Nine hospitalised with life-threatening injuries after mass stabbing on London-bound train
Nine people have been hospitalised with life-threatening injuries after a mass stabbing on a train travelling from Doncaster to London King’s Cross on Saturday. Nine people have been hospitalised with life-threatening injuries after a mass stabbing on a train travelling from Doncaster to London King’s Cross on Saturday evening. A 10th person suffered non life-threatening injuries, and two men were arrested in what prime minister Keir Starmer called an “appalling incident”. British Transport Police (BTP) said two people have been arrested over the stabbings, which happened on the 6.25pm train service. Mr Starmer posted on X that the incident was “deeply concerning”.
Source:The Irish Times
November 02, 2025 16:45 UTC
Christmas is cancelled as Limerick mayor says market not good enough
The war on Christmas rages in that home of festive cheer, Limerick city. John Moran, the city’s directly elected mayor, cancelled the Christmas market proposed for the area around the statue of Daniel O’Connell, which the council had advanced all the way to publishing a road closure notice. It’s public money, so we decided we would push it off until next year,” he told the Limerick Leader. You need to get ahead of these things, and that’s part of what I think we need to improve.”Is no Christmas market better than a bad Christmas market? Racing pigeons only know how to get home, so if you’re buying a new one, it’ll just head back to the loft you got it from.
Source:The Irish Times
November 02, 2025 16:32 UTC
Legendary novelist Roddy Doyle joins Finding Our Voices book talk Nov. 18
The grassroots, statewide nonprofit Finding Our Voices invites everyone to join a free, online talk on Tuesday, Nov.18 at 2 p.m. with Booker Prize-winning novelist Roddy Doyle who will be “Zooming” in from Dublin, Ireland. https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/patrisha-mclean-my-deeply-controlling-ex-husband-don-mclean-1.4407458McLean said she reached out to Roddy Doyle just after the domestic violence arrest of her then-husband and 20 years after being "bowled over" by his first book written in the voice of domestic abuse survivor Paula Spencer. He replied that, "Paula Spencer is the character I'm most proud of." The Finding Our Voices Book Club is part of Finding Our Voices’ broader mission to break the silence surrounding domestic abuse and shine a light on the complexities and patterns of the issue. “These explorations with authors of memoir and fiction remind us that domestic abuse hides in plain sight and takes many forms.
Source:The Irish Times
November 02, 2025 16:31 UTC
Jarlath Regan: I worked my tail off to bring my son home to experience school in Ireland
Jarlath Regan: 'After 10 years in London, knowing that you’re home at last is a joy I’ll never be able to describe.' Photograph: Dara Mac DónaillThe Ireland I grew up in felt very grey; it didn’t feel like there was a lot of colour. It was definitely an achievement that I don’t think those that don’t leave fully understand. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill/The Irish TimesI worked my tail off so I could bring my son home and allow him to experience Irish secondary school. This interview, part of a series about well-known people’s lives and relationship with Ireland, was edited for clarity and length.
Source:The Irish Times
November 02, 2025 16:31 UTC
Five things we learned from Ireland’s 26-13 defeat to New Zealand
Andy Farrell has a choice to makeIreland’s Jack Crowley chips over Fabian Holland of New Zealand during Saturday's Test match at Soldier Field. Photograph: Gary Carr/InphoThis was another match tucked away for Ireland’s young outhalves, Jack Crowley and Sam Prendergast, and the pivot debate rages on. When the Ulster lock entered the game on 23 minutes, Ireland were a deserving 10-7 ahead. Maybe that’s what ensured there was payback at the end as New Zealand accelerated past tired Ireland at the finish line. US experiment has had its momentIreland's games against New Zealand at Soldier Field have been memorable occasions, but they are not beneficial to Ireland as the home team.
Source:The Irish Times
November 02, 2025 16:27 UTC
Ireland’s dining etiquette offenders: from phone calls to licking the knife
Dining etiquette isn’t about starched napkins or memorising which fork is which; it’s about creating an environment that everybody can enjoy. Personally, I have no issue with elbows occasionally resting on the dining table; however, I do draw the line at licking a knife (you know who you are) or using a napkin as a tissue. In the words of one of my good friends and regular dining companions, “Don’t let good manners ruin good food”. And then there’s service charge. Dining etiquette should start with one basic law: no more truffle oil, anywhere, ever.
Source:The Irish Times
November 02, 2025 16:26 UTC
Gardaí believe accelerant used to start fire in Drogheda asylum centre
CCTV shows the moment a fire is started on the stairs of the International Protection Accommodation Service centre, Drogheda. An accelerant was used to deliberately start a fire at asylum seeker accommodation in Drogheda, Co Louth, on Halloween night, gardaí believe. The scene of a suspected arson attack on a centre housing asylum seekers on George’s Street Drogheda, Co Louth. The incident occurred at the International Protection Accommodation Service (Ipas) centre on George’s Street at approximately 8.15pm. Let us celebrate it.”The scene of a suspected arson attack on George’s Street, Drogheda.
Source:The Irish Times
November 02, 2025 16:14 UTC
Andy Farrell says lack of mental sharpness at key times cost Ireland dearly in Chicago
“Obviously it’s disappointing to lose any game,” said Farrell, who had evidently expected more from his side. “When you play a top-tier side, a world-class side like New Zealand, you always want to judge yourself against that opposition. I thought our kicking game, stroke territory, being in the right part of the field [was good]. “I thought our fitness was pretty good. It’s what we talked about before the game, mental switch offs, mental sharpness, lapses of concentration for two or three seconds and you get hurt.
