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Irish Independent
5 days ago
- General
- Irish Independent
The Indo Daily: Extra: ‘A monster' – Richard Satchwell sentenced to life in prison as Tina's family speak in court
Mr Justice Paul McDermott imposed the mandatory sentence of life imprisonment on the English truck driver at the Central Criminal Court as Ms Satchwell's Cork family said they will never forgive him for the nightmare he inflicted on them over almost seven years. 'There is only one sentence a judge is required to apply which is a sentence of life imprisonment. I date the sentence back to October 12, 2023,' the judge said. Lorraine Howard, Tina's half-sister said she could never forgive the truck driver for what he had done to the woman he professed to have loved. She claimed he showed more respect to their pet dog for its burial and had even taken the rubble from his wife's secret grave and scattered it around the places in Youghal they loved. 'I am Tina's sister, myself and Tina were inseparable growing up,' she said. 'We always had each other's backs. As long as I can remember Tina loved animals. She hated to see any animal neglected. She was so kindhearted.' 'I am so thankful that the jury saw through his despicable lies. 'We have so many happy memories of Tina. I feel Tina is with us. 'That monster took Tina from us." Today on this extra episode of The Indo Daily, Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Ralph Riegel, Southern Correspondent with The Irish Independent, to reflect on this final day in court, the sentence handed down to Richard Satchwell and whether this is the final chapter in this sinister case.
The Irish Sun
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
RTE Fair City star Gerard Jordan welcomes eighth child into world as he opens up on ‘difficulties' of having big family
RTE Fair City star Gerard Jordan has welcomed his eighth child into the world. The 34-year-old, who's best known for his role as Steo Nash in the hit soap, met his partner Jo 11 years ago and the pair both shared a dream of having a big family. Advertisement 2 Gerard Jordan stars as Steo Nash in Fair City Credit: RTE 2 Gerard has eight kids with his partner Credit: RTE Gerard told The Irish Independent: "I have always loved the idea of a full, lively house. The kind of place where there is always laughing or someone needing a snack or needing something.' The actor became a dad at just 25-years-old and said while it seems "young", he felt "very mature" and knew it was something himself and Jo both wanted. The pair now have eight children; Jasper, 10, Hugo, nine, River, seven, Sage, five, Saint, three, Zen, two, Enzo, one, and Halo, who is just 12 weeks old. The family-of-ten lives in the Liberties, Dublin. Advertisement read more on fair city As well as Gerard's glitzy showbiz job, he works for a company that sells credit card terminals. He explained: "I'm not back [in Fair City] until August so it's a big gap. You have to have something else going on because otherwise you would run out of money very quickly with eight kids." Gerard spoke about how himself and his partner make sure to budget "perfectly" for their big family by forward planning. He said: 'There's a lot of mouths to feed. There's a lot of outgoings with kids… with certain trips with school, and things that bubble up. So you have to have an 'emergency fund' packed away and ready to go." Advertisement read more on the irish sun Gerard studied acting in Liberties College in his 20s but his career took a back seat when he had kids. He said: "You have to pay the bills and unfortunately with the acting stuff, it pays the bills when it's good, but when it's bad, you could be out of work for a year or six months… so I had to do something else." A look at tonight's episode of Fair City After several years, he was approached by the late DWTS judge Julian Benson who encouraged him to "get back in the game" - which he did and his kids love watching their daddy on the TV. The Dubliner also revealed he often gets double-takes from those passing him in the shops and are in disbelief at how many kids he has. Advertisement 'SHOCK' Gerard said: "I was in Lidl the other day and I was buying size five nappies and size six nappies, and this woman turned around and said, 'Oh, do you have many yourself?' And I told her, [and] she went, 'What! I have two. I couldn't imagine eight'. 'And then [other times] when we go out shopping, people would go, 'Are all these yours?'. Gerard said that the "initial" reaction for strangers is shock but once it wears off they remark that it's a "good thing" and that "it's really nice" to have a big family. He added: "If you are going to have a big family, you have to circle your life around the children. Advertisement "It is difficult, but you've got to give up going out with your friends so you can really focus on your kids.'
