- NEWS
Martin wades into abortion debateAs the Dáil committee hearings continue on the abortion bill, Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has waded into the debate saying it is important that Christian believers "be, and seen to be, on the side of life, especially when life is most vulnerable".
Payment cuts see families pay rent shortfallLimits on rent supplement payments set by the Government are forcing thousands of families to make undeclared top-up payments to landlords to secure places to live.
- WORLD
Anger as North Korea launches another missileNorth Korea fired a short-range missile from its east coast, a day after launching three more of these missiles, a South Korean news agency said.
How Star Trek predicted the futureWHEN Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry first dreamed up the concept of a television show based in the unexplored universe of Outer Space in 1964, the world was a very different place.
- BUSINESS
Warnings over future of eurozoneThe eurozone is heading towards a break up unless there are moves towards much closer political and fiscal union, according to chief economist with State Street Global Advisers, Chris Probyn.
Bruton defends corporate tax rateIreland will be able to maintain its current corporation tax code in the face of international pressure to prevent multinational corporations avoid paying their fare share of tax, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton said yesterday.
- SPORT
Mayo’s statement of intentGalway 0-11 Mayo 4-16 Five minutes to go in Salthill yesterday and James Horan was still cajoling his men to sew it into Galway.
Wilkinson inspires Toulon to gloryASM Clermont Auvergne 15 Toulon 16 Not for the first time this season, a matchday performance and the result have made a mockery of the statistics.
- LIFESTYLE
What Lenny did nextLENNY Abrahamson has directed three feature films: Adam & Paul, Garage and What Richard Did.
Clothes maketh you madTrying on clothes, said Ewart, produced "sensations which bring deep peace and perfect contentment" to the female mind.
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Breaking stories
Moneygall heeds Obama’s call for fundraising help
By Jason Kennedy
US President Barack Obama may be struggling to catch up with rival Mitt Romney’s fundraising, but his old friends in Moneygall are on hand to help boost his campaign budget.
On Aug 4, Obama’s birthday, the Irish branch of Democrats Abroad will have a fundraising event in the Co Offaly village to help swell the president’s re-election bid.The event will be held in Ollie Hayes’s pub, where Obama sank a pint of Guinness during his Irish visit. Mr Hayes said he is delighted to help in any way he can.
“They are a great crowd and I am delighted to help in any way that I can. We are going to do our bit and hope he gets in,” Mr Hayes said.
“We’re even going to have a birthday cake for him on the day,” he said.
This will be Democrats Abroad’s first event in Moneygall and legal counsel for Democrats Abroad Ireland, Larry Donnelly, said they are very excited about it.
“We were always looking to go there. President Obama’s visit to Moneygall captured everyone’s attention. Ollie Hayes has been very good to us too,” he said.
Although Democrats Abroad meet monthly, this particular meeting will focus on getting American citizens to vote in the upcoming election, says Mr Donnelly. “It is estimated that close to 100,000 people who are eligible for an American passport live in Ireland. We want to get as many people as we can to get out and vote. That’s what this meeting is all about.
“This election is going to be much closer than the last one, but I’m cautiously optimistic that Obama will win,” he said.
Only US citizens will be able to donate due to fundraising regulations disallowing non-Americans from contributing towards a presidential campaign. Mr Donnelly hopes that plenty of American citizens attend the meeting.
“If we get a few dozen people to come to Moneygall, that would be great. If 100 people come, we will be thrilled. Generally, it is the core that come to these meetings. Afterwards, they go home and encourage all their American friends to support Obama.”
Last month, Obama sent a message to supporters asking for funding as the Republican candidate Mitt Romney was ahead in the money stakes.
“I will be the first president in modern history to be outspent in his re-election campaign, if things continue as they have. So we can be outspent and still win, but we can’t be outspent 10 to 1 and still win,” he wrote.