Tag: federation

One in three young people learn about money on social media

One in three (34%) post-primary students now learn about money on social media, and one in seven (16%) don’t feel comfortable asking for help with money-related questions or concerns, according to new research published by MABS (Money Advice & Budgeting Service). The findings will be presented today at a Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) event at Croke Park, to open Global Money Week.

The CCPC, as the national coordinator for Global Money Week, will bring together educators, students and representatives from the world of finance to recognise and celebrate the valuable work being done to build financial skills in young people.

MABS will present the findings of their Money Matters Survey, which found that while young people continue to demonstrate strong digital engagement and a growing sense of responsibility towards their personal finances, important gaps remain that require sustained attention from policymakers, educators, and researchers.

  • Over a quarter (26%) of students don’t know how to use an ATM
  • TikTok has strengthened its dominance as the primary social media platform used for financial information/learning (72%), however,
  • Parents and family members remain the primary source of financial learning (73%)

More than 150 students and their teachers from 20 schools across 13 counties will also attend the launch event to share their innovative financial literacy projects, which were sponsored by the CCPC’s Our Money, Our Future programme.

In 2024, the CCPC launched the Our Money, Our Future programme, which invites post-primary schools and Youthreach Centres to apply for sponsorship up to €1,000 to support students in developing their own financial literacy initiatives and resources, based on topics and themes relevant to them. Over 10,000 students from 23 counties around the country participated in the programme in the 2025/26 school year.

Brian McHugh, Chair of the CCPC, said:

“Students in Ireland today are showing a real sense of financial curiosity; we can see this in the research conducted by MABS and through the high-calibre projects that students are creating through the Our Money, Our Future sponsorship programme. However, important gaps remain. It’s up to policymakers and educators to try and close these gaps, which is why events like the Global Money Week launch – that bring together so many groups from the world of finance – are so important.”

Karl Cronin, North Connacht and Ulster Regional Manager at MABS, said:

“The insights from this year’s Money Matters research show that young people have strong financial curiosity, growing digital engagement, and a real sense of responsibility for their finances. When that curiosity is supported with early, practical financial education, it builds confidence that lasts into adulthood. The results also highlight gaps that need continued focus, and MABS is committed to helping bridge those gaps by supporting initiatives, such as Global Money Week, that strengthen financial learning for young people across Ireland.”

The launch event at Croke Park will be attended by representatives from the world of finance also involved in Global Money Week, including An Post, Association of Teachers of Home Economics, Banking and Payments Federation Ireland, Brokers Ireland, BSTAI, Central Bank, Competition & Consumer Protection Commission, Department of Finance, Department of Education and Youth, Euronext, Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman, Institute of Banking, Insurance Ireland, Insurance Institute of Ireland, Irish Funds, Irish League of Credit Unions, Junior Achievement Ireland, Life Insurance Association, Maths Week, Money Advice & Budgeting Service, Oide, Revenue.

For more information on the Our Money, Our Future programme, please see here.

Latest crackdown on illegal IPTV services 13 notices handed out

The Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) and partners have started the year by reconfirming their commitment towards tackling illegal IPTV service operators in Ireland.

An operation was carried out over two weeks in December, that has resulted in the shutting down of illicit services, impacting thousands of prohibited streams and ‘end-users’.

Legal notices were served to 13 illegal IPTV operators across Ireland instructing them to immediately stop their illicit streaming activities or otherwise risk facing the consequences, including criminal prosecution.

The 13 legal notices were served across Dublin, Cork, Donegal, Offaly, Limerick, Louth, Clare, Westmeath and Laois. They were delivered in person, by post and through email and the outcome has been successful, resulting in services being shut down, deleted social media profiles, subscriptions being terminated and paid settlements agreed.

Many consumers are unaware that piracy networks are often linked to organised crime, with their profits potentially funding other illegal activities.

