Author Alan Carrigan: ‘I wanted disabled characters to experience the full spectrum of human emotion’
The Dublin YA writer of Then We’ll Be Happy on motivation, disability allowance and his love of theatre
Disability
Children being denied legal representation is yet another shameful failure by the State
Siloed mindset of Government departments makes it difficult to join the dots and look at the underlying causes and solutions
‘Penalised for having a job’: Blind tech worker ‘disheartened’ at ineligibility for Budget 2027 disability payment
Wheelchair user Brian Dalton pays ‘€5,000-€10,000 extra’ per year on things including assistive technology, transport and increased energy costs
Parents fear of dying before their disabled children: ‘Our family will be thrown into a crisis’
Some such parents have transformed their lifestyles in the hope of outliving offspring who cannot live independent lives
Budget was missed opportunity to provide disabled people with meaningful help
Cost of disability payment falls way short of what is needed and cannot be claimed by those who work
The Experiment on Channel 4: An unflinching and provocative horror show dressed as satire
Television: No punches pulled as connection is drawn between Nazi dehumanisation of disability and modern day demonisation of disabled people as ‘benefits scroungers’
Will I inherit my sister-in-law’s share of the family home?
Who inherits what depends very much on the wording of a will or the provisions of succession law
‘I was wary about finding a PA and building a connection’
Independence is very important to me – I can plan my days around the hours I have my PA and confidently accept opportunities to do things outside my hometown
HSE deducted €100,000 from autism charity after governance concerns raised
Autism a Chara, which previously traded as Autism Initiatives Ireland, provides specialist care and support for adults with autism
Q&A: How will social welfare changes affect you?
€10-a-week increase in all core payments from January
Limits on non-EEA workers relaxed ‘temporarily’ to tackle staff shortages in healthcare
Enterprise Minister Peter Burke will tell Cabinet colleagues change will last until more Irish staff are trained
How many movie or TV characters with a physical disability can you name?
If more TV shows and movies included disabled characters whose disability was not a ‘thing’, I might be asked ‘what happened to you?’ by random strangers less often
Why should inheritance cost my special needs son his State supports?
Careful planning is required to ensure that your son can enjoy the financial security you wish for him when you are gone
Budget 2027: Permanent disability support grant to be introduced
Payment seen in Department of Social Protection as ‘first step’ in acknowledging additional costs people with disabilities face
Inclusive education does not mean segregating children
Budget 2027 should invest in ensuring all children with disabilities can learn with their siblings and neighbours
Ageing parents of adults with disabilities say: ‘I hope they go before me’
TD highlights ‘cruel and heartless’ crisis management system to provide residential care only after parent’s death
What grants will help me stay living in my home as I get old?
On the Money: Local authority grants are available to households with an annual income of less than €75,000
Chronically Hopeful at Dublin Fringe: Exploration of long-term illness that feels reductive
Dublin Fringe Festival 2026: Theatre and music production is inventive but often lacks nuance
Budget 2027: Jack Chambers plays down expectations of big tax giveaway after Harris comments
Taoiseach warns one-off cost-of-living payments can erode ability to tackle longer term issues, including childcare
Students with additional needs are not alone in negotiating third-level life
Third-level disability supports are there to support students with their learning and adjustment to college life
‘Community care’ is exposed as an empty concept when a carer dies
An advocacy group for ageing parents of children with disability believes we have replaced the high walls of the institutions with kilometres of distance instead
‘I thought I was going to die’: Blind entrepreneur Jason Romero on running across the US
Ten years after completing the feat in just 60 days, Romero tells his story at Dublin conference on disability and work
Castles, conspiracies and communism: thought-provoking back-to-school YA reads
Oran Doyle’s compelling debut Give Me ’Til Midnight is a refreshing take on the now-familiar time-loop plot
What’s college life like for disabled students?
