Latest news with #SixOneNews
RTÉ News
19 hours ago
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Joe Duffy not approached about running for Áras an Uachtaráin
Broadcaster Joe Duffy has said that he has not been approached to contest in the next presidential election. Mr Duffy was speaking on RTÉ's Six One News, after his final broadcast of the Liveline programme, which he presented for 27 years. He refused to answer when asked directly whether he was ruling out a presidential bid or not. "I had no idea when I chose today to leave that there would be lots of presidential talk in the air," he said. "I was president of Trinity students union, I still have the posters. I was president of the USI, I still have the posters, but my face has changed a lot, maybe my intellect isn't as strong as it used to be. "There's some great candidates already been mentioned [for the election], and by the way there was some great candidates before who didn't make it and that's the world we live in." He said that his departure from the Liveline programme "hasn't hit me yet", and that he feels similar to his listeners in losing a friend. "It was the listeners who made that programme, I was in the middle, I tried to mediate as best as I can and facilitate, but it was the listeners that rallied 'round and held hands and helped each other," Mr Duffy said. The broadcaster also said that RTÉ's main job was to make programmes. "We have to remind ourselves day after day, content, Irish programmes for Irish audiences, and stay focused on that." "Our job here in RTÉ, and the State through the licence fee help us enormously, our job in RTÉ is to make Irish programmes for Irish people. "And make them as unique and as entertaining and as educational and as political - not party political - as possible," he said.
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- General
- Irish Examiner
Bernard O'Shea: Five things I've learned to whisper around the kids
1. 'Is there chocolate in the house?' There's a moment, usually around 8.45pm, when the children are finally in bed, the dishwasher is bravely clattering away, and I stand at the fridge like a war general surveying a milk stained battlefield. And then, without thinking, I whisper, 'Is there chocolate in the house?' Not shout. Not say. Whisper. It is as if I'm in a spy film, and a Toblerone is a state secret. And still, they appear. Wide-eyed and sticky-fingered. Like sugar-detecting meerkats. Where were these kids when I needed help bringing in the shopping? Or finding their shoes? But whisper 'chocolate' within a 500-metre radius, and they'll appear beside you like Cocoa Voldemort. There's nothing you can do to stop them. Science backs the kids. Young children are uniquely attuned to emotionally charged whispers. It's called 'salient speech detection,' but basically, it means they ignore everything you shout and laser-focus on the one thing you hope they missed — like chocolate. or muttering, 'I think he's full of shite' during the Six One News. What's the solution? Code words. We now refer to it as 'the triangle'. As in: 'Is the triangle in the house?' which sounds like something from The Da Vinci Code but keeps the peace. 2. 'Shite' There's a moment in every Irish parent's life when their child, dressed as a lamb or a shepherd or some other nativity livestock, bellows 'shite!' during a school show. You try to pretend your child said 'shine,' a creeping realisation sets in: That came from me. I try not to curse. I really do. But there are moments — a missed bin day, a rogue Lego piece underfoot, a missed phone call— that demand a specific vocal release. The kind of release that rhymes with 'kite' and slips out like a sneeze. I've even developed a whisper-cough combo: 'Sh— cough —it.' A work of art. But it's not good enough. In the Ireland of my youth, adults swore like fishermen. My dad could insert a curse word mid-word: 'un-ucking-believable.' And yet, you'd never repeat it. Repeating an adult's swear was like licking the toaster. Dangerous and guaranteed to end in pain. But now? Now, kids are fluent in adult stress. Cognitive psychology attributes the issue to the limbic system. It lights up when it hears emotionally loaded language, even if it doesn't understand it. So your kid will forget their Gaeilge homework, but remember 'shite' with perfect diction and timing. 3. 'How much?!' There I was in a shop where a man trying to fill a day with three kids should not have been, lifting a €35 candle. My daughter, watching with all the subtlety of a Revenue officer, bellowed: 'HOW MUCH?!' Shoppers turned. This phrase is the soundtrack to modern parenthood. I've turned into a walking receipt. My inner voice is voiced by a worried accountant. 'How much?!' isn't a question anymore. It's an emotional reflex. A well-worn concept known to most economists is that the more abstract and repeated a charge, the less likely you are to challenge it. We're trained to pay in drips. But your kid doesn't know that. They only know you freaked out over a €4.50 smoothie. 4. 'Let's get a takeaway' I didn't realise how powerful those five words were until I whispered them on a Friday at 5.17pm. My child, allegedly watching TV and eating edible glue, launched into action. 