Dublin has been ranked as the 19th largest wealth-producing city in Europe in a survey by Barclays Private Clients.
London came top of the list with a total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of €255 billion in 2001, compared with €40 billion for Dublin.
Paris came second for wealth-production (€142.5 billion), followed by Milan, Madrid, Rome and Berlin. The Portuguese city of Porto came last in the list of 55 cities, with a total GDP of €14.6 billion in 2001.
When wealth-generation per head was calculated, Dublin ranked 18th - higher than all cities in the UK, including London. Dublin's GDP per person was calculated at €36,591, compared with €35,072 for London. Frankfurt had the highest GDP per person at over €74,000, followed by Karlsruhe in Germany, Paris and Munich.
Ex-TCD provost leads hospital board
The new chairman of the board of St James's Hospital is Prof Thomas Mitchell, former Provost of Trinity College.
Prof Mitchell is originally from Belcara, Castlebar and lectured in UCC before becoming Professor of Latin in Trinity College in 1979. He held the role of Provost of Trinity College from 1991 to 2001 and is currently chairman of the Irish Re- search Council for Science, Engineering and Technology.
Man who died in roof fall named
A man who fell to his death while carrying out work on the roof of a house in Limerick has been named as Mr Gerard Hannon (52), from the Shannon area of Co Clare.
The accident happened around 2 p.m. on Wednesday while he was working with others repairing a house at St Patrick's Road.
He was taken to St John's Hospital but died later. Gardaí are investigating the circumstances.
Factory fire under control
Two units of the fire brigade brought a fire at a closed-down factory on the Derrybeg Industrial Estate, Co Donegal, under control late on Wednesday night.
The fire, that was observed before 9 p.m., broke out in a storage area of the EPI factory which manufactured plastic carrier bags until it closed earlier this year with the loss of 23 jobs.
Holiday-makers warned on security
Holiday makers travelling out of the State this weekend have been reminded of the stepped-up security measures at Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports.
Passengers have been asked not to carry sharp objects such as scissors, nail files or blades in their hand luggage. Such objects should be packed into luggage for check-in to the baggage hold.