Confusion reigns over which Irish exports will be covered by new 15pc US tariffs
Today at 00:30
There is enormous confusion in Government and the EU about what products will be covered by the baseline 15pc tariff which activates on Friday following the US trade deal.
It is still unclear if pharmaceuticals, which are critical to the Irish economy, will be included in the 15pc bracket or if they could yet be hit with a higher levy.
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Extra.ie
an hour ago
- Extra.ie
Hilary Weston, businesswoman behind Penneys and Brown Thomas, dies aged 83
Hilary Weston, the Dublin-born businesswoman, philanthropist and lover of the arts – who helped build Brown Thomas as Ireland's most famous department store – has died aged 83. The luxury store – along with Penneys – was part of her late husband Galen Weston's family multi-national retail empire. Ms Weston died in London on Saturday, where she lived in recent years. It is understood her health deteriorated over the past week. She was prominent in the early days of Penneys after the family business bought the ailing Todd Byrne's department store and established the budget fashion chain. The luxury store – along with Penneys – was part of her late husband Galen Weston's family multi-national retail empire. 27/2/1995. Photo: She is said to have personally overseen the production of clothing for the in-house brand Primark, which would give its name to the wider chain outside Ireland, as the Penneys name had copyright issues outside Ireland with US department stores JC Penney. She was later prominent in running Brown Thomas after her husband purchased the long-established retailer, buying one share in 1971 and then buying it outright in 1983. She served as vice-chair of Holt Renfrew, the group's luxury retail chain in Canada. She held a variety of other positions in the wider family's interests, which included the conglomerate Associated British Foods, of which Penneys was a subsidiary; Fortnum & Mason; and Loblaws, the largest food retailer in Canada. She also oversaw a major property development in Florida. Born Hilary Frayne, in Dún Laoghaire, south Co. Dublin, in 1942, she was the eldest of five children and attended renowned private girls' school Loreto Abbey, Dalkey. She started to work as a model in the 1950s, working in Ireland and internationally. She met her future husband after he saw her on an advertising billboard and had auctioneer Corrie Buckley arrange an introduction. Designer Sybil Connelly, a family friend, invited Hilary to tour the US with her to model her couture collection in the 1960s. I was a sort of muse. In a way, at that time, one was representing Irish fashion,' Weston recalled a number of years ago. 'Sybil Connolly made these incredible dresses and ball gowns in fine, fine hand-pleated linen. Everyone in America loved those things.' By 1965, the couple were engaged and on July 23, 1966, they married in England. UCD honorary degree for Brown Thomas owner Hilary Weston. Pic: Collins Having initially settled at the Roundwood Park estate, in Co. Wicklow, the family moved to Toronto in 1971 and Ms Weston later became a Canadian citizen. In August 1983, the IRA attempted to kidnap Mr Weston at Roundwood but gardaí had apparently been tipped off. The family was not there and two of the kidnappers were killed, while others were arrested during a gunfight with armed police. Mr Weston, who was born in England but raised in Canada, moved to Ireland in 1962 to establish Power supermarkets. He took over the Quinnsworth chain before selling it to Tesco in the 1990s. Brown Thomas acquired the Switzer group of stores and then Arnotts, the Irish operation becoming part of the Selfridges group, which the family sold in 2021 – the year Mr Weston died – for more than €4billion. Penneys now employs more than 80,000 staff across 17 countries and had sales of almost €11billion in 2024. The family's fortune is put at €20.43billion, according to latest the Sunday Times rich list. Irish Ambassador to Canada John Concannon said: 'Hilary was a very proud Irish-Canadian, who served Ireland and Canada with distinction and generosity. In addition to her successful businesses and public service in Canada, through her leadership of the Ireland Funds Canada, she made a lasting contribution to Irish-Canadian relations.' She is survived by the couple's two children, Alannah and Galen Jnr, who are involved in the family business. She will have a State funeral in Ontario, Canada.
