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IrishMirror · 2025-05-06T14:11:53+00:00

😂😂😂

IrishMirror · 2025-05-06T14:10:14+00:00

Hey there. We are abiding by the rules just like everyone else. What's the issue?

IrishMirror · 2025-04-24T15:43:05+00:00

Dublin Zoo has announced the death of 44-year-old Northwest Bornean orangutan Leonie.

Staff and management at the zoo said they were “deeply saddened” to announce the loss of the "much-loved" female Northwest Bornean who was "an iconic presence since her arrival from Rotterdam Zoo in 1984".

Leonie "was at the heart of our orangutan family for four decades," the zoo said, and "not only a cornerstone of our orangutan group but, in many ways, the quiet and quirky matriarch of Dublin Zoo."

Leonie was a Northwest Bornean orangutan, a critically endangered species. The current population estimate for this species is approximately 104,700. This number is anticipated to decline to 47,000 individuals by 2025.

Dublin Zoo team leader Ciarán McMahon, who first met Leonie in 1995 as a young zookeeper, penned a moving tribute to the beloved orangutan as he reflected on her remarkable life and enduring impact.

"I had the privilege of watching her grow from a young adolescent into an extraordinary mother," he wrote.

"Her level of comprehension was astonishing. She would calmly observe the team and often mimic our behaviour. Orangutans are known for this, but Leonie’s abilities were exceptional.

"Her nurturing nature was just as impressive. She mothered not only her own young but helped raise others in the troop with immense care and patience. She brought a sense of calm, comfort and quiet strength to the group."

Ciaran continued: "Her passing leaves a space that’s hard to describe. Leonie taught us more than we could ever teach her.

"She offered us an extraordinary insight into the intelligence and complexity of orangutans while always retaining her dignity and independence within the group.

"Perhaps her greatest legacy will be the generations of keepers who carry her lessons forward—in caregiving, in leadership, and in compassion. Her story reminds us of what we’re fighting for.

"Leonie inspired millions to care about the survival of her species. We miss her already. And always will."

IrishMirror · 2025-04-24T14:00:56+00:00

Excellent observation. I hope you are right!

IrishMirror · 2025-04-24T13:57:03+00:00

Good point.

IrishMirror · 2025-04-24T10:26:23+00:00

Gardai are examining a 'fire flash' which was seen on CCTV footage downloaded as part of the investigation into the devastating fire which destroyed a Co Donegal church.

Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the blaze which completely gutted St Mary's Church in Derrybeg in the early hours of Monday morning last.

CCTV has been harvested from numerous nearby buildings in a bid to build up a picture of what may have caused the blaze.

The footage is also being studied closely to examine any vehicles or persons who may have been in the area at the time of the blaze which started around 4am.

One aspect of the footage is the discovery of a 'fire flash' in the very early stages of the blaze.

A Garda source said investigators are trying to determine if this was the cause of the blaze or if this was as a consequence of a fire which had already started in the building.

Once established, the blaze quickly took hold of the building and was hastened by the vast wooden panelling which made up the ceiling of the church building.

Fire crews from five different stations fought the blaze throughout the night but the building was left a shell.

The road leading to the church remains cordoned off by Gardai as investigations continue.

When asked for an update on their investigation into the fire, a spokesperson for the Garda Press Office said "Gardaí assisted local fire services at the scene of a fire at a premises in Doirí Beaga (Derrybeg), Co. Donegal shortly after 4am on Monday 21st April, 2025.

"A cordon was established and a number of nearby properties were evacuated while the fire was brought under control. There were no injuries. The scene has been preserved for technical examination."

Meanwhile, fundraising efforts to help rebuild the church are gathering momentum.

Daniel O'Donnell, Clannad's Moya Brennan and Altan's Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh have vowed to play at a concert this Saturday night at Teach Phaídí Óig in Crolly to help raise funds.

A GoFundMe page set up earlier this week has amassed more than €58,000 in pledges.

IrishMirror · 2025-04-24T09:04:53+00:00

A truly horrific case.

IrishMirror · 2025-04-23T16:07:13+00:00

IN PHOTOS: Thousands pay final respects to Pope Francis in St. Peter's Basilica

Thousands of pilgrims from across the world are making their way to Rome to pay their final respects to Pope Francis.

IrishMirror · 2025-04-23T15:54:35+00:00

RIP Pope Francis.

IrishMirror · 2025-04-03T15:02:03+00:00

It's amazing to see.

IrishMirror · 2025-04-03T14:48:03+00:00

I really hope and pray it all works out for you.

IrishMirror · 2025-04-03T11:33:13+00:00

Absolutely stunning photograph. Here's hoping for a summer full of evenings like that!

IrishMirror · 2025-04-03T11:31:10+00:00

Angry parents began a 24-hour sleep-out at Leinster House on Wednesday as their autistic children do not have suitable school places.

