Nestled at the end of the second paragraph of the IRFU’s official statement on Jamie Heaslip’s retirement was the fact that the Leinster No 8 had appeared 95 times for his country and played the full 80 minutes for 72 of them.

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Ireland was not included in Britain’s conscription bill of January, 1916, but by then 90,000 Irishmen had volunteered, as many more would before 1918.

For nearly a century ceremonies in Britain to remember those who fought in the First World War, and subsequently all wars, were animated by the phrase “Lest We Forget.” 

Dan MacCarthy dodges torrents of melting glacier water, tries to emulate Bear Grylls, and meets interesting comrades as he treks in some of Europe’s most beautiful scenery around Mont Blanc.

A Labour TD has said that it was "wrong" of An Post to produce stamps commemorating John Redmond, as the Irish Parliamentary Party leader "promoted, recruited, and shamed Irishmen into killing for Great Britain".

While the words on the banner hung in front of Liberty Hall (‘We serve neither King nor Kaiser but Ireland’) still resonate a century on, representing the values of a patriotic anti-imperialist neutrality, they mask an historical reality that was a good deal more complex than is generally allowed (Letters, July 4).

Dragons 14 Munster 18

Three Irishmen are among 1,000 adults identified in an international online sex crimes investigation involving young children.

More than one-in-five Irishmen are suffering in silence from premature ejaculation, according to international experts on sexual health.

Two Irishmen have been named as some of the British government’s most wanted tax dodgers and are now believed to be on the run here.

In the past couple of weeks, a Scotsman conquered the world’s most prestigious tennis tournament.

An incredible day of tactical racing has set the tone for the weekend

Dragons 30 Munster 24

Phil Mickelson celebrated becoming America’s most capped Ryder Cup player with two wins on the opening day in Chicago.

Davis Love’s two current major champions and a pumped-up Keegan Bradley more than made up for the struggles of Tiger Woods as the United States threatened to take a grip on the Ryder Cup in Chicago today.

Tom Cooper’s support (Jul 28) for the inclusion of former residents of the Magdalene laundries and the Bethany Home within the redress scheme is admirable.

AS JOHN TREACY ran the finishing 100 metres of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic marathon, the RTÉ commentator, Jimmy Magee, listed 12 names.

Newport Gwent Dragons 19 Connacht 27

PRAYERS will be said this morning that the weather will change sufficiently to allow divers to search the wreck of the Tit Bonhomme, which may conceal the bodies of five fishermen feared drowned after it struck rocks and sank at the entrance to a bay in Co Cork.

Newport Gwent Dragons 22 Ulster 9

Ospreys 27 Leinster 3

IT promises to be an exciting moving day today at the Irish Open presented by Discover Ireland as Marcel Siem takes a one-stroke lead into the third round with 24 players within five shots of him.

WILLIE ‘Big Bang’ Casey and Paul Hyland were primed for battle as they weighed in for tonight’s all-Ireland European title thriller at the University Arena in Limerick.

TWO Irishmen were last night toasting possible Oscar success after they were nominated for their work on Avatar and Star Trek.

RORY McILROY said winning the World Cup for Ireland with his good friend Graeme McDowell this week would be an “awesome” way to end a brilliant season.

Ospreys 16 Ulster 20

A ceremony to honour the Irishmen and women who died in past wars, or on service, is being held in Dublin today.

LET’S be honest. Traditionally, Irishmen are not renowned for being the world’s greatest romantics.

Ospreys 8 Leinster 13

Dragons 26 Ulster 16

Munster 23 Clermont Auvergne 13

I FIND it hard to fathom why the Lord Mayor of Cork, Brian Bermingham, should wish to organise a concert in the City Hall in honour of Corkmen who died in British uniform in the First World War. Moreover, the timing (November 8) makes the concert part of a bigger Remembrance Day/Poppy Day ceremony — a blanket commemoration of all British regiments and campaigns.

Leinster 20 Toulouse 13

Munster 22 Llanelli 13

Newport Gwent Dragons 16 Munster 26

I WONDER if any of your readers would have information on Fort Shannon which was constructed a short distance from Tarbert, Co Kerry, during the Emergency years.

IN his recent letter on World War I, headlined ‘Emotional return to the killing fields’, Maurice O’Connell says the issues surrounding the involvement of so many Irishmen from the nationalist tradition (and the impact on their families) are extremely complex.

Gardaí have arrested four men as part of an international investigation into the smuggling of drugs into Ireland.

I WAS disappointed with the biased report from the Cork Sexual Violence Centre, as covered by The Irish Examiner (December 13).

ULSTER made it two wins out of two in their defence of their Celtic League title, now called the Magners League, as the a gutsy Dragons ran out of steam in a tremendous match.

Newport Gwent Dragons 25 Ulster 32

YOUR report headlined ‘75% of taxi drivers have high blood pressure’ uses statistics in a meaningless way (Irish Examiner, May 12).