Your Say

Daily Poll

Poll: Do you consider yourself to be part of 'middle Ireland'?

THE TAOISEACH LAST week restated his focus on the “squeezed middle”, after junior ministers called for a tax break – a move that caused tensions within the coalition.

Varadkar said that looking out for middle Ireland is “part of Fine Gael’s identity”.

This is not the first time the party has pledged to help out this demographic, making similar promises in 2017.

Varadkar didn’t, however, clearly define who is included in ‘middle Ireland’, or what the phrase means in real terms.

In an effort to find out who ‘middle Ireland’ is, we’re asking: Do you consider yourself to be part of ‘middle Ireland’?

Yes
No
Not sure/Don't care.

You've already voted

See Results

Tuesday 30 May

Today's Top Stories

# census 2022

Census 2022: Number who identify as Catholic falls by 10 percentage points to 69%

Investigators inspect the building after a Ukrainian drone damaged an apartment building in Moscow, Russia.

# drone attack

Putin accuses Ukraine of trying to 'frighten' Russia after drones hit Moscow high-rise

The graph shows the average weekly rent by landlord from 2011 to 2022.

# Housing

Census 2022: New stats show how much average rents have risen in the private sector since 2016

Djokovic leaves a message on the camera lens as he leaves his first-round win.

# Tension

Novak Djokovic could face fine for writing message about Kosovo on TV camera lens

# Succession

Succession finale reminds us that without great art, we'd have an awful lot less to talk about

Show more Top Stories

# drone attack

Putin accuses Ukraine of trying to 'frighten' Russia after drones hit Moscow high-rise

Ukraine’s capital Kyiv has faced a relentless wave of strikes by Russia in recent days.

29.6k

Updated

20 minutes ago

# Prison

Disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes reports to prison in Texas for 11-year sentence

A court denied her latest request to remain free while appealing her fraud conviction.

4.1k

44 minutes ago

# hate crime

US synagogue shooter goes on trial four years after gunning down 11 worshippers

In a filing earlier this year, prosecutors said Bowers “harboured deep, murderous animosity towards all Jewish people”.

1.2k

1 hour ago

# Europe

Ireland is to join four European defence projects following cabinet approval

The four projects, which will need Dáil approval, are associated with purchase of military equipment, ammunition and also cyber security information sharing.

3.8k

1 hour ago

Sponsored

Artisan bakers, zero waste pioneers, and agritech trailblazers are just some of the nominees for 2023’s National Enterprise awards

Local Enterprise Offices around the country have come together to celebrate and recognise various businesses innovating and performing exceptionally.

# INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION

Around 50% of international protection applicants this year granted permission to stay

The Department of Integration said 217 male applicants remained unaccommodated last week.

3.1k

2 hours ago

# Defence committee

Flanagan: TDs 'frustrated' by slow pace of Irish defence action plan implementation

The comments were made during a hearing with Julie Sinnamon, chair of an independent oversight group tasked with overseeing change management.

2.6k

2 hours ago

# ireland house

Ireland's getting a new embassy in London, but the building price tag is still unknown

The location of the new Ireland House embassy has also not been revealed.

4.5k

2 hours ago

# spoons

Wetherspoon's plans 13-metre sound barrier at Camden St pub that closed after noise complaints

The pub firm shut down the beer garden in its Keaven’s Port hotel and gastropub after neighbours complained about noise.

9.8k

2 hours ago

# housing committee

Having a job is 'no longer a way out of homelessness', TDs told

Wayne Stanley said the issue is arising particularly where younger people are gaining employment despite living in emergency accommodation.

2.7k

2 hours ago

# Succession

Succession finale reminds us that without great art, we'd have an awful lot less to talk about

Succession has ended to rave reviews, and leaves a vacuum in its wake.

5.0k

3 hours ago

# Evictions

RTB receives over 4,000 eviction notices for the third quarter in a row

Notices of termination are given when a landlord wishes to evict tenants from a property, which can be for a number of reasons.

4.3k

3 hours ago

# Anti-constitutional

EU and US criticise Polish anti-Russian influence commission

The EU has “special concern” over the committee, which would have powers to block citizens from public office, the bloc’s justice commissioner said Tuesday.

4.8k

3 hours ago

Listen Now

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

Apple Soundcloud Google Podcasts Spotify

# Housing

Census 2022: New stats show how much average rents have risen in the private sector since 2016

The number of owner-occupier properties also fell last year, according to the Census.

4.8k

3 hours ago

Evening Wrap

The 5 at 5 Five minutes, five stories, five o’clock…

1.3k

3 hours ago

# park it

National Parks and Wildlife Service urges against barbecues and fires in public places

The appeal comes after a nature reserve in Wexford saw three separate fires in 24 hours.

