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FAMILIES with three or more children could soon be receiving larger Child Benefit payments under new plans being examined by the Government.

The move is being looked at to try and boost birth rates, it has been reported.

This week, Taoiseach Micheal Martin confirmed that the Government is considering a second-tier Child Benefit payment targeted at poorer families in a bid to combat child poverty.

The €140 flat payment will still be paid to everyone, regardless of income.

The €140 payment per child is currently the same regardless of the number of children in the family.

However, a higher top-up rate could also be paid for the third and subsequent children to encourage more births.

A policy paper is currently being worked on to set out the options ahead of the budget.

Other areas being examined to reduce child poverty levels are payments for children of primary-school age, lone parents, working families on low incomes and children with disabilities.

The Taoiseach has also pointed to initiatives such as free school meals, free schoolbooks, childcare subsidies and broader social welfare payments, such as the Working Family Payment (formerly Family Income Supplement) and the Child Support Payment.

He said: “We are looking at a range of measures, in respect of the next budget, to bring down child poverty.”

Child Benefit payments are universal, and are paid to parents regardless of their income – but it has risen by less than €10 in the last 20 years.

The monthly payment for a first child was €131.60 in 2004 and stands at €140 now, just six per cent higher.

The Child Benefit rate reached €166 during the Celtic Tiger era, but was reduced during the recession to its current rate.

Research by the State’s economic think tank looked at the effect of bringing in a second tier of Child Benefit to address child poverty, at a cost of €800m.

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KATIE McCABE and her long-time girlfriend Caitlin Foord looked loved up as they jetted off to Ibiza for a well-earned holiday.

The Arsenal duo were joined by some of their teammates – both club and respective countries – for an end of season trip.

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Katie McCabe shared loved up snaps with Caitlin Foord in Ibiza[/caption]

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They were joined by a host of fellow football stars[/caption]

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It comes after the Ireland star helped Arsenal to win the Champions League[/caption]

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She called it a beautiful week with beautiful people[/caption]

Republic of Ireland international McCabe shared a host of pics from the holiday to Instagram, labelling the holiday a “beautiful week with beautiful people”.

Alongside a pic of her with her beloved partner, she shared pics with the likes of fellow Ireland stars Jessie Stapleton and Grace Moloney.

It was a well-earned getaway after what was a relentless and hectic end of the club and international campaign for the Dubliner.

On May 24, she and Arsenal shocked Barcelona to win the Champions League final.

The Gunners enjoyed the celebrations afterwards, with McCabe taking centre stage at the Emirates Stadium homecoming.

However, less than a week later, she was back in Ireland camp for the Nations League double header against Turkey and Slovenia.

McCabe was Player of the Match in the former, just six days after her Champions League heroics, but lashed out at the football calendar in the build-up to the latter.

The 29-year-old insisted: “It’s the whole calendar. I don’t know who’s in charge of it but it definitely needs to be looked at.

“What it will create over time, and we’ve already seen it in recent years, is burnout in players and major injuries.

“You’ve got world-class players that will be sitting out tournaments through injuries. We don’t want to see that.

“We want the best players in the world playing at tournaments on the biggest stage. I just hope it doesn’t cause too much more harm to us as players going forward.

“Like what we had to do last year, all through the summer, where you’re finishing a season and you’ve to kind of rest but kind of keep fit for the next block of games.

“It’s hard mentally and physically, from a periodisation point of view, to do that. So the timing of the fixtures needs to be looked at.”

The workload has taken its toll, with McCabe being left out of the Ireland squad for a pair of summer friendlies against the USA.

Head coach Carla Ward said: “Katie has played a lot of minutes for club and country.

“She’s on the verge of burnout, as are some others. There’s going to be conversations. It won’t just be Katie that won’t be travelling.”

And Ward believes it is a more widespread issue in football.

She cited her own decision to step away from former club Aston Villa — and England ace Millie Bright’s call to pull out of the recent England squad — due to burnout.

The Ireland boss added: “It’s a difficult one. You’ve seen it with Millie Bright at England coming out. The mental and physical fatigue is just massive.

“I felt it at Villa. It’s the reason I needed a break. It’s a tough place to be and I think there’s a lot of players close to it.

