Excavation at the site of the Tuam mother-and-baby home won't begin until the second half of next year.
The Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has warned that new legislation will be needed before work can begin.
The State inquiry into mother and baby homes last year confirmed that 'significant quantities' of human remains had been found on the Bon Secours site.
Mr Varadkar said the excavation and forensic examination of the site will be the first of its kind in Ireland – with preparations continuing while legislation to allow for the dig makes its way through the Oireachtas.
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A leading Dublin gold broker has seen a surge in demand from customers in Northern Ireland as fears grow over the potential for a no deal Brexit.
Merrion Vaults said the number of Northern Irish clients looking to invest in gold has risen by over 70% amid concerns over the potential for a Sterling collapse after the UK leaves the EU in March.
Meanwhile, the leader of the Labour Party has warned that the Government will have very little time to pass emergency legislation if a deal cannot be secured in time.
It is believed as many as 45 pieces of law will need to be passed if the UK leaves without an agreement.
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Almost 300 children with mental health problems are being forced to wait more than a year for their first appointment, according to HSE figures.
The Irish Daily Mail reports 2,000 young people are currently on waiting lists.
286 of them are waiting over 12 months to be seen by the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.
The figures also show staffing levels there are only 57% of what they should be.
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A tsunami warning has been lifted after a strong undersea earthquake struck in the southern Philippines.
The 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck the southern island of Mindanao this morning.
Residents said it lasted about a minute and people rushed out of buildings – but there had been no major damage.
The warning for tsunami waves was lifted two hours after the quake struck.
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An Post says this Christmas was their busiest ever for parcel deliveries.
Over 100,000 parcels were delivered each day - up 50% compared to this time last year.
The company said the rise in online shopping played a major part.
An Post's Mails and Parcels Managing Director Garrett Bridgeman said it was an incredibly busy holiday period with demand “exceeding all forecasts”
