This year saw a jump in the number of Irish people needing help from the Department of Foreign Affairs while abroad.

ONE man wanted to know where he could watch rugby in Thailand while a woman sought advice on how long to sunbathe safely on Sydney’s Bondi Beach. Then there was the mother with the slightly more pressing concern: whether her son’s girlfriend was cheating.

COMMITTED healthcare activist and part-time journalist Orla Tinsley was last night named 2009 Irish Tatler Woman of the Year at a ceremony in Dublin’s Mansion House.

A kidnapped Irish priest freed after more than a month in captivity in the Philippines today vowed to remain in the Asian islands and continue his work.

An elderly Irish priest released after 32 days in captivity in the Philippines today told how he hiked through jungles, survived raging seas and slept in a swamp under a tarpaulin before his release.

FREED aid worker Sharon Commins has urged Irish people to use their skills for the benefit of people around the world in greatest need.

Freed aid worker Sharon Commins has been honoured with a humanitarian award.

I WISH to congratulate Hilda Kawuki and Sharon Commins for having been so resilient during all those weeks of uncertainty and fear while held hostage in Sudan.

FEARS are growing about the wellbeing of kidnapped Irish priest Fr Michael Sinnott, who is entering his third week of captivity in the Philippines today.

SMILING alongside Ireland’s most powerful office holders, a grateful but nervous Sharon Commins was praised for her courage and endurance after her 107-day ordeal in Sudan.

President Mary McAleese tonight paid tribute to the courage and strength of aid worker Sharon Commins, who suffered almost four months in captivity in war-torn Sudan.

President Mary McAleese is due to host a special reception at Áras an Uachtaráin today for GOAL aid worker Sharon Commins.

Foreign Affairs Minister Micheal Martin has hailed the co-operation between Government departments that led to the release of kidnapped aid worker Sharon Commins over the weekend.

An Irish aid worker touched down on home soil after being held captive for almost four months in war-torn Sudan.

SHARON COMMINS arrived home to an emotional family reunion last night following her 107-day ordeal at the hands of Sudanese kidnappers.

AID worker Sharon Commins arrived home late last night after a terrible few months.

An Irish aid worker held captive for almost four months in war-torn Sudan revealed today that her abductors staged mock assassinations by shooting around her.

Aid worker Sharon Commins, held captive for almost four months in war-torn Sudan, revealed today that her abductors staged mock assassinations by shooting around her.

Aid worker Sharon Commins was returning home today, following more than three months of captivity in war-torn Sudan.

RELEASED GOAL aid worker Sharon Commins’s thoughts were for the need to continue humanitarian work and for the people of Sudan who helped secure her release, when she spoke just hours after the end of her 107-day captivity.

Sharon Commins will be back in the country by tomorrow afternoon.

The mother of freed aid worker Sharon Commins today said she could not wait to hold her daughter in her arms again.

Aid worker Sharon Commins and her Ugandan colleague kidnapped in war-torn Sudan more than three months ago have been freed, the Government revealed today.

A 79-YEAR-OLD Irish priest has been kidnapped in a southern region of the Philippines after he was bundled into the back of pickup truck.

It has been 100 days since the Irish aid-worker Sharon Commins was kidnapped in Sudan.

Efforts to secure the release of kidnapped Irish aid worker Sharon Commins are reportedly set to intensify this week.

Talks with bandits who kidnapped two aid workers in Darfur are going well and the hostages may be freed soon, according to the Sudanese government.

The Irish Aid worker being held hostage in Sudan has been allowed to make a phone call to her mother in Ireland.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin has said the Sudanese government is continuing to work to secure the release of Irish aid worker Sharon Commins and has ruled out an armed rescue attempt.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs will today continue talks with the Sudanese government in an attempt to secure the release of Sharon Commins.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs Michéal Martin will today hold talks with Sudanese government officials in an effort to secure the release of Irish aid worker, Sharon Commins.

The aid-agency GOAL is welcoming the Minister for Foreign Affair's decision to travel to Sudan as part of on-going efforts to secure the release of Sharon Commins.

THE Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that Minister Micheál Martin flew to Khartoum last night to meet Sudanese officials as part of ongoing efforts to free kidnapped Irish aid worker Sharon Commins.

THERE have been several “false dawns” in the campaign to get Irish aid worker Sharon Commins freed from captivity in Sudan, Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin has admitted.

THE charity Concern is worried people may be discouraged from becoming aid workers because of the increasingly precarious nature of the job in some countries.

The Irish aid agency Concern says it is worried that people will be put off aid and development work due to a rise in attacks and violence in recent years.

AT the start of every day in the close-knit community of Clontarf, families come together to offer prayers for the safe release of kidnapped aid worker, Sharon Commins.

The aid agency GOAL is thanking the Irish public for the support it has shown over the ongoing attempts to free kidnapped aid worker Sharon Commins and her Ugandan colleague Hilda Kawuki.

Aid agency GOAL has said efforts to secure the release of Sharon Commins are intensifying.

THE Sudanese government still expects the imminent release of aid workers Sharon Commins and Hilda Kawuki despite a ransom demand of US$2 million (about €1.43m) from the gang holding the women captive.

The kidnappers of Irish aid worker Sharon Commins are reportedly demanding a $2m (€1.43m) ransom for the release of the Dubliner and her Ugandan colleague, Hilda Kiwuki.

FINANCE Minister Brian Lenihan has urged a yes vote on the Lisbon treaty as a way to strengthen the European Union’s role in conflict prevention.

It is thought there has been some progress made in the efforts to free a kidnapped Irish aid worker in Sudan.

HOPES were high last night for the release of a young Irish aid worker and her Ugandan colleague after it was confirmed Irish Government officials were in direct negotiations with their kidnappers.