Ciara Boulman

The city of Nîmes in southern France is internationally known for its arenas, but nationally, it's infamous for its gun violence. Seven shootings took place in several neighbourhoods riddled with drug trafficking over the course of just one month – 2 people died, at least 6 got seriously injured, in…

Every year, Catholics and certain Protestants go on vacation on 11 and 12 July to avoid the Orange Order's holiday: the conservative Northern Irish Protestant organisation commemorates the start of Protestant rule in Ireland with huge bonfires and parades. It sounds festive, but some practices keep …

”The priest asked me upstairs. (...) He said that I'm special,” says a Polish survivor in the documentary ”Tell No One”. Her priest would kiss her and masturbate using her hands. She was seven years old. She is one of at least half a million survivors of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in Wester…

Ireland is joining the EU defence initiative to rearm quicker, enraging pro-neutrality defenders – Ireland has been neutral since its independence in 1922. The decision comes amidst criticism of a planned reform of the ”triple lock”. This mechanism requires government, parliament, and UN Security Co…

One of Dublin's busiest nightlife areas will be getting a new venue for the next eight weeks: the Nee-Naw van. Posted on Camden Street between 22.00 and 03.00, its team will include a welfare officer, a medic, and two security guards. The goal is to help out people who may find themselves unwell on …

In the past 10 years, Ireland has uncovered decades of ecclesiastical sexual and physical abuse. Now, it wants to force religious orders to pay reparations for the survivors. The timing isn't random. Last week, excavation work started at an old septic tank where 796 babies were allegedly buried by a…

An alleged attempted rape triggered the riots. But behind the events are darker motives: a local history of sectarian conflict between Protestants and Catholics, combined with the co-opting of violence against women to demonise foreigners. Bricks, flames, and fireworks ”My daughter was born at this …

Would you have guessed that the Irish are the most university-educated people in the world? A recent analysis found that over 52% of Ireland's active population has at least a bachelor's degree, ahead of Switzerland (46%). That's a huge increase from 1998, when just one in five 25- to 34-year-olds g…

If you're keeping up with Israel-Palestine or just like Ireland, you might have heard of the Northern Irish rap trio Kneecap. One of its members was just charged with a terror offence in the UK for allegedly showing a Hezbollah flag at a concert. Although critically-acclaimed, Kneecap have been cont…

If you've been following us for a while, you'll know the housing crisis is a European-wide issue, but Ireland is in a league of its own. The average monthly rent just surpassed €2,000 for the first time ever. This is up from €765 in 2011, and 48% higher than before the pandemic. Ireland has experien…

If the EU knocked on your door and invited you to decide on the next EU budget, would you go? That's what 150 people selected at random across the 27 member states agreed to do this year. Over the course of several sessions, participants agreed on different areas the next EU budget should tackle, be…

The American social media company X tried to sue a US-based media watchdog for defamation – in Ireland. Neither party is based there, and the case has nothing to do with the country. So why Ireland? Because its defamation laws are among the strictest in Europe, making it easier to win, and costlier …

It feels like there's a new investigation into X every few months – and, well, that's not far off. This time, Ireland's data watchdog (the DPC) is looking into whether X used public posts from EU users to train Grok, its AI assistant, without their consent – a clear no-go under EU law. X already set…

Dublin's most famous statue, Molly Malone, is showing signs of wear. Not from the weather, but from wandering hands: her bronze breasts have discoloured due to excessive touching. Following a local campaign to put an end to it, the Irish capital has introduced stewards to police behaviour around the…

On Monday, the bomb dropped: Marine Le Pen, leader of France's far-right party National Rally (RN), was found guilty of embezzling EU taxpayer money. From 2004 to 2016, nearly €3 million meant to pay parliamentary assistants in Brussels was used to pay party staff in France – people who weren't doin…

If you were asked which parties have the most opposing views at home, the obvious answer would be the far right and the far left. But Russia's war in Ukraine and debates on European defence expose a surprisingly similar aspect in their foreign policies: a leniency towards Russia at best, and an open…

Have you ever dreamed of owning a pub? If your family name is McLoughlin, you're in luck: Heineken has just launched a campaign to find a new owner for McLoughlin's pub on the remote Achill Island before its fourth-generation McLoughlin owner retires. The goal is to keep a tradition alive. That trad…

Gaelic football – a mix of handball and rugby – and hurling are becoming increasingly popular in Europe among people with no connections to Ireland. These traditional Gaelic games are Ireland's most popular, even ahead of football, and form an integral part of Irish identity. While they remain widel…

