David and Conor Harte are set to return to the scene of their first international caps following their inclusion in the Irish men’s squad for the FIH Series finals in Le Touquet, France.

Gareth Grundie has taken on the role of Irish women’s interim head coach in recent weeks as the Olympic qualifier preparations kick up a gear.

The Irish women’s team’s Olympic Games hopes received a huge boost as they were confirmed as one of the host nations for the next phase of qualifiers for Tokyo.

An international summer of over 80 matches at each level tips off in earnest with perhaps the biggest of the challenge games, Olympic silver medalists Germany, coming to Pembroke tomorrow and Saturday.

Waterford County Board chairman Paddy Joe Ryan has emphasised that Walsh Park in Waterford city is the only venue that will be upgraded as per the wishes of officials in Croke Park.

Individual athletes who can prove they have not cheated could compete under the Olympic flag.

Shoot-out king David Harte came to Ireland’s rescue to all but assure a first World Cup ticket since 1990 as they battled their way to victory over France at the World League in Johannesburg.

Kinsale’s Conor Harte has overcome a knock to take up a place in the Irish men’s squad for next month’s World League semi-final tournament in Johannesburg, the main qualifier for the 2018 World Cup.

Kinsale man Conor Harte will become the fifth Irish man to reach 200 international caps this evening when he lines out to face Pakistan at Comber Road (7.30pm).

The unlikely Olympian almost fuelled the unlikeliest of comebacks as Ireland’s return to the top table of international hockey after a 108-year wait came agonisingly short against India.

The first Irish Olympic Men's Hockey team in 108 years have lost their opening game 3-2 to India.

Apple said yesterday that advance orders of its new iPhones were on pace to beat the 10m units the previous versions logged in their first weekend last year, a feat that analysts attributed to the inclusion of sales from China.

EuroHockey Championships semi-final: Netherlands 1, Ireland 0

Ireland will be hoping to add another chapter to their remarkable underdog story when they meet hockey powerhouse the Netherlands in today’s Unibet EuroHockey Championships semi-finals in London (1.15pm).

Ireland enhanced their reputation as the coming team in world men’s hockey by reaching a European championships semi-final for the first time yesterday.

It wasn’t until that last fight in Brooklyn that Andy Lee realised just how true some words of that neighbourhood’s most famous and notorious son really were.

Hockey: Ireland 4 Malaysia 1

Forget being tired in the ring, Ireland’s newest world champion, Limerick boxer Andy Lee, must be exhausted with his seemingly endless homecoming.

Paddy Joe Ryan was elected as the new Waterford County Board chairman at last night’s annual convention in Dungarvan.

Waterford secretary Timmy O’Keeffe fears teams could be eliminated from county championships by June if national proposals to condense club competitions into a calendar year are successful.

Andy Lee and Adam Booth were in New York with Cork-Cuban heavyweight Mike Perez last July, but if feels much longer now, writes John Riordan.

IT SEEMED wholly appropriate that Andy Lee landed the punch that clinched this world title, the very same belt won by Steve Collins 20 years ago, moments after he had been rocked himself.

Andy Lee could be set for a shock challenge for the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) middleweight title in Dublin this December.

Andy Lee is hoping to make a November ring return after narrowly missing out on a world title shot against Miguel Cotto.

Andy Lee is backing Mike ‘The Rebel’ Perez to seal his bid for a WBC World Heavyweight Championship title shot in New York tonight.

Irishman Andy Lee produced what is widely being called the "knockout of the year" in his Madison Square Garden clash with John Jackson.

Andy Lee has described his world title eliminator in Madison Square Gardens tonight as the "make or break" moment of his career.

Andy Lee says he will finally get ‘back to the big time’ when he takes on John Jackson in a WBC world title eliminator at New York’s iconic Madison Square Garden on June 7.

Andrew Meredith has called on Irish businesses to dig deep to support hockey after the senior men narrowly escaped relegation from Europe’s top tier.

New captain John Jackson admits Ireland have their sights set on crushing the TriFinance EuroHockey Nations Championships dreams of near neighbours England next week.

Irish hockey chiefs claim former coach Paul Revington and his management team were responsible for a €37,000 overspend that leaves the national body facing a potential financial “crisis year” in 2013.

Munster swept the boards at the Irish Hockey Awards but it was again Ulster who tasted interpro glory over a breathless weekend in Dublin.

Pair of very rare Limerick silver tablespoons with Old Irish

John Jermyn wrote himself into the history books in style as Ireland cruised through the opening round of the new FIH World League in Cardiff over the weekend.

The Government’s proposal to sell off the harvesting rights of Coillte’s most productive forests for up to 80 years shows a lack of commitment to the forestry sector.

Ireland’s Olympic dream was snatched from them in the cruellest fashion yesterday, as the tale of the tape gave Korea a contentious winner with just nine seconds to go to stun a packed Belfield into silence yesterday.

Ireland coach Paul Revington insists playing for a draw against Malaysia in their crunch final pool clash at the Electric Ireland FIH Road to London Olympic qualifiers in UCD tomorrow (3pm) is not an option.

Ireland 12 Ukraine 0

Ireland 6 Russia 1

After a spectacular 2011, Ireland’s men will hope they can continue the momentum and qualify for the Olympic Games for the first time.