Brían Cooney and Ciaran Daly of Coralstown/Kinnegad doing battle against Tang's Shane Coughlan and Eoghan Bannon in Moate in round one. Big weekend of senior football championship action loomsA hectic weekend of football championship action in Westmeath gets underway at TEG Cusack Park on Friday evening as Coralstown/Kinnegad and Tyrrellspass meet. Coralstown/Kinnegad are under early pressure after a surprise defeat by Tang in the opening round last weekend. The former All-Ireland football final referee (2014) from Laois is impressed with the spirit and cohesion he has seen from his new club. “All of these games are going to be very tough, it's senior championship football, but we have to get this team up to senior championship level.

Sports BriefingLatest news from the world of sport, along with the best in opinion from our outstanding team of sports writers

From university in Belfast and the circus of the Formula 1 paddock to the television screen and the world of the media, Bernie Collins’s path to her current role has been unorthodox to say the least. And in some respects, groundbreaking. Regularly the sole woman in a man’s world, the Northern Irish F1 expert has consistently broken the mould, first as an engineer for McLaren and a strategist for Aston Martin to now: a key cog in Sky Sports’ coverage of F1.

Competition body clears purchase of Offaly sand and gravel pitThe Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has cleared the way for the purchase of a sand and gravel pit and processing plant in Offaly. The CCPC today confirmed it had approved the purchase by Kilsaran Concrete Unlimited Company’s of certain assets owned by Kilmurray Precast Concrete Limited, including the sand and gravel pit and processing plant in Derryarkin, Rhode. This proposed purchase was notified to the CCPC in November 2023. The CCPC undertook a detailed examination of how the proposed purchase would impact competition, including in the supply of sand and gravel. As a result, the CCPC cleared the proposed purchase, which can now be put into effect.

Robbie ReynoldsNovo Nordisk confirms €1.55m purchase of council land for expansionMultinational pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk has confirmed that it has purchased council land in Monksland for €1.55 million to facilitate an expansion to the company in Athlone. Danish firm Novo Nordisk completed the purchase of the Alkermes site in Athlone for $92.5 million in May, and the latest land purchase will allow for future expansion plans. At the monthly meeting of Roscommon County Council on Monday, July 22, the disposal of land comprising of 4.52 hectares to Novo Nordisk Production Ireland Ltd was agreed, having been proposed by Cllr John Naughten and seconded by Cllr John Keogh. I know that they have ambitious plans for the years ahead.”Shane Tiernan, Chief Executive of Roscommon County Council said “I think it's a very wise move to dispose of this land. The facility in Monksland, Athlone has given Novo Nordisk access to a fully-equipped facility with additional development and manufacturing capacity for current and future oral products.”

Plans to turn 15 Usher’s Island into ten apartmentsA Joycean scholar has spoken out about the importance of preserving a Georgian house in Dublin, famously featured in James Joyce’s short story The Dead. The house, located at 15 Usher’s Island, is planned to be converted into three studio apartments and seven one-bed apartments, along with a communal terrace and various internal changes. “It’s important we keep 15 Usher’s Island and don’t lose it. When asked what Joyce would make of the current proposals for 15 Usher’s Island, she said she thought he would care due to his way of describing buildings. The outcome of Brimwood’s planning application will decide the future of 15 Usher’s Island.

A Paris 2024 volunteer looks out on the Seine river on the eve of the Olympic Games opening ceremony. Photograph: Stephane De Sakutin/AFP/Getty ImagesThe opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics will take place on Friday evening. What time will the opening ceremony begin? Do we know who will be performing at the opening ceremony? When can I catch a glimpse of Irish athletes competing next?

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Mr McGrath stepped down as Finance Minister several weeks ago in order to become Ireland’s EU Commissioner nominee. “I know President von der Leyen to be a very serious, a very competent and a fair politician,” Mr Harris said, whose Fine Gael party is part of Ms von der Leyen’s EPP political group. “As the Taoiseach of Ireland, I’m satisfied that we’ve sent a politician of substance in Michael McGrath. But we’ve had to make an assessment as to who we believe is the best commissioner to send from Ireland. “That person, Michael McGrath, has had to step down from Cabinet.

By Jonathan McCambridge, PAStormont has hosted many historic encounters – but few have brought the colour and noise of cricket supporters on day one of a Test match. Several hundred attended the first day’s play at Stormont, including Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly. “It is wonderful to have this historic match, Zimbabwe v Ireland, in Belfast. I think it is going to be a great Test match, hopefully the start of more to come. He said: “It’s the first Test match in Northern Ireland, it is great to be here.

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Michael BoltonA man has been arrested after gardaí seized €160,000 of drugs in Tallaght, Co Dublin. A property was searched on Wednesday, where suspected cannabis with an estimated street value of €131,000, suspected cocaine with a value of €28,000 and suspected MDMA valued €1,000 was seized. Cash to the value of €2,715 was also seized. A man in his 20s was arrested in connection with the search and is being held in a Garda station in Dublin. Gardaí say investigations are ongoing.

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A 6km security barrier has been put in place along the river bank as part of an unprecedented security operation. That is a sad fact of modern events where the risk of terrorist attacks is ever present. Let us hope that the figures making the headlines between now and August 11 will be the ones describing the prowess and achievements of the 10,000 athletes taking part, including Team Ireland. This year’s Games boast a 50/50 gender balance, one that is almost replicated in the Irish team, which has 64 female athletes and 69 male athletes. Just last week, an engine fire on a Delta Airlines 767 transatlantic flight from Edinburgh forced an emergency landing.

Representatives of the Senior ‘A’, Senior ‘B’ and Intermediate football clubs who will compete in the Offaly club championships pictured with Offaly GAA chairman Michael Duignan and Philip O’Brien of the Tullamore Court Hotel (sponsor). Tedious group games beckon before real football action beginsBy Kevin EganLast week we heralded the start of the Offaly hurling championships with enthusiasm and excitement for the action that was to come, but sadly it’s impossible to do the same for the opening contests in the race for football honours this weekend. This is even more demoralising for football enthusiasts in the county, because at the top level in particular, Offaly club football has not made for good viewing for some time now. Just three clubs have reached a county senior final in the last six years, and just five clubs have played the top grade final in the last 16 years. Perhaps the solution is to expand to ten senior teams next year, or maybe 12?