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Ireland Needs Ride Hailing. The Taxi Industry Needs to Accept That.

Marty
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Ireland Needs Ride Hailing. The Taxi Industry Needs to Accept That.

I’ve been lucky. Living rurally, I had a taxi driver I could ring at short notice, someone reliable who knew the roads and knew me. That kind of relationship is genuinely valuable, and I don’t want to dismiss it. But I’m also honest enough to admit it’s rare. Most people don’t have that, and in large parts of Ireland, they have nothing close to it.

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) published research this week that makes for uncomfortable reading if you’re defending the status quo. Two in five people who tried to get a taxi in December 2025 ran into problems. Over a quarter gave up entirely. Outside Dublin, just 28% of people feel there are enough taxis in their area. In Connacht and Ulster, that drops to 21%.

Those numbers are bleak. And if anything, I’d argue they understate the lived experience, because that data covers all days and all times of the month. Anyone who has stood on a Dublin street at midnight on a Saturday knows the reality can feel considerably worse.

The Dublin Picture Is Not as Rosy as It Looks

Dublin skews the national data in a way that flatters it. The majority of Dublin residents feel taxi supply in the capital is adequate. Fine. But spend a weekend night trying to flag one down, particularly in the rain, or listen to the now-familiar excuse that the card machine is broken, or notice the growing number of “Boycott Uber” stickers appearing in rear windows, and you start to wonder what adequate actually means.

Those boycott stickers are telling. Uber’s model promotes fixed fares on routes, and that transparency is, straightforwardly, good for consumers. Sixty percent of respondents in the CCPC survey said they would prefer a fixed fare over a metered one. Drivers pushing back against that are not pushing back against Uber. They are pushing back against what their own passengers want. And it appears the CCPC has had enough.

This Is Bigger Than Getting a Taxi Home

The same week this CCPC research landed, people were gathering outside The Hoxton in Dublin to protest micro issues (a bar with noise complaints) that have macro impacts like steady closure of nightclubs and bars across the city. The two things are connected.

Venues close for many reasons, but one thread running through Dublin’s nightlife decline is simple: people struggle to get into town, and they struggle to get home. Not occasionally. Dependably and affordably. When that becomes unreliable enough, people stop going out. When people stop going out, venues suffer. It is not a complicated chain of cause and effect.

The CCPC framing this as a consumer issue is correct, but it is also a business issue. Improved transport options bring people back into the city. When that happens, it is not just passengers who benefit. More people moving around at night means more fares. Taxi drivers included.

Now, do we also need improved public transport? Yes, of course and it needs to be more affordable too. But modern cities and rural towns and villages all need multiple solutions to get people around.

The Case for Ride-Hailing

The CCPC is calling for regulatory barriers to be removed to allow ride-hailing platforms, such as Uber, Bolt and Lyft, to operate properly in Ireland. These platforms connect passengers with private drivers using their own vehicles, through an app. It is a model that functions in cities and countries across the world, and Ireland has been notably slow to follow.

It is worth being clear-eyed about what ride-hailing involves. It is gig economy work, which brings real questions around worker protections, insurance, and safety standards. Those questions deserve serious answers, not a wave of the hand. The CCPC is not suggesting a free-for-all. Brian McHugh, the Commission’s chair, was explicit: any new entrants should be regulated to maintain high service and safety standards.

Nearly half of taxi users surveyed (49%) said they would like the option of ride-hailing services. Among those who already feel supply is insufficient in their area, that rises to 57%. The demand is there. The need is there. The regulatory will is what has been missing.

A Line Has Been Crossed

I’ll be honest: I did not expect the CCPC to come out with a statement this direct. Ireland tends to move cautiously on these things, and proper ride-hailing has always felt like something that was perpetually “under consideration.” Releases like this do not tend to emerge in isolation. They usually signal that larger conversations are already happening.

The NTA is due to begin a regulatory assessment of dispatch operator licensing later this year. That process now has a very public, evidence-backed shove behind it.

Taxi drivers have legitimate concerns, and those concerns deserve to be heard in whatever consultation follows. But the greater good here is hard to argue with. Ireland’s transport gaps are real, measurable, and affecting people’s lives in ways that go beyond inconvenience. The tide is coming in. Better to be ready for it than to stand in its way.

Has Ride-Hailing Actually Worked Elsewhere?

It is a fair question to ask before Ireland commits to anything. The short answer is yes, broadly, but not without friction, and the friction matters.

