A mother who beat and neglected her children for years in the west of Ireland has been jailed for four and half years with the final six months suspended, for 29 counts of neglect against her children.
But despite pleading guilty to five counts of assault and neglect, the father was spared a custodial sentence.
"The seven children were taken into care in 2011 and several still carry feelings of abandonment, inadequacy and fear towards their mother. The judge who jailed the woman, who can't be named to protect the identities of the children, questioned why the abuse went under the radar for so long.
It's understood that discussions between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael's negotiating teams went well this evening. It's expected the parties will agree a framework of policies that could be implemented in a Fine Gael-led minority Government.
Independent TD Michael Healy Rae says he welcomes tonight's meeting and hopes the six week wait for a Government is almost over:
"I hope that the talks are going successfully and that they will conclude in the very near future, hopefully maybe by tomorrow or maybe Wednesday and that an agreement will be put in place. For God's sake, at the end of the day, let the people get what they deserve and that's a Government and politicians working properly on their behalf."
Cork's 10-time All Ireland winner, Valerie Mulcahy has announced her inter-county retirement.
The talented forward says that she now intends to dedicate more of her time to promote the expansion of the Women’s Gaelic Players’ Association, of which she is an executive member.
Mulcahy retires with an incredible 31 senior titles to her name including 10 All-Ireland medals, 10 Munster Championships and nine Division 1 League titles.
A police search has been launched in Texas, for a woman caught on surveillance footage, stealing a wedding ring from the corpse of an elderly woman as she lay in her casket.
The grieving family of Lois Hicks, posted the video on Facebook in the hopes of tracking the thief down. They say that they now must lay the beloved 88-year-old to rest without her precious wedding ring.
Siptu say Luas operator Transdev, have indicated that they may take civil cases against the workers
Negotiations in the Luas dispute over pay, appear to have deteriorated this evening with news that the company has threatened to put staff on protective notice, with lay-offs and pay reductions now a possibility, if the strikes continue.
Siptu say Luas operator Transdev, have indicated that they may take civil cases against the workers on grounds that they are in breach of their contracts.
The union says if Transdev commit to their plans, then it is likely that they will ballot Luas workers on an all out strike at the light rail system.
