Who dares to speak of ’98? Tony Browne, actually, but 21 years after his infamous scrape with Colin Lynch, the Waterford legend’s regard for his opposing number on the Clare side is immense.

When we won the All-Ireland with Clare in 1995, the following year’s league kicked off that October. The celebrations obviously took their toll early in the campaign. We lost our first match to Kerry but the bank of fitness we’d built up stood to us as October segued into November. We went up to Birr and put on an exhibition against Offaly in our last match before the winter-break.

On the evening of the Clare-Wexford game two weeks ago, I left Cork and headed straight to Whitegate, the last outpost in east Clare, right on the Galway border.

After all the commotion of the past seven days, today's two provincial hurling finals could hardly have come at a better time for the GAA and everyone who follows it. 

Twenty years ago, there were the three shadowy priests who, it was claimed, had knowledge of Colin Lynch’s suspension before the Munster Council had even met to decide his faith. In Liam Doyle, Seánie McMahon, and Anthony Daly, meanwhile, Clare had the three wise kings, forming one of hurling’s greatest half-back lines. Two decades on from the Banner’s last Munster SHC success and the All-Ireland title that got away, the trio recall that tumultuous summer of ’98, from Lynch’s ban to Jimmy Cooney’s bad time-keeping.

World rowing champions Mark O’Donovan and Shane O’Driscoll don't make the cut for podium funding.

Paralympic debuts can a nerve-wracking experience at the best of times, but to do it at the age of 21, running from the front with a visual impairment, must make it all the more terrifying.

The Paralympics begins with tonight’s opening ceremony, so here are some of Ireland’s top medal hopes...

When the year ends in ‘5’, fate’s hand guides Cork fortunes in strange ways

The 2014 season wasn’t without its fair share of disputes and furore. But just where does the likes of Shane Enright’s non-black card, Parade-gate and Stephen O’Keeffe’s safety-defying save from Anthony Nash rank in the GAA’s biggest on-field Championship controversies since 2000?

Last year’s All-Ireland club hurling champions, St Thomas’, face a relegation play-off in the Galway SHC after defeat to Craughwell over the weekend.

A 44-year-old Polish man has been remanded in custody after appearing at a special sitting of Loughrea District Court yesterday in relation to the discovery of over €300,000 worth of cannabis herb in Co Galway.

ALLIANZ HL DIVISION 1A:

Derval O’Rourke and Ciarán Ó Lionáird have expressed disappointment at the level of funding they are set to receive in 2014.

Cusack Park in Ennis is the headquarters of Clare GAA, the field on which the All-Ireland senior hurling champions of 2013 were fired and forged.

Your team has just been beaten in the provincial championship and you’re heading out the back-door and into the jungle of the All-Ireland qualifiers.

As the days ticked by and Ireland’s medal count climbed higher and higher at the Paralympic Games, the fear mounted just as quickly that people might get the wrong impression that it was all just a wee bit too easy.

Ireland’s Paralympic team took a break from the medal trail yesterday after six positively greedy days here in London but the pursuit will resume today when Mark Rohan and Jason Smyth attempt to double up on golds claimed earlier this week.

There have been mixed results for Irish athletes so far on the eighth day of the Paralympic games with Boccia hopeful Johnny Cronin unsuccessful in his bid, and cyclist Colin Lynch marked as DNF (Did Not Finish).

Three years ago Catherine Walsh made history when she became Ireland’s first paracycling medal winner at a major event with silver at the World Track Championship alongside sighted pilot Fran Meehan.

When Bethany Firth touched the wall after one minute and 8.93 seconds of the 100m backstroke S14 final shortly before 8pm last night she thought she had done enough to win a bronze.

A day of almosts.

Dónal Óg Cusack has raised serious questions about the future of hurling after last Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final.

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.

Matthew Brammeier’s appeal to be included for selection in the three-man Ireland Olympic road race team has been unsuccessful.

In one of the very best episodes of Seinfeld, it turns out that among the members of Elaine’s aerobics class is the dashing, handsome and ostentatiously eligible John F Kennedy junior.

John Conlon insists the maturing process is over and that Clare’s time is now as they chase a Munster hurling championship breakthrough.

Seamus Hayes, Clare Champion sports editor, on the heady Ger Loughnane days, email disasters and poorly planned media days.

KILFEACLE defeated arch rivals Clanwilliam to book their place in the semi-finals of the Munster Junior Clubs Challenge Cup with a 30-7 victory.

Clare will field a team containing three Championship newcomers when they clash with Tipperary in Sunday's Munster SHC semi-final at the Gaelic Grounds (throw-in 4pm).

A MORE clinical Naomh Abán edged out Carrigaline after extra-time in the Cork PIFC second round at Ovens on Saturday.

CLARE senior football boss Michéal McDermott has secured the services of renowned fitness coach Mike McGurn for the 2011 season.

WATERFORD hurling legend Tony Browne has confirmed his retirement from the inter-county game after this, his 19th season at the top level.

NA PIARSAIGH claimed local bragging rights after crushing neighbours Glen Rovers in the opening round of the Evening Echo Cork senior hurling championship at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday night.