Taoiseach leads tributes to Colm Murray

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has led tributes to RTÉ broadcaster Colm Murray, who has died at the age of 61.

Mr Murray had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease in recent years.

He died at his family home in Clontarf in Dublin.

The Taoiseach said Mr Murray was the voice of Irish racing for many years and that he lit up the coverage of many a racing meet with his passion and enthusiasm for the sport.

RTÉ Director General Noel Curran said Mr Murray was a hugely admired, versatile and talented broadcaster.

He said Colm was always an incredibly popular individual who was full of energy and positivity.

Today was a very sad day for everyone at RTÉ, he said, particularly as Colm's death had occurred so closely to that of his sister, Cathy.

RTÉ News Deputy Managing Director Michael Good described him as one of RTÉ's finest journalists and a wonderful human being.

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore said: "Colm was one of the most accomplished sports journalists of his generation and was, as far as most people were concerned, the voice of horse racing in Ireland.

"Colm was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2011, but he bore his illness with incredible bravery and dignity.

"It was a mark of his professionalism and courage that he continued to work for as long as he did after his diagnosis, and it was this courage that inspired so many people."

Minister of State for Tourism and Sport Michael Ring has said that Colm's passion and enthusiasm for sport was always evident in his work.

"His enthusiasm was so strong that he made others want to listen to his coverage, especially when it featured horse-racing."

Trainer Ted Walsh described Mr Murray as one of nature's gentlemen and said he was "great company".

Speaking on RTÉ Radio, Mr Walsh said: "He loved to have a bet, loved to do the aul jackpot. He wasn't a big compulsive gambler, but he loved a bet and loved going racing.

"He was just a joy to be with. He wasn't one of those fellas who when you went into a room you wanted to buzz away and sit somewhere else.

"You wanted to sit alongside him and get the stories. He was enthusiastic. He was just one of nature's gentlemen."

The Irish Secretary of the National Union of Journalists, Séamus Dooley, said Colm was a remarkable figure in Irish journalism.

"In a profession characterised by professional rivalry and jealousy Colm had no enemies."

He said: "He was admired for his wit, his humour and his generosity of spirit.

"His stoical acceptance of his illness has served as a powerful inspiration and it is a cruel irony that someone who loved life with such passion should have been struck with such a debilitating illness."

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin described Mr Murray as "an icon of Irish sports broadcasting and a gentleman to his fingertips".

He said: "He was an exceptional raconteur and enlivened many an occasion with the depth of his knowledge and humour."

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan said: "Colm's passing has come all too soon. He was a tremendous supporter of the Listowel Racing Festival and the poignancy of his passing coinciding with the opening day's racing in Galway is of itself significant of the support he provided to the racing fraternity.

"Colm's battle with his illness was fought bravely in public and in private. We mourn his passing now but we remember a life which contributed much to many.

"To his wife Ann and their daughters I offer my deepest sympathy, it was my privilege to have known him."

NUIG President Jim Browne said: "Colm was a great friend and supporter of NUI Galway. An Arts graduate (BA 1972) and an Alumni Award Winner for Sports Achievement and Leadership (2011), Colm was involved in a range of alumni events and activities.

"Over the years Colm participated in and hosted a range of alumni events in Dublin and in Galway - events which always attracted audiences who relished his enthusiasm and his story-telling flair.

"We note his passing with sadness and pay tribute to a graduate whose commitment to his alma mater was deeply-held and much valued."

Colm is survived by his wife Anne, daughters Kate and Patricia, and his sister Mary.

Colm's sister Cathy, who also worked in RTÉ, passed away earlier this year.

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Children with eye problems facing long delays

Over 4,200 children are waiting to be seen at outpatient clinics for eye problems at the country's three main children's hospitals.

Temple Street Children's University Hospital has ceased giving admission dates for eye inpatient care.

At Our Lady's Children's Hospital in Crumlin, some children are waiting up to three years to be seen at an outpatient clinic for eye problems.

The new figures reveal long delays before children with sight problems are seen.

Crumlin has the longest list with 2,446 children waiting, 1,700 children are waiting at Temple Street, while the National Children's Hospital at Tallaght Hospital has 97 waiting.

Clinical Director for the three Dublin children's hospitals, Dr Colm Costigan, said one of the problems was a lack of community ophthalmic services, resulting in many minor cases flooding outpatient departments.

Of the 2,446 children on the outpatient waiting list at Crumlin, 1,444 have yet to be given appointment dates.

Some children are waiting three years.

Temple Street says that rolling theatre closures are in operation to save money and stay within budget.

Dr Costigan said some referrals are simply for children needing a new prescription for their glasses.

As a result, he said that lower-risk patients end up waiting a long time.

Crumlin says that outpatient appointments are being made where there is capacity and in order of priority and the hospital is still accepting referrals from GPs and ophthalmologists.

Of the 1,700 children waiting to be seen at ophthalmology outpatient clinics at  Temple Street, 200 have yet to be given an appointment date.

Some of the children will have to wait a year to be seen there.

The hospital also has 15 children on its inpatient waiting list and 43 on its day case list.

Temple Street said that one of its four operating theatres is closed every week, while during "downtime", only two theatres are operating - one for emergencies and one for patients waiting a long time for admission.

For emergencies, there is a system to open the closed theatre if this is necessary.

There will be two weeks of downtime during the first two weeks of August.

There may be more downtime in October, to accommodate seasonal dips in activity.

At Crumlin hospital for inpatient and day case waiting lists, the hospital has a target of 20 weeks for these to be seen.

Seven children are waiting more than 20 weeks

There are 50 children with appointments for surgery, most of these on a day case basis.

Another 75 are waiting for an appointment for surgery.

The National Children's Hospital at Tallaght has no inpatient or day case paediatric ophthalmology services.

Proposal to abolish screening system in schools

Mr Paul Moriarty, the clinical leader for ophthalmology services in the country, said that a new scheme is being formulated to try and significantly reduce waiting times for children getting eye checks and treatment.

He said a proposal is being put to the HSE to abolish the current school "exit screening" of children aged 12 years and use the money saved to fund community ophthalmology and related services.

Mr Moriarty said that exit screening at the age of 12 was often too late to tackle an eye problem.

Children are also screened for vision between the ages of four and five entering the school system.

Dr Moriarty said that this system is nurse-led and there can be a lot of false positives leading to referrals.

The National Council for the Blind of Ireland has expressed shock at the waiting lists for eye checks for children.

NCBI Chief Executive Des Kenny said the organisation had been warning the Government for years of the under-investment in ophthalmic services in hospitals and in the community.

He said he had confidence that eye doctors would manage the most critical of cases with prompt treatment.

Chief Executive of Children in Hospital Ireland Mary O'Connor said it was unacceptable that children have to wait so long to be seen with eye problems given the impact it has on their lives and activities such as sport, recreation and reading.

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Gardaí await results of post mortems on brothers

Post-mortem examinations on the bodies of two brothers found in the boot of a crashed car in Co Mayo are continuing this afternoon.

Deputy State Pathologist Dr Khalid Jabbar is carrying out the examinations at Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar.

The remains of ten-year-old Eoghan Chada and his five-year-old brother Ruairi were found following a single-vehicle collision at Rosbeg, outside Westport in Co Mayo, shortly before 3.30pm yesterday.

It is thought they had been dead for a number of hours at that stage.

The car, a dark green Ford Focus, was driven by the boys' father Sanjeev Chada.

He sustained minor injuries in the collision and was taken to hospital in Castlebar.

He is still being treated there this afternoon.

Gardaí are liaising with medical staff before interviewing the 43-year-old.

It is expected he will be brought to Westport Garda Station for questioning.

A forensic examination of the crash scene about two miles outside Westport concluded at lunchtime.

The car was taken from the scene and brought to Castlebar, where further examinations will be conducted.

Diversions in the area are expected to be lifted today.

The boys had been missing since Sunday evening, when they failed to return to their Co Carlow home from a bowling trip with their father.

Gardaí are trying to piece together the movements of the Chadas between the time they left Co Carlow and arrived in Westport.

They have appealed to anyone with information to contact them.

Detectives are particularly interested in hearing from anyone who may have had contact with Mr Chada or his children between 6.30pm on Sunday and 3.25pm yesterday.

They have appealed to hotels, filling stations, shops, B&Bs and other businesses to review CCTV footage for any sign of the green car or those who were travelling in it.

The hatchback car has a registration of 06-CW-238.

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RTÉ broadcaster Colm Murray dies aged 61

Updated: Tuesday, 30 Jul 2013 16:07 | Comments

Colm is survived by his wife, Anne, daughters Kate and Patricia and his sister, Mary.

Video

RTÉ broadcaster Colm Murray has died following a long illness. He was 61.

Colm, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease three years ago, is survived by his wife, Anne, daughters Kate and Patricia and his sister, Mary. His sister Cathy passed away earlier this year.

Funeral mass will take place at St Gabriel's Church in Dollymount at midday on Thursday, with burial at St Fintan's Cemetery in Sutton.

From Moate, Co Westmeath, Colm Murray was a teacher before joining RTÉ as a continuity announcer. 

He graduated from University College Galway in 1972 with a BA degree in French, English and History. For the next three years he taught at secondary schools in Athlone and Tullamore, having completed his Higher Diploma in Education at Maynooth.

In 1975 he moved to Dublin where he taught French, English and History in Ballymun Comprehensive School.

