Finian McGrath said his comments on an introduction of designated smoking areas were his “personal, private view”. Ireland’s new Junior Health Minister Finian McGrath has expressed his opinion that there should be designated smoking areas in Irish pubs and restaurants. Ireland became the first country in the world to introduce a smoking ban in 2004, […]

10 years ago

The good times had to come to an end sometime, right? Unfortunately, the glorious weather we’ve enjoyed for the best part of the last week looks set to come to an end, with normal gloomy service set to resume in the coming days. According to Met Éireann, there will be sunny spells throughout the country […]

10 years ago

He’s throwing his hat into the ring for the leadership of the Labour Party. Mind you, in true political fashion, he talked about putting his name in for the leadership of the Labour Party while doing his best not to talk about it and seemed unsure about who exactly was going to nominate him for […]

10 years ago

He might be lazy, but he’s also a genius. Lawnmowers that had been gathering dust in sheds across Ireland have been put to good use this week, with many using the fine spell as an excuse to give their gardens a much-needed trim. In county Clare, John Hogg was doing just that on Friday afternoon, […]

10 years ago

We’re no good at judging the size of crowds, but there must be 17 million of them there. OK, maybe that’s a Father Dougal-inspired exaggeration, but there are an awful lot of people gathered outside The Barge pub on Charlemont Street in Dublin this evening. The Barge has always been a traditional hotspot when the […]

10 years ago

As long as you’re over 18, of course. It’s Friday, it’s sunny and no doubt plenty of you are thinking of making the most of this fine weather while we have it. There’s something about a pint of cider on a sunny day that really hits the spot and after getting a thirst for one […]

10 years ago

It all comes down to this. J-League Leicester City already have the Premier League title sewn up going into the final weekend of the season and, barring a miracle, it would seem that the J-League is done and dusted too. The situation at the top of the J-League was impossibly tight up until Gameweek 37, […]

10 years ago

You’ve been warned. The fine weather of recent days has had many of us rushing to the seaside, but there was a timely reminder served in Kerry this week of how careful motorists need to be when parking their car on the beach. A JOE reader who wishes to remain anonymous got in touch on […]

10 years ago

One of the most important clubs in the history of the GAA. As we’ve seen throughout this series so far, the formation of GAA clubs with little or no Irish influence has become commonplace in recent years, particularly in continental Europe. The trailblazers as far as that trend is concerned are Gaelic Football Bro-Leon in […]

10 years ago

Cheeky Nando’s, anyone? It’s only in recent years that the appeal of Nando’s has really caught on in Ireland, but with nine restaurants nationwide (seven in Dublin and two in Cork), its popularity is spreading fast. A restaurant that has proved particularly popular with Premier League footballers, it’s widely known for its PERi-PERi chicken and […]

10 years ago

20 eggs a day? Gareth is some man for one man. Despite his rather odd dietary habits, the women of Ireland collectively swooned at the sight of him, especially when he was moved to tears while talking about his kids. All in all, it was a quite successful episode of First Dates, with a number […]

10 years ago

“Ah there’s no justice, lads.” You said it, Marty Whelan. Ireland might be the successful country in the history of the Eurovision, but we won’t even have a contestant in the final this weekend after Nicky Byrne failed to qualify for the final. Ten of the 18 countries that performed at Thursday night’s second semi-final […]

10 years ago

Where else would you get it? Often in GAA circles, a manager will throw in a big lad into the edge of the square and instruct his players to ‘rain ball in’ on the top of the full-forward. Such advice might not have been appropriate in a clash between Geraldines P Moran and St. James’ […]

10 years ago

Two decades in the making. The Stone Roses caused a flurry of excitement on Thursday when they confirmed that they would be releasing new material for the first time in 21 years. The Manchester band, who will be performing a series of gigs over the summer months, including in Dublin (Get in!) remain ridiculously popular […]

10 years ago

The measure is designed to combat obesity levels in Ireland. Physical education (PE) could soon be a full subject on the Leaving Certificate syllabus in Ireland as part of measures that were included in the A Programme for a Partnership Government document released earlier this week. Under the heading ‘The Next Generation – Protecting and Enriching […]

10 years ago

Euro (blurred) vision. Don’t try and tell us you didn’t remember that Eurovision 2016 gets underway tonight; if you’re anything like us you’ve had the date marked in the calendar for months. Part of the appeal of the Eurovision, of course, is the whole circus that surrounds the actual songs themselves and a number of […]

10 years ago

At least things could only get better… There are some days where you know things aren’t going to go your way pretty much as soon as your head leaves the pillow. For an anonymous JOE reader working in a petrol station somewhere in Cavan today, the working day got off to the worst possible start […]

