Three Academy players will make their first Munster starts in Friday's friendly against London Irish.

Donors can choose from one of the three packages, from $500 or get specific and pay for items such as dinner or costumes.

“I played okay,” he said of a round that lapsed into over par with a three-putt on the third before swinging back in the opposite direction.

It will not be in the nature of the tournament host to have slept easily last night on the eve of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open but his efforts to make this €6.2m European Tour event a success have already earned Paul McGinley the right to relax just a little.

If nothing else, this week’s visit to Lahinch will leave European Tour golfers with the feeling they have played some very different holes in Klondyke and Dell.

As the defending champion this week, Russell Knox already has his place in the Irish Open hall of fame but the way the Scot sealed victory at Ballyliffin last year means a line in the record books will never do it justice.

Shane Lowry will get his Dubai Duty Free Irish Open campaign underway early on Thursday as part of an illustrious group also featuring Ryder Cup hero Tommy Fleetwood and defending champion Russell Knox.

Thomas Bjorn faces the first tough decision of his Ryder Cup captaincy as he prepares to name his four wild cards for the contest with the United States.

Eric Van Rooyen’s justified reputation as a rising talent in the professional game would have done little to prepare him for his final round at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open yesterday, writes John McHenry.

One of the country’s greatest living artists returned to his homeland yesterday to unveil murals that were hidden for more than 20 years.

A Derry newspaper has reported that the family of victims of the Buncrana Pier tragedy have received a claim against the deceased’s estate from a woman who helped at the scene.

Update 1.40pm: An appeals court in Florence has rejected a bid for a new trial and possible acquittal of the only person convicted of the 2007 murder of British university student Meredith Kercher.

A father of five from Co Cork who has saved two people from drowning in separate incidents over the last decade, will be among 47 people from across the country who will today be rewarded for the bravery they showed in water rescues.

Rory McIlroy believes he needs at least one win from his next three events to become only the second man after Henrik Stenson to win the FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai in the same season.

Succumbing to peer pressure, I watched the Amanda Knox documentary this week.

TMZ have now reported that Brad Pitt is reportedly under investigation for child abuse by the LAPD and L.A. County Dept of Children and Family Services.

In 2007, American Amanda Knox was arrested for the murder of Meredith Kercher, a British student who was sharing an apartment with her in Italy.

There will have been no tears from Shane Lowry as confirmation came that Darren Clarke would not be making him one of his captain’s picks for Hazeltine next month.

European captain Darren Clarke faces some tough phone calls over the next 24 hours after Belgian Thomas Pieters spectacularly birdied the last three holes to win the weather-delayed Made in Denmark and stake his claim to one of three Ryder Cup wildcards.

No-one should underestimate the importance of next Tuesday in the golfing life of Darren Clarke, because it is then that he will have to reveal his hand.

Amanda Knox will be the subject of a new Netflix documentary about the Meredith Kercher murder.

A change of heart could pay massive dividends for Graeme McDowell after the former US Open champion survived a windswept opening day of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open.

Scotland’s Russell Knox believes he can make the leap from a former “head case” to a bona fide superstar as he targets a Ryder Cup debut in 2016.

Rory McIlroy has targeted a summer of success after producing a stunning finish to win the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open for the first time at The K Club.

From a childhood dream sparked in the skies over Portmarnock, Rory McIlroy was back in the clouds last night as it came to realisation with a first Dubai Duty Free Irish Open victory.

Tournament host Rory McIlroy got everything he wanted apart from the weather as he moved into pole position to win the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open for the first time at The K Club.

Graeme McDowell ended one of his worst years with one of his best shots.

"Some of the shots I hit were really, really good. But then I also had some really bad shots, too. And we need to work on that.

Raffaele Sollecito said he needs to heal wounds inside his heart and soul now that he has been cleared of the 2007 murder British student Meredith Kercher.

Italy’s highest court has overturned the murder conviction against Amanda Knox and her ex-boyfriend, bringing to a definitive end the high-profile case.

Italy’s highest court will not rule until tomorrow on whether to uphold the conviction of American Amanda Knox and her Italian ex-boyfriend for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher, a court official said.

Amanda Knox’s defence lawyer urged Italy’s highest court today to overturn the American’s conviction in the 2007 murder of her British roommate, calling it a “grave judicial error”.

The family of murdered student Meredith Kercher wants Amanda Knox to be extradited from the US if her conviction is upheld in Italy tomorrow, their lawyer has said.

The actress announced the new academic centre, titled the Centre on Women, Peace and Security, at the London School of Economics (LSE) yesterday.

Coronation Street actress Barbara Knox has been banned from the wheel for one year after she admitted drink-driving.

Angelina Jolie has got the Chickenpox.