President Michael D Higgins is expected to make a statement outlining his campaign intentions when his nomination papers for the race for the park are submitted later this month.

Michael D Higgins must reimburse taxpayers for using publicly funded services, including cars, offices, or staff at Áras an Uachtaráin during his campaign for re-election, the State’s ethics watchdog has declared.

Freelance journalist Gemma O'Doherty has announced her intention to run for the presidency.

Fine Gael are expected tonight to consider allowing party councillors back a non-party candidate for the presidential election, a move that will likely help Independents get nominated.

Fiachra Ó Cionnaith breaks down the potential list of candidates for the Presidential race.

Independents are moving closer to securing the required numbers to get a candidate into the field for a potential presidential race to challenge Michael D Higgins.

President Michael D Higgins has sharply denied he timed his announcement to seek a second term in order to block other candidates from challenging him.

Okay folks, it’s showtime! The late PJ Mara’s open invitation to electioneer and party would have nothing on President Michael D Higgins, writes Gerard Howlin.

Independent senator Pádraig Ó Céidigh will decide whether to run for the presidency after the Eighth Amendment referendum. He has been offered financial aid for a campaign that could cost half a million euro.

Those wishing to put forward their names to succeed Páraic Duffy as the next GAA director general have until Wednesday to apply. 

This Dáil, with input from senators, is driving debate and to some degree actual decisions to an unprecedented degree, writes Gerard Howlin.

Fianna Fáil TDs have said they received a “backlash” over their initial position on water charges as the party yesterday did another U-turn and backed government plans to levy homes and continue metering.

Households leaking or wasting more water than others will face higher penalties under proposals by Fine Gael, which the party insists are needed to comply with EU laws.

Existing laws can be beefed up to ensure homeowners can be fined and penalised in order to comply with EU environmental laws.

A solution on defusing the row over scrapping water bills could be delayed until April or even May as an Oireachtas committee resolves legal obstacles hampering an agreement between parties.

Two hours of heated debate and wrangling behind closed doors between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil over water bills has led to calls for a report on water to be delayed and the need for legal advice.

The Dáil committee on water charges has hit difficulties after just one meeting, after opposition TDs claimed they were blocked from questioning the author of a Government-commissioned report on the issue.

Homeowners and renters face a system of water charges but only after a free allowance is used up, the Irish Examiner understands.

Attempts to agree on the future of funding water services have already divided TDs, after a Dáil row broke out yesterday about a new committee which will examine water charges.

Government and opposition TDs will not be bound by a soon-to-be-released special commission report on the future of water charges, said Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar.

The Government’s chief whip has admitted there is “mild irritation” among Fine Gael back-benchers over the party’s Seanad appointments deal with Fianna Fáil.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has relinquished three of his Seanad nominees to Fianna Fáil as part of a special deal with Micheál Martin.

A leading Fine Gael minister has backed a former Fianna Fáil senator’s bid to be returned to the Upper House.

 

Many of the entrepreneurs in an aptly titled 2008 book of business self-congratulation have gone bust, says Tommy Barker

SATURDAY

TOUGHER operating conditions saw Aer Lingus passenger numbers decline again last month, falling by 8.4% to 716,000.

One of the GAA’s biggest team sponsorship deals has come to an end with Aer Arann ending their relationship with the Galway football teams. The five-year deal between the parties had two more years to run.

ONE of the GAA’s biggest team sponsorship deals has come to an end with Aer Arann ending their relationship with the Galway football teams. The five-year deal between the parties had two more years to run.

The High Court has approved a rescue plan for Aer Arann, allowing the airline to come out of examinership.

A JUDGE has expressed “serious and significant concerns” about a survival scheme for Aer Arann and has adjourned to next week a hearing that would allow the company come out of examinership.

THE High Court has extended court protection for Aer Arann to Friday next when it will be asked to approve survival plans for the troubled airline.

RYANAIR boss Michael O’Leary has agreed to arbitration in a bid to resolve the row with Transport Minister Noel Dempsey regarding services on the Kerry-Dublin route and state airline subsidies.

RYANAIR chief Michael O’Leary is due in Kerry today and is expected to spell out the reasons for his airline’s major reduction in services on the Kerry to Dublin route.

TRANSPORT Minister Noel Dempsey last night met nine of Kerry’s TDs and senators in Dublin in the wake of Ryanair’s decision to cut its Kerry/Dublin service.

FORMER group chief executive of Waterford Wedgwood, Redmond O’Donoghue, has been appointed chairperson of Fáilte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority, by Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism Martin Cullen.

RYANAIR has accused the European Commission of promoting “communism” by attempting to re-regulate the aviation industry through the introduction of an EU directive on airport charges.

Aer Arann, which provides the Cork/Dublin air service, has been presented with the Sean F. Lemass Award by the Marketing Institute of Ireland.

THE chief executive of one of Europe’s most successful regional airlines said he does not agree with Dairygold’s decision to relocate 120 staff to Cork city because of the stress it will cause its workers.

Aer Arann today launched its new service from Knock Airport to Liverpool Airport.