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Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Times
Look out London and Paris, there's a new fashion week in town
Tweed, tech and a touch of trad — Paul Costelloe is set to headline the first Ireland Fashion Week, describing the event as a 'historic moment'. Not to be confused with Dublin Independent Fashion Week which returns for its third year from September 22, Ireland Fashion Week will run from October 6 to 10 in venues in Dublin, Connemara and the midlands. It will feature three flagship shows, two spotlight events and three mixed showcases, highlighting graduate and professional designers. Costelloe, Sinead Keary, Aoife McNamara and Rashhiiid by Rachel Maguire are among the 54 Irish designers who will be taking part, while Thalia Heffernan will model some of their designs. Costelloe, who turned 80 last month, reported retained earnings of €2 million to the end of August last year through his company Paul Costelloe Design Management. Commenting on his involvement in Ireland Fashion Week, he told The Sunday Times: 'It is a historic moment when Irish fashion steps out of the shadows to be acclaimed and considered. It shouldn't compare itself to Paris or London fashion weeks but base itself on its own culture and creativity.' The event is an initiative by Ashley McDonnell, a Galway-born digital leader in luxury and tech who is the managing director of Puig, a Spanish fashion and beauty business with subsidiaries such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Nina Ricci and Charlotte Tilbury. McDonnell, who lives in Dublin and Paris, said she had a long wish list of designers and models that she wanted to be involved. Thankfully this is now reality. She has also invited Sidney Toledano, a former chief executive of Christian Dior Couture, as well as Jonathan William (JW) Anderson. 'In terms of designers, we also have Bold Golf, a brand that I only discovered during the application process and I'm so impressed by what they have built in a year and a half,' she said. 'For our mixed show, which is under the theme of 'Irish roots', we have ten designers that will do four looks each and are going to tell the story of Ireland through fashion. 'That one is going to be something that blows everyone away because we've got designers who basically graduated in the last year, all the way to Magee which was founded in 1866. We'll also have a couple of models coming over from Paris and London and we'll be able to give their names pretty soon.' McDonnell, 31, said the aim of Ireland Fashion Week was to build a robust, domestic fashion industry that had 'financial accountability and could be self-sustained'. She said: 'One thing I feel that we have struggled with in Ireland is building an actual robust industry where everyone involved is able to be financially independent and where we can pay all the other creatives that need to be involved in a successful fashion business. So that's what the idea behind all of this is. 'The beauty of Ireland Fashion Week is that it's the first one, so we're able to set the standards really high. It was never my dream to create a fashion week but ultimately I want to build the future luxury group of Ireland platform brands and help them go international. I felt that without a really strong platform at home for brands to build that foundation, brands would be limited.' McDonnell said Ireland Fashion Week would focus on authenticity, with Irish themes built into each show. 'Somebody asked me how will it be unique, how will someone look at an image or video from the week and know that it's Ireland fashion,' she said. 'The beauty of Ireland is that I don't think we're going to struggle with that because we are really unique. We lean into our heritage with textiles, our environment and architecture. 'We are producing shows that will be running from themes of heritage and modern heritage to Irish roots, and Irish themes with sportswear and streetwear. I don't think anyone's going to have any issues in identifying Ireland Fashion Week and that that's an Irish designer.' McDonnell believes her event could eventually compete with the likes of London and Paris. 'This is a long-term investment — we have a tech fund of €7.5 million that will be distributed across all of those designers,' she said. 'We have a production budget of €1 million for our events and shows and we are subsidising 90 to 100 per cent of the cost of these fashion shows. 'We are doing this because we see it as a strategic investment to boost the whole creative ecosystem. I hope this will also speed us up in catching up with other countries and cities that have fashion weeks around the world.' Heffernan will host a model boot camp as part of the week, which will aim to find and nurture Irish talent. McDonnell said: 'This was the brainchild of Thalia. She came to me and said, 'I want to be a part of this in a more authentic and valuable way. I want to be able to help spot upcoming talent but also give people the tools they need to be able to succeed.' 'We're going to be hosting a casting day which Thalia will be a part of and then we're going to host the model boot camp where models are able to learn everything from how to walk on the runway, but also how to build their modelling careers.' McDonnell, who dreamt of a career in fashion from the age of 16, began working for Christian Dior in Paris when she was 23. 'Anyone who was with me in secondary school will probably say that they always knew I'd end up working in fashion,' she said. 'I heard about a show that was going to take place in London, showcasing illustrations from Christian Dior. I went to the exhibition and said to my mum, 'I'm going to work for Christian Dior in Paris.' She didn't say that's impossible and she didn't say it's possible either. 'I did my research and realised most people that worked in fashion at Christian Dior studied at HEC Paris [the business school]. It took me a few years but I eventually got there and sure enough, in my first week, we had a recruiter on campus from Christian Dior. Before I even graduated, I had a full-time offer to join the headquarters in Paris as a digital manager.'
