Hear the one about the Kilkenny man who played for Munster? Or even better, about the Kilkenny GAA man who now works with Tipp GAA? Ian Dowling is a walking quiz question, but wherever he turns up, success seems to follow...

1 Walking Tall 

Betimes, The Menu is inclined to think there are more food awards than actual foodstuffs, so great has their proliferation become in recent years, but The Irish Food Writers’ Guild Community Food Awards remain exceptional and above criticism in his eyes. 

Officially, Friday’s Carlow/Kilkenny byelection is all about replacing former Fine Gael TD Phil Hogan, who was ‘promoted’ to Europe after the Irish Water debacle.

Kilkenny City hasn’t been as badly affected by high-street vacancies as some other towns and cities but has seen a rise in the number of vacant commercial spaces, from 3.3% in early 2014 to 7.7% in the first quarter of this year.

Calexico mix a myriad of influences but it all just seems to make sense, writes Gerry Quinn

Today, tens of millions worldwide are celebrating the feast of this country’s patron saint, Partick. But ther’s a baffling number of patron saints, and some have rather unexpected job titles, says Brian Moss.

It’s time for a return to the Marble City where Bia Beag are reprising their Meet the Bakers event (January 24). 

Kilkenny scored a hat-trick yesterday when it was named Ireland’s cleanest town for the third year in a row.

Kilkenny City has been named Ireland's cleanest town by Irish Business Against Litter.

April 27, Nowlan Park.

Kilkenny residents protesting against the Central Access Scheme have expressed their outrage after pile-driving equipment was brought onto the site overnight.

That old saying about absence and what it does for the heart sprang to mind yesterday evening as members of Kilkenny’s backroom staff stood underneath the Hogan Stand having their pictures taken with the Bob O’Keeffe Cup.

The big event food event of this weekend is a rather stellar demo line-up including Ross Lewis, Frankie Mallon, Derry Clarke, Darina Allen and Rachel Allen in the Chef’s Kitchen at the Westport Music Festival.

LEINSTER SHC QUARTER-FINAL:

Cookery schools, river walks and wildlife parks — Kilkenny has a lot to offer, says John Tynan.

The Kilkenny festival is something to savour.

Less than a week after Kilkenny’s shock July exit from the All-Ireland hurling championship Diarmuid O’Flynn travelled to the Marble City to gauge the reaction and mood in the county. In that famed hurling talk shop of Langton’s, former stars Noel Skehan, Michael Walsh and writer Enda McEvoy were in no mood to write obituaries about Brian Cody’s men.

More heavy rain and local flooding is on the way, although we will still have had the driest July in years.

Sunday’s Allianz Hurling League final against Tipperary will be a strange affair for JJ Delaney and his Kilkenny team-mates.

Huzzah for the boys from Longford. Huzzah!

Bruce Springsteen, with the full E Street Line Band line up, will bring his Wrecking Ball Weekender World Tour to a dramatic conclusion at Nowlan Park, Kilkenny, next summer.

Up to 15,000 spectators packed into Nowlan Park last night to welcome home the victorious Kilkenny team.

15,000 spectators packed into Nowlan Park tonight to welcome home the victorious Kilkenny team who secured their 34th All-Ireland SHC title thanks to an 11-point win over Galway at Croke Park on Sunday.

Ivan Sheridan worked for years as a qualified carpenter but saw the writing on the wall for the property sector in advance of the crash.

Hotel room rates were stable in Ireland for the first half of the year due to advance bookings for festivals and concerts and the return of the conference market.

OLD hands they may be at this triumphant homecoming lark, but Kilkenny supporters turned out in their thousands last night to welcome their hurling heroes from another glorious weekend in Dublin.

IT was Monday, it was early afternoon, it was raining, but there were no blues in Kilkenny yesterday, just black and amber, a city en fete as the 2011 All-Ireland senior hurling champions were welcomed home.

IT’S been a year with a difference for Eoin Larkin, the first year since 2005 — his debut season — that Kilkenny haven’t been All-Ireland champions.

FOR the seventh successive summer the principal of Kilkenny City Vocational School saw off her Leaving Certificate students under a dark cloud.

THREE years ago, a promise of glasnost swept through Leinster hurling.

CORK have slipped into the “second tier” of hurling counties, according to Seán Óg Ó hAilpín, who warned yesterday it may be the middle of the decade before the Rebels are in a position to challenge for major honours again.

FIVE legendary Kilkenny captains have backed Brian Cody’s side to secure a place in hurling history by winning a fifth consecutive All-Ireland SHC title on Sunday.

Kilkenny captain Michael Fennelly was simply overawed with the welcome his side received as upwards of 30,000 Kilkenny supporters packed the Marble City streets to get a glimpse of their heroes last night.

When Laois man Michael Dempsey got the call from Brian Cody to get involved with Kilkenny, the first issue on the agenda was ‘what does he know about hurling?’ DIARMUID O’FLYNN explains

JOHN WOODEN knew a thing or two about winning.

Kilkenny's Under-21s will bring a fourth All-Ireland title back to the Marble City after the completion of a hurling clean sweep from the minor through to the senior grade.

Kilkenny is preparing to celebrate the county's record 31st GAA All-Ireland SHC hurling title win this evening.

GOOD FENCES make good neighbours. For Robert Frost, maybe. In Waterford and Kilkenny there’s no such thing as a barrier. Not when you have a Waterford man helping to sponsor the Kilkenny hurlers, and a Kilkenny hurler helping to dress the Waterford hurlers. Michael Moynihan tries to make sense of it.

IT HAS been a weekend for everybody.

BOTH are wing forwards and both play for Kilkenny at senior level but there the similarities begin and end for Eddie Brennan the hurler and Eddie Brennan the footballer.