As parting shots go, Gary McDermott’s pitch onto the 18th green at Royal Tara was pretty special as the 2013 AIG All-Ireland Cups & Shields National Finals reached their climax in Meath on Saturday.

Cork Golf Club’s dreams of an AIG All-Ireland Cups & Shields National Finals double may have been dashed already this week but the team is being backed to bounce back in today’s Senior Cup semi-finals.

THE tail-end of Hurricane Katia has made the practice rounds for the Chartis Irish Cups and Shields finals at Castlerock, Co Derry over the past few days more a test of stamina than skill, although it is confidently expected calm will have been restored when the festival gets under way today with the semi-finals of both the Barton Shield and Irish Junior Cup.

AN overnight text from his brother, Freddie, coach to the Munster Branch, proved invaluable as Dwayne Twomey fashioned an unlikely win for Bandon over Co Sligo in yesterday’s semi-final of the Bulmers Irish Senior Cup at Castlebar.

THE “smart economy” sought by Government is being seriously undermined by its own policies and education cutbacks.

ONCE again, the Pierce Purcell Shield produced high drama and great excitement before Letterkenny were crowned champions after beating Corrstown in a veritable thriller.

FOR almost 20,000 Junior Certificate students, home economics brought week two of the exams to a close.

THE second week of the Leaving Certificate ended for students of German yesterday morning in papers which were quite youth- oriented.

VIJAY SINGH, the 2000 champion and world number two, yesterday demonstrated that the newly revamped Augusta National golf course need not be the kind of monster that many had predicted.

TODAY’S Bulmers Irish Cups and Shields programme at Rosslare sees the big guns go into action in the Irish Senior Cup.

THIS is a huge week for golf in Ireland and Britain with at least four major tournaments down for decision.

THE final day of the second week of exams began with German for Leaving and Junior Certificate students.

THE Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) should consider industrial action to protect pension rights for future members, the union's acting general secretary John White said yesterday.

AN emaciated greyhound who was discovered in a locked skip in a dump alongside two other dead dogs has been put to sleep.

FOR sheer excitement and tension it would be hard to equal the dramatic finish to the Bulmer’s sponsored Munster Pierce Purcell shield final at Castletroy as Holycross farmer Matthew Maher rolled in a tricky four foot downhill putt on the first green to give Thurles a memorable victory.

IT’S only when you see the fun and the action at close range that the success of the Bulmers cups and shields really strikes home.

A WEEKEND holding out so much promise for Clare opened on the brightest possible note at Galway yesterday when Woodstock captured their first national pennant with a convincing Pierce Purcell Shield final victory over Moyola Park from Co Derry.