Without the support of his SNA, her son would not be able to attend mainstream school. These are the measure of success for young people.”This year, to date, the NCSE had conducted 1,000 reviews of schools’ SNA allocations. Last April, Ms Fleming put a call out for people who saw SNA support lost following a review by the NCSE. One mother wrote to Ms Fleming after her autistic daughter's SNA support was withdrawn with immediate effect "out of the blue". There are children in mainstream schools that should be in special schools, or ASD classes.

February 28, 2026 10:35 UTC

Jailed schoolteacher Enoch Burke is seeking permission from the Court of Appeal to challenge a High Court judgment handed down almost three years ago banning him from Wilson’s Hospital School. The school suspended, and later dismissed, Mr Burke over his conduct towards the then-principal Niamh McShane at a school religious event in June 2022. Mr Burke, an evangelical Christian, has maintained that this request went against his religious beliefs. Mr Burke has repeatedly breached the court order to stay away from the school and is currently incarcerated at Mountjoy Prison over this contempt of court. Counsel for the school opposed this application, stating that Mr Burke was effectively seeking an injunction against the Dap process.

February 28, 2026 10:34 UTC

They might just be the luckiest cows in Ireland after being saved from drowning by a group of relentless firefighters. The incident saw him and other Amber Watch colleagues battle against the clock in an attempt to save 17 cows from the River Lee. “There were 17 cows, and we managed to rescue 14 of them,” Colin told the Irish Examiner. “We got called to help a 14-year-old girl after she jumped in the river to save her dog,” he recalled. The animal ones always stick in my mind.

February 28, 2026 10:30 UTC

Despite early enthusiasm around the strategy, Rare Diseases Ireland says families have yet to see meaningful change. About one in 17 people in Ireland live with a rare disease. The survey of 177 people found that most respondents were pessimistic about whether the National Rare Disease Strategy 2025–2030 would improve their lives. Rare Diseases Ireland chief executive Vicky McGrath said she was “deeply concerned” by the findings. Saturday is Rare Disease Day with events taking place around the country this weekend.

February 28, 2026 10:30 UTC

Hearts teenager Keir McMeekin has been approached to switch allegiances from Scotland to England. The 16-year-old, who has been linked with a move to EPL giants Manchester City in the summer, has turned out for the Scots' Under-17 side. As well as both Scotland and England, McMeekin also qualifies for Northern Ireland, and is said to be considering his international options. A midfielder held in the highest regard by everyone at Tynecastle, it is only a matter of time until McMeekin breaks through into the first-team setup and is thought to be close to a full debut for Derek McInnes’ side.

February 28, 2026 10:22 UTC





Both were perfected by the look of sheer joy when the man with the blue scrum cap looked up and let out a roar. I went straight to him and he took the opportunity.”Peter O’Mahony was another good man for these ‘big moments’ in games. The unofficial word was that Irish players would not play anything north of 25 games in a season. So any opportunity I do get to go out and play, I want to be able to play it. For Beirne, the win in Twickenham ranks up there with some of his greatest days with Ireland.

February 28, 2026 10:15 UTC

Premier Division: Derry City 4 (Duffy 58, 75, 94, Akinyemi 91) Waterford 2 (Voilas 19, Lonergan pen 51)MICHAEL Duffy bagged a second-half hat-trick to spare Derry City's blushes against Waterford at Brandywell. Tiernan Lynch's side trailed by a 2-0 deficit after a first-half tap-in from Jorgen Voilas and a 51st-minute penalty from Tommy Lonergan. Waterford broke the deadlock in the 19th minute following a mix-up involving Fleming and Beach in the Derry defence. It went from bad to worse for Derry as Adam O'Reilly brought down Lonergan for a penalty kick six minutes after the break. Derry needed a lifeline and who else but Duffy stepped up to head Thomas' cross past McMullan, reducing the deficit in the 58th minute.

February 28, 2026 10:14 UTC

The previously unseen reaction from Geri Halliwell to her husband Christian Horner being booed by fans in the wake of his sex texting scandal has been revealed. Red Bull is confident that the investigation has been fair, rigorous and impartial. Red Bull will continue striving to meet the highest workplace standards.' As Horner was booed, Ferrari duo Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc watched on, as did Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson. Horner won 13 world championships in charge of the team since taking over as a 31-year-old in 2005.

February 28, 2026 10:02 UTC

A protest against the EU-Mercosur trade deal in Athlone in January. Photograph: Gareth CHANEY / AFP via Getty ImagesGet ready for a storm of metaphorical, and maybe literal, slurry to be launched in the direction of the European Commission. Von der Leyen’s decision to see the deal enter into force on an interim basis is controversial. Von der Leyen would likely never have tried that had the parliament been due to vote to ratify or reject it in the next month or two. The Brussels-based executive body in 2017 brought the EU-Canada trade deal, known as Ceta, into force on a provisional basis.

February 28, 2026 09:56 UTC

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February 28, 2026 09:56 UTC

Lily Allen is set for a 'messy' showdown with Nicole Appleton's pals at this year's BRIT Awards in Manchester on Saturday. In her 2018 memoir, Lily included details of a booze-fuelled tryst with Oasis Liam Gallagher after the pair boarded a flight to Japan, where they were both scheduled to perform at the Fuji Rocks Festival in 2009. 'I knew Noel was married and I knew Liam had been married to Patsy Kensit. (pictured with Liam in 2001)Before the book was released, Nicole tweeted Lily: 'One day our paths will cross @lilyallen!' Lily and Jonah were also spotted kissing at her celeb-packed Christmas party at London's Stringfellow's in December.

February 28, 2026 09:55 UTC

Revealed: Counties with highest rate of Covid-related deaths, six years on from pandemic outbreakWhile virus has not gone away, immunity and vaccination are keeping cases downIreland has suffered over 9,800 Covid-related deaths over the six years since the start of the pandemicEilish O'Regan Today at 06:30Ireland has suffered over 9,800 Covid-related deaths in the six years since the start of the pandemic, with the highest rate seen in Mayo.

February 28, 2026 09:53 UTC

Only one in four university lecturers feel confident they can detect work that has been generated by artificial intelligence, a survey has found. Students reported using AI for nearly half (48 per cent) of their studies, with four in five (80 per cent) saying it has improved their grades. A majority of lecturers (55 per cent) and students (67 per cent) said rising AI usage has made passing exams easier. Half of lecturers (50 per cent) and fewer than half of students (47 per cent) said using AI to help with university work should be considered cheating. More training will be needed to ensure lecturers feel confident spotting and using AI, she said.

February 28, 2026 09:24 UTC

The 19-year-old was contracted to the Reds until this summer, having signed from Derry City in 2022, but is now set for a fresh start in Scandinavia after Molde put a multi-year contract on the table.

February 28, 2026 09:09 UTC

Summer Warne has revealed she was involved in a heated altercation with a fellow concertgoer after having water poured down her clothing during an emotional Ed Sheeran performance in Melbourne. Shane Warne and Ed Sheeran formed a close personal friendship after meeting during Sheeran’s early tours of Australia, bonding over cricket and music. Sheeran became a regular guest of the Warne family and performed at Shane Warne’s private funeral and memorial service at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in March 2022, honouring his late friend. The singer has remained connected to Warne’s children, Summer, Brooke and Jackson, and has publicly supported the family in the years following Warne’s sudden death. The confrontation comes four years after Shane Warne's sudden death in March 2022 at the age of 52 while holidaying in Thailand.

February 28, 2026 09:05 UTC