Morning Briefing – Irish Times
- Cork drug seizure: Gardaí uncovered a sophisticated cannabis grow house in Ballymakeera; drugs worth over €100,000 seized and one man arrested under Operation Tara.
- Extradition case: High Court refused bail to Jonathan Gill, wanted in Northern Ireland over the murder of Robbie Lawlor, citing a “real risk” he wouldn’t attend future court dates.
- Child abuse sentencing: David Mason (49) jailed for 12½ years for raping and sexually abusing two sisters in Dublin; convictions followed a March trial.
- School theft bankruptcy: Mary Higgins, the jailed ex-bursar who stole €500,000 from Mount Sackville secondary school, adjudicated bankrupt over an unsustainable €1.76 million debt.
- Unlicensed taxi sting: Software engineer Shanming Li (23) pleaded guilty to operating an unlicensed taxi after an NTA sting linked to a social media advert.
- PSNI data breach case: Derry man Christopher Paul O’Kane convicted of four terrorist offences stemming from the 2023 PSNI FOI data leak; bail refused and remanded in custody.
- Rathwood refunds: Examiner warns up to 7,000 prepaid customers will only receive a “nominal” refund; consumer watchdog urges immediate action via credit card chargebacks.
- Jeffrey Donaldson trial: Former DUP leader told police the alleged child rape “absolutely categorically did not happen”; interview recordings played as the Newry trial enters week three.
- Fergus Slattery funeral: The Irish rugby great remembered as a “force of nature” on and off the field; tributes led by Hugo MacNeill in Dublin.
- Leaving Cert: Students reported relief as Higher Level Maths Paper 2 proved more manageable than Friday’s Paper 1.