10 years ago

#Stopthestigma People that play sports traditionally haven’t always been comfortable speaking about their personal issues to their colleagues. Cuala GAA are attempting to change that attitude with a video promoting a positive attitude to mental health. Cuala, who were Dublin county hurling champions last year, have put together a video that they say “offers a […]

10 years ago

Have you ever stayed here? If you have stayed in the Cliff House Hotel in Ardmore in Waterford, the consider yourself lucky because it has just been named as one of the most beautiful clifftop hotels in the world. The hotel was given the massive compliment by renowned luxury travel magazine Condé Nast, who included […]

10 years ago

Nooooooo! Few countries in the world are renowned for their love of tea as much as we are here in Ireland, but our relationship with the beloved hot drink could be about to change dramatically in the near future. According to The Telegraph, the EU are proposing a ban on high-powered appliances like toasters, hair […]

10 years ago

An attack in England, Scotland or Wales is “a strong possibility”. The threat level from Northern Ireland-related terrorism in Great Britain has been raised from moderate to substantial, meaning an attack in the UK is “a strong possibility”. According to the BBC, the change of threat level relating to Great Britain was confirmed by Home […]

10 years ago

The emojis are designed to better represent women in the workplace. A number of Google employees have proposed the introduction of a new series of emojis designed to promote gender equality and to better represent women in the workplace. The proposal, which was spearheaded by four Google employees, aims to add at least 13 new […]

10 years ago

“For the record, there is no comparison between events last night at West Ham and Hillsborough.” Broadcaster Eamonn Holmes has moved to clarify comments in which he appeared to make a comparison to the attack by West Ham fans on the Manchester United team bus and the Hillsborough disaster. Commenting on Sky News on Wednesday […]

10 years ago

A bit cheeky, no? The issue of how much money to give as a gift at a wedding is often the source of much discomfort amongst wedding guests in Ireland and elsewhere. In most cases, if the newlyweds are unhappy, they keep it to themselves. That’s not always the case, however, as was evident when […]

10 years ago

Goodbye productivity at work. We don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that people don’t ignore their WhatsApp completely while they’re at work, but you don’t want to be seen to be on your phone all the time either. That won’t be an issue any longer, because WhatsApp have launched a new desktop app, enabling […]

10 years ago

Millionaires’ playgrounds. Given the current climate in Ireland, owning any home is a luxury, never mind one that costs seven figures to buy. We can all dream of the type of house we’d like to buy if we had the means to afford it and those that can afford to do so in Ireland are […]

10 years ago

Yay or nay, Manchester United fans? As if Manchester fans weren’t already feeling blue following defeat to West Ham on Tuesday night, they were given extra reason to do so on Wednesday morning. Possibly looking to give fans reasons to be cheerful after their Champions League hopes took a serious blow, the club officially released […]

10 years ago

Organisers are looking for people to take part in a major demonstration outside Leinster House. Organisers of a major demonstration against the rising cost of car insurance in Ireland are looking for drivers to form a convoy to the gates of Leinster House in Dublin in July. The demonstration, which is being organised by Ireland […]

10 years ago

Let’s just say she didn’t call them a great bunch of lads. Queen Elizabeth has been caught calling Chinese officials “very rude” by her own cameraman in an incident that won’t do much to help relations between China and the UK. Queen Elizabeth was heard to make the remarks at a recent garden party for […]

10 years ago

Reports suggest that at least four bids have been submitted for the organisation. UFC owners are in advanced talks to sell the organisation with at least four parties believed to have submitted bids, according to a report on ESPN. Multiple sources with knowledge of the negotiations told ESPN that WME/IMG, China Media Capital, The Blackstone […]

10 years ago

Timely. On Sunday evening, Alan Tobin, a county councillor in Meath, provoked a strong reaction when he posted on Facebook about his approval for the erection of signs in Ashbourne about regulations regarding the keeping of certain breeds of dogs. Tobin’s stance on the matter encountered plenty of opposition in social media circles and on […]

10 years ago

Best. Invention. Ever. Our worship for The Simpsons hardly needs elaboration and though the show isn’t what it used to be, it’s still nice to flick on the telly every now and again to catch an episode from the glory years. Donegal man Stephen Coyle obviously feels the same as we do in that regard, […]

10 years ago

What’s the verdict? With a little help from Jordan Henderson, Jon Flanagan, Simon Mignolet and Philippe Coutinho, kit makers New Balance this evening officially unveiled Liverpool’s home kit for the 2016/17 season. Wear your heart on your sleeve and the Liver Bird on your chest. The New Balance @LFC 16-17 home kit. pic.twitter.com/oRCVyuYTbN — New […]

10 years ago

Andrew Trimble is a very funny man. As is Paddy Jackson, of course, but while the out-half has deservedly gained plenty of kudos for his miming skills and duets with Simon Zebo in the past, it was Trimble’s turn to have some fun at the expense of his Ulster and Ireland colleague. Trimble and Jackson […]

