The examinations commission are offering €100,000 for research into how artificial intelligence can be used to mark the Leaving Cert in Ireland.
Every year, thousands of Irish students take the Leaving Certificate exams. Given the high volume of examination papers, The State Examinations Commission face numerous challenges including accessing invigilators, meeting tight deadlines and ensuring consistent marking standards.
The State Examinations Commission are now offering €100,000 for research into the introduction of AI being used to mark the Leaving Cert examinations, TheCity spoke to students and teachers alike to see how they felt about this change in the examination process.
International aid departments worldwide have experienced significant funding reductions, causing global consequences.
Several European countries including Germany, France, The Netherlands, and Sweden have announced funding cuts within their international aid budgets for 2025, this is alongside The Trump administration cutting $54 billion in foreign aid contracts. As well as the reduction of overseas development aid in the United Kingdom, it is funding will drop from 0.5% of the UK’s gross national income to 0.3%, this is a cut of approximately £6 billion. This has led to catastrophic consequences for countries reliant on international aid. It has left aid agencies all over the world scrambling to bridge the financial funding gap.
The Government of Ireland’s development cooperation programme is known as Irish Aid; it works with partners all around the world. They are attempting to tackle poverty, hunger, and humanitarian need in over 130 countries. The programme is managed by Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and they consider the crucial work they are doing integral to Ireland’s foreign policy.
“Irish Aid is the Government of Ireland’s international development cooperation programme. Our work contributes Agenda 2030 – the Sustainable Development Goals, with a core focus on reaching the furthest behind first. Our programme supports and works with partners in over 130 countries, addressing issues of poverty, hunger, and responding to humanitarian crises,” said Irish Aid.
“Ireland’s international development programme is guided by our policy, A Better World, which sets out four policy priorities – gender equality, climate action, good governance and reducing humanitarian need – and three intervention areas: food and nutrition, people (health, education and social protection), and protection (peacebuilding).”
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as Agenda 2030, is referred to as a roadmap for creating a better world. They are considered the foundation of international development and humanitarian work. In 2015, the system was adopted by all United Nations Member States. It contains 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to assist both developing and developed countries in a global partnership.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Irish aid organisations such as Goal, Concern Worldwide, Dóchas and Trócaire are experiencing treacherous consequences due to the lack of international funding. Goal was forced to lay off 30 percent of its staff, leaving approximately 900 people unemployed. The charity operates in 14 countries worldwide and will no longer be able to provide the same level of support to the previous amount of around 11 million people.
Despite this Irish Aid have confirmed they are not following the European trend and reducing their international aid funding. They are committed to providing substantial aid to the necessary countries. They have stated that their international assistance has steadily increased and will continue to do so.
“Ireland’s funding for international development assistance has steadily increased over the last number of years. In 2025, the budget for Ireland’s ODA (Official Development Assistance) is over €2 billion. Ireland’s international development assistance programme, managed by Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, saw an increase of €35 million to over €810 million,” said Irish Aid
“This is an increase of 4.5% on the 2024 allocation and is the highest ever allocation since the establishment of the aid programme in 1974. Furthermore, the current Programme for
Government commits to increase Ireland’s Official Development Assistance annually, working towards the UN target of 0.7% of Gross National Income,
“For examples of Ireland’s programmes and partnerships, we invite you to read our latest Annual Report (2023).The next Annual Report (2024) will be published later in the year, providing updated information on our work and funding.”
Irish Aid addressed the significant global financial strain following the suspension in USAID funding and the uncertain times ahead. There have been discussions put in place in relation to whether the funding will be cut entirely, what the implications of that might be and what the plan is moving forward.
“The Government is closely following the continuing reports and announcements in relation to USAID and the pause in a significant level of its funding and programming. The impact of these decisions is already being felt. Given the uncertainties, we are continuing to assess the immediate and long-term effects with our partners. This includes close engagement with Irish and international organisations as they respond to the implications of the USAID funding cuts,” said Irish Aid.
There are numerous humanitarian issues that Irish Aid are continuously working on, these include furthering behind first, gender inequality, climate change, reducing humanitarian need, strengthening governance, food and nutrition, health, education, social protection, peace and stability, global citizenship education and as part of the United Nations they are also working towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“Ireland remains fully committed to our international development cooperation commitments, and to reaching the furthest behind first and to reducing humanitarian need. Ireland has and will continue to work closely with international partners, multilateral organisations, and civil society, and through the European Union in our collective effort to overcome global poverty and inequality, and to advance sustainable development,” said Irish Aid.
