Gerry Thornley: That was the best Six Nations ever, wasn’t it?
But truly, that was the best Championship ever, wasn’t it? Their rugby was exhilarating and their 77 offloads were 32 more than the next best, namely Ireland. Darcy Graham of Scotland scores his team's first try during the Six Nations match between Scotland and France at Murrayfield on March 7th. Next up the inaugural Nations Championship in July and November, before next year’s edition of the oldest and best annual competition in world rugby. Oh, and, same as France this year, Ireland bookend the 2027 Six Nations with Friday night and Saturday night games at home to France and England.
Source:The Irish Times
March 16, 2026 10:00 UTC
The Irish Times view on the rugby Six Nations: Ireland’s thrilling Triple Crown
Capturing the ninth Irish Triple Crown since the start of the Six Nations era in 2004 was celebrated as much as any recent championship triumph. Perhaps a little spoilt by success in recent years, the level of expectation in Irish rugby is often in danger of running ahead of itself. There were just six Irish Triple Crown successes in 102 years from the inception of the competition in 1883 to 1985, illustrating the long barren years Irish rugby endured. Since then, Triple Crown and championship wins have been more frequent. In contrast, Scotland came to Dublin on Saturday hoping to bridge a 36-year gap since their last Triple Crown.
Source:The Irish Times
March 16, 2026 09:46 UTC
‘I could never have imagined that this would be my life’ – Rose of Tralee on winning Dancing With The Stars
Katelyn Cummins and Leonardo Lini are the 2026 Dancing with the Stars champions. Pic:Kyran O’Brien /kobpixRose of Tralee Katelyn Cummins has been crowned the winner of the ninth series of Dancing with the Stars. The 21-year-old Laois native claimed the glitterball trophy after a collection of stunning performances from the outset of the competition three months ago. The new DWTS champion produced an incredibly moving performance along with her professional partner Leonardo Lini, to the tune of Alex Warren’s Ordinary. Katelyn Cummins performing her showdance with professional partner Leonardo Lini.
Source:Irish Independent
March 16, 2026 09:37 UTC
Revealed: The nighttime habit linked to half of divorces...
Often thought of as merely a source of gentle ribbing and marital tiffs, snoring is actually a factor in nearly half of divorces. Some 47 per cent of divorcees said their partner's night-time snorting contributed to their break-up, as did conditions such as sleep apnoea, which stops sufferers breathing temporarily. When partners are forced into separate bedrooms, they lose the critical 'pillow talk' and spontaneous physical closeness that anchor a relationship. Her work focuses on treating the snoring or apnea (the 'quest for a quiet night's rest') before the relationship damage becomes permanent. She has observed how thousands of couples are ending their relationships due to physiological problems that are often treatable with proper medical care.
Source:Daily Mail
March 16, 2026 09:37 UTC
Nepo babies dominate the star-studded red carpet at the Vanity Fair Oscars bash - so how many do you recognise?
It was an extremely star-studded affair at the the exclusive 2026 Vanity Fair Oscar party on Sunday night. And it was the nepo babies who ruled the red carpet at the event held at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. She turned heads in the pretty V-neck design and wore her short blonde tresses in their usual cropped style. The beauty, 23, looked incredible in a deeply plunging red dress which showed off her incredible figure. The actor, 22, looked smart in a black suit as he joined Kate who wowed in a cut out black dress.
Source:Daily Mail
March 16, 2026 09:36 UTC
Why no rush to claim Donald Trump as Irish?
Among Trump’s ancestors was the original Henry John Heinz, founder of Heinz “57 Varieties”, of which the late Irish man Tony O’Reilly was chairman at one stage. Let’s look at Trump’s mother, then. Very Irish! But time has never proved an obstacle to us claiming prominent people as Irish before, ever. Why no rush to claim Trump as Irish?
Source:The Irish Times
March 16, 2026 09:32 UTC
Emotional speeches, a few boos and a missing actor – 10 big moments from the Oscars 2026
Emotional speeches, a few boos and a missing actor – 10 big moments from the Oscars 2026The 98th Annual Academy Awards ceremony took place on Sunday, March 15 in Hollywood – and it was a great night for the Irish. Here are some of the biggest moments you might have missedJessie Buckley wins best actress Oscar for HamnetTanya Sweeney Today at 07:30The 98th Annual Academy Awards ceremony, now boasting a tidy three-hour runtime, ran like a well-oiled machine, but that doesn’t mean that the glitziest of all award shows wasn’t without the odd splash of colour. From shock award winners to emotional tributes, here are some water-cooler moments that you may have missed...
