A new retail pharmacy brand hopes to employ in the region of 750 people around the country within the next four years.

Discussion of motions for this weekend’s GAA’s Annual Congress was the main focus of last night’s Cork County Board meeting at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

Cork County Board chairman Bob Ryan last night said he is hopeful a resolution will be found by the end of this week, to the case that has left former Cork footballer Diarmuid Duggan out of pocket to almost €7,000 due to medical bills incurred while trying to cure a career-ending hip injury.

PEOPLE living in a remote village in Co Cork have described their shock and disbelief that the county’s largest on-land seizure of cocaine was discovered in such a quiet backwater.

THE Cork County Board last night voted overwhelmingly to back the proposed GPA recognition protocol which will be decided upon at February’s Central Council meeting next Saturday.

THE imposition of €10,000 fines arising from incidents in the Cork senior hurling championship game between Bride Rovers and Glen Rovers was termed an ‘injustice’ at Saturday night’ county board convention.

THE GAA is determined to clamp down on breaches of rule regarding the use of facilities by other sporting bodies, in a clear response to the controversy sparked by the use of Nemo Rangers’ indoor training centre by the Irish rugby squad earlier in the year.

GAA clubs in Cork are to have a major input into running the organisation in the county over the next five years, it has been announced today.

Cork’s squad for next Sunday’s NHL semi-final with Galway could be bolstered by the return of Ronan Curran, Jerry O’Connor and Joe Deane.

JOHN ARNOLD’S ire regarding the forthcoming events of April 23rd cannot be attributed to a lack of sporting ecumenism on this island — European Rugby Cup Ltd, as opposed to the IRFU, set the meeting of Munster and Leinster for the same date as the National Football League finals.

PLEASE permit me to reply to some of the outlandish claims made by Diarmuid O’Flynn in his ‘Talking GAA’ column (Irish Examiner, April 4).

THE final whistle had barely sounded on Saturday, even in the first game, when the speculation had already started.

ALL four quarter-finals of the Cork County SHC go ahead this weekend despite attempts by Erin’s Own and Blackrock to have their respective games against Newtownshandrum and St Finbarr’s postponed.

JOHN ARNOLD’S letter (Irish Examiner July 4) concerning the planning process deserves to be taken on board by Cork County Council.

WHAT’S wrong with the planning process in Cork county council?

JOHN ARNOLD, one of the critics of GAA President Sean Kelly at last weekend’s Cork County Convention, is holding out for a full breakdown of the financial figures for opening Croke Park on big-match days.

SEÁN KELLY insisted yesterday that he had not dishonoured the GAA or shown disrespect to the membership by advocating opening up Croke Park to other games.

GAA PRESIDENT Sean Kelly came in for stinging criticism at yesterday’s Cork GAA convention for ‘espousing’ personal views on the opening up of Croke Park to rugby and soccer.

I WISH to thank the people of Bartlemy and surrounding parishes in Co Cork for their support and friendship following the tragic death of my brother, Paddy Roche.

I ATTENDED my first game in Croke Park in September 1972, the All-Ireland final between Cork and Kilkenny.

LIKE many hundreds of St Colman’s fans, I was in Clonmel on Saturday last for the All Ireland Colleges final against St Kieran’s. We were all hoping to see history made as Colman’s strived for a three-in-a-row of Croke Cups.