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Ireland will be rememberd as a beacon in dark times if we pass the Occupied Territories Bill
Ireland has taken a position of empathy and solidarity towards the suffering of Palestinian people. But the Government needs to continue to back up words with action. This is why passing the Occupied Territories Bill , which the foreign and trade committee recommends should include trade in services , is so important. Right now around the world, the same people, politicians and media outlets who obfuscated, approved – and effectively gave licence to Israel to carry out unfettered war crimes by constantly stating that it 'has a right to defend itself', as though that's what it was doing – are currently embarking upon a collective reversal. The spines achingly visible under the thin skin of starving children have finally prompted a vague expression of another kind of backbone. [ Israel increasingly isolated as more countries sign up to recognise Palestine Opens in new window ] In so many ways, it's too late. In others, whatever on earth can be done to stop the horror being perpetrated on Gaza and the West Bank, whatever action to end Israel's daily massacres and strategic starvation of Palestinians, has to happen. It had to happen yesterday, and since it didn't, it has to happen today. This heel-dragging is incredibly frustrating. But what it also demonstrates is that everyone who called out war crimes and genocide for what they are from the get-go was right. READ MORE Famine unfolding in Gaza: 'Children are eating grass and weeds at the side of the road' Listen | 23:23 A recent, very good letter to The Irish Times advocated for the Government to call a national day of protest. Tánaiste Simon Harris posted this letter to Instagram, and wrote: 'The people of Ireland stand with the people of Palestine. We stand for human rights, for international law, for a two-state solution, for aid to flow, for hostages to be released. We stand for peace. We stand for an end to genocide. The suggestion for a national day or moment of solidarity made by Michael Cush in the letter above is sensible and a good idea. It could be powerful if many countries did it together. I will now talk to colleagues on how to make this happen.' [ Occupied Territories Bill: Irish voters grow more cautious, poll shows Opens in new window ] There have been many national days of protest and solidarity over the past two years, with hundreds of thousands of people participating – marching, protesting, rallying, fundraising, cycling, hiking, running, swimming, cooking, holding concerts, markets and matches, producing T-shirts and art – and doing everything they could to raise awareness and funds, all of which makes up an undeniable network of unbreakable grassroots solidarity. This is already meaningful. While I am all for more protest – and the public does not need Government to give it a seal of approval, although it would be powerful to see all politicians in the Dáil and Seanad hold their own protest or march with those already on the streets – the public cannot draft legislation. The Government needs to do what is within its power. That means passing the Occupied Territories Bill, including trade in services. It also means ending the transport of weapons of war and their components in Irish airspace – a question which Harris flubbed during an interview on The Late Late Show – and ending the export of components of machinery such as drones from companies in Ireland to Israel. The people are doing their work on the ground and in communities. The Government needs to do its work in Leinster House. The 41st anniversary of the beginning of the Dunnes Stores strike protesting against apartheid South Africa passed recently. The people who participated in that strike – and Mary Manning was just 21 years old when she took the stand that catalysed it – did so at personal and financial cost. But the real cost of a stand such as this is never money, inconvenience, disapproval, the loss of acceptability or access to cliques of power. It's about what happens when you don't take it. And that's about our soul and integrity. It's about our morality and our ethical steadfastness. It's no surprise then, to see Manning at Palestine solidarity protests 41 years later. In Omar El Akkad's book One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This, he writes, 'The moral component of history, the most necessary component, is simply a single question, asked over and over again: When it mattered, who sided with justice and who sided with power? What makes moments such as this one so dangerous, so clarifying, is that one way or another everyone is forced to answer.' [ Occupied Territories Bill: former Ceann Comhairle 'confident' Government will include ban on services Opens in new window ] We cannot wait to reflect with hindsight. We need to answer that question now. Time and time again, when Ireland has led, others have followed. Recognising Palestinian statehood, for example, was not merely symbolic, it was also a catalyst, one which other countries are following. The Occupied Territories Bill, including trade in services, can act as another catalyst, where Ireland can lead on a global movement of the boycott, divestment and sanctioning of Israel. The reflection that will then occur in time can be one where Ireland can be seen as a beacon in dark times, a small nation that did everything it could to illuminate a path out of this horrific mire. The people of Ireland protesting have secured their legacy in this moment. Now it's time for our legislators to live up to such aspirations.