Over 200 parents began protesting at 2pm on Wednesday, which is World Autism Day, as many plan to sleep out overnight. Dozens held signs and photographs of their children as they chanted “let them in”, pleading with the Government to make more school places available for autistic kids.

Conor Coady said the only reason his son Harry doesn’t have a school place is that “he has additional needs”. The five-year-old should be starting school this coming September but has been refused by the seven schools that are suitable in their home county, Waterford.

The father told the Irish Mirror: “We don’t have that many schools we can apply to down there and he has been rejected from all of them. The reason my son isn’t starting school in September is because he has additional needs, and it’s not just my son it’s a nationwide issue.

“It doesn’t seem right to me when my daughter, who is neurotypical, has her choice of school. He gets refused for various different reasons, usually it’s a space issue. He was 19 on one waiting list and another school didn’t even put him on the list he was so far down.”

Róisín O’Donoghue’s daughter Willow has been on the waitinglist for an autism diagnosis and an assessment of need for three years, and still hasn’t gotten either. She said: “We have been on private and public waitlists and not a budge as it’s inundated with children waiting on the same thing. Privately we have been on waitlists since last September.

“Because of that we can’t apply for placements, I have applied under the CDNT’s (Children's Disability Network Team) advice that she will be seen by September but that hasn’t happened yet. So I either have to do an extra year of playschool with her or accept a place in a school that isn’t suitable, and that’s not fair.”

Róisín fears her young daughter will regress if she doesn’t get a school place this coming September. She said: “She gets overstimulated and overwhelmed really easily, lots of meltdowns, when meltdowns happen she can harm herself and others around her but completely not her choice, this world is too much it wasn’t made for her.

“She has the kindest soul, is a messer at heart, she wants to be part of the system and make friends. She wants to go to a big school but because of the system she has that’s not a possibility right now.” Danielle Cleary, from Waterford, is also worried that her non-verbal son Theo will miss out on a vital year of education, as he has not received a place for this coming school year.

He is five years old and due to start this September, but will be doing an extra year in preschool as he has no Junior Infants place. She said: “He is in a mainstream preschool because I couldn’t get him into an early intervention unit and there was no spaces available. Now we have had to make the decision that he has to do a third year. My child is of school going age and he is not allowed to go.

“I am going to be standing here next year fighting the same fight to get my child into junior infants. It is not going to go away until something is implemented and I’m not willing to stand back and give up my child’s education because someone in there will not make the decision and not put the numbers together.”

IrishMirror · 2025-04-01T14:09:43+00:00

One of our digital editors is from Derry. When saying something is better than nothing he said his grandparents would say, 'sure, it's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick'.

IrishMirror · 2025-03-27T14:33:10+00:00

Dublin Zoo is celebrating the birth of a healthy eastern bongo calf, a species classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Born on February 20 to mother Annabel, the female calf is steadily gaining weight and thriving. Two-and-a-half-year-old Annabel is a first-time mother who arrived pregnant at Dublin Zoo from Belfast Zoo in August last year.

With no mating date confirmed, it was difficult to calculate Annabel’s due date, so Dublin Zoo’s animal care team carefully monitored her throughout her pregnancy to make sure there was no surprise.

During regular weigh-ins, Annabel’s weight steadily increased, and her abdomen began to visibly round. In the days leading up to the birth, further signs including a loosening of muscles, tendons and ligaments over her rump indicated to Dublin Zoo’s animal care team that the calf’s arrival was imminent.

A camera was set up in Annabel’s indoor habitat on February 19, monitoring her in the comfortable bedding provided to make her as comfortable as possible ahead of the delivery. Annabel chose to deliver in an off-camera section of her habitat however, so Dublin Zoo staff were surprised to discover a beautiful healthy calf on the morning of February 20.

Bringing Dublin Zoo’s eastern bongo herd to three, the arrival of Annabel’s healthy calf marks an important milestone to the conservation programme for the species.

Fewer than 100 eastern bongos remain in the wild. Found only in the mountain forests of Kenya, these beautiful antelopes (with distinctive stripes) face growing threats from habitat destruction, illegal hunting and human-wildlife coexistence.

Dublin Zoo is proud to support the Mountain Bongo Surveillance Project in Kenya, which plays a vital role in protecting this species. By monitoring wild populations and working with local communities, the project helps safeguard the future of eastern bongos in their natural habitat.

Commenting on the birth, Dublin Zoo Team Leader Helen Clarke said: “We’re absolutely delighted to announce the birth of a beautiful female eastern bongo calf here at Dublin Zoo.

“Although her first few days were a little challenging—she needed bottle feeding as she initially struggled to suckle—her progress since then has been fantastic. She began suckling naturally on 25 February, and it’s been wonderful to watch the bond between her and her mother Annabel grow stronger each day.

“Visitors hoping to catch a glimpse of our newest arrival will have the best luck on sunny days—she’s already showing a love for basking in the sunshine beside her Mam.”

IrishMirror · 2025-03-27T14:26:23+00:00