Tag: Irish

  • Chloe Michelle Howarth on Uplifting Queer Narratives Through Modern Irish Literature

    Chloe Michelle Howarth on Uplifting Queer Narratives Through Modern Irish Literature

    COVID-19 arrives in March of 2020 with a peculiar pause as society closes its doors. In Dublin, IADT student Chloe Michelle Howarth begins to pack her bags to head back to her family home in West Cork to quarantine. Somewhere within that still isolation, Howarth began to write a queer coming-of-age novel which will go on to sell 70,000 copies to date.

    Now, from her home in Brighton, Chloe Michelle Howarth tells me a familiar story of her daily lockdown strolls within the 2-kilometre limits of her home. She remembers the cows, the rabbits, the hedgerows, how the sun hit the grass in a twinkling light. Howarth photographed the things she found alluring and typed up fragments detailing the most beautiful corners of the county that she loved so much. What began as excerpts in the notes app of her iPhone would soon become an integral part of her debut novel Sunburn.  

    “My parents’ house in the country is truly in the most beautiful 2 kilometre radius, I wouldn’t ever want to leave. The Irish countryside is just so gorgeous. I was so lucky because it’s just very vast, very rural”. 

    Eventually, these descriptions inspired Crossmore, a fictional rural Irish town and the roots of her acclaimed debut novel Sunburn. “Crossmore is kind of tapestry of the most beautiful parts of West Cork,” said Howarth, “I essentially just got to describe the nature of Ireland and put the beauty down on a page, which I could do forever.”

    With two published novels and another set to release next summer, Howarth originally never expected to even pursue publication. Sunburn was initially a passion project without any pressures of publication.  

    “The story just kind of spiralled away from me as I was writing it, and I think that’s the beauty of not having any audience at all in mind when you’re writing something because you can just be so creative. And then, eventually, you kind of look at it and you go, oh, this is all starting to form its own narrative!” 

    Writing nuanced novels with sapphic themes comes quite easy to Howarth. But if the summer landscape gave Sunburn its setting, it was Howarth’s own familiarity with the theme that provided the story its emotional core. Queerness, she says, was never something that had to be intentionally inserted into her writing. It was simply there. 

    They say to write what you know, and for this Cork-born queer author, “I knew I wanted to write a queer story, and I knew it was going to be set in the Irish countryside. It just wouldn’t feel natural to me to write a story that wasn’t centred around queer characters,” said Howarth. 

    Photo credit: Emma Jones

    Howarth’s bibliography moves backwards through Ireland’s queer history with Sunburn being set primarily in the 1990s, and her second novel Heap Earth Upon It retreating even further back to the 1960s. Howarth flourishes in rewriting sapphic romances into eras of criminalised homosexuality in Ireland.  

    “The 90s was such a turbulent time for queer people but also such a hopeful time,” said Howarth, “I decided to start the real narrative of Sunburn during that time as homosexuality was only decriminalised in ’93.” 

    Howarth suggests that in a small, rural town like Crossmore, the law doesn’t necessarily reflect social attitudes in such a confined community. Howarth “wanted to create this little village so far away from the rest of the world where these major things were happening globally for the queer community that weren’t really touching this conservative little place”. 

    Take it back to the 60s and Howarth tells a story of gothic sapphic obsession and an elusive past in the fictional Irish town of Ballycrea. For Howarth, her debut novel had quite a sun-soaked and “nostalgic visual identity tied to the 90s”. In her second book, she moves further back in history to an alternative, darker, and more claustrophobic scene of religious repression and desire forced into the shadows of a heavily Catholic Ireland. 

    Heap Earth Upon It explores the complexities of same sex attraction and the shame that accompanies it in a period of forbidden queerness. Particularly in historically conservative spaces, Howarth said she doesn’t “think there will ever be enough different forms of representation, we certainly do need a lot more queer media”.  

    Queer people existed in Ireland all along, even when history left them on the sidelines in whispers and secrecy. In writing sapphic romance in historically Irish contexts, Howarth provides those erased lives somewhere to exist on a page. The now 30-year-old said that she “didn’t really search for queer media” in her youth. In West Cork, “such things didn’t exist at the time. I was just very sheltered, you know, it wasn’t out there. I wish there had just been more queerness, and I wish it had been more accessible,” said Howarth on the lack of queer fiction in her teenage years. 

