It comes as a joy - and even a little bit of a relief - when Pauline McLynn sits down for our interview and orders a proper pot of Irish breakfast tea.

He was best known for his roles as Georgie Burgess in The Snapper and the milkman Pat Mustard in Father Ted.

IRELAND’S long-awaited Electoral Commission is to be established finally in the new year. Let us hope it will prove worth the wait, but, more importantly, let us hope that it has more teeth than its UK equivalent.

Sinn Féin has said voters in the British general election have a right to know the actual source of the donation.

A leading Irish talent agency which counts Pierce Brosnan and Laura Whitmore among its clients returned to profit last year.

Ireland’s best-known talent agency, that counts Tom Vaughan-Lawlor and Laura Whitmore among its clients, will return to profit this year.

Now in its second year, the Subtitle European Film Festival returns to Kilkenny next week (Nov 25-Dec 1). This year’s programme boasts 35 of the best European films of recent years, among them Christian Mungiu’s stunning drama Beyond the Hills and the French comedy The Intouchables.

Investments costs in expanding into new British and European markets resulted in Ireland’s best-known talent agency recording a loss last year.

Pauline McLynn has told of her plunge into depression after quitting the hit television series Shameless two years ago in controversial circumstances.

A COMPANY that operates an agency representing some of Ireland’s best known film and stage actors, writers and comedians went into the red last year.

People flooded out of a besieged refugee camp in Lebanon last night after three days of fighting between Lebanese troops and Islamic militants.

Murphy’s Irish Stout today announced that it is to end its title sponsorship of the Kilkenny Cat Laughs Comedy Festival, which this year celebrated its 10th year.

More than 30,000 people are expected to flock to Kilkenny to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Ireland’s main comedy festival over the coming bank holiday weekend.

WHOEVER said cats only have nine lives wasn’t a comedy festival fan.

Ten of Ireland's top comedians launched the Murphy’s Cat Laughs Comedy Festival today.

Nasa’s Opportunity rover sent its first pictures of Mars to Earth, delighting and puzzling scientists just hours after the spacecraft bounced to a landing.

The only realistic explanation for the RAF Chinook helicopter disaster on the Mull of Kintyre in June 1994, in which 29 people died, was the finding of pilots’ negligence reached by the reviewing officers of the RAF Board of Inquiry, the House of Lords was told today.