The Irish spent the second day at the Cheltenham Festival struggling to make up ground on the locals who claimed five of the seven races and it was a case of much the same off the track on Ladies Day.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has hit out at republicans who have refused to give evidence at the Smithwick tribunal into IRA-Garda collusion.

Keith Long’s Bray Wanderers’ first foray into the Setanta Sports Cup didn’t stretch beyond the first round.