Here's your lunchtime news bulletin.

The late Danny la Rue would have been 90 today. Dan Buckley recalls a memorable encounter with the Cork-born entertainer.

Laura O’Mahony is from Glanmire, Co Cork, but currently lives in Ballycotton, with husband, Shane, and daughter, Polly. She is on tour with comedy group, Cccahoots. They play Whelan’s, in Dublin, tomorrow.

RELAXING into the ritual of a soft-boiled egg on Sunday morning I was astonished, actually envious, to read in several newspapers that RTÉ paid out €85,000 to named people ostensibly libelled when called homophobic by Rory O’Neill aka the drag-artist Panti Bliss on the Saturday Night Show.

WE CAN hardly call him Boy anymore, now that George is about to celebrate his 50th birthday on Tuesday next.

STARS including Barbara Windsor, Ronnie Corbett and Roy Hudd gathered to say farewell to Danny La Rue.

THOUGH brought together by the coincidental timing of their deaths, Vincent O’Brien and Danny La Rue have more in common than is immediately apparent.

THERE is great sadness in the world of horse racing and in the world of show business after internationally acclaimed horse trainer Dr Vincent O’Brien and female impersonator Danny La Rue died.

FROM Barbara Windsor to Bruce Forsyth, television’s greats last night paid tribute to Corkman Danny La Rue, the man they called a “a true show business legend”.

Irish-born entertainer Danny La Rue has died after a short illness, his spokeswoman said today. He was 81.

I READ with great interest the programme to celebrate Cork’s designation as European capital of culture. I look forward to a wonderful year of activity.

WHY do you persistently refer to Graham Norton as Cork-born?

Laura Elston

Alan Amsby, Ireland’s best known drag queen, was formerly the MC at Mr Pussy’s Cafe on Suffolk Street in Dublin. It was opened by Bono, Jim Sheridan and Gavin Friday but is now a sandwich shop.