ireland.com - The Irish Times

Community co-ordinator scheme gets under way
The first community co-ordinators in the State start work in Limerick today to help local communities solve a range of social problems. Limerick city mayor Cllr Joe Leddin launched the €1 million two-year pilot programme in City Hall yesterday, where he wished the eight co-ordinators every success in their new jobs. p

Councillor facing jail is released from Galway hospital
Galway county councillor Michael "the Stroke" Fahy was discharged from hospital yesterday afternoon but did not make his way to the local Garda station to surrender into the custody of gardaí as expected. p

Council to provide cut-price water in Galway
Cut-price filtered water is to be made available to residents in Galway city as part of a series of measures aimed at alleviating the ongoing crisis caused by the contamination of the drinking water supplies with cryptosporidium. p

Other Stories

Garda to get firing ranges 'within months'
New firing ranges for the Garda Síochána, the lack of which was criticised as "a serious deficit" by the Garda Inspectorate, should be in place within months, Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, has said. p
28 patients told to stay at home as nurses step up protest
Some 28 patients due to attend a Tipperary hospital today have had their appointments cancelled due to an escalation of industrial action by nurses. p
Harney 'concerned' at dispute
Minister for Health Mary Harney said yesterday that she was "very concerned" about the ongoing nurses' dispute, which is set to escalate today. p
Six nurses struck off register in 2005
The number of fitness-to-practise inquiries being held by An Bord Altranais, the nursing board, into the conduct of registered nurses is rising year-on-year, the latest figures show. p
Plan to regenerate Moyross brings ray of hope
Some residents see it as a potential turning point for an embattled community, writes Carl O'Brien p
441 held over Easter for drink driving
More than 100 people were arrested for drink-driving each day over the bank holiday weekend, gardaí have confirmed. p
Fan says chair not President's seat
Plans by the Irish Rugby Football Union to sell off the President's seat at Lansdowne Road as part of an auction of memorabilia from the stadium have run into unexpected problems. p
Government criticised over Sellafield
The Labour Party has accused the Government of "throwing in the towel" on pursuing a legal challenge to shut the Sellafield reprocessing plant. p
New TV, radio codesnow in force
Radio and television news presenters are prohibited from promoting commercial products under a new advertising code which came into force yesterday. p
Taskforce to focus on tackling world hunger
A "Hunger Taskforce" was launched by the Government yesterday to recommend the best contribution the State can make to efforts to end world hunger. p
Flight of the Earls anniversary marked
The Irish diaspora in Belgium turned out in force at the European launch of the Flight of the Earls 400th anniversary exhibition at the European Parliament last night. p
Ad space exchanged for 500 bikes
Dublin City Council has granted one of the world's largest advertising companies permission to erect some 130 advertising panels across the city for 15 years, in exchange for 500 bicycles and four public toilets. p
Tests yet to reveal cause of death
Gardaí investigating the suspicious death of a Polish national, who died following a house party in Limerick, have not yet established whether his death was caused by a fall or a serious assault. p
City centre high-tech rickshaws ready to go
Pedestrians looking for a lift around Dublin's city centre will soon be keeping an eye out for a new kind of transport: a futuristic-looking, pedal-powered, environmentally-friendly cab. p
Borough to protect certain green spaces
Councillors in Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown last night varied the county's development plan to protect green spaces in housing developments. p
Adamstown train station gets rolling
Adamstown in west Dublin promised to kick a bad habit when its new train station opened yesterday. p
Kerry workers suspend action pending talks
Industrial action by workers at Liebherr Container Cranes Ltd in Kerry was suspended yesterday pending negotiations between management and Siptu at the Labour Relations Commission. p
'Independent' journalists reject outsourcing plan
National Union or Journalists (NUJ) members at Independent Newspapers (Ireland) have rejected company plans for the contracting out of editorial production work at the group's four titles. The plan, which included a voluntary redundancy package, was rejected by 102 votes to 99. p
Jesuits relocate after Good Friday fire at headquarters
The relocated headquarters of the Jesuits in Ireland opened for business in Lower Leeson Street, Dublin, yesterday after a fire caused extensive damage to its original building. p
Climber forced to abandon world record attempt
A Wicklow climber who is attempting to break the world record for the fastest ascent of the seven highest peaks on all seven continents has been forced to abandon his attempt on Mount Elbrus 200 metres from the summit. p
Ryanair passengers left stranded in Spain
Several hundred Ryanair passengers were left stranded in northern Spain yesterday after their incoming aircraft diverted to a different airport. p
Hennessy awards to be announced next week
This year's Hennessy Literary Awards will be announced at a ceremony in Dublin next week. p
In Short
A roundup of today's other news stories in brief p

