The World Meeting of Families, the event that is bringing the Pope to Ireland, officially opens today.
Bells will ring this evening in Catholic cathedrals across the country's 26 dioceses to mark the start of the gathering.
Pope Francis will join the event on Saturday, and will celebrate its closing mass in the Phoenix Park in Dublin on Sunday.
However, the preparations have been overshadowed by revelations about the church's handling of clerical sex abuse.
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At least six units of Dublin Fire Brigade are at the scene of a major fire off the N7 near Rathcoole in Dublin.
The alarm was raised at around midnight crews and are still battling the blaze at a recycling centre at Greenogue this morning.
Drivers are being warned visibility may be affected.
Meanwhile, residents who live nearby are being warned to close their windows as a precaution.
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A man in his thirties has been detained overnight by Gardaí investigating a fatal stabbing in the Crumlin area of Dublin.
A 63 year old man died in the attack in Rutland Grove on Sunday night.
Gardaí are appealing for witnesses who may have been in the area around 8pm on Sunday.
Anyone with dashcam footage that time is also being asked to come forward.
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A Belfast man will today start a High Court action to try and prevent the appointment of Drew Harris as the new Garda Commissioner.
Lawyers for Ciarán MacAirt will argue that giving the former RUC officer the role is “wildly inappropriate” and “a breach of Irish national security.”
Mr MacAirt has been campaigning for a new inquiry into the 1971 bombing of McGurk's Bar in Belfast, amid claims that British security forces helped the UVF carry out the atrocity.
He has accused Mr Harris of preventing victim’s families from getting to the truth, in his role as head of the PSNI's Historical Enquiries Team.
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An information campaign's being launched today, to help renters avoid being scammed when looking for accommodation.
'Scamwatch' is a joint operation between the housing agency Threshold, the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) and Daft.ie
Threshold CEO John-Mark McCafferty says they want to help renters avoid falling victim to rental scams.
