A round-up of today's other news stories in brief.
Two killed in car crashes yesterday
A man was killed in a single-vehicle crash in Donegal yesterday. The married man (62) was travelling alone on the Letterkenny-Ballybofey road when his car left the road at Tircallen, Stranorlar, went down an embankment and struck a bridge.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
It is the third recent road fatality in the area. Last Sunday week, John Barr died in a motorcycle crash and two days later Ellen Doherty (78) died from injuries she sustained while laying flowers at the scene.
Also yesterday, a woman in her 50s was killed in Kilbeggan, Co Westmeath, when her car collided with a truck. She was alone in the car.
The driver of the truck was uninjured.
Green mayor declines use of car
Galway's first Green Party mayor has opted not to use a Jaguar car provided for his transport. Niall Ó Brolcháin sent the car away after his election on Monday night, saying a large petrol vehicle is "sending out the wrong message".
"I probably will need a car to carry out my mayoral duties," Mr Ó Brolcháin said yesterday. "I will need to negotiate with the council to ensure I am driving an environmentally friendly car with a low-emission output."
Seven treated after hotel fire
Seven people were taken to hospital yesterday afternoon suffering from smoke inhalation following a fire at a hotel on College Road, Kilkenny. A number of staff were treated for minor injuries.
The fire broke out in a service area at the hotel where workmen were using welding equipment. The hotel had about 74 guests on site who were evacuated along with staff.
Medical graduates recall colleague
Graduates at NUI Galway wore white flowers at a conferring ceremony yesterday as a mark of respect for a colleague who died last week.
Karen Guinee (24) from Douglas, Cork, was found dead in an apartment in Galway city last week, and a man has been charged with her murder. She had graduated with an honours medical degree which was due to be conferred on her yesterday.
Man forced to withdraw money
Gardaí in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, are appealing for help in their hunt for a man who abducted a man in his 60s from his home at gunpoint, bundled him into the boot of his car and forced him to withdraw cash from an ATM.
The victim, who lives alone on Convent Road, was woken at 6am on Monday by an intruder with a sawn- off shotgun. He was forced to withdraw €600 and hand it over to the gunman, who then drove him back home and held him captive for another hour. A friend who called by was also held.
Both men, whose names are being withheld by gardaí, were locked in the boiler house while their captor escaped.
Fighting in Co Down court
Fighting broke out yesterday in Newtownards magistrates court where two men and a teenage girl were facing murder charges. Fists flew when relatives of the victim clashed with those of one of the accused.
One man was wrestled to the floor by police, handcuffed, marched out of the building and driven off in a police car.
The trouble broke out after two men and a woman were charged with the murder of Edward Kelly (59), whose body was found in his rented room at a house in Bangor, Co Down, last week. Police said he had serious head injuries.
Daniel Hargan (46) and Tammy McDowell (18), Dufferin Avenue, Bangor, and Polish national Jerzy Zalewski (45), also Dufferin Avenue, were remanded in custody until July 7th. - (PA)