Cork MEP Billy Kelleher has said he would have won the 2025 presidential election had he been selected as Fianna Fáil’s candidate. Asked if he would have won the election, Mr Kelleher said: “Yes, I believe I would have.”The Fianna Fáil MEP said Ireland is a “modern, dynamic country” with a young population, and he could have connected “well beyond traditional Fianna Fáil voters”. Mr Kelleher said the “damage was done” after Mr Gavin’s withdrawal, saying the former candidate was not able to withstand scrutiny and interrogation. The party’s disastrous presidential election sent shockwaves through Fianna Fáil, with the fallout leaving Taoiseach Micheál Martin badly damaged. “That’s the fear of many of my colleagues, holding clinics on their own in community halls or in rooms around their constituency," Mr Kelleher said.

Breast cancer death rates have plummeted by a sixth in the UK over the past decade to a record low, new analysis reveals. But breast cancer remains the second biggest cause of cancer death in women - behind lung cancer - with more that can be done to reduce rates further, they add. It means there are now 30 breast cancer deaths per 100,000 people in the UK, down from 52 per 100,000 in 1971, according to Cancer Research UK. Sophie Brooks, health information manager at Cancer Research UK, told the Daily Mail: 'It's fantastic news that, thanks to research, breast cancer death rates in the UK have reached a record low. Drugs like tamoxifen, anastrozole and Herceptin, developed with support from Cancer Research UK, have also transformed survival and prevention for breast cancer.

A man with confusion and signs of a brain injury actually had an extremely rare condition diagnosed in just 50 people over the past century. The damage extended into his corpus callosum, a C-shaped bundle of nerve fibers in the brain that connects the left and right hemispheres. A man in Ireland was diagnosed with alien hand syndrome, an extremely rare condition in which a person's hand moves on its own uncontrollably. The affected hand, usually the left one, also doesn't have sensation and cannot feel anything it touches. The above CT scan image shows damage to the man's brain tissue, likely due to a stroke.

By Cillian Sherlock, Press AssociationIrish officials queried the decision of UK port authorities to question famous folk singer Christy Moore in 2004, amid a rise of similar complaints relating to anti-terrorism measures. Both he and his driver were interrogated separately by police at the port under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. Christy Moore in 2024 (Damien Storan/PA)He said it was saddening to think that this kind of treatment of Irish people travelling to the UK was not a thing of the past. Officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs met counterparts in the UK Home Office about the matter in London on December 1st, 2004. Issues involving Moore’s “high profile” case, including the locking of his interrogation room, were also raised in the meeting.

State Papers Day 1 - 1995 and its place in Irish historyThe year opened with renewed focus on peace efforts in Northern Ireland. In September, in a headline writer’s dream, the Censorship of Publications Board removed a ban on sales of Playboy magazine across Ireland. From the high of the USA 1994 World Cup the previous year, Irish football witnessed the plague of hooliganism in 1995. In rugby, Ireland finished second in their group at the 1995 World Cup to New Zealand but were eliminated in the quarter-finals by France. Ireland’s arts world also mourned the loss of some of its best known performers.

O’Dwyer’s death marked the passing of a generation of sporting leadership rooted in personality rather than systems. His sudden death felt especially cruel because of how alive he seemed — engaged, curious, encouraging. Her passing felt like the extinguishing of a steady light rather than a blaze, but its absence is keenly felt. His passing felt like the removal of bedrock — an actor whose presence grounded films in something real. Her death felt like the loss of a quietly radical presence — someone who expanded what female longevity in cinema could look like.

The world continues to count the heavy cost of climate disasters, as just 10 such events of heatwaves, wildfires, droughts and storms cost a seismic $120bn (€101bn) this year, a new report has found. The ‘Counting the Cost 2025’ report from Christian Aid said the cost of climate inaction was clear from the devastation being wreaked by extreme weather events across the globe, with every region being impacted by climate change. The charity’s report identifies the climate events that caused the most damage, including devastating British wildfires, extensive droughts in Canada, typhoons in the Philippines and record-breaking fires across Spain and Portugal. While the financial cost may not have been as high in some of the world’s poorer regions, the charity said extreme weather events had a disproportionate impact on countries in this place. Countries also in the report as having had significant extreme weather events in the last year included Scotland, Brazil, Australia and Japan.

