The date was Sunday, February 27, 1898, the venue was Cork’s famous suburban lake at The Lough and the top prize was a second-hand bike with golden ball bearings.

THE Cork Butter Exchange was the largest butter market in the world and the city retains a Butter Museum in Shandon to this day.

THE conversation isn’t the only thing that flows when it comes to Beamish — yesterday the tears were flowing too among seasoned drinkers of that mellow blended stout.

JOHN CARTHY was put off a building site for drinking on the job the day before the siege at his home.

THE garda who authorised John Carthy’s detention for questioning over an arson incident did so without knowing in any detail what the grounds for detaining him were.

A NEIGHBOUR of John Carthy asked gardaí to take his shotgun from him because he feared a Dunblane-type tragedy.