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BreakingNews.ie
a day ago
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Politics watch: Independent votes sign of Coalition tension?
Here, we have a look at the topics likely to dominate political discourse in the week to come. Coalition tension? The Coalition has struggled from day one due to its association with the Regional Independent Group. Advertisement The role of Michael Lowry in government formation talks was hugely controversial, and the subsequent disruption over speaking rights for Independent TDs delayed the nomination of the Taoiseach and formation of Oireachtas committees. The understanding that Regional Independent TDs will vote for the Government meant it was a price Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris were willing to pay. That means the first instance of these TDs voting against the Government will be a worry to ministers. Two TDs who are part of the Coalition-supporting Regional Independent Group voted against the Government on Wednesday night on Sinn Féin's Israeli bonds bill. Advertisement Barry Heneghan and Gillian Toole voted with the Opposition. TDs voted 87-75 against a motion brought by Sinn Féin to force the Irish Central Bank to end its role in facilitating the 'Israeli war bonds' in the EU. Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has previously said the Sinn Féin motion was unworkable and inconsistent with EU law. Members of the Opposition held up signs saying "stop funding genocide" as they failed in the Dáil vote. In a statement, Mr Heneghan said he voted in favour of the Sinn Féin motion 'because Ireland shouldn't facilitate the sale of bonds that help fund the devastation in Gaza'. Advertisement 'I'm voting for the bill because Ireland shouldn't facilitate the sale of bonds that help fund the devastation in Gaza,' he added. 'This is about standing up for international law and basic human rights.' Mr Heneghan said he was 'fully committed' to the Programme for Government, adding 'as an Independent TD, I reserve the right to act on matters of conscience'. 'The situation is urgent, and Ireland must show leadership,' he said. Advertisement Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael tied in poll, Sinn Féin fall Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are neck and neck in the latest opinion poll . Sinn Féin has dropped two to 20 per cent, after leading in recent polls. Fianna Fáil is down two points and Fine Gael is up ond point. The Coalition partners are both on 21 per cent in the Sunday Independent/Ireland Thinks poll which was published today. Advertisement The Social Democrats are up one to 9 per cent. Independents and others are on 10 per cent, while Independent Ireland, Aontú and Labour are all on 5 per cent. Solidarity People Before Profit is on 3 per cent, while the Green Party is on 1 per cent. Taoiseach Micheál Martin remains the most popular party leader with an approval rating of 46 per cent, unchanged from the last poll. Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris is up one to 41 per cent, while Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns' approval is unchanged at 40 per cent. Labour leader Ivana Bacik's popularity rating has dropped one point to 36 per cent, and Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has also dropped one to 35 per cent. Ireland's subsea infrastructure and gas pipelines 'very vulnerable' Ireland's critical subsea infrastructure is extremely vulnerable due to the under-resourcing of the Defence Forces and Irish Navy, a former TD and deputy commander of the Army Ranger Wing has warned. Ireland's maritime footprint is seven times the country's land area and is home to the majority of transatlantic data communications. For example, the AEC-1 cable connects New York with Ireland, landing at Killala, Co Mayo. It is 5,534 km long and has been operating since 2016. The system primarily serves telecommunications providers, cloud service providers, content delivery networks, and enterprises that require efficient data transport solutions. These undersea cables are crucial to various aspects of daily life, including cloud storage and banking systems. Around three-quarters of Ireland's national gas is also imported via undersea pipelines. Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Simon Harris has said he expects contract negotiations for the supply of advanced sonar technology to conclude within a number of months. However, the first sonar systems are not expected to be operational until July 2027, meaning Ireland is largely dependent on foreign navies to detect threats. In an interview with , former TD and soldier Cathal Berry said Ireland's undersea cables and gas pipelines are "very vulnerable". "All our data centres, all our video footage of our families, our photographs are stored in data centres, not on our phones. We're hugely vulnerable because the umbilical cords between Europe and North America are very vulnerable. Ireland Ireland's subsea cables and gas pipelines 'very vu... Read More "There are about a dozen data cables coming into Ireland. More importantly, we have two gas pipelines coming in from Scotland, which are even more strategically crucial because Ireland has no natural gas." Abroad In the US, billionaire Elon Musk has departed Donald Trump's administration. Mr Musk is leaving his position spearheading the Department of Government Efficiency, and he will be rededicating himself to running his businesses, including electric carmaker Tesla, rocket company SpaceX and social media platform X. In the UK, Keir Starmer's Labour government and the Conservative Party are trying to issue warnings about the dangers of Nigel Farage's Reform UK party, as it surges in popularity in opinion polls.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Irish Times
