Four athletes – no matter which way you dress it up, is a number that should cause concern.

Some 40 jobs have been lost in Limerick with the sudden closure of a Eurospar supermarket at Watch House Cross.

We were lucky enough to grab a sneak peek of the 2015 version of the Irish Farmers Calendar.

Derval O'Rourke has withdrawn from this weekend's European team championships, dealing a further blow to Team Ireland.

Ireland have been dealt two serious blows ahead of the European team championships in Dublin this weekend.

Derval O'Rourke and Fionnuala Britton will lead a weakened Irish team in the European Team championship next week.

Ten people involved in property partnerships have sued Ulster Bank Ireland Ltd and First Active plc over the alleged mis-selling of derivative agreements or swaps to hedge “notional liabilities” for more than €65m.

Irish boxing is punching above its weight

Following the performance of our boxers at the Olympic Games, particularly Katie Taylor winning gold, we are all proud of them for their achievements.

Highjumper Deirdre Ryan has vowed to learn from her Olympic experience as a miserable week of track and field for Irish competitors continued yesterday.

Deirdre Ryan was disappointed as she went out in high jump qualifying at the Olympic Stadium today.

Deirdre Ryan will be hoping to repeat her performance at the world championships in Daegu when she competes in the first qualifying group of the women’s high jump this morning (9.30am).

The Woodie’s DIY National Championships take place at the Morton Stadium, Santry this weekend.

Irish record holders Deirdre Ryan and Derval O’Rourke will not compete in the European Track and Field Championships in Helsinki at the end of the month.

Colin Griffin has boosted the Irish track and field team for the Olympic Games to 18 after sailing past the Olympic A standard to qualify for the 50k race walking at London 2012.

Joanne Cuddihy will compete in the Olympic 400 metres, having become the 17th Irish track and field athlete to qualify for London 2012.

European cross-country champion Fionnuala Britton has secured her second Olympic 'A' standard for London 2012 by beating the 10,000m mark by 16 seconds.

High jumper Deirdre Ryan has been a regular at major championships ever since competing in the World Youths in 1999.

Irish Olympic High Jump hopeful Deirdre Ryan is eager to get back into competitive action ahead of London 2012, following an ankle injury which has ruled the Dundrum-based athlete out since January.

Ireland’s Olympic selectors have been given a marathon headache, as a fourth athlete has made the qualifying mark for the women’s marathon at London 2012.

Maria McCambridge has become the 15th athlete to qualify for the Irish Track and Field team for this year’s Olympic Games in London.

Tori Pena has become the first Irish pole vaulter in athletics history to qualify for an Olympic Games.

David Gillick remains unfazed by the fact he has yet to qualify for the Olympic Games men’s 400m and revealed there may be mere weeks to spare before he achieves the required ‘A’ time.

WHILE the English take turns flagellating and excusing themselves for failing to select a single woman in their top ten sporting “personalities” of the year, at least we have gone one better. Just the one though.

HIS lack of sporting credentials were viewed with dismay when he took office but Irish sports officials are hoping that may work in their favour this week as they meet with Sports Minister Leo Varadkar, for the first time.

DEIRDRE RYAN (Dundrum South Dublin) was named Athlete of the Year at the National Athletics Awards in the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Santry on Saturday night.

High jumper Deirdre Ryan has been named The Irish Times / Irish Sports Council ‘Sportswoman of the Month’ for the month of August.

CIARAN Ó LIONAIRD can’t wait to get his preparations for next year’s Olympic Games underway and, after his Daegu odyssey, he can plan for the future with world-class funding from the Irish Sports Council.

Deirdre Ryan hailed a “dream” World Championships after finishing an impressive sixth in the high jump final in Daegu today.

REGARDLESS of the outcome of today’s 1,500m final at the World Championships in Daegu, Ciarán Ó Lionaird’s coach is convinced the 23 year-old Cork man has huge medal potential.

Ireland enjoyed a highly successful day six of the World Championships in Daegu as Deirdre Ryan, Alistair Cragg and Ciaran O’Lionaird all qualified for their respective finals.

CIARAN Ó LIONAIRD took another giant step forward in his fragmented athletics career yesterday when he finished sixth in his semi-final of the men’s 1,500m at the world championships in Daegu to qualify for tomorrow’s final.

Ireland enjoyed a highly successful day six of the World Championships in Daegu as Deirdre Ryan, Alistair Cragg and Ciaran O’Lionaird all qualified for their respective finals.

Cork's Ciaran O'Lionaird has qualified for the 1500 metres final at the World Championships in South Korea after a strong run in today's semi-final.

IRELAND’S hopes of a medal at the world championships in Daegu suffered a major blow yesterday when Olive Loughnane failed to replicate her silver medal performance in Berlin two years ago in the women’s 20k walk.

Ireland’s Olive Loughnane, the silver medallist in Berlin, had to settle for 16th this time in one hour 34.02 seconds in the women’s 20 kilometres walk at the World Championships in Daegu today.

ALISTAIR CRAGG will join Ciarán Ó Lionaird on tomorrow’s programme in the heats of the 5,000m while Deirdre Ryan will compete in the qualifying rounds of the high jump.

Derval O'Rourke continued her build-up for the World Championships by winning her ninth national title at Santry's Morton Stadium today.

ROBERT HEFFERNAN is a warrior and a fighter and he will win a medal at the Olympic Games in London 2012, according to his coach, Ivonne Cassin.

Derval O'Rourke's love affair with Championship racing was evident once again as she blasted through this morning's 100m hurdles heats at the European Championships in Barcelona.

Ireland’s Robert Heffernan today set a new national record as he finished fourth for the second time in four days in the European Championships in Barcelona.

IRISH team manager Patsy McGonagle believes David Gillick is ready to win his first European outdoor medal in this evening’s 400m final at the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona.

HOUSE prices are likely to plunge by a further 16% before the bottom of the market is reached, according to Goodbody Stockbrokers.

THE recession officially ended at the start of the year, new figures have revealed.