Gardaí had to restrict access to the carpark at a popular Clare beach for a time this afternoon as hundreds descended on the area to take advantage of the fine weather.

Minister for Justice Charlie Flannagan said that the public needs to "observe social distancing" and that the pubs "must close".

The Minister made his warning as a further 102 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in the Republic last night bringing the total to 785.

An Bord Pleanála has given the green light to house builder, Cairn Homes to construct 426 residential units near Greystones in Co Wicklow.

Local authorities are insured by Irish Public Bodies, which deals with claims for issues such as slips and trips on footpaths and damage to cars caused by potholes.

17 of them will get at least €70,000 each.

New figures show that more than one-in-10 fires were started maliciously last year, while almost 15% of all fires attended by the fire brigade in 2018 were linked to issues with chimneys and flues.

Thousands of kilometres of regional and local roads across the country are suffering from major defects, according to a new report by a local government watchdog.

A €500m data centre has been given the green light for Arklow, Co Wicklow.

Three men have been granted permission by the High Court to challenge an alleged failure by Wicklow County Council to proceed with a process for building three Traveller-specific houses for their families.

Cork's first cycling maps have been unveiled ahead of national bike week.

The undisputed champion of the world Katie Taylor has been immortalised on the side of a pub in Dublin.

Bray Councillor Joe Behan said there's a desire to honour Katie's achievements, but that her family may not be keen on a statue.

Katie Taylor has received a hero's welcome as she returned to her hometown of Bray as the undisputed world champion.

Katie Taylor will be honoured with a homecoming event in Bray on Friday.

Katie Taylor, the undisputed lightweight world champion, has returned home to Ireland.

The final seat on Wicklow County Council has gone to the Labour Party after a dead-heat between the last two remaining candidates resulted in a two-day recount.

The recount in the election for Wicklow County Council was suspended at 9.15pm tonight with just over a quarter of the ballot papers left to be checked.

A legal challenge by environmentalist Peter Sweetman over the construction of the national grid connection to a wind farm in Co. Wicklow is to be heard in the fastrack Commerical Court.

Irish Water had to clear an average of 16 blockages in the country’s sewage network each day last year as a result of inappropriate items being flushed down toilets.

A council that won an award for its trailblazing decision to introduce “no-fry zones” around schools has broken its own rule a fortnight later by granting permission for a takeaway to open.

Our appetite for fast food is still on the rise despite the obesity crisis, according to a new report.

A €90m expansion of the Wicklow studios where the drama series Vikings is filmed is on hold after locals appealed the decision to grant planning permission.

The planning system in Ireland is administered by local planning authorities in each county, with some larger counties, including Dublin and Cork, having more than one such authority, writes Karen Walsh.

The King’s Highway issue has been raised in a legal case that is a shining example of the problems between developers and opponents of wind farms, writes Michael Clifford.

Drinking water supplies at one of the country’s most popular bathing spots had potentially dangerous levels of a carcinogenic substance at the height of the summer, according to the environmental regulator.

Property developer Johnny Ronan has made moves to secure planning permission for two flagship developments in Dublin and Wicklow.

In an astonishing statement posted on their website, Bray Wanderers chairman Gerry Mulvey claimed that the club’s immediate future is secure as well as announcing that they are in negotiations to leave the Carlisle Grounds and purchase a new ground.

Wicklow County Council has said they are surprised by the statement by Bray Wanderers and have said they have not been approached or had any discussion regarding the redevelopment of the Carlisle Grounds, writes Ciara Phelan

Dylan Connolly last night revealed that Bray Wanderers’ precarious financial position played a major role in his move to Dundalk.

The Co Wicklow studios where the hit series Vikings, is shot has made a fresh bid for a €90m expansion that would create 1,500 movie-related jobs.

Sinn Féin TD John Brady and his wife Gayle have been awarded €6,000 over an attempt by a local authority to evict them from their rented council home.

Sinn Féin looks set to discipline three of its own county councillors after they yesterday refused to back a party colleague in an election for chairman of a county council.

New junior minister Sean Canney is among a dozen former county and city councillors who will receive golden handshake payments from the local authorities after securing Dáil seats in February.

An illegal dump containing a large number of deer carcases has been discovered in the Wicklow mountains.

More than half the calls made to the country’s tip-off line for environmental complaints involved fly-tipping.

The operators of a business selling food and beverages to visitors to Glendalough have launched a High Court action after a rival allegedly parked a van directly in front of their premises, resulting in its closure.

WHEN someone who knows what they are talking about gives you stern, challenging advice, you’d be a fool to ignore them — or at the very least unwise and reckless.

Councils are ignoring planning guidelines that keep fast-food premises away from schools. Just one local authority has written the policy into its development plans.

The National Lottery last year contributed less than expected to good causes, the State’s spending watchdog revealed yesterday.

Local authorities received over 63,000 environmental complaints last year from the public, the majority of them over waste issues including illegal dumping.

A former bookshop in Cork City centre has permission to be changed to a cafe/restaurant, following a recent planning decision.

Private nursing home residents cannot complain to watchdog while those in public nursing homes can

Three schools in the Wicklow town of Greystones have put on hold plans by McDonald’s to build a new fast food outlet there.

The owner of a wooden house in Co Wicklow found to have been built in gross breach of planning laws has agreed to have the building demolished by the end of January next year.

Wicklow TD and Labour parliamentary vice-chair Anne Ferris’s party future was under threat since her decision two weeks ago — based on heartbreaking personal experience — to rebel against the Government’s redress scheme for women held in mother and baby homes.