A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Garda appeal after woman and child escape arson attack
Gardaí in Galway yesterday carried out door-to-door inquiries in a bid to identify the arsonists who firebombed a house in the early hours of Sunday morning.
They have renewed their appeal for witnesses to come forward after a woman and child escaped the blazing house in the Cluain Ard estate in Ballybane on the east of the city.
Both were taken to University Hospital Galway where the woman, who was forced to jump from an upstairs window, continues to be treated for non life-threatening injuries.
“We appeal to anyone that might have noticed anything suspicious to contact us,” said a Garda spokesperson at Mill Street station in the city centre. “They can come forward to us in total confidence or can call us with any information.”
Galway gardaí are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact them at Mill Street Garda station on 091-538000.
A motive for the attack has not been established.
Cork man drowns on holiday in Morocco
The Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed it is providing consular assistance to the family of an Irishman who drowned while on holidays in Morocco on New Year's Eve. Alan Buckley (33), a native of Crookstown who lived in Tivoli in Cork city, drowned on New Year's Eve in Agadir.
Well known in the bar trade through his family's ownership of a number of pubs in Cork city, Mr Buckley played football with Kilmurry GAA club and hurling with Cloghduv GAA club.
Lifeboat evacuates man to hospital
The RNLI Arranmore island crew in Co Donegal undertook the first medical evacuation of the new year when it transported a casualty from Tory Island to hospital, writes Lorna Siggins.
The lifeboat crew took an hour to steam north to Tory, where a young man requiring hospitalisation was taken on board and brought to the mainland.
An ambulance took him from there to Letterkenny General Hospital, where he received medical treatment.
In Galway, the RNLI Aran islands lifeboat crew had to undertake a number of medical evacuations over the Christmas period due to the lack of flight services in the severe weather.
They took a pregnant woman to hospital in Galway on the day before Christmas Eve. The woman, her new baby daughter and husband returned to Inis Mór by ferry the next day.