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Ten Rare Barn Owl Chicks Hatch in Fermanagh in Conservation Breakthrough

Ulster Wildlife has celebrated a bumper breeding season for barn owls in County Fermanagh, with two pairs successfully rearing five chicks each — a total of ten new birds in a species with fewer than 30 breeding pairs remaining across Northern Ireland. The chicks are the first in Fermanagh to be ringed under a licence from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.

Conor Brennan26 Aug 2026👁 4

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CAO Round One Offers Issued as Tens of Thousands of Students Secure College Places

Tens of thousands of Irish students received their Round One CAO college offers on Wednesday morning, with officials confirming that a fall in Leaving Certificate grades this year will not translate into lower entry points for most courses. Students are being warned about accommodation scarcity and potential rental scams as they prepare to begin college life.

Conor Brennan

5 min read26 Aug 2026

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HSE Approves Skyclarys for Friedreich's Ataxia Patients After Two-Year Campaign

The Health Service Executive has approved reimbursement of Skyclarys, the first disease-modifying treatment for Friedreich's ataxia, following a two-year campaign by approximately 200 Irish patients and their families. The decision came after drug manufacturer Biogen submitted a substantially improved commercial offer that the HSE's senior management team accepted on Monday.

Conor Brennan

5 min read26 Aug 2026

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Dáithí Mac Gabhann Returns Home to West Belfast After Successful Heart Transplant

Dáithí Mac Gabhann, the nine-year-old west Belfast boy whose family's campaign changed organ donation law in Northern Ireland, has returned home after a successful heart transplant at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. The homecoming, greeted by neighbours and friends in Glenalina, marks the end of an eight-year wait that transformed public policy across the UK.

Conor Brennan

5 min read25 Aug 2026

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Amazing Grace: Bangor Mother Completes Irish Triple Crown with North Channel Crossing

Grace McLaughlin, a 54-year-old mother of three from Bangor, County Down, has completed the Irish Triple Crown of open water swimming by crossing the North Channel from Islandmagee to Portpatrick in Scotland in 12 hours and 43 minutes. She becomes the 199th person and 84th woman to achieve the elite challenge.

Conor Brennan

5 min read25 Aug 2026

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Michael Flatley Plays Jigs at Classiebawn Castle to Honour Mountbatten Victims on 47th Anniversary

Dancer and musician Michael Flatley travelled to Classiebawn Castle in Mullaghmore, County Sligo, to perform a flute tribute marking the 47th anniversary of the IRA bombing that killed Lord Louis Mountbatten and three others in 1979. Playing an 1836 cocuswood flute, Flatley performed jigs and reels at the castle where Mountbatten spent his summers.

Conor Brennan

5 min read25 Aug 2026

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Marie Turkington Named EirGrid GAA Community Hero of the Year for Decades of Service to Annaghdown Camogie

Marie Turkington of Annaghdown Camogie Club in County Galway has been named the overall national winner of the EirGrid GAA Community Heroes award for 2026, recognised for her extraordinary contribution as a founding member, administrator, and coach over many years. Her club received €10,000 in prize money as part of the honour.

Conor Brennan

5 min read24 Aug 2026

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Hurling for Cancer Research Returns to Dr Cullen Park as Stars Unite to Push Total Past €2 Million

The annual Hurling for Cancer Research charity match returned to Dr Cullen Park in Carlow on Monday, with John Kiely's Limerick stars among the participants in a fundraiser that is expected to push the initiative's cumulative total past €2 million since its founding in 2011. The match was broadcast live on TG4.

Conor Brennan

5 min read24 Aug 2026

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Leaving Cert 2026: Special Educational Needs Students Collect Results Alongside Peers for First Time in Historic Milestone

The 2026 Leaving Certificate marked a historic milestone as students completing Senior Cycle Level 1 and Level 2 Learning Programmes received their results on the same day as their peers for the first time, with over 70,000 candidates collecting results on Friday. CAO Round 1 offers are due on Wednesday.

Conor Brennan

5 min read24 Aug 2026

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Rescue 115 Crew Honoured for Dramatic Dingle Trawler Rescue That Saved 14 Lives

The crew of Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 115 has been honoured for their extraordinary bravery during the December 2025 rescue of 14 fishermen from the stricken French trawler Fastnet, which ran aground near Dingle Harbour in near-gale conditions. Winch paramedic Jim O'Neill received the prestigious Billy Deacon Search and Rescue Memorial Trophy.

Conor Brennan

5 min read23 Aug 2026

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Billy Caldwell Turns 21: The Tyrone Boy Who Changed UK Cannabis Medicine Law Is Thriving

Billy Caldwell from Castlederg, County Tyrone, who was not expected to survive infancy due to severe epilepsy, has celebrated his 21st birthday seizure-free and in good health. His family's 2018 campaign to access cannabis-based medicine changed UK law and opened the door for thousands of patients.

Conor Brennan

5 min read23 Aug 2026

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Kerry Player Scoops €1 Million EuroMillions Jackpot in Friday Night Raffle Draw

A County Kerry player has become a millionaire overnight after winning €1,005,000 in the EuroMillions Ireland Only Raffle draw held on Friday, 21 August. The winning Quick Pick ticket carried the raffle number I-VBD-36131, and the National Lottery has urged all Kerry players to check their tickets immediately.

Conor Brennan

6 min read23 Aug 2026