IrelandMorning Briefing

Your morning briefing: Native American exonerated for Irish priest’s murder and Blessington algal bloom ‘dangerous’

Today’s stories include Ireland’s Euro 2028 bid; James Ryan injury concerns and new concerns over gambling in Ireland

Quinn Bradly (9), Roisin Keane (8) and Jenny Lynam (7) at the launch of TradFest In Fingal which runs from Jan 24th to 28th. Photograph: Photocall Ireland
Quinn Bradly (9), Roisin Keane (8) and Jenny Lynam (7) at the launch of TradFest In Fingal which runs from Jan 24th to 28th. Photograph: Photocall Ireland

Gambling a problem for one in 30 adults in Ireland, higher than previously thought - ESRI

Problem gambling is an issue for one in 30 adults in Ireland, new figures from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) estimate.

The study was commissioned through the implementation team supporting the establishment of the new Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland and the Department of Justice. The figure is 10 times higher than a previous measure from 2019.

Most of the difference is likely to be down to the survey method, the ESRI said. Previous estimates were based on face-to-face interviews, while the recent ESRI study was done anonymously online, using a representative sample of 2,850 adults.

Top News Stories

News from around the World

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (front) talks to reporters after  senators met after Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy was ousted. Photograph: Getty
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (front) talks to reporters after senators met after Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy was ousted. Photograph: Getty
  • Republicans Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise bid to become US House speaker: Conservative congressman Jim Jordan, a strong ally of former president Donald Trump, has become the first politician to announce a bid to become the next speaker of the US House of Representatives. He was followed by Steve Scalise, the second-highest-ranking Republican in the House, who announced he would also seek the speakership, writes Martin Wall in Washington.
  • EU states reach deal on reforming migration rules: European Union countries reached a breakthrough on Wednesday in years-long negotiations over how to reform migration rules, as diplomats agreed a compromise on how to deal with surges of irregular migration, writes Europe Correspondent Naomi O’Leary.
  • Sunak tries to paint himself as the change-maker as Tories prepare for election: Conservative party leader and British prime minister Rishi Sunak has switched to election mode, using his conference speech to try to cast himself as an agent of change despite his party being in power for the last 13 years, writes Mark Paul in Manchester.

The Big Read

Luke O'Neill: 'Scientists have been participants in the best reality show of all time. Photograph: Philip Doyle
Luke O'Neill: 'Scientists have been participants in the best reality show of all time. Photograph: Philip Doyle
  • Luke O’Neill: Our scientific journey of discovery is only getting started: I only have a vague memory of my grandmother, Agnes Bourke O’Neill. She died when I was three years old. But two memories stand out. The first is me sitting in her garden on what I still remember as intensely bright green grass, beside some geraniums. I was amazed at how green the grass was and the heady scent coming off the flowers. The second is even more vivid.

Today’s Business

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The best from Opinion

  • Forget Sinn Féin’s ‘Irish NHS’. We may all be headed for a British HSE: When Sinn Féin launched a document two weeks ago promising “an Irish NHS” within two terms of office, it will have been hoping to foster conversations about a Sinn Féin government and to reassure northern nationalists about healthcare in a united Ireland. In this it has been rather unsuccessful. Most reaction has been gloomy and dismissive, noting the NHS is falling apart and has in effect collapsed in Northern Ireland, partly under Sinn Féin’s watch, writes Newton Emerson.

Martyn Turner

Martyn Turner Cartoon

Letters to the Editor

Cyclists and pedestrians

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Sir, – Walking or cycling on the majority of our rural road network is extremely dangerous. The roads are generally narrow with blind corners and no footpaths or cycleways. This means most trips in these areas require the use of a car. To build a network of pedestrian and cycleways around the country connecting all our towns and villages would be prohibitively expensive. By creating a series of one-way roads between all our towns and villages we could use half our existing road infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians. Imagine, with minimal investment, you could cycle or walk to your local village. Yes, there would be objections and challenges to overcome; however, we own the roads and it is up to us to decide how to use them. – Yours, etc, JOHN RUSSELL, Sallins, Co Kildare.

Culture highlights

  • BookTok: a new chapter in publishing: In early 2022 Chapters bookstore closed its doors for what seemed to be the last time. In the wake of the pandemic, after nearly 40 years in business, it announced a clearance sale and customers flocked to pick up last-minute deals and bid farewell to the Dublin store. Almost two years later, on a mild autumn morning, a young woman with a tote bag browses the section nearest the door. She picks up The Gilded Cage, a young adult (YA) fantasy novel by Australian author Lynette Noni, and thumbs through it. Beside The Gilded Cage sit books by Emily Henry, Anthony Doerr, Sarah J Mass – trending authors on BookTok, TikTok’s burgeoning books community, writes Niamh Donnelly.

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