In the UK, Uber changed the experience of getting around in ways that went beyond London. Cities that never had a strong cab culture suddenly had a reliable, app-based option at reasonable prices. Fixed upfront fares removed the anxiety of watching a meter tick over on a slow motorway. For late nights, airports, and areas where minicabs were patchy at best, it filled a genuine gap.

The US tells a similar story. Uber and Lyft together are credited with measurably reducing drink-driving rates in cities where they launched. That is not a minor footnote. That is a real-world outcome that is difficult to argue against.

But here is where I would be doing you a disservice if I left it there. The gig economy model has been a persistent and legitimate battleground. In the UK, drivers had to fight all the way to the Supreme Court to be classified as workers rather than independent contractors. Uber lost that case in 2021 and was required to provide minimum wage protections and holiday pay. That was not a small thing, and it took years of legal action to get there.

There is also a congestion argument worth acknowledging. Drivers cruising between jobs add to city traffic rather than replacing private car journeys, and that has been a documented issue in some markets. Pricing is another, given Uber’s surge pricing can become astronomical at the end of gigs or after a large flight lands.

So the net result? A genuine gain for consumers and for transport access, particularly in underserved areas and at unsociable hours. But the benefits landed unevenly, and the costs fell hardest on existing drivers and platform workers until regulation eventually caught up.

That last point is the one Ireland should be paying attention to. The countries that did this well, built the regulatory framework in from the beginning. The ones that did it badly let the platforms move fast and spent years trying to fix the damage afterwards. We have the advantage of going last. It would be a shame not to use it. But given how I’ve seen how we handle electric scooters and the likes, I do worry we don’t tend to learn much from other markets.

CCPC Calls on Government to Open Up Irish Taxi Market

Marty
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CCPC Calls on Government to Open Up Irish Taxi Market

Ireland’s competition watchdog is calling on the Government to remove regulatory barriers in the taxi sector, citing significant supply shortages and growing consumer demand for ride-hailing services.

New research from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), published today, found that two in five people who tried to get a taxi in December 2025 experienced difficulties, with 27% saying they gave up entirely because no taxis were available.
The Scale of the Problem

The CCPC surveyed 1,023 Irish consumers, aged 16 and above, between 22 January and 5 February 2026, in collaboration with research firm Ipsos B&A. The findings paint a particularly stark picture outside of Dublin.

While 56% of Dublin residents feel there are enough taxis in their area, that figure drops to just 28% for those living outside the capital. In Connacht and Ulster, only 21% of respondents agreed there were sufficient taxis available locally.

Overall, 57% of those who expressed an opinion believe there are not enough taxis in their area.

What Consumers Want

The research found considerable appetite for alternatives. Almost half of taxi users surveyed (49%) said they would like the option of accessing ride-hailing services, subject to regulatory requirements. That figure rose to 57% among those who believe taxi supply in their area is insufficient.

Ride-hailing platforms such as Uber and Bolt connect passengers with private drivers through an app, allowing drivers to use their own vehicles rather than operating under a traditional taxi licence. This model is commonplace across Europe and beyond but currently faces regulatory barriers in Ireland.

When asked about fare structures, 60% of respondents said they would prefer a fixed fare option over a metered fare.

The CCPC’s Position

CCPC chair Brian McHugh said the current regulatory environment has held back innovation that has taken hold elsewhere.

“Regulatory barriers in the taxi market have failed to facilitate innovations that have flourished in other countries and consumers are suffering as a result,” McHugh said. “Consumers shouldn’t be faced with long waits or the possibility of staying home due to a lack of taxi availability.”

McHugh was clear that the call for reform is not a push to remove oversight entirely. “This is not about abandoning oversight or regulation. Any new entrants could and should be regulated to maintain high service and safety standards.”
What Happens Next

The CCPC’s research comes ahead of a regulatory assessment by the National Transport Authority (NTA), which is due to begin examining the licensing of dispatch operators later in 2026. The CCPC has said it intends to engage with the NTA’s consultation process.

The Commission is calling on the Government to act ahead of that process, arguing that consumers and businesses alike need a taxi sector that is more responsive, more competitive, and better aligned with how transport is evolving internationally.

Personally, I find the story rather remarkable. Here’s why.

