On top of the fellow feeling you would naturally expect him to have for fellow boys in green, Gary Breen, proud son of a Kerryman, has an additional reason for hoping John Egan and the rest of the Irish contingent at Sheffield United do well in the Premier League.

Here's your lunchtime bulletin.

Once when asked to describe jazz, the famous pianist Thomas Fats Waller replied, “if you don’t know by now, don’t mess with it”. The quote is both sanitised — a four-letter word other than mess was used — and often misattributed (to Louis Armstrong).

Former Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy has revealed that the memory of guiding the country to the World Cup finals still burns as brightly as the fires that illuminated the night sky in Tehran following their triumph in Iran.

When Martin O’Neill named three uncapped strikers in his latest squad at a press conference in Dublin on Tuesday, almost lost in the discussion about Ireland’s need to locate a cutting edge was the manager’s low key reference to Kevin Doyle “suffering a bit from concussion”.

Fourteen years on from the World Cup finals in Japan and Korea, when he scored for Ireland against Saudi Arabia, Gary Breen is still being followed around the place by one of the daftest and most memorable of the Green Army’s all-time greatest hits.

Talking publishing, writing, selling and reading in our sports book round-up.

In the week that was in it, and with the long awaited Euros kick off now just 24 hours away, a conversation with Kevin Kilbane could only begin with one question: was he too now ready to come out of international retirement?

A pilot food trail project will be served up in Cork this month to showcase produce from the city’s famous English Market.

One of Ireland’s oldest breweries is to be transformed into a €3m visitor centre which is set to open its doors in less than a year.

The historic but little-known ties between Waterford Health Park and a master architect whose work can be found inside the Palace of Westminster has been officially marked in Waterford City.

Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir caused controversy last night when he sent off Manchester United winger Nani in the Champions League tie against Real Madrid.

IT might have been all green until now, but red and white were the only colours in town last night as 30,000 raucous Polish fans went wild.

Gary Breen may have visited Roy Keane’s room after the Saipan bust-up — but insisted the Cork man had to go for the sake of the team.

PICK OF THE DAY

STEVE STAUNTON was obviously disappointed.

NEW season, new beginnings. But, for Sean St Ledger, that means a lot more than most.

CIVIC and business leaders in the south-east have called for “fair pricing” during Waterford’s hosting of the Tall Ships this summer.

UCD 0 Dundalk 2

UCD 0 Dundalk 2

ANDORRA may have only lost 2-0 at home to Russia on Friday, but their coach Koldo Alvarez believes they face a tougher task tonight at the Aviva Stadium.

THE silence lasted 90 seconds.

THE Republic of Ireland U23 side lost their opening game of the International Challenge Trophy when they went down to England in front of a crowd of 1,570 at the RSC last night to all but end their chances of progressing in the competition.

Lorcan Fitzgerald has been called into the Republic of Ireland Under-23 squad ahead of Wednesday night’s match against England at the RSC. The Sporting Fingal defender replaces Ian Bermingham of St Patrick’s Athletic, who has been forced to withdraw due to an Achilles injury.

Dundalk defender Shaun Kelly has been called into the Republic of Ireland Under-23 squad to face England at the RSC next Wednesday.

OF all Ireland’s play-off defeats, this one was the hardest to take.

Shamrock Rovers 1 Galway United 1

Shamrock Rovers 1 Galway United 0

Galway United 2 St Patrick’s Athletic 1

Bray Wanderers 2 Galway United 2

Galway United 1 Dundalk 0

IRISH soccer captain Robbie Keane enjoyed the best match of his life over the weekend as he married his long-term girlfriend, model Claudine Palmer, in a lavish, star-studded ceremony.

Gavin Rae has refused to give up on Cardiff’s play-off hopes despite tonight’s trip to Wolves being a “must-win” clash.

A former prisoner has lost his High Court action for damages against the governor of Wheatfield Prison for serious injuries he sustained after a bucket of boiling water was thrown over him by another inmate while he was jailed there.

A former prisoner at Wheatfield in West Dublin is suing the Governor and the State for damages arising out of an incident in which he claims a bucket of boiling water was thrown over him by a fellow inmate in 1999.

A FORMER prisoner has brought an action at the High Court for damages against the governor of Wheatfield Prison for injuries allegedly received when a bucket of boiling water was thrown over him while imprisoned there.

Cardiff 2 Wolves 0

REPUBLIC of Ireland U-19 manager Sean McCaffrey has named a 20-man squad for next week’s double-header of friendly games with Portugal. The matches, on September 4 and 6 (both 7.30pm) will maintain preparations ahead of the first phase UEFA U-19 qualifying series.

One of the biggest, oldest and most diverse arts festivals in Ireland opens today.

Wolves 2 West Brom 3

Sunderland moved into second place in the Coca-Cola Championship with a 1-0 win over play-off contenders Cardiff at Ninian Park.