ireland.com - The Irish Times

Star pupil passes test with flying colours
CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL: LAST WEEK Patrick Mullins finished his mock Leaving Cert exams at Clongowes Wood. Yesterday the 18-year-old had his first win at Cheltenham, riding Cousin Vinny in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper. Alison Healy reports. p

Protester sustained by peas and Pearse
CONSTRUCTION OF a contentious section of the M3 motorway at Rath Lugh, near Tara, Co Meath, is being delayed by a subterranean protester who is refusing to emerge from a 10m (33ft) deep tunnel dug into the motorway site. p

Fahey tops list of TD property holdings
FIANNA FÁIL Minister of State Frank Fahey has once again produced one of the longest entries on Dáil Éireann's Register of Members' Interests. In the list published yesterday he declared properties in Gort and Castlerea in Galway, Liscannor in Co Clare, Athlone, Limerick and in Dubai and Brussels. p

Other Stories

Best foot forward for Irish before races even begin
THE IRISH were winning before the races even started yesterday when Amanda Kelly's dotty shoes caught the eye of the Ladies' Day judges. p
Epilepsy expert warns on services to treat referrals
IN A further sign of pressure on frontline health services, the Republic's leading epilepsy specialist has indicated he will no longer be able to see patients referred by family doctors. p
Kidney disease 'often unnoticed by sufferers'
AN ESTIMATED 180,000 people in the Republic have some form of significant kidney disease, and most are unaware of their condition, the chief executive of the Irish Kidney Association said. p
High Court rejects bid to halt work on M3 motorway
AN APPLICATION by protesters for an injunction to halt work on the M3 Dublin-Navan motorway on grounds of safety and potential damage to a national monument linked to the Hill of Tara has been rejected by the High Court. p
Union fears HSE has no money to hire newconsultants
THE FAILURE of health service employers to furnish unions with a final written draft of the new contract agreed with hospital consultants almost two months ago may be because the Health Service Executive (HSE) has no money to appoint new consultants under the terms of the new agreement, the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has claimed. p
Executive agrees 15 councils to go in North shake-up
THE NORTHERN Ireland Executive has agreed on a compromise proposal to create 11 "super-councils" by 2011, setting in motion the biggest shake-up in local administration since the 1970s. p
Fraud, poor estimate cited in report on OPW
TWO CASES of fraud at the Office of Public Works (OPW) have been uncovered, as well as a disparity of €207 million between what the office valued certain properties at and what they were sold for. p
Plenty to light up Dublin despite loss of fireworks display to Rock of Cashel
THE DUBLIN-centric St Patrick's Festival has come to an end with the transfer of one of the festival's major events, the Skyfest fireworks display, to the Rock of Cashel in Co Tipperary. p
Dempsey will consider plan to double bank holiday penalty points
MINISTER FOR Transport Noel Dempsey has confirmed that he is examining a proposal to double penalty points for speeding and drink-driving offences during bank holiday weekends but the Labour Party has dismissed the idea as "hype and hot air" designed to grab headlines. p
'The Monk' denies involvement in robberies during television interview
A CONVICTED Dublin criminal, nicknamed "The Monk", has spoken publicly to categorically deny his involvement in two of the State's biggest robberies. p
Climate change could turn green to brown
IRELAND'S FABLED 40 shades of green are under threat and the island may end up with 40 shades of dull brown, according to a new report from the Irish-American Climate Project. p
Minister's 'fatalistic' approach on trade deal criticised by IFA chief
MINISTER FOR Agriculture Mary Coughlan's "fatalistic" approach to a deal being struck at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) was attacked in the Dáil yesterday. p

In the Courts

Rape victim sisters awarded €1.2m damages
TWO SISTERS who sued a neighbour after he raped and sexually assaulted them while they babysat his children when they were teenagers have been awarded almost €1.2 million damages at the High Court. p
Court upholds deportation of woman and daughters
A LENGTHY legal battle by a woman to prevent the deportation of herself and her two daughters on grounds of fear of female genital mutilation in Nigeria ended in failure at the High Court yesterday when it upheld the deportation orders. p
Appeal against conviction of rape adjourned
AN APPEAL by a Co Donegal priest against his conviction for raping a teenage parishioner in the church sacristy more than 20 years ago has been adjourned by the Court of Criminal Appeal. p
Judge says addicts seek jail return for treatment
A DISTRICT Court judge in Limerick has expressed surprise at the number of defendants asking to be readmitted to prison to avail of substance abuse programmes. p
Canoeing coach convicted of sex abuse
A FORMER Irish Olympic canoeing coach was convicted yesterday of sexually abusing a young female athlete for nearly eight years. p
In short
Other stories in brief. p

