Eddie Dunbar avoided disaster to stay in contention for the yellow jersey at the An Post Rás yesterday, the young Corkman battling to limit his losses to just 14 seconds after a late mechanical threatened to derail his chances.

Fabio Aru claimed his first Grand Tour win yesterday when he was crowned winner of the Vuelta A Espana after an enthralling three-week battle with Dutchman Tom Dumoulin.

Bryan McCrystal has shown himself a talent on two wheels and as a triathlete in recent years, but it was on the soccer pitch that the Dundalk man first created shockwaves. Ahead of the Rás, he spoke to Brian Canty.

Sean McKenna of the Irish National team is the new race leader of the Kerry Group Rás Mumhan after a thrilling stage around south Kerry yesterday afternoon.

With five former winners on the start-line and a large overseas contingent competing, this weekend’s Kerry Group Rás Mumhan certainly lives up to its name as one of the country’s foremost international stage races.

Handball

Mark Dowling claimed the biggest win of his career at the Kerry Group Rás Mumhan in Killorglin yesterday when he wrestled the yellow jersey from overnight leader Paddy Clarke by 12 seconds.

The sun seemed out of place at the funeral of stabbing victim Dean Fitzpatrick in Dublin yesterday.

The parents of Dean Fitzpatrick put aside their differences yesterday for the removal of their son, who died tragically outside his mother’s apartment in Dublin last month.

The Government’s campaign in the children’s referendum was in “clear disregard” of the limits on what the State may do and was neither fair, equal, impartial nor neutral, the Supreme Court has ruled.

Justice Minister Alan Shatter has predicted a victory for Government plans to enshrine children’s rights in the constitution.

The campaign for a yes vote in the children’s referendum was thrown into disarray as the Government faced down calls to postpone tomorrow’s poll after the Supreme Court ruled it had squandered €1.1m of taxpayers’ money on a biased information campaign.

The man behind yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling on the children’s referendum would like to stay that way — behind the scenes.

The children’s referendum will go ahead despite the Government being found to have wrongly used a €1.1m fund in some of its publicity campaign.

A Dublin engineer who won his Supreme Court case that the government used €1.1m of public money to put out one-sided information on the children's referendum says he feels vindicated.

By Aodhan O'Faolain and Ray Managh

The Supreme Court is to hear an urgent challenge to the Children's Referendum on Tuesday.

By Aodhan O'Faolain and Ray Managh

A challenge against the State's alleged use of more than €1.1m of public money on an information campaign about the Children's Referendum will be heard by the High Court early next week.

A High Court challenge has been brought against the State's alleged use of more than €1.1m of public money on an information campaign about the forthcoming Children's Referendum.

Cathy Durkin’s three young children brought a family photograph, a camera, an apron, and story books to the altar for her funeral Mass in Dublin yesterday.

YOU have to ask why on earth General McCrystal agreed to have a journalist embedded with him for eight weeks.

Cork City 2 Dungannon Swifts 0

Cork City 1 Derry City 1

LAST season’s FAI Cup winners Dundalk take a step into the unknown tonight when they travel to face Croatian side FC Varteks in the UEFA Cup qualifying round first leg — which kicks-off at 7pm Irish time Irish time.