    Looking into the future of queer literature, Howarth “would like to see more gender, non-conforming characters, more transgender characters, and also the nuance of gender and sexuality as a whole”. 

    “I want someone to explore the fact that it’s not such a black and white experience. There are a lot of fantastic trans writers in Ireland, and I want them to get more opportunities to tell their stories,” said Howarth. 

    On her upcoming novel Aftertaste, which releases in June 2027, Howarth speaks about the aesthetics and themes featured in her third publication. “I’m glad you asked, I haven’t got to answer a lot of questions about the new book yet!” 

    “I feel like this story isn’t as stuck into a specific visual, whereas I think my last two books were certainly very seasonal and visually tangible,” said Howarth, “I think it’s actually a very hopeful book in comparison to the others, the characters, regardless of what happens to them remain very hopeful. And that is all I can say for now”. 

    From the quiet fields of West Cork to the fictional paths of Crossmore and Ballycrea, Howarth’s work to date has always merged Ireland, queerness, and history. For some, that is what makes the arrival of Aftertaste so intriguing. After two stories saturated in nostalgia, inhibition, and buried desire, Howarth simply describes her newest novel as hopeful. Although the details remain confidential, the message is clear: there are still queer stories waiting to be written and told, and Howarth holds a space for them to be heard. 

  • The Irish citizenship rules have been passed by Cabinet, but what do they mean?

    The Irish citizenship rules have been passed by Cabinet, but what do they mean?

    “Citizenship should be about belonging and participation” says Sinn Fein TD Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh after Cabinet approval. 

    Criticism arises from local TDs with Irish citizenship requirements changing and Cabinet approval ahead of being passed into law. 

    The new rules under the ‘Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2026’, first introduced by the Government at the start of September, include increasing residency in the country before citizenship, formalising requirements on self-sufficiency, and a language test. 

    Speaking on RTÉ Six One News before the approval, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan said that “citizenship is a privilege, not a right”, and these decisions will bring together “common sense reasonable people” on the matter.  

    Taoiseach Michael Martin has said that the added language test, taken in English, Irish, or Irish Sign Language, will align the Republic of Ireland with other EU countries.  

    Photo credit: Dahlia E. Akhaine via Unsplash

    The residency requirement in the country will be brought from five years to eight, while Ukrainians who have come to Ireland cannot use their time under the Temporary Protection Directive as part of the eight years. 

    According to Minister O’Callaghan “It was never thought that persons who came here from Ukraine, if they were here for five years, that they would be entitled to receive Irish citizenship. That would undermine the whole purpose of temporary protection, which is temporary.” 

    Individuals applying for citizenship will also have to prove self-sufficiency with their finances, so as not to be “a burden on the State”, said Minister O’Callaghan.

    South Kildare Labour TD Mark Wall expressed his concerns over the requirement changes on behalf of his party, especially regarding the additional three-year wait. “We see the proposal as performative politics that will do little to improve Ireland’s immigration system,” he said. “Minister O’Callaghan also needs to explain what problem an eight-year residency requirement is actually designed to solve.”  

    The rule changes also apply to the other branches of the citizenship process, with the spouse residency increasing from three years to five years, and the continuous residence after applying has been increased by an extra year from the original 12 months.  

    “People who have lived here for years, who work here, pay taxes here, raise their families here and contribute to their communities should have a clear and reasonable pathway to becoming Irish citizens,” said Wall. “Citizenship is an important part of successful integration. This could have a real negative impact on our ability as a nation to attract workers in critical areas.” 

    Wall says that the Labour Party wants the Government to “focus instead on building a citizenship system that encourages integration, participation and a genuine sense of belonging. Ireland needs serious immigration policy, not performative politics”. 

    Photo credit: Hansjörg Keller via Unsplash

    South Kildare Sinn Féin TD Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh said she’s also concerned about the barriers individuals will face, “particularly about making the Irish language part of a more restrictive citizenship regime”.  

