theirishtimes--2020-12-10--Many tenants unhappy with how landlords deal with anti-social behaviour

Almost one third of housing association tenants are unhappy with how their landlords deal with anti-social behaviour while almost one fifth say their homes are too expensive to heat , a survey published on Thursday finds .
The 2020 Social Housing Tenant Satisfaction survey also finds however a large majority of tenants are happy with the services they get from their landlord .
Commissioned by the Irish Council for Social Housing it finds 90 per cent of those asked were “ satisfied with the services they receive ” .
And among the “ services ” they identified as most important @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 93 per cent ; efficient repairs service ( 88 per cent ) and estate management ( 82 per cent ) .
In all 504 tenants of 16 approved housing bodies took part in 15-minute telephone interviews with independent researchers Spark Marketing , during October .
Commenting on the findings , ICSH chief executive Donal McManus , said members were “ hugely encouraged particularly in the area of tenant engagement and communication ” .
A total of 91 per cent of tenants felt they were kept well informed by their landlords of issues impacting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2017 .
“ Critically for 2020 , and during what was an extremely challenging year for the sector , 81 per cent of tenants said they were satisfied with services over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic .
ICSH members have stepped up in 2020 to ensure tenants feel safe and secure in their affordable homes , ” said Mr McManus .
Associations ’ handling of anti-social behaviour “ is an area in need of improvement ” , with a 70 per cent satisfaction level , says the report .
Some respondents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ linked to an increased awareness of local disturbances as more people work from home .
Though 19 per cent said they were not happy with the energy efficiencies of their homes the council says this is a “ significant improvement ” on previous years .
“ Tenants in housing associations with older stock gave this question a lower satisfaction rating , highlighting an area for improvement for some AHBs in relation to upgrade works and retrofitting , ” said the council.. “ Since the first survey in 2017 our sector has increased its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cent and we have an important climate-mitigation role to play , in terms of innovating with increasingly more energy efficient homes , and rolling-out deep retrofits of our existing stock .
“ The survey findings are overwhelmingly positive and testament to the dedication of housing association teams managing almost 40,000 social homes across the length and breadth of Ireland .
”

Housing associations’ handling of anti-social behaviour “is an area in need of improvement”, with a 70 per cent satisfaction level, says the report. Photograph: Eric Luke
Almost one third of housing association tenants are unhappy with how their landlords deal with anti-social behaviour while almost one fifth say their homes are too expensive to heat, a survey published on Thursday finds.
The 2020 Social Housing Tenant Satisfaction survey also finds however a large majority of tenants are happy with the services they get from their landlord. Commissioned by the Irish Council for Social Housing it finds 90 per cent of those asked were “satisfied with the services they receive”.
And among the “services” they identified as most important were good quality housing – named by 93 per cent; efficient repairs service (88 per cent) and estate management (82 per cent).
In all 504 tenants of 16 approved housing bodies took part in 15-minute telephone interviews with independent researchers Spark Marketing, during October.
READ MORE
Commenting on the findings, ICSH chief executive Donal McManus, said members were “hugely encouraged particularly in the area of tenant engagement and communication”.
A total of 91 per cent of tenants felt they were kept well informed by their landlords of issues impacting them - up from 73 per cent in 2017.
“Critically for 2020, and during what was an extremely challenging year for the sector, 81 per cent of tenants said they were satisfied with services over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic. ICSH members have stepped up in 2020 to ensure tenants feel safe and secure in their affordable homes,” said Mr McManus.
Associations’ handling of anti-social behaviour “is an area in need of improvement”, with a 70 per cent satisfaction level, says the report.
Some respondents suggested reduced levels of satisfaction may be linked to an increased awareness of local disturbances as more people work from home.
Though 19 per cent said they were not happy with the energy efficiencies of their homes the council says this is a “significant improvement” on previous years.
“Tenants in housing associations with older stock gave this question a lower satisfaction rating, highlighting an area for improvement for some AHBs in relation to upgrade works and retrofitting,” said the council..
“Since the first survey in 2017 our sector has increased its social housing stock by over 20 per cent and we have an important climate-mitigation role to play, in terms of innovating with increasingly more energy efficient homes, and rolling-out deep retrofits of our existing stock.
"The survey findings are overwhelmingly positive and testament to the dedication of housing association teams managing almost 40,000 social homes across the length and breadth of Ireland. "


theirishtimes--2020-12-10--What does UK’s adverse reaction advice mean for Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine?

