Sorcha Pollak

Sorcha Pollak

Sorcha Pollak is an Irish Times reporter specialising in news concerning immigrant communities living in Ireland. She writes the New to the Parish series and is a co-presenter of the In the News podcast.

Violetta Danyliuk with her grand-daughter Kseniya at home in Ballyvaughan, Co Clare. Photograph: Eamon Ward
Violetta’s life ‘started with a war and now is ending with a war’

New to the Parish: Ukrainian grandmother Violetta Danyliuk arrived in Ireland in March

Kasia Pluta with her husband Pranash Ramanundh, son Edward and their dog dog Tina. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw
‘I love the vibe in Ireland. Even in the recession, people supported one another’

New to the Parish: Kasia Pluta arrived from Poland in 2006

Angie Gough, who helped set up Helping Irish Hosts, to match Ukrainian refugees with Irish households, said most people now hosting families through the organisation originally pledged with the Irish Red Cross but got tired waiting for a phone call. Photograph: Darek Delmanowicz/EPA
Households hosting Ukrainians need moral and financial support – volunteer group

‘We’re hearing people saying: I can’t wait any longer and not do anything’

Today, on In the News, Why are Ukrainian doctors struggling to find work in Ireland? Photograph: iStock
Why are Ukrainian doctors struggling to find work in Ireland?

In the News podcast: More than 200 Ukrainian doctors have arrived in Ireland

Albert Bello: ‘It [regularisation] was a dream come true. It changed a lot of lives instantly, we had the trust to say it’s finally going to happen now.’ Photograph: Tom Honan
‘I was doing underground work ... My Irish friends never knew I was undocumented’

Albert Bello arrived from Malawi in 2015

On today’s In the News podcast, we take a look back at Katie Taylor’s unstoppable rise to boxing glory, tracking her steps from Bray right up to Madison Square Garden. Photograph: epa/Jason Szenes
From Bray to Madison Square Garden: The unstoppable rise of Katie Taylor

In the News podcast: Can Taylor actually bring professional boxing back to Dublin?

Marguerite Penrose has written a memoir called Yeah, But Where are You Really From? Photograph: Alan Betson
‘I know I’m Irish and I don’t have to prove that to anybody’

Growing up as a black person with a disability in Dublin, Marguerite Penrose sensed her difference

A computer generated impression of the new National Maternity Hospital
Why can’t the Government get the new National Maternity Hospital over the line?

In the News podcast: Why is the process of relocating the new hospital so complex?

Saroj Kapadne moved to Ireland to pursue her studies and soon fell in love with the UCC campus and with west Cork. ‘I loved the feeling that no one was judging me, I could just do my own thing.’ Photograph: Andy Gibson.
‘India prepared me for tough times but Ireland helped me to grow’

New to the Parish: Saroj Kapadne arrived in Ireland from India in 2019

The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health regarding the review of the Termination of Pregnancy Act 2018 heard that the 12-week limit is a problem for the 1-2% of women whose termination fails. File photograph: Getty
Just one in 10 of Republic’s GPs offering abortion services

Over half of State’s publicly funded maternity units and hospitals provide full abortion care

UK government says the new plan will deter people from making the risky journey across the English Channel and clamp down on human-trafficking. Photograph: Eugene Uwimana/EPA
What is the UK-Rwanda deal and will it work?

In the News podcast: What does the UK-Rwanda agreement mean for asylum seekers trying to reach Britain?

Mountjoy Prison in Dublin. File photograph: Eric Luke
Foreign nationals and non-whites get longer jail terms for sex and drug offences, study shows

Foreign nationals and ethnic minorities overrepresented in Irish jails, research finds

When Beryl Ohas was 13, her life changed forever. Photograph: Damien Eagers
She said ‘I’ve had a huge crush on you’ and kissed me. She was beaten to death

Beryl Ohas: ‘in Kenya, they tried to reform me from gayness. In Ireland I can be myself’

Men hold up signs against violence as they participate in a ‘Die In’ to draw attention to gun violence in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Photograph Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Will America ever fix its gun violence problem?

In the News podcast: Will Biden’s clamp down on ‘ghost guns’ make a difference?

