Guest post by Darya Yegorina, founder of Arventa

It is Friday evening. The work is done. You are at the kitchen table trying to work out what you actually did all week.

The quote is in your Notes app. The hours are in a WhatsApp thread. The client’s number is in your phone. Their address is on an old invoice. The receipt for materials is a photo on your camera roll.

So you copy. You paste. You copy again.

That is the real job for most small business owners in Ireland. Not the work. The re-typing of the work. And no AI tool on the market today is fixing it.

I want to explain why, because a lot of good people are being sold the wrong solution.

We are using AI. It is not saving us much.

Irish businesses are not behind on this. Irish Tech News reported research from OpenAI suggesting almost nine in ten Irish SME leaders now use AI. Separate research from Google and Amárach, also covered here, found that 80% of Irish SMEs believe AI can help their business.

So we believe in it. We are paying for it. Around €20 a month gets you a very good assistant.

Now look at what actually happens when you use it.

You open the chat window. You type out who the client is. You paste in last year’s prices. You describe the job from memory. You get back a nicely written quote. Then you paste that into your invoicing app. Then you type the same details a third time when you log your hours.

The AI saved you the typing. It did not save you the work. The work was the remembering and the re-entering, and that is still all yours.

This is not the AI failing. It is the AI having nothing to work with. A tool that cannot see your clients, your rates, your open jobs or your hours is a stranger with good grammar. It will give you something that sounds right, because sounding right is all it can do.

Irish Tech News made this exact point recently in a piece on why SMEs need better data foundations before AI delivers real value. I would put it more bluntly. If your business information lives in ten apps, your AI knows about none of them.

The app fatigue tax

Count the software you opened this week. Not what you pay for. What you opened.

For most small Irish businesses it looks like this. An accounts package. A separate invoicing tool. A spreadsheet doing the job of a CRM. A calendar. A time tracking app you stopped updating in March. WhatsApp for clients. Something for social posts. The bank app. A folder of PDFs. Email holding whatever the other nine dropped.

The subscriptions are annoying. They are not the real cost.

The real cost is you. In a business of one to five people, the owner is also the office, the credit control and the marketing department. Every switch between apps costs you attention. Every re-typed address is a chance to get it wrong. There is nobody to hand it to.

This is why so many owners quietly give up on software. The Google and Amárach research found that a third of micro-businesses with under ten staff are using no AI at all, and that the top barriers are fear of getting it wrong, lack of skills and cost.

I would add one more. Tiredness. People do not abandon tools because they are hard. They abandon them because it is one more place to put things.

That is app fatigue. It is not laziness. It is a fair reaction to a setup that turns you into the wiring between your own software.

One place instead of ten

Here is the fix, and it is less exciting than AI, which is probably why nobody sells it to you.

Put the quote, the job, the hours, the invoice and the VAT in one place. One record, not five documents.

When you do that, something quiet happens. Your business starts producing clean, organised information as a by-product of doing the work. Not as a chore on a Friday night. Automatically.

That matters more than people think. A PDF invoice is a picture of information. A human has to read it and type it in somewhere else. Organised information is different. It can be added up, checked, reported and reused without anyone touching it.

It is also what makes AI genuinely useful. Ask a question about your business and you get an answer based on your actual numbers, not on whatever you managed to paste into a chat box.

There is a deadline attached to this too. Under Revenue’s VAT Modernisation plan, structured e-invoicing becomes mandatory for large corporates from 1 November 2028, and widens further in November 2029. The part most small businesses miss is that from November 2028 every VAT-registered business in Ireland has to be able to receive a structured e-invoice. That includes a two-person operation.

If you are already working this way, that date will pass without you noticing. If you are running on PDFs and copy-paste, it will cost you.

What I would do first

The more useful thing I can give you is not a link. It is a job for Sunday.

Write down every tool you opened this week and what you typed into each one. Then mark every detail you entered more than once. The client name. The address. The rate. The hours.

That list is what your setup is really costing you, in your own handwriting.

Fix the duplication first. Add the AI second. That is the whole argument.

About Contributor:

Dr.Darya Yegorina is the founder of Arventa, a Dublin AI platform for small businesses, and previously founded the EdTech company CleverBooks. She spoke to Irish Tech News about building digital-first businesses here: Darya Yegorina, founder Arventa, digital native from day one.

See more stories here.

]]> https://irishtechnews.ie/viatel-reaches-highest-palo-alto-networks-partner-accreditation/ Tue, 25 Aug 2026 15:00:26 +0000 https://irishtechnews.ie/?p=185334

Viatel Technology Group has achieved Diamond Partner status within the Palo Alto Networks NextWave Partner Programme, the highest tier of recognition within the Palo Alto Networks partner ecosystem.

The accreditation recognises Viatel’s deep technical expertise, investment in specialist cyber talent and proven track record in helping enterprise, public sector and highly regulated organisations strengthen their defences against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.

Operating across Ireland and the UK, Viatel’s Cyber Services division is a leading provider of cybersecurity, managed services and specialist security consultancy. Across government, criminal justice, healthcare, utilities, financial services and the private sector, Viatel supports customers in addressing complex security challenges, navigating evolving compliance requirements and building long-term cyber resilience. Its team works with organisations operating in complex IT and operational technology environments and provides expertise across regulatory and compliance frameworks, including NIS and CAF.

The achievement marks another significant milestone in the continued growth of Viatel’s cybersecurity practice. In July the company announced the acquisition of FullProxy, a specialist Scottish cybersecurity consultancy, further strengthening the group’s expertise, scale and capability across Ireland and the UK.

This accreditation will enable Viatel to deliver even greater value to customers through enhanced security expertise, access to the latest cyber innovations, and strengthened strategic support, helping organisations protect critical assets, manage cyber risk and build long-term resilience.

Paddy Trainor, Managing Director of Cyber Services at Viatel Technology Group, said: “Achieving Diamond Partner status is a landmark moment for Viatel. It validates our team’s deep technical proficiency and our unwavering commitment to defending our clients against sophisticated cyber threats.

“This accreditation reflects the strength of our partnership with Palo Alto Networks and enhances our ability to deliver world-class cybersecurity solutions that help customers strengthen their cyber resilience and operate with confidence in an increasingly challenging threat landscape.”

Adrian Purcell, Country Manager, Ireland, Palo Alto Networks, said: “We are delighted to welcome Viatel Technology Group to our elite group of Diamond Partners. Viatel has repeatedly demonstrated outstanding technical capability, deep market knowledge, and an absolute focus on customer outcomes.

“As enterprise security demands shift toward platformisation, automated SecOps, and Zero Trust frameworks, Palo Alto Networks looks forward to working closely with Viatel to drive market expansion, capture new growth opportunities, and protect our joint customers.”

The accreditation cements Viatel’s position among the leading cybersecurity specialists serving organisations across Ireland, Northern Ireland and the UK. Backed by continued investment in advanced security capabilities, specialist expertise and strategic growth, the company is helping customers stay ahead of an increasingly complex threat environment while meeting the security, compliance and resilience demands of critical and highly regulated sectors.

See more stories here.

Qualcom, a leading Irish provider of IT and cybersecurity services, has announced that it increased annual revenues in Northern Ireland by 30%. The company is continuing to accelerate its growth in 2026 and forecasts a further 15% revenue increase in the region by year-end.

Qualcom is expanding its team to support this continued growth and will add five new roles at its Belfast office by the end of 2026. Recruitment has already begun for these roles, which include positions for both on-site and field-based engineers. This will bring the headcount to 21 employees in Northern Ireland.

This growth has been largely driven by demand for Qualcom’s services within the retail sector in Northern Ireland. The increased move to digital payment services means that there is reduced reliance on traditional payment methods in store. Qualcom is seeing a growing demand among retailers for integrated and ultra-secure digital systems to support card and app payments, loyalty card programmes, and online ordering platforms – often across multiple locations. In addition, these systems require reliable internet connectivity and regular software updates to ensure uninterrupted service, a seamless customer experience, and the protection of sensitive financial data.

Due to the more complex nature of these systems, Qualcom is providing increased on-the-ground support to retailers to resolve issues quickly and maintain business continuity. In turn, this reduces the burden on in-house teams. Qualcom’s engineers can even remain physically on-site after system implementation to provide day-to-day support for retailers which, in particular, fills a critical skills gap for businesses without internal IT resources. This staff-as-a-service model has become an increasingly attractive option as companies look for more flexible and commercially viable ways to manage IT operations, especially in relation to managing holidays and sickness cover.

The company is also reducing complexity for retailers and other large businesses in Northern Ireland when it comes to post-Brexit customs and excise processes by managing the logistics of device and hardware procurement.

Leeann Saunders, Managing Director for Northern Ireland, Qualcom, said: “As the retail landscape continues to rapidly evolve, there is a growing demand for resilient IT infrastructure that can support secure and streamlined customer experiences, regardless of how they may choose to shop. Reputation is key in retail and it’s vital that sensitive customer information remains protected as cyber threats grow. This will not only strengthen public perception but ensure that operations can continue uninterrupted. In this vein, IT security is an increasing focus for boards and senior leadership teams in the retail sector as organisations place greater emphasis on resilience and securing confidential data.

“We are expanding our team in Northern Ireland to meet this increasing demand, bridge technical skills gaps and reduce pressure on organisations. This year, we will continue to work closely with our customers to deliver enterprise-grade capabilities without the enterprise-grade distance.”

See more stories here.

Here at Irish Tech News we love meeting and introducing new Irish startups to our readers and podcast listeners. One such startup is SelenaVoice AI  that builds custom AI phone receptionists for Irish service businesses. I recently caught up with Jack Power the founder of SelenaVoice AI.

Jack talks about his background, what SelenaVoice AI does, coming up with SelenaVoice AI, guardrails, future plans, and more.

More about Jack Power:

Jack Power is a 20 year old entrepreneur from Co. Meath, currently studying Digital Business and Innovation at DCU while building SelenaVoice AI. After a business partnership collapsed and cost him every client he’d built, Jack started again from scratch under his own name.

SelenaVoice AI builds custom AI phone receptionists for Irish service businesses, helping eliminate interruptions and stop them losing money to missed calls. Available and answering 24/7, so no lead is ever lost. Jack documents the journey daily on TikTok and Instagram.

See more podcasts here.

FBD Insurance has launched its ‘Fuelling Business Dreams’ competition for 2027, giving 15 businesses across Ireland the opportunity to receive a marketing support package worth €30,000 each.

Representing a total investment of €450,000 in Irish SMEs, this initiative will provide each winning business with a fully funded, professionally crafted marketing campaign designed to raise their businesses profile, reach new customers and help bring their  business dreams and ambitions to life. The competition is open to both existing FBD customers and non-customers, from ambitious start-ups to established local businesses. Applications are open from 17th August until midday on Thursday, 15 October 2026.

Fuelling Business Dreams

Entrants are being invited to share the moments that have defined their business journey, from securing a first major client or growing their team to receiving exceptional customer feedback or reaching an important milestone. Businesses will also have the opportunity to outline their future ambitions and explain how a €30,000 marketing campaign could support their next stage of development.

Applications will be reviewed by a judging panel from across FBD Insurance, with 15 winning businesses selected to participate in the 2027 campaign.

Speaking about the launch, Nicola Ging, Senior Marketing Manager at FBD Insurance, said:

“Irish SMEs are at the heart of communities across the country. They create employment, deliver vital local services and bring energy, ambition and innovation to the Irish economy. Fuelling Business Dreams is about recognising that contribution and giving businesses practical support to take their next step.”

“Every business has defining moments and ambitions for the future. We want to hear those stories and give 15 businesses access to the creative expertise, marketing support and exposure that can help turn their ambitions into reality. Whether they are an FBD customer or not, we encourage businesses from every sector and region to apply.”

Fuelling Business Dreams has become an important part of FBD’s wider commitment to supporting the passion, resilience and entrepreneurial spirit of Irish SMEs. The initiative combines a nationwide competition with bespoke advertising campaigns for the winning businesses.

Each winner will work with marketing professionals to develop a tailored campaign, which may include creative content and targeted promotion across outdoor, radio, print and digital channels.

Reflecting on the impact of a previous Fuelling Business Dreams campaign, former winner Michael Lynders of Lynders Holiday Parks said:

“We applied because we wanted to increase awareness of our business and reach a wider audience. The campaign also offered a fantastic opportunity to showcase what we do and connect with potential new customers.”

Businesses can enter the Fuelling Business Dreams competition at https://www.fbd.ie/dreams .  Applications close at midday on Thursday, 15 October 2026.

See more breaking dreams here.

We look at this call to arms by Will Hackman, published this year by Bloomsbury. See more about Radically Reframing Climate Change, A Guide to Saving Ourselves here. 

Radically Reframing Climate Change A Guide to Saving Ourselves, reviewed

Whew, tough times to write this book, when the planet is in such dire straits, and you have a president who is actually undermining environmental safe guards, destroying data and actively embracing polluting technologies. Even when renewables are now cheaper, growing faster, providing boom times for jobs, and all being rejected because the fossil fuel industry have stuffed the Potus’s pockets with money to advocate their agenda – even though it is raising deaths, global warming and so many other negative health trends.

Will Hackman acknowledges that, in such a terrible moment in time, with key people in positions of leadership, it really does require a massive effort to counter their negative impact, combined with the negative impacts of global warming too. It seems crazy to even need to spell this one out, firebomb forest fires in Spain and France this summer, repeated heat waves in the UK, higher deaths from heat and drowning. We have had climate change deniers, lobbyists looking to distort, deny, disassemble scientific facts, to raise corporate profits, while people die.

How do they sleep at night? What about their own children, who will have to live in this future diminished world, no matter how rich you are, if the planet is destroyed, where will you live? Naturally there is no point in drowning in despair, or rather, you might as well go down fighting. As Hackman points out too, many of these awful, self interested current leaders will not be alive in the very near future, so it is up to those with their best years ahead of them to be proactive and take charge and drag things back around. Populism has currently brought some awful, self interested people to positions of leadership, but the pendulum can equally swing back just as quickly too.

More about Radically Reframing Climate Change

An inspirational guide to discussing and fighting climate change for millennial and GenZ voters that cuts through the usual myths and scare tactics to provide practical advice.

Will Hackman is a Millennial, and he is pissed. Two wars, two global economic catastrophes, and a pandemic combined with a ballooning cost-of-living crisis and crushing student loan debt can do that to a person. But there’s one thing that compounds these challenges that is unequaled in human history: the ticking time bomb of fossil fuel emissions. Millennials and Gen-Zers will be left to deal with the worst of the climate change fallout well after those responsible have passed away. And we have never been more divided.

In Radically Reframing Climate Change: A Guide to Saving Ourselves, Will Hackman identifies three main obstacles to solving climate change: polarization, paralysis, and stale, ineffective messaging. He empowers readers to turn their anxiety or apathy into passion, and anger into action at the personal, community, and government levels. The climate rallying cries to “Save the Planet” no longer work in our hyper-partisan world, nor do images of polar bears on melting glaciers. The problem isn’t scientific, fact-based, or even technological. It’s political, emotional, and ideological. Hackman provides a path forward for engagement and voter mobilization that combats apathy, dread, and resentment, and builds greater issue identification.

Hackman reframes the climate crisis as a humanity crisis, arguing that we must change how we think and talk about climate change, both in our conversations with non-believers and among those who care. Assuring humanity’s place on a changing planet will require a near universal level of public support we will never reach if we keep making the same mistakes. We know how to do this. But the stakes have never been higher and time is running out.

More about the author

Will Hackman has more than fifteen years’ experience working in US political campaigns, public policy process, strategic communications, coalition building, climate activism, and global environmental conservation advocacy. Will is a frequent climate policy expert voice online and in the media and has been interviewed on several climate change-related podcasts and filmed a TEDx in 2022. His writing has appeared in The Hill and Washington Post. He lives in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley in Front Royal, Virginia with his wife Paula, tucked into the Blue Ridge Mountains and the north entrance to Shenandoah National Park.

See more reviews here.

We look at this study of the emergence and influence of minimalist music, from it’s origins in the 1960s, through it’s rise in popularity, and influence across wider musical genres. See more about Minimalist Music here. 

Minimalist Music reviewed

The distinctive style of Philip Glass and Michael Nyman in particular are more well known than you may realise, especially if you have watched Scorsese movies. Steve Reich is also of course deeply influential, if perhaps slightly less well known to some. George Grella does a great and even handed job of taking us through the origins of the emergence of minimalist music, and then its cross fertilisation and inspiration of other artists. David Bowie quickly saw the value and inspiration of Philip Glass’s music, even before you had Brian Eno and Philip Glass then reworking the epic Berlin period of Bowie’s music for a return rebound musical reworking too.

Grella very clearly describes how Reich and Glass were peers, even born in the same year, and students together too, and how both were vital, but significantly different key drivers in the creation of minimalism. Both created beautiful, emotionally significant, but very different types of music. Interestingly another pillar of minimal music, and also art critic too, Michael Nyman, actually coined the term too. For many people the stunning movie Koyaanisqatsi, 1982, was the perfect visual introduction to the work of Philip Glass, bringing him to a much wider audience, and also illustrating the power and beauty of what minimalist music can do.

Grella also includes an important, relevant, and interesting chapter on the fusion and expansion of what minimal music could be. Perhaps slightly sadly for some of these groups, like The Orb, and Orbital, despite being inspired by Glass and Reich, they were not actually seen as successors to their lineage. Despite this slight, for us, as more neutral listeners, it is clear that the Orb, Banco Di Gaia and many others have a clear debt to minimalism, and we are richer for it.

David Letterman is quoted in the book as introducing Philip Glass to his show by describing him as one of the most successful people to bridge popular and classical music. As Grella rightly points out, prior to ‘classical music’ being seen as elitist and not for the masses, it actually was popular music for the last several centuries. Philip Glass described himself as a composer of music for films and popular culture. and, with the subsequent interaction and evolution of ideas by Robert Frip, and Johnny Greenwood (Radiohead) it is clear that this music has inspired many people working in many areas. We are richer for this, and, despite the brevity of this book. it is a great read by Grella and helps to give the reader a better understanding of what minimal music is, and is not. Well worth a read.

More about Minimalist Music

Minimalist Music looks critically into the music’s past, shows how the genre thrives across styles, and points the way toward minimalism’s ongoing future.

Minimalism as a genre is best defined not by any style or flavor but by its means. Certain rhythms and chords in other music may identify things like jazz or bossa nova or reggae; take those same elements and put them through the processes of minimalism and you have minimalism with the hues of other musics.

A still young genre with ancient roots, minimalism is much less any kind of style than a practice, a manner of making music. Reviving those means and applying them to contemporary sounds and experiences, the pioneers of minimalism created a new and avant-garde music that immediately communicated its power to listeners of all kinds. The global appeal of minimalism and the way the methods adapt to myriad styles open up a view into how music actually works as an art and an experience, how through time it connects in a fundamental way to how we as humans listen.

Minimalist Music is also available in audiobook format from audiobook retailers.

More about George Grella, Jr.

He has written about music and culture for over thirty years for print and online publications, and has contributed to the Grove Dictionary of Music and the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry. He is Music Editor at The Brooklyn Rail, publishes the Kill Yr Idols newsletter, and is the author of Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew (Bloomsbury 2015). He has played jazz, classical, and improvised music from CBGB to Carnegie Hall.

See more reviews here.

Most organisations are no longer struggling to deploy AI. They are struggling to derive measurable value from it.

Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) and its agentic capabilities place organisational transformation as a key strategic consideration for organisations across all sectors. In the first article in the KPMG AI Agentic series, KPMG’s Shane Garahy and Emma Coogan outline how businesses can unlock value through an agentic AI strategy.

KPMG’s Global AI Quarterly Pulse Survey Q2 2026 found that approximately 7 per cent of organisations surveyed are experiencing established Return on Investment, with organisations planning to invest an average of $188 million over the next year on AI investments. Organisations are reimagining the art of what is possible and are facing fears of being left behind or missing out on opportunities to expand revenue streams and enhance efficiencies.

Where to begin and how to align

The biggest challenges facing AI strategy are risk management, quality of organisational data, lack of measurable Return on Investment (“ROI”), employee adoption, and integration with other emerging technologies. This poses the question to all organisations: Where to begin and how to align? KPMG provide a tailored approach to your organisation’s needs on how to structure and approach envisioning a future where agentic AI is embedded across workflows, redefining every layer of your organisation and unlocking new sources of value.

The rapid emergence of agentic AI platforms and marketplaces is making it easier than ever for organisations to adopt AI agents at scale. However, the challenge is no longer access to technology, but making the right strategic choices around governance, integration, security, compliance and operating model design. As the regulatory landscape continues to evolve, organisations that prioritise trust and control alongside innovation will be best placed to unlock value, while those that move without a clear framework risk creating complexity, increasing compliance exposure and limiting return on investment.

Creating a frictionless agentic AI journey

There is an expanding gap between deployment and scaling of AI and creating tangible organisational value. Organisations successfully scaling AI now will be dependent on the effectiveness of aligning agentic AI strategies, governance embedded across operations and their effective ability to evaluate for trust and performance.

Designing such an agentic AI strategy requires meticulous alignment of strategic ambition, operating model design, technology integration, and regulatory readiness.

The ultimate goal is to create a frictionless agentic AI journey from discovery to deployment, embedding trust, governance and scalability at every juncture. Organisations that act now will shape the standards and value flows of this evolving ecosystem, while slower movers risk falling behind as the market matures.

Translating strategic ambition into a structured, scalable operating model

KPMG supports organisations with AI strategy design, operating model transformation, governance frameworks, regulatory readiness assessments, AI risk management and implementation roadmaps.

The KPMG Framework outlined below can be leveraged to structure your organisation’s thinking and approach throughout the design, development and implementation of your agentic AI strategy, from defining your ambition to shaping business and operating models. This can support your organisations in determining what good looks like and the consequences of getting your agentic AI strategy wrong.

Agentic AI has the capability to amplify success, but the same stands for failure in the event of poor design and/ or implementation of an agentic AI strategy. Getting this wrong can impact every tier of the organisation and can give rise to loss of control, loss of trust, regulatory implications, disruption to business activities, litigation exposure and competitive disadvantage, which can generate a loss on returns, diminish market share and erode organisational credibility.

This outlines the key considerations for successfully unlocking value from an Agentic AI strategy, including the introduction of KPMG’s Target Operating Model (‘TOM’), which defines how an organisation uses its people, processes and technology to deliver its strategy effectively.

KPMG’s Target Operating Model

What have leading organisations done?

• A clearly defined long-term strategic ambition for their agentic AI strategy and an understanding of how that ambition translates into financial objectives.
• A clear view of the total revenue opportunity and the market share required to make the strategy viable.
• Identified what consumers value, how those expectations will evolve, and how agentic AI can be leveraged to support long-term value creation.
• A clearly defined concept of agentic AI to bring their strategic ambition to life. Identified and defined the key drivers and trends shaping adoption, with a clear response strategy.

Agentic AI strategy readiness checklist

How KPMG can help

As organisations accelerate their adoption of agentic AI and explore designing, developing and implementing agentic AI strategy, they face a common set of challenges, from defining strategic ambition to navigating regulatory complexity, designing scalable, measurable operating models, and maintaining global consistency.

KPMG supports leadership teams to translate strategic ambition into practical, scalable operating realities that can support your organisation in envisaging a sustainable, trusted and competitive agentic AI strategy. For more insights, visit kpmg.ie.

Article Authors:

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a global leader in IT services, consulting, and business solutions and operating a global delivery centre out of Letterkenny, Ireland, has launched TCS ADD AgentHub, a role-based, enterprise-ready, and trusted AI platform that enables the use of agentic AI in drug development at scale. This new agentic AI workforce transforms clinical trials and pharmacovigilance services while maintaining regulatory and audit requirements.

Pharmaceutical companies function in highly regulated environments, where they face challenges with trust, governance and scalability when applying AI across functions. Growing data volumes, fragmented systems, and increasing regulatory expectations across clinical development and pharmacovigilance are adding complexities to the entire R&D value chain.

TCS ADD AgentHub provides a structured framework to mitigate these challenges. Within the framework, AI agents can operate with clear roles, defined oversight, and built?in auditability. Pharma companies can custom-build their AI agent hub and deploy them across clinical workflows. The platform allows rapid and streamlined integration with minimal effort, accelerating adoption while maintaining regulatory compliance.

Built on the TCS ADD framework, TCS ADD AgentHub delivers measurable operational benefits across drug development and drug safety functions. Solutions powered by the platform have demonstrated up to 40% efficiency gains in clinical data management activities, up to 30% reduction in clinical study build effort through metadata-driven automation, and up to 30% cost savings in end-to-end safety case processing. AI-powered safety agents can also reduce quality control effort by as much as 50%, helping organisations improve productivity across critical R&D processes.

Built on the TCS ADD agentic AI architecture, TCS ADD AgentHub enables pharma companies to deploy a Human + AI Operating Model in which AI agents are embedded into enterprise workflows, with humans retaining responsibility for governing and decision?making.

Debashis Ghosh, President, Lifesciences and Healthcare, TCS, said:

“TCS ADD AgentHub is a role-based, enterprise-ready, and trusted AI platform that will enable our customers to accelerate drug development using agentic AI at scale. It enables a shift from reactive to proactive, scalable, and audit-ready operations amidst an ever-changing regulatory environment. TCS’ strategy is to move towards autonomous enterprise functions where AI agentic workforce operates alongside humans, driving innovation in drug development and improving patient safety.”

TCS ADDTM AgentHub supports workflows across clinical development and pharmacovigilance through AI workers such as ICSR intake, data entry, coding, review, and literature analysis; study design, protocol digitisation, and clinical data review; SDTM (Study Data Tabulation Model) transformation; and medical monitoring assistance, among others.

With an evolving catalogue of AI agents to suit specific needs, based on requirements and landscape, they can be deployed progressively and rapidly with minimal integration and implementation effort. By standardising how AI agents are deployed across these processes, the platform helps organisations improve productivity and focus scientific teams on higher?value work.

Buoyed by its comprehensive “AI-first” culture, perfectly exemplified by TCS ADD AgentHub, TCS aspires to become the world’s largest AI-led technology services company. By leveraging the proprietary cognitive intelligence of the TCS ADD suite, TCS enables tangible, predictive, and secure digital ecosystems for its customers.

Ekco, one of Europe’s leading security-first managed service providers, has announced the results of new research which estimates that scammers cost adults in Ireland €760M last year.

The research was conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Ekco among 1,000 adults in Ireland. The data shows that 96% of people encountered a scam or phishing attempt last year and the average person received more than five scam or phishing communications per month, or 63 per year.

While many avoided being duped, 22% of adults made at least one payment last year, believing that it was legitimate communication, and 15% made two or more payments. This is despite the fact that 80% of adults are confident that they could identify a phishing text or email.

The average amount lost by those who made a payment was €890 over the course of the year. This equates to €760M1among the adult population and has left one-in-nine seeking financial help from a loved one after falling victim to cybercrime.

The most common scam identified by adults in Ireland is a customs charge payment request, with 48% saying they received one last year. This is followed by a request to verify payment details (37%) and a request to pay a toll charge (27%).

The research found that the proliferation of scams and phishing attempts has left 41% of adults feeling stressed about having to be vigilant about scams. Despite this, not everyone is sympathetic to people who fall victim, with 24% of adults saying are naïve or careless, rising to 31% among 18- to 24-year-olds.

Conor Scolard, Director of Cyber Resilience, Ekco, said: “The reason so many of us are fielding scam attempts month in, month out, is because cybercriminals know they work. And, while most people believe they can spot a scam attempt a mile off, the reality is that they are getting more sophisticated to the point where many are falling victim to scams multiple times per year.

“At Ekco, we are working hard to shut down the cybercrime economy. Businesses and service providers can do their bit by empowering customers to differentiate between legitimate and bogus communications. Doubling down on cyber defences, while also educating consumers about clicking on links, or providing payment information and PINs over the phone, can make a significant difference.”

See more stories here.

UNESCO Together, a new all?island initiative, is bringing Ireland’s UNESCO?designated sites into a single collaborative network for the first time. Led by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council and the Mourne Gullion Strangford UNESCO Global Geopark, the project is fully funded through the PEACEPLUS Change Makers Programme and will run for two years, focusing on peacebuilding, reconciliation, youth engagement and shared heritage.

Dublin will play a key role in shaping this new cross?border partnership, drawing on the capital’s two UNESCO designations, Dublin Bay Biosphere Reserve and Dublin City of Literature. Through these partnerships, Dublin will help drive creative exchanges, environmental learning, youth programmes and long?term strategic planning across the network.

UNESCO Together

As a UNESCO City of Literature, Dublin supports, promotes and develops literary heritage and contemporary literary life in the city, enhancing the position of creativity as the key to sustainable development. Dublin became the world’s fourth UNESCO City of Literature in 2010, joining an expanding group of cities world-wide as part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. The Dublin UNESCO City of Literature office is managed by Dublin City Libraries, working with Dublin’s creative community to continually strengthen the city’s literary profile and experience.

The Dublin Bay UNESCO Biosphere Reserve is a leading example of how a major city can protect sensitive natural environments while supporting sustainable community use. In partnership with Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council, Fingal County Council, Dublin Port Company, Fáilte Ireland and the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Dublin City Council seeks to connect people and nature by inspiring greater understanding and appreciation of Dublin Bay’s unique natural heritage. Through this collaborative approach, it demonstrates the value of environmental stewardship across administrative boundaries, balancing biodiversity conservation, recreation, education and sustainable economic activity within a shared landscape.

UNESCO Together will link Ireland’s Biosphere Reserves, Creative Cities, World Heritage Sites, Global Geoparks and Tentative Sites, creating new opportunities for shared learning, sustainable tourism and community engagement. More than 650 cross?border participations are planned, including workshops, cultural events, environmental activities and online exchanges.

The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Daryl Barron, said, “Dublin is proud to contribute to UNESCO Together through our two UNESCO designations – Dublin Bay UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature. Together they showcase the very best of our city: our unique natural environment and our rich cultural heritage. By working with UNESCO partners across the island, we have an opportunity to strengthen connections, inspire young people, share knowledge and demonstrate how culture and nature can help build more sustainable, inclusive and resilient communities.”

At its core, the project will develop a long?term roadmap for UNESCO collaboration across Ireland, including exploring a future UNESCO Tourism Trail celebrating the island’s most remarkable cultural and natural landmarks.

To learn more about UNESCO designations please visit

Biosphere reserves What are biosphere reserves? | UNESCO

Cities of Literature:  Cities of Literature | cities of literature

UNESCO Creative Cities Network: https://en.unesco.org/creative-cities/home

Global Geoparks UNESCO Global Geoparks | UNESCO

World Heritage Sites: UNESCO World Heritage Centre – World Heritage List

See more breaking stories here.

Irish consumers are embracing artificial intelligence (AI) and self-service for simple customer service tasks but want access to a real person when issues become complex, sensitive or require empathy, new research commissioned by the Customer Contact Management Association (CCMA) Ireland has found.

Seven in ten (77%) respondents want to be told when they are interacting with AI, while almost three in ten (29%) respondents rate AI phone agents positively.

Phone for Customer Service is still important

The Consumer Perceptions of Customer Service in Ireland and their Views on the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) research, conducted by W5 among 1,012 Irish consumers, examined perceptions of customer service in Ireland, preferred communication channels, attitudes towards the use of AI, customer pain points, experiences of vulnerable customers and perceptions of careers in customer service.

Customer Service

Overall, six in ten (68%) consumers rated their most recent customer service interaction as good or very good, with ratings improving across most communication channels compared with a similar survey carried out in 2024.

• In-person remains the strongest-performing customer service channel at 75% (up 4% on 2024)
• Email: 61% (up 9% on 2024)
• WhatsApp/Messenger: 60% (up 5% on 2024)
• Phone: 59% (up 7% on 2024).

Despite the growth of digital channels, consumers continue to rely heavily on more established methods of communication, with nine in ten (91%) respondents using the phone and almost nine in ten (89%) using email to access customer service. Live chat with an agent has also achieved mainstream adoption, with seven in ten (70%) respondents reporting its use.

Artificial Intelligence

Consumers are increasingly comfortable with AI handling simple, repetitive and transactional tasks, such as making payments, booking appointments and tracking deliveries. However, as interactions become more complex or sensitive, consumers strongly favour human assistance. Complaints, billing issues and fraud are areas where respondents believe empathy, reassurance, understanding and problem-solving are particularly important.

AI phone agents received a relatively low satisfaction rating with almost three in ten (29%) respondents rating the experience positively, compared with five in ten (54%) who rated live agent chat positively.

Transparency is a clear expectation, with seven in ten (77%) respondents saying they want to be told when AI is being used in a customer service interaction. While just over half (57%) of respondents agree that it is currently clear when they are interacting with an AI agent, the findings indicate a significant expectation for greater transparency.

Vulnerable Customers

Vulnerable customers reported lower satisfaction with customer service, with six in ten (63%) rating their experience as good or very good compared with seven in ten (70%) among non-vulnerable respondents.

Almost three in ten (26%) respondents reported having a long-term physical or mental impairment that limits daily activities or work, including age-related conditions. The most commonly reported vulnerabilities included mental health conditions (26%), serious long-term illness (24%) and mobility impairments (24%).

Dorothy O’Byrne, CEO of CCMA Ireland, said:

“Irish companies are doing well in supporting their customers but it is clear there is room for improvement in some key areas.

It’s no surprise that customers prefer human support for complex or sensitive issues, but what is clear is that they do not want technology to come at the expense of good customer service. Long waiting times, difficulty reaching a real person, chatbots, inconsistent service and poor communication or follow-up remain among the key frustrations identified by customers

Consumers want advisors who understand their issue, provide accurate information, take ownership of problems and avoid scripted or generic responses. They also want honest answers, clearer timelines, regular updates and callbacks when promised.

The opportunity for businesses is to get the balance right – using technology to make simple interactions faster and more convenient, while ensuring customers can easily access a human when they need reassurance or help resolving a more complex issue.”

About CCMA Ireland

CCMA Ireland is a not-for-profit industry association that champions Customer Experience (CX) excellence and advocates for the customer service industry in Ireland. The industry employs over 60,000 professionals. Our members include many indigenous and international organisations in financial services, healthcare, telecoms, outsourcing and entertainment who provide customer service support from their operations in Ireland. Our mission is to promote collaboration, shared learning and best practice for customer service organisations.

See more breaking stories here.

Are you out of contract or looking for a better deal for your mobile phone? If so, there are some great SIM Only deals available in Ireland right now with huge savings to be made over long contract plans.

We’ve teamed up with Switcher.ie, the free and impartial price comparison and switching service, to find the best SIM Only deals available every month.

Check back regularly to stay informed of the latest deals and offers, and visit the Switcher.ie website to order one of these great packages.

