Across:
8 Identify (FINGER) one of those in 10 across (FINGER in ‘hand’),
9 Women (W-) from Rising (rising = RI-INGS) organising (= anagram indicator) around square (-T- square) (WRITINGS) synonymous with those in 19 down (WRITINGS found in ‘novels’),
10 Worker (HAND) in banks has an axe to grind (banks ‘has an axe to grind’ = HAND),
11 Depressed (sad = S-AD) about Little (-WEE-) Bert (Bert = TBRE-) Cook (= anagram indicator) (SWEETBREAD) from the butchers getting it in the neck (SWEETBREAD is from thymus gland in the neck),
12 Suspects (SENSES) The Bishops are living there (bishop’s diocese/sees = SE-ES) over the school (National School = -NS-) (SENSES),
14 Julian (Julian = JUN -AIL) travels (= anagram indicator) around kilometre (km = -K M-) (JUNK MAIL) for post no one wants (JUNK MAIL),
15 It isn’t legible (POOR HANDWRITING) in 24 across (“poor” = POOR), 10 across (“hand” = HAND-) and one from 9 across (one from “writings” = -WRITING) (POOR HANDWRITING),
18 One of the issues perhaps (one of the issues: issue/administer = DISPENSE) with job in the chemist (DISPENSE),
20 Half the (half the) criticism (half the ‘review’ = rev) falls back (= reversal indicator) (rev = VER-) on (-ON-) a (-A) (VERONA) city in Italy (VERONA),
22 Gives the wrong recommendations (MISADVISES) to unreliable (= anagram indicator) Miss Davies (Miss Davies = MISADVISES),
24 Promoters dismiss terms (‘promoters’ dismiss ‘terms’ = proo = POOR) as sub-standard (POOR),
25 One of those figures coming out of war (CASUALTY) or out of hospital (CASUALTY),
26 Gas (O-) around (= reversal indicator) Irish university (University College Cork = UCC = -CCU-) is ranked (lieutenant = -LT) (OCCULT) super natural? (supernatural = OCCULT).
Down:
1 Detective (PI-) and judge (-RATE) (PIRATE) working overseas on crime wave presumably (PIRATE),
2 Part of package deal (part of ‘package deal’ = AGED) for mature wine, perhaps (AGED),
3 Where you might find 1 down working (might find ‘pirate’ in IRISH SEA) around the Isle of Man (IRISH SEA),
4 It’s sentimental (TWEE) to most of (t) Twitter (“tweet” without “t” = TWEE),
5 Small foxy type (KITTEN) of gear (KIT-) is half rotten (half ‘rotten’ = -TEN) (KITTEN),
6 Motorway (MI-) from Croatian capital (‘Croatian’ capital = -C-) to Italian capital (-ROME-) starts on elevated ridge (starts on ‘the elevated ridge’ = -TER) (MICROMETER) – it’s a measure of how Americans gauge it? (US MICROMETER measurement gauge/micrometre in Europe),
7 Arraign a (arraign a = AGRARIAN) criminal (= anagram indicator) in relation to the cultivated land (AGRARIAN),
13 For what it’s worth (VALUE) – after (positional indicator) fight (SCRAP) (SCRAP VALUE) in old wreck’s resting place (junk yard), this is the price one has to pay (SCRAP VALUE),
14 Flips over (= reversal indicator), for example (e.g. = -GE), music presenter (DJ = J-D) welcoming you (“you” = “u” = -U-) on the radio (= homophone indicator) (JUDGE) to rate it (JUDGE),
16 Not the latest (ORIGINAL) to see off legionaries (‘see’ off ‘legionaries’ = lgionari = ORIGINAL),
17 Writing (from the 3Rs = R-) to engineering (-E-) faculty (-VISION) (REVISION) – it’s what student is expected to do (REVISION),
19 Newton (N-) gets to solve (solve = -OVELS) problem (= anagram indicator) (NOVELS) in the library (NOVELS),
21 Local fool (NOODLE) with no dole (no dole = NOODLE) arrangement (= anagram indicator),
23 Some everyday osteopath backing (= reversal indicator) (some ‘everyday osteopath’ = ‘ayos’ = SOYA) a source of protein (SOYA),
24 Take small bits out of (PICK) tipsy cake lacking yeast (‘tipsy cake’ lacking ‘yeast’ = ipck = PICK).