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.

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?

Naima Chaudhry. Photograph: Alan Betson
I never told my UCD classmates I lived in direct provision ... They wouldn’t understand

New to the Parish: Naima Chaudhry arrived from Pakistan, via the UK, in 2015

Treatments are being marketed by unqualified people with little awareness of the risks. Photograph: iStock
Cheap Fills: The rise of unregulated cosmetic procedures in Ireland

In the News: What is driving surge in demand for dermal fillers among women in Ireland?

Truckers protesting in Dublin city centre last month. File photograph: Gareth Chaney/Collins
Truckers protesting on Monday will not leave capital ‘until we get answers’

The protest is due to take place in Dublin city centre on Monday

The terms presented by the department of defence had not been reviewed independently, said retired company quartermaster Sgt Karina Molloy. Photograph: Colin Keegan/Collins Dublin
Women of Honour ‘not happy’ with independent review terms of reference

Group ‘can’t be part’ of ‘unfit-for-purpose process’ – retired company quartermaster

The latest Covid-19 figures follows GP’s warning that Ireland only had six to eight weeks to get boosters out to all adults and vaccinate younger children for the first time in order to avoid being completely overrun by the virus. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill
Covid-19: Further 4,004 cases reported, with 111 virus patients in ICU

Reid refuses to say if boosters will be available for those aged 40-49 next week

New to the Parish: Anupriyadarshini Iniyan with her husband, Iniyan Balakrishnan, and son, Iyan Maran. Photograph: Patrick Browne
‘He talked about how beautiful it was in Ireland. The rivers were full of water’

New to the Parish: Anupriyadarshini Iniyan arrived from India in 2019

Refugee Rescue’s Mo Chára at work on the Aegean Sea off the coast of Lesvos, Greece. Photograph: Guillaume Duez
Refugee Rescue: ‘It’s a disgrace, we’re there to fill the gap’

Irish volunteers are saving lives in the Mediterranean Sea on vessel Mo Chara

Supporters of undocumented migrants are pictured with Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman outisde Government Buidlings in Dublin on Friday following the announcenment of a landmark scheme to regularise long-term undocumented migrants. Photograph: Gareth Chaney/Collins
New scheme will allow undocumented migrants to ‘come out from the shadows’

Proposals will lead to ‘improvements’ in people’s lives and have benefits for State, Minister says

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee: Applicants ‘must meet standards regarding good character and criminal record/behaviour and not pose a threat to the State’
Undocumented and asylum seekers can regularise status via 'once-in-a-generation' scheme

Up to 17,000 undocumented people, including 3,000 children, may be eligible

The ECDC cautioned that children with no known risk factors were still susceptible to 'severe disease and hospitalisation' and called for all countries to consider the vaccination of children aged 5-11. Photograph: iStock
Children at risk should be a ‘priority group’ for vaccine – ECDC

Covid-19 cases rising among 5-11 age group but severe illness still ‘rare’, says report

Garda forensic collision investigators were examining the scene of crash at Glenmore, Co Kilkenny on Thursday morning. Photograph: Alan Betson
Woman dies and three people seriously injured in Kilkenny crash

Two-vehicle incident happened on N25 at Glenmore at around 6.30pm on Wednesday

The interpretation service is available in over 200 languages including Polish, Lithuanian, Arabic, Farsi, French and Brazilian Portuguese. Photograph: Dave Meehan
Dublin Rape Crisis Centre launches multilingual helpline service

Interpreters in over 200 languages available to assist in calls from sexual violence victims

On today’s podcast, Irish Times political reporter Jack Horgan-Jones analyses the latest Government measures being implemented to curb the spread of Covid and how these changes will impact people’s daily lives. Photograph: Alan Betson
Coronavirus: What does Omicron mean for Ireland?

In the News podcast: Can the Irish economy cope with another Covid-19 variant?

Anderson DeSouza: ‘In school the kids would call me a faggot for being a dancer. I was afraid to show who I really was.’ Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill
‘It felt like there was a resistance to foreigners coming into Irish dance’

New to the Parish: Anderson De Souza arrived from Brazil in 2012

The three-year plan includes the introduction of the Speak Out Tool which allows staff and students to report incidences of racism, harassment or discrimination of any kind. File photograph: Brenda Fitzsimons
RCSI first Irish higher level institution to launch race equality action plan

Plan seeks to encourage students, academics to speak out about discrimination, harassment

What kind of long-term impact does the Leaving Cert really have on people’s lives? Photograph: iStock
Has the time come to scrap the Leaving Cert?