In October 1978, Colm changed career direction and moved to RTÉ Radio, where he took up a post as continuity announcer.

Having presented various programmes, including the long-running 'Hospitals' Requests', he became a newscaster in 1983.

In 1988, when RTÉ introduced its hour-long Six One News format, he moved into sports broadcasting as a sports presenter and a founding member of the sports news unit on the Six One News.

Colm, together with his late friend Vere Wynne Jones, pioneered sports coverage for RTÉ and remained an integral part of the unit until illness forced him to stand aside in 2012.

In the course of his sports broadcasting career, he covered a large number of national and international events, including the Cheltenham Festival since 1990 and the Olympics and Paralympics in Sydney, Athens, and Beijing.

In 2000, he was presented with the ESB Media Award as Sports Broadcaster of the Year for his coverage of the Irish team and their participation in the Sydney Paralympics. However, he regarded his assignment with Jack Charlton's Republic of Ireland team at the 1990 World Cup in Italy as the highlight of his sports broadcasting career.

Although able to cross all sporting codes, Colm will forever be associated with horse racing, where his knowledge of the sport combined with his exuberant personality made the sport accessible to all.

From Cheltenham to Punchestown, Gowran Park to Fairyhouse, Colm was the voice and face of racing for hundreds of thousands of fans of the sport.

Such was his contribution to the sport, that Colm was honoured with an industry award by Horse Racing Ireland in 2010 for "his engaging and eloquent reports, illuminating the sport in a constantly positive and entertaining manner".

Colm also championed coverage of the Paralympics and Special Olympics in Ireland when assigned to both by RTÉ, bringing a prominence to both codes which they had not previously enjoyed.

In March 2010 Colm was diagnosed with motor neuron disease.

He continued to work in the RTÉ newsroom and embarked on a series of in-depth radio profiles of luminaries such as Alex Ferguson, Brian O'Driscoll and Johnny Murtagh. His journalistic professionalism and desire to assist others also saw him embark on an RTÉ documentary to highlight MND and assist in developing treatment for those diagnosed.

Such was the impact of the programme and his tireless efforts on behalf of those with MND, that Colm was further honoured by receiving a People of the Year award in September 2012 in recognition of his efforts to further medical research into the debilitating disease.

Tributes

Taoiseach Enda Kenny described Colm Murray as the voice of Irish racing for many years, saying he lit up the coverage of the sport with his passion and enthusiasm.

"I had the pleasure of being in Colm's company recently and could see he was a proud Westmeath man who brought out the best in those around him with his affability and gift for storytelling," he said.

"I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to his wife, Ann, and daughters, Patricia and Kate, and sister, Mary.

"He is also a huge loss to all in RTÉ and my thoughts are with all who had the pleasure of knowing Colm during his lifetime."

RTÉ Director General Noel Curran said colleagues were deeply saddened by his death and that he would be rightly remembered by the horse racing community for his enthusiasm and knowledge. 

"The courage that Colm has shown over these past couple of years has been truly extraordinary," Curran said.

"The news is all the more poignant given the recent sudden passing of his sister Cathy, who also worked in our newsroom.

"For all who worked with him in RTÉ, he will be remembered as a wonderful colleague and friend."

RTÉ Head of Sport Ryle Nugent said today was a sad day for all who knew him.

"He had an infectious laugh, a real sense of fun and a little mischief that has been, and will always be, missed in this office," he said.

"His commitment and love for his work was there for all to see and he will be long remembered for his kindness, decency and caring of those with whom he came into contact."

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan paid tribute to Colm's unique calling of a race.

"He made the television or radio come alive, you felt as though no matter where you were hearing his commentary, you were transported to that race track for those very important final furlongs."

Trainer Ted Walsh described Colm as one of nature's gentlemen and said he was "great company".

Speaking on RTÉ Radio, Walsh said: "He loved to have a bet, loved to do the auld jackpot. He wasn't a big compulsive gambler, but he loved a bet and loved going racing.

"He was just a joy to be with. He wasn't one of those fellas who when you went into a room you wanted to buzz away and sit somewhere else.

"You wanted to sit alongside him and get the stories. He was enthusiastic. He was just one of nature's gentlemen."

NUJ Irish Secretary Séamus Dooley paid tribute to "a remarkable figure in Irish journalism".

"In a profession characterised by professional rivalry and jealousy Colm had no enemies.

"He was admired for his wit, his humour and his generosity of spirit. His stoical acceptance of his illness has served as a powerful inspiration and it is a cruel irony that someone who loved life with such passion should have been struck with such a debilitating illness."

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President signs abortion legislation into law

President Michael D Higgins has decided not to refer the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill to the Supreme Court and has signed it into law.

A meeting of the Council of State was held yesterday at Áras an Uachtaráin to consider the bill.

President Higgins held four hours of discussions with the council before making his decision.

He had until tomorrow to either sign the bill into law or refer it to the Supreme Court to assess its constitutionality.

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore said the decision is a key milestone in Irish Law.

He said: "The enactment of this legislation, 21 years after the Supreme Court ruling on the X Case, is a historic moment, particularly for the women of Ireland.

"The core purpose of this legislation is about saving women's lives. It is about providing for a very basic human right."

The Pro Life Campaign has said the passage "is a very sad day for our country" and "for the first time in our history makes it legal to deliberately target the life of an innocent human being".

Caroline Simons said: "Despite what the Taoiseach and others claim, the new law is life-ending not life-saving.

"The Government brought forward this law in the full knowledge that abortion is not a treatment for suicidal feelings and ignored all the peer reviewed evidence showing that abortion has adverse mental health consequences for women."

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Letterkenny hospital had prior flooding incident

Remedial action was taken at Letterkenny General Hospital after a previous flooding incident at the new medical block prior to its opening in December 2011, it has been confirmed.

At a briefing on the situation at the hospital following last Friday's flooding, HSE Director of Communications Paul Connors said the work centred on a culvert near the new building,

However, he said an independent civil engineering review is currently being carried out, and until it is completed he would not speculate about what happened.

He said that something clearly did not work, but there had been unprecedented rainfall, which also has to be taken into account.

Meanwhile, the hospital's general manager, Sean Murphy, has said the hospital is working on implementing a temporary emergency department following flooding last Friday.

Speaking on RTÉ's News At One, Mr Murphy said it could take a number of months for the hospital's emergency services to be fully operational again.

However, Mr Murphy would not put a timescale on when the new facility would be in place.

The hospital is closed to all visitors and emergency admissions have been diverted to Sligo and Derry.

Mr Murphy said: "At the moment, we have lost a very significant proportion of our hospital. About 40% of our hospital has been flooded with contaminated water. This isn't just a mopping up operation."

Mr Murphy said 1,600 outpatients are normally seen in a week in Letterkenny.

He said contingency arrangements have been made for about two thirds of them, either on site or in other locations.

Around 350 day cases are also normally seen in a week at the hospital, including 120 cancer patients who are on chemotherapy regimes.

This has been maintained and their care has not been compromised, Mr Murphy said.

About 200 dialysis treatments are also given every week and these are also continuing.

Mr Murphy said the biggest challenge is radiological and diagnostic support, with virtually no radiological capacity available.

A number of mobile units are being transported to the hospital, and Mr Murphy hopes to have them on site by the end of the week, with a mobile MRI on site by next week.

Mr Murphy would not confirm suggestions that part of the old building, where the temporary emergency department is to be established, will have to be knocked because of contaminated asbestos.

The Health Service Executive earlier said it expects the current arrangements to continue for several weeks.

However, Irish Association for Emergency Medicine spokesman Fergal Hickey said he believes it could take much longer.

He said experience elsewhere of hospitals damaged by flooding would suggest facilities at Letterkenny will remain closed for months rather than weeks.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, the Sligo Regional Hospital consultant said for some of the reconstruction work a time frame of weeks was optimistic.

He said much of the supporting infrastructure around the emergency department at Letterkenny had been damaged by the recent flooding.

The damage included the radiology department and the kitchen being put out of action.

Since the flooding, ambulance patients have been taken to Sligo and Derry.

However, Mr Hickey said that yesterday Altnagelvin in Derry had reached capacity and patients were now being taken only to Sligo.

He said the HSE should issue daily updates to people in the hospital's catchment area.

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Council of State advice sought on abortion law

A meeting of the Council of State has been convened by President Michael D Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin this afternoon to consider the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill.

President Higgins has until Wednesday to either sign the bill into law or refer it to the Supreme Court to decide whether the legislation, or any provision within it, is incompatible with the Constitution.

Should the court approve the bill, it automatically becomes law and its constitutionality could never be subsequently challenged.

It is the first time that President Higgins has convened the Council of State since he assumed office in November 2011.

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Sean Dunne declared bankrupt in High Court

Developer Sean Dunne has been adjudicated bankrupt by the High Court in Dublin.

Ulster Bank, which secured a €163 million judgment against him last year was supported by NAMA in its application for the case to proceed in his absence today.

Mr Dunne was not represented in court.

Lawyers for Ulster bank told the court they were satisfied Mr Dunne was fully aware of the proceedings and had done everything he could to thwart them.

Lyndon McCann said there had been some correspondence from Mr Dunne's US lawyers over the weekend suggesting he had not been given sufficient notice of the hearing.

He said there was an urgency to the case because of what he described as "voluntary" and "gratuitous" dispositions in favour of Sean Dunne's wife in the past five years.

Such dispositions could be void unless the debtor was solvent at the time.

