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Irish Daily Mirror
26-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Irish Daily Mirror
Australian man buys two-bedroom home with money from local bottle return scheme
An Australian man managed to purchase a two-bedroom house using the money he got from a bottle return scheme. Damian Gordon, a 36-year-old living in New South Wales, Australia, shared that when he would take long walks on the beach, he would come across tonnes of rubbish lying everywhere. He found it 'impossible to ignore all the rubbish' that was 'scattered across the shoreline' and that he was 'casually aware' of the area's Return and Earn scheme, RSVP Live reports. It offered ten cents for every can collected and returned, with glass bottles and plastic containers also accepted. He told That's Life: 'Returning to the beach as often as I could, I made it my mission to collect the rubbish during my walk.' Damian would visit the ground of music festivals as 'crowds left mountains of empties behind'. Along with other volunteers, Damian separated 40,000 recyclable containers from other rubbish following a 2017 festival. He admitted that he was 'amazed to walk away with a whopping $4,000' after one event. It gave him the idea to start collecting enough recyclable containers for a house deposit. Within three years Damian had saved $20,000. January 2024 was the seven-year anniversary of Damian's recycling collections, with him earning $45,000 from it. Along with some other savings, he managed to gather enough for a deposit for a two-bedroom home. He took his recycling efforts one step further and found 'treasures' from curbs to furnish him home. This included a microwave, fridge, a bed frame and even a juicer. Damian added: 'With mortgage repayments coming hard and fast, I don't plan to stop collecting any time soon. Now I'm paying off my dream home, one bottle at a time.'
Irish Daily Mirror
24-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Daily Mirror
Full list of eligible recipients for a €2,000 grant to be paid at start of June
Thousands of eligible people in Ireland are set to receive a grant of €2,000 in the first week of next month. The Carer's Support Grant provides significant assistance to numerous carers nationwide and will be distributed on the first Thursday in June (June 5). Here's all you need to know, including a comprehensive list of those eligible to claim it, reports reports RSVP Live. The Carer's Support Grant is automatically given to individuals receiving one of the following payments on the first Thursday in June. It's important to note that the Carer's Support Grant is not means-tested. Even if you're not receiving one of these payments, you may still be eligible for the Carer's Support Grant. You must be: During this six-month caring period, you are not allowed to: If your baby or child is hospitalised or in another institution for medical treatment, you might qualify for the Carer's Support Grant. To receive the grant, your baby or child must be eligible for Domiciliary Care Allowance. If you're caring for multiple people, a grant is provided for each individual you care for. In 2025, the Carer's Support Grant will amount to €2,000. It will be paid out on 5 June 2025. In 2024, the Carer's Support Grant was €1,850. If you're receiving Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit or Domiciliary Care Allowance, there's no need to apply for the Carer's Support Grant. You'll automatically receive it in June. If you're not receiving one of the above payments, you should complete a Carer's Support Grant application form (CSG1) for each individual you're caring for. You can obtain the application form from your local Intreo Centre or Social Welfare Branch Office or Citizens' Information Centre.
Irish Daily Mirror
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Lives of Donna and Joe McCaul now, 20 years after famous Eurovision appearance
It's been two decades since Donna and Joe McCaul flew the flag for Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest. The brother and sister duo appeared at the 2005 contest in Kyiv in Ukraine after victory on the TV show You're a Star, performing their song, titled Love? Unfortunately, as has been the case for many of Ireland's recent Eurovision participants, Donna and Joe didn't make it through to the grand final and have since embarked on individual career paths, reports RSVP Live. In 2013, Donna relocated to Los Angeles, where she has lived ever since. She continues to sing and is a member of a group called Identity Theft The Band. Last year, she expressed her desire to grace the Eurovision stage once more, this time with her band. "I want to do it with the experience I got throughout the years, from doing music, different shows and learning about myself vocally and musically," she revealed to RSVP Live. "This time around, it would be writing my own song with my band. It's our own genre that we would want to bring to the stage." In 2017, Donna disclosed that she needed to undergo preventative cancer surgery in the US and set up a GoFundMe to help cover the costs, explaining that she required removal of cysts from her breasts and ovaries. In her fundraising appeal, she stated: "My doctors in the US said I need to get these operations done now rather than later. The breast surgery costs $21,000 and operation on my ovaries is another $21,000. I have to pay for scans as well, and that's how I came up with a $50,000 figure. "If people want to donate and help, I would be so grateful. It's 100 per cent for medical reasons. I would never make this appeal if I wasn't in a situation where I had do it." Joe McCaul has mostly retreated from the spotlight since his Eurovision appearance but remains dedicated to music through teaching. The vocalist made a name for himself with a stint on The X Factor in 2015, progressing as far as bootcamp and the Six Chair Challenge before he was eliminated. Joe has also had to deal with some health issues and opened up about his multiple sclerosis diagnosis in 2014. "My world crumbled around me," he told the Irish Independent. "I was crying and the doctors just left me be." "When I got the news nothing made any sense. I couldn't see a life for myself. When I think MS I only see a wheelchair. I'm still coming to terms with it," he said at the time. "I can either lie down under it or get up and go. When people say to me, but you've got MS, I say, MS hasn't got me. I love to party and I'm living for now. I'm not thinking about what next year has to offer." Last year, Donna told RSVP Live that once was enough for Joe as far as the Eurovision is concerned but that her brother is a constant source of support. "Joe has stepped back from that. He's teaching music in a college in Dublin," she said. "I don't think he has any interest in going back. I think the first time was enough for him. "He's very supportive. He always says, 'Go for it. It's your dream'."
