Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox gaming unit is canceling Contraband, a multiplayer video game that was in development for years at the Swedish company Avalanche Studios Group.
“Active development has now stopped while we evaluate the project’s future,” Avalanche said Thursday in a statement on its website. “We’re thankful for the excitement we’ve seen from the community since we announced and will give an update on what’s next as soon as we can.”
The worry that breast cancer may someday return is a troubling source of anxiety for many survivors of the disease. It’s understandable why, since most relapses and metastatic cancers (cancers that have spread) aren’t started by new tumours.
Rather, they’re caused by sleeper cancer cells that suddenly awaken. These “dormant” cancer cells usually colonise places such as the lungs or bones, waiting for the optimal conditions to spring back to life.
For a long time, scientists have tried to work out exactly what shakes these cancer cells out of their slumber. There were hints that chronic inflammation – from factors such as smoking or ageing – could play a role, acting as a kind of unintentional alarm clock.
But new research now provides evidence that common respiratory infections, such as the flu or COVID, are capable of stirring dormant cancer cells into action.
The new study used mice which were engineered to have breast cancer cells. These cells were designed to mimic the behaviour of dormant human cancer cells hiding in the lungs. Researchers then infected the mice with either the influenza virus, which causes the flu, or the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID.
What they discovered was both revealing and alarming. Within days of infection, the once-quiet cancer cells started to wake up, multiply rapidly and form new metastatic lesions in the lung.
But what was driving this process? Surprisingly, it wasn’t the viruses themselves. Rather, the researchers discovered that the process was being driven by the immune response that the body mounted to fight the infection.
The body’s immune response is largely driven by a secreted molecule called interleukin-6 (IL-6). Normally, IL-6 helps coordinate the body’s defences against invaders, such as viruses. But when viral infections strike, IL-6 levels can surge.
This temporary spike appears to create the perfect storm for dormant cancer cells to shift from a sleepy, inactive mode to a state that’s highly active where the cells begin to divide.
When the scientists disabled IL-6 in the mice, the dormant cancer cells did not multiply nearly as much when the viral infection was introduced. This suggests that IL-6 acts as a crucial switch for cancer cells between a harmless state and metastasis.
The researchers also found that the reawakening of cancer cells doesn’t last forever. Within about two weeks of infection, the burst of activity settled down and the cancer cells often returned to a dormant state. However, the danger hadn’t passed.
After each infection, there were now dramatically more awakened cancer cells in the lungs, primed to begin multiplying again once triggered. This creates a greater risk for future relapses, as each episode magnifies the threat.
But why doesn’t our immune system just wipe out these cancer cells if they’re no longer dormant? The study hints that another type of immune cell – called “helper T cells” – step in. But instead of destroying the cancer cells, the T cells shield them from other immune attacks. This shows how cancer can cleverly hijack the body’s defences, turning them from destroyers into guardians.
Read more:
Unlocking the body’s defences: understanding immunotherapy
While these experiments were performed on mice, the researchers also looked at data from thousands of cancer survivors in the UK and US during the COVID-19 pandemic. They found that cancer patients – especially those who’d recently had respiratory infections – faced nearly double the risk of dying from cancer compared to those who did not get infected. This pattern was clearest in the months after infection – matching exactly what was seen in the mouse studies.
The link between viral infection, inflammation, and cancer relapse could help explain why cancer death rates spiked early in the pandemic, especially among those with a history of breast or other cancers. This new understanding is sobering – but also something that we can take action against.
For breast cancer survivors, and potentially survivors of other cancers, the findings highlight the importance of protecting themselves from respiratory infections – not just to avoid the illness itself, but to lower the risk of setting off dormant cancer cells that could lead to life-threatening metastasis. Measures such as vaccination and rapid treatment of infections could become part of the standard toolkit for supporting long-term health after cancer.
There are also drugs that target IL-6 which are already being used for other conditions such as Castleman’s disease and COVID. This raises questions about whether these drugs might also shield vulnerable cancer survivors from relapse during or after severe viral infections.
This recent study reminds us just how interconnected our health truly is. While viral infections are often thought to only affect us temporarily, a growing body of research shows they may exert hidden, long-term effects.