“They’ve played a lot of minutes, so we have to protect them. We’ll support anybody that needs a break.”

WITH precious little time between lifting the URC trophy and linking up with the Lions, Jack Conan made sure to worry more about care of the dog than the hair of the dog.

Along with the retiring Cian Healy and the injured Caelan Doris — for whom he stood in as team captain — Conan raised Leinster’s long-awaited latest piece of silverware last Saturday at Croke Park after the 32-7 final victory over the Bulls.

This was cause for celebration but with Conan being one of 12 Blues players selected in the Lions squad for the upcoming trip to Australia, there was never going to be a huge amount of time for him to bask in URC glory.

While he did not feature against Argentina at the Aviva Stadium last night, he was in UCD yesterday morning as a number of Lions players hosted a training session for 90 schoolchildren from right across Ireland.

And pressed on how much time he had to enjoy his province’s success, the back-row ace said: “The afterglow went pretty quickly on Monday morning when you had to pack up for the next eight weeks of your life.

“We had a great few days, it was nice. A few pints on Sunday as well early doors, which was good. I felt fresh enough on Monday morning.

“I had to go down to Bray at seven in the morning to get the dog. I was home early, so I was being wise.

“Monday was good. We didn’t have much to do. We just came in, met everyone and got our gear.

“We had a proper runout here on Tuesday, which was soul-searching stuff. We had to run out the demons.

“You’d love to be playing against Argentina, but it is what it is. Everyone has been training away for the last week without us, so hopefully get a run out soon.”

Just a few short months before starting all three Tests that the Lions played during their tour of South Africa in 2021, Wicklow native Conan was in the Leinster side for their PRO14 final win over arch rivals Munster at the RDS.

That was the last major title the Blues got their hands on until they collected the URC crown last weekend so Conan, 32, will hope for the same again as he looks to follow up a trophy in blue with a big summer in red.

There are still some question marks over whether the 2024-25 season will be deemed a success or a failure for Leinster given their latest Champions Cup bid ended in a shock semi-final loss to Northampton Saints at the Aviva Stadium.

Yet even though he acknowledges their defeat to the English Premiership outfit was a difficult one to take, Conan stressed any campaign that sees a team winning a trophy ought to be regarded as a satisfactory one.

He added: “I think any season where you win something can never be deemed a failure.

“Obviously we want to go well in both competitions. I think if it hadn’t been for the performance against Northampton . . . even if we had lost that game but we performed really well, I don’t think people would have said much about it.

“The problem is when you are winning most of the time, it papers over cracks a little bit, so we had to have a good hard look at ourselves.

“You get to win a trophy in Croke Park with all your mates.

“At the end of the day, I would have taken that.

“I definitely wouldn’t say it was a failure but there’s definitely more in this club and in the lads.

“Hopefully a big few years still now ahead of us.”

RTE star Daithi O’Se has lifted the lid on his experience with parenting a pre-teen in the age of social media.

The Today Show host and his wife Rita welcomed their son Ogie back in 2014 – and the youngster just celebrated his 11th birthday.

Daithi and Rita recently told how their entire life “revolves” around their young lad.

The Kerry native told RSVP: “He has a busier schedule than I have. It’s great craic, but it’s also tiring.”

The popular presenter expressed his shock at how fast his son is growing up in front of him.

He said: “It’s crazy. He only has one more year left in primary school and then he’s on to secondary school. You’re thinking, ‘Holy crap, how did that happen?'”

However, raising a pre-teen comes with its struggles, and Daithi opened up about his concerns surrounding social media usage.

The 49-year-old said: “People say that kids are so fast these days and they’re way better than us when it comes to devices, but that’s not good enough.

“We have to be better than them and we have to know what they’re doing.

“If you don’t understand phones then go and learn about them. You have to educate yourself and you have to educate them.”

Both Daithi and Rita are skeptical about giving Ogie a phone and admitted they monitor all of his screen time.

The Irish host added: “It’s hard for kids because the phone is so important and they’re everywhere. Everyone records everything, so you can’t make a mistake.”

And Daithi revealed that he is “dreading” the moment his son gets his first phone.

The host admitted that there is “so much pressure” on parents to protect their child from social media.

