Year of celebration of George Boole at UCC to kick off with lectures
University College Cork (UCC) is celebrating the bicentenary of forefather of the information age George Boole, who was the college’s first professor of mathematics. Born in Lincoln in England in 1815, Boole was a largely self-taught mathematical genius who is recognised today as being the ‘forefather of the information age’. His creation of Boolean algebra and symbolic logic pioneered a new strand of mathematics, which was employed in the work of scientific and engineering giants such as Claude Shannon and Alan Turing, and many others, in the development of the computer. Boole’s legacy has come full circle back to UCC with the involvement of researchers in the School of Engineering…
Read MoreSix-fold increase in number of direct selling parties in Ireland
Recent figures show there has been a six-fold increase in the number of direct selling parties in Ireland over the past year. These parties are seeing a major surge in popularity according to the Direct Selling Association of Ireland (DSAI), the trade body for the industry. Direct selling is where goods are sold direct to consumers outside of a fixed shop. Parties allow sellers to showcase their products in a client’s home, from kitchen equipment to cosmetics and jewellery. Those attending have the opportunity to try out the products and purchase in a social environment. Parties now account for 20pc of total direct selling revenue in Ireland, with more people than…
Read MoreBNY Mellon and Brendan O’Carroll win top philanthropy awards
BNY Mellon and comedian Brendan O’Carroll have been recognised for their philanthropic efforts at the seventh Philanthropic of the Year awards. Run by The Community Foundation for Ireland, the awards were established to recognise the extraordinary generosity and leadership of philanthropists in the country. BNY Mellon won Corporate Philanthropist of the Year for its work with Acquired Brain Injury Ireland, Wexford while O’Carroll was named National Philanthropist of the Year for his work with St Vincent de Paul. The special Brian Wilson Award is awarded to Jim and Adeline Callery for their contribution to cultural and educational projects in Co Roscommon, including the foundation of the Irish National Famine Museum.…
Read MoreIreland Third in the EU for Innovative Enterprises
Ireland has the third highest proportion of innovative enterprises in the EU, new Eurostat figures reveal. According to Eurostat, 48.9pc of enterprises of 10 employees or more in the EU reported innovation activity between 2010 and 2012. In Ireland, the figure rises to 58.7pc, placing it third behind Germany (66.9pc) and Luxembourg (66.1pc). The proportion of innovative enterprises in the EU28 dropped in 2010-2012 compared with both 2006-2008 (51.5pc innovative enterprises) and the peak recorded in 2008-2010 (52.8pc). This pattern was observed in most member states, including Ireland (56.5pc in 2006-2008; 59.5pc in 2008-2010). Innovation activities refer to product and process innovation as well as organizational and marketing innovation. Between…
Read MoreNew clean energy investment up 12pc in 2014
New investment in the global clean energy sector totalled US$67.9bn in Q4 2014, up 4pc on the same quarter in 2013 (US$65.2bn), according to new figures. Online financial news and data service Clean Energy Pipeline said total investment for 2014 increased 12pc year-on-year to US$274.2bn, the highest annual investment volume since 2011. “Last year the clean energy industry really demonstrated its resilience,” said Douglas Lloyd, CEO of Clean Energy Pipeline. “Despite a reduction in subsidies in Europe’s major renewable energy markets and very competitive natural gas prices in the US, investment in the global clean energy sector registered its first annual increase since 2011.”The figures reveal that clean energy project…
Read MoreShannon Airport’s passenger numbers up 17pc in 2014
Passenger numbers going through Shannon Airport increased by 17pc last year, reaching 1.64 million, up from 1.4 million in 2013. The airport said this growth was achieved on the back of 10 new destinations and 16 service enhancements overall in 2014. The biggest growth market was in European services, where nine new destinations delivered a 70pc increase (from 251,813 to 427,887). The airport said that these new services included a number of popular sun destinations, but the growth also came from high numbers of inbound visitors as a result of the return of links to Germany (Munich and Berlin) as well new French (Paris and Poitiers) services, markets with a…
Read MoreDublin Ranks Second in Europe for Real Estate Investment for Second Year Running
Dublin remains in the number two spot for the second year running for real estate investment and development in Europe, according to Emerging Trends in Real Estate Europe 2015, a forecast published jointly by the Urban Land Institute and PwC. Ranking Berlin in the number one position, the report states that Dublin has strong rental growth potential based on low supply, coupled with employment growth. According to Real Capital Analytics , a tremendous amount of capital has poured into Dublin already, €2.2bn in the first three-quarters of 2014. Though office rents and values are recovering strongly, they still have some way to go before they regain their pre-crisis peak. Enda Faughnan, real estate…
Read MoreTrue Test of Leadership – Walking Dogs Without a Leash
How effective of a leader do you think you are? Effective enough to handle six adult german shepherds in Boston with being leashed? This is exactly what this man does and he does it to perfection.
Read MoreTV3’s Red Rock still on a roll with viewers
Red Rock performed exceptionally well for its second broadcast, beating long running soap Emmerdale, according to TV3. An average of 302,900 viewers watched the half-hour show on TV3 commanding a 17.5pc share of the available audience. The broadcast posted a 28.45pc share for adults 15–24 and a 24.54pc share for women ABC1. To date, Red Rock has reached a total of 711,400 viewers (includes TV3 +1 broadcasts). Last night saw the arrival of well-known actress Denise McCormack who plays the part of Kiely matriarch Bridget. And some of the soaps classic lines proved a big hit with viewers as #RedRock once again trended on Twitter. Patricia Hennessy’s cutting line “no…
Read MoreAlmost 18,000 new company formations in 2014 – Vision-net.ie
Company start-ups reached a seven-year high in 2014, with almost 18,000 new company formations, the first time this has happened since 2007, according to Vision-net.ie. Overall, there was a 14pc rise in company start-ups in 2014 it was the best December for company start-ups since the millennium (1,728 new companies). The Vision-net.ie figures show that 1,479 Irish companies were declared insolvent in 2014, a 7pc decrease on the previous year’s figure and the lowest since 2009. Nearly half (48pc) of insolvencies were based in Dublin, up 7pc on the same period in 2013. The five most insolvent counties were Dublin, Cork, Galway, Wexford and Kildare, between them accounting for almost…
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