Irish

As celebrities swept up the Met Gala’s red carpet in New York in towering looks and high drama last night, an Irish woman was quietly reshaping the evening from behind the scenes, helping make the event accessible for the first time. Sinéad Burke, chief executive and founder of the strategic accessibility consultancy Tilting the Lens, attended the invitation-only gala as an adviser to The Met's Costume Institute. Burke is already a familiar figure in fashion, having appeared among five disabled people featured across a…

An unfolding health emergency aboard a cruise ship off Cape Verde has drawn international concern, with two Irish passengers among 149 people on board after a case of hantavirus was confirmed. Oceanwide Expeditions, the vessel’s operator, said the MV Hondius is carrying 149 people from 23 nationalities and remains in what it described as “a serious medical situation”. The company said strict precautions are being enforced on board, including isolation procedures, hygiene measures and ongoing medical monitoring. A…

A promised rollback of US tariffs on Scotch whisky has raised hopes — and fresh uncertainty — for Irish distillers, as the Irish Whiskey Association (IWA) called for a broader return to duty-free spirits trade across the Atlantic. In a statement, the IWA, which represents whiskey producers across the island of Ireland, said it welcomed "any move towards restoration of tariff-free transatlantic spirits trade" after US President Donald Trump announced he would remove tariffs on Scotch Whisky imports. The group said it shares…

Ireland’s Taoiseach Micheál Martin has denounced what he called the “shocking” apparent assassination attempt on US President Donald Trump overnight. Speaking in Cork, Mr Martin said the scenes were “very serious and very shocking” to witness. “There can be absolutely no place for violence in politics, and our thoughts are with the police officer, the agent who was injured, and with everyone affected by an event of this nature.” Mr Martin said there was mounting evidence of rising political violence around the world, adding…

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is preparing to shed 10% of its global workforce — a move that would amount to about 8,000 jobs. It remains unclear how the planned cuts will affect the company’s Irish business, where roughly 1,800 people are employed. A spokesperson for Meta Ireland declined to discuss the specifics of the redundancies, but confirmed the details of a Bloomberg report that first revealed the worldwide layoffs. The reductions were set out in a memo to employees, which also said Meta will leave thousands…

Haiti Couleurs stands on the brink of a rare slice of racing history, with Rebecca Curtis’s runner carrying Welsh hopes of ending a 121-year wait for a home-trained winner of the Randox Grand National. No horse prepared in Wales has won at Aintree since Kirkland in 1905, and Curtis believes the nine-year-old has a genuine chance to change that. He also has the opportunity to become the first horse to add the Merseyside showpiece to victories in both the Irish and Welsh Grand Nationals. "He seems really well in himself. I've…

Irish peacekeepers are still deployed in southern Lebanon, even as Israel steps up operations and signals an intention to seize control of territory aimed at establishing what it calls a buffer zone. In recent days, Israeli actions have included strikes on bridges, ground operations and evacuation orders—developments taking place inside the UN-monitored area where Irish troops are stationed. The Defence Forces said Irish UN peacekeepers remain in place as Israel implements plans to take the area through military force.…

Police release tattoos details in bid to identify man found in wheelie bin at Coventry park Police in England have released details of “distinctive” tattoos in an urgent appeal to identify a man whose body was discovered in a council wheelie bin at a Coventry park late Friday afternoon. A member of the public found the man, believed to be between 40 and 50 years old, in Cash’s Park off Daimler Road at about 5 p.m. Friday, police said. The victim was inside a Coventry City Council-issued wheelie bin with a green lid.…

Irish book-keeper wins more than £23,000 for racial harassment at Leeds employment tribunal An Irish employee has been awarded more than £23,000 after a Leeds employment tribunal found she was racially harassed at work by the director of engineering firm West Leeds Civils. The tribunal ruled that Bernadette Hayes, a book-keeper, was subjected to repeated abuse linked to her Irish heritage, including being called “potato,” “paddy,” “stupid paddy” and “pikey,” terms the judge described as “offensive and humiliating” and…

Ireland tracks 24,400 citizens in Gulf as charter flight readies departure from Oman; Middle East flight disruptions persist Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee said 24,400 Irish citizens have registered their presence in the Gulf region as the government accelerates repatriation efforts amid a sixth straight day of air travel disruption linked to the war involving Iran. Speaking in the Dáil and to RTÉ News, McEntee said registrations are rising daily and that about 80% of travelers on direct Dubai–Dublin flights last…