Best SIM Only Deals

This SIM-only prepay deal from 48 is available exclusively through Switcher.ie. For a monthly top-up of €10.99, it provides a flexible mobile solution featuring 100GB of 4G data, 5,000 minutes, 5,000 texts, and a 17GB EU/UK roaming allowance. This promotion is valid until 30/09/2026.

Available exclusively through Switcher.ie for a limited time, LycaMobile’s National Unlimited Plan offers another affordable prepaid option to consumers. With 100GB of data, unlimited calls and texts, and a 17GB EU roaming allowance, this plan is priced at just €10.99 top-up every 4 weeks.

Take a look at Clear Mobile. At €12.99 monthly on a flexible 30-day rolling bill-pay contract, it includes unlimited calls and 5G data, 10,000 texts, and a 23GB EU roaming allowance. As an added bonus, new customers can receive their first month free.

Lastly, for another budget-friendly SIM-only plan, Sky Mobile is offering a promotion on their Unlimited Plan. For only €12.99 per month for the first 12 months, €15 thereafter, you’ll get unlimited data, calls, and texts. Plus, when you travel to the EU & UK for work and holidays, you don’t need to worry about extra data charges. With Sky’s unlimited plan, they don’t impose any limit, so you can use your data as you would at home.

(If you’ve come across this article after some of these deals may have expired, check out our main SIM Only category page to find the latest offers.)

We look at the new Pixel 11 Pro. See more about it here.

The new Pixel 11 Pro reviewed

It’s out, it has some new features, it costs a bit more, and it does things a bit better than a year ago. One of the biggest points of contention, for some at least, is the new flashing LED light on the back of the phone, with the camera, which is cool, could be really useful, and yet has very limited options in terms of possible types of notifications that you could be using it for. In many says this may only be an issue for the uber-users however.

The phone has a good to great look and feel, depending on how you like those tighter edges, versus the smoother sides that came before. The quality of the camera and the images it takes are as great as you would come to expect from any Pixel Phone these days. This is one aspect where you are getting good quality for what you are buying. Our review sample came with a clear protective case too. This fits well, and, these days seems like a no brainer, for something this valuable. Pixels have been relatively to quite durable, but still making it easy to add the protective case makes sense all day long, because it can be hard to avoid the odd drop and ding. It is still a thumbs up for the case to protect the new crown jewels.

We have also been testing the new Pixel Watch 5, and this phone naturally also dovetails well with the watch too. At the same time, prior to reviewing the Pixel 11 Pro, we were using the Pixel 8 Phone with the Pixel Watch 4 and 5,  and they all played well together. Google updates often bring added functionality and compatibility between different iterations, so you should be able to chop and change with a fairly seamless experience. Overall the Pixel 11 Pro is a good, solid addition to the Google Pixel phone family.

More about the Pixel 11 Pro

7 Years of Support

Pixel phones are built to last and will get even better over time with seven years of OS, Pixel Drops, and security updates.

Designed to Last

Exceptional Durability More Sustainable The Pixel 11 series is made with 10 premium recycled materials, including for the first time, 100% recycled lithium in the battery cell and 100% recycled rare earth elements in magnets.

Building on our exceptional drop resistance, our Pro displays have a new coating that’s twice as scratch resistant, so you can throw your phone in your bag with your keys and not worry about it.

Google Tensor G6

At the heart of the Pixel 11 series is our most powerful chip yet: the Google Tensor G6. But we didn’t just build a faster chip; we built a purpose-driven engine designed to make your Pixel more intuitive, fluid and helpful.

The Tensor G6 pairs an upgraded Image Signal Processor (ISP) with a 50% more powerful Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) to handle complex computational photography faster, producing images that look better than ever before.

Tensor G6 also drives our most advanced on-device Gemini Intelligence. The more powerful TPU, paired with the latest Nano model, run faster & with lower energy to deliver proactive assistance that anticipates your needs.

Proactive security with Titan M3

The new Titan M3 security chip and Google Tensor G6 can provide proactive security using post-quantum
cryptography in secure boot to help your Pixel stay protected from emerging advanced threats.

Magic Capture catches the moment while you live it.

With one tap, Google Pixel captures a video and high-quality photos with quick
edits so they’re ready to share.

Make every photo unmistakably yours.

Choose an alternate default look with warmer tones or deeper shadows, or
create your own set of professional-grade film styles and unique photo
aesthetics. Looks run directly inside Pixel Camera to achieve the ultimate quality
by taking full control of the imaging pipeline.

Customize your Camera controls

Open your camera ready to shoot your way.
Customize which mode Pixel Camera opens to every time you launch the app–
whether that’s Photo, Video, or Magic Capture.

Try it yourself!

Your favorite camera controls, just a tap away.
Put your most-used camera controls right where you want them. Customize
your camera controls in settings and tap the viewfinder to reveal them.

See more product reviews here.

We look at the new Google Pixel Watch 5, which we have been wearing and using for the last week now. See more about the watch here.

Google Pixel Watch 5 reviewed

Since reviewing the Pixel Watch 4 last year, we continued to use it through to the arrival of the Pixel Watch 5 last week. This naturally helped in terms of having a good point of comparison between the two, as well as in relation to other options out there in the market place. First up, it does charge quickly, both the 4, and now the 5 too. We wouldn’t be completely convinced about the 40 hours battery life, but you might closer to this by bringing down the brightness setting for example. Mostly it serves you pretty well, especially if you don’t need to sleep with it on, every or any night. We did it once or twice, but, after seeing the usual sleep patterns it felt unnecessary to sleep with it on every night, and hey, how much of your data do you want to share too? As above, the charging cradle does its job super effectively too, so you can normally work around a quick blast and then you should be covered for your next bout of activities.

There are plenty of watch face options too, all very quickly and easily changed via the app. You can also use the Gemini AI to generate your own personalised watch faces too, so you could really go to town on that option and have some fun. We imagine everyone will have their own interesting anomaly stories. For us, it was using a power tool, to drill off plaster, and have the watch suggest that we had been cycling for the duration! Go figure, but of course it can be hard for the watch to track exactly every activity that you might be doing. For walks and runs, the watch does very well, as you would hope, and perhaps even expect. Several of our testers immediately enjoyed using the watch to get good, precise maps and data about their workouts, so it is a definite thumbs up for these functions and the watch’s capabilities.

There is also the interesting question about if information can inform, inspire and change behaviour and habits. Naturally we all want to be fitter, exercise more, the watch, with it’s steps tracker, kinda by default, did help nudge us to be more active over the last year. At the same time you don’t want to become a hamster on a wheel, constantly aiming to beat the last pb, the last week’s total distance covered, and so on. Overall we felt the data from the activities was a good input into trying to be more healthy. At the same time, the nudging to get wellness tips, and fitness plans was something that we were less interested in. For a while there was a series of motivational comments and feedback. The trouble is, you can very quickly tell that it is AI derived, and quite soon it becomes repetitive and same-ish. Through the year of using the Pixel Watch 4, the app went through a few changes, so it would be good to see if it settles down for the new Pixel 5.

In other ways, apart from the supporting app, which was Fitbit, and is now Google Health, in many ways the Pixel Watch 5 is not massively different from the 4. In many ways it is quite possible therefore that this watch is aimed at users of the Pixel Watch 3 and earlier, or other brand users, who now wish to move into the Pixel Watch 5 ecosystem. As the Pixel Watch 4 sample we reviewed was still going strong a year later, this would also make sense – that the new watch is not shouting out to be an immediate replacement for Pixel Watch 4 users, if you see what we mean. It has been a positive experience using the PW4, and, a week in, we are optimistic that using the Pixel Watch 5 could also be a good option, and continue to inform and inspire heathier living. A qualified thumbs up so far, and next we shall see how it performs for durability and longevity.

More about the Google Pixel Watch 5

What’s new with the Google Pixel Watch 5.

Our most comprehensive health and wellness tracking.

Epic accuracy. Epic performance.

Designed for Gemini Intelligence.

Up to 40 hours of battery. Get 15 hours in just 15 minutes.2

See more breaking stories here.

Sports fans no longer have to choose between the biggest live events as Sky launches ‘Your Multiview’, allowing customers to watch up to four live Sky Sports events simultaneously on one screen. No more switching channels or reaching for a second screen. Launching for the return of the Premier League on 21 August, ‘Your Multiview’ is available only on Sky.

Watch more of the action with ‘Your Multiview’

On busy sporting weekends, ‘Your Multiview’ lets fans choose up to four live Sky Sports events and watch them side by side on a single screen, available on Sky Glass, Sky Stream and Sky Q.

Fans can follow football matches from across the Premier League, EFL, SPFL, or WSL at once, or stay across a packed day of live sport spanning football, F1, cricket, tennis, golf, NFL and rugby – all without switching channels or checking for results elsewhere.

When the biggest sporting moments take over a weekend, ‘Your Multiview’ puts fans in control of how they watch. The new feature allows viewers to spotlight an event to change the on-screen layout, select the audio they want to hear, and switch any event to full screen when it’s the one they don’t want to miss.

New features make watching football on Sky the best viewing experience

Sky is also introducing more ways for football fans to stay across the games, teams, and moments that matter most to them. As the home of football, Sky will show more than 1,500 matches across the Premier League, Women’s Super League, EFL, and Scottish Premiership. This season, fans will be able to follow multiple games, check the latest scores and tables, follow a favourite team, and catch up on the biggest talking points, all through their TV screens.

Matt Price, Commercial Director of Sky & NOW, said: “The way people watch sport continues to evolve, and fans increasingly want a more personalised viewing experience. Whether it’s following multiple matches at once, checking live scores and stats, or catching up on key moments, we want to give our customers the flexibility to watch sport their way. That’s why we’re continuing to develop new features like ‘Your Multiview’, helping fans stay connected to more of the sport they love in one place.”

What’s new for the 2026/27 season on Sky Sports

See live scores and stats without leaving the match: Sports Hub

Sports Hub, available only on Sky, brings scores, stats, league tables, schedules, short-form clips and highlights to the side of the screen while fans watch the big match. It also gives fans routes to tune into other games, access Recap and launch Multiview, helping them follow more of the live sport story without leaving the screen.

It is available anytime on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Football, and during selected live matches on other channels, with Sky Glass, Sky Stream and Sky Q.

Catch up in a scroll with Clips

Built into Sports Hub, Clips gives fans a new way to browse and watch short-form sports videos in an autoplay, scrollable experience. Fans can catch up on the latest news, highlights, key moments and stories from teams, leagues and competitions, and keep exploring related clips.

Get to live sport faster, and closer to the moment

The refreshed Live Sports Rail makes it easy to see what’s live now, what’s coming up and when events start, so fans can dive straight into the action. Coming soon, Real Time will be expanding to Sky Sports Football, Sky Sports+ and Sky Sports Premier League on Sky Glass and Sky Stream, bringing fans closer to real time so they stay right on top of every goal, decision and big moment.

Everything in one place

On Sky Glass and Sky Stream, these features are brought together by Sky OS, the entertainment operating system that powers the experience, helping customers easily move between live sport, Team Pages, Playlist, reminders, and personalised recommendations.

Catch the moments everyone is talking about in the Sky Sports app

On the move with the Sky Sports app, Moments gives fans a personalised feed tailored to their favourite sports, teams and competitions, helping them find the clips, opinions, and stories they care about faster. It’s a fresh, scrollable stream of vertical videos, from live clips and highlights to analysis, interviews, reactions, and behind-the-scenes content, all easy to like, share, and search in one place.

How to buy

Sky Sports is available from €20 per month for 12 months for new and existing customers, as an add-on to Essential TV or Ultimate TV on Sky Glass, Sky Stream and Sky Q.

With Sky Stream, fans can get Sky TV over WiFi with no satellite dish and no engineer visit. The Sky Stream puck plugs into any TV with an HDMI port and is ready to set up straight out of the box, with on-screen instructions to get customers watching in minutes.

Sky Stream also gives customers flexible ways to watch, including a 31-day flexible plan, and next-working-day delivery where orders meet the relevant cut-off times.

See more stories here.

Enterprise Ireland’s Annual Knowledge Transfer Survey 2025 shows rising innovation activity and increased industry collaboration, with €953 million invested in research

13th August – Enterprise Ireland has published the Annual Knowledge Transfer Survey (AKTS) 2025, which highlights another year of strong performance across Ireland’s research and innovation ecosystem and demonstrates the growing impact of publicly funded research on enterprise development, economic growth and job creation.

Spin-Outs drive employment gains

Key findings include:

• €953 million in total research expenditure, up 8.3% year-on-year
• 2,393 new R&D and consultancy agreements with industry and non-commercial organisations — 63% involving Irish SMEs
• 528 invention disclosures (up 18%) and 118 patent applications (up 49%)
• 260 Licence, Option and Assignment agreements, up 18%, with 80% granted to Irish companies
• 20 new spin-out companies; 178 active spin-outs employing 2,467 people
• 1,450 active industry R&D projects at year-end 2025

The results point to a robust innovation pipeline emerging from Ireland’s publicly funded research system, with 20 licences resulting in new products and services entering the market during the year. Since 2021, 127 spin-out companies have been established from publicly funded research.

Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke TD, said:
“These results demonstrate the value of connecting Ireland’s world-class research base with the ambition and innovation of Irish enterprise. In 2025, there were 2,393 new agreements with industry, a significant increase in patent applications and new spin-out companies employing almost 2,500 people, all showing that publicly funded research is delivering tangible benefits for the economy, supporting jobs, competitiveness and regional development.

The strong level of engagement from Irish SMEs is particularly encouraging, highlighting how research and innovation are helping businesses of all sizes to develop new products, access new opportunities and strengthen international competitiveness.”

Joe Healy, Divisional Manager, Research & Innovation, Enterprise Ireland, said: “Through our continued collaboration with higher education institutions and the research sector, we are ensuring that cutting-edge research is translated into real-world solutions, competitive advantage and high-value jobs for Irish companies. This success is a testament to the dedicated technology transfer teams working across Ireland’s universities and research organisations.

“The findings also recognise the contribution of the technology transfer teams across Ireland’s universities and research organisations, whose expertise in intellectual property management and commercialisation helps transform research discoveries into products, services and companies. Enterprise Ireland will continue to work closely with the technology transfer offices and the wider research community to ensure Ireland remains at the forefront of innovation and enterprise development.”

KTI Annual Knowledge Transfer Survey 2025 here 

See more breaking stories here.

The broadband market in Ireland is now flooded with providers all offering a myriad of deals. We know it’s hard to find the perfect deal that suits your needs, but we’re here to help.

We’ve teamed up with Switcher.ie, the free and impartial price comparison and switching service, to find the best broadband deals available every month.

Check back regularly to stay informed of the latest deals and offers, and visit the Switcher.ie website to order one of these great packages.

Best Broadband Deals

If you are searching for a great deal on broadband, new eir customers can find fantastic value in the Fibre Broadband, Talk – 24 Month Discount package. Available for €34.99 per month on a 24-month contract, this plan includes unlimited broadband reaching speeds up to 500Mb, alongside unlimited off-peak national and local calls. Additionally, customers who sign up by 28/08/2026 will enjoy extra savings through a €100 bill credit applied directly to their eir broadband account.

The Vodafone 500Mb Full Fibre Broadband – 24 Month plan is another contender for consumers seeking great long-term value. Delivering speeds up to 500Mb with unlimited data, it features a discounted rate of €25 monthly for the initial six months before increasing to €40 per month. A key benefit of this package is that it avoids the steep “thereafter” price hikes typical after a contract expires, providing reliable ongoing savings. Additionally, as a limited-time perk, customers who sign up by 31/08/2026 will receive a €75 credit on their Vodafone broadband bill.

For households seeking affordable high-speed internet, Virgin Media’s 500Mb Broadband – 24 Month plan is another highly competitive option. At just €35 per month for 24 months, it delivers unlimited broadband with download speeds reaching 500Mb. To top it off, new customers who join prior to 30/08/2026 can unlock substantial savings with €105 credited to their Virgin Media broadband account.

(If you’ve come across this article after some of these deals may have expired, check out our main Broadband Deals category page to find the latest offers)

Echelon Data Centres, the Irish-headquartered hyperscale data centre owner, developer and operator, has entered into a strategic collaboration agreement with Trinovium, a subsidiary of Trinity Biotech plc (NASDAQ: TRIB), to develop next-generation liquid cooling solutions for AI and high-density computing environments.

The collaboration comes as the rapid growth of AI drives increasing computing and power densities within data centres, creating new requirements for the infrastructure needed to manage the heat generated by increasingly powerful hardware.

New Liquid Cooling solutions for AI infrastructure

The global data centre liquid cooling market is projected to grow from approximately $4bn in 2026 to $27bn by 2033[1], as operators and technology companies respond to these changing requirements.

As liquid cooling becomes more widely deployed, the quality and condition of the coolant itself also becomes increasingly important. At higher temperatures and operating demands, factors such as corrosion, particulate contamination, fluid degradation and microbial growth can have implications for system reliability and uptime.

The collaboration brings together Echelon’s experience in designing, developing and operating hyperscale data centre infrastructure with Trinovium’s expertise in high-purity fluid manufacturing and analytical technologies.

Under the agreement, the companies will work together to develop and refine advanced liquid cooling technologies, informed by the requirements of the hyperscale and AI infrastructure Echelon is developing across its portfolio.

Echelon is developing one of Europe’s largest hyperscale data centre portfolios, with more than 700MW currently in development and more than 1.4GW of secured capacity across Ireland, the UK, Italy and other strategic markets.
Trinovium was established to apply Trinity Biotech’s experience in healthcare-grade fluid manufacturing to AI infrastructure. Its initial direct-to-chip liquid cooling formulation has been designed around three core performance requirements and relevant Open Compute Project guidelines:
Ultra-high-purity, highly stable aqueous chemistry
Corrosion inhibition and coolant system protection
Healthcare-level consistency and traceability.

Alongside the cooling fluid, Trinovium is developing a fluid health and system intelligence platform drawing on Trinity Biotech’s analytical technology portfolio, including connected electrochemical sensing and mass spectrometry.

The platform is being designed to monitor corrosion and scaling, particulate contamination, and microbial growth and biofilm formation, providing greater insight into the condition and performance of liquid cooling systems.

Development activities are expected to commence imminently, with initial focus areas including direct-to-chip cooling fluids, thermal management systems and modular liquid cooling solutions optimised for AI and high-performance computing deployments.

Niall Molloy, CEO of Echelon Data Centres, said:
“AI is changing the infrastructure requirements of data centres. As more computing power is concentrated into smaller spaces, managing the heat it generates becomes an increasingly important engineering challenge.

“Liquid cooling will be an important part of meeting that challenge, but it is not simply about moving heat more efficiently. The quality, stability and monitoring of the fluids within those systems will also be important to their long-term reliability.

“This collaboration brings together Trinovium’s expertise in fluid science and analytics with our experience of developing hyperscale infrastructure. It gives us an opportunity to develop and refine technologies specifically around the requirements of the next generation of AI data centres.”

John Gillard, Chief Executive Officer of Trinity Biotech, said:
“The rapid growth of AI is creating unprecedented demand for advanced cooling technologies capable of supporting increasingly dense and power-hungry computing environments.

“By combining Trinovium’s capabilities in high-performance fluid design, precision manufacturing and advanced analytics with Echelon’s hyperscale data centre expertise, we believe we can accelerate the development of innovative liquid cooling solutions designed specifically for the next generation of AI infrastructure.”

See more breaking stories here.

Analysis from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) shows strong evidence that improving a home’s energy efficiency can significantly increase its market value, all the while reducing energy bills and improving comfort. Based on data from MyHome on almost 50,000 homes sold during 2023 and 2024, SEAI found that each improvement on the Building Energy Rating (BER) scale is associated with an average 2.7% increase in final sale price nationwide. The effect was strongest in rural Ireland, where each improvement on the scale was linked to a 4.7% increase in value.

Energy Efficiency

The analysis used actual sale prices rather than advertised list prices, offering a clear picture of how much more buyers are willing to pay for more energy-efficient homes. It was completed relative to the familiar 15-point BER scale, ahead of the recent introduction of the simplified 8-point BER scale.

Key findings include:

• Nationally, each step up the (15-point) BER scale is linked to an average increase of 2.7% in the value of a typical Irish home.
• Houses (2.8%) see a slightly higher average uplift than apartments (2.2%).
• The strongest uplift is seen in rural areas, where each BER improvement is associated with an average 4.7% increase in value.
• There was a 2.7% uplift for urban areas outside Dublin versus 1.7% for urban Dublin.

The comparatively lower uplift in urban Dublin may reflect the greater influence of other buyer priorities in the capital such as location, space, and proximity to amenities. However, the research shows that BER improvements can still translate into meaningful euro gains.

The analysis shows energy efficiency is a contributor to value across all market segments and, while the value uplift varies by property type and location, the relationship remains strong even when such price-influencing factors are controlled for.

William Walsh, CEO of SEAI said: “Thousands of homeowners across the country are already enjoying the benefits of retrofitting, living in warmer, more comfortable homes, with cheaper, more predictable energy bills. The research we’re publishing today adds yet another compelling reason to upgrade your home – we now have very clear evidence that homebuyers are increasingly valuing the resilience, day-to-day affordability and health benefits of owning a retrofitted home.

“Thanks to unprecedented support from Government, our grants at SEAI are now more generous than ever, with many covering a significant portion of the overall costs involved. There’s never been a better time to retrofit your home, and no matter what stage or budget a homeowner is at, we at SEAI are here to help.”

Joanne Geary, Managing Director of MyHome, who collaborated with SEAI on the analysis, said: “We are delighted to partner with the SEAI on this invaluable research, which reinforces the importance of a strong BER for homeowners. The impact of a better BER on day-to-day running costs and the environment is already clear, and now this innovative analysis proves the positive, proportionate effect the rating has on house prices in urban, suburban and rural areas around the country. These research findings give homeowners yet another compelling reason to investigate a home energy upgrade as we look to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.”

The analysis shows that BER improvements often have a stronger impact on final sale prices than on asking prices, suggesting homeowners may be able to unlock additional value by upgrading before selling. Demand is also being driven by buyers seeking improved comfort, as well as lower and more predictable energy bills. Evidence from SEAI-administered upgrade programmes also points to wider benefits, including warmer, more comfortable, and healthier homes. Energy efficiency is increasingly linked to mortgage rates and by extension affordability, with many lenders offering green mortgages for homes rated B or better.

With homes accounting for nearly a quarter of Ireland’s energy use, the study shows how upgrading residential energy performance can support household finances while also contributing to Ireland’s climate goals. In 2025, SEAI government grant schemes supported upgrades in more than 58,600 homes, including more than €230 million investment on free home energy upgrades in 8,100 vulnerable energy poor homes. Homeowners can visit the SEAI website to read the full report and find out more about available home energy upgrade grants and supports [Home Energy Upgrades | SEAI].

This study examines the relationship between the BER at the time of sale and the property sales price, and therefore many of the results discussed reference the previous BER scale for properties sold prior to the effective date of the new scale introduced in May 2026 (full details here https://www.seai.ie/ber/new-simplified-scale). As all existing BER certificates remain valid for 10 years from their date of issue, including for mandatory requirements such as the sale of a home, the results discussed here apply to most existing BERs. The general relationship between improvement along the BER scale and higher property sales price can be expected to hold for the new simplified scale, which is supported by underlying energy value analysis conducted for this study.

About SEAI 
SEAI is the expert authority on decarbonising Ireland’s energy system, using robust, objective data and an evidence-based approach to help inform policy development and energy user behaviours. SEAI empowers households, businesses, motorists and the public sector to move away from fossil fuels with practical advice and financial supports. We encourage positive changes in how Ireland uses energy to deliver a more prosperous, energy efficient and cleaner environment.

SEAI is funded by the Government of Ireland through the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment.

See more breaking stories here.

A few months ago, I was helping a friend compare van insurance in Ireland after he bought his first Transit for a small plumbing business.

He assumed he could just insure it the same way as his car. It seemed logical enough – the van would mostly be parked outside his house, and he’d only be using it for work during the week.

It turns out that assumption could have been a very expensive mistake.

After speaking to a van insurance broker and doing a bit of research, I realised there are some important differences between private van insurance and commercial van insurance that aren’t always obvious when you’re buying a policy.

The first question isn’t “What van do you drive?”

It’s how you use it.

If you’re carrying tools, visiting customers, transporting equipment or making deliveries as part of your work, you’ll almost certainly need commercial van insurance.

Even if you only use the van for business a couple of days a week, your insurer needs to know.

On the other hand, if the van is genuinely only used for personal journeys and not connected to any business activity, a private policy may be appropriate, depending on the insurer.

The important thing is to be upfront. If your policy doesn’t match how the van is actually being used, you could run into problems if you ever need to make a claim.

More people in Ireland are buying vans than ever

One thing that surprised me was just how many commercial vehicles are on Irish roads.

According to the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI), registrations of new light commercial vehicles were up 9.3% year-to-date in 2026, with 27,237 new LCVs registered by the end of July compared with 24,915 over the same period in 2025.

Figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) tell a similar story. In the first six months of 2026 alone, 19,477 new goods vehicles and 6,566 used imported goods vehicles were licensed for the first time in Ireland.

With more vans and commercial vehicles entering the Irish fleet, it’s even more important to make sure your insurance is suitable for how you actually use your vehicle.

Commercial insurance usually includes private use

One thing I didn’t know is that many commercial van insurance policies also allow for social, domestic and pleasure use.

So if you use your van for work during the week but head to the DIY shop or take it away for the weekend, you’re often still covered.

The opposite isn’t normally true.

A private policy generally won’t cover business activities like:

• carrying tools or equipment
• travelling between job sites
• making deliveries
• transporting stock
• using the van in connection with your business.

That’s why simply choosing the cheaper policy isn’t always the right decision.

Don’t forget about your No Claims Bonus

Another thing worth checking is your No Claims Bonus (NCB).

If you’re moving from private insurance to a commercial policy, or vice versa, ask your broker how this will affect your NCB.

Every insurer has slightly different rules, and it’s much easier to understand your options before you switch than afterwards.

My advice

If you’re unsure which policy you need, don’t guess.

Spend five minutes explaining exactly how you use your van. A good broker will quickly tell you whether private or commercial cover is the right fit.

It’s a simple conversation that could save you a lot of hassle if something ever goes wrong.

Guest post by Rob Morrison, Head of Technology, Esri Ireland

AI has dominated headlines, but while much of the focus has been on chatbots, another important shift is taking place. AI is quietly transforming Geographic Information Systems (digital mapping and location-based technology) and Digital Twin technology (a digital version of a real place, asset or piece of infrastructure).

At this year’s Esri User Conference, one message stood out: mapping is becoming a way to understand what is happening in the world in real time, predict what could happen next and help organisations respond faster. For Ireland, the implications could be significant.

For decades, mapping has helped Irish organisations establish what happened and where. By combining digital mapping with AI and Digital Twins, they can establish what is happening now, what will happen next and, most importantly, what they should do about it. This shift has moved mapping from being reactive to proactive. Instead of static maps, Irish organisations can now create systems that are constantly updated as new information becomes available. AI can then analyse that information, identify risks and highlight what needs attention.

There is a misconception that AI could replace mapping technology, but in reality, the rise of AI has made trusted location data more valuable. AI is only as reliable as the information behind it. We all know that when AI doesn’t have the data to back up a prompt, it can “hallucinate”. Many Irish organisations, including local authorities, utilities and emergency services, have spent years building accurate geographic datasets, and that investment is now paying off.

With trusted digital mapping data behind it, AI can analyse imagery to identify changes in the landscape and spot damaged infrastructure across thousands of locations. Work that might once have taken weeks can now be done so much faster.

Digital Twins take this a step further, as their value comes from their connection to what’s happening in the real world. Sensors, drones, satellite imagery and connected devices can continuously feed new information into a model, giving life to a digital version of a real place, asset or piece of infrastructure. AI can then analyse that information, identify problems and predict where attention may be needed. Add digital mapping technology, and the model gains the geographic context it needs to be genuinely valuable. Together, these technologies can create living models that evolve alongside the places and infrastructure they represent.

Ireland is very well placed to benefit from these developments due to the accurate datasets that have been cultivated. As a country, we are in the throes of attempting to modernise critical infrastructure, build more housing, improve environmental monitoring and prepare for the growing effects of climate change. All of these challenges have one thing in common: location.

Decisions about where to build homes, how to maintain electricity networks, where to improve transport or how to protect biodiversity ultimately come down to geography. AI allows Irish organisations to process much larger amounts of information and develop sharper insights. Digital mapping ensures those insights stay grounded in trusted information about real places and not “hallucinations”.

Emergency management is a good example of what these technologies could look like working in tandem. Before a storm, authorities could model which Irish towns are most at risk, which roads could flood and where emergency resources should be placed in advance. As the storm hits, weather information, sensors, drone imagery and reports from crews on the ground could continually update a Digital Twin.

AI could help identify flooded roads, damaged power lines and other emerging risks as conditions change. Decision-makers could then work from a clearer live picture, allowing emergency vehicles to be directed where they are needed most. Afterwards, aerial imagery could help assess damage and support faster repairs and recovery.

We are entering an era where maps can do much more than tell us the history of things. Now they can show us the present and the future. The combination of AI, digital mapping and Digital Twins represents a different way for organisations to understand the world around them. For Ireland, the opportunity is to combine AI with the trusted geographic information Irish organisations have built up over decades, to make better decisions about our communities, infrastructure and economy.

This is our superpower that could mean better planning, faster responses to emergencies and smarter use of limited resources. The Irish organisations that invest in building those foundations now will be set to reap the rewards, and to guide the rest through whatever comes next.

See more stories here.

Mater Private Network has announced its participation in the FARADIGM clinical trial, a global study evaluating the safety and effectiveness of Boston Scientific’s FaraFlex Mapping and Pulsed Field Ablation Catheter for the treatment of patients with paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). Mater Private Network is among the first centres worldwide to participate in the study, and the first in Europe to use the integrated mapping and pulsed field ablation technology.

The FARADIGM trial combines high-density cardiac mapping with pulsed field ablation, enabling physicians to map the heart’s electrical activity in greater detail before delivering targeted therapy. By integrating mapping and treatment into a single platform, the technology has the potential to support more personalised treatment planning and greater procedural precision for patients with complex cardiac arrhythmias.

Irish involvement in the global trial will be led by Prof. Gábor Széplaki, Head of Cardiac Electrophysiology at Mater Private Network in Dublin, who is a member of the study steering committee.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia, affecting an estimated 12.9 million people across Europe. Left untreated, it significantly increases the risk of stroke, heart failure and other cardiovascular complications, making continued innovation in treatment an important priority for clinicians and healthcare systems alike.

Commenting on the trial, Prof. Gábor Széplaki said: “Mater Private Network has a long-standing commitment to advancing the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias through clinical research and innovation. Being among the first centres globally to participate in the FARADIGM trial, and the first in Europe to use this technology, reflects our commitment to ensuring patients have access to the latest developments in electrophysiology.

“Atrial fibrillation affects millions of people worldwide and can substantially raise the risk of stroke and heart failure if left untreated. Integrating detailed cardiac mapping with pulsed field ablation will allow us to map the heart’selectrical activity in greater detail, creating the potential to deliver a more precise, targeted, and ultimately more effective treatment to our patients. As a hospital, we pride ourselves in being a leader in cardiovascular medicine and research, and we are proud to contribute to the international evidence base evaluating this promising technology.”

Should the FARADIGM trial demonstrate favourable safety and effectiveness outcomes, the technology could help expand treatment options for patients with both paroxysmal and persistent AF, while supporting more precise and individualised ablation procedures. The study represents an important step in the continued evolution of pulsed field ablation, an emerging technology that has transformed the field of cardiac electrophysiology in recent years.

Mater Private Network’s participation further strengthens its role within an international network of leading centres helping to evaluate next-generation cardiovascular technologies and shape future standards of care for patients with atrial fibrillation.

As Ireland’s leading provider of specialist cardiovascular services, Mater Private Network continues to invest in advanced technologies, multidisciplinary expertise and international clinical research, reinforcing its position as a leader in cardiovascular medicine and research and ensuring patients have early access to the latest evidence-based treatments.

See more stories here.

Logicalis, the leading global technology service provider, has revealed research that suggests an imminent surge in the global AI agent population. It found that 60% of global CIOs confirm their organisations are planning investment in agentic AI over the next year.

The research, published in the Logicalis 2026 CIO Report, reveals that more than half (53%) of global CIOs believe generative and agentic AI will fundamentally disrupt existing business models within the next two years. This signals that organisations are moving beyond using AI simply as an efficiency tool; instead, they see it as a catalyst for major transformation.

However, the research suggests that the practicalities of AI adoption could soon present significant organisational issues. Two-thirds (66%) of global CIOs believe employee training around AI risk management and responsible AI is inadequate. Additionally, only 37% believe their own knowledge enables them to accurately assess the reliability and stability of their AI providers. This has led one-in-seven (14%) to believe that their organisation has not conducted sufficient thorough due diligence on all their AI providers, raising concerns around potential exposure and governance gaps.

With these issues comes the fear that governance simply cannot keep up with the speed of AI adoption. Indeed, two-thirds (66%) of global CIOs are not fully confident that their organisation’s AI governance model can keep pace with the speed of deployment. CIOs in Ireland and the UK are more concerned than their global counterparts, with almost eight in ten (79%) expressing the same opinion.

The Logicalis 2026 CIO Report findings are reinforced by research sponsored by Logicalis and carried out by International Data Corporation (IDC) for its analyst brief Security in an Age of AI: Why Data Governance Makes the Difference. IDC projects that by 2029 more than one billion AI agents will be operational globally, collectively processing more than 217 billion actions per day, underlining the scale and pace of enterprise AI adoption.

As organisations move beyond pilot programmes towards implementation, IDC found that the challenge is increasingly shifting from AI adoption to AI governance. IDC identifies lack of security and governance as the leading concern surrounding enterprise AI globally, cited by 48% of organisations.

Mairead Malone, Ireland Country Lead, Logicalis UK&I said: “Our CIO research shows organisations are entering a new phase of AI adoption, where the conversation has shifted from possibility to practical implementation.

“IDC’s findings also reinforce what we are seeing in the Irish market. As agentic AI becomes embedded across business operations, organisations need to ensure governance evolves alongside deployment. Data governance sits at the centre of secure and scalable AI, extending across identity, permissions, auditability and tool usage. Organisations that establish these foundations will be best positioned to reduce risk while unlocking long-term value from AI investments.”

See more stories here.

More than one in four adults (26%) either lack full details of their workplace pension savings or suspect they’ve lost track of at least one pension pot altogether, according to new nationwide research from Royal London Ireland, one of Ireland’s leading life insurance and pension companies. The issue is particularly pronounced among those aged 35 to 54 – 34% of whom are in this position.

