THE Government has given the green light to create plans for the first purpose-built town in Munster.

Two local residents have asked a High Court judge to allow them appeal his decision clearing the way for tech giant Apple to develop the first phase of a planned €850m data centre in Athenry, Co Galway.

It was one of the signature deals of the boom.

Almost 150 protestors have gathered in Rush in north county Dublin to voice their opposition to Eirgrid's interconnector between Ireland and the UK.

An environmentalist who lost his court challenge to the routing of the M3 motorway near the Hill of Tara today had legal costs of up to €600,000 awarded against him.

An Taisce has appealed to heritage minister Heather Humphries to intervene in the conservation of an early medieval site earmarked for a multi-million euro tourist development.

The company proposing to build a waste-to-energy plant in Ringaskiddy, Co Cork, has dismissed claims that incinerators account for 70% of all dioxins or that an explosion which recently rocked one of its Belgian sites could happen here.

A judge will rule next week whether to allow two local residents appeal his decision clearing the way for tech giant Apple to develop the first phase of a planned €850m data centre in Athenry, Co Galway.

THE upland countryside where the counties Cork, Kerry and Limerick meet continues to be a place where rare and threatened species of wildlife can still be found.

THE saga surrounding the building of golf links in sensitive dune and coastal areas continues, amid concerns about damage to a fragile environment and wildlife habitat.

First-time buyers are to get up to €10,000 in a tax rebate as part of Government plans to reheat the property market.

Building upward is an important part of the drive to make Irish cities livable, writes Sarah Thatt-Foley

An application for a gaming licence for an arcade in Mitchelstown has been dismissed in court - because of a 35-year-old by-law that specifically bans such businesses in the Co Cork town.