    The language tests will be taken in English, Irish, or Irish Sign Language, while also including “a foundational Irish civics, society, and politics test.” 

    “As an Irish-language activist and an Irish Republican, I want to see Irish grow as a living, welcoming language. I don’t want it weaponised as a barrier to belonging or associated with making life more difficult for people who have made Ireland their home. We should be encouraging people to learn Irish because they feel welcomed into the language and into our society, not because it has become another hurdle they have to overcome,” said Ní Raghallaigh.

    “I also think we need to be careful about the wider message we send to immigrants. Citizenship should be about belonging and participation, not about continually moving the goalposts for people who have built their lives here.” 

    The bill has been passed by Cabinet, but this does not mean immediate change. The bill still needs to be published, reviewed and to get the President’s signature before the act passes into law. 

  • The Gara Show: “I’m not coming back…I’m going to make something out of being a streamer.”

    The Gara Show: “I’m not coming back…I’m going to make something out of being a streamer.”

    An interview with one of Ireland’s largest streamers and content creators, Chris O’Gara. On how his hobby became a long-term career with sponsorships from Virgin Media, Currys, and a feature on Netflix’s “House of Streams”.

    By Alex Cloud

    Streaming is still somewhat of an untapped and undiscovered niche to many, with platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and Twitch dominating the scene and allowing creators to monetize only once certain requirements have been met. As a career, it is a new edition to the market and certainly quite unexplored.

    “I remember I had expressed that I wanted to do content to my family, and they weren’t really for it. They told me, ‘You need to get your college degree’ or ‘get a job there’.” O’Gara explained.

    “Eventually I told them, I know you don’t believe me, but I know I’m going to be successful,” he continued.

    Chris O’Gara ambassador of the 2025 Ireland Card Show- photo credit: Ireland Card Show

    As it stands, O’Gara has 55,000 followers on the popular streaming platform Twitch and boasts over 100,000 on Instagram. However, this has all stemmed from his long love of all things gaming and technical.

    “I studied computer science in college, and for a long time I thought that was my goal – to get into some kind of techy stuff. One of my modules was game development, and I used Pokémon’s Lucario as a character in the game I wanted to do. I spent all summer on it! Then, the college told us they didn’t have enough people to continue the module, and I was like okay, I don’t want to be here anymore,” O’Gara shared about his experience making the decision to drop out of college.

    After having a few positions in retail and waiting tables, O’Gara explained he spent a short amount of time in a drill bit factory to make ends meet.

    “I remember eating lunch and nobody was speaking to one another. There were six or seven people at the table and I was awkwardly just waiting for someone to say something and engage. Eventually, someone mentioned the bins being full and asked if someone could take them out – that was me. It was so pivotal, at the end of the day I gave back my key and thought to myself you know what? I’m not coming back, I’m going to make something out of being a streamer,” he said.

    “I spent three years doing stuff I didn’t want to do. Then my brother came to me and asked if I wouldn’t mind doing some video work and recording some gigs – and I said sure.”

    Chris O’Gara- Photo credit: Chris O’Gara

    Without a doubt content creation heavily relies on having experience in videography and photography, whether it is done on your own time, or if you are fortunate enough to be paid for your work. Once you learn new skills like editing, it can be extremely rewarding.

    “I used to play games with my mates on the PlayStation, and you can stream directly from the PlayStation straight online, so I started doing that. Then I realised people actually started watching, that’s when I realised. Oh! This is actually going somewhere…and yeah, it just turned into some beast of a job.”

    Being a content creator and streamer requires energy and of course a consistent presence. Unlike a 9-5 office position, streamers often start streaming after completing hours of editing and creating during the day by going live in the evenings. It is a completely self-run full time position.

    “I’m genuinely like a damn Duracell bunny, I have loads of energy and a great social battery. But even for me, as invincible as I thought I was, the burnout was a lot…at the start when I wasn’t as scheduled as I am now my whole day revolved around streaming and nothing else, 24/7. Over time, it really kicked my a**,” he said.

    Of course, there is a curiosity behind the journey, and my main question was how he kept up. On an average stream, there could be anywhere from 20 to 70 active viewers and chat participants – and only one of him. On an even larger scale with his social media following.

