In Ireland, restaurant and hotel prices are close to 30 per cent above the EU average. Photograph: iStock High incomes, but higher prices – why Irish living standards are lagging

Smart Money: New data ranking Ireland as 13th in EU for living standards paint a different picture to GDP figures

Germany’s Leon Goretzka makes a love heart symbol towards Hungary fans after his late equaliser in the Euro 2020 draw. Photo: Tamas Kovacs/EPA Euro 2020 last-16 takes shape after night of drama; Leona Maguire on tour life
Co Kildare: one walk, one run, one hike, one swim, one cycle
Sarah Winman, author of Still Life Still Life: a timeless novel celebrating art and life entwined
Trees of Ireland. Illustrations: Getty Identify the trees of Ireland – by leaf, flower, fruit and shape
Crainn na hÉireann. Léaráidí: Getty Images Aithnigh crainn na hÉireann trína gcuid duilleoga, bláthanna agus cruthanna
Survey after survey in recent months has indicated employees want to work from home at least some of the time. Pandemic has accelerated a working from home trend already apparent
Cork’s Kevin Flahive celebrates Mark Keane after they beat Kerry to win the Munster title last year. Photo: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho Ciarán Murphy: Predictions are embedded in sport but why do we need them?
Taoiseach Micheál Martin: On Coalition Government ‘the three leaders, if there are issues, we work them out’. File photograph: The Irish Times 9:28 Micheál Martin interview: ‘Mistakes get made in a pandemic’
DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson. Photograph: Liam McBurney/PA Wire Newton Emerson: Donaldson must reconcile unionism to the protocol
Croatia players celebrate after Luka Modric’s goal during their Euro 2020 win over Scotland. Photo: Robert Perry/EPA Luka Modric puts a dagger through Scottish dreams; Darragh Ó Sé on harsh realities of knockout championship
Her need to control signifies a huge fear that if she does not control she will be abandoned. Photograph: iStock ‘My mother is toxic and tries to control all aspects of my life’
Co Galway: one walk, one run, one hike, one swim, one cycle, one park and one outdoor gym
Cork’s Kevin Flahive celebrates with Brian Hurley following the shock victory over Kerry in the Munster semi-final. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho Darragh Ó Sé: Teams will exit championship because they were not properly tuned in
Aer Lingus’s decision to close its Shannon Airport base – with the potential loss of 126 cabin and ground crew – was a big focus for politicians at the hearing. 5:32 Oireachtas group seizes high moral ground with Aer Lingus chiefs
English playwright, screenwriter, novelist and rugby league player David Storey teaches actors to play rugby in 1971. Photograph: Jack Kay/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty A Stinging Delight: Memoir of misery with moments of joy
Nationalist Ireland may have to accept that its aspiration for unification will, at best, have to be articulated in a unilateral rather than bilateral process. Michael McDowell: No serious unionist politician would discuss a united Ireland
Yussuf Poulsen of Denmark celebrates as his team book their place in last-16 where they will face Wales. Photograph: Friedemann Vogel/Getty Images Denmark keep Euro 2020 dream alive; Sam Bennett to miss Tour de France
Co Dublin: one walk, one run, one hike, one swim, one cycle, two parks and two outdoor gyms
Fred & Nancy’s on Killiney beach in Co Dublin 10 scenic Irish pitstops: The best food trucks for essential refuelling on the road
Meg Mason Sorrow and Bliss: Brilliant rendering of a troubled woman
On an annual basis, prices are now 1.7 per cent higher than they were in May 2020. Photograph: iStock Prices are on the rise again - how worried should we be?
The proposed new national maternity hospital is to be co-located with St Vincent’s hospital in south Dublin. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA Wire Fintan O'Toole: A real republic should not have charity delivering public welfare
Laura Lippman. Photograph: Jan Cobb Crime fiction: Laura Lippman’s protagonist is a compelling, egotistical nightmare
The Ireland team and staff celebrate qualifying for Tokyo 2020. Photograph: Manuel Blondeau/Inpho Ireland secure first Olympic berth in rugby; Leona Maguire finishes second in Michigan
Trainer Jim Bolger has declared drugs to be Irish racing’s number one problem and he doesn’t believe there’s a level playing field. File photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho Drug cheats in horseracing: If Jim Bolger is right it makes watchdog’s role all but untenable
Co Antrim: one walk, one hike, one run, one swim, one cycle, one park and one outdoor gym
This shack on 1.5 acres overlooking Clones Strand in Co Wexford sold for €735,000 11:41 A beach shack for €735k? Ireland’s holiday home market heats up
Pace yourself: Jeffrey Donaldson must play for time if he becomes next DUP leader. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA Wire 9:07 Newton Emerson: Poots’s big mistake was to move too fast
You are inventing a mystery, a problem, a competition between you and this woman and your relationships, that doesn’t exist. Photograph: iStock ‘I am obsessed with my boyfriend’s ex. How can I move on?’
