ESB chief executive Paddy Hayes says additional electricity capacity needs to be delivered 'faster than ever before'. Photograph: Fran VealeThe State will need to take “emergency measures” to provide electricity supplies needed for new homes, ESB chief executive Paddy Hayes has told the Government. The company says “emergency measures” include speeding up the construction of infrastructure to enable electricity supplies to proposed new homes. State-owned ESB supplies electricity and natural gas to more than one million customers, around 40 per cent of the Republic’s market. However, fellow State company Eirgrid, which is separate from the ESB, runs the national grid.

“And as it’s International Men’s Day, I’d just like to wish ye all a very happy ...”She didn’t get the finish her sentence as everyone was falling around the place laughing – notwithstanding International Men’s Day being next week. “Every day is men’s day,” the Sinn Féin leader deadpanned as the lads were still bursting their sides. As Verona pointed out, it was International Men’s Day. But the Dáil was never going to set aside an afternoon for speeches marking International Men’s Day and all that goes with it. “Well done, a Cheann Comhairle.”International Men’s Day or not.

The surnames Kearney, Wallace, Easterby and Best predate Sam and Cian Prendergast as members of Ireland’s ever-expanding band of brothers, which stretches right back into the 19th century. But the early lunchtime start for last weekend’s Japan game conspired to make it a different kind of day for Leinster outhalf Sam and Connacht flanker Cian. “If either of us are getting bogged down by the rotation over the last year, it’s selfish,” says Prendergast. We both get along and we share the same ambitions, so it’s not that hard to get on.”Sam Prendergast in action against Japan. “I think [Farrell] just wants to see me playing with a bit of confidence and going and taking things on,” says Prendergast.

Photograph: iStockEarlier this year the UN-sponsored World Happiness Report named Finland as the happiest country in the world for the eighth year in a row. Yes, they are because, friends, I have decided to live like a Finn in the pursuit of happiness. Ireland is undeniably blessed with exquisite outdoors, which is probably part of the reason we are at number 15 on the world happiness list. Luckily, one of these is just up the road from where I live in Dublin 8 – Inchicore’s Hot Box sauna. I googled “felt sauna hats” but resisted the impulsive urge to buy one.

The Coalition is pledging to deliver more than 300,000 homes by 2030The Government’s long-awaited housing plan will be unveiled on Thursday against a backdrop of a fall in new housing commencements and Opposition predictions that the new strategy will not be radical enough to tackle the crisis. However, the launch of the housing plan comes as new housing commencements fell to their lowest level since the Covid-19 lockdowns in the third quarter of 2025, raising fresh doubts about the Government’s housing commitments. The Irish Times previously reported the housing plan is to include delivery of 90,000 “starter homes” over five years. As many as 12,000 social homes and 15,000 affordable housing units could be delivered per year, on average, under the funding available for the plan. All of those strands are required to deal with the housing crisis.”Earlier, Mr Martin pushed back on suggestions the housing plan would not be radical, telling reporters: “This is the most unprecedented investment in housing ever.”

Brick      Price : €63 Website : https://getbrick.app/ Opens in new window Where To Buy : BrickI spend too much time on my phone. All you need to do is open the app, tap on the “Brick Device” button and tap your phone to the Brick tag. You can set up different modes too, such as one that will allow work-related apps while blocking games and entertainment, or one that blocks work apps after the day has ended. Unless you use emergency measure number two: delete the Brick app. Does Brick work?

The food – Mediterranean and Lebanese-influenced – was hard to notice in a room where most people had brought a “spare” bottle. The options: swingers or wine club. At our next wine club agm, two “down-with-this-sort-of-thing” motions were raised. Will our wine club be making a return visit? The Verdict: The BYOB veteran that’s still smoking after all these years.

