At a time when chess is enjoying great local popularity partly thanks to the Netflix series 'The Chess Queen', Mark Heidenfeld - following in his father's footsteps - recently won the 100th Irish Chess Championship

A severe potato shortage is increasingly likely as heavy rains flooded soils and are making planting impossible; Irish Times 2021 data showed an average Irish is the world's largest consumer with 85 kg potatoes/year, more than double the global average

Simon Harris, 37, appointed Prime Minister of Ireland to replace Leo Varadkar, is the youngest Irish prime minister ever

Teachers are "dropping out of education en masse," with an ever-increasing amount of paperwork and bureaucracy yet not reflected in adaptations to the increased cost of living and new roles and responsibilities

Foreign Minister suggested that the threat to exclude countries from the EU and "constructive abstention" could be "creative ways" as deadlock situations in key votes have long plagued the EU because they require unanimous consent