It was shocking to say the least that the most experienced member of the Garda Traffic Corps in Limerick was driving his own private car to work without tax and up-to-date NCT cert, a judge said yesterday.

THE Irish circus has moved on to Melbourne but left its mark indelibly on Adelaide. Nearly 25,000 Irish fans poured into the South Australian city last weekend for Ireland’s vital World Cup Pool A clash with Argentina.

World governments responded nervously to President George W Bush’s decision to build a shield against ballistic missile attack, dubbed Son of Star Wars, with some saying they feared the plan could jeopardise global security.