The support of charity gift collections, from shoeboxes to Bóthar’s sheep, comes from this desire to use the extra that some of us have to help those who need it.

Women’s business organisation Network Ireland has named Natasha Lynch, the managing director of Essential French in Cork, as its self-employed business-woman of the year.

Giving generously to charity can help Irish businesspeople greatly reduce their tax burden by taking advantage of the Government’s tax rebate scheme, it has been claimed today.

NATIONAL Irish Bank is to pay €10.6 million to almost 77,000 customers over the next 12 months as a result of an examination by the High Court Inspectors into fee overcharging between 1988 and 1998.