Munster Technological University's Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering hosted the first national PowerGRID2025 conference in the Bishopstown Campus last week. The event attracted 100 registered delegates from a wide range of power industries, technology and energy sectors to explore the challenges and opportunities of an evolving power grid.

The high attendance reflects the importance of innovation and digitisation required for Ireland's grid infrastructure upgrade that is essential for the state to meet its energy transition goals. The power grid is undergoing a monumental transformation to meet growing electricity demands while supporting ambitious climate action goals.

The goals include:

Targeting a 51% reduction in emissions by 2030 through the Climate Action Plan.

Increasing Ireland's power system from 75% integration of renewable energy sources will increase this to 95% by 2030.

Ensure the modernised power grid must also support a projected increase in Irish electricity demand from 33 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2022 to 56 TWh by 2030 and 80TWh in 2050.

To support this growth the electricity grid requires significant upgrades with a growing need for skilled professionals in designing, developing, and operating modern grid systems. MTU, with the support of industrial partners, has heavily invested in its power engineering training facilities, and the first graduate class from the MTU, Springboard Supported Postgraduate Certificate in Smart Sustainable Power Engineering, presented their work at the conference.

This upskilling comes at a critical time as the digital technologies in modern grid and substation design require engineers to span both electronic, communication, cybersecurity and electrical engineering domains at a level not previously supported in university programmes.

Commenting on the event, Ross Kelly, H&MV, said, "The skills needed to engineer a modern digital substation are so broad that no one person could know it all, so a new role is needed for a system integrator. This person needs to know a little bit about power systems, AC/DC, Battery/UPS, primary and secondary equipment, SCADA, protection schemes, networking, cyber and Level 3 and 4 commissioning.."

Applications for the 2025 delivery of this programme are now open at https://springboardcourses.ie/details/13707.

Swappie, Europe's leading platform for refurbished iPhones, reveals a staggering €140 billion worth of unused mobile phones languishing in European households, underscoring a significant opportunity for economic recovery and environmental sustainability.

Recent data from the European Commission highlights that over 700 million mobile phones are currently unused across the EU. Assigning an estimated average value of €200 per device, this dormant stockpile represents an untapped value of €140 billion.

Each holiday season, millions of new smartphones are purchased, leading to a significant increase in the number of idle devices in households. This annual surge exacerbates the existing issue of tech bloat, underscoring the urgent need to reintegrate these devices into the circular economy.

"Encouraging the circulation of these unused devices is crucial," says Emma Lehikoinen, Chief Operating Officer at Swappie. "By bringing them back into the market, we not only unlock substantial economic value but also contribute to environmental conservation by reducing electronic waste."

A KANTAR study undertaken by Swappie indicated that 62% of Irish consumers retain their previous smartphones. Beyond the economic implications, unused mobile phones contain valuable materials, including critical raw materials essential for new technologies. The European Commission reports that the collection rate for mobile phones is under 5%, with an estimated 700 million unused devices stored in households across the EU. Enhancing the return and recycling of these devices is vital for resource efficiency and environmental sustainability.

Swappie is at the forefront of the refurbished smartphone market, offering consumers high-quality, affordable alternatives to new devices. The company's rigorous refurbishment process ensures that each iPhone meets stringent quality standards, providing a reliable and sustainable option for tech enthusiasts.

As the number of idle phones continues to rise, especially after the holiday season, Swappie urges consumers to consider the environmental and economic benefits of trading in their unused devices. Reintegrating these smartphones into the market supports the circular economy and helps mitigate the growing issue of electronic waste.

See more stories here.

According to a global Surfshark's study, governmental requests for content removal climbed to nearly 330k, with an annual average growth rate of 34% since 2020. Starting at over 44,000 requests in 2020, this number surpassed 100,000 by 2023, indicating that the volume of requests has more than doubled.