There was a "critical urgency" that the petition be dealt with, he said.

He added: "He has done everything he can to thwart proceedings by way of the US proceedings. There has been ample time for him to come in and seek to adjourn the proceedings. This was not like a debtor knowing nothing of bankruptcy proceedings being served with notice. He has known about this process for many many months."

Ms Justice Elizabeth Dunne said there was no doubt at this stage he had been duly served with notice of the hearing. She said it would not have come as any surprise as it had been flagged for some time. There was material before the court to show he had always been aware of the proceedings, the judge said.

Lyndon McCann told the court notice of the case had been served again at Mr Dunne's home in Conneticut in the past week.

His wife had refused to accept service and said he would be away for some weeks. A US marshall had pinned the notice to his door.

The marshall has described speaking to "a blonde lady with an Irish accent" who was driving an SUV out of the driveway as he approached.

Mr McCann said Mrs Dunne's explanation that her husband would be away for some weeks "was difficult to reconcile" with correspondence from Mr Dunne's attorney about contact with him.

He said the petition should proceed today.

Mr Dunne had filed for bankruptcy in the US but a court there ruled dual bankruptcy proceedings could take place in both jurisdictions.

A court appointed official assignee will now liaise with the US authorities over the what is to happen with Mr Dunne's assets.

It is now open to Mr Dunne to challenge the decision.

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Court rules Michael Stone must serve 30-year term

Loyalist Michael Stone who killed three men during a gun and grenade attack at an IRA funeral in west Belfast must serve out the remainder of his minimum 30-year jail sentence.

Stone, 58, opened fire at Milltown cemetery where crowds had gathered for the funerals of three republicans shot dead by the SAS is Gibraltar in 1988.

His earliest possible release will be in 2018, taking account of time already served.

The Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) lone gunman injured more than 50 and countless more were forced to take cover behind headstones.

A spokeswoman for the Lord Chief Justice's office said: "Commenting that the effect on the victims will live with them forever, the Lord Chief Justice set a minimum term of 30 years before the prisoner should be considered for release."

Sitting in Belfast, senior judge Sir Declan Morgan fixed the minimum term to be served by Stone for his conviction in 1989 of six counts of murder, five of attempted murder and three of conspiracy to murder.

The offences happened in the 1980s and included the attack at Milltown.

As the last of the three IRA coffins was lowered into the joint grave, Stone fired shots and threw a grenade towards the crowd.

Some mourners chased Stone as he retreated while continuing to fire shots and throw grenades. All three of his victims died during the pursuit. 

The attack at Milltown was to have further tragic consequences at the funeral of one of the victims three days later, when two British Army corporals were dragged from their car, taken to waste land and shot dead after inadvertently driving into the funeral cortege.

Stone has been in prison since 1988 except for a period between 2000 and 2006 when he was released on licence under the Good Friday Agreement.

He was returned to jail following an attack at Stormont in 2006, when he was armed with explosives and said he intended to kill Sinn Féin's Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness.

The Lord Chief Justice noted Stone's lack of remorse.

His spokeswoman added: "The Lord Chief Justice considered that the killings were professional as the prisoner had offered his services as a killer to any loyalist group who would use him.

"The killings were politically motivated in that they were directed at a section of the public identified by the prisoner as holding certain political views. The prisoner also committed multiple murders with the intent to strike fear into the community at large.

"The Lord Chief Justice concluded that this was undoubtedly a case where the higher starting point (for prison term) applied."

He said the killings were planned and premeditated and the prisoner had armed himself with extensive weaponry, ruling that there were no mitigating factors of significance.

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Italy mourns bus crash victims

Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta has described as a huge tragedy the bus crash that killed 39 people and injured ten more in the south of the country.

Initial reports suggested that the coach was travelling at speed and had hit four or five cars before crashing over roadside barriers.

There were around 50 people on board, including many children, when the bus plunged off a viaduct near Monteforte Irpino, east of Naples.

Mr Letta, who was on an official visit to Athens, cancelled a private visit to the historic Acropolis before meeting his Greek counterpart Antonis Samaras.

"It is a very sad day for Italy, what happened last night. There are no words for it," he told reporters. "It is a huge tragedy."

Motorway operator Autostrade per l'Italia said the coach appeared to have been travelling fast in the vicinity of slower-moving traffic, even though the lower speed had been clearly indicated.

"You would think that the barriers on the viaducts and bridges should prevent this type of accident, but evidently it seems the impact was so strong that even the barrier gave way," said Alessio Barbarulo, head of the local fire brigade division.

A police official said 36 people were killed immediately and another three died later in hospital.

Infrastructure Minister Maurizio Lupi said it was too early to say what may have caused the accident.

He said there was no indication of technical problems with the bus, which had passed its annual inspection in March.

An official from the prosecutor's office in nearby Avellino said investigations would look at the possibility of manslaughter or causing an accident. The driver was killed in the crash.

All of the victims appear to have been Italians returning from an excursion to the town of Telese Terme, known for its hot sulphurous springs and a nearby lake popular as a fishing spot.

Local media said the stretch of road where the bus crashed had been the scene of repeated accidents.

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US drugmaker Perrigo to buy Elan for $8.6 billion

US generic drugmaker Perrigo has agreed to buy Dublin based drug company Elan for $8.6 billion in a deal that will hand it royalty rights from a blockbuster treatment.

Elan put itself up for sale last month after rejecting three hostile bids from US investment firm Royalty Pharma in a bitter takeover battle that involved injunctions, court hearings and a war of words.

Michigan-based Perrigo manufactures over-the-counter pharmaceutical products for the store brand market.

It will pay $6.25 per share in cash and $10.25 per share in stock, a premium of about 10.5% over Elan's closing price on Friday. 

Elan shares were higher in Dublin trade this afternoon, after jumping over 10% at one stage today. 

"We're excited by what it means for the international expansion. We think it's financially compelling and when you put it together with an Irish domicile that has operational tax synergies, we think it's a really compelling story," Perrigo chief executive Joe Papa said.

''This is an excellent transaction for Elan shareholders and provides them with cash consideration as well as the opportunity to benefit from the potential upside value of the new company,'' commented Elan's chairman Robert A Ingram.

Elan's CEO Kelly Martin said that the company platform has been constructed over the years to provide ''a unique and compelling investment thesis for our shareholders''.

''This transaction underscores the tremendous value of Elan's platform. The new combined company should deliver value, growth and diversification to shareholders for many years to come,'' he added.

Reuters reported last week that Perrigo and New York-based Forest Laboratories were preparing to submit takeover bids and that Elan hoped to announce a sale as early as this week.

The proposed deal, which has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of Perrigo and Elan, is expected to close by the end of the year.

Elan, which was founded as a private company in 1969, had also drawn initial interest from Allergan, Mylan International and Endo HealthSolutions.

For Elan and and its chief executive Kelly Martin, who took over the firm in 2003 when its share price had sunk to $2, the deal is vindication for rejecting Royalty's advances as consistently undervaluing the company.

Royalty's final offer was $13 in cash per share as well as a "contingent value right" that could have added a further $2.50 per share if Elan's blockbuster multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri hit certain sales milestones. "I think the value is fair for Elan, it's fair for Perrigo," Mr Martin told Reuters.

Some Elan investors speculated that any industry buyer could acquire Elan and sell a portion of the royalties on Tysabri to Royalty, which is what the investment firm had wanted all along.

Elan sold its 50% interest in Tysabri to US partner Biogen Idec in February for $3.25 billion but retained royalty rights in the drug, whose sales rose to $1.6 billion last year.

Papa said that he saw the Tysabri royalty, worth up to 25% on future sales, as a very good source to fund future opportunities for the company.

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CRI alert over missing family cancelled

Eoghan (10) and Ruairi (5) Chada Drivers were asked to contact gardaí if they saw Mr Chada's green Ford Focus (Pic: Dylan Vaughan) Sanjeev Chada left the family home in Ballinkill, Bagnalstown yesterday evening CRI alert was carried on 110 electronic roadside signs (Pic: Dylan Vaughan)

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Man injured in Dublin shooting

A man in his late 20s has been injured in a shooting in Dublin.

The incident occurred at Russell Terrace in Kinsealy at about 11pm last night.

The man was taken by ambulance to Beaumont Hospital.

His injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

The scene has been preserved for technical examinations.

Gardaí are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information on the incident to contact them at Coolock Garda Station, on 01-6664200.

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Fiscal Advisory Council seek €3.1bn adjustment

The Chair of the Fiscal Advisory Council Professor John McHale has said the Government should pursue an adjustment of €3.1bn  in October's Budget.

Speaking on RTÉ's This Week programme, Professor McHale said not pursuing that figure was a risky strategy.

Yesterday, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore said a €3.1bn Budget adjustment was not an agreed target.

Mr Gilmore said he does not see a case for doing more than is necessary to meet the Government's target of getting the deficit under 5.1% in 2014.

Professor McHale said: "The money adjustment targets are directly relevant in that much of Ireland's credibility in terms of showing it has the political capacity to make the necessary fiscal adjustments really revolve around meeting those targets,"

He also said that it was hard to see how the Government's deficit targets would be achieved if there was a significant scaling back on proposed social welfare cuts.

Professor McHale said: "Given that the Social Protection budget is about 40% of total spending, and the adjustments that were pencilled in of €440m involves about a 2 to 2.5% reduction in Social Protection spending"

He said: "it is hard to see how the necessary adjustments could be achieved if there was a significant scaling back beyond that €440m."

