Client News

Rio joins the Rovers in celebration of Partnership that goes Beyond the Ball

The partnership of Rio Ferdinand Foundation (RFF) and the International Fund for Ireland (IFI) teamed up to deliver a match day experience hosted at Sligo Rovers, The Showgrounds on Wednesday.

Organised by the Rio Ferdinand Foundation, the ‘Beyond the Ball’ matchday brought together young people aged between 16 and 18 from community projects across the southern border counties and Northern Ireland as part of a major partnership approach to peacebuilding and cross-community reconciliation funded through the IFI’s Communities in Partnership Programme (CiPP).

The Beyond the Ball programme is one of the IFI’s most significant funding allocations in recent years with an overall investment of €628,850 / £541,713, which included an initial pilot scheme in 2023.

This new phase was officially launched in August 2023, with the partnership working across Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Antrim, Tyrone, Fermanagh, and Derry/Londonderry, connecting young people from cross-community backgrounds through sport, sharing experiences, and building trust and confidence between communities at a grassroots level. The programme is expected to launch in Louth in April this year.

At the heart of the partnership is a desire to connect young people, broaden their horizons and build their confidence and leadership skills to empower community leaders. Since February 2023, over 300 young people have participated in the Beyond the Ball programme, 70 completed accredited training courses and qualifications in youth leadership and equality and diversity through the Open College Network and community sports leaders’ qualifications through Sports Leaders UK, with an additional 75 due to undertake qualifications. A further 308 people attended cross-border consultations, events, and tournaments.

The successful event, which welcomed young people from Belfast, Omagh, Derry/Londonderry and Donegal as well as locally from Sligo and Leitrim means that the ‘Beyond the Ball’ project has engaged with more than 1,000 young people across a range of initiatives and events with plans to maximise this participation and interest to deliver real change for young people and their local communities going forward.

Commenting on Beyond the Ball, the England and Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand said:

“I think we all recognise that supporting young people to achieve their potential regardless of background is the key to building a better future. The Rio Ferdinand Foundation is committed to delivering projects that give young people the confidence, skills, and platform to achieve that aim by offering positive activities, training, and opportunities to build networks, relationships, and careers across Ireland and the UK.

“This partnership with the International Fund for Ireland brings together young people, communities and strategic partners to work together and shape new initiatives, relationships and networks across the border counties of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Great Britain by linking up with our projects in Manchester and London – and it’s been a privilege to spend time here in Sligo and the west of Ireland to meet young people, families and stakeholders from all parts of Ireland to see what they are achieving within the project.

“I look forward to seeing the Beyond The Ball project develop in the coming months and to seeing what we can achieve working together to enable these young people to reach their potential in Ireland and Northern Ireland by sharing experiences and learning with young people in England.”

Paddy Harte, Chair of the International Fund for Ireland, said:

“The IFI’s ‘Communities in Partnership Programme’, which funds the ‘Beyond the Ball’ Project is focused on embedding lasting relationships on a cross-border and cross community basis.

“This collaboration between the IFI and RFF aims to put young people at the heart of their communities, giving them a voice and facilitating opportunities to inform and influence what happens in their communities.

“Football is the vehicle for this project, facilitating opportunities to develop relationships between young people and their peers who they may not otherwise meet whilst accessing a range of vital training and development programmes and qualifications aimed at offering them a path to a more prosperous future.”

The ‘Beyond the Ball’ match day is representative of a collaborative ambition to develop lasting cross-border relationships, providing opportunities for young people from border communities to come together, learn new skills and be supported to succeed. Cheering on the teams were a host of dignitaries from Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The match day celebrated the partnership between the Rio Ferdinand Foundation and the International Fund for Ireland and its work alongside stakeholders including Garda Síochána and PSNI to build relationships and promote community safety. The partnership contributes to peacebuilding, bringing young people together to collaborate over shared experiences, undertake leadership training and accreditation, and explore pathways that shape their futures.

