theirishtimes--2020-08-10--Almost one-quarter of deaths of youths in care system in past decade were by suicide

Almost one-quarter of youths in care , or known to child protection services , who died over the last decade died as a result of suicide , according to a Tusla-commissioned report .
In the last 10 years , 206 deaths of youths were notified to the National Review Panel ( NRP ) , the independent body that examines the deaths of children known to the child protection and welfare system .
While most died from natural causes , the NRP said 49 of the young people , who were aged 12 to 20 , died from suicide .
Other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overdose and a small number of homicides .
The NRP was established in 2010 following the publication of the Ryan report , the report of the commission of inquiry into child abuse , to review deaths and serious incidents involving children in care .
Its 2019 report , published on Monday , takes a 10-year overview of the number and causes of deaths of young people in contact with child protection services .
NRP chairwoman Dr Helen Buckley said that while the number of deaths was not overrepresentative of children and young people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were the “ most outstanding ” element of the report .
“ A recurring pattern in these cases has been the inability of families to connect their children with the appropriate services , ” she said .
The report indicated that children and young people who died while in contact with social services had many complicating features in their day-to-day existence , Dr Buckley said , and in many instances , their parents ’ lives were affected by mental illness , addiction and domestic violence .
The children themselves frequently had needs related @ @ @ @ @ @ @ addiction and psychological disorders which stretched their parents ’ capacity to provide for them , she said .

Almost one-quarter of youths in care, or known to child protection services, who died over the last decade died as a result of suicide, according to a Tusla-commissioned report. File photograph: Alan Betson
Almost one-quarter of youths in care, or known to child protection services, who died over the last decade died as a result of suicide, according to a Tusla-commissioned report.
In the last 10 years, 206 deaths of youths were notified to the National Review Panel (NRP), the independent body that examines the deaths of children known to the child protection and welfare system.
While most died from natural causes, the NRP said 49 of the young people, who were aged 12 to 20, died from suicide. Other causes of death included accidents, drug overdose and a small number of homicides.
The NRP was established in 2010 following the publication of the Ryan report, the report of the commission of inquiry into child abuse, to review deaths and serious incidents involving children in care.
READ MORE
Its 2019 report, published on Monday, takes a 10-year overview of the number and causes of deaths of young people in contact with child protection services.
‘Recurring pattern’
NRP chairwoman Dr Helen Buckley said that while the number of deaths was not overrepresentative of children and young people in general, the deaths from suicide were the "most outstanding" element of the report.
“A recurring pattern in these cases has been the inability of families to connect their children with the appropriate services,” she said.
The report indicated that children and young people who died while in contact with social services had many complicating features in their day-to-day existence, Dr Buckley said, and in many instances, their parents’ lives were affected by mental illness, addiction and domestic violence. The children themselves frequently had needs related to disability, autism, education, addiction and psychological disorders which stretched their parents’ capacity to provide for them, she said.


theirishtimes--2020-08-10--Crime rates rise in half of all towns and villages in 2019

Some large towns and suburbs in the Republic experienced increases in crime levels in excess of 25 per cent – more than six times the national average – last year , including Longford , Wicklow , Kinsale , Kells , Ardee , Howth and Rathcoole .
Other areas with significant increases in crime rates included Swords , Shannon , Lucan , Clondalkin , Donnybrook , Carrigaline and Blackrock .
An analysis of recorded crimes across all 564 Garda stations nationwide last year shows rates increased in more than half of all towns and villages despite a reduction in high-profile offences @ @ @ @ @ @ @ published by the Central Statistics Office ( CSO ) , based on data recorded on the Garda Pulse system , show more than 52 per cent of stations had a higher number of reported offences last year than in 2018 .
Crime levels were up in 296 stations , unchanged in 15 , while numbers were down in 253 stations .
Overall crime levels across the State were up just over 4 per cent , with increases in all main crime types with the exception of homicides , kidnappings , burglaries and robberies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increase in crime last year – the highest percentage increase of any Garda divisional or district headquarter .
A total of 1,478 offences were recorded in Longford during 2019 – up 455 on the previous year – with the surge driven by increases in assaults , drug offences , organised crime and breaches of court orders .
The number of reported crimes in Wicklow town last year rose by 43 per cent to 628 , with across the board increases in public order , assault , burglary and theft offences .
Kinsale , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experienced one of the largest increases nationwide with crime levels up 45 per cent due to a major rise in drug and public order offences .
The figures at station level do not include homicides or sexual offences which are excluded from official statistics to protect the identity of victims .

CSO figures show more than 52% of Garda stations had a higher number of reported offences last year than in 2018.
Some large towns and suburbs in the Republic experienced increases in crime levels in excess of 25 per cent – more than six times the national average – last year, including Longford, Wicklow, Kinsale, Kells, Ardee, Howth and Rathcoole.
Other areas with significant increases in crime rates included Swords, Shannon, Lucan, Clondalkin, Donnybrook, Carrigaline and Blackrock.
An analysis of recorded crimes across all 564 Garda stations nationwide last year shows rates increased in more than half of all towns and villages despite a reduction in high-profile offences such as burglaries and robberies.
:
Figures published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), based on data recorded on the Garda Pulse system, show more than 52 per cent of stations had a higher number of reported offences last year than in 2018.
READ MORE
Crime levels were up in 296 stations, unchanged in 15, while numbers were down in 253 stations.
Overall crime levels across the State were up just over 4 per cent, with increases in all main crime types with the exception of homicides, kidnappings, burglaries and robberies.
Longford experienced a 44 per cent increase in crime last year – the highest percentage increase of any Garda divisional or district headquarter.
Surge
A total of 1,478 offences were recorded in Longford during 2019 – up 455 on the previous year – with the surge driven by increases in assaults, drug offences, organised crime and breaches of court orders.
The number of reported crimes in Wicklow town last year rose by 43 per cent to 628, with across the board increases in public order, assault, burglary and theft offences.
Kinsale, the popular tourist town in Cork, experienced one of the largest increases nationwide with crime levels up 45 per cent due to a major rise in drug and public order offences.
The figures at station level do not include homicides or sexual offences which are excluded from official statistics to protect the identity of victims.


theirishtimes--2020-08-10--Theft and drug offences behind sharp rise in crime in several towns

Some Irish towns and larger villages have faced sharp increases in crime with the number of crimes in Slane , Co Meath almost doubling from 102 in 2018 to 197 last year largely due to a big increase in theft and drug offences .
Other areas with large increases included Ballyshannon , Co Donegal ( +71 per cent ) ; Donegal town ( +57 per cent ) ; Roundwood , Co Wicklow ( +52 per cent ) and Skerries , Co Dublin ( +29 per cent ) .
An analysis of recorded crimes across all 564 Garda stations nationwide last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ half of all towns and villages , despite a reduction in high-profile offences such as burglaries and robberies .
Figures published by the Central Statistics Office ( CSO ) , based on data recorded on the Garda Pulse system , show more than 52 per cent of stations had a higher number of reported offences last year than in 2018 .
Elsewhere , there were noticeable reductions in crime levels in some provincial towns with three stations – Newcastlewest , Co Limerick , Westport , Co Mayo and New Ross , Co Wexford @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in excess of 20 per cent last year .
A significant decrease in public order offences was a common factor in all three areas .
The CSO figures show Pearse Street in Dublin ’ s south inner city is the country ’ s busiest Garda station and the only one in the country to record in excess of 10,000 crimes last year .
A total of 10,217 offences were logged in the station during 2019 – a daily average of 28 crimes – although the figure was down 6 per cent on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rural stations – Recess in Co Galway and Barraduff in Co Kerry – each recorded only one crime last year , a theft and assault respectively .
Meanwhile , almost three-quarters of the country ’ s 28 Garda divisions , which are largely based along county boundaries , experienced rising crime rates during 2019 .
Donegal recorded the largest single increase with a 17 per cent rise in crimes followed by Roscommon-Longford ( 16 per cent ) and Wicklow and Dublin West ( both 14 per cent ) .
Donegal , Wicklow and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the national trend by experiencing a surge in burglaries during 2019 with the number of reported break-ins to properties in Wicklow up 37 per cent annually .
Limerick enjoyed the biggest reduction in crime anywhere in the Republic with the number of reported offences down 8 per cent .
Other counties in the midwest region also had lower levels of crime with Tipperary down 6 per cent and Clare by 5 per cent .
Mayo , Wexford , Carlow-Kilkenny as well as Cork city and Cork West were the only other divisions to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Crime rates were up 6 per cent collectively across the six Garda divisions which cover Dublin city and county with an increase in offences recorded in 12 out of 14 of the main crime categories .
The only falling crime levels in the capital last year were for robberies and kidnappings .
Restrictions on people ’ s mobility introduced to stop the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic will have a major impact on crime in the Republic this year with a large reduction in the number of reported offences across a range of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ damage already confirmed .
In a report to the Policing Authority last week , the Garda Commissioner , Drew Harris , said the restrictions had had a significant effect on crime with most crime types reporting noticeable decreases since mid-March .
Residential burglaries between April and June are down 53 per cent on the same months last year while crimes against the person are down 17 per cent over the same period .
“ Covid-19 has resulted in a lot of business premises being shut and , with more people staying at home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of residences left vacant , ” said Mr Harris .
“ As a result , offenders are presented with less opportunity to commit property crime offences .
”

