Morning Briefing – Local Irish News
Irish Times - Transport: Irish Rail to spend over €1bn on the “FourNorth” project, quadrupling tracks from Dublin Connolly to Malahide to relieve the country’s most congested rail line; 10 stations to be extensively remodelled; precise route to follow public consultation later this year. - Housing/Economy: Google Ireland chief Vanessa Hartley warns of a potential 1980s-style emigration wave unless the housing crisis is solved; urges diverting billions from the State’s “rainy day” funds into homebuilding. - Insolvency: Co Meath developer Michael Murray has €14m Nama debt written off for €37,000 under a High Court-approved personal insolvency arrangement; he retains his €750,000 family home. - Courts: High Court overturns the contempt jailing of Kerry independent election candidate Michelle Keane, finding the Listowel hearing “manifestly unfair”; Keane will seek damages. - Crime: A 41-year-old man is charged with murder, grievous bodily harm with intent and false imprisonment after the death of Paul Mackin jnr (44) in north Belfast; court appearance today. - Campus probe: Gardaí examine a burner phone and other devices to determine when a purported sexual assault photo was taken and how image-based material was distributed to hundreds at UCD. - Hate speech: Truck driver Graham Carey (42) to be sentenced today for incitement to hatred over an Instagram livestream alleging refugees were “here to rape women and children,” amid Finglas protests in 2023. - Health/Legal: Nancy Reilly settles a High Court case after her husband Mark died by suicide three days into admission at CUH’s acute mental health unit (March 2022); she calls for systemic reform in mental health care. - Murder trial: In the Waterford trial of Marcus O’Neill, the court hears that Gillian Curran’s blood alcohol level was not a contributory factor in her death. - Community: Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival denied 2.30am late licences across four weekends; alcohol service capped at 1.30am—judge says attendees will need to “get their courting done early.”