Tips for your pension

• One in ten of the respondents with a workplace pension said they have completely lost track of at least one pension, rising to 15% among 35- 44-year-olds.
• While 22% of men said they either do not have or do not believe they have any workplace pensions, 34% of women said the same.
• Stark socio-economic differences also emerged, with half of all C2DE respondents (50%) saying they either do not have or do not believe they have any workplace pensions, compared with just 13% of ABC1 respondents.

Royal London Ireland’s research also explored what people would do if they discovered a forgotten pension worth between €5,000 and €10,000. More than one-third (34%) said they would consolidate it into their main pension, while 33% said they would cash it out if possible, and a further 21% said they would simply leave it where it is.

According to Mark Reilly, Pensions Proposition Lead at Royal London Ireland,

“There is still a clear lack of awareness and confidence among many people when it comes to their retirement savings. There is still a sizeable group who either do not have full visibility of their pension arrangements or may have lost track of older pension pots entirely.

“The gaps across gender, age and socioeconomic groups are also striking. Women, middle-aged workers and lower-income households appear less confident about their pension position.

“People are changing jobs more frequently than in the past, and as a result, pension savings can easily become spread across multiple schemes over time. Even relatively small pension pots can grow substantially over the long term, which is why it is important that people regularly review their pensions, keep their details up to date and understand the options available to them.”

What to do with a forgotten pension?

When asked what they would do if they discovered a forgotten pension worth between €5,000 and €10,000:

• More than one in ten respondents (11%) said they would not know what to do with the money. Younger adults were significantly more uncertain, with more than one in five 18- to 24-year-olds (22%) saying they wouldn’t know what action to take, compared to just 5% of those over 55.
• Cash-out intentions were highest among younger workers and those closest to retirement: four in ten people aged 25 to 34 (40%) said they would cash out a forgotten pension, followed by 37% of those over 55.
• Income also shaped responses. Higher earners were far more likely to consolidate a forgotten pension into their main retirement savings plan, with 41% of ABC1 respondents choosing this option compared to just 26% of C2DE respondents. Lower income groups were also more likely to say they wouldn’t know what to do with the money (17% v 6% of ABC1 respondents) and more likely to cash it out if possible (39% v 29%).

Mr Reilly commented on the findings,

“These findings suggest that many younger adults still view pensions as something distant or difficult to engage with rather than as an important long-term savings tool. This is particularly concerning given the value of starting pension contributions early in order to maximise the benefits of compound growth and tax relief over time.

“With age and experience, people often become more familiar and confident when it comes to managing their pensions. Just 5% of over-55s said they would not know what to do with a forgotten pension, compared to more than one in five 18-24-year-olds.”

Mr Reilly concluded,

“While auto-enrolment and higher levels of pension participation are positive developments, it is equally important that people understand where their pensions are held, how they work and the long-term value of keeping retirement savings invested.

“Starting pension contributions early and staying engaged with retirement savings can make a significant difference to financial outcomes later in life. It is why we always recommend people get impartial advice from a Financial Broker; they are best placed to make sure people’s pensions are suitable for their circumstances and optimised to achieve their financial goals.”

*Based on total 2022 premium income. ICMIF Global 500, 2024

See more breaking stories here.

With a 28% rise in purchase scams reported to Bank of Ireland in the first half of 2026 compared to the same period last year, the Bank is urging customers to be extra vigilant when buying tickets for popular concerts and festivals.

Electric Picnic coming soon

The warning comes ahead of Electric Picnic, the country’s largest gathering of music and arts from 28 – 30 August. Over 80,000 festival goers will attend the sold-out event.

Fraudsters are likely to target people searching for sold-out tickets and accommodation passes through fake ticket listings on social media, online marketplaces and unofficial resale websites.

Festival goers can protect themselves by using official resale or ticket transfer platforms, avoiding purchases through social media or private messaging apps, and taking time to verify sellers before making a payment.

What to look out for

• Tickets being offered at unusually low prices.
• Sellers looking for a quick sale.
• Pressure to act fast or pay immediately.
• Requests to move the purchase outside of an official ticketing resale platform.
• Sellers who can only provide screenshots as proof of purchase.
• Sellers unwilling to use official ticket transfer or resale facilities.
• Ticket adverts or offers appearing on social media or through unsolicited messages.
• Fraudsters use fake social media profiles, advertise non-existent accommodation passes, or sell the same ticket to multiple buyers.

Nicola Sadlier, Head of Fraud Protection, Bank of Ireland, said: “Electric Picnic is one of the most popular, unique events in the festival calendar. Tickets sell out months in advance, so demand for tickets is high and many fans will be looking for opportunities to secure tickets through resale channels. Fraudsters understand the excitement surrounding major events like this and often target fans who are keen not to miss out.

Whether you are buying tickets for Electric Picnic or any other major summer events, it is important to take your time and make sure you are buying from a trusted source.  If you are looking for tickets, stick to verified resale platforms and be wary of deals that seem too good to be true.

Stop, think and check before making a payment, this can help protect both your money and your festival plans.”

What to do

• Buy only through official ticket sellers or verified resale platforms.
• If you think you’ve been targeted, contact your bank immediately – the bank can try to stop the fraud and potentially recover funds.
• Bank of Ireland customers can call the Fraud Team 24/7, Freephone line 1800 946 764.

Bank of Ireland is the Official Banking Partner at Electric Picnic.  As part of the three-year collaboration, Bank of Ireland customers will have access to in-demand pre-sale tickets for Electric Picnic 2027.

See more breaking stories here.

A major confidence gap is holding Irish employers back from hiring more neurodivergent people and people with disabilities, according to new research commissioned by leading social enterprise NOW Group.

NOW Group is a leading social enterprise operating across the island of Ireland, supporting people with learning difficulties, autism and who are neurodivergent into sustainable employment. Through a range of services and social enterprises, NOW Group works with businesses and individuals to create inclusive workplaces and deliver social value.

Making inclusive hiring better

The group’s latest research offers critical insight into the barriers to inclusive hiring, as Ireland continues to carry the weight of the European Union’s largest disability employment gap. Just 8% of employers surveyed describe themselves as very confident when it comes to hiring and supporting neurodivergent talent and people with disabilities.

The research among Irish employers reveals that while many businesses recognise the opportunity to recruit more inclusively, a significant proportion lack the confidence, knowledge and practical tools to do so. More than half (54%) say they feel only “a little” equipped or “not at all” equipped to hire and support neurodivergent people and people with disabilities.

The findings suggest that uncertainty and fear of getting inclusion wrong are creating significant barriers for employers.

A quarter (25%) cite a fear of being insensitive during recruitment or in the workplace as a barrier to hiring more inclusively, while 26% are unsure how to reach neurodivergent candidates and candidates with disabilities.

Almost 1 in 5 (18%) say they would not know how to accommodate neurodivergent people and people with disabilities in the workplace, while 15% do not know how to accommodate candidates during the recruitment process.

The research also points to a significant opportunity to help employers move from good intentions to action. Almost one in four (25%) say training on workplace inclusivity would make the biggest difference in helping them hire more inclusively, while 24% want guidance on how to reach neurodivergent talent and people with disabilities.

Maeve Monaghan, CEO of NOW Group, said:

“The biggest message from this research is that employers don’t necessarily lack the willingness to become more inclusive – many lack the confidence and practical knowledge to know where to begin. Our message to Irish employers is simple: you don’t need to have all the answers before you start. The expertise and support is available, and organisations like NOW Group can be your partner throughout that journey.

“We work on both sides of that equation – supporting neurodivergent people and people with disabilities to prepare for and progress into sustainable employment, while working directly with employers to give them the confidence, knowledge and practical support to recruit inclusively.”

NOW Group aims to support 300 people with disabilities into paid employment over the next three years through employer-led training programmes and partnerships with businesses committed to inclusive hiring.

The research comes as employers continue to navigate recruitment challenges, with 38% of organisations surveyed reporting difficulties recruiting over the past 12 months. NOW Group says the findings demonstrate the need for specialist employer partnerships that go beyond awareness and help organisations make tangible changes to how they recruit, onboard and support employees.

The organisation recently celebrated its largest-ever Dublin graduation ceremony, with more than 120 people with learning difficulties and who are neurodivergent graduating from its employment and skills programmes – more than five times the 22 graduates recorded in 2025.

NOW Group already works with major employers and organisations across Ireland, with partners including An Post, Deloitte Ireland, Levy Ireland, Flutter and Circle K.

Research

Research conducted by iReach and commissioned by NOW Group and surveyed 150 employers in Ireland in July 2026.

Key findings include:

38% of employers describe themselves as confident or very confident hiring and supporting neurodivergent talent and people with disabilities.
46% are neither confident nor unconfident, while 17% are unconfident or very unconfident.
54% feel only a little equipped (27%) or not at all equipped (27%) to hire and support neurodivergent talent and people with disabilities.
25% cite fear of being insensitive during recruitment or in the workplace as a barrier to more inclusive hiring.
26% are unsure how to reach neurodivergent talent and talent with disabilities through recruitment.
18% would not know how to accommodate neurodivergent people and people with disabilities in the workplace.
15% do not know how to accommodate candidates during recruitment.
25% say training for inclusivity in the workplace would make the biggest difference in helping them hire more inclusively.
24% want guidance on how to reach neurodivergent talent and people with disabilities.
18%identify training for inclusive recruitment as the support that would make the biggest difference.
38% of employers experienced recruitment difficulties during the past 12 months.
34% expect inclusive hiring to increase significantly or somewhat over the next 12 months.

About NOW Group

NOW Group is a leading social enterprise operating across the island of Ireland, supporting people with learning difficulties, autism and who are neurodivergent into sustainable employment. Through a range of services and social enterprises, NOW Group works with individuals and businesses to create inclusive workplaces and deliver social value.

See more breaking stories here.

This is Part 2 of my article on 5 August “If Your Audience Can’t Remember It, They Can’t Retell It“

Where do good stories come from? 

John Creedon, on his programme ‘Musical Atlas of Ireland’, suggested that folk music is having a moment. New bands such as Amble and Kingfishr, along with a myriad of other groups, are now making a name for themselves on the Irish and international scene. I’m sure you can think of your own personal favourite singers and bands.

The best folk songs are the ones we want to sing along to, and that tell a story that touches us emotionally, and possibly how we think about something.

A good story song can be humorous, topical or both.

Some personal examples:

Ralph McTell’s song “The Streets of London” was written in the sixties but is unfortunately as relevant today as it was way back then. Good stories last!

“Jennifer’s Rabbit” by Tom Paxton. Every time I hear this song, I am reminded of great nights reading my daughter Jennifer bedtime stories. If you have a Jennifer in your life, listen to this song.

“England 2 Colombia 0” by Kirsty McColl

Recently rediscovered by me, Kirsty uses humour to deliver a hard-hitting message about infidelity, with a fun chorus. Memorable and repeatable.

You will have your own personal songs or poems that you go to in times of difficulty or when seeking inspiration.

Alternatively, ask yourself: what informs you on the radio, podcasts, TV, or in books?  That you would be interested in telling others.

Telling your story as a metaphor or analogy is an excellent way for people to grasp, understand and remember your message, particularly if yours is a technical topic.

How do I become a good storyteller? 

Storytellers are people others want to engage with, so they can be informed and, ideally, entertained.

Think about your own circle of friends and work colleagues; who are the ones you wish to be in the company of?

In Ireland in the past, it was a seanchaí who moved from house to house telling stories, sometimes sung, mostly spoken. This was in a time when storytellers were in demand as the only form of entertainment poor people had.

A good storyteller must first enjoy telling their story.  

If they want to hold an audience’s attention while informing and entertaining them in equal measure, the story should be full of colour and detail, with elements of fun and pathos.

Before people buy the product, idea or proposal, they have to buy into the person telling the story.

Note: there is no greater satisfaction than holding an audience in the palm of your hand.

Why emotion matters more than information.

Sir Ken Robinson’s TED Talk is still the most-viewed TED Talk globally, with over 80 million views. In his talk, he tells many short stories that are memorable and mostly funny. So, listeners remember the story and, in many cases, can retell it to others.

People remembered his stories and therefore remembered his message.

Aesop’s fables have travelled the world by word of mouth, and over 70 countries worldwide have a version of this wise old proverb.

“A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.”

A story in a sentence!

Currently, the movie “The Odyssey“, directed by Christopher Nolan, is being shown around the world. Another story that started out as a tall tale, told around campfires a long, long time ago.

If you want to be remembered, tell stories. Stories are a window to your soul, and people want you to reveal something of yourself when you engage with them.

How will I remember stories? 

I am constantly on the lookout for stories that engage me. If they engage me, they will engage others. Next, I repeat my interesting stories to other people I have interacted with and gauge their reaction.

If it’s good, I capture the incident/story on paper or dictate it into my phone in the hope that it will provide content for a future article or conversation/presentation

How to practice: 

Next on the agenda of becoming a good public speaker is polishing your stories.

What I mean is telling your stories to anyone who will listen; every time you do, they become more refined with each telling.

When preparing, practise the talk by talking out loud. While walking or driving, you’ll hear your conversation out loud and know whether the flow works.

(People will not think you are mad; they will just assume you are speaking to someone on the phone)

NEVER, NEVER stand in front of an audience and be like them, hearing your talk out loud for the first time!

Should I practice in front of a mirror?

No, no, never. All you will see is what you believe you are doing wrong.

Also, be very careful about who you choose to seek advice from, as the only advice you usually get is what’s wrong with your talk.

What do good speakers do?

The best speakers tell stories that engage and entertain. Each story should end with a punchline, an important message and often a call to action

If you want to be remembered, tell stories: 

Stories are a window to your soul, and people want you to reveal something of yourself when you engage with them.

Facts inform.
Stories travel.
Stories persuade.
Stories are remembered.

If you want your ideas to live far beyond the moment you deliver them, learn to tell stories.

YOUR story is a success when someone else retells it.

By Executive Coach Andrew Keogh of Aristo.ie

Esri Ireland, the market leader in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), has announced a new partnership with DataBuilders to help organisations connect data held across enterprise systems, and use it to make faster and more informed decisions. The partnership combines Esri Ireland’s geospatial technology and GIS services with DataBuilders’ expertise in making enterprisedata reliable, connected and ready to use.

Public and private sector organisations across Government, Infrastructure and Commercial markets, are increasingly running programmes that combine GIS, enterprise systems, cloud migration and AI, drawing on data held across multiple systems and formats. Where this data isn’t properly connected or governed, delivery slows and organisations get less value from their technology investment.

DataBuilders is a Dublin-based data intelligence and consulting firm. Under the new partnership, DataBuilders’ Safe-Software-certified FME specialists will work with Esri Ireland’s project teams to connect data and automate how it moves across systems, reducing duplication and lowering delivery risk for customers.

This partnership significantly strengthens both DataBuilders and Esri Ireland’s ability to deliver end-to-end data transformation, migration, automation and governance services. By combining Esri Ireland’s expertise with DataBuilders’ specialist FME capabilities, customers will benefit from improved data quality, simplified integration and migration, and delivery of complex programmes with greater confidence and lower risk. Once data is connected and governed within ArcGIS, Esri’s location intelligence platform, organisations can use geospatial analytics more effectively and build the trusted data foundations needed for AI and other complex digital transformation programmes.

Paul Synnott, Managing Director of Esri Ireland, commented: “This partnership reflects the growing importance of trusted, connected data across the enterprise. Together, Esri Ireland and DataBuilders will provide customers with a stronger, more scalable capability for data transformation, migration, automation and governance, helping them remove silos and maximise the value of their technology investments.”

Aoibhinn Stuart, CEO of DataBuilders, added: “Most organisations don’t have a technology problem; they have a data problem hiding underneath it. Data is one of the most valuable assets any organisation holds, and its value depends on how trusted, connected and AI-ready it is. At DataBuilders, we shed light on your data, no matter its location or format, so it’s visible and actionable. By partnering with Esri Ireland, we’re bringing that capability directly to the GIS and data professionals who rely on ArcGIS every day, giving them higher-quality data, deeper analysis and the confidence to act on it.”

See more stories here.

Picture 1 and Picture 3 – L-R Melanie Horkan (HR Manager, IMR), Maurice O’Connell (COO, IMR), Gina Horan (CFO, IMR) and Barry Kennedy (CEO, IMR)

New IMR report records engagement with 679 industry organisations across all 26 counties and warns that digital readiness will determine how quickly manufacturers turn AI and automation into commercial value.

Commercialising automation

Irish manufacturers are moving from testing advanced technologies towards implementing them in their operations, but the strength of their digital foundations will determine how quickly AI and automation deliver value on the factory floor, according to a new report from Irish Manufacturing Research.

IMR’s 2025 End of Year Report records engagement with 679 industry organisations through 704 engagements across all 26 counties. Outcomes captured through 31 client impact statements project almost €18 million in economic value, comprising €13 million in additional revenue and €5 million in cost savings. The same statements identified 32 jobs created or safeguarded and projected reductions of 197t COe.

“The debate about whether AI and automation matter is over. Manufacturers can see the opportunity,” said Barry Kennedy, CEO of Irish Manufacturing Research.

“The question now is whether they have the digital infrastructure, skills and implementation capability to turn that opportunity into real commercial value. Technology alone will not transform a factory. The data, systems and people around it must also be ready.”

The findings point to a wider shift within Irish manufacturing, as businesses focus increasingly on moving technologies beyond isolated trials and into real operational environments.

This transition is also increasing demand for new skills. During 2025, IMR delivered 811 training days, with 363 participants from 107 companies developing capabilities needed within a rapidly changing manufacturing environment.

Kennedy said the next phase of industrial competitiveness would be shaped by how effectively manufacturers translate investment into implementation.

“Ireland has a real opportunity to lead in advanced manufacturing, but speed alone is not enough. Companies need the right foundations and the right support to make technology work within their operations.

“The manufacturers that get this right will be better positioned to improve productivity, build resilience and compete successfully in increasingly complex global markets.”

The IMR 2025 End of Year Report outlines the organisation’s work with industry across digitalisation, automation, sustainability, skills development and advanced manufacturing innovation.

Read the full report at: https://pages.imr.ie/2025-end-of-year-report-download

The projected impact figures are based on 31 client impact statements and include €13 million in projected income growth, €5 million in projected cost savings, 32 jobs created or safeguarded and 197 tCOe in projected emissions reductions.

IMR engaged with 679 industry organisations through 704 engagements across all 26 counties during 2025.

See more breaking stories here.

By David Stephen

Artificial intelligence still hallucinates a lot. Even chatbots that are said to lead most benchmarks mislead consumers, sometimes at stages where there is reluctance or haste to extra-verify information. There has been progress, using fine-tuning, against hallucinations, but what Google should be asking is this, seeing how hallucinations persist, how can Tensor Processing Units [TPUs] be the answer, so that it becomes embedded into new and existing AI training compute, anywhere on earth?

AI with Gemini?

Simply, if AI remains unreliable because of its mistakes, how can Google explore TPUs as answers that would seal permanence for Google, wherever AI is run and trained? To completely rival Nvidia, Google should look at the conceptual mechanism of human memory, to pursue a new memory architecture for TPUs. This means that even if artificial general intelligence [AGI] is not achieved yet, it can at least solve AI hallucinations, becoming the oxygen of accurate AI.

Human intelligence is completely reliant on human memory. Human intelligence is defined here as the use of human memory for expected, advantageous or desired outcomes. This means that memory is at destinations, the relays across relevant aspects of those destinations for outcomes is called intelligence.

Now, why do humans have better intelligence than other organisms, given that studies have shown similarities – with many – in navigating habitats? What makes it possible that human memory can bear complex languages, not those of other organisms?

To solve hallucinations, pursue theoretical mechanisms of how human memory works. The same applies to solving artificial general intelligence. When human memory breaks, it does so in [or with] recollection, maybe by forgetting or by misrepresentation. It is the architecture of memory that makes both possible.

This means that while it is necessary to remember people, things, events and so forth, human memory prioritizes for intelligence [needs or outcomes] in the instance. So, even with forgetting or misrepresentation, it does, with the pathway that it is supposed to be used for intelligence, not recollection. Hallucinations [or say confabulations] are therefore more common for humans with a mental disorder than not.

This indicates that human memory is a pointer to solving AI hallucinations – if a parallel digital memory can be built for training data. How so? By an extra layer of memory collection, with [next generation] TPUs, such that instead of having new training, existing training data can pass through the collection architecture of new iterations of TPUs, then have data heaved again into collections, to have hallucinations solved, while plowing on to AGI.

Simply, human memory does not store exact details of everything in the external world. Door is a collection for everything text, audio, image, video or motion about door, the same applies to table and so forth. So, having collections by the brain makes it easier for the transportation of intelligence to have fewer roads to travel for on-demand usefulness.

Assuming human memory stored every single thing separately, the mix up would be unbearable, since intelligence would have to find a blue door, or a red door or the audio of a door and so forth, to make instantaneous interpretations.

It is this mechanism that Google can pursue as research, for initial results within 4 months, including for AI safety.

Since the mechanism is set, the math framework, hardware design, algorithms and experiments can be accelerated fast. The mechanism is available from the postulate in Conceptual Biomarkers and Theoretical Biological Factors for Psychiatric and Intelligence Nosology.

This should be central mission for Sergey Brin, Koray Kavukcuoglu and the rest of the Gemini team, towards the future of AI overviews. How Google would not have another missed opportunity, after ChatGPT, especially in an area Google already has a head start.

Also, as Pixel 11 Pro Fold takes off, Google can seek writing, with a path towards an AI pen that can sell up to two billion units before August 31, 2028.

AI that can augment human abilities is the campaign of human-centered artificial intelligence [HCAI]. What if there is an AI pen that can reverse handedness or laterality for humanity, removing the dominance and precision of one hand, through enabling the other with an autonomous pen?

Google can get there before others. Even as Gemini 3.5 Pro is speculated to be expected before January, 2027.

The directions that hold commercial and technical dominance for Google are adjacent to TPUs and Pixel 11 Pro Fold.

There is a recent [August, 2026] blog by Google, Google’s most sophisticated foldable: Pixel 11 Pro Fold, stating that, “Introducing Pixel 11 Pro Fold, our latest foldable with a thinner and lighter design, brand-new main camera, added durability inside and out, and enhanced intelligence tools.”

“Pixel 11 Pro Fold is here, and it’s our most sophisticated foldable yet. With a fresh and durable design, stunning (and helpful) new camera visor with HiLight, and unique features that help you throughout your day, this phone is next-level.”

“Pixel 11 Pro Fold is almost 10% lighter and about 1mm thinner than Pixel 10 Pro Fold, so it’s more comfortable to hold in your hand and in your pocket. 1 With even thinner bezels than before for a sleek look, the new Pro Fold comes in our classic Obsidian and brand-new Olive for a pop of color.”

David Stephen does research in conceptual brain science and served as a visiting scholar in medical entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He did computer vision research at Rovira i Virgili University in Tarragona.

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Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a global leader in IT services, consulting, and business solutions, and Rolls-Royce, a British multinational specialising in civil aerospace, defence aerospace, services and power systems, have achieved a major milestone in the hydrogen propulsion programme. First announced by Rolls-Royce and easyJet in 2022, TCS joined the programme in 2024, bringing its engineering and technology capabilities in the areas of development, testing and validation.

Together, TCS and Rolls-Royce have, in an industry first, demonstrated the successful operation of a modern aero gas turbine across a fully simulated flight cycle using 100% hydrogen.

The test is the culmination of a four-year programme to prove hydrogen’s potential as a future aviation fuel. Operated using 100% hydrogen, the modified engine successfully completed a flight cycle demonstration, including take-off, cruise and landing.

The tests validated critical hydrogen propulsion technologies across combustion, fuel systems, and engine controls. As Rolls-Royce’s engineering partner, TCS provided engineering expertise that helped fast-track the development, testing and successful delivery of the hydrogen propulsion programme. TCS supported Rolls-Royce on critical areas including fuel system and engine controls integration, hydrogen combustion analysis, test preparation, validation, data analytics, risk management, and detailed design.

Adam Newman, Chief Engineer, Hydrogen Demonstrator Programme, Rolls-Royce, said:

“The programme marks an important milestone in our journey towards more sustainable aviation. Through a rigorous and carefully staged testing approach, we have gained valuable insights into how 100% hydrogen behaves in a modern aero gas turbine across a full flight cycle while validating critical combustion, fuel and control system technologies. TCS has been a trusted partner throughout this programme. The learnings from this initiative will support future propulsion innovations, including UltraFan®, and strengthen our confidence that gas turbine technology can continue to play an important role in the future of sustainable flight.”

Anupam Singhal, President – Manufacturing, Tata Consultancy Services, said:

“This milestone reflects what becomes possible when advanced engineering is combined with digital capabilities and deep ecosystem collaboration to move breakthrough innovation closer to the real world. At TCS, we are proud to support Rolls-Royce in accelerating hydrogen propulsion through integrated engineering, systems, and software expertise. This achievement marks a significant step forward—demonstrating not just the viability of hydrogen, but the industry’s readiness to translate ambition into execution.”

The partnership with Rolls-Royce underscores TCS’ commitment to driving sustainable transformation across industries, aligning with its broader mission to harness technology for positive societal impact. Aviation currently accounts for approximately 2–3% of global CO? emissions, and hydrogen-powered propulsion technologies have the potential to eliminate in-flight CO? emissions when deployed at scale. The success of this demonstration marks a significant step towards enabling lower-carbon aviation.

The demonstration brought together expertise from across the aviation ecosystem, with Rolls-Royce and TCS working alongside easyJet, NASA, the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE), and other industry partners to bring hydrogen-powered flight a step closer to reality.

The programme provides one of the clearest demonstrations to date of how hydrogen could power future aircraft engines. The knowledge gained from this programme will be the bedrock that will help inform future propulsion technologies and support the aviation industry’s transition towards low-carbon air travel. Building on this milestone, TCS will continue working with Rolls-Royce to advance hydrogen-powered aviation technologies.

A new partnership between Payzone and Miconex is bringing Town & City Gift Cards to over 3,000 Payzone locations in Ireland.

From today, people will be able to buy Town & City Gift Cards locally at selected Payzone payment terminals located in convenience stores, newsagents and supermarkets across the country, including prominent retail chains.

Digital Town & City Gift Cards locally branded for Irish towns including Ballinrobe, Carndonagh, Drogheda, Donegal Town, Dungarvan & West Waterford, Kilkenny, Limerick, Letterkenny, Monaghan, Mullingar, Macroom, Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford will be available for purchase in values from €10-€250. More Town & City Gift Cards programs are set to launch in 2026.

3,000 Payzone stores will offer Town & City Gift Cards. Once purchased, recipients add their digital Town & City Gift Card to their digital wallet using Miconex’s Love Local app. A full list of Payzone locations offering Town & City Gift Cards is available online.

Delivered by fintech Miconex, Town & City Gift Cards are Mastercard backed and can be spent with registered shops, restaurants, salons, attractions and hotels. Town & City Gift Cards amplify the local offering to encourage local support, locking spend into Irish communities.

Over €17.4 million of Town & City Gift Cards were sold in Ireland in 2025. The cards tap into increasing ‘shop local’ sentiment, giving people and organisations a local option for gifts, rewards and incentives.

The Payzone and Miconex partnership is estimated to drive an additional €1 million of spend in Irish communities over 3 years.

Olivia Noonan, head of financial services, Payzone Ireland said: “At Payzone, we’re committed to supporting communities across the country and the independent businesses that are at the heart of them. Making Town & City Gift Cards available through our retail network gives consumers another easy, convenient way to ‘support local’.

“With more than 3,000 retail partners across Ireland, we’re proud to help make these gift cards more accessible and, in doing so, contribute to keeping more spending within local economies.”

Colin Munro, CEO of Miconex, said: “Shop local sentiment in Ireland is extremely strong. People actively want to support the local businesses in the towns and cities where they live and work, and Town & City Gift Cards make it easy and enjoyable to do just that. What makes Town & City Gift Cards unique is the unbeatable local choice, big brands and independent businesses in one card, paired with the unrivalled support for local. Our partnership with Payzone is putting Town & City Gift Cards where people want to buy them, while they’re buying petrol or picking up essentials, enhancing the ease and accessibility of supporting local.”

Trevor Connolly, CEO of Love Drogheda BID added: “The Love Drogheda Gift Card has been a part of the Town & City Gift Cards initiative since 2020. It’s the number one choice for gifts, rewards and incentives in the area with almost €1 milllion locked into Drogheda through the gift card to date. The partnership between Town & City Gift Cards and Payzone is powerful because it gives the ability to buy Town & City Gift Cards, including the Love Drogheda Gift Card, at Payzone locations across Ireland. Shopping local transforms communities, and this partnership is key to making that happen.”

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Expleo, the global technology and consulting service provider, has announced the July results of its AI Pulse sentiment tracker for Ireland. The data shows that June’s dip in AI confidence continued into July. Business leaders in Ireland are now the most pessimistic among their European peers across every sentiment measured in the AI Pulse.

Expleo’s monthly AI Pulse barometer is carried out by Opinium among 800 business leaders in Ireland, the UK, Germany and France. Last month’s results found that 54% of business leaders in Ireland are worried about how AI is transformingtheir businesses, compared to an average of 41% elsewhere in Europe. Additionally, 50% in Ireland are worried about the impact that AI will have on their job, versus 39% in other locations.

Expleo’s research also shows that business leaders in Ireland are the least likely across the countries surveyed to be excited by AI (60% in Ireland Vs 67%); the least likely to trust their organisation to use AI ethically (62% in Ireland Vs 73%); and the least likely to see AI primarily as a benefit to their business (54% in Ireland Vs 63%).

Three in five (60%) business leaders in Ireland would trust AI to act autonomously to summarise emails, documents and meeting notes, compared to a 71% average elsewhere in Europe. Meanwhile, 27% in Ireland would trust AI to make hiring or HR-related decisions, versus 42% in Europe.

Phil Codd, Managing Director – Ireland, Expleo, said: “Irish organisations may have one of the highest AI adoption rates in the world, but business leaders are wary of its impact. Recent news about rogue AI agents have shown the importance of human oversight, and so, to a certain extent, all business leaders should be cautious. But at what point does healthy vigilance become inertia? If business leaders are worrying about AI summarising a document, are they ready for agentic AI?

“Embedding strong governance, risk and compliance frameworks will be key in ensuring the successful, safe adoption of AI. With new transparency rules now in effect from the EU AI Act, organisations will be subject to stricter regulations regarding the use of AI. Business leaders must use their organisation’s compliance with the Act, and accompany guardrails, to explore AI more before being permanently left behind.”

See more stories here.

The EU AI compliance deadline arrived on August 2nd and it’s important that companies have been preparing for it. According to AI expert Cathal McCarthy of Kore.ai, companies that establish robust AI governance frameworks today will be better positioned to deploy AI faster in a highly regulated industry. To help leaders assess their preparedness, Cathal has developed a six-question diagnostic that evaluates the maturity of an organisation’s AI governance program. The framework is designed to quickly identify whether key governance structures, accountability mechanisms, and oversight processes are in place, or where gaps still remain.

I caught up with Cathal to find out more about the EU AI compliance and how businesses should prepare for it. Cathal talks about his background, AI compliance, AI adaptability, the ability to learn, AI transparency and more.

More about Cathal McCarthy:

Cathal is Chief Strategy Officer at Kore.ai, an enterprise AI and agentic AI platform serving Fortune 500 and PE-backed customers globally. He has twenty-five years scaling enterprise technology businesses and has held leadership roles at Apple during its growth from $8B to over $200B in revenue, and at eBay leading initiatives across 163 million users. He also brings P&L instinct, GTM design experience, and credibility in the boardroom on AI transformation.

See more podcasts here.

Applications are now open for the 2027 Stripe Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition. Secondary school students from every county across Ireland are invited to turn their curiosity and ideas into reality and showcase them at the RDS in Dublin from 6-9 January 2027.

Whether inspired by artificial intelligence, the physics of the world around them, advances in medicine, or what data reveals about human behaviour, students are encouraged to bring forward their most innovative ideas that could help shape the future of Ireland.

The total prize fund will increase by 25% for 2027, with more than 200 prizes to be awarded. The overall winners will receive the Stripe Young Scientist(s) & Technologist(s) of the Year Award and a top prize of €10,000. They will also go on to represent Ireland at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS).

Stripe is expanding its YSTE Travel Bursary to support every school exhibiting at the RDS, increasing total funding by 25% to €150,000. By helping fund transport and accommodation for students and teachers traveling to Dublin for the four-day event, the bursary ensures more schools across Ireland can participate.

Stripe is also introducing Stripe YSTE Catalyst, a programme for the students behind the exhibition’s top four awarded projects. Catalyst participants will be paired with mentors from academia, industry and Stripe’s own engineering and science teams, travel to San Francisco to visit some of the world’s leading technology companies, and present their projects at Stripe Sessions, Stripe’s flagship annual conference.

Teachers and parents can find guidance on scoping and submitting a project on the Stripe YSTE website or in the Stripe YSTE handbook, which is issued to schools each August. The deadline for entries is 25 September 2026.

The inaugural Stripe YSTE in January 2026 drew 3,670 entries, with 550 projects featuring over 1,000 students selected to exhibit.

Eileen O’Mara, Vice Chair at Stripe, said:

“Many of the world’s most impactful ideas started as simple school experiments. The Stripe Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition gives young people the platform to explore big questions, build something new, and share it with the world.

“This year, we’re investing more than ever: alongside increased prizes and travel support, our new ‘Stripe YSTE Catalyst’ programme will connect exceptional students with the mentors who can help them imagine what’s possible next. We encourage every student in Ireland to apply, follow their curiosity, and take on the problems they think matter most.”

Hildegarde Naughton, Minister for Education and Youth said:

“The Stripe Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition is a wonderful celebration of the creativity, curiosity and talent of young people across Ireland. Each year, students demonstrate remarkable originality as they explore issues ranging from challenges in their local communities to some of the biggest global questions we face.

“I am delighted to continue my Department’s strong partnership with the exhibition. It provides students with an invaluable opportunity to develop skills in research, critical thinking, problem solving and communication, while building confidence and sharing their ideas.

“I wish all students every success and look forward to seeing the talent, innovation and enthusiasm on display at the 2027 exhibition.”

Dr Tony Scott, Co-Founder of the Stripe Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, said:

“For more than sixty years, the Stripe Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition has demonstrated what can happen when young people are encouraged to explore the questions that matter to them. Each year, students bring forward work of remarkable creativity and rigour, testing ideas, gathering evidence and applying method to problems that matter.

“The introduction of Stripe YSTE Catalyst is a very welcome development, extending that journey beyond the exhibition and giving students the opportunity to deepen their research, learn from experts and discover what serious scientific thinking can achieve.”

The 2027 Stripe Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition will award prizes across five categories:

• Biological and Ecological Science
• Chemical, Physical and Mathematical Science
• Health and Wellbeing
• Social and Behavioural Science
• Technology

To enter, students must complete an online application and submit a one-page project proposal by 25 September 2026. Finalists will be announced on 23 October 2026, with selected projects showcased at the RDS from 6-9 January 2027.

