WITHIN our local park is a dog park — a large fenced off area where one can bring one’s dog to ‘run wild and free’ or, in other words, off the lead. It’s a good idea as it allows dogs to do their thing without compromising the safety or enjoyment of the main park for non-dog lovers. Dogs, after all, are.... well, dogs, and even though I am a dog lover and owner, I think that this is exactly how it should be.

The decision by murdered Jill Meagher’s husband, Thomas, to return to Australia “took a lot of courage”, his mother Joan said.

A convicted sex offender embraced by neighbours and friends — including a priest — prior to sentencing is due for release today.

Dublin football star Diarmuid Connolly has paid €5,000 to charities nominated by a man whose eye socket he fractured during an unprovoked attack in a pub.

A rape victim has said she is devastated by a judge’s decision to let her attacker walk free from court in order to look after his special needs children.

Dublin Gaelic football star Diarmuid Connolly has unreservedly apology to a man who suffered a fractured eye socket during an unprovoked attack in a pub.

Transport Minister Leo Varadkar has said the abortion bill will not lead to a surge in demand for terminations and that the proposed bill is more pro-life than current arrangements for abortions.

Rape crisis groups want specialist education for judges and barristers and greater protection for victims in court.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN put it succinctly when he declared that “those who would sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither”.

Children are no match for adults intent on harming them and they need to know that from an early age, a leading children’s charity has warned.

Gardaí said medical tests along with CCTV footage and witness statements will show if there is evidence to substantiate claims by a college student that she was raped by a taxi driver.

All too often, parents in the past were lulled into a false sense of security that their children were occupied watching television, but it was largely controlled. Now children have the added distractions of video games or the internet, which is essentially unmonitored, because they can expose children to dangerous levels of explicit sex and violence.

The vast majority of the 37% of children who are sexually abusing other children are not classic paedophiles but abuse due to neglect, emotional, physical or sexual abuse, and increasingly because of exposure to porn or an over-sexualised homeplace.

Thousands of attempts to access pornographic websites by Leinster House officials and visitors underlines a wider problem with porn and attitudes to women in Irish society.

Free bereavement counselling must be offered to victims of crime who suffer traumatic events, support groups have said.

ON Nov 27 I got a very sad phonecall from Bernadette Fahy and a text from Paddy Doyle.Both Bernadette and Paddy are amazing people who are survivors of institutional abuse.

A date will be set this month for the sentencing of Dublin football star Diarmuid Connolly over an unprovoked attack in which a man suffered a fractured eye-socket.

Judges should be “compelled” to spend time in rape crisis centres to learn about sexual violence and the impact on victims, a new survivors group has said.

The aunts, cousins, and friends of Jill Meagher are taking part in the Flora Women’s Mini Marathon so they can raise funds for the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre.

- Women’s Aid helpline with interpretation in 170 languages: 1800 341 900 (10am to 10pm)