The introduction of minimum pricing has been credited with the drop in alcohol sales in Scotland last year - with lobby groups here calling for Ireland to follow suit.

A worryingly high level of alcohol consumption among Irish teenagers is highlighted in an extensive lifestyle survey.

There are growing calls for Ireland to join the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (Cern) in order to capitalise on €300m worth of commercial projects as well as encouraging more Irish students to enter the scientific field.

With world attention focused on CERN and the detection of the Higgs boson, the contribution of Ireland’s Nobel physicist Ernest Walton, who was born in Waterford, should be noted.

GIFTED children are in danger of dropping out early because schools are ill-equipped to help them, an expert has warned.