ireland.com - The Irish Times

Fahey's undertaking to review oil exploration terms welcomed
SIPTU has welcomed a commitment by the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Mr Fahey, to review the 1992 exploration terms awarded to oil and gas companies if there is a successful outcome to this year's oil drilling programme. p

Oxygen National Student Media Awards
The full list of winners in the Oxygen National Student Media Awards, announced last week, was as follows: p

Education the new mechanism to maintain inequality, says CORI
A radical repositioning by religious orders still in Irish education has been called for in a new document from the Conference of Religious of Ireland (CORI). p

US immigration expert says Ireland must promote fairness and integration
Ireland must avoid treating immigrant workers poorly and allow them to integrate, Mr Bruce Morrison, a former US congressman, has warned. p

End in sight for exam that classes 12,000 as failures
Few subjects outside religion and politics stir up such passions in Northern Ireland as the 11-plus exam which determines the academic future of about 18,000 primary school pupils each year. p

Celibacy does not have uncertain future, says Cardinal Connell
The Archbishop of Dublin, Cardinal Desmond Connell, has said celibacy in the Catholic Church does not have "an uncertain future". p

New Arms Trial inquiry may be ordered
The Minister for Justice will order an inquiry into the 1970 Arms Trial if the Government's current investigation does not prove sufficiently conclusive. p

Campaign to tackle bus vandalism a success, say unions
Dublin Bus drivers' unions said last week's campaign to tackle vandalism and attacks on buses serving west Tallaght had been a success. p

Bus lane to link Tallaght to city centre
Dublin's latest Quality Bus Corridor opens today, linking the city centre with Tallaght via Rathgar, Terenure, Spawell and Balrothery. p

PDs demand independent study of the costs of new stadium
The Progressive Democrats are to demand examination of the costs of Sports Campus Ireland by an independent third party outside Government. p

Archbishop acknowledges sense of despair in farming community
The Church of Ireland Primate, Archbishop Robin Eames, has spoken of the desperation this Easter of the farming community because of foot-and-mouth, following so closely after their BSE problems. p

Man charged with murder at party
A man appeared in court yesterday charged with stabbing to death another after a fight at an engagement party. Mr Patrick Sheridan (30), of Rathkeale, Co Limerick, was charged with murder at a special sitting of Newcastle West District Court. p

Suspect vehicle investigated
Several controlled explosions were carried out last night on a suspect vehicle abandoned outside Thiepval base in Lisburn, Co Antrim, British army headquarters in Northern Ireland. An RUC spokesman said they were not aware of any warnings that a device had been left in the vehicle. Nearby houses were evacuated. p

Foul play ruled out
Foul play has been ruled out in the case of a man who died in the Mater Hospital, Dublin, at the weekend after being taken by ambulance from the Christ Church area of the city. p

Shots fired at car in Ballyfermot
Gardai are investigating an incident in which shots were fired at a car in Ballyfermot, Dublin, early yesterday. p

AfrI opposes Nice Treaty
AfrI (Action From Ireland) opened its campaign for a No vote in the Nice Treaty referendum yesterday. AfrI does not object to the treaty in its entirety, but opposes the proposed establishment of the Rapid Reaction Force. AfrI claims that Ireland's involvement, comprising an initial 850 soldiers, would compromise the State's neutrality. p

Warning about mushrooms
Consumers have been advised to cook all mushrooms before eating them. A number of samples of raw mushrooms tested positive for Salmonella kedougou following routine testing of catering and wholesale mushrooms in the UK. p

Strong man to lift two cars
A Co Down man, described as Britain's strongest man, is to make a record attempt to raise money for a Bangor children's group. p

Witnesses to crash sought
Police yesterday appealed for witnesses after a motorcyclist died in a crash in Co Antrim. The man was travelling towards Portstewart when he collided with a car near Portrush. p

Unionists, Alliance negotiating a general election deal
The Ulster Unionists and the Alliance Party have been in negotiation about a possible electoral pact to maximise the performance of pro-agreement candidates in the British general election. p

Priest tied up, robbed of Easter money
A Co Tipperary priest was tied up for several hours in his home while masked thieves stole his parish's Lenten Trocaire funds in Emly late on Sunday night. p

Campaign for wider access to colleges
The need to widen access to third-level education will be one of the main themes of the Union of Students of Ireland's (USI) annual conference in Ennis from today until Friday, writes Eibhir Mulqueen. p

Gamblers Anon calls for ban on £20-note fruit machines
Gamblers Anonymous has said plans by British fruit-machine manufacturers to introduce new machines which accept banknotes of up to £20 are a major concern. p

