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The Irish Sun
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
‘Cancelled presidential bid', cry fans as singer CMAT takes jab at ex-politician in new song
IRISH singer CMAT has taken a dig at former Fianna Fail leader Bertie Ahern in her latest single. The Stay For Something singer, whose initials stand for Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, is set to release her third studio album Euro-Country on August 29. 2 CMAT has taken a dig at Bertie Ahern in her latest single Credit: Getty Images - Getty 2 The song is the most recent single from her upcoming album And ahead of the album's release, CMAT has been dropping a steady stream of new singles for thrilled fans. From her chart topping Running/Planning, to her witty and controversial hit The However, with just a little over a month until the highly anticipated record drops - CMAT has taken aim at former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in the album's latest single. To announce the release of the title track Euro-Country, CMAT shared a snippet from one of the verses which tells the story of the 2008 crash from her perspective as a pre-teen in a small town. READ MORE IN MUSIC Ahern is mentioned by name and loosely features in the music video for the song. As Dunboyne native CMAT passionately spins around a sparsely decorated room, she belted out the lyrics: "All the big boys. All the Berties. All the envelopes, yeah they hurt me." Making reference to the hardships people faced, she continues: "I was 12 when the das started killing themselves all around me. "And it was normal. Building houses. That stay empty even now, yeah. And no one says it out loud but I know it can be better if we hound it." MOST READ IN THE IRISH SUN In the song's music video, the 29-year-old donned a long-sleeved baby-blue top that featured the bejewelled wording "Bertie". And it's not the first time the singer has made her feelings about the former politician known, as in a 2023 interview with Hot Press she scolded the idea of him ever running for president. She said: "I would make it my personal f***ing mission to make sure that he doesn't win." Her forthcoming album deals with the legacy of the boom and bust of the Irish economy in the early noughties through a kitsch euro-trash dream. She previously "My dad had a job in computers, we didn't really have any money, we weren't affluent, but we were fine. "Everybody else on the estate we lived in worked in construction, or in shops, and they all lost their jobs. Everybody became unemployed. "Then, in the village I grew up in, there was a year or 18 months where loads of the people I went to school with, their dads started killing themselves because they'd lost everything in the crash." EUR-JOKING Sharing the snippet of the new song with fans, she wrote: "The fourth single from my forthcoming album, conveniently also named EURO-COUNTRY, is coming soon." Friends and fans raced to the singer's comment section to share their reactions. Darragh joked: "You've cancelled Bertie Ahern's presidential bid and we thank you." Georgina commented: "I was 20 in 2008 and was still trying to figure out a path for myself and remember all of this too well. "I've never felt lyrics to a song so deeply. This is just incredible." Another fan added: "Bye bye Bertie." Despite much speculation Ahern or Fianna Fail are yet to confirm their nomination for the upcoming Irish presidential election.
The Irish Sun
10-07-2025
- Business
- The Irish Sun
New AI State watchdog with €25m annual war chest needed to police ‘rapid rise' of tech & help keep Irish citizens safe
A NEW State watchdog is needed to police the use of AI with this game-changing tech set to be used in hospitals, to catch welfare cheats and run self-driving cars in the near future, it has been claimed. 2 Fianna Fail TD Naoise O'Cearuil wants to see the creation of a State AI watchdog Artificial intelligence is already in use in many industries in A report from recruitment firm Morgan McKinley this week highlighting that big The Amid the growth in AI, READ MORE IN IRISH NEWS The National Artificial Intelligence Office Bill 2026 would create a body that would have the power to investigate complaints, suspend AI systems and fine those found to be breaching rules. This would be headed up by an independent Commissioner in a similar fashion to the Data Protection Commission. The office would have an annual budget of €25 million in its first five years which would be part-funded by the A briefing document on the bill details how the watchdog will be needed to police the growth of AI in a range of areas across the country, including Most read in The Irish Sun For example, the Department of Social Protection could use algorithmic fraud detection to catch welfare cheats, while AI could also be used as a diagnostic aid in our Deputy O'Cearuil highlighted the possibility of self-driving cars coming to the streets of Ireland in the near future with similar autonomous vehicles already on the roads in American cities such as 'RAPID RISE' He told the Irish Sun: 'We've seen the rapid rise of artificial intelligence not just nationally here in Ireland but also internationally and the key component is that citizens remain safe. 'So as a regulator this would ensure that things such as healthcare or autonomous 'It would also act as an enabler as well. "We see many stories where there has been The bill was raised in the Dail today with 2 Artificial intelligence is already in use in many industries in Ireland Credit: Getty Images - Getty
The Irish Sun
10-07-2025
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
Irish Presidential election frontrunner emerges as potential high-profile FG candidate rules himself out of Aras race