For more information on Stripe YSTE and how to apply, visit https://stripeyste.com/how-to-enter

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Most conference organizers, when facing a crowded market, raise their prices and restrict their guest lists. The team behind CONF3RENCE is doing the opposite.

Germany’s largest emerging tech meets traditional economy event returns for its third edition on 15–16 September 2026 at Kokerei Hansa in Dortmund, and this year it costs nothing to attend. Free across both days. The move is not a gimmick; it sits inside the Festival of Arts, Tech and Taste (FATT) in North Rhine-Westphalia, a broader cultural and industry event designed to bring the region’s public, institutional, and startup ecosystems into the same physical space at the same time.

CONF3RENCE 15–16 September, Dortmund

The previous two editions of CONF3RENCE drew over 4,000 attendees from more than 70 countries. Opening admission removes the last practical barrier between that audience and a significantly larger one.

What the Programme Covers

The event is not trying to be everything. It runs a focused agenda across four core topic areas: AI and enterprise adoption, tokenisation and real-world assets, stablecoins and digital payments, and institutional finance and blockchain infrastructure. These are not aspirational themes. They are the areas where traditional economy decision-makers are actually spending time and budget in 2026, and CONF3RENCE has positioned itself as the event where that conversation happens in Germany specifically.

The format spans a main stage, a dedicated DeepTech stage, masterclasses, an exhibition floor, and networking across the full festival campus. The combination of conference infrastructure and festival setting is deliberate: the Kokerei Hansa site in Dortmund is an industrial heritage venue that does not feel like a hotel ballroom, and the FATT context means the surrounding programme includes considerably more than panel discussions.

Why Dortmund and Why Now

North Rhine-Westphalia is worth understanding as a location choice. It holds the highest university density in Europe. Dortmund sits within 90 minutes of millions of people across one of the continent’s strongest industrial and research regions. The companies that built German manufacturing are based here. So are the research institutions now building what comes next.

CONF3RENCE is organised by the team behind Solv3, a digital asset advisory and tokenisation firm. That background matters because the event’s institutional credibility comes from the same networks. Banks, asset managers, enterprise technology companies, and infrastructure builders are not an aspirational attendee category here; they are the returning audience.

Moving to free admission for 2026 takes a gathering that was already connecting those worlds and removes the one friction point that kept the broader public and earlier-stage founders at a distance.

Registration

Registration is free and open now at conf3rence.com.

This coverage is part of an official media partnership between CONF3RENCE 2026, Irish Tech News, and Belkin Marketing, recognised as International Media Partners for the September 2026 edition. The partnership was brokered by Iaroslav Belkin, founder of Belkin Marketing, a boutique intelligence firm executing strategic media partnerships, international expansion, and executive positioning via VVIP events including Davos WEF.

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Irish workers may be losing more than time to the daily commute, with new research suggesting the strain of the working day can continue long after they arrive home.

The findings come as a new report highlights Dublin’s worsening congestion, with drivers estimated to have lost an average of 95 hours to traffic in 2025.

Now, a national survey commissioned by Nurosym has revealed the less visible time workers lose afterwards: the period spent trying to stop thinking about work, recover from the journey and feel fully relaxed at home.

Working stress

The survey found:

More than two-thirds (68%) arrive home drained at least weekly

More than half (56%) take an hour or longer to relax

More than four in five (82%) check work messages after hours

Dr Elisabetta Burchi, Head of Research at Nurosym, describes this period between arriving home and genuinely feeling relaxed as a “hidden stress window”.

“Commuting is usually quantified as time lost, but from a physiological standpoint, it is better understood as one contributor to a sustained allostatic load.

“Urban environments impose near-continuous demand on the autonomic nervous system; noise, crowding, artificial light, and the vigilance required by unpredictable conditions all recruit sympathetic activity.

“When a congested journey follows a cognitively demanding day, these inputs summate rather than resolve. The result is that sympathetic tone can remain elevated after arrival home, with the parasympathetic recovery that would normally follow a stressor delayed or incomplete.”

Dublin workers are Ireland’s most likely to arrive home drained

The problem appears particularly pronounced in Dublin, where nearly three-quarters (73%) of workers arrive home feeling stressed or mentally drained at least once a week.

This was followed by the South-West at 71%, the Border and Midland regions at 68%, and the West at 67%.

Workers in Dublin were also among the most digitally connected after hours. Nearly nine in ten (87%) check work emails or messages outside their normal working hours, including four in ten (41%) who do so every day.

One in five (20%) Dublin respondents said their commute makes it more difficult to unwind, compared with one in six (16%) nationally. Similar results were recorded in the Mid-East, at 21%, and the South-East, at 20%.

The findings come against Ireland’s continued reliance on car travel. The latest Census commuting figures show nearly two-thirds (63%) of people travel to work by car, while the average journey takes 29 minutes.

Why getting home does not mean the body has switched off

A busy journey home requires ongoing concentration. Drivers must watch other road users, respond to delays and make rapid decisions when conditions change.

“In a well-regulated system, a stressor elicits a transient sympathetic response, after which parasympathetic activity,  largely vagally mediated, restores a lower-arousal baseline.

“Autonomic flexibility of this kind is measurable, for instance, through heart rate variability. The difficulty in contemporary daily life is that discrete stressors are increasingly continuous: a demanding day, a congested commute, after-hours notifications and evening screen exposure arrive in sequence with no intervening recovery.

“Under these conditions, sympathetic activation is sustained, and the expected parasympathetic rebound is attenuated.”

Almost a third (32%) of workers surveyed said thoughts about work make it harder to unwind, while more than a third (35%) pointed to excessive screen time.

Arriving home also marks the beginning of another period of activity for many. Almost one in five (17%) immediately begin household chores, and almost one in five (19%) reach for their phone. One in six (16%) first sit quietly or take time to relax.

Women take longer to unwind, while men remain more connected to work

The research reveals different pressures affecting men and women at the end of the working day.

Three in five (60%) working women take at least an hour to feel fully relaxed, compared with more than half (53%) of men.

Women are also almost three times as likely to begin household chores as soon as they arrive home, at 26% compared with 9% of men.

Men, however, are more likely to remain connected to their jobs. 85% check work messages outside their normal hours, compared with 78% of women, with two in five (40%) men doing so every day.

“These demands differ in nature and should not be treated as equivalent and meaning matters physiologically, since a task experienced as purposeful provokes a different autonomic response from one experienced as depleting.

“Where a demand does elicit a genuine stress response, what determines recovery is less the stressor itself than whether an adequate interval follows it, in which vagal tone can rise and arousal return towards baseline. When successive stressors leave no such interval, that recovery is curtailed, whatever the source.”

Creating a consistent transition between work and home can help signal to the body that the demands of the day have ended. Dr Burchi recommends five simple ways to support the nervous system’s shift into recovery:

Create a clear end to the working day

“Where you can, deal with final messages before the journey home, then switch off work notifications for the evening. After-hours checking keeps attention oriented to the next task and delays the point at which arousal can begin to subside.”

Build in a short buffer

“Try not to move straight from the commute into other commitments. Even five or ten quiet minutes creates the recovery interval that allows autonomic activity to settle before the next demand begins.”

Slow down your breathing

“Slow and controlled breathing, particularly with a longer exhale, can help the body move away from a heightened state of alert. Wait until you are safely home rather than trying breathing exercises while driving.”

Use movement to release the day

“A short walk or gentle stretching can create a physical transition out of work mode. This may be particularly helpful for people who have spent much of their day sitting at a desk or in a car.”

Support the vagus nerve

“The vagus nerve is a key effector of the ‘rest and recover’ state. Controlled breathing, gentle movement, and time away from digital stimulation can all support this transition.

“Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation may also help support autonomic nervous system regulation. Nurosym stimulates the auricular branch of the vagus nerve through the ear and is designed to be easily used on demand during periods of rest.”

Dr Burchi added, “The answer is not to create another demanding routine. It is to give the nervous system a clear and consistent signal that the pressures of the working day have ended.”

The research was conducted on behalf of Nurosym on 8th July of 1,000 adults in Ireland.

Full survey results can be found here.

Sources:

Dublin drivers losing an average of 95 hours to congestion in 2025: INRIX 2025 Dublin Traffic Scorecard

Nearly two-thirds (63%) commuting by car and an average journey time of 29.1 minutes: Central Statistics Office – Census 2022 commuting data

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The race is on to meet the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) regulation, as a number of platforms near the threshold for being classified as Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs). Upon designation by the European Commission (EC), organisations have only four months to navigate an expanded set of regulatory obligations.

The challenge lies not just in achieving compliance but maintaining it amidst real-time regulatory scrutiny and a continuously evolving regulatory landscape.

KPMG Digital Regulation specialists Patrick Farrell and Hermes Peraza outline the risks of delay, what “minimum viable” compliance looks like, the top six areas for emerging VLOPs to get right.

Why waiting is risky

For platforms approaching VLOP thresholds, the biggest risk is waiting too long to act. Once designated as a VLOP, firms have only four months to comply with a significantly expanded set of obligations, including the need to:

• Perform Annual Systemic Risk Assessments
• Evidence Control Effectiveness
• Implement Risk Mitigation Measures
• Establish an Independent Compliance Function
• Arrange Annual Independent Audits
• Manage Direct Supervision from the EC

The priority for platforms approaching this threshold is simple: build a minimum viable regulatory framework early, then refine and scale.

“For emerging VLOPs, readiness cannot start at designation. Organisations that manage scrutiny best are those that build evidence, accountability and control effectiveness into their operating model before the four-month clock begins.  Those that wait until designation is confirmed risk trying to evidence compliance while the regulatory examination is already underway” said Hermes Peraza, Director in Risk and Regulatory Consulting at KPMG.

What “minimum viable” compliance looks like

The EC demands demonstrable, evidence-based proof that controls to keep online users safe are effective. “Minimum viable” readiness in practice means:

• A defensible operating model that can withstand regulatory scrutiny from day one.
• Evidencing knowledge of the risks faced, including having a robust, scalable and repeatable data-driven methodology to assess them.
• Demonstrable evidence that controls to keep online users safe exist, are consistently applied, and are subject to oversight, testing, and monitoring.
• Clear accountability for platform risk, compliance, and mitigation decisions, with defined ownership across management, the Compliance Function, and the Board.
• Having mitigation measures that are operating effectively, not planned or theoretical.
• Strong and realistic improvement plans with a credible and prioritised roadmap.

Regulators are specifically looking for practical governance and oversight arrangements that support effective supervision, including the EC’s ability to interrogate decisions, request information, and trace accountability to senior management and the Board. They want to see evidence that the platform has a firm grasp on key risks and can consistently explain and demonstrate control effectiveness and mitigations.

Compliance claims must be supported by verifiable evidence, including auditability, transparency reporting, and the ability to substantiate how DSA obligations are met in practice, with evidence, rather than merely being documented in policies and procedures. Overall, regulators want to see that online users are being kept safe, and that platforms have the ability to identify, prevent and minimise the risks online users are exposed to.

Heightened scrutiny for VLOPs under DSA

In two years, online platforms have reversed around 50 million decisions affecting users’ content or accounts, helping users exercise their Digital Services Act (DSA) rights online in the EU.

Newly designated VLOPs face intense regulatory scrutiny, with direct supervision by the EC since late 2023.

The enforcement risk is real: where a DSA breach is confirmed, the Commission can impose fines of up to 6% of global turnover, alongside enhanced supervision and corrective measures with a set deadline. We are already seeing some of those measures take place, commented Patrick Farrell, Partner and Head of Advisory Markets at KPMG.

As of July 2026, the EC issued around 75 Requests for Information (RFIs) across 23 VLOPSEs and initiated formal proceedings against 12 platforms, reflecting a supervisory focus on practical compliance. This involves testing the credibility of compliance claims, governance, oversight, and mitigation measures. VLOPs are assessed beyond policy frameworks, requiring meaningful internal and external data and systems access to withstand sustained supervision.

Top 6 areas for Emerging VLOPs to get right

1. Systemic Risk and Control Assessments (SRAs) – Establish procedures to identify, analyse, and assess systemic risks stemming from the design or functioning of the service and its related systems, including algorithmic systems, as well as from the use made of those services.

2. Establish an independent Compliance Function with a direct reporting line to the Board – An independent compliance function, framework and operating model is required to perform compliance oversight activities and processes. Consideration should be given to establishing a central compliance team, rather than operating in silos, particularly for global firms.

3. Crisis response, communication and learning – A crisis is deemed to have occurred where extraordinary circumstances lead to a serious threat to public security or public health in the EU. Online platforms should identify, assess, and implement measures to prevent or eliminate serious threats; develop crisis protocols for addressing crisis situations; and report to the Commission at regular intervals on the implementation and qualitative and quantitative impact of measures taken to mitigate those threats.

4. Transparency Reporting, Data and MI – Transparency reporting frequency will increase to twice a year. Accuracy of data will be critical, alongside consistency of messaging across disclosures. Information disclosed through systemic risk assessments, independent audits, transparency reports, and responses to regulatory information requests should be internally consistent and evidence-based.

5. Assurance and Remediation: Arrange an independent audit at least annually and implement any required remediation measures. Readiness requires clear ownership for engagement with the independent auditor and defined accountability across the Compliance Function, legal, product, integrity, and engineering teams. Organisations must be prepared for the volume and intensity of audit activity, including control walkthroughs, evidence production, and detailed review cycles.

6. Direct European Commission supervision – Under the DSA, the Commission has powers to request information, conduct inspections, open formal investigations, and assess compliance with the DSA. Where necessary, it may also adopt enforcement measures to address non-compliance.

How KPMG can help

KPMG offers deep technical expertise across all areas related to the DSA. The team specialises in readiness and assurance, risk assessment, control design and documentation, implementation of key processes, and regulatory engagement and reporting. With KPMG’s support, navigating the complexities of DSA compliance becomes a streamlined and effective process.

Markel Insurance, the insurance operation within Markel Group Inc., has announced its partnership with Verodat, a specialist data management and AI delegated data platform provider, as part of its continued investment in data-driven underwriting and delegated authority oversight.

Through Verodat’s bordereaux solution, Markel will be able to collect, process and gain deeper insights into data from delegated partners more efficiently. The system is designed to analyse and break down non-standardised bordereaux data into clearer, actionable insights, helping underwriters identify trends, monitor portfolio performance and make better-informed decisions.

Improved access to timely, high-quality data will strengthen collaboration between Markel, brokers and coverholders by enabling faster processing, clearer oversight and more effective feedback on data quality. It will also support stronger governance and regulatory compliance across Markel’s delegated authority business.

Kate Johnson, Director of Operations at Markel International, commented: “Rising data and regulatory demands mean insurers must modernise how delegated data is managed and used. Verodat supports our push for better quality data and more efficient bordereaux processes, helping us deliver a clearer and more responsive service for brokers and cover holders.

“Verodat stood out as a strong cultural fit. Its platform will automate routine tasks and allow our teams to focus on supporting partners as our delegated portfolio continues to grow.”

Thomas Russell, Founder and CEO of Verodat, added: “The delegated authority market has had a data problem for years – manual processes, offshore workarounds, and aggregated outputs that lose the granularity underwriters actually need. Verodat was built to change that. We’re proud to be partnering with Markel on this – it’s a strong signal that the market is ready to do things properly. When bordereaux data is clean, complete and fully traceable from source to system, everything downstream – governance, reporting, and AI – becomes possible.”

See more stories here.

Nearly half (45%) of Irish festival goers are likely to buy a new smartphone ahead of this summer’s festival season, according to new research from Ireland’s leading refurbished tech marketplace, refurbed, despite growing concerns that global chip shortages are set to increase the cost of new smartphones.

Yet while refurbished devices could offer a lower-cost alternative, fewer than one in three (30%) festival goers would consider buying a refurbished smartphone, while 61% would opt for a brand-new handset.

Published ahead of Electric Picnic, the findings highlight the increasingly important role technology plays in festival preparation, with smartphones remaining the must-have purchase for many attendees, despite reported price hikes.

Among those planning to buy a smartphone before attending a festival, more than half (52%) said they want a device to capture photos and videos, while 41% want a phone with longer battery life and greater reliability over a festival weekend.

Other reasons include staying connected through messages and social media (35%), replacing a lost, broken or outdated device (27%), entertainment (22%), and concern that an existing phone could be lost or stolen (12%).

The research also found that smartphones are just one part of festival tech shopping lists this summer. More than half (53%) plan to buy a portable charger or power bank, while 38% are purchasing headphones. Cameras (29%), smartwatches (22%), and speakers (21%) also feature among the most popular festival technology purchases.

Outside smartphones, attitudes towards refurbished technology are significantly more positive. Overall, 62% of festival goers said they would be likely to buy refurbished technology for their upcoming festival, while just 4% said they would not buy technology specifically for festival season.

Speaking on the findings, refurbed CEO and co-founder Kilian Kaminski said: “It’s clear that tech purchases and festival prep now go hand in hand, but the fact that nearly half of festival goers are planning to buy a brand-new smartphone for a weekend raises an obvious question: do you really need a new phone, or do you just need your existing one to work reliably?

“Whether it’s capturing photos and videos, making sure your battery lasts or staying connected with friends, having a reliable device has become an important part of the festival experience. However, buying a brand-new handset for a festival feels like an expensive and unnecessary upgrade when a refurbished device can deliver the performance and reliability people need, for less.

“With new smartphone prices expected to rise, it’s time to challenge the idea that ‘new’ automatically means ‘better’. For festival season, your phone needs to be reliable, it doesn’t need to be the latest model.”

As part of its mission to become Europe’s destination for sustainable shopping, refurbed premium offers the chance to buy devices in like-new condition, with no visible signs of wear, full functionality and at least 90% battery capacity. Customers can also choose to have a new battery put in their refurbished smartphone at purchase.

See more stories here.

BPFI welcomes the launch of Ireland’s first National Anti-Money Laundering, Countering Financing of Terrorism and Countering Proliferation Financing Strategy by Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris. The Strategy sets out a comprehensive plan to strengthen the State’s response to financial crime and protect Ireland’s economy, businesses and citizens.

Commenting on the publication of the strategy, Brian Hayes, Chief Executive, BPFI, said: “We welcome today’s publication of Ireland’s first National Anti-Money Laundering Strategy. Financial crime is increasingly sophisticated, technology-enabled and cross-border, and an effective response depends on close collaboration across the public and private sectors.”

Ireland’s first National Anti-Money Laundering Strategy

“Ireland’s banks invest significantly in preventing, detecting and disrupting financial crime and have an important role to play in protecting customers and the wider economy. We especially welcome the Strategy’s focus on enhanced intelligence and information sharing, stronger financial intelligence capabilities and a coordinated national response. We believe there is significant potential to deepen public-private information sharing and develop collaborative, technology-enabled approaches that allow financial institutions and public authorities to identify and disrupt criminal activity more effectively.”

Mr Hayes concluded: “BPFI and our members look forward to working with Government, An Garda Síochána, FIU Ireland, the Central Bank of Ireland and other partners to support the implementation of the Strategy and further strengthen Ireland’s collective ability to combat financial crime.”

Further details on the strategy can be found on the Department of Finance website here.

Note: Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) represents the banking, payments and fintech sector in Ireland. Together with its affiliates, the Federation of International Banks in Ireland, and the Fintech & Payments Association of Ireland, BPFI has over 120 member institutions and associates, including licensed domestic and foreign banks and institutions operating in the financial marketplace.

See more breaking stories here.

The Digital and Techworker Alliance branch of the Communications Workers’ Union (DATA-CWU) has announced plans to host a counter event to the Government-hosted International AI Summit in October of this year.

No more Slopaganda

The Workers’ AI Counter-Summit will take place across two days, on Saturday 10th October and Sunday 11th October. The Union has opened a call for submissions, inviting workers, researchers, activists and artists to contribute to the event in the form of critical responses to AI, centring on workers and the effects on communities.

The Union says that this event, billed as a Workers’ Counter-Summit, will provide a necessary counterweight to what it calls the “wild claims and hype-manufacturing” rampant in the tech sector and among policy makers.

The event will platform workers at the sharp end of AI and those involved in the creation and maintenance of AI technology – both within the tech sector and wider society. Tech workers are critical to the supposed aims of the Government-hosted Summit, specifically how it will likely deal with “how AI is delivering real-world value” and “workforce transformation”.

At a time when Ireland has positioned itself as Europe’s leading destination for technology investment and AI infrastructure, decisions being taken here will shape not only the future of work in Ireland, but influence how these technologies are developed and governed far beyond Ireland’s shores.

The Union’s event has the tagline “Workers Against Slopaganda”, which expresses the objective to open a space for critical voices, and the rejection of tech products that undermine societal interests and Big Tech’s desire to achieve AI profitability at all costs.

Commenting, CWU Deputy General Secretary, Ian McArdle, said:

“While the Government’s AI Summit in October has a notable deficit in worker representation, the feedback from our members is that token representation would be insufficient in giving workers a meaningful seat at the table.”

Mr. McArdle went on to say that the Union is not opposed to technological advancements.  He said: “We are opposed to the manner in which these tools are being wielded and implemented. We are opposed to changes that line the pockets of billionaires while disempowering, disciplining and displacing labour. For private sector workers in Ireland, the employer veto on unionisation and collective bargaining means that swathes of the workforce are denied a say in how these technologies are being implemented in their workplaces and in their society and communities.”

The Union has pointed to events taking place across the world this year which positions this event in a global context. These include the “Summer of Ludd” festival in New York, Ivy League students booing and walking out of tech CEO’s commencement speeches, to striking Samsung workers in Korea seeking a share of AI profits, to the Union’s own members in Meta outsourcing firm, Covalen, taking to the picket line against AI-driven job losses. The UK sister union of DATA-CWU, the United Tech and Allied Workers, also led its members in frontier AI lab, Google DeepMind, in their unionisation bid earlier this year.

CWU Head of Organising, Fionnuala Ní Bhrógáin, commented:

“This event is part of a global movement of workers in the tech sector and beyond who are determined to have their voices heard. The current framework for discussions around AI – that it is “inevitable” and that “it is happening, so we have to deal with it” or that it constitutes some kind of “revolution” – is not one that ordinary workers accept. To do so eliminates the crucial factors of human agency and decision-making and hides the very real power imbalances experienced by workers being impacted by AI. This Workers’ Counter-Summit will set out that there are, in fact, two sides to the AI story.”

This event will play an important role in opening up the debate around AI and the realities that workers are facing in its implementation. While governments and businesses bet huge sums on this technology, DATA-CWU is demanding that workers are central to any proposed vision of a future radically reshaped by AI, rather than just a fallout casualty, or a statistic.

Remarking on the event organised by the newest branch of the union, CWU General Secretary Seán McDonagh stated:

“It is not surprising that our members in the tech sector are angry and expressing such strong views about this technology and the government’s planned AI event. Their grievances are inevitable when workers are denied access to a real seat at the table with their employers – and by this we specifically mean collective bargaining. The current employer veto on unionisation has to go. There must be a radical overhaul of the voluntarist system of industrial relations we have in Ireland. If workers are not listened to, you can be sure that they will shout loud and be heard!”

To learn more about the Digital and Techworker Alliance branch of the Communications Workers’ Union (DATA-CWU), please go to www.datacwu.ie

See more breaking stories here.

The Artificial Intelligence Collaboration Centre (AICC) at Ulster University, in partnership with AI for Collective Intelligence (AI4CI), will host a free public forum in Derry~Londonderry this September exploring the growing impact of artificial intelligence on society

People from across Northern Ireland are invited to join a public discussion on how Artificial Intelligence is shaping communities, public services, education and the workplace at a free event in Derry~Londonderry next month.

Discussion on AI and our society with AICC

Hosted by the AICC, an Ulster University led initiative that advances awareness and responsible adoption of Artificial Intelligence, the event is delivered in partnership with AI for Collective Intelligence (AI4CI).

AI and Our Society will bring together AI experts, industry leaders and local and national decision-makers at the Guildhall on Thursday 10 September for an open and accessible conversation about the opportunities, challenges and wider societal impact of artificial intelligence.

Free to attend and open to everyone, the forum will give members of the public an opportunity to hear from leading voices across government, academia and industry, and to ask questions about the opportunities and challenges AI presents for the region, both in the North West and across business and society in Northern Ireland.

Although the event is taking place in Derry~Londonderry, people from every part of Northern Ireland are encouraged to attend and contribute to this important regional conversation.

As AI continues to influence many aspects of daily life, the forum will explore what the technology is, how it is being applied across society, and how governments, businesses and individuals can navigate important issues including ethics, environmental impact and governance while harnessing AI’s potential responsibly.

Professor Michaela Black, AICC Principal Investigator and AI4CI Theme Lead for Infrastructure and Governance at Ulster University, said:

“AI is not simply a technical issue, it raises important questions about the kind of society we want to build and the values that should guide us. The decisions being made today will have long-term implications, so it is essential that they are informed by a wide range of voices and lived experiences.

“We hope this event will give people the confidence to challenge assumptions, share their perspectives and take an active role in the conversation. Responsible innovation depends not only on what technology can do, but on whether it reflects public needs, earns trust and delivers meaningful benefits for society and everyone.”

The discussion will be chaired by Lorraine Acheson, Independent Strategy & Policy Adviser and former Managing Director of Women in Business NI, with panelists:

·        Patricia O’Hagan MBE, CEO Core Systems (NI)

·        Mark Lee, Acting Deputy Secretary for Economic Policy Group, Department for the Economy NI

·        Kathryn Harkin, Head of AI Northern Ireland, NTT DATA

·        Professor Michaela Black, Professor of Artificial Intelligence, Ulster University

·        David Crozier CBE, Director, AICC

Professor Seth Bullock, AI for Collective Intelligence (AI4CI) Hub Director and Toshiba Chair in Data Science and Simulation, University of Bristol, said:

“Events like this are important because they give people the opportunity to have meaningful conversations about AI with experts and decision makers. We often think about AI in terms of how individuals or businesses use it, but AI also has the potential to help groups of people tackle shared challenges – from reducing traffic congestion to making community decisions or managing health conditions. That’s why it’s so important to involve as many people as possible in the conversation, so that experts and the public can help shape how we want AI to develop and be used in our communities.”

Following the panel discussion, audience members will have an opportunity to put their own questions directly to the speakers during an interactive question-and-answer session.

The event is free to attend, but advance registration is required. Doors will open at 5.30pm, with the discussion beginning at 6pm.

Event details

Date: Thursday 10 September 2026
Time: 6.00pm to 7.30pm (doors open 5.30pm)
Venue: The Guildhall, Guildhall Square, Derry/Londonderry, BT48 6DQ

Registration: aicc.co/publicforum

The Artificial Intelligence Collaboration Centre is an Ulster University and Queen’s University Belfast partnership funded by Invest Northern Ireland and the Department for the Economy.

The AICC has become a leading regional hub for responsible artificial intelligence. To date, it has supported more than 115 SME collaborations, launched the AI Learning Lab, trained more than 490 professionals in AI skills and established a pipeline of future AI talent through 260 fully funded postgraduate places.

About Ulster University

Ulster University is a forward-looking institution, uniquely placed to drive economic, social and cultural development through our three campuses in Derry~Londonderry, Coleraine and Belfast.

Student experience is at the very heart of everything we do. Every year, over 30,000 students from 70 different countries trust Ulster University to help them reach their career goals. Our high-quality teaching, informed by world-leading research across key sectors, boosts the economy and makes a positive impact on the lives of people around the world.

Ulster University was UK and Ireland University of the Year 2024 (Times Higher Education).

·        Ulster University is 1st in the UK for Optometry, Ophthalmics and Orthoptics, 2nd in the UK for Pharmacology and Pharmacy (Complete University Guide, 2026)

·        Ulster University is ranked 1st in the UK for Nutrition and Food Science (Guardian University Guide, 2026)

·        Ulster University is ranked Best UK University for job prospects and teaching quality (StudentCrowd, 2025)

·        Ulster University is in the top 10 for course quality rankings across the UK (University Compare 2023)

·        Ulster is 2nd in the UK for overall satisfaction in the Postgraduate Research Experience Survey 2025. The University is 1st in the UK for both Research Support and Online Learning Resources, 2nd in the UK for both Professional Development and Research Responsibilities and 3rd in the UK for Research Community

Research and innovation at Ulster University:

Ulster University was ranked in the top 10% of UK universities for research impact in the (latest) 2021 Research Excellence Framework.  Headline results for Ulster University include:

·        In the top 10% of UK universities for research impact

·        97% of Ulster University’s research impact was judged as having outstanding or very considerable impacts in reach and significance

·        80.1% of Ulster University’s research outputs have been assessed as ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’.

For more information, please visit www.ulster.ac.uk

See more breaking stories here.

Guest Post by Crystel Robbins Rynne, CEO, HRLocker

Across most organisations, AI adoption hasn’t followed a strategic plan. It’s arrived through day-to-day work. A manager uses ChatGPT to screen CVs, sales teams rely on Copilot to clear admin, finance prototypes a bonus model with Claude, an operations lead asks Gemini to rewrite a sensitive letter.

None of these actions looks like formal AI deployment, yet they all carry regulatory implications. The Central Statistics Office reports that text generation tools are now embedded in routine business processes. That means AI is already influencing decisions about people, performance and money, often without any governance structure around it.

This isn’t an IT issue. IT can explain how a model behaves. It cannot determine whether its output should influence a hiring decision or a disciplinary process. Once AI touches people?related decisions, the responsibility shifts to HR, compliance and governance.

The regulatory trigger point

Ireland’s AI Office opened on 2 August. The following day, Article 4 of the EU AI Act came into force, activating supervision and enforcement of AI literacy across the Union. Many organisations still believe the meaningful obligations sit years away.

The complex requirements for high?risk systems, including recruitment and dismissal, have indeed been delayed until December 2027. But AI literacy wasn’t delayed. It’s the first requirement under active oversight. And it applies to every organisation using AI tools, regardless of scale or sophistication.

You’re not expected to understand model architecture or training data. But once AI is used inside your organisation, you must ensure that staff understand the risks, limitations and boundaries of those tools. That obligation extends to contractors and agency workers. And the level of literacy required depends on the impact of the task. Editing a social post is low?risk. Ranking job applicants is not.

AI, in regulatory terms, includes the everyday tools already in circulation. Free accounts. Built?in features. Automated summaries. Meeting transcription tools. If it’s used for work within the organisation, it is in scope.

How governance failures emerge

The Workplace Relations Commission has indicated that enforcement will be incident?driven. Inspectors are unlikely to appear without a trigger. That trigger will be a complaint, a challenge or an adjudication where AI influenced the outcome.

Until now, disclosing that AI assisted a decision was neutral. Under Article 4, it becomes a point of scrutiny. The focus shifts to three questions: who used the tool, what they understood about it and whether the output was verified. If the answer is that a manager accepted an AI?generated result without checking it, the organisation’s governance position is weakened.

The organisational maturity gap

The CSO reports that AI use is already widespread. One in five Irish businesses uses AI, rising to nearly six in ten among large employers. Yet CIPD Ireland’s latest HR Practices in Ireland research shows that most organisations have no AI guidance, minimal training and leadership teams that do not feel prepared for an AI?enabled environment.

AI adoption has outpaced governance. The tools arrived. The controls did not.

The minimum viable control framework

The European Commission has been clear about what organisations need to demonstrate. There is no certification requirement. No literacy exam. The compliance baseline rests on three controls.

1 – A boundary?setting policy. A short, operational document that identifies approved tools, prohibited tools and information that must never be entered into any AI system. For most organisations, this includes employee data, candidate information and commercially sensitive material. It should also specify where human oversight is mandatory and who is responsible for escalation.

2 – Training that builds risk awareness. Employees must understand how AI can fail. Fabricated facts. Non?existent sources. Biased patterns. Over?confident outputs. Training should use real examples from your organisation, not generic scenarios. Staff involved in hiring, performance or pay require deeper, role?specific sessions.

3 – Evidence of compliance. A record of who was trained, when, on what and which version of the policy they acknowledged. This mirrors existing disciplines in health and safety and data protection. Most HR systems already support this level of record?keeping.

If AI touches recruitment, performance or pay, those areas should be prioritised. They carry the highest risk and will be the first areas examined by regulators.

The strategic upside

AI literacy isn’t just a regulatory obligation. It’s a control that improves decision quality. Staff who understand the limits of AI make fewer errors, rely less on unverified outputs and extract more value from the tools already available to them. Organisations gain cleaner audit trails and fewer surprises when decisions are challenged.

CIPD research shows strong appetite for AI learning among HR professionals. The barrier is not interest. It is structure.

A practical starting point is simple. List every AI tool currently in use, including the unofficial ones. Then ask two questions: who has been trained to use it, and where is that documented?

The second question reveals the governance gap. Closing it is now a compliance requirement. And solving it should be a top priority.

About Crystel Robbins Rynne

Crystel has been with HRLocker since 2013 and now leads the company as CEO. She drives the organisation’s strategic direction, aligning product, operations, and customer experience to support HRLocker’s next stage of growth. Crystel works closely with internal teams and external partners to ensure the company is positioned to meet the evolving needs of employers across Ireland and beyond.

A long?standing advocate for better employee experience, Crystel is recognised as a leading voice in the HR space and regularly shares insights through thought leadership articles, HRLocker’s webinars and industry events. With more than two decades of HR experience, she brings a rare combination of board?level perspective and first?hand understanding of the pressures HR teams face every day. Crystel is the driving force behind a new nationwide online community, the HRLocker Hub, built to connect and support anyone working in HR in Ireland.

About HRLocker

Ireland’s leading people management platform, HRLocker, helps SMEs replace manual HR tasks with simple, secure and intuitive tools. Core HR provides one central location to store, manage and organise all employee data. Perform supports structured employee development. Recruit streamlines hiring. Onboard delivers a smooth start for every new employee. Each product works independently or as part of the wider HRLocker suite. Together they provide accurate and compliant record-keeping that strengthens confidence, reduces risk and supports audit readiness. HRLocker is also home to the HRLocker Hub, a free community where HR people across Ireland learn from and support each other. Find out more at hrlocker.com.

See more stories here.

Ekco, one of Europe’s leading security-first managed service providers, has announced a €4 million investment in the launch of Ekco AI, a platform that helps organisations to adopt AI securely while maintaining visibility and control over its use across the business. The platform will encourage safe AI exploration and save businesses €2M for every €10M of operating costs by boosting employee productivity.

Ekco’s research has found that a typical business environment may have as many as 28 AI applications in use, leading to a ‘shadow AI’ blind spot for employers who may not know which tools are in use, or how company data is being handled.Ekco AI is designed to address this by helping organisations to see what applications are being used, set clear guardrails, block potentially hazardous applications and reduce the risk of sensitive information being shared on unsanctioned systems.

