Donnacha O'Callaghan gives the thumbs up at the reception this week at City Hall for the victorious Munster team.

Fota Wildlife Park introduced four healthy cheetah cubs to the Park yesterday (Wednesday). The cheetah is one of the world's most endangered species, so the birth of these four cubs, on April 4, marked Fota Wildlife Park's on-going contribution to the global Cheetah Conservation Programme.

The ongoing disruption to rail services in the southwest caused by unofficial industrial action by some Irish Rail train drivers is now threatening one of the biggest weekends in Cork's annual tourist calendar.

A thirty-one bed female surgical ward at the Mercy hospital which was closed earlier this month to save money will remain closed for at least the rest of the year, the Cork Independent has learned. St Catherine's Ward closed on May 3 as part of a wide-ranging cost cutting exercise at the hospital. The closure will result in the loss of 19 surgical and 12 medical beds for the rest of the year.

Cork city and county has been bizarrely omitted from a new promotional campaign from Fáilte Ireland aimed at promoting Ireland's western seaboard to visitors flying into Shannon Airport.

Residents living in the Wilton area are being invited to attend a public meeting next week to discuss recent developments regarding the development of a private hospital on the grounds of the Cork University Hospital (CUH).

A city councillor has said that it is imperative that a recent proposal to develop 44 apartments in Bishospcourt Green is rejected.