Local authorities are to get €70m for flood repairs after the recent storms, but the fund will not stretch to all required works.

IT IS suggested that in the interests of “health and safety” Cork County Council will propose that a large part of the funds which have been ringfenced to restore the historic Innishannon Tower in Co Cork will be used not only to clear the debris left after the collapse of part of the structure in the winter of 2007 but also to reduce the height of the rest of the tower.

HUNDREDS gathered in a Limerick church last night for a candlelit vigil in remembrance of murdered rugby captain Shane Geoghegan.

Pope Benedict XVI began his first papal trip today with a visit to the eastern seaport of Bari, a brief but symbolic outing that follows in the much-travelled footsteps of his predecessor.