By providing peace of mind to employees and their employers, the platform aims to encourage greater use of AI by individuals. This will help to boost the average employee’s productivity by more than five hours each week, resulting in significant operational cost savings.

Ekco AI also supports practical, role-based training on Microsoft Copilot, Claude and other AI tools. Separate awareness training covers data protection, unsafe practices and AI-related risks, giving employees clearer guidance on what they can use and what information they should not share.

The launch comes days after transparency obligations under the EU AI Act came into force on 2nd August 2026, with more scheduled for 2027 and 2028. Ekco AI creates an audit trail of AI activity and provides reporting for boards, auditors and regulators, while its controls also support compliance with the cybersecurity directive NIS2 and the digital resilience act, DORA, for financial services institutions.

Steve MacNicholas, CEO, Ekco Ireland, said: “Businesses won’t truly get value from AI until they and their employees feel comfortable using it and experimenting with it. We have seen that organisations who are generous with AI by equipping their leadership teams and employees with tools that will benefit them, excite them, and which are safe, are the ones who have the fewest issues with harmful AI platforms.

“In reality, today’s CIOs don’t always know what AI platforms their employees are using. Ekco AI gives them that oversight and signals any applications that are potentially harmful.”

Cian Prendergast, CEO, Ekco MSP, said: “Most businesses are no longer asking whether their employees will use AI. They are asking how they can stop that activity becoming a blind spot. A blanket ban is not an effective answer because people may simply continue using the tools they already know. Businesses need to give employees approved options, explain the rules and put controls around the data. That is what Ekco AI is designed to do. Ultimately, our mission is to safely and securely share our expertise with our customers to give them up to 50% strategic advantage over their competitors within a three-year timeframe.”

See more stories here.

We will shortly be reviewing the new Google Pixel Watch 5. It will be interesting to see how it performs relative to the earlier iterations. Especially because it went through a few transitions with the app over the last 12 months, as it changed from using the Fitbit platform to subsequently becoming Google Health. See more about the Pixel Watch 5 here. The product is due to go on sale on August 20th, by which time we will have hopefully put it through its paces, and the various information embargoes will have lifted.

More about the Google Pixel Watch 5

Materials and Finishes
Housing: 100% recycled aluminium1
Active Band (2nd gen)

Band made of Hydrogenated Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (HNBR) with soft-touch coating

Housing: 100% recycled aluminium1
Active Band (2nd gen)

Band made of Hydrogenated Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (HNBR) with soft-touch coating

Dimensions and Weight
Diameter: 41 mm

Height: 12.3 mm

Weight: 31 g (without band)

Diameter: 45 mm

Height: 12.3 mm

Weight: 36.7 g (without band)

Display
Actua 360 display

Custom 3D Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5

320 ppi AMOLED LTPO display with DCI-P3 colour

Up to 3000 nits (peak brightness)

1 nit minimum brightness (AOD)

Responsive Display (1–60 Hz)5
Always-on display

Actua 360 display

Custom 3D Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5

320 ppi AMOLED LTPO display with DCI-P3 colour

Up to 3000 nits (peak brightness)

1 nit minimum brightness (AOD)

Responsive Display (1–60 Hz)5
Always-on display

Connectivity
4G LTE and UMTS2
Bluetooth® 6.0

Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax 2.4GHz, 5GHz

NFC

Ultra-Wideband3
Satellite SOS communications17
4G LTE and UMTS2
Bluetooth® 6.0

Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax 2.4GHz, 5GHz

NFC

Ultra-Wideband3
Satellite SOS communications17
GPS
Dual Frequency GPS: GPS, Galileo, Glonass, Beidou, QZSS
Dual Frequency GPS: GPS, Galileo, Glonass, Beidou, QZSS
Compatibility
Works with most phones running on Android 12.0 or newer4
Requires a Google Account and the Google Pixel Watch app. For more help or information on compatibility, visit g.co/pixelwatch/setup
Works with most phones running on Android 12.0 or newer4
Requires a Google Account and the Google Pixel Watch app. For more help or information on compatibility, visit g.co/pixelwatch/setup
Band Size
Active Band: Small and large band sizes included

Small fits wrists 130-175 mm around
Large fits wrists 165-210 mm around
Active Band: Small and large band sizes included

• Small fits wrists 150–185 mm around

• Large fits wrists 165–215 mm around

Power (Battery and Charging)
332 mAh (typical)

Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery

Up to 30 hours with always-on display6
Up to 48 hours with Battery Saver mode6
Quick Charge Dock

Charging speed:

• About 15 minutes to 50%7
• About 25 minutes to 80%7
• About 45 minutes to 100%7
465 mAh (typical)

Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery

Up to 40 hours with always-on display6
Up to 72 hours with Battery Saver Mode6
Quick Charge Dock

Charging speed

• About 15 minutes to 50%7
• About 30 minutes to 80%7
• About 60 minutes to 100%7
Chip
Qualcomm Snapdragon® W5 Gen 2 Accelerated

Cortex-M55 co-processor

Qualcomm Snapdragon® W5 Gen 2 Accelerated

Cortex-M55 co-processor

OS
Wear OS 7.0
Wear OS 7.0
Storage
64 GB eMMC flash8
64 GB eMMC flash8
Sensors
Compass

Altimeter

Red and infrared sensors for oxygen saturation (SpO2) monitoring9
Multi-purpose electrical sensors compatible with ECG app
Multi-path optical heart rate sensor10
3-axis accelerometer

Gyroscope

Ambient light sensor

Electrical sensor to measure skin conductance (cEDA) for body response tracking11
Far-field skin temperature sensor12
Barometer

Magnetometer

Compass

Altimeter

Red and infrared sensors for oxygen saturation (SpO2) monitoring9
Multi-purpose electrical sensors compatible with ECG app
Multi-path optical heart rate sensor10
3-axis accelerometer

Gyroscope

Ambient light sensor

Electrical sensor to measure skin conductance (cEDA) for body response tracking11
Far-field skin temperature sensor12
Barometer

Magnetometer

Interaction
Touchless one-handed gestures

Side button

Haptic crown

Gen 3 Premium haptics

Touchless one-handed gestures

Side button

Haptic crown

Gen 3 Premium haptics

Audio
Built-in microphone

Built-in speaker

Built-in microphone

Built-in speaker

Durability and Water Resistance
Custom 3D Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5

5 ATM13
IP6813
Custom 3D Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5

5 ATM13
IP6813
What’s in the box
Google Pixel Watch 5 (41mm)

Active Band 2nd gen (small and large bands)

Google Pixel Watch Quick Charge Dock

Quick Start Guide

Google Pixel Watch 5 (45 mm)

Active Band 2nd gen (small and large bands)

Google Pixel Watch Quick Charge Dock

Quick Start Guide

Warranty
Two years
Two years
Sustainability
Materials:

• Google Pixel Watch 5 is made with recycled plastic, metals, glass and rare-earth elements14
• Housing is 100% recycled aluminum1
• Main logic board is made with 100% recycled copper and gold18
• Battery cell is made with 100% recycled cobalt19
• Recycled cobalt is at least 16% of the battery cell weight

• Haptic engine is made with 100% recycled tungsten and 100% recycled copper wire20
• All magnets are made from 100% recycled rare-earth elements21
• Google Pixel Watch 5 uses 100% recycled tin in the solder paste of multiple printed circuit boards, including the main logic board15
• Packaging for the Google Pixel Watch 5 uses 100% plastic-free materials16
Materials:

• Google Pixel Watch 5 is made with recycled plastic, metals, glass and rare-earth elements14
• Housing is 100% recycled aluminum1
• Main logic board is made with 100% recycled copper and gold18
• Battery cell is made with 100% recycled cobalt19
• Haptic engine is made with 100% recycled tungsten and 100% recycled copper wire20
• All magnets are made from 100% recycled rare-earth elements21
• 100% recycled tin in the solder paste of multiple printed circuit boards, including the main logic board15
• Packaging for the Google Pixel Watch 5 uses 100% plastic-free materials16

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Guest post by Matthew Egan, who is the author of The Failure Advantage: Why Setbacks Are Your Secret Weapon for Success,

I once had a team asked to fix something they had no business fixing.

They were in customer service. Their day was billing enquiries: people ringing because a charge looked wrong. And they were being asked to join a task force tackling a persistent back-end network infrastructure problem.

I thought someone had made a mistake. My team knew customers. They didn’t know infrastructure. There was a specialist team for that, and it wasn’t mine.

The Failure Advantage: Setbacks Are Your Secret Weapon

If I’m honest, I was mildly annoyed. I was being asked to hand over people to solve a problem that wasn’t mine either.

It was only later that someone explained the choice. They had asked for that team because they knew those people would keep working until an answer was found. And they did.

At the time I heard that as a compliment about attitude. I now know it was a far sharper observation than that.

In telecommunications, any given week might bring a network outage, a software update that broke customers’ handsets, the backlash from a marketing campaign nobody had warned them about, or people calling from bushfire zones wanting to know whether they would still have coverage.

Look at that list again. Every item on it is a failure.

Maybe not their failure but arriving at their desks, in volume, before nine in the morning. That wasn’t the exception in their week. That was the week.

They weren’t calm because they were clever. They were calm because they had spent years dealing with things going wrong and had learned that the queue moves anyway.

Here is the part I think organisations consistently miss.

Talent is built in conditions of success. You get good at something by doing it, well, repeatedly. Resilience cannot be built that way. It can only be built in conditions of failure. There is no other route.

Sim Sitkin made this argument back in 1992 – that failure isn’t an unfortunate by-product of learning but a prerequisite for it, and that it is small, frequent failures that build real adaptive capability, rather than the rare catastrophic ones.

Later work suggests how durable that learning is. Peter Madsen and Vinit Desai, studying decades of orbital launch vehicle programmes, found that organisations learn more from their failures than from their successes – and that what failure teaches them fades more slowly.

So, a team fluent in failure has been quietly accumulating a more durable kind of knowledge than a team that has mostly succeeded.

Brilliance is legible. It arrives in a meeting, attached to a name, easy to recognise and reward. Resilience is invisible right up until the moment you need it. And by then you cannot recruit it. You can only have built it – which means somebody had to have gone through the difficult years first.

Notice which team keeps getting pulled into other people’s hard problems.

Your organisation is already telling you where its resilience lives. In my experience almost nobody writes it down, and almost nobody pays for it.

I have watched that pattern repeat in several organisations since.

Talent wins the moment. Resilience wins in the end.

A smart person can get a moment in the spotlight with a bright idea. The team that has absorbed a thousand failures and turned up anyway gets the result.

When you are deciding who to put on the thing that is genuinely hard, the answer is rarely the cleverest people available.

Matthew Egan is the author of The Failure Advantage: Why Setbacks Are Your Secret Weapon for Success, a finalist in the Business Book Awards 2026 and endorsed by Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn. The book explores how leaders and teams turn setbacks into a source of trust, learning and growth. Drawing on two decades in consulting and technology leadership, including at Microsoft, Matt writes about reframing our relationship with failure as a path to higher performance. Views expressed are his own.

See more breaking stories here.

Jaguar TCS Racing head to London this weekend for the 2025/26 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season finale (15/16 August) – the last of the GEN3 era – fighting to win both the Teams’ and Drivers’ World Championships.

Jaguar TCS Racing have enjoyed significant success throughout the third-generation of Formula E – with more race wins than any other team – and to celebrate the British team secured two official Guinness World Records.

The first record, achieved in collaboration with Official Title and Technology Partner, Tata Consultancy Services’ (TCS), saw Jaguar TCS Racing create the largest GPS drawing on foot. The 100km drawing across the streets of London outlined the Jaguar I-TYPE 7 and showed how both organisations are together ‘for the long run’.

The Guiness World Record-breaking stunt, designed as a tribute to the 18 wins Jaguar TCS Racing have taken to date in the GEN3 era, depicts the Jaguar I TYPE 7. Some 29 runners – comprised of both Jaguar TCS Racing and Tata Consultancy Services team members – completed the +100km route which started and finished at TCS’ London headquarters.

Each runner carried a single GPS device passed baton-style between participants, meeting strict Guinness World Records’ criteria for recognisable artwork, continuous route mapping, timestamped GPS files, and full participant logging. The full record-breaking route image was released at 9.00 BST tomorrow, Wednesday 12 August.

Jaguar TCS Racing have also set the Guinness World Record for the most participants in a racing simulator videogame relay. Taking to the virtual 2km London ExCel track, where the British team has taken victory on three previous occasions, 109 competitors at Jaguar TCS Racing’s technical HQ helped secure the team’s second official World Record.

These achievements reflect a remarkable GEN3 era for Jaguar TCS Racing. As well as the team’s 18 wins in the GEN3 era to date (a total unsurpassable by any other team), Jaguar TCS Racing have secured a further 23 podiums and 1,144 points.

Jaguar TCS Racing now head into their home races in London, the last of the GEN3 era, holding a 14-point advantage over nearest rivals Porsche as the British team look to secure the second Teams’ World Championship in three seasons.

In his final races for the team after a decade with Jaguar TCS Racing, Mitch Evans is fighting for his maiden Drivers’ World Championship. The Kiwi arrives in London second in the standings, just two points behind leader, Andretti’s Jake Dennis.

In his debut season with the team, António Félix da Costa still has an outside chance of taking his second Formula E Drivers’ World Championship. The Portuguese talent is sixth in the standings – 33 points off the top spot. The top nine drivers are still in mathematical contention for the title.

Technology proven on-track by Jaguar TCS Racing has directly enhanced development of the Jaguar Type 01, the new luxury four-door GT that will be revealed later this year.

Rounds 16 & 17 of the 2025/26 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will take place on 15-16 August at 15:05 BST.

Mitch Evans, Jaguar TCS Racing driver #9, said: “It has been an incredible journey with Jaguar TCS Racing over the past 10 years, but we are hoping to write one more special chapter in London this weekend. There’s all to play for in the Drivers’ championship and it would be an incredible feeling to win that, while the opportunity to secure our second Teams’ world title at our home event gives us even more motivation heading into London.”

António Félix da Costa, Jaguar TCS Racing driver #13, said: “It has been a great first season at Jaguar TCS Racing and there have been so many high points along the way. The team has always enjoyed a strong record at home and we are hoping for the same again this weekend. We are still in championship contention and so I will be going all out to end the season strongly to deliver the maximum out on track in London.”

Ian James, Jaguar TCS Racing Team Principal, said: “GEN3 has been a record-breaking era for the team, and what better way to mark it than by officially putting our name into the Guinness World Record books ahead of this weekend’s London E-Prix.

“Heading into our home event in strong contention for the Drivers’ and Teams’ World Championships is what we have been striving towards all season. And, whilst we know how strong the competition will be, we will do everything to support our bid for the Drivers’ title. In addition, delivering a second Teams’ World Championship in three seasons across a record-breaking era for the team in GEN3 would be a fitting finale.

“I’m confident that the team will thrive under pressure, while we know from last year how competitive our Jaguar I-TYPE 7 can be around the unique London ExCel circuit.”

Abhinav Kumar, Chief Marketing Officer, Tata Consultancy Services, said: “Running marathons and motorsport racing requires similar qualities: endurance, intelligence, and executing a winning race strategy; mile after mile, lap after lap. TCS has been part of many record-setting marathons and podium celebrations this year. So, it was natural to bring the two sports together by running side-by-side with Jaguar TCS Racing across London to trace the outline of the Jaguar I-TYPE 7 and set another world record. Congrats to the team and all the runners who set this new record.”

Ireland’s solar community got a front row seat to yesterday’s solar eclipse, as the event played out not only in the sky but in generation curves on rooftops and across Ireland’s grid-scale solar.

Solar Ireland had encouraged households and businesses to become ‘citizen scientists’ for the evening by opening their solar monitoring apps and watching for the distinctive dip and recovery in their own generation curves.

The effect was also clearly visible at grid scale. Data from EirGrid shows that Ireland had already recorded a strong day for solar, with grid-scale generation reaching 1,090 MW at 1.45pm, ahead of the forecast peak of 1,038 MW.

At 6.15pm, as the Moon began to move across the Sun, grid-scale solar was generating 532 MW. By 6.45pm, this had fallen to 202 MW, reaching just 8 MW thirty minutes later around the height of the eclipse.

As the Moon began to move away from the Sun, generation climbed again, reaching 51 MW at 7.30pm and 83 MW at 7.45pm, despite Ireland moving further into the evening.

Solar owners also shared their own generation curves with Solar Ireland, showing the eclipse appearing on household monitoring apps.

Ronan Power, CEO of Solar Ireland, said: “Yesterday we asked people to look up at the sky, but also to look at their solar apps, and it was brilliant to see people doing exactly that. What was happening on individual rooftops was also playing out across Ireland’s grid-scale solar. Around the height of the eclipse, generation had fallen to just 8 MW before starting to climb again as the Moon moved away. You could actually see the eclipse in Ireland’s solar generation curve, which is quite remarkable.

“It had already been a fantastic day for solar, reaching 1,090 MW during the afternoon, ahead of the forecast peak. But my favourite part was seeing people around the country checking their own apps and sharing what happened on their rooftops. That’s exactly what we hoped for with our citizen scientists: a bit of fun, but also a very real connection to Ireland’s growing solar story.”

Solar Ireland had encouraged solar owners to take screenshots of their generation before, during and after the eclipse and share their curves and locations on social media.

The association said the event offered a unique way to demonstrate how solar responds to changing daylight, while also highlighting how widespread solar generation has become across Irish homes, farms and businesses.

Mr Power added: “Solar is now something people can see working on their own roof, track on their phone and, on a day like yesterday, watch and respond to something happening in the sky above them. The eclipse only lasted a couple of hours, but it gave us a lovely snapshot of the much bigger solar community that has developed across Ireland.”

Solar Ireland stressed that the 8 MW recorded around the height of the eclipse should not be compared directly with the afternoon peak as a measure of electricity ‘lost’ to the event. Solar generation naturally declines towards the evening, while weather conditions also influence output.

The eclipse was a highly predictable event and electricity system operators had been preparing in advance for the temporary change in solar generation.

Provisional data from EirGrid, the operator and developer of Ireland’s electricity grid, shows that 32% of electricity came from renewable sources in July. This compares to 33% for the same month last year.

July was a record month for the amount of solar energy powering the electricity system with grid scale solar contributing 9.4% to the overall fuel mix for the month. This compares to 8.2% in June and 7.8% in May.

At 22%, wind energy was a significant proportion of the total amount of energy generated across the month. Total generation of wind amounted to 614 GWh (Gigawatt hours).

Elsewhere, gas generation accounted for 43% of all electricity used and 24% was imported via interconnection.

The overall electricity system demand stood at 2,744 GWh in July, compared to 2,676 GWh in June.

EirGrid balances supply and demand every minute of the day from the National Control Centre, while also planning for Ireland’s long-term electricity needs.

EirGrid is also making significant progress in integrating renewable electricity, with the power system now able to safely operate with up to 75% of electricity coming from variable renewable sources such as wind and solar at any one time. Work is underway to increase this to 95%.

Diarmaid Gillespie, EirGrid’s Director of System Operations, said:

“July was another record-breaking month for the amount of solar energy powering our electricity system and again demonstrates just how increasingly important solar power has become as a source of renewable energy in Ireland.

“This follows a significant first half of the year for renewable energy with us seeing a number of other notable milestones including a new record for wind generation in February and reaching a peak of over 1 GW (gigawatt) of electricity provided by grid-scale solar power for the first time in April.”

Data management has become crucial to business strategy and growth in recent years. For SMEs, data management is no longer just an IT function. It is the foundation for trusted insights, resilient operations and scalable AI outcomes. As AI adoption accelerates, businesses need data that is high quality, well governed, accessible, and ready to use across the organisation.

For Small and Medium sized businesses (SMEs) which make up the vast majority of businesses across Ireland, establishing the right data foundations is crucial to fully harness the potential of AI powered innovation and enhance competitiveness.

Data management helps businesses build a stronger foundation for AI by connecting data, improving control, and making it easier to turn information into outcomes.

As industry leaders across Ireland prepare to come together at this year’s Dell Technologies Forum in Dublin on September 15th, one of the key conversations for Irish businesses will be around how organisations can transform their data into meaningful business outcomes.

It is a strategic conversation that needs to take place at the top of organisations. By moving past common misconceptions and taking practical steps to build a trusted data foundation, SMEs can reduce complexity, unlock more value from their data and scale AI with confidence.

“It’s too expensive”

The use of analytics in SMEs allows for improved operational efficiency in more than 60% of cases and significant cost reduction.

Generally, in SMEs, budgets are tight and each investment that is made must show results in the short term, and yes, modernising data management costs money, but the cost of relying on outdated processes, disconnected systems and limited visibility can often be far greater.

Nowadays we see that many medium-sized companies lose margin every day without seeing it. Excess inventory missed sales opportunities, inefficient processes, inaccurate forecasting, and poorly targeted customer activity can all be symptoms of a wider data management challenge.

For Irish SMEs, flexibility is particularly valuable. Businesses are increasingly looking for technology investments that can deliver measurable returns without requiring large upfront commitments or complex transformation programmes. Modern infrastructure allows organisations to start small, scale as demand grows and support hybrid environments that combine on-premises systems with cloud services.

These types of outcomes don’t require complex projects or disproportionate investments, but rather the decision to start seeing existing data as an operational asset.

“We have to hire a whole data team”

Another common misconception is that businesses need a large team of specialists before they can begin their data management journey.

In the case of SMEs, where resources are usually limited, there is no budget for specific profiles in each area. However, this should not prevent businesses of any sizes from progressing their digital transformation journey.

Across Ireland, many SMEs are choosing to work with trusted technology partners with AI, data expertise and skills to access solutions without the need to build large internal data teams. This approach allows SMEs to address strategic technology priorities while keeping internal resources focused on core business objectives.

This is also delivered by Dell Technologies’ channel ecosystem where we partner with SMEs and understand their day-to-day challenges. The team then delivers flexible, practical solutions that fit their organisation’s growth and budget.

“It’s complex”

Today modern data platforms have evolved significantly and are built around simplicity and practicality. These modern platforms are designed to eliminate friction, making information management easier, smarter, and more flexible, allowing SMEs to start with focused projects which translate into both operational savings and sustainability and expand it as the business grows.

Research shows that 85% of small businesses are moving towards flexible, disaggregated infrastructure and 66% are increasing investments in data management to meet opportunities and demand.

In addition, advanced automation and remote management now make systems easy to control from one branch office as well as ten, and enables on-premise connection to public or private cloud, scaling securely as needs evolve.

“We have to change the culture”

In conversations with customers, another barrier that often comes up is that “you have to change the culture of the company” before implementing efficient data management. In reality, its often opposite, change begins the moment business decides to use available data to inform decisions. As teams begin to see tangible improvements in day-to-day operations, confidence grows and the culture naturally evolves alongside it.

Businesses don’t need every employee to be a data expert. It’s about identifying a business challenge that needs clarity, collecting the data you have, and then using it to start a conversation with your team for everyday decision-making and simplify everyday tasks.

Over time, when employees see that data helps solve real problems, and improve efficiency the adoption within the business develops organically.

Data management is always tailor-made

There’s no one size that fits all approach when it comes to data management but companies, regardless of size, can take significant steps toward strategies to grow. The right strategy is to align data management with company’s objectives, business goals, existing technology environment, available resources all while keeping in mind the future growth plans.

A data-informed mindset empowers everyone, from the shop floor to management, to contribute to better outcomes.

Irish SMEs have an opportunity to rethink how they use data as a strategic advantage for their business growth. As AI becomes more accessible and customers expect faster, more personalised experiences, businesses that invest in trusted data foundations will be better positioned to compete, innovate and grow.

These themes will be central to the conversations at 2026 Dell Technologies Forum at The Convention Centre in Dublin on September 15th where business and IT leaders and industry experts will explore how Irish organisations can unlock greater value from their data and prepare for the next wave of AI innovation.

For more information and to register for the event, click here.

Guest post by Fiona Devane, Regional Sales Manager, SMB North at Dell Technologies

Pure Telecom, Ireland’s high-speed broadband and telecoms provider, has announced new results from its annual Connected Lives survey, revealing that 13% of adults – some 510,974 people1 – describe themselves as having an ongoing romantic relationship(s) with AI. Similarly, over 470,000 adults2 (12% of the adult population) currently use AI to have X-rated, intimate conversations, and the same proportion have flirty, romantic conversations.

The nationally representative survey, conducted by Censuswide among 1,000 adults in Ireland, examines the evolving nature of human-AI relationships, revealing that for hundreds of thousands of people, AI has shifted from a functional tool into a romantic partner. The research follows similar research from Pure Telecom last year, which found that 370,0003 adults had pursued a romantic relationship with an AI chatbot within a 12-month period.

Pure Telecom’s 2026 research delved deeper to understand the nature of AI companionship better. It found that the average adult engaging with AI chatbots romantically does so 13 times per month. Almost a third (30%) say they consider the chatbot to be their ‘other half’, 28% say their relationship is emotionally intimate, and 26% say their relationship is exclusive.  For 18%, this is their first romantic relationship of any kind. Meanwhile, 10% of adults who are not currently in an AI relationship say they would not rule one out in the future.

The research shows that not everyone takes their AI romances seriously. The main motivation cited by those who are intimate with AI chatbots is to ‘have a laugh’ (34%). That is followed by those who are seeking emotional support (33%),privacy (31%), and to satisfy their curiosity (29%). Additionally, 28% are motivated by loneliness, while 26% are exploring their sexual identity and 25% are responding to heartbreak.

While some relationships can begin playfully, the findings suggest that these interactions can develop into meaningful emotional connections. Of those engaging in romantic relationships with AI chatbots, 32% reported that they find it easier to be vulnerable with an AI chatbot than with people. A further 29% said they would feel a sense of loss if their AI partner became permanently unavailable. Some 36% believe AI will play a long-term role in their romantic life.

For some, these emotional connections also have a tangible impact on their real-world relationships. Almost a third (30%) believe that romantic, flirty conversations with an AI chatbot have made their real-life romantic relationship better, and 34% say they have influenced their expectations of human partners. A similar proportion (31%) say it has made them a better real-life partner. The benefits are not just confined to romance. Almost two-fifths (38%) say these conversations have boosted their self-esteem and over a third (36%) say they have had a positive impact on their mental wellbeing.

On the flip-side, over a quarter (26%) have broken up with their real-life partner as a result and a further 29% say it has reduced their desire to look for a human partner at all. What’s more, 25% say their AI relationship is more emotionally rewarding than their previous or current real-life relationships.

Paul Connell, CEO, Pure Telecom, said: “Last year’s research lightly touched on the topic of AI relationships, so this year, we wanted to explore more. It’s interesting to see how differently people perceive their ‘ongoing’ romantic relationships with AI. For some, it’s simply a bit of fun, but for others, it’s a source of genuine companionship and fulfilment. In many ways, this is like intimate human relationships, however, when romantic partners aren’t aligned on fun versus commitment, there is far greater potential for heartbreak.

“AI has fundamentally changed the way we connect with the world around us, to the point where it has become a potential romantic partner. At Pure Telecom, we believe in the internet as a source for good. We hope that this research can contribute to important discussions on AI relationships and our understanding of them.”

See more stories here.

Solar is now the third highest supplier of indigenously generated electricity to the national grid

Solar is now a key pillar of our electricity supply, from rooftop installations to utility-scale solar farms

Minister for Climate, Energy, and the Environment Darragh O’Brien has highlighted that this week saw the highest ever level of daily solar electricity generation on the national grid. On Tuesday, EirGird data shows that (grid-scale) solar generation topped 1,258MW just before 1:00pm – the highest level witnessed thus far. To put that in context, solar energy accounted for approximately one third of all electricity used at that time across the country.

Ireland’s most powerful ever solar energy day

Commenting, Minister O’Brien said:

“This week has seen a major milestone – establishing a new daily record for grid-scale solar energy. It’s fitting that this happens in a week where we will witness a historic solar eclipse – one that I hope people up and down the country can enjoy safely, taking all precautions. This new daily peak comes on the back of EirGrid’s most recent monthly report – showing that July was a record month for solar energy in Ireland.

“We currently have over 8 GW of renewable electricity generation capacity connected to the network. To put that into perspective, we have added approximately 5 GW of new renewable electricity generation capacity in just ten years. That includes a doubling of our wind energy capacity, along with establishing a strong solar energy supply. Just over 10 years ago there were 2 MW (Mega Watts) of solar in Ireland. Now there are over 2.6 GW (Giga Watts). A rooftop revolution is underway, as households take up Government grant supports to install rooftop solar.

“Solar energy is now firmly established as a key pillar of our electricity supply, from rooftop installations to utility-scale solar farms. Solar is now the third highest supplier of indigenously generated electricity to the electricity grid.

“By reducing demand on the grid during daylight hours, solar energy helps to alleviate demands from other energy sources at key times – this supports a more resilient energy system. Evidence shows that both rooftop and utility-scale solar generation are increasingly displacing gas generation during midday periods, particularly at this time of year when solar is at its strongest. This will ultimately help to lower electricity costs for households and businesses.”

The Minister added:

“The increasing affordability challenges – arising out of recent global events – underline the importance of continuing and accelerating the energy transition. Every megawatt of renewable electricity added to our system helps reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels; this will stabilise prices in the long term and ensure a secure and affordable supply of indigenously produced electricity for Irish households and businesses.

“A diversified renewable electricity mix helps ensure a more stable and reliable electricity supply. Wind and solar complement each other by generating electricity at different times, under different weather conditions.

“The successful solar growth in Ireland has been underpinned by clear Government policy and targeted support schemes and measures. Through initiatives such as the solar PV grant, and our various renewable electricity support schemes, solar deployment is supported at every scale. We are committed to funding the Solar PV grant for the lifetime of this Government, up until 2030.”

To support solar deployment, the Government has introduced a range of measures, including the Microgeneration Support Scheme (MSS), the Small-Scale Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (SRESS), and the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS). These schemes are helping households, businesses, farms, and communities to participate in Ireland’s renewable electricity transition.

Further information on the Domestic Solar PV grant is available at: Solar Electricity PV Grants | Home Energy Grants | SEAI.

See more breaking stories here.

Guest post by Psychologist Nik Kinley has spent over 30 years assessing and coaching people in their most demanding moments, from prisoners, politicians and royalty to the CEOs of global banks and heads of national security. His latest of eight books is The Power Trap: How Leadership Changes People and What to Do About It.

The Power Trap

I once worked with a COO whose team described him as Teflon. Nothing touches him, they said. He never loses his temper, never really shows anything at all. It was meant as a compliment. And in crises, it certainly helped him stabilise things. As a constant, though, it left people feeling they couldn’t read or reach him, so eventually they stopped trying. And he was the last to know.

Composure is the one leadership quality almost nobody argues with. Steadiness under pressure sits near the top of every competency model, and self-regulation gets treated as the mature endpoint of emotional intelligence, the thing you arrive at once you have done the work. It has a price, though, and most of it is paid by other people.

Start with the physiology. In one experiment, pairs of people who had never met discussed an upsetting topic, and one of each pair was asked to hide their emotions. Doing so, however, disrupted the conversation and raised the blood pressure of the person on the other side of it. The listener paid, physically, for their partner’s composure. Whatever the calm person thought they were containing, they weren’t. They were offloading it.

Then there is what an unreadable face communicates. When people are shown an expression they cannot read or recognise, they are more likely to interpret it negatively. So, the meaning of a face that gives nothing away gets completed by whoever is looking at it, and a blank face does not get interpreted neutrally. Especially by your team, people with every reason to watch you closely, because you control their working world.

The obvious defence is that this is a price worth paying for calmness, and in a genuine crisis it usually is. But the problem starts when composure stops being the emergency setting and becomes the only one. The default, everyday normal setting.

And the reason this is such a problem is that there is a third cost, and it’s both the most expensive one and one senior leaders almost never see until it’s too late.

If people can’t read your reaction, they can’t calibrate. They don’t know whether you viewed the thing they just raised as valued, annoying, or worthless. They don’t know whether it decreased their standing in your eyes. So, they stop bringing you the rough version. As a result, what arrives is more filtered and polished, with disagreements resolved, confidence ranges stripped, and caveats removed. A compressed, reduced version of reality.

In my work and research on how information distorts on its way up an organisation, this is the pattern that does the most damage, because it never looks like a problem. It looks like people doing their job: a good, clear report, or slick presentation. And the leader most likely to be on the receiving end of this is the one nobody can read.

So, composure has an invisible cost.

“Be more expressive” is poor advice here, particularly if you are a woman. Anger expressed at work by a woman tends to be attributed to her character, while the same anger from a man is more likely to be attributed to his circumstances, and a loss of status follows for her and not for him.

So the fix isn’t to show more. It’s to say more. Narrate the reaction rather than perform it. That number worries me. If I’ve gone quiet, it’s because I am weighing something. And interestingly, research shows that naming the reason for a reaction like this removes the penalty women can face for showing emotions. Provide guidance for how to interpret your calm demeanour, and people stop inventing it for themselves and assuming the worst.

Of course, narration costs something. It can read as hesitancy or a lack of confidence. But it is better than being guessed at. Your team will interpret you either way. The only question is whether they are working from your account or their own.

Psychologist Nik Kinley has spent over 30 years assessing and coaching people in their most demanding moments, from prisoners, politicians and royalty to the CEOs of global banks and heads of national security. His latest of eight books is The Power Trap: How Leadership Changes People and What to Do About It.

See more breaking stories here.

Ireland’s biggest Maker festival returns to Leopardstown

More than 300 makers and over 90 exhibitors will gather at Leopardstown Racecourse on 22 and 23 August as Dublin Maker celebrates its fifteenth festival. Free to attend and organised entirely by volunteers, the event has grown into Ireland’s largest maker festival, bringing together inventors, engineers, artists, crafters, students, educators and community groups for two days of creativity, innovation and hands-on learning.

Ahead of this year’s festival, I spoke with Dublin Maker Coordinator Amy Hassett about the maker movement in Ireland, this year’s highlights and why making remains as relevant today as ever.

Dublin Maker 2026: The Essentials

• About: Dublin Maker 2026
• Dates: Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 August 2026
• Times: 10am to 5pm each day
• Venue: Leopardstown Racecourse
• Admission: Free
• Tickets: Book free tickets for Dublin Maker 2026 on Eventbrite
• Programme: Explore the makers and exhibitors taking part in Dublin Maker 2026

Ireland’s biggest maker festival

Since its first festival, Dublin Maker has established itself as Ireland’s largest maker festival, celebrating creativity in all its forms. While technology is an important part of the event, visitors will also discover woodworking, textiles, arts, crafts, sustainability projects, musical instrument makers and community groups alongside robotics, engineering and electronics.

“Where else can you find roboticists sitting right next to traditional woodturners, or a synth-hacker sharing space with a loom weaver? Dublin Maker is unapologetically eclectic” comments Tomás Ward , a co-founder and one of the organisers.

