Local counties represented on GAA.ie 'Team of the Week'
Westmeath senior footballer Ronan Wallace has been named on the GAA.ie 'Team of the Week'Local counties represented on GAA.ie 'Team of the Week'Two senior footballers from local counties have been named on the GAA.ie 'Team of the Week'. Westmeath's Ronan Wallace and Enda Smith of Roscommon have been recognised for their individual displays in their county's respective NFL Division 3 and and Division 1 wins. Smith has also been nominated for GAA.ie 'Player of the Week' in recognition of his weekend performance. The 'Player of the Week' voting process is simple - like their image on the GAA's official Instagram page. Voting will close at 10am on Wednesday, March 18, and the winner will be announced on GAA.ie.
Source:Irish Independent
March 16, 2026 16:44 UTC
The Irish Independent’s View: Irish pubs’ status is under threat as pint price hikes continue unabated
The Big Mac index was created by The Economist magazine 40 years ago as an informal way of measuring the purchasing power parity between different countries and currencies. The idea was that the Big Mac sold at McDonald’s is the same in every country. The price of the Big Mac should reflect the local price of ingredients, wages and other expenses. Therefore, even though the Big Mac burger is the same in every country, its price differs – and goes up, broadly reflecting price inflation. Last month Diageo pushed up the price of a pint of Guinness for sale to pubs by 7c.
Source:Irish Independent
March 16, 2026 16:42 UTC
Taoiseach says it’s not EU’s role to help Donald Trump unblock Strait of Hormuz; Israel plans at least three more weeks of Iran war
The military, which has mobilized over 110,000 reservists, has said it still has thousands of targets to hit inside Iran. Energy markets faced further disruption with oil loading operations suspended following an Iranian drone strike at the UAE port of Fujairah. Germany's Defence Minister Boris Pistorious ruled out his country's participation in any military activity in the Iran war, including efforts to reopen the strait. Trump told the Financial Times on Sunday he may postpone a meeting with President Xi Jinping scheduled for later this month if China does not help to unblock the Strait. The Israeli military said on Monday its troops had begun limited ground operations against positions in southern Lebanon held by Hezbollah.
Source:Irish Independent
March 16, 2026 16:42 UTC
Six Nations: the best, the breakouts, winners and top teams
Mick Cleary, Ex-Telegraph rugby correspondent. Player of the tournament: Louis Bialle-Biarrey (France). The hot-shot try-scorer just keeps on keeping on, dazzling all and sundry with his pace, his nerve and his eye for an opening. Four tries against England saw him eclipse his own record for a single tournament: nine this year, eight last year, taking him to 18 tries in 14 Six Nations matches.
Source:Irish Examiner
March 16, 2026 16:31 UTC
Cheltenham festival’s unusually narky vibe reflects the age
Maybe it’s the narky digital age we live in; all the instinctive hair-trigger outrage that’s the default setting for any kind of annoyance. There have been occasions during the festival’s history when race could reflect broader concerns. Photograph: Michael Steele/Getty ImagesOne straightforward step to prevent a repeat at Cheltenham specifically is to not start any races on a bend. Willie Mullins didn’t think much of the starts either. McManus is entitled to race or not race his horses where he likes and took Spillane’s Tower out of the Gold Cup as well.
Source:The Irish Times
March 16, 2026 16:31 UTC
‘During Covid we made a few suits and built up five-star reviews. It’s been non-stop since’
So, at the last minute, he was forced to buy one off the peg, encountering poor customer service in many shops. “Because of working in finance, I had lived in suits, so that started me looking into the idea of a suit business,” he says. “During Covid we made a few suits and built up five-star reviews. You stand differently if it fits properly.”He has done more business suits this year than last and says that those who work in the tech industry, famously casual, still have items made to measure. It takes six to eight weeks from start to finish (with fittings) and a full made-to-measure suit takes about two weeks for an express service.
Source:The Irish Times
March 16, 2026 16:31 UTC
Burke to ring opening bell at New York Stock Exchange on St Patrick’s Day
Burke to ring opening bell at New York Stock ExchangePrevious Next Image 1 of 4 Minister Burke speaking at The Ireland Funds 48th New York Gala. Image 2 of 4 Minister Burke with New York State Governor Kathy Hochul and Consul General Gerard Angley. Image 4 of 4 Minister Burke at the ‘greening’ of the Empire State Building initiative, where iconic landmarks turn green in honour of St Patrick’s Day. Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke, TD, has been spreading Ireland’s message in New York over the last week as part of this year’s St Patrick’s Day delegation. Minister Burke will ring the bell to open the New York Stock Exchange on St Patrick’s Day, meet Mayor of New York Zohran Mamdani in the morning, and march in the parade, which around two million people are expected to attend.
Source:Irish Independent
March 16, 2026 16:30 UTC
Why former Aberdeen target didn't become their new manager
And the Norwegian boss has broken his silence on why he didn't return to management after he was axed by the French second-tier club in January. Horneland said: "I wanted a little break from coaching. I did think about diving right back into management again, but I decided to take some time off for myself. It was an exciting project and the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to do it. It will be exciting to work with a professional organisation, and I hope that I will be able to communicate in a good way and perhaps provide some insight."
