The Irish Times

20/08/2026

‘Students prefer to work with books’: Is classroom tech worth it?

Despite cost, an increasing number of schools are turning to individual iPads for students

20/08/2026

The Government has introduced 46 tax measures since 2013 to stimulate house building here. Have they worked and do they represent good value for money for taxpayers?

To help answer that question Ciaran Hancock is joined by Marian Finnegan, chief executive of Sherry Fitzgerald, Ireland’s largest estate agent, and John McCartney, a property economics lecturer in TU Dublin, who spent 20 years working in the commercial property sector.

Together they debate a range of questions that are key to Ireland’s housing and property sector:

🏡How many new homes do we need per year to serve the needs of a growing population?

🏡Are schemes like Help to Buy or First Home good value for money - or do they only serve to drive prices ever higher?

🏡Is it possible to design new schemes to bolster homebuilding in areas outside Dublin, where needs remain unmet?

🏡What is the true level of vacancy around the country and what does it tell us about housing need?

🏡How healthy is the commercial property sector?

Listen back to Inside Business on all podcast platforms.

20/08/2026

Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, will reportedly return to Britain after six years of living in the US, a move that triggered a long period of strained relations with Britain’s king Charles, the prince and princess of Wales and others in the royal family.

The duke and duchess of Sussex and their two children, seven-year-old prince Archie, and five-year-old princess Lilibet, are expected to relocate to the UK this month.

The family will reportedly live at a private, non-royal residence outside London, but they plan to maintain their home in California and another property in Portugal.

20/08/2026

Troy Parrott landed in Spain on Thursday afternoon to complete his move from AZ Alkmaar to Real Betis and take the latest step in an intriguing career. The transfer fee, including add-ons, is reportedly €20 million.

Ireland hero taking another step up in a fascinating career

20/08/2026

Peak performance is something that we should target at work, writes Margaret E Ward.

We know some of the proven ingredients for thriving at work: psychological safety and trust, purpose and autonomy, a learning and growth mindset, connection and respect.

Minding yourself is also important for productivity so taking proper breaks each day, exercising regularly, sleeping well and taking holiday time are known keys to success.

20/08/2026

On a visit home, I realise most of us are not truly gone forever, writes Christopher Burke.

My cousin Marion’s and my shared memories go so far back that they can be magical.

We threw flower petals over our shoulders in a Corpus Christi parade through Woodquay in 1957 or 1958. It was a summer evening that we still remember; the weather was warm, the mood happy, the embrace of Catholicism untroubled.

I left Ireland in 1971 and spent the years that followed in New York, Florida and Colombia. Marion was more than happy to stay in Galway.

Now, however, the availability of flights back to Ireland has meant that most of us are not truly gone forever as we might once have been.

20/08/2026

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey have signed a mutual defence pact that echoes Nato’s article 5 in saying they will treat an attack on one as an attack on all.

But will they? What does the pact mean for US leadership in the region, for the Iran war and for global security? We ask Denis Staunton on today’s In the News podcast.

Catch up with the In the News Podcast on all podcast platforms.

20/08/2026

The best music, art, theatre and more coming your way this week.

20/08/2026

Society “must never glorify wild or undisciplined behaviour” as if it were “fun or something to be shared on social media”, a senior cleric has warned following the M9 crash.
Bishop Denis Nulty of Kildare and Leighlin said he shares the “widespread revulsion, upset and anger” at what happened.

20/08/2026

Finn McRedmond: “To be anti-Dublin might – just – border on the unpatriotic. Let me explain. Dublin is Ireland’s portal to the rest of the world. This is where political decisions that affect our relationship with Brussels and Washington are made. It is where Americans decide to set up their European headquarters, practically printing money for the Irish economy writ large.”