Dublin

Ireland hailed its new sporting hero, golfer Padraig Harrington, on Monday after he won the British Open by one shot at Carnoustie in a thrilling play-off with Spain’s Sergio Garcia. ”Harrington’s victory — the first by an Irish player since Fred Daly’s at Hoylake in 1947 — was the stuff of supreme sporting drama,” said the Irish Times.

The cries of a parrot stolen from a house in the south-western Irish city of Limerick led police to the door of his thieves, a report in the Irish Examiner said on Friday. The thieves had stolen 13-year-old Cheeky from his owners further up the same street in the city on Saturday night.

The youth of Ireland are becoming increasingly poor spellers and writers, and their love of SMSing on cell phones is a major reason why, according to the Education Department, which says cutting-edge communications technology has encouraged poor literacy and a blunt, choppy style at odds with academic rigour.

France winger Vincent Clerc scored a try one minute from time to clinch a nerve-rattling 20-17 win over Ireland in a Six Nations clash at Croke Park in Dublin on Sunday. Ireland flyhalf Ronan O’Gara had landed a penalty with two minutes to play but from the resulting kick-off, the ball went loose and fell to French hands.

Ireland brought the curtain down on Lansdowne Road by thumping the Pacific Islanders 61-17 on Sunday. Flyhalf Paddy Wallace, making his first start, scored 26 points, and flanker Simon Easterby scored two of Ireland’s eight tries in the last match at Europe’s oldest rugby stadium before it is redeveloped.

Two-time world champions Australia were hit late on Friday by the withdrawal of 2003 World Cup finalist hooker Brendan Cannon from their starting XV for the one-off Test on Sunday against Ireland after he failed to recover from a neck injury. Wallaby coach John Connolly said that the 33-year-old 42-times capped Western Force star had not satisfied the medical team that he was fit enough.