Street violence and attendant problems are constant topics for the regional newspapers. The current issue of Kerry's Eye carries the front-page headline: "Fortress Tralee" with a sub-headline which says: "Vandals threaten town business centre".
Fiona Stack reports: "Tralee town centre could end up resembling a fortress if the crime problem in the area isn't addressed, according to local business owners." The report quotes Paudie Kennelly, a local businessman as saying he had spent £2,000 replacing damaged windows in the last three months.
The Wicklow People gives front-page prominence to a report by Lynn Glanville, which says: "Wicklow town is being put to shame by vandals who forced the church to install closed circuit television cameras in the grounds. The parish had to spend almost £10,000 on a CCTV system for inside and outside St Patrick's church because it was under continuous attack."
The Longford News reports: "Tenants forced out of Council housing estates". The reports by Tadhg Carey reads: "Local authority tenants are being run out of housing estates in Longford by threats and intimidation from neighbours."
A member of the pop group Westlife is quoted in the Sligo Champion as saying that contrary to some reports, Sligo is no worse than any other town of its size.
Cian Egan, a Sligo native, himself a victim of street violence in the town last March, says in an interview: "What happened to me could have happened to anybody in any town in Ireland. It was an isolated incident and I am bitterly disappointed that it has been used to tarnish the image of Sligo."
The Echo and South Leinster Advertiser carries a report of a local court case: "A street brawl in Enniscorthy in which a man suffered a dreadful assault was described as 'not being good' for the image of the town by a district court judge.
"The hearing comes in the wake of a decision by garda∅ to oppose special exemptions for nightclubs in Enniscorthy, the paper reports.
The Drogheda Independent says: "Drogheda Mayor Jimmy Mulroy has said the liquor laws may have to be scrutinised after a night of violence on West Street which left two people hospitalised."
The Connaught Telegraph carries an editorial which says: "It is some years now since Castlebar Chamber of Commerce proposed the siting of CCTV cameras on the streets of Castlebar in a bid to deter vandalism and public order offences. But, so far, no progress has been made in this regard.
"Certainly, extra Garda presence on the streets would deter a lot of the rowdyism but the presence of cameras, 24 hours a day, would be an even greater asset to the authorities." The same paper carries a court case which reports: "Seven men involved in a fight between factions from Achill and Ballycroy have been ordered to to pay £2,500 each to a young woman who had the top of her finger bitten off during the incident.
Eleven men appeared before Castlebar Circuit Court on charges arising from the incident at the car park of The Webb nightclub in Belmullet."
Several editorial writers devote attention to the progress being made in the peace process in Northern Ireland. The Kerryman says: "When the leadership of Sinn FΘin called on the IRA to decommission its arms it marked a milestone of enormous significance in the history of the Northern 'troubles' and the efforts to bring about a resolution of the conflict that has produced decades of death and misery."
The Leinster Leader says: "It is certainly for the better that the euphoria which surrounded the signing of the Good Friday Peace Agreement just over three years ago is absent this week as one of the central planks of that agreement finally slots into place with the acceptance by the Provisional IRA that they must, finally, dispose of their weapons."
The Armagh Observer devotes most of its front page to the decommissioning and the Anglo Celt also gives it front-page coverage. Tom Carron reports: "The long-awaited decision this week by the IRA to commence decommissioning their weapons and explosives has been widely welcomed. The move now paves the way for a reciprocal series of measures expected to be implemented by the British government to bolster the process."
The Mid Ulster Observer also gives front-page prominence to the matter. Its headline reads: "A vision of peace." The Roscommon Herald shares the sentiment.
"As the North's institutions stand on the brink of collapse, this latest development challenges unionists to avert the collapse of the power-sharing executive. Now we know that the peace process can be saved if the will is there on the part of the republicans to help save it. There are extreme elements within the organisation and remain utterly opposed to putting aside their weapons. Convincing them will not be easy."
The Roscommon Champion says: "The announcement by the IRA that the decommissioning process is under way marks a watershed in modern Irish politics."