Four nights out and Mark Fanning is close to conceding that this evening’s Leinster semi-final has come just a little early for him. During a training session in Portugal last month, he put his hand up to catch a ball — only he slightly misjudged it and it flicked off the top of his finger.

New Wexford senior hurling manager Davy Fitzgerald has included forward Jack Guiney in a winter training squad of more than 40 players.

Clare County Council yesterday voted through a number of last-minute, contentious rezonings against the recommendations of its acting chief executive, Ger Dollard.

I will make a full and free confession at once, and get it off my chest.

John Fogarty looks at 10 goals that while impressive, could have been ruled out on another day.

The frightening thing is they might just be starting out.

Not in Tipperary… Brendan Cummins

A young Waterford man has died in a drowning incident in Thailand. The victim, has been named David Houlihan from Dungarvan, Co Waterford. He was aged 24.

The A&E at University Hospital Limerick has been described as a ‘cattle mart’ where elderly female patients on trolleys are being robbed of their dignity.

I played a bit underage with the county and Dickie (Murphy) asked me to fall in with him as an umpire

A new Game of Thrones-style Celtic adventure park could be built on lands adjacent to the Bunratty Folk Park — in an effort to help revitalise the “stale” tourism amenity.

Clare County Council is to make an audacious bid to have the University of Limerick (UL) renamed the University of County Clare and Limerick.

Gardaí in Sixmilebridge, Co Clare, are on the look-out for a boyish-looking, carol- singing, ‘bad’ Santa.

Tipperary have named an unchanged team for Sunday’s All-Ireland SHC final showdown with Kilkenny at Croke Park.

Cork IT 4-15 Carlow IT 1-10

What a weekend of hurling awaits.

Kilkenny legend Eddie Brennan fears that James ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick may be the one player the All-Ireland champions simply cannot do without.

Kilkenny’s Jackie Tyrrell isn’t a fan of the new hurling league structures, which offer fewer games and give managers fewer chances to look at players.

Kilkenny manager Brian Cody has spoken out about the retirements of John Dalton and Cha Fitzpatrick from the Kilkenny panel — and expressed his wish to see Lar Corbett back on the playing field.

Kilkenny midfielder Michael Fennelly suspects retired stars James ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick and John Dalton will return to inter-county hurling in the future.

“It’s an epidemic,” said Michael Kavanagh yesterday, as news that John Dalton — citing work commitments — became the latest Kilkenny player to retire from the 2011 panel.

Eight-time All-Ireland SHC winner Michael Kavanagh has become the fourth player from last year's successful Kilkenny panel to call time on his inter-county career.

JAMES ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick was the first to walk before Christmas, Eddie Brennan followed him soon after and PJ Ryan handed in his notice just two weeks into the New Year.

THIRD-LEVEL institution Cork IT has signed an agreement with the Cork county board which will see Jimmy Barry-Murphy’s Cork senior hurling panel base their training sessions at the campus in Bishopstown for the 2012 season.

Goalkeeper PJ Ryan has become the latest Kilkenny player to retire from the inter-county hurling scene, joining James 'Cha' Fitzpatrick and Eddie Brennan who both bowed out in recent weeks.

CLARE County Council members are seeking a meeting with Transport Minister Leo Varadkar and the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) on the future of Shannon airport.

FIANNA Fáil has scrapped its controversial interview system for Clare election candidates, party leader Micheál Martin has confirmed.

DEV’S Dodge, which returned to Ennis last June after being lovingly restored, is to remain under lock and key and away from public view, it emerged yesterday.

EDDIE BRENNAN has been recalled to the Kilkenny team for tomorrow’s All-Ireland final, with TJ Reid losing out.

Kilkenny manager Brian Cody has made one change in personnel to his starting line-up for Sunday's All-Ireland SHC final against Tipperary at Croke Park (throw-in 3.30pm).

LAST YEAR'S epic showdown marked Tipperary’s Declan Fanning and Kilkenny’s Martin Comerford last game. Speaking separately, they recollect two of the greatest finals in the history of the game.

It comes as no surprise that Kilkenny manager Brian Cody has tonight opted to name an unchanged team for Sunday's All-Ireland SHC semi-final against Waterford at Croke Park (throw-in 3.30pm).

THREE years ago, a promise of glasnost swept through Leinster hurling.

Tommy Walsh will start for Kilkenny when they battle it out with Dublin in tomorrow's Leinster SHC final at Croke Park (throw-in 4pm).

Henry Shefflin will make his first competitive appearance for Kilkenny tomorrow since aggravating a cruciate knee ligament injury during last September's All-Ireland SHC final.

EAMON de Valera’s famed black Dodge is to be returned to Clare as a tourist attraction.

CLARE manager Ger O’Loughlin believes the result of this evening’s Allianz Division 2 final with Limerick could have a major bearing on his players staying in Ireland.

NO winners here.

Kilkenny manager Brian Cody has made seven changes in personnel to his team for tomorrow's Allianz Hurling League Division 1 encounter with Offaly at Nowlan Park (throw-in 2.30pm).

SOMETHING strange happened at Croke Park last Thursday week. Five points up and sucking diesel approaching half-time in the All-Ireland club final, O’Loughlin Gaels were blown out of it in the second half and eventually lost by 12 points to Clarinbridge. In doing so they became the third Kilkenny team to lose an All-Ireland club final in recent weeks.