The former Northern Ireland First Minister was admitted to the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald on the eastern outskirts of Belfast.

A statement on behalf of his wife, Baroness Paisley, said: “She requests that the family’s privacy be respected at this difficult time.”

Mr Paisley, 85, was rushed to hospital on Sunday, 10 days after preaching his final sermon as a minister.

He is a former moderator and founding member of the Free Presbyterian Church and was MP for North Antrim for almost 40 years.

Mr Paisley, now known as Lord Bannside, was succeeded in North Antrim by his son Ian Jnr.

Party colleagues were briefed in a meeting at Parliament Buildings, Stormont, and prayers were said. One member said they were given no details about how he became ill or his condition.

“We were just told he was unwell and in hospital. That was all.”

It is understood Mr Paisley has been on medication for several years for an enlarged heart, possibly since 2004.

According to one source tonight the illness could be linked to heart failure, not a heart attack. There had been concerns several years ago about Mr Paisley’s health when he lost weight and looked gaunt.

But he made a good recovery from heart problems and while his voice was showing signs of obvious weakness, some people who were at his farewell sermon at the Martyrs Memorial Church in Belfast on January 27 remarked on how well he appeared for his age.

After withdrawing from church and public life he was planning to write his autobiography.

Mr Paisley’s five children – twin sons Ian Jnr and Kyle, an ordained minister as well, and three daughters, Rhonda, Sharon and Cherith – were among the 3,000 people for his final address.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said cuts are coming at a time when investment is needed. (File pic)

Public spending cutbacks are particularly hitting the sick and elderly, Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has warned.

The Republic of Ireland’s most senior Catholic church leader said the government was allocating less to some of society’s most vulnerable at a time when it was most needed.

“Our population is ageing,” he said.

“Just at a time in which increased investment in the care of the elderly is necessary, the reality is that we are facing cutbacks.

“The cutbacks in public social services which are the outcome of the current economic situation are already hitting, in particular, those who are sick or aged but who up to now had received the help which enabled them to live on in their own homes, which is what they dearly want.”

Archbishop Martin appealed to communities to be more alert to the sick and elderly among them.

The church leader said people had to ensure they are not left forgotten “in the difficult times ahead”.

He added: “Community care needs active and attentive communities.”

Archbishop Martin was addressing his congregation in his Sunday homily.

Left-wing TDs want to ask the president to call a referendum, if the government fails to do so. (File pic)

President Michael D Higgins will be urged to take the unprecedented step of calling a referendum if the Irish Government rules against a vote on the new European treaty.

Amid claims Taoiseach Enda Kenny and his EU counterparts crafted the pact to avoid the electorate, 16 left-wing TDs vowed to lobby the former Labour man if a public vote is ruled out.

Under the never-before-used Article 27 of the constitution the president can call a referendum with enough support from the Dáil and the Seanad.

Independent TD Thomas Pringle, who is spearheading the challenge, said they will turn to the head of state if Attorney General Máire Whelan rules there is no legal requirement for a referendum.

“Article 27 says a third of the Dáil and the majority of the Seanad can petition the president not to sign an Act into law until a referendum has been held by the people,” said Mr Pringle.

The group, comprising 16 Independent and United Left Alliance TDs, will need 55 signatures from Dail members to carry the petition.

“If you look at the number of Independents, Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil, we make up 52 TDs,” he said.

“But the constitutional requirement would be for 55 TDs to sign this petition, so we will be hoping for some Fine Gael or Labour TDs who, in the interest of democracy, will support our calls for a referendum.”

Mr Pringle wrote to all members of the Oireachtas today calling for their support and signatures for the Article 27 petition.

If agreed, the president will be required to consider the treaty with the help of the Council of State, which includes former presidents Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese, as well as the Taoiseach and Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore. But the final decision comes down to him alone.

According to the constitution, Mr Higgins will have to determine whether the treaty is of such national importance that it requires the will of the people.

Opposition leaders have reiterated their calls for a public vote on the fiscal compact, which will bring strict budgetary rules and penalise member states that breach them.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheal Martin said pushing the treaty through without a referendum would damage the people’s confidence in any future European Union initiatives.

“For the sake of rushing through this treaty, we could damage the possibility of ever again winning support for an EU initiative,” said Mr Martin.

