News from the 32: Antrim, Armagh, Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Derry, Donegal, Down, Dublin, Fermanagh, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Tyrone, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow

News from the 32: Antrim, Armagh, Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Derry, Donegal, Down, Dublin, Fermanagh, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Tyrone, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow

Newly crowned All-Ireland champions Kerry dominate the nominations for the 2009 Vodafone football all-stars with 12 of their team in the running for this year’s awards, while Kilkenny hurling legend Henry Shefflin is in the running for a ninth all-star honor like fellow Cats hero DJ Carey .

The All Ireland Final between Cork and Kerry on September 20, 2008 will be a game based on evening up the scores and avenging tough defeats For Cork, though they overcame Kerry in this year’s Munster Final, this team has not reached the Holy Grail of taking the Same Maguire cup Leeside yet, and the closest they came was in 2007 when they were sent home sour-pussed after a ten point defeat to none other than Kerry.

News from the 32: Antrim, Armagh, Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Derry, Donegal, Down, Dublin, Fermanagh, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Tyrone, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow

News from the 32: Antrim, Armagh, Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Derry, Donegal, Down, Dublin, Fermanagh, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Tyrone, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow

Bits and bobs from newspapers across Ireland's 32 counties, North and South.

On Monday, June 29, Rita Keane of Caherlistrane, County Galway passed away at age 86 in a Galway hospital. Before leaving this earth, however, the pair left a rich legacy for others to emulate and to keep the songs of Ireland inhabited by generations of singers who they touched with their own authentic voices and styles.

Cathal Dervan highlights the recent transfer news regarding departures and arrivals of some of Ireland's best footballers, the result of the British and Irish Lions' third test against South Africa and the past week's Gaelic action from Ireland.

Dublin, Galway and Antrim take honors in Sunday's GAA games. Dublin in massive win over Westmeath...

The Senior Football Championship and the Senior Hurling Championship results straight from Ireland

In football Dublin and Limerick recorded wins, while Cork and Kerry drew and will have to play again. In Leinster hurling, Antrim's debut was a tough one as they went down by 12 points to the Dubs.

Ireland: The regular season of the Allianz National Hurling League came to a close on Sunday with action in all three divisions around the country.

The GAA have acceded to popular demand and fixed the NFL Division One and Two finals as a double header in Croke Park on Sunday, April 26.

A roundup of all the action in the last round of the Allianz National Football league

A review of Sunday's action in the Allianz National Hurling League

A roundup of all the action in The Allianz National Football and Hurling Leagues.

The lowdown on the weekend's action in the Allianz National Football and Hurling leagues.

Sunday was a busy day in the Allianz National Football League with action in all four divisions.

Let's face it! Visitors to Ireland are spoiled for choice. From the windswept Cliffs of Moher to the misty Aran Islands, there are hundreds of must-see places on any tourist's itinerary. We've done our best to narrow it down to just 10 and we've got the pictures to prove it!

Ireland’s golf courses are a mecca for golf lovers. There are about 440 in the country - and according to Ireland’s official tourism agency, the Emerald Isle has more golf courses than any country of comparable size on the planet. No wonder then that the sport is a major draw for tourists - hundreds of thousands of golfers come here each year.

Bearing a national passion for the world of sport, Ireland can reverberate to the drums of Gaelic football, hurling, soccer, rugby, horse racing, athletics, boxing and even snooker. Next year will see the sports fan's heart beat to a different pulse when Ireland steps up to the tee for the 2006 Ryder Cup. For three days in September all eyes will turn to the sculpted countryside of Co.

HE lives on his own behind bulletproof windows with CCTV cameras watching his home to prevent being killed.But after 10 years of fighting to expose his son's killers as Special Branch agents, Raymond McCord insists that his journey for justice is not over.The story of one man's campaign to bring his son's killers to justice has been published in a new book.

Leinster's preparations for Sunday's Heineken Cup decider against Edinburgh at the RDS have been thrown into chaos after lock Malcolm O'Kelly was cited. O'Kelly faces a disciplinary hearing in Dublin on Thursday after he was sin binned for stamping on the England prop in a bizarre 19-12 defeat to Wasps at Twickenham last Saturday. A ban will cause major problems for coach Michael Cheika ahead of a game when Leinster will book their place in the last eight against Edinburgh if they match the Wasps result away to Castres.

