Dublin, Apr 12 : A visibly mammoth wooden version of the famous Stonehenge monument has been unearthed at the Hill of Tara.

In a new RTE documentary, scientists have provided insights into Ireland's prehistoric past, and 150,000 ancient monuments have been unveiled and explained.

Through the programme, people will be able to see a computer-generated recreation of what archaeologists believe was a major wooden structure -a version of British Stonehenge - at the ancient seat of the Irish high kings in the Hill of Tara in Co Meath.

Dublin - The sufferings of Easter week began Tuesday in Ireland with the announcement of an austerity budget aimed at getting the country's finances back on track.

"We have the capacity and the will to bring this country out of this period of severe economic distress, we can work our way out of our problems," Finance Minister Brian Lenihan said as he delivered the latest financial blow to the Irish people, many of whom are still smarting from the swingeing cuts of last October's budget.

Dublin - Football's rulemakers have given the go ahead for for the extension of an additional assistant referees experiment while a controversial proposal to extend the half-time break from 15 to 20 minutes has been dropped.

The International FA Board (IFAB) agreed the move at its annual general meeting in Newcastle in Northern Ireland.

Dublin  - An armed gang escaped with up to 6.2 million euros (7.9 million dollars) in a raid on an Irish bank in central Dublin after kidnapping an employee and family members, including a five- year-old girl, police said Friday.

The six-strong gang forced the worker into a central branch of the Bank of Ireland in Dublin as they held his girlfriend, her mother and her five-year-old granddaughter at gunpoint.

Dublin - Up to 120,000 people protested in the Irish capital Dublin on Saturday against the government's handling of the economy and the activities of the banks during the financial crisis.

The demonstration, one of the largest ever in the city, was called for by a number of Ireland's unions. State employees vented their anger over government cutback plans and the effect that the recession, which began late in 2008, is having on workers.

Dublin- There has been a swing towards a "Yes" vote to the European Union's Lisbon Treaty in Ireland with 51 per cent now in favour, according to a poll conducted by the Irish Times newspaper, published Monday.

The poll shows those in favour increased by eight points since November 2008 when the last Irish Times last poll was published. Just
33 per cent now say they would vote "No," a drop of six points since November's poll.