A major worldwide Microsoft outage has caused significant disruption across County Tipperary, affecting both Tipperary County Council services and a high-profile attempted murder trial involving a man from Cahir.
The global technical failure, which began on Thursday, November 12, affected Microsoft 365 services, including Outlook email, Microsoft Teams and Copilot, disrupting businesses, public authorities and organisations worldwide.
Tipperary County Council confirmed that several internal systems were affected, leaving staff unable to access essential digital services. However, members of the public could continue contacting the Council by telephone on 0818 065 000 for payments and other enquiries.
Meanwhile, the same Microsoft outage brought an early adjournment to a serious criminal trial at the Central Criminal Court, sitting in Limerick, yesterday Friday, November 13th.
Mr Chad Allan, aged 28 with an address at Cahir, County Tipperary, has pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder of Patrick Williams, who was allegedly doused in petrol and set alight during an incident at Knockane, Ballylooby, Cahir, on October 11th, 2025.
The jury heard evidence from Garda crime scene examiner Mr Larry Stapleton, who photographed the alleged crime scene. Images presented in court included a burned-out car, damaged clothing and a fire-damaged petrol container.
However, technical difficulties caused by the global Microsoft outage prevented the court from proceeding with certain evidence.
Trial judge Ms Justice Melanie Greally apologised to the jury and adjourned proceedings until Monday, November 16th, expressing hope that normal services would have returned by then.
Microsoft reported progress in restoring its systems on Friday, although some users continued to experience disruptions.
The two incidents highlight how a worldwide technology failure can affect everything from everyday local government services to serious criminal proceedings in the courts.
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