The season of communions and confirmations allows mums to take their place on fashion’s altar, so be a revelation with Irish design, says Paula Burns.

Three major exhibitions are to be held in Cork this week dealing with the potential for flooding in a number of areas and what measures can be taken to mitigate against it.

Alexa Chung and Marks & Spencer launch a vintage-inspired fashion line next week. Rachel Marie Walsh takes a look at the style icon’s rise and rise

Perhaps not with a bang, but the Flat was back in Britain this weekend and it was Godolphin who were smiling at Doncaster as Secret Brief claimed the Betway Lincoln.

Plenty to watch on the tellybox tonight.

Michael Adebolajo, one of the two Islamic fanatics found guilty of the murder of soldier Lee Rigby who was from Middleton in Greater Manchester, England, has lost a bid to challenge his conviction.

Ukip has its first elected MP after a dramatic night which left the two main Westminster parties licking their wounds.

WALKING this route on the glorious Sunday of June 22, the cliff path took my wife and I above Ardmore’s golden sands, crowded with holidaymakers.

The Department of Communications has responded to social media criticism over the time it took to pinpoint the location of a drowning man in Cork City.

Forecasters have warned of another night of heavy rain and thunderstorms after an overnight deluge unleashed flash floods across the country.

Big Time may have earned a tilt at Group One company following his fine effort in the Railway Stakes at the Curragh on Saturday.

Leading rider at Royal Ascot last week, Johnny Murtagh again stole the show at the Curragh yesterday when giving the Roger Varian-trained 10/1 shot Ambivalent a superb front-running rider to land the Group 1 Oxigen Environmental Pretty Polly Stakes.

Actor Steve Coogan, who has been an ardent privacy campaigner and a leading light in calls for press reform, has struck a deal to publish his autobiography.

The tearful family of murdered soldier Lee Rigby today spoke of their pride for him.

Detectives are to question two people arrested over the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby, described by family and friends as a loving family man who always wanted to serve in the British Army.

A total of four people including the two men shot by police have now been arrested in connection with the murder of a soldier in Woolwich.

Gardaí are to prepare a file for the DPP after last night releasing without charge five people arrested as part of an investigation into fraudulent motor insurance claims.

Five men have been arrested following a drug seizure in County Cork.

Further heavy rain tonight has caused more flooding in many parts of the country.

Motorists around the country have been warned to take extra care after heavy rainfall left roads flooded.

Mobile and broadband provider Three has announced that 33 new jobs will have been created in its 3Stores by the end of the year.

Cheryl Cole was "starstruck" when she met Britain's Prince William and Duchess Catherine.

Police in Britain have recovered £5m (€5.75m) of antiques stolen during raids on stately homes.

TOM Queally is looking forward to seeing multiple Group 1-winning mare Midday pit her wits against the boys in next Friday’s Coronation Cup at Epsom.

A 47-year-old man told gardaí that the Cork woman he is charged with murdering at her home on Easter Sunday last year had a “past life” and that people had regularly called to her home in the months before her death.

A mother-of-three found dead in her Cork home on Easter Sunday last year may have been bludgeoned to death with a hurley and the door of a microwave oven after being knocked to the ground, a Central Criminal Court jury has heard.

THE largest concerted oil and gas drilling campaign ever carried out off the coast of Ireland will begin this summer in search of reserves which a government study has suggested could be worth as much as $1 trillion at current prices.

Irish band and internet sensation, Crystal Swing, has officially gone global.

Jack Duckworth is to leave his home on Coronation Street after 30 years, but isn’t quitting the long-running soap completely.

Luke McAlister may have set the Guinness Premiership and Heineken Cup alight, but he is yet to convince New Zealand head coach Graham Henry of the rugby benefits of his stint with Sale Sharks.

An investigation is underway following the discovery of more confidential files at an illegal dump near Cork city.

I RECEIVED an email this week about a mongrel swan in Cork. It came from an unlikely source, Maria Weiloch, a swan expert at the Gdansk Ornithological Station.

A full forensic examination is taking place this morning at the scene of a fatal Co Cork car crash in which two young men lost their lives.

A 46-year-old man has been killed in a crash in Co Cork, gardaí confirmed last night.

RED-FACED Labour Party press officers are being sent back to school by Pat Rabbitte to cut down on their spelling gaffes.

Galway is the fastest growing city in Ireland, new census figures showed today.

NEIGHBOURS yesterday spoke of their shock at learning that they are living alongside the wife of a Mafia Godfather.

THE Public Accounts Committee will be asked to investigate the knock-down sale of a prison kitchen to a private company following the prison’s closure.

A man was arrested in Co Cork today after drugs were seized following a major surveillance operation.

The international contestants in this year’s Rose of Tralee festival got a perfect introduction to Irish weather today as they attended their first event.

The judge in the trial of a 21-year-old student accused of murdering Robert Holohan earlier this year has ordered the jury to ignore media coverage of the proceedings.

The 20-year-old man accused of murdering Co Cork schoolboy Robert Holohan has succeeded in having his trial delayed until next month.