Whatever their individual qualities, the combination of stages in the Killarney area and those within the Beara Peninsula are probably unequalled within Europe.

After the extremes of a summer and winter in just 10 days, the Easter weekend looks set to return to the decidedly average conditions that characterise an Irish spring.

REVIVED just three years ago, tomorrow’s Tyre Stop Kerry Rallysprint has already found a perfect niche in the motorsport calendar.

LEGEND suggests that yesterday’s rain will lead to downpours for the next 40 days, potentially ruining the rest of July and August.

ONE lucky sailor was rescued after falling overboard during the Sovereigns Cup in Kinsale yesterday.

A FULL RANGE of sailing conditions on Cork Harbour delivered a complete test to the combined fleet of more than 60 boats for the annual Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA) national championships that ended yesterday.

THE final round of this season’s Dunlop National Rally Championship, the Fastnet Rally, has a new base and headquarters at the Westlodge Hotel in Bantry.

SOME of the most renowned stages in Irish rallying, like Moll’s Gap, Caragh Lake and those in the Béara Peninsula, are the principal reason Tim McNulty opted to compete in this weekend’s Cartell.ie Killarney International Rally of the Lakes, the third round of the Irish Tarmac Championship, instead of last week’s Circuit of Ireland Rally.

A LATE entry from Armagh’s Darren Gass (Subaru WRC) has added extra spice to Sunday’s Carlton Hotel Circuit of Kerry Rally in Tralee, the second round of the Top Part West Coast Championship.

HORSEPOWER of a different variety will reverberate at the Tralee Racecourse tomorrow for the Tyre Stop Kerry Rallysprint.

AS Cork Week enters its finale today, the traditional programme of races has been altered by yesterday’s near gale conditions off Roche’s Point.

CORK WEEK 2010 passed its halfway mark with sunshine and light winds mixed with rain and a slow, rolling seaway off Roche’s Point as the results closed up in most of the 13 classes.

A CHANGE of pace saw standings across the 13 classes tighten into two distinct groups: the outright battles for first place in some, and clear favourites in others. Light winds are again expected today while there will be possible near-gale conditions tomorrow.

THE victim’s of the state fishery board’s single worst tragedy are to be remembered this weekend.

More than €150m worth of crops could be ruined by dismal weather over the summer, it was revealed today.

THOUSANDS of homes were left without electricity or telephones yesterday after 170km/h gales battered Ireland — the third strongest since records began in 1888.

FOLLOWING the strong storms that lashed the country in the past few days, weather reports point to even further violent winds and sea conditions next week.

It’s hoped flooding in the Midlands and West of the country will begin to subside in the coming days, as a spell of dry weather settles across Ireland.

PLANS by Munster supporters to travel serenely to Cardiff for this weekend’s Heineken Cup Final were blown off course yesterday by gales over the Irish Sea.