More news in brief
Up to 23 workers were yesterday affected by the decision by Breeo Foods in Mitchelstown, Co Cork, to outsource sausage production at its plant in the town.
A spokesman for Breeo Foods, which is a Dairygold spin-off, said a handful of contract workers would lose their jobs as a result of the closure. However, full-time employees would be offered alternative employment within the factory.
The sausage division workers met unions and management yesterday.
Breeo Foods makes Galtee sausages and rashers as well as cheese at the plant, which employs 110 people. A company spokesman denied recent reports suggesting the plant was to close down.
Cork Fianna Fáil TD Ned O'Keeffe called for the resignation of Dairygold chief executive Jerry Henchy, saying that all he had to show for his four years in the position was "closure after closure".
Cullen to meet 'Pere Charles' families
Minister for Transport Martin Cullen is to meet the families of the five men lost in the Pere Charles sinking, following their request for the vessel to be salvaged, writes Lorna Siggins, Marine Correspondent.
Minister of State for Transport Pat the Cope Gallagher will also take part in the meeting in Dublin tomorrow, which will be attended by representatives of the Irish Coast Guard and Naval Service.
The five families have initiated a petition to support their demand that the vessel be lifted from the seabed several miles south of Dunmore East, Co Waterford.
To date, no trace has been found of Tomasin Hennessy (32), his uncle Pat Hennessy (48), Billy O'Connor (50), Pat Coady (27) and Andriy Dyrin (32) since the vessel sank on January 10th.
UL names head of medical school
The University of Limerick (UL) has appointed the geriatrician Prof Paul Finucane as the founding head of its new medical school.
Prof Finucane has been working on the development of UL's graduate-entry medical programme for the past three years. He will now take over as head of the school, following the Government announcement that UL was successful in its tender bid for the school.
It will enrol 30 students this September, while in coming years the annual enrolment for the four-year programme will increase to 108 places.
A doctor by profession, Prof Finucane is a graduate of UCC and the former director of education at the Medical Council.
Bones found at Donegal pier
Gardaí are investigating the discovery of what appear to be human bones at a Donegal pier.
The bones were discovered on Friday by a local diver working on a new marina at Rathmullan pier. More bones were recovered following a second dive on Saturday.
David McGloin said he was looking under the pier when he noticed bones through the rocks. "I took them to the surface and showed them to the men on the boat and we thought they looked like human."
A spokesman for Milford Garda station said it was not yet known whether the bones were human, but they would be sent away for forensic examination.