Ottoline SpearmanA protest against the EU-Mercosur deal will take place this Saturday in Athlone, after an EU vote on the deal on Friday. Irish beef farmers oppose the EU-Mercosur deal because they fear being undercut by cheaper South American beef. But Government sources have told the Irish Times that Italy's vote is the crucial vote that the deal hinges on. Mr Martin made the comments while on a diplomatic visit to China, the Irish Times reported. The protest will be attended by the Irish Farmer's Association, Sinn Féin, and various farming organisations, among others.

Molly-Mae Hague ‘very proud’ to reunite with Tommy Fury in docuseries trailerBy Carla Feric, Press Association Entertainment ReporterMolly-Mae Hague can be seen reuniting with her former fiancé Tommy Fury in a first-look trailer for three new episodes of her docuseries, and said she is “very proud” that the pair are working through things. The pair have since rekindled their relationship, having confirmed they were back together in May 2025, during an episode of Molly-Mae: Behind It All. In the preview, Hague can be seen preparing to move back in with the boxer, 26, and said: “I am very proud of me and Tommy for working through things. At the start of the trailer, the star said: “I’m being offered opportunities now that 16-year-old me would have screamed at. Episodes four to six of Molly-Mae: Behind It All series two launch exclusively on Prime Video on January 16.

Don Wycherley as Paddy Armstrong. “The Life and Times of Paddy Armstrong” coming to Esker Arts this FebruaryOne-man play “The Life and Times of Paddy Armstrong” is coming to Tullamore's Esker Arts Centre this February. The show will make a stop in Esker Arts on Friday, February 27, as part of a 13 stop tour of the UK and Ireland. Premiering in November 2024, the show was inspired by Paddy’s memoir "Life After Life, a Guildford Four Memoir", and stars Don Wycherley. In Paddy he relives the journey that forever altered his destiny," a description on the Esker Arts website reads.

So we have European law and we have domestic Irish law in connection with this,” Mr Burke said. The charity, which works to prevent domestic violence and abuse, will no longer maintain a presence on the platform X from tomorrow. With Coimisiún na Meán now working with the EU in relation to the use of AI to create these images, Mr Burke said these investigations needed to run their course. He was 10 and two or three people said to my young Leo, ‘Oh, happy birthday’,” Mr Burke said. "I'm acutely conscious of the horrendous case of Nicole 'Coco' Fox from Clondalkin who of course died by suicide due to online abuse so we know how devastating online abuse of any kind can be - we have to see this in that perspective,” she said.

A British skier has died in Italy after falling ill while heading down a piste. The 49-year-old was skiing in the ski resort of Claviere in the Italian Alps on January 4 when he suddenly went into cardiac arrest. The tragedy is the latest to hit the Alpine region after a 24-year-old British skier died last month after he fell 900ft down a steep off-piste slope in the French Alps. The unnamed Brit is understood to have been among a group of skiers who went off-piste in Les Arcs 2000 in the French ski resort of Savoie. Resort managers have urged skiers to avoid steep off-piste slopes when the snow is hard.

Just one political party has stopped using Elon Musk's X, as concerns over the creation of explicit images by its artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Grok rumble on. While several parties confirmed to the Irish Examiner they are reviewing their use of the social media platform, only the Green Party confirmed that it and its leader, Roderic O’Gorman, have stopped. A Green Party spokesperson confirmed that both the party and its leader have stopped using X. “In December, the Green Party Executive Committee agreed that the party would move away from posting on X, a move that began in the New Year,” they confirmed. A spokesperson for Aontú said the party is not considering a change in how it uses X but called for Grok to be banned in Ireland.

Westmeath Gardaí detect school bus with 'dangerously bald tyre'Gardaí operating RSA school transport checkpoints across Westmeath recently detected a school bus travelling on what they labelled 'a dangerously bald tyre'. The checkpoints were carried out on Monday, January 5, by the Meath/Westmeath Roads Policing Unit. The vehicle in question was prohibited from continuing its journey until the defect was rectified. While operating a separate RSA checkpoint, members also detected one disqualified driver, and one dangerously defective van, which was detained for a full PSV inspection"Targeted RSA checkpoints play a vital role in keeping unsafe drivers and defective vehicles off our roads," An Garda Siochana said. "We are happy to report that numerous school buses and drivers were found to be fully compliant, which is reassuring given the responsibility involved of transporting children."