Irish State Papers are released each year and offer a glimpse into more recent history. Here is a list of the stories from the Irish Independent State Papers, Day One. Click on each link to read more, or explore all the State Papers on our dedicated page. The revelation came in secret papers released as part of the State Papers. The revelation came in confidential files released as part of the State Papers.

A cure for Alzheimer's disease could be possible - and life-changing treatments may emerge within the next five to ten years, researchers suggest. The Daily Mail is running the Defeating Dementia campaign with the Alzheimer's Society, to raise awareness and support treatment for the disease. Symptom ChecklistSmall amounts of healthy brain tissue, normally discarded during such procedures, were instead rushed straight from the operating theatre to Dr Durrant's laboratory. Once removed, the brain tissue must reach the lab and be placed into incubators within two hours to remain viable. 'I've not seen so much hope in Alzheimer's disease research than I do right now and there's just so much to look forward to,' Dr Durrant said.

Government to buy buildings around country to turn into state-led childcare servicesUp to 40,000 children waiting as Government plans major expansion of childcare servicesFocus on large-scale services with an average of 100 places for children aged one to threeState will tender for operators to run the facilities, with both new and existing providers eligibleState to buy buildings around country to turn into state-led childcare servicesTabitha Monahan Today at 06:30The Government is moving to advance plans to purchase buildings nationwide for the development of state-led childcare facilities, with proposals expected to be delivered in the new year.

Leah Bolger and Oisin Boland. Pictures: Christina BrosnanSpecial guests were both grandmothers, Leah’s grandmother, Maeve Bolder Ryan and Oisin’s grandmother, Nora Hayes. Pictures: Christina BrosnanAn August bank holiday break set the scene for their engagement on the bride’s birthday. We both had the best day and still smile thinking about it.”Leah Bolger and Oisin Boland. Pictures: Christina BrosnanLeah looked stunning in a Chosen by Kyha dress, and the groom had his suit custom-made by Paul Henry Tailoring.

The Department of Education received a flurry of queries and complaints from parents regarding schools charging enrolment or registration fees illegally following Irish Examiner coverage earlier this year. Since 2018, schools have been prohibited by the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 from charging fees or seeking contributions for the enrolment or continued enrolment of a student in a school. Another parent sought clarification from the department in relation to school fees. The Department of Education has previously said Section 64 of the Education (Admissions to schools) Act 2018 "explicitly prohibits" the charging of admission and enrolment fees for admission to or for continued enrolment in a school. “In instances where the department is made aware of schools charging fees that are prohibited by Section 64, the department will follow up with the school [or schools] concerned.

For now, the most regenerative thing you can do is slow down enough to remember what you have already achieved. For the purpose of this column, I like to look back at the most stylish – and not so stylish – moments of the past year. Bag, Balenciaga. 3 Back on home ground, it has made me happy to see Burberry return to what it does best. Bag, Balenciaga.

About a third of all income earners – equating to 1.2 million tax units – are effectively outside of the income tax net. The higher 40 per cent income tax rate here is not and never has been the problem. There are several reports highlighting the lopsided nature of Ireland’s income tax system now gathering dust in the Department of Finance. The converse is that earners in the bottom 50 per cent of income distribution generate just 10 per cent of income tax receipts and 5 per cent of USC. Even more striking is that about one-third of all income earners – equating to 1.2 million tax units (which can be an individual or a couple) – are effectively outside of the income tax net courtesy of the State’s generous system of tax credits.

As a result, much emphasis within the industry has been placed on moving Irish tourism away from an over-reliance on American visitors – and diversifying our tourist offering. “But the real problem right now is that your ministers think they will sink or swim on numbers – total numbers – average spend etc. Like Gavan Woods, he has noted the drop in British and Germans but also the relative resilience in the numbers coming from France. Having noted all of the potential challenges ahead, the tourism confederation is very keen on the Government’s latest tourism action plan. Launched earlier this month, the plan sets out measures the Government says will boost tourism numbers by a million a year, every year out to 2031.