Irish Independent
28-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
‘A deeper connection to nature' - Galgorm to spend €3.5m on new forest spa garden and resort rooms
Luxury hotel and spa resort Galgorm has announced a £3m (€3.5m) investment in guestroom refurbishment and plans for a forest spa garden. The resort said the changes, part of an overall £40m (€48m) investment plan, enhanced its thermal spa village while reinforcing its commitment to investing in tourism in Northern Ireland. Parent company Galgorm Collection has spent £2m (€2.4m) on room refurbishment, including renovating the six junior suites at Galgorm, which now have private hot tubs on their balconies overlooking the River Maine. And work to refurbish 45 superior rooms is due to be finished by July. A new forest spa garden is due to open in the autumn of this year in a further £1m (€1.2m) investment which the venue said would offer guests 'a deeper connection to nature'. The garden will be sited opposite the thermal spa village within the resort's woodland area, and will be equipped with four cabanas, three private hot tubs, a sauna and forest walkways. A new bridge will link the new garden to the main spa, which Galgorm said would create 'a fully immersive wellness journey'. Colin Johnston, managing director at Galgorm Collection, said: 'These investments allow us to push boundaries in creating exceptional guest experiences. "The junior suites' private balcony hot tubs offer guests a spa retreat within their own room, while the Forest Spa Garden introduces an entirely new way to relax and reconnect with nature. 'Our guests both from home and overseas can expect even more from Galgorm, and this latest chapter reflects our vision for world-class hospitality here in Northern Ireland.' The forest spa garden will be open to all overnight and day spa guests, but is particularly aimed at guests staying in its forest dens, eco-friendly accommodation combine luxury and an experience close to nature. The forest dens, featured in The Irish Independent's Fab 50 list of Ireland's best places to stay in 2025, have a private garden terrace, outdoor shower, wood-fired bath, and private sauna. This latest investment is part of Galgorm's broader £40m expansion strategy, which the group said was 'futureproofing' the industry in Northern Ireland. The resort is the flagship property in Galgorm Collection and has benefited from spending of £60m (€71m) since 2010. Galgorm Collection recently announced the acquisitions of Galgorm Castle Estate in Ballymena and Roe Valley Resort in Limavady for a total of £28m (€33m), with another £22m (€26m) to be spent to improve both properties in the next five years. Galgorm Collection opened the Rabbit Hotel & Retreat in Templepatrick, Co Antrim in 2019, and in 2021 acquired and relaunched The Old Inn in Crawfordsburn, adding an outdoor treetop spa and improving its accommodation and dining facilities. Mr Johnston added: 'As international travel continues to rebound and domestic tourism flourishes, our focus remains on delivering premium, experience-led hospitality across our entire property portfolio. "We are proud to contribute to the vibrancy of Northern Ireland's tourism offering and look forward to welcoming even more guests from domestic and overseas markets to experience everything Galgorm has to offer.'
Sunday World
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Pierce Brosnan hits back at criticism of Irish accent in Mobland
The Drogheda-born and Navan-raised star plays the lead role in director Guy Ritchie's Paramount+ series Pierce Brosnan has responded to criticism of his Irish accent in TV series MobLand after it was described as 'all over the place'. The Drogheda-born and Navan-raised star plays the lead role in director Guy Ritchie's Paramount+ series. The contemporary crime drama is based around the fictional Harrigan family and their influence on London's criminal underworld. It features Brosnan (72) and Dame Helen Mirren, 46 years after they both starred in John Mackenzie's iconic 1979 gangster film The Long Good Friday. But the veteran screen stars have found themselves taking heat over their Irish accents in the new show, with Brosnan's in particular coming under fire. In their review of the show, The Irish Independent dismissed it as 'all over the place and a huge distraction', but the actor argued that his role as family patriarch Conrad Harrigan demanded a broader Irish accent than his own. 'My own accent is very soft,' he says in the latest issue of Radio Times. 'Conrad's accent is a million miles away from me.' He went on to explain that the inspiration for the accent was a man suggested by his dialect coach, adding: "I told him that I needed a Kerry accent, so he gave me the name of a man and I googled the guy and that was it. Pierce Brosnan News in 90 Seconds - May 27th "It was a Kerry accent and so I just gave it full tilt." The "brutish, cunning, charming and dangerous' Conrad is the flipside of the suave and sophisticated secret agent James Bond who Brosnan depicted across four blockbuster films from 1995 to 2002. Saying he enjoys playing the villain, Brosnan added: 'like him. I love him. I enjoy him. I mean, I don't want to be that person – he's a psychopath. 