A man carrying two guns approached The Players' Lounge pub on Richmond Road in Dublin's north inner city at about 12:30am today and opened fire on a number of people who were standing outside. Three men were injured and two are now said to be in a critical condition in hospital; the third victim's injuries are described as serious.

The initial theory is that the pub doorman, who was shot in the head, may have been the target and that the other two happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Three motorcyclists die in road accidents

In addition to the fatal accidents involving motorcyclists in Co. Limerick and Co. Wicklow a third motorcyclist lost his life on the roads yesterday. A 41-year-old man, thought to be from the Ballymena area, died in an accident on the Upper Crumlin Road on the outskirts of north Belfast on Sunday afternoon. He was travelling with a number of other motorcyclists when he was involved in a collision with a car and a van.

Infrastructure investment programme to be announced

Taoiseach Brian Cowen has confirmed that the Government has decided to press ahead with a capital investment of over €39bn for the period up to 2016. The main areas for investment are public transport, roads, schools, health facilities, the environment, energy efficiency, broadband, R&D and support for jobs and enterprise.

So far it has been confirmed that Metro North (the underground from the Dublin city centre to the airport), the DART underground and LUAS extensions have been approved. It is believed that the extension to the Western Rail Corridor has been postponed.

Parts of Cork without water

A serious break in a major water main near Inniscarra Dam has left some of Cork city's western suburbs and parts of the county without water. Engineers have succeeded in diverting water from another main to some of the affected areas but elsewhere householders are collecting water from strategically placed tankers. The disruption is expected to continue for throughout today.

The €170k bus stop

Dublin city councillors were aghast on finding that their unelected staff had managed to spend €170k on a new bus stop and shelter on Collins Avenue outside Dublin City University. It was noted that the sum involved is more than enough to buy a two-bedroom apartment in the capital.

Officials tried to temper the outrage by explaining that erecting the bus stop only cost €100k and the balance was incurred when it was decided to carry out "coincidental" works. The actual cost of the bus shelter, €30k, does not appear to have been included in this.

Dublin named a UNESCO City of Literature

It was announced this morning that Dublin has been designated as a UNESCO City of Literature, one of only four in the world. The announcement was made jointly by Dublin's Lord Mayor Gerry Breen and Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport Mary Hanafin on the forecourt of the new Grand Canal Theatre.

Today's Papers

The Irish Times leads with the future of the decentralisation plan under the headline "Programme to relocate State services out of Dublin delayed", while the Irish Independent warns of the extra costs we can expect next year with "Households face taxes on property and water". The Irish Examiner goes with a seasonal story of secondary school costs as we reach the halfway point in the school holidays: "Average back to school bill soars to €815".

The Irish News carries a front page photograph of a young girl placing flowers at the Alex Higgins mural on Donegall Road in Belfast, but their main story concerns doctors' fears about overcrowding in hospitals; the headline reads "A&Es feared unsafe".

The Weather in Galway

The best of the weather is to be in the east today, but here it is overcast and we are threatened with rain. Temperature 19C

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