At least 10 killed including one gunman after mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Australia
People have been urged by police to avoid the Bondi Beach area following the shooting. Photograph: David Gray/ AFP via Getty ImagesAt least 10 people are confirmed dead, including one believed to be an attacker, following a mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, according to Australian police. Police said that a number of “suspicious items” at the scene on Bondi Beach were being examined. Photograph: David Gray/ AFP via Getty ImagesPolice first responders speak to members of the public at the scene of a mass shooting at Bondi Beach. Videos circulating on X appeared to show people on Bondi Beach scattering as multiple gunshots and police sirens could be heard.
Source:The Irish Times
December 14, 2025 20:45 UTC
Minister appeals to public to get flu jab amid ‘very severe’ strain
Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has appealed to “everybody who can” to get the flu vaccine, while confirming adults between 18 and 59 and not in at-risk groups will not get the jab for free. Speaking on RTÉ Radio on Sunday, she said the strain of flu circulating was “very severe”, and particularly virulent among children. The vaccine is free to children aged 0 to 17 years, anyone 60 or older, pregnant women, anyone with underlying conditions and to health workers. “The nasal vaccination has a 14-week expiry date ... Figures showed three quarters of people who are hospitalised with flu had not had the vaccination, she continued.
Source:The Irish Times
December 14, 2025 20:19 UTC
Nick Griggs wins gold as Ireland rack up record haul from European Cross-Country Championships
Ireland’s Nick Griggs celebrates as he crosses the finishing line to claim gold in the men's under-23 race at the European Cross-Country Championships in Lagoa. Niall Murphy took 10th place, giving Ireland the team gold with 19 points. All five of the Irish team made the top-20, with Darragh McElhinney 16th and Efrem Gidey 19th. The 29-year-old gained one place on the final leg (1,640m) to see Ireland finish sixth, 10 seconds behind gold medal winners Italy. Griggs now has seven European cross-country medals, between team and individual, and is still young enough for under-23 next year.
Source:The Irish Times
December 14, 2025 19:53 UTC
Death of Edenderry firebomb victim Mary Holt ‘unfair and deeply painful’, funeral hears
The funeral cortege of Mary Holt makes its way along School Lane in Edenderry close to where she died in a firebomb attack in Castleview Park along with her grandnephew Tadhg Farrell. Photograph: Bryan O’BrienThe death of Mary Holt (60), who died following a firebomb attack on a house in Edenderry, Co Offaly, “came too soon, in a way that feels unfair and deeply painful,” her funeral mass was told on Sunday. The remains of Mary Holt (60) are taken from St. Mary's Church, Edenderry for burial following requiem mass on Sunday. Mary Holt (60), who was killed in a house fire in Edenderry, Co Offaly. Flowers and toys outside the Castleview Park house where Tadhg Farrell (4) and his grand aunt Mary Holt (60) died in a firebomb attack in Edenderry Co.Offaly.
Source:The Irish Times
December 14, 2025 19:18 UTC
If it’s closing time for Jimmy’s Corner, then it’s last orders for New York
Word that days are numbered for Jimmy’s Corner was hardly surprising but it generated an instant outpouring of affection and outrage when the headlines hit the Post and the Times. Photograph: Natalie Keyssar/The New York TimesIn many ways, it’s a story as old as the city: real estate and disappeared bars and restaurants. The miracle of Jimmy’s Corner seemed to be that it just existed, unchanging and unbothered, through Manhattan’s transformation from the demimonde of the 1970s to whatever it is today. Debbie Derkoski, Karen Anderson, and Pat Smith chat at Jimmy’s Corner on December 10th. If it is to be the last round for Jimmy’s Corner, then best come out swinging.
Source:The Irish Times
December 14, 2025 18:01 UTC
CRH set for S&P 500, but gains may be fleeting
Photograph: NYSECRH will join the S&P 500 on December 22nd, a milestone that has been met with evident enthusiasm. Goodbody’s Shane Carberry was similarly upbeat, hailing the “wider investor attention from being part of the S&P 500 index”. Liquidity deepens, attention rises and – in theory – the share price follows. Indeed, some research suggests that firms deleted from the index go on to outperform companies added to it. In short, inclusion often produces a short-term share price pop, as it did for CRH, but no more.
Source:The Irish Times
December 14, 2025 17:24 UTC
Pressure grows on Ireland’s squeezed middle
Only the top 20% of Irish earners can afford to rent an apartment, according to the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland. It also includes high earning but not yet wealthy younger people and the squeezed middle is mainly urban, middle-ground. As Taylor notes “this concept of the “squeezed middle” in the Irish housing market was identified by the Commission on Housing, whose 2024 report put it as applying roughly to households earning between €40,000 and €90,000”. [ What does the housing market have in store in 2026? Along with earning too much to qualify for social housing, as Taylor notes “middle earners do not receive many of the supports available to the less well-off, such as medical cards, welfare payments”.
Source:The Irish Times
December 14, 2025 15:52 UTC
What caused the suspension of Dublin’s Luas Green Line?
The Luas Green Line remained suspended for a second day on Dawson Street, Dublin. Services were affected when power to the entire Luas Green Line failed, according to a Transdev spokeswoman. [ Dublin’s Luas Green Line ‘operating normally’ after two days of disruptionOpens in new window ]What happens next? How old is the Luas Green Line? What is the current status of the Luas Green Line?
