“I’m tired of the singles game,” said Long, that being Cupid’s game and not badminton, as he insists he wants “more than friends with benefits”. The dating culture is somewhat more conservative in Vietnam than in Ireland, Long explains, as he outlines the three magic laws of attraction, the first being, well, attraction. He holds up his phone and there, right next to his navel, are two badminton rackets and a shuttle cock. It puts his badminton racket tattoo (with the shuttle cock) to shame, even with the near-death story. Well, is badminton played with a shuttle cock?

While Scotland have not beaten rivals England, Ireland and Wales in a single championship since the 1990 Five Nations, Farrell acknowledges they have a track record of toppling Test rugby’s leading nations. “They’ve been consistent at beating big teams over the years and playing a brand of rugby that’s been great for everyone to see,” he said. “We’ve been lucky enough over the last few years to get on the right side of victory against Scotland,” said Farrell. “Of course winning matters a lot. “This year doesn’t get any better for Irish rugby, it doesn’t get any better,” said Farrell.

Over €1m in funding for Offaly community projectsSome €1.05m has been allocated to community projects in Offaly to help integrate new arrivals from Ukraine and elsewhere. This morning, the Minister for Rural & Community Development, Heather Humphreys together with her colleague Minister Joe O’Brien announced a further €50 million in funding under the Community Recognition Fund. The Community Recognition Fund was first introduced last year to recognise the huge efforts made by communities in welcoming and supporting people coming to Ireland. Under today’s announcement, a further €50 million is being provided again to deliver projects over 2024 and 2025. The response has been overwhelmingly positive and this fund recognises that – and the need for a whole of community approach.

Maev Doyle spoke to the media after former garda Mark Doyle was sentenced to six years in prison for assaulting her and her sons over the course of 11 years.

Here, the PA news agency picks out some of the main talking points ahead of Saturday’s match in Dublin. However, their respective hopes of finishing top of the table are highly improbable due to Ireland’s vastly-superior points difference. Scotland, meanwhile, are likely to still feel aggrieved about their controversial round-two loss to France, which was sandwiched between wins over Wales and England. But he has also overseen successive World Cup pool-stage exits, while frustrating inconsistency means the Scots’ wait for a maiden Six Nations title goes on. Decade of dominanceIreland continued their dominance of Scotland at last year’s Rugby World Cup in France (Andrew Matthews/PA)Ireland have played pivotal roles in Scotland’s recent underwhelming World Cup campaigns during a decade of dominance of this fixture.

As I'm writing, plans are afoot to dye the Chicago River green in time for Chicago's annual St. Patrick's Day parade. All of this is a little ironic considering Patrick was, in his own words, a "simple country person, a refugee, and unlearned." He also recounts hardships and threats he withstood, both from Irish leaders and church leaders back home. Some say we're all a little Irish on St. Patrick's Day. But regardless of whether you're Irish, there are plenty of reasons to celebrate the imperfect but powerful life of the patron saint of Ireland.

Maev Doyle spoke to the media after former garda Mark Doyle was sentenced to six years in prison for assaulting her and her sons over the course of 11 years.

So, too, are those buying investment trusts with exceptionally long records of increasing dividends. And three of them, City of London Investment Trust, Caledonia Investments and Alliance, have upped their dividends for 57 years running - since back when England won the football World Cup. Equity income trusts make up a big chunk of the list. The key to investment trusts being able to achieve such lengthy records of increasing payouts lies in their structure. Annabel Brodie-Smith, communications director of the Association of Investment Companies said: 'Despite a tricky few years for the dividend heroes, ten investment trusts now have at least half a century of consecutive annual dividend increases.

House of Guinness: New Netflix drama will tell story of famous family dynastyA new drama about the Guinness family is coming to Netflix. House of Guinness will focus on the consequences of the death of Benjamin Guinness, the man responsible for the success of the Guinness brewery. Steven Knight, the writer and creator of the show, said the Guinness dynasty was known the world over. Anne Mensah, vice-president of content at Netflix UK, said House of Guinness "has all the power of Peaky Blinders but the scale and the sweep of a true family saga." House of Guinness is one of a selection of new shows with Irish links coming to the streaming platform over the next two years.

Microdisney, during their 2018 reunionThis documentary followed them during their 2018 reunion concerts, exploring the band's early days with in-depth interviews and asking why the band never achieved mainstream success. Filmmakers and spouses Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke have delivered a wild, ridiculous LGBTQ+ road trip film in a way that only they could. Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal each deliver powerful, heartbreaking performances in this story of grief, love, and loneliness. Andrew Scott, left, and and Paul Mescal in a scene from All of Us StrangersThe two actors and director Andrew Haigh received widespread critical acclaim. Scott and Mescal both picked up several award nominations, most recently at the IFTAs.

Speaking at the event, Mr Varadkar said: “A hundred years of official diplomatic relations have woven a relationship that is stronger and deeper than ever.”In his remarks, he also celebrated the countries’ long-standing, two-way trade relations, emphasising that he was “proud” Ireland was one of the top 10 investors in the US. Mr Varadkar and his partner Matt Barrett arrive for a St Patrick’s Day Reception hosted by the Irish Embassy at the official residence of the Irish Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason, in Washington, DC (Niall Carson/PA)On Friday, Mr Varadkar will meet US vice president Kamala Harris before a bilateral with Mr Biden at the White House. He will also meet the Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson at Capitol Hill. On Sunday, The Taoiseach will also gift Mr Biden a bowl of shamrock as part of an annual tradition to mark St Patrick’s Day. He said that the highlight of his trip so far was seeing Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly jointly address the Ireland Funds gala in Boston.

The four rises are likely to add around 15c to the cost per litre of petrol and around 12c to a litre of diesel. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar yesterday said there would be no wavering from the planned excise duty hikes. There will be similar rises in August when excise duty levels on petrol, diesel and green diesel are fully restored. Consumers’ Association of Ireland chairman Michael Kilcoyne claimed the multiple rises in the cost of motor fuel were going to hurt drivers. Kevin McPartlan, of Fuels for Ireland, said the UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt had extended an reduction in excise duty for 12 months.

Mohammed Kudus bags brace as five-star West Ham ease to Europa League last eightBy PA Sport StaffDavid Moyes took the handbrake off West Ham and watched them race into the last eight of the Europa League with a 5-0 win over Freiburg. Despite some indifferent domestic form, West Ham – last season’s Europa Conference League winners – seem to come alive on these European nights. Two years ago, at the same stage of the same competition, they memorably overturned a 1-0 first-leg deficit against Spanish Europa League specialists Sevilla. Freiburg still posed a threat, though, with Roland Sallai firing across goal and wide just to let West Ham know the tie was still very much in the balance at half-time. The rest had clearly done Kudus good, as he promptly collected Bowen’s lay-off and dispatched a low drive from 20 yards to complete West Ham’s five-star display.

Maev Doyle spoke to the media after former garda Mark Doyle was sentenced to six years in prison for assaulting her and her sons over the course of 11 years.

Gardaí arrest 10 men over suspected drug smuggling in west CorkGardaí have arrested 10 men in Co Cork under organised crime legislation. The men range in age from their mid-20s to mid-50s. The Irish Examiner reports that the arrests were triggered by a suspected drug smuggling operation onto a remote pier in west Cork. The suspects, who were arrested at various locations near Skibbereen, were being held on Thursday night in Garda stations in Cork for questioning about the alleged activity. Gardaí said they would not make any further comment on the operation.