'Milkshake! Milkshake!' he shouted, marching circles around the kitchen island like a lactose-fuelled revolutionary. Takeaways, for an Irish parent, are emotional first-aid. We've spent the week making meals nobody ate. We've pureed, roasted, begged, and hidden vegetables in sauces like CIA operatives. Come Friday, we want someone else to cook it, hand it to us in a warm paper bag, and ask no questions. In the past, the takeaway night was sacred. You rang the chipper. You prayed the line was free. There was a brief moment of adult joy before someone dropped curry sauce into the VCR. But now, whispering 'takeaway' is like lighting the Bat Signal for kids. They sense weakness. They demand sides. A study on reward systems in children (yes, someone funded that) found that kids react faster to food-based incentives than any other stimulus. My children would ignore a fire alarm but sprint for the door at the sound of 'happy meal'. 5. 'I'm popping out for a bit.' Every parent has a secret food shame. Mine involves a solo trip to the drive-thru under the guise of 'running errands'. I sit in the car, balancing a burger on my lap, dipping chips into ketchup with the thrill of a man who's escaped dinner duty. I listen to the radio. I chew in silence. It's glorious. Until I get caught. Last week, I got home, and my son said, 'You smell like chips.' Then he pulled a salt sachet from the pocket of my jacket like a CSI investigator. Nutritionists say secret eating can create shame. I say it produces peace. Just make sure to destroy the evidence. Burn the wrapper. Febreze your coat. Or better still — bring them next time and say, 'This is a one off' Because chips, like childhood, are best when shared — unless they're Yours. Then no. Get your own.
RTÉ News
31-05-2025
- General
- RTÉ News
Watch: Leaving Cert & Me - RTÉ reporters' memories
The Leaving Certificate begin for tens of thousands of students on Wednesday. Even if your school days are long behind you, we all have memories - or the occasional nightmare - about exam time and how it impacted our lives. Some of our reporters have been taking a trip down memory lane... David McCullagh - Six One News presenter: Sharon Tobin - Six One News presenter: Paul Cunningham - Political Correspondent: Brian O'Donovan - Work & Technology Correspondent: Sinéad Hussey - Midlands Correspondent:
RTÉ News
27-05-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
First step on road to new OTB after first draft approval
Cabinet took a first step today and gave approval to Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris to draft an Occupied Territories Bill. It has been a long road for Independent Senator Frances Black, who first tabled her proposed legislation on the topic back in 2018. The next step comes when Mr Harris seeks ministerial approval for what's termed a draft scheme - an outline of what the legislation will contain. It's at that point both the politicians and public will know the Government's intentions. There's no date yet for that Cabinet meeting. It's already clear that the bill will seek to prohibit the importation of goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. What's unclear is if the ban will extend to services. The Tánaiste said he has "an open mind" on the issue but is concerned that any legislation doesn't fall "at the first legal hurdle". No doubt there will be legal advice, after which Mr Harris will have to take a decision. Speaking on RTÉ's Six One News, he added that what he wants to achieve is "the best and most robust piece of legislation". Ms Black said the Cabinet decision is a "welcome move" and she is "relieved to finally see some action". Pointedly, she also said that the inclusion of services in any bill is based on legal advice "...from some of the most eminent lawyers in the world, making absolutely clear that we can include services in the legislation if the political will is there". The timeline for progressing this legislation is another point of controversy. Under the plan outlined by Mr Harris, the draft scheme of the new bill will be brought back to Cabinet next month for ministerial approval. After that, the legislation will be sent to the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee for what's termed "pre-legislative scrutiny". Given the Dáil will rise for the summer recess on 17 July, the legislation won't proceed much beyond that point. It's a real fault line between the Government and Opposition parties. Solidarity-People Before Profit TD Ruth Coppinger accused the Coalition of "watering down and delaying the Occupied Territories Bill". She contended it could take another year to enact the legislation, which was "shameful" after a weekend in which "35 people including children were killed in a school in Gaza". Labour Party whip Duncan Smith told the Dáil that the Government's timeline was "simply unacceptable". His party argued that additional days should be secured for the Dáil to sit and get the legislation passed entirely before the summer break. Part of the Opposition anger springs from the Government's strategy of commencing a new bill, rather than trying to amend Ms Black's existing legislative proposal. Back in January, Taoiseach Micheál Martin claimed this was imperative. He explained that officials examined the senator's bill and amended almost every line because it was unconstitutional and deficient. Opposition parties vehemently disagreed. Ms Black is now having regular meetings with Mr Harris about his new legislation. The Government acknowledges that the bill is "a small measure" which has more of a symbolic value given the minimal trade Ireland has with the Occupied Palestinian Territories. "What I hope is when this small country in Europe makes the decision and becomes one of the first countries, and probably the first country, in the western world to consider legislation in this space, I do hope it inspires other European countries to join us," Mr Harris said. Opposition parties are deeply concerned that unless the legislation is enacted speedily, in weeks rather than months, that it won't inspire anyone.
