Thousands of Protestant Orange Order members have marched through Portadown, Northern Ireland, ahead of a court ruling on a ban on a separate parade through a mainly Catholic area. The marches have long fuelled sectarian tensions, with a previous parade in September blocked by Catholic protesters.
Published On 25 Oct 202625 Oct 2026
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Leinster: Hugo Keenan; Tommy O’Brien, Jamie Osborne, Robbie Henshaw, Jimmy O’Brien; Joey Carbery, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher, Tadhg Furlong, Joe McCarthy, James Ryan, Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Dan Sheehan (capt).
Replacements: Gus McCarthy, Alex Usanov, Thomas Clarkson, Conor O’Tighearnaigh, Scott Penny, Fintan Gunne, Caspar Gabriel, Charlie Tector.
Munster: Ben O’Connor; Shay McCarthy, Sean O’Brien, Alex Nankivell, Shane Daly; Charlie O’Shea, Craig Casey; Josh Wycherley, Marnus Van der Merwe, Kieran Brookes, Fineen Wycherley, Tadhg Beirne (capt), Jack O’Donoghue, Alex Kendellen, Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Max Clein, Mark Donnelly, Michael Ala’alatoa, Sean Edogbo, Brian Gleeson, Ben O’Donovan, JJ Hanrahan, Gordon Wood.
Yellow card: Nankivell (64)
Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU)
Northern Ireland Football League CEO Gerard Lawlor has said member clubs “cannot continue doing the same things” after falling to 51st in Uefa’s association coefficient rankings.
Iberia 1999’s 1-1 draw at home to Mjallby in the Uefa Conference League on Thursday night moved Georgia’s domestic league up the standings, dropping Northern Ireland out of the crucial top 50.
While NIFL have said that their “final position remains subject to UEFA’s rankings and access arrangements”, as it stands that would mean the Irish Premiership will have only three European spots in the 2028-29 season.
Currently the Irish Premiership’s top two and Irish Cup winners automatically qualify for the next season’s Uefa competitions, while the league’s final spot is decided by an end-of-season play-off.
Lawlor called the expected loss of a European spot “a major concern and a potentially significant setback” for the game in Northern Ireland.
“The reality is that we are now facing the very real prospect of having just three clubs competing in Europe rather than four,” he said.
“European football provides vital opportunities for our clubs, players and supporters, alongside important financial investment that benefits the wider game.
“While we have witnessed some excellent individual European performances, collectively we must acknowledge that our results have not been good enough.”
Places in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League are allocated on the basis of a five-year performance ranking.
This season, Glentoran, Linfield and Coleraine all fell at the first hurdle, while Larne squandered a two-goal aggregate advantage to lose to Lincoln Red Imps when 90 minutes away from the league phase of Conference League.
Poor showings in Europe are one factor in the ongoing debate over so-called summer football in the Irish Premiership, with 75% of NIFL’s 38 member clubs required to vote in favour of a calendar change.
“We cannot continue doing the same things, in the same way, and expect different outcomes,” said Lawlor.
“This reinforces why NIFL has been challenging clubs to think differently about their future, including seasonality, investment, player development and how we create a more competitive domestic environment.
“We must ask whether our current structures give clubs the best possible opportunity to succeed in Europe. We need to stop measuring ourselves solely against each other domestically and start measuring ourselves against European standards.”
Neve Jones will win her 50th Ireland cap as Stacey Flood and Dorothy Wall return for the first of two WXV Global Series Tests against South Africa in Cape Town.
Gloucester-Hartpury’s Jones is named at hooker, while Flood and Wall are reinstalled at full-back and lock for Saturday’s game at Athlone Stadium (14:00 BST).
Wall’s return to partner Jane Clohessy in the second row means Fione Tuite-O’Sullivan switches to blind-side flanker, while Brittany Hogan starts at number eight to deputise for injured star Aoife Wafer.
Jemima Adams Verling, who filled in for Wafer in the 43-19 win over Japan in Cork on 3 October, drops to the bench.
Flood, who replaces Niamh Gallagher in the 15 jersey, is joined by Beibhinn Parsons and Robyn O’Connor in the back three. Anna McGann and Aoife Dalton are again paired in midfield, while Dannah O’Brien and Emily Lane continue their half-back partnership.
Linda Djougang continues at loose-head prop with Eilis Cahill at tight-head either side of Jones, while Erin King captains the team from open-side flanker.
Kate Jordan, who made her debut as a second-half replacement for King in the win over Japan, is one of six forwards on the bench alongside Beth Buttimer, Niamh O’Dowd, Sadhbh McGrath, Grace Moore and Adams Verling.
Aoibheann Reilly and Eve Higgins provide backline cover from the bench.
Ireland’s only previous meeting with South Africa was a 2006 Women’s Rugby World Cup match in Canada, which the Irish won 37-0.
Scott Bemand’s side opened their WXV campaign with defeat by the United States before bouncing back to beat Japan in Galway. They also defeated Japan in Cork in a non-WXV Test match in Cork.
After Saturday’s first meeting, Ireland face South Africa again in Cape Town on 31 October.
Ireland: Stacey Flood; Beibhinn Parsons, Anna McGann, Aoife Dalton, Robyn O’Connor; Dannah O’Brien, Emily Lane; Linda Djougang, Neve Jones, Eilis Cahill, Jane Clohessy, Dorothy Wall, Fiona Tuite-O’Sullivan, Erin King (capt), Brittany Hogan.
Replacements: Beth Buttimer, Niamh O’Dowd, Sadhbh McGrath, Kate Jordan, Grace Moore, Jemima Adams Verling, Aoibheann Reilly, Eve Higgins.