This comes after Daithi revealed he got the “kick in the behind” that he needed to lose wight.

The presenter kick started the year with a new health routine and it definitely has paid off.

Daithi has revealed his whopping weight loss results after just a few months of eating healthy and going to the gym.

‘I’M IN A GOOD PLACE’

The star told RSVP: “I’ve been going to the gym since Christmas and I’m down over a stone. I sit in a car for four hours a day before sitting in a TV studio and going to bed, so I had to start moving.

“I was getting to a stage where I had to start doing something and then I got into a really good routine. I only do about half an hour in the gym and then I sit in the sauna for 30 minutes afterwards. 

“I take a cold shower after that. I have gotten the kick in the behind that I really needed.

“I don’t kill myself. I do 10 minutes on the bike and then I do 15 of whatever is in front of me weights wise along with my stretches before the sauna. I’m in and out, washed, dried and cleaned, in an hour.” 

Daithi has explained that getting older contributed to him wanting to be healthier.

He said: “Well, I’m 49 this month and I’ll be 50 next year, so that’s on my mind. I know I need to mind myself. 

“I try it a few times a year, but this is the first time I’ve continued with it and I’m really enjoying it. I’m in a really good place.”

IT seems that actor Paul Mescal and singer Gracie Abrams are enjoying some low-key dates before heading to Glastonbury Festival next week. 

I can reveal that the pair have been making the most of the heatwave in London by having picnics in North London’s Highbury Fields this week. 

Sun On Sunday

Sun On Sunday

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An onlooker said: “Paul and Gracie were definitely making the most of the warm weather by hanging out with pals in the park. 

“Paul was bounding around the park and clearly loving the long summer nights.

“But it was a bit awkward when Paul forgot his bottle opener and had to ask a nearby group if he could use one to open his drink.

“They looked super loved-up and Paul couldn’t resist taking a picture of the sunset on his phone to capture the moment.”

Gracie is set to play the Other Stage at Glasto next week – and it looks like her No1 supporter will be her boyfriend Paul. 

The couple were first linked in June 2024 when they were snapped having a romantic dinner date at celebrity haunt BRAT Restaurant in London. 

Their picnics and drinks in the park come after Paul was ordered to lose some muscle and put on some fat for his next role.

Paul will play Sir Paul McCartney in the upcoming Beatles biopic – and The Sun recently revealed the hunky Gladiator II star has been told to go on a Normal People diet.

An insider said: “Obviously there weren’t really gyms around in the Sixties. 

“The Beatles weren’t dead-lifting between gigs. 

“Macca was always pretty lean and flexible — he has always been really into yoga — but this is a very different aesthetic to that of a burly gladiator, and Paul has been keeping his body pretty ripped, even after filming stopped.

“Sir Paul McCartney is also famously a vegetarian, whereas Paul mainly lives on a high protein steak, chicken and eggs diet. 

“There also weren’t whey protein shakes back in the Beatles’ day.”

Alamy

IT’S weekends like this that many of us would kill for our own swimming pool.

And this weekend you could be in luck as shoppers are nabbing exactly that for under £50 at Lidl.

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She shared a snap of her receipt revealing how she got the discount[/caption]

Taking to the Facebook group Extreme Couponing & Bargains UK, one mum shared her hot weather find.

She revealed that she had picked up the Crivit Frame Pool from the German supermarket on special offer down from £69.99.

Explaining how she got more money off, she wrote: “Absolute bargain considering the best way 10ft pool is currently on offer for £100 online 

“Was uploaded yesterday save £15 on the 10ft frame pool using the Lidl plus app, I managed to get an extra £5 off today so got it for £45, comes with a pump absolute bargain!”

Fellow bargain-hunters were quick to gush over her find, with many agreeing it was an excellent find.

Commenting on the post, one wrote: “I’ve had one for last few summers and one of the best items I’ve ever bought for my kids.”

“I’ve had that pool it’s ace,” added another, while a third wrote, “It’s such a bargain. I managed to get one today.”

However, it seems that not everyone was full of praise with some group members describing the 10ft pool as ‘small.’

But the mum was quick to clap-back at her haters.