"Government requests to remove content from Google shed light on the legal rules that govern online access to information. These requests often focus on political content or criticism of government actions. To justify such restrictions, governments typically cite laws related to defamation, privacy and security, or copyright. Google reviews each request carefully to determine if the content breaks any laws or violates its policies before deciding how to proceed," says Emilija Kucinskaite, Senior Researcher at Surfshark.

Top countries by Google content removal requests

Since 2020, nearly 330k requests have been submitted, originating from almost 150 countries, with an annual average growth rate of 34%.

In this decade, 3 countries have accounted for around 80% of the total content removal requests.

Russia accounts for 64% of the total, with over 211,000 requests (almost 130 per day).

South Korea is second, with 10% of requests, totaling nearly 33,000 requests or approximately 20 per day.

India follows with 5%, translating to almost 16,000 requests or around 9 per day.

Among the top 15 with the highest number of Google removal requests are also Taiwan, Turkey, Brazil, Bangladesh, France, Pakistan, the United States, Australia, Germany, Vietnam, the United Kingdom, and Indonesia.

Notably, of all countries or regions not in this list (about 90% of all countries) submitted fewer than one request per day on average.

Courts and government agencies may request to remove content from Google products and services - from Blogger and Google Translate to Gmail. However, this decade, the majority of requests have been directed towards YouTube, which accounts for 54% of requests. Web Search is in second place accounting for 31% of requests. Together, these two platforms account for 85% of the received content removal requests.

Global insights: why do governments ask for content removal?

Each request is categorised by reason, with over 20 different grounds for requesting content removal from Google products or services. This decade, the three most common reasons have been National Security, with over 96,000 requests; Copyright, with nearly 71,000 requests; and Privacy and Security, with more than 37,000 requests. Together, these three reasons account for over 60% of content removal requests globally.

Privacy and Security requests primarily focus on Web Search, YouTube, and Google Images;

Defamation-related requests are mainly directed at YouTube, Web Search, and Local Reviews;

Fraud-related requests predominantly target Google Ads, YouTube, and Web Search.

See more stories here.

ESET researchers have discovered a vulnerability affecting the majority of UEFI-based systems that allows actors to bypass UEFI Secure Boot. This vulnerability, assigned CVE-2024-7344, was found in a UEFI application signed by Microsoft's "Microsoft Corporation UEFI CA 2011" third-party UEFI certificate.

ESET researchers discovered a new vulnerability, CVE-2024-7344, that allows actors to bypass UEFI Secure Boot on the majority of UEFI-based systems.

Exploitation of this vulnerability allows execution of untrusted code during system boot, enabling deployment of malicious UEFI bootkits.

The issue was fixed by affected vendors; the vulnerable binaries were revoked by Microsoft in the January 14, 2025, Patch Tuesday update.

Exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to the execution of untrusted code during system boot, enabling potential attackers to easily deploy malicious UEFI bootkits (such as Bootkitty or BlackLotus) even on systems with UEFI Secure Boot enabled, regardless of the operating system installed.

ESET reported the findings to the CERT Coordination Center (CERT/CC) in June 2024, which successfully contacted the affected vendors. The issue has now been fixed in affected products, and the old, vulnerable binaries were revoked by Microsoft in the January 14, 2025, Patch Tuesday update.

The affected UEFI application is part of several real-time system recovery software suites developed by Howyar Technologies Inc., Greenware Technologies, Radix Technologies Ltd., SANFONG Inc., Wasay Software Technology Inc., Computer Education System Inc., and Signal Computer GmbH.

"The number of UEFI vulnerabilities discovered in recent years and the failures in patching them or revoking vulnerable binaries within a reasonable time window shows that even such an essential feature as UEFI Secure Boot should not be considered an impenetrable barrier," says ESET researcher Martin Smolár, who discovered the vulnerability.

"However, what concerns us the most with respect to the vulnerability is not the time it took to fix and revoke the binary, which was quite good compared to similar cases, but the fact that this isn't the first time that such an obviously unsafe signed UEFI binary has been discovered. This raises questions of how common the use of such unsafe techniques is among third-party UEFI software vendors, and how many other similar obscure, but signed, bootloaders there might be out there."