NOCO Boost Plus GB40 1000A UltraSafe Jump Starter Review

Marty
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NOCO Boost Plus GB40 1000A UltraSafe Jump Starter Review

There’s a particular kind of stress that comes with a dead car battery in an underground car park. No signal, no easy access for another car, and calling a breakdown service feels like a massive faff for something that should be simple. That was my situation a couple of years back, and it’s exactly why I eventually bought the NOCO Boost Plus GB40 portable jump starter.

I’ll be honest: I bought it about two days after I actually needed it. The day the battery died, I was fitting a new stereo during a cold snap and left too much running for too long. Lesson learned. The jump starter pack went straight into the boot after that, and it’s been sitting there ever since, doing its job of just existing and giving me peace of mind.

Using It

When the moment finally came, it was genuinely straightforward. Clip on, wait for the green light, start the car. The GB40 has built-in protection that tells you if the clips are on backwards, which takes the guesswork out of it if you’re not used to using a jump starter. It made short work of my 2015 Kia Ceed, which is a diesel. I had a vague memory of hearing that you couldn’t jump-start diesel engines with a portable jump starter, but that’s outdated thinking. Modern units like this handle diesel without issue, though you do want to make sure the pack is rated for the engine size.

Beyond jump-starting, there’s a built-in safety light and a couple of USB ports for charging your phone in a pinch. Useful extras rather than gimmicks.

Charging the Pack Itself

The GB40 charges via USB-C, which is genuinely convenient. I used an old MacBook charger and it worked fine. That said, there’s no charging brick in the box, and if you plug this car jump pack into something underpowered, it charges very slowly. For a unit this size, you really want a proper fast charger, ideally 45W or above. NOCO sells a 65W charger separately, but it’d be better value if something decent was included at the €100 price point. It’s a minor gripe, but worth knowing before you buy.

Once charged, it holds its charge well over time. I’ve set a calendar reminder to top it up every six months. I also picked up a high-wattage in-car USB-C charger, so on longer drives I can just plug the pack in and make sure it’s ready to go.

A Note on the Battery Itself

After the flat battery incident, I used the episode as a reason to learn how to use a multimeter properly – mainly with AI helping me out on readings so I know what good or bad was. Being able to test the battery voltage myself meant I could confirm the battery was still healthy and didn’t need replacing. The stereo fitting in the cold had done the damage, not the battery itself. That kind of confidence is worth something. A jump starter gets you going again, but knowing whether your battery actually needs replacing saves you from an unnecessary garage bill.

Worth It?

At around €100, the GB40 is a solid buy. It’s compact enough to live in the boot without taking up noticeable space, simple enough that you don’t need to read a manual every time, and powerful enough for a diesel engine up to 6 litres. The lack of a decent charger in the box is a bit tight at this price, but if you already have a USB-C fast charger knocking around (and most people do), it’s a non-issue.

If you park somewhere awkward, drive a car that’s seen better days, or just want a reliable car jump pack tucked in the boot as a safety net, this is one of the more practical things you can buy for your car. Paying the little bit extra means it’ll likely have held a charge better for when you need it too.

How Bauer Hockey Turned a Superfan into a PR Disaster (and Handed Warrior an Easy Win)

Marty
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How Bauer Hockey Turned a Superfan into a PR Disaster (and Handed Warrior an Easy Win)

Brands love screwing up. Just look at The Hoxton in Dublin. But I’m in a Winter Olympics mood, so I’m focused on Bauer Hockey managing to spectacularly botch what should have been a simple interaction with a loyal customer. The fallout offers a textbook example of how corporate legal departments can destroy brand goodwill in seconds, and how competitors with better instincts can capitalise on those mistakes.

What did Bauer do?

Pavvy the Goalie is a Dallas-based TikTok creator who posts hockey content. She’s wasn’t a massive influencer (under 9,000 followers at the time), but she’s a genuine hockey gear enthusiast. Her entire goalie setup was Bauer kit, and she’d been using their gear since she was a kid. Fifteen years of loyalty.

When Bauer’s 2026 seasonal catalogue arrived in her post, she did what excited fans do: she filmed a TikTok showing off the new products and specs. Nothing controversial, no leaked information, just someone genuinely hyped about gear from a brand she loved.

Bauer’s social team spotted the video and slid into her DMs. The message? They were “interested in partnering” and asked for her email address. Pavvy, understandably, thought this was going somewhere positive.

The bait-and-switch

What arrived in her inbox wasn’t a partnership proposal. It was a legal threat.

Someone named Brandon from Bauer’s social media team sent an email claiming the catalogue content was their intellectual property. The message opened with friendly language about enjoying her content, then pivoted sharply into implying potential legal action if she didn’t take down the video.

