Or maybe that’s just me, seeing through his lens since he died in early December, noticing how he caught humour and humanity in places just like High Nelly’s on Haddington Road. It’s the kind of scene Parr loved: warm, slightly chaotic, and full of tiny human moments hiding in plain sight. The menu at High Nelly’s reads like a greatest-hits album of Irish cafe cooking. Lunch is solidly in the comfort canon: lasagne, chilli, goujons, clubs, BLTs and anything else that sits happily beside fries. High Nelly’s interior: a perfect Martin Parr sceneThe Full IrishHigh Nelly's on Haddington RoadHigh Nelly's on Haddington RoadFrancis Quinn at work in High Nelly’sThere’s nothing remotely aspirational about High Nelly’s, which is exactly why it works.

Hills above Caherdaniel have sustained ‘quite a lot of damage’ after a fire occurred there and had to be tackled by emergency services last week. The blaze is understood to have started on high ground to the east of Caherdaniel on the evening of Tuesday, December 30 and fire brigade members attended to ensure it did not enter the village.

The number of work permits granted to non-European Economic Area residents fell by almost a quarter last year with the health, technology and agriculture sectors all seeing sharp drops. The total number of permits issued over the course of 2025 was 31,044 compared with 39,390 in 2024 according to figures published by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. In the agricultural sector, meanwhile, issued permits dropped from 2,990 to 1,915. “Another factor here is that there was a particularly large number of permits issued in 2022 which meant a large number of renewals in 2024 and so part of what we are seeing here is simply part of the natural cycle of the process,” he said. Amazon, Accenture, EY and Google were the private sector companies seeking the largest numbers of permits and Indian citizens were in receipt of 9,947; almost a third of the total number issued.

A local man and treasurer in Wexford has been honoured for his years of dedication and service to the Half Way House Bunclody GAA club with a special presentation ceremony. At the club's AGM, John Finn was presented with an award that marked his ten years of working behind the scenes of the club and ensuring many events, fundraisers and more ran smoothly.

A novel approach to tackling town centre dereliction has been launched in Louth, with a new Commercial Rates Waiver Scheme getting underway. The initiative has been introduced to support new businesses while tackling the challenge of long-term vacant commercial properties across the county. After the third year, the business will be liable for the full commercial rates due on the premises. It’s a practical, targeted support that benefits both entrepreneurs and the wider community by encouraging the use of long-term vacant units in our town centres.”Applications for the 2026 Commercial Rates Waiver Scheme are now open. The 2026 Commercial Rates Waiver Scheme was approved by the elected members at the Annual Budget Meeting on 17th November 2025 and opens for applications on Monday, 5th January 2026.

Midlands MEP to lead CAP negotiationsMEP Nina Carberry has been appointed to lead negotiations on the future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP 2028–34) for the European Parliament’s largest political group on the Budget Committee. In her new role, Carberry will draft the Parliament’s budget position on the next CAP, which remains the single largest component of the nearly €2 trillion EU fund. I am delighted that my colleagues in the European People’s Party have given me the opportunity to help shape the next Common Agricultural Policy.”Carberry confirmed she will seek an increased CAP budget, with a strong focus on cutting red tape. However, this still represents a smaller share of the EU budget than in the existing CAP period,” she said. However, she expressed concern about proposals to fold CAP funding into a single EU fund.

Plans have been lodged for the construction of a five storey aparthotel in the heart of Portlaoise. The Maltings and Granary Ltd group has proposed an aparthotel located at Harpur’s Lane consisting of 25 guest suites, with 13 one bedroom suites and 12 two bedroom suites. It also seeks permission for a refuse store, bicycle store, service room, ESB substation, and rooftop amenity terrace at third floor level. Access to the site is positioned off of the existing road into the Maltings Development which is home to a number of multi-family residential blocks as well as a nursing home. The aparthotel will provide for professionals requiring short to medium term rentals in the form of temporary accommodation.