Leading the teams out on the day were ‘Team Managers’ England and Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand and Westlife front man and Sligo Rovers F.C. Superfan Shane Filan.

Thirty-two young people walked out on the pitch on matchday, unsuspecting of the day’s magnitude, with organisers keeping the details of attendees firmly under wraps. A further three-hundred young people, their families, and youth workers from eight counties across the island of Ireland were transported to The Showgrounds to support from the stands and take part in activities in the grounds during the day.

United through their love of the beautiful game, the ‘Beyond the Ball’ matchday was supported by former Northern Ireland International Footballer Gerry Armstrong, and equality and social justice advocate Paul Canoville the first black player to play for Chelsea FC.

Female players also joined a women’s empowerment session with TV personality Kate Ferdinand, Linfield Captain Ashley Hutton, and home team Sligo Rovers Emma Hansberry. IFI Board member Bernie Butler joined the session alongside local Sligo current affairs journalist Jessica Farry.

The IFI was set up by the British and Irish Governments as an independent international organisation in 1986, delivering a range of peace and reconciliation initiatives across the southern border counties and Northern Ireland.

Minister of State Dara Calleary TD, who attended the event on behalf of the Irish Government said,

“The IFI has played a key role over many years in building a strong level of trust at the grassroots level, setting the foundations which allow communities to take risks for peace. The IFI’s status as an independent international organisation, its reputation for neutrality and its long-established links within communities ensure that it maintains a unique position of trust within hard-to-reach communities. The Irish Government is proud to support the IFI’s Connecting Communities strategy and has agreed to provide €20m for the period from 2021– 2025. It is a worthwhile investment in peacebuilding.

“A key element of this partnership with the Rio Ferdinand Foundation, is the focus on relationship building and exploring shared identities and learning on an East-West, as well as North-South basis. This means we are exploring shared identities between our two islands through football, which we see today is a powerful and inspiring platform to bring young people and their communities together.”

The ‘Beyond the Ball’ match day builds on the Rio Ferdinand Foundation’s work on the Island of Ireland since 2016 to rebalance equality, empower young people and deliver positive social change. The partnership with the International Fund for Ireland is pivotal in the Foundation’s ambition to level the playing field, amplify the voices of young people from underrepresented communities and create opportunities that unleash their potential.

JetBlue Flights from Dublin to New York and Boston Taking Off Today

Daily Nonstop Seasonal Service from Dublin to New York and Boston Introduces the Airline’s Award-Winning Mint® and Core Product Offerings to its Fourth Transatlantic Market

To Celebrate Launches, Limited Roundtrip Fares Starting at $399, $499, €399, €499 in Core and $1999, $2499, €1999, €2499 in Mint Available

JetBlue (Nasdaq: JBLU) announced it has expanded its transatlantic offerings with new, nonstop flights taking off from Dublin to New York and Boston today. Daily summer-seasonal service to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) from Dublin Airport (DUB) will operate through September 30, 2024, and reinforce JetBlue’s role as a disruptor in the industry as it brings low fares and great service to these popular routes.

JetBlue has disrupted the transatlantic market since it first launched flights to London in 2021 offering a fresh, innovative, customer-focused experience without the historically high fares of legacy carriers. Since then, JetBlue has expanded its portfolio to include Paris, Amsterdam and now Dublin, and will continue its growth in Europe with seasonal flights to Edinburgh and additional frequencies to Paris later this spring.

“JetBlue’s entrance into Dublin is set to introduce a new era of low fares and great service between Ireland and the Northeast,” said Joanna Geraghty, chief executive officer, JetBlue. “We look forward to introducing our award-winning Mint and Core service to business and leisure customers travelling to and from Dublin just in time for Saint Patrick’s Day and the summer holiday season.”

Travellers from the U.S. account for nearly 20% of all overseas tourism to Ireland, and Dublin has been among the most requested European destinations previously not served by JetBlue. With a strong, historic connection between Ireland and the United States – especially JetBlue’s Northeast focus cities, New York and Boston – that draws millions of travellers each way annually, JetBlue continues to deliver on its commitment to bring customers to the places they most want to go. Customers travelling from Dublin can conveniently connect to other destinations JetBlue serves from New York and Boston across the U.S., the Caribbean, and Latin America.

