The Fórsa Health & Welfare DEC met early yesterday morning and agreed to recommend a 'yes' vote in a planned ballot of members (RTÉ) in the community and voluntary sector. The Indo also has that story, and also reports that "Hundreds of care staff, including home-help workers based in Dublin, are not included" in the new pay terms.

A new report into the future impact of AI in Ireland has suggested the adoption of the new technology could add €250bn to the Irish economy within 10 years, and found 91%of organisations now use AI in some form - nearly doubling in the last year. The report was produced by Trinity College Dublin in collaboration with Microsoft Ireland, and says the broader economic impact of AI could “deepen inequalities” in the business community, with large firms being better equipped to integrate AI into operations. 

Elsewhere, Mark Hennessy writes that "More than 30 years on from the IRA’s ceasefire and more than 25 years after the Belfast Agreement was signed, the Catholic-Protestant divide in Northern Ireland still looms large."

Zen 

On Saturday I worked up an appetite for lunch by taking a Spanish Civil War walking tour around Barcelona. Then I headed for La Bocqueria for a succession of edible treats. Outstanding. 

Have a lovely day.

Niall Shanahan