Arigna man Fergal Guihen has announced the completion date for his incredible 23,000km fundraising cycle across the world, which will end at the Sydney Opera House in Australia. Fergal announced on social media that he will arrive at the iconic opera house on Saturday, February 7th. “From a small village in County Roscommon to the steps of the Sydney Opera House, the finish line is in sight,” said the 25-year-old nurse. The mammoth two wheel challenge, which began on March 10th 2024, has taken him through 28 countries and three continents over the last two years while raising funds for two local charities. Fergal set out on his arduous journey with the goal of raising awareness and funds for both the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation and North West STOP.

Israel’s military intelligence chief General Shlomi Binder held talks on Iran with senior officials at the Pentagon, the CIA and the White House on Tuesday and Wednesday, a source said. Saudi defence minister Prince Khalid bin Salman was also in Washington for meetings with US officials focused on Iran, according to a second source. An anti-US mural on a building in Tehran, Iran. Judiciary officials have warned that “those committing sabotage, burning public property and involved in armed clashes with security forces” could face death sentences. Two Iranian officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to Reuters that thousands of arrests had been carried out in the past few days.

So the sigh of relief in the Government at news that Irish home completions rose by 20.4pc last year to 36,284 units was understandable. True, it fell far short of its target of 41,000 completions, but it was a 20pc increase on the previous year. But if it is to come anywhere close to its 2030 target of 300,000 homes, much radical work in removing obstacles remains. But efforts will have to intensify if we are to close in on the target of the 50,000 homes needed annually. Social Democrats deputy leader Cian O’Callaghan said Mr Martin was “dressing up failure as success”.

In this week’s podcast, Mick swaps chairs and is interviewed by Deirdre O’Shaughnessy — on loan from he own Irish Examiner podcast — about the not guilty verdicts against four serving and one retired garda in Limerick this week. All were charged with 39 counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice and found not guilty on all counts.

It comes as yesterday, Minister for Housing James Browne accused Met Éireann of holding back information on the severity of Storm Chandra. Meanwhile, Mr O’Brien said Met Éireann has a “very difficult job” and "they do it very well", adding that he would like to see river flood forecasting "accelerated". "I don't accept that a further 10 years are required for the river flood forecasting. What we need is even indicatives, and you can actually put warnings on the warnings, if you understand what I mean. I think where data is available, particularly around river flood forecasting, that should be provided.

By Claudia Savage, Press AssociationThree men have been arrested after suspected cannabis plants were found on the Newtownards Road in Belfast. The house was searched on Thursday and detectives uncovered a quantity of the suspect plants and “associated equipment”. One man in his 30s inside the property was arrested on suspicion of cultivating cannabis, criminal damage, and dishonestly abstracting electricity. Suspected cannabis plants (PSNI handout)Two other men, one in his late teens and one in his 20s, were also arrested on suspicion of cultivation of cannabis and being concerned in the supply of a class B controlled drug. A PSNI spokesperson said: “Targeting drugs supply is a priority for the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Here, Mirror Football rounds up the latest Man United-related transfer headlines:‌Man Utd told to pause Mainoo contract talksFormer United striker Louis Saha has urged the club to temporarily shelve contract negotiations with Kobbie Mainoo following his return to the starting line-up this month. FOLLOW OUR MAN UTD FB PAGE! Just play, just play, just play, improve every day. Article continues belowPatrick Dorgu's recent hamstring injury has left United short of options on the left flank. "It is not ideal, of course it is not, we don't want to lose good players from the group," Carrick said.

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Met Eireann’s rainfall warning for counties Dublin, Carlow, Kilkenny, Louth, Waterford, Wexford, and Wicklow came into effect at noon and expires at midnight. In Northern Ireland, there was a yellow-level warning for rain in place until 6pm on Friday. The National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG) met on Friday to prepare for the risk of further flooding over the weekend. The NECG warned that due to sodden grounds, flooding is possible in many areas of the country and the risk is not confined to those areas with yellow rain warnings in place. An emergency response payment has been made available to those living in properties directly affected by flooding, while businesses can avail of the emergency humanitarian flooding scheme.