This is where things get properly stupid. They baited her with talk of partnership, collected her contact details under that pretence, then used them to threaten her. Pavvy removed the video but replied, reasonably, that they “should have started it out with that and not that you guys wanted to partner with me.”

The internet does what the internet does

When Pavvy posted about this on 27 January, the response was immediate and brutal. Longtime Bauer customers flooded the brand’s social channels saying they’d switch to competitors. The hockey community rallied around her. This wasn’t just TikTok drama, it was a proper reputational crisis.

Bauer scrambled. They sent another email offering free product as an apology. Pavvy declined. Then, bizarrely, they posted an apology in a YouTube comment section on a video covering the controversy, rather than emailing her directly. Pavvy called them out for this too, which only made things worse.

Warrior’s perfect response

While Bauer flailed, competitor brand Warrior Hockey saw an opportunity and executed perfectly. They posted a single image: black background, yellow text reading “we would never,” tagged to Pavvy and signed by their social team.

Simple. Direct. Effective.

Warrior then reached out to partner with Pavvy properly. She accepted, and started creating content featuring their gear instead. Bauer lost a loyal customer and advocate. Warrior gained one. All because Bauer’s legal instincts overrode basic common sense.

But the funny thing is, it’s not just Warrior. It’s a free for all. Warrior, CCM, Howies and more are all hockey brands getting in on the action.

Why this matters beyond one TikToker

Pavvy represented exactly what brands claim they want: authentic, organic advocacy. She wasn’t paid to promote Bauer. She just genuinely loved their products and wanted to share that excitement.

Instead of recognising this, Bauer’s response was to treat her fandom as a legal threat. They prioritised protecting catalogue images (which they’d already mailed to thousands of people) over nurturing a relationship with someone who’d been championing their brand for free for over a decade.

The timing made it worse. Women’s participation in hockey is growing, and the sport is having a cultural moment with younger audiences. Alienating creators in that space, particularly female ones, is strategically daft.

As creator economy lawyer Ray Khan put it: “Blindly attacking a fan that’s promoting your products is just poor taste. There’s very little upside, but plenty of potential for backfire.”

For me personally, I’ve giggled every time I’ve seen Bauer on TV at the Winter Olympics. I come from Ireland. We only know Cooper helmets from Winter Sports and maybe CCM. But I knew nothing of Bauer – until now.

The lesson here

This wasn’t about copyright law or intellectual property rights. Bauer probably had a technical legal argument. That’s irrelevant.

The mistake was treating a superfan like an adversary. The catalogue was already public. Pavvy’s video wasn’t hurting them. If anything, it was free marketing to an engaged niche audience.

If Bauer’s legal team genuinely had concerns, the correct response was a polite DM explaining the situation and asking nicely if she’d consider taking it down. No threats, no deceptive “partnership” talk, just honest communication.

Instead, they chose the nuclear option, got dragged publicly, and handed a competitor an easy PR win. Warrior didn’t have to do much beyond not being hostile to their own potential customers.

The broader point: brands spend millions trying to generate authentic enthusiasm. When it appears organically, the absolute worst thing you can do is litigate it into oblivion. Especially when your competitor is watching, waiting to offer that person a better experience.

Bauer will recover. Big brands always do. But they’ve learned (or should have learned) an expensive lesson about what happens when legal departments operate without considering the human cost of their decisions.

The Right Way to Fit Your Dash Cam

Marty
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The Right Way to Fit Your Dash Cam

Buying a dash cam is the easy part. Don’t worry, I have a guide coming on this, but really the scary part is installing your dashcam. Sticking it to your windscreen without creating problems is where most people stumble. That powerful sticky bad works best on the first run, so there’s some pressure here. A badly positioned camera can obstruct your view, record nothing useful when it rains, or be impossible to remove without disassembling half your dashboard.

Here’s how to get it right the first time.

Six Things to Check Before You Stick Anything Down

Hold the camera up to the windscreen and run through these checks before peeling off that adhesive mount:

Centre the lens as much as possible

A central position gives the camera a balanced view of both sides of the road. If you mount it too far left or right, you’ll end up with lopsided footage that cuts off important details. Fire up the app (if your camera has one) and preview the footage that you’re getting.

