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Irish Times
27 minutes ago
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on the presidential race: contortions and expediency
Less than a week after Mairead McGuinness's shock withdrawal from the presidential election, Fine Gael appears already well on its way to settling on a replacement. Heather Humphreys has established such a commanding lead over Seán Kelly in pledged parliamentary support that the race may effectively be over before a single vote is cast. Kelly, however, may be less inclined to bow out gracefully this time. After all, had he stayed in the contest earlier in the summer, rather than stepping aside for McGuinness, he would by now be the party's standard-bearer. What has followed since McGuinness's announcement has been a study in political flexibility, not to say expediency. Both contenders have been obliged to explain why they now covet a role they had so recently declined. In June, Kelly reflected aloud that he was content in Brussels, invoking John B Keane as he wondered whether he truly wanted to trade Kerry for seven years in the Áras. His conclusion was no. Humphreys, for her part, told RTÉ in May that she had no interest in returning to public life, having retired from frontline politics to spend time with her family. All, it seems, has now changed utterly. READ MORE Fine Gael, which carefully stage-managed McGuinness's uncontested nomination, now benefits once again from having a bench of plausible successors to choose from. The same cannot be said for its rivals. Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin continue to deliberate, with little sign of consensus around a credible nominee. Their reluctance reflects a more basic problem: neither party has a clear candidate who could avoid the fate of the also-ran. Sinn Féin is reported this week to be edging towards endorsing Catherine Connolly. Should that materialise, and with the route for an Independent nominee narrowing by the day, attention will turn squarely to Fianna Fáil. It has been more than 50 years since the presidency was last contested in a straight two-way contest. It may fall to Micheál Martin to avoid such a narrow choice being presented to the electorate. There are strong arguments for Fianna Fáil to enter the fray. First, it would signal confidence from the State's largest party, which has not contested a presidential election this century. Second, neither Connolly nor Humphreys (assuming she is the Fine Gael nominee) are unbeatable. Neither has been tested in the uniquely unforgiving environment of a presidential campaign. Each is perfectly capable of the sort of verbal slips or missteps that have derailed hopefuls before. If, as some in Leinster House suspect, Martin already has a name in his pocket, the only question now is when he chooses to reveal it.
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Rose of Tralee 2025 winner ‘delighted' to represent women in trades
The newly-crowned Rose of Tralee discovered a love of working with electrics while on Transition Year work experience. Katelyn Cummins (20), an electrical apprentice , said she is 'absolutely delighted' to represent women in the trade world. 'I think I am inspiring a lot of girls and I hope to continue to do so,' said the Laois Rose, who is in the third phase of her apprenticeship with Alpha Drives Ltd, which designs and manufactures gearboxes and other electrics. Some commentators on social media said it was good to have a Rose of Tralee who not only worked in a traditionally male-dominated field but was also a successful young women who wears a hearing aid. READ MORE Speaking about this, she said: 'I suppose having a hearing disability has its challenges but I wanted to make this experience about me, not my disability.' Her parents, Noel and Siobhan Cummins, are dairy farmers in Ballyouskill on the Laois-Kilkenny border. The Laois Rose took home the honour on Tuesday night at the Tralee Dome, Co Kerry. The title was conferred to Ms Cummins by the reigning Rose Keely O'Grady from New Zealand. Surrounded by journalists and flowers in Tralee Town Park, the electrical apprentice looked remarkably bright considering she was running on 20 minutes of sleep. 'Most of the [the roses] were only going to sleep when I was getting up,' she said, laughing. [ Rose of Tralee 2025: What does the winner get and what must she do during her year's reign? Opens in new window ] 'It's amazing to feel so supported by a female and girl power energy.' Photograph: Domnick Walsh/ Eye Focus LTD The Ballyouskill native said she has two years left in her apprenticeship, after which she hopes to spend a couple of years travelling, before returning to Ireland to complete an engineering degree. Some of her travel plans will be realised sooner than she originally thought, with a €25,000 travel bursary included as part of her Rose of Tralee winnings. Ms Cummins said she was looking forward to 'making new experiences and the memories of a lifetime'. She wants to travel the world, see different cultures and meet new people. She has not declared any destination yet, saying she will go 'wherever the Rose of Tralee international festival takes me'. Her status as the first ever Laois winner of the competition was news to Ms Cummins, who said: 'It's incredible. It's all the more amazing to have the title.' [ Rose of Tralee 2025 review: Another batch of warm, likeable overachievers makes for slightly plodding TV Opens in new window ] Ms Cummins added that working in a predominantly male environment meant the Rose of Tralee gave her 'a great opportunity' to embrace her 'feminine side'. 'It has been so refreshing' she said. 'I have got so much more confidence and empowerment from the other girls. It's amazing to feel so supported by a female and girl power energy. It's just been very good.' 'I think I was my true self, most definitely, on that tour. I am so excited to have 31 new girlfriends now,' she said. She paid particular homage to Wexford Rose Clíona O'Leary, who also comes from a farming background, saying they got on 'like a house on fire'. The highlight of Ms Cummins's festival was 'jiving with the Wexford Rose Clíona'. Another highlight came in the form of the Saturday night Moonlight Parade, when she welled up at the sight of 'so many people I never knew were coming down to Tralee'. If she could send a message to her younger self, it would be: 'Be confident in yourself, believe in yourself and know that you are going to be amazing in the future.'
