Kitty Holland

Michael Coveney (52), who lives alone in Skerries, north Co Dublin, feels like he is “under water and can’t breathe”. He has been struggling with electricity bill arrears since November and has stopped paying other bills in an effort to clear them. On Friday, he received a letter from the Department of Social Protection in response to his application for an exceptional needs payment to help clear the arrears.

Key to Charlie O’Leary’s long life, he believes, is his “sense of humour”. The 102-year-old, who lives in Harmonstown, Dublin, “always saw the funny side of everything” and “rarely fell out with anyone”. The attributes served him and Irish soccer well during an almost century-long career.

Details of the sexual exploitation of two teenage boys, including allegedly being raped while drugged, were heard in the High Court on Monday. The separate cases concerned boys whom Tusla sought orders for their detention in special care. The court also heard details of a worsening “staffing crisis” at Crannóg Nua, the largest special care unit, in north Co Dublin.