Rio Ferdinand has criticised Manuel Ugarte and expressed his disappointment at how his move to Old Trafford has played out. 'I've got to be honest, I have been disappointed with Ugarte,' he told Rio Ferdinand Presents. 'Can Michael Carrick get any more out of him?,' he added. Ferdinand did add that he expects Benjamin Sesko to be one player to improve under Carrick'Sesko could have an improvement,' Ferdinand added. If he has a good day, he's a player you go "ooh, he's quick, he's strong, he can jump, he's athletic".

From blockbuster headliners such as Kneecap at All Together Now to cult favourites including Tedfest, the Irish festival calendar has something for everyone. Brigit: Dublin City Celebrating WomenJanuary 30th-February 2nd, Dublin city, dublin.ieThe fifth Brigit: Dublin City Celebrating Women festival features a rare headline set from Gemma Dunleavy, as well as a performance from Muireann Bradley, the young acoustic fingerpicker. Cork Whiskey FestMarch 27th-29th, Cork city, corkwhiskeyfest.comCork Whiskey Fest’s 20 events include Redbreast masterclasses, whiskey tastings and history showcases. MomentumMay 1st-4th, Oranmore, Co Galway, momentumfestival.ieThe Stunning, The Coronas and B*witched are on the bill for this new music festival. International Festival of Literature DublinBoth Irish and international authors are celebrated in Merrion Square Park every May.

Supporters of The Complex take part in a protest outside the arts centre in December. Photograph: Alan BetsonDublin arts centre The Complex is due to shut its doors for the final time on Wednesday night bar a last-minute stream of State funding coming through. Operators hope a final, emergency meeting between the arts council and Dublin City Council (DCC) on Wednesday afternoon can lead to a breakthrough. We have one lifeline left, which is to hope that the Arts Council and Dublin City Council can come up with some kind of solution to our issue.”The Complex is located Mary’s Abbey in Dublin city centre. Further communication in June 2025 and in recent months has reiterated that position.”Dublin City Council was contacted for comment on the situation.

Man Utd urged to move 'heaven and earth' for Xabi Alonso as Liverpool point madeManchester United have been encouraged to pursue Xabi Alonso as their next permanent manager after the former Liverpool midfielder left Real MadridView Image Xabi Alonso has been tipped to become Manchester United boss in the summer (Image: Jose Hernandez/Anadolu via Getty Images)Manchester United have been urged to consider Xabi Alonso as their next permanent manager in the summer. United should move heaven & earth to appoint [Xabi] Alonso," Keys posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. Alonso previously spoke about his bond with Liverpool when he turned out for the Merseyside club in a charity fixture in 2022. ‌"Once a Red, always a Red," Alonso said at the time. Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football.

Dublin councillors have lashed out at comments from Tánaiste Simon Harris in which he said many people in Ireland’s emergency homeless accommodation system don’t have a right to housing in this country. At yesterday’s monthly council meeting, elected representatives passed a motion calling his assertion “baseless” and accusing him of attempting to “scapegoat and demonise migrants” for the housing crisis. "[Simon Harris] has never met a problem that he won’t blame on someone else, and now he’s pointing the finger at migrants. "That is simply the way it should be.”A separate motion on Dublin City Council recognising housing as a human right, introduced by Social Democrats councillor Lesley Byrne, was also passed by councillors yesterday. DCC is also requested to write to the Department of Housing requesting a referendum on inserting the right to housing into the Constitution.

She is calling for an “emergency review” and a law that would clearly criminalise AI-generated fake non-consensual intimate images. “What we are seeing now is a system that is not victim-focused,” Ms Seoige told The Irish Times in a statement after writing to Government Ministers about her concerns. Ms Seoige has formally complained to Meta, whose European headquarters are based in Ireland, about their “slow, procedural and inadequate” responses to her case. She is seeking “an urgent review of the legislative gaps exposed by AI-enabled sexual abuse imagery”. “This legislation cannot be written in the abstract,” Ms Seoige said.

Midlands–North-West MEP Ciaran Mullooly has challenged the entire European Parliament AGRI Committee, asking whether it intends to stand by while the Parliament and its agriculture committee are effectively sidestepped in the rush to advance the EU–Mercosur trade deal. Speaking at an AGRI Committee meeting -the first of 2026 - MEP Mullooly asked colleagues directly whether they are prepared to allow a major trade agreement with profound consequences for European agriculture to proceed without full parliamentary scrutiny and approval. He has now called on Michael McGrath to intervene and ensure that no steps are taken to advance or implement the Mercosur deal without a vote of the European Parliament. During the committee meeting, MEP Mullooly highlighted the scale of opposition on the ground. “Over the course of the last seven days, farmers all over Europe have taken to the streets again,” he said.

