TWO people have been rushed to hospital following an explosion on board a ship docked at Foynes Port in Co Limerick tonight.
The incident occurred shortly before 7pm.
It’s understood the two men involved were carrying out routine maintenance on the ship tonight when a gas cylinder exploded, injuring them.
Gardai and emergency services including fire and rescue as well as HSE paramedics are at the port as part of a major emergency response to the serious incident.
Locals reported seeing emergency service personnel responding in and around the Bow Hercules, a registered oil/chemical tanker, which is moored at the port.
The 182.73m long x 32m wide 26,364 tonne vessel was built in 2017 and is sailing under the Norwegian flag.
It is currently still at the port and there are no visible signs of the vessel being in distress in the water.
The Cork Air Ambulance, officially known as the HSE Air Ambulance, emergency medical helicopter, based at Rathcoole, Co Cork, is part of the emergency response at the port.
It landed at the port around 8.15pm and is believed to have ferried one casualty to Cork University Hospital.
Another casualty is believed to be en route to hospital by road ambulance.
The emergency helicopter service operates as part of the National Ambulance Service, providing rapid response to critical medical emergencies in the southern region of Ireland.
The service utilises two EC135 helicopters, one of which is the newer T3 version (9H-SEC) and the other is the older T2 model (9H-SEB).
These helicopters are equipped with advanced medical equipment and are staffed by specialist paramedics and an emergency medical technician (EMT).
A Garda spokeswoman said: “Gardaí are currently at scene following a report of an incident on a ship in Foynes Port, Limerick this evening Tuesday 24th June, 2025 shortly before 7pm.
“Gardaí are assisting ambulance services at scene and dealing with a number of injuries. There are no further details, at this time.”
A statement issued on behalf of Shannon Foynes Port Company read: “Shannon Foynes Port Company can confirm that two men have been hospitalised flowing an accident on board a ship this evening at Foynes Port.
“Emergency services attended the scene and both men were removed to University Hospital.
“The cause of the accident is being investigated by the relevant authorities, while the matter on board the ship has made safe, with the Port due to resume operations tonight.”
THE Club World Cup clash between Boca Juniors and Auckland City has been suspended.
Players left the field due to adverse weather conditions.
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JOHN TEXTOR is reportedly considering a takeover of Sheffield Wednesday after selling his shares in Crystal Palace to save their European dream.
The American has offloaded his 43 per cent stake to fellow billionaire and New York Jets owner Woody Johnson for £190million.
Textor made the move after Palace saw their place in next season’s Europa League come under threat.
The Eagles qualified for the competition after winning the FA Cup final.
But Textor’s other club, French giants Lyon, had qualified through their Ligue 1 finish.
And Uefa rules meant that Palace would have been unable to participate unless Textor walked away.
Now, he could be set for an immediate return to England with stricken Sheffield Wednesday.
The Championship club are no longer being funded by wantaway owner Dejphon Chansiri, who has so far rejected bids of around £48m.
Wednesday’s former owner Milan Madaric has jetted in for showdown talks over a return to Hillsborough.
But The Star claims Textor could now come to the table as he looks to remain an investor in English football.
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Like many suitors, Textor is likely to see Wednesday as sleeping giants who would be revitalised by a return to the Premier League.
It comes after another American consortium revealed plans to build a new 55,000-seater stadium should they replace Chansiri.
Adam Shaw said: “Sheffield Wednesday are nowhere in America. We sell zero shirts and have no commercial presence there – that’s got to change.
“With the World Cup in the US next year and with the individuals we have in our ownership group, we could easily become Florida’s English football team.
“We should and can be way bigger than Wrexham. Ryan Reynolds would give his left leg to have what we already have at Wednesday in terms of our history and fanbase. Let’s use that.
“We wouldn’t do anything without consulting the fans, but we think the club should have a home where people can park more easily and have up-to-date facilities.
“If we want to create a culture that ensures we become a sustainable, competitive and successful Premier League side, then we must be proactive. Premier League clubs are all upgrading their stadiums.”
RTE Fair City viewers were all left saying the same thing after Sharon went head-to-head with Liam.
On tonight’s episode, Nikki came to the defence of Cass after Kira went over the top, and Pete searched for a new partner.
Georgie told Dean about the photo he and Sharon found on the SD card and he later confirmed to Ger that Sharon had the locket.