Philanderer Daniel O'Connell lies in a hero's grave, his wife Mary in an overgrown tomb
Sun-bathers lolling in their swimwear on Derrynane Beach occasionally witness the incongruous sight of funeral mourners walking behind a lofted coffin along the water's edge. The procession terminates on Abbey Island, a small, sandy burial ground that can only be reached when the tide permits. Here lie the mortal remains of Mary O'Connell in a tomb of cracking stone slabs and invading weeds. The words inscribed on the top are no longer legible to the visiting eye. Above the beach in Derrynane House, tourists from far and wide marvel at the legacy of Mary's husband, Daniel , the Liberator revered for his monster rallies and Catholic emancipation. Most people leave the Kerry estate unaware that the serene woman in a portrait hanging in the diningroom – the wife who bore his dozen children and joined him on a speaking tour to quell a scandal about his infidelity to her – lies nearby in a mouldering grave. Mary was laid to rest with Daniel's people in the family graveyard on the Atlantic shore when she died, aged 58, 11 years before her famous husband. Almost a five-hour drive away in Dublin's Glasnevin Cemetery , he shares his ornate crypt with other family members. The crypt, which was refurbished with new marble in 2009, is marked by the 55m (180ft) O'Connell Tower, built in homage to the barrister, campaigner, MP and founder of the Dublin Cemeteries Committee. After the tower was refurbished seven years ago and opened to the public , Paschal Donohoe, the Minister for Finance, performed the official ribbon-cutting. Ireland has shown due respect to a giant of its history. The main street in the capital city is named in honour of Daniel O'Connell. So is Limerick's main street. Cork and Waterford have an O'Connell street too. There is an O'Connell monument and an O'Connell Bridge. There are O'Connell schools. As his 250th birthday approaches on August 6th, there have been calls for the renaming of Kerry Airport to Daniel O'Connell Airport. His home on the Iveragh peninsula is a national monument maintained by the OPW . Though it was home to his wife too, try mentioning Mary O'Connell to most anyone and the likely response will be 'Mary who?' READ MORE She was the child of a mixed marriage. Her Catholic mother, Ellen Tuohy, married a widowed Protestant called Thomas O'Connell, through whom Mary was distantly related to her future husband. Daniel stood to inherit the expansive house and estate in Derrynane from his bachelor uncle Maurice 'Hunting Cap' O'Connell but because of a stipulation that he should marry a woman with a dowry, the couple kept their romance secret, even living apart after their marriage in 1802 to maintain the pretence. They were obliged to come clean following the birth of their first child. Mary O'Connell's tomb in Derrynane Abbey. Photograph: Breeding became as intrinsic to Mary's life as breathing. Despite Daniel's adultery early in their marriage, she bore 12 children, six of whom survived beyond birth and childhood, and suffered a number of miscarriages. She was pregnant every year for the first eight years of marriage, and twice in 1810 when she gave birth in February and December. As well as rearing the children in the increasing absence of a husband on the court circuit and campaign trail, Mary was the chatelaine of a house regarded as the HQ of Ireland's unofficial chieftain. At Derrynane House, she received international statesmen and royals seeking meetings with her husband. She, literally and metaphorically, kept the home fires burning in a house that now generates revenue for the State. It featured as one of Ireland's greatest historic properties in the first episode of the current RTÉ series, Legacy. Perhaps the OPW could make an offer to O'Connell's descendants to restore and maintain it. The extent of work required does not seem expensive – certainly not as expensive as a bike shelter for Leinster House Relentless pregnancy, short-term economic exile in France with her children because of Daniel's extravagant spending and the stress of publicity about his marital indiscretions likely contributed to Mary O'Connell's poor health and early death. Her biographer, Erin I Bishop, records Mary's trip accompanying her husband on a political tour of the English midlands to offset negative press about his alleged 'illegitimate' son. Not only was she married to a Westminster MP but she was the mother of four others as all of her sons went on to represent six Irish constituencies in the London parliament. Daniel O'Connell's 250th birthday is the sole occasion for State commemoration this year that is listed in the programme for government. Preparations are under way for a host of events in Kerry and nationally, including a symposium in Trinity College in July and the annual commemorative lecture in Glasnevin. Meanwhile, Mary lies forgotten in the weathered tomb she shares with Maurice Hunting Cap. Paul Ryan, a retired tour guide from Waterford, has been campaigning for the restoration of Mary's resting place. After a visit last month, he reported that mortar needs to be replaced, the stone cleaned, the weeds