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Pope urges Brazil's young to fight apathy

Pope Francis last night encouraged Brazil's young people, who have protested against corruption in their country, to continue their efforts to change society by fighting apathy and offering "a Christian response".

The 76-year-old pope spoke to a crowd estimated by the Vatican to be more than 2m people gathered on Rio's famed Copacabana beach for an evening rally.

He also urged young people to shun fleeting fads and be "athletes of Christ".

Pope Francis, nearly concluding his first overseas trip, received yet another rapturous welcome when he arrived at the crescent-shaped beach.

He stopped his popemobile several times to kiss babies and an Argentine flag that was waved at the car.

Gallery: World Youth Day

Most participants planned to spend the night on the sand and adjacent pavement to hold their places for today's closing mass on the same spot, making the place a giant campsite.

Brazil, Latin America's largest nation, has been rocked by massive protests against corruption, the misuse of public money and the high cost of living. Most of the protesters were young.

Pope Francis told the gathering he knew that young people had taken to the streets in Brazil and elsewhere "to express their desire for a society that is more just and fraternal".

Speaking from a giant white stage, he encouraged them to fight apathy and be "protagonists of change" and offer "a Christian response to the social and political concerns arising in many parts of the world".

In his prepared text, he had added that they should do it in an "an orderly, peaceful and responsible way" but he improvised and did not read that part of his address.

The Vatican says that when the pope departs from his prepared text and omits phrases, his thoughts are considered valid nonetheless.

Pope Francis has dedicated much attention in his speeches to the problems, the prospects and the power of young people.

On Friday night he urged them to change a world where food is discarded while millions go hungry, where racism and violence still affront human dignity, and where politics is more associated with corruption than service.

The day before, during a visit to a Rio slum, he urged them to not lose trust and to not allow their hopes to be extinguished.

Many young people in Brazil saw this as his support for peaceful demonstrations to bring about change.

The Copacabana events were to have taken place on a pasture on the outskirts of Rio, but days of unseasonable rain turned the area into a field of mud.

Before yesterday's event, young people in jeans and nuns in their habits shared the beach with Rio residents who had streamed out of their homes to welcome back the sun after days of clouds and downpours.

The nuns wet their feet in the surf next to women playing volleyball in bikinis.

Young people carrying flags from dozens of nations sat in the sand in groups to pray and play music.

In his address to the young, the pope asked them to hone and perfect their faith like athletes who train for a match.

"Jesus offers us something bigger than the World Cup," he told them, saying they could have a "fulfilled and fruitful life" if they followed him and not "momentary fashions and fads".

He asked them to be "true athletes of Christ".

Earlier in the day, a group of feminists bared their breasts on the beach in a protest against the church's restrictive views on female sexuality and abortion.

With hundreds of buses still arriving in Rio bringing more pilgrims, security officials said they expected the crowd to peak at 1.5 million people during this morning's mass.

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12 hurt as thousands climb Croagh Patrick

St Patrick is said to have visited the mountain in the year 441 Two people are said to be in a serious condition, with one man sustaining a head injury at around 7am A second man had a heart attack near the bottom of the reek towards Murrisk Bay The pilgrimage was led by Archbishop of Tuam Michael Neary Thousands took part in the annual climb Some people climbed Croagh Patrick in their bare feet

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Muslim Brotherhood refuses to back down in Cairo

Thousands of supporters of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood stood their ground in Cairo today, saying they would not leave the streets despite "massacres" by security forces who shot dozens of them dead.

Egypt's ambulance service said 72 people were killed in yesterday's violence at a Cairo vigil by supporters of deposed President Mohammed Mursi.

The Muslim Brotherhood has vowed not to leave the streets unless Mr Mursi is restored to power.

His supporters accuse the military of reversing the uprising that brought democracy to the most populous Arab state.

"They will not be content until they bring back everything from the era of the corrupt, murderous security and intelligence state," senior Brotherhood official Essam el-Erian said on Facebook.

"They've stepped up their efforts to do so by committing massacres never before seen in Egyptian history."

Although Cairo was quiet this morning, violent clashes rattled the Suez Canal city of Port Said.

A 17-year-old youth was killed in fighting between the pro- and anti-Mursi camps and a further 29 people injured, security sources said.

The violence has deeply polarised Egypt, with its secular and liberal elite so far showing little sympathy for the Brotherhood.

The secular and liberal elite have no reservations about the return to power of a military which ruled for 60 years before the 2011 uprising.

However, in one of the first signs of doubt from within the interim cabinet installed after the military takeover, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Ziad Bahaa El-Din said the government must not copy the "oppressive and exclusionary policies" of its foes.

Mr El-Din wrote on Facebook: "Our position must remain fixed on the need to provide legal guarantees not only for the members of the Brotherhood, but for every Egyptian citizen. Excessive force is not permitted," 

In another sign of unease, the Tamarud youth protest movement, which mobilised millions of people against Mr Mursi.

The Tamarud youth protest movement has fully backed the army, expressed alarm at an announcement that the interior minister was reviving the feared secret political police shut down after Mubarak was toppled.

The killings took place the morning after mass demonstrations called by military chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

The call for demonstrations was to show public support for a crackdown on "terrorism", which the Brotherhood sees as justifying an onslaught against it.

In an apparent show of support for the police, General Sisi at a graduation ceremony received a standing ovation from the recruits, all decked out in starched white uniforms.

Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim hailed him as "Egypt's devoted son".

The military insists it does not want to retain power and aims to hand over to full civilian rule with a "road map" to elections in about six months.

But the very public role of General Sisi as face of the new order has led to speculation that the next president could again be a military officer, like all of Egypt's rulers between 1952 and Mr Mursi's election last year.

This morning army vehicles still surrounded entrances and exits to the square in northeast Cairo where thousands of Mursi supporters have camped out for a month.

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Death toll rises in Spanish train disaster

The death toll from a train crash near the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela has risen to 79 after one of the critically injured passengers died in hospital.

Health officials say 22 people, including two children, remain in a critical condition.

The judge investigating the crash is expected to question the train driver, 52-year-old Francisco Jose Garzon Amo, at a special hearing today.

Judge Luis Alaez will then decide whether to press formal charges.

Mr Garzon Amo is currently under arrest at the police headquarters, after being discharged from hospital yesterday.

He faces manslaughter charges related to reckless behaviour in which he allegedly drove too fast on a bend.

Local media reports suggest the train was travelling at more than twice the speed limit at the time of the crash.

Mr Garzon Amo has so far refused to make a statement to police or answer questions.

Media will be excluded from today's hearing, at which the driver is expected to give his first account of what happened.

The judge will then decide whether to remand him as an official suspect, release him on bail, or free him without charge.

It is unclear when the hearing will take place but sources at the Galician Supreme Court suggest it will be this afternoon.

The train company, Renfe, has sought to be legally represented at court today.

Crash victims remembered in Ireland

Hundreds of people attended a mass in Dublin this morning to remember those who died in the train crash and to celebrate the Feast of St James.

It was held at St James's Church in James's Street.

The mass was attended by Spain's Charges D'Affairs to Ireland, Rafael Soriano, who thanked Irish people for their support.

A book of condolences was opened and featured many messages remembering the crash victims.

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Spanish train driver accused of homicide

A train driver suspected of causing Spain's worst train disaster for decades is facing charges of "homicide with impunity", effectively meaning manslaughter.

Investigators are looking into possible failings by 52-year-old Francisco Jose Garzon Amo after the Madrid to Ferrol service derailed on Wednesday night as it approached the city of Santiago de Compostela.

He has now left hospital after receiving treatment for chest trauma.

Mr Garzon Amo has been taken to a police station, but has so far refused to answer officers' questions and is expected to be interrogated by a judge.

He must appear before a judge before 7.40pm local time (6.40pm Irish time) tomorrow to comply with Spanish law.

Visiting Santiago, Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz said that he believes there are "rational indicators of the train driver's liability".

"He has been detained since 7.40pm on Thursday for the alleged crime of reckless homicide," Mr Fernandez Diaz said.

He said the driver had once again declined to make a statement to police this morning.

Meanwhile, a news conference was told this afternoon that passengers on the train will be able to pick up their belongings today.

They are being held at a school near the scene of the accident.

The head of the police forensic office Antonio de Amo said that medics had 37 body parts and had yet to establish which victim they belonged to.

The president of the autonomous region of Galicia, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, said forensic science units hoped to name three of the 78 victims who have not yet been identified in the next three days.

Mr Nunez-Feijoo also said a public funeral for the 78 dead would be held at Santiago cathedral on Monday.

30 people are still believed to be in a critical condition in hospital.

In addition to people from all over Spain, nationals from the United States, Mexico and Algeria are believed to be among the dead.

Authorities are in possession of the train's so-called "black box", which is expected to shed further light on the cause of the disaster.

It has yet to be examined by investigators, as protocol demands that the police investigation is concluded first.

Adif, Spain's railway agency, confirmed that a high-tech automatic braking programme was installed on the track for most of the journey but stops just 5km south of where the crash occurred.

From that point on the driver has sole control of the brakes.

"Regardless of the system in place, the drivers know the speed limits. If these are respected, an accident should not take place," a spokeswoman said.

Early indications suggested the train was travelling at around 190km/hr - more than twice the 80km/hr speed limit - when it crashed while heading into a curve.

