After last year saw Catherine Connolly elected President and then-finance minister Paschal Donohoe leave Irish politics for a job at the World Bank, political parties will have two by-elections to contest in May. What are the issues, who are the runners and riders and who can claim the seats?
There are calls for Ireland to assist Cyprus if the country activates the EU’s mutual defence clause in response to continuing Iranian drone attacks. The focus on Ireland to be seen assisting Cyprus is all more pressing given Cyprus, like Ireland, is a neutral country and is also not a member of Nato. Cyprus is currently holding the presidency of the EU and will hand over to Ireland on 1 July. The obligation does not prejudice the specific security and defence policies of certain member states, such as neutral Ireland. Former Irish Naval Service commander Tony Geraghty said he did not think Ireland could provide military air defence capabilities to Cyprus as it did not have any.
Solar-powered, musical GPS collars now protect 108 cattle in the Burren. Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ) tours have funded the Musical GPS-Collared Initiative in the Burren, which now protects herds by ‘musical fencing’. Thanks to the funding, ReFarm Burren has provided roughly 15 local farmers with “no-fence” GPS collars that allow them to manage grazing zones virtually through a mobile app. Ken Lyons, sustainability manager, CIE Tours; Michael Davoren, Burren Farmer; Sinead Nagle Burren farmer; Tim O’Connell, ReFarm Burren co-ordinator; and Conor Wall, head of product, contracting, and sustainability, CIE Tours. ReFarm Burren pushes forward that mission, using smart technology to strengthen biodiversity, sustainable traditional farming, and preservation of cultural heritage in one of Ireland’s most distinctive regions.
Almost half of voters who spoiled their ballot in last year's presidential election did so as they did not like any of the three candidates, research has found. The Electoral Commission found that 45% of those who spoiled their ballot did not like the three candidates, while 27% spoiled theirs as they believed the selection process had been unfair. Questions were also posed about electoral integrity in the survey after the election; 84% of respondents said they believed elections were carried out in accordance with the law. It found that 72% of respondents believed elections were well managed, 71% believed election officials were fair. Meanwhile, 89% of respondents believed their vote was secret once placed in the ballot box.
Judge Helen Boyle imposed that total sentence on 23-year-old Evan Crean, of 69 St Colmcille Road, Gurranabraher, Cork, at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. “You embarked on a spree in a stolen Skoda car which you were observed driving as you made your way around Cork. “Members of An Garda Síochána identified you in the car. You drove towards a member of An Garda Síochána, colliding with him, creating a substantial risk of death or serious injury,” Judge Boyle said. Judge Boyle said the defendant needed to reflect on his addiction to drugs and the bad company he was keeping.
He had last been seen WednesdayA young lifesaver has been found dead after disappearing while going for a swim two days ago. The 18-year-old, from Marcus Beach on the Sunshine Coast, was last seen entering the water with friends at Buddina Beach at about 4:15pm on Wednesday. It's understood he went for a surf before a scheduled lifesaving training session. Queensland Police confirmed the teen's body had been pulled from the water around 6pm on Friday. Rescue teams scoured the water on jet skis and dinghies while the LifeFlight rescue helicopter, Polair and coastguard surveyed the area from above.
Rowing Ireland CEO Michelle Carpenter, who was unable to attend January’s Oireachtas committee meeting to discuss athlete welfare in the sport’s high-performance programme, remains on leave until the middle of March. A former CEO of both Triathlon Ireland and Cycling Ireland, he took on the post of head of governance and planning in the rowing body last summer. Rowing Ireland, when asked by the Irish Examiner if an investigation had been held about the communications, said they had been reviewed but that they could not comment further as it related to “an individual staff member and internal employment processes”. Rowing Ireland has said that athlete welfare remains a priority, and that a number of “additional supports” have been put in place in recent months to allow athletes to raise concerns through independent channels. “Rowing Ireland will fully cooperate with the independent review requested by the Minister for Sport and will engage constructively with any recommendations that follow,” a statement from the body said.
