A security alert has ended after a suspected pipe bomb left in the front garden of a house on Cork's northside was made safe.

For the first time since the recent wet spell began, they were called to provide help yesterday in Limerick and Westmeath.

The security of the State is at grave risk due to an influx of foreign intelligence agents, an inability to effectively protect undersea fibreoptic cables transmitting millions of financial transactions daily, and a lack of resources to counter terrorist threats.

The State is in the final stages of purchasing Aerfort Na Minna in Connemara in order to secure long-term connectivity to the Aran Islands.

Members of the elite Army Ranger Wing (ARW) have joined other special forces in the formation of what is designed to be a rapid reaction force which the EU could send to bring peace to a troubled spot.

The elite Army Ranger wing are not allowed to use flashing blue lights or sirens, even though they would likely be the first unit dispatched to deal with a serious threat to State security.

Government ministers take issue with Higgins over ‘political matters’

The Defence Forces are set to pay around €130,000 to a private company to carry out random drug testing on its personnel in the next four years.

There seems no end to the trouble being caused to Fine Gael by what we might term, for the purposes of this column, the “little people”.

Eddie Mulligan explains that, beyond pay, the quality of life for members of the Defence Forces is sadly austere and needs to be addressed IN recent weeks, there has been much commentary about life in the Defence Forces but very little mention of the ‘quality of life’ enjoyed. In the military, one of the responsibilities of a commanding officer is to

In recent times, our Defence Forces have been treated with serious neglect bordering on irresponsibility by Irish governments.

A pay review is to be undertaken in the next three months aimed at addressing the exodus of highly trained engineers and technicians in the Defence Forces, especially in the Naval Service.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he and his government must heed the "stinging criticisms" made by Commandant Barry about the state of the Defence Forces.

From May 23-26, Irish voters will be thinking about the environment, immigration, spending imbalances, and an EU army, says Political Correspondent Juno McEnroe.

There appear to be few doubts about the involvement of Islamic State (IS) in the Easter attacks on churches and hotels in Sri Lanka.

Further ambulance strikes are likely if the HSE continues to refuse to recognise the right of more than 500 personnel to be represented by the union of their choice, the Psychiatric Nurses Association has warned.

Defence Forces veterans are set to hold a national march in Cork on May Day to highlight poor pay and conditions endured by serving members of the military.

The Government has decided to change a law governing working time which excludes members of the Defence Forces and the Garda Siochána from its provisions, the High Court heard.

The head of a military representative association has described as “disgraceful” the failure to pay many young recruits to the Defence Forces for several weeks their pay and allowances.

Putting troops through battleground training exercises involving live bullets and grenades has been severely curtailed due to the lack of suitably-qualified officers.

Incentives for ex-pilots to return to the Air Corps, promoting enlisted men to officers, and attracting more women may stem the exodus of highly-skilled personnel from the military.

Irish soldiers have tested a new generation of air defence weaponry in Sweden to ensure the Defence Forces has a “state of the art” system for the next 20 years.

ONE of the many gifts sport offers is an economy of language; a battery of pithy philosophies that express truths that would, in a sane world, be more widely embraced.

High turnover, low morale, and low pay are among the complaints of members of the Defence Forces who are to have their case put to the defence minister this week.

An aviation expert, hired to address Department of Defence (DoD) concerns about the impact on aviation safety of a proposed incinerator in Co Cork, claims the objections are “not consistent” with the department’s policy of “minimal development of the aviation infrastructure, including safety” at a nearby naval base.

Three test cases are being brought before the High Court in an attempt to force the Government to ensure that people serving in the Defence Forces can carry over all their annual leave entitlements from one year to the next.

An ex-soldier, whose lawyers contended that indecent proposals or behaviour did not constitute a sexual assault, has had an appeal against his court martial dismissed by the Court of Appeal.

An Irish Defence Forces officer has been the centre of attention today – after being caught on the phone live on RTE.

Navy veterans will be among a group planning to picket the office of Defence Minister Simon Coveney after he refused to award distinguished service Medals to two men who helped save a ship after it was rocked by a mine explosion.

Almost a year after the Defence Forces indicated its determination to increase the number of women in its ranks, the percentage of female participants has actually fallen.

The Dáil has been urged to support calls for gardaí to be allowed to strike for better pay, after claims some officers are living in “poverty” and need social welfare supports just to survive.

Minister for Defence Simon Coveney says he believes health and safety issues with a number of costly Defence Force ambulances can be overcome quickly and cost-effectively.

The organisation which represents rank-and-file members of the army, navy, and air corps has lodged a case for official union recognition in Europe and expects to have a positive decision on it within a year.

New members of the Defence Forces are suffering "withdrawal symptoms" for their mobile phones, miss being home and struggle with military punctuality.

The Irish Defence Forces may not have any Tomahawks — but they do have their rocket salad and avocado.

The Government has spent over €600,000 securing and running empty army barracks which were closed to help make savings in the Defence Forces.

Up to 900 new members are to be recruited to the Irish Defence Forces before the end of the year, in order to maintain numbers at 9,500.

A new recruitment campaign has been launched for the permanent and reserve Irish Defence Forces.

Justice Minister Alan Shatter has received the Garda Inspectorate report into the operation of the penalty points system.

Defence Force members were called to Shannon Airport to assist gardaí in security duties, including dealing with protests against US military aircraft, 324 times last year.

A memorial should be erected to the Second World War dead from Ireland’s oldest university, campaigners said.

The Government has been asked to consider extending the contracts of members of the Defence Forces who are due to be discharged shortly after 21 years service.

One-in-five members of the Defence Forces depend on state benefits to feed their families due to deep pay cuts in recent years.

Military courts have a backlog of cases after new figures show that just eight courts-martial were held last year following the appointment of a military judge in September.