2.3k

4 hours ago

# Housing

Leo Varadkar says he believes homeless figures will fall

There were 12,259 people in emergency accommodation last month.

6.5k

5 hours ago

# climate action

Dublin City Council begins project to upgrade over 40,000 public lights

It’s described as one of the city council’s key efforts in realising its ‘energy reduction and climate action goals’.

4.2k

5 hours ago

# Tension

Novak Djokovic could face fine for writing message about Kosovo on TV camera lens

Djokovic wrote on the camera lens: ‘Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence.’

10.3k

5 hours ago

# Naval Service

Former Naval instructor receives probation bond for sexually assaulting recruit

The instructor, who resigned after the assault, slapped a new recruit on the buttocks, winked at her and said ‘You’re lucky it wasn’t 14 or 15 years ago’.

7.0k

5 hours ago

# Squad News

Andy Farrell includes 4 uncapped players in 42-man World Cup training squad

Ireland will assemble in mid-June ahead of the World Cup warm-up fixtures in August.

9.4k

5 hours ago

Support Us

Contribute to The Journal to keep our news free &
open for everyone, always

Support us now Learn more

# Wicklow

Wicklow council refuses planning permission for €40m boutique resort at Magheramore Beach

The Council refused planning permission on seven separate grounds.

8.7k

5 hours ago

# Parking Shortage

Dublin Airport expect 425,000 passengers this weekend while car park demand is 'extremely high'

Demand for parking remains “extremely high” and DAA encourage passengers to find other methods of transport or arrange a lift.

4.4k

6 hours ago

# new children's hospital

'Not in interest of the State' to share estimates of Children's Hospital final cost

The Minister said that rising costs for the hospital will not impact other healthcare facility projects, despite the HSE warning that it will.

7.9k

6 hours ago

# North Kosovo

Kosovo tensions high after violent clashes as EU calls for calm across the Balkans

Violence sparked by disputed municipal elections left 30 soldiers from a NATO-led peacekeeping force injured on Monday after clashes with ethnic Serbs protesters.

4.3k

6 hours ago

# vaping

Selling e-cigarettes to under 18s will carry a €4,000 fine and possibly six months in prison

The Government is not considering an outright ban on vaping right now.

16.7k

Updated

6 hours ago

# Artificial Intelligence

AI poses 'extinction' risk to humanity if it grows too advanced, experts say

A statement signed by dozens of specialists said tackling the risks from AI should be ‘a global priority’ as important as preventing ‘pandemics and nuclear war’.

7.2k

7 hours ago

# lda

Planning permission granted for 852 new homes on site of former Central Mental Hospital

Initially, the Land Development Agency planned to deliver 1,200 new housing units, including a 14-storey apartment block.

11.7k

7 hours ago

# pandemic

Two-thirds of all Covid deaths occurred in care homes, study finds

Ireland had the second highest proportion globally of Covid-19 deaths from Long Term Residential Care homes.

5.8k

8 hours ago

# census 2022

Census 2022: Number who identify as Catholic falls by 10 percentage points to 69%

There has also been an increase in the ‘No Religion’ category.

As of Sunday, 3 April, 2022, there were 5,149,139 people in the State.

Census 2022 also revealed that there has been a drop in the number of people who identify as Catholic.

The 'No religion' category also increased from 451,941 people in 2016 to 736,210 people in 2022.

36.1k

181

8 hours ago

# RIP

'A true gent': Tributes paid as Irish artist Graham Knuttel dies

His death was confirmed this morning in a post on the artist’s Facebook page.

13.3k

Updated

8 hours ago

# Your Say

Poll: Do you consider yourself to be part of 'middle Ireland'?

Leo Varadkar said that looking out for middle Ireland is “part of Fine Gael’s identity”.

24.8k

9 hours ago

# RIP

Man killed in Co Donegal workplace accident named as Stephen Montgomery

A local priest who administered the last rites to Stephen said the community was experiencing ‘numbness and shock’.

22.4k

Updated

10 hours ago

# SFI

Prof Philip Nolan appointed as head of new research agency

The agency will amalgamate the activities and functions of the Irish Research Council (IRC) and Science Foundation Ireland (SFI).

11.8k

10 hours ago

# Tiangong

China becomes third country to put civilians into space

China is the third country to put humans in orbit.

6.0k

12 hours ago

# Income Tax

Peter McVerry says Varadkar has his 'priorities wrong' when it come to tax cuts

‘My priority, if you have €1.5 billion to give away, are the hundreds of thousands struggling to make ends meet,’ McVerry said.

18.5k

12 hours ago

Good Morning

The 9 at 9 Eammon Holmes speaks on Schofield controversy, vaping to be banned for under 18s by summer, and Helen McEntee returns to the Justice portfolio

4.5k

12 hours ago