Tensions were on the rise between Sharon and Liam, but boiled over into a confrontation when she and Dean told him he had to leave.
Enraged after being confronted by Sharon and Dean, Liam stormed off.
Later, Ger approached Sharon to retrieve the locket, but Sharon demanded answers first.
Ger eventually relented to Sharon’s questions and explained that the photo in the locket could help Sharon clear her name – proving she wasn’t the one who betrayed her boss.
Despite this revelation, Sharon gave the locket back in exchange for Ger to stay out of her life for good.
RTE viewers raced to social media after the episode to share their thoughts on some of tonight’s drama.
Adam said: “Well done Sharon, he’s a horrible guy.”
Ciara tweeted: “Someone needs to throw Liam into the back of a boot and send him down the country.”
Pamela wrote: “Liam reminds me of the song, ‘Wherever I lay my hat, that’s my home’.”
Another fan added: “‘Liam is such a likable bloke’, said no one ever.”
Elsewhere on the show, Jacinta was determined to beat Pete in boules, although Hughie was more worried about his bad shoulder.
On a mission to find his own boules partner, Pete schemes to steal Nora from Ray by pressuring Ray into speeding up the repairs to Leo’s cab, leaving no time for practice.
Pete and Nora began practising to beat Jacinta and Hughie at the boules meet-up.
Hughie and Nora started to grow weary of Pete and Jacinta’s intensity.
Elsewhere in Carrigstown, Holly pleaded with Mondo for another chance to work with him, and he agreed – on the condition that she makes amends with Emma.
Determined to sabotage Emma’s interiors job, Holly brought Milo to the interview knowing he would cause chaos.
A nervous Emma was shocked by the stunt; however, Holly insisted she had no idea Milo would behave in such a destructive manner.
Trying to keep her on side, Holly pretended to be disappointed by Milo and admitted to Emma that he likely had cost her the position.
Meanwhile, Holly had secretly secured a new role with Mondo, and the pair agreed she had to hide it from James and Emma.
Finally, Cass accepted Kira’s apology, and she convinced him that, with her help he could be making money on his social media videos.
Off the back of her advice, Cass filmed a new video with Kira, showing off a teaspoon which was once owned by Michael Collins.
But when Kira started to go overboard with tacky production, Nikki confronted her for taking over the video idea and making Cass look silly.
A STUNTWOMAN’S lawsuit against Kevin Costner claiming that she was subjected to a “violent” unscripted rape scene has been amended to include disturbing alleged texts.
Devyn LaBella, 34, alleged in one message there had been an “abuse of power.”
The former gymnast who has worked as a Hollywood stunt performer since 2020 on the likes of Barbie and Yellowjackets filed her lawsuit on May 27 in Los Angeles Superior Court.
She has alleged that she was subjected to an unscripted rape scene without proper warning, consent or protocols while shooting Costner’s film Horizon: An American Saga: Chapter 2.
Costner, 70, who was acting as well as directing on set for the movie, has denied all the allegations. His lawyer has denied there was “anything sexual in the shot.”
LaBella amended her lawsuit on June 18 to include alleged text messages, reported the US Weekly.
The publication claimed that it had seen new evidence submitted against Costner and his production firm Territory Pictures.
The shoot included a planned sexual assault scene, shot in May of 2023, that LaBella performed much of because of its violent and physical nature, the initial lawsuit said.
LaBella’s lawsuit said she was the stunt double for one of the Horizon leads, Ella Hunt, 27, throughout the Western.
For the initial scene, protocols were followed, including meetings, rehearsals, the presence of an intimacy coordinator and minimal crew, the lawsuit stated.
But it alleged that the following day, in an unscripted scene with no warning, rehearsal or choreography, Costner directed an actor to pin LaBella down on a wagon and simulate rape.
The lawsuit claimed that Costner asked for many takes as he experimented with the violent action and did not make it clear when a shot was beginning or ending.
The amended lawsuit includes alleged text messages LaBella claimed to have exchanged with the film’s intimacy coordinator, Celeste Cheney, the day after the alleged scene was shot.
LaBella wrote in the alleged text, dated May 3, “Hi Celeste… I wanted to discuss yesterdays abomination when we both have a chance.
“Are you around today? I was put in a really wrong position and it’s really affected me.”