Gonzalo Ferre, president of Adif, said the driver should have started slowing the train 4km before reaching a dangerous bend that train drivers had been told to respect.

"Four kilometres before the accident happened he already had warnings that he had to begin slowing his speed, because as soon as he exits the tunnel he needs to be travelling at 80 kilometres per hour," Mr Ferre said.

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Dozens of Mursi supporters shot dead in Cairo

Egyptian security forces shot dead dozens of supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Mursi this morning witnesses said.

It comes days after the army chief called for a popular mandate to wipe out "violence and terrorism".

Men in helmets and black police fatigues fired on crowds.

They were gathered on the fringes of a round-the-clock sit-in near a mosque in northeast Cairo, Mr Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood movement said.

"They are not shooting to wound, they are shooting to kill," said Brotherhood spokesman Gehad El-Haddad. "The bullet wounds are in the head and chest."

The bloodshed has rocked a country already struggling with the transition to democracy two years after Hosni Mubarak was swept from power.

A Muslim Brotherhood website said 120 people had been killed and some 4,500 injured.

A Reuters reporter counted 36 bodies at one morgue, while health officials said there were a further 21 corpses in two nearby hospitals.

Activists rushed casualties into a makeshift hospital. Some were carried in on planks or blankets.

Egypt's Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim accused the Brotherhood of exaggerating the death toll for political ends.

He said only 21 people had died and denied police opened fire.

Mr Ibrahim said local residents living close to the Rabaa al-Adawia mosque vigil had clashed with protesters in the early hours after they had blocked off a major bridge road.

He said that police had used teargas to try to break up the fighting.

Well over 200 people have been killed in violence since the army toppled Mr Mursi on 3 July, following huge protests against his year in power.

The army denies accusations it staged a coup, saying it intervened to prevent national chaos.

Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians had poured onto the streets yesterday.

The move was in response to a call by army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for nationwide demonstrations to give him backing to confront the weeks-long wave of violence.

His appeal was seen as a challenge to the Brotherhood.

The Brotherhood organised its own rallies calling for the return of Mr Mursi.

Mr Mursi has been held in an undisclosed location since his overthrow and faces a raft of charges, including murder.

Mr Ibrahim said Mr Mursi was likely to be transferred shortly to the same Cairo prison where former leader Mubarak is now held.

Brotherhood leaders appealed for calm today, but activists at the Rabaa al-Adawia mosque vigil voiced fury.

"The people want the execution of Sisi," a cleric shouted to the crowd from a stage by the mosque. "The people want the execution of the butcher."

Interior Minister Ibrahim said the pro-Mursi sit-ins would "God willing, soon ... be dealt with"

It will be based on a decision by a public prosecutor, who is reviewing complaints from local residents unhappy with the huge encampment on their doorstep.

The head of the Nour Party, the second-biggest Islamist group after the Brotherhood, called for an immediate investigation into what it called a "massacre".

"There is no substitute for a political solution with the commitment of everyone to exercise restraint ... and to renounce violence in all its forms, whether verbal or physical," Younis Makhyoun said in a Facebook statement.

The Brotherhood is a highly organised movement with grassroots support throughout Egypt, making it hard to silence even if the army decides to mount a bigger crackdown.

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said she "deeply deplores" today's deaths and urged all sides to halt the violence.

There was no immediate comment from the United States, which provides Egypt with $1.5bn of aid a year, mainly military hardware.

The US has delayed delivery of four F-16 fighters because of the turmoil.

However, officials have indicated they do not intend to cut off aid to a country seen as a vital ally and which has a peace deal with neighbouring Israel.

Witnesses said police first fired rounds of teargas at Brotherhood protesters gathered on a boulevard leading away from the Rabaa mosque, with live shots ringing out soon afterwards.

Dr Ibtisam Zein, overseeing the Brotherhood morgue, said most of the dead were hit in the head, some between the eyes.

The bodies were wrapped in white sheets and laid on the floor, their names scrawled on the shrouds.

Mr Haddad said the Brotherhood remained committed to pursuing peaceful protests, despite today's deaths - the second mass shooting of its supporters this month by security forces, who killed 53 people on 8 July.

Brotherhood activists at Rabaa said they would not be subdued and warned of worse bloodshed if the security forces did not back down.

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Gilmore says €3.1bn adjustment not agreed target

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore has said he does not see a case for doing more than is necessary to meet the Government's target of getting the deficit under 5.1% in 2014.

Today's Irish Times reports that Mr Gilmore has rejected a call from European Stability Mechanism Managing Director Klaus Regling to stick to the Budget adjustment target of €3.1bn.

Speaking on RTÉ's The Business with George Lee this morning, Mr Gilmore said the targets set and agreed had been expressed in percentage terms and not in terms of a quantity of money.

He said there have been suggestions that even if the 5.1% target is met, there should also be cuts and tax adjustments of €3.1bn.

"Our view is that we will meet our target of 5.1% and we will do what is necessary in order to do that.

"That'll still be very significant and this will be a challenging Budget as all our budgets have been, but I do not see a case for doing more than is necessary to meet the target that has already been agreed with us." Mr Gilmore said.

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Motorcyclist dies in Co Wexford collision

A man in his 20s died last night after his motorcycle collided with a car on the N11 in Co Wexford.

The crash took place at Ferrycarrig on the Wexford to Enniscorthy road.

It happened at about 8.30pm. There were no other injuries.

The dead man's body was removed to Wexford General Hospital, where a post-mortem examination is to take place later today.

A section of the road was closed for forensic investigations but has since reopened.

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Man released after bank card interception probe

A man has been released without charge following questioning over the interception of bank cards from post in the Dublin area.

The An Post employee had been arrested following a search in the Crumlin area of Dublin.

The man in his 40s had been held at Terenure Garda Station.

A file is to be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

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Clean-up at Letterkenny hospital may cost millions

A clean-up operation has been taking place at Letterkenny General Hospital in Co Donegal following extensive flooding yesterday evening.

Torrential rainfall caused a stream at the back of the hospital to overflow.

The Emergency Department remains closed and patients are being diverted to Sligo Regional Hospital and Altnagelvin Hospital.

The hospital is closed to all visitors.

Many areas have been soiled and damaged by flooding and the hospital wishes to avoid the risk of contamination and the spread of infection.

Heavy rain caused a stream at the back of the hospital to overflow its banks, spilling onto to the hospital grounds and eventually into the hospital.

Local authority fire services were called to pump the water from the building.

Sean Murphy, the hospital's general manager, said it had been "a very difficult situation".

He thanked hospital staff, the fire service, the council, the army and the gardaí for their help in trying to manage it.

Specialist cleaning teams are on site while others will be in place over the weekend.

Mr Murphy also paid tribute to the 500 volunteers who helped the clean up operation last night and said the staff had been terrific.

It is expected that the ban on visitors to the hospital will remain in place over the weekend.

Elsewhere, graves in Conwal were damaged when a river burst its banks.

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Strauss-Kahn to face pimping charges in France

Former International Monetary Fund head Dominique Strauss-Kahn will be tried on charges of pimping, according to prosecutors in France.

Prosecutors in the northern city of Lille said investigating judges had determined that Mr Strauss-Kahn, 64, who has been under investigation in the case since 2012, should be judged by a criminal court.

The decision comes as a surprise after a public prosecutor had recommended in June that the inquiry be dropped without trial.

"We're not in the realm of the law, we're in ideology. We're sending someone to court for nothing," said Henri Leclerc, one of Mr Strauss-Kahn's lawyers.

The so-called "Carlton affair", named after a hotel in Lille, involves sex parties that Mr Strauss-Kahn has acknowledged attending. He said he was unaware that the women in attendance were prostitutes.

Mr Strauss-Kahn is charged with "aggravated pimping". Pimping under French law is a broad crime that can encompass aiding or encouraging the act of prostitution.

Mr Strauss-Kahn was charged with the more serious form because it allegedly involved more than one prostitute.

In France, it is not against the law to pay for sex, but is against the law to solicit or to run a prostitution business.

The crime carries a maximum term of ten years in prison and a fine of €1.5 million.

The former French finance minister quit his post as head of the International Monetary Fund in 2011 after being accused of raping a maid in New York, a charge that was dropped in August 2012.

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Driver arrested over Spanish train crash

The driver of a Spanish train that derailed, killing at least 78 people, has been arrested after the crash was allegedly caused by excessive speed.

The eight-carriage train came off the tracks, hit a wall and caught fire just outside the pilgrimage destination of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain on Wednesday night.

It was one of Europe's worst rail disasters.

The driver was arrested yesterday at the hospital where he is being treated.

Officials did not name the driver this morning, but local media reported that he was 52-year-old Francisco Jose Garzon.

State train company Renfe said the driver was a 30-year veteran of the firm with more than a decade of train driving experience.

He had travelled on the line more than 60 times in the past.

Meanwhile, the death toll has been revised downwards to 78.

Commissioner Antonio del Amo said this revision took place as medics had initially wrongly identified some of the victims.

He said 72 bodies have been identified and the other six would require different forms of identification, such as dental records.

The commissioner said this could take several days or a week.

He said that the train's black box had yet to be assessed and would only be opened when the presiding judge ruled it should happen.

Video footage from a security camera showed the train, with 247 people on board, hurtling into a concrete wall at the side of the track as carriages jack-knifed and the engine overturned.

The train entered the bend at 190km/h, according to local media reports. The speed limit on the curve was 80km/h.