“The arrival of JetBlue to Dublin Airport is very good news for both passengers and Ireland and these new direct routes between Dublin and New York and Boston are going to prove really popular. Demand for transatlantic travel has never been higher, with stronger than ever business links continuing to grow between Ireland and the US. These new services from JetBlue will mean greater choice and value for our passengers and Dublin Airport looks forward to working with JetBlue to ensure they are a flying success,” said Gary McLean, Managing Director, Dublin Airport.

Commenting further, Alice Mansergh, Chief Executive Designate of Tourism Ireland, said “The launch of JetBlue’s new flights from New York and Boston is really good news for tourism from the all-important US market to Ireland. As an island destination, we know there’s a proven correlation between direct, convenient access and growth in inbound tourism, so these new flights will certainly help boost visitor numbers and the overall economic value of tourism from the United States in 2024 and beyond. Tourism Ireland is committed to working with JetBlue, Dublin Airport and our other key partners, to drive demand for these transatlantic flights, and all other services to Ireland, to help maintain our vital network of routes and services.”

With this new destination, JetBlue is once again disrupting transatlantic service with an elevated experience specially designed for its Airbus A321neo with Mint aircraft. The airline’s Mint premium experience offers customers fully lie-flat private suites with a sliding door and a custom-designed seat cushion developed by innovative mattress company Tuft & Needle. In addition to countless intuitive design touches, every customer will feel at home in the air with the newly launched Mint amenity kits. Tucked into a stylish and reusable foldable backpack designed by Caraa, the new amenity kits contain popular wellness products from New York-based brands Dr. Denis Gross and Plus Ultra, in addition to Tuft & Needle sleep amenities. Mint customers enjoy delicious, restaurant-style small plates curated by Delicious Hospitality Group’s (DHG) popular New York City restaurants Legacy Records, Charlie Bird and Pasquale Jones. Their inventive culinary style and hospitality expertise brings the best inflight dining experience to Mint tray tables.

JetBlue’s industry-leading core experience offers a new level of service to customers who generally fly “coach” but still want a great experience at an attractive fare. Core customers enjoy a boutique-style experience no matter where they sit with the most legroom in coach as well as innovative, fresh meals crafted specifically for the A321neo with Mint aircraft. JetBlue worked with NYC-based culinary partner DIG to design an innovative and high-quality menu that more closely aligns with the beloved culinary experience on JetBlue’s A321 Long Range transatlantic routes. Upon launch, options for core customers will include crepes with smoked turkey, brie and caramelised onion jam; herb and cheese frittata; pesto pasta salad with grilled chicken; and sesame noodles with ginger garlic tofu, carrots and daikon.

All customers stay connected throughout the flight with fast, free and unlimited high-speed Fly-Fi and have access to a wide selection of entertainment, including exclusive content from Peacock. To honour the new destination, JetBlue’s seatback screens will also offer a curated catalogue of Irish entertainment, including films such as Belfast, Once and Brooklyn, and specially-curated audio stories about Ireland from travel storytelling platform Autio. All customers are able to enjoy a multi-screen experience onboard – just like they do at home.

For more details on JetBlue’s transatlantic service, visit: https://www.jetblue.com/flying-with-us/uk-and-europe.

Hoteliers Call for Increased Government Funding for Sustainability Irish Hotels Federation 86th Annual Conference

The Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) has called on the Government to provide additional, ring-fenced funding for carbon reduction initiatives within the Irish hotels sector and wider tourism industry. Delegates at the IHF’s 86^th Annual Conference heard that, while many hotels are making significant progress in embracing sustainability, enormous untapped potential exists within the sector in relation to achieving greater energy efficiency and the adoption of renewable energy solutions.   

