News
Electricity waste hits €1.6m daily while ‘550,000 suffer energy poverty’
4+ hour, 15+ min ago (478+ words) Almost €870 million worth of electricity has been wasted in the last year and a half because Ireland has no policy for use of surplus wind power, an energy poverty charity has said. EnergyCloud, which works with wind energy companies and…...
Nearly 7,000 ‘illegal and potentially unsafe’ teeth-whitening products detained last year
2+ week, 3+ day ago (389+ words) Nearly 7,000 units of teeth-whitening products were detained by Ireland’s health product regulator last year after they were deemed “illegal and potentially unsafe” due to high levels of hydrogen peroxide. The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) also removed 105 website URLs “connected…...
We went on RTÉ’s Cheap European Homes and ended up buying our dream house in France
1+ mon, 3+ day ago (982+ words) Buying a house abroad is a daunting prospect, but having a team of experts at your disposal makes it a lot easier. That was what encouraged Nuala Harpur to take part in RTÉ’s Cheap European Homes series. It worked out…...
‘I got a €10,000 bonus. What’s the smartest thing to do with it?’
1+ mon, 1+ week ago (1656+ words) Bonus season has arrived. Shops and restaurants are busier, and bank balances are suddenly healthier as companies wrapping up their financial year complete staff performance reviews and make payouts. If you’re one of the lucky ones getting a windfall, how…...
Fewer than one in four interested in investment accounts, survey shows â The Irish Times
1+ mon, 1+ week ago (359+ words) Fewer than one in four Irish people are interested in opening investment accounts, according to a new survey. Minister for Finance Simon Harris hopes to introduce new personal investment accounts to tap into cash that Irish people put aside and…...
‘One of my first jobs was as a pony boy in Dublin Zoo, earning seven shillings a day’
1+ mon, 2+ week ago (704+ words) Ciarán Casey is a trained mediator and conflict dynamics practitioner. His new book, Leadership in Tune, is available from buythebook.ie I’ve always been more of a spender than a saver, but not in a flashy way. I don’t have…...
A puffer jacket arrives in the wrong size and colour – and a reader is given the runaround
1+ mon, 4+ week ago (801+ words) “I have failed to find a way of complaining about Maison-Vaison, an online company with an address in Portlaoise; a Netherlands address on their the website and an international dispatch address in Australia,” begins a mail from a reader called…...
First drive: The new VW Passat is coming to Ireland, making the case for estates over snake-oil SUVs – The Irish Times
5+ mon, 1+ week ago (413+ words) Estate-only model gets diesel and plug-in hybrid options with prices ‘well below €50,000′...
Pregnant and in a panic I bought, not shoes, but an apartment abroad
2+ mon, 2+ week ago (861+ words) The early 2000s were the best time to be earning sterling; it was two euro to the pound. My other half was riding the crest of the internet revolution in London, while I was working in the music business. We were,…...
I bought my first violin for €10,000 at age 12. It took months of busking to pay for it
2+ mon, 2+ week ago (812+ words) Violinist and conductor Patrick Rafter is artistic director of Marble City Music Festival, which takes place in Kilkenny from May 8th to 15th. Are you a saver or a spender? I’m a bit of both. You have to spend money to make…...