It is truly ironic that as we approach commemoration and celebration of a century of Irish democratic rule, we endure what must be the most irrelevant government this State has ever experienced.

State papers show a senior official has sought an undertaking from Mr Goodman as the chief executive of AIBP in January 1989 that there would be no further false declarations as well as an explanation for such breaches.

A proposal to use Dublin Castle as a venue for conferences and European Council meetings was deemed “totally impracticable” by Irish government officials, declassified state papers have revealed.

That the Madrid climate talks ended with an inconclusive agreement and a decision to ask countries to be more ambitious in cutting greenhouse gas emissions to realise the 2015 Paris accord shows we have, to use David Axelrod’s all-too-apt phrase, passed the swimsuit stage of international negotiations on climate change.

An iconic Cork restaurant was one of a record 23 food outlets forced to close in November over hygiene concerns.

It is the highest number of Enforcement Orders in one month since the legislation was introduced in 1998.

Issues included dead rats in a dry goods storeroom, rodent paw marks on dusty shelves and gnaw marks on coffee bean bags.

We have a reliable end-of-year choreography. The Rose of Tralee knees-up warns winter cannot be far away; September brings All-Ireland finals and their fevered speculations.

Eight restaurants, cafes and butcher shops were found to be in breach of food safety rules last month.

Regulations requiring certain information in packaging of animal health products to be in English only, rather than Irish and English, amounts to a State failure to properly implement a European Directive, a High Court judge has found.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has said 11 closure orders were issued to food businesses in June.

Ireland must do all it can to prevent being caught in Europe’s political slow lane as the leading contenders line up to run the EU and European Cental Bank, writes Kyran Fitzgerald.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he is “flattered” to be linked to the role of the new president of the European Commission but that he plans to stay put in Ireland as Taoiseach.

The FSAI listed a variety of reasons for non-compliance with food safety laws, including evidence of rodent droppings in kitchen, bar and carvery areas and meat being cut in a room adjacent to the toilets

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has reported that six Closure Orders and one Improvement Order were served on food businesses during the month of April.

Three establishments in Dublin, three in Galway and one in Cork were ordered to close.

We are great at carrying out clean ups in this country – cleans ups that occur after lengthy periods during which the area affected has been allowed to go to rack and ruin.

The referendum was in 2016 but the UK still doesn’t know when it is leaving the EU – or even if it is leaving at all. How did it all come to this, asks Christopher Fear

UK labour market data for January showed an extremely strong jobs market that month with employment expanding at an annual rate of 1.5%, which is the strongest growth rate in two years.

Your lunchtime headlines.

Google has been issued a €1.49 billion fine by the European Commission for alleged illegal practices in search advertising.

The natural relief that Brexit’s Becher’s Brook has been negotiated at the first time of asking must be tempered by the reality that, just as is the case at Aintree, many daunting obstacles lie ahead.

I have to issue a health and safety warning to all of you before proceeding any further today, says Cormac MacConnell.

The escalating trade war between the US and China will pressure Irish exporters — already struggling with Brexit uncertainties — even further, writes Kyran Fitzgerald

The celebration of a Cork sporting hero’s life is now a PR disaster for the GAA, writes Joe Leogue.

A €257m, 10-year tourism masterplan for our national parks has been a long time coming, writes Caroline O’Doherty.

The European Commission has forecast that our economy will top the EU growth table this year and that spectacular growth will continue next year.

Consumers faced mobile phone charge increases of up to 20% as a direct result of the acquisition of O2 Ireland by Three four years ago, a report by the representative body of EU telecom regulators has found.

Enhanced contingency plans to allow Irish ports and airports to deal with a ‘no-deal’ Brexit are to be brought to Cabinet by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, it has emerged.

Insurance reformers have described as “shocking, but not surprising” reports that a European Commission (EC) investigation into Irish motor insurance is examining allegations that the industry is frustrating access to the market.

Chinese electric bicycles will have to be registered in the EU in a move by the bloc to curb cheap imports which European manufacturers say are flooding the market.

Last month, Agriculture Minister Michael Creed celebrated the latest in a long line of derogations from the EU Nitrates Directive.

The government has said the UK needs to come up with alternative solutions if it will not support the EU's legal document on Brexit.

IN a little over a week the old, divisive force at the root of so much European catastrophe will march again.

New cars will have to pass tougher EU examinations to measure their CO2 outputs from today, following the scandal that saw Volkswagen use software to cheat previous emissions tests.

EARLY analysis of Britain’s latest position on Brexit suggests the Tory government is still at the have-their-cake-and-eat-it stage; that they cling to the view they can enjoy the benefits

Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has reported massive quarterly profits, despite the huge fine imposed on it last month by the European Commission.

The European Commission has awarded €4m to build an electricity inter-connector linking France with Ireland.

It is not at all surprising that Google yesterday rejected the findings — and a €2.42bn antitrust fine — imposed by the European Commission after a seven-year investigation into how, according to the EC, the company abused its position “to give illegal advantage” to its own shopping service by making access to alternatives far more difficult than it might be.

We are frequently genuinely and understandably concerned with the lack of accountability that exists in much of our political and administrative public bodies. 

Estranged but not as yet embittered couples sometimes enter divorce negotiations with high, almost noble intentions.