CSO figures show Pearse Street in Dublin is the country’s busiest Garda station, recording in excess of 10,000 crimes last year. Photograph: Frank Miller
Some Irish towns and larger villages have faced sharp increases in crime with the number of crimes in Slane, Co Meath almost doubling from 102 in 2018 to 197 last year largely due to a big increase in theft and drug offences.
Other areas with large increases included Ballyshannon, Co Donegal (+71 per cent); Donegal town (+57 per cent); Roundwood, Co Wicklow (+52 per cent) and Skerries, Co Dublin (+29 per cent).
An analysis of recorded crimes across all 564 Garda stations nationwide last year shows rates increased in more than half of all towns and villages, despite a reduction in high-profile offences such as burglaries and robberies.
:
Figures published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), based on data recorded on the Garda Pulse system, show more than 52 per cent of stations had a higher number of reported offences last year than in 2018.
READ MORE
Elsewhere, there were noticeable reductions in crime levels in some provincial towns with three stations – Newcastlewest, Co Limerick, Westport, Co Mayo and New Ross, Co Wexford – recording a drop in crime levels in excess of 20 per cent last year.
A significant decrease in public order offences was a common factor in all three areas.
Busiest station
The CSO figures show Pearse Street in Dublin’s south inner city is the country’s busiest Garda station and the only one in the country to record in excess of 10,000 crimes last year.
A total of 10,217 offences were logged in the station during 2019 – a daily average of 28 crimes – although the figure was down 6 per cent on the previous year.
In contrast, two rural stations – Recess in Co Galway and Barraduff in Co Kerry – each recorded only one crime last year, a theft and assault respectively.
Meanwhile, almost three-quarters of the country’s 28 Garda divisions, which are largely based along county boundaries, experienced rising crime rates during 2019.
Donegal recorded the largest single increase with a 17 per cent rise in crimes followed by Roscommon-Longford (16 per cent) and Wicklow and Dublin West (both 14 per cent).
Donegal, Wicklow and Dublin West as well as Westmeath bucked the national trend by experiencing a surge in burglaries during 2019 with the number of reported break-ins to properties in Wicklow up 37 per cent annually.
Limerick enjoyed the biggest reduction in crime anywhere in the Republic with the number of reported offences down 8 per cent. Other counties in the midwest region also had lower levels of crime with Tipperary down 6 per cent and Clare by 5 per cent.
Mayo, Wexford, Carlow-Kilkenny as well as Cork city and Cork West were the only other divisions to record falling crime levels last year.
Crime rates were up 6 per cent collectively across the six Garda divisions which cover Dublin city and county with an increase in offences recorded in 12 out of 14 of the main crime categories.
The only falling crime levels in the capital last year were for robberies and kidnappings.
Covid-19
Restrictions on people’s mobility introduced to stop the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic will have a major impact on crime in the Republic this year with a large reduction in the number of reported offences across a range of categories including theft, burglary and criminal damage already confirmed.
In a report to the Policing Authority last week, the Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, said the restrictions had had a significant effect on crime with most crime types reporting noticeable decreases since mid-March.
Residential burglaries between April and June are down 53 per cent on the same months last year while crimes against the person are down 17 per cent over the same period.
“Covid-19 has resulted in a lot of business premises being shut and, with more people staying at home, there is a reduction in the number of residences left vacant,” said Mr Harris. “As a result, offenders are presented with less opportunity to commit property crime offences.”


theirishtimes--2020-08-10--Reported sex offences against children in North rise by 37%

There were 2,082 recorded sex offences against children under 18 years of age in Northern Ireland last year , up @ @ @ @ @ past five years , according to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty against @ @ @ @ @ The NSPCC said close to six child sex offences were recorded by the PSNI every @ @ @ @ @ Britain and Northern Ireland there were 73,518 recorded offences including rape , online grooming and @ @ @ @ @ the year 2019-2020 – up 57 per cent in five years .
The charity also @ @ @ @ @ people to Childline about sexual abuse in the family tripled during the Covid-19 lockdown .
@ @ @ @ @ an average of 23 contacts to Childline per week about child sexual abuse in the @ @ @ @ @ March 23rd when lockdown was announced in the UK .
“ Some children told Childline @ @ @ @ @ more frequent during lockdown , as they were spending more time with their abuser , @ @ @ @ @

The NSPCC said there were an average of 23 contacts to Childline each week about child sexual abuse in the home. Photograph: iStock
There were 2,082 recorded sex offences against children under 18 years of age in Northern Ireland last year, up 37 per cent in the past five years, according to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty against Children (NSPCC).
The NSPCC said close to six child sex offences were recorded by the PSNI every day last year.
Across Britain and Northern Ireland there were 73,518 recorded offences including rape, online grooming and sexual assault against children in the year 2019-2020 – up 57 per cent in five years.
The charity also reported that contacts from young people to Childline about sexual abuse in the family tripled during the Covid-19 lockdown.
READ MORE
The NSPCC said there were an average of 23 contacts to Childline per week about child sexual abuse in the home, up threefold since March 23rd when lockdown was announced in the UK.
“Some children told Childline that sexual abuse had become more frequent during lockdown, as they were spending more time with their abuser,” the charity reported.


theirishtimes--2020-08-09--Covid-19 incidence in the Republic set to surpass that of UK

The State ’ s incidence of Covid-19 appears set to surpass that of the UK for the first time since the pandemic started , new figures show .
The 14-day incidence of the disease in the Republic has increased sevenfold in the space of three weeks , to reach 15.8 cases per 100,000 of population , according to an update from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control yesterday .
This compares to a figure of 15.9 in the UK , which a month ago had an incidence almost eight times that of Ireland .
Since then , case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , although yesterday they exceeded 1,000 for the first time since June .
Covid-19 is now being detected at a higher rate in the State than in Germany and Slovenia and a number of other EU countries not on the Government ’ s green list .
The figures highlight the dramatic increase in the number of cases in recent weeks , driven largely by outbreaks in food processing plants in the midlands .
Kildare Chilling in Kildare town , which has registered 150 cases , and O ’ Brien Fine Foods in Timahoe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ production , while Irish Dog Foods in Naas , where 53 cases have been reported , has shelved plans to reopen today .
A fourth plant , Carroll ’ s Cuisine in Tullamore , Co Offaly , which has nine cases , remains open but is undergoing a deep-clean and yesterday tested a further 210 staff .
The Department of Health has asked the HSE to begin testing all staff working in meat processing facilities nationwide .
The HSE is meanwhile finalising plans to test asylum seekers in all direct provision centres nationwide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported in a number of direct provision centres in recent weeks , some of them linked to staff working at meat plants .
Testing is also restarting from today for healthcare workers in nursing homes , starting initially with staff in the three counties under local restrictions , counties Kildare , Laois and Offaly .
Another 68 confirmed cases of Covid-19 were disclosed by the National Public Health Emergency Team ( NPHET ) yesterday evening ; 174 new cases had been reported by NPHET on Saturday .
One new Covid-19-related death was reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has emerged that the Government may draw up a new plan to deal with pandemic contingencies such as a second serious wave of coronavirus or localised outbreaks .
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said NPHET has produced a view for the Government to consider .
It would replace the current plan , which might no longer be applicable given changed circumstances .
The Cabinet subcommittee on Covid-19 is to hold a meeting tomorrow by video-link to discuss the recent spike in new cases and the response it deems necessary .
Mr Donnelly is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ non-essential travel from the US and other Covid-19 hotspots where the virus continues to spread rapidly .

The State’s incidence of Covid-19 appears set to surpass that of the UK for the first time since the pandemic started, new figures show. File photograph: Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images
The State’s incidence of Covid-19 appears set to surpass that of the UK for the first time since the pandemic started, new figures show.
The 14-day incidence of the disease in the Republic has increased sevenfold in the space of three weeks, to reach 15.8 cases per 100,000 of population, according to an update from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control yesterday.
This compares to a figure of 15.9 in the UK, which a month ago had an incidence almost eight times that of Ireland. Since then, case numbers in the UK have been steady, although yesterday they exceeded 1,000 for the first time since June.
Covid-19 is now being detected at a higher rate in the State than in Germany and Slovenia and a number of other EU countries not on the Government's green list.
READ MORE
The figures highlight the dramatic increase in the number of cases in recent weeks, driven largely by outbreaks in food processing plants in the midlands.
Kildare Chilling in Kildare town, which has registered 150 cases, and O'Brien Fine Foods in Timahoe, with 86 cases, have suspended production, while Irish Dog Foods in Naas, where 53 cases have been reported, has shelved plans to reopen today.
A fourth plant, Carroll’s Cuisine in Tullamore, Co Offaly, which has nine cases, remains open but is undergoing a deep-clean and yesterday tested a further 210 staff.
The Department of Health has asked the HSE to begin testing all staff working in meat processing facilities nationwide. The HSE is meanwhile finalising plans to test asylum seekers in all direct provision centres nationwide, fortnightly.
Covid-19 clusters have been reported in a number of direct provision centres in recent weeks, some of them linked to staff working at meat plants.
Testing is also restarting from today for healthcare workers in nursing homes, starting initially with staff in the three counties under local restrictions, counties Kildare, Laois and Offaly.
Another 68 confirmed cases of Covid-19 were disclosed by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) yesterday evening; 174 new cases had been reported by NPHET on Saturday. One new Covid-19-related death was reported over the weekend.
New plan
Meanwhile, it has emerged that the Government may draw up a new plan to deal with pandemic contingencies such as a second serious wave of coronavirus or localised outbreaks.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said NPHET has produced a view for the Government to consider. It would replace the current plan, which might no longer be applicable given changed circumstances.
The Cabinet subcommittee on Covid-19 is to hold a meeting tomorrow by video-link to discuss the recent spike in new cases and the response it deems necessary.
Mr Donnelly is also expected to introduce a ban on non-essential travel from the US and other Covid-19 hotspots where the virus continues to spread rapidly.


theirishtimes--2020-08-09--Asylum seekers without Leaving Cert now eligible for third-level grant

