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So will Russia be the saviour of the Cypriot economy? Last night the parliament in Nicosia voted against a package of measures which would have seen tax taken from all those with bank deposits of more than 20,000 euros.

As the Cypriot President calls an emergency meeting to discuss its ever-diminishing options, the situation is changing hour by hour.

With Pat in studio was Arthur Beesley, political news editor of the Irish Times. In our Cork studio is Fianna Fail’s finance spokesperson Michael McGrath but firstly Pat was joined from Nicosia by journalist Maria Kagkelidou.

EU agriculture ministers have agreed a deal on the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy. While Irish farmers have given a cautious welcome to elements of the agreement there are concerns about how equitable it will be. Under the new deal the level of future CAP payments to individual farmers will be based on the number of hectares they farm. This raises concerns that farmers with lots of land, but who produce relatively little, would have an unfair advantage.

F.G, MEP, Mairead McGuinness joined Pat from Brussels to bring us up to date on the deal.

It’s known as “crowd funding” and it’s an alternative way of accessing investment for small and medium enterprise. A bit like Dragons Den, it allows individuals to invest online in companies and get a reasonable return.

The initiative is backed by some well-known entrepreneurs such as Senator Feargal Quinn, Bobby Kerr and also Enterprise Ireland.

Paul Kerr of First Choice Financial Services Ltd in Limerick, which has six employees, is one of the first companies to get funded...he joined Pat on the line and in the studio was Peter O’Mahony CEO of Linked Finance.

In Best Kept Secret”, the protagonist, Harry Clifton undertakes a pretty gruelling book tour of the United States in order to get on the New York Times bestseller list, the must do for successful sales. Harry Clifton succeeds we presume, a trick or two he has learned from his creator, the author who has topped the bestseller lists around the world with sales of over 250 million copies in 97 countries and more than 37 languages, he is of course Jeffrey Archer.

The first school holiday of the year starts on Friday and many of you with children will be wondering how you are going to occupy their time over the coming fortnight without breaking the bank or leaving them sat in front of the television for the duration. Well, fear not, Mary Kate Heaslip from MyKidsTime.ie was here to help you fill that diary...

Outdoor Activities

Mykidstime and Coillte Outdoors have teamed up together for a new campaign called Get Up, Get Out! The objective is to encourage families to get active outdoors and to have “less screen time, more fresh air time”. We have 2 fun free PDFs that you can download with ideas for kids outdoors and a nature scavenger hunt.

Coillte Outdoors have 11 Forest Parks around the country that have great amenities for parents, they are ideal places to take the family and have a ramble, spot some nature, have a picnic if the weather permits and to do some fun outdoor activities and games!

More information on Mykidstime.ie or Coillteoutdoors.ie

For teens, we like the look of the “Introduction to Marine Biology for Teens” Easter course taking place at Marine Dimensions in Bray. Whether you are a young person considering a career in marine biology, or a secondary level student who'd just like to know more about Ireland's fascinating marine wildlife, this course promises to be a great introduction. Suitable for 13-18 year olds that runs March 23rd to 27th. Basic course (16 hrs, 6 half days) €180 with add on options such as kayaking, snorkelling. They also have kids marine biology camps available for younger kids.

Over in the West, Galway Atlantaquaria is running Easter Science Workshops for 7 to 12 year olds on the topic of “The Seashore”. The workshops involve interactive classes in the classroom, hands on experiments in the laboratory, science projects in the aquarium and will also involve activities on the shore, so wellies and coats will be required. The workshops run Tues - Thurs 26th - 28th March, and Wed - Fri 3rd - 5th April from 10am - 3pm. Costs €75 for 3 day camp or €35 for a single day camp.

If you are in Meath, there are fun multi-activity camps taking place in Athboy at Boyne Valley Activities, with a mixture of land and water based activities including Kayaking, Horse-Riding, Archery, cycling and more; suitable for 10+ and the camps run from March 25th to 29th, 10am to 3pm daily. Cost: €80 for the full week or €30 per day.

And for 4-7 year olds there are Science Playground Easter Camps taking place at Imaginosity, the Dublin Children’s Museum Monday 25th - Friday 29th March 2013, from 9.30am - 1pm. Every day the kids get to take part in fun and freaky experiments as they learn all about the wonder of science. Cost: €99 for the week or €25 per day.

Fun Easter Events for Kids & Families

First up we have Tinks Nature Trail on Sunday March 24th at Powerscourt Estate in Wicklow, near Dublin from 1:30pm. Tink the Forest Fairy will greet families and arm them with a map that will lead them on a voyage of discovery through the gardens. As families move along the trail they will discover interesting facts about the magic of nature and perhaps meet some more curious characters along the way! Tink’s Nature Trail has been developed for Powerscourt House & Gardens by Imaginosity, Dublin Children’s Museum. As well as the Gardens at Powerscourt with Pet’s Cemetery and Japanese Gardens to explore, there’s also the Powerscourt Waterfall which has a playground and walks.

Saturday 30th March the Parkway Shopping Centre in Limerick have a fun Family Easter event, children can have their faces painted like the Easter Bunny, get your egg and spoon ready for the Easter Egg Roll, there will be an Easter egg hunt, Easter Crafts, Easter Disco and free Easter eggs of course. Similar events taking place in Letterkenny, Galway, Dundalk, Laois and Donaghmede.

