Sinn Féin has been accused of being “unfit for government” after Gerry Adams controversially claimed the Special Criminal Court has breached Thomas ‘Slab’ Murphy’s human rights and should be scrapped.

Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams has refused to withdraw his support for former Provisional IRA leader, Thomas ‘Slab’ Murphy, who was yesterday convicted of tax evasion.

The case against Thomas “Slab” Murphy is based on “utterly ludicrous” documentation which attempts to link the prominent republican to a non-existent farming income, his defence barrister has said.

The trial of prominent republican Thomas 'Slab' Murphy for alleged tax evasion has heard that in October 2004 a man of the same name supplied cattle worth €15,000 to a meat factory for slaughter.

The funeral Mass for Jim and Marie Quigley, believed to have died as a result of a murder suicide, heard Mr Quigley had been supported through his battle with a mental illness by his family but this was “one battle we could not win”.

Gardaí are investigating the separate deaths of a husband and wife in Co Louth yesterday.

A rural community was in shock last night after the death of a well-known couple in violent circumstances, who are survived by their four children.

Gardaí are investigating after the body of a woman was found at a house near Hackballscross in Co Louth.

The Government has been warned to charge pleasure boats and yachts the same price for their diesel as motorists have to pay or face prosecution and fines.

Disgraced former garda sergeant Finbarr Hickey spent a year behind bars when convicted of signing counterfeit passports that helped IRA figures go on the run.

Detectives have smashed a massive multimillion-euro diesel laundering plant in one of the biggest cross-border operations of its kind in Ireland or the UK.

The case against prominent republican Thomas “Slab” Murphy, who is being prosecuted on tax charges, has been put back until March next year.

A challenge brought by prominent republican Thomas 'Slab' Murphy to a ruling that tax charges against him should be dealt with by the non-jury Special Criminal Court rather than the ordinary courts may be heard by the Supreme Court before Christmas.

An oil laundering plant has been discovered in Co Louth today.

The case against prominent republican Thomas “Slab” Murphy, who is being prosecuted on tax charges, has been put back for a further two months.

Gardaí have released one of two men they were questioning in connection with the discovery of an fuel laundering plant in Co Louth last night.

Prominent republican Thomas “Slab” Murphy is to launch a Supreme Court challenge to a ruling that tax charges against him should be dealt with by the non-jury Special Criminal Court rather than the ordinary courts.

AN ARTIST who has had two 9ft-tall sculptures stolen from her home believes this is the first time an Irish sculptor has experienced such a “huge loss”.

Two men have been arrested after the Army Bomb Disposal Team made safe a device discovered in Co. Louth.

Two men have been arrested after a suspected dissident republican bomb-making factory was uncovered in Co Louth.

A constitutional challenge by republican Thomas 'Slab' Murphy to prevent his trial from going ahead is due to be heard in the High Court today.

The High Court will rule early next month on an application by the Tug of War's international governing body to dismiss an application brought by an Irish club who claim that they were wrongly disciplined for refusing to compete in an International competition.

Prominent republican Thomas “Slab” Murphy is to have his constitutional challenge to prevent his trial in the anti-terrorist Special Criminal Court heard by the High Court in June.

CUSTOMS have smashed one of the biggest ever oil laundering plants with the potential to earn criminals up to €4.5 million a year.

A massive oil-laundering plant with the capacity to launder an estimated 7.5 million litres of fuel a year has been uncovered by customs officers.

Customs officials have uncovered a large fuel laundering plant in Co Louth.

GARDAÍ across the country are investigating three single-vehicle car accidents — two of which claimed the lives of young men.

A man in his 30s has been killed in a car crash in Co Louth, while a six-year-old girl remains seriously ill after a crash on the Cork-Limerick road, in which a one-year-old boy died.

A man in his 30s has been killed in a car crash in Co Louth.

Prominent republican Thomas 'Slab' Murphy could not attend the Special Criminal Court today, where he is facing charges for alleged revenue offences, because of the snow.

A post mortem will be carried out on the body of a 19-year-old Monaghan man, who died after being found in a semi-conscious state on a road last night.

A prominent republican facing tax evasion charges had his case moved back until December today as he continues a long-running battle to stop his trial.

Prominent republican Thomas 'Slab' Murphy was further remanded on continuing bail when he appeared at the Special Criminal Court for alleged revenue offences today.

Prominent republican Thomas "Slab" Murphy was further remanded on continuing bail when he appeared briefly at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin today for alleged revenue offences.

JUSTICE Minister Dermot Ahern has said “the best way” for the family of IRA disappeared victim Gerry Evans to have closure, “is if his remains are found”.

Forensic investigators who today began digging bogland for the remains of a man murdered and secretly buried 30 years ago are not expecting any immediate breakthroughs.

TEN years after the IRA handed over a list of sites where gardaí would find the remains of the so-called “disappeared”, a new site — not on the original list — has been identified.

Prominent republican Thomas "Slab" Murphy is to launch a fresh legal challenge to prevent his trial at the Special Criminal Court for alleged revenue offences.

Sinn Féin minister Conor Murphy has again denied that the IRA was involved in the disappearance of Gerry Evans 30-years ago.

The alleged former leader of the IRA will go on trial for tax evasion in the non-jury Special Criminal Court.

The alleged former leader of the IRA today launched a legal battle to block his trial for tax evasion.