Cork’s landmark St Patrick’s Bridge is to close to traffic for resurfacing for two weekends in a row later this month as part of its €1.2m restoration.

The country is facing total shutdown from 4pm today with people ordered to stay indoors, schools and colleges closed, rail and bus services halted, and motorists warned it would be “suicidal” to take to the roads.

Carol O’Callaghan visits a unique retail gem in the heart of Cork City serving the needs of craft makers, homemakers, bookworms, and hobbyists — and one that should be visited for the experience alone.

Tourists visiting Ireland will soon be able to book any tour, event, and attraction they wish directly online in a revamp of the Tourist Information Office network.

A-tisket-a-tasket, Esther N McCarthy has found a special Easter basket.

Selfies taken by a motorist led to his prosecution on multiple counts of dangerous driving after he took off at speed from gardaí through red lights in Cork City.

Des O’Sullivan says sale includes superb collection of Irish 18th century furniture and international art.    

Selfies taken by a motorist led directly to his prosecution on multiple counts of dangerous driving after he took off at speed from gardaí through red lights in Cork city.

Gardaí objected to bail being granted yesterday to a 22-year-old man accused of threatening to kill a 14-year-old boy in Cork.

WITH a pick-up in fortunes at the northern end of Cork City’s retail thoroughfare, Patrick Street, a new sales push and a new agent are behind the vacant corner property at No 125 Patrick Street/Lavitts Quay, by St Patrick’s Bridge.

The former Funky Skunk proprietor in Cork who paid 150 Canadian dollars (€98) for a psychoactive drug and packaged it for sale in packets with a total retail price of over €30,000, was convicted and fined €15,000 yesterday and bound to the peace for three years.

A severe weather warning has been issued by Met Éireann with a prolonged spell of stormy weather set to lash the country from tomorrow.

The New Year won’t bring any let-up in the stormy weather in the south of the country as flood alerts have been issued in Cork city and county.

After stormy weekend weather caused significant damage and hampered Christmas shopping in towns and cities across the country, more of the same is likely later this week.

Ten food outlets were closed in February by the Food Safety Authority after health breaches.

There have been renewed calls for flood defences in Cork after the city and county were hit by flooding for the second night in a row.

It was actually 25 years ago this weekend.

APPLE COMPUTERS is bringing 400 more jobs to Cork city centre, swelling its workforce at Half Moon Street to as much as 800.

Gardaí have identified the truck they believe was responsible for the spillage of hundreds of gallons of animal fat which caused several accidents on roads around Cork yesterday.

THEY’VE been known for years by their number alone — but now the number’s up for some of Cork city’s busiest bus routes.

CORK Opera House and the Vibes and Scribes store were yesterday named as the third quarter winners of the Cork Business Association/Heineken Ireland business awards.

A CORK city shop owner alleged yesterday she was being harassed at her premises by a Romanian woman who appeared in court on a charge of shoplifting.

A CORONER is to ask Bus Éireann to review its procedures after an inquest heard how a man lay dead on a bus for almost two hours after he choked on raw meat.

THE city centre bar belonging to Cork football legend turned publican Larry Tompkins has been fined €2,500 for housing undeclared cross-border bottles of spirits.

COASTAL areas have been put on flood alert with high tides, gales and heavy rain forecast this weekend.

A high tide flood alert is in place in Cork.

KYRLS Quay in Cork suffered its worst flooding in almost a year last night as it emerged that EU scientists knew Ireland would suffer extensive river flooding five days before last November’s devastation but declined to disclose this information.

IT was the invitation Franc could not refuse — pay up or do the time.

THE country’s tallest building has been named Cork’s best building.

GARDAÍ believe a fire that gutted a derelict warehouse in the centre of Cork may have been started deliberately.

THE Kilkenny Group, will open a shop adjacent to Cork Opera House this November.

DRIVERS gazed in amazement yesterday as they saw buses coming the “wrong way” along what was an established one-way street in Cork city.

THE Bodega Bar in Cork city has been bought by developer Owen O’Callaghan, in a €7 million swoop, and is set to be redeveloped as a shop.

THE Mahon Tribunal has agreed not to proceed, pending the hearing of a legal appeal next month, with further inquiries into allegations made against Cork property developer Owen O’Callaghan by developer Tom Gilmartin.

PROPERTY developer Owen O’Callaghan is facing a legal bill of more than €2 million arising from his unsuccessful challenge to the Mahon Tribunal’s further inquiring into or making any findings on allegations made against him by developer Tom Gilmartin.

AS flood warnings were issued yesterday for Cork city and county, the OPW (Office of Public Works) was criticised for not reacting swiftly enough to the growing prospect of global warming submerging low-lying areas.

DEVELOPER Owen O’Callaghan has paid between €8 million and €10m for a riverside Cork site by the Opera House, for a retail, office and apartment scheme.

UP to 80,000 people are expected to go on the streets of Cork today as the city officially celebrates its designation as European Capital of Culture.

CORK city’s infamous riverbanks will be the central focus of the largest outdoor event ever to be staged here when the city is officially unveiled as the 2005 European Capital of Culture on Saturday night.

IRELAND’S largest ever fireworks display has been cleared to take place in Cork city in just over a week.

IF fantastic light looks through the eyes of bridges then the River Lee’s latest addition can only add to the spectacle.

Property Editor