“We recognise that the international aid architecture is facing very uncertain times, including the move by other large donors to reduce their ODA (Official Development Assistance). This will result in significant funding gaps for international development and humanitarian organisations. While Ireland remains firm in our own ODA (Official Development Assistance) commitments, it clearly will not be feasible for us to fill the major funding gaps as a result of the reductions made by other donors.”
As Ireland and the Department and Foreign Affairs work to navigate the growing uncertainties surrounding the European international aid funding cuts and the suspension of USAID funding, Irish Aid, along with a network of Irish aid organizations are striving to continue to provide substantial relief to countries that depend on international assistance.
Despite these financial and global setbacks, these aid organisations such as Goal, Concern Worldwide, Dóchas and Trócaire, are exploring alternative strategies, they are continuing to strengthen global partnerships with other aid organisations, and they are advocating for continued global support for countries which require both humanitarian and developmental aid.
This article is based on information provided to TheCity.ie by Irish Aid.
Techstars Startup Weekend Women Dublin is an annual conference that encourages women to pitch ideas and participate in a series of workshops to start up their own businesses.
Originally founded in 2022, Techstars Startup Weekend Women Dublin is an event based around pitching ideas, forming teams, participating in workshops, and launching startup companies. It is about turning ideas into reality. Although the event is aimed at women, the atmosphere over the weekend is welcoming and inclusive, from those just starting out to seasoned entrepreneurs.
The winning team of this year’s event was a business venture called Flavour Fusion, which is an opportunity for people to connect and offer a restaurant service from their place of residence. In second place, Pregnancy Support, which is a support structure for women in relation to fertility, prenatal and postnatal care. In third place was the team, Legacy, which is a project encouraging biodiversity within the farm industry. The team Sunire also got an honourable mention, this a product that is light-weight and used for UV protection.
This year’s conference ran between 21st of March to the 23rd of March 2025. It had a series of 12 mentors aiding throughout the process. The conference had a total of 63 attendees. The weekend began with the participants having the opportunity to stand up and pitch their initial ideas. Twenty people took that opportunity and pitched their own business concepts. This gave the rest of the participants the chance to associate themselves with the idea they favoured the most, forming nine groups.
The event was originally founded by a woman called Leyla Karaha, with the intention of giving women an environment to participate in tech startup conventions. Karaha stepped down from her leader position in 2025, passing the position of team leader on to Caitlin Hafer.
“We want to support you all taking your ideas forward after this weekend,” said Caitlin Hafer, one of the organisers of the event.
“I want the judges to have a hard time deciding who to pick.”
The ideas presented varied from apps based on prenatal and postnatal care for women, psychotherapy and mental health counselling apps, a project based on encouraging biodiversity within the farm industry, an app supporting asylum seekers while they adjust to life in Ireland and many more.
After the teams are finalised that is when the real work begins. The teams are working hard refining their business models, customer validation strategies and product concepts. The rubric set out by the judges included problem research, validation, innovation, business applications and presentation quality. Following the weekend the teams created pitches which they presented to a panel of five judges.
“Being the voice of the devil’s advocate can be best for the product overall,” said Caitlin Hafer in relation to the judging process.
The conference provided a supportive and inclusive environment for people to present and discuss their ideas and dreams. People had many opportunities to network with people with similar backgrounds, alternative backgrounds (business, tech, marketing, and design), goals and connect on LinkedIn to embark on future business opportunities.
“That’s a very potent experience, when you provide an environment for people to open up about their dreams and passions and to feel supported in that,” said Margaret, one of the participants of the event.
Meeting the team, photography taken by the event photographer Artem Kulinych
“The most important thing about this weekend is we need more women leaders,” said Miren Maialen Samper, an organiser who has been working for the event for the past four years.
Following the pitching process in front of the judges, the teams had the opportunity to win a variety of prizes. Some of these prizes included a mentoring opportunity with Furthr, Figma training with Jenna Farrell from Scopey, tickets for Dublin Tech Summit, tickets for TechFoundHer summit, SaaStock tickets and webinar access to AwakenHub.
Events like this aim to incentivise more women into entrepreneurial positions, it encourages a more diverse work force, which is important especially in STEM fields. By creating a more inclusive space with new mindsets and alternative ideas, the hope is it will have a positive impact and drive real-world social change.
New Look forced to close 26 stores in the Republic of Ireland due to financial struggles, leaving nearly 350 people unemployed.
The major British fashion retailer New Look has announced the closure of its 26 Irish stores. The chain was founded in Britain in 1969 and opened its first store in Ireland in 2003. After almost 22 years in business it has been forced into liquidation, making approximately 347 employees redundant, 32 of whom were full-time staff.
New Look had been facing financial difficulties due to the pressures of the cost of doing business, staff costs and the increased use of online shopping by consumers. The Irish stores had accumulated debt of approximately €17.7 million according to their latest accounts, that the overhead company could no longer afford, deeming the Irish department of the company no longer viable.
