Autistic man who said he was ‘misled’ into unpaid trial shift awarded €5,000 at WRC
A garden centre which had an autistic job applicant work an unpaid trial shift without asking the same of other candidates has been ordered to pay €5,000 for disability discrimination at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). A garden centre which had an autistic job applicant work an unpaid trial shift without asking the same of other candidates has been ordered to pay €5,000 for disability discrimination at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). His case was that he was “misled into working an unpaid ‘trial day’”. “The requirement that the complainant alone undertake an unpaid ‘trial’ constituted a differential and disadvantageous condition of access to employment not imposed on other candidates,” Mr O’Driscoll wrote. He noted that the experience left the complainant “confused, humiliated and excluded” and had “a lasting negative impact on his confidence and self-worth”.
Source:The Irish Times
November 21, 2025 16:04 UTC
Whale never before seen in Irish waters washes up on Donegal beach
A female narwhal whale washed up on a beach in Donegal, the first recording of the species in Irish waters. The narwhal is a toothed whale usually found exclusively in the Arctic waters of the north Atlantic. “The narwhal is an Arctic species that is mainly found in cooler waters. “As our waters warm we have seen a northern movement of whales and dolphins in Irish waters as fish move north seeking cooler waters. To have an Arctic species stranded for the first time is somewhat unexpected,” he said.
Source:The Irish Times
November 21, 2025 16:02 UTC
Right to flexible working needed to resolve three-hour commutes on ‘car park motorways’
Photograph: Bryan O’BrienGovernment needs to legislate for a “real right to flexible and hybrid working” in a bid to beat traffic congestion as motorways have turned into car parks with three-hour commutes for workers, the Dáil has heard. It was not “a silver bullet, but it will allow for better responses to minor road traffic incidents and will help prevent traffic coming to a standstill in rush hour”. Raising the issue during Dáil leaders’ questions, Mr Wall said, “the Government’s own code of practice on flexible working and hybrid working is not working. “We intend, through our national development plan, to invest a huge amount in transport via upgrade to the road network” but also to make public transport work more effectively. He said Minister of State Alan Dillon had launched a public consultation as part of a review of the legislation on the right to request remote working.
Source:The Irish Times
November 21, 2025 15:56 UTC
Denis O’Brien and spokesman must pay €411,750 to each of two solicitors they defamed, jury finds
Denis O’Brien defamed two lawyers in a 2016 press release that implied they acted for the IRA, a High Court jury has found. Mr O’Brien and his spokesman James Morrissey must pay solicitors Darragh Mackin and Gavin Booth €411,750 each to compensate the damage done to their reputations arising from the defamation. At the time of the report, Mr O’Brien owned substantial stakes in Irish media companies. [ Denis O’Brien a dominant player in Irish media world when defamatory statement releasedOpens in new window ]Mr O’Brien and Mr Morrissey had denied the material defamed the solicitors or meant what the solicitors alleged. Mr Justice Tony O’Connor made an order against O’Brien and Morrissey for the solicitors’ legal costs.
Source:The Irish Times
November 21, 2025 15:34 UTC
The Irish Times Business Person of the Month: Niall Browne, chief executive at Dawn Meats
Niall Browne, the chief executive of Dawn Meats, has been chosen as The Irish Times Businessperson of the Month for October, an award run in association with Bank of Ireland. During the month, the Waterford-based meat processor received the green light to acquire a majority stake in New Zealand’s biggest meat processor, Alliance Group. The Irish company has paid $270 million NZD (€132 million) to acquire a 65 per cent shareholding in Alliance. Speaking to The Irish Times at the time of the shareholder approval, Browne said that while the appetite for red meat was on the rise globally, there were limited opportunities to secure supplies to satisfy that demand. Dawn Meats is a family-owned business founded in 1980.
Source:The Irish Times
November 21, 2025 15:32 UTC
Caelan Doris: ‘Momentum has been built, and we want to finish on a proper high’
Caelan Doris leads Ireland out for the captain's run at the Aviva Stadium on Friday. In agreeing that the final Irish Test of the year against the reigning double world champions and world’s number one ranked side was the perfect way to sign off the autumn campaign. Momentum has been built, and we want to finish on a proper high.”The Irish captain did not go so far as to admit it was a grudge match, but commented: “There’s definitely a rivalry there. Their DNA is up front, set-piece, maul, strong scrum, good discipline, winning the momentum and gainline battle. “We’re looking forward to hearing the crowd tomorrow and they make a proper difference to us.”
Source:The Irish Times
November 21, 2025 15:23 UTC
Wholesale electricity prices down 18.5% but consumers still facing high bills
All suppliers have kept their gas prices on hold for now, while Electric Ireland is cutting its gas prices by 4 per cent from November 1st. Wholesale electricity prices fell by 18.5 per cent in October compared with the same period last year, new data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows. It was, however, up 6.6 per cent compared with the previous month. Meanwhile, producer prices for food products increased by 4.1 per cent in the year and 0.3 per cent since September. “Producer prices for products sold on the domestic market were 1.2 per cent higher in October compared with October 2024.