Investigators are trying to find out why the train was going so fast and why security devices to keep speed within permitted limits did not slow it down.

The impact was so huge one carriage flew several metres into the air and landed on the other side of a concrete barrier. Bodies were strewn next to the tracks in the aftermath.

Around 94 people were injured, 32 of them, including three children, in a serious condition, the deputy head of the regional government said.

The dead included a US citizen and a Mexican, and at least one British citizen was injured.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, a native of Galicia, visited the accident site and the main hospital on Thursday. He declared three days of official national mourning.

King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia also visited the injured in hospital.

"All of Spain is united in grief with the bereaved families," the king said.

Spain's rail safety record is better than the European average, ranking 18th out of 27 countries in terms of railway deaths per km travelled, the European Railway Agency said.

There were 218 train accidents in Spain between 2008 and 2011, well below the EU average of 426 for the same period.

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Installation of water meters to begin next week

Irish Water said it plans to install more than one million water meters outside homes before the end of 2016.

The company said that it will put 27,000 meters in place, starting next week.

The new utility company said it will start in Co Kildare and will expand its installation into Kerry, Meath, Wexford, Dublin city, Limerick, Mayo and then Fingal.

People will be given notice before a meter is installed and the company said the installation should not cause more than a few hours' disruption to supply.

Households should expect their first water bill at the start of 2015.

Those who have not received a meter at that stage will be billed on their estimated usage.

The three regional contractors appointed are GMC/Sierra Ltd, J Murphy and Sons Ltd and Coffey Northumbrian Ltd.

The company said the metering programme will create 1,600 jobs. Recruitment starts immediately and details are available at www.water.ie.

Irish Water Managing Director John Tierney has said that most of the 1,600 jobs would last for three-and-a-half years.

Speaking to RTÉ News, Mr Tierney said one quarter, or around 400 of the new positions, would be retained for those on the Live Register, as well as small to medium companies, school leavers and graduates.

He said he was sure there will be some protests, but he hoped that people will accept that contractors should not be interfered with when carrying out their work on the public thoroughfare.

The contractors are not required to enter people's houses to install the meters.

Mr Tierney said around 1,400 of the jobs announced will be sub-contractors hired by the main contracting firms.

This is broken down by setting aside 10% of all jobs for the unemployed, a further 10% for SMEs and the remaining 5% for graduates and school leavers.

Mr Tierney said the jobs reserved for the unemployed would be restricted to those residing in Ireland only. He said this was neither illegal nor discriminatory.

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Central Bank warns on easing austerity

The Central Bank has warned the Government not to ease up on austerity in the Budget.

In its latest Quarterly Bulletin, it said there had been discussion about scaling back fiscal consolidation.

But the Central Bank warned the Government that "this temptation must be resisted".

It said Ireland's debt and deficit levels remain "very high" and called for full implementation of the planned fiscal adjustment of €5.1bn over the next two years.

The Central Bank has also significantly cut its forecast for economic growth.

It said GDP growth will be 0.7% this year, which is down from its earlier projection of 1.2%.

However, it believes unemployment will be lower than expected at 13.7% this year, which is down from its earlier forecast of 14.5%.

Elsewhere, Minister for Finance Micheal Noonan has said Budget 2014 will be tough.

Mr Noonan said while there are signs of some flexibility emerging, he still has to make adjustments of around €5 billion over the next two Budgets.

He was speaking in Limerick where the University of Limerick announced a €224m capital investment plan over the next five years.

Mr Noonan said the Central Bank's re-evaluation of its growth forecast was totally predictable.

He said the CSO had marked down its growth rates a month ago and it was obvious this would follow through.

The minister said he was pleasantly surprised that its growth forecasts for 2014 were marked down "just slightly" from 2.4% to 2.1%

He said he can live with a Budget based on a growth rate of 2.1%.

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Cleveland kidnap suspect agrees to plea deal

Accused Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro has agreed to plead guilty and serve life in prison without parole for the abduction and abuse of three women over about a decade.

Under a plea agreement announced in court, Ohio prosecutors agreed that Castro will not be eligible for the death penalty.

Castro was charged with 977 counts, including kidnapping and rape for snatching the women, holding them in captivity, and beating them for years.

Gina DeJesus, 23, Michelle Knight, 32, and Amanda Berry, 27 were freed from Castro's home in a rundown area of Cleveland on 6 May.

Also freed was a six-year-old girl who, according to DNA evidence, was fathered by Castro with Ms Berry during her captivity.

The women had been bound for periods of time in chains or ropes and endured starvation, beatings and sexual assaults, according to court documents and a police report.

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Anglo executives seek one judge for pre-trial

Lawyers for three former Anglo Irish Bank executives due to go on trial next January have asked for a single judge to "take control" of the pre-trial process amid concerns over adverse publicity.

Senior Counsel Brendan Grehan told the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court it was vital that "an air of calm be restored to the public from which a jury will be drawn" in the six months before the men go on trial in January.

He said it simply was not possible to have a fair trial when a recent "media frenzy was whipping up a lynch mob mentality".

Mr Grehan, who represents former Anglo executive Pat Whelan, said there had been ongoing coverage of matters, but in particular in the last five weeks, there was "quite an amount of general adverse media coverage of a certain category of person" the defendants might fall into.

"That is why it needs to be taken control of by a judge," he said.

He said the assignment of a particular judge to deal with the trial would speed up the pre-trial process and allow directions to be given to the parties and to the media.

Prosecution and defence lawyers have been pressing for a single judge to take over the management of the case to deal with pre-trial issues.

Adjourning the case until next Thursday, Judge Martin Nolan said that no special trial judge had been appointed and all applications would be dealt with "in the ordinary way".

Senior Counsel Michael O'Higgins for former Anglo chairman Sean FitzPatrick said he also had "serious concerns" about publicity and he was aware the "DPP was taking steps in this regard which would come to fruition next week".

"It used to be said the fade factor was six months, but a recent High Court judgment would suggest a new period of one year," he said.

Mr Fitzpatrick would be within his rights to request the trial not take place until next summer, but this was "exactly what he did not want", according to Mr O'Higgins.

However, he said if there were any "further elements of provocation" designed to empassion the public, this may change.

Prosecuting Counsel Una Ní Rafeartaigh said the issue of publicity was also of concern in a general sense to the prosecution and they would not disagree with Mr Grehan.

She said it was "important that in the last six months the media would be mindful of the dangers of matters being published which might lead to a postponement of the trial".

The trial of Mr FitzPatrick and two former directors was mentioned today in order to check on the progress of the case.

A disclosure hearing could not take place as defence lawyers said they had only received a large volume of documents in recent days and needed more time to assess them.

Ms Ní Rafeartaigh said all documents in the hands of the prosecution had been handed over and it was information in the hands of third parties causing any delays.

She said they had no power to enforce disclosure or deadlines, but most third parties had been co-operative.

Mr FitzPatrick, 65, of Whitshed Road, Greystones; William McAteer, 62, of Auburn Villas, Rathgar; and Pat Whelan, 51, of Coast Road, Malahide have been charged with 16 counts of allegedly providing unlawful financial assistance to individuals to buy shares in the bank.

They are due to go on trial next January.

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Three days of mourning after Spain train crash

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has declared three days of official mourning after 78 people died in a train crash last night.

Mr Rajoy visited the scene this morning where the train derailed on the outskirts of the northern city of Santiago de Compostela.

Galicia's local health chief said 178 people were injured in the high-speed crash and 95 remain in hospital.

Four children are among 36 passengers who are in a serious condition.

Firefighters had to clamber over the twisted metal to try to get survivors out of the windows of the carriages.

One of the train's two drivers has been put under formal investigation, said a spokeswoman for Galicia's Supreme Court.

She also said emergency workers had stopped looking for bodies on the train.

Security camera footage of what appears to be the crash has been posted on the website of the El Pais newspaper.

The footage shows a train entering a sharp bend at high speed then careering off the tracks, smashing into a wall running alongside the rail.

The train operated by state rail company Renfe with 256 people on board derailed on the eve of the ancient city's main festival when thousands of Christian pilgrims travel to the city.

It is reported that people from several different countries are among the injured.

The Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin said it is awaiting details from the Galician authorities, who are preparing a list of all passengers and staff on board the train.

"It was going so quickly ... It seems that on a curve the train started to twist, and the wagons piled up one on top of the other," one passenger told Cadena Ser radio station.

One witness near the scene told the radio station she heard an explosion before seeing the derailed train.

The train was travelling from Madrid to Ferrol on the Galician coast when it derailed, Renfe said in a statement.

Mr Rajoy, who was born in Santiago de Compostela, held an emergency meeting with his ministers last night.

"In the face of a tragedy such as just happened in Santiago de Compostela on the eve of its big day, I can only express my deepest sympathy as a Spaniard and a Galician," Mr Rajoy said in a statement.

Festivities cancelled as city mourns

Santiago de Compostela's tourism board said all the festivities, including the traditional High Mass at the centuries-old cathedral, were cancelled as the city went into mourning.

El Pais cited sources close to the investigation as saying the train was travelling at over twice the speed limit on a sharp curve.

Both Renfe and state-owned Adif, which is in charge of the tracks, have opened an investigation into the cause of the derailment, Renfe said.

An official source said no statement would be made regarding the cause of the Spanish derailment until the black boxes of the train were examined, but said it was most likely an accident.

"We are moving away from the hypothesis of sabotage or attack," he said.