That diversity reflects the philosophy behind the maker movement itself. As Amy Hassett explains, “A maker is somebody who makes things, but it’s also somebody who has a mindset of being willing to learn, to experiment, and to play with the world around them.”

The organisers deliberately cast the net widely. “Making is for everybody,” Amy comments. “That’s why we intentionally keep the reach very broad.”

Why making still matters

Making has always been about more than producing objects. It encourages curiosity, experimentation and learning through practical experience, values that remain just as relevant today.

For Hassett, making connects people with both their communities and their own creativity. “To make things is such a foundational, fundamental human experience. It connects us to community, it connects us to our history, and it connects us to the world around us.”

That belief also reflects her own background in science communication. “My interest in science communication is about trying to build people’s confidence and interest in experimenting and playing, and in helping people understand the world and make decisions for themselves.”

She believes experimentation itself gives people confidence. “Experimentation gives people a sense of agency. You can try, you can explore, you can experiment, and you can come to an understanding of how things work.”

What to expect at Dublin Maker 2026

This year’s festival will be the largest yet. The programme includes 75 maker stands and 15 outdoor exhibits, while the number of hands-on workshops has doubled. Two workshop rooms will run activities across both days, giving visitors opportunities to build, create and experiment for themselves.

Among the highlights are the UCD Formula Student team and the racing car they have built, an expanded robotics display from Mechatrons, and a Hands-on HQ where visitors can build with cardboard, try coding for the first time and take part in STEM activities.

An open Fashion Show will run four times during the festival, inviting members of the public to showcase clothes they have made, mended or modified. Wood turners, crafters, quilters, needle felters, musical instrument makers and many others will also be exhibiting.

The Rediscovery Centre Repair Café will run on Sunday morning, giving visitors an opportunity to bring broken and much-loved items for a second life. Accessibility measures include a dedicated quiet area across both days, quiet hours from 10.00 to 11.30 on Sunday and Irish Sign Language interpretation on Saturday.

“We want there to be something for everybody,” says Hassett. “We want people to see things they maybe wouldn’t have thought of before.”

Unlike many exhibitions, Dublin Maker encourages conversations as much as demonstrations. Visitors are invited to meet the makers, hear the stories behind their projects and learn from their experiences.

“People love to hear the story behind a project. They come to chat to the makers themselves and understand their experience and ideas.”

For anyone thinking about exhibiting in future years, she has one simple message. “Don’t worry if your project isn’t finished. People love to see that too.”

Building communities through making

One of the strongest themes emerging this year is community. Increasingly, people are discovering making not just as a hobby but as a way of meeting others with shared interests.

“The big theme I’m seeing this year is community around making. People are interested in how making can help them find friends, build community and get away from screens,” says Hassett.

That trend is reflected in the growing number of community groups taking part in Dublin Maker. “A lot of communities that make things are coming to the festival because people are asking how making can be used as a way of making friends and finding community.”

She also believes libraries are becoming increasingly important as places where people can learn new skills and meet others. “I think libraries are really positioning themselves as non-commercial third spaces where people can come together and build community.”

Keeping Dublin Maker free

One of Dublin Maker’s defining features is that admission has remained free since the first festival fifteen years ago, helping to make the event accessible to as many people as possible.

“We’re most proud that this is the fifteenth year of the festival, and for fifteen years it’s been free,” says Hassett. “If you really care about getting people interested in making, you have to make sure the barriers to access are as low as humanly possible.”

The organisers also want visitors to feel welcome regardless of age, background or experience. “We want to use the maker mindset to build a really inclusive festival.”

The festival is supported by Research Ireland, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, RS Ireland, UCD and DCU, alongside other partners and supporters.

Looking to the future

For the organisers, the success of Dublin Maker is measured not simply by attendance but by the inspiration people take home with them.

“If I hear one story about somebody taking up a hobby, considering a career, or discovering an interest they wouldn’t have otherwise considered after coming to Dublin Maker, I’ll be happy,” says Hassett.

Ultimately, she hopes the festival encourages people to explore opportunities they may never previously have considered. “If somebody tells me their daughter wants to be an engineer because of Dublin Maker, or that they’re thinking of going back to college, that’s success.”

Dublin Maker and the global maker movement

Dublin Maker is part of a wider international maker movement that celebrates creativity, innovation and learning through making. Having reported from Maker Faire Rome, Europe’s largest maker event, for Irish Tech News, it was interesting to discuss Dublin Maker’s place within that global community with Amy Hassett.

While operating on a much larger scale, Maker Faire Rome shares the same ethos of curiosity, experimentation and hands-on creativity that underpins Dublin Maker. Irish Tech News has covered Maker Faire Rome for the past eight years. You can explore last year’s Irish Tech News coverage of Maker Faire Rome.

How to get there

The festival is served by public transport and has on-site parking. A wheelchair-accessible shuttle bus will operate between Sandyford Luas stop and Leopardstown every 25 minutes across both days.

About Billy Linehan

Billy Linehan is a freelance writer covering innovation, tech for good and entrepreneurship, and a regular contributor to Irish Tech News.

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Gas Networks Ireland and Bia Energy have reached a major milestone in Ireland’s energy transition with the successful connection of Bia Energy’s €90 million renewable biomethane gas facility in Huntstown, Co. Dublin to the national gas network.

This marks the first time that a biomethane production plant has been directly connected to the State’s national gas network, thereby enabling the renewable biomethane gas produced on-site to be injected into the gas network for use by businesses and industry across Ireland.

Along with Bia Energy, Gas Networks Ireland has connection agreements with six other biomethane producers which collectively will play a significant role in supporting the State’s targets for renewable gas generation.

Renewable biomethane gas is fully compatible with the existing national gas network and all existing appliances, technologies and vehicles that currently use gas. Biomethane seamlessly replaces natural gas to reduce emissions in heating, industry, transport, and power generation.

Bia Energy is one of seven biomethane companies that recently received funding under the Government’s National Biomethane Strategy Capital Grant Scheme. It received almost €3.9 million from the scheme to assist with its capital costs.

Speaking as he officially launched Bia Energy’s connection to the national gas grid, The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine of Ireland Martin Heydon T.D. said: “The connection of Bia Energy’s anaerobic digestion facility at Huntstown represents a significant step forward in the development of Ireland’s renewable gas sector. It demonstrates how agricultural and organic waste can be converted into a valuable renewable energy source, reducing emissions and enhancing energy security.

“The project also delivers benefits for agriculture through the production of digestate, which can be used as an alternative to chemical fertilisers, supporting more sustainable farming practices and a circular economy. Last month, the Government started issuing €19 million in funding to projects such as Bia Energy’s Huntstown facility that were successful under the 2024 Biomethane Capital Grant Scheme.”

To facilitate Bia Energy’s direct connection to the national gas network, Gas Networks Ireland built an extension to the existing gas network and a new Biomethane Network Entry Facility, enabling the biomethane produced at the site in Huntstown to be safely and efficiently injected into the gas network.

Structurally identical to natural gas, biomethane is a carbon neutral renewable gas that can be made from farm and food waste through a natural biological process known as anaerobic digestion. In addition to producing renewable gas, the process also creates a nutrient-rich biofertiliser called digestate which can be used to replace chemical fertilisers and recycle nutrients back into the food production system, with significant positive circular economy and environmental benefits.

Gas Networks Ireland’s Head of Business Development Karen Doyle, said: “Bia Energy’s new direct connection to the gas network is a landmark day for Ireland’s energy transition. Gas Networks Ireland is working to facilitate and assist the expansion of Ireland’s biomethane sector, which is currently underway and we already have connection agreements with seven producers. The delivery and commissioning of these facilities will play an important role in helping to secure Ireland’s indigenous energy supply and progress towards achieving the State’s target of having 5.7 terawatt hours (TWh) of biomethane production by 2030, equivalent to about 10 per cent of the country’s current gas demand.

“Clean renewable biomethane gas can provide an immediate and practical decarbonisation solution for energy users, enabling businesses to reduce their emissions while continuing to utilise their existing gas infrastructure and equipment.”

Bia Energy’s Chief Executive Officer, Brendan Traynor said: “Bia Energy is delighted to be the first biomethane production plant to be directly connected to Ireland’s national gas network. This is a very significant day, not just for the respective teams at Bia Energy and Gas Networks Ireland, who have worked in partnership to achieve this milestone, but also for the entire renewable gas industry in Ireland.”

“Through anaerobic digestion we are turning organic waste into a valuable energy resource. Biomethane will play an important role in Ireland’s energy future as it will enhance energy security, reduce carbon emissions, and have a positive impact on farming by reducing chemical fertilisers and replacing them with a higher quality organic biofertiliser. Our Dublin facility alone will help replace about 3,000 tonnes of chemical fertiliser every year.”

Bia Energy’s biomethane plant at Huntstown, which is part of the Sretaw group founded by Irish businessman Eamon Waters, is using short-dated and surplus packaged food from the retail and hospitality sectors, as well materials from agriculture and food production and converting these organic items into renewable biomethane.

Once operating at full capacity, the Huntstown plant is expected to deliver up to 120 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of biomethane annually into the gas network.

Bia Energy will also shortly expand its biomethane production portfolio to include a facility in Kildare.

See more stories here.

Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline, and Google Cloud today announced a new five-year partnership. Under the agreement, Ryanair will deploy Google Workspace and Google Cloud services to 35,000 employees across its network to support the company’s growth to 300 million passengers by 2034. This rollout includes Gemini Enterprise – Google Cloud’s agentic AI platform designed to connect organisational data, automate workflows, and create custom AI agents. Gemini Enterprise will be used to help automate decision-making, optimise flight crew logistics, and support overall corporate productivity, while also strengthening its resilience from this new dual-cloud strategy.

Ryanair CEO, Eddie Wilson, said: “Ryanair is on an incredible growth journey to 300 million passengers by 2034. To support this growth, we need to ensure we have excellent infrastructure resilience, and our new dual-cloud strategy provides this, alongside technology partners that match our speed and relentless focus on efficiency. With that, we’re pleased to partner with Google Cloud, putting Gemini Enterprise and Google Workspace in the hands of our teams, driving even greater efficiency across our business while bolstering our infrastructure resilience.”

Google Cloud Vice President, UK, Ireland and Sub-Saharan Africa, Maureen Costello, said: “Aviation is an industry defined by precision, and Ryanair is a pioneer in operational execution. We are thrilled to be Ryanair’s AI transformation partner. This agreement demonstrates how deploying generative AI at scale – coupled with modern collaboration tools for frontline workers – can help industry leaders scale securely, reduce operational costs, and redefine the travel experience.”

Ryanair will use Google Cloud’s AI technology and multi-cloud services to support productivity and customer service, including:

Multi-cloud resilience: Google Cloud will help Ryanair build a flexible system so it can utilise multiple cloud providers. This means if one cloud platform experiences any issues, critical airline services can quickly adapt, keeping flights and customer services running without interruption.

Operational planning: Ryanair plans to utilise Google DeepMind models, including AlphaEvolve and WeatherNext, to assist fleet operations and maintenance scheduling.

Collaborative infrastructure: Deploying Google Workspace with Gemini allows Ryanair to modernise its workflows by replacing its existing collaboration systems with a new cloud-focused platform.

See more stories here.

Solar Ireland is inviting homeowners and businesses across the country to become ‘citizen scientists’ during Wednesday’s solar eclipse, by watching the impact of the event unfold through their own solar panels.

Ireland’s solar eclipse

The partial solar eclipse on Wednesday, 12 August, will begin shortly after 6pm, peaking an hour later, before ending after 8pm. More than 90% of the Sun will be blocked across Ireland at its height, reaching up to 98% in parts of the west and south, with the exact level varying by location. It’s set to be one of the most significant solar eclipses visible from Ireland in decades and the last of this magnitude visible from Ireland until 2090.

Many modern solar installations allow homeowners and businesses to monitor electricity production through smartphone apps. As the Moon moves across the Sun, users should be able to watch their solar output fall and then recover as the eclipse passes.

Solar Ireland is encouraging households, businesses and community groups with solar panels to monitor their systems before, during and after the eclipse and share screenshots of their generation curves on social media, tagging Solar Ireland and including their location.

Ronan Power, CEO of Solar Ireland says, “Most people will be looking up at the sky on Wednesday, but Ireland’s solar owners can look at their phones too. For a couple of hours, people right across the country will be able to watch the same extraordinary event play out on the solar panels on their homes, farms and businesses. You should actually be able to see the eclipse in your generation curve as output dips and then climbs again.

“We’d love people to share what they see with us. Tell us where you are, show us your solar curve and let’s see what the eclipse looks like through Ireland’s solar generation. There is something quite special about thousands of people being able to experience the same event through the electricity being generated on their own roof. It’s also a reminder of just how far solar has come in Ireland. Solar is now part of everyday life, generating electricity on homes, schools, farms and businesses across the country.”

Solar Ireland also hopes to examine the wider impact of the eclipse on solar generation following the event, including the temporary reduction in output as the Moon passes across the Sun.

Unlike changing cloud cover, a solar eclipse can be predicted with extraordinary accuracy, meaning electricity system operators can prepare well in advance for the temporary reduction in solar generation. Solar panels themselves require no special preparation and will continue operating normally throughout the event.

Domestic solar owners do not need to take any action. Those with monitoring apps may simply notice their generation decline as the eclipse progresses before returning towards normal levels afterwards.

Solar Ireland is reminding anyone planning to watch the eclipse to never look directly at the Sun without certified eclipse glasses.

Share your solar eclipse

Solar owners can join in by:

• Taking a screenshot of their solar generation before, during or after the eclipse
• Sharing it on social media and tagging Solar Ireland
• Including their county or location
• Comparing their solar curve with others around Ireland

See more breaking stories here.

Guest post by Alain Bejjani, see more about his new book  Next: Leading Through the New Realities

Yuval Noah Harari’s Nexus is the clearest account I have read of why our institutions are struggling. It is also the book that caught me out, which is the more interesting reason to write about it.

His argument is deceptively simple. Societies are held together less by force or economics than by information networks that let millions of strangers cooperate. Religion, law, money, bureaucracy, science and nationalism are all systems for organising, trusting and transmitting information, and all of them run on myth and partial truth as much as on fact. He turns that insight into a sweeping history.  The chapters on the printing press are the best in the book. The press did not only spread knowledge, it spread witch-hunting manuals and religious wars with equal efficiency;, because a network that is good at moving information is not automatically good at moving truth.

Nexus changed my thinking, and where it stops

That distinction is the spine of the book. It is also the sentence that made me put it down.

In the spring of 2020 I was closing shopping malls and cinemas across seventeen countries, with no manual, no guide book. My instinct was that we had an information problem, so we built the means and machinery to fix it: daily numbers out of every market, footfall, cash, health data, decrees that changed overnight. I was proud of it. It was fast and accurate, and it was, in a way I did not see at the time, part of the problem. The better the reporting became, the more the organisation deferred to it and the less anyone argued with what they were shown. A number that arrives on a screen at eight in the morning carries an authority that a doubting colleague  does not, and the doubting was usually the more valuable of the two.

What carried us through was not the reporting. It was a few people willing to say that the figure from their market did not match what they could see, and to say it early enough to matter. At the time I took that to be luck, or good hiring. Harari gave me a better framing for it. Networks do not survive on the volume of information they move. They survive on their capacity to correct themselves; and this is a slow, unpopular, human function that every efficient system quietly suffocates..

Self-correction runs on trust, which is where it gets awkward. Our people trusted each other, which is a different thing from trusting the system, and the two pull in opposite directions. Trust in the system is what makes an organisation work. Trust between people is what lets it be corrected. Most organisations fund the first and starve the second, then wonder why nobody spoke up.

Which brings me to what I have borrowed most from Harari’s thinking,, and most uneasily. Harari’s real case for self-correction is political. He sets distributed networks against centralised ones, democracy against totalitarianism, and shows how a system with no way of being told it is wrong ends up believing its own reporting. Read that in an office and it is hard to unsee. A company is not a democracy. It is a single hub with an official version of events and a cost attached to contradicting it. No opposition, no free press, no term limits. Every structural mechanism he relies on is missing.

And AI, by his account, makes centralisation cheaper. Not another medium but an active participant that generates information, interprets evidence and then decides. If self-correction was already the weakest part of the network, it is hard to think of anything likelier to finish it off than a system that is fluent, tireless and almost never visibly unsure.

That is where my own book, NEXT, begins. Organisations are colliding with four realities at once: constant change, new technology, a changed bargain with talent, and sustainability. None of these is solved by more information. There is plenty of data. What they demand is judgment under conditions that more information cannot settle, and they need an organisation built to protect that judgment rather than automate it away.

So read Nexus. It will change how you look at every institution you sit inside, including the one that pays you. Then ask the question Harari has not yet asked: In your own organisation, who is allowed to say the number is wrong, and what happens to them when they do? If you cannot answer that quickly, the technology is not your most urgent problem.

Alain Bejjani served as CEO of Majid Al Futtaim from 2015 to 2023, growing it into a $15 billion enterprise across 17 countries. He was named Gulf Business CEO of the Year in 2020 and ranked among Forbes Middle East’s Top 100 CEOs in 2022. His book, Next: Leading Through the New Realities, is out now.

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Here at Irish Tech News we love meeting and introducing new Irish startups to our readers and podcast listeners. One such startup is Montro that helps companies with their AI and SaaS governance. Earlier this year at Dublin Tech Summit my colleague Billy Linehan brought Montro onto out radar and I recently caught up with Ankur Arora one of Montro’s Co-Founders to find out more about Montro.

Ankur talks about his background, compliance, what Montro does, shadow AI, EU regulations and more.

More about Montro:

Montro is a Dublin-based AI governance and SaaS intelligence platform that discovers unmanaged software and automates European regulatory compliance.  Discover every tool, classify against EU AI Act, DORA, NIS2, and GDPR before auditors do.

See more podcasts here.

Why innovation has seasons: Pressure can spark ideas, but space allows them to grow

Guest post by A.J. Thoresen, author of Decoding Efficiency and Innovation: How Systems, Minds, and Nations Shape our Future,

The Human Edge: Imagination and Creativity

Innovation does not flourish in only one season or even in one particular climate, but it often starts with imagination. Albert Einstein once said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world.” That captures the heart of creativity. Logic works within the known; imagination lets us explore the unknown. Logic helps build bridges, write code, solve problems and turn ideas into outcomes. But imagination asks bold questions, defies limits and opens new possibilities. Without it, inventions, music, art and technology would not keep redefining how we live.

Decoding Efficiency

In the age of artificial intelligence this matters even more. The human edge begins where the data ends: where LLMs work with patterns, weights and probabilities, human imagination can reach towards what is less probable, not yet proven, or has never happened before.

Steve Jobs once said, “Creativity is just connecting things.” His ability to reimagine technology was not purely logical. It was vision brought to life by skilled engineers. And perhaps the most important connections are sensed before they can be explained.

Six-Sense Innovator

Many describe Steve Jobs as a visionary, but he worked through the senses. He saw beyond what existed. He touched prototypes, turning them in his hands until they felt exactly right. He obsessed over audio fidelity, the click of the iPod wheel and the clarity of music through Apple’s devices.

Even scent mattered. The unboxing of an Apple product was designed to feel clean, crisp and intentional.

And taste? Perhaps not directly. But Jobs often used the language of food, describing products as “delicious” and ideas as something to be “chewed on”. He wanted the experience to feel premium, intuitive and alive.

And perhaps there was a sixth sense at work too—not in the supernatural sense, but as a kind of perceptual clarity, what some might call a third eye. Jobs had an uncanny ability to see what was not yet visible, to sense what people would want before they knew it themselves. It was not simply a guess. It was knowledge shaped by pattern, intuition and intensity. In that sense, Steve Jobs was not just a five-sense innovator. He was a six-sense creator of the future. But seeing what is not yet visible sometimes requires something organisations often struggle to protect: space before certainty.

Space to Wonder and Fresh Eyes

In many organisations, structured thinking is rewarded. Deadlines, roadmaps and measurable outcomes dominate the agenda. But imagination is not always linear. Creativity often begins not with an answer, but with wondering. The danger is that we train people to optimise before they imagine, to seek answers quickly rather than ask better questions.

Some companies recognise this. Jeff Bezos once described wandering as “an essential counterbalance to efficiency”, acknowledging that discovery does not always follow a predictable path. Wondering is not a waste. It is upstream of insight.

Fresh eyes create space. Newcomers enter with questions and observations that established teams may no longer see. But this perspective has a short life. People adapt, familiarity grows, and unusual observations slowly disappear. Fresh eyes are a temporary asset.

Slack offers an example. It began as an internal communication tool inside a failed gaming company. When the game failed, the team recognised that the tool they had built for themselves was the stronger idea. As Slack developed, they invited other companies to use it, watched where the product struggled and repeatedly refined it through fresh feedback.

Slack co-founder Stewart Butterfield understood the value of a beginner’s mind: the longer we live inside a system, the harder it becomes to see it as someone encountering it for the first time. Innovation sometimes begins because someone still notices. But not every new perspective comes from space. And sometimes pressure forces us to see what comfort allows us to overlook.

Crises, Constraints and Obsession

We should not assume that innovation flourishes only in ideal conditions. We often think creativity needs time, money and freedom. But sometimes it is their absence that sharpens the mind. When time, materials or options are limited, familiar paths close. And we are forced to look differently.

Apollo 13 became one of the clearest examples. In 1970, an oxygen tank exploded in space, damaging the spacecraft and turning a planned lunar mission into a fight for survival. NASA engineers faced an extreme constraint: solve the problem using only what the astronauts already had onboard. With no room for error, they improvised a carbon dioxide filter from plastic bags, cardboard and duct tape. It was not elegant, but it worked. Under extraordinary pressure, necessity narrowed the problem and ingenuity found a way through.

The COVID-19 pandemic showed the same force. Vaccine development that normally takes years was compressed as trials ran in parallel, regulators accelerated reviews and scientific teams shared information with urgency. Crisis changed the pace because time carried its own cost.

Constraint does not automatically create innovation. Pressure can also overwhelm judgement and narrow imagination too far. But at the right moment, it can cut through distraction and force clarity. When the usual route disappears, we sometimes discover another.

Constraints do not simply limit what is possible; they can reveal what is essential.

Pressure can also come from within. For founders and innovators, obsession can become an engine of focus, persistence and vision, allowing them to stay with a problem long after others would have moved on.

Obsessive focus notices details others miss, filters distraction and keeps energy fixed on improvement. But almost everything has a trade-off, and obsession is no exception.

The same intensity that fuels insight can narrow perspective. Focus can become tunnel vision; persistence can harden into inflexibility. Psychologists distinguish between harmonious and obsessive passion: one can sustain effort with balance, while the other may drive achievement at the cost of well-being, relationships and perspective.

The point is not to reject obsession, but to understand how it is channelled. At its best, it pushes people beyond what others believe possible. At its worst, it can exhaust the person and distort the very judgement that made the obsession valuable in the first place.

Intensity alone is not enough. The most effective innovators know when to hold on—and when to step back.

Same Mind in Different Seasons

Innovation is often seen as a matter of systems and strategy. But beneath both is something more personal: the emotional weather inside us. Stress, urgency, inspiration and obsession shape how we think, create and lead.

Some people sharpen under pressure. Others need calm, when the mind is free and there is room to wonder. What is less acknowledged is that the same person can be both. We change with time and circumstances, shaped by evolving ideas, external events and internal sparks.

The myth of the always-obsessed genius or the endlessly calm creator is just that—a myth.

Real innovation moves through seasons. Some moments demand pressure and persistence; others call for stillness, distance and space. The art is not choosing one over the other, but recognising when the season has changed—and having the courage to change with it.

A.J. Thoresen is the author of Decoding Efficiency and Innovation: How Systems, Minds, and Nations Shape our Future, shortlisted for the 2026 Business Book Awards in the Smart Thinking category.

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As temperatures continue to climb across Europe, many employees are finding that the most difficult thing to manage isn’t the weather – it’s the people. From hot-headed managers and short-tempered colleagues to teams operating with little patience and even less energy, workplace tensions appear to be rising alongside the mercury. Experts at Hogan Assessments, the global leader in workplace personality assessment and leadership development, analysing how one of Europe’s hottest summer may be exposing a growing workplace temperature problem.

Ireland Is Running Hot This Summer

Feeling the Burn

The timing is hardly surprising. Organisations are navigating a perfect storm of AI-driven uncertainty, ongoing change fatigue, leaner team structures, and the lingering effects of burnout that accelerated during and after the pandemic. At the same time, employee engagement continues to decline globally. According to Gallup’s latest State of the Global Workplace report, global engagement fell for a second consecutive year, while manager engagement dropped sharply from 27% to 22% – its lowest level in years.

And then there’s the actual heat. Research from the World Health Organization warns that excessive heat can impair concentration, increase fatigue, and reduce productivity, with performance falling by 2-3% for every degree of heat stress increase above key thresholds. Around 30% of workers exposed to frequent heat stress report productivity losses.

Understanding the Personality of the ‘Hot Tempered’ Employee

The result? A workplace environment where frustrations boil over faster, patience evaporates sooner, and small disagreements can quickly become major flashpoints.

This is particularly relevant for temperamental, ‘excitable’ work colleagues. While passion and energy might be a person’s strengths on an everyday basis, the same person might seem easily disappointed, directionless, and emotionally explosive when they stop monitoring their behaviour. An employee who is enthusiastic one day and irritable the next may gain a reputation for inconsistency and unpredictability over time.

“Showing passion keeps a professional from appearing unemotional, indifferent, or uninterested. But a display of emotional ups and downs isn’t always helpful at the workplace. When stress causes emotions to swell, employees must adapt how they communicate negative feelings”, says Jessie McClure, MA, Senior Consultant and Team Lead at Hogan Assessments.

Techniques for Temperamental Personalities

Fortunately, it’s possible for people to learn to moderate their behaviour by managing their emotional expression. First, excitable employees should analyze the situations in which they become frustrated and upset. Learning to recognize the signs or triggers that they are about to lose control can help them pause before they react. This can also help professionals with this personality characteristic create distance from the situation to avoid sending unintended messages that might affect colleagues’ performance. Over time, temperamental professionals can build resilience slowly by learning how much stress is sustainable.

For employers, the challenge may not simply be helping people stay physically cool this summer. It may be recognising that emotional temperature matters too. Because when organisations are already running hot from AI disruption, uncertainty, and employee exhaustion, another heatwave may be the last thing workplace tempers need.

See more breaking stories here.

ClassCover, a leading Australian-based substitute teacher booking platform, has announced its expansion into the Irish market with a €3M investment and 20 jobs over the next three years. This funding will support local hiring, boost awareness among the company’s client base and help tailor the platform for Irish audiences.

With significant plans for growth, ClassCover will expand its Irish team, hiring for new roles across sales, marketing, partnerships and customer support. Alongside this on-the-ground investment, the company has set its sights on a significant share of the Irish market, aiming to onboard 2,000 schools over the next three years, representing almost 50% of the country’s total.

ClassCover, headquartered in Sydney, was co-founded in 2011 by Ben Grozier to enable principals to book substitute teachers and SNAs through its real-time booking platform.

Designed to address teacher shortages and the disruption they cause, the platform allows schools to instantly view teachers’ availability and confirm bookings in minutes.

Over the last number of years, the platform has gained significant momentum across Australia with more than 5,000 schools and 200,000 teachers and SNAs signing up. Having secured several state contracts, ClassCover has facilitated over 500,000 bookings on the platform per year in Australia alone and following the addition of 1,300 new schools earlier this year, is projected to reach 650,000 annual bookings over the next 12 months. With its expansion into the Irish market, the company is now looking to replicate similar traction here.

Demand for this type of solution has risen across the Irish market. Currently, most schools rely on manual phone calls or social media messaging apps to secure cover, but this approach has proven to be both inefficient and risky. These group chats have historically been unsafe, exposing thousands of mobile numbers and leaving users vulnerable to scam links. ClassCover’s platform was built by an experienced team of engineers to ensure data is secure, safe and compliant with EU data laws.

Set to launch later this month with a pilot programme taking place across Dublin, the platform has been redesigned for the Irish market, with on-the-ground research, including extensive discussions with Irish educators, helping to shape the solution. The company has already begun building an Irish team, most of whom have a background in education as teachers or principals.

Commenting on the investment, Ben Grozier, CEO, ClassCover, said: “This expansion into the Irish market is a natural fit, with Ireland and Australia sharing a deep, historic bond. Through our extensive network of educators, we’ve heard first-hand about the challenges schools in Ireland are facing in finding substitute teachers – a challenge Australia knows all too well.

“While this platform won’t fix the teacher supply crisis on its own, it will ensure that every sub and SNA who is available and ready to work can actually be found by the schools that need them. We’ve spent over a decade perfecting this model and it’s clear the Irish market is ready for it. Bringing ClassCover to Ireland marks a major milestone for our company as we expand our international footprint and build our presence in a country widely regarded as having one of Europe’s best education systems.”

See more stories here.

UGREEN has continued to expand its NASync range, and this time we are looking at the UGREEN NASync DXP2800 GT.

We have previously reviewed the more beginner-friendly NASync DH2300 and the four-bay NASync DH4300 Plus, both of which showed that UGREEN is putting serious effort into making NAS devices more approachable for home users and small businesses.

The DXP2800 GT takes things up a level. This is a more performance-focused two-bay NAS aimed at users who want faster networking, more flexible storage options, local AI photo management, virtual machines, backups, and small office functionality.

And, in a similar fashion to a lot of other UGREEN equipment we have reviewed lately, the fit, finish and overall quality of the product has taken another step up, and the DXP2800 GT will look right at home on your media stand or office desk.

What’s in the Box

Inside the box, you get the UGREEN NASync DXP2800 GT itself, the power supply, Ethernet cable, setup documentation, and the accessories needed to install drives.

There is also a network cable, HDMI cable and a couple of keys to lock the drives in place in the unit.

Storage drives are not included, so you will need to supply your own HDDs and/or SSDs. As with any NAS, it is best to use NAS-rated drives, and ideally matching drives, if you want to make the most of RAID features.

All of the accessories included are high quality, and you have everything you need to get going.

Design and Build

The DXP2800 GT follows the same broad design language as UGREEN’s other NASync devices, but it has a more premium appearance. The space grey body with gold trim gives it a cleaner and more upmarket look than many traditional NAS units.

UGREEN has also included a magnetic dust mesh filter at the rear, which should help reduce dust and hair buildup over time. Cooling is handled by a hydraulic fan, with UGREEN claiming quiet operation in the 29–34dB range. During all of our testing, the unit was very quiet in use.

As this is a two-bay model, it is still relatively compact, making it suitable for a desk, shelf, small office, or home media setup.

While the unit is still undeniably a NAS, the visual improvements change it from being a box you’d probably want to hide away under a desk to something you will be happy to see sitting on display.

The two drive bays are accessed from the front of the device and have a small lock to keep them secure. Once released, the trays slide out and allow you to add a number of different drive types or sizes.

The trays have a genuinely useful system for installing drives without the need for screws, but they are also included in the pack for certain drive types.

We installed two 3.5” HDDs for our testing. The trays expand, allowing you to install the drive and then clamp them in place with plastic studs instead of screws. It is a nice design touch, and it is so much easier than fiddling with small screws.

Inside the unit, beside bay 1, there are two slots for installing additional NVMe drives. These NVMe drives, if installed, offer fast read and write speeds compared to the spinning disks and further expand the storage available.

The device is well covered for ports and connections. At the front, you have a USB-C port and a USB-A 3.2 ports for connecting external drives or other storage peripherals.

At the rear of the device you have the ethernet port, HDMI port, another USB-A 3.2 port and two USB-A 2.0 ports.

The power supply is also connected to the rear and is external to the device.

Powering the whole system is an AMD Ryzen Embedded R2514 along with 8GB of RAM which is expandable up to 64GB in total.

Overall the UGREEN NASync DXP2800 GT is a powerful and really well spec’d NAS in a very small footprint.

UGREEN NASync DXP2800 GT Specs

• Model: UGREEN NASync DXP2800 GT
• Drive Bays: 2-Bay SATA
• Operating System: UGOS Pro
• CPU: AMD Ryzen Embedded R2514
• CPU Configuration: 4 cores, 8 threads, up to 3.7GHz
• Memory: 8GB DDR4
• Expandable RAM: Up to 64GB
• ODECC: Supported
• System Disk: 64GB eMMC
• SATA Drive Bays: 2
• M.2 SSD Slots: 2
• U.2 Support: Bays 1 and 2 support U.2 NVMe SSDs
• RAID Support: JBOD, Basic, RAID 0, RAID 1
• Maximum Storage: 80TB, made up of 2 × 32TB HDDs and 2 × 8TB SSDs
• LAN Ports: 1 × 10GbE
• Front USB Ports: 1 × USB-C and 1 × USB-A 3.2
• Rear USB Ports: 1 × USB-A 3.2, plus 2 × rear USB-A 2.0 ports
• HDMI: 4K
• Wi-Fi: No
• Dimensions: 231.8 × 109.4 × 178.4 mm
• Power Consumption: 42.36W during drive access, 18.12W in drive hibernation
• Warranty: 2 years

Initial Setup

UGREEN has made the setup process really quick and painless.

As with the previous UGREEN NASync models I reviewed, setup is handled through UGOS Pro. You connect the NAS to power and your network, install your drives, power the unit on, and then complete the setup through a browser or the UGREEN app.

During setup, you create an admin account, configure the storage pool, choose the RAID option that suits your needs, and install any apps you want to use.

For a two-bay NAS like the DXP2800 GT, RAID 1 is the most sensible option for many users who want some protection against drive failure. RAID 0 is available if performance and full capacity are more important than redundancy, while JBOD and Basic are also supported.

We chose RAID 1 and from first power up, to fully setup, it took about 25 minutes in total. That includes remote access, storage pool setup and all required apps installed and set up. It is a very smooth process and straightforward even if you have little previous experience.

UGOS Pro User Interface

UGOS Pro is the operating system that powers UGREEN’s NAS devices. In my previous reviews of the DH2300 and DH4300 Plus, one of the main positives was that UGREEN had made the NAS experience more approachable than many people may expect.

The DXP2800 GT continues with that same overall approach. You get a desktop-style interface, clear settings menus, storage management, app installation, user management, remote access features, file services, backup options, and media management.

The key question with any newer NAS ecosystem is how mature the software feels compared with more established brands such as Synology and QNAP. UGREEN has made a strong start, but the long-term value of these devices will depend heavily on continued updates, app support, and software polish.

The system is quick and snappy to use. The majority of the apps and services required for home and office users are present and easy to access, install and set up. For more advanced users, the inclusion of Docker is a clever move by UGREEN as it adds a huge amount of services and possibilities through one app. While I think the majority of users will not use Docker a lot, for those who know what it is and can take advantage of it, it is an essential service to have available.