Exploitation of this vulnerability is not limited to systems with the affected recovery software installed, as attackers can bring their own copy of the vulnerable binary to any UEFI system with the Microsoft third-party UEFI certificate enrolled.

Also, elevated privileges are required to deploy the vulnerable and malicious files to the EFI system partition (local administrator on Windows; root on Linux). The vulnerability is caused by the use of a custom PE loader instead of using the standard and secure UEFI functions LoadImage and StartImage. All UEFI systems with Microsoft third-party UEFI signing enabled are affected (Windows 11 Secured-core PCs should have this option disabled by default).

The vulnerability can be mitigated by applying the latest UEFI revocations from Microsoft. Windows systems should be updated automatically. Microsoft's advisory for the CVE-2024-7344 vulnerability can be found here. For Linux systems, updates should be available through the Linux Vendor Firmware Service.

For a more detailed analysis and technical breakdown of the UEFI vulnerability, check out the latest ESET Research blog post, "Under the cloak of UEFI Secure Boot: Introducing CVE-2024-7344" on WeLiveSecurity.com.

Guest post by ESET Ireland. You can follow ESET Ireland on X (ex-Twitter), Facebook or LinkedIn for more cybersecurity tips.

IT.ie, a leading Irish IT managed services company, has announced the results of new research, conducted in partnership with SonicWall, which reveals feelings of blame among employees in Ireland when it comes to cybersecurity.The study found that nearly three-quarters (73%) of office workers believe their employer holds staff personally responsible - either through disciplinary action or unfavourable treatment - for cybersecurity incidents. In fact, some 29% of office workers report that at least one person in their company has been fired for accidentally causing a breach in the last 12 months.

The research of 1,000 office workers based in Ireland was carried out by Censuswide on behalf of IT.ie and SonicWall, a global leader in cybersecurity innovation. More than a third (38%) of respondents believe their company 'always' holds employees responsible for cybersecurity incidents, while 35% said they do so 'sometimes'.

Given this stance, the survey explored the personal impact of cybersecurity threats and incidents on workers. It found that 50% of office workers feel stressed about cybersecurity in their job. This is despite the fact that the majority (60%) of respondents believe employees are not to blame for unintentional breaches and incidents.

The personal toll of causing a cybersecurity breach is so great that almost two-thirds (64%) of office workers said they would leave, or consider leaving, their job if they were to cause a breach. Meanwhile, 79% advocate for organisations providing mental health support to those who fall victim to cybersecurity attacks.

Despite the mounting pressure felt by employees to circumvent a growing volume of increasingly sophisticated threats, the research found that many do not feel comfortable reporting cybersecurity concerns to the relevant people. More than a third (36%) of those surveyed admitted that they have neglected to report a breach in the last 12 months, with the top reason for this cited as embarrassment, followed by fear of repercussions. Further highlighting a culture of silence, one-in-five said they would not be comfortable reporting a concern to upper management.

Eamon Gallagher, founder and managing director, IT.ie, said: "This research shows that businesses are, understandably, under enormous pressure due to the growing threat posed by cybercriminals. However, that pressure is wrongly being felt on a personal level by employees. While it is on all of us to be vigilant, the average office worker is not a cybersecurity expert; the onus is on business and IT leaders to ensure they have taken every step possible to safeguard their business and people.

"Stringent cybersecurity measures will become legally binding for EU organisations who fall under the NIS2 directive later this year. It places the responsibility back on senior leaders to oversee training, security and business continuity measures that ensure that if, and when, a breach does happen, its impact is minimal. At IT.ie, we are helping businesses to prepare for NIS2, as well as the cybersecurity challenges that lie ahead. Finger-pointing won't help anyone: holistic, proactive steps will."

Stuart Taylor, Regional Director for Northern Europe, Sonicwall, said: "Our research underscores a critical issue in workplace cybersecurity culture. Blaming individuals for breaches not only fails to address the root causes of cyber incidents but also creates an environment of fear that can restrict transparency. It's important for organisations to build a positive atmosphere where employees feel empowered to report concerns without the fear of repercussions. As cyber threats evolve, so must our approaches to security - prioritising collective responsibility and proactive measures over a culture of blame.

