QuestionWhich CAO programmes must be listed by applicants by the February 1st deadline due to portfolio, interview or performance criteria? AnswerThere are 58 programmes across eight third-level colleges which must be listed by 5pm on February 1st next. All the programmes listed below require a portfolio and are at Level 8, unless stated otherwise. Trinity College DublinTR009 Music Education [Audition], TR025 Drama and Theatre Studies [Interview], TR093 General Nursing (Adelaide School of Nursing), TR276 English Studies/Drama Studies [Interview], TR311 Film/Drama Studies [Interview], TR323 Drama Studies/Modern Language [Interview], TR485 Drama/History of Art and Architecture [Interview], TR566 Drama Studies/Middle Eastern, Jewish and Islamic Civilisations [Interview], TR635 Music/Drama Studies [Interview], TR802 Dental Hygiene [Interview] – Level 7, TR803 Dental Technology [Interview] – Level 7. Technological University DublinTU795 Visual Merchandising and Display [Portfolio] [Grangegorman] – Level 7, TU832 Architecture [Portfolio] [Bolton Street], TU962 Drama (Performance) [Audition] [Grangegorman], TU973 Design – Visual Communication [Portfolio] [Grangegorman], TU974 Fine Art [Portfolio] [Grangegorman], TU975 Interior Design [Portfolio] [Grangegorman].

Amelia Doyle has lived in Ireland for 11 years. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw“My husband has a similar background with the embassy lifestyle, moving back and forth, this, that and the other. Equally after living in Salzburg for university, Doyle knew that it was not her forever home. She feels that her writing and desire to become an author is celebrated in Ireland, unlike in Austria or France. But when you mention it to certain people [in Austria and France] they just look at you like, oh, this is so cute.

Political advisers and staff in the Department of the Taoiseach received close to €500,000 in total in redundancy and severance payments when they had to leave their jobs following the resignation of Leo Varadkar last year. The accounts state that eight staff members in the department whose employment was terminated in 2024 were paid redundancy payments of €77,232 and severance payments totalling €396,415. The Department of the Taoiseach said all payments were made in line with guidelines provided by the Department of Public Expenditure. Mr Harris said the associated severance/ex gratia payments, including statutory redundancy, were at that time being processed by the National Shared Services Office. In its statement the Department of the Taoiseach said it “paid a total of €473,647 in statutory redundancy/severance payments in 2024″.

Giving up the cigarettes could save you thousands of euro next year, while a dry January could save you hundreds, new figures have suggested. The Central Statistics Office has taken a look at the potential savings to be made from typical new year's resolutions. For someone who smokes a packet of cigarettes a day, kicking this habit for the new year would save them €575.36 in January alone. And for those looking to do a dry January, people who drink on average four pints of lager or stout a week in the pub would save €95. It said that its figures were derived from the most recent Consumer Price Index for November 2025.

Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesUS president Donald Trump said on Monday that ‍he and Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu did not agree fully on the issue of the Israeli-occupied ‍West Bank but the Republican leader did not lay out what the disagreement was. In a briefing after a meeting with Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Trump was asked if he ‌had a message for Netanyahu about the West Bank and if he was concerned that settler violence ⁠in the West Bank could undermine peace. “We have had a discussion, big discussion ‌for ​a ‍long time on the West Bank. And I wouldn’t say we agree on the West Bank 100 per cent, but we’ll come to a conclusion on the West Bank,” Trump said. Israel has been under mounting international pressure to curb attacks by settlers on Palestinians in the West ‍Bank.

Jango Baie is remarkably fresh and they are all fresh and well. He’s so lazy at home you would say ‘yeah, he could do’ and there is only really one race for him (the Cleeve). He does need to run again and it will be Warwick or Newbury, but the Kingmaker looks the obvious one for him. The Lambourn great is also resisting the temptation to move up in trip with Jonbon, who will head to Ascot on January 17 to defend his Clarence House Chase crown. But we know what we’ll do and we’re going Clarence House.”

It used to be considered bad luck to pack the Christmas tree away late - and now miserable Britons can’t get it down soon enough. Traditionally, decorations were left up until January 5, marking the 12 days of Christmas. But one in three households opt to put away the baubles as soon as the festivities are over on Boxing Day, research reveals. Nearly half of Britons question festive traditions, including the decorations, with younger families being the most likely to drop them. Katherine Scott, of Park Christmas Savings, which conducted the research, said: ‘The days between Christmas and New Year are when festive fatigue hits hardest.

Chelsea and Tottenham have now moved on to other targets but could Liverpool or Manchester United attempt to steal a late march on their rivals? Aston Villa, Brentford and Crystal Palace are also believed to be among the clubs who have expressed an interest. Rúben NevesThe Portugal midfielder has been in Saudi Arabia since 2023 after spending six years at Wolves but could be on his way back to the Premier League next month. That has alerted a host of Premier League clubs, with Tottenham thought to have joined Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool in the race to sign him. Kenan Yildiz controls the ball during the UEFA Champions League match between Juventus and Pafos FC.

