Gerard Howlin (Opinion, April 9) writes: “Until Bunreacht na hÉireann established the office of President of Ireland, and Douglas Hyde was elected to it in 1938, the King of England was head of state in Ireland.”

Huge crowds have turned out on the streets of Kilkenny today to mark the city's 400th birthday.

The legacy of the 1916 Easter Rising will be discussed today at the Parnell Summer School in Co Wicklow.