Ultimately, these are early days for translating findings from this work into human therapies. But they offer new hope that by understanding and intercepting the “wake-up calls” for dormant cancer cells, it may one day be possible to prevent cancer relapses before they ever get started – dramatically improving outcomes for survivors everywhere.
The advanced air mobility industry is currently working to produce novel aircraft ranging from air taxis to autonomous cargo drones, and all of those designs will require extensive testing – which is why NASA is working to give them a head-start by studying a special kind of model wing. The wing is a scale model of a design used in a type of aircraft called a “tiltwing,” which can swing its wing and rotors from vertical to horizontal. This allows the aircraft to take off, hover, and land like a helicopter, or fly like a fixed-wing airplane. This design enables versatility in a range of operating environments.
Several companies are working on tiltwings, but NASA’s research into the scale wing will also impact nearly all types of advanced air mobility aircraft designs.
“NASA research supporting advanced air mobility demonstrates the agency’s commitment to supporting this rapidly growing industry,” said Brandon Litherland, principal investigator for the test at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. “Tool improvements in these areas will greatly improve our ability to accurately predict the performance of new advanced air mobility aircraft, which supports the adoption of promising designs. Gaining confidence through testing ensures we can identify safe operating conditions for these new aircraft.”
In May and June, NASA tested a 7-foot wing model with multiple propellers in the 14-by-22-Foot Subsonic Wind Tunnel at Langley. The model is a “semispan,” or the right half of a complete wing. Understanding how multiple propellers and the wing interact under various speeds and conditions provides valuable insight for the advanced air mobility industry. This information supports improved aircraft designs and enhances the analysis tools used to assess the safety of future designs.
This work is managed by the Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology project under NASA’s Advanced Air Vehicles Program in support of NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility mission, which seeks to deliver data to guide the industry’s development of electric air taxis and drones.
“This tiltwing test provides a unique database to validate the next generation of design tools for use by the broader advanced air mobility community,” said Norm Schaeffler, the test director, based at Langley. “Having design tools validated for a broad range of aircraft will accelerate future design cycles and enable informed decisions about aerodynamic and acoustic performance.”
The wing is outfitted with over 700 sensors designed to measure pressure distribution, along with several other types of tools to help researchers collect data from the wing and propeller interactions. The wing is mounted on special sensors to measure the forces applied to the model. Sensors in each motor-propeller hub to measure the forces acting on the components independently.
The model was mounted on a turntable inside the wind tunnel, so the team could collect data at different wing tilt angles, flap positions, and rotation rates. The team also varied the tunnel wind speed and adjusted the relative positions of the propellers.
Researchers collected data relevant to cruise, hover, and transition conditions for advanced air mobility aircraft. Once they analyze this data, the information will be released to industry on NASA’s website.
Monster Ztudio/Adobe Stock
On April 5, 2025, I was honored to give my presentation entitled “Screening for Suicide Risk Among Children with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities” at the Anxiety and Depression Association of American conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The initial focus of the talk was on the mental health crisis currently impacting youth in the United States. Rates of youth suicide reflect this crisis: suicide is the leading cause of death for youth aged 10 to 14 years and the 3rd leading cause of death for 14 to 24 year olds after unintentional injuries and homicide.1 As a result, leading pediatric organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Children’s Hospital Association, declared a pediatric mental health crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic.2 The United States Surgeon General also called out this crisis in 2021.3
Further evidence supporting the ongoing crisis is found in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Behavior Risk Survey System (YRBSS). In 2023, the YRBSS revealed that 20% of high school students seriously considered suicide, 16% planned for suicide, 9% attempted suicide, and 2% were injured in a suicide attempt. Of note, female and LGBTQ+ students were disproportionately affected.4
To address the rising rates of youth suicide, the AAP partnered with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to generate a guide of best practices for suicide prevention in the “Blueprint for Youth Suicide Prevention.” Part of those recommendations include universal suicide risk screening for children aged 12 and up and screening for kids aged 8 to 11 years when clinically indicated.5 However, it is important to note that youth with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) are often systematically excluded from suicide risk screening protocols, despite clear evidence that they are at risk.