removed and the inscription renewed. [ O'Connell Tower in Glasnevin reopens 47 years after bomb blast Opens in new window ] The OPW is not responsible for the burial ground in the monastic ruins on Abbey Island but perhaps it could make an offer to O'Connell's descendants to restore and maintain it. The extent of work required does not seem expensive – certainly not as expensive as a bike shelter for Leinster House. Or maybe the Glasnevin Trust, which keeps the crypt and tower in tip-top condition, could play a part in honouring the grave of the Liberator's wife. It was Daniel's often-quoted dying wish that his heart would go to Rome, his body to Ireland and his soul to heaven. He did not add 'and my wife to the vagaries of Atlantic storms and an amnesiac nation'. Despite his early marital philandering, the couple reputedly settled into a loving partnership. The neglect of Mary's grave is a metaphor for the continual airbrushing of women out of Irish history. After the centenary of the Easter Rising and all the political promises in 2016 that the Elizabeth O'Farrells of this island – the nurse selected by Patrick Pearse to carry his message seeking negotiations to end hostilities and subsequently wiped from the history – would never again be forgotten, here we go again. There is a sexist old saying that, in Mary O'Connell's case, bears repeating. Behind every great man is a great woman. We should respect her memory, lest we forget.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Irish Times
This lonely, overgrown tomb of cracked stone is a metaphor for Irish attitudes to women in history
Sun-bathers lolling in their swimwear on Derrynane Beach occasionally witness the incongruous sight of funeral mourners walking behind a lofted coffin along the water's edge. The procession terminates on Abbey Island, a small, sandy burial ground that can only be reached when the tide permits. Here lie the mortal remains of Mary O'Connell in a tomb of cracking stone slabs and invading weeds. The words inscribed on the top are no longer legible to the visiting eye. Above the beach in Derrynane House, tourists from far and wide marvel at the legacy of Mary's husband, Daniel , the Liberator revered for his monster rallies and Catholic emancipation. Most people leave the Kerry estate unaware that the serene woman in a portrait hanging in the diningroom – the wife who bore his dozen children and joined him on a speaking tour to quell a scandal about his infidelity to her – lies nearby in a mouldering grave. Mary was laid to rest with Daniel's people in the family graveyard on the Atlantic shore when she died, aged 58, 11 years before her famous husband. Almost a five-hour drive away in Dublin's Glasnevin Cemetery , he shares his ornate crypt with other family members. The crypt, which was refurbished with new marble in 2009, is marked by the 55m (180ft) O'Connell Tower, built in homage to the barrister, campaigner, MP and founder of the Dublin Cemeteries Committee. After the tower was refurbished seven years ago and opened to the public , Paschal Donohoe, the Minister for Finance, performed the official ribbon-cutting. Ireland has shown due respect to a giant of its history. The main street in the capital city is named in honour of Daniel O'Connell. So is Limerick's main street. Cork and Waterford have an O'Connell street too. There is an O'Connell monument and an O'Connell Bridge. There are O'Connell schools. As his 250th birthday approaches on August 6th, there have been calls for the renaming of Kerry Airport to Daniel O'Connell Airport. His home on the Iveragh peninsula is a national monument maintained by the OPW . Though it was home to his wife too, try mentioning Mary O'Connell to most anyone and the likely response will be 'Mary who?' READ MORE She was the child of a mixed marriage. Her Catholic mother, Ellen Tuohy, married a widowed Protestant called Thomas O'Connell, through whom Mary was distantly related to her future husband. Daniel stood to inherit the expansive house and estate in Derrynane from his bachelor uncle Maurice 'Hunting Cap' O'Connell but because of a stipulation that he should marry a woman with a dowry, the couple kept their romance secret, even living apart after their marriage in 1802 to maintain the pretence. They were obliged to come clean following the birth of their first child. Mary O'Connell's tomb in Derrynane Abbey. Photograph: Breeding became as intrinsic to Mary's life as breathing. Despite Daniel's adultery early in their marriage, she bore 12 children, six of whom survived beyond birth and childhood, and suffered a number of miscarriages. She was pregnant every year for the first eight years of marriage, and twice in 1810 when she gave birth in February and December. As well as rearing the children in the increasing absence of a husband on the court circuit and campaign trail, Mary was the chatelaine of a house regarded as the HQ of Ireland's unofficial chieftain. At Derrynane House, she received international statesmen and royals seeking meetings with her husband. She, literally and metaphorically, kept the home fires burning in a house that now generates revenue for the State. It featured as one of Ireland's greatest historic properties in the first episode of the current RTÉ series, Legacy. Perhaps the OPW could make an offer to O'Connell's descendants to restore and maintain it. The extent of work required does not seem expensive – certainly not as expensive as a bike shelter for Leinster House Relentless pregnancy, short-term