Here's What Happened Today: Thursday

15 Oct 2026, 19:15 by Mairead Maguire, https://www.thejournal.ie/author/mairead-maguire/ · TheJournal.ie

NEED TO CATCH up? The Journal brings you a round-up of today’s news.

Flowers and tributes left at the scene at Birch Avenue in Birchwood, Waterford city, where two adults and two of their children died in an arson attack on Tuesday RollingNews.ieRollingNews.ie

IRELAND

Former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson was sentenced later for a string of historical sex offences against two women when they were children.
Patrick O’Donovan remains in intensive car e in Limerick hospital after taking ill on Tuesday.
An inquest into the death of a man who was killed by a tiger after entering its enclosure at a wildlife park is set to open on Thursday.
New laws preventing insurance companies from using cancer survivors’ medical history against them have come into effect.
Uisce Éireann has been spending €4,000 on media training for its senior staff before every Oireachtas committee appearance.
Comedian Joanne McNally has hit back at criticism of her upcoming appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, after some social media users questioned her decision to appear on the programme following its previous interview with Conor McGregor.

INTERNATIONAL

Mourners perform funeral prayers for two Palestinians killed in an Israeli strike targeting a vehicle, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip AlamyAlamy

#STARSHIELD: SpaceX boss Elon Musk said any disruptions reported by Ukraine in using the Starshield satellite communications system would be the responsibility of the US government, not his company.

#SOUTHWARK CROWN COURT: Russell Brand turned into a “monster” when he stripped naked and raped a woman in a hotel room at the Labour Party conference, a court heard.

#UNITED STATES: The firing squad execution of a convicted military base shooter will not be livestreamed, US President Donald Trump announced Thursday, cancelling a contentious plan by defence secretary Pete Hegseth.

PARTING SHOT

Hamdi Bendali / ShutterstockHamdi Bendali / Shutterstock / Shutterstock

BOOKSHOPS IN LONDON are selling out of Sally Rooney novels as the Irish author’s publisher Faber announced it would be pulling her novels from circulation in the UK.

Faber has communicated to bookshops across the UK that they are permitted to sell out their current stock, but they will not be able to attain further stock of Rooney’s body of work.

The Journal spoke to bookshops in the UK about their plans.