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> “Our plan is to allow the next two weeks to play out and see what comes from these discussions. If there is no meaningful progress, we will move forward with organised, peaceful protests on foot across major towns throughout Ireland. >“This has always been about showing the Government the reality – the sheer number of people struggling every single day due to the ongoing cost of fuel. From home heating oil to petrol, to green and white diesel. These are not luxury items. They are essentials for living and working, and people simply cannot afford the extortionate prices any longer.” >The group said if there are “no real developments within the next two weeks”, protests will start on May 2nd.

>Minister for Energy Darragh O’Brien said on Sunday he would write to the EU energy commissioner asking for duties on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) imported from the United States to be removed on an exceptional basis while the conflict in the Middle East continues. O’Brien also told The Irish Times that since the US and Israel attacked Iran in late February, 100 per cent of Ireland’s supply of aviation fuel is now sourced in the US. He said there were, therefore, no concerns about the supply of aviation fuel. It is understood this has been confirmed by the two big domestic airlines, Ryanair and Aer Lingus. The biggest concern for the sector at the moment was increases in prices, O’Brien said.

>Bus Éireann lost close to €5 million under performance-related deductions, while Dublin Bus had penalties of €4.6 million imposed. >The figures show that Irish Rail had deductions of €3.7 million imposed, while Luas had penalties of €2.1 million and Go-Ahead more than €1.3 million.

>Ireland is one of the wealthiest nations in the world. Its economy has consistently ranked among the fastest-growing in the European Union, and the country's GDP per capita places it in the same conversation as Switzerland and Norway.
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>Yet, for much of the last two decades, a citizen in Dublin could not take a train from the city centre to the airport. As of 2026, Ireland still has no metro system. Part of the country’s water infrastructure was so strained that residents received "boil water" notices. And a housing shortage so severe had taken hold that homelessness figures began drawing comparisons to the darkest periods of Irish history.
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>This is the central paradox of modern Ireland: a nation rich in money but has fallen behind in the basic infrastructure that money is supposed to build. However, it is this paradox that the country now targets to solve with its most ambitious public investment programme in Ireland's history.
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>Let’s explore the story of how Ireland got here, what it is doing about it, and whether the €275 Billion Race to Catch Up with Europe between now and 2030 can actually be delivered.