This year’s Six Nations was the best ever
Sir, – Why do so many of us feel that this season’s Six Nations rugby championship was the best ever? I suggest that the final table shows six reasons. And the best team did win the title. And Gerry Thornley picked two Ulstermen in his Team of the Tournament. – Yours, etc,JOHN BOWMANDublin 4
Source:The Irish Times
March 21, 2026 15:02 UTC
Postponing parenthood: How Ireland’s housing crisis is forcing people to delay having children
According to the UN, the fertility rate needed for a stable population is 2.1. I would want to make sure that if I’m having a child, I’m bringing them into the right circumstances. There’s also the fact that delaying having a child now could limit her potential to have siblings for any future child. “It’s something I want [having children] and I’m worried the choice will be made for me, rather than me making the choice”, she says. Why?Opens in new window ]Kelly thinks people in their 30s have grown up with an acceptance that having children may be out of reach.
Source:The Irish Times
March 21, 2026 15:02 UTC
Trump is stuck and looking for options – an Irish former US adviser warns this is risky – The Irish Times
This week in Washington, I asked him about war in Iran, the prospects for Ukraine and the future for Donald Trump. In Iran, Wright says, Trump is in “a real bind”. And when “people warn of disaster, it never really happens ... not for Donald Trump, not for America. But it hasn’t worked here.”“So I think he’s really stuck and I think he’s looking for options to try to break out of the mould a little bit. The Russian advance in eastern Ukraine, Wright says, has been “slow, sort of piecemeal.
Source:The Irish Times
March 21, 2026 15:01 UTC
Hurling/Camogie preview: Limerick to keep Galway in their place
Verdict: Cork. Limerick v Galway, TUS Gaelic Grounds, 7pm (C. Mooney, Dublin) Live TG4. Verdict: Limerick. Wexford v Kildare, Chadwicks Wexford Park, 5pm (C. McDonald, Antrim). Verdict: Wexford.
Source:Irish Examiner
March 21, 2026 15:01 UTC
Poem of the Week: Hibernia
We landed once, a shingle shore,and marched inland, meeting no resistance except a stringof wild-eyed ponies and a hare, twitching in a field as weclanked past. There for the taking, if we’d wanted.’ Wine-bruisedlips, the wife in Tivoli, he pats the couch and beckons closer. ‘The godsthat brought you here instead were smiling.’ Leg-irons,a pitching sea, the dealers wheedling for the last sesterce. John O’Donnell has published five volumes of poetry, most recently Sunlight: New and Selected Poems (Dedalus Press). His short story collection, Mr Hoo and other stories, was recently published by Doire Press
Source:The Irish Times
March 21, 2026 14:52 UTC
Alan Shearer backs Man Utd's VAR complaint as he fumes at 'terrible standard'
Michael Carrick described it as “mental” and “astonishing” that referee Stuart Attwell and the VAR didn't award a penalty for Adrien Truffert's challenge on Amad. Attwell waved away the appeal and Bournemouth went straight up the other end to make it 1-1 through Ryan Christie. Shearer has been one of VAR's harshest critics and he backed up United's anger on Saturday morning. FOLLOW OUR MAN UTD FB PAGE! Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football.
Source:Daily Mirror
March 21, 2026 14:41 UTC
From ‘winning’ the Iran war to sending more troops, Trump’s mixed messages serve a purpose
Smoke rises from an oil storage facility that was targeted in Tehran, Iran during the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran. Photograph: Arash Khamooshi/The New York TimesAs their war on Iran enters its fourth week, US president Donald Trump and Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu continue to send out mixed messages about when it will end. In recent days, Trump has said the United States had “essentially defeated Iran”, that “the war will end when I feel it in my bones” and the war will “end soon”. They hope this will lead to pressure on Trump to stop the war to prevent a global recession. [ Sally Hayden: In a Beirut hotel, families brace for war with no clear endOpens in new window ]
Source:The Irish Times
March 21, 2026 14:38 UTC
Ruins of Meath house should be preserved as a monument to Celtic Tiger hubris – The Irish Times
It’s hard to imagine a better monument to the hubris of the Celtic Tiger era than the sprawling, 588sq m house built by Chris and Rose Murray at Faughan Hill, Bohermeen in Co Meath. In June 2006, the Murrays were refused planning permission to build a 283 sq m dormer bungalow with a garage on the site. That battle has included five failed bids for retention permission and unsuccessful court proceedings, with two challenges still live before the European courts. On the one hand, everyone knows you haven’t up to now been able to build a shelter for your wheelie bins without planning permission. There is no nationally collated data on planning permission retention applications.
