Is there better setting in the whole wide world for a children’s book festival than Lismore Castle on a sunny day?

Like something out of a zombie movie, species that were once thought extinct seem to be rising from the dead.

Criminal charges against Wales rugby legend Shane Williams have been dropped, a court heard.

Looking for an alternative to Easter eggs? Mary Arrigan selects 10 volumes for children to feast their eyes on.

Why Do I Have To Eat My Greens

BT Openreach chief executive Joe Garner is set to become the new chief executive of Nationwide.

A mental health nurse in England has defended his judgment that a man who went on to kill his mother and sister less than 48 hours later was no risk to himself or others.

ROBOT SUSPENDED

Dublin Writers Festival hit the right note with an engaging programme, says Orlagh Ní Arrachtain.

Lloyds Banking Group said Glen Moreno, its deputy chairman and senior independent director, will not seek re-election at the company’s AGM on May 17, having joined the board in March 2010.

The FA Cup third-round replay between Wrexham and Brighton has been rearranged for tomorrow night after heavy frost and freezing temperatures caused the game, originally scheduled for tonight, to be postponed.

London’s leading shares index took a fresh beating today as continued deadlock over America’s budget deficit added to worries about European debt.

Lloyds Banking Group is under mounting pressure to provide an update on the leadership vacuum created by the absence of its chief executive, it was claimed today.

MOYLE ROVERS defeated a much-fancied South London side by 6-4 to 2-3 to advance to the Féile na nÓg Division 4 final in Carrigtwohill yesterday evening.

THE inquests into the deaths of mass killer Derrick Bird and the 12 victims he gunned down begin this week.

LITTLE FROG, by Katie Saunders (Caterpillar Books; €7.10 HB), is a touchy-feely feast for toddlers.

THERE must be a real risk that the Government, faced with the prospect of a backbench revolt, will back down and not implement the necessary measures in the forthcoming budget.

BEAR FLIES HIGH, by Michael Rosen and Adrian Reynolds (Bloomsbury; €8.80 with CD), is a seaside escapade featuring big, jolly Bear. As he dances along the sand, he meets four youngsters who invite him to the fairground. The large, sunny-coloured spreads and jaunty, repetitive rhymes are perfect for toddlers.

THE comments by David Roberts and Seamus Kearney on the proposed royal visit (Letters, June 25) are sad and to be deplored.

THE proposed state visit by the British Queen is only to be welcomed as a sign of better relations between this country and Britain and clearly has been heavily influenced by the publication of the Saville enquiry findings.

WHILE the Saville inquiry verdict will come as little surprise to anyone in this country, it must shock many in Britain who, up to now, have seen the actions of their army and judiciary through rose-tinted glasses.

TWO unarmed police officers stared down the barrel of Derrick Bird’s gun as he ran amok in Whitehaven, it has emerged.

Inquests into the deaths of Derrick Bird’s 12 victims were opened and adjourned today.

THERE can be few things more calculated to rally support for the Catholic Church in Ireland than uninformed criticism from a British Protestant.

BILL GATES paid tribute yesterday to the developer of an early personal computer which inspired him to found Microsoft.

Bill Gates paid tribute today to the developer of an early personal computer which inspired him to found Microsoft.

WITH reference to Fr Con McGillicuddy’s letter (‘Churchmen castigated for not being perfect’, March 30), I feel it would be impossible to operate the legal and criminal justice systems if there was a requirement that all its administrators had to be “without sin”.

I DISAGREE with Tom Cooper (Letters, January 20) regarding retention of the Angelus on television.

IT is hard not to feel some sympathy for Archbishop Diarmuid Martin as he struggles to deal with the mess created by his predecessors, none of whom – living or dead – ever seems to have shown much remorse for their actions.

THE recent pronouncements by Archbishop Neill and Bishop Colton regarding the level of State subvention to Protestant schools give a rare example of the Church of Ireland sticking its head above the level of the defensive parapet, which has been rigidly in place since 1922.

BUSINESS start-ups remained strong last year with an average of 2,800 recorded each month.

WE have far too many TDs, the job is attracting the wrong kind of people and they are not performing the duties which the constitution requires of them.

THERE seems to be a persistent campaign, particularly by the media, for nationalisation of the two main banks.

WITH reference to Marie Collins’s letter (‘Church’s new child safety guidelines challenged’, March 3), it really is hard to believe people are still in doubt as to the correct procedures to be followed in suspected cases of clerical child abuse.

WHILE we are fully justified in criticising the Government for its handling of the financial crisis and being less than reassured by the “dazzled rabbit” demeanour of our finance minister, the fact remains there are no obvious messiahs in waiting in the political orfinancial communities.

IT seems to me our long-running clerical abuse scandals owe quite a lot to the cosy relationship between the Catholic Church and successive Irish governments since independence.

THE extensive correspondence on war and remembrance in your letters columns shows the subject is still controversial. It is amazing that huge numbers of ordinary people can be incited to sacrifice their lives in causes inaccurately labelled ‘patriotic’.

I AGREE strongly with Jack Lane and Tom Cooper, both of whom criticised the trend towards State participation in November remembrance ceremonies (Letters, October 20).

THE present financial crisis has given rise to at least two interesting side effects:

I THINK the impending demise of the PDs is to be welcomed.

YOUR series on religion in Ireland (March 20-21) was very bad news for the churches.

TOM COOPER (Letters, February 14) refers to the the intolerance that has poisoned relations between Christians on this island for generations and polluted the good name of Protestantism.

WITH reference to your report on the sale of rosary beads in the souvenir shop at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin (January 23), these items are not commonly used in Anglican worship here and I would have thought there was already a sufficient number of other outlets available in the capital.

THE family of a woman who committed suicide after being sexually abused as a child have never received an official explanation as to why criminal charges were not brought against her abuser.

Daniele Padelli today became the third goalkeeper to be released by Liverpool since the end of the season.

LIVERPOOL deservedly clinched the FA Youth Cup for the third time but required spot-kicks to overcome Manchester United at Old Trafford last night.

ONE good thing is likely to emerge from the debate about health insurance, and that is the role of VHI which has come under close scrutiny and is likely to be forced to make substantial changes to its operation.

I THINK it is inappropriate for Irish citizens to accept foreign titles and honours. These have no intrinsic worth and only have an emotional value if one respects the institution that issues them.

WHILE the new Church of Ireland Primate, Dr Alan Harper, may be an excellent candidate for the post, he does seem to be an unfortunate choice on at least two criteria: he is an Englishman and he has no pastoral experience south of the border.