Louth win their first Leinster title since Éamon de Valera was taoiseach

A measure of how long it had been since Louth last won a Leinster football title? As Malachy Clerkin tells us, Éamon de Valera was taoiseach at the time. And that’s not today nor yesterday. Sixty-eight years ago, to be exact, so little wonder the Louth fans in the 65,786 crowd were “bouncing in delirium”, as were manager Ger Brennan and captain Sam Mulroy when Malachy spoke with them after.

Donegal were a bit chuffed themselves after winning a cracker of an Ulster final against Armagh, Gordon Manning in Clones to see Jim McGuinness’s side retain their title. Both counties, though, will nervously await the referee’s report on the brawl that broke out after the game, McGuinness not best pleased with the schemozzle.

On the women’s side, a strong finish in the Leinster final powered Dublin to victory against Meath, while three goals proved decisive for Armagh in their Ulster final win over Donegal. The Orchard County had, then, something to cheer about in Clones.

In hurling, while there were wins for Kilkenny, Galway and Dublin over Offaly, Wexford and Antrim, respectively, Clare’s defeat by Tipperary on Saturday left Nicky English wondering if the reigning All Ireland champions can stay alive in this year’s Championship. They need “a whole sequence of results to fall their way if they are to survive,” writes Seán Moran who was in Ennis for the game and who heard from a relieved Tipp manager Liam Cahill.

Ken Early: Trent Alexander-Arnold could improve shambolic Real Madrid, but can Xabi Alonso?

Nicky English: Subduing the champions is a big step forward for Tipperary

Jimmy’s not winning matches, it’s the boys, insists Donegal’s McGuinness

There’s no relief yet in skorts-gate, Saturday’s Munster final postponed with less than a day’s notice because the players planned on wearing shorts. The whole affair, writes Denis Walsh, is yet another example of “a dysfunctional relationship between the officer class of the Camogie Association and its elite players”.

In rugby, it was another mixed bag of a weekend for the provinces, Leinster pulverising Zebre, 76-5, while Munster’s 38-20 win over Ulster kept their hopes of reaching the play-offs alive. Connacht, though, bowed out of the race after their defeat by Edinburgh.

Ian O’Riordan has decidedly good news from the World Athletics Relays in China where the Irish women’s 4x400m and mixed relay teams secured qualification for September’s World Championships. No joy, though, for Shane Lowry in Philadelphia where he came “close, but not close enough” to winning the Truist Championship. Philip Reid brings you the details.

In soccer, Ken Early notes the contrast in the receptions the Real Madrid-bound Xabi Alonso and Trent Alexander-Arnold received on their home turf at the weekend, the former cheered, the latter booed. After a shambles of a season for Madrid, as evidenced again by their capitulation against Barcelona on Sunday, they’ll both have plenty of work to do when they arrive in the Spanish capital during the summer.

And in racing, Brian O’Connor has news of another successful trip to Longchamp for Aidan O’Brien, Henri Matisse giving him his sixth French 2,000 Guineas triumph.

TV Watch: Sheffield United, 3-0 up from the first leg of their semi-final, can book themselves a place in the Championship play-off final if they see off Bristol City this evening (Sky Sports Football, 8.0). At the same time RTÉ2 and TG4 have, respectively, highlights from the rugby and GAA weekends.