In honor of St. Paddy's day, we thought we'd share some cause-related news happening in the land of the leprechauns:

1. Cardinal Brady officially apologized for covering up the allegations of sex abuse in the church 35 years ago.
2. The pharmacy group, Boots, is set to increase employment in Ireland by opening 5 new retail stores. 150 extra retail and pharmacy positions will be made available. This is great news for the country, which recently gained the sad distinction of having the second high unemployment rate in the EU-15 countries.
3. Last year, Ireland became the first country in the EU to remove all tobacco advertising from retail outlets. As a result of the ban, all tobacco products in shops are stored out of view, within a closed container or dispenser, only accessible by retail staff. Sadly, the ban has led to Ireland becoming the smuggling capital for cigarettes.
4. Public art has gone green with the latest boom of guerilla knitters. Instead of using graffiti to make a statement, artists have turned to knitting on public property such as trees, street signs and fire hydrants.
5. Influenced by US sex education efforts, the charity Love for Life sets to bring abstinence only campaigns to Ireland schools.
6. 16 breast cancer clinical trials are being run at sites around Ireland, giving Irish breast cancer patients the first opportunity to receive treatment if the trials prove to successful.
7. And in other, not so causey but still cute news, musicians Neil Hannon and Thomas Walsh, also known as The Duckworth Lewis Method, created a shorter and catchier national Irish anthem. The song was made for fun, but still manages to bring the old one up to date with current times.

Happy St. Patrick's Day folks!