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
Tech sell-off dampens mood on Wall Street
Global markets were higher on Wednesday before a tech sell-off on Wall Street extended into a second day and dampened the mood. Dublin Euronext Dublin finished 1.6 per cent lower, dragged down by insulation specialist Kingspan, which sank 4.4 per cent off the back of a badly received profit warning from Danish peer Rockwool. Kingspan is one of the biggest companies on the index, and the situation was not helped by a 2.4 per cent dip apiece for fellow heavyweights Ryanair and AIB. Food giant Kerry Group was the standout performer on the day as it rose 1.7 per cent. READ MORE Kenmare Resources finished down 2.7 per cent after saying it will pay an interim dividend to shareholders despite plunging to an $88.6 million (€76.17 million) loss before tax in the first six months of 2025 after taking a $100 million impairment charge on mining assets in Mozambique. London The FTSE 100 hit a new all-time high as it climbed 1.1 per cent, shrugging off inflation data and fresh falls among technology stocks on Wall Street. The FTSE 250 ended up 0.2 per cent, but the AIM All-Share finished 0.5 per cent lower. Rate sensitive housebuilders bucked the upbeat mood on the FTSE 100, with Persimmon falling 0.3 per cent. Elsewhere, ConvaTec gained 5.6 per cent as the medical products supplier started a share buyback worth up to $300 million. Ithaca Energy jumped 10.4 per cent to the highest in nearly three years after the oil and gas company lifted its 2025 production forecast. Meanwhile, United Utilities firmed 3.5 per cent as Barclays upgraded to 'overweight' and set a 1,535 pence share price target. Europe European stocks rose for a third straight session, aided by gains in defensive sectors. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index advanced 0.2 per cent by the close. Defensive stocks that are less sensitive to economic cycles, including food and beverage and personal care, outperformed. Construction, as well as travel and leisure stocks, were the biggest laggards. The Cac 40 in Paris ended slightly lower, while the Dax 40 in Frankfurt closed down 0.6 per cent. Among individual stocks, Alcon slumped 9.4 per cent after the medical device manufacturer cut its net sales forecast. Elsewhere, United Utilities Group rose 3.5 per cent after the stock was upgraded to overweight by Barclays analysts. New York Shares on Wall Street dropped for a second successive day as weakness in the tech sector persisted while a key meeting of central bankers later this week remained in focus for currency and rates traders. The S&P 500 declined 0.8 per cent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite dropped nearly 1.5 per cent in early trade, as the pressure persisted after a steep fall on Tuesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.2 per cent. Analysts pointed to a confluence of factors behind weakness in tech stocks, including concerns over steep valuations, investors exiting profitable positions and a general mood of risk aversion. 'I think we were priced for perfection in the US and there was quite a lot of complacency in markets, so some summer volatility should have been expected,' said Ben Laidler, head of equity strategy at Bradesco BBI. Wariness over US president Donald Trump's growing influence over the sector has also been in focus for investors. US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick is looking into the government taking equity stakes in Intel as well as other chip companies, two sources told Reuters. The potential moves follow other unusual revenue-sharing deals Washington has recently struck with US companies, including AI chip giant Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices. While the individual developments may be brushed aside by markets, they fall into the broader bucket of concerns over the institutional framework in the United States, Mr Laidler said. – Additional reporting: Agencies