Studies show that children with intellectual disabilities are 2.8 to 4.5 times more likely to have psychiatric comorbidities, and up to 42% of children with NDD report suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Youth with autism, particularly those without intellectual disabilities, face an elevated risk of suicide-related mortality. Factors such as depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and the stress of camouflaging autistic traits contribute to this vulnerability.7-11
Additionally, diagnostic overshadowing (the tendency to attribute all symptoms to a primary diagnosis) often impacts recognition of suicide risk. This is especially dangerous for nonverbal youth or those with communication challenges.12
To address this, my team implemented a universal suicide risk screening program at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. Kennedy Krieger is a health care organization, affiliated with Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, that focuses on diseases, disorders, and impairments of the nervous system.
In 2017, universal suicide risk screening was implemented for all patients aged 8 and older using the Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ) tool during routine medical outpatient visits. Nurses administered the ASQ, and positive screens triggered further assessment by clinicians or mental health professionals. In the first 6-month period of implementation, 3854 screenings were completed out of 5260 eligible visits, with a 10.3% overall positive rate. Notably, one autism clinic had a 12.7% positivity rate, underscoring the importance of including this group in screening efforts.13
A follow up study of almost 15,500 patients evaluated ASQ screenings rates for first visits to the Institute for children aged 8 to 17 years. Although 29% of patients or their caregivers declined participation in screening, the overall rate of positive screens was 10.3%. In medical clinics, the rate was 7.9%, while behavioral health and autism clinics demonstrated a rate of 12.2% and 12.7%, respectively. Importantly, children as young as 8 years of age screened positive for suicide risk, demonstrating the importance of asking about suicide risk in young children.14
There is ongoing research into suicide risk for youth with autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders. A collaboration between the National Institute of Health, Kennedy Krieger Institute, and Nationwide Children’s Hospital with funding from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is exploring the validity of the ASQ in this patient population. Outcomes from that study are expected soon.
In conclusion, we advocate treating youth with NDD like all other children when it comes to suicide prevention. Screening is not only feasible but essential, even for children as young as 8 and those with neurodevelopmental disorders. This work underscores the need for inclusive, evidence based approaches to protect some of the most vulnerable members of our communities.
Dr Rybczynskiis the chief medical officer at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital in Knoxville, Tennessee. She is chair of the Department of Pediatrics and an associate professor at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center Graduate School of Medicine in Knoxville, Tennessee.
References
1. Curtin SC, Tejada-Vera B, Bastian BA. Deaths: leading causes for 2020. Natl Vital Stat Rep. 2023;72(13):1-115.
2. AAP-AACAP-CHA Declaration of National Emergency in Child and Adolescent Mental Health. American Academy of Pediatrics. Updated October 19, 2021. Accessed July 21, 2025. https://www.aap.org/en/advocacy/child-and-adolescent-healthy-mental-development/aap-aacap-cha-declaration-of-a-national-emergency-in-child-and-adolescent-mental-health/
3. Protecting Youth Mental Health: U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory. 2021. Accessed July 21, 2025. https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/reports-and-publications/youth-mental-health/index.html
4. YRBS Data Summary and Trends Report. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. August 6, 2024. Accessed July 21, 2025. https://www.cdc
.gov/yrbs/dstr/index.html
5. Suicide: Blueprint for Youth Suicide Prevention. Accessed July 21, 2025. American Academy of Pediatrics. https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/blueprint-for-youth-suicide-prevention/
6. Ludi E, Ballard ED, Greenbaum R, et al. Suicide risk in youth with intellectual disabilities: the challenges of screening. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2012;33(5):431-440.
7. Storch EA, Sulkowski ML, Nadeau J, et al. The phenomenology and clinical correlates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in youth with autism spectrum disorders. J Autism Dev Disord. 2013;43(10):2450-2459.
8. Vasa RA, Kalari VK, Kitchen CA, et al. Suicide risk screening in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder presenting to the emergency department. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf. 2025;51(3):192-198.
9. Hirvikoski T, Boman M, Chen Q, et al. Individual risk and familial liability for suicide attempt and suicide in autism: a population-based study. Psychol Med. 2020;50(9):1463-1474.
10. Segers M, Rawana J. What do we know about suicidality in autism spectrum disorders? A systematic review. Autism Res. 2014;7(4):507-521.
