Rachel is wearing a Helen Cody dress, a Laura Kinsella hat and all jewellery by Boodles. Photos: Brian McEvoy

Rachel Stevens is pictured at The Marker Hotel this evening for the official launch for the 2016 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Festival, which takes place from June 24-26  at The Curragh Racecourse.

Rachel is the official Style Ambassador for Festival and will be attending the event on Saturday, June 25 to form part of the judging panel for the Most Stylish Lady Competition.

The winner will walk away with a luxury holiday to Dubai, courtesy of Dubai Duty Free as well as €1,000 to spend at Dubai Duty Free, a spectacular Boodles diamond pendent and a luxurious overnight stay at The Marker Hotel in Dublin.

Early-bird tickets for the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby are now available at ww.curragh.ie and priced €25 (available before the 17th June) with transport from Dublin on return luxury coaches available for an additional €10. Under 25’s and seniors cost €20.

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Get the suncream and shades out yet again today as it's set to be another day of sweltering heat and blissful sunshine across the country.

It's going to be a relatively misty start to the morning and the sunshine will be mainly hazy for the early parts, with some patches of fog clearly quite quickly.

The sun won't be quite as strong as previous days, but it will still be very warm as the humidity edges north of 75 per cent. Temperatures will gradually rise throughout the afternoon, with values eventually reaching around 24 degrees by around 3pm.

Tonight will be warm once again and it should also remain generally clear. Lowest overnight temperatures will remain as high as 10-12 degrees.

If you have a story or want to send a photo or video to us please contact the Kildare Now editorial team. Between 9am and 5pm Monday to Sunday please call 045 409350. Between 5pm and midnight please call or text 086 729 0010. Or you can email content@kildarenow.com at any time.

The death has occurred of Hazel O'HAIRE (née Hicks), Cooleragh, Coill Dubh, Kildare / Newcastle, Dublin

O'Haire (nee Hicks), Hazel, Cooleragh, Coill Dubh, Co. Kildare and late of Newcastle, Co. Dublin, June 8th 2016, peacefully at the Blackrock Clinic following a short illness surrounded by her loving family. Sadly missed by her devoted husband Shay, daughter Josephine (Jo), sons Peter and James, sister Jill, daughters-in-law, brother-in-law, sisters-in-law, grandchidren, nieces, nephews, cousins, relatives, neighbours and a wide circle of friends.

Reposing at her son James' residence at Hawthorn Farm, Cooleragh on Thursday from 4pm, with Rosary at 8pm. Removal on Friday at 10.30am to Christ the King Church, Cooleragh arriving for 11am Funeral Mass, burial afterwards in the Old Cemetery, Newcastle, Co. Dublin, arriving at 1pm approximately.

The death has occurred of Peter (Paul) MAHER, Pluckerstown, Kilmeague, Kildare

Peter (Paul) Maher, Bagshot, Surrey, England and late of 709 Pluckerstown, Kilmeague, Co. Kildare who died June 5th 2016 peacefully at his residence.

Funeral will take place in England. A Memorial Mass will be held in the Church of the Holy Trinity, Allen, Co. Kildare on Sunday, July 3rd, at 11am.

The death has occurred of Ann DEERING (née Dowling), Bray, Athy, Kildare

Reposing at her residence from 5pm today, Wednesday, with Rosary Wednesday evening at 8pm. Removal on Thursday at 10.30am to arrive at St. Michael's Parish Church, Athy for Requiem Mass at 11am. Burial afterwards in St. Michael's new Cemetery, Athy.

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Leaving Certificate students across the country were largely pleased with the start to their big exams yesterday when the English Paper 1 threw up some interesting challenges that left students with plenty of scope for creativity.

Today sees the second installment of the English paper, and it is expected that one of William Shakespeare's plays will feature strongly in the majority of student's answers as this year marked the 400th anniversary of his death. Other topics on today's paper will see students answer questions on their chosen poet, while there is also a comparative question that asks students to compare different texts.

A large chunk of students will sit the Engineering exam earlier in the morning, with the weight of the exam accounting for 40% of students' marks following practical examinations that will have been done during the year.

Junior Certificate students sat English papers 1 and 2 yesterday, while they will all do their Irish exam today. Higher level students will sit two papers, while ordinary level students face just one.

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A man who was allegedly involved in a burglary and subsequent car chase on the M7 motorway yesterday is due to appear in court this morning.

The burglary occurred in an area near Mountmellick in Laois, and Gardaí were alerted to the theft of the car. A car chase down the M7 motorway ensued, though the man was not brought to a halt until the car was later stopped in the Cherry Orchard area of Dublin by Gardaí.

