Bring the outside in by embracing natural tones and colours in your home
Anyone who has ever decorated their home will know the agony and ecstasy of choosing paint colours. When you choose colours which echo the natural world, they bring warmth, comfort, and authenticity to a space, season after season. “Bedrooms often suit softer, cocooning shades like Water Lilies, Seafoam, or the dusky pink tones of Lerici and Tempest. Neutral or earthyNature is also an inspiration at Colourtrend, where the new range is inspired by natural colours found in woodlands across Ireland. Also, use colour to enhance space, lighter tones open up smaller rooms; deeper hues can make large rooms feel more intimate.
Source:The Irish Times
October 27, 2025 22:12 UTC
Councils get €70m property tax boost as revaluations and new properties add to pot
Local Property Tax: Local authorities will receive about 10 per cent more from revised evaluations and new properties in 2026. Photograph: Bryan O'BrienThe country’s 31 local authorities will receive €767 million from the local property tax (LPT) in 2026, according to figures published by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Just three local authorities will apply cuts to their charges next year, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin County Council (SDCC). The €767 million total for the 31 local authorities for next year includes central Government supports of €142.3 million to 21 local authorities with low LPT bases. The €767 million total is 69 per cent more than the €453 million allocated a decade ago.
Source:The Irish Times
October 27, 2025 22:08 UTC
If Micheál Martin survives this, his achievement will almost rival Catherine Connolly’s – The Irish Times
Catherine Connolly’s election is a nadir for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. But if Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael fall back, and they can’t make it together, Sinn Féin can and would consider a deal with Fianna Fáil under new leadership. There is deep dissatisfaction in Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael with their respective leaders – but if change is attempted, it is not assured. The Fine Gael ecosystem is parched and its circle of decision makers is too small and too incapable of renewal. Unlike Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil has choices and perhaps just enough energy left to exercise them.
Source:The Irish Times
October 27, 2025 22:03 UTC
Toy libraries are helping families save money, cut down on clutter and reduce waste
Families can save money by borrowing toys that are quickly outgrown instead of buying them, says Toy Libraries Ireland. Nearly 80 per cent of all toys end up in landfill, incinerators or the ocean, according to Toy Libraries Ireland. Set up and run on a voluntary basis by individuals and community groups who are passionate about high-quality, sustainable play, toy libraries are helping families to save money, cut down on clutter and reduce waste. You’ll find toy libraries at the Carrig Centre in Ballincollig, Cork, in Ongar community centre in northwest Dublin, and in the Flemington centre in Balbriggan too, says Toy Libraries Ireland. Toy Libraries Ireland has put together a “how-to” guide providing practical information for getting your community toy library off the ground.
Source:The Irish Times
October 27, 2025 21:58 UTC
‘You’re kind of transient’: The bittersweet life of an Erasmus Mundus master’s student
It is one of 349 unique Erasmus Mundus master’s programmes that have been running since 2004. It was a broad master’s programme, rather than a deep one – each of the five words in the programme title is a master’s in itself. Elsewhere, Erasmus Mundus programme fees vary between €2,000 and €9,000 per year, with higher costs for those coming from outside the EU. In addition to the lower costs of fees and student accommodation compared with Ireland, many places on Erasmus Mundus courses are funded by scholarships. Similarly, Butler says the chance to practise Spanish as part of her master’s programme was a big draw for her.
Source:The Irish Times
October 27, 2025 21:54 UTC
FF cannot afford division and ‘must come together as party’ minister says – The Irish Times
Minister of State Thomas Byrne conceded that his party has to have “difficult conversations” in the wake of its disastrous presidential election campaign, but said that Fianna Fáil cannot afford division. So I think we really need to come together as a party,” Mr Byrne said. Asked about Mr Lahart’s claim that a modern political party can’t afford “errors of judgement,” Mr Byrne said that a “a modern political party can’t afford division”. Mr Byrne said he didn’t detect a “groundswell” of criticism towards Mr Martin. “No matter what is done, it’s going to take a long time for Fianna Fáil to recover,” he said.
Source:The Irish Times
October 27, 2025 21:49 UTC
Letters to the Editor, October 27th: On religious teaching in schools, AI and schools and knocking Knock Airport
If parents wish for their children to be active within the Church, then they should take them to a church. Don’t knock Knock AirportSir, – In his Irishman’s Diary of Friday, October 24th, Frank McNally describes Knock Airport as being located on a boggy hill somewhere between Charlestown and nowhere. For Mr McNally’s information, Knock Airport is located just off the N17 national primary road that connects Sligo to Galway. Maybe the next time Frank is struggling to find a subject to write about for his column he should pay a return visit to Knock Airport. Sir, – Can I express my outrage at Frank McNally’s suggestion that what he refers to as “Knock Airport” is located “halfway between Charlestown and nowhere”.
