All great sports careers come to an end and that time is drawing near for world handball champion Paul Brady, who attempts to retain his title at a record-breaking renewal of the event this week in CityWest, Dublin.

EU leaders will meet on May 23 to discuss ways of boosting economic growth — just eight days before Ireland votes in the fiscal treaty referendum.

Cavan’s Paul Brady and Michael Finnegan won their eighth O’Neill’s All Ireland 40x20 Senior Doubles title on Saturday in Cappagh, Co Limerick.

LEAVING Certificate students of economics and construction studies were examined yesterday and the higher level papers for both were strongly topical.

IT’S one thing breaking records, it’s quite another to break the record of a legend. Paul Brady is a three-time world champion in handball, which by itself should be enough to put him on a sporting pedestal in Ireland.

Opposition parties today revealed their plans to reinvent Government from the top while left-wing supporters staged a major conference in Dublin.

A MAN and woman who face charges connected to the death of model Katy French have been sent forward for trial at the circuit court next month.

Former president of the Workers’ Party, Tomas Mac Giolla, died today after a long battle with illness.

KERRY are the latest county to ratify the process of appointing a full-time GAA secretary. A proposal at this week’s county board meeting means each of the six Munster counties has now gone the road of appointing a full-time salaried official to administrate affairs.

Both Kerry and Tipperary teams have been announced for Sunday's ESB Munster Minor Football final at Pairc Ui Chaoimh, Cork.

The weekend’s handball action went according to the script, as all the top seeds survived their respective DALKIA Senior Singles Championship clashes to confirm quarter-final spots.

It was a double celebration for Cork hurler Ronan Curran and Longford footballer Brian Kavanagh today as they collected their second player of the month awards in as many days.

IRELAND’S chances of keeping the men’s world handball singles title will become clearer in Canada tonight as the quarter-finals get under way in Edmonton.

WORLD and US Open singles and doubles champion Paul Brady and Tony Healy of Cork will lead the Irish handball team in the forthcoming Waterford Crystal World Handball Championships in Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, from August 4-13.

Cavan man Paul Brady is well used to blazing a trail in the handball world, but he could notch another milestone at the 2006 Waterford World Handball Championships in Edmonton next month.

Bus Eireann was today charged with owning a defective vehicle during the Navan bus crash.

FOUR of the five teenage girls who were killed in yesterday’s horror bus crash were pupils at the Loreto Convent in Navan.

A NUMBER of children, including a one-year-old baby, were taken into care last night following the suspicious death of their mother.

A Northern Ireland man arrested after gardaí discovered a bomb making operation near the border last year has been convicted of membership of an illegal organisation by the Special Criminal Court today.

Two men were arrested after gardaí discovered a bomb-making operation near the border in Co Louth last year, the Special Criminal Court was told today.

John Breslin

NUIG 0-18 UL 1-5

The country's largest union, SIPTU, is demanding that the Government immediately appoints a regulator to investigate and prevent profiteering in the house building sector.

THE hunt was on last night for three members of a notorious criminal gang following a shoot-out at an isolated border county cottage and the discovery of a frightening arsenal of weapons.

A former schoolteacher from Co Louth was today jailed for five years after being convicted by the Special Criminal Court of membership of an unlawful organisation.

A verdict is expected Friday in the case of a Co Louth man accused of membership of an illegal organisation.

A Co Louth man accused of membership of an illegal organisation was questioned by gardai about a dissident republican operation in Derrylin, Co Fermanagh, the Special Criminal Court heard today.

A Garda Chief Superintendent told the Special Criminal Court today that he believed a Co Louth man arrested at the Neptune Beach Hotel last year was a member of an illegal organisation.

A historic town was under siege today and at the heart of an unprecedented security operation ahead of rock band U2’s first home soil gig for four years.

The man whose body was found near Ashbourne, Co Meath yesterday has been identified.

The results of the post mortem examination of the body found on a Co Meath roadside are expected around lunchtime.

A post mortem examination is to be carried out to reveal the cause of death of the man whose body was found in a field in Co. Meath.

Gardai are trying to establish the identity of a man whose body was found in a field in Co Meath.