There are All-Ireland home-comings, and then there was Clare last Sunday, a homecoming with a difference — certainly different to what we saw in the ’90s.

Clare Senior Hurlers visited Crumlin Children's Hospital this morning with the Liam MacCarthy Cup ahead of their Homecoming celebrations in Ennis tonight.

Rain may be forecast but a rainbow of colour is expected over Cork this bank holiday weekend as one of the country’s largest gay pride festivals takes place.

Organisers of a famed 18th century Irish battle are seeking potential pikemen and pikewomen for a planned reenactment.

HUNDREDS of mourners yesterday attended the funeral of retired Eircom worker Martin Purcell, who was found dead in his flat in Wickham St in Limerick.

TWO teenage brothers and a woman in her 50s were last night being held by Gardaí in connection with a pipe-bomb attack on a house in Rathkeale early on Tuesday morning.

Gardaí in Cork have released a man and a woman arrested in connection with a stabbing incident over the weekend.

A MAN in his 20s was fighting for his life last night after being stabbed in the stomach following a fight in a Co Cork town.

A LOT of local history comes with Dungarvan’s Mountain View House – almost 200 years.

THE Farmers’ Market movement is coming of age – it’s now over 12 years since Myrtle Allen and I first set up our stalls in Cork’s Coal Quay side-by-side with fish smoker Frank Hederman, vegetable grower Caroline Robinson, Klaus and Hannah Balz with their beautiful bunches of fresh flowers and a couple of other brave souls.

Tougher laws are needed to move on members of the Travelling community who camp unlawfully in towns and villages across Ireland, it was claimed tonight.

THE successful return home of the space shuttle Discovery yesterday has increased the ambition of Limerick man Cyril Bennis to be the first Irishman to fly into space.

MARTIN MURRAY, who led Dundalk to the FAI Carlsberg Cup title last season, welcomed their second round draw against Shamrock Rovers last night with the comment: "It is just like the cup final against Bohs, we are again the outsiders. That's how we like it."