Young asylum seekers no longer have to spend three years in the Irish school system in order to qualify for educational support at third level , the Government will announce .
The latest revision to the student grant scheme for young people in direct provision , to be announced today , means asylum seekers will no longer need to have completed the Leaving Cert or have spent three years in an Irish school to be able to apply for a student grant when moving into third level .
Applicants will still need to have been resident in Ireland for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to apply for the support .
They must also have already been accepted on to an approved post-Leaving Certificate course or undergraduate course .
Students who have applied for refugee status , subsidiary protection or leave to remain , and have been in the system for at least three years , can apply for the support .
Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris said the previous support scheme had proved “ too restrictive ” with very few students meeting the requirements for financial support .
Mr Harris said the new scheme @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long-term footing ” and that he hoped relaxing the criteria would result in more people accessing third-level education .
“ I am acutely aware of the stress that students feel at this time and I hope that the changes that I ’ ve approved will address the fears of prospective applicants , ” he said .
The pilot student support scheme began in 2015 but was only open to students who had been studying in an Irish school for at least five years .
In June 2019 this period was reduced to three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was “ too restrictive ” .
At the time , just six of the 59 students who applied during the three previous years had been granted support , according to data from the Irish Refugee Council .
Asylum seekers are not entitled to free third-level education and are treated as international students who must pay fees .
Some Irish universities have introduced scholarships in recent years to support students going through the asylum process in moving on to third-level education .
However , a university education remains financially inaccessible to most in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scheme will open today and can be made until November 6th .
The more than 60,000 students who were due to sit their Leaving Cert in June will receive the results of their predicated grades on September 7th , several weeks later than when the results normally come out .
Central Applications Office offers for college places will be issued on Friday , September 11th .

Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris said he hoped relaxing the criteria for educational support would result in more people accessing third-level education. Photograph: Gareth Chaney/Collins
Young asylum seekers no longer have to spend three years in the Irish school system in order to qualify for educational support at third level, the Government will announce.
The latest revision to the student grant scheme for young people in direct provision, to be announced today, means asylum seekers will no longer need to have completed the Leaving Cert or have spent three years in an Irish school to be able to apply for a student grant when moving into third level.
Applicants will still need to have been resident in Ireland for a combined period of three years in order to apply for the support. They must also have already been accepted on to an approved post-Leaving Certificate course or undergraduate course.
Students who have applied for refugee status, subsidiary protection or leave to remain, and have been in the system for at least three years, can apply for the support.
READ MORE
Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris said the previous support scheme had proved “too restrictive” with very few students meeting the requirements for financial support.
Mr Harris said the new scheme would be put on a “more long-term footing” and that he hoped relaxing the criteria would result in more people accessing third-level education.
“I am acutely aware of the stress that students feel at this time and I hope that the changes that I’ve approved will address the fears of prospective applicants,” he said.
Pilot scheme
The pilot student support scheme began in 2015 but was only open to students who had been studying in an Irish school for at least five years.
In June 2019 this period was reduced to three years as it was found five years was "too restrictive". At the time, just six of the 59 students who applied during the three previous years had been granted support, according to data from the Irish Refugee Council.
Asylum seekers are not entitled to free third-level education and are treated as international students who must pay fees.
Some Irish universities have introduced scholarships in recent years to support students going through the asylum process in moving on to third-level education. However, a university education remains financially inaccessible to most in the asylum system.
Applications for the support scheme will open today and can be made until November 6th.
The more than 60,000 students who were due to sit their Leaving Cert in June will receive the results of their predicated grades on September 7th, several weeks later than when the results normally come out. Central Applications Office offers for college places will be issued on Friday, September 11th.


theirishtimes--2020-08-09--Subscribers cry foul over GAA live match service

We have queries from Colombia and London this week in connection with a most Irish operation .
Unless you are an expat or a GAA fan who has spent some time living overseas since 2014 , GAAGO may not have crossed your radar .
It is a subscription service set up by RTÉ and the GAA aimed at an international market and the Irish diaspora .
In a good year , it features more than 100 live and on-demand games as well as all sorts of documentaries and an archive of classic games .
However , at risk of stating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a good year .
David Clancy paid €56 for the service on February 16th this year .
Within a few weeks – on March 9th – he says GAAGO “ stopped providing the service I paid for .
No live matches were shown after this date.
” On March 12th he got an email from the service confirming that all GAA was to suspended until the end of March .
A few days later he contacted the service to find out what would be happening as there were no games scheduled .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be a fair and practical resolution ” .
Then on March 27th , he received a mail saying GAAGO had opted to pause his subscription .
“ On April 23rd as it became clear the season would not resume , particularly the Munster/Leinster hurling championships , I asked for a refund and was told that GAAGO would make a fair decision in regards to annual pass subscriptions and what the best form of action will be.
” In the middle of July he got an email saying his annual pass would be extended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year to the end of May .
He wasn ’ t happy with that at all and on July 17th he asked for a refund with an explanation as to why he believed a refund was due .
“ The extension would provide no value as there are few matches between March and May , and there will be fewer matches this season due to the curtailment of the championships.
” He was told that because he had used the service to watch free content in recent months , which they claim is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could not have a refund and they would not have any further communication with me on the matter ” .
“ This is not the service I signed up for and is not the fair and practical resolution I was led to believe would occur .
I don ’ t want to accept this downgrade of the service , which would mean fewer top- level matches , and more lower level games to end-May 2021 .
I have not accessed any of their services since I was informed of the extension except to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I have not received the services as promised , I would like a refund of €56 from GAAGO .
Next up was Declan Carey from Colombia .
“ I have been based overseas and will be returning permanently in September , ” his mail starts .
“ I have availed of the annual pass for the GAAGO platform while abroad to enjoy the All-Ireland series .
While the platform offers other things such as historical repeats , it is clear that the driver of the platform is the enjoyment of key games over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pricing , ” he says , pointing out that the price per game increases as one gets closer to the All-Ireland finals .
“ It is suggested that the annual pass is more cost-effective as one can enjoy more of these high-profile games at an affordable price .
Given the unique circumstances this year with Covid , I had assumed GAAGO would be contacting all subscribers to make some adjustment to recognise the impact of the lost games and new timing , ” he writes .
“ This would be consistent with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the GAA itself , which has offered adjustments to people who had purchased season tickets to see the games in person .
I was therefore surprised when , after contacting GAAGO , they advised no adjustment/discount/refund would be offered.
” He says they seem to be treating people who paid the see the games in person differently from those who paid to see the games on television .
“ I haven ’ t been able to make any progress with GAAGO , so any effort you could make to pressure them to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Irish people based overseas would be appreciated.
” So we got in touch with RTÉ who put us in touch with GAAGO .
A spokesman said that the GAA had first announced the suspension of all activity on March 12th – initially until March 29th .
The suspension was subsequently extended on a number of occasions in line with updated government policy .
“ This uncertainty created great uncertainty for sports organisations and in turn for GAAGO and its customers .
We paused all payments falling due from subscription renewals and instalments in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change to all subscribers and while we weren ’ t yet in a position to establish an appropriate level of compensation , we promised to ‘ take a fair and practical view of the situation at the appropriate time ’ .
Please note that we issued refunds to customers who had renewed subscriptions during March before the pause was in place , even where they were outside our normal refund window ; we were not trying to profit from the situation.
” He said that once a return to live action was confirmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fair approach would mean in practice .
In doing this , we took into account purchase dates , the product purchased , prospective renewal timings , and the GAA calendar itself ( this year and next year ) and generated a number of subscriber groups with similar circumstances , eg ‘ have mostly received pass value ’ , ‘ recently renewed , therefore not much value received yet ’ etc .
By offering a mix of pass extensions and discounts on renewals , we believe we took a fair approach for each customer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of customers had been happy with the approach .
“ We take our customer service seriously and recognise that there will be exceptions , which is why we always try to treat each situation uniquely .
We know from feedback that not every service does this , and we ’ ve frequently put in significant effort into particular customer cases to find a satisfactory solution .
This helps us build a good reputation among the expat community , and to retain customers , which thankfully we do well.
” He added that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before we made contact .
“ In one case , we don ’ t feel that a user who wasn ’ t entitled to a refund pre-Covid should suddenly become entitled to one afterwards , as the service is being delivered as promised , albeit on a different timescale due to extraordinary factors outside of our control .
As a conciliatory gesture , though , we agreed to a further extension ( beyond what we originally felt was a fair resolution ) , as evidently that particular customer was not satisfied with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case has already been resolved once it got escalated upwards .
Our initial response should have been better and we have discussed this as a team and learned from it .
Again , we made a goodwill gesture to resolve this issue to the customer ’ s satisfaction.
” That all seems fair enough to us .
Voucher better than nothing for cancelled flight David Langan sent us a query in connection with Aer Lingus that he wondered if we had previously focused on .
He bought a ticket with Aer Lingus on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dublin to LAX return on March 26th , returning six days later .
“ On March 18th I received an email from Aer Lingus offering a change of flight or a voucher .
At that time I applied for a voucher .
I , like many people at the time hoped that the virus situation would not last too long and I would book the flight in summer this year .
Aer lingus did not offer money back at that time.
” He said that since then he has not received the voucher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contact them two days ago and they said it is being processed .
I asked for my money back and they said I could not have that .
I said , well , they don ’ t fly to LAX now and either way I can ’ t go because of the rules from the State Department with Irish passport holders .
Aer Lingus said the flight I had originally booked did operate and voucher was all I could get.
” He says that after he got off the call with Aer Lingus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the voucher in March the visa restrictions were in place in the USA , “ so even if I went up to the Aer Lingus desk to take the flight I would not have been be able to due to the visa restrictions .
I know it is outside Aer Lingus ’ s control that the visa situation changed , but it is fundamental to being able to take the flight .
Do you think I am entitled to my money back or do I just have to wait for the voucher ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ this question but it won ’ t make for happy reading for David or any other reader in a similar position .
The bottom line , as it has become all too clear in recent months , is that airlines are only responsible for ferrying people from A to B .
They have no role in ensuring passengers are actually permitted to travel or have the requisite visa or paperwork in place other than to not let them board in the absence of those visas or passports .
It is , ultimately , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everything is in order before they show up at the boarding gate .
So , even though US rules have prohibited Irish citizens from entering the US in recent months , Aer Lingus – and indeed all other airlines – were able to wash their hands of the problem .
If they flew the planes and people were not able to board , they were viewed as no-shows .
Aer Lingus actually deserves a bit of credit – not something we have said often in recent times – because it could simply have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ refused to offer him anything by way of comfort .
The long and the short of it is the voucher is probably the best he can hope for , and the good news – if we can call it that – is that the voucher has an expiry limit of five years .
Ferry tale with no happy ever after “ I ’ d to draw your attention to my experience with Brittany Ferries .
It is not just the airlines that are proving difficult to deal with at the current time , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ominously .
“ I had a booking to travel with my family on the Cork-Roscoff ferry on the second weekend of July .
I had paid a 50 per cent deposit and was due to pay the second instalment by May 12th.
” Three days before then he sent a message to the company that he would not be travelling based on the advice of government and requesting that the final payment on the reservation not be taken .
“ I received a response from a named representative on May 11th that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that my card details were being deleted .
I was satisfied with this as I understood ( and still believe ) that this constituted an acceptance of my request , ” he continues .
Then on June 5th he received an email from Brittany Ferries to say that they were having trouble collecting the second portion of the ticket price .
“ As I had already received a written reply acceding to my earlier request I considered the issue dealt with in respect of the booking .
I didn ’ t read the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t apply to me .
There was a line at the bottom of the email to which I will return to later , ” he says .
Then , on June 30th , he contacted Brittany Ferries by email to enquire about options such as vouchers for the money already paid , since the Government advice was still not to travel abroad unless necessary .
“ I received , that afternoon , an email with a ‘ cancellation invoice ’ attached .
The cancellation fee being the full sum of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immediately responded stating that I had not requested a cancellation , and requested that the cancellation be reversed and my request re vouchers be addressed.
” A day later he received a reply which stated that he had been contacted on June 5th to say payment was due and that , as he had not made the payment , his booking had been cancelled and his deposit forfeit .
He was also told there was no entitlement to any voucher .
“ I then read the email of June 5th in detail .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ balance and a confirmation from me that I still wished to travel .
At the bottom of the email was a line stating that if payment was not received by 8th June , then they would consider that I did not wish to travel with them and they would cancel the booking .
As I had already told Brittany Ferries on May 9th that I would not be travelling , that I did not wish to pay the second portion of the ticket price and as they had acceded to that request , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this email was not relevant to me .
When I contacted Brittany Ferries on June 30th , it was still open to me to make a change to my travel arrangements as per the terms and conditions of my original booking , given that this booking was still live when I sent the mail.
” He replied to the mail telling his story .
“ I also suggested that from a commercial perspective it made sense to issue me with vouchers as this would require me to spend more money in order to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that I was prepared to make such a booking immediately for 2021 .
In the middle of last month he was told that it was impossible for Brittany Ferries to accommodate his request as he had not responded to the June 5th mails and as such the booking was auto cancelled on June 30th .
He says he does have insurance “ and so I will not suffer any significant financial loss as a result of this episode .
However , I live in Cork and as I would never consider Brittany Ferries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ travel to Rosslare or Dublin if I wish to take a ferry.
” We contacted the ferry company but it had nothing by way of comfort for our reader and appeared unconcerned by his determination never to use its services again .
This is the statement we received in full .
“ For the selected ticket type , we clearly outline that a deposit of 50 per cent of the price is payable upon booking , with the balance due 60 days before travel .
The booking terms & conditions also clearly outline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ isn ’ t paid by this time , then the booking will be cancelled and the relevant cancellations charges outlined in our terms and conditions will be applied .
“ We have been very clear with our customers as to the different options available to them if they choose not to avail of sailings that are still going ahead .
When payment of the balance was not received by the date advised , the booking at this point was no longer live in the system .
Our customer service teams have been dealing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ times we advise our customers to carefully read all correspondence .
”