The IBTS has said there is just three days' supply of some blood groups. Photo: Getty ImagesThe Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) has called for people to consider giving blood as a New Year’s resolution for 2026, with stocks running low. The IBTS said there is a need for all blood groups, particularly A,B and O negative. IBTS director of donor services and logistics Paul McKinney said supplies of those blood groups are “very low” at around just three days’ supply. Just 3pc of the eligible population in Ireland give blood, providing the national blood supply for the entire country.

Guido Nasi, the Italian man who was left paralysed as a teenager after an unprovoked attack in Dublin, died this morning after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was just 17 when he found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time during his first-ever trip to Ireland back in 1999. However, despite being paralysed from the neck down and requiring round-the-clock care, Mr Nasi maintained a deep affection for Ireland, and even dreamed of moving over here permanently. But since then the wheelchair-bound 43-year-old’s health rapidly deteriorated and along with his physical complications, he battled severe depression. Bernadette Kelly, a former victim support worker and long-time friend of the Nasi family, said: “I’m so sorry to learn of Guido’s passing.

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy noticeA hillfort in Co Wicklow has been declared the "largest nucleated settlement in prehistoric Ireland and Britain". The Queen’s University-led study examined existing archaeological data from Brusselstown Ring, as well as conducting new excavations. Dr Dirk Brandherm from Queen’s has argued that even if not every one of the anomalies represented a roundhouse, this would still make it the largest nucleated prehistoric settlement in Ireland and Britain by some distance. “Our discoveries challenge previous conceptions of prehistoric settlement organisation, showing a level of social complexity, community cohesion and regional importance not fully recognised before.

A young woman was diagnosed with a rare stomach cancer just months after doctors shrugged off her symptoms as being 'women's problems'. 'I went to hospital because I was extremely anaemic, they sent me home and blamed it on women's problems. Symptoms can present as feelings of fullness, abdominal pain, chest pain and nausea, all symptoms experienced by Miss Bayliss. In Miss Bayliss' case, surgeons also had to remove 70 per cent of her stomach, which she thinks could have been avoided if her initial concerns had been taken seriously. Miss Bayliss said: 'I had a scan at the end of September thinking "it's just another scan".

The Treaty Notebook with a handwritten note signed by Michael Collins at the end of the page. Photo: The Jackie Clarke Collection. For history enthusiasts and locals alike, the Jackie Clarke Museum in Ballina provides a unique opportunity to connect with that defining historic moment. The Treaty Notebook with a handwritten note signed by Michael Collins at the end of the page. The Treaty Notebook and thousands of other artefacts of Irish history are on display at the Jackie Clarke Collection in Ballina.

A “highly successful” biodiversity project has come to Kerry for the first time, with applications now open for interested landowners. The Hare’s Corner initiative will provide support for the creation of pro-wildlife features on farmland such as ponds, mini-woodlands and hedgerows. Kerry is one of 10 counties involved in The Hare’s Corner project this year, including Limerick, Wexford and Kilkenny. Last year, The Hare’s Corner marked its fifth anniversary by creating 1,600 habitats for biodiversity in six counties around Ireland. Lee Worrell, The Hare's Corner Co-ordinator, said: “We are delighted to be in Kerry for the first time in 2026 after having such a highly successful first year in the country.”“It has been heartening for us to see the amount of interest The Hare’s Corner generates up and down the country.”Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting scheme

Beans, beans, they're good for your heart, the more you eat them, the more you'll…lower your cholesterol, reduce blood pressure and lose weight? Indeed, research has proven that people who regularly consume beans have lower body weight and smaller waist circumferences than those who don't. They also tend to have lower blood pressure. The high fibre content of beans is also why they're known for causing gas or bloating, however. As a result, a large body of research suggests people who consume higher amounts of beans have lower body weight, smaller waists and lower blood pressure.

James Lawless: 'Ultimately, pension funds build houses … the money that comes to build them is capital flooding the international markets looking for a home.' Photograph: Bryan O'BrienStudents having a bathroom each would be “wasteful”, and the Government is moving towards a co-living model involving communal space for university accommodation, Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless has said. Asked if this would be similar to a “co-living” model, Mr Lawless agreed. Mr Lawless said he was concerned that students “would be facing a rent reset every single year”. Mr Lawless said rent changes were one way to offer “simplicity and certainty” to the market.