North Wales Chronicle
27-05-2025
- Business
- North Wales Chronicle
Irish Government to draft Bill to ban trade with illegal Israeli settlements
Ireland's deputy premier and foreign affairs minister Simon Harris received Cabinet approval to draft the law on Tuesday. It is understood the Government Bill will ban the trade of goods but not services as the basis in EU law is much weaker for services than it is for goods. The Government has opted for fresh legislation instead of progressing the Occupied Territories Bill, first tabled in 2018. The Government has said there is 'a narrow pathway', based on an advisory opinion from the UN's top court, to ban trade with illegal Israeli settlements. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) said last July that countries should 'take steps to prevent trade or investment relations' that maintain Israeli settlements on Palestinian land, which it deemed illegal. Mr Harris said that the Government had 'not yet been able to identify the narrow pathway on services' but that there is a legal 'pathway' to ban the trade of goods. He said he believed Ireland would become the first country in the western world to consider such legislation and said he hoped it would encourage other countries to do likewise. Speaking on RTE's Six One News, Mr Harris claimed there was 'no policy difference' between himself and Senator Frances Black, who had brought forward a Bill that would also include services. He said: 'I want to do everything humanly possible to help maximise the pressure for a ceasefire and an end to the violence and the war crimes that are happening in Gaza. 'But what I also want to make sure is that the Bill doesn't fall at the first legal hurdle and I want to produce legislation that's impactful, that could inspire other European nations to join us as well in bringing forward similar legislation. 'And at the moment, the legal opinion that I have is that it's impossible to do goods under EU law because of the ICJ judgments, but it may not be in relation to services.' However, the Tanaiste said he 'would like to be proven wrong' if there is a pathway on services. Irish premier Micheal Martin told the Dail parliament that there is 'very little' trade between Ireland and the occupied territories but said the ban was an important symbolic move. He was responding to questions from Social Democrats TD Sinead Gibney who said that the Dail was 'running out of time' to pass the goods ban before the summer recess. 'Just for the record, there is no major trade between Ireland and the occupied territories, there is very little actually,' Taoiseach Micheal Martin said on Tuesday. He added: 'But that's not the point, the point is it is a symbolic move and that is important in itself.' In relation to Sinn Fein's Bill that aims to give Ireland's Finance Minister the powers to impose restrictive measures on securities issued by or on behalf of Israel, the Government said the proposals were 'unworkable'. Mr Martin said the legislation proposed by Sinn Fein was 'simply unworkable' and 'has been written in a manner that in no shape or form could ever be made workable'. He said it does not focus on Israel 'at all' and said the review of the EU-Israel Association could have a 'far greater influence'. A Government spokesperson said the proposed Sinn Fein Bill was asking for an activity that does not take place in Ireland – Israeli bonds are not listed on the Irish Stock Exchange nor are they available to purchase through any regulated entity in the State – to end. The spokesperson said that the Bill does not prevent securities or bonds from the Israeli state being issued nor does it prevent Israel from raising money by selling bonds.
