With a clean sweep of the fastest times on all eight stages, the Antrim/Cork combination of Desi Henry/Liam Moynihan (Skoda Fabia R5) won the Abbey Hotel Munster Moonraker Rally in Ballyvourney, Co Cork, the second round of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally series.

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Theatre director Niall Henry is more interested in the enduring fascination in Shackleton than by his incredible adventures, writes Padraic Killeen

The Valvoline National Forestry Rally Championship reaches its penultimate stage on Sunday with the Mayo Forest Rally. Though there is a 31-point difference between series leader and former champion Michael O’Brien (Ford Focus WRC) and his main rival, Monaghan’s Josh Moffett (Mitsubishi), the latter can land the title should he prevail on Sunday and again on the final round in Antrim early next month.

Following last weekend’s victory for Crosshaven’s Peter McCann in Kinsale at the ISA Junior All-Ireland Sailing Championships, attention switches to Dun Laoghaire this morning where Anthony O’Leary is set to defend his 2014 title at the National Yacht Club.

Blue Raincoat’s production of The Playboy streamlines the comedy and brings out the darker side of the play, writes Padraic Killeen

Killarney driver Rob Duggan (23) is one of three young aces vying for a top prize in Irish rallying that will be decided on tomorrow’s Bushwhacker Rally in Omagh.

Yet another Moffett show, the latest episode on the TuffMac Trailers Lakeland Rally, round five of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship saw the Monaghan born brothers Sam and Josh dominate proceedings during Saturday’s eight stages in the forests of west Fermanagh.

With consistent performances on the opening four rounds of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship, London-based Cork driver Michael O’Brien (Ford Focus WRC) makes another trip across the Irish Sea for tomorrow’s TuffMac Trailers Lakeland Rally in Enniskillen. The event also counts towards the Northern Ireland McGrady Insurance and Carryduff Forklift Championship.

The fourth round of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship, the Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally in Mallow, proved to be an epic contest between Cork driver Owen Murphy (Mitsubishi) and his Limerick co-driver Anthony Nestor, who managed to overcome the spirited challenge of Monaghan’s Jost Moffett/John Rowan (Mitsubishi) to claim a 7.4 second victory.

Pressure is something Tyrone’s Kris Meeke reckons he has handled for most of his rallying career.

The Moonraker Rally in Ballyvourney and the Rally de Portugal may not have that much in common other than gravel surfaces, but both have a tangible link with former triple British rally champion Keith Cronin.

Top seed and leader of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship Michael O’Brien (Ford Focus WRC) can expect a stern test in tomorrow’s Donegal Forest Rally, the second round of the campaign.

London-based Churchtown driver Michael O’Brien and fellow north Cork co-driver James O’Brien from Dromtarriffe survived some late drama to win the Carrick on Suir based Willie Loughman Forest Rally, the first round of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship.

Andrew Purcell (Mitsubishi) is likely to be the barometer of the pace on Sunday’s Willie Loughman Forest Rally, the first round of the Valvoline National Forest Rally Championship.

Motorsport: A new season of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship is marked by a very competitive entry for tomorrow’s Donegal Forest Rally in Pettigoe.

With their Citroen DS3 WRC armed with several significant upgrades to the engine, suspension, aerodynamics and gearbox, the Irish crew of Meeke and Paul Nagle expect to be fighting for the leading places on Rallye Monte Carlo that cranks into gear this evening.

When Sligo theatre company Blue Raincoat performed WB Yeats’s Purgatory on the top of Knocknarea mountain last summer it proved a breath of fresh air for both the audience and the performers.

It’s been a hectic year for Blue Raincoat theatre company.

The Yeats festival is much more than an attempt to cash in on the artistic brothers’ association with the area, writes Alan O’Riordan.

The Yeats festival is much more than an attempt to cash in on the artistic brothers’ association with the area, writes Alan O’Riordan.

Valvoline National Forest Rally Champions, Cork pair, Owen Murphy/James O’Brien (Mitsubishi) won the Mallow-based Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally, the fourth round of the series after finishing 6.3 seconds ahead of Colin Britton/Arthur Kierans with former champions, Pat O’Connell/Mark Wiley just nine tenths of a second behind to complete a Mitsubishi top three.

In Eugene Ionesco’s classic play, Rhinoceros, the hero must resist succumbing to the law of the jungle, says Colette Sheridan

IT MAY well be that he is limited to a watching brief this weekend as Ireland go in search of the southern hemisphere win they so crave, but John Hayes has been backed to prove the doubters wrong and go all the way to next year’s World Cup.

Ken Loach-directed Irish Civil War story The Wind that Shakes the Barley leads a strong showing of Irish films at this year's Cannes Film Festival, which runs from May 17 - 28.

As a long-awaited début play opens tonight at Dublin’s Abbey Theatre, its award winning writer begs for a 10-year break.