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Letters: New garda commissioner Justin Kelly has a big job ahead as he tries to turn force around
While I, like many others, am delighted to see a homegrown member succeed to the highest echelons of the force, Justin Kelly will have his work cut out for him given the myriad problems facing him, including the recently published Crowe report. The dogs on the street know that the present model of policing just doesn't work and has been shown to be more of a hindrance than a help to both the public and to gardaí. Mr Kelly's main tasks will be recruitment and retention of gardaí, and to stem the flow of resignations which has dogged the force these past number of years. While the Government has ramped up its attempts to recruit, the expected increase in numbers hasn't materialised. Morale in the force has been at an all-time low, with many frontline gardaí I've spoken to concerned that the amalgamation of divisions, reduction in districts and closure of smaller stations expose them and the public to unnecessary dangers. The issue of over-discipline and internal oversight will be another factor he will have to contend with. While he may have master's in criminal justice and in serious crime, Mr Kelly will have to master an ingrained and faulty ideology that has caused major friction between the garda associations and the office of commissioner itself. How he will handle all of these issues, while attempting to appease his political overlords and those in the PCSA (Policing and Community Safety Authority), while governing a force in transformation and change, is anyone's guess. What makes him tick, and how will he use his management skills to radically change the narrative and bring together a force that has seen a huge chasm between those at the top and those who risk their lives on our behalf every day? Well, the proof will definitely be in the pudding. Christy Galligan, Letterkenny, Co Donegal Stop sneering – remote working can unlock huge potential of rural Ireland Sinéad Ryan and others in the media appear to be taking great delight in AIB's decision to force staff back to the office three days per week ('AIB wants its staff back to the office more – they should consider themselves lucky', Irish Independent, August 1). As a public servant who worked almost exclusively from home during the pandemic, I have written at length to this newspaper and elected representatives on this topic (all on my own time, I might add). Working from home is not always ideal. While one is sometimes more able to focus on specific tasks, there can also be domestic distractions and it can be isolating too. I will admit there is an increased sense of collegiality and more opportunities for collaboration when working from the office. However, remote working, by its very nature, can be done from a number of different locations. Most effectively, perhaps, from one of the many state-of-the art 'remote hubs' the government spent millions on establishing around the country during Covid and which are now, for the most part, gathering dust. This largely untapped resource could be the key to unlocking a new digital decentralisation. These hubs could effectively become branch offices, allowing people from remote regions to live and work, settle down and start families in their own locality. Negating the need for long commutes or relocation to already congested and expensive urban areas. Breathing new life into rural towns which are currently in decline. If the public sector took the lead on this (it was public money spent on these hubs, after all) others would surely follow. It would sure beat reading endless opinion pieces by mean-spirited columnists gloating about spoiled workers being dragged back to the office by tough, uncompromising, bombastic bosses. Yawn… Paddy Sharkey, Kilcar, Co Donegal Digital divide in literacy poses serious risks to the future of our democracy A century ago, mass literacy helped build liberal democracy; today, its erosion may accelerate its decline. Long-form reading – the kind that trains attention, deep reasoning and tolerance for complexity – is quietly becoming a class-based skill. As smartphones colonise ever more of daily life, this cognitive bifurcation will harden. We already see the outlines: elites paying fees to shield their children from screens, while poorer families navigate algorithm-driven content designed to addict. The result is not just cultural decay but political vulnerability. A distracted electorate, trained on dopamine loops and meme-slop, is less able to scrutinise policy, follow evidence or defend democratic norms. Ireland, with a highly educated population, still young in its republic, would do well to recognise this as a national risk. Literacy was once the route to dignity. If it is allowed to drift into the realm of the privileged, we may soon find that the real digital divide was not access to devices but the ability to think beyond them. Enda Cullen, Tullysaran, Co Armagh Disgusting racist attacks on Indian community do not represent real Ireland The increasing number of physical attacks on members of the Indian community living in Ireland (which have led to the Indian embassy issuing a safety advisory notice) is a cause of growing concern. To think that the Indian constitution was significantly influenced by the Irish Constitution, and in particular the shared provision for government to promote the social and economic welfare of all the people. How the founders of our Constitution must be turning in their graves at today's horrendous racist attacks. Mark Hogan, Wicklow town Gavin's Football Review Committee has been real winner this GAA season After the camogie final next Sunday, the 'hooter' on GAA inter-county season 2025 will sound, leaving only speculation and opinion as to the teams of the year and the players of the season. I have for many weeks now, settled on my team of 2025, namely, the Football Review Committee captained by Jim Gavin. The captain and his team have certainly put in the graft, have stuck to their game plan, with perceptive flexibility as needed, and haven't shirked their essential responsibilities. Thus, they have scored championship-winning goals in the radical reappraisal and rehabilitation of Gaelic football. My only concern now is, that if this team features again next year, football will galvanise itself as 'the new hurling' of the GAA world, an anathema for a Kilkenny man.