Irish Times
16-07-2025
- Irish Times
‘It will haunt me until the day I die': Man jailed for raping pregnant partner
A man who raped his pregnant partner in their bed six years ago was working for a local authority until he was taken into custody earlier this month, a court has heard. The 39-year-old man's partner managed to set her phone to record during the rape in which she could be heard saying she was not consenting, the Central Criminal Court heard. She was five months pregnant at the time. The man pleaded guilty to one count of rape on October 13th, 2019, at an address in the midlands after the woman gave evidence at his trial in Tullamore earlier this year. He was jailed for seven years on Tuesday. Until his sentence hearing last week when he was taken into custody, the man had been employed by a local authority, the court heard. He has one previous conviction for the sale and supply of drugs. Sentencing him, Mr Justice David Keane said the recording of the rape, which was played at trial, was 'distressing to listen to'. He noted the woman could be heard saying 'no' repeatedly, asking the man to stop and crying during and after the rape. He commended her for the 'presence of mind' and 'ingenuity' she showed in recording her ordeal, noting she was an 'inspirational example of courage and resilience'. The judge said the offence took place in the woman's home, in her own bed and was carried out by an intimate partner. 'What should have been a place of safety and security was transformed in an instance to the place of a markedly brutish personal violation'. He sentenced the man to eight years in prison and suspended the final year of the sentence on a number of conditions. A local sergeant garda told the court that on the night in question, the man and his partner were socialising and he started drinking heavily. On the way home, he started acting erratically and the woman left him in fear and made her own way home, the court heard. [ CCTV shows Tom Niland entering shop two hours before men allegedly broke into his home Opens in new window ] She was awoken by the man at around 5am when he got into their bed, pinned her down and raped her. During the attack, the woman managed to access her phone camera and press record. The court heard that nothing could be seen in the video, but the woman could be heard crying and saying 'you're hurting me'. Afterwards, the woman said she cried in the shower and kept tapping her tummy until she felt her baby move. The woman went to gardaí the following year after the birth of their child and reported the rape. When the audio recording was played to the man after he was arrested, he said, 'That doesn't even sound like me,' and denied raping the woman. The man was granted access to their child and has a weekly visit in the woman's parents' house. In her victim impact statement, the woman said the matter had been hanging over her for years as the case was delayed twice in the courts. During this time, she said she was in constant fear of the man. She said she had seen him more often in the last couple of months since he pleaded guilty at trial, and that 'even after everything that happened' the man was granted visitation rights to their child. [ Three sisters sexually abused by brother 'deeply disappointed' over 'leniency' of eight-year prison term Opens in new window ] She said he had shown no remorse for the pain and suffering he caused her, and she outlined anxiety, nightmares and sleeplessness since the attack. 'It will haunt me until the day I die,' she said. Michael Bowman SC, defending, said his client was under the influence of a considerable amount of alcohol at the time. He has been in a new relationship for the past five years and this woman was in court to support him, the court heard. A probation report before the court noted the man is at a moderate risk of reoffending.
Irish Times
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
UK's Labour government facing backbench revolt over plan to repeal Troubles Legacy Act
A significant rebellion is brewing in the UK's Labour Party over plans by Keir Starmer 's government to repeal the Legacy Act that gave immunity to British soldiers and others for acts committed during the Troubles. The UK's veterans minister, Alistair Carns, is reported to be threatening to resign if the UK government goes ahead and strips British soldiers of their immunity. Backbenchers in Labour seats in working-class areas where lots of former soldiers live – Labour's so-called Red Wall in England's midlands and north – are also understood to be putting pressure on the UK government to change tack. Labour MPs who spoke to The Irish Times on Tuesday night speculated the UK government could pull the Bill to head off yet another backbench rebellion, or else water it down to assuage rebels while appearing to avoid another humiliating U-turn. Backbench rebellions recently forced Downing Street to back down on welfare cuts. READ MORE It is understood that Morgan McSweeney, the Corkman who is UK prime minister's chief of staff, has become personally involved in the issue. SDLP MP Colum Eastwood is believed to be preparing to challenge Mr Starmer on the issue in the House of Commons on Wednesday, during prime minister's questions. In a story first reported by the Times newspaper in London on Tuesday, Mr Carns, a former Royal Marine, is believed to have threatened to resign in talks with Hilary Benn , the Northern Ireland Secretary who is overseeing legislation to repeal the Legacy Act. Labour MPs who spoke to The Irish Times acknowledged that a serious problem was brewing for Mr Starmer's government over the issue. 'It's all f**ked,' said one. Mr Benn is due to publish legislation to repeal the Legacy Act in coming weeks. MPs debated the issue in Westminster Hall on Monday after a petition was filed with 175,000 signatures calling on the government not to repeal the Act. Irish-linked MPs and political observers were said to be despondent after the debate, at which Mr Carns was present. If the UK government chooses not to face down the rebels and if it pulls or waters down its plans – which were a manifesto commitment – it will also complicate relations with the Irish Government, which had long opposed the immunity plan. Earlier on Tuesday Downing Street told Westminster reporters the UK government was in 'lockstep' on the issue. The Irish Times has sought a more detailed response from Mr Starmer's office.
