Aer Lingus, the former state airline of Ireland, suffered a major loss of €22 million for the first half of 2008.  The airline is planning to be introduce sweeping cuts in an effort to keep the carrier solvent: the term that was used was "fundamental overhaul" to the cost basis of the carrier.  The carrier hinted that future losses could worse if changes weren't made.

There were no details on possible cuts though many predict reductions in the carriers 4,000 strong headcount.  The airline has, over the years, refashioned itself as a low cost carrier.  While maintaining business class in long haul routes, the carrier has pulled out of the OneWorld Alliance, a move which means it no longer has direct access to many of the more lucrative business travel contracts in the United States.

August 30 marked the return of the Royal Black Institution to the city of Derry in the north of Ireland.   The Royal Black Institution was founded from the Orange Institution two years after the parent entity was started.  Membership in the Orange Institution is required.  The Royal Black Institution held a paraded in the city, the first since 2001, through the center of the city.  The Institution had previously held talks with residents about the planned march.

The Grand Master of the Orange Order in County Fermanagh is open to discussing reforming rules that prevent members from attending Catholic services.  The Orange Order, more correctly the Orange Institution, is a Protestant fraternal organization that styles itself as defending civil and religious liberties of Protestants and seeks to uphold the rule and ascendancy of a Protestant monarch in Ireland.  Catholics are excluded from joining the organization.

Fraser Homes, one of the largest house builders in the north of Ireland, is fight the housing slump by reducing prices by as much as £100,000 ($200,000), bringing the asking price down to £229,950.  When the company advertised the price reduction, the Aylesbury Place development in County Antrim was inundated with hundreds of potential buyers.  The company ran a news paper advertisement with the byline "We give in! We're finding it tough to sell. So let's cut to the chase with an offer you can't refuse."  The company was so pleased with the response that it released the final stage of the development to extend the promotion.