In the wake of non-enforcement of fines for failing to hit fiscal deficit targets Daniel Gros discovers that EU member states prioritise domestic political imperatives over common rules

Journalist Jody Moylan and artist Mateusz Nowakowski used a new approach to focus on the life of the Great Liberator, writes Don O’Mahony

On a sunny evening recently my son and his housemates decided to have a barbecue in their back garden. 

Condemnation would have handed the British a propaganda weapon against Irish nationalists, and, in any case, the leaders were personally known to the clergy, says Dermot Keogh

The relocation of tonight’s one-off episode to 19th century London was a bold move for the show’s creators, writes Gemma Dunn

Humanity’s claim to uniqueness just suffered a major setback: scientists reported that a newly discovered ancient species related to humans also appeared to bury its dead.

Elementary, my dear Watson? Maybe so, as an event next week at University College Cork will hear that the inspiration for Professor James Moriarty, nemesis of Sherlock Holmes, was actually mathematician George Boole.

Rita de Brún enjoys a break at The Radisson Blu Farnham Estate in Cavan, a paradise for lovers of good food.

Gordon Elliott enjoyed the most successful day of his training career when he saddled a short-priced treble in Bellewstown last night to add to his spectacular four-timer in Perth in the afternoon.

Patrick Geoghegan is a professor of history at Trinity College Dublin and presents Talking History on Newstalk radio on Sundays at 7pm.

The in foal Oceania Queen, trained by Pat Martin for his mother-in-law Nuala Brennan, captured the €22,500 Vaughanshoes.ie European Breeders Fund Fillies Handicap, feature of last night’s action in Ballinrobe.

Here’s are some of the best things to do during the week ahead

“One can’t solve everything,” is a statement akin to heresy when uttered by the immortal Sherlock Holmes (Ian McKellen), but then life is no longer elementary for fiction’s greatest detective in Mr Holmes (PG). 

In 1947, the great detective Sherlock Holmes thinks back on his life and takes on one last case.

A giant of English film and theatre, Ian McKellan looks set to enchant another generation with his portrayal of London’s most famous detective as a frail recluse in his 90s says Will Lawrence

Ian McKellen has used twitter as well as his amazing writing ability to pay a final tribute to his friend and co-star Christopher Lee who passed away earlier this week.

The man behind a pantheon of villains made his name as a ‘rough and muscular’ update of Dracula

For people of a certain vintage Young Sherlock Holmes holds a special place in their heart.

I AM living in the middle of a murder mystery, writes Dick Warner.

I HAVE a vivid recollection from childhood of making an unannounced visit with my mother to an elderly grand-aunt, and her fluster at having visitors when she had just taken down her ceiling light shades for the annual wash, leaving the light bulbs exposed.

PlayStation Plus subscribers can download their free games for March right now. Check out the games that are free to download this month.

Cheltenham is turning out to be anything but a rotten meeting writes Enda McEvoy

What summer signposts should we take from the opening rounds of the Allianz Hurling League? Very few.

Failure to impose fiscal rules means the new European Commission is in danger of losing its authority, writes Daniel Gros

Anthony Horowitz

VICTORIA BECKHAM has admitted that her children didn’t think she had a “proper job” as she prepares to open her first clothing store in London.

How to Write a Story

Pier 26 Seafood Restaurant, Ballycotton, Co Cork, 

A dethroned 16-year-old beauty queen from Burma said she won’t return her bejewelled $100,000 (€76,000) crown until pageant organisers apologise for calling her a liar and a thief-

The BBC’s hit series Sherlock scooped a hat-trick of awards at the glitzy Emmy ceremony and looks set to return to our screens next year.

Richard Zimler

Title: The Art of Killing Well Marco Malvaldi

James Garner’s portrayal of Jim Rockford in ‘The Rockford Files’ left an indelible mark on young TV fans, says Michael Moynihan

An army of Sherlock Holmes fans have donned their deerstalkers and picked up their pipes in an attempt to break an unusual Guinness World Record to mark TV star Benedict Cumberbatch’s birthday.

The Lonesome Heart is Angry

Agatha Christie’s popularity is due to a combination no other mystery writer mastered, Declan Burke discovers.

Foul play by council causes a bit of a stink

Benedict Cumberbatch "shared notes" with Robert Downey Jr on playing Sherlock Holmes.