The Six Nations rugby tournament and people returning to Ireland for St Patrick’s Day are likely to be targeted in strikes at Aer Lingus.

Aer Lingus has significantly upped the ante in its long-running battle with the country’s largest trade union by moving to sue Siptu and its pensions policy advisor, Dermot O’Loughlin.

Siptu will this morning decide whether to call off the industrial action which could close the country’s airports next Monday and accept an invitation for talks with employers at the Labour Relations Commission.

THE Office of Public Works (OPW) is set to carry out €500,000 of restoration work on a park in north Cork in a bid to increase visitor numbers to 300,000 per year within the next five years.

Around 400 new jobs are to be created at Dublin Airport with the opening of a new terminal-linked hotel.

Thousands of travellers leaving the UK for the Republic of Ireland will not be included in new passport checks, the UK's Home Office said.

The boss of Ryanair is under fire after launching a verbal attack on the Government's 'The Gathering' tourism promotion, and on the Dublin Airport Authority.

More than 330,000 passengers are expected to travel through Dublin Airport over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend with many seeking sea and sun, it emerged today.

Edina Dublin has been awarded two separate contracts valued at just less than €4m for the supply of a 3MWE combined heat and power plant (CHP) and two 2904KVA back-up diesel generator sets for Dublin airport’s new Terminal 2 energy centre.

AER Lingus says trading picked up in the third quarter and that it is likely to generate a full-year operating profit towards the top end of expectations.

Operations will start this week on the first route secured by Shannon Airport since it received its independence from the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA).

Aer Lingus is looking to meet with the trustee of the pension fund following the rejection of a plan to plug a €750m hole in the company’s pension scheme by the pensions regulator.

The chairwoman of the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) has revealed that Shannon is working with the Department of Transport on giving freedom rights to airlines from other countries to stop at Shannon before travelling on to the US.

The Government was today urged to take further steps to tackle sexually-transmitted infections as it emerged the number of cases has quadrupled in the decade between 1994 and 2004.

Over 2,860 flights will arrive and depart during the June Bank Holiday.

The Irish Tenors, ranked as one of the most successful Irish touring acts ever, alongside U2 and Riverdance, sing Ireland’s praises whenever they can.