The founder of an animal rescue centre fears the shelter will be forced to close due to mounting costs and debts.

With Nicki Minaj playing at the 3Arena tonight, Ed Power selects the ten most important women in recent rap history

Check out our guide to what to watch on TV tonight.

WHEN Ireland’s golden couple, Brian O’Driscoll and Amy Huberman, announced the birth of their daughter, Sadie, in February 2013, they started a trend — Sadie became one of the most popular girls’ names in Ireland for the first time. Why are Irish parents, like Brian and Amy, opting for shorter versions for their children and do these and other trends have any long term impact, asks Nuala Woulfe

It really is the calm before the storm in Irish racing this weekend.

Many novels include a damsel in distress, but for one of Ireland’s leading authors, it was a "Hailo"ed-saint not a knight who came to her aid.

Kate Kerrigan has lost her almost-completed eighth novel, stored on a laptop left in the back of a Dublin taxi.

The head of TV3 has called on the Government to end the “failed dual-funding mechanism” which allows RTÉ to earn revenue from both advertising and the TV licence fee.

An appeal by an Englishman against his conviction for his role in the biggest drugs haul in Irish history has been dismissed by the Court of Criminal Appeal.

As Pippa Middleton launches her guide to preparing the perfect party, Margaret Carragher reports on how Irish celebs entertain at home and away

Pic 1: Ken Doherty and Lorraine Keane at the Virgin Atlantic International Charity Lunch in aid of the Rape Crisis Centre at the Westin Hotel, Dublin.

Pic 1: Olympic gold medal-winning boxer Katie Taylor, with Brigid Dooley, at the launch of commentator Jimmy Magee’s autobiography Memory Man at The Havelock suite in the Aviva Stadium.

Deirdre Reynolds takes THAT book on a tour around Dublin to judge the reaction of the Irish public

For decades Paul Durcan has mapped our Free State as it descended into Hell. No other poet was so well-prepared for this prolonged and bitter cartography. Thomas McCarthy on his latest collection

SATURDAY

MISS University Holly Carpenter proved she was top of the class on Saturday as she was named Miss Ireland 2011.

FORMER Miss Ireland and social columnist Amanda Brunker will no doubt be hitting a few high notes when she joins seven other celebrities taking the reins of GAA teams for the hit RTÉ series Celebrity Bainisteoir.

Amanda Brunker's controversial appearance at the Oxegen festival in Punchestown failed to win over her critics this afternoon.

Author and celebrity Amanda Brunker has defended her right to play at this weekend's Oxegen festival.

Traditional Irish set dancing group Cosa Beoga, representing the West, are the 11/4 favourites with Paddy Power to win this year’s 'All Ireland Talent Show'.

FROM music to movies to motoring, Ireland’s richest celebrities are set to be unveiled and their wealth revealed.

Irish singers and television presenters have joined forces to complete a 50 kilometre walk in Thailand in a bid to raise funds to send seriously ill children on a special trip to Lapland.

Over €310,000 was raised for Irish charities from the special You’re a Star talent competition held earlier this year, it was confirmed today.

AND the headlines ...

A COMPANY co-owned by comedian Patrick Kielty has won the contract to replace RTÉ’s popular afternoon TV show, Open House.

The hundreds of teams who applied for a place on the starting line at St Patrick’s Hill in Cork were whittled down to 59 hopefuls from 19 counties and one entry from England.