11. Austism & camouflaging. Embrace Autism. November 29, 2020. Accessed July 21, 2025. https://embrace-autism.com/autism-and-camouflaging/
12. Ashworth E, Bray L, Hanlon C, et al. ‘Accumulating harm and waiting for crisis’: Parents’ perspectives of accessing Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services for their autistic child experiencing mental health difficulties. Autism. 2025;29(8):2111-2122.
13. Rybczynski S, Ryan TC, Wilcox HC, et al. Suicide risk screening in pediatric outpatient neurodevelopmental disabilities clinics. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2022;43(4):181-187.
14. Rybczynski S, Gornik A, Schindel BJ, et al. Universal suicide risk screening in pediatric neurologic, developmental, and behavioral clinics. Acad Pediatr. 2025;25(3):102623.
In the newest edition of a report that the CDC uses to provide estimates on the percentage of ultra-processed food that Americans consume each year, the results were enlightening for both children and adults in the country. About 62% of children’s and teens’ daily calories are coming from ultra-processed foods, closely followed by adults, who have an intake that equals about 53% of their daily calories, according to the report.1,2
Ultra-processed foods made up 63% of children’s and teens’ daily calorie intake according to a CDC report | Image credit: colorcocktail – stock.adobe.com
The report is part of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s continued initiative to reduce the amount of ultra-processed food in the United States. The secretary of HHS has previously talked about his goals of reducing the number as much as possible, including asking for food companies to stop using certain food dyes in their products.3 Kennedy has also pointed to ultra-processed foods as the cause of the “chronic disease epidemic” in America, believing that a reduction in the consumption of such foods would lead to a healthier country.
“Ultra-processed foods” has become a catch-all phrase for foods that require involved methods to produce them or foods that are synthesized with other compounds, which can help them last longer on the grocery store shelf. Ultra-processed foods can include foods like frozen pizza and instant noodles but also store-bought bread.4 Previous reviews have found that there is a link between ultra-processed foods and mortality from any cause, including heart disease and mental health conditions.
The CDC report aimed to assess how many people in America were consuming these ultra-processed foods, as it could enlighten the government and the people of the US alike on how much work needed to be done to reduce the intake of these foods. The report was based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey that was conducted between August 2021 and August 2023.1 The definition of ultra-processed food was based on the NOVA classification developed in Brazil, which classifies ultra-processed foods as those that are industrial creations that are made with little whole food.
Burgers, hot dogs, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were among the top sources of ultra-processed foods in children and adults, according to the report. Salty snacks, sugary drinks, and baked goods were also among the most frequently cited sources of ultra-processed food consumption. Those with higher incomes also tended to eat fewer ultra-processed foods compared with those with lower incomes.
“Although youth and adults consumed the majority of their calories from ultra-processed foods in the past decade, a decrease was seen in ultra-processed food consumption among youth and adults between 2017–2018 and August 2021–August 2023, and a decrease was seen among adults from 2013–2014 to August 2021–August 2023,” the CDC reported.1
Marketing, said Marion Nestle, professor emerita of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University, is a foundational part of decreasing use of ultra-processed foods, as most foods are marketed toward kids. “They’re seen as cool and are iconic and you’re lucky to eat them, because that’s how they’re marketed,” she said in a statement.2
The new report emphasizes the need to reduce ultra-processed foods in the diets of Americans but necessitates that experts pick out the actual harmful ultra-processed foods rather than all such foods, as some ultra-processed foods are beneficial. However, as the majority of ultra-processed foods can be harmful, it’s important to define which foods carry health risks as the administration moves toward lowering the number of ultra-processed foods in the diets of all Americans.