Parents of children up to the age of 12 and carers will be able to take five days of unpaid leave a year, per employee, on top of existing entitlements. Photograph: iStock
Parents to receive 5 days leave to look after unwell children

Carers will also be entitled to annual unpaid leave under plans to be brought to Cabinet

Some 26.3 per cent of all workers find it hard to make ends meet and more than six per cent struggle “with difficulty or great difficulty” to make ends meet. Photograph: iStock
Nearly a quarter of full-time workers struggling to make ends meet – CSO

Poor health, care duties and childcare main barriers to returning to work, survey finds

Khaled Azrag. Photograph: Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision
‘I’ve been to many cities in Ireland but Cork is always my favourite’

New to the Parish: Khaled Azrag arrived from Sudan in 2008

Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys at Scoil Treasa Naofa Primary School, Donore Avenue, Dublin, with recently arrived Ukrainian pupils. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw
Schools expect ‘surge’ of Ukrainian pupils after Easter break

4,000 Ukrainian children enrolled in schools with more expected over coming weeks

Viktoriia Shaniuk and her mother, Larysa Samosonok.
Ukrainian student ‘afraid if I make plans now they’ll disappear’

College undergraduate and 10-year-old fifth-class pupil reflect on changed lives

President Michael D Higgins: ‘It is surely necessary to address the roots of the assumptions that are sustaining these exclusions.’ Photograph: Sam Boal RollingNews.ie
Higgins calls on public to ‘address the lethargy’ affecting LGBTQI+ community

President warns community still regularly faces ‘homophobic comments and slurs’

Marta Lucía Ramírez, vice-president of Colombia: ‘If you don’t know who is coming, you cannot help them enough,’ she says. Photograph: Alejandro Martinez Velez/Europa Press via Getty
Prepare to host Ukrainians for long term, Colombian vice-president warns Europe

Ramírez advises European countries to keep register of refugees crossing their borders

January 2022: Migrants wait to board a plane for a flight back to their homeland in Misrata, Libya. Photograph: Hazem Turkia/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Europe’s role in the other human rights disaster unfolding on our doorstep

In the News podcast: How EU policies are perpetuating torture and death in Libya

Orientation session at International Organisation for Migration office in Beirut, Lebanon, on life in Ireland for Syrian refugees chosen for resettlement. Photograph: Sorcha Pollak
Ireland cannot afford ‘to pit one group of refugees against another’

Head of protection programme says State has ‘long way to go’ in meeting existing commitments

Ukrainian refugees and Moldovan citizens protest against the war in Ukraine in front of the Russian embassy in Chisinau, Moldova. Photograph: Dumitru Doru/EPA
Could Moldova be next on Putin’s hit list?

In the News podcast: If Odesa falls, Moldovans fear their small country will be next

Bruce Willis had been diagnosed with a condition called aphasia – a cognitive disorder which affects a person’s ability to communicate. Photograph: Yui Mok/PA Wire
The Bruce Willis story: From ‘army brat’ to Hollywood royalty

In the News podcast: What is aphasia and why did it prompt Bruce Willis to stop acting?

Syrian refugee at a camps in Bekaa, East Lebanon close to the Lebanese-Syrian border. Photograph: Ramzi Haidar/Unicef Lebanon
Lebanon’s economic crisis creating ‘lost generation’ of children

Some 95 per cent of Syrian families in country are living in extreme poverty

Law graduate Patricia Munatsi works for the Irish Network Against Racism and is sitting the first round of Law Society bar exams. Photograph: Alan Betson
Irish companies talk about ‘diversity, inclusion. But there’s only one black person on staff’

New to the parish: Campaigner Patricia Munatsi arrived from Zimbabwe in 2019

Liliana Fernadez at the graduation event. Photograph: Marc O’Sullivan
Migrant graduates of leadership course encouraged to run in local elections

‘We just don’t have enough diverse faces on election posters,’ Minister says

Karina O’Dowd got involved in multi-level marketing after she became desperate for a job. Photograph: Brian Farrell
Why are young Irish women losing money through online sales jobs?

