Electric Picnic 2026: Share your stories
We want to hear the good, the bad and the ugly from this year’s festival
Your Stories
A selection of personal lifestyle features, interviews and opinion
Cost of college: How much can you expect to pay for third-level education in Ireland?
Rent, food, travel, books, laptops and the €2,500 contribution fee add up to a considerable amount for students and families
Starting college: ‘The social life, making new friends, new connections, the education’
New horizon beckons for teenager who hails from DRC but has progressed from St Aidan’s Community School in Tallaght
How to study at third level and what to expect in your first year
Many students find the change from learning at second level challenging, but there are a variety of supports in place
Education matters: ‘Committing to something for four years, I needed to think about it’
When the offer came through, Alex Murphy was unsure if he wanted to pursue the course
CAO helpdesk 2026: our experts answer your questions
Submit your queries to our education specialists
Skills-based FET courses versus traditional university education: Which are the real routes to opportunity?
What are the outcomes for respective graduates, particularly on durability of skills and earning potential, in the age of AI?
‘I feel guilt and rage about living in Australia while my family is in Ireland’
Tell Me About It: I want to have a bit more carefree time before feeling I have to live up to my parents’ expectations
Fall in Leaving Cert grades will not lead to points drop
Grades may be down, but applications to college are up
Sending a child to college costs an average of €11,102 this year. Here is the smarter way to pay
College costs a lot of money, so start planning now
What is an apprenticeship and would it work for me?
Being paid while you study is a key factor, and there are more than 80 programmes available across all sectors of the economy
Third-level students warned of tightening accommodation options as CAO offers come in
Gardaí urge students seeking vacancies to protect themselves against financial scams
Roisin Kiberd: ‘Beauty is a very weighty subject ... it can be cruel and manipulative but it can also be art’
The journalist and writer’s new essay collection dissects the concepts of beauty and identity in the present age
Owning a home now out of reach, most young people believe – research
PTSB report says younger adults believe renting or social housing will be their paths to getting a home
Leaving Cert students query free fees, Dare/Hear, and off-key music
Irish Times Help desk team continue to respond to readers’ questions
Ted Lasso actor Aisling Sharkey: ‘I’m a culchie in my core’
The Irish actor on her breakout role on the hit Apple TV series, being an older sister and ‘living the dream’
‘Irish friend groups can be impenetrable – will I have the same issue when I move abroad?’
Ask Roe: ‘Am I wrong to think people in their mid-20s have little interest in making friends outside their circle?’
John Wilson tried a TikTok-inspired Spicy Sauvy B – here’s his verdict
How to Drink Better: People have been adding ingredients to wine for thousands of years, so is this any different?
The ‘September scaries’ are real: how to beat the end-of-summer dread
Feeling sad, anxious or regretful about changing season? You’re not alone. Here’s how to tackle the transition into a new season
What impact will ongoing grade-enhancement reductions have on CAO points?
Continuing enhancement of Leaving Cert results, even at a reduced level, means an ongoing distorting effect
We live in a glut of information but we lack the knowledge of vision, intuition and dreams
It’s easy to dismiss conspiracy as stupidity or irrationality, but I’m open to hearing what the rational mind filters out
Kanye West goes east for tour dates in Russia. Is that wise?
It’s safe to say the rapper’s special rehabilitation operation is on hold
Electric Picnic 2026: 19 acts you don’t want to miss at this year’s festival
From Gorillaz to Florence Road via escapist pop, futuristic synth-funk and furious indie rock, this is our pick of the artists who’ll be on stage next weekend
Leaving Cert results: Tears and joy as students receive results; grades down compared with last year
Leaving Cert results have been delivered to more than 730 second-level schools, and are available online now
Balancing act continues as Leaving Cert grades drop back by an average of just over 1%
Timelines for fully removing pandemic-related post-marking adjustment will continue to be informed by the 2026 experience
Appeal, wait, go abroad, repeat: what can you do if you don’t get your first CAO choice?
Students from the class of 2026 have more options than ever
You have your Leaving Cert results. Now what?