“The decision to seek the appointment of liquidators was not taken lightly. New Look’s Irish operation has struggled for some years, impacted by a range of factors including supply-chain and in-market costs, and squeezed consumer spending,” said New Look.
In February, Shane McCarthy and Cormac O’Connor of KPMG Ireland were appointed as provisional liquidators of New Look Ireland. Following this, the employees were immediately notified which led to engagement and planning of the next steps for the company. This included a 30-day staff consultation process.
While facing unemployment, the staff also faced numerous other challenges throughout the process. It was announced that several stores would reopen for a closing down sale on February 23rd. This sale quickly went viral and led to overwhelming working conditions. Throughout the sale process, several employees used social media to document the aftermath and challenges they faced.
“Look what the vultures did to our store yesterday and are doing the exact same thing today,” said Megan, an employee at New Look.
“I got verbally abused by so many middle-aged women today over their vouchers or if they couldn’t get in, it’s not my fault.”
In 2020, the company had previously petitioned to have an examiner appointed, which resulted in reduced rent for most of their stores, despite the push back they received from their landlords. Even with this extra assistance, each store in the Irish branch continued to lose money for the next four years.
Despite the financial struggles the Irish branch continued to face, New Look has stated that the closure of its Irish stores will not affect the British brand and that its 344 British stores continue to succeed. They have stated that in future they will be focusing their attention on both their UK business and digital sales.
“We have adapted to this evolving landscape by investing in our product proposition and digital offer. However, due to the increasingly volatile trading conditions we needed to expedite our existing plans, which included conducting a review of our operations in the Republic of Ireland,” said New Look.
This is following the closure of several other retail chain stores in Ireland, including Quiz. Quiz had previously been forced to shut 23 of its 65 stores across Ireland and the UK, which resulted in another 54 employees being made redundant. These closures are again the result of the rising cost of doing business and the frequent use of online shopping by consumers.
According to Retail Excellence Ireland, the closures of both Quiz and New Look’s Irish stores should be seen as a warning sign to the Government that Ireland’s business costs have become unsuitable for retailers, which they say could have treacherous consequences on the economy and could lead to increased future unemployment.
Playa de las Américas has become a popular party destination and while it’s known for its vibrant nightlife, there is also an abundance of activities to enjoy without the need for alcohol.
South Tenerife’s rugged landscape is filled with cacti and beautiful palm trees which can be seen throughout the coast. The island enjoys pleasant weather year-round, with temperatures averaging 20 degrees Celsius even in winter. This makes the location a frequent holiday destination for tourists. Playa de las Américas, an area on the coast, is only a brief 15 minute drive from Tenerife Sur airport.
Despite the area being best known for its pubs, bars and nightclubs, it is also a great location with plenty to do for those who choose to travel alcohol-free.
Tenerife is also famous for its national park, which is home to and named after Mount Teide, an active volcano in the centre of Tenerife. Despite it being challenging, it is a great location for hikers at any level.
The warm climate makes Tenerife a great destination for water-based sports and activities. It is very common for hotels in the area to have pools available to guests, but there are also a series of fabulous beaches along the coast. While the waves are a great opportunity for surfers, red warning flags are often raised due to treacherous conditions. There are numerous activities along the beaches, including pedal boats, jet skis and if you are feeling brave there is also the possibility of parasailing.
The tour company Xplore Tenerife are a local business that offer a variety of nature-based tours and activities that are engaging, with their main priority being to observe and not interfere with the natural areas. A great example is the opportunity to go kayaking and snorkelling with the wildlife in the area.
The tour involves several hours of kayaking as part of a group and the opportunity to go snorkelling in the hopes of seeing dolphins and turtles in their natural habitat. You are assigned a tour guide who assists you throughout the experience while also taking photographs that they send to you shortly after the tour. They provide you with all the necessary equipment, life jacket and the option of a wetsuit also.
Tenerife also has two waterparks for those who do not enjoy sea swimming, these include Aqualand in Costa Adeje and Siam Park. Siam Park has rightfully become a viral sensation across social media platforms. It is regarded as one of the best waterparks in the world. It has a wide selection of water slides, with the most famous being Tower of Power, which is a 28-meter high water slide that brings you through a giant aquarium that houses sharks, rays and other species of fish.
Mini golf is another wholesome activity available across Tenerife, with numerous different parks that offer it. One of the most popular is Mini Golf Santiago which has 3 different courses available to guests with both a 9 hole and 18 hole section.