Teacher Conferences

Spending on pupils in primary sector 'to double'
INTO: Minister for Education Mary Hanafin has committed a Fianna Fáil-led Government to a doubling in funding for primary pupils and an average of one teacher for every 24 pupils by September 2010. p
Overcrowded classes to stay top of agenda
Overcrowded classrooms will remain at the top of the agenda until "our classes are brought down to international best practice levels", INTO general secretary John Carr told delegates. p
SF's designated education minister warmly welcomed
The North's designated minister for education, Sinn Féin's Catríona Ruane, received a warm welcome from delegates. p
Hanafin the teachers' pet for making them feel proud
Analysis: All sweetness and light for the Minister, despite the broken promise on class size, writes Seán Flynn , Education Editor p
Motion asks Ictu to renegotiate 10.4% pay rise
ASTI: The secondary school teachers' union has called on the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu) to renegotiate the pay element of the current social partnership agreement, Towards 2016, due to what they term the "significant increase in the cost of living" experienced by all workers since it was adopted last year. p
Union adopts policy of maximum class size of 20 by 2008
The ASTI is to introduce a policy establishing a maximum second-level class size of 20 for all subjects from the start of the 2008 school year, after delegates at its annual convention voted unanimously in favour of the move. p
Unity of purpose the order of the day
There was a palpable sense of empathy with the nurses' ongoing pay and conditions campaign at yesterday's ASTI conference, with several speakers expressing their support for the work that nurses do. p
Union condemns 'social apartheid' in enrolment
TUI: Some schools were creating a "social apartheid" by refusing to take on students with educational or behavioural difficulties, the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) president Tim O'Meara said yesterday. p
Call for behavioural support services
The Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) overwhelmingly voted in favour yesterday of a motion calling on Minister for Education Mary Hanafin to allow for the provision of behavioural support services in all second-level schools. p

In the Courts

Man (18) died from 'cocaine intoxication'
A young man from Darndale in Dublin died from cocaine intoxication, an inquest heard yesterday. p
Bail for three men charged over feud
Three men charged in connection with a family feud which allegedly spilled over in the presence of gardaí on bank holiday Monday were granted bail yesterday. p

In the North

Lake town comes to halt as cousins laid to rest
The two teenage cousins who drowned in a late-night boating tragedy early on Saturday have been buried. p
Ex-member of policing body targeted with bomb device
A woman who sat on a local policing body in the North is believed to have been the intended target of an attack by dissident republicans. p
Ministry sought return of Stevens data
The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed to The Irish Times that it has requested the return of documents from the Stevens Inquiry into collusion between the former RUC and paramilitaries. p

Regional News

Planning for €2bn centre refused
A controversial €2 billion residential and retail complex planned for Co Wicklow has been refused planning permission by An Bord Pleanála, it was confirmed yesterday. p
Collapsed Slea Head road may be replaced by summer
A new stretch of road around the scenic route at Slea Head, Co Kerry, could be completed before the summer tourist season if agreement can be reached with landowners, local officials said yesterday. p
Leitrim housing plan blocked by board
A proposed housing development on one of the main approaches to the Leitrim Walking Way has been blocked by An Bord Pleanála. p
Inquiry over mechanical failure at Funderland
Funfair operator Funderland issued assurances yesterday about the safety of its funfair equipment after a mechanical failure incident at the showgrounds in Cork on Monday. p
Lotto winners nearly tore up ticket
Two Co Cavan residents who yesterday collected the March 31st Lotto jackpot of almost €5 million nearly threw away the winning ticket before double-checking the numbers. p

Changing Places

Faraway fields give Vila Gort new gloss
Ruadhán Mac Cormaic reports from Brazil, and witnesses an economic boom fuelled by the fruits of Irish toil, in his continuing series on immigration p
A Galway home for many, but rough for new arrivals
From behind the counter of the shop she runs just off Gort's main square, Mary Callanan has watched the town's transformation being played out through the private dramas of hundreds of Brazilian newcomers. p

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