Fungie, the friendly dolphin who is well known to fishermen in Dingle, Co Kerry, received an impromptu benediction when he surfaced at the recent blessing of the boats ceremony. The Kerryman reports that Canon Padraig O Fiannachta thanked God "for sending us Fungie for the amusement and entertainment of our many visitors and the financial gain of my many parishioners.

"Keep him faithful to his celibate calling and don't let him run off looking for a partner but if a partner comes this way, let her come".

In Enniscorthy, an elderly donkey owner who caused a major traffic hazard when his herd blocked the main N11 route was sentenced to three months in prison, the New Ross Standard reports.

Enniscorthy District Court heard that Christy Moorehouse from Drumgoold was threatening and abusive to gardai who cautioned him. Moorehouse had already been convicted of cruelty to the donkeys, which have now been taken from him. He was given the opportunity to avoid jail by paying £700 to the Donkey Refuge.

A "ludicrous" lack of facilities to dispose of animal carcasses in Co Westmeath is threatening to put small butchers out of business, according to the Westmeath Topic.

The paper reports that the heads and spines of dead animals must be disposed of in a licensed place, but the only one in the State is in Co Cavan. As there is no licensed haulier in Co Westmeath to transport carcasses to that premises, animal owners are finding it difficult to dispose of their remains.

Cllr Egbert Moran told the paper that farmers were being forced to bury dead animals, and small butchers could be put out of business if the problem wasn't solved.

A Co Kildare man who alleged that 17 of his trained pigeons were shot in a cull by Avonmore Foods in Ballytore lost his £5,000 damages and trespass claim.

Mr Rory Archbold said his specially bred birds cost £200 each, the Kildare Nationalist reports.

Athy District Court heard that up to 15,000 tonnes of grain were stored at Avonmore's Ballytore branch and the company had carried out culls for some years to stop birds eating it. Pigeons and other birds can carry salmonella and lysteria, which can cause health problems for humans and animals.

The man who carried out the cull for Avonmore Foods said Mr Archbold's daughter had told him her father did not have any pigeons, which was why he did not notify him about the cull.

The judge said there could be no question of damages for mental distress for the loss of a domestic animal. He dismissed the case and awarded costs to Avonmore Foods.

The Roscommon Champion reports on calls for the reintroduction of 24-hour Garda checkpoints on all main crossing points on the Shannon which were set up by the previous government to prevent Dublin criminals preying on rural communities. Senator John Connor said Operation Shannon should be brought back in the wake of a recent spate of robberies in towns in Roscommon and Longford.

"This kind of crime, of well-organised gangs swooping on small towns and villages all over the country and being able to return to safe havens in Dublin, is gradually getting out of hand," he said.

"There is not a town in counties Roscommon or Longford that hasn't been hit. Half the businesses have been robbed or plundered and the other half are waiting in fear of their lives for it to happen."

He said the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, who "huffed and puffed" about zero tolerance and promised a new policy on rural policing, should meet ordinary people who have a "zero sense of security for their homes and shops". A retired professional ballerina and her husband want to re-create the Irish National Ballet, according to the Meath Chronicle.

The paper reports that Anne Maher and Gunther Falusy, who now live in Agher, have formed a ballet company and want to attract home Irish dancers currently working abroad. "We have all these kids learning to dance and they have nothing to aspire to. We are educating our young people for another market. There are enough dancers exported from Ireland to start a company here," Ms Maher told the paper. She said a national ballet company would be reliant on funding from the Arts Council.

Two primary schools in Bruff, Co Limerick, have lost the services of their remedial teacher, according to the Limerick Leader. Parents in the area have been campaigning for the reappointment of a teacher who provided remedial classes for around 50 pupils in the boys' and girls' schools.

The schools have been offered a resource teacher by the Department of Education, but parents say they will continue to fight for a remedial service.