  

IHF President Denyse Campbell said: “Environmental sustainability is one of the defining issues of our time and a priority for our sector. What we are hearing on the ground is that there is a strong determination and desire among hoteliers to make significant inroads in reducing their carbon footprint. Given their scale and the structure of operations, hotels are ideally placed to make a substantial contribution toward the country’s national carbon emissions targets. However, in order to realise this goal, higher levels of funding from Government will be required.” 

  

Ms Campbell pointed to Fáilte Ireland’s recently launched Climate Action Programme and partnership with SEAI as a very welcome development and an example of the closer collaboration among industry that will be key to achieving meaningful reductions in carbon across the tourism industry.  

  

“Much more needs to be done, however, in terms of Government funding for tourism sustainability, particularly for retrofitting of existing properties. These projects are highly capital intensive and require considerable investment by hotels. Additional Government supports are therefore vital. We had expected greater certainty in relation to funding plans by now, and this is something we would urge the Government to progress without delay.” 

  

Recent industry research carried out by the IHF, shows that 65% of hotels plan to make additional capital expenditure investment in sustainability across a wide range of initiatives over the next 12 months. Key areas of additional investment include energy efficiency measures (50% of hotels), renewable energy solutions (49%), food waste reduction (79%) and additional water conservation measures (36%). A further 23% of hotels indicated they were actively in the process of exploring investment options to enhance the sustainability of the business. 

Hoteliers Report Drop in Business Sentiment for 2024: Irish Hotels Federation 86th Annual Conference

• Rising business costs cited as the most serious challenge facing hotels in 2024
• 79% of hoteliers concerned about the outlook for the global economy
• Forward bookings for hotels down 4.5% in 2024 compared to this time last year

Stubbornly high business operating costs, coupled with concerns about the economic outlook for the year ahead, are weighing on the minds of hoteliers as they gather today for the Irish Hotels Federation’s (IHF) 86th Annual Conference taking place this year in the Slieve Russell Hotel, County Cavan.

Following a strong performance in 2023, IHF President Denyse Campbell pointed to a more challenging outlook for the Irish hotels sector in the year ahead, with forward bookings underperforming and business sentiment among hoteliers taking a hit. Recent industry research carried out by the IHF shows a drop in levels of optimism across the sector, with only 47% of hoteliers reporting a positive outlook for trading conditions over the next 12 months. This contrasts with 74% who reported a positive outlook at the same time last year.

Hoteliers ranked rising business costs as the most serious challenge facing their business this year, with early forecasts indicating further increases of in excess of 8% in operating costs over the year ahead, significantly outpacing levels of inflation within the wider economy. This follows a period of already unprecedented cost increases over the last two years.

Some 79% of hotels indicated they were concerned about the outlook for the global economy and the potential impact on their business. Forward bookings for the year ahead are now down 4.5% compared to this time last year, with 53% of hotels reporting a net decrease in bookings. Of particular concern is the domestic market along with the UK and rest of Europe. Bookings for North America are holding up, however, which is very welcome given the growing importance of this key market as a source of tourism revenue.

Ms Campbell said: “While it is too early to predict the overall performance for the year, initial indications are concerning and highlight the challenges our industry faces across key markets. This is at a time when consumer finances are under ongoing pressure and businesses are dealing with additional costs and a sharp rise in interest rates. We are also seeing the impact of the Government’s decision to increase tourism VAT, making us an outlier with the third highest rate of VAT in Europe.”

“It is incumbent on the Government to do more to tackle the very high cost of doing business within the Irish economy. This is a major challenge for tourism and hospitality, our largest indigenous employer. Increasing costs are continuing to erode our competitiveness as a destination and jeopardise the sustainability of our wider industry – a vital part of the economy supporting some 270,000 livelihoods, 70% of which are outside of Dublin. More needs to be done to address Government-controlled costs, particularly for labour intensive industries such as tourism.”

