Schools and the people who use them came into focus this week in regional papers as children started or went back to school after the summer break. The Wicklow People gives a front-page headline to "Road Rage" as "Angry parents mount blockade in traffic protest".
The report, by Conor Kane, says: "People power came to the fore in Rathnew as residents protested against the level of traffic using the local network of back roads, complaining that schoolchildren's lives were being put at risk."
The report continues: "The road at Merrymeeting, near the entrance to the Seaview Heights estate in Rathnew, was blockaded by up to 100 angry protesters in a bid to slow down the traffic and draw attention to the plight of local people."
The Kerryman reports: "A Tralee mother has vowed to keep her young daughter at home rather than send her to an English-speaking school in protest against the Department of Education's decision to refuse funding for a proposed Gaelscoil in the Manor area of the town."
The Longford Leader ran a front-page headline: "An uncertain return to school for many". The report, by Sheila Reilly, says: "Pupils at St Dominic's National School face another term of uncertainty as the school looks set to continue. According to local reports, 10 children were enrolled in Junior Infants this term, with a number of local parents opting to send their children to school in neighbouring parishes."
The same paper reports: "On Monday, the first day of the new term, parents of children attending St Joseph's Secondary School held a protest outside the school. The parents were voicing their frustration at the delay of a final decision on the future of the school from the Minister for Education and Science."
The Roscommon Champion headlines a report: "Children kept from school in protest with Dept over transport". The report, by Jill Mellor, says: "Helen Wallace kept both her children, who were due to start fourth class in Clontuskert NS, at home on Monday and has vowed to take further action unless the issue regarding transport is resolved."
The Fermanagh Herald has a happier tale to tell. A new school has been opened "catering for a total of 630 children. The new school is an amalgamation of St Teresa's Girls' School at Mill Street and St Michael's Boys' School at Derrin Road with the junior students based at the former and the P1 and P7 youngsters at the Cornagrade site."
Several regional papers carry photographs of children attending schools for the first time. The Western People has a front page picture of four-year-old identical twins, Niamh and Aoife McDonnell, at Scoil Raifteri in Castlebar. The Siamese twins were born "joined at the chest in April 1997 and when they were 11 weeks old they underwent a successful operation in England to separate them".
The Munster Express gives front-page coverage to a colour picture of 11 first-day pupils with their teacher, Cathy Curtin, "at Waterford City's newest primary school, Waterpark Junior College NS [which] has been upgraded to full National School status".
The Gorey Champion has a front-page colour picture of triplets Julianne, Brendan and Catriona O'Brien from Ramsfort Park on their first day at Loreto NS. Almost all regional papers carry similar pictures including the Sligo Champion, Kerry's Eye, Roscommon Herald, Kildare Nationalist, Westmeath Independent, and Wexford Echo.
The Donegal People's Press devotes most of its back page to the sporting achievements of Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given and golfer Paul McGinley.
Referring to Given, Diarmuid Doherty reports: "After Packie Bonner's heroics at Italia `90, the Republic's hopes and aspirations at another World Cup could well lie, literally, in the hands of another Donegal goalkeeper."
Of McGinley's success in qualifying for the European Ryder Cup team to play the US later this month, Peter Campbell reports: "Paul was due to attend his mother Julia's lady captain's day at Dunfanaghy at the beginning of August, but the need to amass qualification points meant he had to miss out."
Of a less savoury nature are two reports in the Westmeath Independent, which gives front-page coverage to problems involving members of the Travelling community. "Wedding day horror as bride is attacked at altar," says the main headline.
The report explains: "A wedding day ended in disaster for one young couple in Tang last Monday after a major row erupted at the wedding. Gardai arrived at the scene shortly after the dispute in the church grounds was reported and said order was restored very quickly.
"A Garda spokesman confirmed that officers from around the midlands including Athlone, Moate, Ballymahon, Longford and Lanesboro arrived on the scene at Tang. A number of offensive weapons including slash hooks and hatchets were seized."
The mother of the bride is quoted as saying her daughter would attempt to "have the marriage annulled as soon as possible".
The Westmeath Examiner covers the same event. A report by John Fitzsimons says: "A young bride, who was allegedly assaulted within minutes of taking her wedding vows, is determined to have her briefest of brief marriages annulled."