According to the Weekly, Cheney replied, “Oh no, I’m so sorry to hear this, Devyn. Yes, of course, let’s talk it through.”
In a further alleged message, LaBella reportedly asked the coordinator, “Why was there no intimacy coordinator?”
The Weekly claimed that she also allegedly texted, “Why was a stunt double doing this non stunt work — especially given the sensitivity of it?
“Who is gonna take responsibility for the abuse of power …”
These questions were among more than a dozen that LaBella allegedly asked Cheney in relation to the scene.
For example, the amended lawsuit said she also allegedly asked, “how did lining up a shot turn into a rape sequence?” and “why was sensitive and explicit action commanded when it wasn’t in the script?”
The Weekly claimed that Cheney later wrote an incident report in which she allegedly noted that “apologies were made to Ella [Hunt] and Devyn by various parties involved.”
Costner’s attorney, Martin Singer, has rejected LaBella’s claims.
He said in a statement, “Ms. LaBella was doing a rehearsal on an insert shot for a scripted scene.”
Any shot whose only objective is to draw the viewer’s attention to a single aspect inside a scene is referred to as an insert shot, according to the Nashville Film Institute.
Singer told The U.S. Sun, “There was no intimacy or anything sexual in the shot.
“There was tugging on a dress while she was fully clothed in a dress with long bloomers lying down next to a male actor.
“Numerous witnesses have contradicted Ms. LaBella’s meritless claims.
“She herself texted her supervisor after she wrapped stating, ‘Thank you for these wonderful weeks.’
“We look forward to the swift end of this specious lawsuit.”
It followed his previous statement on the lawsuit when it was lodged.
He said last month, “The scene in question was explained to Ms. LaBella.
“After she performed the rehearsal in character with another actor, she gave her stunt coordinator supervisor a thumbs up and indicated her willingness to then shoot the scene, if needed (which she was not).”
He added, “That night, Ms. LaBella had dinner with her supervisor, the stunt coordinator, and with the assistant stunt coordinator, and she was in good spirits and made no complaints to them.
“She continued to work on the movie for a few more weeks until her wrap date, and she took the stunt coordinator to a thank-you dinner.”
The lawsuit seeks damages in an amount to be determined at trial.
It also seeks a judge’s order for the defendants to undergo sexual harassment training, to be required to use an intimacy coordinator on future productions and to issue LaBella a public apology.
Costner has spent 30 years trying to make the ambitious, four-part Western epic Horizon: An American Saga.
The first part was released in June 2024.
But plans to release the second immediately afterwards were put on hold after the poor box office performance of part one.
LAST week saw the hottest day of the year so far, when temperatures hit an incredible 33.2C in Charlwood, Surrey.
Chances are you were drooping in the heat, with low energy levels, unattractive sweating and a high possibility of sunburn.
Well guess what?
When your garden hits over 32C, much the same is happening to your plants.
They lose water through their leaves faster than they can absorb it, causing wilting, while the leaves themselves can get scorched.
They can also stop growing, as their energy levels are reduced.
But in the same way we splash water on ourselves, stay indoors and apply liberal coatings of suntan lotion, there are many ways of heat-proofing and protecting your garden.
And all of them are cheap or free – and very straightforward.
If you’ve got plants in pots, move them into the shade and group them together, so that they give each other protection.
Light coloured pots are best for container planting as they reflect the heat and sunlight, which in turn keeps the soil cooler and less prone to drying out.
Darker pots will absorb the heat, drying the contents much quicker and stressing the plants more.
B&M currently have some lovely light pink and pale green planters for just £2, while B&Q are selling deep white pots for £3.
It’s worth remembering that pots – and hanging baskets – dry out really quickly in the heat and need much more watering.
When the weather’s this hot, water them daily if you can, giving them a really good soak.
Larger pots retain moisture better, so won’t dry out as quickly.
And while terracotta pots look lovely, they dry out much faster than other pots.
There’s a knack to watering in a heatwave – one of the most important tips to remember is not to water in the daytime.
The best time is early in the morning, before it starts getting really hot, so the water doesn’t evaporate.
If that’s not an option, water when the sun’s gone down.
Morning is best, though, as slugs move around at night and love the damp soil.
And don’t water all over the plant, however tempting it is to remove the dust and return the leaves to their glossy former selves.
Aim directly for the roots, as wet leaves can cause fungus to form and, in really extreme cases, magnify the sunlight onto the leaves and cause scorching.
