The Irish Times back issues from July 2009:
Civil marriages may overtake religious weddings by 2012
Jul 01, 2009; ... THOUSANDS OF couples are opting to shun religious weddings infavour of civil ceremonies, new figures show. The proportion of civil marriages has increased dramatically fromjust 6 per cent (or 928) of all marriages in 1996 to just over 23per cent (or 5,127) in 2006, according to ...
Nursing home inspections set to begin
Jul 01, 2009; ... INDEPENDENT INSPECTIONS of all public and private nursing homeswill officially come into force from today as part of a newinitiative to promote better standards of care. A team of about 45 inspectors from the Health Information andQuality Authority (Hiqa) will be responsible for ...
Decisions on radical cuts to be delayed until the autumn
Jul 01, 2009; ... WITH THE economy suffering its worst performance in the historyof the State, it has emerged that decisions on radical action tocurb public spending are unlikely to be made until the autumn. Taoiseach Brian Cowen told the Dail yesterday that the report ofthe Expenditure Review ...
Sr Stan apologises for abuse by her order
Jul 01, 2009; ... SISTER STANISLAUS Kennedy has expressed her shock and shame atabuses disclosed in the Ryan report in institutions run by hercongregation. "As a Sister of Charity I am ashamed, shocked and horrified and Iam desperately sad and sorry, as I know all the other Sisters ofCharity are ...
U2 beguile with a turn to the space age as 'Claw' stage makes gripping debut
Jul 01, 2009; ... "GROUND CONTROL to Major Tom," sang David Bowie as the fourmembers of U2 walked onto the stage of Barcelona's Camp Nou stadiumlast night to begin their "360 Degree" world tour. It was a fittingchoice of introduction: on this tour U2 are unveiling arevolutionary new stage design - "the ...
Abused were hidden in clear sight, says ombudsman
Jul 01, 2009; ... FOLLOWING THE Ryan report "we all emerge . . . somewhat lost,unbalanced, the touchstone of our former beliefs and certaintiescast adrift," the Ombudsman and Information Commissioner EmilyO'Reilly has said. "We stood exposed, not as an island of charming saints andchatty, ...
Paisley jnr faces pound(s)50,000 bill for refusing to name prison source
Jul 01, 2009 ... NORTHERN IRELAND Assembly member Ian Paisley jnr was facing apound(s)50,000-plus bill yesterday for refusing to reveal the nameof a confidential source. The North Antrim representative, who was fined pound(s)5,000 inBelfast High Court yesterday for defying a court order ...
Coughlan to press ahead with code for grocery sector
Jul 01, 2009; ... TANAISTE MARY Coughlan says she is pressing ahead with a code ofpractice for the grocery sector to regulate the competing interestsof retailers and suppliers. Ms Coughlan, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, saida code was needed to ensure that the best interests of ...
260 jobless given hope for future at Dublin conference
Jul 01, 2009; ... SOME 260 people who had been made redundant recently gathered totake part in a one-day advisory conference at the National Collegeof Ireland in Dublin yesterday. Most of the participants were given one-to-one sessions using a"Success Suite" with 30 life coaches, who all gave their ...
Sheila Cloney had asked for 'no eulogy', mourners told
Jul 01, 2009; ... SHEILA CLONEY was an "inspiration" to her daughters, her funeralin Fethard-on-Sea, Co Wexford heard yesterday. About 150 people, including the local Catholic parish priest,attended the funeral of Ms Cloney who attracted international mediaattention by refusing to send her daughters ...
Specialist shops exempt from tobacco regulations
Jul 01, 2009; ... A SMALL number of specialist tobacco shops will be be exempt fromnew regulations coming into force today which prohibit theadvertising and display of tobacco products in all retail outlets. The new provisions of the Public Health (Tobacco) Acts 2002 and2004 mean shops will have to ...
Tesco removes 350 Irish products from shelves
Jul 01, 2009; ... SOME 350 Irish products have been removed from Tesco's shelvessince it began a price-cutting strategy in stores near the Border,according to the retailer. Tesco, which yesterday extended its price reduction programme tostores in north Dublin, said products were removed only where ...