On Monday three years ago, the first Ukrainian refugees came to Ireland. Nearly coinciding with that anniversary, a video of a Ukrainian boy went viral. After living in the Gaeltacht (the Irish-speaking area of Ireland) for the past two years, he is now fluent in Irish and has learned how to play Ir…

Google makes users' sensitive information available to companies via its top marketing agency; in the US, it concerns chronic illnesses, financial debt, or whether a user works in national security. That is a clear breach of the tech giant's own user policy, which states that all data is anonymised …

In the past decade, the number of applications for Irish citizenship through descent rose seven-fold. Who's driving the rise? Mostly people in the UK, followed by the US, who hope for a way out of political instability. After five years of Brexit, restrictions applying to non-EU citizens are startin…

At Britain's most glamorous film awards last weekend, the BAFTAs, one film received particular attention: ”Kneecap”, which follows the rise of the eponymous rap trio (we previously wrote about them here). All in Irish, the comedy's – alongside the trio's – popularity is the latest cultural success o…

After following through on his tariff threats to Canada, Mexico, and China, US president Donald Trump is now eyeing the EU. If you're wondering what kind of impact that could have, look to Ireland: it's the United States' biggest European trading partner, and has the biggest trade surplus with the U…

What is catfishing? Over the past few weeks, several catfishing scandals have rocked France and Ireland. One involved a French woman losing more than €800,000 to a fake Brad Pitt she thought she was in a relationship with; the other was a large catfishing operation targeting Irish elite sportsmen us…

How much would you pay to publish information about your partner's funeral online? The question has made many Irish headlines in the past month, ever since Ireland's death notice website announced a new controversial €100 fee per post. RIP.ie allows funeral directors to post death notices on behalf …

Wind farms provide electricity without polluting the environment, but some argue they pollute our views. In Ireland, a wind farm project was initially denied planning permission by the national planning board, but a court pushed through the plans for renewable energy. The case could set a precedent,…

Would you live on a deserted island for seven months? If your answer is yes, start applying: an Irish island located off the southwest coast, is looking for its new caretakers. Since 2014, applications have been open every January to find the Great Blasket Island's two new residents. Between April a…

Israel will be closing its embassy in Ireland following Dublin's decision to intervene in South Africa's International Court of Justice (ICJ) case against the country. It is a first for an Israeli embassy to shut down in Europe since the start of Israel's war on Gaza. In theory, Ireland is not takin…

After a three-week campaign, it seems like Ireland chose stability over change in its snap election. The centre – the two mainstream parties of the coalition government, Fine Gael (FG) and Fianna Fáil (FF) – held its ground, and even gained seats in last Friday's snap election. It confirms that Irel…

Internationally-renowned MMA fighter Conor McGregor was found guilty of rape two weeks ago. As he was tried in a civil court, he was fined €250,000 in damages - pennies, for someone who claimed to have made more than €600 million in a 2023 interview. Quickly enough, however, it became evident that t…

Tomorrow, Irish voters will be going to the ballot box after only three weeks of campaigning in what is a historic election for the country. Since the last general election in 2020, immigration has emerged as one of the most important issues, alongside familiar priorities such as housing, cost of li…

Last week, a Russian spy ship was escorted out of the Irish Sea after it spent several hours off Ireland's coast. Why was it snooping around there? One reason: underwater fibre-optic cables. 97% of the world's communications and Internet traffic goes through these subsea cables, and around three qua…

Have you ever wondered: ”How could the US possibly vote for a criminal in a presidential election?” Well, Ireland will be able to test part of Dublin on the matter: Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch, the highly suspected leader of one of two Irish transnational criminal organisations (the Hutch gang), is set t…

If you were in Dublin for Halloween, you may have decided to attend the parade advertised in your Google ads, searches or on social media, as thousands of others did. And then, while waiting for it, learned that you had been a victim of fake news: the parade was never planned. What sounds like a wel…

It's Halloween today! And if you're a fan of gothic horror stories like Dracula, here's some thrilling news: a forgotten short story written by its author, the Irishman Bram Stoker, was rediscovered 134 years after its only publication. Gibbet Hill appeared in the 1890 Christmas supplement of the Da…

For the first time in Ireland, a public space will be named after a female writer: the Irish writer Mary Lavin, an American-born Irish author considered a pioneer of ”women's writing”, a genre exploring the specific experience that women have of life and the world. This comes just after Ireland's mo…

Four women have been killed by men in Northern Ireland over the past six weeks, reigniting outrage over femicides – the targeted killing of women by men because of their gender. The anger is justified: the region has one of the highest femicide rates in Europe. Latest figures show that 30 women have…

