The Government has insisted it will continue to “robustly defend” a legal challenge against its new apartment standards following claims there will be a “significant” development in the case on Monday. She said the Chief State Solicitor had sent a letter to Mr Moriarty and others involved in the challenge on Friday night which set out a “significant development” in the case. [ New apartment planning standards to be challenged in High CourtOpens in new window ]“The Government’s position has not changed. But a Government source said its position “has not changed and it will continue to robustly defend the legal challenge”. “It remains the view of Government that the July 2025 planning design standards for apartment guidelines are operational, lawful and a critical component of improved viability.”

So now’s a good time to look back on the life and career of Michael D, drawing on seven decades’ worth of material from the RTÉ archives, including many interviews with the man himself. In his own words, Michael D reveals how his socialist ideals drove his political career in the 1960s and 1970s, and how he campaigned in the 1980s against the reactionary politics that brought us the Eighth Amendment. And no doubt we’ll also get to hear some of Michael D’s most excellent poetry along the way. This year’s I’m a Celebrity was announced in a Christmas-themed ad featuring Ant and Dec serving up a slimy Christmas dinner. It’s like Love Island in reverse – couples arrive at a cold and bleak place and watch their relationships disintegrate – but probably a lot more fun to watch.

Troy Parrott celebrates scoring the winning goal in added time as the Republic of Ireland beat Hungary 3-2 at the Puskas Arena in Budapest. Parrott’s hat-trick had just put the Republic of Ireland into Thursday’s World Cup playoff draw in Zurich. Szoboszlai in particular was alive to a quick transition when Parrott, Ogbene or Finn Azaz coughed up the ball. And then, in the madness of a last-ditch punt by Kelleher, Scales climbed over everyone and found him for the sweetest victory imaginable. IRELAND: Kelleher; Coleman (Ebosele, 60), O’Shea, Collins, O’Brien (Manning h-t), Scales; Ogbene (Idah, 53), Cullen (Taylor, 80), Molumby (Kenny, 60), Azaz; Parrott.

Garret FitzGerald and Margaret Thatcher at the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement in 1985, flanked by then tanaiste Dick Spring (left) and UK foreign secretary Geoffrey Howe. It was the farthest out they could contemplate — Noel DorrFor Dorr, however, the 1985 is but one chapter, if an important one, in the centuries-old Anglo-Irish relationship. To really understand The Troubles, you must go back much further,” he says. Noel Dorr, former secretary general of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Irish ambassador to London, at his home in Dublin. He needed almost a crusade to help him, to say, ‘Give us a chance, we have now a fair settlement’,” Dorr says.

reland’s football history has had more than its share of “glorious defeats” and close things. Then came 10 minutes which will go down in Irish football history, with Troy Parrott – the hero against Portugal – at its centre. It will go down in the history of Irish football alongside a handful of other famous goals in qualifying and championship play. Heimir Hallgrímsson and his players deserve enormous credit for an extraordinary finish to the campaign. But the team and its fans will know that a trip to the World Cup finals is possible.

US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks at a press conference alongside alleged victims of Jeffrey Epstein at the US Capitol in September. Photograph: Bryan Dozier/ Middle East Images/ AFP via Getty Images“This one!” gushed Donald Trump. Marjorie Taylor Greene. Since her election five years ago, few political figures have issued verbal broadsides with the frequency and notoriety of Taylor Greene. Taylor Greene has a frontier- mindset when it comes to gun ownership and the 14th Amendment.

Once you become anxious about it, witnessing it at scale can feel like wandering among zombies. Once you become anxious about it, witnessing it at scale can feel like wandering among zombies. Last year, an article by Breda O’Brien in The Irish Times bemoaned people not giving up seats on public transport, referring to seat-withholders “stolidly gazing ahead”. (This bit won’t happen to me, because I’m much too anxious to ever take up one of those seats. The big question here is what we are willing to do to steer ourselves away from the impending phone-zombie future?

A first Test in Chicago against the All Blacks, a first Test try a week later against Japan and a first Test start against Australia. Paddy McCarthy has arrived as an Irish international and how. “I can’t believe I was playing Australia today. I went over to Australia and I remember watching the first Test and having a pint, just like in a Lions jersey, watching it. I didn’t know it was ‘Autumn Nations’, I thought it was A squad or A national squad,” he revealed.

