Austria bank BAWAG submits proposal to buy Permanent TSB
Austrian bank BAWAG said on Wednesday it has submitted a non-binding proposal to acquire Irish bank Permanent TSB as part of a sales process launched last October. BAWAG said the proposal could lead to an offer but that was undecided at this stage. Earlier, PTSB said BAWAG was one of a number of parties interested in the group. "PTSB is an important part of the retail banking sector and wider Irish economy, and its continued sustainable growth is critical to ensuring competition in the market and providing choice to consumers. There is no impact to customers as a result of this announcement, and PTSB’s operations, products and services remain unaffected by the Formal Sale Process.
Source:Irish Examiner
March 18, 2026 16:35 UTC
Probable case of meningococcal disease being investigated at Belfast school
Probable case of meningococcal disease being investigated at Belfast schoolBy Jonathan McCambridge, Press AssociationHealth officials in Northern Ireland are investigating a probable case of meningococcal disease in a pupil at a Belfast school. The Public Health Agency (PHA) said the case is not linked to the ongoing meningitis outbreak in England, which has claimed the lives of two young people. Parents of children at Bloomfield Collegiate School in the east of the city have been contacted by health officials. PHA has been working closely with the school and has issued information to parents and guardiansPHAThe PHA said: “The Public Health Agency is aware of a probable case of meningococcal disease in a 16‑year‑old pupil who attends a secondary school in Belfast. “All appropriate public health actions have now been completed.
Source:Irish Independent
March 18, 2026 16:31 UTC
Kepa vows to open Arsenal's trophy cabinet...and keep it open in quest for quadruple
Gunners No2 Kepa, who is set to play in the Carabao Cup final, believes success in the Carabao Cup final can give them a taste for winning - and put them in the mood for more success. Arsenal are nine points clear of City at the top of the Premier League, they are into the Carabao Cup final and have a quarter final FA Cup tie at Southampton ahead of them. Kepa, the penalty shot-out hero in the quarter final win over Crystal Palace, will bring his own experience into the game and is preparing to relish the opportunity. Obviously, it’s going to be a tough game, a very difficult game, but we’ll go for it. I have played in the League Cup final before, but I have played many finals in my career, I have been lucky in that way.
Source:Daily Mirror
March 18, 2026 16:26 UTC
Rory McIlroy announces his menu for the 2026 Masters Champions Dinner
Rory McIlroy gets to enjoy a number of perks for winning the Masters in 2025. One is, of course, claiming the famous green jacket. Another is honourary membership to the exclusive Augusta National golf course while he also pocketed a cool $4.2million in prize money.
Source:Irish Examiner
March 18, 2026 16:22 UTC
Overseas travel by Irish residents up 11% in 2025
Overseas travel by Irish residents up 11% in 2025The Central Statistics Office has today released figures showing an 11% increase in people travelling for overnight trips outside of Ireland since 2024. This increase shows that Irish residents took 15.1 million overnight trips in 2025. As well as this, the number of nights spent by Irish residents on domestic overnight trips decreased by 16% in Q4 2025. “The figures provide information on domestic and outbound travel by Irish residents in the months of October, November and December 2025 and the full year results for 2025.”This data is from the CSO’s Household Travel Survey, which aims to measure national tourism, both domestic and outbound tourism from Irish residents. In the data, the CSO found that the average length of stay for overnight trips outside the country was 4.8 nights.
Source:Irish Independent
March 18, 2026 16:16 UTC
Man Utd legend confesses to tax relief scheme that saw players go bankrupt
Man Utd legend confesses to tax relief scheme that saw players go bankruptThe ex-Manchester United star has opened up about a big financial mistakeView 2 Images Peter Schmeichel has one big financial regret (Image: Getty Images)Peter Schmeichel has admitted his regret at getting involved in a tax relief scheme that took him 15 years to put right. Now 62, he is a regular on the punditry scene and follows the career of his son, Kasper, who plays for Celtic. However, he regrets one particular investment that took him years to extract himself from, while other players who also took part in the scheme suffered financial ruin. When it comes to Kasper, Schmeichel regards himself more as a "sounding board" rather than an advisor. Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football.
Source:Daily Mirror
March 18, 2026 16:15 UTC
Saoirse Hanley: Six years after Covid-19 forced me to leave New York with no idea what was coming next, I’ve made a nostalgic return to the city
"The Big Apple and I clearly have history, and my most recent visit wasn’t just a reflection of my teenage self, but a few other iterations too – I could sense each of them walking with me down every avenue." Photo: GettyInstagram has a new feature that allows you to easily go back and look at the very first post you ever liked when you signed up. For me, that was in 2013, putting me at 15 or 16 years old. What did the 2013 version of me like, you ask? Posts about One Direction, over-saturated tutorials for intricate plaits in hair, and one inspirational (and still over-saturated) picture of Broadway with the text “I’m officially saving up every penny so I can go to New York” on it.