Britain ’ s medicines regulator has advised people with a history of significant allergies not to get the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine after two people reported adverse reactions on the first day of its rollout in the UK .
Here are some questions and answers about the cases and what they might mean .
Two NHS staff members who received the jab on Tuesday had allergic reactions after being given the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine .
The health workers , who are understood to both have a history of severe allergic reactions , were among thousands to receive the vaccine on the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Both of the NHS staff carry adrenaline autoinjectors , suggesting they have suffered reactions in the past .
These devices , of which the best-known brand is the EpiPen , administer a swift adrenaline boost to counter allergic reactions that occur when some people , for instance , eat nuts .
June Raine , chief executive of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency ( MHRA ) , said anaphylaxis was a “ known ... very rare side effect with any vaccine ” .
The patient information leaflet with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people allergic to any substance in the vaccine .
“ Signs of an allergic reaction may include itchy skin rash , shortness of breath and swelling of the face or tongue , ” says the leaflet .
Who should not get the vaccine , according to UK regulators ?
British regulators initially responded by saying anyone with a history of a significant allergic reaction to a vaccine , medicine or food should not take the shot .
An adviser to the group later said it was “ tweaking ” advice in part to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ risk .
Late on Wednesday , the UK regulator said anyone with a history of anaphylaxis to a vaccine , medicine or food should not get the vaccine .
Pfizer had excluded people with a history of significant adverse reaction to vaccines or its vaccine ’ s ingredients from late-stage trials .
How does this affect prospects for US authorisation ?
US regulators are expected to consider emergency authorisation of the Pfizer vaccine soon after a Thursday meeting of advisers .
Moncef Slaoui , who is spearheading the US government ’ s vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expected the British allergic reactions would be considered in the US authorisation process and that people with known severe allergic reactions probably should not take the vaccine until more was understood .
What do doctors say ?
Some praised UK regulators ’ caution , while others said broad restrictions were not warranted by available evidence .
“ For the general population , this does not mean that they would need to be anxious about receiving the vaccination , ” said Stephen Evans , a professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wise , he said , would be “ for anyone who has known severe allergic reaction such that they need to carry an EpiPen to delay having a vaccination until the reason for the allergic reaction has been clarified.
” Mayo Clinic virologist Gregory Poland , who has advised US regulators , described Britain ’ s early reaction as “ overdoing it , ” pointing to the initial response about food allergies , which he said “ have nothing to do with this.
” “ I would have said , ‘ If you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we want to know about that so we take extra care , ’ ” he said .
“ That doesn ’ t mean I wouldn ’ t immunise you .
But I would do it in a more controlled setting.
” Peter Openshaw , a professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London , praised the way the reactions had been handled .
“ The fact that we know so soon about these two allergic reactions and that the regulator has acted on this to issue precautionary advice shows that the monitoring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
Mitchell Grayson , director of the division of allergy and immunology at Nationwide Children ’ s Hospital in Ohio , voiced concern over how the issue might reduce interest in vaccinations .
“ I ’ m worried the whole event will cause millions of people to choose not to get vaccinated because of what they heard , ” he said .
How common are severe or significant allergies ?
In the UK in 2012 there were around seven hospital admissions per 100,000 people for severe allergies .
This included different triggers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stings , ” said Louisa James , a expert in immunology at Queen Mary University of London .
Fatalities remain very rare and have not increased even as hospital admissions have risen in many countries .
– Reuters/PA