In the News podcast: How people recruited by marketing companies end up working for free

Donnah Vuma, who is originally from Zimbabwe and now lives in Lisnagry, Co Limerick, is studying for an MA in peace and development. Photograph: Liam Burke/Press 22
He banged our passports down and said ‘Not you people again’

New to the Parish: Donnah Vuma arrived from Zimbabwe in 2014

Ireland’s demography has changed significantly in recent times and now more than 10 per cent of the population is non-Irish. Photograph: iStock
Census 2022: Insight to modern Ireland must include everyone

Some will be left out due to language barrier, others fear sharing personal information

People help an elderly woman who fled the besieged port city of Mariupol as evacuees arrived to Zaporizhzhia, southeastern Ukraine. Photograph: Dmytro Smolienko/Ukrinform/AFP via Getty Images
How did Mariupol become the frontline of Russia’s war against Ukraine?

In the News podcast: Why takeover of Mariupol is key to Moscow’s military campaign

Sebastian Antem and his wife, Erika Melicher, and their daughter, Zoe (7). Photograph: Tom Honan
The first months in Ireland were a learning experience. It was a bit of hell

New to the Parish: Sebastian Antem and his family arrived from Hungary in 2018

There are currently 8,205 people, including 2,658 children, in direct provision and emergency accommodation centres across Ireland, according to the latest Government data. Photograph: Getty Images
State’s welcome for Ukrainians reveals ‘hypocrisy’ of Irish immigration system

‘We shouldn’t be applying different standards. If we can do it for Ukraine we should be doing it for Afghanistan and Syria’

The Irish Penal Reform Trust has described the practice of housing those refused entry to the State in prisons as ‘wholly unacceptable’. Photograph: Getty Images
Over 80 foreign nationals detained in Irish prisons for immigration offences last year

The State has no dedicated immigration-detention facility, with men sent to Cloverhill Prison and women to the Dóchas Centre

One former Russian deputy told McLaughlin he doesn’t think Putin will “live past the end of this year’. Photograph: EPA
After three weeks of bloodshed, is Putin’s endgame any clearer?

In the News podcast: What could be the tipping point for NATO military retaliation

Tripti Anil at Grand Canal Dock: ‘You can just take a stroll by the Grand Canal and see a person of pretty much any nationality there, I loved the vibe.’ Photograph: Tom Honan/The Irish Times
‘My colleagues in Ireland made me feel like I’d always belonged to the team’

New to the Parish: Tripti Anil arrived from India in September 2021

Scientists have warned the Amazon rainforest may be nearing a tipping point of ‘dieback’, the point where it dries out, turns to savannah and loses its ability to heal itself. Photograph: iStock
How Amazon ‘dieback’ is turning the world’s largest rainforest into a savannah

Podcast: Why Jair Bolsonaro’s policies are pushing the Amazon to a critical point

Szymon Leszek has now spent nearly as long living in Ireland as he did in Poland. Photograph: Daragh McSweeney/Provision
‘I like how Irish people are proud of being Irish’

New to the Parish: Szymon Leszek arrived from Poland in 2006

A motorcyclist was pronounced dead following a crash at about 7.30pm on Monday, March 7th on Bóthar na dTreabh (section above) in Galway city. Photograph: Google Street View
Motorcyclist dies in single-vehicle crash in Galway city

Gardaí seeking witnesses or any roads users who may have camera footage to come forward

The total funding for the scheme has increased from an original €215 million to €400 million. Photograph: iStock
Irish households to receive €200 off electricity bills in April

Credit will be automatically applied to household bills next month

A woman walks past a mural depicting Russian president Vladimir Putin, with the word ‘brother’ on the Russian flag, in Belgrade on March 5th, 2022. Photograph: Andrej Isakovic/AFP via Getty Images
Ukraine invasion: Who really is Putin and how did it come to this?

In the News : Is Putin seeking to recreate the Soviet Union or restore the Russian empire?