Despite all of the difficulties, Garret FitzGerald and Margaret Thatcher went on to sign the 1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement 40 years ago this month, following FitzGerald’s decision to open talks after she was re-elected in June 1983. The text – an international treaty later registered with the United Nations – was signed in Hillsborough on November 15th, beginning with an affirmation that “any change in the status of Northern Ireland would only come about with the consent of a majority of the people of Northern Ireland” and went on to “recognise that the present wish of the people of Northern Ireland is for no change in the status of Northern Ireland”. A joint Anglo-Irish Secretariat was set up in Maryfield on the outskirts of Belfast. The agreement did little to bring the communities in Northern Ireland together, but it contributed hugely to the normalisation of relations between Dublin and London. The Anglo-Irish Agreement brought about positive change.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy is expected to visit Ireland next month. Mr Zelenskiy addressed the Dáil via video-link in April 2022, shortly after the Russian invasion. Listen | 54:54The Taoiseach spoke to Mr Zelenskiy by phone on September 1st. Last month Mr Martin told the Dáil: “We had a warm and substantial conversation ... I invited President Zelenskiy to visit Ireland.

Photograph: Sam Boal/CollinsMinister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and Tánaiste Simon Harris have agreed to bring a recommendation to Cabinet to establish a statutory public inquiry into spinal care for children with scoliosis and spina bifida. “It is the intention to bring a memo to Government recommending a statutory public model of inquiry,” she said in a statement. Mr Martin told Ms McDonald the protected disclosure was received in “a secure, dedicated mailbox” on August 31st. Ms McDonald highlighted the case of the nine-year-old boy, who was “deliberately removed” from the waiting list for spinal surgery because it was believed he was in palliative care. Mr Martin told Ms McDonald: “You’ve made a point that he was deliberately removed.

My 10-year-old daughter asked if we might go to a shop to get something called a 'baw-tool of wah-taah'. My 10-year-old daughter asked if we might go to a shop to get something called a “baw-tool of wah-taah”. After her 2½ years here, she was actually speaking in a halfway-posh London accent. They feel Irish, are Irish, but just have English accents. The issue arises more with the southeastern accent that sounds standard English to an Irish ear.

Returning from injury, Mack Hansen could fill in at fullback in the absence of Hugo Keenan and Jamie Osborne. Farrell has always admired Hansen’s playmaking skills and called him into the Ireland squad in November 2021 on the back of five eye-catching games for the western province in his debut season. Ireland’s backs coach Andrew Goodman lauded Hansen’s positive energy on his return to camp and also confirmed Stuart McCloskey has returned to full training. IRELAND (possible, v Australia): M Hansen; T O’Brien, R Henshaw, S McCloskey, J Lowe; S Prendergast, J Gibson-Park; A Porter, D Sheehan, T Furlong; J Ryan, T Beirne; R Baird, C Doris (capt), J Conan. Replacements: R Kelleher/G McCarthy, P McCarthy, T Clarkson, C Prendergast, N Timoney, C Casey, J Crowley, B Aki.

There should be more dancing at funerals. And as I wiggled my fingers and stamped my feet in the church for Manchán I thought to myself: we need more dancing at funerals. The next day I went to Manchán’s month’s mind at the Hill of Uisneach. If anybody wants advice or inspiration for dancing at funerals, Michael says he’s delighted to help and if anyone has advice for him on this subject, he is all ears. There will be more dancing at Irish funerals in the months and years to come.

The IEA the body said if the world continued on its present trajectory, oil and gas demand would continue to rise and there would be no meaningful fall in CO₂ emissions. Photograph: Brandon Bell/Getty ImagesGlobal oil and gas demand will rise for the next 25 years if the world does not change course, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has said, in a new scenario that reflects governments’ fading commitment to climate change. But in its latest World Energy Outlook, published on Wednesday, the body, whose research helps to shape global energy policies, said if the world continued on its present trajectory, oil and gas demand would continue to rise and there would be no meaningful fall in CO₂ emissions. The IEA said this demand growth was driven by the increasing penetration of white goods and air conditioners, as well as advanced manufacturing and data centres. Representatives of the renewable energy industry noted all of the scenarios the IEA suggested show continuing huge growth in clean energy.

European healthcare stocks added 1.1 per cent, while energy stocks fell 0.6 per cent. Back in the UK, investment banking stocks fell 1.7 per cent with 3i Group in the lead with 3.3 per cent losses. Taylor Wimpey’s shares fell nearly 4 per cent after reporting a softer autumn selling season as British buyers hesitated ahead of the budget announcement. Energy shares fell 1 per cent as oil prices dipped, with oil majors BP and Shell dropping 1.7 per cent and 0.7 per cent, respectively. Most big tech stocks fell with Alphabet, Tesla and Meta Platforms down between 2.3 per cent and 2.6 per cent.