Hopes are rising that an Irish-bred, white-tailed eagle will produce a chick in 2018, writes Donal Hickey

The Northern Ireland beauty spot is officially the world’s hottest destination after coming top of the list of global regions in the Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel List 2018.

The ferocity of Storm Ophelia was such as to subdue even the most hardened and to remind all of us of the awesome power of nature. 

Stepping out of Central Station, Belfast, at about 7pm on the Saturday before last, I saw, at the end of the street, a murmuration of starlings wheeling about the sky.

Alan Corcoran is two weeks into his attempt to swim the length of Ireland, from the Giant’s Causeway to his native Dunmore East. He is undertaking the swim in memory of his father, former FAI President, Milo Corcoran.

Irish ports will have their busiest ever cruise ship season in 2017 with over 300 vessels scheduled to visit ports and harbours around the country, writes John Daly.

"What we don’t want is to end up with 4km-long border queues like Turkey-Bulgaria. It would be a nightmare around Dundalk or Enniskillen."

The hospitality industry faces “nightmare” challenges if a hard Brexit brings about a restricted Irish border, the annual Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) conference has heard.

For once, Paul O’Connell will not be able to lead by example, but his words to Europe’s Ryder Cup team at Hazeltine National last night were set to be, in the words of captain Darren Clarke, “seriously inspirational”.

Roger Charlton fully intends for Time Test to take his place in today’s Coral-Eclipse at Sandown.

The going in Thurles is very good and conditions are favourable for a special fundraiser in aid of a local school’s autism unit.

Irish Examiner journalist Dan MacCarthy speaks to Irish Olympic medallist and Irish Sports Council chief executive John Treacy, as well as Collins Press publisher Con Collins about his new book, Cycling Munster – Great Road Routes

While she does not condone terrorism, Jennifer Hough wonders why, if it is OK to stand in commemoration of the men and women of 1916, is it wrong to do the same for those who fought in the Troubles?

Areas of geological importance in Waterford, Clare, and Fermanagh have been designated Unesco Global Geoparks following a vote in Paris yesterday.

Every year thousands of tourists flock to Ireland to take in the sights and soak up the atmosphere of our beautiful country.

GERMANY: Police in western Germany are looking for thieves who broke into a shop selling alcohol and stole the caps off 1,200 bottles of beer — presumably to collect points for a prize contest — yet left the suds themselves untouched.

Dual Guineas hero Gleneagles turned in a dominant performance in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.

The Midlands manor where Kanye West and Kim Kardashian famously honeymooned has been dubbed the grandest hotel in Ireland by the world’s top travel bible.

Last week, I wrote about the increasing destruction of habitats in marginal areas, where, in the cause of creating more grassland for more cattle to make more beef and now more milk — bedrock is smashed and removed and the land scraped of all the wild and hardy vegetation that has evolved there since the last Ice Age.

A fierce man for the moving pictures, The Menu is very much looking forward to Alliance Francaise de Cork 26th Cork French Film Festival.

Men in Lycra could soon be outnumbering men in shorts on manicured foreign fairways, following a rise in the popularity of cycling breaks at the expense of golf trips.

The decision by Aidan O’Brien to turn Adestes Fideles’ thoughts to sprinting can reap a dividend in the six furlongs Floodlit Friday Nights At Dundalk Maiden on the all weather tonight.

Charlie McBride believes the step up to seven furlongs will help eke out further improvement in Stroll Patrol in the Shadwell Rockfel Stakes at Newmarket today.

Easily the most interesting horse on view at Gowran Park tonight is Dermot Weld’s Windsor Park in the Santa Train Maiden.

The Cliffs of Moher have been selected as our top choice when showing overseas visitors heritage sites here in Ireland.

A ferry business move from one far-flung island corner of Ireland to the other brings the country’s most southerly pub and restaurant up for sale, on a hugely-popular tourist island, with a €250,000 asking price.

FOR the young solo English backpacker, Northern Ireland during the Troubles had a certain curious allure.

We begged Disney not to make a movie about leprechauns, but Aer Lingus used them for ads. Do we like them or loathe them, asks Caomhán Keane.

Irishman Stephen Roche has been inducted into the Giro d’Italia Hall of Fame at a ceremony at Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland.

He may argue otherwise, but trainer Aidan O’Brien can once again dare to dream about winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic tonight.

Aidan O’Brien believes Declaration Of War represents possibly his best ever chance of finally claiming victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita tomorrow.

Declaration Of War will retire to Coolmore Stud in Co Tipperary after he has signed off his racing career in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Saturday week.

Declaration Of War will retire to Coolmore Stud in County Tipperary after he has signed off his racing career in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Saturday week.

Joseph O’Brien broke Michael Kinane’s record for the number of flat winners ridden in a season in Ireland when registering a spectacular 112/1 treble on Sardinia, Marvellous and Dysios at Navan yesterday.

The array at Whyte’s auction of history, literature and collectibles in Dublin next Saturday (Sep 14) ranges from comic books, to memories of the Great Famine and the 1913 Lockout, to sporting memorabilia.

Declaration Of War has appeared enough times this summer to give him a logical chance of winning any Group One race, but it was still something of a surprise to see him turn over Al Kazeem and Toronado in the Juddmonte International Stakes at York yesterday.

A judge today gave the all clear for work to begin on a controversial £100m golf course development near the famous Giant’s Causeway on Ulster’s north coast.

Esther N McCarthy dips, wheels and whirls to pick cute, clever and crafty gifts for everyone this festive season.

Willie Carson saluted John Dunlop as “one of the true legends of the sport” after the veteran trainer announced he is to retire at the end of the current British Flat season, the end of a career that saw him send out over 3,500 winners.

Joseph O’Brien stretched five clear of Pat Smullen in the title-race when sharing a two-year-old double with his trainer-father Aidan at Dundalk last night.

It’s official! Met Éireann figures prove that while the rest of us got drenched all summer, Donegal was bathed in sun, says Paddy Clancy

UCC is to confer honorary degrees on some of Ireland’s sporting greats, including a hurling manager who has wrecked many a Cork supporter’s dreams.