From common to rare in 60 years, Ireland’s angel sharks need a guardian angel of their own
Photos from the Kennelly Archive from this time show heaps of angel sharks piled up on the pier at Fenit along with other now-endangered sharks and rays. As a child, O’Sullivan remembers summers hauling in nets full of fish, but angel sharks were not targeted by fishermen. Tralee Bay is also home to the last remaining commercial native oyster fishery in Ireland. In 2024, two angel sharks were tagged with sophisticated tracking devices in Tralee Bay in what they described as a “a ground-breaking development for marine conservation”. It follows hopeful new findings of young and pregnant female angel sharks in recent years, including unprecedented film footage of the fish in Tralee Bay.
Source:The Irish Times
December 18, 2025 22:31 UTC
Woman settles €60,000 claim over alleged unlawful imprisonment in Dublin beauty salon
Viva Luxy allegedly demanded payment by card and locked the doors to prevent Suzanne Strickland from leaving. Photograph: iStockA woman who claimed she was unlawfully imprisoned in a Dublin beauty salon due to a dispute over how her friend would pay for a manicure, has settled a €60,000 personal injuries claim against the salon. Ms Strickland said her friend told Viva Luxy staff she would go and get cash and return to pay for the manicure. This was deemed unacceptable by Viva Luxy, which allegedly demanded payment by card and locked the doors. Judge Martin heard that Ms Strickland subsequently suffered anxiety, panic attacks, palpitations and insomnia for which she received medical treatment.
Source:The Irish Times
December 18, 2025 22:21 UTC
Micheál Martin says he is not any ‘wiser’ on Jim Gavin’s failure to recall tenancy dispute
Micheál Martin says he is "not any the wiser" as to how former Fianna Fáil presidential candidate Jim Gavin could not recall a past dispute with a tenant. 09/09/2025 Taoiseach and leader of Fianna Fáil Micheál Martin with Jim Gavin at Leinster House in September. Photograph: Stephen Collins/CollinsSpeaking in Brussels on Thursday, Mr Martin said the party was “moving on” from the debacle. Speaking after the implosion of Mr Gavin’s campaign, Mr Donald said the matter related to direct debits that mistakenly continued to be paid to Mr Gavin’s bank account in the months after he ended his tenancy of a Dublin apartment in 2009. Mr Gavin was contacted for comment by The Irish Times on the findings.
Source:The Irish Times
December 18, 2025 21:57 UTC
Pâté and quail eggs recalled in food safety alerts
Quail eggs: The FSAI has recalled 20-packs from the Quail.ie Always Fresh brand that have best-before dates up to and including January 10thShoppers looking to spruce up their Christmas grocery list with pâté and quail eggs are being asked to take care after a food safety recall. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has told shops to remove two varieties of a fish pâté from their shelves after it was found to have undeclared ingredients that could trigger allergic reactions. Batches of Le Paysan Smoked Salmon pâté and Le Paysan Smoked Mackerel pâté were distributed to retailers with labels that failed to specify that sulphur dioxide was among the ingredients. Eighteen batches of the 100g jars of pâté with use-by dates between next January and April have been recalled. Separately, the FSAI has recalled 20-packs of quail eggs from the Quail.ie Always Fresh brand because of concerns around salmonella contamination.
Source:The Irish Times
December 18, 2025 19:58 UTC
Galway mosque plot: Right-wing group had ‘15-point attack plan’, court hears
A man in Northern Ireland charged with terror offences linked to a cross-Border police investigation into a planned attack on a Galway mosque has been denied bail. The charges relate to an alleged plot by a group styling itself as the Irish Defence Army (IDA) to attack the mosque and also target accommodation facilities used to house migrants. The court heard there was a “15-point” plan for the proposed attack on the mosque, which also contained code names and specific roles for five members of an “active service unit” of the IDA. Two men, including Pollock’s brother, Garrett, have appeared before the courts in the Republic charged in connection with the alleged planned attack. The court heard this was accompanied with messages that indicates his “clear prior knowledge” of the planned attack.