"By investing in security training, businesses can better equip their teams to navigate the complex cybersecurity landscape and protect themselves from the increasingly sophisticated tactics of cybercriminals. It's equally impor...

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) today published its end-of-year review to highlight the progress and investment made in 2024 towards delivering Ireland's clean energy transition. 2024 marked a record year of progress for SEAI, with almost €616 million invested in projects across homes, communities, businesses, and public sector organisations. This reflects a 13% increase on 2023 activity.

Key SEAI highlights in 2024 include:

54,000 home energy upgrades with over €420 million in support, including more than 7,700 homes in energy poverty upgraded.

Over 3,500 businesses approved for more than €62 million in grant support.

Over €52 million grant aid for 12,000 electric vehicles and 15,400 residential EV chargers.

Energy Research supported with €22 million awarded to 42 new innovative projects.

Over €61 million capital funding provided to major public sector pathfinder building upgrade projects and 87 new public sector partnerships signed.

Launch of a new, rapid approval Business Energy Upgrade Scheme.

Publication of key energy statistics, projections and insights supporting national policymaking.

William Walsh, CEO of SEAI, said: "Due to strong Government support in 2024, SEAI delivered a significant increase in financial support and advisory services to householders, communities, businesses, and public bodies.

2024 was a record year for home energy upgrades, with more than 54,000 property upgrades completed, including free upgrades of more than 7,700 energy-poor homes. Of the total upgrades, almost 22,000 achieved a B2 rating or higher, and 3,609 included heat pumps. Access to finance significantly improved with the launch of the low-interest Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme and the extension of retrofit schemes under the Government's Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme. This scheme applies to homes damaged due to the use of defective concrete blocks containing excessive amounts of mica or pyrite."

William Walsh added: "SEAI has responded to the needs of businesses by enhancing and creating supports that specifically address the barriers that businesses, particularly SMEs, face when accessing advice and funding for sustainability projects. In 2024 SEAI approved over €62 million in grant support to over 3,500 businesses. These supports included energy audit vouchers, training programmes in Energy Efficient Design, the Support Scheme for Renewable Heat, grants for non-domestic microgeneration, and the newly launched Business Energy Upgrade Scheme. Across the public sector, SEAI delivered over €61 million in capital funding to major Pathfinder projects, and 87 new public sector partnerships were signed with SEAI.

SEAI is at the heart of Ireland's clean energy transition, and it is hugely encouraging to see strong engagement with Ireland's decarbonisation journey by householders and businesses in communities and across the public sector. But collectively, we can and must do more. As it stands, Ireland's emissions will exceed targets in the first carbon budget, meaning we still need to rapidly increase the rate of change to deliver on these legally binding targets. Solutions are in our grasp if we have the collective appetite."

In addition to the delivery of a significant volume of grants and training programmes in 2024, SEAI also delivered several detailed policy insights - from breaking down Ireland's fuel mix and energy use patterns to projecting Ireland's future energy use and producing an associated risk analysis. These detailed datasets are used by policymakers to support evidence-based policy development, which will be critical in bridging the gap between our current emissions and our 2030 targets.

William Walsh concluded:

"Ireland has set a strong legal basis and significant momentum that we must now leverage. The incoming government comes at a time where we require a re-doubling of effort to realise the urgent change needed to move away from fossil fuels. The challenge may seem daunting, but we must fo...

Ireland recorded two new all-time electricity demand peaks as cold weather set in this week, according to grid operator EirGrid.

Levels of demand on the power system reached new highs during the previous cold spell in November, and this was again surpassed this week with demand peaks of 5,716 MW (Megawatts) recorded at 17:53 on Tuesday 7 January, and 6,024 MW recorded at 17:47 on Wednesday 8 January.

