You’re one of us now, the justice minister told more than 800 new Irish citizens yesterday as UCC hosted its first citizenship ceremonies.

After taking an enormous bite of the Big Apple over the last six days, courtesy of the National Lottery, 78 prize winners touch down in Dublin Airport this morning laden with shopping and wonderful memories.

The population has risen since 2008. Immigrants love our character and way of life, says Conor Power

The beautifully bred Speckled Wood seems to have a decent future, after coasting to victory in the Holy Cross Mares’ Maiden Hurdle at Thurles yesterday.

Formerly conjoined twin Hassan Benhaffaf will require regular spinal surgery until he is an adult, his mother Angie has revealed.

The Barry Geraghty-Nicky Henderson alliance was further cemented when they combined for two brilliant successes with Bobs Worth and Simonsig, to go with Finian’s Rainbow’s gutsy victory in the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

THE parents of Ireland’s little fighters have paid an emotional tribute to their twins’ “courage and strength” after the operation to separate them was declared a success.

IRELAND’S Two Little Fighters, conjoined twins Hassan and Hussein Benhaffaf, slept blissfully in the arms of their mother Angie yesterday in spite of being surrounded by up to 1,000 bikers who were preparing to undertake a charity race on their behalf.

I’M CONTINUALLY surprised by how thrown waiting staff in many restaurants seem to be if one asks about the provenance of the food. They immediately seem to go on the defensive and it can take three or four attempts to find out the source of a piece of meat, fish or cheese.

AN anxious mother believes if politicians reduced some of their “lavish perks”, her autistic teenage son would not have been denied a place at a specialist centre.

THE European Parliament’s Petitions Committee is investigating claims by two former mental health patients that the Mental Health Act is in clear violation of international law.

A DEVELOPMENT company gave assurances last night that unfinished apartments on a building sites picketed by workers will be completed.

CORK could be in line for a massive jobs boost following talks between Amgen, the giant American biopharmaceutical company, and the Industrial Development Agency (IDA).