A refusal to create residential accommodation in a garage in Tipperary town has been upheld by An Coimisiún Pleanála. An Coimisiún Pleanála has refused a Tipperary man’s appeal against a decision to convert the garage of his home into residential accommodation. Despite Mr Hassett’s appeal, an An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP) inspector said that the decision to refuse planning permission should be upheld. The inspector also said that they were unable to confirm the planning status of the garage, or its date of construction. As a result, An Coimisiún Pleanála refused planning permission, citing unresolved concerns over the planning status of the building and the substandard nature of the proposed accommodation.

Helen McEntee’s comments came after UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer indicated there may be new protections for military veterans added to the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill his Government is taking through Parliament. The joint framework on legacy unveiled by London and Dublin last September outlined a range of measures and mechanisms for dealing with historical cases from the Northern Ireland conflict. At the same time it published the framework, the Labour Government also announced a separate set of proposals it described as “new protections, rights and safeguards for Northern Ireland veterans”. They measures included allowing witnesses who participate in new legacy processes the option to give evidence remotely without travelling to Northern Ireland. The minister, who was visiting Stormont for the first time since becoming Minister for Foreign Affairs late last year, said the joint framework represented a “fine balance”.

NewsWorking people in Mayo are ‘being priced into poverty as wages fail to keep up with the cost of living’Working families across County Mayo are being pushed into financial insecurity despite being in full-time employment, as the rising costs of childcare, housing, and inflation continue to outpace wages.

BrayWhy this Wicklow bridge club thinks their card game could change your social lifeForget the idea that bridge is just for retirees — members of a Wicklow Bridge Club say the game is a gateway to friendship, fun, and sharper thinking. After years of pandemic disruption, the club is inviting locals to rediscover the thrill of …

Writers build up a readership over their career, and readers look forward to the new book. Besides, he says, “Having my last book published in my lifetime is more fun. But Barnes’s retirement highlights how rare it is for a writer to choose to fall silent. [ Writer’s block: how to be creative even in crisisOpens in new window ]We might wish for other writers to share Roth’s self-awareness. Whether JD Salinger’s literary silence will ever be broken is a moot point.

The WVU Medicine Golisano Children’s Birthing Center at Uniontown Hospital welcomed its first baby of 2026 on Jan. 2. Jennie Dulaney and Howard Bowers of Mill Run rang in the new year with the birth of their daughter, Melody Bowers. The hospital shared a photo of the happy parents’ bundle of joy. Melody’s arrival coincides with the one-year anniversary of the reopening of the hospital’s birthing center, which brought labor and delivery services back to the hospital. The $5 million unit features five newly-renovated labor, delivery and recovery rooms, 11 postpartum rooms and a suite for babies born via Cesarean section.

The Dublin city transport plan aims to reduce the dominance of private vehicles on the city streets. Photograph: Bryan O'BrienCongestion charges are not en route for Dublin motorists, according to Dublin City Council’s traffic chief, despite international studies indicating worsening traffic in the capital. Last month, Gwen Morgan, director of service operations at Dublin Bus, said charges to “discourage” motorists from driving in the city centre should be introduced to improve bus services. However, city council head of traffic Brendan O’Brien said while the council was proactively working to tackle traffic, it was “not really in favour” of congestion charges. “At some stage in the future, perhaps when it was felt that adequate public transport alternatives are there, you could consider it, but you would have to have a clear rationale for it.”

Families should be given a central role in the care of their children by the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (Camhs), according to professionals and researchers attached to the service. The research team comprised of three child and adolescent psychiatrists — two consultants and one senior registrar — and two pharmacists. It said families described experiences of being “talked over, dismissed, or not taken seriously” during consultations. “A recurring analytic pattern was the perceived tendency for Camhs to attribute all presenting difficulties to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), restricting access to mental health care,” the report said. The report called for the establishment of “family advisory councils” across Camhs regions, “independent audits” of family involvement, and annual public reporting on wait times and satisfaction.