More regional news in brief.
Mass for Ennis Traveller suicides
The Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Willie Walsh, says the recent suicides in the Travelling community in Ennis "is not some dark affliction that affects your community of Travellers, it is part and parcel of humanity".
At a special Mass at the cathedral in Ennis on Monday night, in memory of three young Travellers who recently took their own lives, Dr Walsh said: "God never visits tragedy on any particular community. We can never understand what leads someone to ending one's own life."
A report published on Monday finds that the incidence of suicide is higher in the Traveller community.
Dr Walsh said: "Many of you in recent weeks have asked why these terrible things have been happening in our Travelling community and I suppose the short answer to that is that 'I don't know', but in a way I would love if we could have a Mass like this, not just for the Travelling community, but for the whole community, for both Traveller and settled."
Clarecastle rezoning vote
The father of the mayor of Ennis, Cllr Joe Reidy (FF), is set for another windfall after seeking to have 25 acres of land rezoned for housing outside Clarecastle,
Last year, Damien Reidy stood to realise an estimated €16 million windfall after councillors from Clare County Council and Ennis Town Council voted to rezone 70 acres of land outside the village.
Before the town council vote, Mr Reidy's son asked that he be absented from the vote as he had an interest in the land.
Now, Damien Reidy is seeking to have 22 acres of land currently zoned countryside and other settlement land (OSL) to the east of the Clarecastle to Lissane road to be rezoned to other settlement land and to residential.
Postmortem on Drogheda body
A postmortem has been carried out on the body of a 23-year-old man from eastern Europe who was found in a house he rented in Drogheda, Co Louth.
The alarm was raised at 6.30am yesterday and gardaí and ambulance personnel were called to the house at Millmount in the town. The body was removed to Dublin for the postmortem.
Gardaí said they were not treating the death as suspicious but were investigating the circumstances.
Grandparents' Knock pilgrimage
The first National Grandparents Pilgrimage will see families from all over the country converge on Knock Shrine, Co Mayo, on September 22nd.
"There has been a huge response to the prayer appeal and the quality of the work is breathtaking," a spokeswoman said. "We want to get to 10,000 prayers and already we are on course."
Schoolchildren all over Ireland have been asked to compile prayers in honour of their grandmothers and grandfathers. The prayers will be blessed on the day and preserved at Knock Folk Museum where they will become part of their historical collection.
The pilgrimage has been bombarded with interest from all over the country and has caught the attention of Pope Benedict XVI who has imparted his Apostolic Blessing and promised to pray for Irish grandparents.