Review of the €800k Deer Park entrance project detailed how costs quadrupled from original €200k estimate, because of hopelessly optimistic design projections and bespoke items like Portuguese granite.
Latest set of FOI records from Right to Know at:
www.thestory.ie/2026/03/06/p...
Minister Jack Chambers suggested legal firms be banned from taking environmental cases on a ‘no foal, no fee’ basis.
Mr Chambers said “radical options” needed to be considered to cut down legal challenges even as number of judicial reviews was falling:
www.thestory.ie/2026/03/04/m...
Judicial reviews in international protection cases have tripled in three years, new data released under FOI shows.
Legal costs have also risen sharply amid faster decision-making and an increasing number of deportations:
www.thestory.ie/2026/02/24/a...
Nearly 63,000 people were refused visas for travel to Ireland over past two years with citizens of some countries facing rejection rates above 90%.
More than 321,000 visa applications were granted in 2024 and 2025, according to figures released after an FOI appeal:
www.thestory.ie/2026/02/20/c...
Irish jails were so overcrowded that management warned they mightn't be able to take anyone else or produce people at court.
Irish Prison Service said country’s main remand prison was at 125% capacity with room for three more people - on mattresses:
www.thestory.ie/2026/02/17/t...
Confidential government paper says Ireland may require significantly higher migration levels in coming decades to sustain its workforce and public services.
Warns of importance of maintaining "social licence" as population ages and needs support:
www.thestory.ie/2026/02/13/c...
More than €14.5m paid out to former TDs, Senators and their staff since the last set of elections.
Severance, redundancy and pension lump sums all detailed - but no names, as these are now withheld under FOI on privacy grounds:
www.thestory.ie/2026/02/10/o...
Minister rejects plans for splitting Road Safety Authority, suggests hiring “well-known media or sporting personalities” for advocacy campaigns instead.
Our latest set of records available at:
www.thestory.ie/2026/02/06/m...
My latest short story A Day at the Zoo is published today by The Honest Ulsterman.
A child, a VIP pass, and a very unusual zoo.
humag.co/prose/a-day-...
Confidential documents show how government officials warned of an “imminent humanitarian crisis” in asylum accommodation.
Internal records said costs could rise towards €1.5 billion a year under EU Migration Pact:
www.thestory.ie/2026/02/04/f...
More than €110,000 was paid out to members of the public who inadvertently unearthed or stumbled across items of archaeological significance.
Finds included old coins, bog butter, crucifixes, and swords:
www.thestory.ie/2026/01/29/c...
New edition of Right to Know's newsletter goes out on Friday.
This month:
– a €14m Dublin Airport funding dispute.
– a tax loophole quietly closed by Revenue.
– and why The Traitors couldn’t film at the Hill of Tara.
Sign up: www.thestory.ie/stay-in-touch/
A man travelling with a ferret perched on his shoulder and repeated complaints about unmuzzled dangerous dogs were among a stream of reports sent about animals on public transport.
Latest set of records from Right to Know:
www.thestory.ie/2026/01/27/f...
The OPW refused to allow hit TV show the Traitors film at the Hill of Tara last year.
They said they declined because the site was such an "exceptionally sensitive archaeological landscape" but did allow shooting at other nearby heritage sites instead:
www.thestory.ie/2026/01/20/o...
Records show how government quietly closed loophole that allowed high-value life assurance policies to pass between family members without triggering inheritance tax.
Officials warned against publicising the issue over fears of aggressive tax planning.
www.thestory.ie/2026/01/16/h...
Over the past six years, Ireland's Data Protection Commission has levied €4.04 billion in fines, mostly on Big Tech.
Just €20 million has been collected, with most cases still tied up in legal appeals.
www.thestory.ie/2026/01/13/b...
Government paid nearly €1.4 million for a 40-hectare tract of land to expand the Glen of the Downs nature reserve.
Three independent valuations had given average value for the site of around €1.16 million but a higher price was ultimately agreed.
www.thestory.ie/2026/01/09/s...
Metal girders warped and deformed in fire that reached temperatures of 1000°C and destroyed Luas bridge in Dublin.
The extent of the damage was so severe that the €7 million rebuild was likely cheaper than repair:
www.thestory.ie/2026/01/07/b...
A cautionary lesson here perhaps for the opening of the new Children's Hospital in 2026?
Ireland’s brand new Central Mental Hospital (CMH) still grappling with serious safety and governance problems after inspection found widespread regulatory failures.
www.thestory.ie/2025/12/30/n...
Dept of Justice looked for €15 million war chest to fight legal challenges next year from failed asylum seekers and those facing deportation.
They said “exceptionally high levels of litigation” were expected as they sped up application process times:
www.thestory.ie/2025/12/23/f...
This is the reality of Freedom of Information in Ireland.
Records redacted on the basis they contained 'personal information'.
Clearly they don't and could never be used to identify an individual.
So why would the Department of Justice redact them?
www.thestory.ie/2025/12/19/d...
The National Gallery warned the OPW that diesel fumes from Leinster House’s emergency generator were billowing into its building, leading to health and safety complaints from staff.
Latest set of FOI records available at:
www.thestory.ie/2025/12/16/n...
Half-empty charter flight to Pakistan used 79 gardaí and cost €474,000 to deport just 24 people, only one of whom had a serious conviction.
Our latest set of FOI records:
www.thestory.ie/2025/12/12/h...
Infrastructure projects are being paralysed by shifting policies, stop-start funding and judicial reviews, according to a presentation from Transport Infrastructure Ireland.
Full story and slideshow available at:
www.thestory.ie/2025/12/10/t...
Data Protection Commission sought a €10 million hike in its budget as it looked to combat the “unfair narrative” that it was soft on Big Tech.
In pre-budget submission, the DPC said it was looking to increase annual spending to €39.8 million in 2026.
www.thestory.ie/2025/12/05/d...
Government was warned it faced a potential farmer revolt over climate policy, with grassroots resistance and distrust spreading.
The details were contained in an unpublished paper on challenges of communicating climate change:
www.thestory.ie/2025/12/03/u...
Salary of €250,000 per year with company car and 25% private pension plan was “wholly unfair” for chief executive of An Post.
Our latest set of records, released under FOI. The new salary for the job remains a mystery:
www.thestory.ie/2025/11/28/s...
Briefing for Taoiseach for “fireside chat” with Stripe billionaire John Collison said criticism of bureaucracy and over-regulation was likely.
It said Mr Collison was on record condemning “red tape” in Ireland.
www.thestory.ie/2025/11/25/b...
Information Commissioner rules RTÉ’s ‘nixer’ payment bands must stay secret as privacy rights outweigh public interest in disclosure.
Our latest case update:
www.thestory.ie/2025/11/21/i...
An audit of garda credit cards found receipts were missing for over €900 worth of spending, an incomplete policy that hadn’t been updated since 2018, and little paperwork on whether spending was necessary.
Our latest set of FOI records:
www.thestory.ie/2025/11/18/i...
