
200-year-old masonic banner stolen from Borris House may have been mistaken as a Star of David, says owner
The owners of Borris House in Co Carlow have issued an appeal for the return of a 200-year-old masonic banner that they believe may have been mistaken as an Israeli symbol.
Borris House, which is situated in the Barrow Valley in Co Carlow, was constructed in 1731 and is owned by the Kavanagh family. It is the ancestral home of the McMorrough Kavanaghs and holds an important place in Irish history as they are one of the few ancient Irish families to have remained in possession of their lands in the same place through centuries of upheaval and disturbance.

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The Irish Sun
5 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Man, 70s, dies in hospital after getting into difficulty swimming off Co Donegal coast
A MAN who got into difficulty while swimming and was rescued by the coast guard has passed away in hospital. The incident happened off the coast of Bundoran in Co Advertisement 1 The man got into difficulty off the coast of Donegal Credit: Gallo Images - Getty At around 5.20pm yesterday, Saturday July 26, the Irish coast guard were sent an alert. They were told that someone had got into difficulty in the water at The spot is hugely popular among surfers, swimmers, and Marine Rescue Sub Centre Malin Head sent the Bundoran Advertisement READ MORE IN IRISH NEWS It's understood that the lifeguards on duty at the beach also came to the man's assistance. He had run into difficulty in the water near the diving boards area of the beach. The man, aged in his 70s, was rescued from the water by the dispatched RNLI. He was rushed to Advertisement MOST READ IN THE IRISH SUN Gardai confirmed that he has since passed away. They said: "Gardaí were alerted to man in water in Bundoran, Co. Donegal on Saturday evening 26th July, 2025 at approximately 5.20pm. PASSED AWAY "RNLI removed the man, aged in his 70s, from water and he was taken to Sligo University Hospital in a serious condition. "This man subsequently passed away in hospital." Advertisement No foul play is suspected. The incident comes just over ten days after five young siblings were The rescue took place on the evening of July 14. The five family members were saved on Minerstown beach at around 9.30pm. Advertisement It's believed that the group were caught by a rising tide. Two reports were made of the incident and emergency services raced to the scene. Newcastle team, Kilkeel Coastguard team and Newcastle 's inshore lifeboat attended. BEACH RESCUE They found that the children had been brought ashore by two off duty nurses. Advertisement Rescuers then waded into the water to bring the kids to safety. The children received the varying degrees of care required before being taken to a nearby house for warmth. They then travelled with paramedics to Ulster Hospital. Newcastle Advertisement ""They showed remarkable bravery and fortitude in a rapidly deteriorating situation to calmly bring the three youngest children to shore before wading out up to their chests in water to rescue the two oldest children. "They then looked after the They added: "The women displayed outstanding courage, ignoring their own safety to ensure the children were not only brought ashore but cared for until the arrival of the emergency services. "We would like to thank the owner of the nearby house for opening their doors to the children while we waited for the paramedics to arrive and to the shore team at Newcastle RNLI who brought additional supplies of oxygen to the scene by road." Advertisement


Irish Daily Mirror
12 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Israel to pause fighting in three Gaza areas as concerns over hunger surge
The Israeli military said it would pause fighting in three populated areas of Gaza for 10 hours a day and open secure routes for aid delivery to desperate Palestinians. The steps are meant to address a surge in hunger in the territory as Israel faces a wave of international criticism over its conduct in the 21-month war. The military said it would begin a 'tactical pause' in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi, three areas of the territory with large populations, to 'increase the scale of humanitarian aid' entering the territory. The pause would begin every day at 10am to 8pm local time until further notice, beginning from Sunday. The military also said that it carried out aid airdrops into Gaza, which included packages of aid with flour, sugar and canned food. Food experts have warned for months of the risk of famine in Gaza, where Israel has restricted aid because it says Hamas siphons off goods to help bolster its rule. Images emerging from Gaza in recent days of emaciated children have fanned global criticism of Israel, including by close allies, who have called for an end to the war and the humanitarian catastrophe it has spawned. Israel said the new measures were taking place while it continues its offensive against Hamas in other areas. The local pause in fighting came days after ceasefire efforts between Israel and Hamas appeared to be in doubt. On Friday, Israel and the US recalled their negotiating teams, blaming Hamas, and Israel said it was considering 'alternative options' to ceasefire talks with the militant group. After ending the latest ceasefire in March, Israel cut off the entry of food, medicine, fuel and other supplies completely to Gaza for two and a half months, saying it aimed to pressure Hamas to release hostages. Under international pressure, Israel slightly eased the blockade in May. Since then, it has allowed around 4,500 trucks for the UN and other aid groups in to distribute. The average of 69 trucks a day, however, is far below the 500 to 600 trucks a day the UN says are needed for Gaza. The UN says it has been unable to distribute much of the aid because hungry crowds and gangs take most of it from its arriving trucks. As a way to divert aid delivery away from the UN, Israel has backed the US-registered Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which in May opened four centres distributing boxes of food supplies. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since May while trying to get food, mostly near those new aid sites, the UN human rights office says. Israel has railed against the UN throughout the war, saying that its system allowed Hamas to steal aid, without providing evidence. The UN denies that claim and says its delivery mechanism was the best way to bring aid to Palestinians. The military said the new steps were made in co-ordination with the UN and other humanitarian groups. Much of Gaza's population, squeezed by fighting into ever tinier patches of land, now relies on aid. The war began with Hamas's attack on southern Israel on October 7 2023, when militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages. Hamas still holds 50 hostages, more than half of them believed to be dead. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 59,700 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between militants and civilians, but the ministry says that more than half of the dead are women and children. The ministry operates under the Hamas government. The UN and other international organisations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.


