Your Say

Daily Poll

Poll: Have you taken out a loan in the last 12 months?

MORE PEOPLE ARE taking personal loans out for home improvements, cars, holidays and education according to the latest figures from Banking and Payments Federation Ireland.

Its report for the last quarter of 2022 shows “strong growth” in personal loans activity compared to the same time period in 2021.

This morning we want to know: Have you taken out a loan in the last 12 months?

You've already voted

See Results

Thursday 9 February

Today's Top Stories

# Death Toll

Hopes fade for rescuing survivors as Turkey-Syria quake death toll reaches 17,500

# IT breach

MTU Cork confirms hackers have encrypted university data and demanded a ransom

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola hold a flag of Europea during a summit in Brussels today.

# EU summit

EU parliament greets Zelenskyy with cheers as Ukrainian president wraps up European tour

# Back in the fold

What did the Mahon Tribunal find against Bertie Ahern, and what's happened since then?

Dublin, Ireland. Pictured are residents gathered outside Finglas Garda Station tonight, protesting against asylum seekers entering Ireland.

# Paul Murphy

Paul Murphy: Anti-refugee protests a far cry from grassroots 'no to water charges' campaigns

Show more Top Stories

# FSAI

Live rodent in kitchen among reasons for closures as food safety body issues four orders

Two closure orders and two prohibition orders were made in January 2023.

1.7k

10 minutes ago

# Death Toll

Hopes fade for rescuing survivors as Turkey-Syria quake death toll reaches 17,500

It comes after the president of Turkey acknowledged ‘shortcomings’ in his country’s response.

5.9k

Updated

25 minutes ago

# Irish Coast Guard

British officials launch probe after Irish Coast Guard helicopter's emergency landing in Derry

It is understood that the incident on Sunday involved the Sligo based rescue helicopter.

4.3k

32 minutes ago

THE MORNING LEAD

EU parliament greets Zelenskyy with cheers as Ukrainian president wraps up European tour

A report by

Tadgh McNally

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is due to attend his first EU summit since he was re-appointed in December.

9.8k

Updated

35 minutes ago

# Sky Ireland

Sky Ireland to raise prices for TV and broadband customers due to 'significant' costs increase

Monthly bills will rise by 5.1% or €4.51 on average.

4.7k

47 minutes ago

# Courts

Paul Murphy takes Sipo to High Court over decision not to investigate Varadkar over contract leak

Murphy’s initial application for judicial review was filed yesterday.

2.1k

55 minutes ago

SPOTLIGHT

Island Nation

Investigation reveals islanders waiting 25 years for policies to thrive and not just survive

PODCAST

Is the State ignoring island depopulation?

HOUSING CONSTRAINTS

'Serious risk’ for islanders trying to sustain populations

'FRAGMENTED & UNPREDICTABLE'

Healthcare services failing island communities

'ON ITS KNEES'

Future of island fishers on a knife edge

# Stormont

Stormont formation deadline pushed to 2024 to avoid 'unhelpful' election in the coming weeks

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said it will allow time and space for parties to work together to return to government’.

1.7k

1 hour ago

# taking a chance

'I did something I was scared of, and I am grateful for it' - Damien Duff

The former Ireland international looks ahead to a new season with Shelbourne.

10.0k

Updated

1 hour ago

# redacted lives

Get tickets for Redacted Lives: In Conversation, a live panel discussion on mother and baby homes

A live event to further explore the stories told in the Redacted Lives podcast.

4.3k

1 hour ago

# Back in the fold

What did the Mahon Tribunal find against Bertie Ahern, and what's happened since then?

The former Taoiseach has rejoined Fianna Fáil – but what led to his resignation in the first place?

5.2k

2 hours ago

# Turkey

Search and rescue dogs from Co Down prepare for deployment in Turkey to help in disaster zone

Ryan Gray, of the K9 Search and Rescue charity, said they have been preparing since hearing news of the earthquakes on Monday.

1.4k

2 hours ago

# State of the Union

Waterford man thanks Joe Biden for strengthening family's 'resolve' after White House greeting

Maurice Barron’s daughter Ava was left with a tiny chance of survival from cancer, but the disease is now in remission.

