A round-up of today's other stories in brief
O'Rourke to face selection convention
Fianna Fáil Senator Mary O'Rourke will face the first challenge to her ambition to regain a Dáil seat when she goes before a selection convention for the Longford/ Westmeath constituency in Mullingar on Sunday.
The convention will nominate three candidates to contest the next general election but the two sitting TDs, Donie Cassidy and Peter Kelly, will be selected automatically.
Ms O'Rourke, who was a TD for 20 years, lost her Dáil seat in 2002.
Bank in Dublin city centre robbed
Gardaí were last night searching for an armed raider who robbed a bank in Dublin city centre yesterday morning. He escaped with an undisclosed sum of money after holding up staff at the Bank of Ireland at Westland Row, near Pearse Station.
The man, who was masked and armed with a handgun, threatened to shoot counter staff before escaping. No one was injured. Gardaí were yesterday reviewing CCTV footage of the incident.
Goal Christmas runs raise €180,000
Participants in the Goal mile this Christmas raised a record €180,000 for humanitarian work in the developing world, the aid agency has said. About 10,000 people turned out to run or walk the charity mile at 43 different locations.
The largest event took place at the UCD's Belfield track in Dublin, where 4,000 people, including former international athlete Éamon Coghlan and RTÉ presenter Ryan Tubridy, participated on Christmas Day and raised €75,000.
The next most popular event took place in Tullamore, Co Offaly, where hundreds of walkers and runners raised €20,000. A similar event at Santry in Dublin raised €14,000 from 600 people while €12,000 was raised in Galway.
Mass for cultural communities
There will be a special Festival of Peoples Mass in Dublin's Pro-Cathedral at 6pm tomorrow to celebrate the variety of cultures and traditions in Ireland today.
The Mass, celebrated by Archbishop of Dublin Dr Diarmuid Martin on the eve of the Feast of the Epiphany, will include members of Polish, Lithuanian, Romanian, Nigerian, Filipino and Indian communities.
Foras na Gaeilge executive leaves
Foras na Gaeilge has confirmed that its chief executive, Seosamh Mac Donncha, is to take up a senior position in the education sector in April.
The chair of the board of Foras na Gaeilge, Maighréad Uí Mháirtín, said Mr Mac Donncha had successfully steered Foras na Gaeilge through its critical foundation stage since his appointment in 2002.
Robert Holohan anniversary Mass
Plans are going ahead for the first anniversary of the death of schoolboy Robert Holohan (11) to be marked with a Mass in his local church on Sunday.
The boy was killed on January 4th last year by his neighbour, Wayne O'Donoghue (21), at Ballyedmond, Midleton, Co Cork. O'Donoghue was acquitted of murder last month but found guilty of manslaughter. He will be sentenced at the Central Criminal Court in Ennis on January 24th.
Five people bitten by dog in Belfast
Five people were attacked by a bull terrier yesterday after it went on the rampage in north Belfast. Tyson, a Staffordshire bull terrier, was later put down after it was brought under control by officials from the Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The victims included an eight-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl. It is understood two of the five required hospital treatment but their injuries were not serious.