For his part, Gary Haveron was left disappointed as his side let a two-goal lead slip on home turf and described the defending from his players as “pathetic”.
Before Friday’s game, Larne had only conceded three goals in their opening seven league matches.
But Coleraine’s fightback – led by Cooper, Shevlin and Doherty – meant that tally doubled in a devastating 21-minute burst.
Despite that, Haveron dismissed any notion of it being a statement win for the Bannsiders.
“We’ve still got to play them down there,” Haveron said.
“We drew the first one, they’ve won this one. There’s still a lot of games for us to play against them, and there’s lots of football between now and the end of the season.”
Larne, missing influential midfielder Chris Gallagher, will have to lick their wounds, and quickly, when they welcome fellow title challengers Linfield to Inver Park on Tuesday.
Friday’s defeat marks a disappointing week for Larne after they lost on penalties to Championship side Dundela in a penalty shooutout in the County Antrim Shield, after conceding a controversial injury-time penalty at Wilgar Park.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to bounce back from what is a disappointing week,” Haveron said about the trip to Linfield.
“I’m not bothered about Tuesday night [against Dundela], truth be told, I don’t have anything else to say about that.
“But today was bitterly disappointing because we had that game won and we should have killed it off.”
WHEN you picture Dublin, pints of Guinness in the Temple Bar district tend to be the first thing that spring to mind.
But this city is hiding a stunning coastline, with charming seaside towns, craggy castles and beaches so beautiful they’ve earned the stretch the nickname of the Amalfi Coast of Ireland.
Flights cost as little as £21 each way and take just over an hour, so it’s a no-brainer for a budget break combining city and sea.
I ventured along the Dublin Coastal Trail, which stretches from Balbriggan to Killiney, where cliff walks overlook white sands and there are puffin-spotting opportunities aplenty.
It’s fully accessible by public transport, too. I picked up a Dublin Transport Freedom Ticket from £42, which offers 72 hours worth of travel on buses, trams and the Dart (the coastal train linking these spots).
The first stop on my adventure was Dun Laoghaire, a Victorian seaside town around 15 minutes from Dublin city centre by Dart.
My base was the Royal Marine Hotel, a majestic pink palace that once hosted Frank Sinatra.
A short walk brings you to the Forty Foot, a rocky bathing pool featured in James Joyce’s novel Ulysses and, more recently, on Apple TV’s Bad Sisters.
Locals brave the chilly water year-round, even on Christmas Day, so with the sun shining, I had no excuse.
Plus, visitors can soon warm up at the harbour’s new Helios floating sauna (£21.50pp) where a magnificent floor-to-ceiling window frames paddle-boarders and moored yachts.
Tick off a steak dinner from Casper & Giumbini’s and a delicious treat from Teddy’s ice cream parlour and you’ve done Dun Laoghaire right.
My next stop along the coast was Dalkey, Dublin’s answer to Beverly Hills.
With winding medieval streets and cliffside mansions, it’s an A-list enclave where you might glimpse residents Bono or Enya.
But I wasn’t here for celeb-spotting. It was the seal-spotting I cared about.
A kayak tour (£77) with local guide Jenny took us past seals posing on rocks in curved banana shapes — a sign they feel totally chillaxed, Jenny explained.
We then paddled past bioluminescent moon jellyfish weaving around bladderwrack seaweed, before looping back to Dun Laoghaire, ready for dinner.
This time I gave Hartley’s restaurant a go, where baked salmon followed by a peanut butter brownie rewarded my slightly aching limbs. And if peanut butter brownies sound up your street, you’ll love Blackrock, just over five minutes away by Dart.
This suburb is a bustling hub of artisan bakeries and home to a vintage weekend market you could easily lose hours in.
Armed with a flat white and an iced cinnamon roll from trendy cafe Hatch, I hit the market to sift through a bohemian treasure trove of retro records, vintage dresses and jingling chimes.
This gem of a spot could only be topped by Howth, which might just be my favourite Irish suburb.
Here I met Mark, a local whose Coastal Hike With Pints & Puppies tour (GetYourGuide, £40pp) ticked off a dream combination of activities.
We headed for the Howth Cliff Path on a two-hour loop which offers hands-down Dublin’s most spectacular coastal views.
As we passed turquoise waters shimmering beneath moss-topped cliffs, we came to a lighthouse on a strip of land jutting out over the sea, otherwise known as the Nose of Howth.
In the distance was the small island of Ireland’s Eye, where playful puffins nest.
At local pub The Bloody Stream, Mark’s spaniel puppies (who are likely closer to adulthood by now) mingle with the group.
Mark told me he’s the happiest man in the world to show off the beauty of his town for a living, and I believe him.
If you’re wanting to venture further than Dublin, you can hop on a day’s coach trip with Wild Rover Tours.
The Kilkenny, Wicklow & Glendalough Day Tour (£37) gives you a fast-pass to the neighbouring counties’ best scenery.
Our tour began in Kilkenny, a maze-like medieval city packed with witchy history.
Kilkenny saw Ireland’s first witch trial — that of Alice Kyteler in 1324 — and today you can dine in Kyteler’s Inn, her rumoured former home, marked by the swinging sign of a black cat.
From there we rolled into Glendalough, a glacial valley famous for its glittering twin lakes. After an easy circular loop, we rounded out the afternoon at Cullens Sheep Farm, where farmer Richie led an impressive sheepdog-herding demonstration.
The best part, however, was getting to snuggle up with an adorable fluffy lamb.
You don’t get that at Temple Bar.
GETTING THERE: British Airways has return flights from London to Dublin from £42. See ba.com.
STAYING THERE: The Royal Marine Hotel has rooms from £111 per night on a room-only basis. See royalmarine.ie.
MORE INFO: See ireland.com.