Mahon Tribunal

Funds diverted from FF fundraising for 'rainy day'
BT ACCOUNT: AN ACCOUNT into which money was diverted from Fianna Fáil election fundraising was set up "for a rainy day", the Mahon tribunal was told yesterday. p
Two accounts opened for 1992 election campaign
DRUMCONDRA BANK ACCOUNTS: TWO ACCOUNTS were set up in a Drumcondra bank in 1992, both to hold the proceeds of election fundraising, one by a St Luke's trustee and one by the official cumann treasurer, the tribunal was told yesterday. p
Bertie's tribunal money trail is long and becoming complex
TRIBUNAL SKETCH: SOME PEOPLE forget, others are too young to remember, but times were bad in Ireland, back in the eighties and nineties, writes Miriam Lord . p
£29,000 'could not have been' from golf classics
GOLF CLASSICS LODGEMENTS: LODGEMENTS TO a Fianna Fáil account totalling £29,000, attributed by accountants to golf classics held for the Dublin Central constituency in 1992 and 1995, could not have been from golf classics, the tribunal was told yesterday. p
Inquiry told 'D/T obviously means Des Richardson and Tim Collins'
D/T ACCOUNT: AN ACCOUNT opened by St Luke's trustee Tim Collins with former Fianna Fail fundraiser Des Richardson was referred to as D/T, the tribunal was told yesterday. p
Investigations unearth a lot more money than sense
ANALYSIS: A trustee of St Luke's in Drumcondra seemed to know little about how it was purchased, writes Colm Keena . p

In the Dáil

Banks urged to help students get computers
BANKS SHOULD help students to acquire computers, Tom Hayes (FG, Tipperary South) told the Dáil. "Irish banks offer students overdrafts, and I question the wisdom of this." p
Ministers may be gone, but they are not forgiven
DÁIL SKETCH: IT WAS a novel suggestion - move the Dáil across the Atlantic. "We should be sitting in America because that's where the Ministers are," thundered Fine Gael's Michael Ring. "The Government is in exile, running away all the time," he roared. Marie O'Halloran writes. p
Dispute arises over passing of Finance Bill
SEANAD REPORT: A DISPUTE has arisen over the passing of the Finance Bill, which is due to be signed into law by the President in the coming days. p
Green Party accused of U-turn in debate over M3 motorway works
THE GREEN Party was accused of doing a U-turn in its attitude to the works near Rath Lugh national monument on the new M3 motorway. p
MEPs mark 50th year of founding of Europe's parliament
THE WEEK IN STRASBOURG: THE EUROPEAN Parliament chamber in Strasbourg echoed to the sounds of an orchestra this week as MEPs celebrated the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the European Parliament with a special sitting on Wednesday. p
Gilmore says Dáil recesses will cause row
LABOUR LEADER Eamon Gilmore has warned of a major confrontation with the Government if it continues with long Dáil recesses. p
Horse racing fund under review, says Brennan
A REVIEW is under way of the government fund that supports the horse racing industry and could result in an increase in the tax on betting. p
'Iconic' building needed for archives - Brennan
MINISTER FOR the Arts Séamus Brennan is considering the construction of an "iconic" building to house the national archives. He said that "just like our museum or our library, they need the same kind of national status". p
Policy urged to address ethnic issues
OIREACHTAS COMMITTEE: THE DEPARTMENT of Education should draw existing policy and initiatives into an overall national intercultural education strategy similar to the national intercultural strategy launched recently by the Health Service Executive (HSE), an Oireachtas committee heard yesterday. p

Regional News

Cab, Garda raids in northwest
THE OFFICES of some solicitors were included in a series of raids by gardaí yesterday directed at organised crime in the northwest. The operation included a swoop on an uninhabited island. p
Bray Head gets special status after 15-year campaign
SPECIAL AMENITY area status has been conferred on Bray Head, Co Wicklow, by Minister for the Environment John Gormley. p
Regional cities must focus on unique assets, report says
CITIES SUCH as Cork, Limerick and Galway should focus on their distinctiveness and not on attracting people as a counter to the burgeoning east coast, according to a research paper commissioned by the Urban Forum. p
Students make the trip to Tipp to celebrate 30 years of space invaders
TIPPERARY MAY be the home of hurling, but some 300 students made the trip to Tipp yesterday for something light years removed from the GAA - the celebration of 30 years of space invaders at the Tipperary Institute. p
Monk among protesters travelling to London to raise environmental issues
A BENEDICTINE monk from Glenstal Abbey is among a group of environmentalists leaving for London today to deliver a length of pipeline to the headquarters of Royal Dutch Shell plc. p
In short
Other stories in brief. p

Sections

Search for

Services

Most popular stories

Property

Jobs

Motors

Dating