LAST UPDATE | 6 May 2025

GOOD MORNING.

Here’s all the news you need to know as you start the day.

Dereliction

1. Derelict buildings contribute significantly to Ireland’s housing crisis, and bringing them back into use is one of the Government’s aims to address social housing shortfalls and to get more homes on the market.

Local authorities can also apply to acquire the site themselves via a Compulsorily Purchase Order application to An Bord Pleanála.

Here are the derelict houses and buildings that Ireland’s county councils asked to CPO in April.

Suspected explosive in Finglas

2. Gardaí are investigating after a drone carrying a suspected explosive device crashed into a home in Finglas overnight.

Suicide rates

3. Preliminary figures for 2023 show that there were 302 deaths by suicide in Ireland last year, the lowest preliminary figure for over 20 years. 

Met Gala

4. The biggest stars in Hollywood, music, sports and fashion hit the red carpet on Monday for the Met Gala, the extravagant Manhattan fundraiser that this year spotlit the subversive style of Black dandyism.

Ukraine attacks

5. More than a dozen Russian airports had to restrict their traffic due to drone attacks overnight, Russian authorities reported, including in Moscow days before a planned military parade. 

Hosepipe ban

6. A hosepipe ban has come into effect in areas of Donegal, Meath and Westmeath as a result of a “sharp drop in water levels”.

World Snooker Champ

7. Zhao Xintong was crowned China’s first world snooker champion after withstanding a stirring comeback from Mark Williams to complete an 18-12 win at the Crucible.

Garda dogs

8. While they’re better known for sniffing out crime, the shelter used for the Garda Dog Unit in Dublin has been described as in need of “urgent” works to improve the conditions for the canines and their human partners.

Extremism

9.  Germany’s AfD was on the offensive yesterday against its designation as a “right-wing extremist” party by Germany’s intelligence agency, as the move further inflamed ties with US President Donald Trump’s administration.