More than 50 people were given electro-convulsive therapy without their consent in 2018, according to a new study.

Children were admitted to a dirty adult psychiatric unit with known choking hazards, according to the Mental Health Commission.

The Mental Health Commission has identified one critical and five high-risk non-compliance ratings at two of the country’s in-patient mental health units.

There were 7,420 episodes of restrictive practices reported in 2017 and 7,464 in 2018.

Health Minister Simon Harris said the standards would act as “a powerful tool” to encourage service providers to adopt best practice.

A Vision for Change – a strategy document published in 2006 that set out the direction of mental health services in Ireland - recommended the establishment of 48 rehabilitation teams based on the current population.

A meeting to consider the future of an acute psychiatric unit where pictures emerged of patients lying on the floor is to take place in the next number of weeks.

Eight children were admitted to an adult psychiatric unit in Waterford despite multiple warnings to the HSE that the facility is unsuitable for youngsters.

The Mental Health Commission has identified 12 areas of high-risk non-compliance at three of its approved centres in Waterford, Clare and Cork.

Half of the population do not have access to a mental health rehabilitation team.

Minister for Health Simon Health has defended his record in the area of mental health services and said he has been working “extremely hard” for the past three years to make up for “decades of neglect” of the service.

A number of centres remain unsuitable and not fit for purpose.

People with mental health difficulties and their families are still not seeing the improvements envisaged in the national mental health policy — A Vision for Change — more than 13 years ago, a rights group claims.

More than half of registered charities in Ireland have an income of less than €250,000 despite the sector reporting a total income of more than €14bn.

Charities in Ireland will be subject to a code of governance for the first time later this year, according to the sector’s watchdog.

An investigation into the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network shows that charity funds were used to support a political campaign.

While Ireland is renowned for its charitable nature, trustees of charities have come under “considerable pressure” here in the last 12 months and faced some “significant challenges”, according to a senior counsel.

More than a third of people say charity fundraisers on the street are "aggressive" and "annoying".

A charity where payments in excess of €84,000 were made to the chief executive’s parents contrary to explicit instructions of Revenue has been given 21 days to come up with a plan to get its affairs in order.

The number of people reporting concerns about the conduct of charities to the sector’s watchdog more than trebled last year.

A High Court judge wants the Garda Fraud Squad to investigate why 13 families who must leave their homes within a week were paying rent to a unknown third party.

Controversy reigned at the Fiesta 6 Hour Endurance Race at Mondello Park yesterday where weather and track conditions led to the race being red-flagged at around half distance.

Almost two thirds of people are now more reluctant to give to charities after a spate of scandals in recent years.

Leading depression charities are expected to take over Console’s services this weekend, despite legal technicalities meaning the plan could not be signed off on last night.

Crisis-hit suicide charity Console will be wound up within days after it was decided it cannot continue to operate due to the financial scandal engulfing the organisation.

Health Minister Simon Harris, senior HSE officials, and Console’s interim CEO David Hall are contacting a series of high-profile suicide prevention and depression charities in a bid to convince them to take on Console’s frontline services.

Former health ministers James Reilly and Leo Varadkar may face a public grilling before the end of this month over how much was known about the Console financial crisis while they were in office.

First Console and now St John of God. How are these charity scandals emerging when there is supposed to be a Charities Regulator in place now?

The charities regulator was not aware of any concerns around the operation of the suicide bereavement charity Console until they were aired last week.

The charities regulator said laws giving it investigative powers must be enacted immediately.

Former Console boss Paul Kelly and his wife and son spent almost €500,000 on designer clothes, foreign trips, groceries, and other expenses between 2012 and 2014, an RTÉ investigation has claimed.

Gardaí are considering if concerns raised in relation to suicide prevention charity Console merit a criminal investigation.

The intricacies of a farmyard lane network proved to be a major factor in the Carbery Navigation Trial in Leap in West Cork where the Ovens/Drinagh duo of Donal Healy/Denis O’Donovan (Toyota Starlet) triumphed to move into the lead of the Munster Navigation Trial Championship.

The most prestigious award in Irish motor racing, the Leinster Trophy, awaits the winner of Sunday’s Formula Ford race in Mondello Park. Drivers like John Watson, Eddie Jordan, Ayrton Senna and Mika Hakkinen have all lifted the famous trophy at the Kildare venue and on Sunday Meath’s Stephen Daly will be hoping to retain the trophy for another 12 months.

Donegal’s Donagh Kelly and his Derry co-driver, Kevin Flanagan (Ford Focus WRC), won the Triton Showers National Rally Championship with a second-placed finish in the McCormack Opel/Sligo Park Hotel Rally.

All season long Donagh Kelly (Ford Focus WRC) has been a consistent barometer of pace in the Triton Showers National Rally Championship. 

Craig Breen strengthened his position at the top of the European Rally Championship with his third straight win in the series.

Having set the fastest time on the qualifying stage for the SATA Rallye Acores, round four of the European Rally Championship, Craig Breen and co-driver Scott Martin on board their Peugeot Rally Academy 208 T16 brought that form through last evening’s opening three stages to lead the event.

Meath IFA chairman, Eddie Bannon, says that we need 300,000 more cows to fulfill our emerging milk markets.

A great man once described art as “not what you see, but what you make others see”. In other words, art requires an audience to interpret it.

The proposed partial merger between Bord na Móna and State forestry body, Coillte is expected to take another two years or so to fully implement.

Labour leader candidate Joan Burton has said she supports moves in Europe to ease fiscal rules which could help Ireland roll out a major programme of social and affordable housing.

"I missed you all," Mary Hanafin gushed to reporters in the manner of a faded film star who had just glimpsed the limelight once more thanks to a cameo role in a B movie.