To keep an arts festival going in some of the toughest economic conditions this country has ever witnessed is an achievement in itself.

THE phrase connecting clouds to silver linings might be well applied to ‘Liminal’, the exhibition showcasing work by degree students of the Crawford College of Art and Design.

A world-renowned travel writer, who proposed to his wife while visiting Lismore in 2010, will return this month to speak at an event celebrating the Immrama travel writing festival.

Eugene O’Sullivan’s The Blarney Rose lit up yesterday’s extremely wet Boulta point-to-point fixture by destroying the opposition in the open lightweight.

A DOUBLE eagle blast on the back nine shot Barrie Trainor to the top of the leaderboard at Malahide in the north Dublin club’s annual pro-am tournament.

Independent Mick Wallace has been elected on the first count in Wexford.

An ex-Green Party councillor for Cork has signed for Sinn Féin claiming it was the best way to help build a genuine political alternative for the city.

CORK-based law firm Ronan Daly Jermyn (RDJ) saw off its Dublin rivals to win the Client Service Award for Ireland at the Chambers Europe Awards 2010 in London.

A third Sinn Féin councillor has defected from the party in Dublin.

THE IRA sanctioned the 1996 Adare post office robbery which led to the murder of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe and in this context, Martin Ferris TD believed it was right for him to meet the garda’s killers on their release from prison.

SINN FÉIN has been urged to begin a far-reaching debate about what the party stands for by former mayor of Tralee Toireasa Ferris.

Notwithstanding Gerry Adams’s place in Irish history, perhaps he is a figure from the past. His grasp of detail on economic matters here is questionable. Beyond bland clichés, policy specifics are scanty. Sinn Féin’s Dáil performance has been weak and low-profile

I NOTE that a second Sinn Féin councillor has defected from the party since the local elections.

The second Sinn Féin Councillor to quit the party within a week today declared it had lost the battle for the hearts and minds of the working class.

New Ross Town Councillor John Dwyer is resigning from Sinn Féin, it was announced today.

DONEGAL giant Michael McGeady feared he might have thrown away his chance of appearing in this week’s 3 Irish Open at Baltray when he faltered over the closing six holes of the Italian Open in Turin on Sunday.

AUSTRALIAN Brett Rumford, the winner when the event was previously staged at Baltray in 2004, and newly crowned Spanish Open champion Thomas Levet, are among the latest entries for the 3 Irish Open starting at the Co Louth links on Thursday week, May 14.

Law firm, Ronan Daly Jermyn (RDJ), have been confirmed as the official legal advisor to Munster Rugby.

GOLFERS at one of Cork’s top clubs were exploring their legal options last night after a leading business family confirmed its plans to shut the course next year.

A STATE-FUNDED life assurance and mortgage protection scheme for people infected with hepatitis or HIV from contaminated blood products has been launched by the Government.

A new insurance scheme was launched today for people infected with Hepatitis C or HIV through contaminated blood products.

GALWAY legal firm William B Glynn solicitors has been acquired by Ronan Daly Jermyn (RDJ) in a €3 million merger which propels the Cork firm into the top 10 legal firms in the country.

WHAT a difference a week makes. Seven days ago, 28-year-old Colm Moriarty from Athlone was relying on invitations to Challenge Tour events as he attempted to get his career back on track after a dismal 2006 season.

Home favourite Padraig Harrington has moved up the leaderboard at the Irish Open in Adare Manor today.

AS Paul McGinley and co play for the £1 million first prize in the HSBC World Match Play Championship at Wentworth, other matters are taxing the minds of hundreds of hopefuls all over Europe.

THE DONALD Steel-designed Lackabane course at Killarney hosts the first European Challenge Tour event in the Republic of Ireland over the next four days with the arrival of the Ireland Ryder Cup Challenge.

IRISH golf breaks new ground this week when the European Challenge Tour comes to our shores for the first time.

STEPHEN BROWNE became the 21st Irishman in the Nissan Irish Open field after a late call up last night.

WHILE Pádraig Harrington and Paul McGinley were battling gamely to overtake the Australians at the top of the Irish Open leaderboard at Baltray yesterday, the other Irish seven qualifiers were meeting with mixed fortunes.

TWENTY minutes before his tee time at Baltray yesterday, Pádraig Harrington's neck "went" and he spent the next quarter of an hour being treated by his personal physiotherapist Dale Richardson.

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON gamely battled his way through the 30 miles per hour winds for 15 holes at The K-Club yesterday - and then went double bogey, bogey, bogey to throw away four shots.

PADRAIG Harrington and Paul McGinley lead the Irish challenge after rounds of two under par 70 on the opening day of the Smurfit European Open at The K-Club.

SEVENTEEN Irish golfers face the starter as the 10th Smurfit European Open at The K-Club gets underway this morning.

Fine Gael supporters appeared confident the party was in line to take a second seat in the East constituency tonight as their sitting MEP arrived at the count.

East Constituency (Fifth Count)

(Fourth Count)

TV personality and political newcomer Mairéad McGuinness has amazed pundits with a huge majority in the East constituency in the European elections.

Fianna Fáil looks set to lose one of its European Parliament seats in the East constituency at next month’s election, according to a poll published this morning.

Political Editor Harry McGee believes the results of the Irish Examiner/Prime Time poll are beginning to suggest everything is not as it appears in East constituency.

THE Government has failed to make the most of its presidency of the European Union, Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams claimed yesterday.

The Government has failed to make the most of its presidency of the European Union, Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams claimed today.

Fresh policy initiatives may have been thin on the ground at the Ard Fheis, but Sinn Féin certainly weren’t lacking in brand new young candidates for the local and European elections.

SINN FÉIN has high hopes of returning the party’s first MEPs in both the North and South next year.