References
1. Williams AM, Couch CA, Emmerich SD, Ogburn DF. Ultra-processed Food Consumption in Youth and Adults: United States, August 2021–August 2023. NCHS Data Brief. 2025;536:1-11. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db536.htm
2. Lovelace B Jr. Ultra-processed foods make up the majority of kids’ diet, CDC report finds. NBC News. August 7, 2025. Accessed August 7, 2025. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/ultra-processed-foods-make-majority-kids-diet-cdc-report-finds-rcna223481
3. Nowell C. Inside RFK Jr’s conflicted attempt to rid America of junk food. The Guardian. July 8, 2025. Accessed August 7, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/08/rfk-jr-junk-food
4. MacMillan C. Ultraprocessed foods: are they bad for you? Yale Medicine. July 10, 2024. Accessed August 7, 2025. https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/ultraprocessed-foods-bad-for-you
The first paper from a multi-year clinical research study has been published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases: Dynamics of Endemic Virus Re-emergence in Children in the USA Following the COVID-19 Pandemic (2022-2023): A Longitudinal Immunoepidemiologic Surveillance Study and demonstrates how the approach can improve modeling to better predict future outbreaks.
The paper shares findings from a multicenter clinical research study, one of many studies that are part of the recently launched PREMISE (Pandemic Response Repository through Microbial and Immune Surveillance and Epidemiology) program, led by Dr. Daniel Douek at the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Vaccine Research Center (VRC). Data collected during the first year of the PREMISE study, 2022-2023, shows for the first time how non-pharmaceutical interventions such as masking and distancing targeted towards SARS-CoV-2 during the pandemic also decreased circulation rates of and population immunity to common respiratory pathogens in children. The study provides new evidence-based insight into what was driving the large post-pandemic rebound in these diseases and enables more accurate predictions for the future.
This study is a partnership between PREMISE and clinical research sites at academic institutions led by principal investigator Kevin Messacar, MD, PhD, infectious disease specialist at Children’s Hospital Colorado, at the central site at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Children’s Hospital Colorado with additional study sites at University of North Carolina, Weill Cornell Medicine and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
The PREMISE study conducted immunologic surveillance on children younger than 10 years old, by enrolling them and following them for over a year. Through repeat blood sampling, the team could determine what children at varying young ages had immunity to and what they were susceptible to. Through respiratory sampling during illness, researchers were able to determine what infections they experienced. The data showed that most younger children lacked immunity to many normal respiratory viruses during the pandemic, suggesting they had not been exposed, as they typically would have, due to prevention measures in place. Following the lifting of pandemic measures, the level of immunity rose across all pathogens studied, reflective of the unprecedented widespread resurgence of these viruses in children after the end of the pandemic.
While most research studies target a specific disease, samples from PREMISE were tested for many common and emerging respiratory viruses, including RSV, influenza and enterovirus D68 (EV-D68), which can cause the polio-like illness, acute flaccid myelitis. The data allowed experts to recreate past circulation patterns and model predictions for future outbreaks with greater accuracy and precision. They showed that PREMISE data from 2022-23 could be used to accurately predict the subsequent wave of disease of the emerging pathogen EV-D68 that occurred in 2024.
Four cohorts of almost 1,000 children have provided an invaluable bank of samples and data. These are being used to develop ‘on the shelf’ medical countermeasures, such as antibody treatments and vaccines, for pathogens of interest. Instead of starting from scratch, this study gives us a head start to understand, predict and prepare for future pandemics.”
Hai Nguyen-Tran, MD, lead author, infectious disease specialist at Children’s Hospital Colorado and assistant professor at University of Colorado School of Medicine
Samples and data from the PREMISE study will also be used to learn which parts of viruses the human immune system attacks to become immune, so teams can better design new antibody treatments and effective vaccines to mimic this response.
“In the future, this type of immune surveillance can be used to better understand the impact of public interventions on population immunity and future waves of disease,” said Dr. Messacar, who is also a professor at University of Colorado School of Medicine. “PREMISE is a great example of a successful research partnership between NIH scientists and clinical researchers in academia, leading to concrete deliverables such as vaccine candidates and monoclonal antibodies that can directly impact public health.”
This study is fully funded by a subcontract with Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNLCR), currently operated by Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc. through Agreement 21X192QT1. FNLCR funding was provided by the NIH Vaccine Research Center within NIAID. The total project funding is $7.98 million over five years. No financing for this project was supplied by nongovernmental sources.
Source:
Children’s Hospital Colorado
Journal reference:
Nguyen-Tran, H., et al. (2025). Dynamics of endemic virus re-emergence in children in the USA following the COVID-19 pandemic (2022–23): a prospective, multicentre, longitudinal, immunoepidemiological surveillance study. The Lancet Infectious Diseases. doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(25)00349-4.
