WHAT promises to be the closest general election contest in years gets under way in earnest today following yesterday’s dissolution of the 29th Dáil by President Mary McAleese.

WHAT makes young Irish people so dramatically different to their European counterparts?

THE fall in house prices, the first in five years, is a two-edged sword — good for buyers but bad for vendors.

IRELAND’S shambolic health service looks set to deteriorate further following the Government’s 20% cut in financial payments by independent health insurance companies to Vhi Healthcare, the State-owned group.

WHEN will Education Minister Mary Hanafin see the light?

The joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children has called for the introduction of a new vaccine programme to ensure that girls between the ages of 11 and 12 are protected against cervical cancer before they become sexually active.

The outbreak of tuberculosis (TB) in two creches in Cork is undoubtedly like the reoccurrence of an old nightmare for many older people.

A GLIMMER of light has finally appeared in the deadlocked row between nurses, health service employers and the Government over nursing pay and conditions, effectively raising hopes that a settlement could be in sight just as the dispute was about to escalate.

THE tragic and horrific deaths of four people in the Co Wexford village of Monageer poses a number of questions — not least the need for 24-hour psychiatric and social support services — which we as a society can no longer afford to ignore.

The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors is supporting a call for a full inquiry into matters relating to the murder of Garda Richard Fallon on April 3, 1970.