A homeless man caught defecating in the communal garden of an apartment block has been given a one- month suspended sentence for trespassing.

Champagne Fever bids to bounce back from the first fall of his career when taking on four rivals in the Red Mills Chase at Gowran today. 

A father-of-four whose family were threatened at gunpoint by four masked men has described the lack of Garda resources in parts of rural Co Limerick as "appalling".

The Ballyfermot/Tipperary gang, one of the most dangerous in the country, struck the Garvey home in Pallasgreen, Co Limerick on April 16, 2012.

Gardaí have discovered that a violent criminal gang, whose leaders are based in Ballyfermot, Dublin and Tipperary, hold detailed intelligence data on business people living in counties Cork, Tipperary and Limerick identified as potential burglary/tiger kidnap targets.

Two men involved in an armed raid on a family’s home in Co Limerick have been given jail sentences of seven and five years at Limerick Circuit Court.

The Supreme Court has overturned a High Court ruling that the rent payable by the Bewley's on Grafton Street must be allowed to fall to reflect market levels.

Bewley’s Cafe has secured a landmark victory to stop its landlord hiking the rent again.

A teenager whose father was paralysed in a farm accident hopes her youth club’s award-winning farm safety project will help save lives.

IT was an afternoon of firsts at yesterday’s well-attended Dungarvan Harriers point-to-point meeting at Kilossera as riders’ Paul Kiely, Daragh Howard and Michael Roche all attained their initial career victories.

MITCHELSTOWN yesterday ended 101 years of disappointment and frustration when they won the Chartis Irish Junior Cup with a decisive 4-1 victory over Lurgan at Castlerock.

WHEREAS Tramore have captured the Barton Shield on three occasions, Mitchelstown were contesting the national finals of any competition when they took on Ballina in the semi-final of the Irish Junior Cup at Castlerock, Co Derry, yesterday.

THE tail-end of Hurricane Katia has made the practice rounds for the Chartis Irish Cups and Shields finals at Castlerock, Co Derry over the past few days more a test of stamina than skill, although it is confidently expected calm will have been restored when the festival gets under way today with the semi-finals of both the Barton Shield and Irish Junior Cup.

CHINA ROCK justified strong market support when comprehensively getting the better of Sizing Europe in the Star ‘Best For Racing Coverage’ Chase at Punchestown.

A 63-year-old Cork man who pleaded guilty to money laundering £66,000 sterling stolen as part of the £26m stolen from the Northern Bank in Belfast in December 2004 was given a six-year suspended prison sentence by the Special Criminal Court in Dublin today.

A 63-year-old Cork man has been brought before the Special Criminal Court charged with money-laundering offences in connection with the 2004 Northern Bank robbery.

THE Taoiseach faced increasing pressure last night to order a complete overhaul of Fás after it emerged five of the agency’s executives spent nearly €1 million on first-class hotels, restaurants, bars and other lavish facilities.

A Dublin man has pleaded guilty at the Special Criminal Court to INLA membership in February last year.

THE first free online memorial website of its kind in Ireland has been launched.

The National Council of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association has unanimously decided to back a Yes vote in the Lisbon Treaty referendum.

The Special Criminal Court has remanded five men in custody today after they were charged with being members of the INLA.

Two men facing charges in connection with a guns haul in Cork - that included two rocket launchers, five AK47s, two Uzi submachine guns - appeared in court and were remanded in custody today.

YET again Roger Cottrell expands upon the mote in the republican eye while minimising the beam in the adjacent loyalist one (Irish Examiner letters, January 12).

The governor of New York has appointed a top aide to oversee the controversial rebuilding of Ground Zero.

A Cork man accused of Real IRA membership denied to gardai that he was a member of the IRA or of anything connected to it, the Special Criminal Court heard today.

A man accused of membership of an unlawful organisation said he "was not a member of the IRA of any description or type" and that "the only organisation" he was a member of was Fine Gael, the Special Criminal Court heard today.

LIMERICK’S senior hurlers have been hit a triple blow prior to the championship with the removal of Mark Keane and Pat Tobin from the panel and the retirement of Clement Smith from inter-county duty.

FORMER star forward Joe McKenna was last night elected interim manager of the Limerick senior hurling team by his fellow selectors.

Limerick 3-11 Tipperary 4-14

Cork 1-20 Limerick 0-10

Schoolchildren today took the first small step towards launching an Irish astronaut into space within the next 20 years.

Gardaí in Co Clare have arrested two men in connection with a fatal car crash in Clarecastle last week.

SIX people died and five were injured in a weekend of carnage on Irish roads.

A male pedestrian in his seventies has died after he was struck by a van at Ballybay, Athlone, Co Westmeath.

Knockainey 4-10 Patrickswell 1-12

0-14 Croom 0-7

Tipperary 3-10 Limerick 2-12

Limerick senior hurling selectors have made one personnel change and three positional changes from their last outing for Saturday night’s All-Ireland hurling qualifier against Tipperary in the Gaelic Grounds.

LIMERICK goalkeeper Albert Shanahan has paid a costly price for an unforced error which led to a crucial Cork goal in the recent Guinness Munster SHC semi final between the counties.

Galway 3-15 Limerick 1-10

Limerick's wonderkid Andrew O'Shaughnessy is back in the Shannonsiders' lineup for Sunday's NHL clash with Galway.

THERE is growing concern in Clare that outstanding full-back Brian Lohan could miss the opening round of the Munster championship against Waterford on May 16.