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The Irish Times is on the hunt to find ‘The Best Place To Go Wild’ in Ireland and is inviting people in County Galway to nominate their favourite place to experience nature.

Two leading Irish entrepreneurs, Niall Harbison of Simply Zesty and Seamus McCann of Astec Global, are to address the annual GMIT Spirit of Entrepreneurship seminar in the GMIT Mayo campus on Monday September 16, as part of Mayo Ideas Week.

David McWilliams, Fintan O'Toole, Shane Ross, and Nick Webb - the Four Angry Men - are coming to Galway next month to debate the state of the nation.

Enjoy coffee and cup cakes with Kathleen McMahon and Kate Kerrigan in the Wyatt Hotel on Sunday November 10 at 12 noon.

New York Times columnist and Pulitzer Prize winner Maureen Dowd pays a visit on Tuesday June 26.

Confusion reigns as far as this columnist is concerned in trying to predict the outcome of Sunday’s league final. It is eerily quiet about the place, for many reasons, which has meant the build up to this final has been quite different. There is also a wintry sting in the air these past few days which does not help create an exciting atmosphere for a big game. The reality for the downbeat mood could also have something to do with the fact that that we just do not really know what to expect on Sunday. But I felt that way too for the semi-final, when so few from the participating counties took an interest in proceedings. Very few I met or spoke to prior to the game gave Mayo much of a chance of reaching the league final. Most thought that Kerry had played tricks with the Mayo players’ minds during the final round of the league one week earlier in Tralee. Kerry played with the kind of arrogant cocky swagger which is their wont for most of the afternoon in Croke Park without displaying an ounce of panic until the game had practically slipped away from them. On this occasion there were no big guns on the subs bench to rescue the situation… they were all on the field of play. They played poorly and fitness levels were questionable. They were also missing two of their big stars in Declan O’Sullivan and Tomás Ó Sé, and a combination of these factors meant that they could not stop a more energetic Mayo side once they got a sniff of victory. In times past when Kerry felt any level of threat, they simply put the foot back on the pedal and drove on. Not so on this occasion and after Pat Harte’s brilliantly executed penalty Mayo looked re-energised, fitter, fresher, and stronger as they recorded another famous victory over the Kingdom. The handful of loyal supporters that travelled were not found wanting when assisting their team over the finishing line.

DOIRE PRESS has announced that Gerry Galvin’s debut crime novel Killer à la Carte will launch in Galway on Saturday. Described as a dark humoured crime thriller, Killer à la Carte introduces us to James Livingstone Gall, a respected restaurant critic, creative chef, and serial killer, matched in evil by Claudia Catalano, heiress to a hotel empire. We wine and dine with them and watch as they kill with ease and impunity.

Kilkenny will erect a monument to the county’s hurlers, as a tribute to the exceptional standard of hurling produced by successive Kilkenny teams over the years.

The quarter final pairings for the Treanlaur Catering Senior Football Championship and the Mayo intermediate and junior championship have thrown up a number of interesting battles that are sure to get hearts racing next weekend. Despite seven of the eight sides which made it to this stage of the competition last year being back again, the draw managed to avoid any repeat parings from this stage last year. Defending champions Ballintubber, now under the tutelage of Anthony McGarry following the ascension of James Horan to the Mayo hot seat, will take on Shrule-Glenncorrib. The defending champions will go into the game as favourites. Knockmore, whose win over Breaffy saw them leapfrog the west Mayo men to top their group, were rewarded with a tie against Ballaghaderreen for a place in the final four. The aforementioned Breaffy managed to avoid the two other west Mayo sides which were potential opponents and book a spot against an impressive looking Ballina Stephenites side who have been moving very well so far in the championship. The final clash in the Treanlaur Senior Championships sees our columnist John Maughan and his Crossmolina Deel Rovers facing off against Castlebar Mitchels in the last eight. The county town side are of course managed this year by Pat Holmes who played for many years under Maughan with Mayo and replaced him as manager at the turn of the century.

Everyone is still recovering from the great escape in Ruislip last Sunday, when Mayo were put to the pin of their collar by London in the Connacht Senior Championship. This Friday offers a welcome distraction in the form of the Connacht Junior Championship final in Charlestown which will throw in at 7.30pm. This evening’s game will offer Mayo the chance to dethrone the current All Ireland champions from the Yeats County, who will be under the guidance once again of their senior inter-county manager Kevin Walsh. Mayo for their part have John Kelly running the line for them, with Ray Connelly, Jarlath Cunningham and Vinny Gavin also on sideline duties. In the quarter final Mayo saw off the challenge of a tough Leitrim side after Mickey Moran’s side pushed into an early lead, while in the last four of the competition Roscommon were defeated in Ballyhaunis.