EU sets limits on Government's 'sham marriage' investigations
Jul 01, 2009; ... IRISH GOVERNMENT investigations into "sham marriages" must notencroach on European citizens and their non-EU spouses' right tomove freely in the EU, say new guidelines. The guidelines due to be published tomorrow by the EuropeanCommission also say the same fundamental right of free ...
Ban on display of tobacco products to hit duty free shops
Jul 01, 2009; ... DUTY FREE shops run by the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) areunable to avail of a special exemption from the new ban on thedisplay of tobacco in retail stores because the Government failed tointroduce promised legislation in time for the ban's introductiontoday. While former ...
US expected to ease immigration but bilateral accord on illegals ruled out
Jul 01, 2009; ... LEGISLATION TO ease immigration into the United States could bepassed by the US Senate before the summer break, a leading USpolitician said yesterday in Dublin, though it would then face abattle to gain the support of a majority of the US House ofRepresentatives. However, ...
Electricians may be put on protective notice
Jul 01, 2009; ... ELECTRICIANS FACE being placed on protective notice if a plannedstrike at up to 200 major construction sites goes ahead next month,an organisation representing electrical contractors has warned. Theunion representing electricians, the TEEU, has served strike noticeto come into effect ...
State's EU website will outlast treaty, says Martin
Jul 01, 2009; ... A NEW Government-backed website providing information on the EUwill be established on a permanent basis and not solely as a vehiclefor the second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, the Minister forForeign Affairs Micheal Martin has said. Mr Martin yesterday launched the website, ...
Government approves draft Bill that restricts State's role in EU defence
Jul 01, 2009; ... PROPOSED LEGISLATION to restrict Irish participation in theEuropean Defence Agency (EDA) is due to be published in the nextfortnight, following Government approval of a draft Bill atyesterday's Cabinet meeting. Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea submitted a memorandum toCabinet ...
North Ministers cleared over commissioners
Jul 01, 2009 ... IAN PAISLEY and Martin McGuinness broke no laws by deciding toappoint four victims commissioners in Northern Ireland, the HighCourt in Belfast has ruled. A judge has also dismissed claims that the former first ministerand current Deputy First Minister identified candidates on the ...
Lo vows to stand firm in face of racist death threat
Jul 01, 2009; ... AN ALLIANCE Assembly member, the only representative at Stormontfrom an ethnic minority, has said she will not be intimidatedfollowing a threat on her life. Anna Lo, who represents South Belfast, has been advised by thePSNI that she or her home could be attacked. She is ...
Jet nearly hit mower at runway, report finds
Jul 01, 2009; ... AN AIRCRAFT with more than 200 people on board was involved in aserious incident at Dublin airport in May when its wing passed overa tractor lawnmower moving along the runway, with the driveroblivious to the landing jet. The crew of the Canadian-registered Boeing 757-200, a ...
World first as Kilkenny virgin lizard reproduces
Jul 01, 2009; ... A KILKENNY reptile zoo has reported the world's first birth to avirgin lizard previously thought incapable of reproduction without amate. While other species of lizard are known to give birth byparthenogenesis - an asexual form of reproduction - James Hennessy,curator of Reptile ...
Thomas Cook staff in jobs protest
Jul 01, 2009; ... ABOUT 30 members of staff with the travel company Thomas Cookprotested outside its main Dublin branch yesterday in an effort tosave jobs in its Irish operation. Jobs are under threat as the company restructures its business,part of which would entail closing its two Dublin outlets ...
VHI loses 40,000 members in first quarter of 2009
Jul 01, 2009 ... The VHI has confirmed it lost 40,000 members in the first threemonths of this year, writes Eithne Donnellan. It is blaming the falloff in members on the recession and resulting job losses. However it has stressed it is not seeing the same level of falloff in membership since the ...
Greens to hold Lisbon convention
Jul 01, 2009 ... A Green Party convention to decide its position in the secondLisbon Treaty referendum as well as to discuss its dismalperformance in the local and European elections is to be held onJuly 18th, writes Harry McGee. When a similar convention ...
Mobile roaming charges cut today
Jul 01, 2009 ... Mobile phone charges for roaming and texting while overseas areset to drop sharply from today, writes Paul Cullen. Under new EUregulations, the maximum subscribers will pay when making a callwithin the EU will be 52 cent a ...
