Rise in child poverty; Ireland’s most prosperous town; and the Irish unity debate

Rise in child poverty; Ireland’s most prosperous town; and the Irish unity debateThe ESRI said the number of children in households below the poverty line grew by almost a fifth in 2024. There has been a sharp rise in children living in households below the poverty line, according to new figures for 2024 from the Economic and Social Research Institute. Carrigaline, Co Cork, has the lowest rate of commercial rental vacancies in Ireland, with a busy local economy and strong competition for consumers.Fine Gael’s Neale Richmond has told The Irish Times that older generations need to tell young people about the Troubles in Northern Ireland in order for a “practical conversation” on Irish unity to take place.Andrew McNairAndrew McNair is an audio producer at The Irish Times