Meta Platforms is beginning to cut more than 1,000 jobs from the company’s Reality Labs division, part of a plan to redirect resources from virtual reality and metaverse products toward AI wearables and phone features. The cuts are expected to hit roughly 10% of employees within the Reality Labs group, which has about 15,000 workers. Meta has a significant presence in Ireland through its European headquarters in Dublin and also has a Reality Labs presence in Cork, located on Grand Parade. The company is also planning to cut back on its virtual reality investments to make the business “more sustainable,” Bosworth wrote. But Reality Labs has lost more than $70bn (€60.2bn) since the start of 2021 because many of the investments aren’t yet generating meaningful revenue.

OpinionSimon Bourke: With Grok and his cronies on the loose only the foolish would continue to post photos of themselves on social mediaWith each new form of communication mankind’s thoughts have immediately turned to satisfying his curiosity, sating his perversions. The first photographs had barely been developed when he wondered about creating nude images of winsome ladies, …

Jurgen Klopp says he has not received a phone call from Real Madrid regarding their vacant manager's post following the exit of Xabi Alonso, insisting that the club's decision to part ways with the Spaniard had 'nothing to do with me'. A statement read: 'Real Madrid CF announces that, by mutual agreement between the club and Xabi Alonso, it has been decided to end his time as first-team coach. 'Xabi Alonso will always have the affection and admiration of all Madrid fans because he is a Real Madrid legend and has always represented the values ​​of our club. Real Madrid will always be his home. 'Our club thanks Xabi Alonso and his entire technical team for their work and dedication during this time, and wishes them the best of luck in this new stage of their lives.'

The Vintners’ Federation of Ireland (VFI) has strongly criticised the move by drinks giant Diageo. Pat Crotty, chief executive of the VFI, said: “This isn’t just about the price of a pint. This latest price increase from Diageo will put even more pressure on pubs that are already operating on extremely tight margins. "This includes an increase equivalent to €0.07 per pint of Guinness, and €0.10 per pint of Guinness 0.0, and will take effect from February 2.”It is understood that the price rises have come as a result of cost pressures at Diageo. Diageo does not ultimately decide the retail price of its products and, in theory, publicans are free to set those prices themselves.

Five Midlands players named in Irish Rugby training campAthlone's Anna McGann is one of five players from the wider Midlands area to be named among a 37-player squad taking part in a three-day Irish Women's Rugby training camp ahead of the start of the Guinness Women's Six Nations in April. The Moydrum native is joined by Ballinasloe's Beibhinn Parsons and Aoibheann O'Reilly from nearby Creagh, along with Offaly's Aoife Dalton and uncapped Roscommon player, Jemima Adams Verling, who plays with Creggs FC, in the training camp. The camp is taking place at the IRFU High Performance Centre in Dublin under the stewardship of Ireland head coach, Scott Bemand. Roscommon's Jemima Adams Verling, who plays with Creggs, is one of 10 uncapped players taking part in this week's training camp. Two Midlands rugby players who were named on the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup squad have not been named in this week's training camp.

Continued Fianna Fáil unrest as Dáil resumesJames CoxHere, we have a look at the issues likely to dominate political discourse in the week to come. Fianna Fáil unrestAs the Dáil resumes for 2026, Taoiseach Micheál Martin was hoping to put the Jim Gavin controversy and a difficult year in the rear view mirror. However, there is still unrest within Fianna Fáil over his leadership. "My own personal view is Fianna Fáil needs to change how it does business. "If we don't do that, Fianna Fáil is going to be in serious trouble at the next general election.

Responding to the claim, Oxfordshire County Council said that there had been a change to the system. They said: “A loophole has been closed which allowed members of the public to post comments on open Fix My Street requests. “All Fix My Street reports,” said the council, “are investigated and acted upon if necessary (where they are the responsibility of Oxfordshire County Council), including 1,607 items in the last month”. Here's what to do https://t.co/n1aacoWEDF — Oxford Mail (@TheOxfordMail) May 13, 2024This comes after Oxfordshire's road quality was rated as 'amber' for the way the county council handles potholes. Among those classified as red include neighbouring council West Northamptonshire, while among the green are West Berkshire to the south of Oxfordshire.

In a letter to the Land Development Agency, Dublin City Council said money was owed for both 2022 and 2023 which, with interest, came to €88,725. Photograph: iStockThe Land Development Agency (LDA) claimed it should not be hit with a derelict site levy on a property because it was a “State authority”, and a master plan was in place to redevelop it. In discussions with Dublin City Council, the agency said legislation appeared to exclude it from the charge because its only shareholders were government ministers. “The advice received from our law agent is that lands owned by the Digital Hub Development Agency or the Land Development Agency are not State-owned lands, as they are separate entities,” said a message. They said: “Dublin City Council have received all applicable payments from the LDA.”