Source:The Irish Times
December 14, 2025 15:32 UTC
Reader callout: Are you in Sydney? Share your experience in the wake of the mass shooting at Bondi Beach
Police first responders speak to members of the public at the scene of a mass shooting at Bondi Beach on December 14th. Photograph: George Chan/ Getty ImagesAt least 12 people have been killed in a gun attack at Bondi Beach that was “designed to target Sydney’s Jewish community”. “One of the offenders has also been killed and one is in custody. If you would prefer to remain anonymous, please indicate this in your submission – we will keep your name and contact details confidential. We will curate a selection of submissions for an article but please note we may not publish every submission we receive.
Source:The Irish Times
December 14, 2025 14:48 UTC
Stuart Lancaster strikes confident note as Connacht look to grow squad depth
Barrett, a 130kg tighthead from Geesala in north Mayo, was making his fourth appearance and like Bohan, is a former Ireland Under-20 international. “I felt the energy grow in the week and in very difficult conditions scored 52 points. It’s a busy schedule but Lancaster believes the depth chart is growing all the time. I don’t think we have enough players who can roll in, week in, week out. SCORING SEQUENCE – 1 min: Boyle try, Gilbert con, 7-0; 9: Boyle try, Gilbert con, 14-0; 16: Blade try, 19-0; 28: Boyle try, Gilbert con, 26-0; 33: Illo try, 31-0; 39: Bolton try, Gilbert con, 38-0; Half-time: 38-0; 53: Blade try, Gilbert con, 45-0; 67: Bolton try, Gilbert con, 52-0;CONNACHT: S Gilbert; C Mullins, H Gavin, C Forde, S Bolton; J Carty, C Blade; J Duggan, D Heffernan, S Illo; D Murray, N Murray; S O’Brien, S Hurley-Langton, P Boyle (capt).
Source:The Irish Times
December 14, 2025 14:44 UTC
‘I heard 40, 50 shots’: Witnesses fled Bondi Beach as gunmen targeted Jewish event
Members of the public look at the scene at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, after a mass shooting on Sunday. “I must have heard, I don’t know, maybe, like, 40, 50 shots.”Eyewitnesses described having nowhere to go and feeling confused during the shooting at Bondi Beach on Sunday evening. Olivia Matis had been out for a run in the evening along the Bondi Beach promenade. “There was just shots, shots, shots and I thought no way there’s a shooter but I ran and just sprinted. I’d been for a swim down at Bondi Beach 20 minutes earlier – the same place that police cars howling past me seemed to be headed.
Source:The Irish Times
December 14, 2025 14:43 UTC
Drone sightings highlight worrying gaps in our national security – The Irish Times
Evidently the Defence Forces, specifically the Naval Service, was closest to the drones incident, and played a critical role in gathering evidence. If further capabilities were required, was the level of engagement and planning between Irish and other European security services sufficient? It is not clear, however, how this could have been of use to the Naval Service during the Zelensky operation. The Minister went on to say that the acquisition of C-UAS capabilities for the Defence Forces was now a Government priority. The temptation for politicians who have little time to focus on national security is to defer to the professionals.
Source:The Irish Times
December 14, 2025 14:37 UTC
Opinions are hardening against Ireland in Britain and the US. How worried should we be? – The Irish Times
Historically, the Irish and our emigrants were often the butt of prejudice, but in more recent times we have become accustomed to being liked. More recently, criticism of Ireland has spread across the Atlantic with two sharply critical commentaries in the influential Wall Street Journal. In the two countries that matter most to Ireland, Britain and the USA, opinion has hardened against the liberal/progressive trend that has become prevalent with us. Britain also has an influential think tank and media milieu that is hostile to Irish preferences across the board. Irish American affection for Ireland is not dependent on concurrence with our political or international outlook.
Source:The Irish Times
December 14, 2025 14:37 UTC
Paying voluntary PRSI contributions to get closer to full State pension
People who are unlikely to rejoin the workforce but have maxed out their credited contributions towards a pension can consider making voluntary PRSI payments. Can someone over that amount now and getting social welfare credits at the moment, buy voluntary PRSI contributions while also getting PRSI credits at the same time? The fact that the method of calculating entitlement to the Irish State pension is changing only makes things more confusing. So, should you start to pay voluntary PRSI contributions? This is fairly straightforward, you need 10 years of full rate contributions (520 weekly PRSI “Stamps”) to qualify for any contributory state pension.
Source:The Irish Times
December 14, 2025 14:31 UTC
Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary plans to hand over to ‘nicer’ successor by 2035
Michael O'Leary, says he will be gone from his high-profile role with Ryanair in 10 years. Photograph: Jason Alden/BloombergRyanair’s Michael O’Leary has given a timetable for his departure, with the famously foul-mouthed airline boss planning to hand over to a “nicer” successor by 2035. Mr O’Leary joined Ryanair in the late 1980s to work for founder Tony Ryan, and rose to become chief executive in 1994. On earnings calls, Mr O’Leary has begun talking up the potential of other managers in the business to reassure investors that Ryanair has a strong bench of potential replacements. We have the second tier of management in their early to mid 40s.”Some of the senior leaders “may say they have had enough in ’28.
Source:The Irish Times
December 14, 2025 14:26 UTC