We have queries from Colombia and London this week in connection with a most Irish operation.
Unless you are an expat or a GAA fan who has spent some time living overseas since 2014, GAAGO may not have crossed your radar. It is a subscription service set up by RTÉ and the GAA aimed at an international market and the Irish diaspora. In a good year, it features more than 100 live and on-demand games as well as all sorts of documentaries and an archive of classic games.
However, at risk of stating the obvious, 2020 has not been a good year.
The GAA All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final between Dublin and Kerry at Croke Park on September 1st, 2019. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho
Brittany Ferries service
David Clancy paid €56 for the service on February 16th this year. Within a few weeks – on March 9th – he says GAAGO "stopped providing the service I paid for. No live matches were shown after this date."
READ MORE
On March 12th he got an email from the service confirming that all GAA was to suspended until the end of March. A few days later he contacted the service to find out what would be happening as there were no games scheduled.
He says he was told “there would be a fair and practical resolution”.
Then on March 27th, he received a mail saying GAAGO had opted to pause his subscription. "On April 23rd as it became clear the season would not resume, particularly the Munster/Leinster hurling championships, I asked for a refund and was told that GAAGO would make a fair decision in regards to annual pass subscriptions and what the best form of action will be."
In the middle of July he got an email saying his annual pass would be extended by three months from February of next year to the end of May.
He wasn’t happy with that at all and on July 17th he asked for a refund with an explanation as to why he believed a refund was due.
“The extension would provide no value as there are few matches between March and May, and there will be fewer matches this season due to the curtailment of the championships.”
He was told that because he had used the service to watch free content in recent months, which they claim is worth up to €90, “I could not have a refund and they would not have any further communication with me on the matter”.
“This is not the service I signed up for and is not the fair and practical resolution I was led to believe would occur. I don’t want to accept this downgrade of the service, which would mean fewer top- level matches, and more lower level games to end-May 2021. I have not accessed any of their services since I was informed of the extension except to raise support tickets to complain. As I have not received the services as promised, I would like a refund of €56 from GAAGO.
Next up was Declan Carey from Colombia. "I have been based overseas and will be returning permanently in September," his mail starts. "I have availed of the annual pass for the GAAGO platform while abroad to enjoy the All-Ireland series. While the platform offers other things such as historical repeats, it is clear that the driver of the platform is the enjoyment of key games over the summer and this is reflected in the pricing," he says, pointing out that the price per game increases as one gets closer to the All-Ireland finals.
“It is suggested that the annual pass is more cost-effective as one can enjoy more of these high-profile games at an affordable price. Given the unique circumstances this year with Covid, I had assumed GAAGO would be contacting all subscribers to make some adjustment to recognise the impact of the lost games and new timing,” he writes.
“This would be consistent with the insurers’ approach to car insurance and the GAA itself, which has offered adjustments to people who had purchased season tickets to see the games in person. I was therefore surprised when, after contacting GAAGO, they advised no adjustment/discount/refund would be offered.”
He says they seem to be treating people who paid the see the games in person differently from those who paid to see the games on television.
“I haven’t been able to make any progress with GAAGO, so any effort you could make to pressure them to change this unreasonable approach to discriminate against Irish people based overseas would be appreciated.”
So we got in touch with RTÉ who put us in touch with GAAGO. A spokesman said that the GAA had first announced the suspension of all activity on March 12th – initially until March 29th. The suspension was subsequently extended on a number of occasions in line with updated government policy.
“This uncertainty created great uncertainty for sports organisations and in turn for GAAGO and its customers. We paused all payments falling due from subscription renewals and instalments in late March [and] communicated this change to all subscribers and while we weren’t yet in a position to establish an appropriate level of compensation, we promised to ‘take a fair and practical view of the situation at the appropriate time’. Please note that we issued refunds to customers who had renewed subscriptions during March before the pause was in place, even where they were outside our normal refund window; we were not trying to profit from the situation.”
He said that once a return to live action was confirmed, “we started considering what a fair approach would mean in practice. In doing this, we took into account purchase dates, the product purchased, prospective renewal timings, and the GAA calendar itself (this year and next year) and generated a number of subscriber groups with similar circumstances, eg ‘have mostly received pass value’, ‘recently renewed, therefore not much value received yet’ etc. By offering a mix of pass extensions and discounts on renewals, we believe we took a fair approach for each customer group.”
He said the vast majority of customers had been happy with the approach. “We take our customer service seriously and recognise that there will be exceptions, which is why we always try to treat each situation uniquely. We know from feedback that not every service does this, and we’ve frequently put in significant effort into particular customer cases to find a satisfactory solution. This helps us build a good reputation among the expat community, and to retain customers, which thankfully we do well.”
He added that the both of these cases had been discussed before we made contact. “In one case, we don’t feel that a user who wasn’t entitled to a refund pre-Covid should suddenly become entitled to one afterwards, as the service is being delivered as promised, albeit on a different timescale due to extraordinary factors outside of our control. As a conciliatory gesture, though, we agreed to a further extension (beyond what we originally felt was a fair resolution), as evidently that particular customer was not satisfied with the original 3.5-month extension.
“The other case has already been resolved once it got escalated upwards. Our initial response should have been better and we have discussed this as a team and learned from it. Again, we made a goodwill gesture to resolve this issue to the customer’s satisfaction.”
That all seems fair enough to us.
Voucher better than nothing for cancelled flight
David Langan sent us a query in connection with Aer Lingus that he wondered if we had previously focused on. He bought a ticket with Aer Lingus on December 16th, 2019 to fly from Dublin to LAX return on March 26th, returning six days later.
“On March 18th I received an email from Aer Lingus offering a change of flight or a voucher. At that time I applied for a voucher. I, like many people at the time hoped that the virus situation would not last too long and I would book the flight in summer this year. Aer lingus did not offer money back at that time.”
He said that since then he has not received the voucher from Aer Lingus. "I did contact them two days ago and they said it is being processed. I asked for my money back and they said I could not have that . I said, well, they don't fly to LAX now and either way I can't go because of the rules from the State Department with Irish passport holders. Aer Lingus said the flight I had originally booked did operate and voucher was all I could get."
He says that after he got off the call with Aer Lingus he remembered that when he had requested the voucher in March the visa restrictions were in place in the USA, “so even if I went up to the Aer Lingus desk to take the flight I would not have been be able to due to the visa restrictions. I know it is outside Aer Lingus’s control that the visa situation changed, but it is fundamental to being able to take the flight. Do you think I am entitled to my money back or do I just have to wait for the voucher? “
We do know the answer to this question but it won’t make for happy reading for David or any other reader in a similar position. The bottom line, as it has become all too clear in recent months, is that airlines are only responsible for ferrying people from A to B. They have no role in ensuring passengers are actually permitted to travel or have the requisite visa or paperwork in place other than to not let them board in the absence of those visas or passports. It is, ultimately, the passenger’s responsibility to ensure everything is in order before they show up at the boarding gate.
So, even though US rules have prohibited Irish citizens from entering the US in recent months, Aer Lingus – and indeed all other airlines – were able to wash their hands of the problem. If they flew the planes and people were not able to board, they were viewed as no-shows. Aer Lingus actually deserves a bit of credit – not something we have said often in recent times – because it could simply have regarded this reader as a no-show and refused to offer him anything by way of comfort. The long and the short of it is the voucher is probably the best he can hope for, and the good news – if we can call it that – is that the voucher has an expiry limit of five years.
Ferry tale with no happy ever after
"I'd to draw your attention to my experience with Brittany Ferries. It is not just the airlines that are proving difficult to deal with at the current time," a mail from Trevor Sheahan begins ominously. "I had a booking to travel with my family on the Cork-Roscoff ferry on the second weekend of July. I had paid a 50 per cent deposit and was due to pay the second instalment by May 12th."
Three days before then he sent a message to the company that he would not be travelling based on the advice of government and requesting that the final payment on the reservation not be taken.
“I received a response from a named representative on May 11th that the final payment would not be taken and that my card details were being deleted. I was satisfied with this as I understood (and still believe) that this constituted an acceptance of my request,” he continues.
Then on June 5th he received an email from Brittany Ferries to say that they were having trouble collecting the second portion of the ticket price. “As I had already received a written reply acceding to my earlier request I considered the issue dealt with in respect of the booking. I didn’t read the email in detail as I considered it didn’t apply to me. There was a line at the bottom of the email to which I will return to later,” he says.
Then, on June 30th, he contacted Brittany Ferries by email to enquire about options such as vouchers for the money already paid, since the Government advice was still not to travel abroad unless necessary.
“I received, that afternoon, an email with a ‘cancellation invoice’ attached. The cancellation fee being the full sum of the initial deposit paid – €591. I immediately responded stating that I had not requested a cancellation, and requested that the cancellation be reversed and my request re vouchers be addressed.”
A day later he received a reply which stated that he had been contacted on June 5th to say payment was due and that, as he had not made the payment, his booking had been cancelled and his deposit forfeit. He was also told there was no entitlement to any voucher.
“I then read the email of June 5th in detail. This mail requested payment of the outstanding balance and a confirmation from me that I still wished to travel. At the bottom of the email was a line stating that if payment was not received by 8th June, then they would consider that I did not wish to travel with them and they would cancel the booking. As I had already told Brittany Ferries on May 9th that I would not be travelling, that I did not wish to pay the second portion of the ticket price and as they had acceded to that request, it is still clear to me that this email was not relevant to me. When I contacted Brittany Ferries on June 30th, it was still open to me to make a change to my travel arrangements as per the terms and conditions of my original booking, given that this booking was still live when I sent the mail.”
He replied to the mail telling his story. “I also suggested that from a commercial perspective it made sense to issue me with vouchers as this would require me to spend more money in order to secure a booking for my family and that I was prepared to make such a booking immediately for 2021.
In the middle of last month he was told that it was impossible for Brittany Ferries to accommodate his request as he had not responded to the June 5th mails and as such the booking was auto cancelled on June 30th.
He says he does have insurance “and so I will not suffer any significant financial loss as a result of this episode. However, I live in Cork and as I would never consider Brittany Ferries again, now I will need to travel to Rosslare or Dublin if I wish to take a ferry.”
We contacted the ferry company but it had nothing by way of comfort for our reader and appeared unconcerned by his determination never to use its services again.
This is the statement we received in full. “For the selected ticket type, we clearly outline that a deposit of 50 per cent of the price is payable upon booking, with the balance due 60 days before travel. The booking terms & conditions also clearly outline that if the balance on a booking isn’t paid by this time, then the booking will be cancelled and the relevant cancellations charges outlined in our terms and conditions will be applied.
“We have been very clear with our customers as to the different options available to them if they choose not to avail of sailings that are still going ahead. When payment of the balance was not received by the date advised, the booking at this point was no longer live in the system. Our customer service teams have been dealing with thousands of bookings and at all times we advise our customers to carefully read all correspondence.”


