The decision to shut every school, college and childcare facility in the country, as well as cultural institutions, was done without Cabinet approval, it can be revealed.

Senior Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil negotiators are holding further talks this afternoon on forming a government.

Outgoing Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is set to press his rival Micheal Martin for equal treatment for Fine Gael if it enters coalition with Fianna Fail.

All Brexit scenarios bring a range of changes and adverse impacts to citizens and business, the Cabinet has been told.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has been elected on the sixth count in Cork South Central with 11,505 votes, 76 over the quota.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has been elected on the fifth count in Dublin West.

“Two weeks earlier the same polling agency had Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael both on 27%, and for the last two years, Fine Gael has been in the high 20s/early 30s in terms of polls, so, of course we’re going to take note of this.”

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has claimed that Fianna Fail are "not to be trusted" as he criticised their MEP for proposing to vote against the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.

The development, which was launched in 2016, is a partnership agreement between the FAI, FORAS — the trust that operates Cork City — and Cork County Council.

Gardaí have a duty to protect jihadist supporter Lisa Smith and her family just like any other citizen, commissioner Drew Harris has said.

The public is facing worse services and higher rates as seven local authorities are set to lose €18.4 million in their funding, The Dáil has heard.

The developers of the beleaguered €80m Cork event centre hope to contact the woman who lodged a last-minute appeal with An Bórd Pleanála to see if her concerns can be addressed.

Fine Gael TDs and senators have been told that an extension to the increasingly fraught Brexit negotiations is “alive” but that there is still some way to go in the talks.

Admissions from Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Tánaiste Simon Coveney this week that checks would have to exist along the border in the case of a no-deal Brexit fly in the face of denials issued by them in recent months.

US vice-president Mike Pence looks set to arrive in Ireland four days ahead of originally scheduled and is now likely to land at Shannon Airport on Monday.

Brendan Grace’s daughters are thankful for the final days their family spent with their “gorgeous dad” before he passed.

Tanaiste Simon Coveney claimed investors and landlords here would leave the market and the solution to spiralling rents was increasing the supply of properties.

Tanaiste Simon Coveney described it as an unprecedented gathering of people and leaders who are interested in solutions to the challenges facing the planet.

The leaders of paradise islands all over the world are in Cork for a maritime festival and oceans summit during what is expected to be one of the city’s busiest summer weekends.

A “deeply disappointed” junior minister Andrew Doyle openly defied his party's instructions not to canvass in Cork and Tipperary amid an escalating feud between Fine Gael's Ireland South candidates.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and his Cabinet will undoubtedly have expected some soft focus PR during their trip to Cork City, with political strategists eyeing up the chance to win over some badly needed rural support when the visit plans were first unveiled.

There would be no chance of a US-UK trade deal if there was any weakening of the Good Friday Agreement, a senior American politician has said.

Update 10.45am: Tánaiste Simon Coveney has said he believes it is unlikely that the UK “will crash out of the EU,” but he is still warning Irish businesses to plan for a no deal Brexit.

Chaos descended in the House of Commons as MPs rejected all eight possible solutions to avoid a no deal Brexit.

British Secretary for Northern Ireland Karen Bradley is facing calls for her to resign after she said killings by the British army and police during the Troubles were “not crimes”.

Ireland’s bid to gain a seat on the United Nations Security Council got off to a rocking start as more than 190 ambassadors were guests of Ireland at U2’s sold-out show at Madison Square Garden in New York last night.

Here are all the latest headlines this lunchtime...