Source:Irish Independent
March 16, 2026 09:30 UTC
Marcus Rashford's hopes of staying in Barcelona earn huge boost after presidential election - as victorious Joan Laporta goes viral with Donald Trump-style dance
Marcus Rashford's hopes of staying with Barcelona beyond this season have received a huge shot in the arm. That's because Joan Laporta, one of his biggest supporters at the club, has been re-elected as their president for a fourth term until 2031. But Laporta, who was re-elected with 68 per cent of the vote, reportedly made keeping the forward an important part of his manifesto. And Laporta, 63, celebrated beating Victor Font in the contest with a Donald Trump-style dance as his supporters boogied around him. 🚨 At the Barcelona presidential elections, Ter Stegen left without voting as his name did not appear on the electoral roll.
Source:Daily Mail
March 16, 2026 09:20 UTC
An almost vacant shopping mall in Nairobi could be a template for Dublin – The Irish Times
This is the setting for Kilele, a brilliant festival showcasing east Africa’s experimental music and music technology scene. One of Kilele’s founders, David Tinning, also cofounded Santuri East Africa, a community-driven music innovation hub based in The Mall. At The Mall in Nairobi, it isn’t just the boundary-pushing music and the artists creating it that offer inspiration. No matter where in the world you are, when vacant space is offered to artists, good things happen. That is true of The Mall in Nairobi – and with a bit of leadership, support and open-mindedness, it could also be true of vacant commercial space in Dublin.
Source:The Irish Times
March 16, 2026 09:07 UTC
Lobbying after politics: The former TDs now working for outside interests
Ten former TDs who left politics after the 2024 general election are now involved in lobbying current politicians and Government officials. Returns to the lobbying register show property development firm Beldare Homes and frozen fish company Atlantic Dawn Group among Pontis Advisory’s clients. He said he complied with disclosure requirements, saying the lobbying register was “vitally important” to the integrity of industry and “our democratic process”. Madigan’s first lobbying register return was on behalf of Vida Care, a company with an ambition to open a network of health screening centres countrywide. Ciarán CannonFormer Fine Gael TD and minister of State Ciarán Cannon retired from politics at the 2024 general election.
Source:The Irish Times
March 16, 2026 09:03 UTC
Violent aggression against violent repression will never bring peace to Iran – The Irish Times
The Iran war is being driven by bad actors across the board and without concern for the people whose lives are most immediately and irrevocably impacted. As a result, ordinary Iranians are facing the double danger of a war of aggression in the midst of continuing state-based repression and violence. Nor will Iran flourish as a free country through a continuation of the rotten politics of the Islamic regime by another name. Trump is not offering liberation for Iran, and the Islamic regime is not offering resistance to empire. Dr Joel Hanisek is research fellow at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, University of Galway.
Source:The Irish Times
March 16, 2026 09:03 UTC
If you thought Hizbullah were a spent force, think again
There is a narrative that Hizbullah has fallen into an Israeli trap. The November 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, under which the Beirut government committed to disarming Hizbullah, was considered a substantial achievement for Israel. It followed Israel’s killing or maiming of many senior Hizbullah commanders in a high-profile operation that caused their pagers to explode, and the assassination of Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Meanwhile the Israeli air force continued to hit Hizbullah, despite the ceasefire. Hizbullah, according to the official narrative, was only a shadow of the organisation that once possessed 120,000 projectiles pointing at Israel.
Source:The Irish Times
March 16, 2026 09:03 UTC
There is no ‘fun’ in dropping bombs
There is no “fun” in dropping bombs on people and property and causing immense destruction and human suffering (“Trump threatens further Kharg Island strikes ‘just for fun’”, World News, March 15th). There has to be a better way to resolve our political, cultural and religious differences on this small and fragile planet. It’s not much to ask, but could someone in high office show some moral leadership and speak out against this pointless and destructive war against Iran? There has to be a better way to resolve our political, cultural and religious differences on this small and fragile planet. Or maybe Pope Leo could say something – now there’s someone Trump might listen to.
Source:The Irish Times
March 16, 2026 09:02 UTC
I have accepted that I will die. Sooner, rather than later
As with many people from my generation, for me Dawson’s Creek was one of those must-watch programmes, so I was shocked to read that James Van Der Beek had died from bowel cancer. Secondly, I myself have just received a bowel cancer diagnosis. I was well aware of the symptoms of bowel cancer. Still, it wasn’t until I started passing blood on its own with abdominal pains that I told my wife. Within four hours I was making that phone call home to tell my wife I had bowel cancer.
Source:The Irish Times
March 16, 2026 09:02 UTC
The fringe women’s anti-immigration group supported by three elected politicians
The same event was supported by Independent Ireland, with the group’s TD Ken O’Flynn and Cllr Linda de Courcy also speaking. Rachel Morrogh, chief executive of DRCC, warns that across Europe and the United States, there have been “efforts to weaponise the issue of sexual violence to fuel anti-migrant sentiment”. Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín has previously called on the Government to release crime statistics based on nationality, ethnicity or citizenship status. The Women’s Coalition on Immigration, without the same data, instead tries to point to statistics in other European countries. It found that 78 per cent of victims who experienced sexual violence in their lifetime knew the perpetrator.
Source:The Irish Times
March 16, 2026 09:02 UTC