10 years ago

Gardai made the arrest in Dublin on Monday afternoon. A man in Dublin has been arrested in a Garda investigation into the murder of Eddie Hutch. The man, in his 30s, was arrested in the Dublin area and is currently being held at Mountjoy Garda station. He can be detained for up to seven days under […]

10 years ago

“Hottest” is not meant literally in this case, of course. Ireland is at number six on a list of the “hottest” destinations to visit in summer 2016 in a recent survey by Virtuoso, an international network of luxury travel agencies. Virtuoso sourced the data from its United States and Canadian-based travel agency members – whose […]

10 years ago

Damn right. Spoiled by the good weather that belatedly arrived on Sunday, many of you working indoors no doubt looked longingly at the fine weather that decided to hang around for most of Monday. So rare are such fine days that we’ve long thought that some sort of emergency legislation should be brought in that […]

10 years ago

Want. There are certain football boots that instantly take you back to a certain era from the past. People will always associate the adidas Predator Mania, for example, with Zinedine Zidane’s Champions League final winner against Bayer Leverkusen or David Beckham breaking his metatarsal bone before the 2002 World Cup. Similarly, one can’t look at […]

10 years ago

It’s business time. Flight of the Conchords have announced that popular Irish comedian David O’Doherty will be amongst a number of impressive support acts for their US tour later this summer. O’Doherty will join New Zealand’s most famous music and comedy duo for seven dates across a number of US states in July. THE BAND […]

10 years ago

Repair work in Galway city centre is expected to be completed by the end of Monday. A number of streets in Galway city centre were subject to emergency closure following the collapse of a drain underneath Cross Street on Monday. Enda Cunningham of the Connacht Tribune and Galway City Tribune posted a picture on Twitter […]

10 years ago

Maria Byrne and two of her BBC colleagues arrived in Beijing on Monday. Maria Byrne, a BBC producer originally from Tullow in Carlow, and two of her BBC colleagues have been expelled from North Korea after the North Korean leadership were said to be displeased with elements of their reporting from the country. Byrne, BBC […]

10 years ago

Counting of the votes concluded on Saturday and all 108 seats have been filled. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) remain the best-represented party in the fifth Northern Ireland Assembly after claiming 38 of the 108 available seats following Friday’s election, with party leader Arlene Foster set to continue as First Minister in Stormont. With the […]

10 years ago

Apparently. Having heard reports (*cough possibly on these pages *cough) that there was to be a heatwave this weekend, Irish people were pretty bemused at today’s weather conditions. Fear not, however, because the warm weather is on its way, with Met Éireann forecasting highs of 20 and 21 degrees in much of the country on […]

10 years ago

Motorists shouldn’t need another warning, but they have one anyway. A major mobile phone operation will be conducted by An Garda Síochána in the coming days in an effort to clamp down on the number of motorists who use their phones while driving in Ireland. It was revealed by An Garda Síochána today that 28,000 […]

10 years ago

That’s a fairly ringing endorsement. Coldplay are like the marmite of the music world; you either love them or you hate them, but regardless of your own preferences, what can’t be denied is their huge popularity worldwide. The band’s Twitter account, for example, has just under 17 million followers, which means that an awful lot […]

10 years ago

Bono and the boys are doing alright for themselves. U2 have come in at number eight in a list of the 40 highest-paid musicians in the world in 2015, compiled by music publisher Billboard. Using data compiled in the US in 2015, Billboard came up with a list based on earnings that artists and bands […]

10 years ago

New underpants please. Some of you reading probably wouldn’t go near a rollercoaster for love nor money, but for the thrill-seekers among you, there’s a new item to add to the bucket list. A new rollercoaster named Valravn (a supernatural raven in Danish folklore, apparently) opens in Cedar Point in Ohio this weekend; the tallest, […]

10 years ago

Well played, Robert Huth. Newly-crowned Premier League champions Leicester City will celebrate their success with the Premier League trophy following their game against Everton on Saturday evening. Robert Huth, who has been a rock at the back for the Foxes all season, is suspended for the encounter after a tangle with Marouane Fellaini at Old […]

10 years ago

That’s one way of describing it anyway. The Eurovision song contest takes place in Stockholm next weekend and although we haven’t done well in it for quite some time (bloody politics, eh?), it still holds special place in the hearts of Irish people. Ireland has, of course, a distinguished record in the contest having won […]

10 years ago

Strewth! With a little over a month to go until kick-off, Irish soccer fans are beginning to get very excited about the Euros, particularly the ones who will be lucky enough to be in France. They’ll be travelling in their droves and bringing all sorts of impressive paraphernalia with them, including flags that you’ll spot […]

10 years ago