2+ week, 10+ hour ago (361+ words) Every November, Irish news publishers gather in the Mansion House in Dublin to recognise the best work of the previous year. At a time when the values " and, for many outlets, the business models " that underpin a free press are facing real challenge, the Irish Journalism Awards ceremony is always a reminder of the vigour and vitality of the industry at its best. The Irish Times won eight awards on Wednesday at this year's ceremony " more than any other title. Over 50 of our journalists had been shortlisted. The overall award, Journalist of the Year, went to Sally Hayden, who was also selected as the winner in two individual categories " Foreign Coverage and Feature Writer (Broadsheet). Sally has been based in the Middle East for the past year, and her winning portfolio of work encompassed assignments in Syria, Lebanon and the…...

2+ week, 4+ day ago (1200+ words) Aisling Nic Giolla Bh'in sits in a tiny child's seat in one of the prefabricated units that make up Scoil an Droichid on the Ormeau Road in Belfast. She is leading the chorus of Na Tr" Mhuic"n " or Three Little Pigs in English " with some of her young charges. The chorus is joyous, ending in peals of laughter in a school that hopes to finally have a permanent home on the other side of Ormeau Park in September, 2026 " 30 years, almost to the day, since the school began life. "We're at 181 pupils at the moment, so there is no room. The classrooms are tiny. Even the Portakabins are old, bar the nursery; that came new," says Nic Ghiolla Bh'in. The pressure is proof of the increasing success of Irish-language schools across Belfast. This success was on full display two weeks…...

2+ week, 14+ hour ago (999+ words) Gaeilge briste is well known to be better than Bearla cliste. But with the Irish now taking first place in the "ras, as new Uachtar'n Catherine Connolly pledged in her inaugural speech this week, how is the quality of her caint? In an ominous preview of what the next seven years of Park-watching are going to be like for well-meaning non-Honours Irish students, Connolly prompted some confusion when she uttered in her Dublin Castle speech her rousing "Ligimis don Ghaeilge bl'th, or "let us allow Irish to bloom. Because when the "ras issued the official transcript, an F had wormed its way into one of the words, rendering it "Ligfimis don Ghaeilge bl'th. This F, inaudible though it was, made the word possibly future tense, or conditional, but certainly grammatically unusual. Despite appearing in the official text of the speech,…...

3+ week, 6+ day ago (934+ words) Our lead story this morning is a curious and worrying tale about allegations of cheating within the electrical craft apprenticeship programme, which prompted serious concerns of alleged criminal activity and risks to public safety. The allegations were first made in a protected disclosure, which eventually made its way to the desk of Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless. He then asked the Attorney General to consider if there may have been a criminal case to answer, after his department became aware earlier this year of allegations that exam papers had been available for sale to apprentice electricians for "50 the night before a test. The claims raised fears for the public from potentially unqualified electricians. Other "compromised" exam papers were alleged to have been shared with apprentices hoping to qualify as electricians in advance of assessments. "Compromised" exam papers…...

2+ week, 6+ day ago (547+ words) First-time workers who move jobs see their pay rise far faster than those staying put, according to new data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), with people on lower pay more likely to change jobs. Weekly earnings for those who joined the workforce in 2023 and stayed in the same job rose 13.2 per cent in 2024 at the median (or middle value) " from "450.75 to "510.11 " while those who changed jobs saw their pay rise 40 per cent. The median starting pay among those who moved was lower, at "346.15, with their earnings jumping to "484.71 after moving jobs. Just over one in five first-time workers moved jobs between 2023 and 2024, with a close to a further quarter no longer featuring in the workforce data. First-time IT workers had the highest weekly earnings of any new-entrant employees in the State last year, with median weekly earnings of "1,013.62. This…...

3+ week, 3+ day ago (878+ words) Not one, not two but three different modes of transport are used by some of the commuters who travel long distances daily to work and university John Leahy is one commuter who responded to an Irish Times callout to readers to share their experiences of long daily journeys. Living at home in north Tipperary, Leahy started a Master's degree in planning and sustainable development at University College Cork (UCC) in September. His morning commute to college is almost 150km and takes him more than two hours. Double that for his daily journey as he retraces his steps in the evening. "The commute itself is at the outer reaches of feasibility, but I think the fact that it did feel like a choice of mine " though in reality it was choice between returning to study or working to make ends meet in…...

3+ day, 15+ hour ago (482+ words) Ireland's employment landscape is shifting as high-growth sectors continue to outpace the traditional graduate talent pipeline. In response, many US multinationals operating here are turning to apprenticeships, return-to-work programmes and accelerated training pathways to fill critical roles in areas such as cloud computing, cybersecurity and biopharma operations. "Together, they are designing online and blended micro-credentials, internships, return-to-work programmes and apprenticeships that align learning outcomes directly with workplace competencies," says Fitzpatrick. "This approach ensures that candidates are job-ready in three to nine months, with training mapped to live toolchains rather than broad academic syllabi." Employers also favour "earn and learn" models, which spread costs over time and reduce the risk of mis-hiring compared to competing for fully formed senior talent. "Meanwhile, "returnships' and mid-career reskilling programmes are opening doors for career-break returners and career-changers, improving representation in critical teams," Fitzpatrick continues....

3+ week, 2+ day ago (342+ words) Irish-founded fintech Stripe is set to become the new principal sponsor of the Irish Maths Trust for a three-year period. The Irish Maths Trust is the organisation behind the Irish Maths Olympiad, the national mathematics competition for secondary school students. The funding commitment will enable the continuation of the competition, the company said. The sponsorship will also allow the trust to set up new junior maths enrichment centres across seven Irish universities, including South East Technological University in Waterford, Munster Technological University in Tralee, and the University of Galway. "The new JME centres will change Ireland's mathematical landscape for years to come," said Dr Neil Dobbs, a maths lecturer at University College Dublin and chair of the trust. "We're thrilled that, with Stripe's support, we'll be able to share the joy of challenging mathematics with the next generation all across…...

3+ week, 2+ day ago (890+ words) Irish-language advocacy groups have given a mixed reaction to the contents of a new two-part Government policy on Irish in the education system. While welcoming some elements of the policy, patron bodies and language advocacy group Conradh na Gaeilge said the plan lacks ambition and pointed to the Government's failure to deliver on similar commitments in the past. The education policy, launched this week, aims to encourage growth of Irish-medium education and also to support the learning of Irish in English-medium schools over the next two years. Objectives include expanding the supply of teachers with a high level of Irish, enhancing professional development, and promoting the uptake of Irish-medium education. Under the policy for Irish-medium education, a taskforce of stakeholders and Department of Education officials will be established to explore delivery models outside the Gaeltacht. The taskforce, due to hold…...

3+ week, 4+ day ago (376+ words) A sought-after private school in South Dublin has apologised to parents for the "distress" caused after admissions offers were issued in error. A number of parents who applied for their child to attend St Andrew's College in Booterstown for the coming school year received a notification late last month that their application had been successful. However, they were subsequently informed by the school's admissions office that these offers were sent due to a "system error". In correspondence sent to the parents affected after the school became aware of the issue, St Andrew's said it was unaware of the offer notifications at the time they were sent, and said it regrets the "confusion this may have caused". In the correspondence, the admissions team apologised for the "inconvenience" and advised applicants who received the offer notification to disregard it. "No offers have…...