Alleged torture and branding victim warned he faces jail if he refuses to give evidence
Mr Moore, appearing via video-link, said he understands he could go to prison but he will not give evidence or answer questions. Mr Moore has had “serious mental health concerns” in the past two weeks, she said. Ms Justice O’Connor asked Garnet Orange SC, for the DPP, to explore the possibility of holding Mr Moore in protective custody. During the alleged assault, counsel said, the group accused Mr Moore of giving information to people with whom the accused were “not friendly”. He said they heated a “branding” object with the letters “rat” on it to brand Mr Moore’s face and body.
Source:The Irish Times
December 07, 2025 06:12 UTC
Ellen Walshe wins silver and Daniel Wiffen wins bronze at European championships
It means Irish swimmers have now won freestyle medals in the 200m (bronze for Evan Bailey), 400m, 800m and 1,500m. Walshe was superb in adding to Ireland’s medal tally, storming through in the penultimate stroke, the breaststroke, to win silver in 2:04.78, just .03 off her Irish record. Dutch star Marrit Steenbergen won another gold medal in a European record of 2:01.83. Bailey was the best of a trio of Irish swimmers in the 50m freestyle heats, the 200m freestyle bronze medallist clocking 22.11. USA’s Alex Walshe won gold in 1:06.55.
Source:The Irish Times
December 07, 2025 05:55 UTC
Six arrested following attack on Irish Unifil peacekeepers, Lebanese army says
Six people have been arrested following an attack on Irish peacekeepers in Lebanon on Thursday, the Lebanese army has said. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) came under small fire from militants near the village of Bint Jbeil in the Irish area of operations. A group of Defence Forces soldiers were patrolling in armoured utility vehicles (AUVs) when they were approached by six men on three mopeds. In a statement in Arabic on Saturday, the Lebanese military said it immediately followed up on the incident and has arrested six people. “We will continue to enact the Unifil mandate by monitoring and reporting on the situation in southern Lebanon and condemn any attacks on peacekeepers,” the Defence Forces said.
Source:The Irish Times
December 07, 2025 03:36 UTC
Alice Taylor at 87: ‘Life happens, things go wrong, but look for the good in people and appreciate things’
To say good morning and good evening, and to connect with people. When I’m writing, I’m writing 100 per cent. And when I’m not writing, I’m still writing in my head.”She regularly receives a number of letters and cards, particularly after the publication of a new book. Life happens, things go wrong, but it is an awful lot to do with your attitude. Stop questioning it, just do it.”Weathering Storms by Alice Taylor with photography by Emma Byrne, is published by O’Brien Press.
Source:The Irish Times
December 07, 2025 01:38 UTC
HSE apologises to couple wrongfully advised of fatal foetal abnormality
Rebecca Price and Patrick Kiely outside the Four Courts after the settlement of their High Court action for damages in 2021. Photograph: Collins CourtsHSE chief executive Bernard Gloster has provided an “unequivocal” apology on behalf of the health service to a couple who agreed to a termination after being wrongfully advised their healthy baby boy had a fatal foetal abnormality. In 2019 Rebecca Price and Pat Kiely from Phibsborough in Dublin received a misdiagnosis in the National Maternity Hospital. In a HSE statement on Saturday, Mr Gloster said he recently had the opportunity to meet Ms Price and Mr Kiely. A week later she was advised a non-invasive prenatal test, known as a harmony test, was positive for Trisomy 18.
Source:The Irish Times
December 07, 2025 01:14 UTC
Dairygold firm gets go ahead for 436 new homes in south Dublin
The green light has been given to a large-scale 436 apartment development in Walkinstown, Dublin, after the withdrawal of a third-party appeal against the planning permission, planning documents revealThe green light has been given to a large-scale 436 apartment development in Walkinstown, Dublin, after the withdrawal of a third-party appeal against the planning permission, planning documents reveal. The planning permission was sought by Watfore Ltd – a development and property management subsidiary of Dairygold Co-op – to demolish the existing site before building four apartment blocks ranging between six and 10 storeys in height. The development is set to be built in the Parkmore Industrial Estate on the Long Mile Road in Walkinstown. They had raised concerns that locating residential properties in an industrial estate would “lead to conflicts” between the homeowners aspirations and the “day-to-day realities of operations within a live industrial estate” among other concerns. Following the initial rejection of planning permission by the council, an appeal was taken to An Coimisiún Pleanála.
Source:The Irish Times
December 07, 2025 00:51 UTC
Alice Leahy: I have learned there is no single story about being homeless – The Irish Times
Only people from the outer reaches of homelessness – those who are sleeping rough – come to us at the Alice Leahy Trust. For those coming to my team and myself at the Alice Leahy Trust, on Bride Road in Dublin’s Liberties, the grinding reality of life could hardly be further from the glittering Yuletide fantasy. There is no judgment at The Alice Leahy Trust. Alice Leahy is director of services at the Alice Leahy Trust which she founded 50 years ago to help the homeless. A commemorative book, “Outsiders – 50 Years of the Alice Leahy Trust” is available at Alan Hanna’s Bookshop on Rathmines Road Lower in Dublin.