Check the wiper sweep

This is critical, especially in Irish weather. The lens needs to sit within the area your wipers actually clean and free from rain. Mount it too high or too far to the side and your footage will be useless the moment it starts raining. You’ll just be recording a blurry sheet of water.

Mind the cable routing

Look at where the power cable plugs into your specific camera. Some models have the socket on top, others on the side. Leave enough clearance between the camera body and the windscreen trim (or rear-view mirror) so the cable isn’t bent at a sharp angle. Stressed cables fail quickly.

Keep your options open too. If needs be buy a longer cable. I have a spare USB port in the glove box so I’ve run a longer cable behind the car’s panels to make it nice and tidy. You might want to by one of these panel lifting kits to make your life easier. It’s worth it.

Think about how the mount detaches

Some cameras slide sideways to unclip, others pull straight down. If you place the unit too close to the rear-view mirror stem or a sensor housing, you might physically block yourself from removing it later without a struggle. This is a classic annoyance that you won’t feel until a few weeks or months in unless you check it when installing.

Make sure you can access the SD card

And this is another. Worst still, you won’t know about it until you get into a bind and need your footage. The memory card slot shouldn’t be blocked by the mirror or anything else. Having to unmount the entire camera just to retrieve footage is irritating and defeats the point of quick access.

Sure enough, a lot of these dashcams come with apps and you won’t need to take the SD card at all, but if you need to download a lot of high quality video, having the card is a god send.

Keep it out of the driver’s sightline

Never mount the camera where it intrudes into your direct view of the road. It’s dangerous, often illegal, and entirely avoidable with proper placement. This one like’y goes without saying, but now I’ve said it.

Where to Actually Mount It

Behind the rear-view mirror (passenger side) is the best spot for most cars. From the driver’s seat, the camera disappears completely behind the mirror, causing zero distraction. The lens stays high and central, giving a commanding view of the road ahead. This works beautifully in older cars or anything without a large sensor housing.

Modern cars often have a chunky plastic block behind the mirror containing rain sensors, lane-assist cameras, or other tech. Do not stick your dash cam directly onto this housing unless the manufacturer explicitly says it’s fine. You risk interfering with the car’s systems or dealing with excessive vibration.

Instead, mount the camera just to the passenger side of the housing. Yes, this shifts the lens slightly off-centre, but the wide-angle view on most cameras (typically 120–140 degrees) still captures the full width of the road without issue.

Rear Cameras Need Thought Too

If you’ve got a dual-channel system with a rear camera, the same principles apply:

High and central is the ideal position at the top of the rear window.

Check the rear wiper coverage if your car has one. The lens needs to stay clean when it rains.

Watch out for defrost lines. Try to position the lens so it’s looking between the heating wires in the rear glass, not directly on one. If the lens sits right on a heating element, you’ll often get glare or black lines running through your footage.

One Last Check Before You Commit

Power up the camera and open the live view on the smartphone app (if your model has one). Make sure the bonnet is visible at the bottom of the frame. If you’re recording mostly sky and not much road, the angle is wrong. Adjust the tilt or reposition slightly before locking it down permanently.

Get this right and your dash cam becomes invisible to you as a driver while quietly doing its job. Get it wrong and you’ll be cursing every time it rains, every time you need to pull the SD card, or every time you catch it in your peripheral vision while trying to concentrate on the road.

Sigenergy Takes Top Spot in Irish Market

Jon
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Sigenergy Takes Top Spot in Irish Market

Sigenergy, a Chinese energy storage manufacturer founded in 2022, has been ranked as Ireland’s leading energy storage brand by SunWiz, an independent solar consultancy. The ranking comes during a period of significant growth in Ireland’s renewable energy sector and rising household electricity costs.

The Renewables Context

The timing of this market positioning is notable. According to EirGrid, the state-owned transmission system operator, renewables accounted for 43.8% of Ireland’s electricity generation in December 2025. Separately, 2024 saw solar panel installations increase by 25% across the country.

This isn’t happening in isolation. Ireland’s electricity prices sit roughly 30% above the EU average, and households are facing projected increases of €1.75 per month over the next five years. For many homeowners, the economics of solar and storage are becoming more compelling, even without considering environmental factors.

What This Actually Means

Energy storage rankings typically reflect installer preferences and sales volumes rather than end-user satisfaction or long-term performance data. Sigenergy’s position indicates strong adoption amongst installers, though it’s worth noting the company is relatively young in an industry where longevity matters for warranty claims and ongoing support.

