Here I go again, praising the wines of Spain.

The thing I love most about the Christmas meal is that for once I am not the only one fussing and worrying about what wine to serve. 

Pope Francis has canonised the Catholic Church’s first married couple in modern times, declaring the parents of St Therese of Lisieux saints in their own right.

I have bad news.

Stockist: Cases Wine Warehouse Galway www.cases.ie

Life is good for both Ireland’s senior teams as they begin the final preparation phase for their Olympic qualification campaigns.

Parents should be welcoming and fair, but must set ground rules. The girl should be responsible, but should also feel appreciated, says Helen O’Callaghan

Ford has unveiled the Edge SUV in a bid to target a fast-growing SUV segment that has doubled in the past five years. The production version of the spacious and smart all-new Ford Edge large SUV will go on sale in 2015, extending a line-up of SUVs in Europe that already includes the new Ford Kuga medium SUV and the new EcoSport small SUV.

It’s nearly three years ago now but their memories of the trip remain vivid. Lots of things about Roscommon were different, the houses for a start. Some of the rooms were bigger than their homes in south London, some of the bathrooms were bigger than their bedrooms.

Corkman Tony Hurley was last night elected chairman of ShowjumpingIreland at the first meeting of the new executive.

New Irish senior women’s coach Darren Smith has hinted he may veer away from a centralised training system when he takes charge next month.

A single error in the opening round kept Denis Lynch out of the battle for the €400,000 on offer in Saturday’s Global Champions Tour grand prix final in Abu Dhabi.

Ford is to close one of its main European factories in Belgium with the loss of more than 9,000 jobs.

The RDS and other historic show jumping venues could face serious competition in remaining in the top-level Nations Cup series if proposals for a revamp proceed next year.

SUCCESS eluded the three Irish riders in Saturday’s Global Champions Tour final in Abu Dhabi, with Billy Twomey coming out best in 13th.

CIAN O’Connor is confident Larkhill Cruiser can rise to the occasion when he makes his nations cup debut in today’s FEI Top League opener in La Baule, France.

SHOW jumper Billy Twomey danced to his first Global Champions Tour win at the weekend in Valencia, Spain, on the appropriately named Je t’Aime Flamenco.

DENIS LYNCH will be aiming to further repair his “dented pride” this weekend when he lines out in the second leg of the Global Champions Tour (GCT) in Valencia, Spain.

YOUNG rider Gerard Clarke continued his barnstorming run in the HSI Chippison Spring Tour in Barnadown, Co Wexford.

IRELAND show jumping manager Robert Splaine says the coming outdoor season will be “tough”, as he tries to balance the demands put on resources by the Meydan FEI Nations Cup Series and September’s Alltech World Equestrian Games.

US-BASED show jumpers Shane Sweetnam and Kevin Babington are among a five-man squad named yesterday for next week’s Meydan Nations Cup Series opener in La Baule, France.

JESSICA KÜRTEN qualified for the World Cup final last Sunday and then declared her surprise at the achievement.

CUSTOMS officers seized nearly 120 million illegal cigarettes last year, more than a third greater than the previous year.

Ryanair announced today it is shutting its base in Valencia, Spain, with the loss of 70 weekly flights following a row with the local council.

Revenue officers have seized 1.5 million Benson and Hedges cigarettes at Dublin Port this morning.

A Nobel-winning UN panel of scientists today issued a stark vision of human hardship and vanishing species in a world growing increasingly hot.

The Earth is hurtling toward a warmer age at a quickening pace, a Nobel-winning UN scientific panel said in a landmark report today, warning of inevitable human suffering and the threat of species extinction.

Ruling Socialists and opposition conservatives in Spain fought to a virtual tie in local elections, highlighting deep divisions in a country torn over its Basque conflict, terrorism and other issues.

STUDENTS who developed a simple home test kit that measures nitrate levels in drinking water believe it could be used to avoid a potentially fatal blood disorder in infants known “blue baby” syndrome.

Eastman Kodak Co., the world’s largest photography company, said it would close processing labs in Spain and Norway and scale back one in Switzerland, cutting 313 jobs, as demand for traditional photos declines.

Aspiring young Irish racing drivers will receive good news this morning from BMW Ireland, who will announce details of a fully-funded drive in the 2005 Formula BMW UK Championship.

Europe’s elite clubs, including Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool, today vowed to boycott the World Club Championship next year despite an effort by FIFA to slim down the competition.

Collated results on the second day of the Seve Trophy, Continental Europe v Great Britain and Ireland, at El Saler, Valencia, Spain

THE forthcoming Seve Trophy contest between Continental Europe and Great Britain & Ireland at the Campo de Golf Parador El Saler, Valencia, Spain, will now be played over four days in early November (6-9), rather than three.

EUROPE’S benchmark stock indexes have lagged comparable US measures this year, but they may soon start to pull ahead.

Malaysia's state-of-the-art Sepang circuit has been added to the World Superbike Championship calendar for 2003.

Michael Schumacher escaped injury when his Ferrari drove off the track during testing in Spain.