Specialised disability support services are improving, but stigma still exists and transition to third level can be a challenge
Safety of children living in Co Monaghan disability centre ‘at risk’, Hiqa inspection finds
Hiqa reported Longfield House to Tusla and HSE over concerns about the facility, part of which inspectors described as ‘a bleak environment’
Ireland will retain substitute decision-making for disabled people when ‘necessary’, UN told
State tells committee it will maintain ‘reservation’ under human rights convention
Dart announcements are not intrusive. They are necessary and beneficial
Regular real‑time audio updates are essential for passengers with additional needs
The Broken King by Michael Thomas: An artfully relentless memoir
Thomas seeks to repair the broken king rather than to unking the broken world
A trivial comedy for serious YA readers, and more summer page-turners for teens
Prolific author Elle Kennedy has published her first YA novel, Thornbird, a satisfyingly twisty and swoony mystery tale
Increase of 79c per hour to minimum wage recommended to Minister by pay commission
Peter Burke not obliged to proceed with increase but such recommendations have always previously been approved
Disabilities and integration: hollow policies mean too many children miss out
Inclusion has to mean more than just offering someone the chance to take part
Disability campaigner Cara Darmody begins third 50-hour protest over ‘disgraceful’ delays
Latest figures show 21,782 children waiting beyond the six-month statutory deadline for Assessment of Need
Do not assume safety and inclusion are mutually exclusive
Inclusion is shaped by everyday decisions that determine whether people genuinely belong
Emergency department chronic shortcomings contrast sharply with vision of State’s founders
Descendant of long-serving ceann comhairle confronted by trolley crisis when his wife needed urgent care
Tech worker couldn’t pay heating bills after €150k salary went unpaid for months
Company fails to appear to defend catalogue of missed payments that caused financial hardship and marital difficulties
Worker denied reduced hours after migraine diagnosis wins €20,000 for disability discrimination
Finding that vestibular migraine constituted a disability is legal first in Ireland
Muckamore abuse inquiry finds ‘deeply troubling’ failures in care of vulnerable people
Medication used as restraint ‘left patients zombified’ amid unsafe wards and understaffing, report states
Health watchdog sought closure of Kildare disability centre due to ‘poor governance’
Centre operator appealed decision and District Court order allowed it to remain in operation with conditions
Urgent fire safety actions ordered at number of disability centres
Noncompliance found at some services centres, with issues to be addressed
Rise in Irish exemptions denies children part of their identity, report says
Spiralling exemptions are being driven by increased diagnosis of learning disabilities such as dyslexia, says report
Cara Darmody (15) to sit ‘real’ Junior Cert exam – four years after getting 97% in maths paper
Teenager who inspired the creation of ‘Cara’s Fund’ says ‘I will just go in there and do my best’
Brave new world of remote working in rural areas yet to materialise
There has not been a widespread migration out of Dublin and other urban centres, Trinity Business School research suggests
Cancer survivor wonders can she keep getting invalidity pension when her maternity benefit starts?
Work Q&A: I’m recovering from breast cancer treatment and expecting in July. Can I keep receiving both payments?
Leaving Cert: ‘Even though it’s foundation maths it’s still very stressful’
Grace McNamara (18) is hoping to do well in English and history
‘We look after mind, body and soul’: The acquired brain injury charity transforming lives
An Saol Foundation was set up by couple whose son was badly injured. Now the service is planning to expand
‘Let’s be very clear about something: disabled people have sex. I know, shocking’
Common denominator in these encounters is a fundamental assumption: disability diminishes desire, desirability, or both
Bringing in cost-of-disability payment is ‘complex’, Taoiseach tells Dáil
Rejecting one off payment, Micheál Martin said ‘structured, targeted’ approach preferable
I have a disability and worry about escaping from my apartment in the event of a fire
Would my apartment management company be at fault if the building went on fire and I died?
Hear and Dare: Your questions answered at this stage of CAO process
Hear and Dare connect students to supports including financial assistance, academic guidance and orientation
‘Education is very important for people with Down syndrome... You can do this’
Having many opportunities to learn, grow and develop have been instrumental to Kim O’Kelly’s success
How does a politician conclude a big truck needs three times more public money than a pensioner?
We have a political economy in which the only currency is the decibel
Families of disabled children awaiting needs assessments to raise frustration in Europe
Children have a legal right to assessments of need for educational purposes, but many wait years
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Stardust
Inquests into the nightclub fire that led to the deaths of 48 people
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices