The Notre Dame fire has strengthened the argument in both economic and environmental terms of investing and looking after heritage buildings both here and abroad, writes Kyran Fitzgerald.

ARE buildings more important than people?

So that’s Friday nearly wrapped up. Here’s some of the stories we published on irishexaminer.com today which we hope will help you make sense of it all this evening.

A team investigating the fire at Notre Dame in Paris think an electrical short-circuit was the most likely cause.

Fear of the loss of transcendence hurts people most about the fire in Notre Dame cathedral, writes Victoria White

Notre-Dame’s fragility reminds us of the EU’s. We must rebuild both, says Bernard-Henri Lévy

David Hughes There is no evidence of arson in the fire that destroyed the landmark Notre Dame cathedral, according to the French public prosecutor, who said they are working on the assumption that the blaze was an accident.

Not every society has symbols that tell a story far beyond their original intent; buildings or monuments so polished

French president Emmanuel Macron has set a target of five years for the ruined Notre Dame Cathedral to be rebuilt.

So that’s Tuesday nearly wrapped up. Here’s some of the stories we published on irishexaminer.com today which we hope will help you make sense of it all this evening.

"Twitter if you have any magic, help him find this"

Scrolling through news of the Notre Dame fire on social media feeds was like watching a real-time archive of grief in the making, as people expressed their dismay and sorrow at the damage wrought, write Jose Antonio Gonzalez Zarandona and Cristina Garduño Freeman.

A huge fire has destroyed parts of the famous Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Here is how the devastating blaze unfolded.

"Such a beautiful building. The singing is so touching though, it’s amazing how a heartbreaking event can bring people together"

Latest: The structure of Notre Dame has been saved after a huge fire destroyed parts of the famous cathedral, according to a fire chief in Paris.

So that’s Monday nearly wrapped up. Here’s some of the stories we published on irishexaminer.com today which we hope will help you make sense of it all this evening.

I can’t get over the hypocrisy of Minister Ciaran Cannon’s criticism of the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, for hosting John Waters’ lecture, When Evil Becomes Virtual, writes Victora White. 

IRFU CEO Philip Browne has revealed Ireland are open to another showdown with New Zealand in Chicago.

Also during the ceremony the student body’s valedictorian stood in front of the VP and called out for a "courageous response" in support of refugees.

A go-fund-me page, set up to help the family of champion athlete Ailish Sheehan, who tragically passed away last Friday from injuries sustained in a fall, has raised nearly $10,000.

Muslims have attended Catholic Masses in churches and cathedrals across France in a gesture of solidarity after the brutal killing of an 85-year-old French priest in Normandy.

French anti-terrorism police converged on an area northeast of Paris after two brothers suspected of being behind an attack on a satirical newspaper were spotted at a gasoline station in the region.

Today’s American Football game at Croke Park is merely a stepping stone to bigger things

IT’S 11AM, Chicago Union station, and my sister and I are sitting on a stationary train, about to depart for Notre Dame University, where we’re to attend my son’s graduation ceremony.

There are a few misconceptions that former Tipperray captain, Paul Curran, wants to set you straight on.

SHE’S the thinking woman’s political crumpet — the girl crush that more and more are willing to admit to having. But why, oh why, does Mary Lou McDonald have to be so bloody brilliant, and yet a member of Sinn Fein?

HOME, Jan 4, and I’m trying to take down the Christmas tree.

The home of the famed University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana was an unlikely venue for a piece of hurling history over the weekend.

When the GAA and the GPA bring the streamlined Super 11s hurling to the campus of Notre Dame on Saturday, they’ll be hoping the skills and the speed do all the talking.

A man has shot himself dead at the altar of Notre Dame cathedral, forcing police to evacuate tourists from the 850-year-old cathedral.

AT the end of a short life marked by the warrior spirit, it was only appropriate Dónal Walsh’s passing was sealed with a haka.

GPA chief executive Dessie Farrell says bringing a competitive GAA game to the US would be a major step for Gaelic games in the country.

The Taoiseach is in negotiations about whether American football could play a role in "the gathering", a major tourism promotion planned for next year.

Ciarán O’Liornad’s indoor season has been an extension of last year’s outdoor form which resulted in a fine performance in the 1500 meters Final at the World Outdoor Championships in Daegu.

New technology that examines in forensic detail the movements of Derval O’Rourke as she scales hurdles has allowed the Cork woman to highlight an injury that affected her performance at the recent Irish indoor championships, while also giving her the best possible preparation for the upcoming world indoor championships in Istanbul (March 9-11).

George Whitman offered refuge to writers and readers at his unique bookstore in Paris, writes Carl Dixon

EXPLORING English, the well-thumbed short story collection for several generations of Irish students, has just been re-published.

HE WAS racing down a corridor as per usual when he noticed that his left heel was clipping the ground. Intermittently.

IMMACULATE gardens facing south on to the grounds of the Cork University Hospital are an attribute of Notre Dame, a fine-boned four-bed semi-d in Cork city’s western suburbs.

FRANCE’S new ban on Islamic face veils was met with a burst of defiance as several women appeared veiled in front of Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral and two were detained for taking part in an unauthorised protest.

France’s ban on Islamic veils met with a burst of defiance today, as women appeared with their faces covered in front of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris.