The Indo Daily: Rugby stars, Leaving Cert grinds, lewd jokes and a High Court case
The private grinds industry in Ireland is booming, and is estimated to be worth between €50-€60m.
Investors, including well-known names like Brian O'Driscoll and Caelan Doris, have been keen to get in on the action, as the pair did when they helped fund hybrid learning platform Grinds 360 last year. But the competition in the grinds world can be just as intense as it is on the rugby pitch, and sometimes notably bitter.
Take the case of respected maths teacher Rob Browne, whose high-profile transfer from the Dublin Academy of Education to Grinds 360 led to a contentious dispute that landed in the High Court where, among other things, a lewd joke made on TikTok was under scrutiny.
On this episode of The Indo Daily, host Kevin Doyle is joined by Sunday Independent journalist Mark Tighe, to discuss this unusual legal battle.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
3 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
I was a broke 22-year-old struggling to pay bills – now I've made £45k in 10 weeks thanks to a ‘silly' side hustle
A 22-YEAR-OLD has revealed she made a whopping £45,000 in 10 weeks, with a side hustle that doesn't need a degree or any qualifications. Olivia shared that last year she was struggling to make ends meet, and thought that 2025 would be the same for her. 2 Olivia was living paycheck to paycheck before she started digital marketing Credit: TikTok/@elevatewitholivia 2 She claims she earned £6000 in 12 hours Credit: TikTok/@elevatewitholivia She said that she was living paycheck to paycheck in a job that paid her £1200 a month. Then, 10 weeks ago, she started "I was burnt out, I was exhausted, I just knew that something needed to change", she revealed in a TikTok video. Olivia explained that to learn how to become a Business Academy, which taught her everything she needed to know. Read more side hustle stories "I genuinely owe most of my success to this exact course", she said. The savvy side hustler said that digital marketing involves selling She said that she was given products to use when she started the course, and edited them and re-branded them. The TikToker claimed she now sells these products on for 100% profit. Most read in Fabulous Olivia said that she made back the money she spent on the course on just day six. "I'm now a five figure business owner and I live every single day on my own terms", she said. I quit my 9 to 5 while still in debt - within days my 'exotic' side hustle brought in my old $70k salary in a month "I am honestly so grateful that I decided to actually take the leap." Olivia said that she was hesitant about starting digital marketing, but now wishes she'd started it sooner. She is now offering advice to others keen to start their own digital marketing journey. In a second video, the TikToker revealed that she was even able to make £6000 in just a 12 hour period. Top five easiest side hustles Dog walking Babysitting Selling clothes on Vinted or Depop Start a Youtube or TikTok channel Tutoring "Never in a million years did I think it would be possible to make this much money from my phone", she said. Olivia's ( side hustle . One person said: "You are living my dream." A second person said: "I'm so here for the journey." A third said: "Currently waiting for my first sale!! Praying."
