Transport

ROAD DEATHS IN 2015 ARE SECOND LOWEST IN OVER 50 YEARS

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Ireland is making progress in road safety. Countless lives have been saved through widespread changes in driver behaviour. Figures show that 165 people lost their lives in 2015, compared to 193 in 2014, the second lowest number of road deaths since records began in 1959. Despite the good progress, it is hard to say that 2015 was a […]
News

GOVERNMENT ESTABLISHES ITS CLIMATE CHANGE ADVISORY COUNCIL

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The order legally establishing the Climate Change Advisory Council was signed by the Minister for the Environment, Alan Kelly, TD, on the 18th of January. The important work of the Council commenced, on an interim basis, in June 2015 and it has already held two preliminary meetings. The Council is an independent advisory body which will act to assess and […]
Financial News

ARTS COUNCIL ANNOUNCE INVESTMENT PLAN FOR 2016

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The Arts Council recently announced its investment plan for 2016, which will see it invest €60.1 million in bringing the arts to people and communities across Ireland. The annual investment strategy will see the Arts Council introduce its new 10-year strategy, Making Great Art Work, which sets out the direction the Council will take in leading the arts in Ireland […]
Financial

TRANSPORT MINISTER ANNOUNCES €106M TO ASSIST LOCAL AUTHORITIES WITH FLOODING

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The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Pascal Donohoe TD, announced that €106 million is being earmarked to repair damages done to the transport infrastructure. The amount was agreed with by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin TD. The money will be used  to fix roads and bridges, along with rail networks that have been damaged by the […]
Financial

THE DDOS ATTACK ON IRELAND

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On the 22nd January, a cyber-attack hit a number of Irish websites. Central Statistics Office, the Oireachtas, the Department of Justice, the Department of Defence, the Courts Services of Ireland and The National Lottery were all hit. Daft and Boards were also brought down. Each of them went offline one after the other in quick succession. As of yet, […]
Business

COMPANIES THAT CONNECT: THE RISE OF THE SHARING ECONOMY

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The business world has traditionally functioned on the principal of companies producing products or providing specific services. In recent years, however, the development of the Internet and the proliferation of smart-phone and mobile device technology has established a new business model which is not based on supply and demand in the traditional sense, but rather on
Business

Data Security: The Growing Imperative to Protect Information

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At the beginning of November 2014 a small group of representatives from Norse Corp, a “threat- intelligence” firm in Silicon Valley arrived at Sony Pictures Entertainment in the Los Angeles suburb of Culver City. After a quick security check at the front gate the group walked straight into the unlocked first­floor offices of the information security department. […]
News

Flood Prevention: Finding the Right Solutions

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Athlone, Cork, Galway, Wexford, Kilkenny, Limerick, Roscommon. The list of flooded regions goes on. Equally as long is the list of storms that have hit Ireland this winter season, in what has been one of the worst years of flooding on record. Estimated costs of damages is already set to reach €100 million and this is before a […]
Tourism

Ireland Voted Best Travel Destination in US Awards

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Great news for Irish tourism following the Travel Weekly annual Readers Choice Awards in New York as the country was named ‘Best Destination: Europe’. Travel Weekly is the biggest weekly newspaper for American travel agents and travel professionals, meaning that Irish tourism should see an increase in footfall coming from North America in the coming […]
Technology

Rural Areas Soon to Get High-Speed Broadband Access

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Ireland’s National Broadband Plan, which aims to deliver high-speed broadband to rural homes and businesses by 2020, is set to begin its procurement process next week. The ambitious plan will cost between €300m – €500m, and is being spearheaded by Communications Minister Alex White TD. The funds will be allocated to operators that pledge to […]
News

Full Profile of Ireland’s Natural Habitat Now Available

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Without questions, Ireland’s greatest resource is its diverse natural environment. It was for this reason that the National Biodiversity Data Centre was established by the Heritage Council in 2007. Now, Ireland has become the fifth county in Europe to create a full suite of bio diversity indicators, in an all-encompassing attempt to map out the […]
Gaeltacht
News

Urban Gaeltacht Area Proposed for Galway City

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Galway City Council is set to examine the possibility of introducing an ‘urban gaeltacht’ area into the city. The proposal is for a modestly sized housing estate of approximately 20 houses, which would be available for sale exclusively to Irish language speakers. The proposal to amend the draft City Development Plan 2017-2023 was made by […]
Business

LinkedIn Research Shows Growth in Inbound Talent to Ireland

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According to new research by LinkedIn, there is an increasing influx of professional talent into Ireland, with 18% more professionals coming into Ireland than leaving the country in Q3 2015. The LinkedIn reseach analysed member updates between July and September, tracking movements and trends between countries and job sectors. It found that in Ireland the […]
Tourism

The Final Shortlist of European Capital of Culture Announced

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Great news for Galway, Limerick and the Three Sisters of Waterford, Wexford and Kilkenny, as each city has been shortlisted to proceed to the next selection stage for European Capital of Culture 2020. Unfortunately, Ireland’s only other entrant, Dublin, did not make the shortlist and has been eliminated from the runnings. The European Capital of […]
Technology

‘Self-Repairing’ Cities May be Here by 2035

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Researchers in Leeds are pioneering a £4.2 million project to create the first self-repairing city. The system they envision will consist of autonomous repair robots that will monitor streets and drainage systems, making any repairs to the city infrastructure that are needed, without any human involvement. They hope that the system will be fully functional […]