Source:Irish Independent
March 18, 2026 16:02 UTC
Marty Morrissey: ‘I miss my mum every day. She was a great woman, a mad rebel from Cork’
Marty Morrissey: ‘I miss my mum every day. She was a great woman, a mad rebel from Cork’The sports broadcaster on growing up in New York as an only child, losing his mother and why he wants a ‘Dancing with the Stars’ comebackMarty Morrissey. Photo: Eamon WardAoife Rooney Today at 06:30Marty Morrissey is a sporting commentator and broadcaster from Co Clare. Spending his childhood in the Bronx neighbourhood of New York, he returned to Ireland as a teenager and went on to become a teacher before turning to broadcasting. Now RTÉ’s GAA correspondent, he has covered everything from All-Irelands to Olympic Games.
Source:Irish Independent
March 18, 2026 16:01 UTC
Brussels calls for faster planning, will Ireland listen?
Brussels calls for faster planning, will Ireland listen? Recently, the European Parliament backed proposals aimed at accelerating housing delivery, including faster planning approvals, tax incentives for development and measures designed to reduce regulatory barriers that slow construction. This conversation is long overdue in Ireland, where housing supply remains a decade behind demand. The European Parliament’s call for faster planning approvals reflects a growing recognition that bureaucracy has become one of the hidden drivers of housing shortages across the continent. Brussels is signalling urgency through shorter planning deadlines, streamlined environmental assessments and simplified approval frameworks intended to unlock housing projects much faster.
Source:The Herald
March 18, 2026 16:00 UTC
President Trump’s Irish merger comment just banter, Little-Pengelly says
It came at the start of the president’s address to the annual Speakers’ Friends of Ireland Luncheon at Capitol Hill on Tuesday. “For me it was all about making sure that Northern Ireland was on his radar in a very positive way, so I talked about why we are here this week. “I outlined that the Northern Ireland economy is growing, there is so much potential for Northern Ireland, and referred back to the very long and shared history and heritage that we have as well, from all of those Ulster-Scots or Scots-Irish, so instrumental in the drafting and of course the writing of the Declaration of Independence. During his address, Sir Christian hailed the “vibrancy” and “transformation” in Northern Ireland through teamwork and commitment to peace. “It today stands as a real engine in the economy, and such a great place to invest,” he said.
Source:The Herald
March 18, 2026 15:58 UTC
PBC cruise to record 33rd Munster Schools Senior Cup title with final rout
Munster Schools Senior Cup final: PBC 51 St Munchin’s 3PBC completed one of the all-time dominant runs to a Munster Schools Senior Cup title with a 48-point victory over St Munchin’s at Virgin Media Park. Pres jump clear atop the roll of honour with Rían MacFarlane O’Shea collecting the Garrett Fitzgerald Cup to mark their 33rd title, lifting them one ahead of CBC. In their first final since 2012, the wind-assisted Munchin’s came out with some fired-up defence. Nolan prevented Angley from gathering for the try, but Michael Landers forced a holding-on penalty, which Oisín Madden slotted. Scorers for PBC: Tries: N MacCarthy, H Galvin Carty, D Nolan, A Moloney, D Murphy, B O’Callaghan 2, B Waters, D O’Leary; Cons: D Murphy 3.
Source:Irish Examiner
March 18, 2026 15:49 UTC
New Archbishop of Canterbury says she will pray for 'fractured world' on six-day pilgrimage
Video: Archbishop of Canterbury will pray for `fractured world´ on six-day pilgrimageThe new Archbishop of Canterbury Dame Sarah Mullally says she will have people facing conflict in this "fractured world" on her mind as she walks 87 miles ahead of her enthronement as the Church of England's top bishop.
Source:Daily Mail
March 18, 2026 15:49 UTC
How your ACCENT can hinder your job prospects: Study reveals how people with foreign accents are seen as less competent
But your accent could be hindering your job prospects, according to a new study. For the study, the team analysed more than 5,000 high–profile public TED Talks delivered in English across a range of topics. To investigate the relationship between accent and online engagement, the researchers analysed 5,367 TED Talks using voice recognition, natural language processing, and vision models. The results revealed a 'sizeable disparity in public discourse' – with speakers with foreign accents receiving less engagement than those with native accents. 'When left unexamined, accent bias may quietly shape whose ideas or contributions are amplified, with downstream consequences for decision quality and organizational learning,' the explained.
Source:Daily Mail
March 18, 2026 15:47 UTC
Sandro Tonali to Man Utd transfer condition made clear as three moves can complete deal
Sandro Tonali to Man Utd transfer condition made clear as three moves can complete dealNewcastle United star Sandro Tonali continues to be mentioned as a potential transfer target for Manchester UnitedView 2 Images Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali has been linked with Manchester United (Image: Molly Darlington/Getty Images)Sandro Tonali has once again emerged as a potential transfer target for Manchester United this summer. The Italy international's future continues to be a topic of speculation as the next transfer window fast approaches. United have been heavily linked with signing a new midfielder for some time, and those rumours are likely to intensify as the summer transfer window gets ever closer. A report in the i has claimed that United still have an interest in signing Tonali, who is reported to have been valued at more than £100million last summer. Rasmus Hojlund, Marcus Rashford and Manuel Ugarte are the three players mentioned in the report as who could help boost United’s transfer kitty and fund a move for Tonali.
Source:Daily Mirror
March 18, 2026 15:47 UTC