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BreakingNews.ie
25 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Electric Picnic to cost €25m to €30m to stage
Laois County Council has given the green light for the largest ever Electric Picnic festival to take place. Today, the Council granted the licence to EP Republic Ltd to stage the festival where 80,000 are to attend each day to see the likes of Hozier, Chappell Roan and Becky Hill perform. Advertisement Last month, Becky Hill was named as the final headliner and joined Sam Fender, Fatboy Slim, and Kings of Leon on the roster. The 80,000 for the 2025 EP - which is expected to cost between €25 million to €30 million to stage - is a 5,000 increase on the 75,000 tickets that were sold for the 2024 event. Entertainment for weekend ticket holders will commence on Friday at 2pm and finish at 4am on Monday, September 4th. The Council has granted the licence for the multistage live music and arts event at Stradbally Hall, Stradbally Estate, subject to 51 conditions. Advertisement The Council had received a number of submissions calling on the EP promoters to support local businesses. In one of six submissions made to the Council on EP Republic Ltd's application, David Walsh Kemmis of Ballykilcavan Brewing Company said: 'With a view to supporting small local businesses, I would like to see the Council enforce a planning condition that the festival organisers must provide access to the festival for food and drink suppliers based in Laois, even if their product is in competition with a sponsor of the festival However, in its 29 page planner's report into the licence application, the Council stated that submissions received relate to a number of issues relating to the event supporting locally produced produce and particularly the nearby Ballykilcavan Brewing Company. The report stated that 'this matter is outside of the remit of the Local Authority and therefore cannot be dealt with in the Event Licence. The decision to allow or not the Ballykilcavan Brewing Company or any corporate entity to trade at the event is a commercial decision for the Promoter.' Advertisement Ceo of Electric Picnic, Melvin Benn said last month that the cost of staging this year's Electric Picnic will be between €25m to €30m. In an interview, Mr Benn said Electric Picnic provides an enormous economic boost to the local economy. He said that every year, EP has 'an awful lot of local businesses and local traders that sell at the festival'. Mr Benn gave the example of Laois Taste which is a collection of local producers which sell their produce at the Electric Picnic Ireland EU foreign affairs chief criticised over 'clear la... Read More He said that 'we work very closely with local traders and I choose the ones that I work with. It is not up to the local authority to say who we work with. We have the freedom to choose who we work with and we exercise that freedom'. Tickets for the 2025 EP event went on sale on August 21st last and sold out within hours without any act confirmed at the time. This year's event returns to the traditional last weekend of August where it will run from Thursday, August 28th to Sunday, August 31st. The first Electric Picnic was staged on Saturday, September 4th 2004 when around 10,000 people attended.
BreakingNews.ie
25 minutes ago
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca yet to speak to Mykhailo Mudryk after doping charges
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has revealed he has not yet spoken to winger Mykhailo Mudryk since the Ukrainian was charged with violating anti-doping rules. The 24-year-old is facing a lengthy ban after the Football Association announced on Friday it had charged the player. Advertisement Mudryk has not played since being suspended last December after testing positive for a prohibited substance. The Chelsea manager has not spoken to Mudryk since hearing of the charge he faces. Photo: Rafal Oleksiewicz/PA. He was last seen in public at the Europa Conference League final in Wroclaw last month having attended in a private capacity. Mudryk is not allowed to train with the squad, who are currently at the Club World Cup in the United States. Speaking ahead of the Blues' second match of the tournament against Flamengo in Philadelphia on Friday, Maresca said: 'I spoke with 'Misha' in Poland when we played the Conference League final but I didn't speak with him since that time. Advertisement 'To be honest, I didn't see the news. They communicated (it to) me last night. There is nothing more that I can add at the moment because I don't have more information.' Chelsea did not officially comment after the charges were announced but have previously said they are supporting the player. Maresca said: 'The last time I spoke with Misha he was quite good. I didn't see him worried, or at least I didn't see him not good. It was OK. 'I don't know how he is now but for sure in the next days, weeks, we're going to have a talk.' Advertisement Maresca says he is planning for Noni Madueke to remain a Chelsea player. Photo: Rafal Oleksiewicz/PA. Chelsea are in the market for a new winger this summer, and have been heavily linked with Borussia Dortmund's Jamie Gittens, but Maresca says that is not because of the Mudryk situation. The Italian said: 'We had already one entire season, almost, without Misha. 'We've decided to go for a winger not because of Misha. It's something quite clear, it's a position that we need to improve.' Maresca dismissed speculation over the future of another winger in England international Noni Madueke, with reports Arsenal are monitoring his situation. Advertisement Maresca said: 'Noni is our player. In this moment, you can read much speculation about many players, but Noni is our player. We consider Noni our player for next season.' Maresca is set to make changes to his side for the Flamengo clash at Lincoln Financial Field due to the anticipated heat. The Blues, who opened their campaign in Group D with a 2-0 win over LAFC, are set to face the Brazilians at 2pm local time, with the temperature forecast to reach 28C. Maresca said: 'It's not easy because of the temperature. This is the reason why we're going to try to rotate players. Advertisement 'Unfortunately for us, as a Brazilian team, they are more used to playing in this temperature – but it doesn't matter. We're going to try to do our best to win the game.'
