A round-up of today's other stories in brief.
Ferris denies scuffle with Travellers
Gardaí in Tralee are investigating an alleged scuffle between Travellers and members of Sinn Féin, including Sinn Féin TD Martin Ferris, on Thursday last. No one was injured in the alleged scuffle.
Mr Ferris has strongly denied a newspaper report that he used racial abuse during the alleged incident on Thursday last, which is said to have occurred when he and another member of Sinn Féin called to an estate in Tralee to inquire about stolen property.
Mr Ferris's inquiries are understood to have been greeted with resentment by one family in particular and an incident is said to have taken place.
Sinn Féin has two town councillors in Tralee who have worked closely with the Traveller community and who have campaigned for proper halting sites and to revamp the Mitchell's Crescent area, where there is a large Traveller community.
Mr Ferris told local radio yesterday: "Without any ambiguity whatsoever and with 100 per cent certainty, I didn't under any circumstances use racial abuse towards anybody. I find it [ the suggestion] most insulting to myself and to everything that I stand for. Gardaí have not been in contact with me."
However, he said he understood gardaí were investigating "an incident" in the Mitchell's Crescent area.
Man (38) stable after stabbing
A man in his 30s was in custody yesterday after another man was stabbed in the stomach in Lisburn.
Police have not yet established a motive for the attack.
The 38-year-old victim was in hospital yesterday evening in a serious but stable condition after the attack in the Coulson Avenue area of the Old Warren estate. Police have appealed for anybody with information about the incident to contact them.
- (PA)
Bishops warns of scarcity of priests
The Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Willie Walsh, has stated that "the scarcity of priests is taking hold" and sent out a call at the weekend to Mass-goers to become involved in the running of "a new model of church".
In a Lenten pastoral letter distributed at all Masses across the Killaloe diocese, Dr Walsh said half of the 109 priests working in the diocese's 58 parishes serving 115,000 Catholics were over the age of 65 with a third over the age of 75.
In his letter, Dr Walsh said: "The scarcity of priests is taking hold and we have no choice but to respond to it in practical ways."
He urged more lay people to become involved in Church affairs and "volunteer for the essential work of managing finances, school boards of management, choirs, maintenance of parish buildings and works of charity".
Dr Walsh said: " It is not about lay people helping the priest; it is rather about lay people fulfilling their baptismal promises."
Children's charity launches website
The Children First Foundation has launched a website, www. childrenfirst.ie Founded in 1991, Children First is a registered charity offering services catering for the needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged children in society.
Call for focus on regional tourism
The hotel industry must do more to ensure tourism is not confined to the major centres of population at the expense of regional tourism, according to the chief executive of the Irish Hotels' Federation, John Power.
At the federation's annual conference in Cavan yesterday, he said continued support and vigilance would be required by the next government to ensure Ireland did not turn solely into a city break destination for overseas visitors.