(JJ Hurley) For those trying to get on the property ladder or indeed rent a property, this article outlines some of the options open to you As house prices continue to spiral, with the national average cost of a home heading towards €385,000, we look at the options available to renters and prospective homeowners. Traditionally, for many struggling to secure a mortgage the local authority and the provision of social housing to rent was always the first option. For anyone think

By Tara Maher   Aifric Deasy , a 5th-year student at Kinsale Community School, combined her interests in politics and computer science for her project. She set out to tackle the growing problem of bias in news media by using artificial intelligence, which earned her the Oracle Academy special award and 3rd place in the Senior Technology Individual category. “Bias in news is a bigger problem today than ever before, and I wanted to use my interest in computer science to help ad

Shane McAuliffe , who recently passed out as lifeboat boat crew with the Crosshaven RNLI, is undertaking a winter sea swimming challenge in February 2026 to mark the recent 200 year anniversary of the RNLI, and 25 year anniversary of the RNLI in Crosshaven. The challenge, titled Freezebury, involves swimming every day throughout February, gradually increasing time in the water, with a target of reaching a minimum total of 200 minutes over the course of the month. Shaped by Sh

JJ Hurley For Ballinhassig’s Conor Coughlan, it is seven consecutive titles in League Cups and National Cups as part of the Rebel Wheelers. Born with a condition that affects his bones and joints, medically referred to as Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia Congenita, it has not prevented him from pursuing his goals and dreams. At the age of 12, Conor had to abandon his dream of playing hurling, something he found difficult to accept at the time. However, he has remained very close