Daniel McAnaspie’s short life and violent death reflect badly on any notion that State and society have left behind the appalling treatment of children who find themselves beyond the sanctuary of a family home, writes Michael Clifford.

The Government has been accused of failing to implement a series of recommendations from a damning 2012 report into the deaths of 196 children and teens in State care, described by Taoiseach Enda Kenny as a “litany of shame”.

Two men have pleaded not guilty to the murder of teenager Daniel McAnespie in Dublin.

I WOULD be grateful if you or your readers could explain how two of the leading figures in Irish public life have reached their exalted positions while displaying a level of self-importance and egomania second to none. They are the Cardinal Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All-Ireland, Seán Brady, and Health Minister Mary Harney.