Clinics in the city were overwhelmed with people flocking to give blood, while hotels organised free rooms for relatives. The government sent forensic scientists and hospital staff to the region on special flights.

Firefighters called off a strike to help with the disaster, while hospital staff, many operating on reduced salaries because of spending cuts, worked overtime to tend the injured.

The city's main festival focuses on St James, one of Jesus' 12 disciples whose remains are said to rest in the city and who is patron saint of Galicia.

The apostle's shrine there is the destination of the famous El Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, followed by Christians since the Middle Ages.

The derailment was one of the worst rail accidents in Europe over the past 25 years.

Santiago popular with Irish travellers

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has written to Mr Rajoy expressing his sympathy on behalf of the Irish people to the victims of the train crash.

It is understood Mr Kenny said he was particularly touched by the reaction of the Spanish people, as demonstrated by the many queues of those offering to donate blood in the aftermath of the crash.

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Eamon Gilmore has said the Galician region and Santiago are popular destinations for Irish travellers.

He said the Irish Embassy in Madrid has been in contact with the regional authorities about the accident.

Anyone who is concerned for family or friends they believe may have been travelling on the train should contact the department on 01-4082000.

A Book of Condolence will open at 7am tomorrow morning at St Andrew's Church, Westland Row, Dublin.

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Surrogacy case to be given priority hearing

The Supreme Court is to give a priority hearing to an appeal by the State to a landmark ruling on surrogacy.

The High Court ruled earlier this year that a genetic mother of twins born to a surrogate could be named as the legal mother on the birth certificate of her children.

The State later decided to appeal the case saying it was necessary "to bring certainty to this vital area of law and to ensure that the legislature's scope to legislate is absolutely clear".

The family's solicitor had said she was very concerned about the delays her clients would have to face because of the appeal by the State.

The Supreme Court agreed to give the priority with a possible hearing date in January 2014.

In March this year, Mr Justice Henry Abbott ruled the genetic mother of twins born to a surrogate was entitled to be registered as their mother on their birth certificates.

The surrogate mother, the sister of the genetic mother, had supported the couple's application.

The judge had rejected the State's arguments that the 1983 anti-abortion amendment to the Constitution confirmed the birth mother as the legal mother.

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Crumlin hospital sorry for contamination scare

Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin has apologised to 18 families who were wrongly identified as being at the centre of a contamination scare over a medical scope.

In a statement this morning, the hospital said that seven new patients, separate from the 18 who have now been given the all-clear, are now being contacted about the colonoscope contamination.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Dr Colm Costigan, Clinical Director of the three Dublin paediatric hospitals, apologised for the distress caused to families.

He said: "It appears what happened was that when we did the quality assurance check on our scopes back on 6 July, there were two scopes that didn't pass the test and was contaminated with ESBL (extended-spectrum beta-lactamases).

"Unfortunately, there seems to have been an error in that the contamination was attributed to the wrong scope."

Dr Costigan said he personally contacted the original 18 families last night to reassure them they were not affected by the contaminated scope.

The hospital said it has contacted all seven other families who are now affected.

Dr Costigan said a "look back" investigation was under way to try to find out what happened and also why the wrong colonoscope was identified as being contaminated.

The hospital said an information pack and testing kit would be sent to the seven families. It said families would be notified immediately of the results.

The contamination problem involves children who underwent a colonoscopy with a contaminated colonoscope between 17 May and 5 July.

The problem emerged when a crack was found in the colonoscope and tests on 6 July last showed the crack contained a bug that can cause infection and cannot be cleared by antibiotics, but can be treated.

Elsewhere, HSE Director General Tony O'Brien said he has asked a senior official in the HSE to report into how the incorrect information was given to the 18 parents.

Mr O'Brien described the handling of the issue as a "catastrophic failure of the incident management process".

He said the "root cause analysis" would be carried out by the HSE's National Director of Quality and Patient Safety.

The review will examine how the misinformation occurred.

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Watchdog will not investigate US firms over Prism

The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) has said it will not investigate US firms for transferring personal data to a US spy agency because they have signed up to EU privacy principles.

The European headquarters of Apple and Facebook are based in Ireland.

The office had been challenged by an Austrian student activist group to investigate allegations that the US National Security Agency harvests emails and other private data from the companies in a mass electronic surveillance programme known as Prism.

But in an email published by the student group, europe-v-facebook, the ODPC said the companies were covered by Safe Harbour.

The Safe Harbour system allows US firms to certify themselves as compliant with EU data protection law by signing up to a set of principles supposed to safeguard how personal data are used.

The European Union adopted Safe Harbour in 2000, seven years before the NSA began the Prism programme that was revealed by fugitive intelligence contractor Edward Snowden last month.

"We do not consider that there are grounds for an investigation under the Irish Data Protection Acts given that 'Safe Harbour' requirements have been met," the ODPC wrote to europe-v-facebook.

An ODPC spokeswoman told Reuters: "If something is agreed by the European Commission for the purpose of providing safeguards, that ticks a box under our jurisdiction."

Max Schrems, the founder of europe-v-facebook, said: "We have the impression that the ODPC is trying to simply ignore the complaints and the whole Prism scandal."

The 25-year-old law student is also awaiting responses to complaints he has filed against Yahoo in Germany and Microsoft and Skype in Luxembourg.

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Tunisian opposition politician shot dead in Tunis

Tunisian opposition politician Mohamed Brahmi has been shot dead outside his house in the capital Tunis.

Mr Brahmi, who was in the nationalist and secular Popular Party, was a vocal critic of the Islamist-led government.

He was also a member of the Constituent Assembly charged with drawing up the country's new constitution.

Thousands gathered in front of the Interior Ministry building to protest at the killing.

"He was shot in front of his house when he was with his disabled daughter," said Mohamed Nabki, a member of the same party. "The killers fled on a motorbike."

Tomorrow will be a day of mourning in Tunisia in a show of respect for Mr Brahmi.

The February assassination of another secular politician, Chokri Belaid, ignited the worst violence in Tunisia since the 2011 fall of autocratic President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.

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Michael Lowry's home raided by Revenue

The home of Independent TD Michael Lowry in Holycross, Co Tipperary, has been raided by the Revenue Commissioners.

It is understood the raid happened on Tuesday morning.

A spokesperson for Revenue Commissioners declined to comment.

Mr Lowry has so far not commented on the raid.

The TD is a former Fine Gael minister and held the portfolio of Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications in the 1990s.

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Al-Qaeda responsible for Abu Ghraib prison break

Al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for raids on prisons in Iraq in which 500 inmates were freed.

Hundreds of convicts, including senior members of al-Qaeda, broke out of Iraq's Abu Ghraib jail after comrades launched a military-style assault to free them.

Suicide bombers drove cars packed with explosives to the gates of the prison on the outskirts of Baghdad.

Other militants took up positions near the main road, fighting off security reinforcements sent from Baghdad, as several others wearing suicide vests entered the prison on foot to help free the inmates.

Hundreds of prisoners succeeded in fleeing the prison, which became notorious a decade ago by photographs showing abuse of prisoners by US soldiers.

"The number of escaped inmates has reached 500, most of them were convicted senior members of al-Qaeda and had received death sentences," Hakim Al-Zamili, a senior member of the security and defence committee in parliament, said.

A simultaneous attack on another prison in Taji, around 20km north of Baghdad, followed a similar pattern.

Guards managed to prevent any inmates escaping, however 16  soldiers and six militants were killed.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which was formed earlier this year through a merger between al-Qaeda's affiliates in Syria and Iraq, said it had carried out the attacks on the jails after months of preparation.

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Search for Donegal man missing in Scotland

A search is under way for a Co Donegal man missing in Scotland for over a week.

Barry Doherty, 25, from Carndonagh was last seen on Monday 15 July in the Glenburn area of Paisley, southwest of Glasgow.

He left his home at around 11pm that day wearing a blue t-shirt, navy or black coloured shorts and grey coloured canvas shoes.

He is described as 1.8m (6ft) tall with a slim build, short brown hair and hazel-coloured eyes.

Scottish police said there have been no confirmed sightings despite extensive inquiries.

His family said it is most unusual for him not to be in touch and they are extremely worried about him.

He turned 25 last Thursday and did not make contact with any friends or family.

Mr Doherty often travels from Scotland to Donegal to visit family and friends.

Inspector David Brown from Paisley police office said: "We are becoming increasingly concerned for his wellbeing.

"At this time, I would urge anyone with any information about Barry's whereabouts or if anyone has seen him in the last few days to contact us so that we know he is safe and well."

Police are appealing for anyone with any information to contact them on 0044-141-532-5900.

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Property prices see first annual rise since 2008

Property prices have recorded their first annual increase since January 2008, according to the Central Statistics Office.

The national increase was caused by steady growth in house prices in Dublin, which have been on the rise for six months in a row.

Analysts now sugest that residential prices troughed at half-peak levels.

The price of residential property rose by 1.2% nationally in the year to June, according to the figures, compared to a decline of 14.4% in the 12 months to June 2012.

Properties in Dublin were behind the national increase, with prices there rising by 4.2% in the year to June. A lack of available supply is the main reason for the increase.

Prices in the rest of Ireland fell 1% during the previous 12 months.

On a monthly basis prices rose by 1.2% nationally. Dublin prices saw a month-on-month increase of 1.7% in June, while prices in the rest of the country rose by 0.7%.

Overall, property prices are 50% lower than at their peak in 2007, according to the CSO.