In the News podcast: Ireland’s final exams are ‘brutal but it’s not fair’

Heathrow airport: Following the discovery of a new Covid-19 variant, whose mutations suggest greater transmissibility than previous virus strains, the UK has imposed new restrictions on travellers. Photograph: Hollie Adams/Getty
Woman back from South Africa with Covid symptoms awaits PCR test

Antigen tests negative but she finds nearby PCR centres in midlands all booked out

Prof Tulio de Oliveira, who announced the news of the Omicron variant last week, is urging the international community not to ‘discriminate or isolate’ South Africa. Photograph: Joao Silva/ The New York Times
DFA advises Irish citizens in South Africa to fly home ‘via commercial means’

Ireland women’s cricket team stuck in Namibian capital of Windhoek

Tallaght and Dublin 15 had the highest density of social housing units built in the Dublin area in the past two years, while Dublin 2 and Dublin 6 had the lowest number of units. Photograph: Rui Vieira/PA
State spending on housing since 2016 increased almost threefold

Of 6,217 homeless adults recorded in October, 65% were men and 35% women

A total of 8,830 people were without a home last month, including 2,513 children, according to the latest data from the Department of Housing. Photograph: Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images
Nearly 9,000 people homeless as numbers without a home continues to rise

Children make up more than a quarter of homeless population with majority in Dublin

Amanie Issa: ‘The other day I was sitting by the river, reading Sally Rooney’s new book and it was so peaceful.’ Photograph: Joe O’Shaughnessy
‘Many Palestinians never experience the feeling of peace I have found in Ireland’

New to the Parish: Amanie Issa arrived from Bethlehem during the pandemic

Cork-based GP Dr Sarah Fitzgibbon says the HPV vaccine not only stops women from developing cervical cancer but also prevents other types of cancer. Photograph: iStock
Taking HPV vaccine ‘most important thing’ young women can do – doctors

More reassurance needed on taking contraceptive pill, women’s health event hears

Temperatures will drop to as low as -2 degrees on Monday night with frost developing in many areas. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw
Bitterly cold nights and frosty mornings forecast for the next week

RSA warns road users to be wary of dense fog over Monday night, Tuesday morning

Doctors in the Mater hospital believe another lockdown before Christmas is almost inevitable. Photograph: Frank Miller
Inside the Mater hospital: ‘There’s no optimistic scenario’

In the News podcast - Mater doctors warn another lockdown is almost inevitable

The Government has been repeatedly criticised for housing foreign nationals who are refused entry in Irish prisons. Photograph: Getty Images
Cloverhill to house people refused entry into State

Total of 2,333 people refused leave to land at Dublin Airport so far this year

Volunteer Aine Brennan in one of the Dalymount Park dressing rooms with some of the toys collected by the club so far.
Bohemians launches Christmas toy drive for children in direct provision

Football club aims to raise €75,000 to buy a gift for 2,500 children in direct provision

Taoiseach Micheál Martin: ‘We should acknowledge that the use of antigen testing has expanded significantly over the last number of months.’ Photograph: Gareth Chaney/Collins
Covid-19: 5,959 new cases reported as Taoiseach downplays conflict with Tony Holohan

CMO concerned over need for clear communication on use of antigen testing – Martin

Children play near barbed wire as other migrants gather at the Belarus-Poland border near Grodno, Belarus. Photograph: Leonid Shcheglov/BelTA pool photo via AP
What will be the human cost of the Belarus-Poland migrant crisis?

In the News: How Belarus engineered the migrant crisis playing out on the EU’s border

Charul Singh. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw
‘Ireland has given me my true identity and transformed how I see the world’

New to the Parish: Charul Singh has been able to embrace cycling as she couldn’t in India

Responses in the Ipsos Global Trends 2021 study show there is an awareness of the inequalities that exist between different communities in Ireland. Photograph: Getty
Not everyone shares the Ireland-of-the-welcomes sentiment

Diversity in the Global Trends survey: A significant minority is ‘not in tune with our openness’

Former Welsh rugby international Alix Popham, who has been diagnosed with early onset dementia, shares his story on In the News podcast. Photograph: David Rogers/Getty Images
Rugby concussions: ‘I’ve got no recollection of 80-90% of my playing career’

In the News: Former Wales international Alix Popham on changes needed to protect players