Source:The Irish Times
November 02, 2025 16:11 UTC
Jonathan Dowdall left prison and entered witness protection – probably never to be seen again
Two weeks ago, Jonathan Dowdall walked out of Limerick Prison and into the shadowy world of witness protection, a world he will probably have to occupy for the rest of his life. However, the State was still obliged to honour the final part of its agreement with him – admission into the Garda’s witness protection programme, officially known as the Witness Security Programme (WSP). Dowdall served nearly all his sentence in Limerick Prison, far away from Hutch’s Dublin support base. In 2005, O’Callaghan testified against two men in a murder trial and subsequently, at age 18, became the youngest person to go into Ireland’s witness protection programme. Judges have questioned whether granting protection to witnesses, many serious criminals themselves, is a form of inducement.
Source:The Irish Times
November 02, 2025 16:00 UTC
Hotels catering for families with autistic children: ‘Nobody looks or stares at you’
Luke has limited verbal skills and, in common with many autistic children, a tendency to abscond. For us, it’s much easier to stay in Ireland.”For some families with autistic children, going on a break can feel harder than being at home. Since 2023, one of these has been transformed into a sensory room, which is kitted out with mood cubes, weighted blankets, vibrating pillows and low levels of lighting. Ciara Barry of the Ashling says: “Some autistic people are sensitive to light, others to noise, others to touch. “What is essential for an autistic family coming on holiday can actually be good for everybody.”*Some names have been changed.
Source:The Irish Times
November 02, 2025 15:32 UTC
Woman refuses to leave hospital after 719 days, court hears
Patient has told the High Court she was suffering from multiple issues which have not been treated and is backed in her claims by her solicitors. Photograph: Bryan O'BrienAn elderly woman is refusing to leave a hospital where she has been an inpatient for 719 days even though she has been medically assessed as in need of no further treatment, the High Court heard. The hospital is seeking orders that she leave the hospital within 24 hours and be restrained from attending again pending further order, other than in a medical emergency. The solicitor also said the doctor who is purporting to discharge her now “is not and never was our client’s doctor”. Apart from contributing to the chronic overcrowding the hospital is experiencing, the daily cost of her stay is €1,322, the hospital said.
Source:The Irish Times
November 02, 2025 02:54 UTC
Ireland v New Zealand was a sight that caused sore eyes
Superimposed ads are shown on the surface of Soldier Field during the Ireland game against New Zealand. First, there were so many luminous yellow boots on the field, the players had a look of Laa-Laa from the Teletubbies. How the Soldier Field pitch looked without the superimposed ads. Appropriately, New Zealand had a Holland and Barrett in their side, which was a reminder to order eye health capsules. The game, then, was a sight that caused sore eyes.
Source:The Irish Times
November 02, 2025 02:52 UTC
Willie Mullins supplies Breeders’ Cup shock as Ethical Diamond secures a first win and $5m prize
Irish jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle rides the Willie Mullins-trained Ethical Diamond to victory in the Breeders' Cup Turf race at Del Mar in California. But even 6,000 miles away in southern California, the 69-year-old National Hunt maestro somehow managed to turn the Breeders’ Cup into his own backyard. The trainer said it was his idea to reach for the Breeders’ Cup stars and in paid off in spectacular style. O’Brien’s son Donnacha saddled a first Breeders’ Cup winner with Balantina in the Juvenile Fillies event. The horse racing industry never expected us to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Source:The Irish Times
November 02, 2025 02:38 UTC
May McGee, wife, mother and grandmother celebrated in words, poetry and song
May McGee in Floraville Gardens, Skerries, Co Dublin, with a statue erected in her honour earlier this year. Photograph: Alan BetsonA celebration in words, music and poetry of the life of Mary “May” McGee, who successfully took a 1973 Supreme Court case against the State’s ban on contraception, took place at Dardistown Crematorium in Dublin on Saturday. The committal took place to the sound of Frank Sinatra singing the 1960s hit I Did it My Way. Ms McGee is survived by her children Martin, Gerard, Sylvia, Sharon, Darren and Andrea, extended family and a large circle of friends. Ms McGee’s husband Shay, her co-litigant in the Supreme Court case, predeceased her in January 2024.
Source:The Irish Times
November 02, 2025 02:37 UTC
All Blacks punish tiring Ireland in final quarter as they run in three tries to seal the deal
Tadhg Furlong scores a try for Ireland during the game against New Zealand at Soldier Field in Chicago. Like Ireland, Jack Crowley did many things well, not least in his passing game, but in his game management he forced his hand a little. Ireland’s Tadhg Beirne dejected after being sent to the sin bin for a yellow card before it was upgraded to a red. SCORING SEQUENCE – 7 mins: Crowley pen, 3-0; 17: Furlong try, Crowley con, 10-0; 20: Savea try, B Barrett con, 10-7. Half-time 10-7; 57: Crowley pen, 13-7; 62: Williams try, B Barrett con, 13-14; 67: Sititi try, B Barrett con, 13-21; 77: Roigard try, 13-26.
Source:The Irish Times
November 02, 2025 02:21 UTC