In a flawless Irish accent, Lebanese aid worker Khalel Haidar answers an interviewer: ”The Irish are fucking great! They've protected my family.” The three-year-old video that resurfaced on social media isn't the only case of Lebanese speaking with an Irish lilt. Ali Saad from southern Lebanon grew …

By the end of the year, you will have more power in online moderation with the launch of the Appeals Centre Europe. The independent body, based in Dublin, will allow users to quickly and easily challenge content moderation decisions made by social media platforms: the goal is to review each appeal u…

You may have watched the hit show Normal People during lockdown in 2020, but do you know its Irish author? Sally Rooney has just published her fourth novel, Intermezzo. Irish bookshops had to open early to meet demand, with one seller comparing the excitement to a Harry Potter release. Although she …

For any government, an extra €25 billion to spend is a welcome surprise, if not a miracle. For Ireland, it's a reality: the Republic is ending 2024 with an exceptional budget surplus of 8% of its national income, partly thanks to the Apple back-tax. That’s €5,000 per citizen. Only four EU countries …

A historic report revealing decades of unpunished sexual abuse across hundreds of Ireland's religiously-run schools was published at the beginning of the month. Nearly 2,400 allegations were listed, and hundreds have been made since its release. Most of the allegations come from records of 42 religi…

Apple paid just 0.005% in corporate tax between 2003 and 2014 thanks to Ireland's illegal tax breaks, but now they're paying up. Following the world's longest antitrust case, Apple owes the Irish government €13.8 billion. That's 14% of this year's government spending, or €2,700 per person. It is an …

If you've recently bought concert tickets, you likely had to go through Ticketmaster – sometimes dealing with hour-long queues, website crashes and sudden price hikes at checkout. All of that happened during the chaotic ticket sale of British rock band Oasis in the UK and Ireland two weeks ago, prom…

Remember when we were laughing at the New York mayor for demonstrating how to put a rubbish bag in a wheelie bin this summer? Well, Dublin can't mock him anymore: the Irish capital has just introduced a 'bin bag ban' for 90 city centre streets, partially ending a 2016 derogation allowing them to be …

Were you stuck in a traffic jam yesterday evening, trying to get home? If you're from Dublin, you probably did. The Irish capital is the world's most congested city, according to a study led by mapmaker TomTom. In an attempt to reduce traffic jams in the city centre, parts of Dublin's quays are now …

Every year, the Irish town of Tralee organises a unique form of festival: the Rose of Tralee, a contest for women from the Irish diaspora across the world. It has become one of Ireland's oldest and largest festivals and perhaps the most popular; just as every year, more than half a million people wa…

Anti-immigration violence has spiked in Ireland in the past few months, stemming from far-right groups mentored by foreign activists. Turns out, one of these is an ex-Ku Klux Klan (KKK) member and convicted terrorist. For those of you who haven't seen any American movies or documentaries about the K…

With growing concerns around sustainability, big sports events have been under increasing pressure to become greener. The reasons include their significant carbon footprint and participating athletes' wellbeing, which is affected by fluctuating temperatures and more intense weather events. How much …

TikTok will be launching its in-app shopping platform, TikTok Shop, in Ireland and Spain this October. The two countries have the EU's highest share of TikTok users after Luxembourg, making them good testing grounds for the company's fastest-growing business. The Shop allows users to directly buy pr…

With major Big Tech companies like Meta, X, TikTok, Youtube, and others being based in Ireland, the country plays an <a href=”https://www.europeancorrespondent.com/article?s=The-future-of-EU-social-media-regulation-is-in-Ireland” style=”text-decoration: underline !important;”>essential role in EU on…

On 16 June, Dublin and literature lovers celebrate Bloomsday in honour of Irish writer James Joyce and his 900-page ‘Ulysses’. Since 1954, people have travelled to Ireland's capital to attend readings in places mentioned throughout the book and dress in early 20th-century fashion. The novel follows …

An Irish documentary revealed widespread passport fraud and smuggling operations in Europe – for horses. Thanks to tampered identification, horses considered unfit for human consumption made their way through the food chain. Some were declared dead in one country and slaughtered in another. The Euro…

If you live outside of Ireland, you might not know of Supermacs. This Irish fast-food chain just won a legal battle against industry giant McDonalds. The European Court of Justice ruled that the US chain could not claim exclusive use of the ”Big Mac” brand - which it has had since 1996 - allowing ot…

Besides the usual local and European elections, one particular election sparked widespread national interest: voters in County Limerick elected John Moran as their mayor. You might wonder why that's a big deal. Well, it's historic: Moran is the first directly elected mayor in Irish history. Contrary…

