Competition for the three Munster places for the third All-Ireland series intensified in the past week.

Transport Minister Shane Ross is proposing a radical scheme to offer share options to 11,000 CIE employees, in order to “give them a few bob” and make them feel better.

John O’Rourke and David Hubbard will meet in the North Cork Junior A final, following O’Rourke’s impressive semi-final win over Derry Cooney at Peake.

Transport Minister Shane Ross has batted away accusations of engaging in ‘gombeen politics’ over the allocation of sporting grants and, instead, highlighted opposition TDs lobbying for club funds.

Where once those fans smitten by the skylords of Irish basketball punched holes in the roof at Neptune Stadium, now the harsh winters oblige.

Independent Alliance ministers have reacted with anger at what they see as their deliberate exclusion from the controversial newspaper ‘advertorials’ by Fine Gael.

A Garda sergeant had to avoid a car driven at him when he intervened at the scene of a man arguing with a woman driver.

As Leo Varadkar and Shane Ross are quickly learning, it’s easier to grumble about a train’s location while waiting on the platform than to be responsible for getting it there in the first place.

Fine Gael TDs and senators will be whipped into voting in favour of a significant beefing up of Ireland’s drink-driving laws, despite concerns about the impact it could have on rural communities.

The garda in charge of deciding which stations should reopen has revealed he was asked by the former Garda commissioner for a report shortly before Stepaside in south Dublin was chosen.

A suspicious mind might conclude there were too many coincidences involved in the decision to reopen Stepaside station, writes Special Correspondent Michael Clifford.

Michael Harrington franked his All-Ireland intermediate credentials with an impressive win over Christy Mullins in the Cancer Research benefit at Shannonvale on Saturday.

Independent Alliance Minister Shane Ross has been criticised after the reopening of Stepaside Garda Station was announced.

The abandonment of rural Ireland dominated the weekly meeting of the Fine Gael parliamentary party last night.

Bus Eireann is losing €6m a year despite receiving a State subsidy of €40m, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has told the Dáil, writes Daniel McConnell of the Irish Examiner.

James O’Donovan added another significant win to his current run when he beat Killian Kingston by three bowls in the semi-final of the Paddy Barry Cup at Rosscarbery.

Relations between government partners Independent Alliance and Fine Gael are deteriorating further after a second public row in 24 hours, this time over the sale of alcohol in shops.

A row has erupted between ministers Shane Ross and Denis Naughten over whether electric cars should be allowed use bus lanes, the Irish Examiner can reveal.

A family raised in the wild has to return to civilisation.

He came through the doors pushing his own luggage trolly, looking like any other holiday maker returning home from holidays.

So we have peace in our time, it seems, writes Daniel McConnell.

Super Junior Minister Finian McGrath has said Government is “not an easy place for me to be” referring to escalating tensions in Cabinet between Fine Gael and Independent ministers.

Relations between Fine Gael and Independent ministers are said to be “severely strained” just three weeks into the new Government.

People refusing to pay their water bills are to escape any legal punishment after Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil said they will not introduce new laws to prosecute debts under €500.

We don’t know why this isn’t more of a thing - using Snapchat to provide an insight into everyday farming practices that are probably a bit of a mystery to the rest of us.

Donncha O’Brien was brilliant at Durrus where he beat Jerry Gibbons by almost a bowl in torrential rain in the West Cork Junior A championship.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny is expected to “make an offer” to Fianna Fáil leader to begin coalition talks before he departs to the US early next week, it has emerged.

Colin O’Donovan scorched to within three metres of the line in 12 brilliant shots to beat David Cotter by a bowl of odds in the Dinny McCarthy Cup final at Derrinasafa.

An ex-fiancée of Charlie Sheen has sued the actor claiming he didn’t disclose he was HIV positive until after they had sex several times, and that he was was physically and emotionally abusive during their relationship.

Mike Ross will be 36 in December, but the Leinster tighthead has no intention of calling time on his Test career in the wake of Ireland’s devastating World Cup quarter-final defeat to Wales at the Millennium Stadium.

Carbery Rangers 1-16 Duhallow 1-7: A fifth Cork SFC semi-final to look forward to for this group of Carbery Rangers players, but this wasn’t the gut-check they were looking for to steel them for a crack at Nemo Rangers in three weeks’ time.

If the proposed Grand Prix of America in New Jersey ever actually takes place, drivers will battle for position in front of the world famous Manhattan skyline which potential new Formula One owner Stephen Ross has made a career out of redrawing.

Mike Ross makes no bones about it: He feared his Ireland career was over.

Wayne Callanan bowled brilliantly to win the Billy Molloy Cup against Gavin Twohig at Whitechurch.

Leinster 22 Munster 18

The country’s 1.6m households will know how much they can expect to pay in water charges before next May’s local elections, the Taoiseach has told the Dáil.

David Murphy got the first shout in the bragging rights of 2014 when he beat Martin Coppinger comfortably in the last shot in the Teehan Cup at Castletownkenneigh on Sunday.