'Yes, there are no holds barred. You own the stage, you have wings to fly and be anything you wish.' Brosnan is working with celebrated director Ritchie for the first time in Mobland, who had made his mark from Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels to big-budget Hollywood reinterpretations of Sherlock Holmes. 'I have great admiration for Guy Ritchie's work and the style that he has created for himself,' Brosnan said. 'The landscape of film-making that he has embroidered over the years is wildly entertaining.' Referring to the Harrigans, he said the family is 'mangled and warped, twisted, incestuous and dangerous'. Brosnan who was 25-years old when he made his screen debut as an unnamed IRA assassin in The Long Good Friday, is reuniting with Mirren - who also stars alongside him in forthcoming film The Thursday Murder Club 'It still holds up as a British gangster movie,' Brosnan said of the iconic flick. 'And now, all these years later, Helen and I are working together again.' In the interview, Brosnan also spoke of the worry and excitement he faces when taking on new roles, saying: "Every job is a challenge and it all comes with a thump of anxiety, because you have to do something. "What are you doing on the stage? Why are you there? So that's constant. You live with that. You live with that stress all the time, and that's what's so exhilarating. "That's what makes you alive." Brosnan will appear in a film adaptation of Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club book, which is set for release in August.
Belfast Telegraph
27-05-2025
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
Galgorm to spend £3m on resort rooms and new forest spa garden as part of major investment
Luxury hotel and spa resort Galgorm has announced a £3m investment in guestroom refurbishment and plans for a forest spa garden. The resort said the changes, part of an overall £40m investment plan, enhanced its thermal spa village while reinforcing its commitment to investing in tourism in Northern Ireland. Parent company Galgorm Collection has spent £2m on room refurbishment, including renovating the six junior suites at the Galgorm, which now have private hot tubs on their balconies overlooking the River Maine. And work to refurbish 45 superior rooms is due to be finished by July. And a new forest spa garden is due to open in the autumn of this year in a further £1m investment which the venue said would offer guests 'a deeper connection to nature'. The garden will be sited opposite the thermal spa village within the resort's woodland area, and will be equipped with four cabanas, three private hot tubs, a sauna and forest walkways. A new bridge will link the new garden to the main spa, which Galgorm said would create 'a fully immersive wellness journey'. Colin Johnston, managing director at Galgorm Collection, said: 'These investments allow us to push boundaries in creating exceptional guest experiences. "The junior suites' private balcony hot tubs offer guests a spa retreat within their own room, while the Forest Spa Garden introduces an entirely new way to relax and reconnect with nature. 'Our guests both from home and overseas can expect even more from Galgorm, and this latest chapter reflects our vision for world-class hospitality here in Northern Ireland.' The forest spa garden will be open to all overnight and day spa guests, but is particularly aimed at guests staying in its forest dens, eco-friendly accommodation combine luxury and an experience close to nature. News Catch Up - Monday 26 May The forest dens, featured in The Irish Independent's Fab 50 list of Ireland's best places to stay in 2025, have a private garden terrace, outdoor shower, wood-fired bath, and private sauna. This latest investment is part of Galgorm's broader £40m expansion strategy, which the group said was 'futureproofing' the industry in Northern Ireland. The resort is the flagship property in Galgorm Collection and has benefited from spending of £60m since 2010. Galgorm Collection recently announced the acquisitions of Galgorm Castle Estate in Ballymena and Roe Valley Resort in Limavady for a total of £28m, with another £22m to be spent to improve both properties in the next five years. Galgorm Collection opened the £15m Rabbit Hotel & Retreat in Templepatrick, Co Antrim in 2019, and in 2021 acquired and relaunched The Old Inn in Crawfordsburn, adding a £2.5m outdoor treetop spa and improving its accommodation and dining facilities. Mr Johnston added: 'As international travel continues to rebound and domestic tourism flourishes, our focus remains on delivering premium, experience-led hospitality across our entire property portfolio. "We are proud to contribute to the vibrancy of Northern Ireland's tourism offering and look forward to welcoming even more guests from domestic and overseas markets to experience everything Galgorm has to offer.' Galgorm's thermal spa village was named Best Spa Experience 2025 at the Condé Nast Johansens Awards.
