Brian O’Donnell, a publican, proprietor, and raconteur who died early yesterday after a long life and a short illness.

Our rugby analyst on where Ireland must get it right against Scotland

Talking points from the weekend's GAA action.

The man's lawyer said his client was absolutely devastated by what he did to his sister and that it was very much them against the world following the death of their parents.

It was the result most expected but Donegal's journey to the Allianz League Division 2 title was anything but straightforward at Croke Park.

The name David Austin is synonymous with roses in the 20th century and beyond. He died peacefully at his home in December, and is fondly recalled by Peter Dowdall.

Charlie Landsborough begins his farewell tour of Ireland at the end of the month — the music star wants to quit while he’s ahead, he tells Margaret Jennings.

For any management team to have a chance of success, they need their players to fully believe in what they are doing and it’s clear that Fermoy’s Tomás Clancy is fully on board with what Ronan McCarthy et al are trying to achieve, as they face into Saturday evening’s Munster final against their long-time rivals from the other side of the Paps.

Twenty years ago, there were the three shadowy priests who, it was claimed, had knowledge of Colin Lynch’s suspension before the Munster Council had even met to decide his faith. In Liam Doyle, Seánie McMahon, and Anthony Daly, meanwhile, Clare had the three wise kings, forming one of hurling’s greatest half-back lines. Two decades on from the Banner’s last Munster SHC success and the All-Ireland title that got away, the trio recall that tumultuous summer of ’98, from Lynch’s ban to Jimmy Cooney’s bad time-keeping.

A first win over Kerry since 2010, Tyrone rounded off their Division 1 campaign with a treasured scalp even if it ultimately counted for little.

“We’ll be punished if we play like this on Saturday.” It’s not often the crowd at the Emirates grumbles in agreement, but that was the general sentiment in N5 just before 9pm last Wednesday.

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt insists he had fretted before yesterday's Test that his would face the same level of Springboks performance that forced a 25-24 defeat to New Zealand last month.

The view from the Bridge, the Stamford Bridge press box, is the worst in the Premier League, especially if you are unlucky enough to be stuck at the back, where the low overhanging concrete beams give the impression of a Second World War bunker. It makes anything above head height on the pitch almost impossible to see. 

A drunken Scottish businesswoman who sparked an air rage alert on her way to a Donegal rehabilitation centre has avoided jail.

ONE scintilla of over-confidence and Ireland get undone at the Aviva tomorrow. One whiff of arrogance, that’s all it would take. There shouldn’t be, and I expect there won’t be. Because if the French bring their A game, I think they will win in Dublin.

Given his famous father’s association with Chris Eubank, it is not surprising Stevie Collins Jr has grown accustomed to fielding questions on the young man from Brighton with the same name.

What we think of as the quintessential English cottage garden style — mixed herbaceous borders and some pomp and circumstance, and yes, by that we can infer a bit of Elgar and Victoria sponge) — the type of garden praised and replicated across Britain, and adhered to here by a certain type of Irish mindset and the open-garden brigade — is not so English at all.

The new Universal monster movie franchise is already attracting heaps of talent and the latest to sign on is Javier Bardem.

Stoke City’s Irish midfielder Glenn Whelan will play against Newcastle tonight despite breaking his nose in the weekend win over Aston Villa - but manager Mark Hughes does not know if the Dubliner will wear a protective mask.

TODAY

As has happened in so many Mays before, the same will happen this May: the GAA will be criticised for not organising a grand game to launch the football championship in style. 

Kildare 1-21 Cork 1-13: Fionn Fitzgerald has a lot to answer for.

Jubilant Greeks celebrated their democracy last night as they voted overwhelmingly against austerity; Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis announced his resignation today after the No vote; An appeal has been issued for experienced divers to join searches for the last victim of last week’s wave tragedy off West Cork. Here’s this morning’s irishexaminer.com catch-up.

Cork 2-22 Wexford 0-20

Dublin hurling manager Ger Cunningham believes his players are slowly shedding their Jekyll and Hyde tag.

When Dublin won the league title in 2011, the final ended in pretty much the same manner as it did for Waterford yesterday; a big score, the game in the bag down the home straight, the option of emptying the bench was on the table. 

He may be only a kid but from what we have already seen of Jordan Spieth, it is enough to be unsurprised that the Texan will not be taking a Masters victory for granted this weekend.

I’ve had worse weeks.

At the half-way point in the season, and with only one more game (at West Ham tomorrow) to complete a topsy-turvy year, Arsene Wenger insists Arsenal is still a club moving forward; but after yet another Jekyll and Hyde performance we still don’t really know if it will be New Year, new start in 2015 — or same old Arsenal

As one Cabinet Minister put it: "Jaysus Eric, I think our cover’s been blown."

Aiden McGeady continues to play the dual role of magician and frustrator-in-chief as he prepares to win his 71st Republic of Ireland cap.

Now that the Scottish independence referendum has been put to bed, the United States is looking after ebola and ISIS, and the Dail has returned after its much-deserved, long summer break, we must not forget that the real problem of the modern age has not gone away.

Chelsea 4 Swansea 2

August may be upon us, but the Kildare team that faces Monaghan in the All-Ireland qualifiers on Saturday returns to Croke Park with no-one knowing for certain where they stand in Gaelic football’s pecking order.

A nurse in England who allegedly arranged to meet a 14-year-old girl he planned to behead with an axe and eat started having fantasies about cannibalism at the age of six, a court has heard.

Rolf Harris targeted young fans whose "penalty" for their admiration was to suffer sexual assault at the hands of the star, a court has heard.

Veteran entertainer Rolf Harris targeted young fans whose “penalty” for their admiration was to be sexually assaulted by him, a court has heard.

Veteran entertainer Rolf Harris was a “Jekyll and Hyde” character whose “untouchable” reputation allowed him to carry out a string of alleged indecent assaults on under-age girls, a court has heard.

Newcastle 0 Manchester United 4

Valerie Martin