RTÉ News
20 hours ago
- RTÉ News
High Court dismisses challenge against Clare wind farm
The High Court has dismissed objectors' judicial review challenge against the green light for a 579 ft high eight turbine wind farm for lands in south east Clare. Over 300 people from the area lodged objections against the Fahy Beg wind farm proposal and Clare County Council refused planning permission to RWE Renewables Ireland Ltd for the 38.4 MW wind-farm on lands 1.5km from Bridgetown, and 3.5km from O'Briensbridge in south-east Clare in May 2023. As part of the proposal, the wind-farm developers are to establish a Community Benefit Fund which will distribute up to €3.12m over the first 15 years of the wind farm. Documents lodged with the application state that the provision of the Community Benefit Fund "will have a significant long-term, positive effect on the socio-economic profile of the study area and wider area". The council refused across five grounds including that the planned wind farm would depreciate the price of property as it would be visually over-bearing on those properties. However, RWE Renewables Ireland appealed and An Bord Pléanála overturned the council refusal to grant planning permission in March 2024. In response, the Fahybeg Windfarm Opposition Group and Sean Conway launched High Court judicial review proceedings seeking to have the appeals board decision quashed for the wind farm which is to be located on a site 14km north of Limerick city. However, Mr Justice Richard Humphreys - who presides over the Planning and Environment Division of the High Court - has dismissed all grounds of the judicial review challenge. The applicants claimed that the decision should be quashed as the planned wind farm would materially contravene the Development Plan due to the loss of part of Ballymoloney Woods. Mr Justice Humphreys stated that on the basis of the applicants' analysis, the felling of any tree necessarily constitutes a material contravention of the Development Plan. Mr Justice Humphreys stated that this approach represented an "excessively literalist and absolutist interpretation" of development plan objectives. Mr Justice Humphreys stated that the application failed to engage with the specifics of the individual trees which are actually being felled, pointing 0.4 of a hectare or 0.2% of the total amount of long established woodland is being removed. He said: "There is no absolute prohibition on the removal of trees, contrary to the applicants' complaints, and a reasonably informed reader would not read such a preclusion into the Development Plan when same is read objectively and holistically." Mr Justice Humphreys also dismissed the objectors' claim that planning permission should be quashed due to the impact that the wind farm would have on property prices in the area. He said that there is no substantive evidence presented that would conclusively indicate a depreciation in property values directly attributable to the wind farm's presence at this particular location. Mr Justice Humphreys made no order in relation to costs.
The Journal
a day ago
- The Journal
High Court dismisses judicial review challenge against 579ft-high wind farm in Clare
THE HIGH COURT has dismissed objectors' judicial review challenge against the green light for a 579ft-high eight-turbine wind farm for lands in south-east Clare. More than 300 people from the area lodged objections against the Fahy Beg wind farm proposal and Clare County Council refused planning permission to RWE Renewables Ireland Ltd for the 38.4 MW wind-farm on lands 1.5km from Bridgetown, and 3.5km from O'Briensbridge in south-east Clare in May 2023. As part of the proposal, the wind-farm developers are to establish a Community Benefit Fund which will distribute up to €3.12m over the first 15 years of the wind farm. Documents lodged with the application state that the provision of the Community Benefit Fund 'will have a significant long-term, positive effect on the socio-economic profile of the study area and wider area'. The Council refused across five grounds including that the planned wind farm would depreciate the price of property as it would be visually over-bearing on those properties. However, RWE Renewables Ireland appealed and An Bord Pleanala overturned the Council refusal to grant planning permission in March 2024. In response, the Fahybeg Windfarm Opposition Group and Sean Conway launched High Court judicial review proceedings seeking to have the appeals board decision quashed for the wind farm which is to be located on a site 14km north of Limerick city. Advertisement However, Justice Richard Humphreys – who presides over the Planning and Environment Division of the High Court – has dismissed all grounds of the judicial review challenge. The applicants claimed that the decision should be quashed as the planned wind farm would materially contravene the Development Plan due to the loss of part of Ballymoloney Woods. Justice Humphreys stated that on the basis of the applicants' analysis, the felling of any tree necessarily constitutes a material contravention of the Development Plan. Justice Humphreys stated that this approach represented an 'excessively literalist and absolutist interpretation' of development plan objectives. Justice Humphreys stated that the application failed to engage with the specifics of the individual trees which are actually being felled, pointing 0.4 of a hectare or, or 0.2% of the total amount of long established woodland is being removed. He said: 'There is no absolute prohibition on the removal of trees, contrary to the applicants' complaints, and a reasonably informed reader would not read such a preclusion into the Development Plan when same is read objectively and holistically.' Justice Humphreys also dismissed the objectors' claim that planning permission should be quashed due to the impact that the wind farm would have on property prices in the area. He said that there is no substantive evidence presented that would conclusively indicate a depreciation in property values directly attributable to the wind farm's presence at this particular location. Justice Humphreys made no order in relation to costs.
