It was as if the last three eventful sporting months — an Olympic Games for the ages, a European Championships for England and Ireland to forget — had never happened.

Regular Rose of Tralee viewers are used to unusual sights, with banana songs, breakfast rolls, and a contestant who decapitated Sesame Street’s Bert of Bert and Ernie fame (seriously) all taking the spotlight in recent years.

In 2010, Blackrock seemed set to drop from senior hurling ranks as they trailed Blarney in the relegation play-off, only for Kevin O’Keeffe to score a late goal to retain their top flight status.

A late Youghal resurgence, which saw them claw back a four-point deficit, ensured these will have to meet for a third time in the championship to decide who will progress to the semi-final.

Former Tipperary captain Ger ‘Redser’ O’Grady was there for Pa Bourke’s once-in-a-lifetime achievement on July 29.

Being unemployed is hard, but our relationship with work makes it more so, writes Tom Boland

Around about halfway through their respective 11-year inter-county careers to date, Colm McFadden and Rory Kavanagh started spending evenings in the gym at Letterkenny Community Centre.

Nine days out from an All-Ireland semi-final, Bernard Brogan is exhibiting no crisis of confidence despite there being reason to be doubtful of his form.

This month, artisans, from potters to jewellers, are opening their workshops to tea ch their traditional skills, says Colette Sheridan

Helsingborg 0 Celtic 2

We never love referees, we only loathe them and we rarely fully appreciate how much we need them.

Winter of discontent ahead for Enda Kenny and the Coalition, writes Michael Clifford

AS legends go, this pair definitely fit the bill.

Check back over the videos of Galway’s three Championship wins over Brian Cody’s Kilkenny and there are common threads.

Tom Murphy’s emigration trilogy is “an inner history of Ireland,” Garry Hynes tells Alan O’Riordan

Early on Sunday morning at Pennypack Park, about 20 minutes northeast of Philadelphia, you could still enjoy the last bits of calm before the third and final day of the North American GAA Championships really kicked into gear.

Ten-man Waterford United slipped up in the race for automatic promotion as they were held to a scoreless draw by Athlone Town at the RSC.

Declan O’Brien’s spot kick separated the sides at Hunky Dorys Park last night as Drogheda United hung on for all three points against a spirited Bohemians side.

1. Ailis McSweeney revealed Derval O’Rourke’s preparations in intimate detail: “She was in her own bed with her coaches in comfortable surroundings until two days ago.”

They didn’t want to leave the pitch in Cusack Park on Wednesday night, a second Munster U21 hurling title in four years to be celebrated, but it was more than that.