On Sunday, 25,000 elite and amateur runners, as well as walkers, from across Ireland took part in the Women's Mini Marathon in Dublin. The 10k race is the biggest single-day charity event in the country and the largest women's event of its kind in the world: other European cities like Oslo, London a…

On Friday, Ireland will be the second country to open polls for the European election. And, for the first time, homeless people can have a say in it. Since a reform in 2022, registering to vote only requires a valid address, a social security number, and a postcode. This means that homeless people c…

A year ago, Ireland launched an experiment: a basic income scheme for artists and creative workers. And it's proving successful: the 2,000 participants receiving the €1,400 monthly instalment spend more time working on, and invest more money in, their creative practice than the control group. They a…

The Irish government is dropping the weekly jobseeker allowance it gave to all Ukrainian refugees staying in state-provided accommodation from €232 to €39 within the next three months. The deduction, already in place for arrivals since March, is an additional bid to reduce the financial burden of as…

For the past two weeks, Irish news has been rocked by the saga of the NYC/Dublin portal, a 24/7 live stream allowing people on both sides to connect and interact over a continuous livestream. The art piece is an idea born in 2016 from Benediktas Gylys, a Lithuanian artist and entrepreneur, and was b…

​​Ireland is set to become the first EU country to ban the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products to those under 21, under new legislation presented on Tuesday. In most EU countries, the age limit for buying both tobacco is 18. The country is a trailblazer when it comes to curbing tobacco con…

On Sunday, the Irish government will hold its annual commemoration of the Great Famine. Spanning from 1845 to 1852, this period of starvation, disease, and emigration was a watershed moment for Ireland, forever altering the course of its history. As the potato blight hit Europe in the 1840s, the maj…

In a heavily mediatised operation last week, a migrant camp in the heart of Dublin was taken down, and most of its inhabitants housed in hotels. This happened in the context of intensifying anti-immigration protests – whether it is in terms of violence or method, with several being held in front of …

This year's Eurovision was meant to be Ireland's big return: in a decade of safe bets and abysmal results, its 2024 contestant, Bambie Thug, is in the top ten of winner predictions. But for now, the Irish singer is proving to be the first source of Irish division over Israel's war on Gaza. A debate …

Another wave of EU produce coming into the UK is subject to new customs checks from Tuesday, as planned by the Brexit trade agreements. Fears that it will drive inflation are everywhere, but are no better understood than in Northern Ireland. Since its departure from the EU, the province has been sub…

Ireland is making contraception free without prescription for women under 35 in an effort to reduce financial barriers preventing its access, under its ‘free contraception for youth’ programme. The policy was adopted for girls and women aged 15-25 in September 2022, and extended to 31 last year. The…

<i>With the Digital Service Act (DSA) in place, the country has become the EU’s new social media regulator.</i> Ireland’s attractive corporate tax rates and its educated English-speaking population have made it Europe’s tech hub: 13 of the 22 very large platforms regulated by the DSA are in Ireland.…

With an average of four road deaths per week, Ireland is on track to reach record-high levels of fatalities since 2016. Last year was already the worst in almost a decade, with 188 deaths. As authorities struggle to curb this trend, a documentary aired last week by the national broadcaster RTÉ sugge…

Amazon, Google and Microsoft have warned that Ireland could deter foreign investment unless the Irish government comes up with a solution to its suffering energy system. The three tech giants, which together employ more than 10,000 staff in the country, have specifically criticised a plan by Ireland…

Dublin airport could be putting an end to its annual blessing of planes. A tradition that dates back to 1947, it was initially limited to planes from Ireland's flag carrier Aer Lingus (which are also named after Irish saints) as a way to reassure anxious flyers. Since, it has been extended to all pl…

Wednesday 10 April marked the 26th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement (GFA), the peace treaty that ended the 30-year civil war known as the Troubles. It was agreed to by 94% in Ireland and 71% in Northern Ireland (with 96% of Catholics and 52% Protestants voting Yes). The GFA was a landmark mo…

Ireland’s youngest TD (MP) at 24, Simon Harris, will soon be his country’s youngest leader at 37, following the surprise step-down of the previous record-holder Leo Varadkar. The party leader of the liberal-conservative Fine Gael is due to officially become Taoiseach (PM) on 9 April. In his nominati…

In a surprise announcement on Wednesday, Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar revealed he would be stepping down as the government and party leader of the ruling centre-right Fine Gael party within the next few weeks. This unexpected move has sent shockwaves through the Irish political syst…

On Sunday 17 March, Irish people (and others) around the world celebrated St Patrick's Day. Although the holiday is seen as a festivity meant to celebrate Irish culture and communities, it is more than that. Since 1982, every standing Taoiseach (the Irish prime minister) has visited the White House …