Media minister Patrick O'Donovan has suggested "personal comments" posted on RTÉ’s social media pages would be "better kept to the canteen over cups of coffee". This included a post on social media websites with a video of Mr Higgins’ entering Catherine Connolly’s inauguration in Dublin Castle. When asked by the Irish Examiner if he believed captions like this were suitable for the national broadcaster to share on its social media pages, Mr O’Donovan said personal opinions should be kept for personal social media pages. “I think the national broadcaster has a role to do in reflecting the mood of the people,” the media minister said. “The posts are consistent with RTÉ One’s broad remit on social media to present entertaining and engaging content, while promoting the wide breadth of content on the service,” he said.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland says motorway is carrying “beyond Celtic Tiger numbers”The M50 that wraps around Dublin continues to be the motorway with the highest number of incidents, collisions and traffic levels in Ireland. Indeed, the seriousness of the situation is borne out by data as there were more crashes in the first 10 months of last year than in all of 2024.

The group reported a 3% rise in total sales over the four weeks to Christmas Eve as it notched up a record 57 million transactions. The performance for the month-long run-up marks a slight slowdown on the previous Christmas, when sales lifted 3.4%. Last week, close rival Lidl reported a 10% rise in Christmas sales as it made more than £1.1 billion in turnover over the four weeks leading up to December 24, but the two discounters do not provide same-store comparable sales for the period. Despite this, customers traded up to its premium own-brand range, Specially Selected, which saw sales rise by over 12%. Giles Hurley, chief executive of Aldi UK and Ireland, said: “This Christmas proved once again that a great quality Christmas can still be affordable.

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An Antiques Roadshow guest was left gasping after an unwanted tea set that she and her husband thought was worth just £100 was given an 'outrageous' valuation. He was met by a large green box, with ornate gold patterns on the outside, and revealed a well-kept Chinese tea set in white and red china. The tea set, which originally belonged to one of the woman's family members, named Margaret, was thought to be worth no more than £100 by the family. 'He bought her the tea set with her initials engraved on this box.' It comes after a guest on the Antiques Roadshow was left in a state of shock after being told the eye-watering value of her very unusual kitchen utensil.

and now she unveils her own collection of plush seating with EZ Living Furniture. This year, Vogue completed a renovation of her home in Ireland, which is reflective of her style and includes a number of her pieces from the Vogue Williams Furniture Range. Arriving in 14 stores nationwide and online today, January 5, the collection is “where fashion meets interiors", according to EZ Living Furniture. Vogue adds, "I’m incredibly excited to be launching this range with EZ Living Furniture in Ireland, a brand that truly understands how people live in their homes. Find the Vogue Williams Furniture Range online and at the following EZ Living Furniture locations: Blanchardstown, Carlow, Castlebar, Derry, Drogheda.

The national executive of the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) are to discuss the GAA’s ethics and integrity commission’s report of the association’s relationship with Allianz. Last July, a report by the United Nations’s special rapporteur Francesca Albanese claimed Allianz was financially benefitting from the genocide in Gaza via Israeli war bonds. The ethics and integrity commission’s document, which is expected to be published, highlighted that Allianz PLC has no involvement with the Israeli Defence Forces or corporate entities. In 2024, the GPA approached the GAA about publicly calling for action to end the suffering in Gaza. “It is not for county convention.

Ken FoxeThe government paid nearly €1.4 million for a 40-hectare tract of land to expand the Glen of the Downs nature reserve. Internal records detail how one valuation said the land was worth just €800,000 because it was used for commercial forestry. Another estate agent reckoned the site could fetch €1.2 million while one said it could be worth up to €1.5 million. An internal memo said the higher values reflected the possibility that the land could be redeveloped as a golf course. The submission said the nature reserve would be expanded and that the land would be transitioned back to native woodland.

By Rebecca Black and Bairbre Holmes, Press AssociationA series of killings 50 years ago has been remembered as “24 hours of evil”. Alan Black, 82, who was the sole survivor of the Kingsmill massacre in south Armagh, described it as a “sin against humanity”. On January 4th the UVF’s Glenanne Gang shot brothers John Martin Reavey, 24, and Brian Reavey, 22, who lived near Kingsmill. Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said her thoughts this week are with all the victims’ families and with Mr Black. May Quinn, whose brother Robert Walker was killed at Kingsmill, said they feel they know nothing more than they knew at the time 50 years on.

By Bairbre Holmes, Press AssociationThe 10 men killed in the Kingsmill massacre are to be remembered at an event to mark the 50th anniversary of the tragedy. The textile workers were shot when their minibus was ambushed outside the village of Kingsmill in Co. Armagh on their way home from work on January 5th 1976. Monday’s service will be held at the Kingsmill Memorial Wall at the scene of the atrocity at the Kingsmill crossroads. Clockwise from top left: Joseph Lemmon, Walter Chapman, John Bryans, Kenneth Worton, Robert Walker, Robert Freeburn, Robert Chambers, John McConville, James McWhirter and Reginald Chapman (Niall Carson/PA)The massacre came during a week of sectarian bloodshed in Northern Ireland. On January 4th, the UVF’s Glenanne Gang shot brothers John Martin Reavey, 24, and Brian Reavey, 22, who lived near Kingsmill.

Tragedies follow the worst year for traffic deaths since 2014Last year was the worst year for traffic deaths since 2014, with 190 killed across 25 counties. Over the weekend, two drivers died in separate accidents in Longford and Kerry, with the incidents on Saturday evening the first road deaths of the year. “At the start of this year, the reports from the RSA [Road Safety Authority] showed 190 road deaths. “We desperately need to get the road safety message across – and ensure that road safety regulations are rigorously enforced. ​ Almost half the road deaths over the last 18 months have involved vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists, bikers and e-scooter riders.

Meanwhile, Brian Henderson (Herald Letters, January 1) considers our current monarchy “probably the envy of the free world”. To clarify, my letter was not an attack on the monarchy per se, but the iniquity of the system which puts these people where they are. The whole system of succession, titles, status and massive wealth as a birthright is rotten, corrupt and immoral. There may well be benefits accruing to and within the UK from the current system. The current system of monarchy is anything but a unifying symbol and most certainly does not hold the nation together.

It is visible in religion, too, with more young men demonstrating interest in traditional forms of religious practice than young women for perhaps the first time in history. One in six young men agrees that feminism has done more harm than good, compared with one in 11 young women. Young men are more adamant about this than men aged 60-plus. This illustrates the vast scale of care work that is generally invisible in economic metrics. Putting an economic value on care work helps measure opportunity costs, that is, what a caregiver gives up by stepping back from paid work.

As well as heavy snow, temperatures have dipped well below freezing with the coldest spot so far at Shap in Cumbria where it reached -10.9C on Sunday night. View 7 Images A map shows heavy snow falling especially in Scotland at 3pm on Friday. Deputy Chief Meteorologist, Mike Silverstone, explains: “While we’re confident an area of low pressure will move in from the west on Thursday and into Friday, the exact position of that low pressure is uncertain at this stage. The most likely scenario at this stage is for low pressure to track near the south coast. Near and south of the low, heavy rain and strong winds are more likely, whilst snow could accumulate to the north as it encounters cold air.

An articulated lorry has overturned on the N5 between Frenchpark and Sheepwalk, prompting a series of diversions this morning, Monday. The road is currently blocked on both sides and motorists are being advised of diversions. It’s understood that gardaí are currently at the scene of the road-traffic accident and it’s not known at this stage if there are any injuries.