Rent increases
Six-in-ten rent increase notices examined by national housing charity Threshold between April and June were found to be invalid, according to their latest figures.
Threshold's report for the second quarter of the year stated over 200 private renters contacted the charity for advice after they were notified by their landlord that their rent would be increasing.
A further 164 contacted Threshold fearing increases were on the way, wanting to know if such action would be permitted.
The report found 60 per cent of rent reviews assessed by Threshold were found to have been invalid, meaning the tenant was not required to pay the increase.
Galway races
The Galway Races are set to cap off a €100 million month for Galway, according to figures produced by Galway Chamber.
A stream of cultural and tourism events over the course of July - including the Galway Races Summer Festival, the Galway Film Fleadh and Galway International Arts Festival - are estimated to have drawn around 250,000 people to the county.
The Galway Races alone will attract more than 130,000 attendees, according to Galway Chamber, which says €58 million will be contributed to the local economy, including more than €23 million spent on hospitality, entertainment, travel and accommodation.
Irish rail apology
Irish Rail has apologised for train delays that “ruined” people’s day out to Co Wicklow for the Bray Air Display after “chaotic” scenes at the weekend.
There were nine additional Dart services operating to accommodate people travelling to Bray for the air show on Sunday, which returned this year after the Covid-19 pandemic.
But passengers travelling southbound reported waiting on trains in the heat without air conditioning, open windows, or enough information on how long the delays would be.
Some passengers then opened the train doors to disembark from the carriages and walked along the tracks, which Irish Rail said caused further delays.
Agricultural emissions
The supposed "battle between cows and climate protection" needs to end now, according to a Fine Gael TD.
John Paul Phelan and five of his party colleagues are calling for cuts to agricultural emissions to remain at the "lower end of the scale", and not at the full 30 per cent proposed by the Green Party.
Ministers are holding more talks this week in a bid to finalise the issue.
Speaking to Newstalk, Deputy Phelan said farmers and people in rural communities are being painted as the problem.
"So much of the media coverage in the last week or so has pitted it as a battle between cows and climate protection."
Limerick collision
A man and a woman, both aged in their 30s, have died following a road traffic collision in Co Limerick.
The fatal crash, involving a van and a car, took place at 9.25pm on Sunday on the N21 at Ballycarrane, Patrickswell.
The occupants of the car, the man and woman aged in their 30s, were pronounced dead at the scene. Their bodies have been removed to University Hospital Limerick.
The occupants of the van, a man and woman in their 20s and a male infant, were taken to University Hospital Limerick for treatment but are believed to be uninjured at this time.
Economic pulse
Ireland's economic pulse has taken a summertime hit as consumer and business confidence stalls.
Bank of Ireland's July reading showed an 8.5 disimprovement on June's figures, falling to 70.2.
The reading combines both the consumer and business pulses to give an overview of the economy, noting a fall of 19.0 compared to July 2021.
High inflation is taking its toll on consumer confidence, leading to a reduced buying sentiment.
The consumer pulse also hit an all-time low in July at just 43.4, down 7.9 on the previous index reading.
Graham Dwyer appeal
After an appeals process which began seven years ago, Graham Dwyer - who murdered vulnerable childcare worker Elaine O'Hara - has secured a date to appeal his conviction in December.
On Monday, lawyers for Dwyer (49) told the three-judge Court of Appeal that they will file their submissions this week as they prepare for a two-day hearing during which they will argue his conviction should be quashed following a recent ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).
Dwyer (49) was handed a significant boost in April when the CJEU ruled that the indiscriminate retention of mobile phone data for use in criminal investigations is a breach of EU law.
Phone data was a crucial part of the evidence against Dwyer as it was used to track his movements and contacts with Ms O'Hara in the lead-up to and aftermath of her disappearance in August 2012.
