ANOTHER retirement — this time permanently — might very well have been inevitable for DJ Carey if he had not made it back to the Kilkenny team for the All-Ireland series.

AUDITORS have already blown the whistle on 30 companies suspected of breaking the law in their accounting practices.

AN apology this week, and a plea, but they are not unconnected.

ANDREW THOMPSON, one of the three “old men” in the Shannon team, remains one of the most formidable forces in the club game in this country.

THE blood is up, lads.Ireland's World Cup odyssey in Australia was undoubtedly exciting but there is something about a big Munster away day in Europe that leaves you breathless and shaking with anticipation.

THE GAA will pocket over 30m euro from this year's football and hurling championships in another bumper season for the organisation.

THE complex nature of Heineken Cup quarter-final qualification ensured that rugby fans across Europe were mathematically challenged for the weekend.

Limerick 1-19 Waterford IT 3-10

Middlesbrough 3 Coventry 0

Cork City 0 UCD 1

TO say the Taoiseach revealed little that was substantially new about the Ray Burke affair when he addressed the Dáil yesterday would be an understatement.

St Mary’s College 7

SO, for the second time in two weeks we were treated to the highly unusual sight of Westmeath players, officials and management bounding across the Croke Park pitch in joyous abandon.

Jocelyn Gecker, Banda Aceh

Brendan O’Brien

To set the scene for the first part of our Top 50 poll, Joe McNamee looks at the state of play in the Irish music industry.

KILKENNY’S history-making achievement in Croke Park on Sunday held a special significance for many amongst the All-Ireland champions.

A FEW words pertaining to last week’s piece, before we get into the meat of the 2004 hurling Allstars.

Newcastle 1 Juventus 0

Kilkenny 0-22 Wexford 1-16