Source:The Irish Times
December 07, 2025 00:50 UTC
Munster beaten by clinical Bath in Champions Cup opener
Champions Cup: Bath 40 Munster 14Munster won’t seek out excuses, and there were several in weighing up the impact of the prematch disruption and instead will reflect on the controllables as a lingering source of frustration in a Champions Cup match initially shaped by torrential rain. Tries by Edogbo and Casey allowed Munster to mitigate the shock of trailing 28-0 to an interval deficit 35-14. Tom de Glanville’s clever line and powerful carry inside the Munster 22, provided the preamble to a try for number eight Miles Reid. Munster kept plugging away, gutsy and honest, but just lacking accuracy, composure and the elevated quality required to breach the Bath defence. Scoring sequence: 5 mins: Penalty try, 7-0; 9: Reid try, Russell conversion, 14-0; 11: Arundel try, Russell conversion, 21-0; 18: Dunn try, Russell conversion, 28-0; 22: Edogbo try, Hanrahan conversion, 28-7; 37: Obano try, Russell conversion, 35-7; 40 (+1): Casey try, Hanrahan conversion, 35-14.
Source:The Irish Times
December 06, 2025 23:29 UTC
Poem of the Week: The Garden Dreamer of Gaza
But today the garden dreamer is sobbing because he’s been toldto carry his garden elsewhere again and he is too tiredbecause he has been everywhere and nowhere in this placethat is everywhere and nowhere and there is nowhere to gobetween the wall and the sea except to the end of this poemthat ends by the wall on one side and the sea on the otherwith nothing but wreckage between them. Why can’t he have a garden, no matter how small,the size of a bed, a flag or even a poem with roomfor ten-year-old dreamers of paradise gardens,with room for heavenly tomatoes, mint, cilantro, dill, basil? Eva Bourke is a poet and translator who has published eight collections, the most recent of which is Tattoos, (Dedalus 2024). Seeing Yellow was nominated for the Irish Times/Poetry Now Award in 2019. She was awarded the Michael Hartnett Prize in 2020 and is a member of Aosdána.
Source:The Irish Times
December 06, 2025 22:59 UTC
Leo Cullen looks to positives from mixed Leinster performance against Harlequins
“I thought we managed that period really, really well, and the bench guys come on and all add impact in their own way,” said Cullen. Then we turn the ball over, Quins go the length of the field and score another try. If they don’t score one, then it looks a bit better. A little bit of a mix of everything.”Joe McCarthy of Leinster is tackled by Pedro Delgado and Cadan Murley of Harlequins. Photograph: Charles McQuillan/GettyCullen also pointed to this being a first Leinster game of the season for this team in many respects, with Joe McCarthy, Jack Conan and Caelan Doris all making their seasonal pre-appearances.
Source:The Irish Times
December 06, 2025 22:50 UTC
Refugee group has ‘deep concern’ over asylum seekers sleeping rough to show need for beds
Twice on Friday gardaí moved on about 20 male asylum seekers sleeping rough in locations in Dublin. File photograph: Chris MaddaloniThe Irish Refugee Council (IRC) has written to the Government expressing “deep concern” about the situation facing homeless asylum seekers. In correspondence marked “urgent”, seen by The Irish Times, the chief executive of the council, Nick Henderson, said the Government policy related to male asylum seekers is “dangerous”. These included 2,430 “mixed-accommodation beds”, 600 “single-male beds”, and 450 “family-only beds”. Twice on Friday gardaí moved on about 20 male asylum seekers sleeping rough in locations in Dublin, Mr Henderson said in his correspondence.
Source:The Irish Times
December 06, 2025 22:01 UTC
Widespread Russian drone and missile attacks hit Ukraine ahead of third day of peace talks
Passersby walk in front of a residential building damaged in an air attack in Kyiv. Photograph: Genya Savilov/GettyRussian drone and missile attacks hit energy infrastructure in eight Ukrainian regions overnight, causing blackouts, Ukraine’s energy ministry said on Saturday. Meanwhile, local governors in Russia said on Saturday that Ukrainian drones targeted Ryazan and Voronezh regions overnight, causing damage but no casualties. Ukrainian drones have struck at least 17 major refineries this year. Russia’s defence ministry said its air defences shot down 116 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Source:The Irish Times
December 06, 2025 21:14 UTC
Stena Line to add second ship to Dublin-Liverpool freight route
Stena Line is to add a second vessel to its Dublin-Liverpool freight route, which was introduced in February. Photograph: Nick BradshawStena Line is to add a second ship to its Dublin-Liverpool freight route, while the ferry company has also defended its decision to axe a Rosslare-Cherbourg service earlier this year. “We have not announced this yet, but will do it now: we have decided to add a second ship on that route because it is something we truly believe in. “We wanted to add something more for our Irish customers. However, our [freight] customers need the land bridge via the UK because that’s where they earn their money.
Source:The Irish Times
December 06, 2025 20:31 UTC
‘The games you dream of playing’: Munster’s Tom Farrell on his roundabout way to the top
No career is linear but Tom Farrell has had more deviations than most. But then his first performance of the season, in Munster’s 31-14 win over Leinster at Croke Park, prompted a late call-up to the Irish squad for the Autumn Nations Series and a Test debut against Japan. A Munster centre earning the right to be referred to as Ireland's Tom Farrell. Seán O'Brien and Tom Farrell celebrate as the final whistle confirms Munster's victory over La Rochelle in April. Tom Farrell in action for Connacht against Munster in May 2024.
Source:The Irish Times
December 06, 2025 20:19 UTC
Three children among 11 killed in mass shooting at South African bar
The shooting happened at an unlicensed bar in the Saulsville township west of Pretoria, according to a statement from the South African Police Services. Photograph: Alamy/PAAt least 11 people, including three children, were killed in a mass shooting at a bar in a township near the South African administrative capital of Pretoria, police said on Saturday. Another 14 people were wounded and taken to hospital with gunshot wounds, according to a statement from the South African Police Services. The shooting happened at an unlicensed bar in the Saulsville township west of Pretoria in the early hours of Saturday. The children killed were a three-year-old boy, a 12-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl.
Source:The Irish Times
December 06, 2025 20:18 UTC