Tobar na Cuimhne

Ní foláir nó gur mhór an éachtaint dá lán na pictiúir sin dubh agus bán ar mháirseálacha , ar mhórshiúlta , ar ruathair na bpéas , ar urchair ruibéir Arm na Breataine , go deimhin , ar éilimh chomh réasúnta sin go rachadh de dhuine ar bith a thuiscint cad ar a shon nach nglacfaí leo .
Thar aon ní eile , léirigh sé an stuaic dhaingean a bhí i measc an phobail Oráistigh agus na Rialtas Briotanacha de gach dath gan oiread is frigh d ’ orlach a ghéilleadh go dtí gur cuireadh d ’ fhiacha orthu sin a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an ceamara bréag .
As measc na múrtha moltaí , áfach , níor tugadh an aird chéanna ar na feachtais ghránna in aghaidh an duine uasail , feachtais a thuismigh i bhfad siar leis an mbunaíocht i Londain a scaip an scéal gur fronta Cumannach ba ea Gluaiseacht na gCearta Sibhialta , agus gur sciob Hume é féin airgead a bhí ag dul dóibh .
Níos measa fós ba ea an síorcháineadh binbeach a fuair sé ó chuid de na meáin abhus , go háirithe nuachtán nótálta amháin a lean seachtain ar muin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ á ghearradh , á chreachadh go dtí mar bhuaic aisithe gur fhoilsigh siad cartún de agus an chuma air go raibh fuil ar sileadh óna lámha .
Bheifeá ag súil go ngabhfadh siad leithscéal as an iompar maslach seo .
Bheifeá ag súil… Bhí sin go holc agus bhí sin go gránna , ach nimh sa bheo ba ea cuid de na ráitis ó lucht cogaidh agus ó mhangairí an bháis a bhí á mholadh mar fhear síochána .
Chuaigh greamaithe mar chnámh im scornach agus mar smuga searbhsmaoiseach im sceadamán na focail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agus ó Thony Blár Cogaidh ag cuimilt meala le cuimhne dhuine a chaith a shaol ar son na síochána suas is anuas leo féin a bhain taitneamh thar meon as buamaí a leagadh mar fhras go pras anuas ar dhaoine i bhfad ó bhaile i dtíortha aineoil nach n-aithneodh siad ar an léarscáil .
Ceart go leor , dhein Clinton a chion chun tabhairt ar na Sasanaigh an fhadhb ina banríocht neamhaontaithe féin a thabhairt faoi deara .
Sa mhéid sin , lean sé bóthar na cainte ar shála Hume .
Ní féidir @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ar ar chaith sé leis an tSomáil ( ‘ Cén fáth a labharfaí le Mohammed Farrah Hassan Aidid ?
Tiarna cogaidh ar nós Crazy Horse nó Aodh Rua Ó Domhnaill !
’ ) , agus fágaimis na diúracáin chrúsála siúd mar atá siad go fóill .
Sampla níos crithchraicní fós is ea an Blár Cogaidh agus a ghiolla ( nó a leathbhádóir , nó a mháistir ) Alasdair an Chambhéil .
Cúig huaire a d ’ fhógair siad trúpaí na Banríochta chun cogaidh lena linn a mbeirt , an méid ba mhó feachtas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stair an stáit thoir uainn .
Deirtear go mbeadh an áirithe seo daoine beo murach John Hume , rud atá fíor .
Bheadh an áirithe eile fós beo faoi cibé uimhir is mian leat is féidir a shamhlú murach Clinton agus Blair agus Campbell .