    “I feel like with social media, it’s difficult to keep up with every person and it’s hard to make that kind of intimate connection with every single person who interacts with your content. With streaming, you’re live. It’s like being in a shop where people are always walking in and out all the time but soon you recognise your regulars, then you get their senses of humour and they get yours…it’s like a big family now,” he said.

    “I’ve been streaming for nearly nine years, and I still have some viewers who have been there since day 1 – it’s incredible.”

    Throughout his streaming journey, O’Gara has dipped into a plethora of different games, hobbies and niches. Starting with majority Fortnite content, which is a massively popular free to download online game, he explained that his community stays for the general vibe of his streams, and that it has allowed him to explore various different types of content without the fear of losing viewership.

    “I’ve never been in a mindset of ‘oh this game will get me more viewers so I’ll do that’–  you’ll have a portion of people who will come to watch specifically for a type of game yeah, but overtime I realised my core community and supporters don’t care what game I’m on. They know if they come on stream, I’m here, and there will always be a bit of craic and we have fun, you know?” He said.

    “I think my best memory so far was being on ‘House of Streams’ on Netflix. It was absolutely amazing, I met all these streamers from all over the world and one of them was even at the Johnny Depp trial which was crazy. I was enjoying my time in Malta, with a little drink in hand during filming. Then it got to a point about a week and a half in where I was like, Jesus, I can actually win this – then I did! The winner got a Bitcoin and honestly it was just an unforgettable experience to go in the first place and then to actually win too,” O’Gara explained.

    I made time to tune in to one of The Gara Show streams to understand how the concept of livestreaming as a form of likelihood worked and saw active viewers in the chat, gifted donations, subscriptions fly like confetti and viewership numbers go up and down constantly. Like O’Gara had said, it was like a shop, but from what I saw – it was more like a family built over years of consistency and of course, passion for his career.

  • Government adds Irish language interpretation to EU meetings

    Government adds Irish language interpretation to EU meetings

    By Adam Jackson 

    The Irish Government will be providing interpretation services for meetings held in Ireland throughout the country’s first EU Presidency since Irish reached full status as an official EU language. 

    European Affairs and Defence Minister Thomas Byrne signed an agreement in January providing interpretation services for informal ministerial meetings and summits in Ireland. 

    These services will last the duration of Ireland’s eighth European Union Presidency from July to December this year, meaning that Irish will be given equal status to the other 23 official languages of the EU.  

    This is the first time that Ireland has held the Presidency since the Irish language gained full status as an official language of the EU, and the Irish Government is taking the opportunity to promote the language. 

    “The agreement marks a significant milestone in Ireland’s linguistic and cultural engagement with the EU and provides an opportunity to reaffirm Ireland’s commitment to multilingualism, and the full integration of the Irish language, in European affairs,” the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement. 

    Interpretation provisions, as well as the establishment of Irish as an official EU language, are part of the Government’s ongoing attempts to promote the use of the Irish language in an official capacity. 

    “I believe that the ability for Ministers and officials, from across the EU, to engage fully in their own languages supports meaningful dialogue, effective negotiations and good decision making,” Minister Byrne said in the statement.  

    By using the Irish language at an official level, the Government seeks to promote the use of the language more broadly and create more jobs for Irish speakers within the Government.  

    “I think it’s incredibly important that Irish, like any other official language, be given the necessary provisions for interpretations within the EU,” said Hannah Ní Dhoimhín, manager of Dréimire Language Services.  

    Dréimire is a company that provides resources for Irish language translation to organisations and individuals across Ireland. It is one of many organisations dedicated to current Irish language revitalisation efforts. 

     “It’s necessary that provisions be given to Irish language translation, in all areas, not only because Irish is our official language, but because Irish speakers are a minority group that the government needs to consider,” said Ní Dhoimhín. 

    While emphasising the importance of translation services, Ní Dhoimhín also acknowledged that the Government has been lacking in its engagement with Irish speakers, claiming it has not been taking its responsibilities to Irish speakers seriously enough. 

    “They just have to engage with Irish in a much more meaningful and serious way; because it is a minority language, the Government has been able to back away from any actual responsibility to the language,” Ní Dhoimhín said. 

