John Coghlan held off London 2012 Olympic marathoner Mark Kenneally to take the St. Patrick’s festival 5k road race in Dublin city centre yesterday, a race organised by his father Eamonn Coghlan.

Tipperary 2-17 Longford 0-6

Jack Sheedy’s Longford were bounced out of the All-Ireland senior football championship by Tipperary this afternoon.

When Michael Cusack founded the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1884 he had two main aims: to re-establish hurling as the national game and to promote athletics throughout the country.

The expected cross-country debate never materialised at the Athletics Ireland General Congress which finished ahead of schedule at the Moran’s Silver Springs hotel in Cork on Saturday, where Ciarán Ó Catháin was re-elected as president for a further two years.

The Athletics Ireland biannual General Congress takes place this weekend in the Moran’s Silver Springs Hotel in Cork and there is expected to be some lively debate and arguments over a wide range of topics from cross-country to finance and high performance.

Up the brow of the first hill it was clear Síofra Cléirigh Buttner had her sixth consecutive Aviva All-Ireland Schools Cross Country gold medal ready to be draped over her neck on a challenging course at Cork IT.

Marcus Lawler and Phil Healy have continued their rapid ascent since being a class apart at the All-Ireland Schools Track and Field Championships last summer and the two sprinters are set to star at the Woodie’s DIY Senior Indoor Championships in Athlone this weekend.

Olympic Decathlon champion Ashton Eaton has been confirmed among an impressive field for the inaugural Athlone International Grand Prix to be held later this month.

UCD’s Mark English underlined his world-class potential at the Woodie’s DIY AAI Games in Athlone yesterday with a national 800m indoor record (1:46.82) which qualifies him for the world indoors.

Fionnuala Britton declared herself happy with her competitive return to action at the Gerry Farnan cross country festival yesterday as she cruised to victory over three miles in 15:45 in the Phoenix Park.

Kerry 2-19 Tipperary 0-8, Fitzgerald Stadium

Dr Crokes defender Fionn Fitzgerald will make his Championship debut for Kerry in Sunday's Munster SFC quarter-final against Tipperary at Fitzgerald Stadium (throw-in 2pm).

Champions Donegal will begin their defence of the Ulster SFC against Tyrone at Ballybofey on Sunday (4pm) with the same 15 players who started last September’s All-Ireland final win over Mayo.

With grown men banging the blue-boarded track and a raucous crowd standing on their feet as John Travers broke eight minutes for the 3,000m, it truly was Super Sunday at the Woodie’s DIY National Indoor Championships in Athlone in a day to remember for Irish athletics aficionados.

It used to be a very cosy world, Gaelic football in Munster, Kerry dominant, Cork challenging in what was a virtual duopoly.

Rock veterans Status Quo are to reunite their classic original line-up for a series of shows next year, they announced today.

Four years ago in Beijing Paul Hession turned in a stunning performance to win his second round heat and qualify for the semi-finals of the 200m at the Olympic Games.

Ciarán Ó Lionáird will be the star attraction for Cork in tonight’s 61st annual Cork City Sports with the Macroom native a strong contender in the iconic mile distance, writes Conor George of the Evening Echo.

Ciarán Ó Lionáird will turn to his home track and the support of the home crowd at the CIT Stadium in Bishopstown this evening (6.30pm) to launch the final phase of his Olympic build-up in the featured Cork City Sports Cork Airport Mile.

Twelve months on from revealing he used a synthetic hurley, Ryan O’Dwyer is still playing with the Cúl Tec product and swears by it.

The Tipperary senior hurling team to play Cork in the Allianz NHL Division 1A clash at Semple Stadium on Sunday shows four changes from the team which started in last weekend’s drawn game with Dublin.

Cork U21 football captain Rory O’Sullivan will miss the rest of their campaign after damaging his cruciate ligament for the second time in just over a year during Wednesday night’s Munster semi-final victory over Clare.

It was last autumn, not long after he failed to make it through the 200m heats in the World Championships in Daegu, that Paul Hession, see picture below, realised something had to change.

Anthony Daly admitted he is likely to field a weakened Dublin team in next Sunday’s last round Division 1A game against Waterford in Dungarvan.

DCU make history when they line up for the Distance Medley Relay at the Millrose Games in New York on Saturday night.

Ciáran Ó Lionáird got his Olympic year off to a sensational start at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston on Saturday night when he won a drama-packed men’s mile in a new pb of 3:56.01.

Ciarán Ó Lionaird hopes to get Olympic year off to a flying start at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston on Saturday.

David McCarthy came close to breaking the US collegiate record for the mile with victory in the Boston University Terrier Invite Meet on Saturday (3:55.75).

JOE SWEENEY goes into tomorrow’s Woodies DIY national inter-county cross-country championships overwhelming favourite to retain the title he won in Derry last year.

Paul Hession is to move his London 2012 training base from Scotland to Dublin to work with coach John Coghlan.

Tipperary manager Declan Ryan has made one change to his team for Sunday's Munster SHC final against Waterford.

DERVAL O’ROURKE’S performance in Chaux du Fonds, Switzerland, on Sunday is all the more impressive considering she is right in the middle of a hard block of training, according to her coach, Sean Cahill.

HE wasn’t amongst the 16,700 patrons who filed through the turnstiles in the Gaelic Grounds last Sunday; instead he had to keep tabs on the action from Portlaoise Garda Station where he was working a shift.

WHEN Tipperary selector Michael Gleeson walked into the senior dressing-room for the first time, there were a plethora of familiar faces.

SOME of Ireland top young talents secured qualification for international events at the Woodie’s DIY AAI Games at windswept Santry yesterday.

Tipperary manager Declan Ryan and his Wexford counterpart Colm Bonnar have finalised their teams for tomorrow's Allianz Hurling League Division 1 tie at Semple Stadium (throw-in 2.30pm).

EVEN someone as young and energetic as Tipperary’s powerhouse defender Pádraic Maher admits his hurling life has grown ‘hectic’ in the last nine month.

CORK captain Shane O’Neill will complete his comeback from injury when he makes his first appearance of the year in Sunday’s trip to the south-east to face Wexford in Division 1 of the Allianz Hurling League.

TIPPERARY manager Declan Ryan has handed last year’s All-Ireland U21 medal winner John Coghlan his first senior start for Sunday’s Allianz Division 1 Hurling League tie against Galway in Pearse Stadium.