Source:The Irish Times
March 21, 2026 14:36 UTC
St Pat’s dominant, Dundalk’s Kilduff innovative, where to play James McClean?
Set pieces continue to fuel high-flying St Pat’sFive wins in six games have flung St Patrick’s Athletic into the pool of early contenders for this year’s title. Admittedly, Saints’ opponents on Friday night were a sorry-looking Waterford, who remain winless at the bottom of the league. When that doesn’t unlock a defence, however, the set pieces can. James McClean, it turned out, can still be an effective footballer when he isn’t asked to play in central midfield. On the other, McClean looked out of place in the build-up to both, particularly the second goal for which Davis powered past the 36-year-old with brutal ease.
Source:The Irish Times
March 21, 2026 14:34 UTC
BLACKPINK star Rosé says she hasn't fully mastered 'feeling completely comfortable in her own skin yet' as she poses for stunning CR Fashion Book shoot
BLACKPINK star Rosé opened up about how she hasn't fully mastered 'feeling completely comfortable in her own skin' yet, as she posed up a storm in a stunning CR Fashion Book photoshoot on Friday. 'At 29, I haven’t mastered feeling completely comfortable in my own skin, but I’m definitely better at it than I was years ago.' She added: 'I’m proud to say we have ten years of experience. Rosé is a main vocalist of BLACKPINK, known for her distinct voice and successful solo career. Aside from being a successful solo artist, she is also a global fashion figure and released her first studio album, Rosie, in 2024.
Source:Daily Mail
March 21, 2026 14:21 UTC
Football previews: Cork's trip to Tyrone will prove fruitful for Rebels
Armagh v Kerry, Silverbridge Harps GAC, 5pm (D. Hurson). Verdict: Kerry. Armagh v Kerry, Box-It Athletic Grounds, 3.30pm (B. Cawley, Kildare) Live GAA+, BBC iPlayer. Monaghan v Donegal, St Tiernach’s Park, 3.30pm (K. Eannetta, Tyrone) Spórt TG4 YouTube. Tyrone v Cork, O’Neills Healy Park, 1.15pm (M. McNally, Monaghan) Spórt TG4 YouTube.
Source:Irish Examiner
March 21, 2026 14:21 UTC
No fear for the Galway kids coming up against the green machine
And then, in more modern inventions, there is the Galway Bay FM Hurling Chat podcast chaired by Sean Walsh and Niall Canavan. More pertinently, they don’t fear for the new kids going in for measurement by the green machine. It wasn’t that new-look Galway were overpowered or outmuscled by either Tipp or Cork across the opening two rounds. A partnership established with Setanta College for the development squad academies coming behind them further strengthened the base of a Galway mid-teen. He had the assist for Galway’s three goals against Cork, Tipp, and Waterford.
Source:Irish Examiner
March 21, 2026 14:21 UTC
Max Dowman knows what JJ Gabriel is going through with Man Utd star's Premier League ban
To compete in England's Premier League, players must have reached 15 years of age before August 31, meaning Gabriel has yet to progress to the United first team. Dowman made history by scoring against Everton last weekend and becoming the youngest player ever to score in the Premier League. However, there was a period when he couldn't feature for the Gunners' first team, due to a Premier League rule prohibiting those under the age of 16. Dowman didn't satisfy the strict age criteria in 2024, so the teenager had to wait until August 2025 to make his Premier League debut for Arsenal. Current interim boss Michael Carrick has expressed admiration for the teenager as he confirmed Gabriel's exclusion from Premier League action ahead of their journey to Bournemouth.
Source:Daily Mirror
March 21, 2026 14:11 UTC
Three key battles as Arsenal meet Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final
Gabriel could edge it, but you’d be a brave man to bet on it. A 2024 Ballon d’Or winner who knows how to perform in a major final (remember, he scored the goal which won City their first ever Champions League). Either way, this is a fascinating match-up between two players who will play together for England in the World Cup. Some people have suggested Saka hasn’t been quite as his best this season, despite Arsenal’s title chase. Arsenal thrive on chaos and Saka delivers it, even when others are quiet.
Source:Irish Examiner
March 21, 2026 14:10 UTC
Lady Hornets dominate Moore County for road district win
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Source:The Herald
March 21, 2026 14:07 UTC