‘You’re kind of transient’: The bittersweet life of an Erasmus Mundus master’s student
It is one of 349 unique Erasmus Mundus master’s programmes that have been running since 2004. It was a broad master’s programme, rather than a deep one – each of the five words in the programme title is a master’s in itself. Elsewhere, Erasmus Mundus programme fees vary between €2,000 and €9,000 per year, with higher costs for those coming from outside the EU. In addition to the lower costs of fees and student accommodation compared with Ireland, many places on Erasmus Mundus courses are funded by scholarships. Similarly, Butler says the chance to practise Spanish as part of her master’s programme was a big draw for her.
Source:The Irish Times
October 27, 2025 21:54 UTC
FF cannot afford division and ‘must come together as party’ minister says – The Irish Times
Minister of State Thomas Byrne conceded that his party has to have “difficult conversations” in the wake of its disastrous presidential election campaign, but said that Fianna Fáil cannot afford division. So I think we really need to come together as a party,” Mr Byrne said. Asked about Mr Lahart’s claim that a modern political party can’t afford “errors of judgement,” Mr Byrne said that a “a modern political party can’t afford division”. Mr Byrne said he didn’t detect a “groundswell” of criticism towards Mr Martin. “No matter what is done, it’s going to take a long time for Fianna Fáil to recover,” he said.
Source:The Irish Times
October 27, 2025 21:49 UTC
Letters to the Editor, October 27th: On religious teaching in schools, AI and schools and knocking Knock Airport
If parents wish for their children to be active within the Church, then they should take them to a church. Don’t knock Knock AirportSir, – In his Irishman’s Diary of Friday, October 24th, Frank McNally describes Knock Airport as being located on a boggy hill somewhere between Charlestown and nowhere. For Mr McNally’s information, Knock Airport is located just off the N17 national primary road that connects Sligo to Galway. Maybe the next time Frank is struggling to find a subject to write about for his column he should pay a return visit to Knock Airport. Sir, – Can I express my outrage at Frank McNally’s suggestion that what he refers to as “Knock Airport” is located “halfway between Charlestown and nowhere”.
Source:The Irish Times
October 27, 2025 21:36 UTC
The cheaper hotel trick, and 58 other things I’ve learned from visiting 59 countries – The Irish Times
Here are 59 of my most-used – and, needless to say, “don’t lose your passport” trumps them all. If you’re travelling with a backpack as luggage, and only have large packing cubes, it might not Tetris up neatly. At the airport gates for low-cost airlines, don’t be the last to board, just in case the flight is overbooked. [ An Irish flight attendant’s top travel tips on how to avoid stress on your next tripOpens in new window ]15. If you’re abroad for more than four days, take your usual vitamins and supplements with you.
Source:The Irish Times
October 27, 2025 21:36 UTC
Go west: upheaval of war drives integration of people from eastern and western Ukraine
Oksana Dubyk, a former resident of Russian-occupied Mariupol in eastern Ukraine, is preparing to open a small bakery 1,200km away in Lviv. It took months to recover his body, and he was buried in Lviv’s historic Lychakiv cemetery only the following summer. “It’s hard – and harder for older people than for the young,” Dubyk says about the experience of displacement. Hanna Kutepova fled with her mother and two children from Lysychansk in eastern Ukraine in April 2022 and has settled in Lviv near the Polish border. Kulynych says the upheaval of the war has forced easterners and westerners to integrate more deeply, and that most displaced people have settled well in Lviv.
Source:The Irish Times
October 27, 2025 21:31 UTC
Fianna Fáil TD insists remarks critical of Micheál Martin not the start of party heave
A Fianna Fáil TD who suggested Taoiseach Micheál Martin made errors in the party’s presidential election campaign has denied his comments should be seen as the start of a heave against the party leader. Mr Lahart’s comments on Newstalk on Saturday were interpreted by some within Fianna Fáil as the beginning of a potential move against Mr Martin. Fianna Fáil had a disastrous presidential election. At this, Mr Martin apologised and acknowledged the “hurt and shock” of Fianna Fáil members. “No matter what is done, it’s going to take a long time for Fianna Fáil to recover,” he said.
Source:The Irish Times
October 26, 2025 22:29 UTC
Spoiled ballots hit unprecedented level as voters express anger at choice of candidates
At the last 2018 presidential election, spoiled votes totalled 18,438, accounting for 1.2 per cent of the total vote in that election. Spoiled votes from the Dublin South West count centre as the first boxes are being opened for counting of presidential votes at Dublins RDS count centre. Large numbers of spoiled votes were cast in working-class areas in particular, though significant numbers appeared in most boxes across all 43 constituencies. Other spoiled votes had “Connor”, “Dustin the Turkey”, “Donald Trump”, “I’m spoiling my vote” and “IPAS centres out of here” written on them. Labour leader Ivana Bacik said the level of spoiled votes had to be addressed.