Alleged abuse victim appeals
Jul 01, 2009 ... A man who lost his High Court challenge to the ResidentialInstitutions Redress Board's refusal to accept his late applicationfor compensation for alleged abuse yesterday began his appeal to theSupreme Court. Lawyers for the ...
NUJ urges media ownership scrutiny
Jul 01, 2009 ... Media ownership in Ireland requires scrutiny, says National Unionof Journalists Irish secretary Seamus Dooley. Mr Dooley was speaking at a press conference in Dublin promptedby the ...
Ex-mayor fined [euro]5,000 over rezoning
Jul 01, 2009; ... A FINE of [euro]5,000 was imposed on former Killarney mayorPatrick O'Donoghue at Tralee Circuit Criminal Court yesterday forhis breach of ethics legislation in 2006, surrounding an attempt torezone part of his family's land adjoining their hotel complex inthe south Kerry town. In ...
Call for State cash to stop job losses in meat industry
Jul 01, 2009; ... THE TRADE union Siptu has said that there is now no chance ofpreserving the 100 jobs at the boning hall at Meadow Meats inRathdowney, Co Laois. Speaking after talks with management at the plant yesterday,Siptu branch organiser Miriam Hamilton also warned that there couldbe ...
Supermarkets accused of conning shoppers over prices
Jul 01, 2009; ... OVER 500 farmers yesterday blockaded the Musgrave distributioncentre near Kilcock, Co Kildare over the prices they are receivingfor their produce. Vowing to continue the protest at other retail centres, thefarmers said supermarkets were conning consumers and taking hugeprofits ...
Fears grow for 82 jobs in ICT Eurotel
Jul 01, 2009; ... FEARS ARE growing over the future of 82 jobs in Belmullet, CoMayo. ICT Eurotel Ltd has announced it is to enter into a period ofconsultation with its employees about the future of the company. The call-centre company currently employs 39 full-time and 43part-time staff. A ...
Up to 200 jobs at risk at Bausch and Lomb plant in Waterford
Jul 01, 2009; ... MANAGEMENT AT Bausch and Lomb in Waterford yesterday evening metworkers following local speculation that the company would beseeking more than 100 redundancies at the plant. A series of meetings took place at the plant yesterday, fourmonths after the company announced it was ...
Fire service charge lone parent [euro]800 for call out
Jul 01, 2009; ... A LONE parent whose teenage son called the emergency servicesafter he got into difficulties while climbing with friends has beencharged almost [euro]800 by Wicklow County Council's fire service. Dara O'Reilly from Wicklow town said she has been threatened withlegal action by the ...
Russian poet to give reading in Cork
Jul 01, 2009; ... ACCLAIMED RUSSIAN poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko will give a reading inCo Cork later this week as part of this year's Feile na Bealtaine. Yevtushenko was born in Siberia in 1933. He came to prominencewith the publication in 1956 of his poem Zima Station, whichdocuments his own and ...
Bishop wants to end church repose custom
Jul 01, 2009; ... THE BISHOP of Galway, Dr Martin Drennan, has come under fire overhis move to end the custom of allowing families have their lovedones laid out in Liscannor church in the night prior to a funeralMass. At Masses in the north Clare coastal village of Liscannor overthe weekend, a ...
Complaints against solicitors on the increase
Jul 01, 2009; ... FINDINGS OF misconduct against solicitors more than doubled from2007 to 2008, according to the Solicitors' Disciplinary Tribunalreport released yesterday. And the number of referrals to the High Court tripled. In his annual report for 2008, chairman Francis Daly said ...
Pair hid millions from former business partners, court told
Jul 01, 2009 ... FORMER FIANNA Fail councillor Gerard Killally and former CoOffaly GAA football manager Richie Connor are denying claims byformer business partners they made several million euro in "secretprofits" from four land deals in Co Offaly. Both men have previouslyadmitted making secret profits ...
Approval for Galway bypass 'contravenes' EU law, court told
Jul 01, 2009; ... AN BORD Pleanala approved the [euro]17 million Galway city bypassafter finding the impact of the project on the Lough Corribconservation area, while "locally severe", would not adverselyaffect the "integrity" of the site, the Commercial Court heardyesterday. The decision was akin ...
