Irish exports plunge 35% as pharma shipments fall
Irish exports plunge 35% as pharma shipments fallIreland’s goods exports fell by 35% in January 2026 compared with the same month last year, according to the Central Statistics Office. In January 2026, unadjusted goods exports were €16.2 billion, compared with €24.9 billion in January 2025, a decrease of €8.7 billion. In January 2026, the US, the Netherlands and Great Britain accounted for 45.3% of Ireland’s total export goods. Exports to the US fell by 71% in January 2026, compared to January last year, with exports of chemicals and pharmaceuticals to the US falling to 81%. Imports from Great Britain fell by 10.4%, with the largest share of imports being Mineral Fuels, Lubricants, and Machinery & Transport Equipment.
Source:Irish Independent
March 20, 2026 11:12 UTC
‘I’m amazed with what I’ve seen so far in Ireland’: An interview with Novo Nordisk’s Irish boss
The new general manager of Novo Nordisk’s Irish operation arrived here just before Christmas and, like the rest of us, has barely seen the sun since. I agree.”MotivationFor the 45-year-old, much of the motivation in joining Novo Nordisk lay in seeing the impact diabetes and obesity had on her family in Turkey. “If you open the map of Ireland, Athlone sits just in the middle of the country,” she says, noting this makes it a good location for logistics. At the time of writing, Novo Nordisk is still awaiting authorisation for its oral treatment here. Position: General manager, Novo Nordisk Ireland.
Source:The Irish Times
March 20, 2026 11:12 UTC
Father loses court fight with his ex-wife over whether to bury or cremate their teenage son, 17, who took his own life
Budding photographer Gabrielle Barbus, 17, of Hornchurch, east London, took his own life last December after struggling with mental health issues. Gabrielle's mother Georgia Opritescu (right) arrives at London's High Court with AntonioHe added that his untimely death 'was and is devastating for all members of the family'. 'This is not a case where there is any clear indication of Gabrielle's wishes, such as instructions in a will or even diary entry,' he said. 'Mr Barbus wishes Gabrielle to be buried. 'Mr Barbus' wishes regarding burial are heartfelt and rooted in his orthodox Christian faith.
Source:Daily Mail
March 20, 2026 11:06 UTC
CRH pursues change to financial reporting laws
Photograph: NYSECRH has asked the Government to change the law on financial reporting, seeking Companies Act exemptions that could cut its annual accounting costs by more than €10 million. This is in addition to long-standing Companies Act requirements to file annual accounts under separate International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The minute noted “no action points” for Finance on CRH reporting requirements, saying the company proposed “to raise this matter directly with the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment”. That department, which is responsible for the Companies Act, acknowledged CRH engagement and said it was committed to maintaining a world-class company law code. The existing exemptions are set out in section 279 of the 2014 Companies Act.
Source:The Irish Times
March 20, 2026 11:00 UTC
We know who Banksy is. We didn’t know he had another alter ego
Excluding indifference, reaction to the Reuters investigation titled In Search of Banksy falls into two main camps. The name Robin Gunningham has been cited regularly and confidently since 2008, when the Mail on Sunday did an exposé. This is often, at face value, more of a “leave the man alone” response than a “stop ruining the enigma” plea. Again, this reaction is logical, as anonymity has been considered integral to the Banksy project. The news agency quotes the artist’s lawyer, Mark Stephens, saying that Banksy “does not accept that many of the details contained within your enquiry are correct”.
Source:The Irish Times
March 20, 2026 10:51 UTC
Pets on public transport consultation closes today
Ottoline SpearmanThe public consultation relating to pets on public transport closes on Friday. Under the proposal, small animals can travel on public transport if they are in carriers, on someone's lap or on the floor without blocking aisles or doorways. Larger dogs may travel if kept on a lead and muzzled, though access may be refused when services are busy. The policy, proposed by the National Transport Authority (NTA), relates to the bus, rail and Luas services that are part of the Transport for Ireland (TFI) network. To review the proposals and submit your feedback, visit the National Transport Authority Consultation Portal.