Source:The Irish Times
October 26, 2025 08:33 UTC
What went wrong in the Heather Humphreys campaign?
Pat Leahy takes us through his top three points on the presidential election and the outcome of the vote. A rabble of Fine Gael farmers stand with Heather stickers on their lapels, ready to clap. Elsewhere, a presidential campaign for the remaining 80 per cent of the electorate is taking place. The presidential campaign was said to be the first time Humphreys had real experience of social media abuse. Within the Humphreys campaign some called these diehard party members “Black Fianna Fáilers”.
Source:The Irish Times
October 25, 2025 22:54 UTC
The winners and losers of the presidential election
So as the dust settles on a historic result, who are the winners and losers? This is Fianna Fáil’s worst election result ever. Jim Gavin (right) and Taoiseach Micheál Martin at the launch for the latter's shortlived 2025 presidential campaign in September. But you can be sure that in future parties will interrogate whether willing celebrities have the chops to handle a bruising election campaign. The broad left has been significantly strengthened – and Sinn Féin is the leader of the left.
Source:The Irish Times
October 25, 2025 22:32 UTC
Catherine Connolly deserves her landslide victory, but it’s a hollow crown – The Irish Times
Catherine Connolly got very, very fortunate in her opponents but she was also bold enough to make her own luck. At a personal level, Connolly thoroughly deserves her landslide victory. Yet even as she savours her deserved victory, Connolly cannot be unaware that she was also soundly trounced by the real winner: indifference. For after this unprecedented election, a very large body of the Irish citizenry is left feeling un-presidented. If she can repeat that feat in office, she will do much to shore up a democracy endangered by complacency.
Source:The Irish Times
October 25, 2025 17:12 UTC
‘You need to pull it down, your whole bottom is on show,’ the woman said. ‘It’s a disgrace’ – The Irish Times
“You need to pull it down, your whole bottom is on show,” she replied. If that was your granny I cussed out on the street, I’m so sorry, but she had it coming. Only when you leave Ireland, you realise it isn’t universalOpens in new window ]The transference of shame, particularly in Ireland, seems to flow from woman to woman. Which breaks my heart given Irish women have shaped, supported and protected me my entire life, but are always so hard on themselves. God knows what that woman on the street went through in her life that made her so angry about my skirt.
Source:The Irish Times
October 24, 2025 17:03 UTC
How will turnout in Friday’s presidential election affect the result?
Supporters for both Independent candidate Catherine Connolly and Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys will be trying to get out the vote in the presidential election. In recent presidential elections, turnouts have been much lower than in general elections, partly because they are what political scientists call “second order elections”, which voters don’t see as important as a general election. In the last presidential election in 2018, it was just 44 per cent. In the 2011 presidential election it was 56 per cent and in the 1997 election it was 48 per cent. How does a low turnout affect the result?
Source:The Irish Times
October 23, 2025 17:54 UTC
Joseph O’Connor writes Irish Times article on Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty
On Wednesday, 22 October, Professor Joseph O'Connor was interviewed by Matt Cooper on Today FM''s programme 'The Last Word'. They discussed the launch of a commemorative stamp by An Post in honour of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, who appears in Joe's novels My Father's House and The Ghosts of Rome. On Thursday, 23 October, Joseph wrote an article for the Irish Times on the role of letters and letter writing in O’Flaherty's life and activism. The article may be read here: https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irish-diary/2025/10/21/joseph-oconnor-on-celebrating-a-kerry-priest-who-became-a-war-time-hero/
Source:The Irish Times
October 23, 2025 15:24 UTC
Ninety minutes of madness: How the Citywest riot exploded and then was quelled – The Irish Times
The sight of one of the Garda’s new Public Order Unit vans set alight suggested a loss of control. Photograph: Ronan McGreevyMembers of the Garda Public Order Unit near the Citywest Hotel on Tuesday night. And though Garda resources – especially the availability of Public Order Unit members – initially looked stretched, that did not last for long. Behind them were their horse-mounted colleagues, the Garda water cannon and a huge convoy of vehicles, including vans packed with fresh public order unit personnel. From that point, the Public Order Unit gardaí stood silently in the road.
Source:The Irish Times
October 22, 2025 21:54 UTC