A round-up of today's stories in brief
Cork High Court sittings to be expanded
The High Court is to significantly expand its number of sittings in Cork to allow chancery, non-jury cases and judicial review matters to be heard in the city's recently refurbished courthouse.
Although the High Court has been coming to Cork since the foundation of the State, the only trials which it heard there were personal injury actions and appeals of the Circuit Court. More recently the Central Criminal Court has heard cases in Cork.
Mr Justice Frank Clarke said in the High Court sitting in Cork yesterday that a review had found that the experimental holding of such cases outside of Dublin, in particular in Cork, had proven a success.
CRH brick factory denies cancer link
Minister of State John McGuinness has called on the Department of Health and the HSE to launch an urgent investigation to allay public fears of a cancer cluster in a north Co Kilkenny village.
The Kilkenny-based Fianna Fáil TD was responding to comments by the parish priest of Castlecomer, Msgr Michael Ryan, who has expressed concern about a possible link between emissions from the Ormonde Brick Factory and a high incidence of cancer in the area.
The Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency have been involved in long-running investigations to determine the reasons for stunted growth, low milk yields and high calf mortality among cattle on a farm owned by the Brennan family.
A spokesman for the Department of Agriculture said a new study into problems at the Brennan farm was being prepared.
Cement Roadstone Holdings, which owns Ormonde Brick, has rejected any assertion that the factory's operation "is having, or has had, an adverse impact on human health in the area".
Addict tried to sell stolen car to garda
A cocaine addict who tried to sell a stolen car to an off-duty garda has been given five years in consecutive sentences by Judge Joseph Matthews for a series of offences involving vehicles. The final three years were suspended on condition he take part in a drug treatment course.
Philip McCormack (35) with addresses at Church Street and Limefield, Clonminch, Tullamore, Co Offaly, and at Lake Drive, Kilminchy, Portlaoise, Co Laois, has more than 40 previous convictions.
Garda Roy Smith told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that he met McCormack in reply to a Buy and Sell advertisement. When he checked the car for sale through the Garda Pulse system, he found it had been reported stolen.
Vandals destroy two buses in Cork
Two buses worth in the region of €350,000 were destroyed in Midleton, Co Cork, yesterday. The buses were parked near the disused railway station. A couple living close by were awoken by a number of bangs at 4am yesterday and the alarm was raised.
The Fire Services fought the blaze for 3½ hours but the buses were burned out.