Do Europe’s must-see Christmas markets live up to the hype? Tell us your experience
Limerick Mayor John Moran postponed the city’s Christmas market because proposals ‘were developed too late’
Christmas
Brilliant beauty experiences to gift for Christmas
From bespoke facials and perfume workshops to luxurious spa days and hands-on masterclasses, these are the gifts sure to elicit an ‘ooh’ this festive season
‘Batten down the hatches’: Turkey farmers worry amid bird flu outbreaks
Two outbreaks detected among flocks in counties Carlow and Meath ahead of busy Christmas period
Abode review: A sincere Irish Christmas movie about home and the absence of it
Liam O Mochain’s film is alert to tragedies of being unhoused but remains open to reassuring sentimentality
Meath commercial turkey flock tests positive for bird flu in second case this week
Compulsory housing order issued for poultry and captive birds to minimise spread
The cost of Christmas 2025: Why this will be one of the most expensive festive seasons yet
With no cost-of-living supports, this is shaping up to be one of the most expensive festive seasons ever. We totted it all up
Christmas calendar: What’s on around Ireland this festive season
Fun and family friendly events and activities from panto to light shows, candlelit concerts to craft workshops
Brianna Parkins: We need to end the trend of matching Christmas pyjamas. It’s wrong
I bombard my friends with lengthy WhatsApp sermons on the latest ills befalling humankind. Now it’s your turn. Please be seated
Fastway problems: Will parcels around Ireland be delayed?
Company handles roughly 20 million deliveries here a year with major sorting hubs in Cork and Dublin
Halloween has become a time of the year that is arguably more Christmassy than Christmas
Some houses had the front garden displays turned on weeks ago; some appear to have even dug up parts of their gardens
Christmas budgeting: Start today and save €700 for the big day
There’s a 10-week runway to Christmas and consumers need to start planning to avoid overspending
Ferris Bueller was right: life moves pretty fast. If you have children in school, you could miss it
There is nothing quite like having a sixth year in the house to remind you how quickly the years go by
‘My sister’s boyfriend never left us alone at Christmas. Should I confront her?’
Tell Me About It: Should I confront my sister, tell her what I really think about her boyfriend? I worry about losing her, too
Using the right bin can save money and reduce environmental impact
Our recycling rate has not improved in a decade: here’s some tips on how to dispose of our waste properly
Jeff Bezos might not be to blame, but Amazon’s Prime Video has made a mess of a Christmas classic
The streamer’s cut version of It’s a Wonderful Life is an abomination – but perhaps not a woke bowdlerisation of the original
The new rules: what’s in and what’s out for 2025
Some things should be ushered into the new year like a much-loved guest being shown into the good room. Other things should be discarded like Christmas cardboard refuse
An old friend asked if I was ‘still at the writing’. ‘When I can get the ink,’ I said
A cosy evening by the stove lay before me dispatching messages to loved ones penned in my elegant poetic backhand
When Rickey Henderson died, baseball mourned the passing of one of its most eccentric characters
Henderson didn’t believe in warming up before games. Famously, he never bothered to learn the names of team-mates or assistant coaches
My sister was dying of cancer. A Christmas gift helped to process it
Julie had been diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer at 59-years-old. Early on, her oncologist had told us we’d be lucky to have five more Decembers together
A tree is not just for Christmas. Was getting a real tree the right choice?
Tending to a tree all year can be rewarding – plus it’s better for the environment than the plastic variety
Mother who fled home with children on Christmas Day gets protection order against husband
Drink, drugs and mental health issues are factors in many applications under Domestic Violence Act
Women are far more likely to re-gift unwanted presents than men
Sizeable percentage of Irish shoppers also unsure of rights when returning faulty goods, notes study
‘There used to be queues round the block’: Staff outnumber shoppers four to one in one Grafton Street store
Staff outnumber shoppers four to one in one Dublin store with bargain-hunters thin on the ground for St Stephen’s Day
Ireland weather: Mild Christmas conditions forecast to turn dramatically colder
Relatively mild and settled conditions to continue until the weekend
Home alone at Christmas – Helen O’Rahilly on a delightfully peaceful celebration
To be relieved of the burdens of shopping, food preparation, cooking and cleaning up for the gang was a joy
A berry merry Christmas for the birds
Many native trees and shrubs provide natural bird food over several months in the winter
Winter sales: Do they still offer value in the era of year-round discounts?
Winter sales are a great chance to bag high-quality bargains that last for years, experts say
Terrifier 3 review: Everyone is on Art the Clown’s naughty list
Gruesome horror film has generated reports of fainting and vomiting at early screenings
Megan Nolan: A conversation with a man in his late 30s made clear the realities of this new era in my dating life
Family, career, friends or adventure? Only the truly wealthy can attempt to have a bit of everything
Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas Special review: Unkillable comedy’s wit is as sharp as a mouthful of Brussels sprouts
Television: Brendan O’Carroll’s slapstick purgatory remains a Bacchanalia of single entendres and fnarr-fnarr gags
First babies born on Christmas Day bring festive joy to families
Last Christmas Day, 75 babies – 38 boys and 37 girls – were born in the State, according to the CSO
Tailbacks from Forty Foot stretch for miles as Christmas swimmers descend
Atmosphere at popular bathing spot bouncing on Christmas morning with music, mulled wine and costumes
‘What has you here?’: Eight years dead and safe in a Galway graveyard, yet here Grandad was standing before me
‘What has you here?’: eight years dead and safe in a Galway graveyard, yet here Grandad was standing before me
On Christmas Day, what family and friends believe about Christ will be irrelevant
Rite & Reason: What makes Christmas religious is that regardless of their specific beliefs, people come together to celebrate the mystery and beauty of life
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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