While the Netherlands is currently not at war, we are not at peace either,” the booklet explains. “Other countries are trying to influence us, for example by spreading fake news on the internet or by attacking critical systems. Photograph: Sean Gallup/GettyThe messages are filtering down to the public, contributing to a foreboding atmosphere in different countries on the Continent. “There’s a definite feeling of worry that war of some sort is coming,” an aunt texted from the Netherlands. It published a quote by a participant: “Not only are we heading for war in Europe, but we are heading for a war Europe might lose.”

England have drawn a line under the team’s infamous trip to Noosa between the second and third Ashes Tests after an internal investigation found the players had no case to answer. Reports emerged after England went 3–0 down in Adelaide that the four-day break had resembled a stag-do, with some players doing little more than propping up the bar. And the ECB went into damage-limitation mode after a video emerged of opening batsman Ben Duckett slurring his words in a late-night interaction with a fan. One senior security official said reports of a stag-do vibe had been wide of the mark. But the feeling is that, if such a video did exist, it would probably have been released by now.

Rosie Fortescue showed off her figure in white lingerie as she posed for a series of mirror photos on Tuesday. The Made In Chelsea star, 35, gave an insight into her festive season as she dressed up for a night out and enjoyed some downtime. In another snap, Rosie later changed into semi-sheer, mesh bodysuit and loose fitting jeans to head out for drinks. Rosie and her co-stars Binky Felstead and Lucy Watson returned to our television screens last year. In the opening episode in January of Beyond Chelsea, Binky, 35, told viewers that the show was all about ‘three friends making it in the world’.

Photograph: iStockA 65 cent increase to the national minimum wage comes into effect from January 1st with the wage packets of hundreds of thousands of workers also set to be affected by the first auto-enrolment pension deductions. Just over 200,000 people earn the minimum wage in Ireland, a growing number disproportionately made up of women, younger workers and people with disabilities. There have also been calls for changes to the rates paid to those starting apprenticeships who can be paid well below the minimum wage regardless of age. The decision to delay the living wage introduction from 2026 to 2029 will, it says, cost those currently on minimum wage about €600 in lost earnings during the coming year. Ictu general secretary Owen Reidy said the delay came “while at the same time, the biggest minimum wage employers, the hospitality industry will pocket €681 million in VAT each year”.

Hair growth was tracked using an AI-powered digital microscope that automatically counts hairs, measures thickness and monitors growth length. The study, published in medRxiv, showed that all active formulas improved hair thickness and density more than the placebo after 56 days. Join the debate Should funded research on hair growth be trusted or are these "miracle" treatments just marketing hype? Additionally, the eight-week study period is too short to fully observe the complete hair growth cycle. This research was funded by the same company that created the hair serum being tested.

Project Pan: ‘I spent over €500 on beauty products this year, here’s how I plan to spend zero in 2026’After realising she was buying beauty items that she didn’t need, writer Aoife Rooney committed to ‘Project Pan’ for the new yearAoife Rooney is setting out to spend no money on beauty products in 2026. Photo: David ConachyAoife Rooney Today at 06:30The stark and sobering realisation that I had a problem with my spending on beauty products was triggered, ironically enough, with the announcement of Sephora opening in Ireland in 2026.

Maria Clara Bravi, Her Excellency Ana Laura Cachaza, Argentinian Ambassador to Ireland, and Chef proprietor Gustavo Gaetani at the Argentinian Embassy event in 1810 Steakhouse. Argentinian ambassador visits local Steakhouse1810 Steakhouse in Athlone — the award-winning, Argentinian-inspired restaurant owned by husband-and-wife team Gustavo Gaetani and María Clara Bravi — was honoured to host Her Excellency Ana Laura Cachaza, Argentinian Ambassador to Ireland, for an exclusive private event recently celebrating the very best of Argentine beef and wine. Guests enjoyed a selection of premium, open-pasture Argentine Angus cuts — Rib Eye, Striploin and Fillet — supplied through the Argentine Beef Promotion Institute (IPVCA). Each course was paired with standout Argentine wines, including Luigi Bosca Malbec 2024, Gualtallary Aluvia Cabernet Franc 2022, Salentein Barrel Selection Chardonnay 2024, and Gualtallary Altaluvia Chardonnay 2020. Since 2019, 1810 Steakhouse has brought the flavours, warmth and tradition of Argentina to Athlone, specialising in Irish Wagyu beef cooked the Argentinian way, alongside fresh seafood, homemade pastas and an expertly curated list of Argentine wines.