There is a particular quality of silence that descends when you are properly inside a book. Not the silence of absence, but something more active, a closing-off of the noise of the world, a narrowing of attention to the page. Today is Ireland Reads Day, and the backdrop against which it takes place is worrying. A Children’s Books Ireland report has found plummeting rates of reading enjoyment among Irish children and teenagers. Only 9 per cent of Irish adults possess the ability to evaluate long, complex texts, a figure three points below the OECD average.

Robbie Henshaw and Jimmy O’Brien, who made their comebacks from injury, could now come back into frame for Andy Farrell. Worse, he was sent to the sinbin in the 13th minute for a late, no-arms tackle on Ben Thomas. The hosts turned down another facile three-pointer 15 minutes from the break after Leinster were offside defending inside their 22. Cardiff dug in well to control the closing stages, with the victory moving them up to third in the URC table on 40 points, one point off Leinster. LEINSTER: J O’Brien; JJ Kenny, R Ioane, R Henshaw, R Moloney; H Byrne, F Gunne; J Cahir, J McKee, A Sparrow; A Spicer, B Deeny; M Deegan, S Penny, J Culhane.

A 60-year-old man who engaged in sexual acts with a woman who has a mild learning disability has been jailed for eight years. Kevin White of Boyerstown, Navan, Co Meath appeared before a sitting of Trim Circuit Court in front of Judge John Martin after pleading guilty to two charges of sexual assault that occurred on dates between January to May 2021 and February to March 2022.

“Remember we also have the national space centre near here too,” he says. Released in 2018, Episode 1: The Raid features locations such as Mitchelstown Caves, the National Space Centre in Midleton, and the National Maritime College of Ireland. Michael Fitzgerald tests a lighting control pad he designed from everyday gadgets for use on the spaceship set he constructed near Killeagh. A corridor inside the spaceship set built by Michael Fitzgerald. Props and models created by Michael Fitzgerald are displayed inside the shed near Killeagh where he constructed his Star Wars-inspired film set.

Bristol City pair Jason Knight (left) and Mark Sykes are determined to help Ireland in the bid for World Cup qualificationThe last time Ireland qualified for a major finals, for one Dubliner who was just a budding footballer then, the experience was basic and on a budget, but also brilliant. “I went as a fan, I was there with my dad and my brother, we went in a camper van,” says Jason Knight, now a foundation stone in the Ireland team and a first-choice midfielder, but who, at Euro 2016 in France, was only 15 years old.

England player Kieran Trippier was spotted 'on a date' with an X-rated OnlyFans model this week after his split from his wife Charlotte. In June, following months of speculation, the footballer, 35, said he had been separated from his estranged wife Charlotte for a year, after he was spotted partying with newly-single Geordie Shore star Chloe Ferry. Kieran, 35, enjoyed a night at brasserie bar Babucho in Newcastle with Kehlani Webster, 21, with the duo seen leaving the restaurant together. Kehlani, who works at exclusive gentlemen's lounge Whiskey Down in the city, also advertises her OnlyFans account in her Instagram bio. The pair were said to have spent a 'couple of hours' as the restaurant with Kieran giving Kehlani his jacket as they left.

Actor Robert De Niro speaks of 'betrayal' at the ‘State of the Swamp’ event held to counter Trump’s State of the Union.

A new treatment for advanced prostate cancer can halt and even shrink tumours, 'remarkable' trials have shown. Until now, this type of treatment had not proved effective for prostate cancer patients, with little reduction in tumours or severe side-effects. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in British men with 55,000 new cases a year. Almost half (45 per cent) of patients saw their tumour shrink, found the team, led by Professor Johann de Bono. The Daily Mail has campaigned for more than two decades for better prostate cancer care.

League of Ireland: Bohemians survive late scare to defeat Shamrock RoversBohemians secured the bragging rights in the Dublin derby as they defeated Shamrock Rovers 3-2 at Dalymount Park. Graham Burke and Matthew Healy scored late goals for Stephen Bradley's side, but Bohemians remain top of the table on 10 points. In a busy night of action, Derry City came back from two goals down against Waterford to win 4-2. Romal Palmer, Sean Hoare, Zack Elbouzedi, and Aidan Kenna scored the goals for Stephen Kenny's side. In the final game of the night, Galway United defeated Sligo Rovers 1-0, with the goal coming from Jimmy Keohane after 19 minutes.

Photo: Lorna FitzsimonsBirr short film ‘Whale’ hits international stage as feature takes shapePrevious Next Image 1 of 2 The short was funded by Film Offaly. Image 2 of 2 Filmmaker Lorna Fitzsimons. Filmmaker Lorna Fitzsimons has brought her short film 'Whale' to international audiences, with the film going live on Omeleto.com on Tuesday, February 17. Because of the festival, there’s a strong local filmmaking community, and the town really welcomed us. While the short film has already achieved international recognition, Fitzsimons is now developing a feature-length version of Whale, supported by Screen Ireland and Western Front Studios.

Twelve Garda cars an air support helicopter were involved in a high-speed pursuit that lasted more than an hour across north Dublin and into Co Meath, a court has heard. Garda Emma Young told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court this inspector had to drive his car on to the grass verge of the road to avoid being struck by the oncoming car. During the pursuit, Odinas did a U-turn. Emmet Nolan, prosecuting, told the court that 12 Garda vehicles were involved in the pursuit and about 30 minutes into it the force’s national air support unit became involved. Byrne told the court his client was 22 at the time of these offences and was a more mature man now.

Photograph: Colin Keegan/CollinsA scaffolder accused of murdering his friend by stomping on his head told a garda he fought with the deceased after he said he would rape the defendant’s mother, a jury has heard. The trial also heard on Friday that three areas of blood-staining with DNA matching that of the deceased were found on the accused man’s runner. The accused told the witness he had punched his friend in the head nine or 10 times. The garda said the accused told him he had got up to check on his friend that morning and found him on the floor. The 12 jurors were told by defence counsel that the accused admits hitting the deceased.

For its work in schools alone, Irish-founded, Waterford-based GIY deserves the Nobel Prize. A British study found 90% of children involved in growing their own food altered eating habits for the better. Accordingly, I highly recommend GIY founder Mick Kelly and his team’s brand new six-part series, Our Farm: A GIY Story (beginning at 8.30pm on Tuesday, March 3, on RTÉ One). The GIY HQ in Waterford is mightily impressive, not least for the always delicious food from its on-site restaurant. In our modern world, the short food supply chain model has been entirely replaced by a globalised long supply chain version now gravely imperilled.

Will the Ballsbridge Five ever be freed? Will it take hell to freeze over before they can emerge into the light, arms raised aloft in victory? Right now, the omens are not good for the Ballsbridge Five. The stakes are high, their resolve assured, but, really, the world appears to be spinning away, increasingly oblivious to whatever cause the captives are espousing.

The 31 houses in Botanika, built in 2017, are each in the €1m+ price league. The first detached for resale is the immaculate, interior-designed family home No 3, on the market this weekend for €1.5m, up 80% on the €840,000 its owners paid. Restrained design is by Hogan Architecture, who also did upmarket Cork schemes, like Court Cairn, Lindville, and The Paddocks. VERDICT: No 3 is going to set a price record for Botanika, at, or over, its €1.5m AMV. Might something even more upmarket be in the wings for the Blackrock Rd’s Feltrim, sold near to Botanika, on three acres for €6m?