One dictionary definition of boredom characterises it as consisting of “wandering attention” and “low levels of arousal”. Low arousal and mainly negative (I say mainly because the valence of boredom depends a lot on the individual). The philosopher Walter Benjamin, for example, described boredom as “the dream bird that hatches the egg of experience”. He saw boredom as a positive state that allows us to incubate new thoughts, ideas and experiences. ‘Clench these scrabbling fingers and do not succumb to the scrolling the Tech Masters demand’That’s why we should welcome boredom as a temporary relief from mental slavery.

ONCE upon a time long gone, two little boys from the same village in Donegal set sail for distant shores. One landed on the banks of the Clyde, the other half a world away beside the Pacific Ocean. The genesis of The Great Irish Sportsman can be traced back to their departure during the last quarter of the 19th century from Ramelton on the western bank of Lough Swilly. As three-year-olds, they went their separate ways by the same surname, just two more families uprooted by the chill wind of hard times blowing through their bones.

Russian intelligence-gathering surface vessel the Yantar, which entered the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone on several occasions in recent years. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA WirePlans are under way to drop dozens of devices from military aircraft into the waters off the coast of Ireland to help detect Russian submarines. These are torpedo-shaped objects, about a metre long, which float on the water and use sonar to detect movement under the waves. Along with the Naval Service’s new sonar technology, they will be able to detect suspicious or anomalous activity which may indicate an attempt to interfere with underwater infrastructure. “It will result in the Air Corps receiving a capability to detect, localise, identify, and track objects in the Irish EEZ.”

New York City ushered in the New Year with a new mayor, as Zohran Mamdani took the oath of office at midnight on January 1st. “This is truly the honour and the privilege of a lifetime,” Mr Mamdani said. To honour his Muslim faith, Mr Mamdani was sworn in using a Quran, Islam’s holiest book, becoming the first mayor in New York City to do so. [ Who is Zohran Mamdani?Opens in new window ]In April, Mr Mamdani was trailing Mr Cuomo 36 per cent to 64 per cent. Democrat campaign veteran Hank Sheinkopf said that Mr Mamdani “represents the city of the future – a more Asian city, a more Muslim city, and what could be a more left-wing city”.

Having worked on the climate newsbeat for almost a decade, it was easy to notice a recurring trend. They would come from companies, research institutions and individuals including the odd brilliant engineer, claiming to have technology to solve the climate crisis. Ultimately, however, I’m convinced the scale of the problem is such that we need everything. This is not an encapsulation of impossible options, it is to reassert that the world, and by extension Ireland, has the required solutions. Kevin O’Sullivan is a co-author of Supergrid Super Solution on creating a supergrid in Europe and an environmental consultant

The Céüze resort in the southern French Alps had been open for 85 years and was one of the oldest in the country. Today, it is one of scores of ski resorts abandoned across France — part of a new landscape of 'ghost stations'. Picture: Jeff Pachoud/ AFP via Getty ImagesCéüze ski resort is fast becoming one of these pollutants. The resort’s ski lifts were airlifted out using a helicopter to minimise environmental disturbance and compression of the earth. French law requires ski lifts to be removed and dismantled if they are no longer in use.

Their mating season runs from December to February, and if you listen on a calm, tranquil night you might hear repeated shrieks. Fox mating season typically runs from December until February. The farmer thought it was dead and instructed a workman to throw it over the wall until they had time to bury it. A farmer bothered by a fox secured the door of his fowl house, but the wily fox got in through a hole in the roof. Later, the farmer came by and, thinking he had the fox trapped, bent down to pick up stones to kill it.

