The murder of Detective Garda Colm Horkan in Castlerea, Co Roscommon was the top news story in June, Core’s Cultural Index study shows. The high-profile event led to a national outpouring of sympathy across the country. But as Ireland began to re-open from Covid-19 health measures, there were other political, economic and social issues which impacted.
The re-opening of pubs, hairdressers and hotels was the second major story to resonate with people. Unsurprisingly, 96 per cent of people were aware of the re-openings, with 66 per cent of people seeing it as a significant moment. Similarly, the same number of people believed the formation of a coalition Government to be an important event last month.
However, the Government formation was not seen positively by everyone. Sentiment analysis shows that most people over 40 felt positive towards the Government formation, with most people under 40 feeling negative about the coalition. Despite strong Government approval during Covid-19, younger people need convincing that they can address their concerns.
The fourth most significant news story for people in Ireland were the anti-racism protests around Black Lives Matter, with 92 per cent awareness of these events and young adults under 30 seeing the activism as an important moment. Some 70 per cent of the survey’s 1,000 respondents expressing positivity about the protests seeking societal change.