The company also holds top positions in Australia and South Africa, suggesting consistent international traction rather than success limited to a single market. They’re expanding manufacturing capacity with a third factory opening in Nantong, China, this February.

Market Share Claims

Sigenergy’s managing director for the UK and Ireland, Ivan Ivanov, claims the company has secured nearly 30% of the global renewable energy market over the past two years, with 33% of that coming from Ireland. These figures are difficult to independently verify and likely refer to specific product categories rather than the broader renewable energy market.

Practical Considerations

If you’re considering energy storage for your home, rapid market growth brings both opportunities and risks. More competition generally means better prices and product innovation. However, newer manufacturers haven’t yet demonstrated long-term reliability or their ability to honour warranties over the typical 10-15 year lifespan of these systems.

Ireland’s renewable energy trajectory appears sustainable given the cost pressures and policy environment, but individual purchasing decisions should account for payback periods, actual electricity usage patterns, and whether you’re planning to stay in your property long enough to realise the investment.

The No. 1 ranking is certainly an achievement for a company barely three years old, though time will tell whether rapid growth translates to enduring market presence and customer support.

6 Films to Scratch Your Winter Olympics Itch

Marty
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6 Films to Scratch Your Winter Olympics Itch

With the Winter Olympics in full flow, I’ve found myself leaning into some themed movies. There’s a surprising number of them out there and these films capture that same spirit of ice, snow, and unlikely triumph. Some are based on true stories, others are gloriously ridiculous, but all deliver that Winter Olympics feeling when you need it most.

Blades of Glory (2007)

Will Ferrell and Jon Heder play rival figure skaters banned from men’s singles competition who discover a loophole: there’s no rule against two men competing as a pairs team. What follows is exactly as absurd as that premise suggests. The film commits fully to its ridiculous concept whilst somehow capturing genuine figure skating choreography (albeit with more fire and iron lotus moves than you’d see at any actual Olympics). It’s utterly silly and more or less Step Brothers on ice.

Cool Runnings (1993)

The obvious choice, but obvious for good reason. Based loosely on Jamaica’s genuinely improbable 1988 Calgary bobsled team, this remains the gold standard for feel-good Winter Olympics films. Yes, it takes considerable liberties with the actual story, but it nails the underdog spirit and fish-out-of-water humour that makes sports films work. It also has John Candy which is a good sign for any movie. “Feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme” has been stuck in people’s heads for three decades now. If someone claims they’re searching for Winter Olympics films and hasn’t seen this, start here.

Eddie the Eagle (2016)

Taron Egerton plays Michael “Eddie” Edwards, the British ski jumper who became the first competitor to represent Great Britain in Olympic ski jumping at the 1988 Calgary Games. Eddie wasn’t good, objectively speaking, but his determination and cheerful defiance of everyone telling him he couldn’t do it made him a beloved figure. The film leans into the charm of someone competing purely for the love of sport rather than medals. Hugh Jackman appears as a fictional mentor, adding Hollywood polish to what’s essentially a story about glorious, persistent failure leading to unexpected success.

There’s a lot of talk around Women’s ski events not having a place at the Winter Olympics – a similar story to that of Eddie the Eagle. It’s about personal endeavour and damn inspiring.

I, Tonya (2017)

For something considerably darker, this Tonya Harding biopic tackles one of figure skating’s most infamous scandals. Margot Robbie delivers a fierce performance as Harding, exploring the complicated reality behind the “attack on Nancy Kerrigan” story that dominated 1994 Olympics coverage. The film uses unreliable narrators and fourth-wall breaks to question what we think we know about the incident. It’s blackly funny whilst being genuinely unsettling, offering a more serious counterweight to the lighter entries on this list. Not your typical sports film, but absolutely compelling.

The Mighty Ducks (1992)

Yes, you could watch Miracle for the historical significance of the 1980 USA hockey team’s victory, but The Mighty Ducks is simply more fun. Emilio Estevez coaches a ragtag youth hockey team from hopeless to competitive, hitting every underdog sports film beat with considerable charm. It spawned two sequels and an entire NHL franchise, which tells you something about its cultural impact. The film isn’t specifically about the Olympics, but it captures that same scrappy determination and delivers satisfying ice hockey action without requiring you to understand icing rules.