Source:The Irish Times
October 27, 2025 21:36 UTC
The cheaper hotel trick, and 58 other things I’ve learned from visiting 59 countries – The Irish Times
Here are 59 of my most-used – and, needless to say, “don’t lose your passport” trumps them all. If you’re travelling with a backpack as luggage, and only have large packing cubes, it might not Tetris up neatly. At the airport gates for low-cost airlines, don’t be the last to board, just in case the flight is overbooked. [ An Irish flight attendant’s top travel tips on how to avoid stress on your next tripOpens in new window ]15. If you’re abroad for more than four days, take your usual vitamins and supplements with you.
Source:The Irish Times
October 27, 2025 21:36 UTC
Go west: upheaval of war drives integration of people from eastern and western Ukraine
Oksana Dubyk, a former resident of Russian-occupied Mariupol in eastern Ukraine, is preparing to open a small bakery 1,200km away in Lviv. It took months to recover his body, and he was buried in Lviv’s historic Lychakiv cemetery only the following summer. “It’s hard – and harder for older people than for the young,” Dubyk says about the experience of displacement. Hanna Kutepova fled with her mother and two children from Lysychansk in eastern Ukraine in April 2022 and has settled in Lviv near the Polish border. Kulynych says the upheaval of the war has forced easterners and westerners to integrate more deeply, and that most displaced people have settled well in Lviv.
Source:The Irish Times
October 27, 2025 21:31 UTC
Fianna Fáil TD insists remarks critical of Micheál Martin not the start of party heave
A Fianna Fáil TD who suggested Taoiseach Micheál Martin made errors in the party’s presidential election campaign has denied his comments should be seen as the start of a heave against the party leader. Mr Lahart’s comments on Newstalk on Saturday were interpreted by some within Fianna Fáil as the beginning of a potential move against Mr Martin. Fianna Fáil had a disastrous presidential election. At this, Mr Martin apologised and acknowledged the “hurt and shock” of Fianna Fáil members. “No matter what is done, it’s going to take a long time for Fianna Fáil to recover,” he said.
Source:The Irish Times
October 26, 2025 22:29 UTC
Spoiled ballots hit unprecedented level as voters express anger at choice of candidates
At the last 2018 presidential election, spoiled votes totalled 18,438, accounting for 1.2 per cent of the total vote in that election. Spoiled votes from the Dublin South West count centre as the first boxes are being opened for counting of presidential votes at Dublins RDS count centre. Large numbers of spoiled votes were cast in working-class areas in particular, though significant numbers appeared in most boxes across all 43 constituencies. Other spoiled votes had “Connor”, “Dustin the Turkey”, “Donald Trump”, “I’m spoiling my vote” and “IPAS centres out of here” written on them. Labour leader Ivana Bacik said the level of spoiled votes had to be addressed.
Source:The Irish Times
October 26, 2025 08:33 UTC
What went wrong in the Heather Humphreys campaign?
Pat Leahy takes us through his top three points on the presidential election and the outcome of the vote. A rabble of Fine Gael farmers stand with Heather stickers on their lapels, ready to clap. Elsewhere, a presidential campaign for the remaining 80 per cent of the electorate is taking place. The presidential campaign was said to be the first time Humphreys had real experience of social media abuse. Within the Humphreys campaign some called these diehard party members “Black Fianna Fáilers”.
Source:The Irish Times
October 25, 2025 22:54 UTC
The winners and losers of the presidential election
So as the dust settles on a historic result, who are the winners and losers? This is Fianna Fáil’s worst election result ever. Jim Gavin (right) and Taoiseach Micheál Martin at the launch for the latter's shortlived 2025 presidential campaign in September. But you can be sure that in future parties will interrogate whether willing celebrities have the chops to handle a bruising election campaign. The broad left has been significantly strengthened – and Sinn Féin is the leader of the left.
Source:The Irish Times
October 25, 2025 22:32 UTC
Catherine Connolly deserves her landslide victory, but it’s a hollow crown – The Irish Times
Catherine Connolly got very, very fortunate in her opponents but she was also bold enough to make her own luck. At a personal level, Connolly thoroughly deserves her landslide victory. Yet even as she savours her deserved victory, Connolly cannot be unaware that she was also soundly trounced by the real winner: indifference. For after this unprecedented election, a very large body of the Irish citizenry is left feeling un-presidented. If she can repeat that feat in office, she will do much to shore up a democracy endangered by complacency.
Source:The Irish Times
October 25, 2025 17:12 UTC