Author: News Desk

Two performers from Carrick-on-Suir Musical Society’s latest annual show have been nominated for national AIMS Awards, marking another strong recognition for the long-running Tipperary musical society.The nominations are linked to the society’s 2026 production of Man of La Mancha. Carrick-on-Suir Musical Society said it was celebrating AIMS nominations for the production, including recognition for performers involved in the show. (instagram.com)The AIMS Awards are among the major annual honours in Irish amateur musical theatre, recognising performances, production quality and technical achievement across musical societies around the country. Carrick-on-Suir Musical Society has a long history with the awards, with past recognition across…

Up to 350 jobs are at risk at Meta in Ireland as the Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp owner begins notifying staff affected by a new round of global cuts.The proposed redundancies form part of Meta’s wider plan to reduce its global workforce by about 8,000 roles, equal to roughly 10 percent of staff worldwide. Irish-based employees began receiving notifications this week, with the Irish impact expected to affect as many as 350 workers.The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment has been informed of the proposed cuts. The number of roles at risk in Ireland appears higher than an even proportional…

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon has announced the opening of a new €6 million On-Farm Badger Biosecurity Scheme aimed at helping farmers reduce the risk of bovine TB spreading between badgers and cattle.The scheme is part of the Government’s wider Bovine TB Action Plan, published in September 2025, and is intended to support farmers with the cost of practical biosecurity measures on farms. Applications opened on 13 May 2026 and will be accepted until 31 May 2026.Under the scheme, eligible farmers will be able to buy fencing materials to fence off badger setts and prevent cattle…

Ireland is among 46 Council of Europe member states that have agreed a political declaration supporting wider use of third-country arrangements in migration policy, including “return hubs” for people refused permission to remain.The declaration was adopted at a meeting of Council of Europe foreign ministers in Chișinău, Moldova. It states that countries have an “undeniable sovereign right” to control their borders and says states should be able to adopt new approaches to address and potentially deter irregular migration. Those approaches include processing protection requests in a third country, third-country return hubs, and cooperation with countries of transit. The agreement is…

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said giving young people hope that they can afford to buy or rent a home is the “defining challenge of our time”, while acknowledging that housing costs remain too high for many people in Ireland.Speaking at the Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis in Dublin, Mr Martin defended the Government’s record on housing delivery but said further action was needed to increase supply, improve affordability and expand social housing. The conference marked the centenary of Fianna Fáil’s founding and came at a time when housing remains one of the most politically sensitive issues facing the coalition Government.Mr Martin…

The Government has opened a public consultation on Ireland’s planned Government Digital Wallet, a mobile application intended to allow people to store and use verified digital credentials when accessing public and private services.The consultation was published by the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation on 13 May 2026 and is open for submissions until 5pm on 24 June 2026. The Department says the purpose is to gather feedback from the public, stakeholder organisations, industry experts and civil society before the wallet is launched more widely. The wallet is being developed as part of Ireland’s Digital Public…