People wait to be transferred after crossing the Ukrainian border into Poland at the Medyka border crossing, where thousands of refugees have fled the war in Ukraine. Photograph: Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty
Timmy Dooley calls for refugee processing camps following trip into Ukraine

Fianna Fáil Senator and MEP Billy Kelleher met political leaders from Lviv on Sunday

Refugees fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine wait at a train station in Przemysl, Poland: Up to 100,000 Ukrainians are expected to arrive in Ireland in the coming weeks. Photograph: Erin Schaff/New York Times
Accommodation pledges for Ukrainian refugees exceed 1,500

Irish Red Cross gets €9m-plus in 10 days from Irish donors to aid those fleeing war

Racheal Diyaolu pictured with her father, Taiwo Diyalou, mother Yemmy Diyalou, sister, Christiana Diyalou, and brother, Sam Diyalou.
‘They just picked us up now, I’m fine’ - Irish student’s journey home fleeing Ukraine

Racheal Diyaolu from Carlow was studying medicine in city of Sumy when Russians invaded

The CSO said: ‘we sincerely regret that this error was not identified until after the forms had been printed, despite an extensive testing process.’ Photograph: Dara Mac Donaill
CSO apologises for printing ‘Arabic’ rather than ‘Arab’ as ethnicity on census form

The office says it ‘sincerely regrets’ mistake on Census 2022 forms

Ukrainian army soldiers, left, rest while others eat near the front line with Russian troops in northern Kyiv. Photograph: Ricard Gardia Vilanova/AP Photo
As Ukrainians travel to take up arms, how long can Kyiv hold out?

In the News podcast: Is Kyiv prepared for a full scale attack?

Jill Cousins, chief executive and director of the Hunt Museum, Limerick. ‘It sounds corny but I’m European and I’ve always strongly felt that,’ the British-born Dutch national says. Photograph: Alan Place
‘Most Irish people say yes to everything you ask them’

New to the Parish: British-born Jill Cousins arrived from the Netherlands in 2018

Two years to the day since Ireland announced its first case of Covid-19, we no longer have to wear masks in shops, restaurants or bars. Photograph: iStock
Two years on, how has the pandemic changed Ireland?

In the News: Most Covid-19 restrictions are now lifted, but will life really feel normal?

A man sits outside his destroyed building after bombings on the eastern Ukraine town of Chuguiv on February 24th, 2022, amid a Russian invasion. Photograph: Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Images
A dispatch from the front line as Ukraine comes under attack

In The News podcast: Dan McLaughlin reports from east Ukraine amid Russian invasion

Russian President Vladimir Putin has raised the stakes in the Ukraine standoff by recognizing the independence of rebel regions in the country’s east. Photograph: AP Photo
What is going on in Ukraine and how far is Putin willing to go?

In the News: As Russian military advances, Ukraine prepares for “pain” and “losses”

Vanessa Pulgarín Auquilla: ‘I’m not Irish but I do feel a part of Irish society at this stage.’ Photograph: Daragh McSweeney/Provision
One of the greatest compliments I’ve received is ‘you get the craic’

New to the Parish: Vanessa Pulgarín Auquilla arrived from Ecuador in 2018

The Maskey report found ‘unreliable diagnoses, inappropriate prescriptions and poor monitoring of treatment and potential adverse effects’ was exposing many children to the risk of significant harm. Photograph: iStock
What does South Kerry Camhs report reveal about Irish mental health services?

In the News podcast: How child and adolescent mental health service broke down

Parents bringing children to be vaccinated against Covid-19 in Swords in January. Photograph: Alan Betson
Online booking system for Covid-19 vaccines for children aged 5-11 opens

HSE urges parents with concerns to turn to ‘trusted sources’ for information

Students at Mount Sackville Secondary School in Chapelizod, Dublin. Easing of restrictions on wearing face masks across the State is not tantamount to ‘letting it rip’, Prof Sam McConkey said. Photograph: Alan Betson
Ireland should prepare for pandemics every 5-10 years, says disease expert

Letting the virus ‘rip’ through the population would expose most vulnerable – McConkey

Localised flooding due to Storm Eunice at Rathfarnham, Dublin. Photograph: Alan Betson
Storm Eunice: Almost 1,000 properties set for second night without power

Tributes paid to Wexford council worker Billy Kinsella (59) killed clearing debris