Dublin house prices are down 54%, while apartment prices in the county are 58% lower.

In the rest of the country, prices are 48% lower than they were at their peak six years ago.

Elsewhere, a report from the estate agents Douglas Newman Good, suggests there was an annual house price increase in Dublin of 15.1% to the end of June.

DNG's report says that in April, May and June the increase of 4.4% reflects four consecutive increases in Dublin house price values.

It also said that cash transactions made up 62% of purchases in the first three months of 2013 and that the average price of a second hand home in Dublin now stands at €279,000.

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Minister willing to consider online filters

Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte has said he would be willing to take a look at proposals by the UK government, which aim to block children's access to sexually explicit material on the internet.

The minister said he would be happy to examine a proposal by British Prime Minister David Cameron, which would see internet service providers installing family-friendly filters.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Rabbitte said he would be willing to examine the possibility that a similar protocol could be agreed with ISPs in Ireland.

However, he said Irish ISPs were "largely different" to the UK and that EU law prevents the imposition of mandatory measures.

The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children has urged the Government to consider forcing internet service providers to block access to online pornography.

Mr Cameron announced family-friendly filters would be automatically selected for all new customers by the end of the year, although they could choose to switch them off.

Possessing violent pornography containing simulated rape scenes will be made a crime in England and Wales and videos streamed online in the UK will be subject to the same restrictions as those sold in shops.

"I'm not making this speech because I want to moralise or scaremonger, but because I feel profoundly as a politician, and as a father, that the time for action has come," Mr Cameron said.

A secure database of banned child porn images gathered by police will also be used to trace illegal content and the paedophiles viewing it.

The British internet industry has agreed to use the database to proactively scan for, block and remove the images wherever they occur, Mr Cameron said.

He has given search engines an October deadline to introduce further measures to block access to illegal content by blacklisting searches based on certain phrases, claiming they have a "moral duty" to act.

A Google spokesman said: "We have a zero-tolerance attitude to child sexual abuse imagery. Whenever we discover it, we respond quickly to remove and report it."

The ISPCC has warned of the damaging effect of pornography on young minds, and on the relationships between young boys and girls.

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Seanad passes bill for abolition referendum

The Seanad has passed the bill providing for a referendum on its own abolition.

The bill was passed by 33 votes to 25.

The final stages of the debate heard strong criticism of the Government's proposal from Fianna Fáil and Independent Senators.

Speaking before the final vote, Independent Senator David Norris accused the Government of sleight of hand, dishonesty and Machiavellian conniving in its conduct, describing the legislation as a "piece of rubbish".

Fianna Fáil Seanad leader Darragh O'Brien said it was the greatest act of political vandalism in the history of the State.

Fianna Fáil Senator Mary White has criticised three of the Taoiseach's nominees to the Seanad for backing the Government's measure to hold a referendum on the Seanad's future.

Comparing the measure to the Act of Union and the end of Grattan's Parliament, she said those independent Senators supporting it could no longer describe themselves as independents.

Senator White said the abolition of the Seanad would increase the power of the Government and described it as a shameful proposal.

She expressed the hope that Fine Gael's director of elections for the referendum campaign, Richard Bruton, would be "crucified".

Her Fianna Fáil colleague Labhrás Ó Murchú said reform should be put forward as an alternative to abolition.

He said nobody is arguing against a referendum, but said the people should have the maximum information possible.

Mr Ó Murchú said the people were being asked to "buy a pig in a poke" in the proposed referendum, and asked whether this was the way to enhance the body politic.

He claimed the abolition of the Seanad had become a bigger issue than the Seanad itself,but has shone a light into the workings of Government.

Senator Gillian van Turnhout, who is supporting the Government's referendum plan, said the future of the Seanad was a question for the people and the people alone.

If Senators were to vote to delay the proposal, they should also have voted to delay the cut in respite care grants, she said.

She said she could not have it on her conscience that the first piece of legislation that she voted to delay was this measure.

Fianna Fáil's Diarmuid Wilson claimed that Government Senators had been promised projects in their constituencies on condition they supported abortion legislation and the Seanad referendum bill.

Labour's Aideen Hayden said it would be dishonest for any Government Senator to oppose the bill, as they knew the proposal was part of the Programme for Government.

Minister of State Brian Hayes described as "pitiful" suggestions from Senators that the Taoiseach has behaved like a dictator engaged in a power grab in his plans to abolish the Upper House.

He told the Seanad that the people will decide the future on the Seanad, not a group of politicians who fear their career plans might be upset.

Earlier, independent Senator Fergal Quinn said there were over 70 references to the Seanad in the Constitution, and deleting them would "devastate" the country's fundamental law.

Doherty not expecting to receive Norris apology

Elsewhere, Fine Gael TD Regina Doherty has said it does not look like she will get an apology from Senator David Norris for the comments he made about her in the Seanad last week.

In a heated debate earlier this month, Mr Norris said Ms Doherty was "talking through her fanny" and referred to the "Regina monologues".

Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Pat Kenny, Ms Doherty said that while Mr Norris claimed he wanted a "courteous and respectful" debate on the proposed referendum on Seanad abolition, the most courteous and honest thing that he could do would be to apologise to her.

Ms Doherty is Fine Gael's deputy director of elections for the referendum.

Speaking on the same programme, Mr Norris said he has no regrets over the comments he made about Ms Doherty.

He also criticised remarks made in the media that made reference to his current health, in the fallout from his comments about Ms Doherty.

Mr Norris said: "Non, je ne regrette rien. I don't regret anything except the simpering hypocrisy of people who wrote about me in the media, and started off with they were so sorry, about my brave fight for cancer, all the rest of it.

"I don't like hypocrisy. Leave my illness out of it. If you're going to stab me, stab me cleanly without any old blathery, hypocritical crocodile tears."

He also objected to a recording of his comments being replayed on air.

He called on people to vote against the Government's proposals to abolish the Seanad.

Walsh not surprised by Naughton nomination

Separately, Galway West TD Brian Walsh has said the nomination of a constituency colleague to the Seanad does not come as a surprise to him.

Last week, Taoiseach Enda Kenny appointed Hildegarde Naughton to the upper house.

The former Galway mayor was a Fine Gael candidate in the last general election.

Mr Walsh said he was under no illusion that the move was "geared at him".

He said it had been suggested to him that such an appointment would be made during negotiations prior to the vote on the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill.

Mr Walsh lost the Fine Gael party whip after voting against the bill.

He wished Senator Naughton every success in her new role and said he was sure she would make a valuable contribution to the Oireachtas.

Mr Walsh said he still hopes to be a Fine Gael candidate in the next election and it is his intention to go before the local party selection convention to secure a nomination.

If he fails to be selected or if his candidacy is not ratified by party headquarters, Mr Walsh said he will run as an independent.

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Three questioned over Co Clare fatal stabbing

Gardaí are continuing to question three men in connection with the fatal stabbing of a man in Ennis, Co Clare, in the early hours of this morning.

The victim, a 31-year-old Polish man, was at a party in the town when a row broke out at around 1am.

He was stabbed a number of times at a house at Sandfield Mews, and was taken to the University Hospital Limerick, but died on the way there.

A second man, 39, was found injured near the scene. His injures are not believed to be life-threatening.

Gardaí have appealed for information from the public.

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Four-year-old boy dies in Limerick car crash

A four-year-old boy has died after a collision involving two cars in Co Limerick this afternoon.

Gardaí say it happened at around 1.15pm just over 2km from Herbertstown.

The boy was pronounced dead at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick.

Five other occupants of the cars were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

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Bord na Móna to apply for reservoir permission

Bord na Móna has said it is ready to apply for planning permission for a new water reservoir on a 1,200-acre site near Portarlington in Co Laois.

Chief Executive Gabriel D'Arcy said the reservoir could store a three-month supply of rain water to meet domestic demands in the eastern region and ease concern over drought.

Speaking before the company's annual general meeting in Dublin, he said the issue was being discussed at Cabinet level.

He said there is a need to proceed as soon as possible.

Bord na Móna is ready and able to provide millions of litres of water to counties where there are already shortages this summer, he added.

Most of the necessary environmental studies have been completed for the tracks of land owned by Bord na Móna on the site of the reservoir and water park at Garryhinch, Portarlington, he said.

He also dismissed claims that the reservoir could have a negative environmental impact on the river Shannon.

Speaking on RTÉ's News at One Mr D'Arcy said that the project, which is ready to go to planning, would extract water in times of excess supply, such as in the winter months when the Shannon is regularly in flood.

He said that such a reservoir would incentivise the location of water dependent industries, such as food, information and computer technologies and biopharmaceuticals, to locate in the midlands.

Poor peat harvest in 2012 cost €23.5m

Meanwhile, last year's catastrophic peat harvest cost Bord na Móna over €20m, Mr D'Arcy has revealed.

He said exceptional costs of €23.5m were incurred in labour and other costs as a result of the poor harvest.

The company was also fined by the ESB for the delivery of poor quality peat because of the bad weather.

Mr D'Arcy said the situation would have been worse but for job cuts and pay reductions.

However, the 2013 harvest has been exceptional so far and the company has recovered well.

He also revealed the company has a strategic interest in running two midlands-based peat burning power stations with biomass fuel by 2019.

He said both power stations would come to the end of their present lifelines at that stage and the company's plan would be to fire the two power stations presently owned by ESB in Offaly and Longford with imported and nationally produced bio energy.

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