“Given that this treaty commits us to a new major EU treaty in the next few years, this is an urgent concern.”

Sinn Féin accused the Taoiseach of hiding behind the Attorney General.

Donegal North East TD Pádraig Mac Lochlainn said the treaty was “a suicide pact” and the public should be given a voice.

“It’s clear that the people want to have their say on this matter,” he said.

A Red C Survey for the Sunday Business Post last week revealed that 72 per cent of the Irish public are in favour of a referendum.

Sinn Féin vice-president Mary Lou McDonald earlier challenged Mr Kenny over claims from a top European official that he allowed the compact to be drafted in such a way that the Attorney General would find no legal grounds to hold a public vote.

Mr Kenny said he had no idea about the allegation.

“If it is the case and that speculative report were true, does that not bely what we have been saying all the time, that Ireland had no say in the matter?” Mr Kenny said.

Meanwhile, Independent TD Mick Wallace shot down claims earlier this week by Transport Minister Leo Varadkar that the electorate would not understand the intricacies of the treaty well enough to make an informed decision in a referendum.

“The notion that the people are not clued in to what’s happening is not true,” said Mr Wallace.

“I’ve been amazed by the level of interest and the level of knowledge people have all over the country about this present crisis.”

People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett said it was insulting and undemocratic to imply that members of the public are not smart enough to have their say.

He also accused Mr Kenny of allowing Europe to strangle and crucify Ireland.

“If you won’t listen to the people then the people should come to the streets,” he added.

Independent TD Shane Ross criticised the Taoiseach’s claims that the treaty will stimulate growth.

“He says this is an austerity and stimulus programme,” said Mr Ross.

“If anybody can tell me how these two can be reconciled, I think they should be sent to heaven immediately.”

New Dublin call centre will be Sky's 10th across the UK and Ireland.

Digital TV provider Sky has announced the creation of 800 jobs in Dublin.

The company will open a customer contact centre in Burlington Plaza in the city centre in August.

Recruitment is to start immediately and the positions are expected to be filled over the next two years.

Jobs Minister Richard Bruton said the move is evidence of increased confidence in Ireland.

“This is great news and represents a very welcome vote of confidence in our workforce and in the Irish economy by a leading company,” said Mr Bruton.

“Confidence is key and, in the coming weeks, the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs will implement a series of measures to drive reform across the economy, ensure that more businesses can create more jobs, and get growth and confidence back into the economy again.”

Jobs on offer will range from customer service manager and adviser roles to training, coaching and HR positions.

The Dublin call centre will be Sky’s 10th across the UK and Ireland.

Around 10.5 million homes use the company’s digital services, which include Sky 3D and Sky Go, which allows customers to access TV on their iPads, games consoles and mobile phones.

Sky chief executive Jeremy Darroch said he was delighted to be opening a centre in Ireland.

“Our Irish customers are very important to our business and the creation of this customer centre will ensure they receive first class customer service,” said Mr Darroch.

“We hope to recruit a committed and enthusiastic workforce and look forward to making further contributions to the local community.”

Barry O’Leary, chief executive of IDA Ireland, the company responsible for attracting direct foreign investment into the country, also welcomed the announcement.

Ulster Unionist Party leader Tom Elliot said the move would not see the UUP dissolve.

Britain’s Conservative Party will set up a new party in Northern Ireland to deliver “mainstream, national politics”, it has been confirmed.

Conservative Party co-chairman Andrew Feldman announced that the party had approved plans for the formation of the new Conservative and Unionist Party of Northern Ireland.

It comes after an electoral alliance between the Conservatives and the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), which fielded joint candidates at the 2010 general election, failed to gain a single MP.

Lord Feldman wrote to UUP leader Tom Elliott last November suggesting the party disband and merge with the new Conservative-led formation, but the offer was rejected.

Today, Lord Feldman said: “For too long politics in Northern Ireland have been built around sectarianism and division.

“We want to move past the politics of the peace process to a more normal state of affairs where everyone in Northern Ireland has the opportunity to vote for a modern, centre-right, pro-Union party.

“This new political party won’t be encumbered by the conflict and divisions of Northern Ireland’s past. We want to reach out to everybody in Northern Ireland, regardless of their background.”

