The Front Pages
The Irish Times lead with the announcement that new measures are to be introduced to tackle white-collar crime. According to Minister for Justice, Dermot Ahern, the measures are designed to “ensure that it is just not possible to play fast and loose with the economic and financial systemâ€. The new measures will include blanket protection for those reporting suspicions of corruption.
The Irish Times also reports on errors in the new Official Road Atlas Ireland which suggests that Kerry and Waterford have taken over large picturesque chunks of neighbouring counties Cork and Kilkenny.
The main picture on the front of both the Irish Times and The Examiner is a shot of the smiling parents of the formally conjoined twins Hassan and Hussein holding their sons as the family arrive back at Cork airport following successful surgery in London.
The front of the Irish Independent devotes most of its front page to pictures of a glum-faced Ronan Keating and his wife Yvonne, who is shown no longer sporting her wedding ring. Between them is a tasty shot of the dancer linked to Ronan.
The Indo also features news that armed gardaà shot a young man during a pub stand-off in Cork on Friday night. He had been threatening customers and staff in the busy Mo Chuisle Pub with a shotgun when he was taken down by members of the Cork-based Garda Regional Support Unit. It’s the first time the RSU have been involved in such a shooting. It is reported that the man, who is in his 20s, is now fighting for his life.
Tales from the Tabs
There’s just the one story dominating the tabloids today, and that relates to Ronan Keating, whom it would appear has been a very naughty boy. Under the banner “Cheating Keating Exclusiveâ€, The Irish Sun leads with “Yvonne fury at Ro Secret Sex Textsâ€.
Not such an exclusive story, it would seem, as the Irish Daily Mirror go with “Ronan’s Sex Txts Beautyâ€. Each story claims that Ronan’s 12-year marriage hit the rocks when his missus discovered a secret phone containing ‘sexy texts’ and each story features a big picture of Francine Cornell, the blonde babe who bedded the Boyzone frontman.
The Irish Daily Star also have the picture of Francine Cornell, 26, but their story focuses on Ronan’s despair after claims of an affair surfaced. He is said to be in pain and close to breaking point.
Away from the Keatings, the Star has the story of Bono undergoing emergency back surgery after the 50-year-old U2 frontman injured himself while preparing for U2’s forthcoming tour of North America. Some of the tour is now in jeopardy, with the first date already having to be cancelled.
Finally from the tabs, The Sun does what it does whenever we get a bit of warm weather by announcing that “We’re feeling the heat†as “Ireland will be sizzling hot again todayâ€. It’s going to be 25ËšC – phew, what a scorcher!
The Sports Pages
The Irish Sun leads with the story that West Ham’s joint chairman David Sullivan has offered Thierry Henry a two-year deal worth more than €8.5million. A handy sum, and Henry knows all about handy.
They also has a picture of Everton defender Shane Duffy lying on his back in agony after a collision that took place during a training game on Friday and which resulted in him being kept overnight in the Mater Hospital. Duffy took the full force of Ireland Amateur keeper Adrian Walsh’s knees to his chest.
The Star lead with a story claiming that José Mourinho still hasn’t decided to join Real Madrid. The Indo claims that the Special One, whose Inter Milan go into today’s Champions League final as favourites, is lapping up all the attention he’s getting at the moment.
They report that at Friday’s press conference ahead of the biggest club game of the year, Mourinho was presented with a plastic crown, a book, countless compliments and two packets of his favourite Custard Creams that had been flown out from London. It was, say the Indo, “not a press conference at the Bernabeu last night, this was a coronationâ€.
Don’t forget you can read our exclusive pre-match interview with José here.
The Irish Times points out that despite the focus on José, we shouldn’t ignore Bayern Munich, saying that their manager Louis Van Gaal “has more than enough self-regard to remain confident even when cast as a minor character in the tale of José Mourinho”. The Times also points out that despite the Heineken Cup Final being an all-French affair, we can expect to see a fair few Irish faces in the crowd as many Leinster and Munster fans had already bought tickets prior to their teams crashing out of the tournament and are still planning on making the trip to Paris.
Meanwhile, the Mirror goes with “Benitez: I will stay if you wantâ€. They report that despite interest from Juventus and Inter Milan, and a difficult season, Rafa Benitez wants to continue at Anfield.
