A high-profile publican is defending his position that front-of-house staff in his bars should be Irish.

One of the country’s best known publicans Charlie Chawke said yesterday that frontline staff serving the public at his pub group "have to be Irish".

Welcome to your Friday morning briefing. Let us ensure you’re up to speed on what’s happening and are prepared for the day ahead.

Publican Charlie Chawke has won a legal challenge to the Planning Tribunal in which he claimed it breached fair procedures in finding he had not co-operated in his evidence about a financial "dig-out" for Bertie Ahern.

One of the country’s best known publicans said yesterday he can’t afford to retire and that his Orchard Inn pub in south Dublin — bought for a record €22m nine years ago — is probably worth half of that today.

ON Dec 7, 2007, Jim Nugent told the Mahon Tribunal, under oath, that he had been involved in a whip-around for Bertie Ahern.

Large bank interest payments contributed to the most expensive pub in the country recording a loss of over €140,000 last year.

One of the country’s best-known publicans, Charlie Chawke, said yesterday that Leinster’s winning run in the Heineken Cup last year helped his pub group achieve pre-tax profits of over €2m in 2012.

One of Ireland’s best-known publicans, Charlie Chawke, said yesterday he is happy with how the country’s most expensive pub is performing.

One of the country’s best-known publicans, Charlie Chawke, yesterday blamed the Irish soccer team’s “pathetic” performance against Croatia for the Euros being a flop for his pub business.

Fifteen years after the longest running inquiry into political corruption in Ireland was established, its final findings have been published.

Bertie Ahern lied when accounting for more than £215,000 of money lodged to bank accounts connected to him, the tribunal believes.

The country's biggest corruption inquiry has found former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern did not truthfully account for bank lodgements and savings totalling around IR£275,000.

The Mahon tribunal has found former taoiseach Bertie Ahern did not truthfully account for bank lodgements and savings totalling around IR£275,000.

Fifteen years after the country's longest running inquiry into political corruption in Ireland was established its final findings have been published.

Notorious armed robber Frank Ward, who received two life sentences for the shooting of publican Charlie Chawke during a robbery, has succeeded in having his sentence reduced to one of 20 years on appeal.

CONVICTED armed robber Frank Ward, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for shooting publican Charlie Chawke in a robbery over eight years ago, has failed in a bid to take his case to the Supreme Court.

“WE DON’T do presents” said Maurice Ahern, as he strolled into his brother’s controversial birthday party last night.

A Dublin man has failed in his appeal against his conviction for the shooting of publican Charlie Chawke during a robbery.

A man convicted in connection with an infamous armed robbery on a Dublin publican eight years ago will today find out if his appeal has been successful.

Potential jurors in the trial of a man accused of shooting publican Charlie Chawke should have been excluded if they were supporters of Fianna Fáil, the Court of Criminal Appeal was told today.

Pubs in Limerick have been receiving calls from Cork, Westmeath and Clare to establish what time they were opening at today.

Some of the capital's best-known pubs will open on Good Friday in a move to challenge the traditional ban on trading.

A Dublin man’s appeal against his conviction for robbing and shooting publican Charlie Chawke more than six years ago, will be heard in July.

PAUL Nolan is unlikely to give unbeaten hurdler Shinrock Paddy another outing before he heads to Cheltenham next month.

THERE was frost on the ground in Clare yesterday morning, a genuine feel of Christmas in the air as Ger O’Loughlin headed off to his day job as Director of Sales with the Burke Shipping Group.

A Dublin man sentenced to life imprisonment for shooting publican Charlie Chawke during a robbery has lost his High Court challenge into the legality of his detention.

THE Court of Criminal Appeal has refused to grant bail to a man sentenced to life imprisonment for shooting publican Charlie Chawke during a robbery.

The Court of Criminal Appeal has refused to grant bail to a Dublin man sentenced to life imprisonment for shooting publican Charlie Chawke during a robbery.

CUSTOMERS of a well-known publican could be swapping their favourite tipple for Newcastle Brown Ale if his latest investment venture kicks off.

Former Sunderland shareholder Charlie Chawke is putting together a syndicate to bid for Newcastle.

PUBLICANS are paying up to €20,000 every year for their sports TV coverage, despite more and more people choosing to drink at home.

IT WAS a union no one could have imagined. Four years after the infamous Saipan bust-up prior to the 2002 World Cup Roy Keane and Niall Quinn joined forces at Sunderland.

THERE IS nothing better in this business than being written off by public and pundit alike and then being able to force upon them a helping of humble pie.

RECESSION? What recession?

The man who shot Dublin publican Charlie Chawke has died after falling ill while serving a 15-year prison sentence.

THE Irish-based Drumaville Consortium behind Sunderland has paid just over £20m (€21.5m) for its investment in the Premier League club, according to 2007 figures available from Jersey’s Financial Services Commission (FSC).

FORMER taoiseach Bertie Ahern yesterday celebrated his new-found TV presenter fame at a big wedding bash in Adare.

BERNADETTE Coffey went to the church in Bantry yesterday morning and lit a candle for Paddy.

AN AFTERNOON off, money in the pocket and a thirst worked up by tramping aimlessly around town for a few hours. Now where would the bored Irish racing fan go?

Clonmel is coursing’s Mecca, an annual pilgrimage repeated over the three-day early spring National Coursing Meet at Powerstown Racecourse, but it’s a restricted affair.

GARDAÍ are studying a long list of suspects in the murder of gangster David Lynch — a killing that also left a boy with gunshot wounds.

PUBLICAN Charlie Chawke told the Mahon Tribunal yesterday he had no difficulty giving IR£2,500 in cash — his share of a £22,500 whip- round among friends in late 1993 — to help Bertie Ahern with his marital separation legal fees.

The Mahon Tribunal has been told that Bertie Ahern at first refused to accept so-called "dig-out" money from friends to help pay his marriage separation legal costs.