Capt Catherine Barrett: ‘My mum’s side would be historically Irish – they came over to Scotland during the Famine. My mum loved the idea of me going to Ireland.’ Photograph: Nick Bradshaw
‘I’m proud to be in the Irish Defence Forces – I’d like that to be matched up with citizenship’

New to the Parish: Capt Catherine Barrett arrived from Scotland in 2015

Hundreds of Afghans who have already been approved to come here are struggling to get the paperwork needed to travel. File photograph: EPA
Over 200 Afghans granted visas for Republic unable to travel

Government has issued 499 waivers to Afghan refugees, but just 286 arrive in State

Chapters bookstore on Parnell Street, Dublin announced it will be closing down in in early 2022 after 40 years in business. Photograph: Gareth Chaney/Collins
Is Dublin city losing its cultural soul?

In the News: What changes are needed to save the character of Dublin city?

Hayder Jaafar outside the Glenvera direct provision centre on Wellington Road in Cork city. Photograph: Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision
‘I am 35 and I can’t marry. Who would accept me? I have nothing’

New to the Parish: Hayder Jaafar, originally from Iraq, arrived in Ireland in 2018

Méabh and Síobha Mulligan, the daughters of Tom Mulligan who has run the Cobblestone pub for more than 30 years. They say their family is ‘heartbroken’ by the hotel development plans. Photograph: Sorcha Pollak
Hundreds protest over plan for hotel around Cobblestone musical pub

‘What’s really being sold to tourists is a shell of Irish culture,’ claim Dublin is Dying group

South Great Georges Street, Dublin: Despite the high Covid-19 incidence rate among five to 12 year olds, health officials have reassured parents that trick-or-treating can be enjoyed safely by taking some simple precautions. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill
Halloween 2021: Tips to keep children safe during trick-or-treating

Try incorporating a mask into your child’s costume, it could add to their overall look

Vice-Admiral Mark Mellett underlined that Ireland has the lowest spending on defence in the EU at 0.2%, far below the bloc’s average of 1.2%. Photograph: Alan Betson
Ireland’s security must be taken more seriously, says Mellett

Former head of Defence Forces highlights low State spending at MacGill summer school

Many foreign nationals who do not speak fluent English are relying on Facebook posts and YouTube videos for information on the Covid-19 vaccine rather than following national news reports on the pandemic. Photograph: Jim Wilson/The New York Times
Lack of clear information fuels vaccine scepticism in central, eastern Europeans

Just 44% of central and eastern Europeans based in Ireland are vaccinated, says CSO

Poland’s fine from the EU is believed to be the highest ever imposed on a member state. Photograph: Ronald Wittek/Pool/AFP via Getty
Why is the EU fining Poland €1 million every single day?

In the News: Poland’s refusal to follow the rules is shaking the foundations of the EU

The 13-day long summit has been billed as the last chance to put the world on track to avoid catastrophic damage
Cop26: Our last chance to tackle climate catastrophe

In the News: Is it too late for world leaders gathering in Glasgow to save the planet?

Élodie Ferry bought a French language school in Galway earlier this year. Photograph: Joe O’Shaughnessy
Two years ago, Élodie saw an ad for a French school in Galway. Now she runs it

New to the Parish: Élodie Ferry arrived from France last month. Her family follow in January

Carlos Velasquez: ‘I felt so ashamed in front of the other passengers. Ryanair treated me like I was doing something wrong.’ Photograph: Tom Honan
Ryanair ‘sorry’ for refusing refugee leave to board flight

At Dublin check-in desk,Venezuelan told visa needed to enter Spain

Squid Game: a nine-part series that was unveiled in September and is breaking viewing records. Photograph: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg
Squid Game: How South Korea’s social inequality inspired Netflix’s biggest hit

In the News: Drama is based on people in debt forced to play children’s games for money or death

Jalil Rizvi: ‘I believe my father is looking down on me today and is proud.’ Photograph: Tom Honan
From taxi driver to barrister: A 14-year odyssey

New to the Parish: Jalil Rizvi arrived from Pakistan in 2007

‘Trafficking in Ireland remains a pervasive crime. Its victims are often hidden but should not be faceless,’ says chief commissioner of the IHREC. Photograph: iStock
New referral mechanism needed to support victims of trafficking, IHREC says

Rights and equality commission calls for specialised shelter for victims of trafficking