Source:The Irish Times
November 21, 2025 15:20 UTC
Additional €152m sought this year to pay for accommodation for homeless
Photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish TimesThe Department of Housing is seeking additional funding of more than €152 million this year to meet the cost of providing accommodation for people who are homeless. New official figures, published on Thursday, show it will need €480.01 million to pay for such accommodation, an additional requirement of €152.2 million for this purpose. This includes an additional €73.6 million for local authority housing and €84 million in current expenditure on its social housing programme. An additional €8 million in funding is needed by the department for what is described as “major sporting events”. Overall Government departments will need nearly €2.4 billion in additional funding this year to cover costs that exceeded their initial budgets for 2025.
Source:The Irish Times
November 21, 2025 15:20 UTC
Ryanair loses some landing rights at Dutch airport due to late flights
Ryanair is losing two of its landing slots at Eindhoven Airport in the Netherlands after flights allegedly arrived late repeatedly. Photograph: Sam Boal/Collins PhotosRyanair has lost two of its landing slots at Eindhoven Airport after its flights repeatedly arrived late, Airport Coordination Netherlands (ACNL), the body that assigns airport slots, said. ACNL found Ryanair had been consistently late on Monday evening flights from Bulgarian capital Sofia, and Thursday evening flights from Pisa in Italy. It said the flights were, on average, more than an hour late. “ACNL are penalising airlines for air traffic control delays that push flights just 15 minutes over their scheduled arrival time”, Ryanair said.
Source:The Irish Times
November 21, 2025 15:19 UTC
‘Aggression in the air’: Rising hostility sparks fear in Ireland’s Bangladeshi community
I am working and we not do anything wrong.”His concerns are echoed among others in the estimated 25,000-strong Bangladeshi community, particularly for their Irish-born children. An alleged assault on an Irish-born Trinity College student in Dublin city centre last week “shook every member of the community”, they said. It is not right.”The two brought their concerns to Minister of State at the Department of Justice Niall Collins earlier this week. A Garda spokesman said the force was “aware of and investigating a number of incidents in which members of Ireland’s Indian and south Asian community have been injured parties”. “Gardaí have also provided safety advice talks to members of the south Asian community in Dublin at a number of community events,” he said.
Source:The Irish Times
November 21, 2025 15:01 UTC
Mani from The Stone Roses: A born rock star who was fiercely proud of his Irish roots
Gary “Mani” Mounfield wasn’t the most talented member of The Stone Roses – that honour lay with virtuosic guitarist John Squire. Mani playing with The Stone Roses at Marlay Park, Dublin in July 2016. [ Stone Roses and Primal Scream bassist Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield dies aged 63Opens in new window ]The Stone Roses were one of the most important bands of the late 1980s and early 1990s, but the mercurial Squire and flighty singer Ian Brown were not cut out for the spotlight. Mani, by contrast, was born to be a rock star and was an imperious presence on stage. The Roses imploded in the wake of their divisive Second Coming album in 1995, and Mani would go on to play with Primal Scream.
Source:The Irish Times
November 21, 2025 14:54 UTC
Sole borrowers make up nearly two-thirds of apartment mortgages
The value of mortgages taken out by sole borrowers has grown by 51.2 per cent since 2019Solo borrowers made up nearly two-thirds of mortgages taken out for apartments and almost a third all first-time buyer mortgages, new figures show. This rate is still far below the levels seen in the mid-2000s when sole borrowers represented more than 45 per cent of first-time buyer mortgages. The report also found that the median household income of first-time borrowers has increased substantially – by €20,000 – in the past six years. The average mortgages taken out by first-time buyers and those moving homes both hit records in the period, at €314,810 and €373,393 respectively. Dublin also had the highest median property and loan values as well as basic household incomes.
Source:The Irish Times
November 21, 2025 09:41 UTC
What will €420,000 buy in Spain, France, the UK, Portugal and Galway?
The house is set out over 255sq m (2,745sq ft) so has plenty of space for guests. The first house has a livingroom, kitchen, boiler room and four en suite bedrooms, with additional space in the attic. In the second house is a livingroom, diningroom, kitchen, three bedrooms and a bathroom. There is a livingroom with stove, kitchen and diningroom downstairs, while upstairs are four bedrooms and a bathroom. Price €419,156 (£370,000)Agent bopproperty.comSemi-detached house near LisbonPortugal: LisbonLess than an hour from Lisbon is the village of Gradil in Portugal.
Source:The Irish Times
November 21, 2025 09:32 UTC
Talks on ending dispute over pensions for school secretaries and caretakers break down
School secretaries and caretakers gathered outside the Dáil in September to protesting about the issue. Photograph Nick BradshawTalks on ending the dispute over pensions for school secretaries and caretakers have broken down at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). On Thursday night, however, Fórsa confirmed negotiations at the commission, “on pension provision for school secretaries and caretakers, have broken down”. “School secretaries and caretakers have shown extraordinary patience. He said “school secretaries and caretakers have waited long enough.
Source:The Irish Times
November 21, 2025 09:01 UTC
Nature shows us the world is what we perceive it to be
“The world is upside down,” the woman ultimately declared, shaking her head. Because there is, as any child in my school would tell you, no upside down when it comes to the world. And plants have their own way of engaging with the world, growing and spreading and flowering at a pace and speed beyond our comprehension. A snail and its means of negotiating the world is our go-to for all things sluggish, ethargic, undirected and insignificant. Then again, maybe they figured out the lawlessness of the world a long time ago and are waiting for us to catch up.
Source:The Irish Times
November 21, 2025 09:00 UTC