14sea AI Irish Morning Briefing

IRISH TIMES

PSNI representation: A House of Commons inquiry warns Catholic representation in the PSNI has stalled at under one-third and is likely to decline, despite gains since 2001 when it was 8.2%.
Noah Donohoe inquest: A police constable told the Belfast inquest that checking the culvert where the 14-year-old’s body was later found was “not a priority” in the early days of the search; Noah was discovered 600m downstream six days after going missing in June 2020.
Dublin city stabbing: Shando Alfa (27) pleaded guilty to attacking 18-year-old twin sisters with a broken bottle on Dame Street after they rejected his advances; a passerby who intervened was also assaulted.
Record heat: Ireland’s May temperature record was broken twice in one day, peaking at 30.5C at Shannon Airport after 29.7C at Oak Park, Co Carlow; Monday’s 28.6C at Shannon had already surpassed the 1997 May record. Dublin beaches, including Dollymount, saw large crowds amid the heat.
Farm policy: The Government has suspended payments encouraging natural fertiliser use despite a worsening chemical fertiliser supply situation, drawing criticism from the Social Democrats’ Jennifer Whitmore.
Kyran Durnin investigation: A woman in her 50s arrested in connection with the missing boy’s presumed murder has been released without charge; a file has gone to the DPP. She is the third person detained in the case.
Garda leadership: Paul Cleary has been appointed Deputy Garda Commissioner following an interim period, with responsibility for security, strategy and governance after an open recruitment process.
Offshore wind: A planning decision on the Oriel Windfarm off the Co Louth coast is expected by September 21. The ESB/Parkwind project proposes 25 turbines, sufficient to power about 300,000 homes, and would be Ireland’s first offshore wind farm since Arklow Bank.
Troubles legacy: Excavations have begun in Derryclone, Co Armagh, for the remains of Seamus Maguire, believed to have been “disappeared” by the IRA 50 years ago. Investigators say multiple sources point to the site.