NEXT Sunday, a large family from the isolated Donegal peninsula of St John’s Point will gather for Mass to pray for the souls of Francis Byrne and his son Jimmy.

FORMER Marine Minister Frank Fahey insisted he was “never dishonest” and has no regrets over his handling of a scheme to compensate fishermen for lost vessels which the opposition said was “rigged” to suit his constituents.

A FAMILY thrown into the middle of a political battle has welcomed signs the Government may back down and pay them compensation for rejecting their original claim under the Lost at Sea scheme.

OMBUDSMAN Emily O’Reilly is to appear before an Oireachtas committee later this month to discuss her clash with the Department of Agriculture over a compensation proposal to a family whose loved ones were lost at sea.

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen has rejected the Ombudsman’s call to have the Lost at Sea report reopened.

The Ombudsman has launched an attack on Ireland's politicians, saying "poor governance in key institutions" is at the heart of our economic downturn.

AN Oireachtas committee should not have blocked an investigation into the state’s refusal to pay compensation to a family whose father and son died at sea, the Ombudsman has indicated.

FIANNA FÁIL’S Frank Fahey has strenuously denied opposition claims his Lost at Sea scheme to help fishermen buy new trawlers was “tailor-made” to suit a handful of constituents in Galway West.

A young Irish soldier will be sentenced to community service next year for smashing a pint glass into another soldier’s face while drunk in a Dublin pub.

A Mayo man has been remanded in custody pending sentence for his part in an assault which left the victim wheelchair-bound and requiring lifelong care as a result of serious brain injuries.

A heroin user who threw a bottle at the face of Chinese national and left him with a risk of having long term sight difficulties has been given a three year sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

A Traveller who brutally assaulted a man with a brass topped walking stick and then stripped him in line with a tradition to "strip him of his dignity" has been sentenced to five years in prison.

THE national pay deal looks set to be accepted after the biggest union in the country yesterday threw its weight behind the partnership agreement.

Francis Byrne from the Community Platform says that she is outraged at the decisions taken by Charlie McCreevy in today's Budget.