Cost-effectiveness of the two respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-prevention interventions for newborns—maternal vaccination and use of the long-acting monoclonal antibody nirsevimab (Beyfortus) in infants—may depend on timing of administration, University of Utah researchers report in JAMA Network Open.
The team modeled the cost-effectiveness, efficacy, and clinical outcomes of maternal vaccination, nirsevimab administration, and no intervention from a societal perspective, applying a willingness-to-pay threshold of $150,000 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY). Data were collected from October 2023 to June 2024 on 299,277 US infants born during the virus season.
The maternal vaccine can be administered at a gestational age of 32 to 36 weeks from September through January, and if the pregnant mother wasn’t vaccinated, nirsevimab can be given to the infant.
Differences in uptake, costs, and efficacy between these agents may affect cost-effectiveness depending on the timing of administration.
“The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend seasonal administration of maternal vaccine (MV) or nirsevimab to protect infants in the first year of life from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections,” the study authors wrote. “Differences in uptake, costs, and efficacy between these agents may affect cost-effectiveness depending on the timing of administration.”
For RSV hospitalization, initial effectiveness was 67.9% for maternal vaccination and 76.8% for nirsevimab. For RSV outpatient infection, the initial effectiveness was 48.2% for maternal vaccination and 78.0% for nirsevimab.
For infants born in the combined cohort (October-February), maternal vaccination was cost-effective, at $19,562/QALY. Compared with maternal vaccination, nirsevimab was cost-effective only in October ($67,178/QALY) and November ($88,531/QALY).
Maternal vaccination was projected to avert 45,558 outpatient visits, 7,154 hospital admissions, and 12 deaths during the RSV season, while nirsevimab was predicted to prevent 92,265 outpatient visits, 11,893 hospitalizations, and 19 deaths. The odds of cost-effectiveness were 19.8% for no intervention, 62.2% for maternal vaccination, and 18.0% for nirsevimab.
“Intervention use may be optimized by restricting administration to select months,” the researchers wrote. “Further study is needed to assess transmission dynamics to refine cost-effectiveness outcomes.”
Born June 18, 1940, in Grundy, Virginia, where the Mountain Mission School is located, McGlothlin received his undergraduate and law degrees from the College of William & Mary. McGlothlin founded the United Company, based in Blountville, Tennessee, in 1970 as a coal production company. It later diversified its four-state operations into oil and gas exploration services, investment management services and real estate development. He sold the company in 1997 but later repurchased it seven years later.
A Guinness World Record has been broken at the Fleadh Cheoil in Wexford after more than 1,000 people gathered to form the largest céilí band to play together in history.
Some 1,018 people gathered at Chadwicks Wexford Park GAA grounds on Thursday evening to attempt to achieve the traditional music festival’s second record in the town.
Participants played The Wexford Polka, The Gaelscoil Polka and The Little Diamond for more than five minutes.
Guinness World Records adjudicator Glen Pollard said any record is special, “but today is particularly special”.
“Your music drove me to emotion, so you did a wonderful job. But at the end of the day, it’s all about breaking records,” he said.
Last year, organisers broke a separate record after hosting the largest tin whistle ensemble (2,516).
Following that success, organisers set their sights on outdoing a record previously set on March 15th last year, when 384 people formed the largest céilí band at the time at Croke Park in Dublin.
John Ryan, who was involved in organising Thursday’s attempt, said it was a “more complex” record to break due to the number of instruments involved.
“To see that many musicians coming together with so many different instruments was really special,” he said.
Mr Ryan, who runs Castlebridge Inspire, a group that highlights the origins of the book of records, said it felt “spiritual” to have broken a second record so close to its “birthplace.”
“It’s emotional,” he said.
The idea for the famous book is said to have been conceived in Castlebridge, Co Wexford, in 1951 by Guinness Breweries managing director Hugh Beaver after an argument with a fellow hunter as to which game bird was fastest.
Unable to find the answer in encyclopedias, he decided to pursue the reference book to host such facts, which was first published some four years later.
Since then, more than 150 million copies have been sold.