VETERAN Tyrone defender Brian McGuigan insists the former All-Ireland champions are hungry to take Kerry's title away from them on Sunday. "At the end of the day I just want to win as many All-Ireland titles as I possibly can," said McGuigan. "I'm going for my third All-Ireland but I don't even want to stop there, I just want to keep going - that's what everybody on this team wants to do.

GALWAY and Antrim will both play in the Leinster hurling championship next season after a radical vote to amend the structure of the provincial game was passed at a Special Congress in Croke Park on Saturday.

Delegates from Dublin, Offaly and Wexford all spoke out against the proposal, but an 80% yes vote ensured the changes will come into place next year.

The move has been welcomed by GAA President Nickey Brennan, who also confirmed that Leinster Championship games could be played outside the province next season if Galway or Antrim receive home draws.

IRELAND will hold a slender one-point lead going into the second Compromise Rules test in Melbourne on Friday after a narrow 45-44 win over Australia in Perth.

The visitors had led by 17 points at one stage in last weekend's opening game, but Australia began to adapt to the game and clawed their way back into contention.

"We are pleased with a one-point victory but look at the way Australia came back at us in the last quarter.

CELTIC manager Gordon Strachan was defiant in defeat in the wake of his team's 1-0 Champions League loss to Villareal in Spain last week. The Bhoys have now taken only one point from a possible 48 away from home in the group stages of the competition and have only one point going to Manchester United for their next game.

"It was the most comfortable I've been away from home since I came here," stressed Strachan.

THE doom and gloom floating around Ireland at the moment has to be seen to be believed as the country, never mind the economy, floats on the brink of extinction if you believe everything you read or hear right now.

Personally speaking I have got to the stage in life where I sometimes struggle to believe what I write -- and I know there are those of you out in the Bronx who won't find that surprising!

Anyhow, back home - as in America I am sure - life is currently dominated by talk of recessions, credit crunches and the general financial mayhem that has snared the Celtic Tiger in a trap.

According to some experts it seems only a matter of time before we are all turfed out of our houses by the banks and heading for the emigration boats to America and Britain once again - I say the boats because Aer Lingus will probably have disappeared by the time we get to emigrate, judging by reports from Dublin Airport.

DUBLIN'S County Board have turned to former player Pat Gilroy and former manager Mickey Whelan to revive their All-Ireland football title hopes. Gilroy, a Sam Maguire winner as a substitute in 1995, was the surprise announcement as successor to Paul Caffrey late last week.

A managerial rookie, Gilroy will be joined by former Dubs boss Whelan as team trainer in a new look management team.

THE stage has been set for a fiery Compromise Rules clash between Ireland and Australia in Perth on Wednesday night after a top Aussie official called Sean Boylan a leprechaun.

Former Aussie manager Kevin Sheedy, in charge when the visitors went away over the top in a violent last series in Ireland two years ago, made the remark in an Australian newspaper on Sunday.

Writing about an infamous press conference after the final Croke Park brawl two years ago, Sheedy claimed that the home team over-reacted to his side's robust approach which he felt was justified.

SEAN Boylan was almost in tears as Ireland defeated Australia in Melbourne on Friday night to secure victory in the Compromise Rules series and bring the Cormac McAnallen Cup home. The visitors lifted the trophy for the first time since 2004 on a 57-53 aggregate score to the delight of Boylan and his squad.

"To me this is an extremely nostalgic night, just to see Sean Cavanagh going up there tonight," said Boylan after McAnallen's former Tyrone teammate Cavanagh lifted the trophy.

THE New York Men's GAA selected its all-stars for 2008 this past week with teams being selected for junior football, senior hurling and football.

An annual event now in its fourth year, it rewards the premier players in all three divisions for the season gone by. While certainly the players are more than deserving for their work throughout the year, the function itself has been poorly attended in the last couple of years, and one would hope that this year's winners will embrace the function with open arms as it may be the last year of the awards if they are not a success.

Kelly comes second to Murphy as the most common surname in Ireland. The name is popular because it originates from at least seven different and unrelated ancient clans or septs. These include O'Kelly septs from Meath, Derry, Antrim, Laois, Sligo, Wicklow, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Galway and Roscommon, and the McKelly sept from East Connaught.

The Irish are known for their “craic,” or spirit of fun, so festivals are celebrated for all sorts of occasions around the country, year-round. Here's a list of some of Ireland's best festivals throughout the year: