Home are the heroes, a bit later than expected.

Irish President Michael D Higgins has led tributes to Team Ireland on their outstanding performance at the London Paralympic Games.

Mark Rohan shut his eyes tightly and exhaled the deepest of breaths as the first bars of Amhrán na bhFiann swept through the home straight in Brands Hatch and the tricolour was raised in his honour for the second time in three days.

Ireland’s Jason Smyth followed in the footsteps of Usain Bolt last night by completing a London 2012 sprint double.

Jason Smyth is a double Olympic Champion once again after he made it gold medal number eight for Team Ireland with victory in the 200 metres T13 final.

Four dreamlike weeks have slipped through London’s fingers since Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah and Greg Rutherford delivered three gold medals on a never-to-be-forgotten night at the Olympic Stadium that was, inevitably, dubbed Super Saturday.

The 2012 Irish Paralympic team departed for a two-week pre-Games training camp this morning with chief executive Liam Harbison claiming they were ready to better the successes achieved four years ago in Beijing.

THE HSE has caused widespread confusion among GPs after it wrongly told them it was banning all future X-ray referrals to Cork University Hospital due to the budget crisis.

PARENTS in a large Cork town have been warned to be extra vigilant after a school child was approached by a stranger in a van.

A toilet tissue company sent 720 loo rolls to a cash-strapped primary school after pupils were asked to bring in their own to save money.

A VAN LOAD of toilet roll has been donated to a school which was forced to ask pupils to bring their own paper in an effort to save on its scarce resources.

WATERFORD City Council’s three electoral areas have been altered slightly, and renamed, for these elections.

Peter Johnston, coach of Ireland's women's cricket team writes: "All is going to plan so far in sunny Holland, the competition is of a very high standard. A very exciting victory against the strongly favoured West Indies and a comfortable win over Japan, leaves us unbeaten but with some more tough games to come, Pakistan, Holland and finally Scotland.