Britain’s medicines regulator has advised people with a history of significant allergies not to get the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine after two people reported adverse reactions on the first day of its rollout in the UK.
Here are some questions and answers about the cases and what they might mean.
What exactly happened?
Two NHS staff members who received the jab on Tuesday had allergic reactions after being given the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. The health workers, who are understood to both have a history of severe allergic reactions, were among thousands to receive the vaccine on the first day of the Covid-19 mass vaccination programme.
Both of the NHS staff carry adrenaline autoinjectors, suggesting they have suffered reactions in the past. These devices, of which the best-known brand is the EpiPen, administer a swift adrenaline boost to counter allergic reactions that occur when some people, for instance, eat nuts.
READ MORE
June Raine, chief executive of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), said anaphylaxis was a "known ... very rare side effect with any vaccine".
The patient information leaflet with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine says it should not be given to people allergic to any substance in the vaccine. “Signs of an allergic reaction may include itchy skin rash, shortness of breath and swelling of the face or tongue,” says the leaflet.
Who should not get the vaccine, according to UK regulators?
British regulators initially responded by saying anyone with a history of a significant allergic reaction to a vaccine, medicine or food should not take the shot. An adviser to the group later said it was “tweaking” advice in part to say a food allergy was not a risk.
Late on Wednesday, the UK regulator said anyone with a history of anaphylaxis to a vaccine, medicine or food should not get the vaccine.
Pfizer had excluded people with a history of significant adverse reaction to vaccines or its vaccine’s ingredients from late-stage trials.
How does this affect prospects for US authorisation?
US regulators are expected to consider emergency authorisation of the Pfizer vaccine soon after a Thursday meeting of advisers.
Moncef Slaoui, who is spearheading the US government's vaccine development efforts, said on Wednesday he expected the British allergic reactions would be considered in the US authorisation process and that people with known severe allergic reactions probably should not take the vaccine until more was understood.
What do doctors say?
Some praised UK regulators’ caution, while others said broad restrictions were not warranted by available evidence.
"For the general population, this does not mean that they would need to be anxious about receiving the vaccination," said Stephen Evans, a professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
What would be wise, he said, would be “for anyone who has known severe allergic reaction such that they need to carry an EpiPen to delay having a vaccination until the reason for the allergic reaction has been clarified.”
Mayo Clinic virologist Gregory Poland, who has advised US regulators, described Britain's early reaction as "overdoing it," pointing to the initial response about food allergies, which he said "have nothing to do with this."
“I would have said, ‘If you’ve had anaphylactic-level reactions to vaccines, we want to know about that so we take extra care,’” he said. “That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t immunise you. But I would do it in a more controlled setting.”
Peter Openshaw, a professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London, praised the way the reactions had been handled. "The fact that we know so soon about these two allergic reactions and that the regulator has acted on this to issue precautionary advice shows that the monitoring system is working well," he said.
Mitchell Grayson, director of the division of allergy and immunology at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Ohio, voiced concern over how the issue might reduce interest in vaccinations. "I'm worried the whole event will cause millions of people to choose not to get vaccinated because of what they heard," he said.
How common are severe or significant allergies?
In the UK in 2012 there were around seven hospital admissions per 100,000 people for severe allergies. This included different triggers such as foods, drugs and insect stings," said Louisa James, a expert in immunology at Queen Mary University of London. Fatalities remain very rare and have not increased even as hospital admissions have risen in many countries. – Reuters/PA


theirishtimes--2020-12-10--European case taken by Irish women over symphysiotomies declared inadmissible

