I hope anyone reading this while having their breakfast this morning doesn’t splutter into their coffee, or half-choke on their cornflakes, but I have a confession to make; I spent a lot of last weekend watching football. And – please don’t faint with the shock, or collapse in astonishment – I actually enjoyed it. I will issue a disclaimer though; there was no hurling on. Would I have looked at as much football if there were hurling games to watch or go to? No. Still, I was glad I did, not just because it made me more au fait with the new rules, and being able to have a proper conversation now with some of the customers in the pub, but because I really think those new rules will try and win over more cynics – or hurling snobs – like me. I really enjoyed Dublin-Kerry, especially the way the...

Tributes have poured in for the last known ‘Angel of Bessborough’ who helped rescue women from the religious-run institution. Mother and baby home survivors and their families have publicly thanked Mr Furlong online for the help he gave young mothers whose babies were forcibly taken by the nuns, because they fell pregnant outside of marriage. John Furlong helped distract gardaí searching for girls and women fleeing the Bessborough mother and baby home. One survivor’s daughter compares him to Cillian Murphy’s character, Bill Furlong, in ‘Small Things Like These’. Picture: Denis Minihane Carmel Cantwell, whose mother Madeline Walsh was locked up in Bessborough in 1960, said it is “lovely to hear there were people around that had a conscience”. “I did wonder what happened to the babies that were left behind though,” she said. “But it is a lovely story to hear.  “I made the comparison between him and the character...

I’m a  sucker for some good advertisement. Most recently, I found myself feeling a little hard done by in my bathroom after trying out a new shampoo. The ad for this shampoo was very convincing.  The ‘before’ picture a mess of split ends and frizz. The ‘after’ was like something straight out of Peter Mark. Of course, being someone with hair model aspirations, I added this miracle product straight to my basket. But there I was, brushing my freshly shampooed hair in the bathroom mirror, wondering where it all went wrong. If you ever naively believed college is the best years of your life, you know exactly what kind of lion’s mane greeted me in that bathroom mirror. College will set you back a little more than my €20 shampoo. So it can be difficult to admit your lectures don’t feel like a salon blow dry.  It’s this thing you...

Irving Oil, the Canadian owner and operator of Ireland’s only oil refinery at Whitegate in Cork Harbour, has avoided conviction in the district court in relation to an oil spill on January 22, 2024.  Irving Oil was prosecuted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for an alleged breach of license conditions and requirements under the Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1992. Joshua Copage — an inspector with the EPA — told the court that on January 22, 2024 at 5pm the EPA was notified by Iriving Oil that there had been an “uncontrolled release of hydrocarbons” from the Whitegate Refinery. He said it was confirmed that the material was gas oil some of which had leaked into Cork Harbour. Strong smell Mr Copage said the following day he drove from the EPA office at Inniscarra to the refinery and as he was passing through Whitegate village en route he noticed “a...

The Irish arm of fashion retailer New Look has sought the appointment of provisional liquidators as it seeks to wind down its operations. The UK-owned retailer said the decision to wind down its Irish operations came after several years of sustained losses and challenging market conditions. The High Court today approved the appointment of Shane McCarthy and Cormac O’Connor of KPMG Ireland as Provisional Liquidators over the business and its assets. New Look said its Irish staff were notified immediately following this appointment and further staff engagement is planned over the coming days. The company employs a total of 347 staff across its 26-store network in the Republic of Ireland. A majority of its stores are of small to medium size, employing an average of 12-13 staff per store. A 30-day staff consultation process will commence over the coming days with a collective redundancy process, impacting all colleagues in the...

Ancient human remains uncovered in a Derry bog are believed to belong to a young woman who lived around 2,000 years ago. Further research has been carried out following the discovery of the now named Ballymacombs More Woman in bogland near Bellaghy in 2023. It had previously been thought that the remains belonged to a boy aged between 13 and 17 at the time of death. Now, it is thought the remains likely belonged to a women aged between 17 and 22 years, and has been hailed as “one of the most important archaeological discoveries on the island of Ireland”. The study, led by National Museums NI, has involved collaboration with organisations across Ireland, Britain, and Europe, including the Police Service of Northern Ireland, National Museums of Ireland, Queen’s University Belfast, Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, University of Copenhagen, University of Glasgow, and University of Bradford. HISTORY HUB If...

A Cork City pub that is a local ‘legend’ and successful micro-brewery is to leave its original family ownership hands after a 151-year span across four generations and constant innovation. Fresh to market for the first time since being established, in 1874, is the Cotton Ball pub and entertainment venue. It is located in densely populated suburban Mayfield, along with a micro-brewery established by long-term owners, the Lynch family, in 2013. The Cotton Ball micro-brewery supplies beer to a number of outlets, including the Cotton Ball itself. The offer spans 12,000 sq ft, across a mix of end-terrace, part-single and part-two-storey buildings, with seating for up to 500 patrons in various niches and nooks and an open area with city and harbour views. It includes the Cotton Ball micro-brewery and 12-barrel brew house at lower ground/basement level. The brewery supplies a range of outlets, including the Cotton Ball bar and...

US President Donald Trump hit out at Ukraine after Volodymyr Zelenskyy complained about being left out of talks between Russia and America with a view to ending the war in the country.  Russia and the US agreed on Tuesday to start working towards ending the war in Ukraine and improving their diplomatic and economic ties, the two countries’ top diplomats said. The high-profile meeting, which took place in Saudi Arabia, saw the two states agree to restore embassy staffing and create a high-level team to negotiate peace in Ukraine and promote economic co-operation. No Ukrainian officials were present at the meeting, which came as the beleaguered country is slowly but steadily losing ground against more numerous Russian troops in a grinding war that began nearly three years ago. Ukrainian President Mr Zelenskyy said his country would not accept any outcome from the talks since Kyiv did not take part, and...

Top US and Russian officials have met in Saudi Arabia for the most extensive negotiations between the two countries in three years, agreeing to continue planning an end to the Ukraine war and pursue closer cooperation amid concerns in Kyiv and across Europe that Donald Trump could push for a settlement favouring Vladimir Putin. After the talks at Diriyah Palace in Riyadh, which lasted almost five hours, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said the two sides had agreed to create a high-level team to support Ukraine peace talks and to explore “economic and investment opportunities which will emerge from a successful end to the conflict in Ukraine.” The statements highlighted a tectonic shift in Washington’s approach to Russia, dramatically moving away from the Biden administration’s efforts to isolate Moscow. Rubio said an end to the Ukraine conflict must be acceptable to all involved, including Ukraine, Europe and Russia,...

With the world’s power axis dramatically shifting, Micheál Martin must create his own Enda Kenny moment out of the trip to the White House next month. Just four weeks in office, Donald Trump has turned the world on its head and is reshaping geopolitics more than at any other time since the Second World War. A new terrifying alliance between the US and Russia is emerging, and Europe, grappling to keep up with the whirlwind changes being announced by the Trump administration, is dramatically increasing spend on defence, with talk of a European army and commitments from some to send peacekeepers into Ukraine. In constant reactionary mode, European politicians last week gathered remotely for an emergency meeting to discuss the implications of tariffs, while this week has begun with another emergency summit of leaders in Paris on the issue of security and Ukraine. When he travels to Washington for the...