Ireland may not have won any points at Euro 2012 but they won plenty of friends in Poland, a fact Uefa acknowledged at the weekend by announcing supporters of the Boys in Green will be given an award for their excellent behaviour at the finals.

Tricolours erected to mark Ireland reaching the finals of the Euro 2012 Championship still hang on many buildings on the main street of Blessington.

Football fan James Nolan who died on a trip of a lifetime to Euro 2012 has been described as "one in a million".

The funeral has taken place of James Nolan in Co Wicklow.

Thousands of mourners are expected today at the funeral of James Nolan who drowned while following the Irish soccer team in Poland.

I have just returned from Poland and am extremely sad for James Nolan and his family following his tragic death in Bydgoszcz.

The removal of the young Irish student who drowned tragically in Poland last week takes place this evening.

The body of James Nolan, who died tragically in Poland last week, has been brought home to his family in County Wicklow.

Pleas for Euro 2012 organisers to hold a minute’s silence in memory of tragic Irish fan James Nolan appear to have fallen on deaf ears.

Ireland fan James Nolan is believed to have drowned as a result of a tragic accident, with no evidence of an assault being involved.

Ireland fan James Nolan is believed to have drowned as a result of a tragic accident, with no evidence of an assault being involved.

A post-mortem examination is due to be carried out today on the body of Wicklow student James Nolan, whose remains were recovered from a river in Poland yesterday.

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore has expressed his condolences to the family of James Nolan.

The family of an Irish soccer fan missing since Sunday flew to Poland last night as it was confirmed that the body pulled from a canal there was their loved one.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that the body of a young man found dead in a river in the Polish City of Bydgoszcz this morning, is that of missing Irish man James Nolan.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has said that the body of a man found in a river in the Polish City of Bydgoszcz this morning, is due to be formally identified later tonight.

The body of an as-yet unidentified man has been recovered by police divers from a river in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz.

Two close friends of the 21-year-old Irish soccer fan missing in Poland since last Sunday morning have made an emotional appeal for help in locating their friend.

Relatives of a young Irish man missing in Poland are expected to travel there today.

Fears are growing for the safety of Irish soccer supporter James Nolan who went missing in Poland last weekend after a major search of the city of Bydgoszcz had failed to trace his whereabouts.

A 21-year-old Irishman has been missing in Poland since the weekend.

A 21-year-old Irish man has been missing in Poland since the weekend.

Frantisek Smuda, the Poland coach, stares out from the front cover of the current Polish version of Newsweek, a look of impressive resolution on his face.

Frantisek Smuda, the Poland coach, stares out from the front cover of the current Polish version of Newsweek, a look of impressive resolution on his face.

SUPPORTING Ireland at Euro 2012 won’t be cheap, but it will be cheaper than a trip to Ukraine would have been.

FOLLOWING medal successes at the world youth and European U23 championships, Ciara Mageean (City of Lisburn) will be one of the favourites at the women’s European junior 1,500m final in Tallinn on Thursday morning.

OVER 3,000 runners will go to the starting line for tomorrow’s “Ballycotton 10”, Ireland’s most enduring and successful road race.

PAUL HESSION believes David Gillick has a superb chance of claiming a bronze medal at next month’s IAAF World Championships in Berlin.

ALAN O’BRIEN (Crusaders) was relatively unknown when he won the IMC 800m at Cork City Sports last year.

PAUL HESSION ran the fastest ever 200m — unfortunately wind-assisted — by an Irishman when finishing third at last night’s international athletics meeting in Thessalonika.

OLIVE LOUGHNANE can’t wait to toe the line at the 23rd IAAF World Race Walking Cup in Cheboksary, Russia, on Sunday for several reasons but mainly her recent good form.

Ryanair has today opened three new routes from Dublin to Alicante (Spain), Bydgoszcz and Gdansk (Poland).

Ryanair has announced that it will launch two new routes between Dublin and Poland in May.

Derval O’Rourke, winner of last month’s World Indoors 60 metres hurdles title, is setting her sights on reproducing that form outdoors.

Budget airline Ryanair said today it is launching five new routes from London to eastern Europe.

Shelbourne’s Jason Byrne has won the PFAI Player’s Player of the Year award for 2004.

SONIA O’SULLIVAN arrives here tomorrow full of confidence and ready to produce her best performances of the year, according to partner Nic Bideau yesterday.

THE contrast in the quality of the entertainment provided by Ireland’s two representative teams last week could not have been more extreme.

Republic of Ireland boss Brian Kerr has warned England, Wales and Northern Ireland not to under-estimate Poland when the World Cup qualifying campaign gets under way.

BLACKBURN ROVERS’ midfielder, Steven Reid, last night emphasised the important role that Ireland’s top internationals Roy Keane and Damien Duff can play in the development of the many young players now being introduced to international football.

Steven Reid has hailed the return of Roy Keane to the Republic of Ireland fold and insisted that, with the Manchester United captain in the team, the Irish can fear no-one.

BRIAN KERR rejoiced in Ireland’s achievement of extending their unbeaten run in friendly matches to seven after a low-key and unexceptional match against Poland in Bydgoszcz last night.

While all the talk in the days before the Republic of Ireland’s friendly against Poland was about Roy Keane, another less heralded son of Cork was one of the few bright points in tonight's 0-0 draw.

Ireland are level at 0-0 in an uneventful friendly against at Stadion Zawiszky, Bydgoszcz in Poland tonight.