Three Irish women who took a case about a controversial surgical procedure to the European Court of Human Rights have been told the court has unanimously declared the applications inadmissible .
The decisions are final , the court said .
The women were given symphysiotomies in advance of or during labour in the 1960s in three different Irish hospitals .
A symphysiotomy is a now outdated surgical procedure in which the cartilage of the pubic symphysis is divided to widen the pelvis allowing childbirth when there is a mechanical problem .
The three women said they were not informed about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ full and informed consent .
They also claimed that they suffered physical and psychological trauma as a result of the procedure .
The three women - LF , KO ’ S , and WM - were born , respectively , in 1939 , 1934 , and 1935 , and live in Dublin , Co Cork and Co Meath .
The women ’ s cases were among 10 applications by women who had undergone the procedure in different Irish maternity hospitals in the 1960s and 1970s .
The women said that the use of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of domestic investigation that was compliant with the European Convention on Human Rights , and that , in addition , they had been unable to fully litigate their claim at the level of Irish domestic law .
One woman ( KO ’ S ) also complained that in allowing symphysiotomies to take place , the State had failed in its obligation to protect women from inhuman and degrading treatment .
In that case the court found the complaint to be inadmissible as the woman had failed to exhaust domestic remedies .
In the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) it found the women ’ s complaints to be manifestly ill-founded , while also indicating that a question regarding the exhaustion of domestic remedies also arose .
The court expressed doubt about whether any duty on Ireland to investigate what had happened to women who received symphysiotomies had arisen on the facts of the three cases , but noted that Ireland had not remained inactive in the face of the “ considerable controversy ” surrounding the use of symphysiotomies in its maternity hospitals .
In addition to the possibility of civil proceedings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , an ex gratia payment scheme had been put in place , which enabled all the women who had undergone a symphysiotomy to obtain an award of compensation , and the provision of access , free of charge , to healthcare and individual pathways of care had also been provided .
In the court ’ s view these factors had sufficed to meet any obligation the State might have been under to provide redress .
Owing to these factors , the court considered the complaint from LF and WM to be “ manifestly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been no failure to provide the applicants with access to effective proceedings allowing them to claim compensation .
It is estimated that up to 1,500 Irish women had the procedure performed on them .
In 2012 , a draft report on the controversial procedure found that it had continued to be carried out at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital , Drogheda , Co Louth almost 20 years after it had been phased out in other Irish hospitals .
The Strasbourg court noted that the draft report , by Prof Oonagh Walsh , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , symphysiotomy in Ireland was considered a procedure which appeared to offer the possibility of safe repeat deliveries and that this had to be considered in a context in which multiple births were the norm , artificial contraception and sterilisation were illegal as well as “ ethically unacceptable ” , and repeat caesarean sections were believed to carry great dangers .
In 2014 the minister for health announced the establishment of an ex-gratia payment scheme offering compensation to women who had undergone a surgical symphysiotomy in any hospital in Ireland between 1940 and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to €150,000 .
None of the three applicants to the European Court of Human Rights applied to the ex-gratia payment scheme , as they all believed that there was no possibility of any acknowledgement of a breach of their rights , and because of concerns as to the size of the awards available , the court said .
In a 2016 report by Judge Maureen Harding Clarke , who had overseen the ex-gratia scheme , set out the premise for it , “ namely the widespread assumption that the symphysiotomy was a surgical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ created life-long suffering was unsupported by evidence ” , the Strasbourg court said .
One of the applicants tried to sue through the Irish courts but the High Court ruled that at the relevant time the procedure , which had been performed two weeks in advance of labour after it had been established that a vaginal delivery would have been impossible , had been a reasonable though limited option .
An appeal to the Supreme court was not successful .
After that the two other applicants to the Strasbourg court withdrew the cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier case taken in Ireland , by a woman who the procedure was carried out on after she ’ d received a caesarean , was successful and led to a €325,000 award .