    Despite its status as the official language of Ireland, Irish is not the primary language of most people living in Ireland.Of the 40% of the population who reported speaking Irish in the 2022 census, over half of that number said they couldn’t speak it very well.  

    “Any minority language revitalization effort should be led at the micro level. It must be a bottom-up situation, but bottom-up doesn’t mean that there is no responsibility at the top. It’s a stalactite-stalagmite situation. They need to meet in the middle,” Ms Ní Dhoimhín said. 

    In January Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht Minister, Dara Calleary announced that the Action Plan for Irish Language Public Services 2026-2028 had been approved by the Government. 

    This plan seeks to provide public services in Irish on the same level as they are in English. This includes public services such as healthcare, policing and social welfare. 

    It remains unclear how effective this plan, or the interpretation provisions for Ireland’s EU Presidency, will be in the preservation and revitalisation of the Irish language.   

  • Late Late Toy Show- Every Irish Child’s Dream

    Credits to RTE for the clips.

  • Kilmainham Gaol: Prison turned Museum 

    Photo Credit: Kelsey Doogan 

    By Kelsey Doogan 

    Kilmainham Gaol is a former prison located in Kilmainham, Dublin just south of Phoenix Park. Now it is a museum run by the Office of Public Works in Ireland. The admission fee is certainly cheap compared to similar museums in other countries. 

    While it did cater as a prison for even the most common of prisoners, it is primarily known for the imprisonment of the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising such as Patrick Pearse, Seán Mac Diarmada, and Joseph Plunkett. All were executed within the walls of the prison byy order of the British Government at the time. 

    “One of the aspects of the site I find most interesting is the fact that it was often used to imprison the most marginalised groups in Irish society in the 19th and early 20th century,” said Brian Crowley, Curator of Collections at Kilmainham Gaol. 

    Photo Credit: Kelsey Doogan 

    It serves as a bleak reminder of a dark period of Irish history and a time of oppression and suffering in our past and this can very much be felt as you walk through the doors. 

    “Kilmainham was more or less abandoned after 1924 and was semi- ruined when the Kilmainham Gaol Restoration Society was formed in the early 1960s to restore it. The Gaol was officially opened as a museum in 1966 by President Éamon de Valera, a former prisoner in the Gaol. In addition to restoring the Gaol they also began to collect and display material related to the struggle for Irish independence,” said Crowley. 

    The Gaol is only accessible through guided tours and is definitely worth a visit. Even if you aren’t a history fanatic, there is something about standing where some of our greatest heroes stood that will live with you forever. 

    Photo Credit: Kelsey Doogan 

    As you wait for your tour guide and the tour itself to begin you are invited to wait within the old courtroom located within the Gaol, where many of these historic prisoners would have received their damning sentences. 

    Photo Credit: Kelsey Doogan 

    Within the walls of the Gaol, there were two chapels, for both protestants and Catholics. Now however, only the Catholic chapel is open to the public. You are invited to sit where the prisoners would have sat during mass. 

    The room is most notable for its red walls, a design used to distinguish the Catholic cells from the blue Protestant cells. Hours before his execution, Joseph Plunkett married the love of his life, Grace Gifford in this very room. 

    Photo Credit: Kelsey Doogan 

    The oldest section of the Gaol is called the West Wing. This part of the Gaol is dark, dull and downright gloomy.  

    Photo Credit: Kelsey Doogan 

    When first built, there was no glass in the windows, and no heating or light and the original stone walls still standing only adds to the sense of eeriness.  

    Photo Credit: Kelsey Doogan 

    The most recognisable part of Kilmainham Gaol is the East Wing, known for its huge glass roof letting in lots of natural light. During the Irish Civil War, many of the prisoners in this wing went on hunger strike.  

    Photo Credit: Kelsey Doogan 

    The East Wing has featured in many films on Irish history such as ‘Michael Collins’. 

    Photo Credit: Kelsey Doogan 

    The Tour ends in Stonebreaker’s Yard, which got its name due to the fact it was mainly used by men who had been sentenced to hard labour where they would have to manually break up stones. 