The improved hardware with this family of NAS makes a noticeable improvement to the overall UX. All aspects of navigating and interacting with the system are faster, and there isn’t a hint of lag anywhere.

Performance and 10GbE Networking

One of the biggest upgrades with the DXP2800 GT is the inclusion of a 10GbE LAN port.

This is a major step up from the 1GbE and 2.5GbE ports found on many mainstream NAS units, especially for users who regularly move large files around their network. Photographers, videographers, content creators, and small office users are likely to benefit the most.

However, it is important to point out that you will only benefit from 10GbE speeds if the rest of your network can support it. That means a 10GbE switch or direct 10GbE connection, suitable cabling, and a PC or Mac with 10GbE support. If your network is limited to 1GbE or 2.5GbE, the NAS will still work, but you will not see the full performance benefit.

Storage Options

The DXP2800 GT supports two SATA drives and two M.2 NVMe SSDs, giving a maximum listed storage capacity of 80TB. UGREEN lists this as 2 × 32TB HDDs plus 2 × 8TB SSDs.

UGREEN also states that bays 1 and 2 support U.2 NVMe SSDs. U.2 SSDs are more of an enthusiast or professional feature, but they can be useful for high-endurance, high-speed storage workloads.

For most home users, the more likely setup will be NAS-rated HDDs for bulk storage, with NVMe SSDs used for caching or faster active storage.

Because this is a two-bay NAS, the RAID options are more limited than on a four-bay model. RAID 1 will be the obvious choice for users who want redundancy, but it reduces usable HDD capacity by mirroring the data across both drives.

With the two SSD slots, though, there are many more options than with a traditional two-bay system.

The SSD Cache feature uses high-speed SSDs to provide cache acceleration for storage pools created with HDDs. Once enabled, it can significantly improve random read/write performance and overall system responsiveness.

UGREEN NAS currently supports the following two SSD cache types.

Read-only Cache

Read-only cache accelerates data reads only. The system automatically caches frequently accessed hot data to the SSD. When the data is accessed again, it is read from the SSD first, improving file opening and browsing speed.

Features:

• Supports creation with one SSD.
• Provides higher data security.
• Even if the cache SSD becomes abnormal, the original data in the storage pool will not be affected.

RAID types supported by Read-only cache:

• Basic: Uses a single SSD to create a cache for read-only cache acceleration.
• RAID0: Aggregates the performance of multiple SSDs to deliver higher cache read/write performance.
• RAID1: Mirrors cached data across two SSDs, providing redundancy protection while maintaining cache performance.

Read-Write Cache

Read-Write cache accelerates both data reads and writes. The system writes data to the SSD first and then synchronises it to the HDD, improving performance in scenarios involving frequent reads and writes of small files.

Features:

• Requires two SSDs.
• Supports cache creation in RAID1.
• Can significantly improve random read/write performance.

RAID type supported by Read-Write cache:

• RAID1: RAID1 mirrors cached data across two SSDs, providing redundancy protection while maintaining cache performance.

Overall, the options UGREEN have now included with the addition of two NVMe drive slots really opens up the functionality on offer and, importantly, offers a nice speed boost for the end user accessing data.

App Centre and Software Features

UGREEN is positioning UGOS Pro as more than just a basic storage operating system. The DXP2800 GT supports a growing app ecosystem, including media, backup, productivity, surveillance, Docker, and virtual machine features.

Key software features include:

• AI-powered photo management
• Automatic photo sorting by faces, places, and objects
• Duplicate photo detection
• UGREENlink remote access
• Docker support
• Virtual machine support
• Surveillance Center
• Cloud drive mounting
• Media library/poster-wall style playback
• Multi-device file syncing
• User and permission management

We covered which apps were available in our previous reviews, so take a look there if you want to go into more details.

AI Photo Management

UGREEN highlights AI-powered photo management as one of the consumer-friendly features of the DXP2800 GT. The idea is that your photos can be stored locally on your own NAS while still benefiting from automatic organisation.

The system can sort photos by faces, places, and objects, and can also help identify duplicates. For users who want to move away from cloud photo subscriptions, this could be one of the more useful features.

Many people are paying for cloud storage because their phones are full of photos and videos. A NAS like this offers a way to keep that data stored locally while still making it accessible across devices.

If you would like to take back control of your image storage, A NAS like this is a really good solution. It is a pity that hard drive prices have increased a lot recently, so there will be an initial cost to get set up, but once you are up and running, you can store a whole family’s pictures and videos on the device easily.

Features like the AI Photo Management offer a nice way to sort images intelligently and to find all the pictures of a person or place that you have stored.

Remote Access with UGREENlink

UGREENlink is UGREEN’s built-in remote access service. It is designed to let you access files securely from outside your home or office without needing to configure a public IP address or complex port forwarding.

This is important for mainstream users because remote access is one of the areas where NAS devices can become confusing. It makes the NAS much easier to recommend to people who want personal cloud storage without the monthly subscription.

Remote access is generally the area where a lot of new users become unstuck, especially if you don’t have the NAS attached to the router that brings the internet connection into your home and issues with double NAT can arise.

The solution UGREEN has implemented keeps things simple and very easy to get up and running. It handles the whole process, including dynamic DNS if you want to use a custom URL, and there really is no need for general users to go any deeper than this to get a workable remote access solution.

Media and Home Entertainment

The DXP2800 GT can be used as a central media library for films, TV shows, music, and photos. UGREEN includes media-focused software features, and the HDMI output gives some additional flexibility depending on how you want to use the device.

The AMD Ryzen Embedded R2514 processor, NVMe support, and 10GbE networking should make the DXP2800 GT a capable home media server, especially for users with large local media libraries.

There is a UGREEN app called “Theatre” for managing your locally stored TV series and films, and Jellyfin, another media management app, can be installed through Docker.

There is also a dedicated app called “Music for managing your audio collection.

All of this content can be shared across your network to compatible connected devices via DNLA so you don’t need a wired connection to access your content. Convenient if your NAS is not located near a TV or you want to be able to access your music on wireless speakers.

Docker, Virtual Machines and Advanced Users

The AMD Ryzen Embedded R2514 processor, 8GB of RAM, and the ability to expand to 64GB make the DXP2800 GT more interesting than a basic two-bay NAS.

Docker support means the NAS can be used for additional services beyond simple file storage. Depending on your needs, this could include media servers, download tools, smart home services, productivity apps, web services, or other self-hosted tools.

Virtual machine support also gives the DXP2800 GT more flexibility, especially for users who want a compact home lab or small office server.

The 8GB of included RAM should be fine for basic NAS use, but anyone planning to run multiple containers or virtual machines may want to consider upgrading the memory.

Features like running VMs would have been reserved for much more high-end NAS in the past, so it is nice to see the hardware required to do this being made available at that price point.

While I don’t think the aim of a device like this is to run multiple VMs at once, it is possible, but I think this feature will be very useful for people with a lower budget who need to do some system testing in a virtual environment and want to avoid the costs usually associated with that.

For those interested, you can find out more about Docker here: https://www.docker.com/

Surveillance Center

The DXP2800 GT also supports Surveillance Centre. UGREEN says this supports IP cameras using ONVIF/RTSP protocols, which should make it compatible with many mainstream network cameras.

Features include live view, recording playback, alerts, remote camera monitoring, and event detection.

This could be useful for small offices, home users with security cameras, or anyone who wants to keep footage stored locally rather than relying entirely on a cloud camera subscription.

It is a comprehensive piece of software that stores and manages all of your recordings and will offer a much cheaper solution for storage vs cloud subscriptions if you need to store footage from multiple cameras for an extended period.

Just keep in mind, if you connect multiple cameras, your network will increase significantly if you are recording footage from them all, so making use of the 10GbE networking on the unit will be a massive benefit if possible. Likewise, reads and writes on your installed drives will increase, so be sure to use high-quality drives and make use of the cache functions the NVMe slots provide.

Security and Data Control

One of the biggest arguments for using a NAS is control. Your data is stored locally, rather than sitting entirely on a third-party cloud platform.

UGREEN includes snapshot backups, encrypted file transfers, Security Manager, real-time virus scanning, flexible user permissions, and RAID options to assist with these functions.

As always, RAID should not be confused with a full backup. RAID can protect against a drive failure, but it does not protect against accidental deletion, theft, fire, malware, or user error. Important data should still be backed up elsewhere.

There are several included apps and services that you would expect for data management on the NAS, and others could be custom-built with Docker if needed for more advanced use.

Who Is the UGREEN NASync DXP2800 GT For?

The DXP2800 GT makes the most sense for home users, families, photographers, content creators, and small office users who want a powerful two-bay NAS with 10GbE networking.

It should suit users who want:

• A private cloud for documents and photos
• A central media library
• Automatic backups
• Remote access
• A compact NAS with strong performance
• 10GbE networking
• Local AI photo organisation
• Docker and light virtual machine support
• A more powerful alternative to a basic entry-level NAS

It is less suited to users who need large amounts of storage expansion, more advanced RAID options such as RAID 5 or RAID 6, or dual 10GbE networking. Those users will be better suited to the larger DXP4800 GT.

Conclusion

UGREEN has raised their standards again, and with the introduction of the DXP2800 GT, they now have a NAS offering with impressive hardware and speed of use at a very competitive price point.

The UGREEN NASync DXP2800 GT is aimed at users who want more than basic network storage. It offers strong hardware, 10GbE networking, NVMe support, expandable RAM, local AI photo management, remote access, Docker, virtual machines, and surveillance features.

As UGOS Pro continues to improve, the DXP2800 GT is a compelling alternative to more established NAS brands, especially for users who want a high-performance private cloud without being locked into ongoing subscription costs.

You can find out more about the UGREEN NASync DXP2800 GT here.

The Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke has confirmed that the European Commission’s 2026 Digital Decade Country Report for Ireland has shown Ireland remains one of the EU’s strongest digital performers.  The report secured cabinet approval in recent weeks.

Digital performers in Europe

Ireland now ranks second in the EU for basic digital skills, with 83% of the population possessing at least basic digital skills, compared with an EU average of 60%. The report also shows Ireland ranks fifth in the EU for generative AI adoption, at 45%, significantly above the EU average of 33%.

The report highlights strong performance across business digitalisation, digital infrastructure and digital public services, with Ireland ranking first in the EU for mobile broadband take-up, second for digital public services for businesses, and fourth for SMEs selling online.

Speaking following Cabinet consideration of the report, Minister Burke said:

“The Digital Decade Report confirms Ireland’s position as one of Europe’s leading digital economies. Our strong performance reflects sustained investment in digital infrastructure, skills and innovation. As Ireland holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, we welcome the progress being made across Europe towards the Digital Decade 2030 targets and look forward to working with our European partners to strengthen Europe’s digital competitiveness and AI ambitions.”

Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation, Niamh Smyth, welcomed the findings.

“Ireland’s strong performance reflects the progress we are making through sustained investment in skills, connectivity and innovation. It is particularly encouraging to see strong levels of AI adoption among Irish businesses.

“Through Digital Ireland: Connecting our People, Securing our Future, we are working to ensure the digital and AI transition delivers real benefits for people, businesses and public services. We look forward to building on this momentum at Ireland’s Digital and AI Summit this October, where we will showcase how Ireland is translating digital and AI leadership into practical outcomes across the economy and society.”

Other key findings from the report include:

• Ireland is home to 18 of the EU’s 324 unicorn companies, maintaining its position as the EU’s fifth-largest unicorn hub.
• Irish SMEs continue to outperform the EU average on digitalisation, with digital intensity reaching 71%, compared with an EU average of 62%.
• Household internet take-up stands at 95.5%, above the EU average.
• Ireland scored above 90% in five of eight Digital Decade public service indicators.
• Access to e-health records increased from 0% in 2022 to 44% in 2025, representing the fastest rate of improvement among EU Member States.
• The share of women working as ICT specialists continues to grow and remains above the EU average.

The report also highlights Ireland’s continued progress in strengthening cybersecurity, including the advancement of the National Cyber Security Bill and ongoing supports for SMEs to improve cyber resilience.

The Government will continue to work closely with EU partners to advance the Digital Decade 2030 targets and ensure Ireland remains at the forefront of Europe’s digital and AI transformation.

Digital Decade

The Digital Decade Policy Programme is the European Union’s framework for guiding digital policy across Member States. It sets targets for 2030 across four key areas:

• Digital Skills
• Digital Infrastructure
• Digitalisation of Business
• Digital Public Services

Ireland’s National Digital and AI Strategy, Digital Ireland: Connecting our People, Securing our Future, is closely aligned with the objectives of the EU Digital Decade.
Connectivity Data

Ireland has identified discrepancies between certain connectivity figures published in the Digital Decade 2026 Ireland Report and the Connectivity Coverage in Europe 2025 Report and the corresponding data submitted by ComReg.

As a result, a number of connectivity indicators, including overall Very High Capacity Network (VHCN) coverage and rural FTTP/VHCN coverage, appear to be understated in the published reports. The European Commission has advised that it is reviewing the underlying data across Member States and expects to publish a corrigendum.

For further information please contact Press Office, Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, press.office@enterprise.gov.ie or (01) 631-2200

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New data revealing that 35% of professionals have taken steps to enhance their AI skills this year amid the accelerating AI workplace transformation.

The research, conducted by IrishJobs, gathered insights from over 500 employers and nearly 1,000 professionals in Ireland on the evolving hiring landscape and shifting attitudes and actions across the market.

Strengthening AI Skills

This push to upskill in AI is being driven by a growing adoption of AI tools and technology in the workplace with 41% of professionals saying they are concerned that their role could be impacted by AI.

However, despite concerns around automation, 86% of professionals are confident their skills will stay relevant over the next three years, indicating that any potential impact of AI on the jobs market is expected to take place over the long-term.

AI & Recruitment

Increased automation in the recruitment process may be affecting the candidate experience and engagement, according to the survey findings. 73% of job candidates report that it is more difficult to reach the interview stage of the hiring process, while 65% report that they do not hear back from recruiters beyond an autoreply.

78% of candidates also say that job adverts require more skills than ever before. On the other hand, skills matching remains the top hiring challenge for employers, reflecting a growing disconnect between employers and candidates on the expectations around roles.

Jobseeker activity

Findings show that 4 in 5 (81%)  professionals are open to a new job offers – the highest level captured by IrishJobs data. Of these, 17% of candidates are actively looking for new opportunities, a slight drop of 4% since Autumn 2025.

While the share of active jobseekers has dipped, the proportion of passive job candidates who would move for the right offer continues to grow, rising by 7% over the past six months. For employers, a focus on employer branding and their employment offering are key to engaging passive, ‘open-minded’ candidates.

Candidate expectations

Salary remains the top factor for candidates considering new opportunities. With inflation and cost of living pressures rising, there has been a 7% increase in the proportion of candidates ranking salary as the most decisive factor in choosing a job. This is followed by work-life balance, flexible working, and job security.

Amid increased economic uncertainty, more than 3 in 4 (77%) of candidates now say that job security is more important than career progression when considering potential opportunities.

23% of employers are struggling to meet jobseeker’s rising salary expectations, which is now one of the biggest hiring challenges for recruiters.

Commenting on the findings, Christopher Paye, Country Director of The Stepstone Group Ireland with responsibility for IrishJobs, said, “Across Ireland, the hiring landscape is evolving at pace, shaped by a combination of economic and geopolitical volatility, accelerating technological change and shifting workforce expectations. Despite considerable uncertainty, the Irish economy continues to demonstrate its resilience and remains close to full capacity.

Against this backdrop, it’s clear from our findings that professionals are becoming more strategic in how they navigate the jobs market and balancing a desire for stability alongside responding to heightened inflationary pressures. While more candidates than ever are open to new opportunities, there is a growing sense of uncertainty around the impact of AI and how this could affect future careers. Professionals in Ireland are responding to these changes by enhancing AI skills and putting an increased emphasis on the value of adaptability in the workplace. Employers too have a vital role to play in investing and skilling up their workforce to ensure their people can successfully adapt to these shifts.

The findings also spotlight a growing disconnect between employers and candidates across several key areas. Challenges around rising salary expectations, skills matching, and increasingly complex job requirements are contributing to friction in the hiring process. To stay competitive, employers need to sharpen their approach, setting clear and realistic expectations from the outset of the recruitment process, and leading with transparency on pay, flexibility and career development. Those who actively invest in skills and support employees through the significant change ahead will be best placed to attract and retain high-calibre talent.”

For further information on the findings, please visit: https://www.IrishJobs.ie/

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There is strong public appetite for the Government’s proposed Savings & Investment Accounts (SIAs), with almost three in four (73%) financial advisors surveyed nationwide reporting that the public would “definitely” go for one of these accounts. And a further one in four (25%) advisors believe there will be an appetite for the planned SIAs from certain sections of the public. Less than 1% say the public wouldn’t be interested.

This is according to the findings of a new survey of 215 financial advisors nationwide, undertaken by leading pension trustees, Independent Trustee Company (ITC). The survey examined how strong financial advisors believe take up of the proposed SIA, which is expected to be unveiled in the Budget later this year in a bid to encourage Irish savers to move some of the €170 billion they hold on deposit into investment products, will be.

Public appetite for SIAs is strong

While the survey suggests that public appetite for the proposed SIAs will be strong, the research also sheds light on what might hold people back from investing in these accounts.

Top 5 Reasons Irish People Are Reluctant to Invest Their Money

Asked why fewer than half of Irish adults have any form of investment[1], the main reasons cited by the financial advisers surveyed were:

1. Lack of awareness or understanding of investments (73% of advisors believe this is behind the poor take-up of investments by Irish adults)
2. Cautious attitude / risk aversion (cited by 35% of advisors)
3. Need for immediate access to cash (cited by 35% of advisors)
4. Negative past experience – own or someone else’s losses (cited by one in three -33% – advisors)
5. Distrust of investment companies or products (cited by 31% of advisers).

According to the survey, concerns about investment fees and charges, as well as the impact of recent stock market volatility, are other reasons Irish people are reluctant to put their money into investment products, with one in five advisors believing this is behind the low take-up of existing investments options (see Table 2 in Appendix). Less than one in five (18%) advisors believe investment apathy is behind the reluctance of people to invest.

Commenting on the survey findings, Glenn Gaughran, head of business development with the Independent Trustee Company said:

“Given the huge increases in household wealth in recent years[2], many Irish people do have the capacity to save and invest, yet recent BPFI research found that less than half of Irish adults have any form of investment[3]. This means that many Irish people are losing out on the opportunity to boost their personal wealth – an anomaly the Government is hoping to address with its planned SIAs.

While tax efficiency will be a key draw of SIAs, it’s important that the Government understands that this alone will not entice people to make the jump from savings to investments.

Our survey has found that poor understanding, and fear, of investments has dissuaded many people from investing their money – as has negative past experiences. A cautious attitude to investments, concerns about recent stock market volatility and a distrust of investment companies or products are other reasons that financial advisors believe people are reluctant to invest.”

According to the survey, an overwhelming majority (98%) of financial advisors expect that Irish people will have an appetite for SIAs, though a quarter of respondents expect this demand to be restricted to certain cohorts of the public.

Mr Gaughran added:

“While our survey found that public appetite for SIAs is likely to be strong, if SIAs are to be successful, it’s important the Government addresses the negative investment mindset that many Irish people appear to have. If SIAs are launched as expected later this year, it’s important that there are designed in a way which will make people comfortable about investing their money, with safeguards built in.

The Government will also need to educate Irish people not just around the benefits of investing their money, but also on how they can do so in a way which they are comfortable with and which will ultimately stand to them in the long run. Otherwise, the SIA scheme could struggle to take off.”

Footnotes

[1] As per recent BPFI research

2 As per Davy’s Wealth In Ireland report

3 As per BFPI research December 2025

ITC are an Irish-owned professional pension trustee company, established in 1994. They are one of the largest providers of self-administered pensions in Ireland, administering over €3 billion of client funds in over 6,500 pension structures.

ITC is a Revenue-approved Pensioneer Trustee for this purpose.  The company constructs and administers the trust structure to enable clients to use these structures to achieve the maximum possible benefit.

NB: ITC are not pension advisors. Individuals should speak with their financial advisor for more information.

Appendix

Table 1

Table 2

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Guest post by Paul Turley, Senior Director, ServiceNow Ireland

Almost every number in enterprise AI this year points up. According to our latest AI Maturity Index, spending across our region rose 113 per cent in twelve months. Almost six in ten organisations are now using agentic AI. Maturity scores kept climbing, to 51 out of 100. One number went the other way, and it is the one that decides whether the rest of it ever pays off.

Worldwide, the share of organisations that had streamlined and integrated workflows across business functions with AI fell from 30 per cent in 2025 to 16 per cent in 2026, almost halving in a single year. Across the EMEA region, the figure is lower still, at 15 per cent. So, the tools are multiplying while the number of firms joining them up is falling. That’s the opposite of what all the spending is meant to buy.

The reason is that the quick wins pull against the hard ones. When each team solves its own problem, the natural move is to buy a tool for that problem and bolt it onto the systems already in place. Do that across a dozen teams and you get a dozen capable tools, each sharp inside its own box, yet blind to everything outside it. Single-purpose agents make it worse because they add moving parts without connecting any of them. Our own research names the consequence: a new wave of agent sprawl sitting on top of platforms that were already fragmented. More gets added every quarter. Less of it connects.

What it looks like on the ground

You can see the cost of this in how the service is really delivered here. Our 2026 CX Shift research in Ireland found that three in four service reps have to log into between three and five separate systems to resolve a single customer query, and six in ten say the customer data in front of them is inconsistent from one screen to the next. Less than half of a rep’s day is actually spent helping customers, and the rest goes on admin and chasing information across those systems. Give that rep an AI tool that drafts a reply and you’ve helped with the reply. You’ve done nothing about the four other systems or the record that contradicts itself. That’s why Irish customers at the other end still lose 284 million hours a year to slow service, even as the spending climbs.

From automation to orchestration

The distinction that matters here is between automation and orchestration, and it is easy to blur the lines. Automation makes a single task faster: a form filled, a ticket routed, a summary written. Orchestration changes how the work moves across the whole organisation, connecting the systems, decisions, and people that a task passes through. You can buy a great deal of the first and slip backwards on the second at the same time, which is what the integration number indicates.

Picture a single customer request that comes in, gets classified, pulls the right account data, updates the order, triggers the refund and closes the loop, with a person setting the rules and stepping in only for exceptions. That’s one piece of work moving cleanly across four or five systems. It’s also what a business can’t do when those systems were never connected, no matter how much AI sits inside each one.

The organisations getting this right start underneath the AI. They connected their data and workflows before adding more on top, so that each new tool plugs into something that already connects rather than adding another island. Assistive AI earns its place in that setup, sitting on connected ground so the same investment compounds instead of fragmenting.

What the groundwork pays back

The payoff is the whole reason to bother. Only about one in five organisations are turning their AI spend into a real return, and they got there by joining things up first. That group is already delivering a 164 per cent return on its AI investment today and expects 199 per cent within two years. It’s also five times more productive than the rest and six times more likely to be building new services and revenue from AI.

The advantage widens with each cycle because each connected workflow becomes context the next one can draw on, so their AI gets cheaper and better to run over time. For everyone else, each new tool adds complexity and cost without much to show for it, and the gap keeps widening.

So, the question worth asking in Irish boardrooms has changed. The count of AI tools you have deployed says very little on its own. The number that matters is how much of that AI can act together across the business, and this year, that number moved in the wrong direction. Turning it around is slower and less exciting than the next launch. It’s also the only thing that turns a pile of clever tools into a business that runs differently.

About Paul Turley, Senior Director, Enterprise Sales Ireland, ServiceNow

As leader of ServiceNow’s enterprise sales in Ireland, Paul and his team manage relationships with clients and partners across all industries and sectors on the island of Ireland. Paul has over 25 years of experience working in various large software businesses in Irish and international markets, including Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Micro Focus. After graduating from UCD with a degree in Engineering, Paul started his career working with Enterprise Ireland, helping Irish technology startups build routes to market across Scandinavia.

About ServiceNow

ServiceNow is the AI control tower for business reinvention. The ServiceNow AI Platform integrates with any cloud, any model, and any data source to orchestrate how work flows across the enterprise. By unifying legacy systems, departmental tools, cloud applications, and AI agents, ServiceNow provides a single pane of glass that connects intelligence to execution across every corner of business. With more than 80 billion workflows running on the platform each year, ServiceNow helps organizations turn fragmented operations into coordinated, autonomous workflows that deliver measurable results. Learn how ServiceNow puts AI to work for people at www.servicenow.com.

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Almost half (46%) of Irish SMEs say business activity is stronger than it was this time last year, and up sharply from 30% in Q1 of this year, according to the latest Linked Finance Business Optimism Index, signalling the strongest trading momentum in more than a year.

The latest quarterly survey of Irish SMEs, conducted by Ipsos B&A on behalf of Linked Finance, also found overall business confidence remained resilient, with optimism in the sector edging up from 63.46 in Q1 to 63.92 in Q2.

Irish SMEs report strong trading

Businesses are also more optimistic about the months ahead than at any point in the past 18 months, underlining growing confidence that this momentum will continue into the second half of the year in spite of signs of renewed inflation.

Inflationary pressures re-emerge

The proportion of SMEs increasing prices rose to 46% in Q2, up from 42% in Q1, representing the highest level recorded in the survey for two years. The trend was evident across businesses of all sizes and regions.

The data indicates that while confidence remains resilient, cost pressures continue to weigh on business decision-making.

Trading conditions continue to improve

Almost half (46%) of SMEs said business activity was stronger than a year ago, compared with 30% in Q1, while expectations for Q3 reached their highest level since early 2025, signalling growing confidence that trading conditions will continue to improve.

The improvement was particularly noticeable among exporters, whose outlook is now more positive than businesses focused solely on the domestic market following a weaker start to the year.

Hiring pauses after sustained growth

Following two consecutive quarters of employment growth, hiring has begun to level off.

Almost four in five SMEs (79%) reported no change in staffing levels during the quarter, while 11% increased headcount, suggesting businesses are taking a more cautious approach to recruitment as inflationary pressures re-emerge.

Despite the slowdown in hiring, Dublin-based businesses continue to outperform the rest of the country on both employment and expectations for future business activity.

Strong expectations for H2

Commenting on the findings of the latest survey, Niall O’Grady, CEO of Linked Finance, said: “What’s particularly encouraging from these findings is that confidence continues to strengthen even as businesses contend with rising cost pressures.”

“SMEs are clearly finding opportunities for growth, but they’re also becoming more cautious as inflation begins to re-emerge in the second half of the year.”

“The increase in businesses raising prices is a reminder that many SMEs are still operating in a challenging cost environment. Access to finance will remain critical in helping businesses invest, grow and manage that uncertainty over the rest of the year.”

The Linked Finance Business Optimism Index is based on a quarterly survey of 370 business owners and managers nationwide, conducted by Ipsos B&A. Figures reported as gaps (e.g. +8, -16, +39) are net balance scores – the percentage of SMEs reporting an increase minus the percentage reporting a decrease. The Optimism Index is reported on a 0–100 scale. Fieldwork ran from 25th June to the 8th July 2026 by telephone and online. Sample structured by region and company size to reflect the SME population. Margin of error ±5%.

For media enquiries or to schedule an interview, contact Beachhut PR:

Aaron Linnane | aaron@beachhutpr.com | +353 87 419 5919

About Linked Finance:

Founded in 2013, Linked Finance is a Central Bank of Ireland–regulated SME lender providing unsecured loans of €10,000 to €500,000 to businesses nationwide. The company has now delivered over €400 million in funding to more than 5,000 Irish SMEs, supporting investment, expansion and working capital needs across the country. Linked Finance combines regulatory oversight with established scale, offering businesses a credible alternative source of finance.

The model is built around fast, clear decision-making, with relationship-led underwriting that balances speed and diligence. In addition to lending, Linked Finance publishes its quarterly SME Business Optimism Index, providing insight into trading conditions, sentiment and pressure points across the Irish SME sector. Linked Finance has supported a broad range of well-known Irish businesses including VitHit, Cornucopia, Chopped, SchoolBooks.ie, Cloud Picker Coffee and Leo Burdock.

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WHOOP, the human performance company, today announced an expansion of its women’s health offering through an integration with Natural Cycles° (NC°), the only FDA-cleared, hormone-free birth control app. WHOOP is offering a 12-month subscription to the NC° app to eligible new Natural Cycles users. Members with compatible WHOOP devices can now automatically share overnight skin temperature with the NC° app to enable personalized fertility insights and hormone-free birth control.

The Natural Cycles app, a Class II medical device, uses biomarker data, including temperature and heart rate data, to identify fertile and non-fertile days, helping users prevent pregnancy without hormones while also providing fertility insights. Beyond birth control, the app also supports users through pregnancy planning, pregnancy, postpartum, and perimenopause with dedicated modes tailored to each stage of their reproductive journey.

This integration and exclusive offer advance the efforts of WHOOP in women’s health by combining continuous physiological data with clinically validated fertility technology. Women are one of the fastest-growing segments of WHOOP members, with membership growing 111% year over year. As demand grows for personalised health insights and non-hormonal reproductive health options, this integration gives WHOOP members a more seamless way to understand fertility alongside the recovery, sleep, and health insights already available through WHOOP.

“This partnership represents a commitment to supporting women’s health through clinically-backed, actionable data,” said Dr. Ami Bhatt, WHOOP Chief Medical Officer. “By integrating with the NC° app, we are providing our members with a seamless way to access personalised reproductive health insights, expanding WHOOP beyond performance into everyday health.”

“At Natural Cycles, we’re committed to making digital contraception as seamless as possible for our users,” said Dr. Magda Armbruster, VP of Product at Natural Cycles. “Integrating with WHOOP removes friction from the experience by allowing members to use the wearable they already rely on to automatically capture overnight skin temperature used by the NC° app to determine daily fertility status. It’s another step toward making hormone-free birth control fit more naturally into everyday life.”

Membership Benefits:

• A 12-month subscription to the NC° app included with any WHOOP membership for members new to Natural Cycles.
• Automatic overnight skin temperature sharing with the NC° app through compatible WHOOP devices.
• Daily fertility status inside the world’s only FDA-cleared digital birth control app.
• Features designed by Natural Cycles° to support women throughout the reproductive journey, from birth control and pregnancy planning to pregnancy, postpartum, and perimenopause.

The integration is currently available for users with WHOOP MG and 5.0 devices. WHOOP and Natural Cycles° remain committed to the highest standards of privacy and data security, ensuring that sensitive health information is managed with the utmost care.

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As excitement builds ahead of the solar eclipse on 12 August 2026, experts from the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) are encouraging people across Ireland to start planning now for what will be one of the most remarkable astronomical events visible from the island in our lifetime.

In Ireland, the eclipse will see up to 97% of the Sun obscured by the Moon in parts of the southwest, with approximately 94% coverage visible from Dublin and up to 98% from Valentia Island, Co. Kerry. It is set to be Ireland’s best solar eclipse for generations, and astronomy enthusiasts, families and curious skywatchers are being urged to prepare in advance to safely enjoy the spectacle.

DIAS Top Tips for Viewing the Eclipse

Never look directly at the Sun

Looking directly at the Sun without proper protection can cause permanent eye damage, even when most of the Sun is covered by the Moon. Ordinary sunglasses do not provide sufficient protection. Never point a camera, telescope, binoculars or mobile phone directly at the Sun without the appropriate solar filters. Doing so can damage equipment and pose a risk to eyesight.

Use certified eclipse glasses or make your own eclipse viewer

Anyone planning to view the eclipse directly should either use internationally certified solar eclipse glasses or make your own eclipse viewer, using cardboard and a small pin-sized hole. The carboard projector projects an image of the Sun onto a surface, allowing you to safely observe the changing shape of the Sun as the Moon passes in front of it. Pinhole Projectors projects are easy to make, completely safe and a great way to get children involved in the event – for a tutorial on how to make on, visit the DIAS Dunsink Instagram page.

Choose your location carefully

The farther southwest you travel, the greater the percentage of the Sun that will be covered by the Moon. Find a location with a clear, unobstructed view of the western horizon and try to arrive early if attending a public viewing event.

Make it a shared experience

The eclipse offers a fantastic opportunity to learn more about space science with family and friends. Many astronomy groups and observatories around Ireland will host public viewing events on the day.

Learn the science behind the spectacle

During the eclipse, scientists will use a specially designed telescope known as E-CorMag to observe the outermost layer of the Sun’s atmosphere, called the corona. They will  investigate the magnetic fields that shape this super-heatedregion of the solar atmosphere. The research will contribute to a better understanding of space weather and how activity on the Sun can affect technologies here on Earth.

Director of DIAS Dunsink, Prof. Peter Gallagher, said: “The 2026 eclipse is a rare opportunity for people across Ireland to connect with science and look up at the sky with a sense of wonder. Whether you’re attending an organised event or viewing it from your garden, we encourage everyone to do so safely and take a moment to appreciate the extraordinary alignment taking place above us.”

DIAS will host a special public viewing event, Eclipse26 at Dunsink Observatory, featuring expert talks, family-friendly activities, telescope viewing and opportunities to meet solar physicists and astronomy researchers. Eclipse glasses will be provided to attendees.

For more information on the eclipse, public events and safe viewing guidance, visit Eclipse26.ie.

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As insurers move beyond AI experimentation towards enterprise-wide transformation, industry leaders are increasingly focused on one question: how do you scale AI to deliver measurable operational impact?  This was one of the challenges explored at the recent InsTech.ie Transformation Summit 2026 and to find out more about this I caught up with Gary Leyden, CEO of InsTech.ie.

Gary talks to me about  about his background, AI adoption, insurance transformation, and the trends shaping the future of the sector.

More about InsTech.ie:

InsTech.ie was formally established as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee in November 2021. Since then they’ve been helping their members and insurtechs to connect, collaborate and build capability.

In 2024 InsTech.ie was selected  to receive funding under the Smart Regions Enterprise Innovation Scheme to help support the growth and development of our insurtech cluster. This funding will help us to maximise enterprise collaboration and stimulate the growth and development of the insurtech cluster in Ireland.

See more podcasts here.

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless TD, said: “The achievements outlined in Tyndall’s 2025 Annual Report demonstrate the importance of continued investment in research, talent and innovation. The launch of three semiconductor spin-out companies is a powerful example of how research excellence can be translated into economic impact, creating new opportunities for enterprise, employment and technological leadership. Through initiatives such as INSPIRE, we are strengthening the foundations that enable institutions like Tyndall to deliver discoveries, develop talent and support the growth of innovative Irish companies.”

Dr Patrick Morrissey, Director of Innovation and Industry Engagement, Tyndall, said: “The success of these spinouts demonstrates the tremendous potential of Ireland’s indigenous semiconductor sector and its contribution to delivering the Silicon Island ambition of doubling the industry by 2040. Tyndall is uniquely positioned to accelerate that growth by converting cutting-edge research into high-impact companies, supporting entrepreneurial talent, and connecting start-ups with global innovation networks.”

zolvia, the Dublin-based formulation technology company backed by Enterprise Ireland, has published the results of an independent human clinical trial, marking a significant milestone as it prepares to take its technology to global food, drink, and supplement manufacturers.