Men with Brooms (2002)

This Canadian curling comedy isn’t about the Olympics at all, but about a group of former teammates reuniting for a local bonspiel (curling tournament). Paul Gross leads the cast through a story that’s part sports film, part small-town comedy, and thoroughly Canadian. Curling gets limited Olympic coverage despite being genuinely tactical and surprisingly tense to watch, so this offers a chance to appreciate the sport outside the Games context. Given recent Canadian curling controversies, the film’s earnest love of the sport feels refreshingly sincere. Plus, you’ll finally understand what all that sweeping is actually for.

Finding Your Fix

These films cover the spectrum from biographical drama to outright comedy, but they all tap into what makes Winter Olympics compelling: people pushing themselves on ice and snow, often against considerable odds. Whether you want historical inspiration, laugh-out-loud absurdity, or something in between, there’s a film here to tide you over until the next Games roll around.

Roborock Arrives in Ireland with Three Robot Vacuums at Harvey Norman

Marty
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Roborock Arrives in Ireland with Three Robot Vacuums at Harvey Norman

Roborock, the Chinese smart home cleaning brand, has officially launched in Ireland through an exclusive partnership with Harvey Norman. This is Roborock’s first proper entry into the Irish market, which the company describes as “key strategic” for its European expansion. It’s arriving with three models spanning entry to premium tiers, all positioned as direct competitors to established players like iRobot, Eufy, and Dreame.

The Three Launch Models

Roborock is launching three models in Ireland, most notably the famous robovac with an arm for getting items out of the way when needs be.

Roborock Saros Z70 (€1,299) – The headline model features a five-axis robotic arm (called OmniGrip) that unfolds from the unit to physically pick up and move lightweight obstacles like socks and slippers (up to 300g). At just under 8cm tall, it also squeezes under most furniture. The company acknowledges that future software updates will expand what it can handle.

Roborock Saros 10 (€1,099) – A mid-tier option without the grabber arm, but still slim at 7.98cm. It uses a RetractSense system to lower itself further when navigating under furniture, plus a VibraRise 4.0 mopping system that vibrates to scrub rather than just drag a wet pad across floors. Available in black or white.

Roborock QV 35S (€499) – The budget entry point. It self-empties, washes its own mop, delivers 10,000 Pa suction, and includes obstacle detection to avoid furniture. Also comes in black or white.

What This Means for Irish Customers

Roborock is a legitimate heavyweight in this category globally (it’s the top-selling robot vacuum brand according to IDC), but Ireland has been a gap in its European rollout until now. The Harvey Norman exclusivity gives it instant nationwide visibility.

The Saros Z70’s robotic arm is the main differentiator here. It’s a clever piece of engineering, though it won’t pick up heavy items, larger objects, or anything tangled.

Roborock units are app-dependent for mapping, scheduling, and most advanced features. The slim profiles (all under 8cm) are great for getting under furniture, but that design constraint means smaller dustbins and water tanks compared to chunkier alternatives.

Pre-orders opened today, with units going on sale from 18 February in stores and online. Roborock will be sending over units for us to test out too, so watch this space.

GTA 6 Still on Track for November: What We Know

Marty
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GTA 6 Still on Track for November: What We Know

Take-Two Interactive has just confirmed what many fans have been anxiously waiting to hear: Grand Theft Auto 6 is still scheduled to launch on 19 November 2026. This comes from documents published ahead of the company’s earnings call on 3 February, marking the first official update since Rockstar announced the game’s second delay back in November 2025.

The Journey to November

If you’ve been following GTA 6’s development, you’ll know it’s been quite the saga. The game was originally slated for 2025, then pushed to May 2026, before finally settling on the current November date. For those who’ve lived through previous Rockstar launches, this pattern feels familiar. Red Dead Redemption 2 went through exactly the same process, suffering two delays before eventually releasing in October 2018. If history repeats itself, there’s reason to be cautiously optimistic.

What Take-Two’s Saying

In prepared remarks, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick referenced the “highly anticipated launch” when discussing the company’s projections for fiscal 2027. He’s clearly banking on GTA 6 to deliver record-breaking performance and establish what he calls a “new financial baseline” for the business. That’s corporate speak for “we expect this to be absolutely massive”, which, given GTA 5’s incredible longevity, seems reasonable.

Nearly 13 Years Later: The Reality Check

Now, could the game still slip again? Absolutely. We’re nine months out, and in game development terms, that’s still enough time for complications to arise. But Take-Two’s latest statement suggests there are no current concerns, which is genuinely encouraging. The fact they’re publicly reaffirming the date during an earnings call, when investors are listening closely, carries some weight.

