Pope Benedict XVI pledged that the Roman Catholic Church would take action to confront the clerical sex abuse scandal, his first public remarks calling for change since the crisis erupted.

Former jump jockey PJ McDonald returned to the scene of his biggest triumph over obstacles and walked away with a big-priced double courtesy of Tale Of Silver and Jim Martin at Ayr.

Check our tips for selected courses from today's horse racing events across Ireland and in the United Kingdom.

IF, like some of us, you have been hitching your wagon to Noel Meade over the past couple of weeks you will have found it, if not exactly a licence to print money, at least a decent source of income.

DUNDALK’S new all-weather track — the first of its kind in Ireland — was road tested for the first time yesterday ahead of the first meeting, the MCR Group Race Day, on Sunday 26th.

An American Jesuit magazine has apologised after inadvertently publishing an advertisement for a Virgin Mary statue wrapped in a condom that a British artist intended as a protest against the church’s opposition to condom use.

Ireland’s first all-weather racecourse at Dundalk has officially been given the go-ahead after the board of Horse Racing Ireland approved maximum grant aid of €10.276m for the project.

DUNDALK is the sole runner in the race to develop Ireland’s first all-weather racetrack.

NAAS are to go ahead with plans to widen their track despite having to put on hold the dream of becoming Ireland’s first all-weather track.