THE Irish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) confirmed yesterday it has failed to sell by private treaty a house bequeathed by a Clare doctor.

THE Irish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) is set to hold a national raffle for a €200,000 home after the property failed to attract a single bid at auction yesterday.

THE country’s endangered cats and dogs are set to receive a €200,000 windfall after a late Clare GP bequeathed her home and surgery to the Irish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA).

RORY McIlroy is working harder than ever to get ready for the new season after splitting up with his girlfriend of six years over the Christmas break.

IRELAND’S hopes of winning a third European Men’s Amateur team title in four years were dashed in Sweden yesterday when they failed to make the top flight for the matchplay phase.

FROM champions to wooden spoonists in the space of 12 months — that was the story for Ireland yesterday as the Men’s Amateur Home Internationals ended at Hillside on the Lancashire coast.

REVITALISED Munster staged a dramatic fight back in the afternoon singles to force a tie with Leinster on the second day of the Golfsure Inteprovincial Championship at Douglas yesterday. Nevertheless, the stage is still set today for a showdown between Leinster and Ulster, who had a comfortable victory over Connacht and go into the decider with a 100% record.

MONDAY madness is nothing new in the South of Ireland and so it came to pass yesterday when four members of the Irish team in the recent European Championship were yesterday all eliminated in the third and fourth rounds at Lahinch.

Defending South of Ireland Championship champion Niall Kearney suffered a shock defeat in the third round of the 2009 event today at Lahinch.

An Government minister feared he would be shot when confronted today by an armed gang who robbed a hotel and golf resort.

Gardaí have confirmed one body has been discovered in the wreckage of a UK-registered light aircraft in the Wicklow mountains.

A MOTHER was recovering from surgery yesterday after being repeatedly stabbed at her Wicklow home on Monday night.

PAUL CUTLER continued his rich vein of form yesterday to grab a place among the first-round leaders in the European Amateur Individual Golf championship in Denmark.

Paul O'Hanlon from The Curragh is the new Irish Close champion after defeating Dara Lernihan from the Castle inyesterday's final, at Belvoir Park in Belfast.

The line-up for tomorrow's semi-final in the Golfsure Irish Amateur Close Championship at Belvoir Park in Belfast is Paul O'Hanlon from the Curragh against Scrabo's Andrew McCormick and Newlands' player Cian Curley against his friend Dara Lernihan from the Castle.

Forrest Little's Eoin Arthurs romped to a four-stroke win in the East of Ireland Championship at Co Louth today.

Forrest Little's Eoin Arthurs took advantage of perfect early morning conditions to scorch to a six-under par 66 and a two stroke lead in the East of Ireland Amateur Championship at County Louth.

Lurgan's Gareth Shaw made two visits to the 20th before progressing to the last 16 of the South of Ireland Amateur Open at Lahinch.

Banbridge's Richard Kilpatrick fired a sensational six-under par 66 to scorch into an impressive six-stroke lead at the halfway stage of the East of Ireland Amateur Open Championship at Co Louth.

Limerick's Pat Murray fired a three under par 69 to share the first round lead in the East of Ireland Amateur Championship at Baltray.

Scrabo's Andrew McCormick put a poor start behind him to grab the early lead in the East of Ireland Championship at Co Louth.

Scotland's Lloyd Saltman grabbed his fourth strokeplay win on the trot with a two-shot victory in the AIB Irish Amateur Open at Royal Dublin.

THE mother of a baby girl whose body was found dumped in a laneway in Dún Laoghaire over 32 years ago has made an impassioned plea for the full facts of her daughter’s death to be established.