Heimir Hallgrímsson speaks to the media after Sunday's 3-2 victory against Hungary in Budapest, which secured a World Cup playoff spot. The 3-2 victory against Hungary in Budapest sends Heimir Hallgrímsson’s team through to a World Cup playoff next March. Next March, the play-offs will give four more European countries a chance to qualify for the World Cup, with 16 nations playing one-legged semi-finals and finals. And to think, as Hallgrímsson confirmed, a fit Evan Ferguson would have started ahead of Parrott in Budapest. I really, really can’t believe it.”Who can, Troy?

For the second week in a row South Africa had a player, secondrow Franco Mostert, sent off on a straight red card for an “illegal tackle” in the victory over Italy. On SuperSport the Springboks Schalk Burger and Nick Mallett analysts were incensed at the decision making with several accusations and suggestions, among which was that the referee should not adjudicate on red card incidents. Second year “veteran” Tom Wood was managing the game nicely before he was taken out of the game in an incident that should have led to a red card. Irish lineout improves considerablyIreland's Ryan Baird in the lineout. (Photo by Paul Faith / AFP) (Photo by PAUL FAITH/AFP via Getty Images)Jamison Gibson-Park is a lightning rod when Ireland are in their pomp.

McIlroy’s latest order of merit win moved him to seven, one more than the legendary Ballesteros – who died aged 54 in 2011 – and one shy of Colin Montgomerie’s record eight. An emotional McIlroy revealed he had met Carmen ahead of the final round. The world number two collected €1,082,736 for his runners-up finish behind Fitzpatrick but also won a bonus $2 million for winning the season-long order of merit. McIlroy’s order of merit wins came in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2022, 2023, 2024 and now 2025 to move to seven in total. Although he has completed his season’s work on both the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour, McIlroy has committed to play in next month’s BMW Australian Open, which he previously won in 2015.

Irish Times winners at the 2025 Irish Journalism Awards: Madeleine Lyons, on behalf of Sally Hayden; Chris Maddaloni; Mary Minihan, on behalf of Róisín Ingle; Rosita Boland; Ian O’Riordan, and Carl O’Brien on behalf of Sally Hayden. Photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish TimesA bespoke collection of Irish Times journalism exclusively for subscribers featuring previews and the best of the week that wasEvery November, Irish news publishers gather in the Mansion House in Dublin to recognise the best work of the previous year. The Irish Times won eight awards on Wednesday at this year’s ceremony – more than any other title. The Irish Times tends to dominate the foreign journalism category at the event. Finally, the award for News Reporter of the Year went to Ken Foxe, a contributor to The Irish Times.

Bruno Fernandes of Portugal scores his team's seventh goal from the penalty spot. It was only Armenia’s third goal in the qualifying group having failed to score in their previous three games. However, Goncalo Ramos restored Portugal’s lead while Neves added two goals before halftime, including a superb free-kick into the top corner. A flurry of substitutions followed but Portugal’s pressure never relented and when they earned another penalty, Fernandes completed his hat-trick. Francisco Conceicao then added the icing on the cake with a long-range strike in added time as Portugal completed the rout.

The Irish Coast Guard said its maritime rescue sub centre at Malin was continuing to co-ordinate the search. Photograph: Getty Images/ iStockphotoA search is continuing off the northwest coast of Ireland for a missing UK navy crew member. “The search is being conducted by Irish Coast Guard aircraft with Irish naval service and UK naval vessels,” it said. The Irish Coast Guard received a distress call from a UK naval support vessel before 9am on Saturday. The Irish Coast Guard, the Irish Air Corps, the RNLI, the naval vessel and others are involved in the search.

But with the Irish now taking first place in the Áras, as new Uachtarán Catherine Connolly pledged in her inaugural speech this week, how is the quality of her caint? This F, inaudible though it was, made the word possibly future tense, or conditional, but certainly grammatically unusual. Without the F, said Dr Doyle, we have “the 1st person plural of the imperative”, which is used “very rarely”. Not “up to seven years” or “around seven years” but for seven years, barring death, removal or resignation. If Catherine Connolly serves a full term, the next inauguration will be on November 11th in 2032.