The decisions in relation to the three Irish women are final, the court said. File photograph: Frederick Florin/AFP/Getty
Three Irish women who took a case about a controversial surgical procedure to the European Court of Human Rights have been told the court has unanimously declared the applications inadmissible.
The decisions are final, the court said.
The women were given symphysiotomies in advance of or during labour in the 1960s in three different Irish hospitals.
A symphysiotomy is a now outdated surgical procedure in which the cartilage of the pubic symphysis is divided to widen the pelvis allowing childbirth when there is a mechanical problem.
READ MORE
The three women said they were not informed about the procedure and did not give their full and informed consent. They also claimed that they suffered physical and psychological trauma as a result of the procedure.
The three women - LF, KO’S, and WM - were born, respectively, in 1939, 1934, and 1935, and live in Dublin, Co Cork and Co Meath.
The women’s cases were among 10 applications by women who had undergone the procedure in different Irish maternity hospitals in the 1960s and 1970s.
The women said that the use of the procedure had not been the subject of domestic investigation that was compliant with the European Convention on Human Rights, and that, in addition, they had been unable to fully litigate their claim at the level of Irish domestic law.
One woman (KO’S) also complained that in allowing symphysiotomies to take place, the State had failed in its obligation to protect women from inhuman and degrading treatment.
In that case the court found the complaint to be inadmissible as the woman had failed to exhaust domestic remedies.
In the other two cases (LF and WM) it found the women’s complaints to be manifestly ill-founded, while also indicating that a question regarding the exhaustion of domestic remedies also arose.
The court expressed doubt about whether any duty on Ireland to investigate what had happened to women who received symphysiotomies had arisen on the facts of the three cases, but noted that Ireland had not remained inactive in the face of the “considerable controversy” surrounding the use of symphysiotomies in its maternity hospitals.
In addition to the possibility of civil proceedings, there had been an independent investigation, an ex gratia payment scheme had been put in place, which enabled all the women who had undergone a symphysiotomy to obtain an award of compensation, and the provision of access, free of charge, to healthcare and individual pathways of care had also been provided.
In the court’s view these factors had sufficed to meet any obligation the State might have been under to provide redress.
Owing to these factors, the court considered the complaint from LF and WM to be “manifestly ill-founded” since in its view there had been no failure to provide the applicants with access to effective proceedings allowing them to claim compensation.
It is estimated that up to 1,500 Irish women had the procedure performed on them.
In 2012, a draft report on the controversial procedure found that it had continued to be carried out at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, Co Louth almost 20 years after it had been phased out in other Irish hospitals.
The Strasbourg court noted that the draft report, by Prof Oonagh Walsh, found that in the period after 1940, symphysiotomy in Ireland was considered a procedure which appeared to offer the possibility of safe repeat deliveries and that this had to be considered in a context in which multiple births were the norm, artificial contraception and sterilisation were illegal as well as “ethically unacceptable”, and repeat caesarean sections were believed to carry great dangers.
Ex-gratia
In 2014 the minister for health announced the establishment of an ex-gratia payment scheme offering compensation to women who had undergone a surgical symphysiotomy in any hospital in Ireland between 1940 and 1990. The awards ranged from €50,000 to €150,000.
None of the three applicants to the European Court of Human Rights applied to the ex-gratia payment scheme, as they all believed that there was no possibility of any acknowledgement of a breach of their rights, and because of concerns as to the size of the awards available, the court said.
In a 2016 report by Judge Maureen Harding Clarke, who had overseen the ex-gratia scheme, set out the premise for it, “namely the widespread assumption that the symphysiotomy was a surgical procedure which as a matter of certainty created life-long suffering was unsupported by evidence”, the Strasbourg court said.
One of the applicants tried to sue through the Irish courts but the High Court ruled that at the relevant time the procedure, which had been performed two weeks in advance of labour after it had been established that a vaginal delivery would have been impossible, had been a reasonable though limited option.
An appeal to the Supreme court was not successful. After that the two other applicants to the Strasbourg court withdrew the cases they had pending in Ireland.
An earlier case taken in Ireland, by a woman who the procedure was carried out on after she’d received a caesarean, was successful and led to a €325,000 award.


theirishtimes--2020-12-10--Housing charity intervened in 100 attempted illegal evictions during Covid-19

