The Irish Times

03/01/2025

Top Stories of 2024: Laura Slattery: 'Like most of us, if I had unlimited funds I would live differently. I would spend the summer in Ireland, filling my niece and nephew’s laughing little faces with sugar and mincing my stiff toes into still-chilly June seawater. I’d make a base in west Cork and fill my lungs with that whirring, hay-sweet summer air, watching the sea unfold into the vast horizon.

Yet, that’s a fantasy life.

It isn’t the one that awaits if I return to Ireland.

There would be no easy pink lungs filled with summer air. It would be hunched at a desk working till 10pm again and being unable to afford a home. It would be burnt chain coffee and endless frustration with a bafflingly disconnected Government'.

It’s sad when the numbers say you’re better off leaving Ireland

03/01/2025

Great places to eat in Ireland when you need to be smart with your money: There’s amazing value to be had in these nine restaurants, particularly in early bird and lunch menus.

There’s amazing value to be had in these nine restaurants, particularly in early bird and lunch menus

03/01/2025

Felling Under the weather? You're not alone. So, why are so many people getting the flu? Here's everything you need to know

The flu virus spreads through coughs and sneezes and can live on hands and surfaces for 24 hours. If you reckon you have it, it’s best to stay at home

03/01/2025

Radio review: David O’Doherty and His Dad Do Jazz is joyful, offbeat radio, with just a hint of welcome tartness to prevent the familial jam becoming too sweet. “Thank you for asking those nice questions of me, son,” Jim concludes. “Yeah well, it’s the first compliment I’ve received in 48 years,” David replies. That’s families for you.

David O’Doherty and His Dad Do Jazz is joyful, offbeat radio that’s perfect for any season

03/01/2025

Brianna Parkins: Somehow it is 2025 even though it was 2019 yesterday. Some things should be ushered into the new year like a much-loved guest being shown into the good room. Other things should be discarded like Christmas cardboard refuse. Thrown away in the dead of night in the neighbours’ recycling bin so you can be rid of it faster. Here’s what’s in for 2025 and what’s out.https://www.irishtimes.com/life-style/people/2025/01/04/the-new-rules-whats-in-and-whats-out-for-2025/

03/01/2025

Traffic at Ryanair, Europe’s biggest airline, rose 8 per cent in December when compared with the same period the year before.

The airline carried 13.6 million passengers, up from 12.5 million in December 2023. Load factor, a measure of how full aircraft are, rose 1 per cent year-on-year to 92 per cent.

The airline operated more than 77,380 flights during the month, which was up from 73,750 in November.

Christmas period saw more pressure on airlines operating between Ireland and Britain following closure of Holyhead port

03/01/2025

Met Éireann is forecasting sub-zero temperatures and “very disruptive and impactful” weather conditions over the weekend, with significant accumulations of snowfall likely in some parts of the country and a risk of school closures on Monday.

A series of new weather warnings were announced on Friday, including a status orange snow and ice warning across six counties: Carlow, Kilkenny, Wicklow, Clare, Limerick and Tipperary. The alert applies between 5pm on Saturday and 5pm on Sunday.

Click to read more: https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025/01/02/weather-yellow-warning-issued-as-cold-snap-expected-with-temperatures-dropping-to-below-zero/

03/01/2025

Top Stories of 2024: After the tragic sinking of technology tycoon Mike Lynch’s superyacht off Sicily, Arthur Beesley explored Lynch's remarkable history, from his Irish roots to being acquitted of all charges in the biggest fraud case in the history of Silicon Valley

After the sinking of the technology tycoon’s superyacht off Sicily, we explore Mike Lynch's remarkable history

03/01/2025

To be, or not to be, playing rugby in the northern hemisphere?

That is the question that the South African clubs currently participating in the URC and EPCR competitions are grappling with, with seemingly insane workloads on the top players, and consequent injuries, crippling teams like the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers, writes Albert Heenop

Insane workloads on top players, and consequent injuries, are crippling teams like the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers

03/01/2025

Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, has given the world a first look at her new lifestyle series on Netflix. She appears smiling and relaxed in the online trailer for With Love, Meghan, which includes a clip of her being hugged by her husband Prince Harry. The eight-part series, which launches on January 15th, sees the former actor share cooking, gardening and hosting tips with friends and famous guests.

The eight-part series, which launches on January 15th, sees the former actor share cooking, gardening and hosting tips with friends and famous guests

03/01/2025

Top stories of 2024: Pubs that don’t sell alcohol aren’t completely new to Ireland, but one recent addition in Dublin 8 has a new twist on the concept that is seeing its reservations book fill up rapidly, writes Marie Claire Digby

An interesting and unusual drinks menu is pulling in the punters to this new cafe bar where you can drink, eat, and lock horns over a board game

03/01/2025

For all Sinn Féin’s progress in recent years, the sobering reality for a party whose primary aim is Irish unity is that many of its voters in the Republic have more pressing priorities, writes Diarmaid Ferriter

As the advocates of unity discovered in 1925, possible routes to the desired outcome need to be understood in language and methods that are clear and precise

03/01/2025

Competition: Win a two-night getaway and dinner at The Johnstown Estate in Co Meath. Click here to find out more.

The Johnstown Estate, the four-star hotel and spa is giving one lucky Irish Times reader the chance to win a two-night escape for two with breakfast, pre-dinner cocktails and dinner on one evening.

03/01/2025

An assistant shop manager has been awarded €13,500 in compensation at the Workplace Relations Commission after it was found she was unreasonably sacked for gross misconduct for having attended a job interview at a nearby business during her lunch break

Assistant shop manager awarded compensation after she was sacked for gross misconduct for attending job interview on lunch break

03/01/2025

Top stories of 2024: "I have a great relationship with my parents, but I feel stifled by their constant attention. How can I set boundaries so my life can really blossom, without hurting their feelings?" - A reader seeks advice from our columnist Trish Murphy

Tell Me About It: I have a great relationship with my parents, but I feel stifled by their constant attention. How can I set boundaries so my life can really blossom, without hurting their feelings?

03/01/2025

Having a tacky Christmas is in for 2025, while social media-hyped food is firmly out, according to Brianna Parkins

Some things should be ushered into the new year like a much-loved guest being shown into the good room. Other things should be discarded like Christmas cardboard refuse

03/01/2025

There was a "troubling" spike in hacking attacks on airlines’ GPS in the first 10 months of last year, according to new research

Counterfeit signals sent to planes’ GPS systems ‘present a direct safety threat’ and have increased since Russia invaded Ukraine

03/01/2025

Letter of the Day: Where have all the teachers gone?