Football players ran for cover when an escaped vulture swooped on to the pitch.

Loyalists are threatening to step up their protest outside a Catholic primary school in north Belfast after eight loyalists were arrested.

Residents of the loyalist Glenbryn estate in north Belfast have resumed their protest against Catholic children walking to school through the Protestant estate.

Wasps 29 Treviso 24

David Jones’ promotion-chasing Wolves had to settle for a share of the spoils in another big derby game against rivals West Brom last night, but it was enough to take them back to the top of the Division One table.

The Lions cruised to a comfortable win against New South Wales Country today without remotely hitting top gear.

The whistle goes and the Lions are victorious.

The unsuspecting stranger clearly had not recognised Ireland’s most famous rugby player when he anxiously sought the use of a mobile phone in the middle of busy down-town Dublin.

Darren Morris tonight underlined the Lions’ determination to erase memories of a disastrous week by declaring: ‘‘This is a squad of winners - not losers.’’

Andy Robinson today defended the Lions from stinging criticism fired by Wallabies coach Rod Macqueen and New South Wales boss Bob Dwyer.

The outcome of the first of the Leinster football semi-finals in Croke Park yesterday had as much to do with Dublin achieving their victory as Offaly allowed a chance of advancing to slip through their fingers.

A painting by Jack Butler Yeats fetched more than stg£1.1m at an auction in London today.

Two identikit headers by Arsenal’s Graham Barrett and another by substitute Jim Goodwin sent the Republic of Ireland marching to a clear-cut victory in their European Championship qualifier against Estonia in Tallinn.

Ireland strolled to an easy, if lacklustre, 37-3 win over Romania in the friendly in Bucharest.

The number of litter wardens on the streets of Dublin is to increase as part of the biggest ever push to clean up the capital.

A United Airlines plane crashed Tuesday morning just north of the Somerset

Loyalists say there will be no end to the protests against schoolchildren and their Catholic parents in north Belfast.

This morning’s loyalist protest on the Ardoyne Road in north Belfast passed off peacefully, with the Glenbryn residents remaining silent as Catholic parents brought their daughters to primary school.

Newport director of rugby Ian Macintosh tried to remain upbeat despite his side’s 29-21 Celtic League defeat to Munster at Musgrave Park, Cork.

North Belfast MP Nigel Dodds today conducted a tour of the Protestant community embroiled in the North Belfast school protest to highlight the sectarian and economic problems he said were the root of the dispute.