Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has named a 37-man squad for the upcoming Six Nations. Munster second row Edwin Edogbo and Ulster scrum-half Nathan Doak are the two uncapped players in the squad. The squad will gather in Dublin on Sunday before travelling to Portugal for a training camp at Quinta do Lago. “In congratulating each of the players on their selection, I am also pleased to welcome back Mick Kearney as Team Manager. Mick is vastly experienced and has played a key role in mentoring a vast number of players for many years.

It described the growing skills gap as a "major strategic threat" to the economy and called for the Government to unlock the National Training Fund to allow employers to prepare their workforce for the future. The survey found 70% of employers reported facing issues in recruiting over the previous 12 months, with difficulty increasing according to seniority. A further 80% of businesses reported facing skills gaps, where their existing or future workforce do not have the expertise required by industry. "Skills gaps are having a material impact on businesses by lowering productivity, impacting competitiveness, increasing costs, and stifling innovation," it states. With a €3bn surplus projected for the National Training Fund, there is no excuse for underinvestment, she added.

Water quality and a potential ‘Mercosur 2.0’ were discussed at the Agri Aware inaugural ‘Food for Thought’ industry briefing event. Taking place in Naas, Co. Kildare, on January 16, positivity around Ireland’s water quality and the potential of a ‘Mercosur 2.0’ in the form of a potential trade agreement between the EU and Australia were the main talking points at the event. Mr Buckley gave updates on key polices and trade deals, including the Mercosur Trade Deal, the Nitrates Derogation and the Common Agricultural Policy. Chaired by Agri Aware’s Marcus O’Halloran, the discussion's first major talking point was that Ireland has the third-best water quality in Europe. COPA-COGEA's Ksenija Simovic said: “The EU-Australia Trade Deal is a cause for concern, potentially becoming a Mercosur 2.0.

Funeral details have been announced for a woman who tragically died in a house fire in Limerick last weekend. Marguerite (Margie) Neville, aged in her 60s, died in Chesterfield Downs, Singland, on Saturday, January 17, after a blaze took hold of her house. Ms Neville was pronounced dead at the scene. Originally from Castletroy View and late of Bowman Street in Limerick, Ms Neville had recently retired from Dunnes Stores in the Parkway Shopping Centre after working in the shop for many years. Since the news broke, tributes from many friends, colleagues and regular Dunnes Stores customers have been pouring in for Ms Neville.

Unlicensed implants and unnecessary surgeries – the controversies hanging over CHI as questions remain unansweredComplications, delays and clinical errors have been uncovered by reviews into the three children’s hospitals in DublinTemple Street Hospital in Dublin. Photo: GettyEilish O'Regan Today at 06:30A history of controversies hangs over Dublin’s three children’s hospitals.

Journalists watch a TV showing general secretary To Lam at the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam in Hanoi. The truncated timetable suggests that there is little opposition to re-electing the country’s current leader To Lam as general secretary. What remains uncertain is whether Lam will also assume the post of president in a consolidation of state and party power under a single leader similar to China’s Xi Jinping. A former head of state security, Lam led an anti-corruption drive that purged numerous party officials in an exercise reminiscent of Xi’s. Vietnam has a collective leadership structure with five pillars: party general secretary, state president, prime minister, national assembly chair and the standing member of the party secretariat.

Euroscepticism is a whisper that’s “growing louder” in the Republic, according to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Helen McEntee will on Thursday give a speech to set out her priorities for Ireland’s upcoming presidency of the Council of the European Union. In a speech at an event hosted by the European Parliament Liaison Office and the European Commission Representation in Ireland, Ms McEntee will say that the Republic “enjoys very high levels of support for the EU”. It’s still a whisper but it’s growing louder. And without values, none of it matters.”Ms McEntee will say the State is “living in a new moment in history.

Manchester United have tumbled out of the top five of football's rich list amid a shortened season without European competition, in yet another blow to the Ineos era at Old Trafford. 'If you went back ten or 15 years, and you looked at matchday revenue it was the industry leader,' he told the Sun. 'The opportunity remains for Manchester United. Six Premier League sides have made the top 10, with Liverpool the leaders having earned £729m from their Premier League-winning season. Liverpool also had the highest wage bill in the Premier League, spending £437m on player wages.

