The payment of credit card bills will have been a financial priority in many Irish households in the last couple of weeks, as people got paid and turned their attention to clearing Christmas debt.

Here is a selection of people who are starting interesting new roles with public and private organisations in Ireland.

What a difference a decade makes: On this exact date 10 years ago, I dropped a friend to Shannon Airport — another statistic in the gathering gloom of Ireland’s great recession.

The green light came as the Central Bank unveiled new lending rules that free up credit unions from January to effectively offer loans to home borrowers and businesses for the first time.

A quarter of Irish students struggle with debt and over half say they miss lectures in favour of paid work, writes John Hearne

There are so many decisions and new experiences facing first-year students in the next few months, it would be easy to become overwhelmed. From where to live, who to live with, what clubs to join. And that’s all before you even get to grips with the academic side and how drastically it differs from school.

More than two-thirds struggle financially at college and three-quarters get jobs to cope with costs.

More than a third of parents are still getting into debt in order to cover back-to-school costs for their children, with books and uniforms the biggest expense families face as they prepare for September.

Generic uniforms and gym gear should be introduced in schools to reduce costs for families, an education committee recommends.

It is only a matter of weeks before churchyards around Ireland will be filled with adorable children in white dresses or suits. With First Holy Communion season just around the corner, and many parents are facing a hectic period of planning, writes Gráinne McGuinness.

A recent survey suggested Irish people don’t understand how their credit cards work, certainly not as well as they ideally should.

Most credit card owners have no idea what interest rate they pay — with more than a third estimating the interest level at between 18% and 24%.

Credit unions have again urged regulators to allow them compete in the Irish mortgage market “in a meaningful way” after the Central Bank launched a further consultation to ensure they are fully aware of the risks.

Picking out the vehicle is the simple part, figuring out how to pay for it can prove more tricky. Knowing what you are signing up to is the golden rule, read the fine print and check the maths

Half of parents have cut spending on their family's clothing and goods, to cope with third level costs.

A credit union with a chequered history has shut down its group Christmas savings accounts, citing money-laundering regulations.

The credit union sector has stabilised and lending has increased, according to the Central Bank, although it added there was still pressure on the credit union business model.

ITS membership of approximately 11,000 is drawn from Charleville, Ballyhea, Newtownshandrum, Ballagran and Effin, taking in parts of Co Cork and Co Limerick, but it seems few knew about the precarious state of Charleville Credit Union’s (CCU) finances.

Credit unions should be “empowered” in order help fix the housing crisis and the Government should change the law to make that happen, the Oireachtas finance committee is to recommend.

The former board of Charleville Credit Union says the Central Bank should have proactively helped it to find a merger partner rather than opting to put it into liquidation.

Provisional liquidators have been appointed by the High Court to a North Cork credit union due to its distressed financial position.

Provisional liquidators have been appointed by the High Court to a Co. Cork credit union because of its distressed financial position for a number of years.

Irish Credit Unions have topped the list for customer experience for the third year in a row.

Three out of four third-level students expect to find work in Ireland when they finish their course, according to a new survey.

SCHOOLDAYS may be the happiest period of children’s lives but they can be the most miserable time for parents.

One in four parents will be forced to deny their children basic school items in September.

A social housing campaign group has urged the Government to use up to 700 state-owned land banks to build tens of thousands of new homes in a bid to tackle the surging property crisis.

One in four adults is living in homes that do not suit their needs, but they cannot move on due to the current property market, a new survey has found.

Revelations that more than half a million euro has been stolen from accounts in two Cork credit unions should lead to an external review of the governance of both institutions.

Gurranabraher Credit Union (GCU) is the second credit union in Cork in less than a week to confirm it has referred investigations to both the gardaí and the Central Bank.

A credit union staff member has been dismissed after the discovery of alleged financial irregularities of up to €200,000.

Credit unions have moved a step closer to adding mortgage lending to their suite of services.

A report by a leading academic has called for lending restrictions on credit unions to be eased in order to provide consumers with more mortgage options — for which there is “pent-up demand”, according to one of the sector’s biggest bodies.

Unless credit unions are permitted to broaden their business and current regulations are relaxed, they will not survive.

A reward of €50,000 has been offered for information that will lead to an arrest or prosecution in relation to the murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe.

A record 80,887 students applied to the nation’s third-level institutions this year and the majority will ultimately join the growing number of workers — presently over 50% — who boast a third-level education.

Parents are forking out more than €400 a month to put a child through college, a survey has revealed.

More than half of parents are going into debt to the tune of €5,000 to fund their children’s third-level education.