The teacher is understood to be an Irish national who has lived in Murcia for a decade. Photograph: iStock
Irish teacher recovering after stabbing in Spanish school

Man in stable condition after he was reportedly stabbed by his 13-year-old student

Sana Muhammad, who is originally from Pakistan and moved to Ireland in 2013, outside a Supermac’s, where he has risen through the ranks and now works as an area manager. Photograph: Alan Place
‘I am so proud to be in Ireland where my family and I are part of the community’

New to the Parish: Sana Muhammad arrived from Pakistan in 2013

Why do so many of us struggle to admit we feel alone? Photograph: iStock
Why are so many of us ashamed to admit we feel lonely?

In the News podcast: Should there be more support for people suffering from loneliness

The Jackson Women’s Health Organisation, the last abortion clinic in Mississippi. Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
What does Mississippi case mean for future of abortion services in US?

In The News podcast: American pro-life movement believes it is on brink of victory

Independent councillor Christy Burke said developers operating in Dublin were selecting names ‘off the hoof’ for newly built housing and office blocks. Photograph: David Dear/Getty
Historians should have say in naming of new Dublin developments, committee hears

Developers selecting names ‘off the hoof’ with ‘no connection’ at all, councillor says

Helen McEntee has said she wants to see “potentially more” than 400 refuge beds for victims of domestic and gender-based violence. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw
Ireland will have ‘potentially more’ than 400 refuge beds, says McEntee

Strategy to end violence against women opens for public consultation from February 17th

Daneisha Plie: being in Ireland during such a challenging period has enabled her to realise her ‘self worth and talents in a meaningful way’. Photograph : Maxwells
‘I’m one of the Covid-19 college guinea pigs. It all coalesced into burnout’

New to the Parish: Daneisha Pile arrived from Barbados in 2019

Doctors have continued to raise concerns about the lack of available staff in hospitals amid continued pandemic-related disruption. File photograph: Niall Carson/PA
Nearly 3,900 hospital staff absent from work during final week of January due to Covid

HSE says emergency departments are seeing major rises in number seeking treatment for virus

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee: The department has announced that the second strand of its new regularisation scheme for the long-term undocumented will open for six months from February 7th. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw
Amnesty scheme opens for asylum seekers awaiting permission to stay in Ireland

Scheme aims to ‘clear backlog’ before new system replaces direct provision - Minister

Ukrainian border guards patrol the border with Russia not far from Hoptivka village, Kharkiv region, Ukraine. Photograph: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP Photo
‘I don’t want Ukraine to be a new Afghanistan or Vietnam or Cuba’

Ukrainians and Russians in Ireland on the rising tensions between their home countries

Keep Ireland Open noted that individuals and small community groups are ‘worn out’ battling landowners who close off beauty spots and pathways to the general public. Photograph: iStock
‘Total attitude change’ needed around land access for walkers in Ireland

Legislation required to ‘copper-fasten’ rights of ordinary citizens, says Keep Ireland Open

Damage to defibrillator in Tralee, Co Kerry. Photograph: Community First Responders
Two defibrillators damaged in Tralee and Wicklow as group calls for penalties

Community First Responders Ireland says damage or theft of defibrillators ‘could be death sentence’

German investigators say it is “overwhelmingly likely” Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI was aware of at least four abusing and paedophile priests during his time as archbishop of Munich from 1977 to 1982. Photograph: Getty Images
How the clerical sex abuse crisis reached the top of the Catholic Church

In the News podcast: Munich report finds former pope failed to act to prevent abuse

Monisa Mahandran, a doctor from Malaysia who has lived and worked in Dublin since 2016: ‘I feel accepted and welcomed, I’m content with my life here.’ Photograph: Dara Mac Donaill
‘In Ireland everyone greets you. Ireland has taught me kindness’

Monisa Mahandran arrived in 2016 from Malaysia via Romania and the US

Mustafa Keshkeia was due to travel to Dublin in October 2021 after being awarded a four-year postgraduate research scholarship with DCU’s School of Applied Languages and Intercultural Studies.
Syrian academic ‘angry’ after visa for Dublin scholarship is rejected