In a recently undertaken independent controlled human trial, zolvia, found that that its flagship ingredient, z-curcumin, was absorbed 71 times better than standard curcumin extract. Curcumin, the active compound in turmeric, is widely used in supplements but is notoriously poorly absorbed by the body, making it a strong test case for the company’s technology.

The clinical publication is the first stage of zolvia’s commercial rollout. The company is scaling production of z-curcumin alongside four additional ingredients, with samples now available to manufacturers for evaluation.

zolvia will showcase its full platform internationally for the first time at SupplySide West in Las Vegas in October 2026, one of the ingredient industry’s largest global trade events, ahead of commercial agreements opening in the fourth quarter of 2026.

Founded by Nicholas Deeney, Nasir Arafath and Ferdia Doherty, the company rebranded from Biovit to zolvia earlier this year as it evolved from a single-ingredient business into a broader formulation technology platform. It is backed by Enterprise Ireland and a number of angel investors.

The publication of the trial outcome is a notable step for an Irish deep-science and tech company still in its early stages. Rather than lead with marketing claims, zolvia made the strategic decision to invest in independent human clinical evidence in advance of bringing its technology to market, a standard of proof still uncommon among ingredient technology companies at this stage of growth.

zolvia’s platform is designed to solve the problems that prohibit good active ingredients from working properly once they’re in a finished product, namely issues with absorption, solubility, and shelf stability.

The platform is now being applied across ingredients including creatine, CoQ10 and quercetin, with a fourth capability, controlled release, currently in development.

zolvia’s technology also unlocks one of sports nutrition’s most stubborn problems: a truly shelf-stable, ready-to-drink creatine. Creatine is among the most proven ingredients in the category but breaks down in liquid, which is why it’s still sold mostly as a powder. Solving problems of exactly this kind, at commercial scale, is where zolvia believes its platform has the greatest impact.

Nicholas Deeney Co-Founder and CEO of zolvia, said: “We wanted to build a science-led Irish company that could stand over its technology with real evidence, not just claims. This study is proof that what we’ve built works in people, not only in a lab, and it’s a foundation we’re proud to have developed here in Dublin.

“Our ambition is for zolvia to be a genuinely global platform, and this milestone is the first step in bringing that to manufacturers everywhere.”

zolvia is still an early-stage, pre-commercial company, but says the milestone reflects the evidence-first approach it intends to carry as it scales internationally, working with R&D, formulation and procurement teams at food, beverage and supplement manufacturers through ingredient supply, co-development and licensing agreements.

See more stories here.

Most people don’t question their desk. You sit down, you work, you get up. But if you’re spending seven, eight, nine hours in that chair every day, the question isn’t whether you’re comfortable right now. It’s what that position is costing you over months and years. Adjustable standing desks are getting serious attention from Irish businesses and home workers. Not because they’re a trend. Because they work. The real question isn’t whether you need one. It’s which setup fits your workday and whether you know enough to choose the right one.

Why adjustable standing desks are getting serious attention

The sitting problem isn’t news. But most of the solutions on offer assume that all desk workers are the same. They’re not. A home worker in Cork has a completely different day to a facilities manager in Dublin or a nurse administrator in Galway. The right adjustable standing desk depends on how you work, not just where you work.

Before we get into the scenarios, here’s what the data says.

That third row is the one most employers miss. If your team uses computers and your workstations haven’t been assessed, you may already have a gap in your compliance obligations. An adjustable standing desk is often the most practical first step toward closing it.

Five scenarios where the right desk changes everything

Scenario 1: The home worker running on empty by 3pm

You work from home. In theory, it’s ideal. In practice, by mid-afternoon your back is making its feelings known, your focus has drifted and you’ve been in the same position since 9am. Nobody walks past your desk to prompt you to move. No lunch run, no commute, no reason to stand up at all.

An adjustable standing desk gives you a simple, low-effort way to break that pattern. Stand for a meeting. Sit for a long writing block. Stand again when the energy dips at 3pm. The desk doesn’t improve your discipline, but it gives you the option to move without leaving your workspace. That alone makes a noticeable difference to how the day ends.

Scenario 2: The open-plan office where nobody moves

Open-plan offices were designed to encourage collaboration and movement. In practice, they often encourage long, unbroken stretches of sitting at identical fixed-height desks. The person at 5’4″ and the person at 6’2″ are both in the wrong position, just in different ways.

Height-adjustable desks in shared office environments let each person calibrate to their own height and working preference. Taller colleagues stop craning forward. Shorter colleagues stop overreaching. The option to stand during long calls or deep focus sessions reduces the fatigue that compounds across a full working day. Nobody needs to redesign the floor plan to make this work.

Scenario 3: The warehouse office (the one nobody thinks about)

This is the scenario most standing desk guides ignore entirely. Warehouse managers and logistics supervisors spend a lot of their day on their feet: moving between bays, checking inventory, supervising the floor. But they also have desk time. Reporting, planning, system checks, supplier calls.

The problem here isn’t just sedentary behaviour. It’s the contrast between sustained physical activity and a poorly set-up desk with no ergonomic support. That shift, from six hours on your feet to two hours hunched over a fixed-height desk, is often where the strain actually comes from.

An adjustable standing desk in the warehouse office is a low-cost, high-impact upgrade for the people running your operation from that room. Most warehouse fit-outs don’t include it. They should.

Scenario 4: The hot-desk in healthcare

Healthcare and care environments often use hot-desking because staff rotate through roles and shifts. A desk set for a 5’5″ receptionist won’t suit a 6’0″ coordinator on the next shift. Fixed heights create a situation where the desk works reasonably well for one person and badly for everyone else.

Height-adjustable desks resolve this without fuss. One desk, one adjustment mechanism, a consistent and correct setup for whoever sits down. It also helps employers meet their duty of care to staff with existing musculoskeletal conditions or posture-related needs, which is a live consideration in health and care settings where those conditions are common.

Scenario 5: The reception desk that forces you to stand all day

Receptionists and front-of-house staff often face the reverse problem. They’re expected to be visible and available throughout the day at a fixed counter, and there’s no way to rest without stepping away from their post entirely.

A sit-stand reception desk gives staff the option to rest without disappearing from view. It reduces fatigue in a role where energy and presentation both matter. It also signals something about how your organisation treats its people, which matters more than most employers realise.

What to look for when you’re buying an adjustable standing desk

Not all adjustable standing desks work the same way, and the format you need depends on how often you’ll be adjusting it.

Electric sit-stand desks

These suit frequent users. People who want to switch between sitting and standing multiple times a day. A single button handles the adjustment, which makes it easy enough to actually use throughout the day.

Manual and crank-adjustable desks

These work well for lower-frequency adjustment: a setup that changes at the start of a shift rather than every hour. They’re typically a more cost-effective option and a sensible choice for shared workstations where the user group is predictable.

In both cases, check the height range before you buy. It needs to work for your tallest and shortest users. If you’re equipping several desks, a consistent spec makes replacements and future procurement considerably simpler.

Why choose RackZone for your adjustable standing desk

RackZone supplies adjustable standing desks to businesses and home workers right across Ireland. They’re 100% Irish owned and hold stock locally, so you’re not waiting on overseas shipping. They’re also rated Excellent on Trustpilot by customers who know what good service looks like. Order before 3pm and they’ll get your desk to you next business day, anywhere in Ireland.

CeADAR, Ireland’s Centre for Applied AI, has launched a new course to help professionals develop practical prompt engineering skills for use within their organisations.

The fully funded online course, developed by CeADAR’s European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) for AI programme, combines hands-on prompt design with critical evaluation of AI outputs.

Prompt Engineering for You will help professionals use generative AI tools effectively, safely and responsibly in real organisational contexts.

Enrolments are now open, and you can sign up here. There is no technical or coding background required to participate in the course which is funded by the European Commission and Enterprise Ireland.

This is CeADAR’s second online course. The first – AI for You: AI and the EU AI Act – has reached over 5,000 subscribers.

This Prompt Engineering for You course aims to empower professionals to confidently and responsibly use generative AI, while supporting the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment’s “AI – Good for Business” initiative.

In the new course, learners will gain hands-on skills for working with text, image, audio and video Generative AI tools while understanding the risks, limitations and responsibilities associated with AI adoption.

Over five modules, participants will learn: 

• what prompt engineering is
• various prompt engineering techniques
• how to design clear and effective prompts

The course can be completed at your own pace and is aimed at professionals at any stage of their AI journey who want to build confidence in using Generative AI tools.

Participants who complete the course will receive a Certificate of Completion from CeADAR’s EDIH for AI programme.

CeADAR’s Director of Innovation & Development & EDIH for AI, Ricardo Simon Carbajo, said:

“With so much noise surrounding AI, it can be difficult for people and organisations to know where to turn for trusted guidance. At CeADAR, our goal is to cut through that clutter and help organisations navigate as they adopt AI. Building on the success of our ‘AI for You’ course, CeADAR is now releasing ‘Prompt Engineering for You’ to continue equipping organisations to confidently live and work alongside these technologies.”

See more stories here.

Galway Chamber, in partnership with Galway City Council and Galway County Council, has unveiled plans to launch the Love Galway Gift Card/Grá do Ghaillimh Gift Card, a new initiative designed to encourage people to spend locally and support businesses across Galway city and county.

The new gift card will be accepted exclusively by participating Galway businesses, ensuring that every euro spent stays within the local economy. By encouraging people to shop locally, the initiative aims to help keep Galway City Centre vibrant while also supporting the many towns and villages that make Galway such a unique place to live, work and visit.

Businesses from across Galway city and county including retailers, cafés, restaurants, hotels, pubs, visitor attractions, health and beauty providers, leisure businesses and professional services – are now being invited to register their interest in accepting the card ahead of its public launch in the autumn.

Unlike many national gift card schemes, the Love Galway Gift Card will operate on a commission-free basis, meaning participating businesses retain 100% of every sale, with no commission deducted from transactions.

The card will be available in both physical and digital formats, making it an ideal gift for individuals, visitors and employers looking to reward staff through the Government’s Small Benefit Exemption Scheme.

As part of the award-winning Town & City Gift Cards programme, already successfully operating in over 100 locations across Ireland and the UK, the Love Galway Gift Card will provide a secure, convenient and modern way for consumers to shop locally while giving businesses access to a new sales and marketing platform.

Karen Ronan, CEO of Galway Chamber, said: “The Grá do Ghaillimh Gift Card is about much more than a gift card. It’s about investing in Galway. Every time someone chooses the Love Galway Gift Card, they’re helping to support local jobs, independent businesses and the communities that make Galway unique. By keeping spending local, we can help ensure our city centre remains vibrant while also supporting the towns and villages throughout the county that are so important to our local economy.

“One of the biggest advantages for businesses is that there is no commission charged on transactions, allowing them to retain the full value of every purchase. We would encourage businesses from every sector – retail, hospitality, cafés and restaurants, tourism, visitor attractions, health and beauty, entertainment, leisure and professional services – to come on board and be part of what we believe will become a valuable shop local initiative for Galway.”

Mayor of Galway City, Cllr. Helen Ogbu, said: “Galway City Council is delighted to support the Love Galway Gift Card initiative, which provides a practical and innovative way for residents, visitors and employers to invest directly in our local economy. By encouraging spending in Galway businesses, the card will help strengthen our city centre, support local jobs, increase footfall and contribute to the long-term vitality of our communities.

“This initiative aligns strongly with the objectives of the Galway Joint Retail Strategy by helping to keep spending local, supporting retail diversity, and creating opportunities for businesses of all sizes to benefit from increased consumer engagement. We encourage businesses across the city to get involved and help make the Love Galway Gift Card a lasting success for Galway.”

Cathaoirleach of Galway County Council, Cllr Andrew Reddington said: “The Love Galway Gift Card is a practical way of encouraging people to spend locally and support businesses across the city and county.

“Galway has a diverse and vibrant business community, and this initiative will help showcase the wide range of products, services and experiences available on our doorstep. Spending with local businesses means more money stays in the local economy, helping to sustain jobs, support business growth and create new employment opportunities. Every purchase made locally, throughout Galway county and city has a positive impact, strengthening our businesses and the communities they serve.”

The Love Galway Gift Card also presents a significant opportunity for employers. Under the Government’s Small Benefit Exemption Scheme, employers can provide staff with tax-free gift cards up to the annual allowable limit, making the Love Galway Gift Card an ideal way to reward employees while supporting the local economy.

The partners aim to build a strong network of participating businesses ahead of the public launch, ensuring consumers have a wide choice of places to spend their gift cards throughout Galway city and county.

Registration is free, and Galway Chamber will be hosting a series of information sessions over the coming weeks to guide businesses through the onboarding process and answer any questions.

The Love Galway Gift Card forms part of the internationally recognised Town & City Gift Cards programme, which is already operating successfully in communities across Ireland. Millions of euro are spent annually through the programme, with a significant proportion of sales coming from businesses purchasing gift cards as staff rewards and corporate incentives.

Colin Munro, CEO, Miconex, said: “The Town & City Gift Cards initiative is rapidly expanding in Ireland, with over €17.4million in sales in the country in 2025 alone, driving an estimated 335,000 trips into Irish towns and cities this year. The forthcoming Love Galway Gift Card is a significant opportunity for Galway businesses to drive footfall and spend to their business and we encourage businesses to register their interest at this early stage.”

Mark Cunningham, business development manager for Miconex Ireland said: “Miconex is delighted to be working alongside Galway Chamber, Galway City Council and Galway County Council on the launch of the Love Galway Gift Card. By bringing the initiative to Galway, we aim to create a lasting Gift Card program that benefits businesses, employers, residents and visitors alike. The Love Galway Gift Card will be especially useful for organisations looking to directly support the Galway business community, whilst helping to bolster their CSR commitments. As cards can only be spent in person, it will guarantee increased local footfall for Galway merchants, locking spend into business communities.”

Onboarding of Galway businesses will commence in the coming weeks. In the meantime, businesses can register their interest now by visiting:

www.galwaychamber.com or calling Galway Chamber on 091 563536.

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TechIreland has launched the National AI Challenge 2026 and confirmed that the fourth annual TechIreland National AI Meet will take place at The Galmont Hotel, Galway, on Thursday, 24 September 2026.

Now in its third year, the free National AI Challenge will bring together more than 300 developers, founders, students, technologists and AI enthusiasts from across Ireland and Northern Ireland. Participants will build practical AI products, prototypes and agentic workflows addressing real business and societal challenges.

The programme is supported by expert mentors, industry partners, technology providers and more than 10 regional innovation hubs. More than 200 people registered within the first eight days, with applications open until 9 August.

Following two intensive weeks of remote development, teams will present their work at coordinated regional events on 14 September. The strongest teams will progress to the National AI Meet in Galway, where they will showcase their solutions to leaders from technology, industry, investment, research and the public sector.

AI & Agents: Strategy, Processes and Roles

The 2026 theme, “AI & Agents: Strategy, Processes and Roles,” reflects the shift from AI experimentation to practical implementation.

As organisations explore how AI systems and agents can support decisions, automate processes, augment employees and enable new products and services, the Challenge will give participants practical experience of this transition through hands-on development.

Teams can respond to industry-led Challenge Statements or submit wildcard ideas in areas including enterprise technology, manufacturing, financial services, insurance, health, sustainability, public services and immersive technology.

The programme will emphasise responsible, people-centred AI, asking participants to consider not only what can be built, but also how it can be implemented, governed and used to create meaningful impact.

Showcasing AI talent across the island

The National AI Challenge gives participants a platform to demonstrate their technical and commercial skills, meet collaborators, engage with industry and investors, and test the potential of new products, services and companies.

Participating organisations can put real operational challenges before multidisciplinary teams, engage with emerging solutions and connect with prospective employees, partners and collaborators.

In 2025, participants delivered 44 AI projects, with 15 teams reaching the national final – more than twice the number in 2024. Some 53% of participants came from regional locations, reflecting the programme’s growing reach.

Previous participants have used the Challenge to build working products, validate ideas, find technical team members and connect with investors, users and public bodies.

Gavin Doyle of Glór AI said:

“TechIreland and the National AI Challenge gave me the opportunity to pursue a project I wanted to for a long time. After the two weeks, we had an actual product built, and we built genuine interest from users and governing bodies, which opened so many doors for myself and the rest of my team.”

Cressida Canavan of Canavan Atlantic said:

“The National AI Challenge has been one of the defining moments in our startup journey. It helped us find our technical team, connect with investors and fellow founders, gain confidence in our vision and opened doors we never expected. I would encourage every AI founder to apply.”

An all-island collaboration platform

More than a competition, the National AI Challenge connects technical talent with founders, industry leaders, researchers, mentors, investors and regional innovation communities.

Participants will build remotely, while regional hubs provide local connections and host the coordinated presentation events on 14 September. This model enables people across Ireland and Northern Ireland to participate in one shared programme.

TechIreland aims to build on the Challenge’s regional reach in 2026 by strengthening participation and collaboration across the island.

The initiative is supported by Enterprise Ireland, the European Digital Innovation Hubs Network and a growing network of technology companies, industry bodies, coding communities, innovation centres and regional partners. Further partners and Challenge supporters will be announced.

Niall Norton, CEO of TechIreland, said:

“The AI Challenge is much more than a competition. It is becoming part of Ireland’s AI talent infrastructure. At a time when employers need evidence of practical AI capability, we are creating opportunities for people to demonstrate what they can build while helping organisations discover the talent they need.”

Brian Caulfield, Board Director at TechIreland, said:

“I’m very proud to see the National AI Challenge and Meet go from strength-to-strength. Every year, the competition has generated more AI startups, while simultaneously educating new AI talent and connecting technical and commercial founders. I look forward to this year’s iteration being the best yet.”

Conor O’Donovan, Head of Startups at Enterprise Ireland, said:

“The National AI Challenge has become a hugely valuable national and regional opportunity for founders to connect, collaborate and build AI-native products, solutions and businesses addressing challenges facing business and society. Given the importance of AI adoption, training and talent to the international competitiveness of the Irish economy, the challenge comes at an opportune for founders, investors and organisations to collaborate on AI solutions of the future.”

Mike Conroy, Ireland European Digital Innovations Hubs (EDIHs), said:

“This National AI Challenge exemplifies the power of collaboration between industry and innovation networks across the Island. Ireland’s European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) are committed to helping orchestrate and support such initiatives country wide, in collaboration with a wider ecosystem of partners. Initiatives like this develop new relationships and networks that help unlock the transformative potential of AI across all sectors.”

Gary Leyden, CEO of InsTech.ie, said:

“Instech.ie is proud to return, supporting TechIreland’s National AI Challenge as a Strategic Partner. Insurance enables every industry to innovate, invest and grow. As AI reshapes how businesses operate, insurance has an opportunity to become both an adopter and an enabler of that transformation. We’re looking for innovators, technologists and insurance professionals who can create better experiences for underwriters, insurers and customers, and help shape the future of insurance.”

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Image :Dr Aoibhín Sheedy, PhD graduate with CÚRAM at University of Galway.

Researchers have developed an implant that could deliver next generation therapies for ovarian cancer precisely where it is needed while simultaneously monitoring how the disease responds.

The project was carried out by a team at CÚRAM, the Research Ireland Centre for Medical Devices based at University of Galway, along with the collaborators from the University of Minnesota, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Wyss Institute.

New implant to fight ovarian cancer from the inside

The research has been set out in the scientific journal Device. It showed how the team developed a flexible, porous implant which is designed to sit inside the peritoneal cavity – the space surrounding the abdominal organs in a woman’s body where ovarian cancer predominantly occurs. The device is designed to connect to an external port through the skin, so it can be replenished with therapeutic agents as often as needed, without requiring further surgery.

Dr Aoibhín Sheedy, PhD graduate with CÚRAM at University of Galway and lead researcher on the project, said: “One of the most frustrating aspects of treating ovarian cancer is that we know localised delivery of therapy works better, but the tools we’ve had until now weren’t built for the job. We designed this implant with ovarian cancer patients in mind. We wanted an implant that can deliver living cell therapies repeatedly, reliably, and with real precision to the tumour site.”

Ovarian cancer is often diagnosed at late stages, as symptoms such as bloating, pain and pelvic pressure are non-specific and can be overlooked. Treatment often involves surgery to remove as much of the tumour as possible, but currently targeted treatment and effective methods of detecting reoccurrence of the disease are impossible. There is a critical need for new therapeutic approaches for ovarian cancer.

The implant is made from a flexible biomaterial that conforms naturally to the body’s internal contours, its porous membrane allows therapeutic cargo to diffuse gently and evenly into the surrounding tissue, reducing the risk of mechanical complications.

In preclinical studies, the implant remained fully functional for up to 70 days with zero implant-related complications and showed significantly greater control of the tumour over time, compared to conventional treatments. The team have designed this implant to deliver living cell therapies, the most challenging type of therapy to delivery, but it could be used to deliver a range of cell or non-cell based therapies.

Dr Martin Felices, co-senior author Associate Professor in Medicine at the University of Minnesota, said: “The tricky part about working with novel therapies, such as immunotherapies, in the setting of ovarian cancer is that repeated delivery is done with outdated materials that are not designed for this setting. It is also very difficult to sample through these systems. The delivery system, created by Dr Dolan’s laboratory, allows for safer repeated delivery of cellular and biologic therapies in the context of the peritoneal cavity. It also allows us to sample the effects of those therapies in the tumour microenvironment in real-time, which is extremely exciting.”

A key feature of the implant is its monitoring capability. By applying gentle suction through the same external port, a sample of fluid can be drawn from inside the peritoneal cavity during treatment, without any additional procedure.

Associate Professor in Biomedical Engineering at University of Galway Dr Eimear Dolan, and co-lead on the research, said: “What excites us most is the two-way nature of this approach. It doesn’t just deliver living cell therapies, it lets us create a picture of what’s happening inside the peritoneal space. Clinicians could use this to track how the immune cells are performing, whether the tumour is responding, and then adapt treatment accordingly. That kind of real-time intelligence is something we’ve never had access to before in this setting.”

The researchers envision that the implant would be put in place during initial surgery that patients undergo to remove as much tumour tissue as possible, allowing it to then address any residual disease in the weeks and months that follow. The ultimate aim would be to leave the implant in long-term, to allow for local monitoring of disease recurrence and early retreatment if required.

Professor Melissa Gellar, Professor of Gynecologic Oncology and Associate Director of the Clinical Research Masonic Cancer Centre at the University of Minnesota and co-lead on the research, said: “This work represents a shift in how we think about treating ovarian cancer, bringing therapy directly to the disease site while simultaneously learning from the tumour microenvironment in real time which provides important insight to guide precision care.”

The research also highlights the exciting possibilities of cross disciplinary research and while further studies are needed before this approach reaches clinical trials, the team of engineers and clinicians believe its versatile design could ultimately benefit patients with other peritoneal cancers, including gastric, colorectal, and pancreatic disease.

The full paper is available at https://www.cell.com/device/fulltext/S2666-9986(26)00002-5

Dr Eimear Dolan, in collaboration with Professor Melissa Gellar, is now exploring the translatability and commercial opportunity of this technology through the ARC Hub for HealthTech, a research initiative that is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and European Union via the ERDF Northern & Western Regional Programme 2021-2027, and hosted by University of Galway, in partnership with Atlantic Technological University (ATU) and RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dr Dolan is also a Thematic Lead at the ARC Hub, with a focus on FemTech, as well as Smart Implants.

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About University of Galway 

Established in 1845, University of Galway is one of the top 2% of universities in the world. We are a bilingual university, comprised of four colleges, 18 schools and six research institutes, with over 20,000 students, including around 3,000 international students. We have been accredited with an Athena SWAN Institutional Silver Award, and 14 out of our 18 schools hold individual Athena SWAN Awards. We have more than 2,500 staff, and research collaborations with 5,300 international institutions in 181 countries. Our innovative academics and researchers have created 23 new spin-outs 199 new inventions since 2020. We have almost 140,000 alumni and 98% of graduates are in employment or further study within six months.

For more information visit https://www.universityofgalway.ie/ or view all news

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The Shape of Ireland’s Shopping Week: Weekday Clicks and Weekend Footfall

New data from Visa reveals how Irish consumers are shopping across key retail categories, highlighting the continued importance of in-store spending to the Irish economy.

Even as online retail shopping continues to grow, Irish consumers still value the in-store experience, especially when it comes to weekend browsing and spending.

Irish Consumer Shopping Trends Revealed

The latest retail trends reveal distinct weekly shopping patterns, with online fashion spending peaking on Sunday evenings, and online grocery orders strongest mid-week.

Irish consumers are spending more online than ever before, but in-store shopping continues to play a central role, accounting for the majority of retail spend, according to new analysis from Visa.

The data shows a clear split between weekday online shopping and weekend in-store spending, with more than 80% of online retail spend taking place between Monday and Friday. Thursday is the most popular day for e-commerce in Ireland, accounting for over 16% of total online retail spend.

In contrast, weekends remain strongly focused on in-store spending. On a typical day in 2026 there are around six times more in-store transactions than online, rising to 7-8 times more on Saturdays.[1]

Timely spending

Shopping habits vary significantly by category, with some retail sectors remaining strongly tied to physical stores. Grocery shopping shows one of the clearest divisions between online and in-store behaviour. Online grocery spending peaks during the latter half of the working week, particularly on Thursdays and Fridays, while in-store grocery shopping is most popular on Saturdays.

Fashion shopping is more concentrated on weekends, with one-third of all fashion spending taking place on Saturdays and Sundays. Online fashion shopping peaks on Sunday nights, with consumers most active around 9pm, showing how weekend downtime can lead to sales spikes.
For electronics, online purchases are most common during weekdays, with consumers most active on Friday mornings between 10 and 11am.

Conor Langford, Ireland Country Manager, Visa, said: “Irish consumers have embraced the speed, choice and convenience of online shopping, particularly during busy working days. However, what stands out is the continued importance of in-store shopping in supporting local businesses and communities across Ireland.

At Visa, we’re focused on helping businesses of all sizes, especially small and local retailers, access the tools and technology they need to thrive, enabling them to offer seamless, secure payment experiences both in-store and online.”

Jean McCabe, CEO, Retail Excellence Ireland, said: “Ireland’s retail sector continues to demonstrate remarkable resilience and adaptability, evolving in line with changing consumer behaviours while remaining a vital contributor to the economy and local communities. This latest data highlights how shoppers are seamlessly blending online convenience with in-store experiences. Card payments play a critical role in enabling this flexibility – helping retailers of all sizes deliver secure, seamless transactions and meet customers wherever and whenever they choose to shop.”

Regional differences

The Visa data also highlights notable regional differences in retail spending behaviour across Ireland. Clare, Cork and Dublin stand out as Ireland’s most e-commerce driven counties, with around 19% of all retail spending taking place online.

Consumers in Dublin, Kildare and Meath are the most weekend-focused shoppers, with around 31% of total spending taking place on Saturdays and Sundays.

Meanwhile, consumers in more remote counties continue to show a much stronger preference for local and in-store spending. In counties including Roscommon, Carlow and Westmeath, over 83% of retail spend takes place in person, underlining the continued importance of local retailers and town-centre businesses in smaller towns across Ireland.

About the Visa Cardholder Data:

VisaNet figures compare card spending during the periods of 2020 to 2026 for the months of January, February, March.
About Visa

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, sellers, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.[1] A typical day in 2026 based on data from January to March 2026.

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 Official figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) confirm that Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) have officially claimed the top spot as Ireland’s number one fuel type for new car registrations.

Irish Electric Vehicle Adoption Hits All-Time High

The latest July data reveals an extraordinary realignment of consumer demand. Driven by the critical “262” summer registration peak, electric vehicle registrations have surged to 29,840 units year-to-date—representing a staggering 61.06% increase compared to the 18,527 units registered in the same period in 2025.

This explosive growth has propelled electric vehicles to a market-leading 26.12% market share, officially overtaking Petrol Electric Hybrids (24.59%) and pushing traditional Petrol (20.39%) and Diesel (12.45%) further down the ranks. Electric motoring is now the dominant powertrain of choice for Irish motorists in 2026.

A Tipping Point for Irish Motoring

This milestone marks the definitive end of EVs being viewed as an alternative option, firmly cementing zero-emission motoring into the mainstream Irish landscape. Driven by a rapidly expanding choice of affordable makes and models, substantial manufacturer price corrections, and enhanced consumer confidence in Ireland’s charging infrastructure, the transition has reached an unstoppable momentum.

Speaking on the historic milestone, Derek Reilly, Content & PR Director at Nevo, commented: “We have reached the tipping point. To see electric vehicles formally crowned as the number one powertrain choice in Ireland with over 29,840 registrations is a monumental validation of where the industry is heading. A 61% year-on-year increase proves there is simply no turning back now. Irish drivers are actively choosing lower running costs, cutting-edge technology, and zero-emissions over legacy fossil fuels. At Nevo, we are seeing this unprecedented surge in interest firsthand every single day as consumers transition from curiosity to commitment.”

Affordability and Choice Fuelling the Surge

The data highlights that the massive acceleration in EV uptake throughout 2026 has been heavily underpinned by the arrival of highly competitive new models in the €20,000 to €30,000 price bracket, closing the upfront cost gap with traditional combustion engines.

Furthermore, robust support from financial institutions—including Nevo’s strategic partnership with Bank of Ireland—and the continuation of targeted government incentives like the SEAI purchase grants and the ICE2EV pilot scrappage scheme, have created the perfect environment for mass-market adoption.

As Ireland enters the second half of the 262 registration plate, Nevo predicts that this lead will only widen, setting a new benchmark for the country’s collective Climate Action targets.

2026 New Passenger Car Registrations by Engine Type (SIMI YTD Data Comparison):

Group 29211
About Nevo: Nevo is Ireland’s home of electric motoring, offering consumers a one-stop-shop for EV marketplace browsing, expert reviews, charging infrastructure guidance, and finance options.

Data Source: Official passenger car registration data sourced from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) official release, August 4th 2026.

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As a general rule, treat all your personal information as sensitive by default and disclose it only when absolutely required.

Share your real personal details only when there is a genuine, necessary reason, such as completing official or legally required forms.

For everything else, limit your exposure by using an alias, a secondary email address, or an email-masking service.

Dell Technologies has announced the availability of its latest Dell Pro portfolio, bringing a range of new business laptops, mobile workstations, a rack workstation and AI-powered webcams built for hybrid and flexible working.

The availability of the latest products gives business professionals, engineers, designers and technical users more choice across performance, portability and collaboration tools. The range of new devices were unveiled earlier this year.

Dell Pro and Dell Precision laptops and mobile workstations

Available now with Intel Core Ultra Series 3, Intel Core Series 3 and AMD Ryzen AI processor options, the Dell Pro 7 13/14 laptops and 2-in-1s are among the thinnest 13- and 14-inch commercial laptops in their class, with an aluminium chassis, OLED display options and up to 8MP cameras.

The Dell Pro 5 14/16 range offers scalable performance with 400- and 500-nit display options, an OLED option and a 70Wh battery for long workdays.

On the workstation side, the Dell Pro Precision 5 Series 14S/16S is Dell’s thinnest and lightest workstation to date at 3.1lbs, with integrated Intel Arc Pro or AMD Radeon PRO graphics, while the Dell Pro Precision 5 and 7 Series 14/16 are built for advanced creation, rendering and AI workflows.

Dell Pro webcams

Available in Ireland, the Dell Pro 7 Webcam 4K (WB726) and Dell Pro 5 Webcam 2K (WB526) are built for the demands of modern video conferencing with AI-powered imaging, smarter collaboration tools and enhanced privacy features.

The Dell Pro 7 Webcam 4K delivers 4K UHD at 60fps via a Sony STARVIS sensor, an AI and vision-based microphone, Presence Sensing with Windows Hello, and Advanced Document View.

The Dell Pro 5 Webcam 2K is Dell’s first Windows Hello 2K webcam, offering 2K QHD resolution via a Sony sensor and a Kensington lock-compatible metal loop for anti-theft protection.

Both webcams share Windows Hello biometric sign-in, Gesture Control, Auto-Framing, a built-in privacy shutter and USB-C connectivity.

Dell’s Head of Product Kevin Terwilliger said “Our latest Dell Pro and Dell Pro Precision portfolio delivers powerful devices for business professionals, power users, engineers and designers. From the Dell Pro laptops and Dell Pro Precision mobile workstations to the Dell Pro Precision 7 R1 rack workstation and our new AI-powered Dell Pro webcams, the portfolio is designed to support the way professionals work today, whether they are collaborating, creating or running demanding AI, rendering and visualisation workloads”

Why do some people speak for forty minutes and are forgotten before lunch, while others tell one simple story that people repeat for years? 

Recently, one of my clients who provides Business Executive training said that overseas clients often expressed the thought that we Irish had the natural gift of being good communicators and asked whether this could be taught to other nationalities. 

Yes, is the answer; it’s not unique to Ireland, although perhaps it comes easier to us! 

Before I head out to play golf on a Sunday morning, I listen to the John Bowman show entitled “From the Archives”; I find it magical and inspiring because he interviews creative people from our past.

There was a poet on the show some years ago, regrettably whose name I do not remember, who explained why James Joyce’s book Ulysses was a masterpiece.

What the poet explained was that what Joyce had done was capture the spoken word on the page. I have tried to read it without success on several occasions.

As a result, I listened to dramatised readings of the book and now understand both what the poet meant and how enjoyable and humorous the book is.

I regularly remind my clients that how you would say something is very different to how you would write it. 

For example, entrepreneurs are encouraged to answer the questions asked on a ‘Lean Canvas’ document, so they can explain their business idea.

This is an important document but can often be very dry and unengaging if a presenter delivers their pitch in this formulaic way.

Your audience is rarely your final audience. 

One important point to remember is that the investor, client or manager sitting in front of you will almost certainly have to retell your story to someone else, hopefully the person who signs the cheque.

“If Your Audience Can’t Remember It, They Can’t Retell It” 

Billy Connolly transformed stand-up comedy by weaving jokes into stories. We remembered the stories—and because we remembered the stories, we remembered him.

A good storyteller must first enjoy telling their story. If they wish to retain the attention of an audience while informing and entertaining them in equal measure, the story should be full of colour and detail with elements of fun and pathos.

I will tell you how to do this in part two of this article on the 19th August

If you want to be remembered, tell stories. Stories are a window to your soul, and people want you to reveal something of yourself when you engage with them.

Facts inform.
Stories travel.
Stories persuade.
Stories are remembered.

If you want your ideas to live beyond the moment you speak them, learn to tell better stories.

That’s the work I love doing every day.

By Executive Coach Andrew Keogh of Aristo.ie