But mainly, it’s just a waste of water.
And give them a really good soaking once or twice a week, rather than a light water daily.
Experts reckon you should count to between 15 and 20 seconds as you water each plant to make sure the water soaks down through the soil to the roots.
It may not give the lush, healthy look that you’re looking for, but there is no problem with letting your lawn go brown.
If it’s healthy, it will cope and the green will return when there’s a bit of rain.
Also, if you’re currently thinking of laying a lawn, aim for a much hardier native lawn seed, like fescue.
This will withstand extreme heat a lot better than some of the more trendy varieties.
It’s also worth considering a lawn seed that’s mixed with wildflower seeds.
Johnson’s Nature’s Lawn with Mowable Wildflowers (£12.99) creates a lovely blanket of blooms if you’re letting it grow longer in the heat.
It’s also best to raise your mower’s cutting level and instead of collecting cuttings, let them fall as mulch onto the lawn to keep in moisture.
Save and store any rainwater to reuse in your garden.
A water butt connected to roof drainage is probably the best option, as it will capture all your rainwater run-off from the pipes.
But a stand alone butt is a great addition to any garden.
There are all sorts on the market at the moment, including ones that attach to walls, which are great for smaller gardens as they don’t take up valuable space.
Argos currently sells a standalone 100 litre butt, with a tap and connecting kit, for just £28.
If you don’t have room for a water butt, just leave a few brightly coloured buckets around to catch any rain.
Or, if you’ve got just a few pots around your garden, you could invest in some cheap self-watering plant spikes, which you fill up with water and stick in your planters.
They release water slowly, reducing the need for a daily soak.
Temu has a set of five for £2.97 – so just 60p a pop.
If you’re feeling spendy, you could splash out on a dipping tank.
They’re beautifully designed and act as an elegant water feature for your garden, as well as creating valuable water storage.
The Dipping Tank Company has a 60cm tank for £395 – not cheap, but it will last a very long time.
You could also set up an irrigation system, although these are also costly. A leaky hose can work just as well.
With a bit of careful planning you can create a beautiful, calming escape in your garden with just a few choice products.
A sail shade is a quick, cheap and easy way to zone off a corner of your garden.
Dunelm’s Elements Grey Sail Parasol is just £15 at the moment.
Put garden furniture underneath it to create a lovely, cooling retreat. Dobbies Esme bistro set in green is currently on sale for £79.20, instead of £99.
You can surround the area with pots of fast-growing bamboo, which will not only add shade, but a lovely calming sound as the wind rustles through the leaves.
It’s best to keep bamboo in pots, otherwise it spreads underground and can cause real problems. You can even be fined if it spreads to your neighbours’ gardens.
Or you could plant banana trees in planters to create a natural shady barrier around your seating area. They grow really fast and add a proper exotic, tropical vibe, while also protecting you from the sunshine.
YouGarden are selling Musa Basjoo, aka Japanese banana plants, for just £9.99 at the moment.
Why not add a calming, cooling water feature to your garden?
Studies have shown that the soothing sounds of moving water can reduce stress, lower cortisol levels (a stress hormone) and promote relaxation.
Hydria Life offers lovely pipe-less moveable fountain systems that fit in any pot of 30cm or more for £99.
You can also buy solar powered fountains that you just pop in a dish of water, birdbath or pond from Amazon for just £6.98.
As well as helping you feel more chilled out, water features attract wildlife, including birds, insects and butterflies, helping to boost your garden’s biodiversity.
They’re also known to help block out unwanted background noise, such as traffic sounds.
On a recent gardening trip to Venice, where it was topping 27C daily and only going to get hotter, there was a definite planting plan.
In many of the gardens I visited there were agapanthus, pittosporum, lavender, wisteria, jasmine, fig trees and great big Fatsia Japonicas.
They were bursting with colour, but most importantly had been planted because they could withstand the heat.
Other plants that will work well in UK gardens include geums, sedums, achillea, hardy geraniums, rosemary and salvias.
Remember to mulch your plants, which means covering the soil around them with a thin layer of protective material.
This could be wood chippings, well rotted manure, gravel, shredded leaves or special garden mulch.
It keeps the roots cool and moisture locked in, while also preventing weeds that can compete for water.
Lidl has 40 litre bags of decorative bark chips for just £3.49.