GAA club month is nearly over, a jamboree that chiefly involved dozens of articles bemoaning the lack of club activity. And a few club matches to take the bare look off things.

Whether you believe spring began on Thursday or doesn’t until March 1, Kerry have weathered their winter of discontent.

The provost of Ireland’s oldest university has been accused of trying to turn Trinity College Dublin into a “second-rate polytechnic” by introducing full semesterisation.

WHAT a strange football year it’s been! One of twists and of turns! One of defiant unity and bitter division! One of utter dejection, and pure unbridled elation! 

Richie Power Sr and Richie Power Jr have the distinction of being one of the father and son combinations where both parties won a senior All-Ireland. The final experiences against Tipperary were mixed, but the father passed on important lessons...

Talks between the two old enemies Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil convened again yesterday with a view to forming a government, writes Daniel McConnell

And then there were two. The death of Fr Peter Quinn is the removal of another link to Mayo’s back-to-back All-Ireland winning side of 1950 and ’51. Now only two remain — full-back Paddy Prendergast who lives in Tralee, and centre forward Padraig Carney, a doctor in the US.

Fr Peter Quinn, a hero of Mayo’s All-Ireland SFC victories in 1950 and 1951, has died.

The speedy Go Kart can take the opening five-furlong race on this evening’s card at Dundalk. Paddy Prendergast’s filly won her maiden at Down Royal in September but was quite well beaten behind the very smart Bebhinn in a listed race at Fairyhouse next time out.

The valuable Irish Stallion Farms EBF Premier Nursery tops the bill on today’s card at Navan, and Birdcage can make the most of the drop back to five furlongs to land the spoils for trainer Ger Lyons.

Andy Slattery’s An Saighdiur ran away with the Listed six furlongs Cork Stakes at Cork yesterday.

The recent dismissal of Davy Russell as first jockey to Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown House Stud poses a question or two.

THIS gives you a sense of Mayo’s silent full-back Ger Cafferkey.

An Taoiseach Enda Kenny will have three special guests with him when he turns out to support his native Mayo in Sunday's All-Ireland SFC final against Dublin at Croke Park.

Trainer Aidan O’Brien is bidding for a remarkable eighth consecutive victory in the Irish Derby, and 11th in all, having saddled the likes of Galileo (2001), High Chaparral (2002) and last year’s hero Camelot to win Ireland’s premier Classic at the Curragh.

Joseph O’Brien is hoping conditions at Leopardstown do not deteriorate ahead of Battle Of Marengo’s highly-anticipated return to action in tomorrow’s PW McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes.

After Mayo lost the last Connacht-Ulster final in 1948 to Cavan, corner-back Seán Flanagan called his team together to revolutionise their ideas on the game.

Lady Wingshot, who beat Yellow Rosebud at Galway, confirmed the form on 2lbs worse terms in the Group 3 Fairy Bridge Stakes at Tipperary last night.

Aidan O’Brien won the Irish Stallion Farms 2-Y-0, the first juvenile event of the season over a mile, for the fifth consecutive season when King George River triumphed in Gowran Park last night, providing jockey Colm O’Donoghue with the second leg of a double.

Those who helped thump John Oxx’s Hartani from a morning price as high as 100-30 to 6-4 had more than their fair share of anxious moments before going to collect in the TipperaryRaces.ie Maiden at Tipperary last night.

Outgoing President of the Union of Students in Ireland Gary Redmond is today calling on the Education Minister to force high-earning academic staff to take a pay cut.

PUNTERS wasted no time getting it right at Thurles yesterday when heavily-backed Shop Dj strolled away with the opening Holycross Mares’ Chase, one of three winners for Davy Russell.

Coral Wave opened her account at the third attempt with a convincing all-the-way win in the Flame Of Tara EBF Stakes at the Curragh.

CHAMPIONS Ardscoil Rís opened the defence of their Dr Harty Cup title in fine style with a comfortable 3-22 to 0-8 win over Waterford Colleges in Tipperary Town.

TRAINER Ger Lyons took the training honours on the beach at Laytown yesterday, completing a double with Cosmic Breeze and Dunne Grand.

UNIVERSITIES here are facing deficits of about €45 million, college bosses have admitted.

ALPINE EAGLE is the nap choice to win an interesting little four-runner Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Race at Ballinrobe this evening.

YOU are not in Kerry long before being reminded of football, as Enda Kenny, who is himself steeped in the GAA, quickly learnt yesterday.

ONE COOL COOKIE, a strong order morning prices and from 4-6 to 1-2 on track, duly did the business in the first section of the Fillet Beef-Medium Rare Maiden Hurdle at Limerick yesterday.

Joe Connolly and Joe Hennessy joined forces against the Examiner’s Tony Considine and Diarmuid O’Flynn in an epic golf match in Nenagh Golf Club.

EDWARD O'GRADY, absent at his uncle the legendary P P Hogan's funeral, missed seeing Kentucky Charm land the GPT Handicap at the first stage of the Galway Festival last night.

AIDAN O’BRIEN looks to have another useful juvenile on his hands in Rumplestiltskin, who landed the Swordlestown Stud Sprint Stakes at Naas yesterday despite looking inexperienced.

TO those of a certain generation, there is something magical about radio on All-Ireland final Sunday.

DERMOT WELD’S rapidly improving Humilis is flying up through the grades and she enjoyed her biggest success to date when taking the Listed Blue Wind Stakes at Cork last night.

MICHAEL GRASSICK, fresh from a double on the flat at Fairyhouse on Saturday and on the mark with Major Title at Leopardstown, continued his terrific run when King’s Opera won the featured Murphys’ Irish Stout Handicap Hurdle at Killarney yesterday.

THE Captains Fantastic they were, both of them counties from decades in the wilderness, each will be remembered forever for their epic speeches on those days of days.