Here’s a briefing on some of the stories and issues highlighted on irishexaminer.com today.

The annual Santa Splash for The Hope Foundation took place Sunday afternoon at 1pm on Garretstown Beach. 

Michael Carr is originally from Dublin, but has lived in Cork for 16 years. He co-runs Blue Monkey PR agency, looking after a variety of clients, and also presents The Green Room on Cork’s 96FM on Saturdays at 6pm.

In just over a week, Kevin O’Riordan concludes a journey he began on August 29. When he kicks over a point on All-Ireland club finals day in Croke Park he’ll have split the posts in each of the 1,616 clubs and 32 county grounds in the country.

Fancy a delicious alternative to traditional festive fare? Vicki Notaro asks four well-known foodies to whip up a healthy banquet to rival the calorie-laden feast we normally consume at Christmas    

Helen O’Callaghan on a teen’s early start in volunteering   

Reigning Rose of Tralee Elysha Brennan has opened up about her fear of not being able to have children and has urged others to speak openly about the issue.

Cork campaigner Joanne O’Riordan is among 10 young people to win awards for their outstanding achievements in categories such as personal and cultural achievement, contribution to children, environmental leadership, and medical innovation.

Tonight's telly tips…

It’s a world away from the glitz and glamour of the Dome in Tralee last August.

The Menu is very honoured to be joining the renowned food writer Lilly Higgins, Bakestone chef/proprietor Ali Honour and Iyer’s Café chef/proprietor, Gautham Iyer, to deliver an exclusive multi-course cooking demo, one course apiece (June 27), in the Brennan’s Cookery School, in Cork, with a healthy sample of each dish for all in the audience.

The Menu, having saddled up the doughty Neidin and ensured his Party Hat was cocked at a particularly rakish angle, lit out for the Big Smoke earlier this week to the Irish Food Writer’s Guild Annual Food Awards, one of the highlights of the Irish culinary year when the cream of Irish food writers assemble to honour the world-class Irish food world.

Listening to various reactions about the recent RTE programme Amber has got me thinking. The country has been talking about the disappointing ending and how let down and annoyed they are at the programme, especially the ending.

I’m blessed with my family, they’ve always been very supportive of my career.

I can’t believe I’m a professional messer.

A feast of fine foods down on the farm

A Clare woman is to undertake 10 triathlons in 10 days to raise money for the Cork-based Hope Foundation, which helps street and slum children in Kolkata, India.

The hallowed halls of University College Cork will enjoy an ‘oh so Graham Norton’ day next week when the broadcaster joins other well- known faces to be honoured by his alma mater.

Trinity College Dublin students took to the campus celebrating the Hindu festival of Holi and offered us a riot of colour in the process.

“It’s just like Slumdog Millionaire, except in the film you don’t experience the smell.”

A businessman who began supporting a suicide prevention charity after appearing on television has been named philanthropist of the year.

A businessman who began supporting a suicide prevention charity after appearing on television has been named Philanthropist of the Year today.

While most Leaving Cert students are stressing about college applications and upcoming exams, 17-year-old Jessica Knoblauch has been busy launching her first album.

A 32-year-old IT worker won her second consecutive Evening Echo Women’s Mini Marathon in Cork yesterday, just one week after she added the Killarney Mini Marathon to her belt.

NO clear favourite has emerged with the bookies as to the likely winner of the 20th annual Cork Person of the Year award, which will be announced later this week.

LAST Friday (September 30) was National Day of Volunteering; now is a time when I believe we should celebrate the significance of what it is to be a volunteer.

AT the start of this school year, Anne Copplestone, nurse at the South Infirmary and volunteer at the HOPE Foundation, came in to my school to talk to my transition year about the opportunity to go out to Calcutta and visit the HOPE projects over there to see the work they were doing.

A GRIEVING son who lost his mother to cancer and a young woman whose baby died when he was just a day old were among the 10,000 participants in the four-mile Evening Echo Women’s Mini Marathon in Cork yesterday.

The makers of 'Slumdog Millionaire' said today that there was no intention to link a real charity to a scene in the film in which a boy has his eyes gouged out.

A CHILDREN’S charity has come to the aid of Chernobyl children after seeing harrowing scenes of orphans undergoing surgery without any anaesthetic.

CHILDREN isolated by this month’s devastating natural disasters in China and Burma will become the prey of child traffickers, a weekend conference in Cork was told.

HOLLYWOOD heart-throb Jonathan Rhys Meyers took on a new role yesterday — as ambassador for the Hope Foundation.

Hollywood star Jonathan Rhys Myers today revealed his plans to champion the rights of children living on the streets of Calcutta.

Croke Park has refused to hold a Telethon charity event because it doesn’t suit its corporate image, it was claimed today.

Offaly's motion for a 10-team Division One in next season's National Hurling League has been defeated today at a meeting of the GAA's Central Council.

AID agencies Trócaire and Concern will between them donate €2 million towards victims of the tsunami disaster, matching the Government's contribution.

MAUREEN FOREST doesn’t do despair, but if she did she would probably be forgiven for buckling under the strain of trying to put food in hungry mouths on the mean streets of Calcutta.

World renowned Spanish tenor Placido Domingo and a host of international music stars are appearing at a glittering black-tie charity event tonight.

A COUNTY Cork woman is to undertake the walk of a lifetime to raise money for the impoverished street children of Calcutta.