Irish Water

The Irish Water issues continues to rumble on, with tomorrow promising to bring more developments on several fronts.

Charges: The cabinet is set to sign off on a new package of water charges this morning. It's reported that households will not be charged for the water they use until after Christmas.

Protest: Hundreds of anti-water charge protesters gathered outside a hotel in Sligo last night where the Taoiseach was attending an event. The Right2Water campaign will hold a press conference this morning to discuss their campaign going forward.

Mary Lou McDonald TD

Sinn Féin is to meet on Tuesday morning to decide its response to Mary Lou McDonald's suspension from the Dáil. Mary Lou is reportedly planning on taking her seat, defying her suspension.

The Sinn Féin deputy led a sit-in last Thursday, forcing an end to the day’s work in the Dáil, when she did not receive an answer from Joan Burton to a question regarding Irish Water.

In the aftermath, Sinn Féin said it had no confidence in Ceann Comhairle Sean Barret, with party president saying the treatment of McDonald had been “unfair and petulant”.

N7 Newlands Corss junction opens

Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe will officially open the N7 Newlands Cross junction upgrade on Tuesday lunchtime.

The upgrade consists of a flyover at the junction between the N7 Naas Rd and the R113 Fonthill / Belgard Roads at Newlands Cross.

The new junction will now also connect our major cities, providing a continuous free flowing route between the M50 and the cities of Limerick, Cork, Kilkenny and Waterford.

It will also remove the last traffic light between Cork and Belfast.