Irish Times
May 2026
Pope Leo’s encyclical on AI is a striking manifesto of Christian humanism
But this week, Pope Leo XIV published a 42,000-word teaching on the ethical and political implications of the growing power of artificial intelligence (AI)
TV guide: 10 of the best new shows to watch, starting tonight
Horror films Backrooms and Obsession are doing something astonishing
Obsession is the only wide-release horror film on record to grow in its second weekend at this scale,
I want to make movies that I would be excited to go see at the theatre,
The Irish priest behind the scenes of the Vatican’s work on artificial intelligence
The Vatican’s response to artificial intelligence (AI) began a decade ago in the private library of a religious order in central Rome, where a group of top Silicon Valley executives gathered with senior Catholic officials below shelves lined with antique books spanning centuries of Christian thought
I remember being at a session where they were showing the potential benefits of AI in terms of diagnostics, in terms of individualised treatment plans,
The church can say, ‘Look, this is what humanity should be aspiring to’. We can’t on our own bring that about,
I met Fr Brendan McGuire, who was a parish priest in that area, an Irish priest who had worked in technology,
We had some very senior people, and it became very clear that this was genuinely taking off, and they were surprised at the rate of development,
Pope Francis, I remember he called me in for a meeting about 2018,
It was funny, some of the names, even the name of Silicon Valley itself and some of the companies, I’ve been familiar with from home,
They wanted to alert us to something that was coming,
I greatly value this ongoing dialogue,
No one is without responsibility. We all have our own areas for action,
No AI application can genuinely experience empathy,
Hamnet’s Maggie O’Farrell: ‘I turned down an OBE because I didn’t want British Empire as part of my name’
She discovered the thumbnail painting by accident one day when she took a picture of a map drawn by Tomás’s son, Liam, and “just randomly blew it up” on her phone
I think if you get Paul Mescal, you might as well use him,
And I think it’s time, high time, actually, for them to rethink that,
We were taught two things about the Famine in my Scottish comprehensive. One was that it was caused by potato blight and the other one was that Queen Victoria gave her own personal money,
We’ve had Zoom chats. She’s great,
It’s devastating, but it should be devastating, shouldn’t it?”
I don’t really know, that’s the answer,
One of the seeds for Land was that I was offered an OBE and I turned it down,
How do you write about the Famine?”
It wasn’t easy to be an Irish family in Britain in the 1970s and 80s. At school, when relations were bad, people said horrible things to us all the time, and this was not just coming from the kids, it was from the teachers as well,
I was really into it, but then I started writing it and it didn’t have a pulse,
SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic: a mega-IPO wave is coming
Dot-com bubble comparisons are thus doing the rounds, but what is notable this time is not simply the excitement, but the scale and stage at which public investors would encounter these businesses
SpaceX Went Up 1,000-Fold — and You Couldn’t Buy It”,
Washington’s National Mall looks like a dog’s dinner, as Trump prepares for UFC White House spectacle
For the past few days, images of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) octagon cage under construction on the south lawn of the White House have been circulating around the world
You probably hear the beautiful sound of construction in the back,
The narrative they put out there [about Trump] as a person is... gross and absolutely positively not true,
Over 780 arrested in France amid violent clashes during PSG Champions League celebrations
Our responsibility is to guarantee everyone a festive celebration that is calm and fully secure.”
Ukraine’s ramped-up drone power is transforming its fortunes against Russia
Shtilierman, co-founder of the Ukrainian military technology company Fire Point, produces about 300 long- and medium-range FP-1 and FP-2 drones a day at a cost of about €50,000 each
Everyone is furious. People [in the Russian elite] are in full agreement this is a catastrophe,
The Ukrainian army is exhausting the Russians,
The Russians have been regrouping and have only recently increased their operational tempo,
We do ambushes near Russian airports,
This month saw changes in the dynamics in our favour, in Ukraine’s favour,
Attacks on cargo carriers on the [Crimean] peninsula directly impact the combat capabilities of the Russian Armed Forces on the southern fronts, where the situation is already precarious,
Ukraine is arguably in a better military position in May 2026 than it was in May 2025, and Russian problems are more systemic in 2026 than they were in 2025.”
