A devastating fire has forced the indefinite closure of Doagh Famine Village in County Donegal after destroying significant portions of the popular tourist attraction on Saturday afternoon. The blaze ravaged two key exhibits at the family-run heritage site: a replica Orange Hall that chronicled Ireland’s peace process and a section dedicated to the history of … Read more
The number of drivers caught using mobile phones behind the wheel continues to climb, with nearly 60,000 motorists receiving fines and penalty points for the offense over the past three years, according to new Department of Justice figures. From 2022 through 2024, gardaí detected 59,603 instances of drivers illegally using phones while operating vehicles, highlighting … Read more
The Ronald McDonald House Charities will commit €66 million over the next quarter-century to establish and maintain a new family accommodation facility at the National Children’s Hospital, according to recent financial projections. Construction is well underway on the 52-bedroom residential center, which carries an initial construction cost of €28.47 million. The facility will feature private … Read more
A senior government official has questioned the feasibility of rapidly increasing Dublin Airport’s 32 million passenger limit, contradicting public statements from ministers about swift action on the controversial cap. Department of Transport Secretary General Ken Spratt described recent media reports about government interventions to lift the restriction as “inaccurate” and likely to create “unrealistic expectations,” … Read more
Roderic O’Gorman has been re-elected as leader of the Green Party, reaffirming his commitment to rebuilding the party following a significant electoral setback. O’Gorman, the former Minister for Children who first took on the leadership role last summer, confirmed earlier this month that he would seek another term. He acknowledged the party’s poor performance in … Read more
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission has imposed a substantial €530 million fine on social media giant TikTok for violating European privacy regulations by transferring EU users’ personal information to China without adequate safeguards. The penalty follows an investigation that revealed TikTok staff at the company’s global headquarters in China could remotely access European users’ data, failing … Read more
Ireland’s plan to implement world-first health warnings on alcohol containers faces postponement as the government weighs potential economic repercussions from US trade tariffs, according to recent statements from the Tánaiste. The pioneering legislation, signed into law two years ago by then-Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, would require alcohol producers to include explicit warnings about liver disease … Read more
The Health Service Executive (HSE) has exceeded budgets by nearly €26 million across just ten large-scale infrastructure projects completed since 2020, according to new figures released by the Department of Health. These capital projects, initially approved at a contract value of €217.1 million, ultimately cost taxpayers €242.95 million—representing a significant overspend during a period when … Read more
Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan has committed to implementing electronic tagging for monitoring people convicted of crimes or awaiting trial later this year, calling the long delay in utilizing existing legislation “embarrassing.” Speaking to the Irish Prison Officers’ Association in Galway, O’Callaghan pledged that a new electronic tagging system would be operational following the completion of … Read more
Heritage Council chief executive Virginia Teehan has warned that Ireland risks losing “irreplaceable parts of our heritage” without coordinated action to address the climate crisis. The stark warning came during a national conference on the future of Ireland’s heritage hosted by the Heritage Council in Dublin. Teehan called on the government to “take decisive steps, … Read more
A US federal judge has ruled that Apple willfully violated a 2021 injunction in an ongoing competition case brought by Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite. US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers found Apple in contempt of court for effectively ignoring her previous order to stop prohibiting app developers from linking customers to their own … Read more
A weather station in County Galway has recorded a temperature of 25.9°C on Wednesday, breaking the previous all-time temperature record for the month of April, according to provisional data released by Met Éireann. Ireland has experienced an extraordinary burst of early heat, with 17 weather stations across the country breaking their highest-ever April temperature records. … Read more
Major social media platforms including X and Reddit have not yet submitted their plans to Ireland’s media regulator on how they will prevent children from accessing pornographic content, as a July deadline for implementing age verification measures approaches. In comments to the Irish Examiner, online safety commissioner Niamh Hodnett revealed that several platforms under Coimisiún … Read more
A new ESRI-Shared Island report has concluded that cross-border co-operation in key areas established by the Good Friday Agreement has not reached its full potential, particularly in strategic sectors like education, health, agriculture, and the environment. The report highlights several policy implications requiring attention, including significantly higher rates of early school leaving in Northern Ireland, … Read more
The Motor Insurers Bureau of Ireland (MIBI) has reported a dramatic reduction in uninsured vehicles on Irish roads following the implementation of a new detection system. According to recent data, just over 4% of vehicles were uninsured in 2024, compared to 8.3% in 2022. This significant improvement stems from the Irish Motor Insurance Database, which … Read more