When he died just weeks before our February election the constitutional politician Seamus Mallon’s backstory and achievements were unknown, or at least underappreciated, by a swathe of our electorate.

“Do it now to limit the spread and keep it down and catch it before there’s more community spread,” Dr Yvonne Williams told RTÉ's Today with Séan O’Rourke.

Wayne Rooney offered 5,000 travelling supporters a reminder of former glories but, thanks in part to two goals from new striker Odion Ighalo, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s current Manchester United side made another potentially significant step forward.

A two-and-a-half-hour pep talk from tennis superstar Venus Williams got Stephen McPhail back on track when he struggled to get out of bed due to his autoimmune disease.

JJ Hanrahan admits that Munster’s young guns are keeping the established players on their toes.

It was a dream debut for Rhys Marshall as he scored and assisted in the two goals that gave Shamrock Rovers an easy victory over 10-man Waterford FC in last night’s SSE Airtricity Premier Division clash at the RSC.

Holders Cork Constitution extended their winning sequence to 13 games in the Energia All-Ireland League Division 1A at Temple Hill.

Leinster maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a 21-13 victory over Ospreys at the Gnoll in Neath.

The AIL can help Munster compete with the Leinster schools conveyor belt, says retired Munster hooker Mike Sherry.

Had events unfolded the way Nicky Henderson hoped at the start of the season Altior would not be running in the Grade Two Win Bigger On The Betfair Exchange Chase at Newbury this afternoon.

Ireland U20s assistant coach Kieran Campbell expects his side to be more ruthless in tonight’s Six Nations second round clash with Wales at Musgrave Park (kick-off 7.15pm).

Retired Munster winger Ronan O'Mahony joins the Duncans Casey and Williams to chat all things Munster and Six Nations.

Jordan Larmour’s is not exactly a hard-luck story but when a player as talented as he rarely gets to put together back-to-back performances in the same position you begin to wonder just how much better he could be.

When Wayne Pivac sat down with his Wales squad to outline his expectations for the 2020 Six Nations this week, he did so with the Championship’s trophy alongside him.

Sale’s hopes of progressing to the European Champions Cup quarter-finals came to an end as they were beaten 30-23 by La Rochelle.

The most famous smashed racket in tennis was sold by a ballboy earlier this year for a mere $500.

Mary Williams from Tallaght joined other bingo players outside Leinster House to protest against proposed gambling legislation.

With an imperious performance, the local crew of Rob Duggan/Ger Conway (Ford Escort) took a superb victory in the Rentokil-Initial Killarney Historic Rally.

It’s that most magical time of the year, as the yuletide song goes, and football certainly gave us a good dose of that old black stuff yesterday.

Much as he was satisfied with the ample positives of Ireland’s 3-1 win against New Zealand, arguably the biggest lesson Mick McCarthy will take from that sideshow game into Monday’s crunch encounter with Denmark is that some of the blemishes of Thursday’s performance could, if not eliminated, prove fatal against Christian Eriksen and company.

Blackburn Rovers defender Derrick Williams has been ruled out of Monday's European Championship qualifier against Denmark.

Former Cork City striker Sean Maguire was delighted to score his first senior international goal in the Republic of Ireland’s victory over New Zealand.

Who was your man-of-the-match?

Move over Dean Richards, Harlequins, and ‘Bloodgate’, there is an even bigger bad news story to overtake you in the annals of English club rugby history, writes Rob Cole.

When the baseball-capped Nelson Mandela danced his famous jig in the No.6 Springbok jersey, Siya Kolisi would not have paid a blind bit of notice.

Steve Cooper’s men had to do it the tough way, with Paul Cook’s Wigan dominating an entertaining encounter at the DW Stadium that they will feel they should have won.

On a night when two giants of the European game, and a heady mix of youngsters and world superstars, served up one of the games of the season, it was left to a 20-year-old from Cork to make the telling contribution in the penalty shoot-out.

Donal Lenihan speaks to former Wales and British and Irish Lions forward Martyn Williams.

We've rounded up the best tries of the Rugby World Cup group stages, featuring some outrageous rugby skills.

Wales secured a World Cup quarter-final clash against France next Sunday – but they ended their Pool D campaign with an unconvincing 35-13 victory over Uruguay.

View of Cork sunset is the main attraction, says Des O’Sullivan.

Mick McCarthy has an acid tongue that is also capable of delivering lines as smooth as velvet.

Former Aston Villa defender Derrick Williams has come out in support of disgraced youth boss Kevin MacDonald after the veteran coach was sacked by the club in August following an investigation into claims of bullying that stretched back over 25 years.

TOKYO — The funny thing about World Cups is that they help the All Blacks find their inner Zen.

Here is a selection of people who have recently been appointed to interesting new roles.

Venus Williams ousted defending champion Kiki Bertens at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati.

Bianca Andreescu became the first Canadian winner of the Rogers Cup in the Open era after Serena Williams was forced to retire during the early exchanges of the final in Toronto.

The result means the Women's National League Champions sit in second spot in Group 10, with their final group game on Tuesday against Maltese side Birkirkara.

Teenager Glen McAuley was sprung from the bench to score his first goal for St Patrick’s Athletic, who had to come behind to put First Division Bray Wanderers out of the FAI Cup at Richmond Park last night.

This clash saw Limerick progress to the next round of the FAI Cup at the expense of a brave Cobh Wanderers effort.

New Zealand centre Sonny Bill Williams has hit out at media claims that he is "under pressure" to make the All-Blacks squad for the Rugby World Cup.

Richard T Cooke is involved in organising the Music at the Maldron free gigs by Jimmy Crowley and others as part of the Mother Jones Festival in Cork, until Sunday.

Now the remarkable story of how Karen Barry took up power-lifting in her 40s and went on to compete in the World Championships.

Since leaving the villa earlier this month, he has received daily abuse that is “as worse as you can imagine”.