Software firm and HSE fail to resolve dispute
Jul 01, 2009 ... EFFORTS TO resolve a dispute over payment for critical computerservices provided to a large number of hospitals and HSE officeshave not been successful, a High Court judge was told yesterday. Last month, the HSE obtained temporary orders compelling theowner of Keogh Software, ...
School asks court to overturn order to enrol autistic boy
Jul 01, 2009; ... A SECONDARY school has asked the High Court to overturn an orderfrom the Department of Education requiring it enrol a 14- year-oldchild with autism. The board of management of Colaiste Chiaran community school,Leixlip, Co Kildare, claims the school is unsuitable for the boy ...
Woman saw former boyfriend in driveway
Jul 01, 2009; ... A WOMAN who claims she was harassed by a former boyfriend overfour years has told Cork Circuit Court that she saw the man in herdriveway late one night. On the second day of the trial, Grainne Barry (35), a teacher,told Judge Patrick Moran that she saw Seamus Quirke (46), Fermoy, ...
'Professional courier' gets seven years for cocaine
Jul 01, 2009 ... A MAN has been jailed for seven years at Dublin Circuit CriminalCourt after he acted as a "professional courier" and carried[euro]70,000 worth of cocaine in a pair of runners in his luggage. Bruno E Silva (40) later admitted to gardai that he had been paid[euro]5,000 to bring the ...
Award of [euro]161,000 for unfair dismissal
Jul 01, 2009; ... THE FORMER general manager of the Irish arm of a Japaneseelectronics firm has been awarded more than [euro]161,000 incompensation after a tribunal found he had been unfairly dismissedin a company restructuring. An Employment Appeals Tribunal found JVC Europe of London ...
Challenge to cancelled retirement scheme
Jul 01, 2009 ... A LEGAL challenge by a number of secondary school teachers to theGovernment's suspension of an early retirement scheme has commencedbefore the High Court. In judicial review proceedings the teachers claim a Governmentdecision suspending the scheme, first announced in last ...
Arrest made in shallow grave murder case
Jul 01, 2009 ... A man was in custody in Limerick last night in connection withthe gangland murder of a man whose body was found in a shallowgrave. The body of James Cronin (20) was found by gardai on April7th, 2008, while they were carrying out searches following themurder of Mark Moloney (40) who was ...
Teacher accused of sexual assault
Jul 01, 2009 ... A Co Clare teacher has gone on trial at Dublin Circuit CriminalCourt accused of sexually assaulting three boys aged between 10 and12 at a primary school and in his home. The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded notguilty to 18 counts of sexually assaulting the three ...
Case settled over death of baby
Jul 01, 2009 ... A woman whose son was born dead at a Cork hospital allegedly as aconsequence of blood type incompatibility has settled her High Courtaction for [euro]100,000. Orla McCarthy (45), Rockcliffe Village, Blackrock Road, Cork, hadsued a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, Pillany ...
Ex-priest for trial for sex assaults
Jul 01, 2009 ... A trial date has been set for next April for a former priestaccused of sexual assault and buggery of two boys almost 30 yearsago. The man, who cannot be named, denies 29 charges ...
Rights group criticises several provisions
Jul 01, 2009 ... REACTION: THE IRISH Human Rights Commission (IHRC) has criticisedseveral provisions of the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill,describing them as disproportionate and unnecessary. At a media briefing yesterday, commissioner Michael Farrell saidthat the section of the Bill which ...
Not the first time gangs have been targeted in law
Jul 01, 2009 ... ANALYSIS: There is no certainty that the Criminal Justice(Amendment) Bill will meet its stated objective, writes CAROLCOULTER . THE MURDER of Roy Collins in Limerick, fast on the heels of themurder of Shane Geoghegan, brought renewed demands for freshmeasures to tackle the city's ...
Inquiry into Leas Cross nursing home cost [euro]2.1m
Jul 01, 2009; ... THE INQUIRY into the treatment of residents at the Dublin LeasCross nursing home has cost [euro]2.1 million, Minister for HealthMary Harney revealed in the Dail last night. "Inquiries are not inexpensive," she said. Ms Harney also said she would consider demands for a ...