I leataoibh ón gcomóradh ar bheatha John Hume tar éis a bháis agus na moltaí mórthuillte a lean, bhí de mhaitheasaí ar imeall na slí gur mhúscail sé cuimhní agus faisnéis mar gheall ar na blianta stairiúla sin ó na seascaidí i leith a bhí nach mór imithe i ndíchuimhne ag a lán, nó a bhí gan solas riamh ag dream níos óige.
Ní foláir nó gur mhór an éachtaint dá lán na pictiúir sin dubh agus bán ar mháirseálacha, ar mhórshiúlta, ar ruathair na bpéas, ar urchair ruibéir Arm na Breataine, go deimhin, ar éilimh chomh réasúnta sin go rachadh de dhuine ar bith a thuiscint cad ar a shon nach nglacfaí leo.
Thar aon ní eile, léirigh sé an stuaic dhaingean a bhí i measc an phobail Oráistigh agus na Rialtas Briotanacha de gach dath gan oiread is frigh d’orlach a ghéilleadh go dtí gur cuireadh d’fhiacha orthu sin a dhéanamh.
Is ea, níor chan an ceamara bréag. As measc na múrtha moltaí, áfach, níor tugadh an aird chéanna ar na feachtais ghránna in aghaidh an duine uasail, feachtais a thuismigh i bhfad siar leis an mbunaíocht i Londain a scaip an scéal gur fronta Cumannach ba ea Gluaiseacht na gCearta Sibhialta, agus gur sciob Hume é féin airgead a bhí ag dul dóibh.
READ MORE
Níos measa fós ba ea an síorcháineadh binbeach a fuair sé ó chuid de na meáin abhus, go háirithe nuachtán nótálta amháin a lean seachtain ar muin seachtaine á dhaoradh, á dhamnú, á ghearradh, á chreachadh go dtí mar bhuaic aisithe gur fhoilsigh siad cartún de agus an chuma air go raibh fuil ar sileadh óna lámha. Bheifeá ag súil go ngabhfadh siad leithscéal as an iompar maslach seo. Bheifeá ag súil…
Bhí sin go holc agus bhí sin go gránna, ach nimh sa bheo ba ea cuid de na ráitis ó lucht cogaidh agus ó mhangairí an bháis a bhí á mholadh mar fhear síochána. Chuaigh greamaithe mar chnámh im scornach agus mar smuga searbhsmaoiseach im sceadamán na focail mhóra mholta a tháinig ó Bhill Clinton agus ó Thony Blár Cogaidh ag cuimilt meala le cuimhne dhuine a chaith a shaol ar son na síochána suas is anuas leo féin a bhain taitneamh thar meon as buamaí a leagadh mar fhras go pras anuas ar dhaoine i bhfad ó bhaile i dtíortha aineoil nach n-aithneodh siad ar an léarscáil.
Ceart go leor, dhein Clinton a chion chun tabhairt ar na Sasanaigh an fhadhb ina banríocht neamhaontaithe féin a thabhairt faoi deara. Sa mhéid sin, lean sé bóthar na cainte ar shála Hume. Ní féidir a amhlachas céanna a rá mar gheall ar ar chaith sé leis an tSomáil (‘Cén fáth a labharfaí le Mohammed Farrah Hassan Aidid? Tiarna cogaidh ar nós Crazy Horse nó Aodh Rua Ó Domhnaill!’), agus fágaimis na diúracáin chrúsála siúd mar atá siad go fóill.
Sampla níos crithchraicní fós is ea an Blár Cogaidh agus a ghiolla (nó a leathbhádóir, nó a mháistir) Alasdair an Chambhéil. Cúig huaire a d’fhógair siad trúpaí na Banríochta chun cogaidh lena linn a mbeirt, an méid ba mhó feachtas fola riamh ag príomhaire ar bith i stair an stáit thoir uainn.
Deirtear go mbeadh an áirithe seo daoine beo murach John Hume, rud atá fíor. Bheadh an áirithe eile fós beo faoi cibé uimhir is mian leat is féidir a shamhlú murach Clinton agus Blair agus Campbell.
B’ait an feic é, lucht cogaidh ag moladh na síochána.


theirishtimes--2020-08-09--Portlaoise locked down: ‘Our older clientele haven’t been back’

In the foyer of the Killeshin Hotel on the Dublin Road in Portlaoise an extended family is checking out .
They had booked in before the new restrictions were implemented at midnight on Friday .
“ We had to honour their bookings , ” explained duty manager Bernadette Culleton .
This weekend the hotel had to cancel their wedding showcase .
“ When we called to explain what has happening some were disappointed , but they understood , ” said Culleton .
Several couples were booked into the Killeshin ’ s sister hotels , the Castletroy Park , Charleville Park @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have two small weddings coming up , touch wood , one due on 22nd August , but we don ’ t know what ’ s going to happen there .
“ I think people are feeling , ‘ oh , this again , we have to do it , there ’ s no point in kicking up about it , you ’ ll just get more frustrated and we just have to go with it now.
’ At the end of the day they do need to do it for people ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pandemic , none of us have been through this before , the Government probably doesn ’ t know what or how to deal with it.
” In the Style Bar in the centre of the town Erin Moran and her colleagues are working away even though the number of customers is down .
“ A lot of people are on edge about coming in , the regulars are scared , our older clientele haven ’ t been back .
People are not showing up for appointments , there is a lot of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Across the road in the Laois Shopping Centre Peter Ashe is shopping with his wife .
The truck driver said he has noticed that there are fewer people in the shops and that the majority are wearing masks .
“ I see a difference , but I don ’ t know if it ’ s going to help .
I ’ m convinced the country should have gone into a complete second lockdown , including the factories.
” At the entrance to Penneys , security guard Willie Conroy is instructing people to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he is clicking numbers .
“ Most people are grand , there are no problems with them but you ’ re always going to have one or two .
It [ restrictions ] was the right thing to do , people should have been wearing masks in the first place.
” In the Jack & Jones shop Vlad Apopei , also feels that the public should be patient .
“ Something like this : it ’ s a global pandemic , it ’ s not going to blow over any time soon , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it ’ s just that none of us have ever dealt with anything like this in our lifetime , so it ’ s not going to be easy for us to just stay home all the time and abide by the rules .
There will be some people who break the rules , we ’ ve seen that on the news .
Patricia McGrath , who has worked as a cleaner in the Laois Shopping Centre for more than four years was busy ensuring all surfaces were cleaned down and sanitised .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Saturday and Sunday .
“ I think people are afraid now at this stage .
They are happier to stay at home rather than taking a chance.
” One person for whom the new restrictions could have had an impact is student Buri Heffernan who is 14 weeks into a 16-week online Personal Trainer course for which he had practical exams in Kilkenny on Sunday .
“ We were stopped by the guards just outside Durrow , coming on to the border with Kilkenny .
They were very understanding when we told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Portlaoise-based teacher Katie Wallace acknowledged that the new restrictions will not have much of an impact on her daily life at present .
But she has had to cancel a holiday elsewhere in the country next week .
“ There should have been earlier and wider testing in meat plants .
That might have helped and maybe we wouldn ’ t be facing into a lockdown situation again .
”

In the foyer of the Killeshin Hotel on the Dublin Road in Portlaoise an extended family is checking out. They had booked in before the new restrictions were implemented at midnight on Friday.
“We had to honour their bookings,” explained duty manager Bernadette Culleton. This weekend the hotel had to cancel their wedding showcase.
“When we called to explain what has happening some were disappointed, but they understood,” said Culleton. Several couples were booked into the Killeshin’s sister hotels, the Castletroy Park, Charleville Park and Loughrea in Galway.
“We have two small weddings coming up, touch wood, one due on 22nd August, but we don’t know what’s going to happen there.
READ MORE
“I think people are feeling, ‘oh, this again, we have to do it, there’s no point in kicking up about it, you’ll just get more frustrated and we just have to go with it now.’ At the end of the day they do need to do it for people’s safety. I know it’s a pandemic, none of us have been through this before, the Government probably doesn’t know what or how to deal with it.”
In the Style Bar in the centre of the town Erin Moran and her colleagues are working away even though the number of customers is down.
“A lot of people are on edge about coming in, the regulars are scared, our older clientele haven’t been back. People are not showing up for appointments, there is a lot of confusion and surprise that we are open.”
Across the road in the Laois Shopping Centre Peter Ashe is shopping with his wife. The truck driver said he has noticed that there are fewer people in the shops and that the majority are wearing masks.
“I see a difference, but I don’t know if it’s going to help. I’m convinced the country should have gone into a complete second lockdown, including the factories.”
At the entrance to Penneys, security guard Willie Conroy is instructing people to wear their masks, sanitise hands and he is clicking numbers. “Most people are grand, there are no problems with them but you’re always going to have one or two. It [restrictions] was the right thing to do, people should have been wearing masks in the first place.”
In the Jack & Jones shop Vlad Apopei, also feels that the public should be patient. “Something like this: it’s a global pandemic, it’s not going to blow over any time soon, we realistically should be patient with it, it’s just that none of us have ever dealt with anything like this in our lifetime, so it’s not going to be easy for us to just stay home all the time and abide by the rules. There will be some people who break the rules, we’ve seen that on the news.
Patricia McGrath, who has worked as a cleaner in the Laois Shopping Centre for more than four years was busy ensuring all surfaces were cleaned down and sanitised. She had noted a decline in footfall on Saturday and Sunday.
“I think people are afraid now at this stage. They are happier to stay at home rather than taking a chance.”
One person for whom the new restrictions could have had an impact is student Buri Heffernan who is 14 weeks into a 16-week online Personal Trainer course for which he had practical exams in Kilkenny on Sunday.
“We were stopped by the guards just outside Durrow, coming on to the border with Kilkenny. They were very understanding when we told them it was for educational purposes.”
Portlaoise-based teacher Katie Wallace acknowledged that the new restrictions will not have much of an impact on her daily life at present. But she has had to cancel a holiday elsewhere in the country next week.
“There should have been earlier and wider testing in meat plants. That might have helped and maybe we wouldn’t be facing into a lockdown situation again.”


theirishtimes--2020-08-09--Covid-19: NPHET calls for fortnightly testing in direct provision