Wednesday's peak and new record is of particular significance as this marks the first time that peak electricity demand has passed the 6,000 MW mark. Around 60% of electricity generation was coming from gas at this time, with 17% from renewables and further contribution from batteries, and imports accounting for 6.6%.

For context, demand first passed the 5,000 MW mark during the extreme cold snap of December 2010, a record which stood for another 10 years before being surpassed in December 2020 and on a number of subsequent occasions, including this week.

Wednesday also saw a new full-day energy demand record, where energy use totalled 119.34 Gigawatt hours (GWh).

In addition, the beginning of the cold snap last weekend saw new demand peaks set for a Saturday (5287 MW, Saturday, 4 January) and a Sunday (5,134 MW, Sunday, 5 January).

EirGrid is responsible for operating, developing and enhancing the electricity grid and market in Ireland. It carries out the complex task of matching electricity supply to customer demand in real-time from the National Control Centre in Dublin.

Electricity demand in the winter is heavily influenced by weather conditions. EirGrid's analysis of Ireland's peak demand over winter indicates that a 1°C decrease in outside temperature results in a 40 MW increase in peak demand (50 MW when wind-chill is taken into account).

Despite the high demand, no System Alerts indicating tight margins between electricity generation and demand were issued over the course of the week.

Diarmaid Gillespie, Director of System Operations at EirGrid, said: "The extended cold spell this week saw electricity demand reach record highs. Our Control Centre staff were able to rely on a mix of generation options over the course of the week to ensure this demand was met, with a sufficient buffer maintained between generation and demand.

"Since seeing the demand peak from the winter of 2010 passed in late 2020, we've seen a series of new demand records being set over the last four years, with peak demand rising by almost 900 MW in this space of time."

In October, EirGrid's annual Winter Outlook indicated a reduced risk of electricity generation not being able to meet demand compared with previous winter periods.

The situation has improved for a number of reasons, including the continued implementation of the Security of Supply Programme which is led by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU).

Through this programme, additional Temporary Emergency Generation is now available as an additional generation option to engineers in EirGrid's Control Centre if required.

HP Inc. has issued its latest Threat Insights Report, highlighting how threat actors are using malware kits and generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to improve the efficiency of their attacks. Such tools are reducing the time and skill needed to create attack components, enabling attackers to focus on experimenting with techniques to bypass detection and trick victims into infecting their endpoints, such as embedding malicious code inside images.

The report provides an analysis of real-world cyberattacks, helping organisations to keep up with the latest techniques cybercriminals are using to evade detection and breach PCs in the fast-changing cybercrime landscape.

Based on data from millions of endpoints running HP Wolf Security1, notable campaigns identified by HP threat researchers include:

Malware-by-numbers kits: HP threat researchers observed large campaigns spreading VIP Keylogger and 0bj3ctivityStealer malware that leverage the same techniques and loaders, suggesting the use of malware kits to deliver different payloads. In both campaigns, attackers hid the same malicious code in images on file hosting websites like archive.org, as well as using the same loader to install the final payload. Such techniques help attackers circumvent detection, as image files appear benign when downloaded from well-known websites, bypassing network security like web proxies that rely on reputation.

GenAI helping to create malicious HTML documents: Researchers also identified an XWorm remote access trojan (RAT) campaign initiated by HTML smuggling, which contained malicious code that downloads and runs the malware. Notably, similar to an AsyncRAT campaign analysed in the previous quarter, the loader bore hallmarks that indicate that it may have been written with the help of GenAI, for example, including a line-by-line description and the design of the HTML page.

Gaming cheaters never prosper: Attackers are compromising video game cheat tools and modification repositories hosted on GitHub, adding executable files containing Lumma Stealer malware. This infostealer scrapes victims' passwords, crypto wallets, and browser information. Users frequently deactivate security tools to download and use cheats, putting them at greater risk of infection without isolation technology in place.