Cowen refuses to say if report on cost-savings will be published
Jul 01, 2009; ... TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen has refused to say whether the report bythe group informally known as An Bord Snip will be published. MrCowen told the Dail the report on public sector cost-saving measureshas yet to be presented to the Minister for Finance though it wasdue yesterday. He ...
Taoiseach rules out tax cuts
Jul 01, 2009; ... TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen ruled out a reduction in taxes to stimulatethe economy. "In addressing the public finance position, we must protect ourtaxation base," he said. "In fact, all the advice for the coming months concerns the needto broaden the tax base, rather than narrowing ...
Call for ombudsman in grocery 'wild west'
Jul 01, 2009; ... IRELAND NEEDS a retail ombudsman and code of practice because thegrocery sector is "bedevilled with intimidation", Minister of Statefor Agriculture Trevor Sargent has insisted in the Dail. He was responding to warnings by Andrew Doyle (FG, Wicklow) thatthere is "no sheriff" to ...
Not a word let slip about Bord Snip, but pain delayed is only pain anticipated
Jul 01, 2009; ... DAIL SKETCH: AND STILL we await word from Grandmaster Snip. He'sin the wings, gloved up and ready to rumble, but the Government isworried about letting him loose on the public. There was an air of anticipation around Leinster House. It wasstrongly rumoured that An Bord Snip Nua, ...
Children still at risk, says ombudsman
Jul 01, 2009; ... JOINT OIREACHTAS COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND CHILDREN: THE OMBUDSMANfor Children has expressed concerned that hundreds of childrencontinue to be at risk of abuse due to the lack of independentinspections of residential centres and hostels which housevulnerable young people. At the ...
Economy and climate are main focus for Sweden
Jul 01, 2009; ... AMBASSADOR'S ADDRESS: THE ECONOMY and climate change would be themain priorities for Sweden's EU presidency, ambassador ClaesLjungdaehl told the Oireachtas Joint Committee on European Affairsat Leinster House yesterday. Sweden's ambition was to conduct an "open, responsive and ...
House to send message of condolence to Cloneys
Jul 01, 2009; ... SEANAD: A MESSAGE of condolence is to be sent on behalf of theSeanad to the Cloney family following the death of Sheila Cloney whowas a central figure in events which led to the boycott ofProtestants in Fethard-on-Sea, Co Wexford, 52 years ago. Eoghan Harris (Ind) said moral heroes ...
Over 150 feared dead in air disaster
Jul 01, 2009; ... IT WAS as if lightning struck France twice in the same month inthe form of an air disaster. One hundred and fifty-two people are feared dead, including 66French citizens, after an Airbus 310 belonging to Yemenia Airwayscrashed on its approach to Grand Comore Island during the ...
At least 17 killed as freight train derails in Italian town
Jul 01, 2009; ... THE ELEGANT Tuscan seaside resort of Viareggio could have beenmistaken for downtown Baghdad yesterday following a horrific goodstrain accident which claimed the lives of at least 17 people. The final death toll may be higher. Rescue workers were lastnight searching through the ...
Ahmadinejad hails election as victory for Iranian people
Jul 01, 2009; ... IRANIAN PRESIDENT Mahmoud Ahmadinejad yesterday hailed hiscontested re-election as a victory for the Iranian people and adefeat for the enemies of the Islamic Republic. Speaking a day after the country's Guardian Council confirmed hisdefeat of challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mr ...
German court dismisses challenge to Lisbon Treaty
Jul 01, 2009; ... GERMANY'S HIGHEST court dismissed constitutional challenges tothe Lisbon Treaty yesterday but called for ratification to bedelayed until the rights of the German parliament in EU decision-making are strengthened. Berlin now faces the challenge of getting the required law ...
Migration to rich countries drops due to economic crisis
Jul 01, 2009; ... THE GLOBAL economic crisis is likely to cause the first majorfall in the number of migrants coming to work in rich countriessince the 1980s, according to a new report by the Organisation forEconomic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It said this was already happening in Ireland, ...
Toppled Honduras president pledges dramatic return
Jul 01, 2009; ... LATIN AMERICAN dignitaries, possibly including Argentina'spresident, Cristina Kirchner, are expected to accompany ManuelZelaya in a dramatic return to Honduras tomorrow to try to reverse amilitary coup which ousted him from power. The toppled president hopes a tide of international ...