News from Ireland - news from around the 32 counties

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin will also attend the event, which is expected to attract 180,000 people over the three days from Tuesday.

The championships will be formally opened by President Mary McAleese on Tuesday, her last time to do so as President.

The event will be a major hustings for those who wish to replace her in the park, and all presidential candidates in the field – Michael D Higgins, Gay Mitchell, Mary Davis and Seán Gallagher – have signaled their intention to be at the championships. Ms Davis will have a stand.

Ms McHugh said the preparations on the 700-acre site near Athy were almost complete.

“The Army has been on the canal all morning constructing the pedestrian bridge which allows access from that side of the town to the site, and it is expected to be complete by the weekend.”

A traffic plan which will cover an area 30 miles around the site has been prepared by the Garda. Traffic will be funneled into regional car parks – 400 acres have been set aside for cars.
(Source: Irish Times)

Kilkenny

Champion Irish horse trainer Aidan O'Brien has been hit with a bill for more than half a million euro for unpaid tax.

The director of Carriganog Stud in Piltown, Co Kilkenny, was among the top 10 biggest settlements on the latest defaulters' list.

He settled a bill for 526,077 euro with Ireland's Revenue Commissioners following an investigation into tax evasion on offshore assets.

Former champion amateur rider O'Brien - now master at the famous Ballydoyle stable - has trained a winner in almost every major Flat race in Ireland and Britain, and celebrated successes in France and the United States.

He is enjoying another fine season, with his standard bearer being Australian import So You Think. The giant five-year-old has won the Tattersalls Gold Cup, Eclipse Stakes and Irish Champion Stakes, and is the current favorite for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp next month.

The settlement, made under the name of Whisperview Trading Ltd, included unpaid tax of almost 177,640 euro and interest and penalties of nearly 348,500 euro.

A total of 114 businesses were named and shamed on the latest defaulters' list. They made 26.25 million euro of payments between April and June.

The largest amount - for more than 3.6 million euro - was made by Co Antrim-based property developers Eassda Ireland Ltd. It included nearly 2.6 million euro for unpaid tax and fines and penalties of just over a million euro.

Two other defaulters also exceeded the million euro mark - with company director Kieran Kenny of Duncarrig Road, Sutton, Co Dublin, paying 1.2 million euro and Spanish engineering firm Felguera Montajes y Mantenimiento handing over 1 million euro.

Revenue Commissioners said the total yield from audit and investigation programs settled in the period over the three months was 113.1 million euro.
(Source: Belfast Telegraph)

Laois

Gardai seized cannabis plants and specialist growing equipment with a combined value of almost €1 million in separate raids against two criminal networks in Co Laois and Co Louth.

​
Nster.com