Us president Donald Trump speaking at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday. US president Donald Trump eventually called his own bluff on his deranged plan to buy Greenland with a rambling self-aggrandising speech in Davos. Notably, while echoing support for, and solidarity with, Denmark and Greenland the Government has not directly criticised Trump or his administration for its latest take on the Monroe doctrine. “Collectively we need to de-escalate this situation, we need to dial down and engage in those areas that matter.”But if Trump didn’t win, neither did Europe or Ireland. “[Trump] is living out a dream of possessing power without limits.

Clarkson's Farm star Kaleb Cooper's staggering earnings have been revealed as he shares what he plans to do with the money. Kaleb has previously said he's want to spend his earnings on his own farm one day. Last November it was revealed that Kaleb was following in the footsteps of his boss Jeremy by launching his own meat business. The Clarkson's Farm star now sells his own steaks, sausages, burgers and BBQ boxes. Last year Kaleb took to social media to announce the news as he penned: 'I've got some news - I'm going I'm going to be going down under/to Australia to film my very own series on Prime Video.

It’s amazing, it’s energising,” says Irishman Diarmuid Early of his recent Excel world championship win in the Hyper X Arena in Las Vegas. The sport involves a lot of crunching, not of bones or abs, but of numbers on an Excel spreadsheet. It is described by the BBC as the fastest growing e-sport, and the Galway man took home the Microsoft Excel World Championship belt and $5,000 prize in December. Diarmuid Early competes in the Microsoft Excel World ChampionshipEarly, who runs his own data science consultancy firm in New York, does this for the enjoyment rather than the prize money. Among his friends in the US and the competitive Excel community, Diarmuid is known as “Dim”.

Russell & Bromley currently runs 36 stores and nine concessions across the UK and Ireland, employing around 440 people. However, Next said it will only retain three of its shops – in Chelsea, Mayfair and the Bluewater Shopping Centre – as part of the deal. Next said it will pay £2.5 million for the brand and intellectual property, and £1.3 million for a portion of its current stock. In a statement, Next said: “This acquisition secures the future of a much-loved British footwear brand. “Our intention is to continue to trade the remaining portfolio of stores for as long as we can, while we explore the options available.”

Photograph: Damien Eagers/PA WirePaschal Donohoe “followed official advice” that Ireland’s contribution to the World Bank should amount to €141.4 million before he brought that recommendation to Government for approval last year, Tánaiste Simon Harris has said. On Wednesday, Mr Harris argued there has been “an effort by some” to “smear” the decision making process for the funding by the then-minister and “by extension to smear the World Bank”. Last week, the Oireachtas finance committee voted against asking Mr Donohoe to make himself available to answer questions about the State’s contribution to the World Bank. He also said: “Can we just remind ourselves what the World Bank is? “The specific arm of the World Bank that we’re talking about, the IDA, gives grants and low cost loans to the poorest countries and therefore the poorest people in the world.

A guide funded by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission advised students had a legal right for schools to use their preferred pronouns. The ICCL guide, funded by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC), cited “Department of Education guidelines” when advising that students had a legal right for schools to use their preferred pronouns. Instead, it has advised schools that there is “nothing to preclude them” from using a student’s preferred pronouns if they decide to do so in consultation with parents and the student. They received assistance from the ICCL, the Free Legal Advice Centre and the LGTBQI+ Legal Advice Clinic. “There is no right in law for anyone to force someone else to use their ‘preferred pronouns’.

The Social Democrats have been critical of Government’s approach to management of data centres. Photograph: Getty ImagesRapid growth in energy demand, driven primarily by data centres, could contribute to an “electricity shortage event” in the next two to five years, the energy regulator has said. It examined rapid growth in electricity demand above historic trends, which it deemed as “likely”. A CRU spokesman said if maximum demand forecast materialised, “it is plausible that there could be an electricity shortage event within the next two- to five-year period”. Social Democrats’ climate spokeswoman Jennifer Whitmore said the report was a warning of risks associated with the Government’s approach to the management of data centres.