She wrote: “It’s a 10ft pool for all those saying it’s small it took around 3hrs just under to fill up (depends on your hose pressure I guess) I bought a cover on Amazon for a 10ft pool and fits perfectly, you can also check stock in shops on the Lidl website.”

It is important to remember to always shop around when buying something like this as you might find a cheaper alternative.

Websites like Trolley and Price Spy let you compare thousands of products across different retailers to find the best price.

Price Spy even lets you see how much an item has cost over time, so you can see if the current price is a good deal.

A quick scan on the Google Shopping/Product tab will also bring up how much retailers are selling a certain item for.

FATHER’S Day has just been and gone, but one dad who was not given a royal shout out was Thomas Markle. 

The former lighting director, 80, is estranged from Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, 43, and hasn’t even met her husband Prince Harry or his grandkids, Archie and Lilibet. 

Phil Penman - The Sun

Meghan Markle’s dad Thomas Markle has not seen his daughter for years[/caption]

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Royal experts have said there may be three reasons why Meghan has never introduced Prince Harry to Thomas[/caption]

Thomas Marlke

Thomas pictured with Meghan growing up[/caption]

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Royal experts have queried why an introduction has never been made, and royal author and broadcaster Hugo Vickers claimed there could be three key reasons.

Speaking on The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show, he said: “Why did Mr Markle never meet Prince Harry?

“There can only be three reasons for that. 

“One that she was ashamed of him, which I think is a bit unattractive.

“Two, possibly that she thought he’d done something, but when Prince Harry rang Mr Markle up and asked if he could marry his daughter, he said ‘you can marry her as long as you never raise your hand against her’.

“Of course we don’t talk like that, so maybe he lives in a world where people have done that sort of thing. 

“I dispute that as well. I don’t think that’s the case. 

“The third reason is that I think she was worried that he might actually have warned Prince Harry – this is not what you’re getting, this girl.”

Thomas famously didn’t attend his daughter’s globally-televised royal wedding to Prince Harry in 2018 due to suffering two heart attacks – although her mum Doria Ragland did.

He watched the wedding of Meghan and Harry from a £23-a-night Airbnb in the country.

After the pensioner – who divorced Doria in 1987 – was unable to walk his daughter down the aisle, they’ve not been in contact since.

Hugo continued: “Mr Markle should have been at the wedding and they should have flown him over and stuck him in a health farm in the Shetlands or somewhere. 

“Prince Harry should have gone up to see him and if he couldn’t have walked the aisle he should have been sitting there, because, as you rightly say, he did a lot for that girl and she even admitted it in the early days before she distanced herself from him.”

Due to their estrangement, Thomas previously confessed he has resigned himself to the fact he will most likely never meet Archie, six, or Lilibet, four.

The Sun

The Sun’s royal editor Matt Wilkinson talking to Hugo Vickers and Samara Gill on our royal exclusive show[/caption]

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Thomas has not yet met his grandkids, Lilibet and Archie[/caption]

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Meghan’s mum Doria has met the royal family and is active in her grandkids’ lives[/caption]

This is despite him living just 250 miles away from Meghan for years, in a home filled with pictures and accolades of his daughter – who he affectionately dubs “Megsy”.

Now Thomas has left his California home after 10 years and has relocated to South East Asia to spend his time with “kinder people”.

The Duchess’ estranged father also admitted that while he doesn’t like some of Meghan’s behaviour, his “door is always open”.

MARKLE FEUD

Not known, clear with picture desk

Meghan reportedly has not spoken to Thomas in years[/caption]

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Thomas has done numerous TV interviews about their relationship[/caption]

Turmoil between the pair erupted after Thomas posed for paparazzi pictures ahead of Harry and Meghan tying the knot.

However, Meghan has previously shared the hurt and “betrayal she felt” by her father.

She opened up about her relationship with her estranged dad and said she was left feeling crushed when he lied to her about not talking to the media.

In her sensational interview with Oprah in 2021, Meghan said: “I’m trying to decide if I’m comfortable even talking about that.

“It was… if we were going to use the word betrayal.”

MEGHAN’S FATHER’S DAY SNUB

This follows Meghan sharing a rare video showing Archie and Lilibet to wish Harry a Happy Father’s day.

The heartwarming footage was posted on Instagram with Jason Mraz’s hit ‘Have It All’ playing in the background.

