The shortlist for Ireland’s greatest sportsperson has few permanent cast members, but Sonia O’Sullivan has always featured on it.

Safi, a port city on Morocco’s Atlantic coast, is not the kind of place you expect to be reminded of the seismic and lasting impact of an athlete from Cobh

Sonia at 50, then.

The rich tapestry of Irish rural life is reflected in the 2,500 or so projects nationwide which have been approved for LEADER rural development funding.

Breaking Sonia O’Sullivan’s 24-year-old Irish 1500m record is one of the key things keeping Ciara Mageean motivated while drug scandals continue to haunt and damage her sport.

The picturesque town of Cobh has suffered many blows over the years, with the booming cruise liner business now serving as its main industry and employer, writes

How to create the next world champion?

It was another day of records at the Irish Life Health/Munster Schools’ Championships which took place in blustery conditions at Cork IT.

World premieres and prestigious touring productions will feature in the Everyman Theatre’s spring/summer season.

For something widely described as the worst-kept secret in golf, Pádraig Harrington’s eventual unveiling as Europe’s next Ryder Cup captain surprised us in just how pleasant and important a reminder it was of what a special golf nation this is, and what a special sportsperson Harrington is.

From hockey to rowing, women’s achievements in sport are finally starting to get their fair share of attention. But there’s a lot more to be done, writes Marjorie Brennan

Few nations embrace their medal-winners quite like Ireland, a country that puts a higher premium on international success due to its rarity.

As the final day of the European Athletics U18 Championships gets underway in Gyor, Hungary, the Irish team already have plenty to celebrate.

Here’s a prediction: the next great Irish athlete, the one we take a hiatus from work to watch challenge for an Olympic medal, will not be a distance runner.

Comedians tend to worry a lot about the ‘too soon’ moment, that minefield of a border between the darkly funny and the wincingly crass.

The weekly fun and games that flows from RTÉ’s Ireland’s Greatest Sporting Moment programme is a timely reminder of the importance of athletics in Irish sporting history. 

The long-held suspicion that Sonia O’Sullivan was cheated out of medals at the 1993 World Championships has been strengthened by claims from a Chinese whistleblower that the country ran a systematic, widespread doping programme through the 1980s and ’90s.

A judge who heard days of evidence about bad blood between neighbours over a house extension said the two parties were very foolish but only one was before the court.

Samuel L Jackson does not kiss many women on screen. He has made well in excess of 100 films but reckons he has locked lips with no more than five leading ladies.

From Atlanta in 1996 to her elimination from Celebrity Masterchef, running has always helped Sonia O’Sullivan overcome her setbacks. She tells Esther McCarthy why she reaches for her running shoes to deal with life’s challenges.

Irish female sports stars have a nice line in first-name recognition. Sonia, of course, is the original and most iconic. Since then we’ve had other heroines: Katie, Derval, Stephanie, and Annalise. 

The family of Sonia Blount has urged social media users to be cautious and aware online, saying Ms Blount had paid for an error of judgement with her life.

A Dublin man, who set up a fake Facebook account to meet a woman who had stopped contact with him, told gardaí he strangled her when she screamed on seeing the pellet gun, Stanley knife and cable ties he had brought to frighten her.

Rugby legend Ronan O’Gara paid an emotional tribute to the people of Cork as he was conferred with the freedom of the city he said he loves.

LATEST:The trial of a man accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend in a hotel room has heard that she was dressed when her body was found on the floor of Room 346 in the Plaza Hotel.

Paul Brady is often referred to as a musician’s musician, the implication being that his work is better appreciated within the trade than among those who take their music off the car radio. The Pat Hickey business last Wednesday had that feel.

A man has lost his legal challenge over an insurance company’s refusal to pay out on his claim for serious illness cover.

Former England footballer Adam Johnson has been jailed for six years for engaging in sexual activity with a besotted 15-year-old fan after a judge was told he was also arrested for possessing extreme pornography.

The woman who tipped police to the Islamic State commander of the November 13 Paris attacks says he told her he entered the Paris region among a multinational group of 90 extremists still scattered in the area.

Sterling fell to its lowest level against the dollar since 2009 but was little changed against the euro at almost 76.5 pence after Bank of England governor Mark Carney yesterday signalled a boost to UK interest rates is still some way off.

Got an issue? Ask Audrey...

The most vocal of those offended by the new statue of Sonia O’Sullivan have been urged not to judge the piece on a photo finish.

Olympic silver medallist and former world champion Sonia O’Sullivan was honoured in her native Cobh yesterday when a statue was unveiled in her honour.

Athlete Sonia O’Sullivan is to travel from Australia to attend the unveiling of a lifesize sculpture dedicated to her in her Co Cork hometown later this month.

Sonia O’Sullivan narrowly missed out being elected to the IAAF Council on the day Sebastian Coe was elected the new president of the international athletics governing body.

FROM an Irish perspective, there is bitter irony in the fact that China is where former Olympic 1,500m champion Sebastian Coe won the race to be president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the body that governs world athletics.

Mark Carney needs to be careful to not overplay his hand today talking about higher UK interest rates.

This week, I chatted briefly with the aunt of an Irish soccer international. As usual, the arm was the opener. “What did you do to the arm?”

Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe has sent hundreds of letters to female devotees from his cell in Broadmoor, including a Valentine’s card to one to say he loves her.