Irish Daily Mirror
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
RTE star Jacqui Hurley feared she'd be 'laughing stock' after major mishap
Jacqui Hurley feared she would become a laughing stock after accidentally swearing on air during her early days at RTÉ. The Cork presenter was overjoyed to be the first woman to host Sunday Sport on Radio 1 at the age of just 25. However, a slip-up in a pre-record didn't go unnoticed by listeners and gained national attention, much to Jacqui's disappointment at the time. Jacqui remembered: "I said 's**t' on the radio once. I started Sunday Sport in 2009 and I was the first ever woman to present the show. "I was actually more worried at the time that I was the youngest ever presenter, because I was only 25 and I'd gone from reading four-minute sports bulletins to presenting a four-hour live radio programme with no scripts. I hadn't a clue what I was doing.", reports RSVP Live. In the weeks leading up to her first show, Jacqui was pre-recording the opener, She introduced herself and said "S**t, let me do that again". Unfortunately, that comment made the edit that went on air, and Jacqui had to apologise to listeners. "We got an email from a guy saying he was in the car with young children and that he was horrified," the Sunday Game presenter told the Irish Independent. "I remember at the time thinking, 'Oh Jesus, they'll never put another woman on the radio,' because this is going to be a gender thing. They are going to be like, 'Those women, they can't keep their mouths closed.'". "There was definitely a fear around that. I genuinely thought, 'I could be in bother here,' at the time. "Ana Leddy, who was the head of Radio 1 at the time, requested a meeting with me, and I fully thought, 'Oh, my God, she could be giving me the bullet here.'". "I went in and she asked me what I learned. 'You know, your microphone is always on. You have to treat it as live, even if it was pre-recorded.'". Jacqui wasn't pleased that the incident seemed to follow her around afterwards, and was worried she would become the "laughing stock" of RTÉ. She added: "Will Leahy played it on the radio, and I was really annoyed at the time, and thought, 'You shouldn't be hanging your colleague out to dry,' even though people thought it was funny. "Then I went on The Late Late Show maybe a week or two afterwards, because they were trying to do something about women making the breakthrough in sports journalism. "It was me, Evanne [Ní Chuilinn] and Joanne [Cantwell], and they played it again. I was thinking, 'I'm going to become a laughing stock around here.'". But luckily for Jacqui, this didn't happen: "You'd swear I was cursing on the radio all the time. It never happened again, and that was in 2009."
Daily Record
06-05-2025
- Daily Record
Airport insider shares why having this on your suitcase can delay your travel plans
A baggage handler has shared the reason why you should never use this on your suitcase before jetting off on holiday. The worker also revealed the one item you should never pack A baggage handler has shared a tip that could save holidaymakers from travel problems. They advised against tying ribbons to suitcases before flying. While many passengers use distinctive markers like ribbons or stickers on their luggage to spot it easily on the carousel, an airport worker claims this common practice might actually hinder the bag's journey. Speaking to RSVP Live, the baggage handler said: "Ribbons people tie onto their suitcases to help identify them can cause issues with the bag being scanned in the baggage hall. "If the bag can't be scanned automatically it can end up in manual processing, which could mean your bag doesn't make it to the flight. Take old stickers off the bag, it can cause confusion with the scanning process." Furthermore, the worker warned against packing marzipan, as its density is similar to explosives, potentially leading to both the bag and its owner being removed from the flight. This advice comes amid a warning from experts about the risks of disabling aeroplane mode during flights, reports the Mirror. Despite some airlines offering Wi-Fi for purchase, cellular services are still prohibited on planes, meaning calls and internet browsing without Wi-Fi are not possible. Experts have highlighted the dangers of taking phones off aeroplane mode while airborne. Bobby Dutton, a commercial pilot, flight instructor, and engineer who runs the website Think Like a Pilot, warned that any interference could "potentially lead to missing critical information like traffic alerts, runway assignments, or changes to the route. Any misunderstanding of these transmissions could lead to dangerous situations very quickly". While modern aircraft are designed to minimise the risk of interference, Sigurdsson pointed out that it could still occur, particularly during crucial phases, such as take-off and landing. He emphasised: "Aviation safety is based on layers of protection, and restricting cellular signals in flight is one of them." Dutton added that aviation safety involves making wise decisions "before you get in trouble". If there's even a slight chance that mobile service could pose a problem, airlines should act preemptively to eliminate the threat. This proactive approach to banning mobile activity in-flight helps enhance safety measures. Sigurdsson concluded by saying that while "a single phone may not cause a major issue, multiple active devices transmitting signals inside the cabin" can pose a greater safety risk. If airlines permitted passengers to use mobile services on planes, most would likely use their phones, thereby increasing the risk. Sigurdsson said that airlines aim to reduce distractions during critical phases like takeoff and landing. He pointed out: "The crew needs passengers' full attention," and added, "Using personal devices can delay responses in case of an emergency".