    It was in this very yard where the leaders of the Easter Rising were executed and you can stand where they stood next to the two crosses which were placed in their memory.  

    As time goes on it is easy to forget about our history as a country but places like Kilmainham are striving to not let their stories and sacrifices be forgotten. 

    Word count: 645 

  • The Irish-speaking Monk

    The Irish-speaking Monk

    From Gaelscoil to Monastery, Joey O’Toole is a unique Gaeilgeoir Monk living in Thailand but born in Dublin. 

    From studying “Géibheann” to studying the Dharma, from praying Sé do bheatha, a Mhuire to “Namo tassa Bhagavato”, Joey is living an extraordinary second life as a Buddhist Monk, after attending Gaelscoil Mide in Kilbarrack and Gaelcholáiste Reachrann in Donaghmede. 

    Joey on his Communion day
    Joey on his Confirmation day

    “I have been living in Thailand for three years now. I had a feeling I would be moving somewhere out of Ireland and thought we would move here because my granny lives here and so do my cousins in the village. We had to move because we were struggling financially in Ireland”. said Joey. 

    Joey was born in Dublin to a Thai mother and an Irish father. Growing up in Donaghmede Joey spoke Thai with his mother and his older sister, Ath and spoke English with his father at home. As well as speaking Irish in school and with his friends. 

    Once Joey and his family decided to move to Thailand, he chose to keep the tradition of his people alive. 

    “It is tradition in Thailand that when a male of the family turns 20 years old, they have the decision to get ordained as a Monk. I chose to keep the tradition alive and also to have some self-discipline, because Monks follow strict rules. I’m in my last month here, but usually people don’t do it as long as me. I’ve been here eight months, but people usually only stay for a week or two after being ordained.” 

    Joey and his family are extremely proud of him for keeping tradition and for the fact he is currently the only Monk in his family. Joey’s whole village are proud of him too as over 200 people turned up at his ceremony for ordination. 

    Joey surrounded by the people of his village and other Monks during his ordination
    Joey having his head shaved

    “There is three days of ceremony before the ordination,” said Joey. “First, I had to cut my hair bald all the way down to the skin and then shave my eyebrows too, then there’s a big ceremony that your family have for you in the house with food, singing, drinking, like a party. There were so many people there for that too, everyone in my village is proud of the little half Irish, half-Thai boy following in the traditions.” 

    Joey mid ceremony after having his head and eyebrows shaved
    Joey receiving his Monk robes

    Joey’s routine in Thailand is very different to his normal routine he had here in Ireland for years. In Ireland Joey, would wake up at 7am to get up for school, have a small lunch at 10:30am, big lunch at 12:45pm and then finish school at 3:25pm and have the rest of the day to himself to do whatever he wanted.  

    In Thailand his routine is quite different for the last eight months he’s been a Monk. 

    “I have an early morning like all the Monks at 3:50am and I have my first morning prayer from 4:30 to 5:30 am. Then we all have our first meal of the day from 6am to 7am when we walk around the small village near the temple and the people living in the village feed us all. I’ll then have my first chores of the day to do at 8am and finish around 10am. We all then have our last meal of the day from 11am to 12am. We can’t eat after 12am but we can have mints and drinks are also allowed. If you are struggling with not eating after 12 and you are just freshly ordained, you can eat in that exception, but you must be fully honest with yourself if you can go without it until you’re allowed. From 1pm to 3pm I’ll have my long break and after that I have more chores from 3pm until our evening prayer from 5:30pm until 7:30pm. After 7:30 it’s light out.” 

    With such a hard strict routine, you would wonder if Joey ever missed his life here in Ireland. 

    “The last eight months have been so rewarding for me here because I am half Thai but of course I miss Ireland. I couldn’t say I prefer one over the other because I grew up in Ireland and loved it and also love my life here. All my friends I grew up with are in Ireland and there are some things I miss like Irish things. I do think Thai cuisine is better, but I really miss chicken fillet rolls and breakfast rolls and spice bags.” 

    Along with his rigorous schedule where there are no days off, there are also many rules that he and the other Monks must follow such as not being allowed to drink alcohol. 

