Ryanair plans big expansion
Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary today outlined ambitious expansion plans that would see the airline almost double its number of passengers and stretch its reach across Europe.
He revealed that he wanted to increase passenger numbers to between 120 million and 130 million over the next decade -- which would make Ryanair one of the biggest airlines in the world.
Mr O'Leary said the airline was in talks with plane makers Boeing, Comac in China, and Russia's Irkut over the purchase of 200 to 300 new narrow-bodied aircraft.
Final farewell for O'Shannon
FRIENDS, colleagues and family of Cathal O'Shannon will pay their respects tomorrow to the broadcaster and journalist before his funeral on Wednesday.
Mr O'Shannon died at the age of 83 on Saturday at the Beacon Hospital in Dublin.
A funeral service will take place at noon on Wednesday at Glasnevin Crematorium Chapel. Tributes poured in today for the veteran broadcaster, who was one of RTE's great talents.
Director general of RTE Noel Curran said his contribution to television over the last five decades included some of the great moments in the station's documentary schedule.
Mystery over lotto millionaire
A LUCKY Dublin newsagent sold the weekend's winning ¤2.6m lotto ticket.
Mystery surrounds the owner of the Ballybrack ticket.
It is not clear if the owner of the winning €6 Quick Pick ticket is also in the dark about their huge windfall.
Marie Roe, whose mother Brigid runs Newsworld in the Ballybrack Shopping Centre, said: "We would be fairly busy, mostly with people who live around here. Hopefully it's someone local."
Player collapses at GAA match
A TALENTED GAA player is fighting for his life after collapsing during a match.
Family and team-mates of Annascaul and West Kerry wing forward Brendan O'Driscoll (28) were last night maintaining a hospital vigil.
He is "critical" after scoring a goal and a point in the match against neighbours Lispole yesterday.
Killer dealer main suspect in city kidnap
THE criminal who is suspected of ordering the beating and kidnapping of a Dublin man is a notorious drug dealer with a conviction for manslaughter.
Nothing has been heard from Ciaran Noonan since he was brutally attacked and bundled into the back of a black Volkswagen Golf after visiting his aunt's house in the East Wall area of Dublin.
It is understood that the 29-year-old was targeted because he owes the notorious Swords based drug dealer €20,000.
Officers have been working on the theory that this dealer then paid a gang of youths to attack and abduct Mr Noonan.
Gardai investigating last Thursday's sinister crime seized the car that they believe was used in the abduction in the early hours of yesterday morning at a location in Co Meath.
Sources said that blood was found on the back seat of the vehicle but there was no sign of Mr Noonan.
Gardai had issued the full registration of the vehicle used in the abduction -- 05-D-88805 -- over the weekend and appealed for anyone who may have seen it to come forward. But they cautioned people against approaching it or anyone inside the car.Speaking to the Herald today, Mr Noonan's heartbroken mum Geraldine said she had only had two hours sleep since getting the news that her son had been kidnapped.
"It's been so long now -- it's heartbreaking. Whoever is responsible does not even have the decency to tell me where he is," Geraldine said.
"I just feel completely devastated and very numb at this stage," she added.
Ciaran was abducted from Russell Avenue East, off the East Wall Road, shortly after 4.30pm on Thursday.
He had been walking with a cousin, who has no criminal links, when the VW Golf pulled alongside and three occupants jumped out.
Mr Noonan ran and attempted to hide in a nearby garden but he was found and badly assaulted with an iron bar as he was being dragged to the car.
He was then bundled into the vehicle, which sped off.
The incident was seen by a group of children and they notified a local woman, who alerted the gardai.
Detectives suspect he owed money to a drug trafficker who has a reputation for violence.
This man in his 40s is originally from the Coolock area and has many senior criminal contacts after spending a lengthy spell in prison.
Unstoppable Gallagher unaffected by Haughey link and €860k in payments
CLAIMS: Sean still has a strong lead despite revelations of e860k payouts and his FF links
NOTHING, no matter how unpalatable, can seem to stop the Sean Gallagher juggernaut from crashing into the Aras.
