Ireland finished with a flourish in the Aviva last night, as a much improved second-half performance meant first international goals for the Cork duo of Alan Browne and Kevin Long, along with one on his debut for striker James Collins, delivered a 3-1 win over a Bulgarian side whose only answer on the night came from the penalty spot.

Troy Parrott’s hype machine is cranking into overdrive after he spearheaded a stellar comeback victory in Sweden last night.

The coaches for the Republic of Ireland team will have to think about playing midfielder Wes Hoolahan for the whole 180 minutes of their Euro 2016 play-offs against Bosnia.

Richard Keogh is relishing the chance to do battle with Bosnia-Herzegovina striker Edin Dzeko as the Republic of Ireland set their sights on the Euro 2016 finals.

Two former Fianna Fáil taoisigh and a finance minister could be called to give evidence in a European Parliament investigation of how the corporate tax system in Ireland worked for both Apple and U2.