Fianna Fáil’s giveaway manifesto, which was launched yesterday, is aimed at offering an alternative, according to party leader Micheál Martin.

Brendan Griffin, a Fine Gael TD for Kerry South, has pledged to continue a long-standing arrangement with a primary school in his locality to donate half his TD’s salary to employ an additional teacher at the school.

Make no mistake — despite having 15 candidates to choose from due to the merger of two former Kerry constituencies into one, three of the five seats on offer in this sprawling area are already effectively decided.

It was a day of shocks in the Bank of Ireland Munster Junior Cup as holders Shannon are knocked out by Cashel and both Muskerry and Midleton lost to sides in a lower division.

Independent Alliance chairman Feargal Quinn has praised the decision to appoint David Begg to the pensions authority, despite his group declaring the move was a “crony” appointment.

Labour leader Joan Burton has said her party is “ready for an election at any time” amid ongoing speculation that Taoiseach Enda Kenny may be about to call a snap November vote.

Rising tensions between the coalition parties over the date of the election have forced Tánaiste Joan Burton to declare she is “not a quitter” and is confident the Government will run its full term.

A leading Labour backbencher has warned Tánaiste Joan Burton the party must not be “stampeded” into a pre-election voting pact with Fine Gael and that grassroots members need to be given their say on the deal.

The majority of political parties are in favour of holding a referendum to change the Constitution to ensure water services can never be privatised, a survey conducted by the Irish Examiner has revealed.

The golfing business in Ireland has taken a hit like few other industries over the past decade, with the amount of members leaving golf clubs reaching near epidemic proportions.

A member of a leading political family, also a prominent golfer and golf-course designer, treated rich and poor just the same, mourners at his funeral were told yesterday.

An Irish woman and her two-year-old daughter were killed in a car crash in Poland, President Michael D Higgins has lead a commemoration ceremony to mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Lusitania, Joan Burton has defended plans to deduct Irish Water bills from wages and Irish sporting personality Arthur Spring has died. Catch up with this evening’s top and most read stories on irishexaminer.com.

The death has occurred of Dr Arthur Spring, one of the best-known sporting personalities in Ireland.

Join the Oireachtas and see the world… new figures show that the spend by TDs and senators on overseas travel last year increased from €218,799 to €230,313.

The Fine Gael-Labour coalition and Fianna Fáil have begun an open war for rural votes in the next general election, after launching separate policy documents promising a series of long-delayed measures within hours of each other.

In the Irish Examiner (January 15), Arthur Spring, Labour TD for Kerry North and West Limerick, criticised me for mentioning the slow rate of recovery in the jobs market in Kerry, because I highlighted the rise in live-register figures for the last three months of 2014.

Deliberately misleading the public in terms of the true employment figures is a cheap political stunt by Sinn Féin, argues Labour TD Arthur Spring

A thousand euro has been collected for St Vincent de Paul in Tralee this weekend after the town’s leading citizens took part in office chair racing.

Yet another golf course has come on the market and is expected to fetch only a fraction of what was paid for it during the property boom.

Expected to sell in two lots is a Killarney golf course with a 20-year pedigree, overlooking 200 year old trees, a 15th century castle - and the four-story shell of an uncompleted 120-bed hotel and lodges project.

There are currently no plans to reduce Bank of Ireland’s standard variable mortgage rate following AIB’s 0.25% cut, although the situation is under review, according to chief executive Richie Boucher.

The Coalition is set to cave in to the massive public revolt against water charges by agreeing to more "modest" rates.

The spotlight is now firmly fixed on Taoiseach Enda Kenny as he finalises the shake-up of his junior government ranks, writes Political Correspondent Shaun Connolly

WHEN he came from virtually nowhere to win the nomination to contest a seat for Labour in the European Parliament in 2009, Alan Kelly told party members he would run "the most professional campaign you have ever seen".

Joan Burton remains favourite to lead Labour into the next general election as nominations draw to a close.

Alex White has refused to rule out going into government with Sinn Féin, if he is elected Labour leader.

The Waterford TD Ciara Conway is set to join three other Munster-based candidates to contest the deputy leadership of the Labour Party, but will not take a ministerial position if elected.

Candidates hoping to secure the top job as leader of the Labour Party have until tomorrow to submit their nominations.

The EU Commission will warn the Government today to stick to its plans for October’s budget, despite the most likely next leader of the Labour Party, Joan Burton, saying she does not think the €2bn in spending cuts and tax increases is going to be necessary.

Alex White is expected to announce his bid for the leadership of the Labour Party later.

The Battle for Labour’s top two posts was becoming bitter last night as Joan Burton faced a challenger in the tussle for the party crown.

Junior minister Alan Kelly has confirmed that he is running for deputy leader of the Labour Party.

In the 1980s when Labour was having another of its bruising internal upheavals, then leader Frank Cluskey noticed Michael D Higgins was absent. On hearing the TD had gone on an emergency mission to Nicaragua, Cluskey is reported to have said Higgins was taking the easy option of "saving the world over saving the Labour party".

"The senior people get the senior positions. It’s the nature of politics," Labour’s chief whip, Emmet Stagg, mused on RTÉ radio the night of his party leader’s resignation. "The younger generation have to serve their time."

Former accountant Joan Burton wants to make Labour the voice of Ireland, but has no room to manoeuvre, says Political Correspondent Shaun Connolly.

Labour TDs and senators have begun taking sides in the leadership contest after the shock resignation of Eamon Gilmore.

As senior Labour ministers took to the airwaves on Saturday to defend their party’s record and leader, conversations started taking place between its young turks on what to do about Eamon Gilmore.

The battle for the job of pulling the Labour Party back from the brink will begin today when nominations open for a leader to replace Eamon Gilmore who conceded his party needs "a new voice".

Labour leader Eamon Gilmore is due to make a statement at 4pm, amid widespread rumours of his impending resignation.

Labour leader Eamon Gilmore is to face two motions of no confidence, it has emerged.

Not even the rise of Sinn Féin, which took the last seat in South and West Kerry and out-polled Labour in the Killarney area, could dwarf the gigantic performance of the Healy-Rae organisation.