Public health officials have called for fortnightly testing of asylum seekers in direct provision as well as homeless people and Roma living in congregated settings .
The National Public Health Emergency Team ( NPHET ) says the serial testing would be on a voluntary basis and done in conjunction with representative groups and SafetyNet , a medical outreach team working with at-risk groups .
NPHET says measures should be put in place to ensure economic considerations and insecurity of employment are not deterrents for people in these groups coming forward for testing .
A lack of sick pay has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ settings militating against staff coming forward for testing .
NPHET says in view of the high risk posed by congregated settings , and the recent pattern of cases in direct provision , State bodies should “ take appropriate immediate actions to further mitigate risks associated with congregation ” .
This should be specifically “ expedited ” for healthcare workers , those aged over 65 and the medically vulnerable .
NPHET ’ s advice is contained in an appendix to its letter to Government last Friday , and seen by The Irish Times , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” should be applied for mass testing of workers in high-risk settings such as food processing and construction .
Employers should also keep under review the sharing of transport to and from work by staff and should provide clear guidance on maintaining physical distancing during these journeys .
In the letter to Government , acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn says the restrictions recommended by NPHET for counties Kildare , Laois and Offaly – which were universally accepted by Government – represent a “ proactive and proportionate response ” to the rise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Despite a “ significant and increasing ” level of disease , community transmission is “ stable and low at present ” , he says .
Serial testing of nursing homes is to recommence next week , he says , while the HSE ’ s newly established national oversight group for the food processing industry is considering the most appropriate and proactive approach to testing within that industry .
The Irish Refugee Council ( IRC ) said Government must prioritise the replacement of the direct provision system without delay to stop the further spread @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and society at large .
Lives will be put at risk if the State waits for the publication of the planned end-of-year White Paper before starting to implement a new housing system given the ongoing health risks of Covid-19 , IRC chief Nick Henderson said .
The provision of PPE and hand sanitiser could “ only go so far ” in preventing the spread of the virus in congregated living settings , he added .
“ There has to be a decision made as to whether we continue to have a situation where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take decisive action to stop the spread of the disease , ” said Mr Henderson .
Lucky Khambule from the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland ( MASI ) agreed that the health and safety of people living and working in congregated settings , such as direct provision centres and meat plants , had not been protected in the same way as the rest of the population .
“ It ’ s a simple thing that we ’ ve been saying since March – move people away from this congregated set-up and let @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is safe , ” said Mr Khambule .
“ The medical experts have continued to say you can not social distance in direct provision .
What language must we use for them to understand how severe this is ?
This is not only about the lives of people in direct provision but general society.
” Minister for Children , Disabilities , Equality and Integration Roderic O ’ Gorman , who is due to take over the direct provision portfolio in the coming weeks , said in July that existing direct provision centres would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to medium term ” while the longer term replacement of the system would be laid out by the end of the year .
The Green Party TD had committed to replacing direct provision “ within the lifespan of this Government ” .

A Garda checkpoint on the main road into Nass: the acting chief medical officer says the restrictions for counties Kildare, Laois and Offaly are a proactive response to the rise in cases. Photograph: Tom Honan
Public health officials have called for fortnightly testing of asylum seekers in direct provision as well as homeless people and Roma living in congregated settings.
The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) says the serial testing would be on a voluntary basis and done in conjunction with representative groups and SafetyNet, a medical outreach team working with at-risk groups.
NPHET says measures should be put in place to ensure economic considerations and insecurity of employment are not deterrents for people in these groups coming forward for testing.
A lack of sick pay has been cited as a deterrent in some work settings militating against staff coming forward for testing.
READ MORE
NPHET says in view of the high risk posed by congregated settings, and the recent pattern of cases in direct provision, State bodies should “take appropriate immediate actions to further mitigate risks associated with congregation”. This should be specifically “expedited” for healthcare workers, those aged over 65 and the medically vulnerable.
NPHET’s advice is contained in an appendix to its letter to Government last Friday, and seen by The Irish Times, which says “a very low threshold” should be applied for mass testing of workers in high-risk settings such as food processing and construction.
Employers should also keep under review the sharing of transport to and from work by staff and should provide clear guidance on maintaining physical distancing during these journeys.
‘Proactive response’
In the letter to Government, acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn says the restrictions recommended by NPHET for counties Kildare, Laois and Offaly – which were universally accepted by Government – represent a “proactive and proportionate response” to the rise in cases in the three counties.
Despite a “significant and increasing” level of disease, community transmission is “stable and low at present”, he says.
Serial testing of nursing homes is to recommence next week, he says, while the HSE’s newly established national oversight group for the food processing industry is considering the most appropriate and proactive approach to testing within that industry.
The Irish Refugee Council (IRC) said Government must prioritise the replacement of the direct provision system without delay to stop the further spread of coronavirus among residents in overcrowded settings and society at large.
Lives will be put at risk if the State waits for the publication of the planned end-of-year White Paper before starting to implement a new housing system given the ongoing health risks of Covid-19, IRC chief Nick Henderson said.
The provision of PPE and hand sanitiser could “only go so far” in preventing the spread of the virus in congregated living settings, he added.
“There has to be a decision made as to whether we continue to have a situation where outbreaks are a real risk or we take decisive action to stop the spread of the disease,” said Mr Henderson.
Lucky Khambule from the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI) agreed that the health and safety of people living and working in congregated settings, such as direct provision centres and meat plants, had not been protected in the same way as the rest of the population.
“It’s a simple thing that we’ve been saying since March – move people away from this congregated set-up and let people live on their own until everything is safe,” said Mr Khambule.
“The medical experts have continued to say you cannot social distance in direct provision. What language must we use for them to understand how severe this is? This is not only about the lives of people in direct provision but general society.”
Minister for Children, Disabilities, Equality and Integration Roderic O’Gorman, who is due to take over the direct provision portfolio in the coming weeks, said in July that existing direct provision centres would continue to operate in the “short to medium term” while the longer term replacement of the system would be laid out by the end of the year. The Green Party TD had committed to replacing direct provision “within the lifespan of this Government”.


theirishtimes--2020-08-09--Coronavirus: Non-essential travel from US set to be banned within days

Non-essential travel to the State from the US and other Covid-19 hotspots is set to be banned within days as the Republic moves to align itself with other EU states by introducing travel restrictions on countries where the virus continues to spread rapidly .
Although the so-called red list of countries from which all but essential travel will be prohibited will not be published until Friday at the earliest , Government sources have indicated that the US and Brazil will be included on it , while other EU countries and the UK will not .
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Glynn and senior officials at the Department of Health have held several meetings on the restrictions , and the issue has been discussed at Cabinet , where preliminary proposals were given an informal go-ahead .
The National Public Health Emergency Team ( NPHET ) has supported such steps for weeks and Mr Donnelly is understood to be anxious to move on the issue quickly to shut off another route through which Covid-19 can spread .
Irish citizens and residents who are coming home , as well as EU citizens and essential workers or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are deemed essential , will be exempt from any bans .
While the percentage of cases of the illness linked to international travel is currently small and the numbers coming into the country from international hotspots relatively minor , the Minister believes more needs to be done to contain the virus from being imported into Ireland from countries where transmission is widespread .
The new measures will see the State fall into line with other EU countries that have had similar travel bans in place for months .
“ These proposals are solely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ EU/EEA/UK and will be brought to Government for consideration , ” a spokeswoman for the Minister confirmed .
“ While the number of cases of Covid-19 detected among travellers from overseas has been very low , the Minister for Health is concerned about the growth in cases in some countries , ” she said .
She stressed that there “ are no plans to make any changes to the current operation of the green list , which is already reviewed every two weeks ” .
The travel restrictions would not necessarily see the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ locations reduced , and lucrative freight business on transatlantic routes will also see planes to and from US destinations continuing to service Dublin Airport .

Non-essential travel to the State from the US and other Covid-19 hotspots is set to be banned within days as the Republic moves to align itself with other EU states by introducing travel restrictions on countries where the virus continues to spread rapidly.
Although the so-called red list of countries from which all but essential travel will be prohibited will not be published until Friday at the earliest, Government sources have indicated that the US and Brazil will be included on it, while other EU countries and the UK will not.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly, acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn and senior officials at the Department of Health have held several meetings on the restrictions, and the issue has been discussed at Cabinet, where preliminary proposals were given an informal go-ahead.
The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) has supported such steps for weeks and Mr Donnelly is understood to be anxious to move on the issue quickly to shut off another route through which Covid-19 can spread.
READ MORE
Irish citizens and residents who are coming home, as well as EU citizens and essential workers or those who are travelling for reasons which are deemed essential, will be exempt from any bans.
While the percentage of cases of the illness linked to international travel is currently small and the numbers coming into the country from international hotspots relatively minor, the Minister believes more needs to be done to contain the virus from being imported into Ireland from countries where transmission is widespread.
Similar bans
The new measures will see the State fall into line with other EU countries that have had similar travel bans in place for months.
“These proposals are solely being developed for third countries outside the EU/EEA/UK and will be brought to Government for consideration,” a spokeswoman for the Minister confirmed.
“While the number of cases of Covid-19 detected among travellers from overseas has been very low, the Minister for Health is concerned about the growth in cases in some countries,” she said.
She stressed that there “are no plans to make any changes to the current operation of the green list, which is already reviewed every two weeks”.
The travel restrictions would not necessarily see the number of flights to and from affected locations reduced, and lucrative freight business on transatlantic routes will also see planes to and from US destinations continuing to service Dublin Airport.


theirishtimes--2020-08-09--‘Our hearts are broken’ – implications of fresh lockdown sink in

