Latest news with #IrishLanguage
Irish Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
Shop confirmed where lucky Irish EuroMillions player wins lifechanging sum
The location where one lucky EuroMillions player bought a lifechanging winning ticket has been revealed. The fortuitous punter scooped their six figure sum in the EuroMillions jackpot draw on Friday May 30. The lucky winner will take home a cool €255,000 after claiming the final Ireland Only Raffle top prize. Usually, winners in the Ireland Only Raffle receive €5,000 but throughout the month of May, the top prize was increased by €250,000 for one lucky player per draw. The winning ticket for Friday's Ireland Only Raffle top prize was sold in Duffy's Service Station, Castlebar, Co. Mayo. The all-important winning raffle number is I-SDZ-53784. Throughout the month, every Tuesday and Friday EuroMillions draw featured a special raffle, awarding one player an additional €250,000 on top of the usual €5,000 raffle prize. Here's a recap of the winners: May 2 - SuperValu Killester, Howth Road, Dublin 3 May 6 - Online, Co. Meath May 9 - Moloney's Daybreak, Carrigkerry, Athea, Co. Limerick May 13 - Gallagher's SuperValu, Wentworth Street, Wicklow Town, Co. Wicklow May 16 - Mc Hughes Stores, St. Patrick's Road, Walkinstown, Dublin 12 May 20 - Centra, Old Yellow Walls Road, Malahide, Co. Dublin May 23 - Online, Co. Dublin May 27 - Applegreen, Newfoundwell Road, Greenbatter, Drogheda, Co. Louth May 30 - Duffy's Service Station, Costcutter, Turlough Road, Castlebar, Co. Mayo Emma Monaghan, National Lottery spokesperson, said 'While there was no winner of last night's EuroMillions jackpot worth €218,316,095, over 81,000 players in Ireland won prizes in the EuroMillions and EuroMillions plus games. This includes one Raffle Ticket winner: I- SDZ-53784 from Castlebar, Co. Mayo, who scooped a life-enhancing €255,000 in our special EuroMillions Ireland Only Raffle draw!' The National Lottery is urging all players in the Castlebar area to check their tickets carefully and if you're holding the winning ticket, be sure to contact the National Lottery prize claims team on 1800 666 222 or email claims@ to arrange the collection of your prize. Nearly 30 cent in every €1 spent on National Lottery games goes back to Good Causes in the areas of sport, youth, health, welfare, education, arts, heritage and the Irish Language. In total, more than €6.5 billion has been raised for Good Causes since the National Lottery was established 37 years ago. In 2024 alone, €239.3 million was raised for local Good Causes in communities across Ireland.
Malay Mail
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Irish rap trio Kneecap face backlash and cancellations over pro-Palestinian activism
BELFAST, May 23 — Daring provocateurs to their fans, dangerous extremists to their detractors, Belfast rappers Kneecap court controversy and divide opinion like few contemporary bands. Their combustible turbo-charged music, promotion of the Irish language and championing of the Palestinian cause have powered their popularity in Ireland and gained them legions of fans abroad. But the trio have landed in legal trouble over their alleged support for the Palestinian militant group Hamas and the Iran-backed Lebanese force Hezbollah, as well as calls for the killing of British parliamentarians. Formed in 2017 by Liam Og O Hannaidh, 27, Naoise O Caireallain, 30, and JJ O Dochartaigh, 34, Kneecap burst onto the scene the same year with the single 'CEARTA' (Irish for 'rights'). The song, released soon after a controversy about rights for Irish language speakers in Northern Ireland, was pulled from a radio show playlist by Irish state broadcaster RTE for its references to drug-taking and swearing. All three band members were raised in Irish — a minority language in Ireland where English dominates — and are fluent speakers. Last year the group was catapulted to international fame by a semi-fictionalised film that won multiple awards including at the prestigious Sundance festival. Partly in Irish as well as English, the movie, laced with music, drugs, and biting satire, also made shortlists for Oscar nominations in the best international feature film and best original song categories. The UK's Independent newspaper gave it top marks, calling it 'a sweary, crude, and brilliantly political Irish comedy'. O'Hanna, known by his stage name Mo Chara, told AFP as they performed at the Coachella festival in April in California that the group had been surprised by the film's success. For Kneecap, rapping in Irish is an act of resistance: the ancient language was long suppressed, and only became officially recognised in Northern Ireland in 2022. 'Storytelling is such a massive part of Irish culture,' Chara said. 