"Well, did the earth move with your first kiss?" This is the headline in the Drogheda Independent above an interview with shoppers asked to recall that unforgettable moment in a silly season story. Their experiences ranged from a innocent peck in the Gaeltacht at Carraroe to "a real continental kiss" at a dance 40 years ago.
One woman said she was 19 years old when she first kissed her husband-to-be. "I got a big surprise because I didn't think he'd be a good kisser, but it was lovely," she said.
A man said he was hanging upside down from a tree when a girl came up and kissed him. "I felt very euphoric and as if I was in Utopia, Nirvana and El Dorado all at the same time."
The paper reports that the first person it popped the question to had a "faraway look in her eyes, but turned out to be a nun".
The 81-year-old wreck of a steamship that sailed from Liverpool to Sligo early this century has been found off the south coast of the Isle of Man by a diving enthusiast.
The Sligo Champion reports that three Sligo men died when the 686tonne ship, The Liverpool, sank after hitting a mine soon after it left Liverpool in December 1916.
The diver, Mr Adrian Corkhill, told the paper he will continue to explore the ship in its watery grave and said he was interested in information from any Sligo people about the ship.
According to the Bible, it took God seven days to create the earth.
According to the Donegal Demo- crat, it took around 150 members of the Jehovah Witness community from across Ireland less than half that time to build a 40-seat Kingdom Hall in in Loughanure, Co Donegal.
The paper reports that the threeday operation was well co-ordinated and publishes photographs of the timber-frame hall in three stages of its construction.
The project co-ordinator, Mr Leon Breward, told the paper that "everyone worked hand in hand and there was a great atmosphere on site".
On the final day, the workers downed their tools and held a 30 minute thanksgiving service.
The Derry Journal reports police on both sides of the Border have stepped up their search for a man who shouted sexual taunts at girls in counties Derry and Donegal.
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children issued a warning to parents after three children were approached in the Shantallow area of Derry and Moville in Co Donegal.
The paper also reports that the number of women seeking treatment for alcoholism and alcohol-related problems in a Derry treatment centre has risen sharply in a decade.
Women accounted for 10 per cent of clients at the Northlands Centre in the mid-1980s but now make up more than one third.
The centre's head of education, Ms Sheila Jordan, said this trend could be due to societal changes, a rise in women's disposable income and increased pressure on them.
"I accept it is a controversial issue and no single reason for the increase exists. But that cannot prevent us from confronting the fact that the problem of alcohol abuse among women, and particularly young women, has become a major concern for us in the last decade," she said.
Concern over the news that 159 jobs will be lost at the Alps electronic components plant in Millstreet, Cork, has led to calls for a task force to be set up to create employment.
The Corkman reports that the community is "devastated" that 134 temporary workers are to lose their jobs over the next three months and 25 permanent workers have been asked to work in the company's Killarney plant or take redundancy.
A company spokesperson said the future of the Millstreet plant was threatened. The losses were due to a temporary slump in the European computer business and a change in production activity. Local Fine Gael TD, Mr Michael Creed, said a task force was needed to attract new companies and encourage indigenous industry. The man at the centre of a major Garda investigation in Limerick, Mr Pat Foote, has promised that everyone owed money from his company will be paid.
Mr Foote, who runs the Irish Mortgage and Finance Bureau, told the Limerick Leader in a page-one report he wanted to clear his name.
Speaking at a secret location after he had been released from hospital suffering from "severe stress-related problems," Mr Foote said: `I am not in hiding. I have nothing to be ashamed of."
The paper also devoted two inside pages to the issue. Gardai are preparing a file on the matter for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The Clare Champion publishes several photographs of pilgrims attending Our Lady's Shrine at Drumellihy in Cooraclare.
It is believed that the hillside spring was discovered after a large earthquake and tidal wave in 1871 destroyed the surrounding area but left it intact.
Pilgrims believe the well is "responsible for giving fortitude in time of trial and many blessings for people, holding a special message of hope for all," according to the paper.