Gardaí suspect dissident republican Michael Barr was shot dead because it was believed by the Kinahan cartel he provided a “safe house” to one of the gunmen in the Regency Hotel attack.

Teaching your children that the festive season is a time for giving can help keep their Christmas wish list under control, writes Ciara McDonnell

I must ask this question. Are we in this country being taken for a ride by the oil companies?

The Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) has ruled that a care home provider "acted reasonably" when sacking a care assistant for gross misconduct.

Hand-in-hand, the parents of the woman who was stabbed to death at her workplace last week, made their way to the front of the church near the end of her funeral Mass yesterday and paid a loving tribute to their daughter.

A mother-of-three is set to become the first sales consultant, in Ireland and Britain, to generate sales of over €1m in a single calendar year for international cosmetic firm, Oriflame.

Beleaguered former billionaire Sean Quinn was an outspoken guest of honour at the launch of the Ballinamore Family Festival in Co Leitrim yesterday.

DCC has never hidden its ambition, and this week joined the ranks of the FTSE top 100. But neither the company or chief executive Tommy Breen are resting on their laurels, eyeing up expansion to the continent, writes Kyran FitzGerald

RABODIRECT PRO12

Connacht 3 Glasgow Warriors 20

RABODIRECT PRO12

RABODIRECT PRO12: Edinburgh 24 Connacht 32

The deadline for registration of septic tanks is looming but one Corkman has revealed he registered twice due to an administrative error.

Statements have been taken from a number of people as part of a probe into the disappearance of a large sum of money from a Limerick GAA club.

Ospreys 26 Connacht 9

The inclusion of Adrian Flavin at hooker represents the only change for Connacht as they prepare to welcome Harlequins back to the Sportsground for Saturday’s Heineken Cup Round 2 meeting (6pm).

Ulster 25 Connacht 0

Connacht 34 Leinster 6

Connacht 11 Scarlets 24

Connacht have been forced to make a host of changes, including a new backrow, for today’s visit of the Scarlets to the Galway Sportsground.

Connacht head coach Eric Elwood has made six changes to the starting team for the Scarlets visit to the Sportsground tomorrow afternoon (3pm).

Connacht 9 Cardiff Blues 13

Connacht signed off with a best place finish in this season’s RaboDirect Pro12 League but Eric Elwood won’t be happy with this performance.

The inclusion of prop Denis Buckley, who joins the front-row in place of the injured Brett Wilkinson, is the only change Eric Elwood has made for his side’s PRO12 meeting with Aironi in the Sportsground tomorrow (5pm).

George Naoupu returns to a Connacht starting XV that is otherwise unchanged for their RaboDirect PRO12 clash against Ulster in the Sportsground on Saturday (5.15pm).

Former Irish and Munster scrum-half Michael Bradley has ruled himself out of the Munster job.

High hopes of Connacht repeating their famous victory of 10 years ago in Cardiff Arms Park were dashed last night when the Blues claimed victory on home soil.

The length of time being taken on the Anglo Irish Bank investigation is deeply worrying. It is to be hoped that everything is being prepared properly to ensure that any prosecutions are warranted and, given the cost involved in the three-year investigation, then successful.

ECSTATIC and joyous scenes in the Galway Sportsground last night, as Connacht finally delivered on their promise to turn their poor run of results around.

NOTHING quite beats winning at home and Richard Hennessy did precisely that when recording his initial career two-timer at yesterday’s Killeagh Harriers point-to-point meeting for the fixture was staged on his father Joe’s farm at Knockane outside Killeagh.

IN A game that was always about a performance, not the result, Connacht fulfilled their brief.

A competitive debut for Mick Kearney represents one of five changes Eric Elwood has made to the Connacht starting XV for the visit of Leinster to the Sportsground this New Year's Day (5pm).

CONNACHT coach Eric Elwood has vowed that a heartbreaking late loss to English Premiership side Gloucester will not break his side’s spirit.

AN improved set piece is essential if Connacht are to have any hopes of overcoming Gloucester on the second of the back-to-back Heineken Cup fixtures and grab that elusive win.

CONNACHT boss Eric Elwood admitted it was “difficult to find positives” after his side were edged out by Gloucester on Saturday and remain without a win in the Heineken Cup.

The Connacht side that will face Benetton Treviso on Friday night at the Sportsground (kick off: 7.30pm) shows seven changes from the team that lost 6-17 to the Ospreys last weekend.

AFTER last weekend’s historic Heineken Cup fixture against Toulouse, Connacht’s desire to translate their strong European form into points in the RaboDirect Pro 12 came unstuck against league pacesetters Ospreys.

THERE is a bit of a way to go yet for Connacht, who suffered stage-fright in the face of high-quality opposition at Saturday night’s historic Heineken Cup clash at the Sportsground.

THERE are many reasons why the entire country will be shouting for Connacht at the Sportsgrounds tomorrow night; one being that minnows generally get the nod from the real neutral fans of sport.

Harlequins 25 Connacht 17

ANOTHER frustrating night for Connacht.

CONNACHT grabbed a losing bonus point on their second away RaboDirect Pro 12 fixture this season with the last kick of the match against the Ospreys in Wales last night.

CONNACHT returned to winning ways last evening, but it took a huge second-half effort to overcome a physical Dragons side at the Galway Sportsground.

EDINBURGH took the spoils last night to claim their first win of the RaboDirect Pro 12 season at Connacht’s expense who had to settle for an away bonus point.