IT IS not surprising that the ghost of Donogh O’Malley, the Fianna Fáil minister who introduced free secondary education, was invoked this week at the annual teachers’ conferences. On Monday, INTO president Angela Dunne urged the current minister, Mary Hanafin, to emulate O’Malley in standing up to the Department of Finance on the issue of overcrowded classes in primary schools.

A man accused of murdering a woman in his flat told gardaí he 'saw red' after she bit his penis, a jury in the Central Criminal Court heard today.

ONE of the key players in the Irish drugs racket has been arrested in the Netherlands and will face serious charges for drugs and weapons possession in the coming days.

A massive drugs bust in Ireland has turned up probably the largest single seizure of heroin in the history of the State, a top officer said today.

Gardaí were today revising upwards the estimated value of a seizure of 30kg of heroin in an apartment in the Clondalkin area of Dublin towards €10m.

A man accused of murdering a mother of two by striking her at least 14 times in the head with a lump hammer told gardaí he “saw red” and was in agony after she bit his penis, the Central Criminal Court has heard.

A murdered pensioner found with his throat slit was a convicted stalker, it emerged today.

THE woman murdered and dumped in the street earlier this week was a mother of two who ran a record shop in Dublin city centre.

GARDAÍ were last night no closer to identifying a woman whose dead body was dumped in a Dublin city centre street.

GARDAÍ hope footage from CCTV cameras will provide clues behind the callous murder of a woman.

GARDAÍ fear further bloodshed in a gangland feud after the murder of a young man yesterday.

PJ Browne talks to a determined Ernie Els about his 2005 Tour strategy and schedule

Of all the world’s top golfers, no one has struggled more this season than Phil Mickelson but, as PJ Browne discovered, he has come early to this part of the world in order to get his game together for the Open Championship

TWO Americans suspected of assisting in the suicide of a Dublin woman have refused to give a deposition that could be used as part of the case to have them extradited to face trial in Ireland.