BreakingNews.ie
43 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Man (72) who died in Roscommon house fire planned to adapt home for partner
Tributes are being paid to a devoted partner who died in a Roscommon house fire overnight. The man who has been named locally as Des Deegan (72) died in a fire at a house in The Oaks housing estate, Frenchpark, Co Roscommon. Advertisement Emergency services were called to the house in an estate shortly before 7pm on Wednesday evening Locals said that Mr Deegan who was originally from Dublin was a devoted partner to Alice Hetherton (63). The couple had lived at French Park for the past 25 years having met in London and lived in Kerry for a number of years previously. Tragically Ms Hetherton suffered a serious bleed on the brain and an aneurysm in 2023 and as a result was admitted to a nursing home in the area in July 2024. Advertisement Mr Deegan had launched a campaign locally to adapt the house and bring her home and had set up a Go-fundme page in April of this year. Locals say he had spoken on local radio about his campaign on a number of occasions. Speaking at the time he said'' I've started this fundraiser on behalf of my partner Alice Hetherton, formerly of Oldcastle Co Meath. "Alice is 63 years old, she has worked all her life caring for others as a care worker in hospitals and nursing homes across the UK and Ireland. "Ironically Alice finds herself now in need of the support she has given to others''. To date the fundraiser has raised almost €7,000. In a statement gardaí said Fire services extinguished the blaze and the body of a man was recovered. His remains were removed from the scene to University Hospital Galway, where a post-mortem examination will be carried out. The scene remains sealed off for a technical examination. It is unclear what caused the fire, with witnesses reporting an explosion just before the blaze broke out. No funeral arrangements have been made as yet.
BreakingNews.ie
43 minutes ago
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
Rory McIlroy two shots off early clubhouse leader at Travelers Championship
Rory McIlroy made an impressive start to the Travelers Championship to sit two shots off the early clubhouse lead. The Masters champion had finished tied for 19th at the US Open over a punishing Oakmont course – but ended the weekend on a positive following a three-under-par final round, which was the joint best of the day. Advertisement The Northern Irishman – who saw his driver ruled as 'non-conforming' ahead of last month's PGA Championship before then missing the cut at the Canadian Open – had been looking to build some momentum at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell as focus turns towards the Open at Royal Portrush. Rory McIlroy made an impressive start in Cromwell. Photo: Jessica Hill/AP. World number two McIlroy landed a birdie at the second and then sank two more ahead of the turn at the final PGA Tour Signature Event of 2025. After picking up another couple, a further birdie at the 17th saw him finish six-under with 64, to sit in a tie for second, two shots behind early clubhouse leader Austin Eckroat. American Eckroat hit a fine eight-under round, which included an eagle at the par-three 15th and a sixth birdie at the 18th. Advertisement McIlroy's playing partner Keegan Bradley is also at six-under, having dropped a shot at the 12th, alongside Wyndham Clark, the 2023 US Open champion. ANOTHER 🐦 at the 18th gets him in the clubhouse with a 62 (-8)!! He's our early round one leader. 🫡 — TravelersChamp (@TravelersChamp) June 19, 2025 Sport Rory McIlroy determined to build on 'good feeling'... Read More England's Tommy Fleetwood carded a first round of 66 to sit in a group tied for sixth. Scotland's Robert MacIntyre, runner-up at Oakmont on Sunday, finished one over following a double-bogey six on the 17th. World number one Scottie Scheffler, defending his Travelers Championship title, has been paired with newly-crowned US Open champion JJ Spaun in the later starters. Advertisement
BreakingNews.ie
an hour ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Retired garda avoids jail for second time over harassment of woman
A retired detective garda who was facing jail time after he contacted a woman despite his conviction for harassing her has had his eight-month custodial sentence suspended on appeal. The District Court Appeals Court heard that Eamon Moran (51) has suffered ill health ever since he was attacked on a 2012 deportation flight and was recently in intensive care. Advertisement Moran, with an address in Perrystown, Dublin 12, harassed a woman by sending her unwanted texts and calls on dates between 2021 and 2023. He originally pleaded guilty before the District Court and was convicted of harassment under section 10.1 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997, amended by the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020. He was sentenced to eight months in custody, which was fully suspended for two years on the condition that Moran would make no contact with the injured party and her family, would continue his medical rehabilitation and would stay one kilometre away from the injured party's home. His jail sentence was reactivated by Judge David McHugh at Blanchardstown District Court in October 2024 after the court heard Moran had contacted the woman by email and phone after his conviction. Advertisement The victim reported the breaches to gardaí, saying that his actions caused her some anxiety and stress. The court heard that Moran had sent an email and then called the victim on two different days in September 2024, which went unanswered. It was found that Moran had breached the conditions of his suspended sentence and he did not contest this in the District Court. Counsel for the appellant, Niamh Ní Aonghusa BL, on Thursday told the District Court Appeals Court that Moran 'misinterpreted this non-relationship' and is "very much apologetic" to the victim. She said he has no intention whatsoever to contact the victim again. Advertisement Ms Ní Aonghusa said that Moran's health has been in decline since an incident in 2012 in which he was on a flight that was deporting people in his duty as a garda when he was attacked by a man with a razor blade. She presented several letters from medical professionals which said that Moran suffered a stroke, had a hole in his heart and had a liver condition. Ireland Clare man punched retired judge outside café sayin... Read More She said that he was recently in intensive care in St James's Hospital and that the muscles in his legs have depreciated. Judge Sinéad McMullan said that this is 'obviously a very serious matter' and that no one should have to deal with harassment. She said there was a clear court order that Moran 'clearly breached', but she also took into account that he was recently very unhealthy. Judge McMullan decided to fully suspend the sentence of eight months for a period of two years on the condition that Moran in no way attempt to contact the injured party ever again, stay one kilometre away from her house, continue to receive medical attention and attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