Irish Times
09-07-2025
- Irish Times
Woman left ‘shaken' and ‘in tears' after alleged racist incident on Bus Éireann bus
Bus Éireann is investigating an alleged racist incident which occurred on a bus service in a town in the midlands in May. A passenger, Sarah Lennon (20), alleges she was subjected to racial discrimination while travelling on a bus route in the town on May 28th. Ms Lennon is Nigerian-Irish. She was born in Ireland but spent most of her childhood in the UK and Canada. She is based in Vancouver, where she is studying pre-law, but is in Ireland for the summer visiting her father and other relatives. Ms Lennon said on the day in question, she had seen another passenger with a bus ticket for a set time use this ticket on a bus at a different time, so she thought this practice was allowed. She said that when she boarded the bus and asked the driver if she could transfer her ticket, he became 'aggressive' and 'unnecessarily hostile'. READ MORE She claims the driver said: 'You think you people can just come here without paying?' 'I was startled and began searching for my wallet in my bag,' Ms Lennon said. 'I explained, calmly, that I was unfamiliar with the system and that I assumed, based on what I saw earlier, that reusing the ticket was acceptable within a short window.' She said she paid for a new ticket, which cost €2, 'without hesitation'. At that point, she alleges the driver loudly said: 'They are always trying to get away without paying.' Ms Lennon said she told the driver that, although she lives abroad, her family is from the town in question. 'As a mixed-race Black Irish woman, I am no stranger to being misjudged. But this was one of the clearest examples I've experienced in a public service setting where racial bias was thinly veiled behind supposed policy enforcement. I wasn't given the benefit of the doubt or even a basic level of respect,' she said. 'I know I don't look Irish, and I knew he didn't think I was Irish. He didn't think I was from here ... but I am Irish by my blood and my heritage, I was born here,' she said. Sarah Lennon holds a photograph of her Irish grandparents. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill/The Irish Times Ms Lennon claims that when she pushed the button to signal she wanted the bus to stop so she could get off, the driver ignored her. She said that when she got off the bus, a couple of stops later, she was 'shaken' and 'broke down in tears'. She called her father to come pick her up. Ms Lennon and her father later lodged complaints with Bus Éireann and Transport for Ireland about the alleged incident. She said she is going public with her story because she does not believe enough is being done to protect passengers from such behaviour. In an email sent to her father on June 11th, a spokesperson for Transport of Ireland said: 'The driver concerned has now been identified and arrangements have been made to interview this driver in relation to this incident and I would like to assure you that suitable corrective steps will be taken in order to prevent a recurrence of this nature in the future.' The spokeswoman, on behalf of Bus Éireann and Transport for Ireland, offered 'sincere apologies for any distress caused by the incident'. A different spokeswoman confirmed to The Irish Times that Bus Éireann is 'aware of an incident that occurred' on one of its bus routes on May 28th, 2025. 'Whilst we do not comment on individual cases, we can confirm we are currently investigating this matter and the Transport for Ireland customer service team have been in direct contact with the passenger involved.' In a statement, the spokeswoman said Bus Éireann 'takes complaints of this nature very seriously'. 'The safety of our passengers is of paramount importance to Bus Éireann, and any incidents reported are fully investigated in line with our standard procedures and follow-up actions taken if required. 'At Bus Éireann we are committed to ensuring our services are available to everyone in the community, with a requirement for all customers to have a valid ticket or pass, and with all customers being treated in a fair and equitable manner.'
Bloomberg
06-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
UK Builders Find Support in Labour's Plan to Upgrade Roads and Railways
British infrastructure firms stand to benefit from the Labour government's spending plans for roads, railways and energy projects, with strong order books expected to feed into improving outlooks during the upcoming earnings season. Companies including Balfour Beatty Plc, Costain Group Plc, Morgan Sindall Group Plc and Kier Group Plc are lined up to win orders after Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves announced £113 billion ($154 billion) of funding for public infrastructure across the UK last month. That includes £39 billion to build affordable homes, £14 billion for the Sizewell C nuclear project in Suffolk and £15 billion for new transport infrastructure across the north and midlands.