“ Our hearts are broken , ” said Claire Kenny from Kildare as the implications of the new travel restrictions on people from that county – and from Laois and Offaly –- began to sink in .
She is the mother of three children aged three , seven and almost nine and , like many people across the country , Ms Kenny and her family had already made many sacrifices as a result of the pandemic before the fresh blow hit .
“ During the full lockdown , an uncle passed away from Covid and we couldn ’ t attend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Her oldest child missed out on her communion , while a summer holiday to Spain had to be abandoned .
Both her parents were hospitalised in recent months for non-Covid-related conditions and she said restrictions of visiting “ our loved ones in hospital was awful .
I felt that they had no one to advocate for them .
They couldn ’ t get a cold drink when they needed one , or a newspaper.
” But through it all , she and her family felt they had at least one thing to look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Donegal arranged for the middle of August .
“ A few years back my sister-in-law and my brother started renting the same house every year and everyone would visit for a few days .
We all loved it , ” she said .
Last year it didn ’ t happen .
“ On the final day of a trip to Colombia , my brother fell off a mountain bike and damaged his kidney .
He ended up in hospital for seven weeks , ” she said .
So last year ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trip was to be “ particularly special ” .
“ We were going back after two years , after the lockdown and my sister-in-law turns 40 during the week .
It was what we were all living for .
Until last Friday , when the Government announced that Kildare was in lockdown .
Our hearts are broken .
My brother and sister-in-law came over from London a week ago and are quarantining ahead of the trip .
Now we won ’ t get to see them.
” She said what galls her is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Meath border , it ’ s a matter of yards , but as it ’ s still Kildare our kids won ’ t get to see their aunt and uncle and it ’ s likely we won ’ t get to see them this year .
It doesn ’ t make sense .
Geographically there are towns closer to one of the factories that can still go about their lives as normal.
” There have been coronavirus clusters in meat factories .
She said that she had “ done everything that was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months ” and stressed the importance of her children being able to return to school .
“ I want everyone to be safe .
I want this virus to go away but it ’ s hard not to feel extremely angry right now .
I realise that it could be a lot worse , and there are people dealing with worse situations , but right now I am absolutely heartbroken and I can ’ t stop crying.
” Ann Dalton from Celbridge said she and a group of nine were to travel west @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accommodation and island ferry all booked ” .
“ We were also due to travel to Spain tomorrow , with no refund on those flights .
Very annoying and upsetting as we have all being doing what we can to stay safe , ” she said “ We were supposed to be scattering my mother ’ s ashes next Saturday , ” Claire Hallahan told The Irish Times .
“ However , my brother and his family live in Straffan and can ’ t make it down to Cork .
We have cancelled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I prefer that they ’ re safe at home .
”

"Our hearts are broken," said Claire Kenny from Kildare as the implications of the new travel restrictions on people from that county – and from Laois and Offaly –- began to sink in.
She is the mother of three children aged three, seven and almost nine and, like many people across the country, Ms Kenny and her family had already made many sacrifices as a result of the pandemic before the fresh blow hit.
"During the full lockdown, an uncle passed away from Covid and we couldn't attend the funeral," she said. Her oldest child missed out on her communion, while a summer holiday to Spain had to be abandoned.
Both her parents were hospitalised in recent months for non-Covid-related conditions and she said restrictions of visiting “our loved ones in hospital was awful. I felt that they had no one to advocate for them. They couldn’t get a cold drink when they needed one, or a newspaper.”
READ MORE
But through it all, she and her family felt they had at least one thing to look forward to: they had a break in Donegal arranged for the middle of August.
“A few years back my sister-in-law and my brother started renting the same house every year and everyone would visit for a few days. We all loved it,” she said.
Last year it didn't happen. "On the final day of a trip to Colombia, my brother fell off a mountain bike and damaged his kidney. He ended up in hospital for seven weeks," she said. So last year's cancellation meant that this year's trip was to be "particularly special" .
“We were going back after two years, after the lockdown and my sister-in-law turns 40 during the week. It was what we were all living for. Until last Friday, when the Government announced that Kildare was in lockdown. Our hearts are broken. My brother and sister-in-law came over from London a week ago and are quarantining ahead of the trip. Now we won’t get to see them.”
She said what galls her is that her home “is almost at the Meath border, it’s a matter of yards, but as it’s still Kildare our kids won’t get to see their aunt and uncle and it’s likely we won’t get to see them this year. It doesn’t make sense. Geographically there are towns closer to one of the factories that can still go about their lives as normal.”
There have been coronavirus clusters in meat factories.
She said that she had “done everything that was asked of me over the last five months” and stressed the importance of her children being able to return to school. “I want everyone to be safe. I want this virus to go away but it’s hard not to feel extremely angry right now. I realise that it could be a lot worse, and there are people dealing with worse situations, but right now I am absolutely heartbroken and I can’t stop crying.”
Ann Dalton from Celbridge said she and a group of nine were to travel west in the days ahead with the "accommodation and island ferry all booked". "We were also due to travel to Spain tomorrow, with no refund on those flights. Very annoying and upsetting as we have all being doing what we can to stay safe," she said
"We were supposed to be scattering my mother's ashes next Saturday," Claire Hallahan told The Irish Times. "However, my brother and his family live in Straffan and can't make it down to Cork. We have cancelled it for now. I get it, I prefer that they're safe at home."


theirishtimes--2020-08-09--Meath creche awaits test results after two cases of Covid-19

Staff and parents at a Co Meath creche are awaiting test results after two staff members proved positive for Covid-19 earlier this week .
The results at An Daoine Óga Community Childcare Centre in Navan have been described by its chief executive Marie Daly as “ extremely devastating ” , especially after an investment of €10,000 in protective personal equipment ( PPE ) and other Covid-19 measures at the facility .
Children at the facility had been divided into pods of up to eight , with two staff members in each .
One of the eight rooms at the centre @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complained of a sore throat and subsequently tested positive for the illness last Wednesday .
The second staff member in the same pod of eight children , aged between one and two years of age , has tested negative .
However , because a “ floating ” staff member was working between two units , management closed a second room containing seven children aged between two and three years old .
That member tested negative but her co-worker in the pod was confirmed to have the virus .
Neither of the two staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ each other either inside or outside of work .
Since then , results of testing on all seven staff and most of the children have returned negative but results for the remaining children are awaited .
“ All our staff ’ s temperatures are taken three times every day and none of the two staff who tested positive had a temperature , ” said Ms Daly .
“ The first employee complained of a sore throat and the second had a runny nose and aches and pains .
“ We immediately shut the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confirmed last Wednesday , and all the parents and the relevant statutory bodies were informed.
” She said that since reopening in June , all rooms were divided into pods of up to eight children with two members of staff per pod .
There was also an additional employee who worked between two rooms .
“ Because of this , I took the decision to also close that room immediately .
This employee proved negative but another staff member in this pod of seven children was a confirmed case .
“ Both cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t need any hospital treatment and neither staff members had any contact with each other either in work or outside it .
“ Six rooms at the facility remain open .
Everyone is worried but the parents and preschool inspectors have been extremely supportive to us .
“ It ’ s extremely devastating , disappointing and frustrating but despite all our efforts , unfortunately we can ’ t control outside circumstances.
” Ms Daly said that , during lockdown , senior staff completed a Level 5 course in Infectious Control and other employees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spent €10,000 on PPE gear and adaptations to the building .
Our Covid-19 document record was second to none , so much so that it was rolled out to a lot of other services around Ireland “ So far every other test is coming back negative and no one else has reported any symptoms so we can only wait anxiously and hope that we have managed to contain the virus here .
”

An Daoine Óga Community Childcare Centre in Navan: results of testing on all seven staff and most of the children have returned negative but results for the remaining children are awaited.
Staff and parents at a Co Meath creche are awaiting test results after two staff members proved positive for Covid-19 earlier this week.
The results at An Daoine Óga Community Childcare Centre in Navan have been described by its chief executive Marie Daly as “extremely devastating”, especially after an investment of €10,000 in protective personal equipment (PPE) and other Covid-19 measures at the facility.
Children at the facility had been divided into pods of up to eight, with two staff members in each.
One of the eight rooms at the centre was immediately closed after a staff member complained of a sore throat and subsequently tested positive for the illness last Wednesday.
READ MORE
The second staff member in the same pod of eight children, aged between one and two years of age, has tested negative.
However, because a “floating” staff member was working between two units, management closed a second room containing seven children aged between two and three years old.
That member tested negative but her co-worker in the pod was confirmed to have the virus.
Neither of the two staff who tested positive were in contact with each other either inside or outside of work.
Since then, results of testing on all seven staff and most of the children have returned negative but results for the remaining children are awaited.
“All our staff’s temperatures are taken three times every day and none of the two staff who tested positive had a temperature,” said Ms Daly.
“The first employee complained of a sore throat and the second had a runny nose and aches and pains.
“We immediately shut the first room down when the case was confirmed last Wednesday, and all the parents and the relevant statutory bodies were informed.”
Pods
She said that since reopening in June, all rooms were divided into pods of up to eight children with two members of staff per pod. There was also an additional employee who worked between two rooms.
“Because of this, I took the decision to also close that room immediately. This employee proved negative but another staff member in this pod of seven children was a confirmed case.
“Both cases showed very mild symptoms and didn’t need any hospital treatment and neither staff members had any contact with each other either in work or outside it.
“Six rooms at the facility remain open. Everyone is worried but the parents and preschool inspectors have been extremely supportive to us.
“It’s extremely devastating, disappointing and frustrating but despite all our efforts, unfortunately we can’t control outside circumstances.”
Ms Daly said that, during lockdown, senior staff completed a Level 5 course in Infectious Control and other employees were given a briefing.
“We spent €10,000 on PPE gear and adaptations to the building. Our Covid-19 document record was second to none, so much so that it was rolled out to a lot of other services around Ireland
“So far every other test is coming back negative and no one else has reported any symptoms so we can only wait anxiously and hope that we have managed to contain the virus here.”