COUNCILLORS who lost their seats in last week’s elections will be entitled to golden handshakes of up to €51,000 amounting to a bill of €6 million for the taxpayer.

THE stunning collapse of Fianna Fáil’s vote in the Dublin Central by-election may have ruined Bertie Ahern’s chances of becoming Dublin Mayor.

THE legacy of the late Tony Gregory helped his election agent of more than 30 years, Maureen O’Sullivan, win his Dáil seat in the Dublin Central by-election – signalling the end of the Ahern-dominated era in the constituency.

As counting continues in the local elections, 560 of the 883 city and county council seats have been filled.

A recount of votes in the Cork North Central Constituency is continuing this morning.

Fianna Fáil could lose 50% of their seats on the Dublin City Council, while Labour and Fine Gael could gain two each.

Independent candidate Maureen O’Sullivan leads the way in the Dublin Central by-election after the first count this afternoon.

Counting of votes to select two TDs and 1,627 councillors will begin today.

DUBLIN Central is a fascinating contest.

MICHAEL HEGARTY, the Fine Gael leader on the county council, topped the poll in 2004 with 3,089 first preferences and the Ladysbridge man is expected to be there or there abouts this time out.

AGEISM is rife in media coverage of the upcoming elections.

FIANNA FÁIL and Fine Gael have dismissed Labour leader Eamon Gilmore’s call for a televised debate before next month’s elections.

QUICK! Someone give Brian Cowen a “news sandwich” pronto – he needs a reality bite.

FIANNA FÁIL’S local election candidates are “afraid” to knock on voters’ doors, the main opposition parties claimed last night.

Fianna Fáil is due to hold selection conventions today to choose candidates for the forthcoming by-elections in Dublin Central and Dublin South.

RTÉ said it can stand over the political integrity of its newsroom after its former economics editor George Lee revealed he will contest a by-election for Fine Gael.

CORK County Council is poised to reopen housing adaptation grant applications for elderly and disabled people — despite not having enough cash to fund the schemes.

Talks to kickstart the Port of Cork’s stalled relocation bid will take place in the coming days.

An independent expert has been called in to examine one of Ireland’s foremost landmarks over fears it is falling apart because of global warming.

THE brothers of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern have once more rallied to his defence, describing certain Mahon Tribunal questioning as “sick”, and insisting Mr Ahern will remain in office until 2011.

A RECORD €85.7 million in commercial rates was collected by Cork County Council in 2007 and they estimate the figure will peak this year to €94m, but thereafter could fall due to an expected downturn in the economy.

THE Health Service Executive (South) has been criticised for its “deplorable” failure to properly mark the graves of some people who die in its care.

UNSCRUPULOUS and unlicensed waste collectors are removing incriminating evidence from bags of domestic rubbish before dumping them in fields and on the side of the road.

EAMON Coughlan and Keith Wood are amongst the high profile board members of the new Irish Institute of Sport under the executive chairmanship of Sean Kelly.

SONIA O’SULLIVAN’S Sports Council grant has been reinstated but the International Carding Scheme Appeals Committee have virtually retired a whole generation of Irish athletics by refusing their appeals, according to a leading athletics figure.

THE mayor of Midleton has called for the reintroduction of the death penalty for anybody found guilty of killing a child.

THE political beheading of the Fianna Fáil hierarchy on Cork County Council has left the party badly wounded and the race is on to find a new leader and party secretary.

The introduction of the dual mandate was supposed to ban politicians from double jobbing. So the locals in and around Cloyne could be forgiven for being surprised to see President Mary McAleese running for Cork County Council.

A GROUP of all-party politicians is bidding to change the law to stop the State’s “crown jewels” falling into the hands of private owners.

DEVELOPERS Frinailla are firing on many cylinders, with apartment schemes selling quickly in Midleton and Ballincollig in Co Cork, and with major residential and commercial plans in the planning process for Grand Parade and Watercourse Road in the city centre.

BERTIE AHERN’S brother has defended the Taoiseach’s shunning of the media at his daughter’s wedding last weekend, saying that the marriage of Georgina and Nicky Byrne should have been treated as a private affair, notwithstanding the couple’s deal with a celebrity magazine.

THE vice-chairman of City of Dublin VEC is to ask his brother Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to intervene in a funding crisis which will restrict the number of women returning to education.

The number of litter wardens on the streets of Dublin is to increase as part of the biggest ever push to clean up the capital.

The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Maurice Ahern, has said he expects the Chinese to raise the question of twinning with Beijing during his visit to China.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is again ruling out the possibility of going to the country early in a general election.

The Taoiseach and the Tanaiste are reportedly supporting plans to twin Dublin and the Chinese capital Beijing, despite concerns over China's human rights record.

A £100m pound plan to regenerate Dublin's Fatima Mansions housing complexes will be unveiled by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and the Lord Mayor of Dublin Maurice Ahern later today.