Alex Holland, Principal Threat Researcher in the HP Security Lab, comments:

"The campaigns analysed provide further evidence of the commodification of cybercrime. As malware-by-numbers kits are more freely available, affordable, and easy to use, even novices with limited skills and knowledge can put together an effective infection chain. Throw GenAI into the mix to write the scripts, and the barriers to entry get even lower. This allows groups to concentrate on tricking their targets and picking the best payload for the job - for instance by targeting gamers with malicious cheat repositories."

By isolating threats that have evaded detection tools on PCs - but still allowing malware to detonate safely - HP Wolf security has specific insight into the latest techniques used by cybercriminals. To date, HP Wolf Security customers have clicked on over 65billion email attachments, web pages, and downloaded files with no reported breaches.

The report, which examines data from calendar Q3 2024, details how cybercriminals continue to diversify attack methods to bypass security tools that rely on detection, such as:

At least 11% of email threats identified by HP Sure Click bypassed one or more email gateway scanners.

Executables were the most popular malware delivery type (40%), followed by archive files (34%).

There was a notable rise in .lzh files, which made up 11% of archive files analysed - with most malicious .lzh archive files targeting Japanese-speaking users.

Neil Dover, country manager for Ireland at HP Inc., comments:

"Cybercriminals are rapidly increasing the variety, volume, and velocity of their attacks. If a malicious Excel document is blocked, an arch...

New research published today by LinkedIn reveals how inflation pressures and evolving workplace trends are reshaping Ireland's job market. Rising financial strain and reduced flexible work options have become key concerns for Irish professionals surveyed, with nearly two in five (38%) worried about the rising cost of living and over a third (34%) concerned about the lack of salary increases in the past year.

Flexibility and Salary Driving Job Moves

As financial pressures continue, money remains the primary motivator for job changes. Just over three in five (61%) Irish professionals highlighted salary as the most important factor in considering whether to apply for a new role, while flexibility is a close second, with 53% emphasising the importance of work-life balance. Flexible work policies continue to attract talent, as shown by LinkedIn data revealing that Ireland had the second-highest share of remote job applications in Europe at 21.6% in December 2024.

AI's Growing Influence on the Job Market

AI has emerged as a game-changer in the job market, both as a critical skill and a tool for job searching. Nearly half (46%) of Irish professionals feel intimidated by how AI tools are changing the hiring landscape, yet a growing number are embracing the technology to get ahead. Almost a third (30%1) have used AI tools for job applications, from CV optimisation to interview preparation. Skills in AI, such as ChatGPT use and prompt engineering, now rank as the third most important career skill to succeed in today's job market according to respondents (39%), behind digital/ technical skills (40%) and human skills (51%). skills.

Emerging Job Trends in Ireland for 2025

LinkedIn's Jobs on the Rise 2025 list highlights Ireland's 15 fastest-growing roles, reflecting key global trends like the rise of AI, sustainability efforts, and increasing demand for both technical expertise and interpersonal roles. Notably, roles in healthcare, energy, compliance, and frontline services have seen significant growth, balancing technical advancements with essential service roles.

Ireland's Jobs On The Rise 2025:

Fundraiser

Learning Specialist

General Practitioner (GP)

Facilities Manager

Energy Engineer

Compliance Manager

Category Manager

Psychologist

Bus Driver

Audit Manager

Commissioning Engineer

Data Manager

Treasury Analyst

Automation Engineer

Animator

Commenting on the insights, LinkedIn Head of Ireland, Sue Duke, said: "The world of work is being reshaped by AI, with the skills needed for jobs predicted to change by 70% by 2030. The rapid rate of developments are naturally causing concern for professionals, but it also represents opportunity for those who continue to upskill and embrace the wave of change.

Hiring of technical AI talent on LinkedIn has increased by 323% over the past six years, so it comes as no surprise to see positions like automation engineer feature prominently on our list of the fastest growing jobs in Ireland. It's clear that upskilling is a major factor for ongoing professional success, so we have made a range of LinkedIn Learning courses available for free to help Irish professionals take the next step in their careers in 2025."