“The best,” she captioned her post. “Happy Father’s Day to our favorite guy.”

The compilation showed photos and videos of Harry laughing, dancing and spending quality time with his children through the years.

While Thomas – and also King Charles – was omitted from the post, Meghan did post a tribute to Doria on Mother’s Day.

The Duchess has been more open with posting her children this year, amid her new business ventures, including her As Ever brand and her Netflix cooking show, With Love, Meghan.

ZARA McDermott is taking a hiatus from social media to focus on making a new documentary about family violence.

The former Love Island star announced her break from socials just days after ex Sam Thompson came face to face with her new boyfriend, Louis Tomlinson.

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Zara McDermott is taking a break from social medi[/caption]

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It comes days after her ex Sam Thompson (L) ran into her new boyfriend Louis Tomlinson during a training session ahead of Soccer Aid 2025[/caption]

She split from Made In Chelsea star, Sam, earlier this year after five years together and was spotted with the One Direction singer in March.

Zara took to her Instagram stories to update her fans and explain why she was stepping away from social media for a short while.

 “I also just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who messaged me with regards to the story I posted the other day,” she began.

“If you didn’t see it; I spoke about developing my next documentary and how I’ve been thinking of how to create a project about domestic abuse, coercive control and tech abuse.”

Zara revealed she had received thousands of message from people who had stories to share and she was still going through them.

“But I wanted to say the biggest thank you ever. It’s so nice speaking to you all because I’ve definitely taken a bit of  a step back from socials to focus on my documentaries and other work just focusing on being more present recently,” she explained.

The TV star added: “Social media feels quite heavy and a negative space sometimes… so to be able to feel like we can work together to do something super positive is a great feeling. thank you again. forever grateful to all of you who continue to support the work i do. it really means SO much.”

Her post comes just days after Sam and Louis came face to face while representing England in the charity football match, Soccer Aid.

The pair had already crossed paths on the training pitch last week, prior to Sam pulling out of the game due to injury and later attended the same pre-game dinner.

Both men looked relaxed this evening as they milled around their hotel with fellow squad members.

Zara has already ruled herself out of attending the star-studded match.

Sam presented a video of his charity work in Guatemala to both sets of players, something he found much more nerve-racking than meeting Louis.

He said: “I did a small talk in front of everyone, which was terrifying, and I maintain I think it’s the most important thing I’ve done in my 32 years of life.

“I really do believe that. Getting to go to Guatemala to see what UNICEF do on the ground is just life-changing.”

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Zara and Sam dated for five years[/caption]

FIGHT fans were left stunned after a bareknuckle boxer KISSED her opponent during their final face-off.

Former UFC stars Mariya Agapova and Jessica Eye took part in a tense final staredown on Friday night at the BKFC 76 ceremonial weigh-ins.

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Mariya Agapova and Jessica Eye took part in a heated face off at the BKFC weigh-ins[/caption]

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Agapova stunned attendees by sensationally KISSING Eye on the lips[/caption]

Tensions between the former flyweight standouts were high before their faced off.

And Kazakh killer Agapova upped the ante by KISSING Eye on the lips after she got right in her face.

Eye, 38, didn’t take kindly to Agapova’s aggressive show of affection.

The former UFC flyweight title challenger pushed her away and said: “That’s so weird. So f***ing weird.”

Footage of the bizarre incident spread like wildfire on social media, with one fight fan commenting: ” That was weird.”

Another said: “I guess Eye dealt with it well…. That’s just cringe, though.”

And another said: ” It’s gonna be an interesting match.”

One remarked: “It’s mad that these two were once in the UFC.”

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Maria Agapova’s unprompted kiss went viral[/caption]

Another chimed in: “Looking forward to after the fight more.”

Agapova gave a short and sweet answer when asked why she decided to plant one on Eye’s lips.

Agapova said of the incident: “She just came too close.”

An annoyed Eye took to Instagram to further vent her frustration, he said: “You disrespected a warrior.

“Now you’re just the fuel for the fire that’s about to burn your name.”

Both Agapova and Eye are in desperate need of a win having both lost their last SIX FIGHTS in a row, with the former’s skid comprising of losses in boxing, grappling and MMA.

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