Cara Delevingne put on a cosy display with her girlfriend Minke as they stepped out for the GLAAD Awards on Thursday. The model, 33, led the stars at this year's media awards which took place at the Beverly Hilton Hills in Los Angeles. Cara looked boasted an edgy display in a black hooded dress with her hair slicked back apart from a gurl strategically styled. Snaps from inside the event show Cara and her singer girlfriend Minke as they embraced each other for the shoot. So for me it was more just being like, love is love, and we should be able to love who we want.'
The Championship play-offs will feature six teams from next season. Supporters of the change believe it will create more interest in the run-in to the Championship season, as it gives more teams a chance to qualify for the post-season and a shot at promotion to the Premier League. Teams finishing between third and eighth will be involved. A similar system will be used in the Championship, with teams finishing from fifth to eighth playing in eliminator ties and the winners going on to face the third and fourth-placed teams in two-legged semi-finals. HIGH STAKESThe Championship play-off final has come to be regarded as the most lucrative single game in world football, given a place in the Premier League is at stake to the winners.
The podcast host who was verbally attacked by former Aussie cricketer Stuart MacGill has announced he will continue the show without him. Andrew Menczel has now recorded a solo podcast episode without MacGill by his side, addressing the 54-year-old's behaviour and firing back with several criticisms of his own. MacGill will no longer appear on the Cricket Unfiltered podcast after the pair's explosive on-air confrontation earlier this week. In a return solo episode, Menczel revealed MacGill continued the abuse after the original show was recorded, going off further once the microphones were switched off. The former Aussie Test cricketer has since attempted to express regret in a new episode of the pair's Dream 11 show.
Using the former Cork prison as an extension to the current facility is “at a very early planning stage”, according to the justice minister. Irish Prison Service figures show 416 inmates were in that prison on Thursday, of which 105 were on mattresses. The entire prison service was operating at 24% above capacity, with 5,850 inmates in total. Responding to Fine Gael Cork North Central TD, Colm Burke, justice minister Jim O’Callaghan said plans to deliver 1,500 new prison spaces over the next five years included “a large extension to the existing Cork Prison on the site of the old decommissioned Cork prison”. He claimed it “will not be a second prison in The Glen area” but said "there will be more engagement as part of the planning process" as it progresses.
Last year, Westminster Diocese reported a 25 per cent increase in adult baptisms, receiving 500 people into the Church. This year the diocese is due to receive 800 into full communion, marking a 100 per cent increase in just two years. However, what has not yet been widely reported is how the Faith in Ireland is faring. Similarly, only 24 per cent of people in Northern Ireland profess no religion, a figure which stands at 32 per cent in the Republic of Ireland. The apparent bucking of the secular wave in Ireland appears to be having a tangible effect on the ground.
“Clare and ourselves, we’ll meet again, I’ve no doubt,” John Kiely said after the 2023 Munster final. The Munster round robin will be the third one, the Munster final the fourth one and the All-Ireland final the fifth one.” The question was understandable. After the thrills they delivered in last year’s Munster final, five Cork-Limerick meetings in 19 weeks is a heady notion. The fact there have been more all-Munster All-Ireland finals involving only one of the finalists would underline that fact (four – 2013 Clare v Cork; ’21 Limerick v Waterford; ’24 Clare v Cork; ’25 Cork v Tipperary). No fixture in Gaelic games commands as much interest now as Cork v Limerick.
Countries across Southeast Asia and the Maldives are facing difficulties amid the ongoing conflict erupting in the Middle East. Nations in Southeast Asia, such as Maldives, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam are the latest tourism victims to be affected by the wave of violence. Indeed, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Muscat and Bahrain are all convenient - and yet glamorous - destinations to stopover on the way to Southeast Asia, as well as the Maldives. Dubai International Airport, for instance, was the world's busiest airport by international passenger traffic as of 2024. Hamad International Airport, which is the hub for Qatar Airways, is the sixth busiest.
Glue's parent company Accent Group announced on Wednesday that all 16 remaining stores would shut down by the end of the financial year. Most of the retail staff were on minimum wage. Glue was founded in 1998 by Australian retail entrepreneur Hilton Seskin and was acquired by Accent Group from JD Sports Fashion in 2021. It is understood Accent Group plans to narrow its focus on global brands, after becoming the exclusive local distributor of Lacoste in 2024. Accent Group chair Lawrence Myers said the business had 'navigated a challenging retail environment' since the end of 2025.
