Drew Harris rules out extending his contract as Garda chief
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has been approached by the Government about another extension to his contract but has declined it.
The Irish Times understands two approaches were made to Mr Harris about staying on. He would have to agree and then formally apply to the Government to remain serving beyond the age of 60, a juncture he reaches early next year.
Mr Harris, a former senior PSNI officer, was appointed commissioner in 2018 on a five-year term. He accepted a two-year extension last year, which did not require him to go through the formality of applying to remain serving beyond the age of 60. But he has now indicated he would not take up a second extension after that proposal was put to him by the Government.
News in Ireland
- Irish staff in the dark as Intel starts global cuts: Chip giant Intel has begun the process of trimming more than 15,000 jobs from its workforce around the world as part of a big cost-cutting plan to get the company back on track.
- Sinn Féin to scrap housing subsidies in election pledge: Sinn Féin would wind down the Government’s Help to Buy scheme over five years, changing rules governing the scheme and lowering the grant each year if in power - and immediately end a swathe of Government development subsidies.
- Woman (60s) killed and two others seriously injured in Co Mayo road traffic collision: A woman has died following a road traffic incident in Co Mayo on Thursday afternoon. The woman in her 60s was a passenger in one of the two vehicles involved in the collision on the N59 in Newport at roughly 4.30pm.
- Just 39% of under 18s support lowering voting age to 16 - survey: More secondary-school students oppose lowering the voting age to 16 than support the idea, a survey commissioned by the Ombudsman for Children has found.
- Weather forecast: Sunny spells and just a few passing showers today. Through the late afternoon cloud will build from the southwest with outbreaks of rain developing along the southwest coast by evening time. Highest temperatures of 17 to 22 degrees in a moderate to fresh southwest winds, strong along coasts and reaching near gale force along the northwest coast.
- Check out today’s Most Read stories
- Join The Irish Times WhatsApp channel for breaking news straight to your phone.
The Big Read
- ‘Being responsible for the safety of passing ships could take its toll’: a fourth-generation lighthouse keeper on the end of an era: Eugene O’Sullivan (83), whose family oversaw lighthouses for 150 years, found the final day of that long run emotional.
Opinion
- Justine McCarthy: Moronic marriage of loyalists and ‘Irish patriots’ revives Troubles-era nightmares
- Ronan McGreevy: Team Ireland shows what an all-island approach can achieve on the world stage
Business
- Irish restaurant closures approach 600 after VAT hike: Almost 600 restaurants have closed since the Government hiked their VAT bills by 50 per cent last September, an industry lobby group calculates.
Sports
- Olympics Day 14: Irish in action and best of the rest as Rhasidat Adeleke battles to get among the medals: After a bit of a lull on Thursday, it’s a busy morning for Team Ireland in Paris, starting at the crack of dawn for Daniel Wiffen in the 10km open water race.
World
- Taylor Swift fans ‘just grateful to be alive’ after terror attack thwarted: Like countless mothers and daughters, Julia and Helene Schnizlein spent months planning their outfits and armbands for Taylor Swift in Vienna. Their hearts – and those of 170,000 other Swifties – were broken on Wednesday evening with news of a teenage terror plot and, hours later, the cancellation of all three Vienna dates.
Markets in Vienna or Christmas at The Shelbourne? 10 holiday escapes over the festive season
Ciara Mageean: ‘I just felt numb. It wasn’t even sadness, it was just emptiness’
Stealth sackings: why do employers fire staff for minor misdemeanours?
Carl and Gerty Cori: a Nobel Prizewinning husband and wife team
Emer McLysaght: Getting a table at Marqette in Dublin Airport in July is a discipline that would test even top athletes: It’s difficult to imagine what we did with our lives before Paris 2024, isn’t it? In just a few short weeks I became a world-class expert in everything from parallel bars to canoe slalom. “Oooh, could have done better there,” I muttered from under a blanket on the couch as Olympians achieved feats of strength and endurance I could only ever dream of.
Podcast Highlights
Stripping an Islamic terrorist of his Irish citizenship
Why not try one of our Crosswords & Puzzles?
Like this?
Get the best content direct to your inbox by signing up to one of our newsletters