The chief losers in the bid to build a new children’s hospital are extremely disappointed their site was overlooked in favour of a campus that does not have all the advantages the losing Mater site had to offer.

Police were today investigating comments allegedly made on Twitter by BNP leader Nick Griffin about a gay couple at the centre of a landmark legal ruling.

ARCHBISHOP of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has broken his week-long silence following the controversial speech where he spoke of “strong forces” operating within the Church to state that “he stands by the affirmations in his original speech”.

THE Catholic Church’s child protection watchdog is to meet Archbishop Diarmuid Martin this week over his claims that strong forces within the Church were still trying to hide the truth about paedophile priests.

Jose Maria Olazabal and Nick Dougherty were among those to miss the halfway cut as England's Benn Barham retained the lead at the Austrian Open in Vienna.

BALLYBUNION, one of the world’s finest links courses, will be the ideal home to the 13th AIB Irish Seniors Open which begins on Friday.

Tyrone Mordt and Johan Edfors were the clubhouse leaders early on day two of the Alfred Dunhill Championship after moving on to nine-under-par for the competition.

A large shark entangled itself in a surfer’s leg rope in Australia and began towing him and his board out to sea, the surfer said today.

Sweden’s Christian Nilsson still leads the Saint-Omer Open after making a solid start to his third round on Saturday, but his advantage has been cut to one shot.

PAUL McGINLEY’S chances of making Europe’s Ryder Cup team look bleak after he missed the cut at the Saint Omer Open yesterday.

Paul McGinley refused to blame the tricky conditions for a disappointing opening round at the Saint-Omer Open today.

Galway Co Councillor Michael 'Stroke' Fahy walked free from the Four Courts today after the Court of Criminal Appeal set aside his conviction for fraud and attempted theft and ordered that a retrial take place.

Galway Co Councillor Michael Fahy will know next week if his appeal against his conviction for fraud and attempted theft has been successful.

Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones had to perfect her old accent for a new mountain climbing documentary after producers told her she didn't sound Welsh enough.

BANKS and brokerage firms in New Orleans say they’re faring better than before Hurricane Katrina caused a record $80 billion (€62.5bn) of damages along America’s Gulf Coast a year ago.

A DUBLIN hospital has reversed a controversial decision to postpone a cancer drug trial it deferred because patient information leaflets contained wording at odds with its Catholic ethos.

Welsh Ryder Cup player Phillip Price lies joint second after the first round of the US Tour qualifying school in California, with Ireland's Richie Coughlan and Keith Nolan well down the field.

Building and infrastructure services group Morgan Sindall today said a boom in low-cost housing provision had helped half-year profits soar 31%.

Scottish Open winner John Morgan was today reflecting on the best golfing day of his life - one which earned him nearly £225,000 (€337,400) and totally revived his career, but ended with him just missing out on the final place in this week’s British Open.

Andrew Oldcorn, furious after being denied a place in next month’s British Open by a change of rule, has now vented his anger over the new qualification system for the championship.

Christy O’Connor Jnr's hopes of making an immediate imprint on the €330,000 AIB Irish Seniors Open at Adare Manor this afternoon were dashed as the 55-year-old three-putted on four occasions for a round of 75.

With a putting tip from Vijay Singh fresh in his mind, England’s John Morgan could not wait to get going in the British Masters at the Forest of Arden today.

THE use of the term "hidden gem" to describe an emerging golf course is more than a little overdone. But I will risk the wrath of the reader by placing Dr Arthur Spring's creation at Bodyke in Co Clare in that category.

BRITISH officials believe the outbreak of the world’s most damaging potato disease in Wales is under control, and that it will be contained and eradicated.

HORACIO CARBONETTI became the first Argentinian to win on the European Seniors Tour when he closed with a one-under-par 69 to win the Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open in Switzerland.

PATIENTS and the teaching status of Dublin’s Mater Hospital are likely to suffer because of radical cost-cutting measures, its chairman has claimed.

The Irish journalist who was wrongfully arrested and detained by the Israeli authorities for four days was reunited with his family in Belfast today.

The Irish journalist who was wrongfully arrested and detained by the Israeli authorities for four days is due to give a press conference in his native Belfast today.

THE Irishman accused of being a dissident republican bomb maker was on his way back home last night after being deported from Israel.

A Northern Irish man arrested by the Israelis on suspicion of aiding Palestinian militants was released from jail today and was being deported to Britain.

Israeli security services are expected to release Belfast man, John Morgan, who was arrested near Ramallah at the weekend on suspicion of training Palestinian militants.

BRITISH officials have been waiting for more than two days for access to a Belfast man who it is believed was wrongly identified as a dissident republican bomb maker and arrested in the Middle East.

Supporters of a west Belfast man arrested by Israeli security forces demanded his release today amid reports that he was mistaken for another man.

AN Irishman who remains in custody in Israel after being arrested at the weekend is not a master bomb maker for the Real IRA, his father said last night.

Little-known Englishman John Morgan wrecked his chance to share the lead after the first round of the BellSouth Classic when he double-bogeyed his last hole, the ninth.

Phillip Price's dream of a US Tour place next season was hanging by a thread after a two under par 70 in the third round of the 72-hole qualifying competition in Florida.

Ryder Cup player Phillip Price kept alive his hopes of winning a US Tour place next season with an opening two-under-par 70 in the qualifying competition in Orlando, Florida.

John Morgan, a professional for only three months, scored his maiden victory in the Charles Church Challenge Tour Championship at sunny Bowood today.

Scotsman Greig Hutcheon took the lead of the Charles Church Championship after a third-round 68 at Bowood.

Construction group Morgan Sindall is to help build a stretch of the Channel Tunnel rail link after winning a key contract today.

Ian Stanley has maintained his effort to win the British Seniors' Open Championship at Royal County Down as he has picked up two birdies against

Just nine players finished under-par last night after the third round in the British Seniors' Championship at Royal County Down.

Australian Ian Stanley goes into the last round of the £501,000stg British