7 is the magic number. Catch up on all of today’s top news every night at 7pm on TheLiberal.ie
#1 Cronyism affair: John McNulty pulls out of Seanad vote.
It has been confirmed that Fine Gael candidate is no longer in the running for the upcoming Seanad by-election.
Mr. McNulty has for the past week been embroiled in a very public cronyism row involving the Taoiseach himself. Though it is too late to actually remove his name from the ballot papers, McNulty has asked TDs and Senators “not to vote for him.”
#2 Pub controversy: Well known publican says that he’ll only hire Irish nationals to work in his pub.
Charlie Chawke has stirred some controversy by publically announcing that he’ll only accept Irish nationals to work as front-line staff in his pub.
His reasoning is that “tourists want to meet and greet Irish people and want to engage with them.”
Once it is Irish people that greet his customers, he added that he has no problem with non-nationals serving them or cooking their food.
The publican bought the Orchard Inn in Rathfarnham for €22 million, making it the most expensive pub ever bought in Ireland.
#3 Johnny Cooper: GAA star makes statement after knife attack.
The young player said “Dublin is a great place; it is a safe place and it is my home. If nothing else, this can be a lesson that when you’re out, stay safe and stick together.”
Cooper was attacked in Dorset St., Dublin, over a week ago.
#4 Drugs bust: Six people, five men and a teenager, are due in court in connection with the sale and supply of drugs in Dublin’s north inner city.
Seven people were arrested this morning following a lengthy covert investigation targeting drug dealing in the St. Mary’s Mansions area. A quantity of the synthetic drug PVP, worth around €17,000, was discovered along with cannabis, drugs paraphernalia, and a car.
PVP, or alpha-pyrrolidinovalerophenone, first appeared in the US in 2013.
#5 Thailand murders: Police now confirm that Hannah Witheridge, 23, was raped by two men while a third man witnessed the attack.
British citizens Ms. Witheridge and David Miller, 24, were found dead on beach in the Thailand resort island of Koh Tao, more than three weeks ago. They were both found with severe head injuries, and Mr. Miller also showed signs of drowning.
Two separate semen samples were found on Ms. Witheridge’s body. Upwards of 200 DNA samples have so far been taken from people in the island, the latest batch from a group of Thai footballers who threw a party on the night at the nightclub where the pair spent their final hours.
No arrests have been made up to this point, and Thai police have been the target of some criticism over their handling of the case thus far.
#6 Garda crash: GAA star dies after being struck by Garda patrol car.
Eamon Carroll, 32, died at around 1.20am today when he was knocked down by a Garda vehicle outside Bellurgan, on the R173 Carlingford to Dundalk road. The Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) is investigating the circumstances surrounding this tragic event.
Carroll’s team had won the sixth county title only two days ago, and Carroll himself had scored a point during the match.
#7 Lane closure: M50 Northbound closed after truck catches fire.
Motorists are being urged to avoid the M50 near Blanchardstown after a trailer carrying hay silage bales caught fire.