Translator believes he is being stereotyped: ‘For them, all Syrians are asylum seekers’

Niac have recommended that Nuvaxovid, a shot developed by US company Novavax, can be used to vaccinate those aged 18 and over against Covid-19.
Fifth Covid-19 vaccine approved for use in State

Hospitalisations drop from 947 in mid-January to 649 patients at the end of the month

The controversy over the cervical screening programme was sparked by the 2018 High Court settlement of an action by Limerick woman Vicky Phelan.
CervicalCheck Tribunal deadline for claims extended for second time

Tribunal has only received 17 claims since it began operating in December 202 0

Richard O’Halloran reunited with his wife Tara and four children at Dublin Airport this morning. His wife tweeted: ‘Thank you everyone for all your support. We are so unbelievably happy to have him back…’
‘A day of great happiness’ – Irish businessman Richard O’Halloran reunited with family

China to receive years of payments in deal to secure man’s return after almost three years

Weapons, including Javelin anti-tank missiles, and other military hardware are delivered to Ukraine by the United States military. Photograph: Sean Gallup/Getty
Ukraine-Russia crisis: Is war coming to eastern Europe?

In the News podcast: Report from Ukraine as fears mount that Russian attack is imminent

Supriya Singh moved to Ireland with her family in 2016. ‘Five years ago I felt very connected to the UK but now I’m more connected to Ireland,’ she says. Photograph: Alan Betson
‘Many people migrate to Ireland to build a new life. Some succeed, some struggle, some fail’

New to the Parish: Supriya Singh arrived from India, via the UK, in 2016

Mr Justice Paul McDermott said the Munster child abuse case constituted “the most profound breach of trust a human being can commit against their children”.
How one of Ireland’s worst child abuse cases unfolded

In The News podcast: What does the future hold for the children of the Munster abuse case and can they rebuild their lives?

Dr Deirdre Lundy said much of the confusion and fear around menopause treatment dates back to the 2002 study which reported a link between breast cancer or cardiovascular disease and the HRT treatment. Photograph: iStock
Menopause: A generation of women has suffered in silence due to ‘unnecessary fear’

Specialist Dr Deirdre Lundy says discussion of issue on radio a turning point in Ireland

Randal Plunkett, Baron of Dunsany: ‘If we can simply do a little bit and allow nature to have a space, I think we’d cure a lot of the problems we have in society today.’ Photograph: Paul Faith/AFP via Getty Images
How did a baron in Co Meath launch Ireland’s largest re-wilding experiment?

In The News podcast: Randal Plunkett turned his estate into a nature reserve for wildlife

Sydney and Silke Moss, who relocated from Boston to Dublin. ‘Everyone was so friendly and outgoing and no one had any airs or graces about them,’ says Silke. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill
‘Whenever Heaney came to town to teach I’d cut his hair’

New to the Parish: Sydney and Silke Moss arrived from Boston in 2021

There were 3,357 children still waiting to access Camhs by the end of November – the highest such number since 2015. Photograph: iStock
More than 11,700 children and teenagers accessed mental health services last year

Total of 221 children waiting more than a year for mental health support services

Director of the National Women’s Council Orla O’Connor: “We know from the numbers of women who contact the frontline services that both domestic and sexual violence is happening to a much greater degree than what’s in any official records.” Photograph: Laura Hutton
Call for data on gender-based violence to be key to State strategy

National Women’s Council says education on abuse of women must be compulsory

Floral tributes and candles are left after a vigil outside the London Irish Centre in Camden in memory of Ashling Murphy. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire
Why it’s time for men to stand up and call for an end to violence against women

In the News podcast: Why it’s time for a total change of mindset on how we end male violence against women

Novak Djokovic of Serbia is seen in action during a training session at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, January 12th, 2022. Photograph: James Ross/ EPA
How Djokovic’s vaccine scepticism fuelled an international sporting controversy

In The News: What does the tennis star’s vaccine saga mean for future sporting events?

