Here's What Happened Today: Wednesday

02 Sep 2026, 19:30 by Diarmuid Pepper, https://www.thejournal.ie/author/diarmuid-pepper/ · TheJournal.ie

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

IRELAND

Elaine Harrington pictured with the Annals of Inisfallen, one of Ireland's most significant medieval manuscripts, which is available to view in new free exhibition in University College Cork. Clare KeoghClare Keogh

Fontaines D.C. announced a second date at Slane Castle after tickets for its first gig were met with “overwhelming demand”.
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband dodged the border poll question at a Co Wicklow summit, as Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee remarked that one will happen “in the future”.
The HSE was fined of €645,000 by the Data Protection Commission for storing paper records in disused buildings, where many were rotting, mouldy and contaminated with animal droppings.
From Friday, 4 September, it will become mandatory for e-scooter users to wear a helmet and high-visibility clothing.
A man was charged after cocaine worth an estimated €1 million was seized at Cork Airport.
A man who was killed during an incident in Co Tyrone in which his wife and daughter were also attacked has been named by the PSNI.
A third of secondary students and a fifth of primary students avoid or refuse to go to school at least once a month, according to a new report by Barnardos.
An Irish General at the centre of planning for an EU mission to take the place of the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon said it will involve civilian assistance to the beleaguered government, border security and military personnel.
A woman in her 20s was assaulted during an early morning robbery in Dublin on Tuesday, while jewellery was stolen from a woman in her 80s during a separate robbery in Dublin on Monday.
A “bespoke” suite for mothers and babies at Ireland’s largest female prison will have space for just one woman and child when it opens later this year.
There has been no reduction in underage children’s access to social media platforms, despite legal obligations which came into effect last July designed to prevent this.
Dublin Airport Authority acted in clear breach of competition law when it sought to prevent a low-cost car hire firm from using facilities at Dublin Airport to pick up and drop off customers from its base outside the airport, the High Court ruled.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the government has not discussed reducing excise duty on alcohol in Budget 2027.
Drogheda United announced that the club will travel to Türkiye to play Mo Salah’s Trabzonspor next month.

INTERNATIONAL

American service members of USS Abraham Lincoln strike group arrive at hotel in Pattaya, Thailand Alamy Stock PhotoAlamy Stock Photo

#MIDDLE EAST: Iran struck US interests around the Middle East, vowing “severe” consequences for renewed American attacks on the Islamic republic.

#THAILAND: Hundreds of US sailors have disembarked in Thailand, visiting a resort town with a seedy reputation after a lengthy Middle East deployment that sparked concerns over conditions on board.

#CLIMATE CRISIS: Global temperatures are on course to rise above 1.5°C within the next few years, but it’s not too late to bring them down and meet the goals set in the Paris climate change agreement.

#NEPAL: The death toll from the flooding in Nepal-Tibet last week has risen to 1,130, with some 4,462 still missing.

#CHARLIE KIRK: The murder case against the man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk last year is headed for trial and the defendant could face the death penalty if he is convicted.

#TIGER WOODS: US golfer Tiger Woods was suspended from driving for five years after entering a plea agreement to a reckless driving charge, five months after his car overturned in a crash in Florida.

PARTING SHOT

Pat Lawless leaving Dingle sailing to Les Sables d'Olonne, France for thestart of the Golden Globe Race KIERAN RYAN BENSONKIERAN RYAN BENSON

A Limerick grandfather is bidding to become the first Irish person to complete and win a non-stop solo ocean sailing race around the world known as “the voyage of madmen”.

Next Sunday, Pat Lawless (70) will set out in the 2026 edition of the Golden Globe Race (GGR) after his yacht, the Silvermines Hydro, passed all the necessary safety and equipment inspections.

“I’m eight years preparing for it, I was preparing four years for it before and didn’t finish, and there was 16 in that race; three finished and three sank,” Lawless explained.

From Corbally in Limerick but living at Ballyferriter, Co Kerry, Lawless is participating in the race to raise funds for Parkinson’s disease research and treatment, as his wife Rita Geoghegan (66), from O’Connell Avenue, is living with the neurodegenerative disorder.

“I’m feeling quietly confident that I have prepared as well as I can for this race, but it’s my last chance; I know there is a chance that I won’t make (the finish line), but there is a chance I will,” offered Lawless.