Trash to treasure: The Irish ecopreneurs upcycling waste into food, furniture and more
Niamh and Ruairí DooleyBiaSol and Circular Food CompanySiblings Niamh and Ruairí Dooley established food start-up BiaSol, creating a nutritious supplement from breweries' waste spent grain. “The spent grain is the outer layer – or husk – which breweries either gave or sold to farmers for animal feed,” she explains. Niamh and Ruairí have since set up the Circular Food Company to advise large food manufacturers on ways to upcycle byproducts and waste food. She left that in 2018 to do a PhD exploring business models for repurposing wind turbine blades. BladeBridge street furniture, made from decommissioned wind turbine blades“I’m a great believer in one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.
Source:The Irish Times
April 04, 2026 12:48 UTC
Center Parcs ditches family service at all UK holiday parks
The company previously offered a crèche service for kids between three months and three years, for up to three hours. However, it has confirmed that this will no longer be offered at any of its five UK resorts by the end of next month. A spokesperson for Center Parcs told Metro: "We’re always looking to review and evolve the guest experience. We have made the decision to remove the crèche activity from our breaks, to reflect guest feedback and limited demand for this particular activity. – often attached to leisure centres, colleges, workplaces, conferences, weddings or community events so adults can take part while children are safely supervised.
Source:The Herald
April 04, 2026 12:47 UTC
‘Shroom boom’: The Cork-based entrepreneur growing the future of packaging from mushrooms
At her workshop in Co Cork, Lavanya Bhandari is growing the future of packaging. Using mycelium – a fungal material that feeds on farm waste – she grows small containers in just a few days. Once fully formed, the material is heated to stop growth and to harden, “so you’re not going to get mushrooms growing out of your packaging”, explains Bhandari. Rather than rebuild the same business, he pivoted to an idea he’d been developing since 2020: using mycelium to process waste materials. He emphasises the need to be cost-competitive, noting that the carbon-negative process and lean production will help match conventional packaging prices.
Source:The Irish Times
April 04, 2026 12:41 UTC
Deer pressure: I need a licence to cull – The Irish Times
When invasive species such as Sika deer have no natural predators, humans become the only control. In a crisis this urgent, every effort to make space for our native species is welcome, however big or small. In 2022, a global study examined 150 years of invasive species removal across 1,000 islands; nearly nine out of 10 attempts were successful, creating conditions for recovery. [ ‘We don’t have a plan’: Invasive species take hold as action lags legislationOpens in new window ]Doing the work isn’t easy. When invasive species such as Sika deer have no natural predators, humans become the only control.
Source:The Irish Times
April 04, 2026 12:33 UTC
Renewed push by Independent Ministers for changes to inheritance tax thresholds in budget
Photograph: Stephen Collins/CollinsThere is to be a renewed push by Independent ministers for changes to inheritance tax thresholds in Budget 2027. His remarks come after correspondence released under the Freedom of Information Act shows that he told Minister for Finance Simon Harris he would raise inheritance tax thresholds with him. The woman died in 2024 when the tax-free threshold that applied to that grandchild stood at €32,500. The Irish Times reported last year that Independent Ministers Michael Healy-Rae and Marian Harkin pushed for changes to the inheritance tax system for the beneficiaries of estates left by people with no children. Any potential changes to the Capital Acquisitions Tax regime will be a decision for Harris, “as part of the budget process”.
Source:The Irish Times
April 04, 2026 12:32 UTC
Convoy of Russian shadow-fleet tankers monitored off west coast
An Irish security source said the number of shadow fleet vessels passing through the EEZ in recent days was “unprecedented”. Vessels carrying sanctioned Russian oil are increasingly opting to travel around Ireland instead of taking the quicker and safer route to the English Channel. However, the British government said shadow fleet vessels are effectively “stateless”, meaning they can be legally boarded and seized in international waters. The jump in shadow fleet traffic off the west coast has placed additional pressure on Defence Forces resources. Shadow fleet vessels are viewed as a threat to critical undersea infrastructure, including communication cables and energy interconnectors.
Source:The Irish Times
April 04, 2026 12:32 UTC
Irish peacekeepers in Lebanon now behind Israeli lines as IDF advances south
Camp Shamrock, Lebanon: Irish peacekeeping bases and all Irish Defence Forces troops in Lebanon are inside the area seized by Israel. Photograph: Sally HaydenIrish peacekeepers serving with the United Nations in Lebanon are now behind Israeli lines, according to military sources familiar with troop movements in the area. A spokesman for the Defence Forces said all of the Irish troops were safe and accounted for, echoing a statement by Defence Forces Chief of Staff Lieut Gen Rossa Mulcahy. In a video message on Thursday he assured families of the Irish troops they were “well and accounted for” in what was a “challenging operation environment”. Camp Shamrock, Lebanon: A spokesman for the Defence Forces said all of the Irish troops in Lebanon were safe and accounted for.
