Yesterday’s address by Orange Order Grand secretary Drew Nelson to the Oireachtas was a welcome and significant moment in the evolution of an Ireland at peace with all of its traditions, old and new.

The weekend communiqué, 307 words issued at 4.20am on Sunday by eurozone leaders, suggests that the distant, flickering light at the end of the tunnel is real.

The cost of private health insurance has soared, outstripping inflation rates for other services.

Asked about a report over the weekend that the IRA leadership is reportedly considering an apology to victims of the Troubles, Martin McGuinness, the deputy first minister of the North, responded pointedly that “the IRA are gone”.

Euro 2012 is over and Spain have won the championship, but there seems to be no doubt whatsoever that the Irish supporters won the singing.

The deal agreed between the 17 leaders of the eurozone in Brussels during the early hours of yesterday is welcome, even though its specifics have yet to be agreed.

Justice Minister Alan Shatter published the long-awaited Personal Insolvency Bill yesterday.

This weekend will mark the 75th anniversary of the referendum ratifying the Irish Constitution.

The downpour early yesterday morning caught many people by surprise, especially in Cork City and county.

Yesterday’s meeting in Belfast was a symbolic moment that closes what was begun with the British Queen’s visit to the Republic last year.