FPV drones are fundamentally changing conventional warfare,
Ukrainians increasingly believe they will be able to withstand whatever comes next.”
With the appearance of so-called ‘middle-strike’ drones, stopping the Russian offensive at such depths has become substantially easier and more effective,
What if remote working, not AI, is to blame for weak junior hiring?
A cool labour market for everyone has been icy for the youngest, with hiring of junior workers lagging the more experienced across a wide range of countries
Fans clash with police in Paris after UEFA Champions League final
CMAT at St Anne’s Park review: Five-star performance by a pop star at the top of her game
My dream in this life is to see a CMAT show,
Victor Costello’s 36-year-old shot put record finally falls at Irish Schools Championships
Leo Cullen kicks for touch on James Lowe’s Leinster future
Leinster’s supporters made their feelings known by chanting “one more year” after Lowe scored his two tries late in the 59-10 victory over the Lions in the URC quarter-final at the Aviva Stadium — his 70th and 71st overall — a result that sets up a meeting with another South African side, the Stormers, at the same venue next Saturday
It’s an admirable quality because he’s very loyal to his teams,
You’ll remember we played them in round one and got beaten 35-0, which was brutal,
Israeli army captures 900-year-old Beaufort Castle as troops push into Lebanon
Fans on CMAT’s St Anne’s Park gig: ‘She speaks the language of love and the language of Ireland’
It’s absolutely disgusting. She’s a fantastic artist. Take her for what she is,
She’s the backdrop of everybody’s crisis. She’s what gets everybody through,
Colm actually played at our wedding,
It just takes away from her brilliance,
If she was thin they’d have something to say as well,
It’s refreshing that she addresses it,
I’ve been to every concert I could,
As someone who’s living at home and feels like there’s no hope for young people in Ireland, I fully agree with her,
GAA: Mayo beat Monaghan in Clones; Louth take Croke Park win over Dublin — as it happened
Driver doing 93km/h in 50km/h zone among more than 2,250 caught speeding this weekend
Every member of An Garda Síochána on duty this weekend will be conducting road traffic enforcement activity. They will have an increased presence on the roads to detect intoxicated driving,
Man (60s) killed in Co Roscommon crash, marking second road death of weekend
Iga Świątek has an unhappy birthday after falling to Kostyuk at French Open
Her serve and confidence collapsing at once, Swiatek suffered a miserable 7-5, 6-1 defeat on her 25th birthday to the 15th seed, Marta Kostyuk, ending her run in the fourth round
Reuben Murray’s goal helps Longford secure Lory Meagher Cup title at Leitrim’s expense
Pundits put ‘dark arts’ in the spotlight as Gunners misfire in shoot-out
Is this the Arsenal master plan working out to perfection?”
Football’s a harsh game but at the top level you demand results.”
It was the right time for him to go.”
We’ve the best team with the ball against the best team without the ball,
I don’t know how they get away with it... you play the ref in terms of what you can get away with,
For me, it’s a penalty,... They’re dropping like flies.”
What next for Liverpool? The major challenges facing Arne Slot’s successor
Behind the posturing, Pete Hegseth’s remarks on China told the real story
A Pacific dominated by any hegemon would unravel the regional balance of power,
The fundamental reinforcement of our defence capabilities, strengthening our defence production and technology base, and the revision of the three strategic documents expected to be completed late this year are all part of this effort,
Our partners in Asia have long understood that the bedrock of a durable partnership is not based on idealistic values, but on the concrete alignment of national interests,
Unfortunately, once again, the encounters are caused by an occupant without any right or any legitimate claim that they are willing to demonstrate impartially before an international tribunal,
When developing nations violate an agreement, they face condemnation and pressure. But when powerful countries or their allies do the same, the international response becomes conspicuously muted,
Liverpool to hold talks with Andoni Iraola, seeking swift appointment of new head coach
Contact has been made with Iraola’s camp and formal talks are expected over the coming days
We’ll never forget winning the Premier League in our first season together. Thank you, Trainer, and best of luck to you and your family for the future.”