Changes announced to contentious BusConnects route but further protests loom
The new bus service runs from Liffey Valley to Palmerston Park, and diverts from the city centre quays and bus lanes. Route 80, which serves Chapelizod village in Dublin, was introduced in October as part of the BusConnects network. Since then, local residents say they have been facing frequent delays and cancellations, and now require multiple buses to reach the city centre. The new route runs from Liffey Valley to Palmerston Park, and diverts from the city centre quays and bus lanes. The amendment will involve merging the 80 service with the existing 130 route that runs from the city centre to Clontarf.
Source:The Irish Times
November 29, 2025 03:12 UTC
High Court action over suspension for claimed ‘mutual sexualised banter’ is settled
A High Court action challenging the suspension of a senior employee of a healthcare manufacturer for alleged sexual harassment involving a claim of “playful, mutual and sexualised banter” with a junior colleague has been settled. The court heard the allegations arose out of what had been a long-standing private WhatsApp relationship with a junior female employee featuring what he called mutual sexualised banter. The man had been suspended on pay since April after he was found guilty by another inquiry of sexual harassment, which he strongly denied. Following the finding of sexual harassment, the company was called on to reopen the inquiry but refused to do so and the man brought High Court proceedings. On Friday, Lorna Lynch SC, for the company, told the court the matter had been resolved and could be struck out.
Source:The Irish Times
November 29, 2025 01:57 UTC
Gerry Thornley: Ireland can’t pin all their misery on poor officiating
Ireland players dejected after the loss to the Springboks at the Aviva Stadium last Saturday. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/InphoSign up to the Irish Times weekly rugby digest for the view from the press box with Gerry ThornleyHas everyone calmed down yet? True, it was yet another bad month for World Rugby’s foul play processes, and the officiating of said processes. Who in Ireland was complaining about officiating, or refereeing interpretation, or the scrum then? For all the failings of Carley and his officials last week, imagine for a moment an admittedly unlikely role-reversal.
Source:The Irish Times
November 29, 2025 00:55 UTC
Buddhist monk left ‘in limbo’ over lack of progress in refugee process, High Court told
The monk, who attends the Four Courts in full religious robes, has said he is a symbol of 'the Tibetan root of religion and culture'. Photograph: Aidan CrawleyA Tibetan Buddhist monk seeking asylum in Ireland has been left “in limbo” by the State, which is refusing to give him an extension of time to lodge an appeal against its rejection of his claim for asylum, the High Court has been told. The man, who cannot be named, claims that he left China for “political reasons”. At the High Court on Friday, Anthony Hanrahan SC, for the man, told the court that the monk was “in limbo” due to the lack of progress in the case. In April, he was granted leave by the High Court to challenge IPAT’s rejection of his application which was refused under time limit constraints.
Source:The Irish Times
November 28, 2025 23:41 UTC
Number of Aer Lingus planes among thousands of Airbus jets that require urgent software fix
Aer Lingus has said a limited number of its Airbus A320 planes are impacted by the software update requirement and it expects no significant operational disruption. Photograph: Barry CroninAer Lingus has said a limited number of its aircraft are affected by an urgent direction for software updates, but it does not expect “significant” flight disruption. The company said a significant number of its A320 fleet, encompassing more than 6,500 jets in total, may be impacted by the required fix, according to a statement sent by the European plane maker on Friday. In a statement on Friday, Aer Lingus said: “In Aer Lingus’ case a limited number of aircraft are impacted, and the airline is taking immediate steps to complete the required software installation. American Airlines Group said about 340 jets are affected, and that the vast majority will receive the update today and tomorrow.
Source:The Irish Times
November 28, 2025 23:12 UTC
Court orders Enoch Burke’s salary to be paid direct to school awarded damages against him
Jailed teacher Enoch Burke’s salary is to be paid to Wilson’s Hospital School as he still owes them €15,000 in damages, the High Court has ordered. “Mr Burke is being imprisoned because he is trespassing on other people’s property. Mr Burke appeared in court on Friday from Mountjoy Prison via video-link. Mr Burke said that explanation did not stand up to scrutiny as he was not notified. Mr Burke did not understand the nature of “ex parte” applications − where only one side is represented in court − he said.
Source:The Irish Times
November 28, 2025 22:59 UTC
Are new rental rules really causing a landlords ‘mass exodus’ from housing market?
The figures showed an increase in the number of eviction notices being issued by landlords, largely because they intended to sell their property. They prompted public discussion around an apparent mass exodus of landlords in advance of new rent regulations coming into force in March 2026. The number of eviction notices issued by landlords in the third quarter of this year increased by 35 per cent on the same period last year. The increase in eviction notices comes ahead of changes in rental rules which take effect next year. Minister for Housing James Browne said this week he did not believe the increase in landlords ending tenancies was solely down to the new rental laws.
Source:The Irish Times
November 28, 2025 22:43 UTC
Irish Life Health hikes prices for fourth time since January
Irish Life Health is to increase its prices for the fourth time since the start of the year with the latest hike averaging 5 per cent set to see some family policies jump by over €250 a year. The company rolled out a 3.7 per cent average increase last January followed by a 2 per cent hike in April and a 3 per cent increase on October 1st. Some customers who renew at the end of December will, however, be spared, the latest increase. “This latest increase from Irish Life could cost a single adult anything from €65 – €125 for plans covering public and private hospitals. For example, their health guide and health cction plans may not be increasing at this time.