Empowering Professionals with Skills Development

To help professionals stay competitive in this evolving landscape, LinkedIn is offering free access to a curated selection of LinkedIn Learning courses, covering topics such as AI literacy, leadership skills, and data analysis.

AI Engineering Essentials: Navigating the Tech Revolution

https://linkedin.com/learning/

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navigating-the-tech

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Learning Data Governance

https://www.linkedin.com/

learning/learning-data

governance-14224082?trk=

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Introduction to ESG: Environmental, Social, and Governance

https://www.linkedin.com/

learning/introduction-to-esg

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governance?trk=lilblog_01-15

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Driving Business Growth Through Customer-Centricity...

The Dublin office of global law firm Taylor Wessing has advised on multiple high-profile deals in 2024, cementing its position as a leading law firm in Ireland for complex domestic and cross-border transactionalwork. Taylor Wessing Ireland was instrumental in delivering deals such as RIP.ie's sale to the Irish Times Group, Sherweb's acquisition of MicroWarehouse, and the acquisition of Mahon Retail Park.

These market-leading transactions are a testament to the global law firm's commitment to expanding its Irish operations, while showcasing the depth of its legal expertise. The firm experienced strong growth in its banking and finance, corporate, disputes, IP, data, real estate, patents and tax capabilities, while solidifying its status as a pre-eminent law firm in its key sectors of technology, life sciences, healthcare and real estate.

Highlight transactions on which Taylor Wessing Ireland advised include:

Banking and Finance

Global financial institution, ING Bank N.V's €55 million facility loan to an investment fund managed by Ireland's largest life insurance and pensions provider, Irish Life. The loan was used to refinance existing facilities in respect of Fernbank PRS, a residential development located in South Dublin.

Corporate Mergers & Acquisitions

Ireland's leading online platform for death notices, RIP.ie, on its sale to the Irish Times Group.

Leading global cloud solutions provider, Sherweb, on its acquisition of MicroWarehouse, a prominent player in the Irish cloud technology market.

Customer communications technology provider serving financial and regulation industries Mail Metrics, on its acquisition of Adare SEC and a simultaneous equity investment by MML and debt financing by AIB and Bank of Ireland.

The management team of Kyte Powertech, a leading manufacturer of distribution transformer solutions, on its sale to R&S Group, a leading provider of electrical infrastructure products headquartered in Switzerland.

Activist investor, Engine Capital, on its agreement with drinks company C&C.

ATC, a leading energy efficiency, heating and related automated solutions business headquartered in Dublin, on LED Group's acquisition of the company (subject to CCPC approval). LED Group is a leading platform for energy transition solutions backed by Oaktree Capital Management.

Real Estate and Real Estate Finance

French real estate investment fund, Corum Origin, on its €50 million acquisition of Mahon Retail Park from Ireland's leading commercial property company, IPUT.

A number of global real estate investment managers on several deals including: a €100 million refinancing of a landmark development in a prime South Dublin location; a €100+ million refinancing of a landmark mixed-use development in Dublin city centre; an €80+ million financing of a logistics park in Dublin; and a Dublin city centre landmark hotel refinancing.

Leading Irish investment and development partner, Elkstone through its investment fund, Geminiville Limited, on the sale of its development lands in Barna, on the outskirts of Galway.

Global investment firm, Investcorp, on the acquisition and financing by Capital flow, of two retail parks from US investment group, Davidson Kempner.

Advised on lease or sale and leaseback agreements for various clients, including Corum (in relation to the lease of office space at George's Quay House to Personio) and Appeals Centre Europe (in relation to the lease of new office space from Kennedy Wilson).

Commenting on the extent of Taylor Wessing Ireland's activity throughout 2024, Adam Griffiths, Partner and Head of the Dublin office said: "2024 has been a year of significant growth for Taylor Wessing Ireland. I want to take a moment to congratulate our clients on a successful year and the key milestones they have achieved. As we look to 2025, Taylor Wessing Ireland remains committed to supporting our clients in their future ventures, leveraging the expertise of our partners to help them prosper and grow."

Founded and led ...