Source:The Herald
March 16, 2026 16:29 UTC
Pubs may be allowed open early for World Cup matches if Ireland qualifies
If Ireland’s men’s football team make it to the Fifa World Cup, a Government decision will be taken “at the time” on amending licensing laws to allow pubs open for the early morning matches, the foreign affairs minister has said. “I leave that to the minister for justice, who has responsibility for licensing,” she said. “We’ve had this problem before, and we’ve had issues like this emerge before, and we’ve always found ways around it at the same time. If Ireland overcome the Czechs, a winner-takes-all game will follow against either Denmark or North Macedonia the following Tuesday to make it to North America. “We all need to pull together and make sure that if people are coming over for the matches, that it’s an enjoyable time.”
Source:Irish Examiner
March 16, 2026 16:27 UTC
Chelsea avoid points deduction after self-reporting historic financial breaches
Chelsea avoid points deduction after self-reporting historic financial breachesBy Jamie Gardner, Press Association Chief Sports ReporterChelsea have avoided a points deduction after admitting to breaching Premier League rules in relation to more than £47million of undisclosed payments made under the ownership of Roman Abramovich. Five of the seven were named in the sanction agreement as Hazard, Ramires, David Luiz, Andre Schurrle and Nemanja Matic. Chelsea were also given an immediate nine-month academy transfer ban as part of the sanction agreement. Photo by Jed LeicesterA club statement added: “During an extensive Premier League investigation, the club proactively disclosed many thousands of documents. This information was immediately and proactively self-reported to the Premier League.
Source:Irish Independent
March 16, 2026 16:26 UTC
Trump’s call for allies to help secure Strait of Hormuz falls on deaf ears
US president Donald Trump’s demands for a coalition to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz appeared to fall on deaf ears on Monday as allies Japan and Australia said they were not planning to send navy vessels to the Middle East to escort ships through the vital waterway. Markets in Asia reacted cautiously, with Brent crude rising more than 1 per cent above $104.50 and regional share markets mostly weaker amid concerns about the risk to Middle East oil facilities and after Trump’s request for allies to get more involved. In a weekend social media post he hoped China, France, Japan, South Korea, Britain and others would participate. “I think China should help too because China gets 90 per cent of its oil from the Straits,” Trump said. Trump also ratcheted up pressure on European allies to help protect the strait, warning that Nato faces a “very bad” future if its members fail to come to Washington’s aid.
Source:The Irish Times
March 16, 2026 16:25 UTC
NCP in administration as 340 UK car parks remain open
NCP in administration as 340 UK car parks remain openAlmost 700 jobs are at riskView Image This NCP Hanley car park opened in 2023 (stock image) (Image: StokeOnTrentLive)Car park operator NCP has fallen into administration - putting 682 jobs at risk. The company is one of the UK’s biggest operators with around 340 car parks nationwide. All sites will remain open as usual and staff will stay in their jobs while administrators consider the options for the business. It blamed this partly on a change to commuting and consumer driving patterns which have impacted occupancy across its car parks. All sites are open, staff remain in post, and trading continues as normal.
Source:Daily Mirror
March 16, 2026 16:17 UTC
Man City have ground down other title contenders. Are those days gone?
STUMBLE: Manchester City's Tijjani Reijnders reacts at the final whistle after the Premier League draw with West Ham. Against Nottingham Forest and West Ham, the issue was an inability to convert possession into chances and chances into goals. Against Forest they won the shot count 24-9 and drew 2-2; against West Ham they had 24 shots to one and drew 1-1. That day, Liverpool scored two injury-time goals to beat Brentford in a 3pm kick-off then, in the 5.30pm game, Arsenal threw away a two-goal lead to draw with Aston Villa. City aside, their remaining fixtures are not unduly daunting, although their biggest opponent may yet be their own doubt.
Source:Irish Examiner
March 16, 2026 16:13 UTC
When Man Utd can confirm Champions League return as top four race intensifies
The top four finishers in the Premier League will be guaranteed a place in next season's Champions League and there could potentially be a fifth spot up for grabs. As a result, their eight remaining league fixtures are their sole focus between now and May. April kicks off with a double-header at Stamford Bridge against Manchester City (h) and Manchester United (h), followed by Brighton (a). Article continues belowLike Liverpool, Chelsea are still in the running in the FA Cup and Champions League. Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football.
Source:Daily Mirror
March 16, 2026 16:13 UTC
Instagram ends full privacy on Direct Messages and warns users to download personal texts and photos to avoid others seeing them
It means that Meta will now be able to access or monitor content in users’ private, direct messages, including old ones. In an update, Instagram has advised users to “download any media or messages that you may want to keep”. The move comes despite Instagram’s sibling app, WhatsApp touting encryption as a core reason to use the service to protect users’ privacy. Messenger also uses privacy encryption by default to reassure users. A company spokesperson told the Irish Independent that it is removing the privacy feature on Instagram because not enough account-holders used it.
Source:Irish Independent
March 16, 2026 15:56 UTC