Source:The Irish Times
December 18, 2025 19:48 UTC
New Delhi’s persistent toxic air pollution poised to worsen
Mist-spraying devices installed by authorities on light poles operate during rush-hour traffic to curb elevated air pollution levels on December 15th, 2025 in New Delhi, India. Air quality in the Indian capital remained in the 'severe' category, with pollution levels many times above the government's safe limit. Photograph: Anindito Mukherjee/Getty ImagesAfter several weeks of persistent toxic conditions, pollution levels in India’s capital, New Delhi, remain hazardous. Leading environmentalist Sunita Narain said air pollution was a great equaliser. “We will never clean up Delhi’s air by being nice to everybody, particularly the rich,” she said, adding that tackling pollution necessitated implementing uncomfortable decisions, not half measures.
Source:The Irish Times
December 18, 2025 19:16 UTC
Bank of England cuts rates by quarter point to 3.75%
The Bank of England in London: cut interest rates by a quarter point to 3.75 per cent on Thursday, responding to signs of stagnation and cooling inflation while cautioning that future decisions on reductions were likely to be a “closer call”. Photograph: Justin Tallis/Getty ImagesThe Bank of England (BoE) cut interest rates by a quarter point to 3.75 per cent on Thursday, responding to signs of stagnation and cooling inflation while cautioning that future decisions on reductions were likely to be a “closer call”. Mr Bailey’s remarks indicate that the central bank is approaching the end of its current rate-cutting cycle. The two-year gilt yield, which is sensitive to changes in interest rates, rose 0.04 percentage points to 3.75 per cent. “While I see scope for some additional policy easing, the path for Bank Rate cannot be prejudged with precision, recognising in part the more limited space as Bank Rate approaches a neutral level,” said Mr Bailey.
Source:The Irish Times
December 18, 2025 18:51 UTC
AIB shifts some mortgage risks off balance sheet to free up capital
AIB has completed a second deal in 13 months to shift some bad-loan risks off its balance sheet in a move that frees up expensive capital and underpins future payouts to investors. The bank has carried out a so-called significant risk transfer agreement (SRT) on a portfolio of €2 billion of mortgages. It follows a similar deal involving €1 billion of corporate loans in November 2024. AIB has previously said that it plans to carry out a number of such deals to improve the efficiency of its balance sheet. “AIB enters 2026 from a position of strength, providing clarity and stability for investors,” said Denis McGoldrick, an analyst with AIB-owned Goodbody Stockbrokers.
Source:The Irish Times
December 18, 2025 18:40 UTC
Dublin Film Critics Circle awards 2025: Sinners wins near unprecedented number of categories
Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, a busy historical epic that takes in vampirism, racial politics and the birth of the blues, has proved the big winner at the annual awards from Dublin Film Critics Circle (DFCC). The film topped the poll in a near-unprecedented five categories: best film, best director, best actor, best screenplay and best cinematography. That huge political comedy has scored best-film wins from New York Film Critics Circle, Los Angeles Film Critics Association and Boston Society of Film Critics. In Dublin it had to settle for second place in best film, best screenplay, best director and, for Leonardo DiCaprio, best actor. It won best overall documentary from the DFCC and was runner-up to Canty’s lively social-realist picture in best Irish film.
Source:The Irish Times
December 18, 2025 18:32 UTC
Data centre expansion must align with energy security and wider social needs, review finds
Data centre capacity is anticipated to consume at least 30 per cent of the country’s power supply in 2030. Photograph: Getty Images/iStockphotoData centre growth must serve rather than “complicate” wider societal and economic needs, as well as electricity system security, a major review of Ireland’s energy system has found. That would involve almost doubling onshore wind deployment in the next five years and installing 1.3 gigawatts of offshore wind power- effectively growing Ireland’soffshore sector from almost nothing. However, amid increasing demand - including from data centres - the target of meeting 80 per cent of electricity demand from renewables by 2030 would not be met without faster progress. [ CRU to rule that new data centres supply electricity to market in return for grid connectionOpens in new window ]
Source:The Irish Times
December 18, 2025 18:02 UTC
Fallon & Byrne reduces losses and says it is in ‘good place from which to grow’
Fallon & Byrne: The company that operates the business reduced its losses last year. Photograph: Eric LukeThe company behind the popular Fallon & Byrne restaurant in Dublin city centre reduced its losses in 2024 as it reported 7 per cent growth in its revenues for the year, with the owners stating that it is now “self-sustaining”. Accounts just filed for Fallon & Byrne Ltd show it made a loss during that period of €396,589, down from a deficit of €564,046 in the previous 12 months. “During the year, we invested significantly in essential equipment, store enhancements and the development of our people, ensuring Fallon & Byrne remains a high-quality retail and hospitality destination. [ Fallon & Byrne owners say business now ‘self sustaining’ after loss of €564,046 in 2023Opens in new window ]In a statement to The Irish Times on the 2024 accounts, a company spokeswoman said: “The directors are pleased that the overall performance at Fallon & Byrne improved again this year.