'It's always passed down orally, same as any Indigenous language.' History 'is always written by the winner. That's where hip hop stems from — it's the story of the people who never got to tell their story,' he said. Members of Kneecap pose on the red carpet at the Irish Film and Television Academy (IFTA) Awards in Dublin February 14, 2025. — Reuters pic Provocative Controversy has accompanied Kneecap throughout its journey, with critics accusing the band of glamourising drug culture and militant anti-British Irish republicanism. And O'Hanna has now been charged with a terror offence for allegedly brandishing a Hezbollah flag at a London concert. The band's name recalls the widespread practice by paramilitary groups of shooting victims in the kneecaps and legs in so-called 'punishment' attacks, during Northern Ireland's three-decade-long conflict, known as the Troubles. In the British-governed region, violence between pro-Irish unity and pro-UK militants largely ended after a peace agreement in 1998, but inter-community divisions persist and Kneecap's confrontational imagery and lyrics rankle with some. One of their tracks is titled 'Get Your Brits Out' while on stage the band has led anti-British chants. O'Dochartaigh, a former schoolteacher, wears a paramilitary-style balaclava on stage, in the green, white and orange of the Irish tricolour flag. Kneecap's fierce support for the Palestinian cause, with hardline anti-Israel slogans and chants at their gigs, has drawn fire from further afield. Last month, messages displayed on a screen behind the band as it performed in California at Coachella, one of the world's highest-profile music festivals, included: 'F*** Israel. Free Palestine'. Sharon Osborne, a former UK television presenter, called for their US work visas to be revoked and likened the band to a 'Hamas fan club'. Videos then resurfaced from past London gigs showing chants apparently in support of Hamas and Hezbollah — banned organisations in the UK — and a call to kill UK MPs. The furore forced Kneecap onto the defensive, with a public apology issued to the families of murdered MPs Jo Cox, killed in June 2016, and David Amess, stabbed to death in October 2021. The band's members have also repeatedly denied ever having supported Hamas or Hezbollah. The row has raised doubts over a series of European and US concerts the band has scheduled this summer. Several of their gigs have already been cancelled, including three in Germany and one in the UK. The British government called on the organisers of the Glastonbury festival to 'think carefully' about the band's planned appearance there in late June. — AFP
Irish Daily Mirror
20-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
Major job boost as Gardai hiring for civilian role with salary of up to €73k
An Garda Síochána is hiring for a new civilian role which comes with a salary rising to over €73,000 a year. The force has invited candidates to apply for the role of Strategic Stakeholder Communications Manager at Higher Executive Officer level. This is a full-time, permanent post offering the opportunity to shape public affairs, support Garda leadership, and play a vital role in the national communications strategy. The position will be based in Garda Headquarters in Dublin's Phoenix Park with a stating salary of €58,264 and reaching up to €73,378. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in supporting Garda Senior Management by providing detailed research on topical issues and upcoming events. They will develop speeches for senior management, conduct necessary research and collaborate with both internal and external stakeholders to inform the content and associated briefing material as required. The role involves daily analysis of the media and political environment to identify potential issues that may impact An Garda Síochána. Reporting to the Head of Strategic Stakeholder Communications, the candidate will provide informed briefings to senior management on topical issues that may affect the organisation. With a focus on strategic stakeholder engagement and management, the role includes developing and coordinating stakeholder communications activities. As part of the management team at the Office of Corporate Communications, the role holder will work to implement and develop An Garda Síochána's Communications Strategy. Candidates must hold a Level 7 qualification or have at least four years' experience managing social media at organisational level. Candidates must also have experience in communications, public affairs, strategic communications, journalism, marketing, or a related area, along with a high degree of specialist expertise and knowledge in these fields. They must also have experience drafting speeches, press releases, and briefing materials, as well as delivering oral briefings to Senior Management and developing and implementing organisational communication strategies. While not essential, desired candidates will also have a proficiency in the Irish Language along with a full clean category B driving licence. Applications close at 3pm, Monday June 9, 2025. You can find out more information here.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
'Learning Irish for my film helped with cancer recovery'
