Morning Briefing â Irish Times
Top highlights - Near-record heatwave narrowly missed; another warm, sunny weekend ahead. - Major gorse fires in the Dublin and Wicklow mountains tackled by multiple crews and helicopters. - MV Matthew, tied to Irelandâs biggest cocaine seizure, transferred for $1 after costly upkeep. - State moves to sanction English-language schools over alleged fee-return failures. - Second arrest in Anthony Long fatal assault; multiple other violent crime cases before the courts. - All-Ireland hurling final: Galway v Limerick, Sunday 3:30pm at Croke Park.
Weather - Heatwave: Ireland narrowly missed matching the 1976 14-day record; Moore Park, Co Cork, came close to five-plus consecutive days above 25C (Met Ăireann definition). Provisional data. - Weekend forecast: Warm, dry, and sunny spells; highs 23â26C Saturday (sunniest in midlands, south, east). Slightly cooler early next week but largely dry and warm.
Public safety - Wildfires: Large gorse fires in the Dublin and Wicklow mountains (Ticknock, west of Glencree). Fire crews from Greystones, Blessington, Bray, and Dublin Fire Brigade, plus National Parks/Coillte staff and two helicopters, battled spreading blazes amid heavy smoke.
Crime and justice - Mulhuddart fatal assault: Second man arrested over the death of Anthony Long (41), who died two days after a July 3 assault. Another man, Darren McNamee (42), has been charged with murder and remanded; incident involved multiple people; investigation ongoing. - Kildare manslaughter: Ryan Murphy (19) sentenced to five yearsâ custody for the unlawful killing of Ryan Weir Gibbons (29) following an assault last October; victim suffered a fatal head injury. Family expressed âunimaginable grief.â - Unidentified victim assault: Adam Farrell (18) jailed for 2½ years for a group attack in Ballymun involving stamping on a manâs head and using a bicycle as a weapon; victim has not been identified despite extensive checks.
Drugs and maritime - MV Matthew: Cargo ship seized in September 2023 in the operation that netted 2.2 tonnes of cocaine (âŹ157m) has been transferred to a company for a nominal $1. The State incurred about âŹ17m in maintenance costs since seizure; Revenue confirmed the nominal transfer.
Education and visas - Language schools: A group of English-language schools faces severe restrictions after a State probe into alleged failures to return student fees. They risk removal from the approved list for non-EEA students, which affects visa eligibility.
Sport - All-Ireland hurling final: Galway v Limerick, Sunday, 3:30pm, Croke Park. Live on RTĂ2/RTĂ Player (coverage from 2:15pm) and RTĂ Radio 1. The Irish Times will run a live blog with reaction and analysis.
Culture - Wuthering Heights Day: More than 250 âCathysâ in red gathered in Dublinâs Fairview Park for the annual Kate Bush-inspired dance fundraiser supporting Womenâs Aid.