According to the plans, the new party will initially have an observer’s seat on the Conservatives’ main board.

It will also have its own chairman, officers and rules, with an interim leader expected to help establish the party ahead of a leadership election in the coming year.

The relationship between the Conservative Party and the UUP stretches back to the partition of Ireland into the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in 1922.

UUP members took the Conservative whip at Westminster until 1972, when the alliance broke down ahead of the proposed Sunningdale Agreement for a cross-border Council of Ireland.

The Tories’ failure to make an impact on Northern Ireland’s politics since organising there in the 1980s led to the 2008 alliance with the UUP, with candidates standing under an Ulster Conservative and Unionist New Force (UCUNF) banner.

Mr Elliott said last November that there was “no question” of the Ulster Unionist Party being dissolved.

Enda Kenny arrives for an EU summit in Brussels. (Pic: AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Some 25 EU nations have agreed upon a fiscal deal to bolster the euro by toughening the bloc’s budgetary rules.

The UK and the Czech Republic are the only two members that will not sign up to the German-inspired pact.

Under the compact, signatories are committed to bringing into legislation what European Council President Herman Van Rompuy has referred to as a “debt brake” or “golden rule”.

New voting rules and an automatic correction mechanism will enforce compliance more effectively. All member states except the UK and Czech Republic are to sign the deal at a meeting in March.

The treaty will come into effect once 12 members have ratified it.

Meanwhile, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has insisted the Government is not afraid to hold a referendum on the deal.

Mr Kenny made his comments as he and other European leaders have gathered for the summit.

“The Government has absolutely no fear of a referendum,” said Mr Kenny.

Mr Kenny said when finalised, the text would go before Ireland’s Attorney General Máire Whelan, who will determine whether a referendum will be required.

“When the text is finalised I will ask the Attorney General to present the Government with the Attorney General’s response as to whether the agreed text as finalised by the politicians is in compliance with our constitution,” he said.

“If it is in compliance, then there is no need for a referendum.”

Mr Kenny’s Fine Gael colleague Leo Varadkar sparked controversy over the weekend when he said he had concerns for a possible referendum.

The Transport Minister said he was not a fan of the system – which gives the public a say on significant political issues – saying he believed it to be undemocratic.

“I don’t think referendums are very democratic,” Mr Varadkar told RTÉ.

“By and large, referendum campaigns are never about what they are supposed to be about.”

He said the main issues behind referendums get clouded by domestic political point scoring.

A new Red C Survey for the Sunday Business Post showed that 72 per cent of the population is in favour of holding a referendum.

Some 40 per cent said they would vote in favour of the fiscal compact, 36 per cent said they would vote no and the rest were unsure.

With Staff Writer

Linda Nash, who lost her brother William on Bloody Sunday. (Pic: Paul Faith/PA)

Events have been held to mark the 40th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in Derry.

Relatives of the victims attended a memorial service at a monument in Derry’s Bogside.

But the majority of the families refused to take part in a subsequent march that retraced the route of the ill-fated demonstration where British paratroopers killed 14 civil rights marchers on January 30, 1972.

A public inquiry by Britain’s Lord Saville declared all the victims to be innocent, prompting an apology from Prime Minister David Cameron in 2010.

And while many of the families are pressing for the prosecution of the soldiers involved, most of them decided to end the annual march they led for 39 years, arguing they had been vindicated by the Saville findings.

Relatives of those killed and wounded attended the memorial service, where both Protestant and Catholic clergy were involved.

But later Kate and Linda Nash, whose teenage brother William was killed on Bloody Sunday, opted to continue the march.

Kate Nash said the march should remain an annual event to help lobby for other bereaved families seeking justice.

“I am delighted with the turnout,” she said.

“But even if it had just been myself and my sister, we would still have a right to march. That is democracy.

“We are going to continue to march for prosecutions, but beyond that, this is a unique march and it should continue for all those who are seeking justice.”

Estimates suggested the march attracted more than 1,000 people, but the organisers believed the figure was higher.

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, Ulster GAA president Aogán O Fearghail, First Minister Peter Robinson, and GAA director general Pauric Duffy at the Dr McKenna Cup Final at Morgan Athletic Grounds in Armagh. (Pic: GAA/PA)

Stormont First Minister Peter Robinson has attended his first gaelic football match.