Kevin Linehan outside his pub, Moby Dick's in Youghal, Co Cork: 'I was emotional when I announced our retirement.' File photograph: Dermot Barry/The Irish TimesFirst opened by Kevin’s grandfather, David Linehan, in 1880 and trading as Linehans, it was Kevin’s parents, Paddy and Maureen who renamed it Moby Dick. A newspaper double-page spread showcasing the making of Moby Dick in Youghal, Co Cork. Linehan remains hopeful a buyer will emerge to keep the bar, complete with film memorabilia, open for locals and visitors alike. ”We want to enjoy our grandchildren while we still can, but Moby Dick’s will always be part of our lives.”

US president Donald Trump greets Russian president Vladimir Putin in Alaska in August. A Ukrainian artillery crew fires an M777 howitzer at Russian targets at the Kurakhove front line in eastern Ukraine in February. The commission predicted Ukraine would begin to run out of money in the second half of 2026, risking a possible collapse on the battlefield. The EU loan puts Kyiv in a more secure position in the twisting negotiations the US has been running, to broker a deal between Russia and Ukraine. “Ukraine is still in the fight and no one would have predicted that four years ago,” he said.

But for now at least, AI is best thought of as a boom – one that may turn into a bust – rather than as a bubble. Whenever a radical new technology such as AI comes along, there is considerable uncertainty about its value. That will manifest as an investment boom that turns to bust – not a bubble that deflates. The biggest reason to call this a boom rather than a bubble, however, is the driving force behind it: a small group of established technology giants with coldly rational reasons to spend hundreds of billions on AI. To repeat, this is not a claim that AI will triumph, that market expectations are correct or that boom will not turn to bust.

In June, the group’s Ulster Bank Ireland unit returned its banking licence, drawing a line under 165 years in the Republic. Thwaite decided in July to sell the remaining shares that NatWest had received from PTSB as part payment for €6.8 billion Ulster Bank loans acquired between 2022 and 2023. A €2 billion surplus cash recovery from Bank of Ireland is on track to offset shortfalls from AIB and PTSB. The group said in October that it faced having to set aside a total of £350 million (€€400 million) to cover compensation and other costs. He sees the market expanding at a slower pace of about 8 per cent in 2026, to €15.6 billion.

The Office of Public Works (OPW) minister plans to meet the man behind the first early warning flood alert system of its kind in Ireland to glean whether it can be used by local authorities in the future. Kevin 'Boxer' Moran wants to meet Midleton businessman Colin James, who set up the Midleton Early Warning System (MEWS) after Storm Babet devastated the East Cork town in 2023. It was inspired by New Zealand’s tsunami early warning network, which tracks sea-level changes and provides real-time data as events unfold. However, Cork County Council has said early flood warning systems for the East Cork town are unworkable. The council did not respond to a query on whether it had changed its position about the viability of early flood warning systems for Midleton.

Boxer Anthony Joshua has been released from hospital in Nigeria after the crash in which two of his friends died, authorities have said. Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele died after the vehicle they were travelling in along with Joshua struck a stationary truck on a major road near Lagos on Monday. British heavyweight Joshua sustained injuries, but was released on Wednesday, Lagos state commissioner for information Gbenga Omotoso said. Joshua, who was born in Watford to Nigerian parents, was on holiday in Nigeria following his win over Jake Paul in Miami on December 19. “Praying for strength and guidance for all their family, friends and of course AJ during this very difficult time.”Retired cruiserweight world champion Tony Bellew, two-time undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, British former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and former world champion Wladimir Klitschko have also offered condolences.

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Liam Kelly was speaking as the Government progresses its Northern Ireland Troubles Bill aimed at finding a way forward on the past. Liam Kelly is chairman of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland (PFNI/PA)But he said it has also been difficult for police officers and their predecessors being “tarnished” by events from the past. Last month saw a Supreme Court ruling in favour of a Government appeal which prevents a coroner in Northern Ireland disclosing certain sensitive material at a Troubles inquest. The court said while it has “considerable sympathy” with the desire of PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher to be transparent, the responsibility lies with the Northern Ireland Secretary over assessing risks to national security. They wanted to make Northern Ireland a safer place.