US PRESIDENT Barack Obama’s visit to Ireland next month will last longer than five hours, a Government spokesman has said.

WESTMEATH whistler Pat Fox has been finally appointed to officiate an inter-county senior football game after seven weeks in the refereeing wilderness.

MANCHESTER UNITED striker Wayne Rooney is set to miss the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City on April 16 after being charged by the FA for his foul-mouthed on-camera tirade at the weekend.

THERE must be something in the water in Madrid. How else to explain the fact that Harry Redknapp joined Jose Mourinho in an outbreak of honesty yesterday, forgetting the phoney war and ditching the mind games?

A TALE of two halves in Wexford Park yesterday — the best of times for Wexford and the worst for Cork, as the Slaneysiders overturned an eight-point deficit to storm to victory.

A FULL-BLOODED Allianz Hurling League encounter in Croke Park on Saturday evening, two honest and whole-hearted teams giving their all in conditions made treacherous by the ferocious hailstone showers that fell before the half time whistle.

LOUGHREA’S St Brigid’s completed a stunning year at All-Ireland vocational hurling level when their senior side pipped Roscrea CC by two points in a thrilling SAHC final in Semple Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

IN the end there was to be no hurling romance in Semple Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

A RIP-ROARING contest that could have gone either way before Connacht atoned for their slip-up in Italy to record their sixth home win on the trot.

ARSENAL cult hero John Jensen returns to his former club today looking to upset the very fans who took him to their hearts two decades ago.

PÁIRC Uí Chaoimh had a little something for everyone yesterday, with Cork edging out Galway by three points in an Allianz Division 1 Hurling League game which only came to life in the closing stages.

WICKLOW moved top of Division 3A, level on points with Derry after the Garden County’s 1-15 to 1-14 win over London at Ruislip yesterday.

CRÍOST RÍ manager Aidan Moynihan was elated at the final whistle of yesterday’s Corn Uí Mhuirí decider after overseeing his charges claim the school’s 16th title in the competition.

NEWLY-ELECTED TDs Jonathan O’Brien and Mick Wallace were on opposite sides of the football divide in Turner’s Cross last night but it was Cork City who topped the poll, beating Wexford Youths with a goal before half-time from Vinny Sullivan, the striker who has returned from Waterford United for a second stint on the Lee.

CILLIAN MORRISON struck late to give UCD a victory they just about deserved against Mick Cooke’s new charges at Hunky Dory’s Park.

IT was total domination from Waterford United in their opening game in the Airtricity League of Ireland First Division but Stephen Henderson’s side came unstuck by a very defensive Athlone Town outfit that held out for a share of the spoils at the RSC last night.

UCC’s practice of slaying major forces in this season’s Sigerson Cup was maintained when they ousted the host college UCD in an enthralling semi-final clash in Belfield yesterday afternoon.

INNISCARRA isn’t so much a place as a feeling and, lately, that feeling has been jubilant. The parish, eight kilometres or so from Cork city is home to about 7,000 souls but, right now 33 of them are the ones who really matter.