Marketing and taxes are among the biggest challenges facing Irish start-ups, whether they are based here or abroad, the Global Irish Economic Forum heard yesterday.

Irish women’s golf has gone through many ups and downs over the years but there has nearly always been a big star to keep things ticking over, from a Philomena Garvey or Clarrie Reddan to a Mary McKenna or a Maureen Madill.

A 10-year-old boy whose father was convicted of drink driving following a car crash in which his mother was killed has been awarded over €130,000.

When you have achieved as much as Mary McKenna has in the game and in the name of Irish golf, you could get used to plaudits.

Imagine Rory McIlroy and Stephanie Meadow teeing it up together for Ireland at the 2016 Olympics in Rio?

Helen Jones fell away disappointingly in the third and final round of the Irish Senior Womens Open Championship at Royal Belfast yesterday and Finland’s Minna Kaarnalahti was able to comfortably retain her title.

THE greatest week in the history of Irish ladies’ golf has arrived with the 12th Solheim Cup clash of the United States and Europe set for the Jack Nicklaus-designed Killeen Castle near Dunshaughlin, Co Meath, on Friday.

IRELAND won the Men’s Senior Home International Championship for an unprecedented fourth successive year at Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire yesterday and completed the Triple Crown with a 7-2 trouncing of England.

EUROPEAN captain Alison Nicholas unveiled her very own Seven Nation Army in Dublin yesterday then revealed she has borrowed some inspiration from Ryder Cup heroes Ian Poulter and Colin Montgomerie in how to defeat the Americans.

NEXT month, many of the world’s finest lady golfers assemble at Killeen Castle for the 12th Solheim Cup.

The High Court has dismissed an claim by survivors of the Dublin Monaghan bombings that the handling of parts of a report complied by the Commission of Investigation into the atrocities amounted to a breach of the State's human rights obligations.

THE remarkable Maguire twins, Leona and Lisa, from Co Cavan, will create a significant piece of Curtis Cup history when they make their debuts in the bi-annual clash with the US at the Essex Country Club, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachussetts on June 11-13.

THE amazing Maguire twins made sensational debuts for Great Britain and Ireland in the Vagliano Trophy match against the Continent of Europe in Hamburg yesterday. However, they could not prevent their team from trailing at the halfway stage.

TWENTY ELEVEN, in association with the Ladies European Tour and the Ladies Golf Union, have completed a unique arrangement that will enable the top nine amateur golfers from Great Britain and Ireland to play in this year’s AIB Ladies Irish Open, (Portmarnock, June 26-28).

THE outrageously talented 13-year-old Maguire twins from Ballyconnell in Cavan have been named in a Great Britain & Ireland preliminary squad for the 2009 Vagliano Trophy match against the Continent of Europe in Germany next July.

IRELAND set out on the hunt for more silverware today bidding to extend their amazing run of international golf success.

The United States won the Curtis Cup for the 26th time today, beating Great Britain & Ireland by 13 points to seven over the Old Course at St Andrews.

The United States lead by three points going into the historic third-day eight singles finale to the 35th Curtis Cup match over the Old Course, St Andrews.

AT a time when so much focus in the world of golf is on the professional game, it is good to see that the amateurs are not being forgotten.

Leading qualifier Tara Delaney cruised into the last 16 of the Lancôme Irish Ladies Close Championship with a 3 and 1 win over Charlotte Crowe at Lahinch today.

Carlow's Tara Delaney led the qualifiers in the Lancôme Irish Ladies’

Galway's Sinead O’Sullivan hit a brilliant level-par 74 today to lead the Lancôme Irish Ladies’ Close Championship after the first qualifying round at windswept Lahinch.

UP to 150,000 Irish shoppers will splash out almost €225 million in American cities this month as they cross the Atlantic in search of cheaper Christmas gifts.

Irish champion Tricia Mangan (Ennis), Claire Coughlan (Cork) and Martina Gillen (Beaverstown) will represent Ireland at the Espirito Santo Womens Amateur World Cup at Stellenbosch, October 18-21.

Alison Murdoch has once again travelled from Canada to defend her Irish title at the ILGU Seniors Open Strokeplay Championship, Woodbrook Golf Club, September 11-12.

The Irish Ladies Golf Union has selected four underage-level teams to represent Ireland at various International events in June and July.

Mary McKenna, Ireland’s most successful female amateur golfer, has been appointed captain of the teams that will represent Great Britain and Ireland in the 2007 Vagliano Trophy and the 2008 Curtis Cup.

Mary McKenna finished third in the Senior Ladies British Open Amateur Championship at Newport, South Wales yesterday.

DAVID HOWELL has been confirmed as Luke Donald's partner for England's defence of the World Cup - the title Donald won with Paul Casey last year.

MARY McKENNA, coach to Celtic Athletic Club, had left her telephone number with the Refugee Centre on the Navan Road in the hope that she might be able to help if anybody there was interested in athletics, but she was more than surprised when Sr. Breege Keenan rang her to tell her a girl called in and inquired about cross-country running.

IRELAND produced strong finishes in both the European ladies and boys team championships in Germany and the Czech Republic respectively at the weekend to clinch an unusual double.

TOM CLEARY birdied the first tie hole at Doneraile last evening to win a hat-trick of senior scratch cup successes at the County Cork club.

IRELAND’S hopes of winning the Ladies’ Amateur Home International golf championship for the first time for 16 years were dealt a blow yesterday when they yielded a foursomes advantage to go down 5-4 to Wales.

Seve Ballesteros spoke in glowing terms about Ireland and the Irish people at the PGA Irish Region Centenary Banquet in the Burlington Hotel.