Commenting on levels of ongoing investment within the sector Ms Campbell noted that, having invested significantly in their properties over the last two years, many hotels are continuing to prioritise investment in maintaining a consistently high-quality offering for visitors – a cornerstone of our competitiveness. Some 78% of hoteliers indicate they are planning refurbishment projects and increased capital investment over the next 12 months, including refurbishment of guest bedrooms (56%), refurbishment of common areas (47%) and guest technology (30%).

IBM Report: Identity Comes Under Attack, Straining Enterprises’ Recovery Time from Breaches

• 71% spike in cyberattacks caused by exploiting identity
• 50% AI market share milestone to trigger a cyber problem
• Nearly 70% of attacks globally targeted critical infrastructure in 2023
• Europe feels brunt of cyberattacks, making up 32% of global incidents

IBM today released the 2024 X-Force Threat Intelligence Index highlighting an emerging global identity crisis as cybercriminals double down on exploiting user identities to compromise enterprises worldwide. According to IBM X-Force, IBM Consulting’s offensive and defensive security services arm, in 2023, cybercriminals saw more opportunities to “log in” versus hack into corporate networks through valid accounts – making this tactic a preferred weapon of choice for threat actors.

The X-Force Threat Intelligence Index is based on insights and observations from monitoring over 150 billion security events per day in more than 130 countries. In addition, data is gathered and analysed from multiple sources within IBM, including IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence, Incident Response, X-Force Red, IBM Managed Security Services, and data provided from Red Hat Insights and Intezer, which contributed to the 2024 report.

Some of the key highlights include: 

• Attacks on critical infrastructure reveal industry “faux pas.” In nearly 85% of attacks on critical sectors, compromise could have been mitigated with patching, multi-factor authentication, or least-privilege principals – indicating that what the security industry historically described as “basic security” may be harder to achieve than portrayed.
• Ransomware groups pivot to leaner business model. Ransomware attacks on enterprises saw a nearly 12% drop last year, as larger organisations opt against paying and decrypting, in favor of rebuilding their infrastructure. With this growing pushback likely to impact adversaries’ revenue expectations from encryption-based extortion, groups that previously specialised in ransomware were observed pivoting to infostealers.
• ROI from attacks on generative AI not there – yet. X-Force analysis projects that when a single generative AI technology approaches 50% market share or when the market consolidates to three or less technologies, it could trigger at-scale attacks against these platforms.

“While ‘security fundamentals’ doesn’t get as many head turns as ‘AI-engineered attacks,’ it remains that enterprises’ biggest security problem boils down to the basic and known – not the novel and unknown” said Charles Henderson, Global Managing Partner, IBM Consulting, and Head of IBM X-Force. “Identity is being used against enterprises time and time again, a problem that will worsen as adversaries invest in AI to optimise the tactic.”

A Global Identity Crisis Poised to Worsen

Exploiting valid accounts has become the path of least resistance for cybercriminals, with billions of compromised credentials accessible on the Dark Web today. In 2023, X-Force saw attackers increasingly invest in operations to obtain users’ identities – with a 266% uptick in infostealing malware, designed to steal personal identifiable information like emails, social media and messaging app credentials, banking details, crypto wallet data and more.

This “easy entry” for attackers is one that’s harder to detect, eliciting a costly response from enterprises. According to X-Force, major incidents caused by attackers using valid accounts were associated to nearly 200% more complex response measures by security teams than the average incident – with defenders needing to distinguish between legitimate and malicious user activity on the network. In fact, IBM’s 2023 Cost of a Data Breach Report found that breaches caused by stolen or compromised credentials required roughly 11 months to detect and recover from – the longest response lifecycle than any other infection vector.

This wide reach into users’ online activity was evident in the FBI and European law enforcement’s April 2023 takedown of a global cybercrime forum that collected the login details of more than 80 million user accounts. Identity-based threats will likely continue to grow as adversaries leverage generative AI to optimise their attacks. Already in 2023, X-Force observed over 800,000 posts on AI and GPT across Dark Web forums, reaffirming these innovations have caught cybercriminals’ attention and interest.

