It should have been a day of celebration to note the achievements of adult students as Tánaiste Joan Burton attended a higher education graduation ceremony in Dublin last November.

Anti-austerity TD Paul Murphy has defended his key role during a demonstration in which Tánaiste Joan Burton was hit by a water balloon.

A REPUBLIC is no longer a republic if democracy does not matter. Democracy stops mattering if the right to dissent, and to protest, is not protected, if the rights of minorities are ignored, if government does not listen to the people. A republic stops being a republic the day fear is used to manipulate public discourse.

The achievements of the women’s movement across Ireland was being celebrated this weekend with a host of events to mark International Women’s Day.

A host of stars are expected to turn out for a charity movie premier in Dublin tonight.

ALMOST half a million working women have no private pensions to support them in their future years, it emerged yesterday.

A MAJOR shortage of proper childcare is still the biggest barrier to women returning to work or education, a survey has revealed.