Across:
8 It’s tough (SEVERE) to break it off (SEVER-) with sweetheart (‘swEet’ heart = -E) (SEVERE),
9 Give up (RENOUNCE) most of the lease (most of the ‘rent’ = REN-) by spring (bounce) starting off (b) (‘bounce’ without ‘b’ = -OUNCE) (RENOUNCE),
10 It’s found at the end of 13 down (found at the end of ‘gained time’ = TIME) for a while (TIME),
11 Type of intelligence (ARTIFICIAL intelligence) of precarious (= anagram indicator) CIA airlift (CIA airlift = ARTIFICIAL),
12 Hound (BEAGLE) flighty type (-EAGLE) after (= positional indicator) bad start (‘Bad’ start = B-) (BEAGLE),
14 Inmates (inmates) out (= anagram indicator) (inmates = MISTA-EN) over the weekend (over the ‘weeK’ end = -K-) (MISTAKEN) get the wrong end of the stick (MISTAKEN),
15 Walk across the road (PELICAN CROSSING) with bird (PELICAN) at Checkpoint Charlie (CROSSING) (PELICAN CROSSING)
18 A good time (FUN-) for laser (laser) treatment (= anagram indicator) (laser = -ERALS) (FUNERALS) in services of late (FUNERALS),
20 Heading off (w) with those workers holding a torch (‘welders’ without ‘w’ = ELDERS) for church leaders (ELDERS),
22 Soldier (G-I-) guarding the young of the family (-LITTER-) for a (-A-) time (-T) (GLITTERATI) for those in show business locally (GLITTERATI),
24 Make a mess (make a HASH) at the top of Hazelwood (at the top of ‘Hazelwood’ = H-) tree (-ASH) (HASH),
25 One of eleven (TEAMMATE) English (-E-), American (-A-) and French men (Messieurs = -MM-) in foreign museum (Tate = T-ATE) (TEAMMATE),
26 Identifying (NAMING) leading man dismissing deal (‘leading man’ dismissing ‘deal’ = ingman = NAMING).
Down:
1 Colourful type (CERISE) of rice (rice) dish (= anagram indicator) (rice = CERI-) from southern (-S-) Spain (-E) (CERISE),
2 Present (HERE) some uplifting (= reverse indicator) characters from theatre rehearsals (characters from ‘theatrE REHearsals’ = ereh = HERE),
3 Drunk (= anagram indicator) raved (raved = DE V-RA) about drink (-ALE-) (DE VALERA) with old political leader (DE VALERA),
4 Teaser from setter: Arab (‘teaser’ from ‘setter Arab’ = trab = BRAT) produced an unruly child? (BRAT),
5 Smells something fishy perhaps (SNIFFS) in small (S-) Ulster (Northern Ireland = -NI-) party (Fianna Fáil = -FF-) at the end of elections (at the end of ‘electionS’ = -S) (SNIFFS),
6 Publicly exposed secret (OUT-ED) about study group (-CLASS-) (OUTCLASSED) beaten on quality (OUTCLASSED),
7 Just about made it (SCRAPE IN) with jam (SCRAPE) that’s popular (IN) (SCRAPE IN),
13 Profited (GAINED) from period in prison (TIME) (GAINED TIME) – got through a year’s stretch in 11 months (GAINED TIME),
14 Makes jokes about (MOCKS) the local trials (the ‘mocks’) the students have to do before leaving? (before the Leaving Cert = MOCKS),
16 Matched (EQUALLED) uniform (EQUAL-) to tops, leggings, evening dress (tops ‘Leggings Evening Dress’ = -LED) (EQUALLED),
17 A round (around = O-) space in the garden (-BED-) that is (i.e. = -IE-) not (not) empty (o) (‘not’ without ‘o’ = -NT) (OBEDIENT) or under control (OBEDIENT),
19 Level-headed (sane = -ENAS) artist (RA = AR-) retires (= reverse indicator) (ARENAS) in a number of stages perhaps (ARENAS),
21 Is (-IS-) part of the inner circle (ring = R-ING) (RISING) of Easter 1916 (RISING),
23 Story from monastery (‘story’ from ‘monastery’ = mnae = AMEN) heard at the end of Mass (AMEN),
24 Borders (HEMS) Trim’s health farms (trims ‘HEalth farMS’ = HEMS).