
Accountancy students count themselves best in the world
Four Irish accountancy students can count themselves the best in the world after finishing first and second in their exams.
Elizabeth Howard and Aoife Mc Walters, both from Galway, achieved the highest mark globally in their Taxation exam, while Liina Rae from Rathfarnham and Gary O'Shea, from Bandon, were second in the world in their Performance Management and Financial Management exams respectively.
All Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) students at Dublin-based online and blended learning college, Accountancy School, they are amongst 15 accountancy students from the school to rank within the world's top 10 in their exams.
Of 500,000 ACCA students, approximately 8,000 of whom study in Ireland, Elizabeth, Aoife, Liina and Gary were four of 27 fellow Accountancy School students to finish first in Ireland.
All were recognised for their achievements at a ceremony in Dublin recently.
Congratulating them on their results, Accountancy School managing director, Dave O'Donoghue said, "ACCA is a globally recognised accountancy qualification, and the key to a hugely rewarding career in accountancy and financial management, here in Ireland and internationally.
"Against the backdrop of an acute world-wide shortage of accountants, ACCA trainees, affiliates and members are in high demand throughout the world," Mr O'Donoghue said.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Extra.ie
3 hours ago
- Extra.ie
Twix joins list of ads banned from Irish and UK TV
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) caused quite a stir this week for their move to pull a 70s-themed advertisement for chocolate bar, Twix, due to the alleged promotion of 'unsafe driving.' The advertisement was released in March of this year but has since been banned by the ASA following five complaints that the footage 'condoned unsafe driving.' The commercial sees two cars involved in a car chase with the man in the first car putting the foot down in order to get away from the car chasing him. The advertisement was released in March of this year but has since been banned by the ASA following five complaints that the footage 'condoned unsafe driving.' Pic: Twix The man then takes a sharp turn which leads the vehicle to come off the side of the road and overturn a number of times before ending up overturned on top of an identical car, similar to the two bars in a Twix. The ASA acknowledged that there were 'fantastical elements' in the ad but upheld the complaints and ruled the advertisement could not appear in its current form again. Agencies such as the ASA and the ASAI (Avertising Standards Authority of Ireland) work to regulate TV commercials within their countries. View this post on Instagram A post shared by (@extradotie) Following the latest banned advertisement, take a look at five more advertisements that have been pulled across Irish and/or British TV. In 2023, the ASAI banned a piggybank commercial which had been created for Bank of Ireland due to the idea that the ad 'normalised the illegal and environmentally corrupt practice of backyard burning.' The television ad promoted Bank of Ireland's Big Move initiative to help consumers switch banks with ease, following the withdrawal of two banks from the market. The objected scene showed a man and a woman standing over a burning barrel, with the narrator saying: 'Break-ups are always a bit messy.' The woman, holding a money jar in the shape of a hippo then says: 'They gave me this when we first met' – before throwing the jar into the burning barrel. Despite the bank highlighting that no materials were 'actually fully burnt,' the ASAI complaints committee found that apart from limited circumstances, the backyard burning of waste was illegal and subject to prosecution, therefore the ad was banned. Going back to 2017, the commercials watchdog pulled a cinema advertisement for car brand Nissan due to the depiction of bullying and gender sterotypes. The two and a half minute video sees a young boy, who does errands for an elderly neighbour, beaten up by a group of older boys every time he does the errands for the elderly lady. The bullying continues throughout the years, with the youngster becoming more and more withdrawn as a result. Meanwhile, his little sister decides to join a martial arts class and is eventually able to step into defend her brother. No violence is shown throughout the ad, however, the young boy is seen with cuts and bruises on a number of occassions. Following the finale where the sister defends her brother, the siblings transform into cars. The ad was banned when the ASAI ruled that the message was 'that violence could be used to revolve issues and that it was an appropriate response to bullying.' Pic: Youtube Period product Tampax' Tampax and Tea advertisement was banned in Ireland in 2020 with the ASAI committee ruling that it 'should not run in the same format again,' due to being offensive. With almost 100 complaints made to the watchdog, complainants found the advertisement offensive, crude and vulgar. The advertisement came in the from of a fake talk show with the host asking her guest and audience members if they can feel their tampon before telling them that they shouldn't and explaining it might not be inserted properly. 'Ya gotta get it up there girls!' the host then exclaims. Despite the ASAI noting that the ad had provided 'factual information in a manner that was neither explicit nor graphic,' it was banned from Irish TV. Beer brand Heineken have had Formula 1 star Max Verstappen on board as an ambassador in recent months, with the promotion of their 0.0 beer and campaign: 'The best driver is the one who is not drinking.' While many will be familiar with the TV advertisement, the Dutch company were left with no choice but to remove the advertisement on social media due to failure in meeting advertising standards. The paid social media advert saw the Verstappen holding a bottle of the non-alcoholic alternative and the slogan: 'The best driver is the one who is not drinking.' Unfortunately, the standard alcohol Heineken logo was on the bottom of the photograph, instead of the alcohol free logo with the UK watchdog ruling that there wasn't 'sufficiently prominent statement of the product's abv.' They said: 'The only reference in the ad to abv was the label on the bottle of Heineken 0.0 beer held by Max Verstappen. However, the bottle was relatively small, especially comparing the text on the label to the image of Max Verstappen, who was the focus of the ad. 'We therefore did not consider that was a sufficiently prominent statement of the product's abv.' Ahead of the Six Nations in 2012, the BBC pulled their promotional trailer due to fears of it would be perceived as being anti-English. The minute-long ad sees a number of groups from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy of people beaming as they shout, 'England' in what one might think was the groups cheering the team on. A caption then reads: 'The Six Nations. It's not about who you want to win… It's about who you want to lose.' The video then cuts to a group of English supporters who are divided in who they want to see losing the tournament.


Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
Q&A: What is the pension payment error all about and can the money be recouped?
Unions and representatives of retired civil servants say they are awaiting detail of the errors made in relation to the pensions of their current or former members . However, there is concern that some of the issues could require legislation and that senior politicians could be impacted by any changes to the law. What has happened? On Tuesday the Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers said 'serious and systemic operational issues' had been identified at the National Shared Services Office (NSSO), which employs about 850 people and handles payroll administration for all government departments. The belief is these errors have resulted in some retired civil servants being underpaid in their pensions; incorrect pension contributions having been deducted from current and previous ministers; and the wrong amount of tax being deducted from the lump sums paid to about 30 senior civil servants upon retirement. With a review of 13,000 retirees' positions under way, however, and an external audit of the NSSO to be undertaken, it is uncertain how the situation will develop. READ MORE What will happen in respect of people who owe or are owed money? Mr Chambers said he was committed to ensuring 'all monies owed to the State are fully recouped and monies owed to individuals are refunded'. The former is likely to create issues, however, especially in relation to the larger amounts, with one retiree said to owe €280,000. With Mr Chambers suggesting some ministers may be asked to repay more than €30,000, the tax issue could be considerable. Details of the time frame have not been clarified, but Ciaran Rohan of the Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants says recouping overpayments stretching back more than four years could leave retirees, or potentially some politicians, substantially out of pocket. This is because current legislation would only allow the reclaiming of the extra tax paid as a result of receiving the extra money for the past four years, even if the overpayments stretched further back. Could that be changed? Only by legislation, says employment lawyer Barry Kenny, who says the issue means 'the original error has financial implications beyond a simple repayment issue'. It also has the potential to make it a political one. How could the money be recouped? A government circular in 2018 sets out the various ways in which overpayments can be reclaimed but there is no provision for anything like a liability of €280,000. The intention should be to recoup all the money and ideally within a year, it suggests, usually by deductions from pay or pensions of up to 8 per cent of the gross amount the person is receiving. But these people can afford to repay, no? The largest figures relate to people who had pension funds on retirement worth more than €2 million. That would certainly suggest they are well off but coming up with the funds to repay a six-figure sum is likely to be regarded as an issue. Cloda Ryan of the Retired Civil and Public Servants Association (RCPSA), which has some 7,000 members, says the vast majority of amounts involved are likely to be far smaller but still have the potential to cause problems for the pensioners concerned. 'Contrary to public perception, the majority of Civil Service pensioners have moderate pensions, in many cases lower than they would receive under the social welfare State pension for which, in general, civil servants recruited before April 6th, 1995 do not qualify.' The organisation is seeking assurances 'that no recovery of pension overpayments would take place without consultation and agreement with each pensioner affected'. And if an agreement can't be reached? 'Any civil servant faced with a request to refund money, large or small, should take legal advice to clarify the legal basis for the demand to repay and whether the figures are accurate,' says Mr Kenny. He says where the validity is established, 'reasonable' deductions or instalments would need to be agreed.


Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on AI and Ireland: the future will not wait
Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant concept confined to Silicon Valley or science fiction. It is here, now, reshaping economies, transforming industries and prompting governments to rethink everything from education and employment to ethics and regulation. The question Ireland must urgently confront is whether it is truly prepared for the scale and speed of change AI is set to unleash. There are reasons both for cautious optimism and concern. Ireland has long positioned itself as a European technology hub, hosting the headquarters of many of the world's leading tech firms. Government agencies are actively courting AI investment. Research centres in Irish universities are leaders in developing cutting-edge AI applications. The recent launch of an AI Skills programme by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment signals a growing recognition of the need to upskill the workforce. But the evidence of the last decade also suggests that Irish regulators struggle to come to terms with the challenges posed by US tech companies which are not slow to wield their considerable political influence. The establishment of an Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence, which met for the first time this week, marks a step in deepening political and legislative engagement with the issue. The committee has the potential to initiate a broader public and legislative debate on AI policy that balances innovation with the safeguarding of democratic values and public interest. But for this to succeed, it will need to act in constructive coordination with education, enterprise and civil society. Because readiness is about more than strategy documents, it must reach into the heart of how we educate, train, and govern. Schools, for example, are already grappling with how to prepare students for a new world in which traditional educational metrics are no longer credible. The reformed Leaving Certificate, with its increased emphasis on project work, now faces an unexpected challenge: how to assess students fairly in a world where generative AI can produce plausible essays and design projects at the click of a button. READ MORE Equally urgent are the labour market implications. AI is set to displace roles in sectors ranging from transport and customer support to software development and legal services. Without a serious, joined-up national response, Ireland could face widening inequality, social dislocation and a growing digital divide. Nimble policymaking and innovative thinking are imperative. But this moment also requires political will and public investment. AI is not just a technological leap. It is a societal transformation. If Ireland is to thrive in this new age, it must act with speed, coherence and purpose. The future will not wait.