Source:The Irish Times
April 04, 2026 12:32 UTC
‘The spy is the boring guy in a suit’: Inside the State’s military intelligence service
Towards the back of McKee Barracks near Dublin’s Phoenix Park is the new headquarters of the Irish Military Intelligence Service (IMIS). Interviews with Irish military intelligence officers are rare. Irish military intelligence dates from before the foundation of the State, when Michael Collins and his “Squad” ran spy operations for the IRA during the War of Independence. Entry to the new headquarters of the Irish Military Intelligence Service is is strictly controlled. First it was “G2″, then “J2″ and, since last year, the Irish Military Intelligence Service.
Source:The Irish Times
April 04, 2026 12:32 UTC
Race to save American pilot from behind enemy lines after Iran downed two jets... and toll of US wounded in war hits 365
US forces are now desperately searching behind enemy lines to retrieve the missing pilot, with an urgent rescue mission underway. On Friday evening, updated Pentagon data also revealed the number of US service members wounded in the Iran war has risen to 365 soldiers. An anchor on Iranian state media urged local residents in Southern Iran to hunt down and hand over the 'enemy pilot' to regime authorities. Separate videos purported to show a US KC-130 refueling tanker and two HH-60 Pave Hawk search and rescue helicopters. In a new video posted today, Netanyahu said: 'Together with our American friends, we continue to crush the terror regime in Iran.
Source:Daily Mail
April 04, 2026 12:32 UTC
Irish public ‘emotionally checking out’ after succession of crises
After years of overlapping crises, Irish people have “run out of shock” and are “emotionally checking out”, according to the latest Sign of the Times survey published by Ipsos B&A. Luke Reaper, chief executive of Ipsos B&A Ireland, says the Irish are a “pretty battle-hardened bunch” after a succession of crises. “If you think about the Irish population, over the last number of years we have gone through a financial crisis and come out of that. China was viewed as a key Irish ally by a quarter of respondents. Nearly half of survey respondents were unsure they could spot misinformation or fake news.
Source:The Irish Times
April 04, 2026 12:31 UTC
‘You think about your mortality, about not being here. My son is only 13; he’ll soon turn 14 and so on. It’s scary’
‘You think about your mortality, about not being here. My son is only 13; he’ll soon turn 14 and so on. It’s scary’Our League of Ireland Legends series kicks off with John Delamere. After five years in the clear, the former LOI striker faces a fight far more important than any he ever had on the pitchJohn Delamere was devastated to learn that his cancer has returnedSeán O'Connor Today at 11:30John Delamere was no stranger to a battle on the pitch during his playing days, but now he faces the most important fight of his life.
Source:Irish Independent
April 04, 2026 12:31 UTC
My name is Séamas O’Reilly – or at least I thought it was until recently
Séamas O'Reilly: 'The only things that save my name, for me, are that wee fada and one other element which almost no one seems to remember; that second 'a', which is great because no one else has it.' Photograph: Steve Ryan/The Irish TimesMy name is Séamas O’Reilly, or at least I thought it was until recently. The confusion started some years ago, when my father cast a wry glance at the cover of my memoir. [ Séamas O’Reilly: Living in Dublin taught me not to mention the TroublesOpens in new window ]I don’t think too hard about individual people forgetting mine in an email or a message. Séamas O’Reilly sounds stodgy and plain.
Source:The Irish Times
April 04, 2026 12:31 UTC
Síomha Ní Ruairc: ‘It’s satisfying to see that I’ve physically made an extra Gaeilgeoir’
I found my feet working within the Irish language sector and community. The emphasis wasn’t on having “Gaeilge fhoirfe” or perfect Irish; it was on the quiz aspect, not the language. Síomha Ní Ruairc with her How to Gael co-hosts Doireann Ní Ghlacáin and Louise Cantillon. That’s one of the reasons Doireann Ní Ghlacáin, Louise Cantillon and I started the How to Gael podcast. We saw that there was a way for us to bridge the gap between Irish language and English language content.
Source:The Irish Times
April 04, 2026 12:31 UTC
Leinster’s ability to rise from the canvas is admirable, but now they must land a knockout
Yet along with Toulouse, Leinster have reached eight finals, which is an achievement in itself. There was a notable improvement in this area last season, when they conceded only two tries per game and 14.4 points. In Lancaster’s last season, Leinster led every attacking metric in the Champions Cup by a distance. Last season was bizarre, Leinster scoring 15 tries in four pool games compared to 28 in Lancaster’s last season. Furthermore, Leinster’s main problem against Northampton was that they just appeared too lackadaisical, as if not in the right head space.
Source:The Irish Times
April 04, 2026 12:31 UTC
How does SpaceX justify a $1.75 trillion valuation?
Photograph: Bruce Weaver/AFP/Getty ImagesElon Musk’s SpaceX is reportedly eyeing a June initial public offering (IPO), one that would value the company at $1.75 trillion (€1.52 trillion). The rocket business, once a cash sink, is now solidly profitable, but it is Starlink that carries the burden of a $1.75 trillion valuation, “the only reason this valuation is defensible”, as one analyst told Reuters. Media reports suggest SpaceX made about $8 billion in profit on $15 billion to $16 billion in revenues last year. Granda was talking about a $1.5 trillion valuation although at these altitudes, another $250 billion barely registers. Meta, Apple, Alphabet, and Microsoft all trade for between seven and nine times sales.
Source:The Irish Times
April 04, 2026 12:26 UTC