A Belfast filmmaker has said learning Irish for a documentary exploring his rare cancer allowed him to "take back control" of his illness. Éanna Mac Cana underwent months of intensive treatment for Burkitt's lymphoma - a cancer affecting the lymphatic system - after discovering a lump at the back of his throat. It is named after Fermanagh-born Dr Denis Burkitt, who had discovered the cause of the disease while carrying out medical work in Uganda in the 1950s. Mr Mac Cana said he struggled to look in his mouth after treatment, but learning certain Irish pronunciations was a form of physical therapy. "I was accessing all these different parts of my mouth and I was saying all of these specific things... and it was actually through the Irish language that I was taking control again of my actual mouth," he told BBC News NI. Mr Mac Cana was finishing his first year at university in Manchester in 2017 when he first discovered the lump. "[In] first year you're kind of partying hard, going out and having fun and I thought maybe I was just burning the candle at both ends," he said. It was only after he returned home and the lump began to bleed did a biopsy confirm his Burkitt's lymphoma diagnosis. He began a long, intensive treatment cycle, spending the summer as an inpatient at Belfast City Hospital while undergoing chemotherapy. "I was living this life and having a very normal university experience and then you get this spanner in the works and it changes everything," Mr Mac Cana added. After finishing treatment, Mr Mac Cana said it was a challenging time but wanted to use his creativity to explore his emotions, filming excerpts of his time spent in the ward. "I really felt like at the time I was living day-to-day, I could not see beyond the next few days," he added. "I wanted to get back to normal but the ground had changed underneath me." While Mr Mac Cana was given the all-clear following treatment, the five-year wait to be fully discharged caused anxiety but in 2021, he picked up a book with a chapter dedicated to Dr Burkitt. Dr Burkitt served with the Royal Army Medical Corps in east Africa during World War Two, and continued his medical work in Uganda after the conflict. In 1957, he was asked to examine a boy who had tumours in his jaw, which led to Dr Burkitt travelling hundreds of miles of travel around east Africa, and the discovery that the lymphoma was driven by a viral infection. After gathering archive footage of Dr Burkitt's work in Africa from his family, Mr Mac Cana began to piece together this with his own treatment clips into a short film. Having previously completed some projects in Irish, Mr Mac Cana took on a new challenge of re-learning the language alongside his teacher, Breandán Ó Fiach. "After hospital I found it really difficult to look inside my mouth because the lump was back there," he said. He found accessing parts of his mouth to be "very powerful". "I was with Breandán one day and he was teaching about where to place certain syllables and how to access them. "I remember saying certain words and I was using different parts of my mouth and it just felt like I was taking control of it again." "I owe the Irish language a lot," he added. Mr Mac Cana said he was delighted the film would add to a growing scene of films featuring the language. "The Irish language itself is a really healing tool, it was like a form of treatment," he said. During research for the film, Mr Mac Cana found many similarities between himself and the Burkitts. "On the first page [of the book], it described this link between Denis Burkitt's father's bird work in County Fermanagh and how he mapped the birds inspired how Denis would map Burkitt's lymphoma across Africa," he explained. "I had an affinity with birds because my name means bird in Irish. "I thought it was an interesting connection and really fascinating to me that something here in Ireland could inspire something on a different continent." Dr Burkitt's eldest daughter, Judy Howard, was contacted by Mr Mac Cana in 2022 and from there an "incredibly strong friendship" was formed. "Because my dad had died back in 1993, and we've given all our emotional and physical attention to our mum then for such a long time until her death… for Éanna to arrive on our doorstep and sort of resurrect our dad with us just remade us as a family," she said. "He feels like a part of our family." Mrs Howard and her sister Cass attended the documentary's Belfast premiere last summer, where they watched it in full for the first time. But the most emotional moment came two months ago, when Mr Mac Cana travelled to their Gloucestershire town for a community screening. "To see it with 50 members of our immediate family and friends from our childhood that came out of the woodwork... was just mind-blowingly extraordinary," she said. While the film highlights Dr Burkitt's seminal work in childhood cancers, Mrs Howard said her father's research about fibre and bowels were "prophetic". "I just hope he would be remembered primarily as an Irishman, his heart was always in Ireland," she added. "A man of faith and integrity and always asking the question why with his twinkly eyes and soft Irish voice… he could speak truth to power as a humble, good gentleman." Burkitt is set to air on TG4 on Wednesday 21 May at 21:30 BST. Tribute to childhood cancer treatment pioneer
BBC News
19-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Éanna Mac Cana: Filmmaker says learning Irish helped with cancer recovery
A Belfast filmmaker has said learning Irish for a documentary exploring his rare cancer allowed him to "take back control" of his illness.Éanna Mac Cana underwent months of intensive treatment for Burkitt's lymphoma - a cancer affecting the lymphatic system - after discovering a lump at the back of his is named after Fermanagh-born Dr Denis Burkitt, who had discovered the cause of the disease while carrying out medical work in Uganda in the Mac Cana said he struggled to look in his mouth after treatment, but learning certain Irish pronunciations was a form of physical therapy. "I was accessing all these different parts of my mouth and I was saying all of these specific things... and it was actually through the Irish language that I was taking control again of my actual mouth," he told BBC News NI. Diagnosis a 'spanner in the works' Mr Mac Cana was finishing his first year at university in Manchester in 2017 when he first discovered the lump."[In] first year you're kind of partying hard, going out and having fun and I thought maybe I was just burning the candle at both ends," he was only after he returned home and the lump began to bleed did a biopsy confirm his Burkitt's lymphoma began a long, intensive treatment cycle, spending the summer as an inpatient at Belfast City Hospital while undergoing chemotherapy."I was living this life and having a very normal university experience and then you get this spanner in the works and it changes everything," Mr Mac Cana added. After finishing treatment, Mr Mac Cana said it was a challenging time but wanted to use his creativity to explore his emotions, filming excerpts of his time spent in the ward."I really felt like at the time I was living day-to-day, I could not see beyond the next few days," he added. "I wanted to get back to normal but the ground had changed underneath me." While Mr Mac Cana was given the all-clear following treatment, the five-year wait to be fully discharged caused anxiety but in 2021, he picked up a book with a chapter dedicated to Dr Burkitt served with the Royal Army Medical Corps in east Africa during World War Two, and continued his medical work in Uganda after the 1957, he was asked to examine a boy who had tumours in his jaw, which led to Dr Burkitt travelling hundreds of miles of travel around east Africa, and the discovery that the lymphoma was driven by a viral infection. Irish language 'a form of treatment' After gathering archive footage of Dr Burkitt's work in Africa from his family, Mr Mac Cana began to piece together this with his own treatment clips into a short previously completed some projects in Irish, Mr Mac Cana took on a new challenge of re-learning the language alongside his teacher, Breandán Ó Fiach."After hospital I found it really difficult to look inside my mouth because the lump was back there," he said. He found accessing parts of his mouth to be "very powerful"."I was with Breandán one day and he was teaching about where to place certain syllables and how to access them."I remember saying certain words and I was using different parts of my mouth and it just felt like I was taking control of it again.""I owe the Irish language a lot," he Mac Cana said he was delighted the film would add to a growing scene of films featuring the language."The Irish language itself is a really healing tool, it was like a form of treatment," he said. During research for the film, Mr Mac Cana found many similarities between himself and the Burkitts."On the first page [of the book], it described this link between Denis Burkitt's father's bird work in County Fermanagh and how he mapped the birds inspired how Denis would map Burkitt's lymphoma across Africa," he explained."I had an affinity with birds because my name means bird in Irish."I thought it was an interesting connection and really fascinating to me that something here in Ireland could inspire something on a different continent." Film 'remade' Burkitt family Dr Burkitt's eldest daughter, Judy Howard, was contacted by Mr Mac Cana in 2022 and from there an "incredibly strong friendship" was formed."Because my dad had died back in 1993, and we've given all our emotional and physical attention to our mum then for such a long time until her death… for Éanna to arrive on our doorstep and sort of resurrect our dad with us just remade us as a family," she said."He feels like a part of our family." Mrs Howard and her sister Cass attended the documentary's Belfast premiere last summer, where they watched it in full for the first the most emotional moment came two months ago, when Mr Mac Cana travelled to their Gloucestershire town for a community screening."To see it with 50 members of our immediate family and friends from our childhood that came out of the woodwork... was just mind-blowingly extraordinary," she said. Proud Irishman While the film highlights Dr Burkitt's seminal work in childhood cancers, Mrs Howard said her father's research about fibre and bowels were "prophetic"."I just hope he would be remembered primarily as an Irishman, his heart was always in Ireland," she added."A man of faith and integrity and always asking the question why with his twinkly eyes and soft Irish voice… he could speak truth to power as a humble, good gentleman."Burkitt is set to air on TG4 on Wednesday 21 May at 21:30 BST.