If GTA 6 does arrive in November as planned, it’ll have been nearly 13 years since GTA 5 launched. That’s an extraordinary gap, even by Rockstar’s standards. The November timing is strategic too, placing it squarely in the crucial holiday window. If they pushed the date again, they’d lose that opportunity and probably face some very frustrated stakeholders.

For now, the countdown continues. Whether GTA 6 can live up to over a decade of expectations remains to be seen, but if Rockstar’s track record tells us anything, it should at least be a compelling experience. We’ll know for certain when November rolls around.

Will GTA 6 Have a Midnight Launch?

So, if we’re starting to grow in confidence, the big question is “will there be a midnight launch”. My first instinct was yes, citing Smyth’s recently doing a midnight launch for the Switch 2. But that was a console. Thanks to digital downloads, and very few people being worried about the idea of GTA 6 resale value given the long playability of the game, I can’t see the demand being there for a physical copy of the game.

I could be wrong, but it’s really unlikely.


Kodak Charmera Review: It’s Crap, But That’s the Charm

Marty
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Kodak Charmera Review: It’s Crap, But That’s the Charm

A world of AI. Constant connection to the world around us. Work from an office, work from home, work while you commute. Always on. Always plugged in. Always posting.

Life, today, is a futuristic nightmare. I’ve played my part in that, don’t get me wrong. But that intro gave me an ick that only tech can do. Tech seems to ruin everything, which is why I love a simple gadget. Enter the Kodak Charmera.

What is the point of the Kodak Charmera?

Kodak hasn’t tried to make up for the fumbling of the digital camera with the Charmera. Instead, it’s trying to tap into a modern day ditching of high-tech. It’s not uncommon to see retro cameras being drawn upon, or even disposable cameras for people on a trip. Film and printing photos has a certain draw to it in a world of digital media.

Doom Slice, second only to Difontaines in my opinion…

The Charmera skirts the line here, creating digital media that looks retro. The Charmera boasts a whopping 1.6MP lens that frankly takes woeful photos. Low-light, a slight shake or a centimetre in the wrong direction, and you’ve taken a terrible photo. What’s worst is you won’t know it’s a bad photo till you get home.

Or is that really worse?

This is actually the point of the Charmera. Instead of you getting bogged down in taking 10 photos of the moment and it looking perfect, now you take one photo of the moment and get back to it.

This is good tech.

Watch My Kodak Charmera Review

@goosed_ie

I bought this after seeing @Franco in Éire 🇮🇪🇵🇭 unbox his. The camera is a little crap. But that’s the charm in the #Charmera from #Kodak . It’s cute and you gotta keep the photo review till later.

♬ original sound – Marty | Goosed.ie

Living with the Charmera’s Limitations

The keychain form factor means it’s genuinely always with you, which matters more than the spec sheet suggests. I’ve had proper cameras stay home because I couldn’t be bothered carrying them. The Charmera clips to your keys and disappears until you need it.

That 1.6MP sensor isn’t a compromise, it’s a feature. The technical limitations force a different approach. You can’t pixel-peep. You can’t zoom in and check focus. You compose, shoot, and trust the process. It’s oddly freeing once you accept it.

The lack of a screen changes your behaviour entirely. Without immediate feedback, you stop chimping. You stop taking insurance shots. You stop trying to manufacture perfection and just capture what’s in front of you. Some will hate this. I’ve found it genuinely refreshing.

When It Works (and When It Doesn’t)

The Charmera takes some bad photos, but every now and then, it captures the essence of a moment, and that’s amazing. Decent light and reasonable subject distance, and you’ll get something with character. The grain, the slight softness, the imperfect exposure, it all adds to photos that feel authentic rather than processed.

But be realistic about its limits. Don’t expect sharp landscapes or detailed portraits. This isn’t replacing your phone camera for important documentation or anything requiring clarity. It’s for spontaneous moments where the act of capturing matters more than technical excellence.

The Verdict

The Charmera won’t suit everyone. If you need reliable image quality or want control over your photography, look elsewhere. But if you’re tired of the modern photography loop, shoot, review, delete, repeat, this offers a genuine alternative.

It’s a deliberate step backwards that somehow feels like progress. You stay present. You engage with moments rather than screens. You accept imperfection as part of the process.

In a world drowning in megapixels and computational photography, the Charmera’s limitations are its greatest strength. It’s not trying to compete with your phone. It’s trying to make photography fun again.

And mostly, it succeeds.

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