Morning Briefing – Ireland
Irish Times - Bray–Greystones rail disruption: Services were twice suspended Friday night due to two lineside fires on Bray Head, Co Wicklow; the single‑track line reopened around 11.30pm. - Rathwood fallout: High Court heard the struggling home and garden retailer owes close to €20m, with up to €2.5m in customer deposits affecting as many as 4,000 people; secured creditors include Revenue and Bank of Ireland. - Tipperary deaths: Bodies of a woman and a young girl were found at a house in Carrick‑on‑Suir; early indications are a possible tragic medical emergency; investigation ongoing. - Child in care moved nightly: A judge condemned as “outrageous” Tusla’s practice of placing a 14‑year‑old in different hotels night after night, questioning whether care is causing harm. - €2m drugs seizure: Gardaí and Revenue seized about 100kg of cannabis in Co Clare; a man in his 30s was arrested. - Dollymount gang rape sentencing appeal: Three men who raped a vulnerable 18‑year‑old at Dollymount Strand argued for shorter sentences because they were 17 at the time. - Noah Donohoe inquest: A senior official denied the North’s Department for Infrastructure “didn’t have a clue” if a culvert hatch was locked when the 14‑year‑old entered it in 2020. - Workplace injury award: A commis chef was awarded €74,000 after injuring his back mixing sauce in a confined restaurant alcove. - Family reunification ruling: An Afghan mechanic lost his High Court challenge to bring his parents and sister to Ireland; the judge found he lacked the means to support them. - Surrogacy leave: Calls at a civil and public service conference for leave entitlements in surrogacy to match maternity and adoption leave.
Irish Independent - Tipperary deaths: Bodies of a woman and her newborn girl discovered in Carrick‑on‑Suir; no foul play suspected, with a medical tragedy the primary line of inquiry. - Rathwood placed in examinership: Court approved an examiner for the Carlow‑based retailer; provisional liabilities about €18m, including €10m to trade creditors, €1.4m to Revenue and €2.5m in customer deposits/vouchers. - AI video of judge: A High Court judge asked prolific litigant Patrick McGreal to remove an AI‑generated video using the judge’s image, calling it inappropriate. - League of Ireland: Shamrock Rovers led in Galway while St Patrick’s Athletic fought back to lead Waterford during Friday’s Premier Division fixtures. - TV and culture: Irish chef Anna Haugh’s arrival as a MasterChef judge praised for a steadier, contestant‑focused tone.