economic exile in France with her children because of Daniel's extravagant spending and the stress of publicity about his marital indiscretions likely contributed to Mary O'Connell's poor health and early death. Her biographer, Erin I Bishop, records Mary's trip accompanying her husband on a political tour of the English midlands to offset negative press about his alleged 'illegitimate' son. Not only was she married to a Westminster MP but she was the mother of four others as all of her sons went on to represent six Irish constituencies in the London parliament. Daniel O'Connell's 250th birthday is the sole occasion for State commemoration this year that is listed in the programme for government. Preparations are under way for a host of events in Kerry and nationally, including a symposium in Trinity College in July and the annual commemorative lecture in Glasnevin. Meanwhile, Mary lies forgotten in the weathered tomb she shares with Maurice Hunting Cap. Paul Ryan, a retired tour guide from Waterford, has been campaigning for the restoration of Mary's resting place. After a visit last month, he reported that mortar needs to be replaced, the stone cleaned, the weeds removed and the inscription renewed. [ O'Connell Tower in Glasnevin reopens 47 years after bomb blast Opens in new window ] The OPW is not responsible for the burial ground in the monastic ruins on Abbey Island but perhaps it could make an offer to O'Connell's descendants to restore and maintain it. The extent of work required does not seem expensive – certainly not as expensive as a bike shelter for Leinster House. Or maybe the Glasnevin Trust, which keeps the crypt and tower in tip-top condition, could play a part in honouring the grave of the Liberator's wife. It was Daniel's often-quoted dying wish that his heart would go to Rome, his body to Ireland and his soul to heaven. He did not add 'and my wife to the vagaries of Atlantic storms and an amnesiac nation'. Despite his early marital philandering, the couple reputedly settled into a loving partnership. The neglect of Mary's grave is a metaphor for the continual airbrushing of women out of Irish history. After the centenary of the Easter Rising and all the political promises in 2016 that the Elizabeth O'Farrells of this island – the nurse selected by Patrick Pearse to carry his message seeking negotiations to end hostilities and subsequently wiped from the history – would never again be forgotten, here we go again. There is a sexist old saying that, in Mary O'Connell's case, bears repeating. Behind every great man is a great woman. We should respect her memory, lest we forget.
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Tax-break ‘enhancement' being considered for companies carrying out research and development
The Government is weighing up a possible boost to tax breaks for companies doing research and development (R&D) in the Republic, according to Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe . Speaking to US investors at the American Chamber of Commerce Ireland annual dinner on Thursday, Mr Donohoe confirmed that he had been looking at ways of 'enhancing' a tax credit that returns 30 per cent of R&D spending to companies. 'We greatly value the feedback we are receiving, including as part of our recent public consultation, and this remains a key focus for my officials and I ahead of the Budget later this year,' he told the audience. Around 1,800 companies benefit from the tax break, one of several designed to attract and retain investment. READ MORE The American chamber represents US companies in the Republic, which employ 211,000 workers here and support a further 168,000 jobs in other businesses. The Minister pointed out that the relationship works both ways, as 770 Irish companies employ more than 200,000 in the US, while they have invested $350 million (€307 million) there. He also noted that Irish aviation companies are US manufacturer Boeing's biggest customers, with orders for more than 900 of its passenger jets, worth $120 billion. These include Ryanair, which has ordered 150 of Boeing's new 737 Max 10 aircraft, with an option for 150 more, and leasing groups Aercap, Avolon and SMBC Aviation Capital. Mr Donohoe was speaking a day after the US Court of International Trade blocked the country's president, Donald Trump , from imposing sweeping tariffs on imports. Last week he threatened to charge 50 per cent on all goods from the EU, but rowed that back to July 9th following a call with European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen. Mr Donohoe cautioned that tariffs were counter-productive, driving inflation and hurting consumers. [ White House vows to fight court ruling that Trump's 'liberation day' tariff scheme is illegal Opens in new window ] 'There are no winners in this, least of all the US taxpayers who will bear the burden of higher costs,' he said. 'Even a 10 per cent tariff could have a significant effect on Irish investment and the wider economy. It represents a huge challenge to Irish exporters to the US.' He welcomed the contacts between Ms von der Leyen and Mr Trump. Paul Sweetman, American chamber chief executive, said the organisation was there to support members in responding to trade turmoil. Winners of the 2025 American Chamber of Commerce US-Ireland Business Awards Global Leadership: Martin Cotter, president of Analog Devices, Europe, Middle East and Africa Global Impact: Alltech Global Community: Microsoft and Maynooth University, STEM Passport for Inclusion.
