The week’s news: From Emmanuel Macron to Peter Boylan

BAROMETER

GOOD WEEK

Emmanuel Macron: It's not over yet, by any means, but by beating Marine Le Pen outright in the first round of the French presidential election, the young independent candidate reassured worried onlookers that France is not about to hand the Élysée to the far right

Rory and Erica: Life in the spotlight might be unavoidable for Mr McIlroy and Ms Stoll, but they at least managed to celebrate their wedding day in complete privacy at Ashford Castle last weekend, with nary an Instagram snap leaking out

BAD WEEK

Ivanka Trump: The first daughter was an unlikely presence on stage during a Berlin conference on female empowerment, sitting alongside IMF chief Christine Lagarde and Germany chancellor Angela Merkel, and she provoked boos from the crowd when she defended her father's attitude towards women

Elton John: The singer had to spend two nights in intensive care after contracting a "rare and potentially deadly" bacterial infection while touring in South America, forcing him to cancel a series of concerts

SOUNDBITES

"Both of you and the Minister are inextricably linked in this and you will either sink or swim together" Dr Peter Boylan makes clear his feelings about the national maternity hospital in text messages to Dr Rhona Mahony and Nicholas Kearns

"I've been bitten, I've been spat at. I've been assaulted... I remember being a victim of crime, being assaulted on Parnell Street and ending up with a dislocated shoulder" Garda Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan reveals the attacks she endured

"My own thinking is that there should be a referendum next year... I certainly believe that, like the marriage equality legislation and divorce, you would need to publish legislation before a referendum." Tánaiste and Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald on a potential abortion referendum

"Keeping our country safe is the first duty of a prime minister. The right honourable gentleman is simply not up to the job." Theresa May takes a shot at Jeremy Corbyn at the final prime minister's questions before the election

THE WEEK IN NUMBERS

15% – The new US corporate tax rate, down from 35%, proposed by the Trump administration

2,076 – The number of new homes built in the State last year, a fraction of the Government's 15,000 estimate

2,137 – The number of children in emergency accommodation in Dublin during the week of March 20th-26th, a record high

600,000 – Amount of waste the new Poolbeg incinerator will process every year

€2.3m – Size of the fine imposed on AIB for breaches relating to the reporting of money laundering activity

22 – Number of times the trial of Ibrahim Halawa in Egypt has been postponed