Eimear Ryan’s debut novel is called Holding Her Breath. Holding Her Breath: A different take on the campus novel
Mayo has a variety of attractions across the entire county to suit almost anyone. Mayo: An insiders’ guide to food, drink, activities and walks
The immediate context for thinking more deeply about the need for a radical renewal is, of course, the pandemic. Graphic: Paul Scott 9:45 Fintan O’Toole: Anything is possible now, we can renew Ireland
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the Uefa Euro 2020 Group F win over Hungary in Budapest. Photo: Hugo Delgado/EPA 12:50 Cristiano Ronaldo retains grip on the spotlight as age remains merely a number
The net result of this wealth effect is that Irish people are conflicted about house prices based on whether we are owners or not. David McWilliams: Irish people like houses because they have made people rich
View of Dublin, from the Magazine, Phoenix Park, 1795. Photograph: Buyenlarge/Getty The First Irish Cities: An Eighteenth-Century Transformation – A tale of 10 towns
There is strong demand for staff as businesses reopen. Photograph: iStock ‘Industry will collapse unless we stop PUP’: Hotels, bars and restaurants struggle for staff
Various dishes from the Shouk menu. Photograph: Laura Hutton Few restaurants are as joyous as this north-Dublin gem
Airbnb pays $50 million annually cleaning up after people in their listed properties. Photograph: Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images 6:04 Jennifer O’Connell: Only privileged white men could have dreamed up Airbnb
The poll shows the nature and extent of the housing crisis, and how it affects different cohorts of the population in different ways. Photograph: Getty Images 2:41 Four in 10 under-35s in Dublin say they want to buy a first home but cannot afford it
Edwin Poots, former leader of the DUP, leaves the party’s headquarters in Belfast. Photograph: Paul Faith / AFP via Getty 6:07 Alex Kane: Fifty years of DUP angst has surfaced
Soprano Elizabeth Hilliard and clarinettist Paul Roe prepare for a performance of Concerts in the Courtyard before 40 guests at Imma, as society’s slow reopening continues. Photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times Division between young and old on Covid-19 restrictions poses challenge
Rory McIlroy putts on the fifth hole during the first round of the 2021 US Open. Photo: Erik S. Lesser/EPA Rory McIlroy makes steady start at US Open; night of high emotion in Copenhagen
In the conga line for vaccinations, I’d spotted a man I thought I recognised That man in the vaccination line. Did we dance a slow set 45 years ago, then swig pilfered vodka?
Herbert Park Market in Ballsbridge, Co Dublin. Photograph: Tom Honan Best Irish food markets: 35 great places to shop, eat and socialise
Leo Varadkar: the timing of his speech to the Fine Gael Ardfheis expressing his desire for a united Ireland was as mystifying as it was reckless. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA Timing of Varadkar’s speech on united Ireland is mystifying and reckless
Shoes left by protesters at a mother and baby homes protest in Phoenix Park, Dublin, in October 2020. Photograph: Tom Honan for The Irish Times Diarmaid Ferriter: There is a difference between history and memories
Pillow Queens (L-R) Sarah Corcoran (vocals, guitar, bass); Pamela Connolly (vocals, guitar, bass); Cathy McGuinness (guitar) and Rachel Lyons (drums) – playing at Rock Against Homelessness Pillow Queens perform, President Higgins and Colm Tóibín chat: This week’s unmissable online events
Italy’s Manuel Locatelli celebrates with teammates after scoring his side’s second goal in their 3-0 win over Switzerland at Euro 2020. Photo: Riccardo Antimiani/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Ken Early on passive France; McIlroy and Lowry fancy their chances at US Open
Six chefs share their favourite places to buy food, and the answers reveal that some of the best shops are hidden in plain sight. Photograph: iStock Where do chefs shop for food? Six cooks share their secrets
In a decision that upheld the Belgian regulator’s right to pursue Facebook over the use of tracking cookies imposed on Belgians, the ECJ said national action fell within GDPR’s scope. File photography: Getty ECJ lays down a challenge to Ireland's Data Protection Commission
Posters from last year’s general election campaign. What slogan would Immanuel Kant approve of? Photograph: Alan Betson / The Irish Times Would you vote for a philosopher to become taoiseach?
British PM Boris Johnson and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison during their bilateral meeting in the garden of 10 Downing Street in London on Tuesday. Photograph: Luke MacGregor/Bloomberg Newton Emerson: Impact for Ireland of UK-Australia deal goes far beyond food