridden for Roger Charlton by George Baker, landed the Group 3 ICON Meld Stakes at Leopardstown, the O’Briens again stole the show as the progressive three-year-old Arya Tara justified favouritism in the listed Stanerra Stakes.

Kelly O’Brien on Kilkenny man Walter O’Briens rise from teenage hacker to US government troubleshooter.

Following the success of the big-screen adaptation of Lisa Genova’s debut novel, Still Alice — an exploration of Alzheimer’s disease — the Harvard-educated neuroscientist’s fourth novel, Inside The O’Briens, cements her reputation. 

For a guy who got kicked in the face by a horse, Jean-Charles Briens wasn't doing too badly yesterday.