{"id":383046,"date":"2026-04-05T10:50:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T10:50:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/383046\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T10:50:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T10:50:08","slug":"irelands-security-in-the-spotlight-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/383046\/","title":{"rendered":"Ireland\u2019s security in the spotlight \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ireland\u2019s security is a recurring theme this weekend. In the latest in a series of stories on the threats to undersea cables off Irish waters, Public Policy Correspondent Martin Wall reports on a worst-case scenario<\/a> set out by officials at the Department of Communications. A co-ordinated attack on multiple cables would \u201cdisconnect the entire island of Ireland from the global internet,\u201d they warned. <\/p>\n

Ireland\u2019s spy services are also preoccupied with suspect ships in Irish waters. In a rare interview<\/a>, one senior officer with the Irish Military Intelligence Service tells Crime and Security Correspondent Conor Gallagher of his concerns over the Russian shadow fleet \u2013 ageing ships used by Moscow to move sanctioned oil. Their primary risk to Ireland is environmental he says. \u201cIf one of these single-skinned 19-year-old tankers hits a bag of crisps off the Aran Islands, you now have millions of tonnes of oil in the water and there\u2019s no more Wild Atlantic Way. We don\u2019t have the capacity to deal with an oil slick that size,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the security of Ireland\u2019s energy supply has come under the spotlight since the US-Israeli attack on Iran staunched the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow gateway to the Gulf through which 20 per cent of the world\u2019s oil flows. In his examination of the effects of the crisis<\/a> on the cost of living in Ireland, Consumer Affairs Correspondent Conor Pope finds it hitting people\u2019s pockets in all kinds of ways, from the cost of food and fertiliser to home heating and holidays. <\/p>\n

It galls Dubliners in the midst of a chronic housing crisis to see so many buildings in prime locations sitting derelict. It\u2019s an issue Dublin Editor Olivia Kelly has covered from every angle. This weekend she reports<\/a> on how owners of derelict buildings in Dublin are facing a crackdown under plans to impose millions of euro in levies on more than 350 additional vacant properties. In an accompanying piece<\/a>, Kelly explains how Dublin City Council is taking a new approach to the problem by setting up a corporation dedicated to city regeneration. It has selected two streets, Middle Abbey Street and North Frederick Street, for a pilot that will test its carrot-and-stick approach to bringing abandoned buildings back into use. <\/p>\n

Last month, the Independent TD Michael Lowry learned that he would not face a criminal prosecution arising from a tribunal\u2019s investigation into him. In Lowry\u2019s base of Thurles, Co Tipperary, this week, Colm Keena spent time<\/a> digging into the former Fine Gael minister\u2019s many business and property interests. He also spoke to locals, who were effusive in their praise of Lowry. \u201cAnyone here who has a bad word to say about the veteran Independent politician declines to be interviewed by The Irish Times,\u201d Keena writes. <\/p>\n

Ireland\u2019s national retrofit scheme promises cosy homes and cost savings, but is it worth the effort or the money? In this comprehensive account<\/a>, Climate and Science Correspondent Caroline O\u2019Doherty speaks to people who have availed of the scheme and hears of widely varying experiences.<\/p>\n

In our World section this weekend, our correspondent in France, Naomi O\u2019Leary, writes<\/a> about how the French capital is grappling with the popularity of the Netflix series Emily in Paris. London Correspondent Mark Paul reports from Norfolk<\/a> on the rise of Nigel Farage\u2019s Reform UK, while Washington Correspondent Keith Duggan reflects<\/a> on the departure of US attorney general Pam Bondi. <\/p>\n

Duggan writes: \u201cNo member of his executive had laughed as hard at the president\u2019s cabinet table sit-down comedic routines as Bondi had; none had gone to such lengths to please him whether through stony denials in front of several committees on Capitol Hill to her shocking \u2013 and ultimately costly \u2013 willingness to denounce two Americans killed by Ice (Immigration Customs and Enforcement) agents in appalling language. None of it mattered.\u201d<\/p>\n

We have two new opinion columns this week. R\u00f3is\u00edn Ingle returns to her Saturday slot<\/a> with a beautiful reflection on the idea of home, while S\u00e9amas O\u2019Reilly, who joins our line-up of columnists from this weekend, writes about the role that that fada has played in his life<\/a>. <\/p>\n

You\u2019ll find strong commentary across different sections of the site this weekend. David McWilliams believes<\/a> Sinn F\u00e9in\u2019s class-war language owes more to British culture than Irish; Cliff Taylor turns a sceptical eye<\/a> to the household investment scheme that Minister for Finance Simon Harris keeps announcing in dribs and drabs; Maria Steen has little time<\/a> for the gender pay gap agenda; and Joe Brennan suggests<\/a> that Ryanair chief executive Michael O\u2019Leary is about to face a test of his crisis management skills. <\/p>\n

I\u2019d recommend Ella McSweeney\u2019s piece on why she is seeking a licence to shoot deer<\/a>, as well as our package on the threats facing coastal communities in Ireland. Iris M\u00f6ller explains why some may need to prepare for relocation<\/a>, while an accompanying piece by Kevin Walsh identifies five of Ireland\u2019s coastal exposure hotspots<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Finally, we have revealing interviews with the historian Antony Beever<\/a>, the actor James McAvoy<\/a> and the singer-songwriter Dermot Kennedy<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Enjoy the Easter weekend.<\/p>\n

We value your views. Please feel free to send comments, feedback or suggestions for topics you would like to see covered to feedback@irishtimes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ireland\u2019s security is a recurring theme this weekend. In the latest in a series of stories on the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":383047,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[61,60,102680,43],"class_list":{"0":"post-383046","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ireland","8":"tag-ie","9":"tag-ireland","10":"tag-it-sunday","11":"tag-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=383046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383046\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/383047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=383046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=383046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=383046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}