LAST UPDATE | 1 Jan 2025

GOOD MORNING.

Here’s all the news that you need to start your day.

New Year’s celebrations

1. The New Year was marked with global celebrations yesterday evening, as well as several fireworks shows and live concerts across Ireland. 

Thousands of people gathered in Dublin Castle for an early countdown concert, with Cian Ducrot performing on stage to mark the occasion.

Roscommon

2. Gardaí have launched a suspicious death investigation into the discovery of a woman’s body on farmland in Co Roscommon.

The discovery is linked to a missing persons probe in Athlone for Mirjana Pap (58), who was missing from her home. 

Minimum wage

3. An increase in Ireland’s minimum wage is set to come into effect today.

The minimum wage is rising by 80 cent to €13.50 an hour, a bump of 6.3%.

New Ross

4. A man remains in garda custody as part of an investigation into the discovery of a man’s body in Co Wexford.

The deceased, named locally as John King O’Connor, was found unresponsive at a house in New Ross just after 11am on Tuesday morning.

South Korea

5. South Korean investigators probing a Jeju Air crash which killed 179 people in the worst aviation disaster on its soil said they will send one of the retrieved black boxes to the United States for analysis today.

Budget 2025

6. A number of measures in the so-called “giveaway Budget” announced by the last government on 1 October are set to come into effect today.

The full list includes changes to social welfare payments, income tax and heat pump installation VAT charges.

Schengen zone

7. Romania and Bulgaria have become full members of the Schengen zone, expanding the borderless area to 29 members and ending a 13-year wait for the two eastern European countries.

Archbishop condemnation

8. Ireland’s Catholic Archbishop has described Israel’s war on Gaza as “merciless” and that it is a “disproportionate” response to Hamas’ attack in October 2023.

He also roundly condemned increasing global expenditure on militaries.

Dublin fire

9. A woman in her 40s has died following a fire at a house in Tallaght on Monday evening.

Gardaí and emergency services were called to the scene of the fire at a property in Hunters Lane, Ballycullen, Dublin 24, shortly after 10pm on Monday.