A 22-year-old man was arrested at the scene, while Gardaí also arrested a second 22-year old male later in the afternoon when they stopped a second car in the same area.

One man will appear before Portlaoise District Court this morning at 10.30am in relation to the incident, while the second man was released yesterday without charge. A file is being prepared for the DPP.

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Former Kildare boss Mick O'Dwyer will be celebrating his 80th birthday today, and there is no shortage of well known faces sending their best wishes to the legendary former player and manager.

O'Dwyer led the Lilywhites for a total of 10 seasons across two different periods in charge, the first of which began in 1991 and ended in 1994. During that period, Kildare failed to secure a coveted Leinster title, but O'Dwyer had at least made them competitive.

The Kerry native returned in 1996 and eventually led his side to provincial glory in 1998, but the Lillies were agonisingly pipped in the All-Ireland final by Galway. Another Leinster title followed in 2000, but O'Dwyer left his post as manager in 2002.

Micko the player won four All-Ireland titles with Kerry, while he followed that up with an unprecedented tally of eight titles with the Kingdom as a manager. Along with the two Leinster titles he won with Kildare, O'Dwyer also secured a first Leinster title in 59 years for Laois. He also enjoyed a relatively successful stint with Wicklow from 2007 to 2011.

Today's Irish Independent carries an eight-page supplement about the great man, and former Kildare captain and current Round Towers manager Glenn Ryan was one of those to give his thoughts his former manager.

"It was a dream come true that he came to the county. He brought an extra factor as a manager of that team. He didn't do it by bringing drills into the set-up, it was hit wit. If there was someone laughing in training, it was most likely Micko," said Ryan.

"I realise now how fortunate I was to play under Micko. He is a legend," he continued.

O'Dwyer is still in great health apparently, and he puts it down to three simple things: eating well, exercising regularly and always looking on the bright side of things.

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The cost of renting in Kildare is continuing to rise all the time as the housing crisis that is gripping Dublin continues to push its way outwards towards the commuter belt.

The cost of renting a home in Naas has absolutely rocketed in the past number of years, partly due to the investment in industry in the town, but the fact that so many people are continuing to move from Dublin out to the town and commute towards the capital for work is also a major factor behind the rising prices.

The average price of renting a house in the area has gone up by €158 per month over the course of just two years, reaching the highest level it has been at since just after the economic downturn at the beginning of 2009.

The average cost of renting a house in Naas is now €985 according to figures published by the PRTB, dwarfing the €827 average for the first quarter of 2014.

Leixlip is the most expensive area of Kildare to rent a house in, with properties costing a staggering €1,111 on average to rent per month. Property prices in Leixlip always remained quite high during the recession however, and the increased costs of renting in the area has only risen by €46 in two years.

Maynooth is also one of the most expensive places to rent a property, with the average cost of renting a house there coming in at €1,106.

There has also been a startling increase in the average cost of renting in Newbridge over the course of the last two years as the figures have jumped from €735 in 2014 to €878 in 2016, a rise of €153.

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Former Kildare North Emmet Stagg has been named as the Labour Party's new Spokesperson for Older People.

Stagg, 71, lost out on a seat in government during the General Election earlier this year as he missed out on being a TD for the first time in almost 30 years. The failure to be elected will have come as a blow to both Stagg and his party, whom he had served as Minister for State for the Department of Transport, Energy and Communications during John Bruton's reign as leader of the party between 1994 and 1997.

Having missed out on a place in government for the first time since 1987, the blow will have been softened by his appointment to a role in the newly formed make-up of the Labour Party.

Other interesting appointments made by the part include Alan Kelly's positioning as the Spokesperson on Health and the Spokesperson on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, while leader Brendan Howlin will be the Spokesperson on Justice and Northern Ireland.

Emmet Stagg is our new Spokesperson on Older People

— The Labour Party (@labour) June 8, 2016

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Garda forces all over the country will be given a major tech boost this year when stations receive new CCTV equipment that will help to track criminals.

The new equipment includes facial recognition software that will help to identify known felons in the system, while Garda patrol cars will also be equipped with on board computers that will aid the level of surveillance that can be carried out.

The upgrades will total around €200 million as the authorities look to revamp a technology system that is outdated and nowhere near the level it should be at. Part of the upgrades includes surgery on the Garda Pulse system, a system which tracks all incidents reported to Gardaí on computers in each station.

The system is quite slow and difficult to use, according to a number of Gardaí.

