IRISH TIMES
- Courts and justice:
- Criminal defence solicitorsâ mass withdrawal is set to escalate from Monday as the Department of Justice moves ahead with a new criminal legal aid payment model. Thousands of cases have already been halted since Wednesday; the action may extend to custody as well as bail cases.
- The Supreme Court will hear an appeal by Dean Byrne over his conviction for conspiring to pervert the course of justice by trying to dissuade a witness during the Aaron Brady trial for Det Garda Adrian Donohoeâs 2013 murder. The Court of Appeal had previously upheld the conviction.
- Sinn FĂŠin MEP Lynn Boylan is suing the Government over the Arbitration (Amendment) Act 2026, which enables ratification of the EU-Canada trade deal (Ceta). The High Court has granted permission to serve proceedings.
- At the Riad Bouchaker trial, a consultant testified that medics âwent against protocolsâ to save a five-year-old girl stabbed in the heart at Parnell Square, and initially believed she had no pulse and appeared lifeless.
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In Budapest, a prosecutor urged jail and deportation for a 38-year-old Dublin man who admitted killing American nurse Mackenzie Michalski in 2024 and hiding her body, disputing his claim the death was accidental.
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Defence Forces:
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A tribunal heard that 19-year-old apprentice Oliver Mullaney was verbally abused and mocked by seniors the day before he died by his own gun at Devoy Barracks in Naas 35 years ago; a former apprentice said Mullaney was âextremely upset.â
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Transport:
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Luas Red Line services have fully resumed after a tramâcar crash at Mayor Square earlier suspended operations between Connolly and The Point.
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Education:
- Leaving Cert PE higher-level exam was less challenging than last year, with fewer time pressures; a question referenced medal-winning swimmers Daniel Wiffen, Mona McSharry and RĂłisĂn NĂ Riain.
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As exams wind down, students are reminded the CAO change-of-mind deadline is fast approaching.
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People & culture:
- Trinity College Dublin awarded honorary degrees to Katie Taylor, Sharon Shannon, Colm TĂłibĂn, Helena Kennedy and Helen Prejean. The citation described Taylor as arguably Irelandâs greatest sporting champion.