Extensively refurbished by its UK-based Irish owner, this home had been on the market last year priced at just over €1m.

Is there a greater love than puppy love?

The economies of the Danes, the Dutch, and Finns remained intact during the downturn while we went into receivership. David Begg’s analysis of why should be noted by every policy maker in Ireland, writes Fergus Finlay.

An Egyptian man has hijacked an EgyptAir plane and forced it to land in Cyprus, where most passengers were eventually allowed to get off, though the crew remain on board.

The need for small homegrown industries in this country is greater now than at any time in the past. We should aim to promote the establishment of small businesses in all towns and villages.

The 31st Annual King & Queen of the Roads festival will break off tomorrow at Ballincurrig, with Europe’s leading bowlers vying in the two flagship events.

All friendly matches are equal but some are more equal than others, writes David Shonfield.

The family of an Irish woman killed in the Malaysian air crash are still waiting for information on her remains.

Spain defender Sergio Ramos has implored his team-mates to show all their champion qualities after a harrowing start to their World Cup defence.

The terrible destruction of property and the dreadful inconvenience caused to residents in flooded areas in Ireland and Britain could have been prevented if the following precautions had been provided after previous flooding.

The savage coastal storm powered by hurricane-force gusts that hit Britain also struck western Europe, causing at least 15 deaths.

I first learned about the glories of killing aged about 5.

Ireland U-21 3 Netherlands U-21 0

The recently-formed Irish Event Riders’ Club has “disassociated” itself from its own survey of riders regarding their experiences with the Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) high-performance programme.

THE Government has committed itself to a radical overhaul of healthcare, with the elimination of the existing two-tier health system, the introduction of free GP care for all, and universal health insurance.

1. Ailis McSweeney revealed Derval O’Rourke’s preparations in intimate detail: “She was in her own bed with her coaches in comfortable surroundings until two days ago.”

Much has been written about the courage of deserters, by commentators who have not the moral courage to face unwelcome facts.

1. Martin Keown’s poker face: “Del Bosque has played his hand here… it’s almost like a game of chess.”

EU leaders and their economic experts were working late into the night to come up with some confidence-building measures to help Spain and Italy, now in danger of being shut out of the markets.

IT is said “God made the world but the Dutch made Holland”.

Relatives of the 28 people killed when a bus from Belgium crashed inside a Swiss tunnel faced the heartbreaking task of identifying the bodies ahead of their repatriation. Most of the dead were children.

The EU has sought to defuse the row between Greece and some eurozone countries over its bailout bid.

The drone strike in Yemen that killed al-Qaida chief Anwar al-Awlaki appears to have also killed the terror group’s top Saudi bomb-maker, US officials said today.

Nigel De Jong says he was treated “like a war criminal” in the wake of a stormy World Cup final.

A case of Beauty and the Beast as the Montrose cast take a final bow, says Larry Ryan

WHILE the whole of the football world, and especially those parts of it coloured either orange or red, works itself into a fit of feverish anticipation ahead of tomorrow’s World Cup final, your correspondent finds himself in the unusually luxurious position of feeling eminently chilled about the outcome.

GIOVANNI van Bronckhorst has warned Brazil that the Netherlands are ready to break their World Cup stranglehold over them.

Belgians may soon be the first Europeans to ban the burka, it has emerged.

The Dutch are seeking the extradition of an Irish man wanted on charges attempting to traffic heroin and cannabis from The Netherlands to Ireland.

IRELAND finished seventh yesterday in a closely-fought Alltech European Show Jumping Championships in Windsor, England, despite a spirited second-round effort.

EU AMBASSADORS have given the wording of the Irish guarantees the thumbs up at a special meeting in Brussels on a day when it emerged that British diplomats have asked for some changes to the text.

IN her letter (February 12), Dr Florence Craven takes Transport Minister Noel Dempsey to task for exhorting others to cycle while sitting in his Audi.

IT was refreshing recently to hear Environment Minister John Gormley say that spending on public transport must take priority over spending on roads, but this policy will fail unless people adopt it.

IT began with what the orange t-shirts called ‘Basle – The Invasion’ and ended with something more closely resembling the retreat from Moscow.

The last group of survivors from the Antarctic cruise ship that struck an iceberg and sank have been flown back to the South American mainland.

Richard Collins explores the idyllic vineyards of the Languedoc.

EVEN with dreaded climate change it’s a case of every cloud having a silver lining — for some.

Europe will slip into a political crisis if Poland blocks an agreement at next week's European Union summit on how to proceed with the failed EU Constitution, the head of the European Parliament warned today.

FOLLOWING my column two weeks ago, it was suggested that I was attacking Green Party policies and somehow suggesting there was no basis for conservation, recycling or cleaning up our air and water, and it was even said that I was suggesting that global warming is nonsense.

Republic of Ireland Under-21s coach Don Givens has drafted senior squad members Stephen Quinn and Darron Gibson into his party for the friendly against Holland on Tuesday, March 27.

THE WORLD Cup isn’t what it was. It’s twice what it was, you might say, given the expansion to 32 teams, but that’s not what we’re getting at.