Source:The Herald
March 20, 2026 10:48 UTC
Iran’s economic warfare reshapes battlefield
Israel’s targeting of Iran’s South Pars gasfield, the largest natural gasfield in the world, was seemingly done without US consent. Iran only needs one guy with a rocket launcher standing on the shore to make the Strait of Hormuz inoperable. With the skies controlled by Israel and the US, weaponising energy by blocking tanker traffic and attacking energy infrastructure in the region was Tehran’s only play: economic warfare to combat conventional warfare. Iran’s Shahed drones cost $20,000-$30,000 to make, while the US F-16 jet missiles used to intercept them cost $400,000. Israel’s targeting of Iran’s South Pars gasfield, the largest natural gasfield in the world, seemingly done without US consent, and Iran’s retaliatory strike on Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG complex mark a worrying escalation.
Source:The Irish Times
March 20, 2026 10:37 UTC
Man charged in relation to fatal three-car crash in Limerick
A man has been charged in relation to a fatal three-car crash which happened in Co Limerick last month. The incident happened on the N24 near Grange West, Boher, on Friday, February 13. The driver and sole occupant of one of the cars involved, Áine O'Reilly, was pronounced dead at the scene. The sole occupant of the second car involved, a man aged in his 40s, was brought to UHL for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. He has since been charged and is due to appear before Limerick District Court on Friday morning.
Source:Irish Examiner
March 20, 2026 10:36 UTC
Central Bank governor Gabriel Makhlouf wans rates could go up next month
Central Bank governor Gabriel Makhlouf didn’t rule out an increase in interest rates next month should data signal the need for such a step, though said it’s impossible to commit with uncertainty so high. The ECB governing council member told Bloomberg Television that he “can well understand” markets bets for two hikes this year — which is part of the ECB’s baseline. He stressed, though, that he and his colleagues will take a calm and careful approach to formulating any response.
Source:Irish Examiner
March 20, 2026 10:32 UTC
Brianna Parkins: I won’t make my life harder. I’ll take the lift, eat biscuits, choose easy
A wise philosopher (Patrick Freyne) at a party once told me the world is divided into biscuit eaters and biscuit hiders. If a packet of biscuits was opened and demolished in 24 hours, did it even exist if no one else got to eat any? They will ask silly questions like: “Where have the delicious chocolate coated biscuits that I bought a week ago gone? People are injecting themselves with bootleg peptides and GLP-1s bought from the internet. I will eat the biscuits.
Source:The Irish Times
March 20, 2026 10:32 UTC
A decade after boxing betrayed him, it’s now or never for Michael Conlan
Conlan arrived in Rio as favourite to take the gold, having won the World Championships in Qatar the previous year. In 2021, too late for it to be of much use to Conlan, the McLaren report on boxing was published. Michael Conlan makes his feelings clear following his highly controversial defeat to Vladimir Nikitin at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Brazil. Prior to Gill, he lost in world title fights against Leigh Wood in 2022 and Luis Alberto Lopez in 2023. “When you think he hasn’t won a world title, it doesn’t feel real.
Source:The Irish Times
March 20, 2026 10:32 UTC
‘How can they put us out on the street?’: Sligo retirement village residents face eviction
Sick, elderly and disabled people living in a Co Sligo retirement village have described the moment they learned they were due to be evicted as “gut-wrenching” and “very frightening”. Stewart lives in one of 27 purpose-built special needs houses in the Sonas Retirement Village in Enniscrone. That’s what everyone kept telling us to do years ago – move into a retirement village. It felt this was final.”Justin Carroll (58), who has MS, at his home in Sonas Retirement Village in Enniscrone, Co Sligo. Independent councillor Joe Queenan has been advocating on behalf of the residents with the landlord and Sligo County Council, but to no avail.
Source:The Irish Times
March 20, 2026 10:31 UTC
Tusla believes young person in its care is an adult
Tusla plans to call six or seven witnesses to the section 32 inquiry to determine the age of the young person in its careTusla believes a young person in its care, who came to Ireland as an unaccompanied asylum seeker last year, is an adult. Brian Barrington, barrister for the teenager’s court-appointed advocate, said Tusla had carried out an “assessment of eligibility for services” – in effect “an assessment of whether [the young person] is or is not a child”. He said legally the young person remained a minor. “The court will determine if [the person] is a child or an adult. A date for the section 32 inquiry into the young person’s age could be expected to be set on Tuesday, he said.
Source:The Irish Times
March 20, 2026 10:31 UTC