    “Theres 227 rules we all have to follow, four of the rules are forbidden rules that you absolutely cannot break or else you will be banished from the Temple. Then there’s 13 of the rules that are slightly less serious than the forbidden four. If you break any of the 13, you won’t be banished but you will be punished. A punishment for this would be sleeping in the forest for ten days with other Monks that have also broken the rules.  

    “I can’t say too much because I don’t want to sin but some things I can’t do here would be to play football and also sing but we can’t express too much so I can’t sing songs like I would in Ireland”. 

    Joey was unable to give the name of his Temple or the village surrounding because it’s against the rules, however the city in which he and his fellow Monks reside in is Suphanburi. 

    One of the buildings in Joey’s Temple

    Joey doesn’t see his family very much as it’s important for him to spend as much time in the Temple as possible.  

    “I’m allowed to leave to go see my family if I want but it’s important I stay in Temple as much as I can and they can come visit me here, I’ll see my mam and sister more when I’m finished here”. 

    Once Joey is finished at the Temple this month, he is hoping to visit Ireland again sometime at the end of the year or the start of next year. 

  • Winter Price Freezes- The People React 

    Photo by American Public Power Association on Unsplash 

    By Kelsey Doogan 

    Over the last couple of weeks both Electric Ireland and PrePay Power, two major energy and gas suppliers in Ireland, announced they would freeze their gas and electricity prices as we head into the winter months. 

    As temperatures drop and the evenings get darker, we tend to use more energy in the later months of the year, which also makes it the most expensive time of year to heat and light homes. 

    This is not a government-driven initiative and while there is pressure being put on them to introduce a nationwide freeze, one has not yet been agreed or announced.  

    Because this is an individual business decision, not a government- imposed freeze, other companies have not followed suit.  

    Energia, Bord Gáis, FloGas and others have raised their prices, further increasing the burden on their customers in Ireland. 

    “Makes you wonder how one company can do it but others can’t. We all know the winter months are expensive enough without energy suppliers increasing prices.” said Melissa McCabe, a Pinergia customer from the north east Region. 

    The government also announced that there would be no energy credits as part of this year’s budget, unlike in past years where a €250 credit was available.  

    This, paired with rising general cost of living pressures, could lead to an especially costly winter for many low and middle income households across the country. 

    For those select few companies choosing to freeze their prices, that freeze is due to stay in place until the 1t of March at the earliest. 

    “It is a relief to get word of the price freezes. It means that we can focus more money on other bills like food. In the winter months, everyone is home more often than during the summer,” said Frances Kieran, a PrePay Power customer who chose to comment on the recent news. 

    PrepayPower has had two price decreases since the start of 2023 and they also haven’t had any increases in that time frame either. 

    Photo by Henning Wiekhorst on Unsplash 

    PrePay Power serves around 240,000 customers, which represents approximately 4.5% of the Irish population. Electric Ireland, another company announcing a price freeze, has over 1.1 million customers — about 20.8% of the population. 

    While those two companies together cover about one quarter of all households in Ireland, the remaining 75% of consumers now face the possibility of price hikes in the coming months. 

    “When providers like Electric Ireland knock on the door offering their services, I may actually consider it now. I need to do what’s best for my family and while energy costs are going up, my wages certainly aren’t,” said Thomas Burns in reaction to the news of the price increases imposed by some companies over the month of October. 

    Reactions to the announcements have been mixed. People benefiting from the freezes are relieved and grateful for the financial breathing space, especially as winter bills rise. But for those with other suppliers, frustration is growing — some say they may be forced to switch providers or reduce usage, while others warn of longer-term uncertainty costs remain high. 

    Word count: 567 

  • The Cearta protest – thousands march to save the Gaeltacht

    The Cearta protest – thousands march to save the Gaeltacht

    Over the last 15 years, the number of daily Irish speakers has fallen by 13%, from 83,000 to 72,000. With the government investing only 0.1% of state expenditure into the Department of the Gaeltacht, it’s not difficult to see why numbers are dropping so drastically. On Saturday, September 20, thousands of people took to the streets to protest and campaign for the Irish Language and Gaeltacht investment plan 2024-2029. We spoke to attendees and two top level members of Conradh na Gaeilge about their demands. 