SOUTHERN REPORT

Weekend school in memory of Cork-born socialist to explore activism, feminism
William Thompson, the Cork-born socialist who influenced the early co-operative movement and the thinking of Connolly and Marx, was commemorated last year by an inaugural weekend school in his name. Next month the second William Thompson Weekend School will convene at the Firkin Crane Centre in Cork. p
Organic farming is not fulfilling potential, survey shows
Things are proceeding apace in areas of agriculture which are not affected by the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. The organic sector is one of them. p
Survey seeks intimate picture of oral health
Could your teeth, or lack of them, affect your romantic life? A research project on the subject, under the auspices of the Department of Health, would like to know the answer to this question and others besides. p
Four-year scheme to tackle homelessness
A co-ordinated system is to be put in place in Cork to address the needs of the homeless, with representatives from Cork Corporation, Cork County Council, the Southern Health Board and the voluntary bodies. p

TEACHERS' CONFERENCES

Leaders of TUI sure they will defeat motion to resign
The leaders of the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) are confident they will defeat a motion that they should resign, at the union's annual congress in Bundoran today. p
Selfless acts that bestowed an education on the poor
During the recent industrial action by teachers it was difficult not to reflect on what used to be in Irish education. Then, the very notion of teachers putting the future of their exam students at risk was unthinkable. p
Favourites emerge in INTO leadership race
For obvious reasons most media attention this week will centre on the ASTI conference in Galway. The union's five month strike has transformed the once-conservative secondary teachers' union into a thorn in the Government's side. p
INTO head stresses need for major pay rise
The Government's new pay review body will have to deliver an "exceptionally good deal" if the anger and frustration among teachers is to be reduced, the INTO has heard. p

HOSPITAL WATCH

Men are more likely to be sent home too early from hospital
Men are more likely than women to be sent home too early from hospital, statistics on hospital readmission suggest. And the likelihood of men being discharged too early has worsened in recent years, the figures show. p

THE FOOT-AND-MOUTH CRISIS

Details of illegal animal movement sought
The Northern Ireland Executive has made an urgent appeal to anyone with information on the illegal movement of animals in the North in recent weeks to come forward. p
Vet fears sheep may be infected
Sheep flocks across the North may have foot-and-mouth but are not showing clinical signs of the disease, one of the State's leading veterinarians has said. p
New culls in North after discovery of suspect cases
Two fresh culls of animals were under way in Northern Ireland yesterday after suspect secondary outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease were identified at Ardboe, Co Tyrone, and at Newtown Crommelin, Co Antrim. p
Tourists in North get feeling of being in land under siege
Silent Valley was probably never so peaceful. With just one car in the car-park, there was an embarrassment of spaces for this tourist to choose from. p
Border patrol uncovers chinks in armour
Different levels of measures against foot-and-mouth disease were evident North and South of the Border yesterday. p
UK vaccination decision imminent, says adviser
A decision on whether to use vaccination to control foot-and-mouth in the UK is imminent, the UK government's chief scientific adviser said yesterday. p
Fine Gael criticism of disease controls rejected
The Government has been criticised for not calling a meeting of the expert committee on foot-and-mouth disease over the Easter weekend. p
Identity doubt means that 12 cattle will die
The department of Agriculture will slaughter 12 to 14 cattle at a farm in Co Tipperary today. p

TIMES PAST

Divertissement
I have heard with amusement of a merry jest devised, I understand, by three students of Trinity. It appears that a week or so ago one of them turned up at a Dublin literary society where he had engaged himself to deliver a lecture, and read a paper on "Oulad Shai, the Eskimo Poet." His two companions obliged the audience, whose knowledge of Oulad Shai was not large, by delivering the first and second supporting speeches and many members of the society spoke as well. The lecture proved to be of such excellence that the lecturer was invited by another Dublin society to deliver it anew at one of its own meetings last week. I am assured by members of both audiences that the paper was framed in a masterly fashion. Citations from Oulad Shai's works were numerous and well chosen, while his emotional and intellectual development was perfectly clear. p

WEATHER

Tickling the clouds to water the Sahara
Robert St George Dyrenforth's unsuccessful attempts in 1891 to squeeze rainfall from reluctant clouds were featured yesterday in Weather Eye. He was followed some years later by Charles Hatfield, who had similar ambitions but a different methodology - and rather more success. p

Sections

Search for

Services

Most popular stories

Property

Jobs

Motors

Dating