One of the great dynasties of Irish professional golf celebrates a major milestone this year when David Kinsella retires after 50 years of service at Castle Golf Club.

The Bishop of Cork and Ross has called for the exhumation of the remains of Little Nellie — the “unofficial patron saint” of Cork — from a cemetery on lands controlled by receivers to allow people to pray at her grave.

The prosecution has finished calling evidence in the trial of a retired army private accused of murdering a prostitute who he claimed blackmailed him for up to €40,000.

With handicaps ranging from plus 4 to 1.1, the high quality of the entry for the West Coast Hotels sponsored South of Ireland Championship beginning at Lahinch this morning is a source of considerable satisfaction for the organising committee.

TV bosses dictated Dublin play their Leinster SFC opener at Croke Park for a ninth consecutive summer, a leading Leinster official has revealed.

The Leinster Council last night opted against moving Dublin’s senior footballers outside Croke Park for their 2015 quarter-final clash against Longford or Offaly.

When you are one of the championship favourites and things are going against you, there is always a good time to produce a shot out of the ordinary.

The withdrawal of favourite Gary Hurley and Irish Close champion John Ross Galbraith has come as a major disappointment to organisers of the Clare Coast Hotels South of Ireland at Lahinch, which begins this morning.

Kieran McCarthy defends his title against another high-class field in the Munster Stroke Play Championship at Cork Golf Club tomorrow and Sunday.

Stuart Grehan and Pat Murray are amongst the big names competing in the South of Ireland, which begins in Lahinch this morning.

The GAA is on course for a hike in Championship attendances, with three of the four provincial councils estimating increases on last year’s numbers.

Bord na Mona Kehoe Shield Final

Only one member of the Irish team for next month’s Home International Championship turned up for the South of Ireland at Lahinch over the weekend.

Six members of the triumphant Munster team in this week’s Interprovincial Championship at Royal Co Down are included in the field for the South of Ireland Championship starting at Lahinch this morning. And yet, they will all have to take a back seat behind the remarkable Ennis man, Noel Pyne, who is competing for the 50th successive year.

In spite of winning the South of Ireland Championship in 2010 and playing a major role in Portmarnock’s victory in last year’s Irish Senior Cup, John Greene has surprisingly failed to catch the eye of various selection committees at provincial and national levels.

The outstanding Killeen course, venue for the Irish Open in 2010 and 2011, hosts the revived Killarney Scratch Cup today.

Many of the country’s leading amateur golfers have signed up for the Killarney Scratch Cup, to be played over the Killeen Course on Saturday, July 21.

Carlow GAA officials have accused the Leinster Council of making daft decisions and altering fixtures on the presumption their county minors would be beaten.

THE FIVE major titles at stake were evenly distributed around the country when the Chartis Irish Cups and Shields festival came to a conclusion at Castlerock, Derry, on Saturday.

WOODSTOCK Golf Club from Ennis were celebrating last night after pulling off a superb victory in the final of the Chartis Pierce Purcell Shield.

AMY FOSTER’S seventh place finish in the 200m final capped off a tremendous campaign for Team Ireland at the World University Games in Shenzhen, China.

TWELVE months ago, Kelan McDonagh from Athlone felt he was “putted off the golf course” in the final of the South of Ireland Championship by John Greene from Carlow.

HEADFORD’S Greg Mungovan was the surprise leader after the qualifying rounds of the Clare Coast hotels-sponsored South of Ireland Championship at Lahinch last night.

CONNACHT joy knew no bounds at Rosses Point yesterday when they staged a remarkable recovery to force a tie with Leinster and capture the Interprovincial Championship for only the third time.

MUNSTER got off to the best possible start on the opening day of the senior and boys interprovincial championships at Rosses Point yesterday.

ALAN DUNBAR stepped up his challenge for the Brabazon Trophy at Burnham and Berrow on the Somerset coast yesterday with a stunning three-under-par 68 in his second round.

HOLLAND’S Robin Kind came back from an early double bogey to snatch the first round lead thanks to a late eagle two in the Irish Amateur Open at Royal Dublin yesterday.

A DOG breeder saved his eight-week-old puppy with mouth-to-mouth after it almost drowned in a garden pond.

A dog breeder saved his eight-week-old puppy with mouth-to-mouth after it almost drowned in a garden pond.

CARLOW’S John Greene produced one of the great putting displays to etch his name in the history books by claiming the South of Ireland Amateur Open title with a 2 and 1 win over Athlone’s Kelan McDonagh at Lahinch.

Table-toppers Monaghan took a late victory at Inniskeen as Leitrim and Sligo also recorded wins in Division 4 of the Allianz National Hurling league this afternoon.

LAST March they produced, by common consent, a sublime classic, and in Limerick this afternoon Limerick IT and Waterford IT renew Fitzgibbon Cup battle once more.

Limerick 0-16 UL 2-14, Claughaun

WRETCHED conditions for hurling in Newtownshandrum last night but for UCC there was cause to cheer as they collected honours in the Ulster Bank Higher Education Division 1 Hurling League final.

KILKENNY will look to stay on course for a clean sweep on All-Ireland hurling titles, when they play Galway in the under-21 hurling championship semi-final in Thurles this afternoon (2.30pm).

MICHAEL FOLEY has won the Boylesports Irish Sports Book of the Year Award for ‘Kings of September’, his account of the 1982 All-Ireland football final in which Offaly foiled Kerry’s bid for a historic five-in-a-row.

THE families of four Dutch people killed in a plane crash in the Knockmealdown Mountains 20 years ago made the sad journey back to The Vee yesterday to attend a memorial Mass.

THE widow of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe yesterday refused an offer of "immense sympathy" from Kerry's Sinn Féin mayor Toiréasa Ferris.

THE widow of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe yesterday refused an offer of ‘immense sympathy’ from Kerry mayor Toireasa Ferris of Sinn Féin.

Galway 3-13 Limerick 0-17

While their seniors will be up against it to claim the Liam McCarthy Cup later this afternoon, Galway's minor hurlers looked primed for success in their All-Ireland final joust with Limerick (Croke Park, throw-in 1.30pm).

THE Galway minor hurling team to play Limerick in Sunday’s All-Ireland final shows two changes from the side that defeated Cork in the semi-final.

TIPPERARY County Board have called for the abandonment of the rule agreed at Congress which restricts the playing activity of 16-year-old players.