Lee-facing Northcliffe retains many of its 300- year old features and is tastefully decorated and well-maintained throughout, writes Tommy Barker.

Crrigeen Acebo is providing the Lalor family from outside Clonmel with some tremendous sport this season and the seven-year-old recorded her fifth consecutive point-to-point success of the campaign by winning a thrilling mares’ open at yesterday’s Cloyne Harriers meeting at Dromahane.

A few more licks of paint, fewer weeds and a very few points were all that separated the winner of the National Tidy Towns competition from the tantalisingly close runners-up.

On Cork City’s Blackrock Road, Dundanion House has had commercial uses for 50 years, but would be a ‘grand’ home, says Tommy Barker.

Tony Lyons was counting his lucky stars last night.

If Aidan Walsh could split himself as easy as he does ash, he would likely be on the hallowed turf on Sunday.

IT was a memorable afternoon for Bill Shanahan at yesterday’s Duhallow-Kanturk point-to-point meeting at Dromahane as the 21-year-old from Ballinure in Co Tipperary partnered his first career winner aboard James Dullea’s unconsidered 14/1 shot Rotorua in the open lightweight.

YOUR article on Marie Collins with her despairing plea for truth and the Catholic Church’s need for humility was heartrending (December 2).

LIVING in the heart of horse breeding and training country in the green plains to the west of the Wicklow mountains, the Sleator family were themselves connected with horseracing for many years.

Tommy Barker says Jacob Island’s homes are a class apart.

IT SEEMS like every Monday morning in the papers we are reading out the death toll from that weekend’s road traffic accidents.

AS we near Christmas, traffic on our roads has increased greatly, particularly in the vicinity of major shopping areas.