While separately, illegal streams carry serious risks of opening consumers up to a range of harms including having their devices infected with malware and viruses, to being defrauded or having personal data stolen.

FACT supports the consumer campaign BeStreamWise, set up to inform the public of these risks, and directing them to safe routes to watch the content they enjoy.

This is the fourth wave of enforcement action to date, since March 2023, and has resulted in the closure of almost 70 illegal services across the country. It forms part of an ongoing commitment by FACT and partners to eliminate illegal streaming in the country and protect consumers.

The action is having an impact on the piracy landscape in Ireland, with more operators being identified than ever before, with more illegal services being disrupted impacting tens of thousands of end-users who would have watched the streams.

Kieron Sharp, Chairman of FACT, commented:

“Together with our partners we will continue to identify and take action against Illegal IPTV service providers. They are breaking the law, making criminal profits and putting consumers at real risk of malware, data loss and identity theft.

“We want to protect consumers from these risks and operations such as this ensure the message goes out. It is not scaremongering; these are real criminal actions which consumers and their families are exposed to.

“These investigations and operations will continue this new year.”

The judicial system is imposing serious rulings against individuals who break the law in relation to illegal streaming. In July 2024, Naas Circuit Criminal Court sentenced Ciaran Donovan, 42 from Kildare to 16 months’ imprisonment for operating an illegal ‘dodgy box’ TV streaming service, King Kong Media and possession of over €900,000 in criminal proceeds. This followed an investigation initiated by Sky’s Anti-Piracy team.

While in October 2024, Cormac McGuckin, 38, from Derry was sentenced to four years at Omagh Crown Court, for running an illegal streaming TV company. McGuckin pleaded guilty to several fraud charges dating back to 2016. His wife, Maura McGuckin, 34, was also sentenced to a 12-month sentence, suspended for two years for crimes associated to her husband’s affairs.

Esports & Gaming Federation of Ireland and Northern Ireland Esports Join Together

A strategic alignment between Northern Ireland Esports and the Esports & Gaming Federation of Ireland signals a bright future for esports players on the island of Ireland. The new entity will operate under ‘Ireland Esports’ represented by a new combined logo.

Going forward both entities will now operate as one registered not-for-profit organisation. The combined all-Ireland entity, respecting all communities, has the common goal to empower talent and provide pathways to compete on the international stage.  The alignment will share resources, facilitate education and develop domestic tournament initiatives over time.

Ireland Esports will be a member of the Global Esports Federation (GEF), the International Esports Federation (IeSF) and is committed to retain its existing close alignment with the British Esports Federation, Esports Scotland and Esports Wales.

Speaking at the announcement, Chair of Ireland Esports Steve Daly said, ‘The need to support pathways for esports athletes to compete on the international stage continues to evolve at pace. By adopting an all-Ireland approach, as has been seen in community and education initiatives as well as traditional sports and sporting federations, this strategic alignment is a significant step forward’.

‘Both entities have been successfully working together for the past 12 months and have achieved so much. Bringing them together in a more formal fashion will help accelerate opportunities for esports talent and implement professional structures successfully. Much of this hard work was seen earlier this summer as we travelled to the European Games Esports Championships to showcase the talent we have discovered on the island of Ireland’ said Michael Smyth, Ireland Esports board member, who has acted as Team Manager for both Esports NI and Ireland Esports over the last 12 months.

Athletes from Northern Ireland will have the option of participating for Ireland Esports or for the Great Britain and Northern Ireland team for international events, as is the case within the Olympic movement.

The Ireland Esports logo takes inspiration from the existing NI Esports stag logo.  The Irish stag has been a symbol, dating back centuries in Irish folklore, representing strength, power, courage, and maturity. The stag is combined with a modern interpretation of Ireland’s symbolic Shamrock motif.  The mission statement for the new entity is ‘To manage and enhance the performance of Team Ireland at international competitive tournaments whilst developing domestic competitive and educational pathways”