A GARDA was in a stable condition in hospital last night after he was stabbed during an early morning drugs raid in Athlone. The incident occurred as gardai carried out a planned search of a house at Grotto View on the Roscommon side of the midlands town. The garda, named locally as Aidan Lyons, is a member of the Longford Westmeath garda drugs unit and was stabbed twice in the upper arm during the house search.

Two men were arrested following the stabbing incident and both were yesterday being detained at Athlone garda station.

Sargent to talk of prison concerns Junior minister Trevor Sargent intends to "speak privately" with justice minister Brian Lenihan about his environmental concerns over the site of the planned Thornton Hall super prison in north Co Dublin. He was one of four Green Party members who filed a complaint in 2005 to Stavros Dimas, Commissioner for the Environment at the European Commission, calling for an environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the site.

Residents march for fire service

HUNDREDS of people took to the streets of Bray, Co Wicklow yesterday in protest at the failure to provide a full-time fire service in the town. Since part-time firemen Brian Murray and Mark O'Shaughnessy were killed following a fire at a disused factory in the town last month, their families have been urging the government to provide a fulltime fire service.

Wicklow crash victim named

THE victim of a car crash in Co Wicklow on Friday evening was yesterday named as 25-year-old Lucian Disca from the South Circular Road in Dublin. Disca was killed when the car he was driving collided with a lorry at Ballykillavane in Glenealy, at around 5pm.

Ireland hosts day for organ donors

THE Irish Kidney Association yesterday hosted the Council of Europe's ninth European Day for Organ Donation at the Royal Marine Hotel in Dun Laoghaire.

President Mary McAleese addressed the conference, the first of its kind to be hosted by a patient organisation.

Ireland is currently placed sixth in Europe for the number of organ donations made annually.

Police in NI riots call for calm

Police in the North appealed for calm yesterday following disturbances in Carrickfergus, Co Antrim in the early hours of the morning. Up to 100 people were involved in a riot which is believed to have been linked to loyalist tensions. One man was hospitalised and four men were arrested in connection with the assault.