And so begins the Dublin drive for five.

The Dáil is set to debate the establishment of a special committee to conduct hearings into the possible health effects of toxic chemical exposure among Air Corps personnel, after two years of revelations in the Irish Examiner, with TDs expected to back the investigation before the summer. Joe Leogue looks at what has brought us to this point.

The safety management of chemical hazards within the Air Corps was “significantly less developed than expected” when inspected in 2016, according to an internal report by the health watchdog.

The State has won an appeal against a High Court order which would have compelled it to provide a list of chemicals used by a former air corps technician, who claims his exposure to the substances has severely damaged his health.

The State Claims Agency is to appeal a discovery order granted to a chronically ill man who is seeking a list of the chemicals he was exposed to while working as a technician in the Air Corps.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he believes the courts should decide whether former Air Corps staff are suffering chronic illnesses due to chemical exposure.

In a series of articles across 2017, the Irish Examiner revealed serious concerns about the working environment within the Air Corps — matters that have seen allegations of a deliberate cover-up, of victimisation of whistleblowers, and of a lackadaisical attitude towards health and safety that has put lives at risk, writes Joe Leogue.

The Government is facing calls to establish a Commission of Investigation into whistleblower claims against the Air Corps, after the terms of an independent report into the allegations were branded ‘farcical’ by Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin.

Defence Forces whistle-blowers who raised concerns about Air Corps staff exposure to carcinogenic chemicals are to receive the review of their disclosures this week.

A Dublin man who was extradited from the UK to be charged with the murder of Gareth Hutch in a shooting last year will be tried in the Special Criminal Court.

A number of whistleblowers allege that a health and safety failure on the part of the Air Corps has caused their chronic illnesses. Joe Leogue looks at their case and how, just as with Garda Maurice McCabe, ‘coincidence after coincidence after coincidence’ has emerged to undermine their position

A female army captain excluded from a promotions process for the position of commandant due to being on maternity leave has been awarded €824,794 damages by a High Court judge.

The Government is facing pressure to commission a wide-ranging health study on former Air Corps staff to establish if their working conditions contributed to significant ill-health in some members.

An independent report reviewing claims made by Air Corps whistleblowers has been completed, the Department of Defence has confirmed.

The Government is coming under increased pressure to launch an investigation into missing Defence Forces inspection reports which were allegedly destroyed.

A Defence Forces whistleblower has alleged that a named official ordered the shredding of documents that are now central to a legal case against the State.

Cross-party demands have been made for an independent investigation into how the Air Corps has managed staff exposure to harmful chemicals.

A 2014 internal Air Corps report into staff exposure to a cancer-causing cleaning agent over a 27-year period has cast doubt on whether the force did all in its power to protect workers’ health.

A whistleblower has criticised the Government’s handling of allegations of health and safety management in the Air Corps, claiming that staff exposure to toxic chemicals has caused the deaths and chronic illnesses suffered by members and their families.

The University of Limerick failed to pass on health concerns about the Air Corps hangars to its work placement students, despite several warnings over chemical exposure fears.

The military has been accused of a “cover-up” in relation to how it dealt with reports of exposure to dangerous substances within the Air Corps.

An Irish Examiner investigation into working conditions in the Air Corps has revealed a “horror story”, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin told the Dáil yesterday.

Minister says he is unaware of requests for direct contact, but texts suggest otherwise, writes Joe Leogue.

There is growing pressure on the Government to launch an independent inquiry into the exposure of members of the Air Corps to cancer-causing toxins at Casement Aerodrome.

Tánaiste and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald has praised the actions of gardaí following the seizure of €3m worth of drugs, as well as an assault rifle, from a house in Kildare over the weekend.

The State is facing further claims that Air Corps staff may have suffered illnesses as a result of exposure to harmful chemicals at Casement Aerodrome.

Opposition parties are to raise whistleblowers’ concerns on the management of air corps staff exposure to hazardous chemicals in the Dáil today.

Good evening. Here’s all the news you need to know.

Here’s a briefing on some of the stories and issues highlighted on irishexaminer.com today.

Three whistleblowers complained at safety in Baldonnel. Why is the Government dragging its feet on the issue, asks Joe Leogue.

The State is facing at least six separate legal actions from former members of the air corps who allege they have suffered serious illnesses as a result of “chronic exposure” to the chemicals they came in contact with as a part of their daily duties.

Revolutionary, diplomat, humanitarian, poet, traitor, nationalist, homosexual, rebel — just some of the terms used to describe the complex figure that was Roger Casement.

A High Court judge has found a female captain in the Defence Forces was excluded from a promotions process as a result of being on maternity leave in breach of equality implementation requirements of a European directive.

More than 100 Irish troops return home today after a six-month mission in Syria's Golan Heights.

Key figures in Ireland’s aviation industry have united to develop a multimillion-euro national aviation experience visitor centre.

In the run-up to celebrating 100 years as an independent country, there will be many debates about how to mark the progress achieved by our Republic, writes Joe Gill.

An Air Corps officer has launched several High Court challenges aimed at preventing his court martial from going ahead.

ONCE persecuted to extinction here, the buzzard, a bird of prey, seems to be making a comeback and we’ll probably be seeing more of it in southern parts, writes Donal Hickey

Seven tonnes of material have been airlifted to Skellig Michael for essential renovation works on the Unesco world heritage site.

More than 100 Irish soldiers have been deployed for a six-month stint in the Golan Heights.

More than 100 Irish soldiers have been deployed for a six-month stint in the Golan Heights.