Cian McCormack

I'm sitting on a giant boulder at Finnoe Cross, between Borrisokane and Carney in north Tipperary. Carved into the stone are words familiar to generations of Pogues fans: The Broad Majestic Shannon. It reads: "I sat for a while at the Cross of Finnoe. Where the young lovers would meet when the flowers were in bloom." Beside me, a group of Dutch musicians who make up the band Riverflow strike up the song and fill the quiet countryside with the sound of one of Shane MacGowan’s most beloved ballads.

Minister for Communications Patrick O'Donovan complained to Ireland's media watchdog about a lack of balance in RTÉ's coverage of fuel protests after they happened in April. The minister cited examples illustrating RTÉ's "lack of balance" ranging from guest selection on an RTÉ radio programme to the questioning of a junior minister on Prime Time.

Tourists are bypassing one of Ireland's most important historical sites because there is not enough safe parking places for coaches, tourism operators have warned. They are calling on Cork County Council to make more parking available at Béal na Bláth, the ambush site where Michael Collins was shot dead on 22 August 1922. Tim Crowley, of the Michael Collins Centre and Museum at Castleview Hill, Ballinoroher outside Clonakilty, wants to see more tourists stopping at Béal na Bláth.