In a significant development for community relations in Northern Ireland, he joined deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness at a Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) cup final.

Gaelic games are associated with the nationalist community, but his attendance at the Armagh Athletic Grounds follows long-running efforts to build bridges between the GAA and the unionist community.

In 2008 Edwin Poots, a Democratic Unionist minister at the Stormont Assembly, became the first political figure from his party to attend a GAA game.

Ulster GAA president Aogán O’Fearghail welcomed Mr Robinson’s attendance at the Power NI McKenna Cup final between counties Derry and Tyrone.

He said: “The attendance of the First Minister follows a series of engagements that have taken place involving him and his officials over the past number of years led by our provincial director Danny Murphy.”

The Assembly Executive has earmarked more than £100 million to redevelop stadia linked to gaelic games, rugby and football.

This includes a major scheme for the GAA’s Casement Park ground in the heart of west Belfast.

Mr O’Fearghail added: “Myself, Danny Murphy and Tom Daly (chairman of the Casement Park Stadium Project) first met the First Minister last year and Ulster GAA would want to again recognise the significant investment that the Executive under the leadership of both the First and Deputy First Ministers have committed to the Casement Park redevelopment and to many other GAA projects.

“I thank them for their confidence in and support for Ulster GAA.”

He added: “As an Association, we are committed to a shared future for all in Ireland.

“We outreach to many who have had no traditional involvement with the GAA.

“The presence of the First Minister at tonight’s match is part of that engagement process and something I warmly welcome.”

Mr Robinson said: “I have consistently been saying that we have to get away from the ‘them and us’ politics.

“We have to be able to show respect for each other’s traditions so it’s good to be here.”

The DUP leader added: “I have had several meetings with the GAA, at a meeting-to-meeting level and when the invitation came I was glad to take it up.”

He told UTV: “I’m not sure if I have caught all the finer points of the game, but I’m on the side of the referee on this one!”

Last year the Queen made a landmark visit to the GAA’s headquarters in Dublin.

The tour of the Croke Park stadium complex formed part of her groundbreaking state visit to the Republic of Ireland.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has blamed easy credit for the Irish crash. (File pic)

Ireland’s economic crisis was caused by people’s mad borrowing, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has told the Davos global gathering.

In a discussion on ways out of the country’s worst recession on record, Mr Kenny told the summit in the Swiss Alps that easy credit spawned greed.

“What happened in our country was that people simply went mad borrowing,” Mr Kenny said.

“The extent of personal credit, personal wealth created on credit was done between people and banks – a system that spawned greed to a point where it just went out of control completely with a spectacular crash.

“The country borrowed over €60 billion at excessive rates and the IMF eventually came in with the Troika.”

Opposition parties said the comments, made at the World Economic Forum, are at odds with the Taoiseach’s assessment in a pre-budget address to the nation last December when he said: “Let me say this to you all: You are not responsible for the crisis.”

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, Sinn Féin TD, said it was an outrageous analysis and accused the Taoiseach of blaming Irish people for a crash caused by aggressive lenders and greedy banks.

“He gave an address to the Irish nation in December, telling us it was not our fault, but to say this today was an absolute contradiction,” said Mr Mac Lochlainn.

“This analysis that people in Ireland went drunk with credit, were reckless and they have to now be cleansed by a decade of austerity to clean them of their sins is very worrying.

“People were aggressively cajoled, every time you opened your newspaper or put on your TV.

“What you had was aggressive lending by the core banks that toyed with low interest rates. It was like crack cocaine.” Mr Mac Lochlainn claimed Mr Kenny was feeding into a Franco-German propaganda of justifying austerity in Ireland.

A spokesperson for the United Left Alliance said: “Ordinary householders borrowed because of the excessive price of houses.

“The ULA puts the blame squarely at the foot of developers, bankers and speculators who conspired to create massive and for them, highly profiteering, and there was a bubble in the market.”

During the discussion on the catastrophic boom and bust, the Taoiseach said that people in Ireland have since refocused on what they can do to help recovery.

“People have refocused on their values, on what it is they want to contribute to the wellbeing of the country,” he said.

Mr Kenny said it was important to interact with the public and explain measures being taken under the International Monetary Fund-European bailout deal.