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Tariff threat a budget headache for Minister and investment pays for Trinity College
Paschal Donohoe is not looking forward to the budget process if his evidence to an Oireachtas committee is anything to go by. He said making 'confident predictions' about the impact on the Irish economy of a breakdown in trade relations between the US and Europe, is without precedent, and that forecasting short-term scenarios – key to the budget arithmetic – has never been more difficult. Ian Curran reports. Trinity College recorded a surplus in excess of €50 million last year, according to accounts just published but still described their finances as 'finely balanced'. Hugh Dooley finds out why. US health insurance giant Elevance opened an Irish business less than four years ago and rebranded with fanfare in Thomond Park just over two years ago. Now it is packing up, cutting more than 300 staff at its Limerick operation loose. Legendary Apple designer Jony Ive and artificial intelligence pioneer Sam Altman are promising to create a device that will take artificial intelligence firmly into the real world, reimagining what it means to use a computer. They're not the first to make such promises and Ciara O'Brien suggests it is not yet time to turn your back on the current generation of technology. READ MORE Meta's chief privacy officer warns that Europe risks becoming the 'museum of the world'. Her particular bone of contention is the EU's wariness of Meta plans to start using the public posts, comments and other data of EU users to train its AI models. She tells Ciara it is just an attempt 'by a vocal minority of activist groups to delay AI innovation in the EU and that ultimately harms consumers and businesses who can benefit from these technologies'. The Irish Hotels Federation says it is joining a Europe-wide legal action against over what they say are inflated commission rates they were forced to pay over 20 years. Conor Pope has the details. Ireland's largest business lobby group, Ibec, says skills gaps and mismatches in the Irish workforce are 'eroding the competitiveness of Irish industry' though it's somewhat short on details, writes Hugh Dooley. Meanwhile, the Convenience Stores & Newsagents Association has secured High Court sanction to proceed with a judicial review of what it says are 'punitive' fees to sell tobacco and nicotine products from next year. Corner stores currently paying €50 a year for the privilege will face bills of €1,800 under the new regime. Hugh has the details. Marketing and advertising budgets are often the first casualties during times of economic stress. So a new report that foresees stagnating client spending this year might be cause for concern. Ian Curran reports. Eoin Burke-Kennedy assesses a KPMG report that says Dublin needs a €70 billion investment in housing, transport, water and energy over 15 years if it is to catch up on years of underinvestment that has seen the city outgrow its infrastructure. When Covid disrupted retail, fashion designer Aideen Bodkin turned her attention to the thorny question of ensuring clothes bought online actually fit. Now she has developed an AI-powered tool for fashion retailers that matches customer measurements to a brand's sizing to ensure the perfect fit first time. 'I spent over 20 years in high-end ladies fashion and, in recent years, I've watched in horror as fast fashion and overconsumption have become normalised. Over 50 per cent of global online garment returns stem from incorrect fit and this fuelled my commitment to create an innovative sizing solution,' Bodkin says. Finally, on our Inside Business podcast , Lisa Brankin, chairman and managing director of Ford UK & Ireland, joins host Cliff Taylor to discuss the challenges of going electric, her plans for the company's future, and the launch of Ford Power Promise across its range of electric cars in Ireland. If you'd like to read more about the issues that affect your finances try signing up to On the Money , the weekly newsletter from our personal finance team, which will be issued every Friday to Irish Times subscribers.
