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Air Corps PC-9 aircraft fly over the Spire during the 91st Easter 1916 commemoration ceremony at the GPO on O'Connell Street, Dublin.
Photograph: Brenda Fitzsimons
Nurses plan work stoppages in six hospitals
Nurses are due to stop work in at least six hospitals across the State by the end of this week in an escalation of their campaign of industrial action over pay and conditions.7,000 attend 1916 event in Dublin
Some 7,000 spectators turned out to watch a ceremony marking the 91st anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising outside the GPO in Dublin yesterday.Survey reveals low level of religious knowledge in young
Only 5 per cent, or one in 20, of 15 to 24-year-olds could quote the first of the 10 Commandments when interviewed for a new survey in Ireland.
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Ireland
Garda confirm Rosslare victim was murdered
Gardaí investigating the death of a 37-year-old man at a
caravan park in Co Wexford last night confirmed he was
murdered. pThree being questioned after killing in Clontarf
Three people were being questioned by gardaí last night
following the killing of Paul Kelly (26) in Clontarf, Dublin, on
Friday night. He was shot six times as he opened the door of a
family member's apartment. p€375m saved in welfare fraud crackdown
A crackdown on fraudulent claims for unemployment benefit, illness payments and one-parent family benefit resulted in the State saving €375 million last year, according to Government officials. pTDs take court case over boundary figures disparity
Two Independent TDs have initiated a legal challenge to the constitutionality of holding the general election on the basis of the current constituencies, given the huge disparities in population revealed by the census figures. pThe new Ireland's own Easter miracle, 91 years on
We are surely living in blessed times when the focus of an
Easter 1916 commemoration is not on whether some tradition or other
is being mortally subverted or usurped, but on the footwear of the
Army officer chosen to read the 1916 Proclamation from the steps of
the GPO in Dublin yesterday, writes
Kathy Sheridan pPrivate hospitals contracts delayed
The Health Service Executive's plan to have legally binding agreements with developers for the construction of private hospitals on the grounds of eight public hospital sites signed by this day week will not now be realised. pTeacher unions in mood for greater unity
Moves to establish a federation of teacher unions, representing over 50,000 teachers, will gather pace at this week's conferences - after the three teacher unions backed moves towards greater unity. pConcerns for 800 students who drop out after primary
At least 800 primary school children may not be transferring from primary to secondary school each year, new figures show. pPlans for Luas bridge at Spencer Dock
A bridge almost as wide as it is long will be built across the Royal Canal at Spencer Dock, in the Dublin Docklands, to carry the planned Luas line from Connolly Station to the Point. pOver-66s show great interest in new all-Ireland free travel scheme
Some 10,000 older people out of the approximately 430,000 who are eligible in the Republic have expressed an interest in the new "all-Ireland" free travel scheme since it began last Monday. pPlans for Spike Island tourist site
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Micheál
Martin, has indicated that the plan to turn Spike Island in Cork
harbour into a tourist attraction is fully backed by the Department
of Justice which owns the site. p
Finance
One51 expected to make offer for ICG soon
A bid by the One51 consortium for Irish Continental Group (ICG)
will now exceed €20.50 a share, following the consortium's
purchase of 9 per cent of the shares at that price late last
week. pStress 'main reason' for taking day off
Six million "lost" days cost small businesses an estimated €757 million last year, with stress the main reason listed on medical certificates for workers taking the day off, according to the Small Firms Association (SFA). pMany savers to leave SSIA funds intact
More evidence that Special Savings Incentive Account (SSIA) holders are shunning spending sprees in favour of cautious saving emerged yesterday, as Ulster Bank said four out of five SSIA customers whose accounts have matured have left their funds intact. p
World
Benedict mourns 'continual slaughter' in Iraq
Rome: Pope Benedict has lamented the "continual
slaughter" in Iraq and growing unrest in Afghanistan in his Easter
message delivered in Rome yesterday.
pAnger over sailors being let sell their stories
Britain: The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Royal Navy were accused of undermining the reputation of Britain's armed forces last night over the decision to allow the 15 sailors and marines held by Iran to sell their stories to the media. pEast Timor struggle may yet realise a failed state
East Timor: Joe Humphreys reports from the troubled
southeast nation, which goes to the polls today to elect a
president. p
Sport
Johnson closes in on title
GOLF: One by one on Masters Sunday, they filed
the10 yards from the practice green to the first tee; many without
hope, some with a glimmer that this could be their time and a few
firmly believing that it would be. pWexford surprise package of weekend
GAELIC GAMES: Galway and Mayo will have a preliminary date next Sunday, five weeks ahead of their scheduled Connacht Championship meeting. The intriguing prospect of John O'Mahony facing the county he led to two All-Irelands popped up unexpectedly as the western counties ended up in the same half of the NFL semi-final draw. pUnited showing signs of anxiety
SOCCER/Portsmouth 2 Manchester Utd 1: Beneath
the roar of battle there is a rustling noise. It is the sound of
pages being turned as managers glance at the Premiership table and
then have another obsessive stare at the fixture list. p
