Double Irish Olympian Melanie Nocher has announced her retirement from elite international swimming at the age of 24.

Irish people are apparently looking to the internet to answer to that age-old question "What is love?".

Irish boxing is punching above its weight

The neighbours inthis corner of London won’t shed a tear when the Olympics are over and the Irish go home.

The man with the future of Irish swimming in his hands feels that, while the standard is improving, there is still a long way to go before Ireland's swimmers will be world class.

It has been a largely disappointing day for Team Ireland at the London Olympics today.

It has been a disappointing day for Team Ireland in the pool as both competitors failed to progress from the heats of their events.

Sanita Puspure is first of the Irish competitors out today in the women's C semi finals in the sculls at the London Olympics.

Irish swimming will hope for a change of fortune in the Aquatic centre this morning when Barry Murphy and Melanie Nocher take to the water at the London Olympics.

A miserable morning in the Olympic Aquatic centre left two young Irish swimmers stunned and national performance director Peter Banks struggling for answers.

Irish sailing duo David Burrows and Peter O'Leary have finished in second place in the first of four races this afternoon in the Men’s Star Class.

It was only last May when Melanie Nocher decided she had better look up this female boxer everyone was raving about as a gold medal prospect.

Ireland may not be claiming any medals in London’s Aquatic Centre this month but Swim Ireland’s National Performance Director believes the time is fast approaching when the country’s elite swimmers will be targeting podium places on the world stage.

One of Ireland’s Olympic medal-winners is praying he can go further in the boxing ring at the London 2012 Games.

The Olympic torch shone a light on the North’s dramatic north coast today on the second day of its journey around the region.

Sycerika McMahon, Irish swimming’s newest sensation, produced a brilliant performance to take a silver medal in the women’s 50 metres Breastroke at the European Senior Championships in Debrecen in Hungary yesterday.

For the first time this week, Irish swimmers competing at the European Swimming Championships at Debrecen in Hungary failed to progress beyond the morning heats.

The Irish 4x200m Freestyle team took a 6th place finish at the European Championships in Debrecen, Hungary today.

Seventeen-years old Sycerika McMahon, who qualified for the Olympic Games on Tuesday, finished a creditable fifth in the final of the women’s 100 metres breaststroke at the European Swimming championships at Debrecen in Hungary

Sanita Puspure is the latest athlete to join Ireland’s Olympic Games tilt in the summer.

Two more Irish competitors, 17-year-old Belfast swimmer Sycerika McMahon and 23-year-old Melanie Nocher, have qualified for the London Olympics at the European Swimming Championships inDebrecen, Hungary, taking Ireland’s tally to four.

Melanie Nocher has capped off a positive day for Irish swimming by joining Sycerika McMahon in qualifying for the Olympic Games.

Seventeen-year-old swimming prospect Sycerika McMahon is London-bound after securing the Olympic A standard in the 100m breaststroke this morning.

Irish swimmer Sycerika McMahon has qualified for the Olympics at the European Swimming Championships this morning.

Melanie Nocher missed out on another opportunity to qualify for the London 2012 Games last night. She finished fourth in the guest final of the women’s 200 backstroke at the British Trials which are taking place at the Olympic venue.

Sycerika McMahon has qualified for the women's 100m freestyle at May's European Swimming Championships in Debrecen, Hungary.

Two Irish records have been broken in the morning heats on day three of the Irish Swimming Championships and Olympic Trials at the National Aquatics Centre.

One of Irish swimming’s oldest records fell on day three of the Irish Long Course Swimming Championships and Olympic Trials, as 20-year-old Bethany Carson slipped under Michelle Smith’s 100m butterfly mark from 1996.

It was only a four-hundredths of a second gap, but it was enough for Karl Burdis to qualify for May’s European Championships in Hungary last night.

Melanie Nocher, the European Short Course bronze medallist, won the women’s 100 backstroke final in a new personal best time of one minute 1.92 seconds at the Carlton National Swimming Championships and Olympic trials in Dublin yesterday.

Although Olympic qualification was an unlikely prospect during the second night of Irish Long-Course Championship finals, there were other prospects.

Gráinne Murphy came agonisingly close to breaking Michelle Smith de Bruin’s Irish record in the final of the women’s 200m freestyle on the opening day of the Carlton Irish National Swimming and Olympic Trials at the National Aquatic Centre (NAC) in Dublin yesterday.

Melanie Nocher and Sycericka McMahon will be amongst those bidding for Olympic qualification at the National Swimming Championships which begin today at the National Aquatic Centre in Dublin.

FIONNUALA BRITTON wasn’t the only Irish sportswoman standing on a podium yesterday.

GRÁINNE MURPHY failed to qualify for the 800m freestyle final at the World Swimming Championships in Shanghai.

GRÁINNE MURPHY failed to qualify for the 1500m freestyle final at the World Long Course Swimming Championships in Shanghai yesterday despite winning her heat by eight seconds.

AISLING COONEY and Melanie Nocher narrowly missed World Championship qualification at the Irish Long Course finals at the NAC yesterday.

GRÁINNE MURPHY, Melanie Nocher and Aisling Cooney represent Ireland at the European Short Course (25m) Swimming Championships which begin in Eindhoven today.

GRÁINNE MURPHY suffered heartbreak at the European Swimming Championships in Budapest yesterday as she was just five-hundredths of a second shy of winning the bronze medal for Ireland.

GRÁINNE MURPHY was the star turn on day three of the European Swimming Championships in Budapest yesterday.

IRELAND’S Ryan Harrison narrowly missed out on reaching the final of the European Swimming Championships in Budapest yesterday.

WHEN Melanie Nocher was growing up in Holywood, she never noticed the little curly-haired golf prodigy.

TWO-TIME Olympian Andrew Bree leads the Irish squad at the European Long Course Swimming Championships in Budapest, which commences today.