THE Italian and Irish flags were draped side by side in Feakle, Co Clare, as a capacity crowd squeezed into the community hall to witness a small miracle.

It’s great to see traditional Irish music finding its place in the world of science and medicine renowned fiddler, Martin Hayes said yesterday after a group of Italian and Irish people with Parkinson’s disease thrilled a crowd at a packed Feakle Community Centre by set dancing to a few reels.

MUSIC and dance have long been believed to possess transformative powers, from Turkish spinning dervishes dancing to elevate their souls, to African tribal healers stomping in frenzied trances to cure illness.

THOUSANDS of people in Ireland with Parkinson’s disease could have the quality of their lives enhanced by a drug now proven to slow down the progression of the chronic and fatal neurological disorder.

A US appeals court is hearing arguments today on whether the US government should be barred from seeking the death penalty for accused September 11 plotter Zacarias Moussaoui because it refused a judge’s order to produce al-Qaida defence witnesses.