IT IS as big as Co Louth — the “Wee County” — and it costs nearly as much as a wee house in that part of the world. It is very large indeed and might even be visible from outer space and for BMW, the X7 is indeed a very expansive (and expensive) venture into uncharted territory and, to continue to interstellar analogy, to boldly go where no Beemer has been before.

There was a time for Ballygunner when playing Clare opposition in Munster competition was always one match too far, but those days of serial defeat to the best of the Banner have been well and truly ended these past three years.

Waiting for the Brexit finale has been a bit like sitting in a dentist’s surgery for three years — scared of the worst while hoping for the best, yet willing to accept a modicum of discomfort to get it all over with.

A website questionnaire purports to know when you will die, based on your family history and lifestyle, writes Terry Prone

Climbers hoping to tackle Mount Everest could in future be required to have already scaled tall peaks, undergone proper training, possess a certificate of good health and have insurance that would cover rescue costs if required.

Noah Smith In 1953, mountaineers Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary made the first confirmed summiting of Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak.

Photographs have surfaced on social media of climbers flocking to climb the sacred indigenous Uluru, or 'Ayers Rock' in Australia, sparking controversy.

Unseen colour footage and the testimonies of surviving WW2 veterans result in an immersive film about war, trauma and the human experience, writes Esther McCarthy.

Tributes have been paid to an Irish mountaineer who died after his climbing team was caught in bad weather on the southern Russian peak of Mount Elbrus, Europe’s highest mountain.

Cold War-era spy satellite images have shown scientists that glaciers on the Himalayas are now melting twice as fast as they used to.

Few people outside racing fully realise Aidan O’Brien is Ireland’s greatest living sportsman and that Royal Ascot is his playground.

So that’s nearly Wednesday wrapped up. Here’s some of the stories we published on irishexaminer.com today which we hope will help you make sense of it all this evening.

Shocking photographs have emerged of queues of climbers on Mount Everest.

The Trinity professor who went missing on Mount Everest is being remembered today in his home town of Bray in Co Wicklow.

A memorial service is to be on Monday for a father-of-one who died just hours after summiting the world’s highest mountain.

Concerns are being raised over traffic jams at the summit of Mount Everest as the death toll on the mountain continues to rise.

The search for missing father of one and Trinity College Professor Séamus Lawless who had been missing since falling on Mount Everest nine days ago has been called off.

An Irish father of two has died while attempting a climb on the world’s highest mountain.

Indian climber Ravi Thakar was found dead inside his tent on Mount Everest at 7,900m Camp Four in Nepal last Friday morning. Severe altitude sickness is being blamed for his death.

The search for the Wicklow man missing on Mount Everest won't resume until late next week.

The search for a missing Irish man on Mount Everest will resume in the next three days.

The search is unlikely to get back underway today as night falls on the mountain and the situation will be reassessed tomorrow morning

So that’s Thursday nearly wrapped up. Here’s some of the stories we published on irishexaminer.com today which we hope will help you make sense of it all this evening.

Mr Lawless had successfully scaled Everest along with the other Irish climbers and international mountaineers and sherpas.

The American owner of the wreck of the Lusitania has gifted it to a local group in Cork and hopes his bequest will help them create a “living museum” to the tragedy.

Cyclone Fani has torn through India's eastern coast as a grade 5 storm, lashing beaches with rain and winds gusting up to 200km/h and affecting weather as far away as Mount Everest as it approached the former imperial capital of Kolkata.

The Irish are obsessed with the weather — so it’s no surprise RTÉ is devoting a three-part series to the topic, writes Ailin Quinlan.

A small passenger plane has crashed into a parked helicopter during takeoff near Mount Everest, killing at least three people and injuring four others.

Adventurer Pat Falvey has launched a new initiative to help people over the age of 50 to shift attitudes and achieve their goals, writes Margaret Jennings.

We're not so sure.

We know there has been something of a cloud hanging over the Ballydoyle horses for a while now, with Aidan O’Brien reporting that the bug was “the worst we’ve had.’’

We know there has been something of a cloud hanging over the Ballydoyle horses for a while now, with Aidan O’Brien reporting that the bug was “the worst we’ve had.’’

Her husband John became the first Clare native to conquer Mount Everest in May.

Roger Bannister, the first person to run a sub four-minute mile, died at the weekend. He was 88.

Four Irish friends spending Christmas Day rowing a tiny boat across the Atlantic in one of the world’s toughest races lie in sixth place out of 26 international competitors.

Mezzo-soprano Sharon Carty headlines the 15th East Cork Early Music Festival this weekend, writes Cathy Desmond

Legendary explorer and climber Simon Yates will be talking about his experiences during his Cork tour, writes Conor Kane

It was 48 years ago today that a former US navy test pilot delivered one of the most famous sound bites in history.

Lewis Hamilton believes he can race on until he is 40 after rejecting his own suggestion that he could stun Formula One by retiring at the end of the season.

Sherpa rescuers have found the bodies of four climbers inside a tent on the highest camp on Mount Everest, raising the death toll this climbing season to 10.

A quirky event for all the family, including beloved dogs, is a chance to celebrate all things canine, says Helen O’Callaghan

An 85-year-old Nepali who was attempting to scale Mount Everest to regain his title as the oldest person to climb the world's highest peak has died.

While Aoibhín Garrihy was rehearsing for Dancing with the Stars, her husband John Burke was training to climb Everest. As he embarks on his journey, he speaks to Colm O’Connor from base camp.