Source:The Irish Times
December 18, 2025 18:01 UTC
Small company rescue applications down 23% in 2025, but ‘headwinds’ loom in 2026
Unveiled in 2021 as a more cost-effective alternative for smaller businesses to the examinership process, the Small Companies Administrative Rescue Process (Scarp) facilitates simplified out-of-court debt restructuring for viable small and micro companies. In its twice-yearly analysis of the Scarp statistics, restructuring firm Azets said 23 applications were made in 2025, down 23 per cent from last year. Some 374 jobs have been saved through the Scarp process this year, it said. Dessie Morrow, advisory and restructuring partner at Azets Ireland, said that while the number of Scarp applications fell this year, 2026 is set to be a challenging year for small businesses. In response, Revenue said it “remains a committed participant in the Scarp process”.
Source:The Irish Times
December 18, 2025 17:02 UTC
Restaurant tech platform Toast to create 120 jobs in Dublin
Cloud-based restaurant technology platform Toast is to create 120 jobs in Dublin over the next three years as part of an investment in research and development. The project will focus on the implementation of artificial intelligence as Toast seeks to drive innovation. “The creation of 120 new jobs in Dublin will help strengthen Ireland’s capability for AI development, which is a key focus in IDA Ireland’s strategy for 2025-2029,” said Michael Lohan, chief executive of IDA Ireland. Toast has been operating in Dublin since 2017, when it established an engineering presence in the city. Among its partners in Ireland are Bewley’s, Kicky’s, Oakberry and the Eclective Hospitality Group (formerly known as Press Up) .
Source:The Irish Times
December 18, 2025 16:33 UTC
‘Hard work, no smoking and no drinking’: Ireland’s oldest person celebrates 109th birthday
Ireland’s oldest person, who celebrated her 109th birthday this week, credits her long life to “hard work, no smoking and no drinking”. Eileen Hynes was born on December 15th, 1916, in Cullenwaine, near Moneygall in Co Offaly. She is the youngest of four boys and two girls born to William and Mary Jones (née Kelly). This prohibited married women from working in Civil Service jobs and largely prevented them from working in the private sector too. Hard work took place in unequal measure “inside and outside”, she says, raising her family alongside working on their farm.
Source:The Irish Times
December 18, 2025 16:22 UTC
Leinster and Ulster name much-changed sides for Aviva Stadium clash
Rieko Ioane will make his full home debut for Leinster in Friday's URC game against Ulster at the Aviva Stadium. In all Leo Cullen makes 11 changes to the starting XV which beat Leicester in the Champions Cup by 23-15 last weekend, with only Ioane, James Ryan, Jack Conan and James Lowe retained. Dan Sheehan, Paddy McCarthy and Tadhg Furlong will provide the frontrow cover in a strong looking bench, with Joe McCarthy and Max Deegan completing the forward replacements. Replacements: Dan Sheehan, Paddy McCarthy, Tadhg Furlong, Joe McCarthy, Max Deegan, Fintan Gunne, Harry Byrne, Ruben Moloney. Replacements: John Andrew, Sam Crean, Scott Wilson, Joe Hopes, Bryn Ward, Conor McKee, Jake Flannery, Ethan McIlroy.
Source:The Irish Times
December 18, 2025 16:08 UTC