The Westport House Annual Easter Egg Treasure Hunt takes place Easter Sunday, March 31st. The first 400 kids to complete the hunt will get a complimentary Easter egg as their treasure! Each family that finishes will also be entered to win some great prizes. Regular admission charges to Westport House and Pirate Adventure Park apply and there is no additional charge for the Easter Egg Hunts.

Party with The Hamleys Bunny Bear this Easter from March 23rd to April 6th. Book in for Brunch or Afternoon Tea for an hour of fun. You will be taken on an adventure through the store to the magical Easter Party Room where you can enjoy a wide variety of treats, cupcake decorating, bunny tales and arts and crafts. Every child will receive a special Hamley’s Easter Goodie Bag. Brunch is at 12 noon and Afternoon Tea at 4pm. Cost €15 per child

For a bit of culture why not take in the Mandscape Art Exhibition at The Ark featuring images of cities, and images of the natural world where mankind has left his trace. The artworks have been selected to engage children, and to act as a staring point for rich conversations and questions between children and adults. An audio guide to the exhibition will be provided to help you get the most from your visit. That exhibition is open during the Easter Holidays Monday 1st – Friday 5th April suitable for all ages. Free entry.

The Ark also have Zoe’s Play By John McArdle running during the Easter Holidays with a special Autism Friendly Performance on Sun 10 Mar at 12pm?Ages 8+

The Easter Eggs-travaganza at Bunratty Castle & Folk Park takes place Easter Monday April 1st 2013 from 1 – 5 p.m. Kids can meet over 20 favourite cartoon characters and join in the fun of the Easter Parade. An enjoyable day for all the family with activities such as formula fun racing cars, bouncy castles, face painters, balloon making, jugglers, a stilt walker, a fire eater, unicycle, Gandalf the magician and puppeteer all on hand to create a magical atmosphere. There’s also an Easter Bonnet Competition, Easter Treasure Trail, Easter Disco and the chance to the new Spring arrivals at the Park, baby lambs, goats, chicks etc.

If you’re in Sligo over Easter, Funny Bones are introducing Vertigo this Easter which is a brand new High Ropes Course with an Innovative Climbing Wall, the perfect indoor challenge for older children.

Finish up the Easter holidays with a Day at the Races in Limerick where there is free entry for children under 16years. On April 7th they are running a family fun day with pony rides, face painting, bouncy castles and petting farm as well as a full racing card. One of the feature races is the Teddy Bear Dash and you can download the entry form for you and your teddy bear from our website.

Or take in some classical music for kids at “A Sparkling Performance of Virtuoso Classical Music” with the Hungarian Clarinet Trio & Friends one of the Adventures in Music Gigs for Families series on Sunday 7th April starting at 2 p.m. in St Patrick’s Band Hall in Galway where kids get to meet the musicians and instruments after the performance.

And the Luas has a great offer ongoing every weekend and bank holiday until the end of April where Kids Go Free! Two children may travel for free with each adult who has a valid Luas ticket every Saturday, Sunday and bank holiday in February, March and April this year.

Other Ideas

50 Fun Easter Activities for Kids

Fun Easter Crafts for Kids: Tissue Paper Easter Egg and Melted Crayon Easter Eggs

Easter Egg Hunt Ideas

Easter Family Breaks at family friendly hotels

Fun Family Walk Ideas

Woodstock Gardens & Arboretum at Inistioge in Kilkenny provides a mixture of formal and informal gardens to stroll around. There’s an arboretum, yew walk, Monkey Puzzle Avenue and Noble Fir Avenue. Picnic tables, a playground, tea rooms, and toilet facilities. (Please note: €4 car parking fee, payable on exit.)

Emo Park & Gardens is set in the village of Emo between Portlaoise and Portarlington with both formal and informal gardens, walks, picnic tables, public toilets, lake and the imposing Emo Court House.

Altamont Gardens, near Tullow, Co Carlow, has formal and informal gardens with lawns and a woodland walk down to the river Slaney. Open daily 9am to 7.30pm

Just 3km from Sligo Town, Hazelwood is a lovely forest walk along the shores of Lough Gill with a good looped trail of about 3km. Most of it buggy friendly (you may have to pick up buggy in a couple of spots though, but it's manageable). Lots of sculptures along the way too to look out for!

JFK Arboretum, in New Ross, Wexford has a playground, labyrinth forest walks and cafe.

Donadea Forest in Co.Kildare. Lovely woodland walk with lake and picnic spots. Small tearooms for refreshments.

Walk or cycle in Renville Park, Oranmore, Co Galway. Paved walks suitable for new buggies and bikes brought by Santa, woodland walk for exploring and a lovely playground within the old walled garden. It's right on the seashore so you can do some beachcombing while you're there or have a picnic at one of the picnic benches if it's warm enough.

Connemara National Park in Letterfrack, County Galway is just over an hour's drive from Galway city - the park is a great day out for the family. There is a fantastic playground and several different walks for all ages and abilities. Open all year, free entry. Just a few minutes’ walk away in Letterfrack village, there are some nice local pubs you can get drinks or some food to reward yourself for all your activity! You can also visit Clifden, or one of many beautiful local beaches.

It appears that the competition for depositors in the day-to-day banking market is hotting up as Belgian owned KBC Bank look set to introduce a new, low cost current account into Ireland. This is off the back of revelations that Permanent TSB could be scrapping fees for its current account customers. So is this the beginning of an general easing off of the cost of banking for day-to-day consumers?

Charlie Weston is the personal finance editor with the Irish Independent.

Paddy O'Gorman meets some people at the Community Welfare Office.