A leading psychiatrist has said the exact circumstances surrounding the murder-suicide of twins Paddy and Thomas O’Driscoll and their brother Jonathan needed to come to light before the stunned local community of Charleville could come to terms with what had happened.

As the bright autumnal sunshine faded over the O’Driscoll family home yesterday evening, the set of swings and a trampoline where twins Thomas and Patrick would often have played, stood in grotesque contrast to the Garda tape which surrounded the entrance.

Gardaí are openly visiting a convicted double-rapist up to three times a day since his recent release from prison and have also put him under covert surveillance.

SKIBBEREEN/BALTIMORE: LOUGH HYNE

The chairman of the Oireachtas committee on justice has said that some serious offenders, including repeat rapists, should be electronically tagged if released from prison early.

WE set off up the steep road from the pier, past the ruined friary.

Goodbyes can be painful, as we all know, but when Brian O’Driscoll’s romance with Test rugby finally came to an end in Paris, parting proved such sweet sorrow.

RBS 6 NATIONS:

High winds and heavy rain may have plagued these shores of late but preparations for the 2014 Irish Open remain on schedule, says Fota Island Resort golf superintendent Con O’Driscoll.

The world of road bowling was rocked by the sudden death of James Caverley, one the most prominent figures in the sport from the 1980s to the early part of this century.

A play which sheds new light on the bloody pirate raid of a West Cork village in the 1600s will be performed over the next three nights.

Tranquil Cluain Áilinn, complete with pontoon and privacy, will be a stretch for most, writes Tommy Barker

A hero diver pushed an elderly man and broke his rib during a row over a disabled parking space.

Pirates who sacked a West Cork village in 1631 sold more than double the amount of its inhabitants into slavery than was previously thought, new research has found.

DECLAN KIDNEY’S side has taken longer than expected to get up to speed for the Rugby World Cup and there was more frustration yesterday when the first leg of the team’s mammoth 35-hour trip to New Zealand was delayed out of Dublin Airport.

FOR Fianna Fáil, the Cork East constituency has been a happy hunting ground since the early 1980s where Ned O’Keeffe and Michael Ahern were always guaranteed to retain their seats.

THE three-day Fastnet International Schools Regatta got underway in Schull Harbour yesterday under ideal weather conditions.

WHEN one of our most famous sportsmen married actress and author Amy Huberman it was never going to be a quiet registry office wedding, but until the day itself the couple remained secretive about the details of the much-anticipated nuptials, until now.

Brian O’Driscoll enters tomorrow’s RBS 6 Nations title showdown with France recalling how a turning point in Irish rugby also had a profound effect on his life.

GARDAÍ had to deal with a vicious and unprovoked attack on a young man and a number of drink-fuelled violent incidents as the New Year arrived in Cork.

Ulster 16 Leinster 14

READ it carefully. Today, 15 teams bid to scale the highest peak in each of the 32 counties in 100 hours or less.

BRISK bidding on a sheep farm at Knockaun in Ballyduff, Co Waterford, is being brought to a head by a deadline of March 28 for last offers.

A BRAVE six-year-old boy desperately sought help after he was pushed clear from a four-wheel drive jeep swept away in a raging river flood that claimed the lives of his mother and sister.

Ireland’s series defeat should not hide the fact they have had a brilliant, if gruelling, international season.