Having blown promising positions against Mayo, Galway and then Dublin, Donegal made some amends yesterday in Ballyshannon to blow Monaghan away with a degree of comfort.

Our writers look ahead to the major talking points ahead of the weekend's action at GAA Congress and in the Allianz Leagues.

A combination of their first three Allianz League performances was what Monaghan manager Seamus McEnaney wanted against Mayo yesterday in Clones. He got that and more.

For the second year in succession, Monaghan’s Josh Moffett (Hyundai i20 R5) won the Abbeyleix Manor Hotel Rally, this time finishing 27.1 seconds ahead of the similar car of Antrim’s Desi Henry. Sheffield driver Ollie Mellors (Proton Iriz R5) was third.

A strong second-half display from Monaghan saw them finish pulling up against a 13-man Mayo in St Tiernach’s Park, Clones, this afternoon.

Extra-time, a shock result, and a penalty shoot-out brought drama to the Ulster U20 Football Championship as four ties went to the wire.

Suzie Monaghan works with her inspiring father in the clothing business he founded 60 years ago, writes Rowena Walsh

Cork North had highest number of positive tests for bovine disease.

The Jim Gavin and Malachy O'Rourke eras, both successful seven-season long periods, ran virtually concurrently between 2013 and 2019; Gavin managing Dublin for 2,616 days and O'Rourke Monaghan for 2,476.

John Fogarty and Eoghan Cormican preview the weekend's GAA fixtures.

While he may have turned up and been a discreet presence for Tyrone’s opening league win over Meath on the first day of the Allianz Leagues, last year’s top-scorer in the Championship, Cathal McShane, was not believed to be present for Tyrone’s inept defeat to Monaghan in Castleblayney.

This wasn’t the first time that Seamus ‘Banty’ McEnaney managed a Monaghan win over Tyrone, but what’s rare is precious as he allowed a small smile play on his lips after this most commanding of wins. “It’s my second,” he told reporters.

Monaghan were absolute value for a commanding victory over Tyrone in Castleblayney, making amends for their narrow opening day loss away to Galway.

The event goes ahead after financial support was received privately and from the sport’s governing body Motorsport Ireland as the Galway club faced significant financial losses due to the lack of entries.

It’ll go down as a fifth national third-level title for DCU, a college stuffed full of the brightest inter-county talent, but this was a largely homegrown Sigerson Cup success.

There’s an undeniable feelgood factor about Galway football since Padráic Joyce took charge, but with tougher tasks on the horizon, there were enough holes in this display to ensure their supporters don’t lose the run of themselves.

Longford put in a solid display as they started their Division 3 campaign with a three-point win over Louth at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park.

DCU dominated for the large part as they cruised past rivals UCD by fifteen points in their disappointingly one-sided Sigerson Cup semi-final in St Claire’s on Wednesday evening.

Donegal are to be without a host of players for their Allianz League Division 1 opener against Mayo on Saturday in Ballybofey.

Tyrone manager Mickey Harte is set to postpone his annual January cull due to an injury crisis ahead of the start of the Allianz League.

McKenna Cup specialists Tyrone lifted their eighth title in nine seasons with an uninspiring win over Monaghan at the Athletic Grounds.

The dynamic of this year’s Irish Tarmac Rally Championship — that is being launched in Galway tonight — sees a major shift towards the Hyundai i20 R5 for many of its top competitors.

“You just can’t beat games.”

Micheál Bannigan kicked a late flurry of points at St Clare’s to squeeze DCU past the stubborn challenge of Garda College in the Sigerson Cup opening round.

Holders Tyrone reached yet another Dr McKenna Cup final with a nine points win over Down at the Athletic Grounds.

It took a mere 11 minutes of the 2020 inter-county season to throw up the first controversial incident of the new playing rules.

With an imperious performance, the local crew of Rob Duggan/Ger Conway (Ford Escort) took a superb victory in the Rentokil-Initial Killarney Historic Rally.

Patients families have hit out at what they described as “cattle mart” Emergency Department (ED) conditions, as the highest-ever levels of patent overcrowding were recorded today at University Hospital Limerick.

Na Gaeil sauntered into the Munster Club JFC football final against Mullinahone on December 8 as they outclassed Clare champions Michael Cusacks by 27 points at Austin Stack Park on Saturday.

Westmeath great Dessie Dolan pulled down the shutters on his playing career on a bittersweet afternoon in Mullingar as Garrycastle exited the AIB Leinster club championship.

Triton Showers are to remain as title sponsors of the National Rally Championship next season.

“Before I went to prison, I was lost. It helped me find myself. It made me a better person and turned my life around."

Ireland’s world-beating ploughmen Eamonn Tracey from Carlow and John Whelan from Wexford will between them bid for their 13th top-two-in-the-world performances, after winning their national test matches at Carlow last week.

Pamela Greville shot nine points, three of them from play, while Laura Doherty and Amy Scally led an astounding second-half defensive effort that kept Galway to one injury-time minor, as Westmeath overturned a seven-point interval deficit to win the Liberty Insurance All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie Championship.

College students are being distracted from their education by looking for accommodation.

Monaghan’s Josh Moffett and his Wexford co-driver Andy Hayes in a Ford Fiesta WRC clinched the Triton Showers National Rally Championship courtesy of their impressive victory in the Galway Summer Rally, the penultimate round of the series.

Having narrowly missed out on winning the Triton National Rally Championship last year Monaghan’s Josh Moffett (Ford Fiesta WRC) can clinch the title and the Vard Memorial Trophy on Sunday’s penultimate round, the Lady Gregory Hotel Galway Summer Rally in Gort.

Monaghan manager Niall Treanor said he had no doubt that his side would secure their place in the Senior ranks for 2020 after they easily bettered Westmeath in the TG4 All-Ireland SFC Relegation Play-off Final in Dunleer.

Monaghan secured their precious Senior status with a convincing victory over Westmeath in the TG4 All-Ireland SFC Relegation Play-off Final in Dunleer.

Pick any day in August 1969 and one issue dominated the news agenda — the North. This was the beginning of The Troubles and a period of some of the bloodiest violence that would leave a mark on the province for decades to come.

Three-time All-Star Conor McManus has insisted that Monaghan won’t “disappear into the sunset” as some expect following the end of the Malachy O’Rourke era.

A Dublin man, who was a teenager when he was caught sexually assaulting his disabled 12-year-old cousin, has been given a one-month suspended sentence.

Cork’s quest for a first All-Ireland minor title since 2000 remains on course after they held off a good comeback by Monaghan in an exciting clash at O’Connor Park in Tullamore.

The ease of their navigation from the group will both delight and worry Dublin manager Mick Bohan in equal measures.