Fresh revelations about strong links to Charlie Haughey, €860k payments from one of his companies, which reveived €830k in government funding, and today's Herald story that he charged €3,000 for one speech are having no effect on the public.
The latest poll results out today show that the former Dragon's Den star has a commanding lead over Michael D Higgins in the race to the Aras.
Gallagher has stretched his lead at the top of the polls to an incredible 40pc, while Michael D trails in second place at 25pc.
The entrepreneur is expected to come under intense pressure during tonight's final televised debate with his presidential rivals gearing up for a last-ditch attack on his Fianna Fail past.
It emerged today that Mr Gallagher wrote a letter to Fianna Fail members in which he boasted about his connections with former Taoiseach Charles Haughey.
The letter -- sent in January 2009 -- highlighted his "30 year" involvement with Fianna Fail during which he raised "much needed funds for the work of the party".business
He went on to pledge to continue his work with the party in Co Louth "to meet the challenges we all now collectively face, particularly in the run-up to the local elections".
Despite the letter pouring cold water on Mr Gallagher's attempts to dismiss his Fianna Fail connections, two new opinion polls today showed his commanding lead over his presidential rivals.
The race for the Aras is now Mr Gallagher's to lose, with today's MRBI/IPOS poll showing that he has secured a double 15 point lead over Michael D.
The Labour Party was today devising how to derail Mr Gallagher's surging bid, with focus expected to gather around weekend revelations about Mr Gallagher's business dealings.
At the weekend it emerged that one of Mr Gallagher's companies, which had received €830,000 in state payouts, had paid Mr Gallagher and his business partner €860,000.
The payments were made in 2008 and 2009 to his firm Smarthomes -- which was losing money at the time.
tiger
Mr Higgins has upped his attacks on his rival, attempting to link him to the excesses of the Celtic Tiger.
The Galway TD remarked that his achievements have been made in the Dail, rather than the "Companies Office".
"I'm in favour of a social economy. I am not trying to revive the Celtic Tiger's excesses," he added.
But party sources have admitted the Mr Higgins will need "very significant transfers" in order to catch Mr Gallagher.
Labour Party Headquarters were expected to issue a rallying cry to party members to bolster their candidate's support as polling day approaches.
And Transport Minister Leo Varadkar today became the first cabinet member to weigh in on Mr Gallagher's Fianna Fail connections.
Mr Varadkar stated that electing Mr Gallagher would show that Irish people have "learned very little as a country in the past four years".
He said he will be giving his "number two vote to Michael D Higgins and I'd like to see Fine Gael people do the same".
Jail mum hid drugs in child's nappy
A MOTHER of one was caught by prison officers putting a bag of cannabis into her child's nappy as she visited her partner in prison, a court heard.
Mary O'Brien (25) claimed she forgot the cannabis was in her bra and she panicked and decided to put it into her son's nappy.
She denied the cannabis was for her partner.
Judge John Lindsay fined the defendant €100.
O'Brien, of The Printworks, Dargle Road in Bray, admitted before Blanchardstown District Court to bringing a controlled drug into a prison. The incident took place at Wheatfield Prison around 2pm on January 14 last.
Garda Sergeant Maria Callaghan said prison officers saw O'Brien put a small bag of cannabis into her child's nappy.
She was stopped by prison officers and the drug, worth about €40, was found in the child's nappy.
Defence lawyer Jennifer Jackson said O'Brien claimed the cannabis was for her own personal use.
Ms Jackson said O'Brien kept the cannabis in her bra for safety, away from her baby. However, she forgot about it and "panicked" when she realised she had brought the drug into Wheatfield Prison, and foolishly tried to hide it in the child's nappy.
The court heard that O'Brien and her child, a two-year-old boy, were in Wheatfield Prison to visit her long-term partner who was serving a sentence at the time.
Ms Jackson said the defendant was using cannabis on a daily basis at the time as she was very stressed but she is no longer smoking cigarettes or cannabis.