The study, conducted by Maynooth University’s law department, features interviews with 24 non-EEA male migrant workers in the Irish fishing industry. Photograph: Niall Duffy
Migrant fishermen report ongoing racial abuse, low pay and poor treatment

Employers using atypical working scheme to ‘threaten and exploit workers’, study finds

The UCDSU and DCC chief executive Owen Keegan exchanged letters about the union’s concerns in relation to the conversion of 571 private student flats in Dublin city into tourist accommodation for the coming academic year. Photograph: Cyril Byrne
DCC chief should apologise for ‘flippant’ remarks made to UCDSU, says Collins

Comment about student accommodation not a resigning matter, says Minister of State

Budget 2022 will include a new grant to support people who suffer hair loss due to chemotherapy or from illnesses. Photograph: iStock
Budget 2022: Grant for purchasing wigs is ‘huge boost’ for people with alopecia

People who suffer hair loss due to illnesses or chemotherapy will be eligible for support

Many Roma presented for help during the pandemic with “untreated chronic or infectious diseases”, the Covid Response for Vulnerable People (CRVP) report stated.
Support offered to Roma community during pandemic must continue, says HSE and NGO network

Roma community suffering from much higher burden of chronic disease than general population, says report

AA Roadwatch advised drivers to slow down and use their fog lights in affected areas. Photograph: iStock
Mist and fog weather warning as drivers urged to take caution

Status yellow weather warning in place until 11am on Monday

Silvija Scerbaviciute, the new principal flautist with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, moved to Ireland last February. Photograph: Alan Betson
‘I’ve achieved my dream. I feel loved and valued in this orchestra’

New to the Parish: Silvija Scerbaviciute arrived from Lithuania, via the UK, in 2021

Gabriela Meade Diaz with her fiancé Enda and their dog Bailey at their home in Mayo Abbey, Co Mayo. Photograph: Keith Heneghan
‘Winters are tough but I love living in Mayo now’

New to the Parish: Gabriela Meade Díaz arrived in Dublin from Mexico in 2016

Helena Cala, who is originally from Albania and lives in Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo. Photograph: Keith Heneghan
‘There are barriers ahead: college fees, accommodation while also facing deportation’

Three young asylum seekers following their dreams through education in Ireland

Trevor and Kevin Baker-O’Haire on the grounds of Ashford Castle where they both work after moving to Ireland in 2015. Photograph: Joe O’Shaughnessy
‘People label Ireland as conservative, but it is very forward-thinking’

New to the Parish: Trevor and Kevin Baker-O’Haire arrived in 2015 from England

Michael O’Brien, fisheries campaign lead for the ITF in Ireland said a ‘significant cohort of men’ who came to Ireland documented through the Atypical Work Scheme have since lost their employment. Photograph: iStock
Fishermen risk not qualifying for undocumented migrants scheme

Proposed scheme could exclude non-EEA workers, says ITF spokesman

Prof Geraldine McCarthy (right) with then Tánaiste Simon Coveney at a new radiation/oncology department in the Glandore Centre, Cork University Hospital Cancer Centre, in 2019. Photograph: Gerard McCarthy
Third senior health official in week resigns, citing lack of reforms

Prof Geraldine McCarthy: ‘Experiences tell me we are no nearer to required reform than six years ago’

The meeting heard from an executive officer who presented on the report’s findings. She emphasised that 85% of non-compliance was minor in nature. File photograph: Getty
Over 90% of private rental homes in Fingal ‘fail inspection’

Private properties reviewed in 2019, 2020 below minimum State standard, council told

Taliban fighters patrol Kabul, Afghanistan. Photograph: Rahmat Gul/AP Photo
Over 300 Afghans granted Irish visas since Taliban takeover

New humanitarian scheme for Afghan refugees being developed as ‘matter of urgency’

Eileen O’Sullivan. Photograph : Facebook
Kerry murder-suicide: Funeral details of victims released

Funeral details for Maurice ‘Mossie’ O’Sullivan not being released at request of family

Garda Forensic Collision officers carried out a full examination of the site and the road had reopened to traffic by Sunday evening
Motorcyclist (40s) dies in road collision in Galway

Crash between motorcycle and car occurred on R338 Old Dublin Road at Renmore Park

Aminata Conteh moved to Ireland last September on an Irish Aid scholarship to study development at UCD. Photograph: Damien Eagers
‘There were times I went a week and didn’t speak with another human being’

