Dublin  - Ireland's economy - which enjoyed an unprecedented boom in the last decade - is in recession after the gross domestic product fell for the second successive quarter, figures released from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in Dublin showed Thursday.

GDP fell by 0.8 per cent in the second quarter of this year compared to the same quarter of 2007 after falling by 1.3 per cent in the first quarter compared to the first three months of 2007.

GDP fell by 1 per cent overall in the first six months of the year compared to last year.

Gross national product, which excludes earnings from multinational companies, fell by as much as 2.1 per cent in the second quarter after growing by 0.9 per cent in the first quarter.

Cork, Ireland - The back-to-school period is a trying time for parents worldwide and as Ireland grapples with recession and rising unemployment, the concept of "free education" flies in the face of tight household budgets.

The daunting prospect of having to buy yet another school uniform for growing offspring, the soaring costs of school books, clothes and class equipment is dampening spirits as well.

A mother of two, Fiona Dobbin, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa: "I have spent around 800 euros (1,180 dollars) so far on fitting out my children, aged 10 and six, for the next school year."

Dublin - After 22 hours of negotiations, the Irish government said Wednesday it had managed to agree a 6-per-cent pay increase with workers for the next 21 months.

The deal would be paid in two phases following an initial pay freeze, a statement from Prime Minister Brian Cowen's office said.

Private-sector workers would receive a 3.5-per-cent rise for six months, then 3.5 per cent for the following year after an initial three-month freeze.

Public sector workers' wages would be frozen for 11 months, then they would receive 3.5 per cent for nine months and 2.5 per cent for the final month, the statement said.

Dublin - The Irish Stock Ex

Dublin/London  - A Ryanair aircraft was Thursday forced to make an emergency landing minutes after take-off from Dublin airport in Ireland, the budget airline said.

A spokesman said the back of the plane struck the runway as it took off and the pilot returned to the airport as a precaution. He described the occurrence as a "tail-strike" which was "quite common."

"As a precautionary measure the aircraft returned with oxygen masks deployed and landed safely in Dublin," he said.

All 148 passengers disembarked normally and the flight later took off for London-Stansted airport. No-one was injured.

Dublin, September 11 : The partial remains of a young person, probably female, which could date back to between 2500-2000 BC, have been uncovered during an archaeological dig in the Burren, Co Clare, in Ireland.

According to a report in the Irish Times, the prehistoric remains were found in the passageway to the central burial chamber of Caherconnell Cashel, a well-preserved stone fort, during the dig that began a fortnight ago.

A significant factor of the discovery is that the body had been allowed to decompose elsewhere before some of the skeleton was placed where it was found, according to archaeologist, Graham Hull.