Leinster v Connacht: Leo Cullen’s side seek festive hat-trick against rivals looking to avoid an unwanted recordLeinster and Connacht lock horns at the Aviva Stadium on SaturdayLeinster's head coach Leo Cullen during squad training at Rosemount in UCD. Photo: Piaras Ó Mídheach/SportsfileYesterday at 17:02Leinster make nine changes from the side that prevailed in Limerick yet again and even without slated Tadhg Furlong, they are more than well-armed up front and with exemplary halves to allow an interesting back-line to explore talented potential beyond their inexperience.

‘I was so desperate to see the girls, I’d have sat in the jump seat all the way’ – Irish parents on their trips to see adult children who have emigrated

Photo: Mark CondrenMore competition is expected in the home-loans market this year, but mortgage rates are expected to remain stable. Lenders are expected to make selective adjustments to mortgage rates rather than engaging in major price cuts, according to Martina Hennessy, of digital mortgage broker Doddl.ie. She said 2025 was a year of rate cuts, with the lowest rate on the market now sitting at 3pc. Fixed rates remain lower than variable rates and continue to be the preferred product for new mortgage lending. Competition is expected to ­increase this year, with the entry of Revolut to the mortgage market.

Up to 100,000 households will pay more income tax this yearThe increase is due to tax credits and the higher-rate threshold remaining unchanged in last year’s budgetFinance Minister Simon Harris said he was committed to making 'progressive' changes to personal income tax 'if the economy remains strong'. Photo: CollinsJohn Burns Today at 06:30Almost 100,000 households will be paying more income tax this year, following the Government’s decision in Budget 2026 not to increase tax credits or bands.

Adrian Weckler: Five steps to increase your tech savviness this yearThere are several ways to be more educated about your tech usage – from embracing call screening and AI, to cutting your subscriptionsYounger folk are turning in droves to simpler technology like old cameras. Photo: GettyAdrian Weckler Today at 06:30How will tech affect you in 2026? How can you keep your subscriptions under control? Which AI apps are becoming necessary as part of everyday life?

Met Éireann issued a Status Yellow ice alert for Donegal, which remained in place from 8pm last night until 11am today. Donegal’s warning is upgraded to a snow and ice alert today, with that warning also covering Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan, Louth and all of Connacht. Tomorrow, a Status Yellow snow and ice warning will be in place for ­Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan, Connacht and Louth. Met Éireann’s Gerry Murphy said parts of Ireland would get exceptionally cold conditions over the coming days. “Tonight will see long clear spells with wintry showers in the north and west, staying mostly dry elsewhere.

‘You can’t have a second without thinking about it’ – father of four who was diagnosed with anorexia in his 40sSeán Blake says problems stemmed from a difficult relationship with food in childhood, when was brought by his parents to a local doctor as he “didn't eat” and was “fussy”'It's not about what we look like. It's not about vanity, It's about a deeper pain' - Sean Blake who battled anorexiaAdrianna Wrona Today at 06:30A father of four from Dublin, who was diagnosed with anorexia in his 40s, says his difficult relationship with food stemmed from when he was a child.

He’d never worked with any club but his own when venturing uncertainly down the road in search of the Ballymac bunker. Extra-time county final heartbreak, county semi-final penalty-shootout pain, league relegation, spot kick Kerry glory, Munster ribbons, and the possibility of more beyond. The jerseys Ballymac will wear in Saturday’s All-Ireland junior club semi-final have the hashtag #liveforluke stitched just below the crest. The Kerry County League had run maybe two-thirds of its course at the time of Luke’s passing. “Hopefully we can put on a performance, but semi-finals are there for winning.

Parents of children with disabilities in Tipperary were told on New Year's Eve that school transport for next week was cancelled, only to be reversed on Friday afternoon after an outcry. Bus Éireann told parents, in an email seen by the Irish Examiner, that contractors previously used could no longer supply the service. It also advised applying for an interim special transport grant, and information on it would be sent to them. These children are travelling long distances to get to school, some upwards of an hour to get to special schools. A new operator, J&K Coaches, was only sourced on Friday afternoon, parents were told in a fresh round of emails.

The Met Office said areas covered by the amber alerts could see 10-20cm of snow at lower altitudes and 30-40cm of snow on higher ground, while winds could cause blizzards. Other areas of the UK saw snow on Friday, and yellow warnings are now in place for parts of the UK, including much of Northern Ireland, until 3pm on Monday. Met Office chief meteorologist Rebekah Hicks said: “Arctic air and brisk northerly winds are gripping the UK as we start the new year. “Snow and ice warnings remain in force for many areas, with the risk of heavy snow showers, especially across northern Scotland and over higher ground elsewhere, though many inland areas will stay largely sunny and clear. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued warnings across England which are in place until 10am on January 9.

While better known these days as a social event for women, it is also the very last day of Christmas so traditionally in Ireland, all Christmas decorations are removed by that date. Keep similar items together to make everything easier to find next Christmas: all lights go together, all ornaments in another section, and so on. I recommend clear plastic storage boxes for this, as you will be able to identify those categories at a glance when unpacking in December. The way you stack your storage boxes will go some way to protect fragile items: keep heavier boxes at the bottom and lighter ones on top. For soft items like stockings and plush decorations, consider using vacuum bags to make them smaller and easier to fit.

There are also “known unknowns”, risks that we don’t yet appreciate but can predict with a certain amount of accuracy because we’ve seen them before. Unless there is a significant fall in immigration, which is unlikely in the absence of a deep recession, the Irish housing debacle will continue. If that was the known knowns, what about the known unknowns? As known unknowns go, the effect of the football team is one to watch. As one of the known unknowns, success in the beautiful game would surely be the most welcome surprise.

Irish authorities are monitoring the passage of the oil tanker, which satellite data suggests will take the northern route around Ireland on its way to a Russian North Sea port. Oil tanker headed towards Irish-controlled waters on Friday January 2nd, 2026According to the New York Times, Russia has formally requested the US to stop pursuing the vessel. The Defence Forces and Irish Coast Guard have been responding to a dramatic increase in shadow fleet vessels appearing in the Irish EEZ over the last year. However, they have not yet been forced to deal with an unflagged oil tanker being actively pursued by another country through Irish waters while claiming the protection of a third. “Transiting through [the Irish EEZ] is the safest and cheapest option.

Hold my beer, says Troy Parrott at the Aviva Stadium on November 13, as he puts Ireland 2-0 ahead by half time. 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier, Ireland’s Troy Parrott and Séamus Coleman celebrate after the match Photo by ©INPHO/Ryan ByrneBut wait, there’s more. Away at Budapest, Troy Parrott scores a hat trick against Hungary – the winning goal in the last seconds of the 96th minute. On social media, the official account of Dublin International Airport changes its name to Troy Parrott Airport, and Roy Keane keeps repeating the words ‘amazing’ and ‘fantastic’. How plant protein is better for everything from your very own ass (plant based diets see 16% less incidence of colorectal cancers) to the planet.

As he sought to be transferred to his neurologist at Beaumont Hospital, the other Dublin hospital told Mr O’Donovan this would not be possible. It was at this point, Mr O’Donovan told the Irish Examiner, he hit “rock bottom”. But we have a psychiatrist on call’.”The doctor walked back into the room a short time later and told Mr O’Donovan he had “found out” who he was. He was initially diagnosed with epilepsy over a decade ago, but Mr O’Donovan has previously said that doctors continuously “disputed” this. The comments infuriated Mr O’Donovan, who revealed his epilepsy diagnosis to a Sunday newspaper several months later.