Extra.ie
15 hours ago
- Extra.ie
Ryan Tubridy: This isn't a rant - just the thoughts of a dad who feels helpless on Gaza suffering
Watching and reading the coverage of Live Aid's 40th anniversary recently, I was reminded of the fact that Irish people donated more than any other nation per capita. It has always struck me as an astonishing outcome and yet, when we consider the effects of the Famine on this country, maybe it shouldn't be so shocking. More recently, when then-president Mary Robinson visited famine-stricken Somalia, she became uncharacteristically upset at a press conference as she described the scenes she had just visited. Mrs Robinson was there as a representative of a country that has known hunger, degradation and despair. We understood her tears. A few years ago, I interviewed the Booker prize-winning author of Schindler's Ark (renamed Schindler's List for the film), Thomas Keneally. Our conversation turned to the Irish Famine and his ancestors. He suggested at one point that the reason we drink so much as a nation is because the pain of the Famine travelled and its dark shadow still stalks the Irish psyche. Live Aid recently marked it's 40th anniversary. Pic: Getty Images In a different context, talk of inter-generational trauma is rife, particularly when it comes to families but there's no reason to question the notion of a national trauma that stretches across decades and centuries. Could this be why we donated more than any other country when Bob Geldof urged us to pick up the phone and donate some money? Is this why the composed president broke down in tears when she saw humans starving before her very eyes? And is this why so many Irish people I spoke with this week are so upset with what's happening in Gaza? We don't have footage of Irish people brought to their knees by hunger. We don't have YouTube clips of families being burnt out and evicted from their homes. We don't have TikTok clips of well-fed dogs with silky coats, grotesquely well-fed for reasons you don't need me to get into here. We don't have photographs of food crates competing with human cargo to get the next ship off the island. We simply have collective memory, oral and written history and some largely idealised paintings to tell the story. SO when we looked at our news feeds this week, we saw ribcages protruding from the backs of children being carried by distraught mothers and we watched aghast at another desperate display of empty pots beseeching food workers at food distribution points (if there are any) for a small portion of grain. It's been a relentless and depressing war from the start with the savage attack by Hamas and the brutally disproportionate response by Netanyahu. The biblical fire and fury that is beamed into our homes and onto our phones is disturbing and infuriating but it also makes so many feel helpless, powerless and voiceless. There doesn't appear to be a geopolitical adult in the room to say; 'Enough, time for diplomacy' in the way there used to be. It feels like there's an international lawlessness in the air and nobody is winning. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. Pic: AFP via Getty Images So is there a red line for the so-called adults? Is there a point where European leaders (or those beyond) square up to the most powerful leader in the world and suggest that it's time to pull the emergency cord here and shut this catastrophe down? It's worth remembering that when he was president, Barack Obama declared the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian conflict as a red line that should not be crossed or else? Well soon thereafter, we watched children contorted in pain on hospital beds following a chemical weapons attack. The red line was crossed but sadly, Obama didn't deliver on his threat. Some say this weakness emboldened a resurgent Putin whose stock in trade is testing the red lines of the powerful with a view to taking advantage of weakness, perceived or otherwise. But we must return to the point at hand and that is the looming spectre of starving citizens falling to the ground from lack of food. In the course of three days this week 43 people starved to death. A slice of pitta bread in Gaza is now €4 if you're lucky enough to get it and shop shelves remain barren with The Guardian reporting that flour is selling for more than 30 times the market value. A 64-pack of nappies costs €150, a 25kg bag of flour is going for €425 and 1kg of onions costs €27 according to BBC reporting that also tells us that the UN human rights office states more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed while trying to get food aid since June. Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub al-Matouq, a 1.5-year-old child in Gaza City, Gaza, faces life-threatening malnutrition as the humanitarian situation worsens due to ongoing Israeli attacks and blockade, on July 21, 2025. Pic: Getty This diary I'm writing isn't a rant. This isn't a judgement call. It's not a call to arms nor is it a quasi-liberal, pearl-clutching exercise. These are the reflections of an Irish citizen who watches the news and changes channel like everyone else. These are the thoughts of a dad who is embarrassed at his reaction to harrowing images as he can (as far as he's concerned) do nothing about it so 'click' goes the remote and it all goes away. But it shouldn't. This week moved the dismal dial even further into the darkness but for whatever reason, most likely historical and inter-generationally traumatic, the images of starving children and their mothers with those plaintiff, hollowed eyes resonated in an even more meaningful way. Remember the Chocktaw Nation, that remarkable Native American tribe who, despite their own displacement and oppression, managed to cobble together $5,000 to send to the Irish people in 1847 just when we needed it most. I wonder is this week a Chocktaw moment not just for individuals like me but for peoples and nations around the world (including so many Israeli citizens) who want to do whatever they can whenever they are able to bring this catastrophe to a conclusion.