Stay calm and ensure you are clear on how to interpret your grades as they relate to your college requirements
Leaving Cert 2026: A unique second-level journey ends
Whatever results you have just received are a mark of your resilience over six uniquely challenging years
CAO points system cannot be used to measure intelligence
People possess distinct intelligences, not just one or two that can be captured by an IQ test or examination
Why do so many under-35s struggle to find work in Ireland’s booming economy?
Despite near full employment there were more than 80,000 people aged 34 and under unemployed in the second quarter of 2026
Advice for first years: ‘You don’t find yourself at university, you kind of create yourself there’
Bel Aghedo has completed her first year of a law degree at University of Galway
How can incoming students get the best out of their first year at college?
Making the library a second home can pay dividends when exams and assignments fall due
Online shoppers face new €2 charge for non-EU goods from November
New handling fee of €2 is set to be imposed on all purchases from outside the EU on top of existing €3 per item charge
If CMAT’s at it, it must be cool: The ever-growing appetite for food-themed fashion
Is a desire for authenticity behind our growing love of food-themed clothes and bags? Or do we just want to be ‘different’?
My boyfriend often drinks heavily and takes cocaine and I’m struggling to deal with it
Ask Roe: On the surface level, I find it disgraceful that my partner would get into this state
‘Michelle Yeoh is just incredible’: Dublin teenager Katelyn Rose Downey on acting with an Oscar winner
The Irish actor on the upcoming TV series Blade Runner 2099, working on an adaptation of Marian Keyes’s Grown Ups, and staying grounded
My approach to birthdays is to hide and hope the hound of time passes me by
Of course it’s not all bad: these days of apparent celebration can teach us a lot about ourselves
Virtual holidays: Eight video-game destinations offering a break from the real world
Haven’t managed to get away this summer? Time on your own private island is just one of the virtual changes of scene that might make up for it
Hugo Spritz is the drink of the summer – here’s how to make one
How to Drink Better: This simple elderflower cocktail seems to be having a moment in the sun
Student accommodation is left to the mercy of private-sector profiteers
State has delegated responsibility for solving crisis to developers
Affordable student accommodation is essential educational infrastructure
Universities are educational institutions, not commercial landlords
Most Irish universities hike on-campus accommodation costs for new academic year
UCD Village room for almost €12,000 remains Ireland’s most expensive student accommodation
The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey: ‘I’ve felt slightly on the outside, too old and too young at the same time’
Ramsey, who got their first TV job on Game of Thrones aged 11, on child stardom, living alone and Celebrity Traitors
What ‘smart’ watches get wrong and right when tracking the quality of your sleep
With millions of people now using wearables, there is a market for improved accuracy
Make it special: the best restaurants around Ireland to book for your next occasion
From Cork to Belfast and Dublin to Carrick-on-Shannon, these fun places will help you to celebrate
Fleadh ‘miracle’ sparks optimism for Belfast’s future
Cultural connections – and a vision of a pedestrian-friendly city – leave a lasting impact
Teen and preteen skincare is a minefield - stick to the basics
Products worth introducing, the ingredients to avoid and why less is always more
Vape tax increase being considered after it raises €22m in nine months
Increase likely to be announced in Budget 2027
New public information campaign warns of the terms ‘tradwife’ and ‘manosphere’
Government-funded strategy takes aim at stereotypical gender roles promoted by influencers
‘That Irish passport is so valuable’: Record number of Australians apply for citizenship
Irish document opened up work and travel opportunities ‘I may not have had otherwise’, says woman whose parents emigrated from Wexford
Teenage dieting made me an expert in mental arithmetic
Although I learned metric in school in 1980s Britain, the architecture of shame and ambition around body weight was expressed in stone
Antrim student makes piano history with one hand: ‘The overwhelming feeling was just relief’
Freya Terris is the first pianist to pass their Grade 8 piano exam playing solely with their left hand
A trivial comedy for serious YA readers, and more summer page-turners for teens
Prolific author Elle Kennedy has published her first YA novel, Thornbird, a satisfyingly twisty and swoony mystery tale
How are Palestinians meant to supply Government with financial histories for student visas?
The restrictions in the visa system are fundamentally incompatible with the supporting of Palestinian access to education, and must be done away with
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Stardust
Inquests into the nightclub fire that led to the deaths of 48 people
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
Family NoticesOpens in new window
Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices