While the tens of thousands of Irish here in Bordeaux are focussed on this afternoon’s crucial clash with Belgium, one group of fans was brought here by a match-up of a different kind.

Saddle up to get a view of our magnificent landscape. There is simply no better way to appreciate our country says Dan MacCarthy

Glen of Aherlow Loop

Tipperary’s Dundrum House Hotel, a Georgian country mansion with golf resort and holiday homes on 220 acres near the M8, has been put up for sale by a receiver with a €2.75 million price guide.

We scan a selection of trading up homes from around the country.

Locals are helping to conserve the terrain for future generations, says Dan MacCarthy

THE memories of Christmas may be fading, but that pudginess around the mid-riff is a lot harder to shake off.

1872-built national school owned by cartoonist/writer Flann O’Riain has price slashed to €80,000, Tommy Barker reports

Joe Dermody enjoys a peaceful break in the Glen of Aherlow, Tipperary.

PETS TO GET A FRIENDLY WELCOME IN THE NORTH

THROUGH my work-room window, I look out at the mist hanging over the field beyond the beeches and my imaginings of an Indian summer are dissolved in water-vapour so dense the horses are like spectres walking riderless through cannon-smoke, lost in a region between heaven and hell.

She started her own practice in the mid-1980s, in the midst of recession. In 2011, not much has changed for Ireland. Now a director of FLAC, Noeline Blackwell still sees first-hand the look of despair on people’s faces, writes Kyran Fitzgerald

TOURISM leaders hope to attract nearly four million extra visitors to Ireland over the coming years by upgrading walking routes and rolling out special facilities for hikers.

THERE you are, trundling along on your three-gear, 10-year-old bike, facing a powerful head wind and an uphill challenge when, out of the blue, a fellow cyclist comes whizzing past, breezing up the incline like it didn’t exist.

EVEN though Roberta O’Brien grew up almost 100 kilometres from the nearest coastline, it hasn’t stopped the Tipperary native from making history with the Irish Naval Service.

A FAMILY of four were found safe and well late on Sunday night after becoming lost while hiking on the Galtee mountains in Tipperary.

Murdered former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri will be awarded this year’s Tipperary International Peace Award at a ceremony in Co Tipperary on Friday, it emerged today.

THE recent row over third-level fees raises a few disturbing issues for the working class and other disadvantaged groups.

Gardai were today attempting to trace the origin of a herd of unidentified cattle found roaming in Co Tipperary.