Hosting a farming series may not seem the obvious job for a Dub from suburbia.

Father Paul O’Boyle takes an extremely active role in his parish, but this does not mean that he shirks from his religious duties. With concerts, lotteries, visits, baptisms, weddings and funerals, fitting it all in is a full-time job, writes Caroline O’Doherty

CATHERINA McKIERNAN is Ireland’s fastest marathon runner and has won four silver medals in the world cross-country championships, but since retiring from competitive running she is imparting her vast knowledge to those who run competitively or just for fun.

Welsh movie star Catherine Zeta-Jones was so convincing as a swash-buckling Mexican heroine in The Mask of Zorro, she attracted the Spanish-language media on red carpets.

THE distance runners will reclaim the limelight from the sprinters at the national inter-club cross-country championships on Sunday in Roscommon where Catherina McKiernan makes an overdue return to domestic competition.

WITH Rosemary Ryan, Catherina McKiernan and Seamus Power all missing the event, Peter Matthews is the main Southern challenger at the Reebok international cross-country race at Stormont Castle on Saturday.

SONIA O’SULLIVAN is determined to lead Ireland into the world cross-country championships in Brussels next March.

SÉAMUS POWER took the national Inter-counties Cross-Country Championships to a new level in Belvedere, Mullingar, yesterday, when he once again battled his way through the pain barrier to win the title for an amazing ninth successive time.

CATHERINA McKIERNAN was back in full training yesterday, within hours of winning the women’s race at the Margate International.

SEAMUS POWER is hoping to at least repeat his last performance at Margate when he lines up for the Grand Prix race there tomorrow.

CATHAL LOMBARD’S build-up to the Athens Olympics starts in earnest tomorrow when he leaves for altitude training in Albuquerque.

AFTER her fine run in Hyde Park last weekend — missing the world record for 5k on the road by a mere two seconds — Sonia O’Sullivan is set for a quick follow-up in the BUPA Great South Run in Portsmouth on Sunday.