The GAA’s stadium and commercial director Peter McKenna says the stewarding arrangements in Croke Park tomorrow will take into consideration the possibility of a Dublin five-in-a-row pitch invasion — but he doesn’t expect one to occur.

The prospect of life on Mars made the front page of the Cork Examiner 50 years ago.

Back from holidays. I’m grand. Yourself?

In the wake of a call for Cork hurling manager John Meyler to resign, county board chairperson Tracey Kennedy has said she will not be asking anyone to step down, adding that no decision will be taken on who oversees the Cork hurlers in 2020 until the appointment of the county’s first high-performance manager is finalised.

GAA director general Tom Ryan has described as “incorrect and premature” comments by Croke Park stadium director Peter McKenna that the final cost of redeveloping Páirc Uí Chaoimh had escalated to €110m.

Women involved in the latest CervicalCheck scandal are losing faith in the system and want answers, that’s according to ‘Sharon’, the woman who revealed the most recent problem with communications within the service.

The HSE has known since February of an IT glitch that led to delayed smear test results for 800 women — but mistakenly believed that the laboratory processing the tests was communicating the results manually.

Health Minister Simon Harris has pledged that a backlog of approximately 40,000 smear tests will be cleared by mid-September.

Health Minister Simon Harris has pledged that a backlog of approximately 40,000 smear tests will be cleared by mid-September.

So that’s Friday nearly wrapped up. Here’s some of the stories we published on irishexaminer.com today which we hope will help you make sense of it all this evening.

Cian O’Carroll, the solicitor for Ruth Morrissey, has described comments by Dr Peter McKenna of the HSE about the possibility of the withdrawal of screening programmes, as “vindictive.”

Maura Quinn, CEO of the Institute of Directors (IoD) in Ireland, has joined the board of Rugby Players Ireland, the representative association for professional rugby players in Ireland.

Cork County Board chairperson Tracey Kennedy has said the Páirc Uí Chaoimh playing surface is match-ready for the clash of Cork and Tipperary on Sunday, May 12.

Ireland women’s captain Ciara Griffin and Sevens star Louise Galvin have welcomed their appointments to the board of Rugby Players Ireland following the representative body’s expansion of its executive committee to reflect its growing remit in the Irish professional rugby.

An independent review will be carried out into the death of Limerick mother of three, Marie Downey, and her newborn son this week at Cork University Hospital, Health Minister Simon Harris has said.

Cork chairperson Tracey Kennedy has allayed clubs’ fears that they will be asked to pay for the cost of Páirc Uí Chaoimh. And says she would personally welcome Munster rugby in the stadium.

In 2018 the Cork economy benefited financially by € 60m with the three Ed Sheeran concerts that took place in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

This is the question no one wants to have to ask when faced with concerning health results.

Croke Park stadium manager Peter McKenna has claimed that Jim Gavin and other managers who’ve criticised the venue’s pitch have their facts wrong and are engaging in “deflection”.

The GAA has allayed fears that the Páirc Uí Chaoimh pitch won’t be up to scratch for the Munster SHC games in May and insisted it could yet host a number of Allianz League games.

The Board have raised concerns over player safety and made the decision to move Cork's next home Hurling League game to Páirc Uí Rinn.

Former Waterford All-Star Ken McGrath called it "dangerous" and "not suitable for any sport", while Cork's previous goalkeeper Dónal Óg Cusack called for no more games to be played there until the pitch is in a "playable" condition.

You probably know the Páirc Uí Chaoimh playing surface yesterday was the subject of much negative comment, to put it mildly.

The original financial projections made by the Cork County Board for the redevelopment of Páirc Uí Chaoimh were “overly ambitious”, GAA director general Tom Ryan believes.

GAA president John Horan has revealed that the final cost of Páirc Uí Chaoimh’s redevelopment is highly unlikely to run to €110m, a figure initially put forward by Peter McKenna last month.

In less than three weeks, Tom Ryan will deliver his first annual report as GAA director general. Just over nine months in the position, it’s an ideal opportunity to address what was at times a turbulent 2018, while also setting out his agenda.

GAA President John Horan and Cork County Board chairperson Tracey Kennedy issued a brief joint statement last night regarding Páirc Uí Chaoimh’s redevelopment and expressed optimism about the future of the stadium.

Here's your lunchtime bulletin.

Here's your morning bulletin.

A year before the IMF, ECB, and European Commission landed in Dublin, the GAA’s own equivalent of a troika was ready to bail out a besieged Cork County Board and its long-time secretary Frank Murphy, writes Kieran Shannon.

The company which runs Croke Park is now overseeing the commercial aspects of Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

Eir Sport insist they remain committed to club championship coverage, despite not broadcasting any matches since April.

The GAA is considering broadcasting games on their GAANOW platform in 2019, Croke Park Commercial and Stadium Director Peter McKenna has revealed.

Alan Hansen doesn’t do live TV anymore. After 22 years, he finished up as BBC’s Match of the Day anchor pundit in 2014. Commanding he was, but not without sin, Manchester United coming back to haunt him following his infamous “kids” remark in 1995.

A fourth body, believed to be that of a young child, has been found by police investigating a fire that killed three other people in Co Fermanagh earlier this week.

A fourth victim has been reported dead in a ferocious house fire in Fermanagh, a detective investigating the claim said.

Páirc Uí Chaoimh stadium director Bob Ryan says the pitch will require an element of resurfacing following the Ed Sheeran concerts in May.

The forthcoming Super 8 All-Ireland senior football championship quarter-final stages do not promise a financial “bonanza”, insisted GAA director of finance Tom Ryan.

The GAA have purchased farmland in Naul in north Dublin to harvest playing surfaces for Croke Park and other GAA stadia.

Those wishing to put forward their names to succeed Páraic Duffy as the next GAA director general have until Wednesday to apply. 

Croke Park hierarchy and the Munster Council remain confident Cork GAA will be able to cover the €23m debt resulting from the redevelopment of Páirc Uí Chaoimh, writes Eoghan Cormican.

Cork GAA chairman Ger Lane has said they are pressing ahead with plans to sell naming rights to the new Páirc Uí Chaoimh – but the existing stadium name will be retained in any deal.

Public hospitals will be obliged to provide abortion services if they are legalised here, regardless of their religious ethos, the HSE and the Minister for Health have both said.

This Rugby World Cup bid, you know it’s going to happen, right?