The Government has shown “utter disregard for children” through its special needs assistant (SNA) review and should stop the controversial process rather than implement a pause, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has said. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) issued letters to several schools advising them that they could lose part of their SNA allocation. Speaking on RTÉ’s This Week, Ms McDonald denied that the coalition had shown “leadership” by pausing the process. "They clearly don't fully understand, or appreciate, or even value the work that SNAS do day in and day out. “For those of us who are not unionists, Derry is Derry, is Derry.

Noise and smell fears over proposed Plymouth pet crematoriumPlanning officers have recommended it for approvalView Image Miller Court Industrial Estate where there are plans for a pet crematorium. (Image: Google Street View)Noise and odour concerns have been raised over plans for a pet crematorium near Millbay Docks which has been recommended for approval by planning officers. ‌The location is within an industrial estate but nearby residential properties. “In terms of odour, the system proposed (PET-200) is designed to minimise smoke and odour emissions. The odour assessment therefore concludes that the inbuilt mitigation measures are sufficient to limit impacts on nearby residential properties," said reports.

The replacement time between cars has gotten shorter, cost is still key and people are asking AI for help researching a car to buyHow often are Irish people changing cars and what are they spending? On average, according to a recent report by Carzone, Irish car owners now change cars every five years and that replacement time has shortened from 5.6 years in 2025 to 5.2 years. Three in ten plan to buy a new car in the next year, and the average spend on their current car was €19,400, with buyers planning to spend about €1,900 more on their next purchase. Overall, 55pc of car owners have used car finance, three‑quarters of them say it makes buying more affordable, and two in five current finance users expect to trade their car in against another finance deal once it’s paid off. One in four Irish car owners has already used AI in their car search, and over half would feel comfortable using AI to help them find the right car.

France believes the Trump regime will blow its stack at EU regulationWhat will Europe's position be in the global AI race? Earlier this month, France announced that it was stripping out Teams and Zoom from millions of public sector workers, specifically because US companies can no longer be fully trusted from a privacy and security perspective.

From FAI Cup finals to spinal surgery – Wexford referee bows out after extraordinary careerRosslare man Seán Grant reflects on nearly 500 games, international appointments and returning to officiating after breaking his back in 2020Seán Grant from Rosslare Harbour, who recently brought the curtain down on an epic 21 year refereeing career. Picture: SportsfileCillian Boggan Wexford People Today at 06:30One of Wexford’s most experienced top-level football referees has retired after a career spanning more than two decades – a journey that also included an against-the-odds recovery from a life-threatening injury.

I nearly choked on my Danish pastry when I saw the social media post. “Thomas Frank should be the most in-demand manager in football,” tweeted the click-bait teaser to an opinion piece from The Times last weekend.

Earlier this month, ITV announced the actresses who will be fronting the new all-female Dalziel and Pascoe reboot for a reimagining. Buffy The Vampire SlayerCreated by Joss Whedon, this legendary supernatural horror series originally aired from 1997 to 2003. Hulu has greenlit a revival set in the same universe, but not featuring the original characters. It is set to return for a reboot, a whopping 21 years after last being on screen. He went on to become a huge star in Hollywood after starring in the series as William McGill.

Malachy Clerkin has some reaction at half-time of Armagh vs Donegal:'Half-time update: Donegal lead Armagh by 0-13 to 0-9. Armagh 0-2 Donegal 0-4NFL Division 2, half-time: Cavan 0-5 Kildare 0-55 Mins: Oisin Gallen pops over a lovely score over for Donegal. Armagh 0-1 Donegal 0-3NFL Division 2, full-time: Louth 1-15 Tyrone 0-13Here’s the Armagh team to face Donegal, with some late changes made. 62 Mins: Monaghan 2-11 Mayo 2-2769 Mins: Stephen Bennett puts two between the sides, but Eoin Cody responds from a free. 43 Mins: Monaghan 0-7 Mayo 0-1843 Mins: Waterford take the lead for the first time today!

Clare 0-27 Kildare 3-14Clare overcame the elements and an improving Kildare side to secure an important win in the hurling league Division 1B at Cedral St Conleth's Park on Saturday. Scorers for Clare: T Kelly (0-8), M Rodgers (0-7, 6f), S Dunford, R Taylor (0-3 each), D Stritch, C Malone (0-2 each), S Meehan and J O’Neill (0-1 each). Scorers for Kildare: J Sheridan (2-4, 1-4f), C McCabe (1-0), D Qualter, G Keegan (0-3 each), P Dolan, C Dowling, S Leacy, M Curtin (0-1 each). Clare: E Foudy; D McMahon, C Cleary, C Leen; D Ryan, J Conlon, N O’Farrell; D Stritch, R Taylor; C O’Meara, T Kelly, S Dunford, S Meehan, M Rodgers, D Fitzgerald. Kildare: P McKenna; S Leacy, R Boran, L O’Reilly; P Dolan, C Boran, D O’Meara; D Guerin, C McCabe; C Boran, G Keegan, J Sheridan, D Qualter, C Dowling, M Curtin.

OLIVER HOLT: The best young English talent I've seen in two decades, a goalscoring phenomenon hampered by injuries and the youngster who was my hero as a teen - these are my top 10 most exciting Under 18s I've ever seen

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England's Ben Earl (centre) and team-mates appear dejected after Ireland's Dan Sheehan scores their side's fourth try during the Guinness Men's Six Nations match at the Allianz Stadium Twickenham, London. Marcus Smith of England breaks with the ball during the Guinness Six Nations 2026 match between England and Ireland at Allianz Stadium on February 21, 2026 in London, England. In defeat by Scotland at Murrayfield last weekend, you could – if you tried – argue that England were the victims of unfortunate errors. I hope the players and coaches are too.” While Dallaglio castigated England’s display he also paid tribute to Ireland. A record home defeat to Ireland, conceding SIX(sic) tries in the process, was not in the script at any point.

A Catholic monk who admitted sending naked photographs of himself to a woman holidaymaker will not be prosecuted after the Crown Prosecution Service ruled the snaps were 'spiritual'. She said: 'He's admitted sending the pictures, I can't understand why he is not being taken to court. But Miss Love said she was 'startled' when he began enclosing naked photographs of himself in the letters. She ignored them, but last year the monk started sending the same indecent images to her mobile phone. He said: 'It's appalling that CPS lawyers have agreed that these photos are spiritual and even artistic just because he's a monk.

CCTV has captured, what locals have described as a "mini-tornado", passing through Loughmore, Co Tipperary. Residents of Loughmore, Co Tipperary have described a weather event on Friday that blew the roofs off of two hay sheds as a ‘mini-tornado’. “The roof of the hay shed took off and it flew over the house,” she said. “Some of it hit the slates on the house so we have two holes in the roof now. “The house a couple of hundred yards down the road from us, they lost the roof of a shed as well,” she said.

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