FORMER head of the GAA Sean Kelly has blown the whistle on his Presidential ambitions – clearing the way for Mairead McGuinness to become Fine Gael's runner in the race to the Aras. It comes as Advertisement 3 Sean Kelly has ruled himself out of running for president Credit: Michelle Devane/PA Wire 3 Mairead McGuinness looks set to become Fine Gael's Aras candidate Credit: Reuters With This leaves the way clear for former European Parliament Vice President Advertisement Read more in News 'I looked at the pros and cons and I asked myself one question – am I happy with what I am doing at the moment and I said I am, would I be happier spending seven years in the Aras considering John B Keane said a day out of Kerry is a day wasted and I said perhaps not. 'So I looked at all the pros and cons and I am very disappointed in some respects because it is only something that comes along once in a lifetime and an awful lot of TDs and supporters within Fine Gael and outside Fine Gael were anxious for me to run and to support me. 'But ultimately I had to make up my own mind having consulted with my family who were 100 per cent behind whatever decision I was going to take but I think the best thing is at this point of time is to continue the work I've been doing in Pressed on why he was not running to become president, the Ireland South MEP said while the Aras is the highest office in Irish politics it is also 'largely a ceremonial role' and 'you don't have that much power and influence.' Advertisement Most read in The Irish Sun Fine Gael members have one more week left to nominate a candidate however, sources say it is now likely that McGuinness will go unopposed and become their runner in the race. Left leaning opposition parties including Labour, the 'The final Christmas message of my terms' - Michael D Higgins shares 'special tribute' in last ever festive address However, Sinn Fein have yet to make an official decision on whether to back this unity candidate or run their own candidate in the race with some in the party talking up the chances of Other opposition groups, including Aontu, Independent Ireland and independents TDs, are also in talks about running a candidate together with some names circulating, including businessman Declan Ganley. Advertisement Fianna Fail have yet to indicate whether or not they will run a candidate in the election with party sources indicating that the decision is effectively being left up to SITTING ON THE FENCE Several members of the party today sat on the fence when asked by the Irish Sun if they wanted to see Fianna Fail enter a candidate to try win the Presidency. Senator Mary Fitzpatrick said: 'Our members are very engaged, we as a parliamentary party are very engaged on it but to be fair it is a very significant undertaking. 'It is a very important office and I believe we will use the time over the summer months and then when we come back in the autumn probably around our parliamentary party think in – that time frame – I would expect to see some conclusions being reached. I can't see it before then.' Advertisement 3 DDYGEG Aras an Uachtarain (official residence of the President of Ireland) in Dublin, Ireland Credit: Alamy
Times
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Times
US values must not trump valid concerns about social media
In December 2020, Helen McEntee, then the justice minister, announced her intention to bring forward new legislation to combat incitement to hatred and hate crime the following year. She made this promise at the launch of the findings of a public consultation that attracted more than 3,600 submissions. She stated that, after in-depth meetings with various civil society and community groups, academics and experts, her aim was to identify how Ireland's law in this area could be improved, based on a clear understanding of the experiences of those affected by hate speech and hate crime. McEntee ultimately proposed that the new law would cover both incitement to hatred and hate crime with the latter offences being aggravated versions of existing crimes. The idea was that offences against the person, criminal damage or public order offences — when they were carried out because of prejudice against a protected characteristic — would be criminalised. Close to four years after first mooting the legislation, and with a general election looming, McEntee dropped her plan, claiming the incitement to hatred element of the criminal justice bill did not have a consensus. It would be dealt with, in that classic Irish tradition, at a later time. The hate speech element had caused unease within her Fine Gael party and coalition partner Fianna Fail, and was criticised by various backbenchers, opposition parties and independents, free speech groups and even the world's richest man, Elon Musk. • Ireland's 'vague' anti-hate law threatens flood of court challenges Six weeks later, Donald Trump won the United States presidential election — and on free speech, like much else, the world turned. As Patrick O'Donoghue reveals in today's paper, the US State Department has recently warned Irish regulators against pressuring American tech companies to limit, or what it more evocatively calls chill, free speech following a meeting with the Irish media commissioner, Coimisiun na Mean, and officials from the Department of Justice. Ireland is an important battleground in the global culture war that is free speech because of the American social media giants headquartered in Dublin. All have proven hostile to any attempts to hold them liable for what is posted on their platforms, no matter how heinous or potentially libellous the context. All have also been brought to heel by the Trump administration. Their chief executives were only too happy to line up like lapdogs to have their picture taken with Trump at his inauguration, having stumped up large amounts of coin to contribute to the costs of the festivities. • Who's who in Trump's tech bro club Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, Tim