It is located on La Milla De Oro (Golden Mile), which is a stretch located in Playa de las Américas. It is a good activity to enjoy sober and is suitable for all ages. The prices vary between children and adults but it is without a doubt worth the money due to the time spent and the enjoyment to be had.
It is a great activity to do later in the day when the temperatures have dropped. It can be enjoyed accompanied by friends, family or even with a partner.
Loro Parque is the most famous zoo in Tenerife, however it is quite far away from Playa de las Américas, if you are looking for something a little bit more accessible, there are two other zoos, Jungle Park and Tenerife Zoo Monkey Park, which are both only a short drive from the south coast.
Tenerife Zoo Monkey Park is home to and assisting with the reproduction of a variety of different endangered species. There are several species of monkeys, birds, reptiles and rodents present at the zoo. It is also possible to purchase healthy treats for the animals that you are able to feed to the them throughout the experience.
When it comes to nightlife, there is still a huge range of options for locations to enjoy alcohol-free. It is also very common for locations to offer a large mocktail menu. Venture Group Tenerife are a company that own a series of restaurants with various different cuisines, not only do they serve exceptional food, but also provide delicious mocktails for their guests.
Of course it is also possible to enjoy the bars and nightclubs while alcohol-free. There is karaoke, dancing, pool and darts that create a positive buzz along the strip. Unfortunately there is also frequent drug use, fighting and disruptive noise, so this should be considered while choosing a location to enjoy the evening.
St. Brigid of Kildare, Ireland’s only patroness saint, has become an icon of feminism and an important spiritual figure in contemporary Irish society.
In 1969, St. Brigid was one of 93 saints removed from the universal Roman Catholic calendar by Pope Paul VI, because it was felt that there was insufficient documentary evidence relating to her. Despite this, St. Brigid continues to be held in high regard throughout Irish culture and is currently Ireland’s only patroness saint, alongside St. Patrick and St. Columba.
St. Brigid’s Day, held on February 1st, was introduced as a public holiday in Ireland in 2023. It is also referred to as the festival Imbolc or Imbolg. This festival is held between the winter solstice and spring equinox and is used to celebrate the beginning of spring.
Every year, many people show their devotion to St. Brigid by hosting and engaging in a variety of events to celebrate her ongoing legacy. Kildare takes great pride in St. Brigid and many festivities are held across the county. These events are held by organisations and by members of the local county council. It is without a doubt an immense community effort.
“It’s a huge testimony to everybody that turned out today to help with the event,” said Marion Higgins, the director of service in Kildare County Council, in relation to Carrying Her Flame.
“We had people from the DAA (Dublin Airport Authority), we had the ICA (Irish Countrywomen’s Association) and they all came together to help with the event, it was a tremendous coming together of people to celebrate Brigid and all that she stands for.”
The Carrying Her Flame event was held on January 30th, 2025, on Maynooth main street in Kildare. It is a celebration to honour St. Brigid by bringing light and fire in an illuminated spectacle. The parade portrayed a series of performances conducted by LUXE landscape theatre, Kildare. This event was used to represent the ‘light’ half of the year following a dark winter.
“The flamboyance of the fire and the candles and the music was beautiful,” said Genevieve, a local resident of Maynooth.
“For this particular event, the floats, the fire and the theme of it, with the sky and the stars, it was magical and the girls dancing, it was a celebration of women,” said Barbara, another local resident of Maynooth.
The sense of community and lively buzz at the event was undeniable. Despite the heavy rain, the crowd was filled with people who had travelled from all over Ireland to attend the celebration. Throughout the performance, the intense base of traditional Irish music could be felt and the underlying smell of the burning candles added to the overall experience.
“It was a brilliant event, great for the town of Maynooth, a great family event, you can see all the kids and parents and everything out here, people really enjoyed it,” said Garda Inspector Ronan MacDonald.
“The artistry, the effort that has gone into the floats is brilliant, you’d like to see it get better every year, there is talk of it being a yearly thing,” said Rob, a member of An Garda Síochána.
As St. Brigid is the only patroness saint in Ireland, she is considered an icon of feminism in Irish culture, although there are numerous other reasons why she continues to be adored and admired. She is the patroness of a variety of things including poetry, learning, healing, protection, blacksmithing, livestock and dairy production. She was also considered to be an expert in prophecy relating to fertility and child-birth. St. Brigid’s association with spring also relates to her connection with fertility and life.
Even though St. Brigid was originally born in County Louth, she is commonly referred to as St. Brigid of Kildare because she founded an important monostatic community in Kildare in the 5th century. While living in Kildare, St. Brigid acted as a disciple of St. Patrick and later went on to become a nun, founding several monasteries, as well as a school for art. St. Brigid continued her crucial societal and religious work until she passed away in Kildare on the 1st of February 525.
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