“But people become frustrated if they don’t see results and they want to see where the light shines,” he warned.

Mr Kenny the Taoiseach was taking part in a plenary session with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, Finnish Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen and Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski.

Meanwhile, the Taoiseach insisted Ireland would not be rushed into selling off state assets to raise €2-3 billion to ease the debt crisis and create a fund for jobs.

He went on to describe a €3.5 billion bond switch, which was this week secured for the first time since 2010, as “a small sign of confidence” that Ireland was returning to the international markets.

“That’s only a small step in what’s a very long journey for us,” he said.

This was Ireland’s most significant move since bond auctions were suspended more than a year ago and the IMF, European Central Bank and the European Union – known as the Troika – stepped in to oversee a €85 billion bailout.

Richard Donovan taking part in the Himalayan 100-mile race in 2002. (Pic: Handout/PA)

The only man on the planet to run seven marathons in less than seven days on the seven continents is aiming to go one better by smashing the five-day barrier.

Irish ultra runner Richard Donovan starts his epic quest in the extremes of Antarctica running the first 26 mile leg in -20C at the Russian Novo science base next Wednesday.

The 45-year-old father-of-one is doing the endurance challenge on a shoestring budget out of his own pocket to raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa.

His record stands at five days, 10 hours and eight minutes – 130:08.

“It’s been very hard to figure a way of knocking off the half day,” he said.

“I’m keeping it real – I’m not going in some privileged manner. I’m going against all the rules, no special diet, flying economy by myself, bringing whatever I can fit in one bag. I’ll sleep where I can.”

Donovan, who was inspired to first attempt the challenge in 2009 after the failed bid by British explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, will set the countdown clock ticking from 120 hours.

The first run begins on February 1 when pilots of the Russian cargo plane are given a take-off slot.

Donovan, from Galway and an experienced marathon runner at both poles, said sleep deprivation and massive temperature fluctuations will be the biggest challenge. Despite this he has received no specific medical advice and has not seen a doctor in years.

“I found doing this challenge remarkably hard on the body in a way I did not expect – the temperatures really hit me. I go from -20C to 30C in the space of a few hours,” he said.

“The flying itself is hard. I was falling asleep in airports afraid I would miss flights. On the plane I could not sleep but coming into land I was falling asleep and was tired starting the run.

Money raised through online donations at www.worldmarathonchallenge.com will go to Irish aid agency Goal, one of few charities working in the Horn of Africa. Running times will be independently verified at each location.

Donovan has ruled out using energy gels or drinks for fear of sickness and the only supplement he will pack are salt tablets.

“The chances are that my stomach will fall ill so I’m going to eat as simply as I can. Even by the third marathon there will be a lot of fatigue,” he said.

“I threw up on four continents the last time – the huge effort and airline food as a staple diet will do that.”

Donovan will have about nine hours in each location to disembark, run the course and fly out to the next destination.

“I’m used to moving on dead legs and not having to think about it but that does not deny the fact that they are dead,” he said.

“That being said, the experience the last time was a lot more debilitating – it’s a unique thing to fly around the world in that time as it is not to mention seven marathons.”

:: Round the world marathon 

Feb 1 – 2100 (Sydney time, GMT +11): First 26 mile leg at the Russian Novo base. Temperature -20C.*

Feb 1 – 2200: Arrive in Cape Town for leg two after six hour 4,200km flight on cargo plane. Average night temperature mid 20C. Status 52 miles run.

Feb 2 – 1630: Arrive in Sao Paulo, Brazil on flight from Johannesburg for third marathon. Average temperature mid 20C plus high humidity. Status 78 miles run and 12,980km flown.

Feb 3 – 0705: Orlando. Marathon number four. Average temperature mid 20C. Status 114 miles run and 19,560km flown.

Feb 4 – 0735: Fly into London Gatwick for fifth leg. Average temperature 5C. Status 131 miles run and 26,560km flown.

Feb 5 – 1345: Arrive in Hong Kong and marathon number six. Average temperature 15-18C. Status 157 miles run and 36,200km flown.

Feb 6 – 1215: Arrive in Sydney with a 1900 deadline to finish marathon seventh leg. Average temperature +25C. Status 183 miles run and 43,540km flown.

*All times local except for Antarctica.