Tributes were paid yesterday following the death of one of the men who transformed a rugged headland in Kinsale, Co Cork, into one of the most spectacular golf courses in the world.

Top performances at the London Olympics, a Rolex FEI Show Jumping World Cup win, and Ireland reclaiming first place in world studbook eventing rankings, were reflected at the presentation of the Horse Sport Ireland 2012 Breeders’ Awards.

The Brian Lordan-trained newcomer Outlawed Tunes hinted that a bright track career lies in wait by destroying the opposition in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden at yesterday’s Waterford Foxhounds point-to-point meeting at Lisselan outside Tramore.

The Gain Mares’ Final as always occupied centre stage at yesterday’s well-attended Ballynoe point-to-point fixture and, on an afternoon that saw pristine ground conditions thanks to the track having been spiked and watered in the week preceding the meeting, the featured event was won by Daryl Deacon’s Co Wexford challenger Miss Palm.

Alcohol abuse in our society is again becoming a topic for much discussion, mainly around the problem of cheap availability of alcohol and under-age drinking.

IT was an afternoon of firsts at yesterday’s well-attended Dungarvan Harriers point-to-point meeting at Kilossera as riders’ Paul Kiely, Daragh Howard and Michael Roche all attained their initial career victories.

IT was 9.30pm when the last pony jumped at 95th Dungarvan Show — one of their most successful ever, according to organisers.

Authorities told towns people in Australia’s south east to flee homes with three days of supplies today as a surging river threatened another community in the flooding crisis that has devastated the country’s mining industry.

ONE of the top awards in the cattle section at Cappamore Show in Co Limerick was kept in the county.

SISTERS from Woodstown, Co Waterford, Rosemary and Claire Connors had a clean sweep in the ridden hunter classes at the 93rd Dungarvan Show.

BILLY WALSH, the face of Irish boxing in recent years, was yesterday considering his future as Head Coach after failing to nail down the position of Director of High Performance.

IT’S no surprise that Cardinal Seán Brady won’t resign following the disclosure of his part in the cover-up of Fr Brendan Smyth’s sexual assaults on children as far back as 1975.

ROY SHEAHAN (St Michael’s, Athy) will have the ideal opportunity to get his international career back on track when he guests for the Garda/Rylane selection against the New York Police Department in a sell-out dinner show at the Rochestown Park Hotel, Cork on Saturday night.

MAYBE we should find it in our hearts to temper our condemnation of “zero tolerance man” John O’Donoghue in his hour of need.

MICHAEL ROCHE, one of Bernard Dunne’s closest friends in boxing circles, said yesterday that the now former WBA world super bantamweight champion should not even consider retirement at this stage.

Former Olympian Michael Roche has said that he was deeply shocked to hear of the death of Irish middleweight Darren Sutherland in London yesterday.

ANOTHER big hotel group has withdrawn from Limerick with the decision of the Marriott Hotel group to discontinue its brand name at a city centre property.

NINE counties were represented among 20 qualifiers who lined up for the GVM All Ireland €2,500 commercial championship at last week’s Cappamore Show in Co Limerick.

ONE hopes the bill to deal with criminal gangs and jury intimidation doesn’t turn out to be a white elephant like the ASBOs.

OUR political masters are pulling the wool over our eyes again with the Bord Gais electricity deal.

IT looks like the Catholic Church has chosen to make a virtue of necessity in Cardinal Seán Brady’s declaration of faith in Bishop John Magee of Cloyne who is refusing to step down despite outpourings of disgust and disappointment by parents and clergy throughout the State.

THE property bubble was caused in no small measure by financial institutions lending excessive sums to property developers to buy land at hugely inflated prices which led inevitably to these same financial institutions giving mortgages of up to 110% in many cases to house-buyers to enable them to buy the houses built by the developers.

IN your report headlined ‘Head of hospital consultants appalled at Neary scandal’ (September 4), I was drawn to the rather curious response by Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) general secretary Finbarr Fitzpatrick when explaining the failure of three senior members of the association to back the suspension of Dr Neary after their review of his work practices.

SINCE the Olympic Games in Beijing there has been much debate as to which events we should dedicate our limited resources and talents in order to get the best return.

WELL, that’s it then.

I SUGGEST that Cork City Council members nominate Pádraig Harrington for the freedom of the city.

SEPARATE bank accounts for payments from the Department of Agriculture are suggested for farmers anxious to keep full control of their funds.

WEREN’T smokers right idiots to heed the smoking ban legislation.

IT’S becoming very apparent, following the referendum no vote, that our politicians are at a complete loss as to how to proceed.

THE five-man boxing team hold Ireland’s best chance of a medal — or medals — at this year’s Olympic Games according to team manager, Jim Walsh.

WHAT sort of choice is it that does not allow for an alternative view, in this case rejection of Lisbon?

WE are indeed, as Napper Tandy said, “a most distressful country” for it seems we are expected to decide the future of the EU by voting on changes to a treaty that we don’t fully understand and, in the opinion of Charlie McCreevy, we are not expected to understand.

Ireland have finished in second spot in a league table of 39 nations based on the points achieved at the final Olympic qualifier for European boxers which concluded in Athens, Greece, yesterday.

GOLDEN Vale Marts says it will cut sales days at Rathkeale Mart because livestock throughput is insufficient to justify operating costs.

FARMER opposition has emerged to the Department of Agriculture’s plan to change over to electronic transfer for all payments they make to farmers.

SPECIAL concessions for dairy farmers who exceed their milk quotas at the end of the EU production year, on March 31 next, have been ruled out.

HE HAS taken the US by storm.

NITRATE directive controls on soiled water have been further muddied by claims that farmers without livestock are being targeted for inspection.

ALL FARMS in river catchment areas are being inspected by Limerick County Council, in an effort to eliminate pollution risks from farm effluent.

IFA President Padraig Walshe has sought better appreciation by farmers of the voluntary contribution IFA officers make on their behalf.

MANY of the 38,000 calls to the Samaritans in Limerick during 2006 came from farmers.

INTENSE pressure within IFA to intensify the campaign against unfair farm inspections has come to a head in the association’s Limerick Executive.

A ‘MOUNTAIN’ of waste farm plastic which has accumulated on farms throughout the country over the past few years is proving a challenge for farmers and for Government re-cycling arrangements to deal with the problem.

A jury expressed concerns today after a father-of-10 was shot dead months after he contacted the Garda Complaints Board alleging officers had failed to act over threatening phone-calls.