His investigation took listeners deep inside the closed world of Irish rowing, a world where winning medals mattered more than athlete welfare, and where silence was expected, not questioned. The chief executive of Rowing Ireland did not attend an Oireachtas committee hearing into the safeguarding of high-performance athletes at the organisation in what was described as an “extraordinary meeting before it ever started”. The hearing took place following revelations in the Sunday Independent of a toxic high performance culture in Rowing Ireland across two Olympic cycles, Tokyo 2021 and Paris 2024. Rowing Ireland, which gets €1.4m each year for its high-performance unit, had its funding partly suspended by Sport Ireland two years ago due to concerns around the handling of issues. Today on The Indo Daily, Kevin Doyle is joined by Paul Kimmage whose investigation, Troubled Waters: sparked a Leinster House showdown involving Rowing Ireland, Sport Ireland and some angry politiciansEpisode One of Troubled WatersEpisode Two of Troubled Waters

A spokesperson for Cork's Marina Market has said that the popular food and culture venue will continue to operate as normal after a separate subsidiary of the market's parent company entered receivership. The receivership relates to a mortgage debenture between CPR Properties Cork Ltd and Dublin-based Ornate Finance No 2 Limited, dating back to September 2023. CPR Properties Cork was the prior owner of Cork's Marina Market, and was involved in the market's planning application that led to it becoming a permanent venue following the pandemic. However, a spokesperson said that the market was no longer part of this company, and had since been moved to another company, Hembay Ltd."Hembay, the owner of the Marina Market, is not in receivership," the spokesperson told the Irish Examiner. Skaters enjoying 'On Ice at Marina Market'.

THE expression “that puts the tin hat on it” applies at least in one very obvious way at Shrone Hill View: The recently built home by the entrance to West Cork’s Glengarriff village is standout, thanks to its black corrugated steel cladding, roof, and, a steel-clad eyrie right up top for view soaking. There’s an “as new” feel to everything, with gleaming walnut-look laminate flooring, with Silestone tops on the kitchen units. It’s the perfect sit back and gaze out at the beauty of the setting, and out to the hillside townland of Shrone off the Castletownbere road, giving Shrone Hill View its name. VERDICT: Impossible to miss right now as a new arrival above the road, and distinctive in just about anyone’s book. The upside down layout means the one-off Shrone Hill View really “does exactly what it says on the tin”.

It’s the most physically exhausting job I’ve ever done, so I’m interested to know how Morgan coped. He plays drums, which is arguably one of the most physical roles in a band. And he has cerebral palsy. I shamefully know very little (or even nothing) about cerebral palsy, which doesn’t surprise Morgan. He explains the extent of his cerebral palsy and its physical restrictions to me in such a succinct and concise manner that it dawns on me that he’s been explaining this his whole life.

SJ Lights from Cólaiste Naomh Cormac, winners of the Face the Phoenix finalFace the Phoenix Final celebrates outstanding Student EnterpriseTullamore Credit Union once again hosted the Face the Phoenix Final 2026 on Wednesday, January 28, at the Esker Arts Centre, where Transition Year students from five local secondary schools pitched their mini companies to an expert judging panel. This year’s judges were Paul Shaw CEO, Caroline Collins Murphy Deputy CEO, Eileen Brophy Chairperson, and Matt Worgan, Risk Manager. The winning students with judges. The winning student with teacher and principal. If your school is within the credit union’s common bond and is interested in taking part in next year’s Face the Phoenix programme, they would be delighted to hear from you.

New Ferbane plan set to be launched in coming weeksBy Rebekah O'ReillyThe Ferbane Town Centre First Plan will be officially launched at a public meeting on Monday, February 17, at 6pm in The Heritage Centre. The plan, developed by consultants Brady, Shipman & Martin in partnership with the Ferbane Town Team and Offaly County Council, is part of the national Town Centre First Initiative, which seeks to revitalise towns across Ireland by focusing on the needs of the local community. The draft plan was previously open for public input and sets out a multi-layered approach to Ferbane’s future, combining strategic objectives, proposals, and actions. It was shaped through consultation with local stakeholders, analysis of the town, and a vision for sustainable development. The plan aims to promote Ferbane as a vibrant and welcoming town centre, support social inclusion and wellbeing, enhance sustainability and connectivity, and encourage local economic growth.