New to the Parish: Aminata Seilloh Conteh arrived from Sierra Leone in 2020

Precious Rukundo in Mosney, Co Meath: the teenager discovered a passion for baking during lockdown and now sells cakes online. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill
When people told me, ‘You’re too black,’ I never loved myself. I wished I could be like other kids

New to the Parish: Precious and Sedurida Rukundo arrived from Malawi in 2016

A study of 1.2 million test results has found that the effectiveness of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines at preventing Covid-19 infection declines within six months. Photograph: Bloomberg
Pfizer, AstraZeneca Covid vaccine protection wanes within six months, study finds

WHO spokeswoman calls on Ireland ‘not to rush and corner all the supplies of vaccines’

Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan urged anyone returning to school or college to be especially vigilant. File photograph: Gareth Chaney/Collins
Total of 18 deaths from Covid-19 recorded in the State last week

A further 2,051 Covid-19 cases confirmed as Tony Holohan says ‘high incidence’ in 16-29 age group

Sufyan ElGahmi with his wife, Enas, and their children, three-year-old Sanad and four-month-old Samer. Photograph: Alan Betson
‘I kept thinking, What will my son’s future be like? The war was approaching’

New to the Parish: Sufyan ElGahmi arrived from Libya in 2019

Amnesty International war crimes investigator Brian Castner shortly before leaving Kabul on August 16th
Taliban may be carrying out massacres with impunity – Amnesty International

While focus is on Kabul, killings are taking place across Afghanistan, says investigator

Karzan Sabah Ahmed with Shahen Qasm and their daughter Lena, who were killed in a crash on the M6 outside Ballinasloe, Co. Galway last week. Photograph: Kurdish Irish Society
Tributes to Kurdish couple and eight-month-old baby killed in Galway crash

Karzan Sabah Ahmed, Shahen Qasm and baby Lina died when car on wrong side of road hit them

People wait to be evacuated from Afghanistan at the airport in Kabul on Wednesday. Photograph: AFP via Getty Images
US troops could stay in Afghanistan beyond August 31st deadline, Joe Biden says

First group of Afghan refugees coming to Ireland could arrive in Europe within days

Anna and Igor Meleshchenko, who moved to Ireland from Moscow in 2020, with their sons Mike (7) and Alex (4) at Garryvoe, Co Cork. Photograph: Daragh McSweeney/Provision
Ireland trumps California: ‘We feel better here – and the schools are like a big hug for the kids’

New to the Parish: Igor and Anna Meleshchenko arrived from Russia in 2020

Refugees attempt to flee the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan. File photograph: New York Times
Ireland to provide fewer than 200 places for Afghan refugees

Government hopes to find capacity for more refugees as situation in Kabul worsens

Taliban fighters in the Kote Sangi area of Kabul on Tuesday after they seized control of the capital following the collapse of the Afghan government. Photograph: Hoshang Hashimi/AFP/Getty Images
Distraught Afghan women in Ireland fear for their families

‘They don’t know when the Taliban will knock on their door. What will happen to my sisters?’

Thousands of foreign nationals work for translation and interpreting companies in Irish hospitals, Garda stations, courts and with asylum seekers. Image: iStock
Lost in translation: ‘You can be shocked by the bad news you have to interpret’

Lack of minimum standards for interpreters has knock-on effect for vulnerable people

Kasia, Elena, Leon and David O’Reilly on their farm outside Ballyjamesduff, Co Cavan. Photograph: Lorraine Teevan
‘I found Irish people very accepting. I also admired them for not caring what others think’

New to the Parish: Kasia O’Reilly arrived from Poland in 2005

Deputy Lord Mayor Joe Costello lays a wreath after the memorial event: More than 13,000 nuclear weapons exist, most of which are more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw
Covid reminds we cannot handle nuclear threat, CND leader says

Memorial event in Merrion Square marks 76th anniversary of Hiroshima bombing

‘We ended up in a beautiful country with its kind people’: Abd nour Karouz and his wife, Yassmine, with Kenan and Rayan. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw
‘I was at a crossroads: I could kill people or be killed myself – or I could flee to Ireland’

New to the Parish: Abd nour Karouz arrived from Syria, via Lebanon, in 2018

Gardaí from Longford and the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) were involved in the operation. File image: Gareth Chaney Collins
Five arrested in Longford in operation targeting crime group

Detention bring to 78 the number of people arrested under Garda Operation Skein

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