Clare maintained their unbeaten National League run with an impressive nine-point win over Dublin that secured them top spot in Division 1B and with it, a place in the semi-final of the competition they last won in 2016.

Cork have drafted in their Fitzgibbon Cup winning contingent for Sunday's grudge Allianz Hurling League clash with Limerick.

Results from the opening fortnight of league hurling did little to strengthen the case of keeping faith with the new 12-team Division 1 structure.

John Fogarty and Eoghan Cormican preview the weekend's GAA fixtures.

Retired Bishop of Killaloe Willie Walsh helped coach St Flannan’s College to five Harty Cup and All-Ireland titles and is as passionate as ever about his old alma mater as they bid to win a first Munster Colleges crown in 15 years, writes Joe Ó Muircheartaigh.

Promotion or relegation matters are never decided on the first weekend in February, but at the same time a sneak preview of the way things might pan out over the course of the seven-match campaign can loom very large.

It’s not that Clare’s opening salvo in this year’s National League was a box-ticking exercise, but as soon as the final whistle sounded to signal this facile 16-point victory it’s safe to say that everyone of a saffron and blue hue was moving towards next Sunday’s mouth-watering clash with Wexford.

It was no surprise that new Clare hurling boss, Brian Lohan, picked a player in his own likeness as captain for the year ahead. John Conlon may inhabit a different end of the field than the Banner legend did during his playing days, but the differences between the two end there.

When Dublin travelled to Cork for our last regular round league match in April 2011, we knew we had an outside chance of making a league final. We had to win, which was never going to be easy down there

Football life without former captain and talisman Gary Brennan will be a huge challenge for Clare in the 2020 Allianz League, but manager Colm Collins is bullish about the Banner County’s prospects of holding their own in Division 2 for a fourth successive year.

A man was injured after he became trapped beneath a gate that had blown open on top of him during Storm Brendan this morning.

Denis Hurley picks out eight players to watch from Wednesday's Harty Cup quarter-finalists.

What a pity the game in Ennis on Saturday wasn’t delayed by 15 minutes.

On they march, the untouchables from north Galway now just an hour from history.

In all competitions, including provincial and All-Ireland series games, their actual unbeaten number is 34; 32 wins and two draws.

John Fogarty previews the weekend's GAA fixtures.

An experimental Dublin side got their Walsh Cup campaign off to a winning start with a comfortable eight-point win over Westmeath.

Fans have a choice to make for their pre-Christmas hurling fix as the Co-Op Superstores Munster Hurling League and McGrath Cup fixtures have been confirmed.

The June 6 game in the LIT Gaelic Grounds is likely to be televised live by Sky Sports, with the vast majority of the other nine games again set to be shown by RTÉ.

Former Galway hurler David Forde has joined new manager Shane O’Neill’s backroom team — as a selector.

Joe Ó Muircheartaigh Clare SFC final replay

The GAA are strongly considering the decommissioning of the ‘maor foirne’ role in Gaelic football and hurling.

For 12 years they didn’t speak to one another but for the sake of their club Tim Crowe and Davy Fitzgerald yesterday combined forces to guide Sixmilebridge to their fourth Clare SHC title in seven years.

John Fogarty For the third year in a row, Kilkenny and Dublin will face off in the first round of the Leinster SHC in 2020 while Wexford yet again don’t start their campaign until Round 2.

Champions St Joseph’s are 60 minutes away from retaining their title after a semi-final victory over Doonbeg at Cusack Park on Saturday.

Although Moloney — joint manager with Gerry O’Connor last year — was invited to put his name forward, county chairman Joe Cooney confirmed that officials were also exploring alternatives to the Scarriff man taking sole charge of the team in 2020.

A 3-17 to 0-17 victory over Clondegad at Cusack Park sealed Éire Óg’s spot in the Clare senior football championship quarter-finals.

When your opening championship game of the summer is a 16-point hammering on home soil and your last is the All-Ireland final, it goes without saying that there came a turning point somewhere along the road.

Dónal Óg Cusack had already begun changing the game with short puckouts in 2003 and 2004 but Damien Fitzhenry’s puckout masterclass against Kilkenny in the 2004 Leinster semi-final was still a keynote moment in hurling’s expanding tactical revolution.

John Meyler’s comment afterwards was almost as telling as the scoreboard at the final whistle. Cork were here to take care of business and they had theirs done well before half-time.

Cork have shaken things up for their first ever senior hurling championship fixture against Westmeath, with five changes from the side that lost to Clare in their final round-robin game in Munster.

Stealth mode suited Limerick last year but don’t try convincing Alan Cadogan just yet that taking the alternative route to an All-Ireland title is to Cork’s advantage.

Westmeath captain Aonghus Clarke has hit out at the timing of Sunday’s All-Ireland preliminary hurling quarter-final with Cork, claiming the short turnaround is ‘unfair’ on his county.

Capacity concerns and Galway and Mayo’s refusal to toss a coin for home advantage meant their All-Ireland SFC Round 4 game was fixed for the LIT Gaelic Grounds this Saturday evening (7pm).

Round 4 of the All-Ireland football qualifiers has pitted Ronan McCarthy's Cork against Laois while Mayo will face Connacht rivals, Galway in the pick of next weekend's clashes .

Clare forward David Tubridy says confidence is building all the time as the Banner look to move one step closer to the Super 8s.

Limerick football manager Billy Lee insists lessons have been learned as his side head into tomorrow’s All-Ireland qualifier with Westmeath in Mullingar.

Cork All-Ireland winner Diarmuid O’Sullivan believes GAA chiefs should have halted play in Sunday’s Munster SHC tie between Clare and Cork on safety grounds.

Munster senior championship attendances are up 10% on the same period last year, despite a massive drop in crowds at the province’s football games.

Patrick Horgan accepts a case could have been made to take Cork and Clare players off the field during Sunday’s thunderstorm at Cusack Park.

Sport makes grown adults do silly things. Hurling sillier. Its frenzied nature plays on your most basic fears.