Cook of Apple, Sundar Pichai of Google and Elon Musk of X (and much else besides) were centre stage while TikTok's Shou Zi Chew also put in an appearance. Earlier that month, Zuckerberg announced that Meta was to get rid of fact checkers and dramatically reduce the amount of what he called 'censorship' on its platforms. Facebook kicked Trump off its platform in the aftermath of the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021, which led Trump to call Facebook 'an enemy of the people'. Once the American people re-elected Trump, however, Zuckerberg was only too keen to ingratiate himself back into the president's capricious good books. Musk donated some $300 million to Trump's election campaign and, notwithstanding the pair's rather hilarious X spat last week, must be delighted at how the administration so clearly aligns with his views on hate speech, ie there is literally nothing that cannot be said on his platform. The US secretary of state, the sycophantic Marco Rubio — a man with no principle he won't change — recently announced a view to impose visa bans on foreign nationals it deems to be censoring Americans. He has rather weirdly tied this into a touchstone for the security of the country, something he also did when supporting Trump's tariffs. The delegation that came to Ireland to dissuade regulators from doing anything that might cause American tech giants even the slightest discomfort was led by one of Rubio's chief advisers, Samuel Samson, who complained that Europe had devolved into a 'hotbed of digital censorship'. He accused Europe of democratic backsliding, whatever that is, claiming that it affected American security and the free speech rights of US citizens and companies. Whatever about security concerns — and it seems there is no policy, no matter how esoteric or insignificant, that the Trump administration won't link to the country's security — Americans have always been protective of their first amendment rights to freedom of expression. Flag-burning, money in politics, pornography, school prayer, mobile phone data, protests at funerals, document leaks and anti-war protests have all gone before the US Supreme Court. While that court has been somewhat haphazard in its judgments over the years, the overriding consistency about free speech cases is that the government can limit free speech if it poses a clear and present danger. Beyond that, almost everything else is fair game. In that context, the Trump administration now wants to flex its free speech muscles globally — and Ireland is as good a place as any to start. Trump started a metaphorical war on tariffs that has caused division in the European Union as individual states try to protect their patches, including Ireland, as Simon Harris, the tanaiste, showed last week in seeking exemptions from the EU in terms of tariff retaliation. Another war over any European plans to enforce new laws on social media platforms is also brewing, with ominous threats of sanctions. When McEntee first mooted the idea of combating incitement to hatred through legislation, she framed it in the context of the fundamental right to freedom of expression. There are completely differing interpretations of how far this fundamental right goes in Europe and America. Under Trump, the US has constantly asserted that it will pursue policies that are in America's interests. Those who come to lobby on its behalf should be told that Ireland and the EU follow their own path.
The Irish Sun
02-07-2025
- The Irish Sun
Teenage boy, 16, who died in fall while on holidays in Kerry is named as family suffer second tragedy in space of year
A TEENAGE boy who died in a fatal fall while on holidays with his parents in Kerry has been named. Darragh Byrne, 16, from Charleville, Co Advertisement Darragh had travelled to Kerry on holidays with his parents, James and Siobhan, and is believed to have been an only He went exploring an area with a waterfall close to Pedlars Lake at Conor Pass, near Dingle. When he failed to return, his parents raised the alarm at around 3pm. Advertisement Read more in News Emergency services, including 30 members of Dingle Coast Guard and the Kerry Mountain Action Team, immediately responded along with the The boy was found close to the bottom of the waterfall and it is believed he may have climbed up to the lake, slipped and plunged to his death. He was pronounced dead at the scene and his body was taken to University Gerry Christie of Kerry Mountain Rescue Team, told Radio Kerry: "I'm speaking with a heavy heart today but how heavy are the hearts of his parents. He was well on the way to being a man - a man sadly he now will never be. Advertisement Most read in Irish News Exclusive "One can only assume that somehow he slipped on a beautiful afternoon in Kerry. It puts it into context how precious life can be. "I did speak briefly to his parents when I came down but I need to extend my condolences and that of all of Kerry Mountain Rescue Team, and indeed all of Kerry. It's so sad.. Charleville-based Fianna Fail Councillor Ian Doyle said the local community is in shock. 'TOTAL SHOCK' He said 'This is a total shock and a terrible tragedy. The family is deep rooted in Charleville and Darragh's parents are very active with the local GAA and community affairs in general. Advertisement 'They are very well liked and respected and everyone feels so sad for them on the loss of their only child.' This is the second high-profile tragedy to hit the family as Darragh's grandmother, Mary Feehily, died last November when she was struck by a car as she stood on a footpath after stopping to buy a Mary, who was in her 70s, was very well known locally and was the mother-in-law of Fianna Fail TD for Clare Cathal Crowe. 1 The incident took place near a lake at Conor's Pass, which goes through the mountains of Dingle Peninsula Credit: Getty Images - Getty Advertisement