6.0k

2 hours ago

# Bertie Ahern

Taoiseach softens stance on Bertie Ahern after comparing him to John Gilligan in 2008

Varadkar had made the comments during a Dáil session in 2008.

10.0k

3 hours ago

Voices

Paul Murphy: Anti-refugee protests a far cry from grassroots 'no to water charges' campaigns

‘You’d have to have your head in the sand not to notice that Ireland’s emerging far-right is playing a crucial role here,’ writes the Dublin TD.

17.6k

Updated

3 hours ago

SPOTLIGHT

Voices

A wide mix of viewpoints, analysis and first-hand experiences

Magic of music

Music can unlock memories and evoke emotions for people with dementia

Lisa Kelly

Economics

Why news headlines about Irish GDP are still irritatingly misleading

Ciarán Casey

E-scooters

Please legislate to keep e-scooters off footpaths

Anne Marie Kearney

Sultans of Ping

It was a crazy sight to behold – every gig was exciting

Paul McDermott

Listen Now

The Explainer helping make sense of challenging news stories every single week.
Listen now wherever you get your podcasts:

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# Your Say

Poll: Have you taken out a loan in the last 12 months?

Let us know.

12.5k

3 hours ago

# Tech Issues

Twitter outage results in many users being unable to tweet or follow accounts

Users first noticed the problem when they tried to send tweets and received a message saying they had reached their ‘tweet limit’.

4.8k

4 hours ago

# Personal Loans

People are taking on more debt for weddings, cars, and holidays as drawdowns up by 14%

Home improvement loans surpassed car loans in value for the first time in 2022.

5.7k

4 hours ago

Good Morning

The 9 at 9 Earthquake death toll exceeds 15,000, university cyber attack confirmed and Zelenskyy to visit Brussels today.

3.5k

Updated

4 hours ago

# battle of the bots

Mistake in ad for Google's new artificial intelligence bot causes share price to tank

It is estimated the mistake wiped $100 billion from Google’s value.

10.5k

4 hours ago

# Le Capitaine

'I went in all guns blazing... I should have tried to make friends first'

Johnny Sexton believes his two-year stint in France made him a better player in the long run.

30.0k

Updated

5 hours ago

# Duncan Stewart

RTÉ pays tribute to Duncan Stewart as final episode of Eco Eye to air

The show has covered climate change and sustainability for the past 21 years.

16.8k

5 hours ago

# Execution

Texas executes man who admitted murders but said trial was tainted by racial bias

He admitted to shooting three teenagers dead 25 years ago.

11.6k

6 hours ago

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Contribute to The Journal to keep our news free &
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# Spying

China has conducted spy balloon programme for years, says Pentagon

Antony Blinken said the US has briefed dozens of countries on the programme, which officials said has been active over five continents.

8.2k

6 hours ago

# an coimisiún toghcháin

New Electoral Commission formally established with Supreme Court judge as chairperson

One of the commission’s responsibilities will be reviewing Dáil Éireann and European Parliament constituencies and local electoral area boundaries.

4.4k

7 hours ago

Yesterday

8th February 2023

# IT breach

MTU Cork confirms hackers have encrypted university data and demanded a ransom

The university said it is planning for a “phased and managed return” to teaching and learning from Monday.

The university suffered the cyber attack over the weekend.

31.7k

Updated

14 hours ago

# surprise visit

Zelensky arrives in Paris on first visit since Russian invasion

The Ukrainian president has urged the UK and Western allies to provide ‘wings for freedom’ by supplying his air force with advanced jets.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed UK parliament this afternoon

Zelenskyy then travelled to Buckingham Palace for his audience with the King

The UK has also announced new sanctions targeting those who have helped Russian president Vladimir Putin build his personal wealth

32.3k

Updated

14 hours ago

# Gardaí

Gardaí appeal for information ahead of anniversary of murdered man Andrew Allen

Andrew was 24 when he was shot dead at his home in Buncrana in 2012.

8.2k

14 hours ago

Looking for a romantic getaway? Cabra Castle in the hidden heartlands is just the place