Source:The Irish Times
November 28, 2025 20:50 UTC
‘Christ, I’m angry’: Ciara Doherty’s striking interview with Andrew McGinley
“I was not in a good place,” he says, describing the book as “a biography of me”, to Doherty’s mild alarm. Doherty’s most striking interview is with Andrew McGinley, whose three children were killed by their mother, Deirdre Morley, in January 2020. “Christ, I’m angry.”It’s distressing to hear such anguish, but, to Doherty’s credit, she doesn’t duck the difficult subjects. The need for strategic thinking crops up when Seán Moncrieff (Newstalk, weekdays) hears the author Ben Collins make the case for a united Ireland. With just one phrase, the prospect of a united Ireland seems farther away than ever.
Source:The Irish Times
November 28, 2025 20:50 UTC
Number of homeless people in Ireland reaches new record high in October
Almost 16,800 people were in emergency homeless accommodation during October, including 5,274 children in 2,484 families. File photographThe number of homeless people in Ireland has reached a new record high of more than 16,700, including more than 5,200 children, latest figures show. In October 2024 the monthly homeless report showed there were 10,321 adults and 4,645 children homeless during the week used to gather data. From October 2024 to October 2025, there has been an 11.3 per cent increase in the number of homeless adults and a 13.5 per cent increase in the number children. “For many it will be their second or even third year opening their presents in emergency accommodation,” he said.
Source:The Irish Times
November 28, 2025 20:07 UTC
Russian-born billionaire’s firm can pursue racial discrimination claim, High Court rules
In 2021 and 2022, XTX had engaged with the Aviva investment fund about the provision of investment services, the High Court noted. There was “concern” that the investment fund was barred from selling certain “euro-denominated transferable securities” – stocks and bonds – because of European Union sanctions targeting Russian nationals and companies following the invasion of Ukraine. The decision was affirmed on appeal to the Circuit Court, and XTX then pursued a further appeal to the High Court. Kate Egan BL, for the investment fund, argued that the legislation “appears to contemplate a corporate entity as a possible perpetrator of discrimination only”. Ms Egan, for the investment fund, was instructed by A & L Goodbody.
Source:The Irish Times
November 28, 2025 19:38 UTC
Women forced to stay with abusers because they have nowhere else to go, report finds
The research, published on Friday, details how housing insecurity makes women and children more vulnerable to domestic abuse and exploitation. “This often means that women must make the choice to stay with an abuser or leave and navigate homelessness,” the report notes. The report highlights the importance of recognising housing as a crucial part of the solution to ending violence against women. The report also found that marginalised groups of women – including Traveller and Roma women, migrant women, disabled women, women experiencing addiction, and girls in the care system – experience additional barriers to accessing gender-based violence supports and housing services. A separate report published by the NWC in 2024 found that some women, in particular migrant women or international students, had been forced to enter ‘sex for rent’ arrangements with their landlords.
Source:The Irish Times
November 28, 2025 19:32 UTC
European shares up amid US exchange chaos
European shares edged higher on Friday while a leading US exchange froze, causing chaos shortly before Wall Street was due to kick off a shortened trade day following this week’s Thanksgiving break. Cairn Homes added 2.16 per cent to close at €2.04 while Glenveagh Properties climbed 2.2 per cent to €1.954. The globally focused FTSE 100 added 0.3 per cent, logging its strongest weekly gain in over a month, while the midcap FTSE 250 added 0.3 per cent, having a mild monthly drop. Commodity-linked stocks gained, with energy and stocks and miners up 0.3 per cent each, tracking higher oil and metal prices. Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the world’s largest exchange operator, caused mayhem in financial markets when trading froze on its currency platform.
Source:The Irish Times
November 28, 2025 18:04 UTC
Level Health files complaint in Brussels about subsidy scheme that helps Vhi most
The so-called risk equalisation scheme (RES), introduced in Ireland in 2003, benefits State-owned VHI the most. Level Health argues that the scheme – in its current form – is suppressing competition, limiting consumer choice, and contributing to higher private health insurance costs over time. “We’re not against risk equalisation,” Level Health chief executive Jim Dowdall told The Irish Times in an interview. “Younger people, who typically opt for lower levels of cover, might pay €900 or €1,000 for a health insurance plan. Listen | 37:31Under a risk equalisation scheme, health insurers whose customers have a higher risk profile than the market average, obtain payments from a risk equalisation fund.
Source:The Irish Times
November 28, 2025 18:01 UTC
Trump says he will ‘permanently pause’ migration from ‘third world countries’
Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty ImagesOn his Truth Social platform late on Thursday, Mr Trump escalated his rhetoric on immigration. Mr Trump did not name any countries. He was granted asylum this year under Mr Trump, according to a US Government file on him seen by Reuters. The shootings may give Mr Trump an opening to argue that even legal pathways such as asylum pose security risks for Americans. Less than 24 hours after the shooting, Trump officials began ordering widespread reviews of immigration policies.
Source:The Irish Times
November 28, 2025 17:59 UTC