Hamad Arshad with his daughters Suakyna (8), Shaane-Zahra (2), Urwah (4) and Libah (6) at their home in Dunboyne. Photograph: Conor Healy/Picture it Photography
‘I believe my girls will live secure lives in Ireland and find themselves here’

New to the Parish: Hamad Arshad arrived from Pakistan in 2002

Up to 70 per cent of home repossession cases in the Circuit Court involve litigants in person. Photograph: iStock
Litigants-in-person legal action a ‘major issue’, says Law Society

Irish judges becoming ‘extremely frustrated’ with ‘needless time wasting’

John Shaw, the country’s longest serving prisoner. Photograph: RTÉ
Should the State’s longest-serving prisoner be given temporary release?

In the News: After 45 years behind bars, should convicted rapist and murderer John Shaw be allowed back into society?

The body of 49-year-old Michael Tormey is removed from the scene. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw
Man shot dead in Ballyfermot had no known involvement in crime

Michael Tormey’s body was found outside his Thomond Road home on Sunday morning

Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys said McArdle could ‘always be relied upon to give a fair and accurate account of events’. Photograph: Gareth Chaney/Collins
Politicians pay tribute to ‘fantastic’ Monaghan journalist Patsy McArdle

McArdle, who died on Thursday, reported during Troubles and published The Secret War

A total of 9,099 people were staying in emergency accommodation during the week of November 22nd-28th 2021. Photograph: Dara Mac Donaill
Number of homeless people in State passes 9,000

Total of 2,548 children in emergency accommodation in November, figures show

Q&A: When will I get my new digital Covid cert and how will it work?

Those with boosters will receive updated certificates via email in coming days

The mob at the US Capitol in Washington on January 6th, 2021. Photograph: Jason Andrew/New York Times
Why wasn’t the US Capitol riot the turning point in American politics many hoped for?

In The News podcast: Trump’s hold on the Republican party appears stronger than ever

The Burgh Quay immigration office: A Department of Justice spokesman acknowledged there was a ‘high demand’ for services but said staff in the registration office had been working extra hours to meet this demand. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw
Visa renewals: Clogged-up system cause of ‘stress and frustration’ for immigrants

‘I understand this is a pandemic situation but this is mental trauma for us’

Kamil Tomko, a fifth-year student living in Longford, has a visual impairment and had to learn English from scratch when he arrived in Ireland in 2019. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill
‘When it’s bright outside I’m able to see. When it’s dark I always ask for help’

New to the Parish: Kamil Tomko arrived from Slovakia in 2019

Muhammad Achour, a Syrian architect who came to Ireland in 2015 and is now a teaching assistant in DCU at the Samuel Beckett Bridge in Dublin. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill
‘My home country is still Syria but my country is now Ireland’

New to the Parish: Architect Muhammad Achour arrived from Syria in 2015

Santa received the green light to visit all the children of Ireland earlier this week with the man himself due to arrive on Irish shores shortly after 11pm. Photograph: iStock
Santa and his reindeer prepare for wet, windy night while crossing over Ireland

Yellow wind warning in place for Munster, Connacht and Leinster until Saturday night

The busk will feature some of Ireland’s top musicians, including Bono, Glen Hansard, Damian Rice, Lisa O’Neill and Liam Ó Maonlaí
Christmas Eve busk with Bono and Glen Hansard to be livestreamed

Annual session at 9pm from St Patrick’s Cathedral in aid of Simon Community

Lola Gonzalez Farrell in Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim. Photograph: Brian Farrell
Racism is a problem in Ireland, but it’s ‘minimal’ in Carrick-on-Shannon

New to the Parish: Lola Gonzalez Farrell moved to Ireland from Panama in 2015

The real test for Sinn Féin is what happens between now and the next election, and the period immediately after that election, Irish Times political editor Pat Leahy says. Photograph: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos
How did Sinn Féin rise to become Ireland’s most popular political party?

In the News podcast: If Sinn Féin leads next government, can they keep supporters happy?

Jason Montinegro (founder member of justice for the undocumented) & Phess Montinegro outside Government Buidlings after scheme was announced. Photograph: Gareth Chaney/Collins
Regularising undocumented migrants: Does the scheme offer path out of the shadows?

In The News Podcast: How will plan change the lives of undocumented people in Ireland?

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