TWO young men died following a car crash on the Lucan Road, Dublin, yesterday morning. The single-vehicle crash happened at the junction of the Old Lucan Road and Brookvale estate just after 11am. The blue Citroen, carrying five young men, mounted a footpath and crashed into a boundary wall of a house at the Brookvale estate.

One of the men, named locally as Robert Carney, 17, died instantly, while a second man, believed to be from the local Cherbury estate, was rushed to hospital where he underwent surgery, but was pronounced dead shortly afterwards. Three other men were brought to hospital but their injuries are not believed to be life threatening.

Gardai have appealed for anyone who saw the light blue Citroen C3 in the area at the time to contact them.

Gardai in Castlebar are investigating a fatal two-car collision which occurred at 10pm Friday in Drumadoon, Balla, Castlebar, Co Mayo. A 26-year-old man was killed when the car in which he was a front-seat passenger hit another car. Both drivers were treated for minor injuries.

And a woman was killed at about 6.30pm last night in a two-car crash on the Cork side of Mitchelstown. She was the fourth person to die on the roads in 24 hours.

In Dublin, a man and child were injured when the car they were in overturned under the Red Cow roundabout. Two other children in the car were injured.

Dublin to roll out observation wheel

London has its Eye; Belfast has its Wheel, and now Dublin is to get its own version of an observation wheel.

A new Dublin Wheel is set to become a major tourist attraction in Dublin's financial district at a height of up to 80 metres. The wheel will have an observation platform so tourists can have a unique view of the city's skyline.

The Dublin Docklands Authority is looking for a company to supply, build and operate a wheel which will also have an enclosed gondola. It said an attraction like the wheel would bring "much animation to the area".

TD condemns truancy jail sentence

A TD has said he feels it is "inappropriate" to jail a mother for 20 days because of her two children missing school. The landmark judgement last week was the first time the National Education and Welfare Board took a successful prosecution against a parent for children's truancy.

But Fine Gael education spokesman Brian Hayes said yesterday: "It's the primary responsibility of parents to make sure that their children are in school. Where parents are incapable and unable to carry out this function, the State should intervene directly at a much earlier stage."

But he added it was not appropriate "for a parent to go to prison and serve time for this type of offence".

Cardinal Newman to be beatified

The Vatican has cleared the way for the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman, the English churchman who came to Ireland at the invitation of Cardinal Cullen to found the Catholic University of Ireland in 1851.

Cardinal Newman lived in Ireland until 1858 and is still commemorated in Dublin by Newman House, which was the original university building.

The Vatican agreed that the inexplicable healing of an American bent double by a spinal disorder came about as a result of praying to the cardinal. The Pope will declare him 'blessed' as a result of the decision.

Four arrested in €1m drug seizure

GARDAI yesterday seized an estimated €1m of cocaine and cannabis from a flat on Mary Street, Clonmel, Co Tipperary. Three firearms were also recovered.

A 41-year-old man and two women, aged 31 and 37, were arrested at the scene. A second man was later arrested and further searches were carried out in a follow-up operation which led to further cocaine discoveries.

No winner for €2.8m Lotto jackpot

THERE was no winner of last night's €2,806,757 Lotto jackpot. The numbers were 9, 17, 21, 28, 31, 41 (bonus 24).

There were two Match 5+bonus winners who each get €25,00; 65 Match 5s (€1,448); 176 Match 4+bonus (€134); 3,097 Match 4s (€47); 4,113 Match 3+bonus (€24); and 48,159 Match 3s (€5 scratchcard). The Lotto Plus 1 numbers were 3, 27, 33, 40, 41, 42 (bonus 16) and the Plus 2 draw numbers were 15, 32, 33, 34, 42, 45 (bonus 17).

In the UK draw for stg£7.6m, the numbers were 7, 14, 17, 39, 41, 49 (bonus 29).

McGuinness not doubling up security

Sources close to Sinn Fein vice president and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness say he is not planning to double up his security guard following dissident republican threats to kill him.

Health officials call swine flu meeting

HEALTH Service Executive and the Department of Health and Children met yesterday to review the cases of swine flu that have been identified in the US and Mexico.

Public health officials from the HSE and the Health Protection Surveillance Centre are monitoring reports and remain in contact with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the European Centre for Disease Control.

Dr Kevin Kelleher, head of health protection with the HSE, said the WHO has confirmed that no cases of this illness have occurred in Europe. (Pandemic fears, page 18)

Jail is not for debtors, says judge

A DISTRICT court judge who has engaged in some controversial outbursts from the bench in the past is now being hailed as a hero by recession-hit debtors.

Judge Sean McBride, who once declared at a court in Monaghan that he would feel like shooting anybody he caught robbing his house, and that he also believed Co Tyrone people were "very thick", has been praised by representatives of the MABS organisation (Money and Budgeting Service) for declaring last week that he is not prepared to jail people who fail to pay their bills.

"Jail is for criminals, not for debtors," said the judge.

Bodies exhibition extends its run

Although a similar exhibition has been banned in France, the 'Bodies Exhibition' in Dublin has aroused such interest that its run at the Ambassador Theatre in Dublin has been extended due to popular demand until July 2009.

The exhibition, which opened last January, has been a phenomenal success, boasting record attendance figures in the first 10 weeks. Exhibit hours are 10am-8pm Sunday to Thursday, and Friday and Saturday from 10am-10pm. Further information is at www.bodiesdublin.com.

Relationships manager leaves €2.4m

William Fitzpatrick, a relationships manager of Pembroke Park, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, who died on November 15, has left €2,393,433 in his will, which went to probate in Dublin last week.

Other wills: Lena Mary Breen, housewife, Charleville Road, Phibsboro, Dublin, €1,863,015; James Ledwith, Clontarf Road, Dublin, €1,759,866; Bridgid Doherty, nurse, Seafield Road, Clontarf, Dublin, €1,466,721; Patrick G Donnellan, farm manager, French Lane, Stackallen, Co Meath, €1,220,500; Maureen O'Reilly, Old Street, Malahide, Co Dublin, €1,163,797; and Thomas Palmer, publican, Ballycorus Rd, Kilternan, Co Dublin, €1,061,864.

The value of estates may include property, including the family home, and should not be regarded as cash amounts.