The on-board computers that Garda patrol cars will be equipped with will help to modernise the way that criminals are tracked as it will help to make suspects and vehicles more easily identifiable to Gardaí.

If you have a story or want to send a photo or video to us please contact the Kildare Now editorial team. Between 9am and 5pm Monday to Sunday please call 045 409350. Between 5pm and midnight please call or text 086 729 0010. Or you can email content@kildarenow.com at any time.

If you have a story or want to send a photo or video to us please contact the Kildare Now editorial team. Between 9am and 5pm Monday to Sunday please call 045 409350. Between 5pm and midnight please call or text 086 729 0010. Or you can email content@kildarenow.com at any time.

Gardai are searching for two armed raiders who targeted an Applegreen premises in Celbridge on Monday afternoon.

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If you have a story or want to send a photo or video to us please contact the Kildare Now editorial team. Between 9am and 5pm Monday to Sunday please call 045 409350. Between 5pm and midnight please call or text 086 729 0010. Or you can email content@kildarenow.com at any time.

A Co Kildare resident who was driving another person's car was fined for having no tax and insurance at Naas District Court today.

Evidence was given in court that the Dutch national residing at Nurney, Co Kildare, had the car seized from him.

In court the accused said: "The car was not mine. I only had it for one day, I don't want to be banned."

The court how the accused is currently unemployed and has no previous convictions.

Judge Desmond Zaidan said that because it is his first offence, he will not disqualify the accused from driving.

However, the accused was warned that if he is convicted again, he will be disqualified.

He was convicted and fined €650 for not having insurance and €200 for not having tax.

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Kildare County Council is carrying out essential maintenance on cattle grids around the Curragh.

In the latest project, Rathbride Road (R415) in Kildare Town will be closed on Saturday between 8am and 6pm.

The Rathbride Road runs between the railway station and Cill Dara Golf Club on the edge of the Curragh.

Diversions will be in place locally and delays are expected in the area as repairs are carried out to the sheep grid.

The Council thanked road users in advance for their co-operation.

Another sheep grid was being fixed by the Council near the Curragh/M7Roundabout last week.

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Glorious sunshine is being enjoyed all around Co Kildare today.

Temperatures are 21 degrees.

It will be mild and humid overnight.

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The death has occurred of Patrick (Paddy) FINGLETON
1200 Castlemitchell, Athy, Kildare

Reposing at his residence from 7pm Saturday with rosary at 8pm. Removal on Sunday at 5.30pm to arrive at St. Michael's Parish Church, Athy at 6pm. Requiem Mass on Monday at 12 noon. Burial afterwards in St. Michael's New Cemetery, Athy.

May Paddy Rest in Peace.

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A man caught driving with no tax, driving licence, insurance and learner plates at Newbridge was disqualified from driving for six months at Naas District Court today.

The man, with 15 previous convictions, all for road traffic, was stopped by Gardai on August 10, 2015.

Judge Desmond Zaidan ordered that the man was convicted and fined €400 for not having a driving licence and disqualified for six months. He was fined €250 for failing to produce a driving licence, €400 for not displaying tax and €150 for failing to produce a driving licence on the spot.

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NICEST PAPER TWO IN THE HISTORY OF THE LEAVING CERT PROBABLY #Theleavingcert

— Maggie Skittles (@MascaraBall) June 9, 2016

The second day of the Leaving Cert exams has seen students sit through the second English paper this afternoon, while Junior Cert students ploughed their way through two Irish papers today.

Leaving Cert students are generally expressing satisfaction with English Paper 2.

Yeats did not make an appearance with some expressing surprise and others not very surprised at all.

Prayers were answered when Paul Durcan made an appearance on the Leaving Cert English paper.

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Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB) officers were sent to a car ablaze in the Finglas area last night.

The crew from Finglas Station had to wear breathing apparatus (BA) equipment to protect themselves as they dealt with the incident.

A DFB spokesman said: "Fire fighters wear BA given the extremely toxic nature of materials in a car."

Pix: Dublin Fire Brigade 

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Gardai are investigating  an alleged assault outside a popular club on Harcourt Street on Sunday night.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Liveline this afternoon, a woman named Ger said that her son had captured footage of an altercation between a man and security staff outside Dicey’s Garden.

Gardaí confirmed that they are investigating an incident that took place on Harcourt Street in Dublin at about 1am that night.

The video taken reportedly shows two men in hi-vis jackets and one man in a black jacket – who appear to be security staff – involved in a verbal dispute with a man in a striped t-shirt.

The man appears to wipe blood from his face and throw it at the security staff.

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