David Murphy beat James O’Donovan in the last shot of an enthralling, top class Munster senior semi-final at Béal na mBláth on Sunday.

John O’Rourke and David Hubbard will meet in the North Cork Junior A final, following O’Rourke’s impressive semi-final win over Derry Cooney at Peake.

A slayer of bookies, scourge of the authorities, media darling, friend of the common man. Harry Findlay settled down at 55? Hardly. “Everybody says I’m an odds-on idiot. I used to let people think I was an idiot. But not anymore. Not anymore.”

An 84-year-old Co Cork motorist collided with a woman cycling to work, causing her very serious injuries.

A family visit to a sick relative at University Hospital Limerick turned violent when a man was stabbed by his brother-in-law near the busy main entrance, a court heard.

Martin Coppinger won the Noel Phair Cup at Shannonvale, ending James O’Donovan’s fantastic run of wins.

Christmas is traditionally a time of the year for adding spice to enhance food flavours and tickle the festive taste buds of consumers.

Five potentially fatal heroin overdoses were reversed last year when trained staff administered a drug which is now being rolled out across the country.

Donncha O’Brien was brilliant at Durrus where he beat Jerry Gibbons by almost a bowl in torrential rain in the West Cork Junior A championship.

Duarigle Darwin, winner of the Ballyarthur Stakes at Fermoy and Grange meeting at the beginning of the season, collected the all-age Agnes O’Brien Cup at Blarney, yesterday after being declared the winner when Young Dilemma was withdrawn from the decider.

There were upsets in the featured Rakes of Mallow Stake, the all-aged stake and the Derby Trial Stake at Mallow yesterday.

Aidan Desmond was an impressive winner over Seán Twomey in the Munster Junior C semi-final at Templemichael on Sunday.

Martin Coppinger is back on track to regain the Munster senior title after securing the top spot in Pool D with an emphatic win over Christy Mullins on the Creamery Road in Bantry.

The first barometer of the 2015 bowling season will be played out at the three-day Ból-Fada festival at Keady-Tassagh in Armagh over the weekend.

Raymond Ryan was the pick of the weekend Munster Intermediate championship winners after beating Denis O’Driscoll by almost three bowls at the Marsh Road.

Patrick O’Donoghue just edged PJ Cooney in the last shot of their Munster intermediate championship clash at Templemichael on Saturday. 

Vincent Kiely’s win in the Tim White Cup final at Rosscarbery was the highlight of a weekend in which North Cork bowlers took four big victories. 

Peter Murray wonders why, in an eclectic collection of writers’ responses to works on show at the National Gallery the majority of contributors chose pieces that allowed them avoid eye-to-eye contact with the subject.

Martin Coppinger had a comfortable two bowls of odds win over James Buckley at Waterfall in the final pool score of the Munster senior championship on Sunday.

Amongst his more familiar but less tactful friends, Donal Leahy is oft jokingly referred to as The Nearly Man. Mafi Magic and Two Excuses must accept their share of the blame for that.

Aidan Murphy beat Ulster’s Thomas Mackle in the last shot of the Mother Hegarty Cup final at Lyre on Sunday.

Thomas Mackle had an easier thanexpected win over Aidan Murphy in the Dunmanway Hospital Day Care Tournament semi-final at Derrinasafa on Sunday.

James O’Donovan and Martin Coppinger made it a fruitless trip south for Armagh brothers Peadar and Cathal Toal when they handed them a double defeat at Whitechurch on Saturday.

PJ Cooney will contest the Munster intermediate championship final in two weeks following his semi-final win over David Hubbard at Carraig na bhFear on Friday.

Gary Daly kept his Munster championship dreams alive when he beat James Buckley with a huge last shot at Ballincurrig on Sunday in the last score of Pool C.

Gary Daly kept his championship ambitions alive with a good last shot win over Christy Mullins in Pool C of the Munster senior championship at Shannonvale.

David Murphy continued his march to the Munster senior championship quarter-final with a bowl-of-odds win over Nicholas Carey at Templemichael on Sunday.

Aidan Murphy beat Brian Wilmot in the last shot at Newcestown to stay toe-to-toe with Martin Coppinger in Pool B of the Munster senior championship.

Donal Riordan and William O’Driscoll had good wins in the Munster intermediate championship, beating brothers Anthony and Noel Gould respectively.

John Young got the most significant win so far in the Junior A championship when he beat Jerry Gibbons in the last shot of an enthralling contest at Drinagh on Monday.

Gavin Twohig got the first win in the renewal of the Connie Killarney Cup at Skibbereen on Sunday when he beat Donal Riordan by over two bowls.

Edmund Sexton beat Éamon Bowen Jnr by just over a metre in a highly-competitive score at Templemichael on Sunday.

Kilcohan Park may have to take a backseat for a few days after Thomas The Tank, owned by Waterford racing manager Kathleen Lennon and trained by her father, Denis, was crowned the Boylesports Coursing Derby champion of 2013.

President Michael D Higgins has paid tribute to contemporary poet Dennis O’Driscoll who died yesterday.

Vincent Kiely is the John Cronin Cup champion following his last shot win over John O’Donoghue at Cobh on Sunday.

James O’Donovan beat Arthur McDonagh in the last shot in the first round of the Josie Crean Cup at Whitechurch on Saturday.

Vincent Kiely beat John Cahalane in the last shot in the opening round of the Jerry Desmond Cup at Sam’s Cross on Saturday.