Future Ulster bowling fans will look back on this as the golden age. A decade ago not even the most optimistic supporter would have predicted Ulster winning both King and Queen of the Roads in three successive seasons.

Thomas Mackle will be bidding for a special place in bowling history when he defends his Hurley’s of Midleton King of the Roads title at Ballincurrig next weekend.

David Murphy and Thomas Mackle meet in what promises to be a thrilling All-Ireland senior bowling final at Port Mór- Blackwatertown in County Armagh on Sunday.

James O’Donovan finished with five brilliant bowls at Templemartin to dethrone All-Ireland senior champion Aidan Murphy in the Munster quarter-final on Sunday.

Billy McAuliffe and Paul Buckley will contest a classic Munster Junior A final at Templemichael on Friday week, June 26.

Gary Daly and Séamus Sexton secured places in the Munster senior championship quarter-final draw at the weekend and Éamon Bowen Jnr revived his hopes with a brilliant show against James Buckley, writes Séamus Ó Tuama.

Martin Coppinger is back on track to regain the Munster senior title after securing the top spot in Pool D with an emphatic win over Christy Mullins on the Creamery Road in Bantry.

Conor McGuigan beat All-Ireland champion Aidan Murphy by almost a bowl in the final of the Joe McVeigh Cup on Sunday, the feature event of the Ból-Fada festival on the Markethill Road near Keady, Co. Armagh. 

Gavin Twohig closed with 10 brilliant bowls to beat David Hubbard in the last shot of the Rosscarbery final. 

Seamus Sexton beat Pat Butler by a bowl in a brilliant Munster intermediate championship quarter-final at Timoleague.

Aidan Murphy and Christy Mullins will contest the Munster senior final on Sunday July 6 at Ballygurteen.

Bowling fans throughout the country are mourning the loss of Willie Carroll, the doyen of Connacht bowling, who died at the weekend.

John Creedon led all the way to a two bowls of odds win over Éamon Bowen Jnr in the first roundof the O’Flynn Cup at Timoleague.

There were global family ties at a weekend gathering where an extended clan celebrated the anniversary of their shared ancestors’ wedding almost 150 years earlier.

Terry Sexton completed an amazing three-in-a-row for East Cork when he beat Jerry Murphy in the Munster Junior B final at Waterfall on Sunday.

David Murphy kicked on from his European gold medal win to secure his place in the Munster senior semi-final with a comfortable win over James Buckley at Lyre on Sunday.

Martin Coppinger beat Aidan Murphy in the last shot of a brilliant three-way Munster championship play-off at Skibbereen on Sunday — with James O’Donovan third.

The Munster senior championship quarter-final draws and next Sunday’s Pool A play-off at Skibbereen between Aidan Murphy, Martin Coppinger and James O’Donovan are dominating bowling discourse this week.

Gary Daly secured his place in the Munster senior quarter-final draw with a good win over Bill Daly at Clashmore on Sunday.

James O’Donovan had an explosive start in his bowl-of-odds win over John Creedon in the Munster Senior Championship at Rosscarbery.

JAMES Buckley turned what looked like certain defeat into a convincing win in the last quarter of his Pool B Munster Senior Championship clash with Pat Butler at Whitechurch on Sunday.

Brian Wilmot’s senior career continues its upward trajectory following a hard earned Munster championship win over Eamon Bowen Snr at Waterfall on Saturday He opened with a brilliant bowl past the Glasha.

Brian Wilmot made a successful start to his senior championship career when he beat Patrick O’Donoghue in their Pool C tie at Gortroe.

Bank of Ireland has today announced the appointment of Patrick Mulvihill and Pat Butler as non-executive directors.

PROPERTY developer Joe McNamara has been jailed after being found in contempt of a High Court order requiring him to immediately cease construction of a stonehenge-like structure intended to be a “place of reflection” on Achill Island.

Property Developer Joe McNamara has been jailed after a Judge ruled he was in contempt of a High court order requiring him to immediately cease construction of a Stonehenge-like structure intended to be a "place of reflection" on Achill Island.

DAVID MURPHY and Christy Mullins contest a novel Munster senior bowling final at Grange, Clonakilty on Sunday (3pm).

DONAL RIORDAN turned the Munster Intermediate semi-final on its head with two astonishing bowls against Michael Bohane at Grange.

THE Murphy tide is on the rise again as brothers David and Aidan Murphy gave five-star displays in the Munster Senior Championship at the weekend.

PAT BUTLER finished with three sensational bowls at Bauravilla on Sunday to win the Mick Crowley Cup final from Eamon Bowen Jnr and Gary Daly.

AIDAN MURPHY won a place in the Munster senior quarter-final when he beat Edmund Sexton by almost a bowl at Baile Bhuirne on Monday evening.

PADDY O’DONOGHUE held on for a good last-shot win against a powerful late surge from John Creedon at Killumney in Pool 4 of the Munster Senior Championship.

ALL-Ireland champion Martin Coppinger is on track to retain his title after a solid win over Eamon Bowen Jnr at Enniskeane on Saturday.

GARY DALY made a winning start to his Munster senior championship career by beating Gavin Twohig in the last shot at Béal na mBláth on Saturday.

THE Ballyvolane Road on the north side of Cork city was re-launched on Saturday with the first score in the 2011 Munster senior championship between Patrick O’Donoghue and Willie O’Donovan.

JAMES O’DONOVAN finished powerfully to beat David Hubbard by a over a bowl of odds in the Bill Barrett Cup final at Caheragh on Sunday.

JOHN CREEDON bowled well to beat Aidan Murphy and Eamon Bowen Jnr in the Kealkill Cup final on Sunday.

All the major fixtures in last weekend’s bowling programme were abandoned because of the continuing severe weather. The massive calendar of events planned for the Christmas period could also fall by the way unless a quick and sustained thaw sets in.

NINE Munster representatives start for the Ireland Schools Under-18 side in tonight’s tasty friendly against their French counterparts at Temple Hill (7pm).

David Murphy, from mid-Cork, is the new King of the Road.

CHANGES to the design of a controversial flyover on the €139 million commuter railway planned for Cork will be considered in the coming weeks, it emerged yesterday.

A PUBLIC inquiry which is due to examine the proposed reopening of the €90 million-plus Cork to Midleton rail line has received 35 submissions, it was confirmed last night.