Media Minister Patrick O’Donovan will meet with representatives from five major social media companies on Monday, demanding the implementation of robust age verification systems as the government declares an end to the “Wild West” era of online platforms. The Fine Gael minister is expected to confront executives from Meta, TikTok, Google, LinkedIn, and X over … Read more
Almost 5,000 people who have been assessed and allocated home support hours are waiting for carers to be assigned, while funding is not an issue, new figures reveal. The data shows 4,888 people are waiting for home support carers to help them remain living independently, despite having completed assessments and being allocated care hours. An … Read more
The Catholic Church in Ireland will introduce an updated Confirmation pledge from next year that includes a commitment for children not to vape until they turn 18, expanding the traditional alcohol abstinence promise. The new pledge will see 12-year-old children making their Confirmation commit to abstaining from alcohol, smoking, and vaping until they reach 18 … Read more
The 43rd meeting of the British-Irish Council will take place in County Down on Friday, with artificial intelligence set to be a key focus as representatives from across the British Isles gather to discuss political developments and shared challenges. The summit, established under the Good Friday Agreement to promote mutually beneficial development, will bring together … Read more
The Department of Education has announced new smartphone policies for Irish schools, implementing a complete ban for primary students while stopping short of an outright prohibition for post-primary pupils. All primary schools will be required to introduce new policies that ban both the use of and access to smartphones during the school day. The comprehensive … Read more
Met Éireann has issued a status yellow rain warning for 20 counties across Ireland as heavy rainfall and scattered thunderstorms are forecast to hit the country throughout Thursday. The national weather forecaster is warning of localised flooding and dangerous weather conditions that could cause lightning damage and create difficult travel conditions across much of the … Read more
For a third consecutive night, violence broke out in parts of Northern Ireland, with masked youths setting fire to a leisure centre on Wednesday evening. However, the scale of unrest in Ballymena — the epicentre of earlier rioting — was significantly reduced. On Tuesday night, hundreds of masked individuals clashed with police in Ballymena, a … Read more
The Department of Education will allow schools to purchase their own mobile phone storage solutions while launching a new procurement process for a central contract in the coming weeks. The move follows the cancellation of a controversial €7.3 million tender for specially designed pouches intended to lock away teenagers’ phones as part of the government’s … Read more
Applications have opened for Ireland’s 2025 Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance, with the majority of eligible families set to receive automatic payments without needing to apply. The scheme provides financial assistance to help families cover the cost of school uniforms and footwear ahead of the new academic year. This year’s payment rates are … Read more
Five driving test centres across Ireland will operate without dedicated testers until at least September, the Road Safety Authority has revealed, as more than 100,000 learner drivers await invitations to book their tests. The centres in Kilrush and Shannon in Co Clare, Ballincollig in Co Cork, Buncrana in Co Donegal, and Clifden in Co Galway … Read more
The Road Safety Authority has launched a hard-hitting new advertisement showing blood literally on the hands of drink drivers and their friends who fail to intervene, marking a return to the shocking imagery that characterized Irish road safety campaigns in the early 2000s. The graphic campaign centers on a man entering a pub and placing … Read more
British retailer Marks & Spencer has resumed taking online orders for select clothing ranges in the UK, but Irish customers remain unable to shop online as the company continues to recover from a damaging cyber attack. The 141-year-old retail giant, a familiar presence in Irish high streets, confirmed on its UK website today that “select … Read more
The Irish government will today express serious concerns about potential European counter-tariffs on American goods, fearing significant damage to Ireland’s key export industries including aviation, pharmaceuticals, alcohol, and agri-food sectors. Cabinet will hear that Ireland is actively lobbying the European Union to avoid implementing retaliatory measures against the United States, which could trigger an escalating … Read more
The number of children living in consistent poverty in Ireland has risen to over 100,000, representing a staggering increase of 45,107 children compared to the previous year, according to a new report highlighting the deepening crisis facing Irish families. The alarming statistics emerge from the Children’s Rights Alliance’s annual Child Poverty Monitor report, which reveals … Read more
A sweeping reform of Ireland’s rental sector is set to be introduced, with Minister for Housing James Browne bringing a proposal to Cabinet that will prohibit no-fault evictions by large landlords. The move is aimed at boosting security for renters and rebalancing tenant-landlord relations amid a housing crisis. Under the new measures, landlords will be … Read more