Adversaries “Log into” Critical Infrastructure Networks

Worldwide, nearly 70% of attacks that X-Force responded to were against critical infrastructure organisations, an alarming finding highlighting that cybercriminals are wagering on these high value targets’ need for uptime to advance their objectives.

Nearly 85% of attacks that X-Force responded to in this sector were caused by exploiting public-facing applications, phishing emails, and the use of valid accounts.  The latter poses an increased risk to the sector, with DHS CISA stating that the majority of successful attacks on government agencies, critical infrastructure organisations and state-level government bodies in 2022 involved the use of valid accounts. This highlights the need for these organisations to frequently stress test their environments for potential exposures and develop incident response plans.

Generative AI – The Next Big Frontier to Secure

For cybercriminals to see ROI from their campaigns, the technologies they target must be ubiquitous across most organisations worldwide. Just as past technological enablers fostered cybercriminal activities –as observed with ransomware and Windows Server’s market dominance, BEC scams and Microsoft 365 dominance or cryptojacking and the Infrastructure-as-a-Service market consolidation – this pattern will most likely extend across AI.

X-Force assesses that once generative AI market dominance is established – where a single technology approaches 50% market share or when the market consolidates to three or less technologies – it could trigger the maturity of AI as an attack surface, mobilising further investment in new tools from cybercriminals. Although generative AI is currently in its pre-mass market stage, it’s paramount that enterprises secure their AI models before cybercriminals scale their activity. Enterprises should also recognise that their existing underlying infrastructure is a gateway to their AI models that doesn’t require novel tactics from attackers to target – highlighting the need for a holistic approach to security in the age of generative AI, as outlined in the IBM Framework for Securing Generative AI.

Additional findings:

• Europe – adversaries’ preferred target – Nearly one in three attacks observed worldwide targeted Europe, with the region also experiencing the most ransomware attacks globally (26%).
• Where did all the phish go? Despite remaining a top infection vector, phishing attacks saw a 44% decrease in volume from 2022. But with AI poised to optimise this attack and X-Force research indicating that AI can speed up attacks by nearly two days, the infection vector will remain a preferred choice for cybercriminals.
• Everyone is vulnerable – RedHat Insights found that 92% of customers have at least one CVE with known exploits unaddressed in their environment at the time of scanning, while 80% of the top ten vulnerabilities detected across systems in 2023 were given a ‘High’ or ‘Critical’ CVSS base severity score.
• “Kerberoasting” pays off – X-Force observed a 100% increase in “kerberoasting” attacks, wherein attackers attempt to impersonate users to escalate privileges by abusing Microsoft Active Directory tickets.
• Security misconfigurations – X-Force Red penetration testing engagements indicate that security misconfigurations accounted for 30% of total exposures identified, observing more than 140 ways that attackers can exploit misconfigurations.

Hoppy Ever After: DSPCA Celebrates Love at the Shelter this Valentine’s Day

This Valentine’s Day, many of us will be taking time to celebrate the special animal love in our lives. This is no different at the Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA) where adorable couple Bao Bunny and Rosie are inseparable ahead of the big day, and capturing hearts with their story of love and friendship.

Abandoned by their previous owners, Bao Bunny and Rosie found themselves in the caring hands of the DSPCA. Despite their tumultuous past, these furry friends have flourished in the nurturing environment provided by the staff at the DSPCA, and have formed an unbreakable bond along the way. Their love for each other is evident in every hop and snuggle, serving as a reminder of the power of companionship and compassion.

Bao Bunny and Rosie truly embody the spirit of resilience and love and their story is a testament to the importance of animal welfare and the impact that your donations to the DSPCA can have.

As the furry couple continue to enjoy their blossoming relationship, the DSPCA is asking for those who can’t. Your donation, no matter how big or small, will mean the DSPCA can continue to be there for animals like Bao Bunny and Rosie, every single day.

For more information or to help visit https://www.dspca.ie/.