  • The Silent Champions: The Battle for Recognition in Women’s Sport 

    The Silent Champions: The Battle for Recognition in Women’s Sport 

    By Áine McKeon

    Despite breaking records, winning major championships and motivating generations, – female athletes are frequently overshadowed by their male counterparts.  

    Even though their performances on the field, court or track are on par with that of any male athlete, they are continuously having their achievements overlooked, and they receive an unfair level of media coverage, sponsorships and public attention that they receive. 

    This not only downplays these women’s achievements, but also worsens the restrictions that have prevented women up until now from participating in sports, especially in Ireland. This begs the question; why does this disparity still exist today, and how can it be improved?  

    Media Coverage: The Numbers Tell the Story 

    According to a survey carried out by HerSport, gender disparity in sports participation is only at 3.4% in Ireland, with women’s sporting efforts receiving only 6% of the country’s sports media coverage. Despite this, the study also found out more than 60% of Irish people wanted to see women’s sports receive greater attention. 

    Less than 20% of all sports coverage goes to women’s sports, according to the Irish Sports Monitor. This coverage is typically saved for high-profile events, or when women’s teams accomplish something remarkable, such as their historic 2022 World Cup run. 

    In contrast, regardless of the importance of their games or events, male sports receive regular and everyday attention. For instance, the success of local or national women’s teams frequently remains unrecognised until they hit a significant milestone, while men’s club football or rugby matches frequently receive media focus.  

            Photo credit: Weston Hockey Club 

           “We have to do more to be seen”

    Síofra Ní Dhonghaile, a midfielder for Lucan’s Weston Hockey Club, has been playing the sport for several years. Despite her team’s consistent effort at a senior level, she feels the media attention that their achievements receive is only a fraction of what the men’s hockey team get. 

    “Even when we do win a major championship, it’s nothing more than a little headline in the occasional publication – but when compared to the men, it’s disappointing,” she admitted. “We seem to have to put in twice as much effort just to get noticed, I’ve seen my male counterparts receive attention for much less.” 

    Many Irish female athletes in a variety of sports feel the same as Ní Dhonghaile. Women’s sports are frequently confined to smaller portions and are only highlighted during significant international achievements, while men’s sports like hurling and Gaelic football receive hours of coverage throughout radio, television, and print media. 

    TheCity.ie spoke to Brian Percy, who has been coaching both men and women’s field hockey teams for over a decade now.  

    “To be honest, the gap is pretty clear,” he said. “Even for smaller matches, our men’s team receives significantly more media attention than the women’s team, who may win a major tournament and yet not garner a lot of buzz. The ladies put in just as much work, if not more, which is frustrating.” 

    Women’s sports lack sponsorship, which creates an endless cycle whereby companies are reluctant to make investments when there is no media attention, female athletes find it difficult to gain recognition. When the Irish women’s soccer team went public with their complaints in 2017, it became apparent that they were forced to share kit bags and change in airport restrooms. While improvements have since been made after their strike, sponsorship and money are still major problems 

                 Photo credit: Maynooth University Volleyball team via Trisha Zaragoza 

    Despite the challenges, there are signs that change is on the horizon, and the media is slowly starting to catch up.  Sports such as volleyball are mainly female dominated, although more male teams are forming. 

    Kildare native, Trisha Zaragoza, plays volleyball for Naas Cobras, Maynooth University and Valkryies. 

     “I’ve been playing since I was 11, for nearly 10 years now, because volleyball is a female dominated sport in Ireland I haven’t felt left out – although there are many male teams beginning to form,” Zaragoza said. 

    “Regardless of gender, sport to me is my outlet, my way of blocking out reality and stress. I’ve made many friends through volleyball and that’s been the most rewarding part for me,” she added. 

    What needs to happen next? 

    Experts, campaigners, and female athletes all concur that prioritising funding for women’s sports should begin with equitable access to sponsorship opportunities, more regular media coverage, and structural adjustments within sports organisations. 

    “We’re not asking for favors, we’re asking for fairness,” said Zaragoza. 

    Irish female athletes will continue to work hard, achieve success, and break down barriers even if the spotlight isn’t always shining as brightly on them as it should be.