Housing charity Threshold has said it intervened in more than 100 attempted illegal evictions of tenants during the coronavirus pandemic , despite a legal moratorium on evictions .
The organisation provided assistance to tenants in nearly 300 cases where they had received an invalid notice of termination between March and August .
In some cases tenants had returned home to find the locks changed , with their belongings still inside the property .
The charity said these figures were likely “ just a fraction ” of the tenants who were threatened with homelessness during the Covid-19 pandemic this year .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ rights charity said it intervened in 17 illegal or threatened evictions , and advised tenants on 69 invalid notices of termination .
In a number of cases Threshold had been able to stop the evictions and get tenants reinstated in their homes .
Launching its annual report for 2019 , Threshold said its staff had answered on average 267 calls a day last year .
The organisation represented 343 households at the Residential Tenancies Board ( RTB ) , who settle disputes between tenants and landlords .
In total Threshold carried out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2019 , and said it prevented 8,351 households from becoming homeless .
About 35 per cent of renters Threshold assisted last year had received an eviction notice , and in nearly half of these cases this was due to the landlord intending to sell the property .
Three quarters of the tenants who sought help were aged between 25 and 44 , and 60 per cent were in employment .
Only one in ten people seeking the charity ’ s help last year were under the age of 25 .
Aideen Hayden , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ that the profile of renters in Ireland is changing.
” Speaking at the virtual launch of the annual report , Ms Hayden said “ renting is no longer just a transitional tenure for students and young people , before they buy their own home or secure social housing.
” As people over 35 were more likely to rent for life , the State would be faced with a “ housing affordability crisis ” when this cohort began to retire , due to the lack of long-term affordable rental options , Ms Hayden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ option , under-25s may still be living at home with their parents as they can not afford to rent , ” she said .
“ We can also see a growing cohort of people without children in the private rented sector .
These may all be indicators of delayed independence and family formation as renting is not a secure or reliable housing option , ” she said .
Case study : “ I have been paying a huge rent and tolerating what I consider to be dangerous conditions ” Noirin is a tenant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since she lost her home in the aftermath of the financial crash .
Over the last five years she had reported numerous problems requiring repairs to her landlord ’ s agent , without success .
Following contact with Threshold she was advised of her rights as a tenant , a number of which she had been unaware of .
“ I wrongly believed that I had to put up with many issues as rentals are so scarce .
I have been paying a huge rent of €1,200 per month and tolerating what I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the minimum standards – in an effort to simply keep a roof over my head , ” she said .
“ This will be the first Christmas in five years , that I will have a safe , working cooker and functioning heaters in the bathroom and bedroom , ” she said .

The chairwoman of Threshold says the profile of renters in Ireland is changing. Photograph: iStock
Housing charity Threshold has said it intervened in more than 100 attempted illegal evictions of tenants during the coronavirus pandemic, despite a legal moratorium on evictions.
The organisation provided assistance to tenants in nearly 300 cases where they had received an invalid notice of termination between March and August. In some cases tenants had returned home to find the locks changed, with their belongings still inside the property.
The charity said these figures were likely “just a fraction” of the tenants who were threatened with homelessness during the Covid-19 pandemic this year.
During the recent nationwide lockdown the tenants’ rights charity said it intervened in 17 illegal or threatened evictions, and advised tenants on 69 invalid notices of termination. In a number of cases Threshold had been able to stop the evictions and get tenants reinstated in their homes.
READ MORE
Launching its annual report for 2019, Threshold said its staff had answered on average 267 calls a day last year.
The organisation represented 343 households at the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB), who settle disputes between tenants and landlords. In total Threshold carried out 82,357 actions on behalf of renters in 2019, and said it prevented 8,351 households from becoming homeless.
About 35 per cent of renters Threshold assisted last year had received an eviction notice, and in nearly half of these cases this was due to the landlord intending to sell the property.
Three quarters of the tenants who sought help were aged between 25 and 44, and 60 per cent were in employment. Only one in ten people seeking the charity’s help last year were under the age of 25.
Aideen Hayden, chairwoman of Threshold, said this showed "that the profile of renters in Ireland is changing."
Speaking at the virtual launch of the annual report, Ms Hayden said “renting is no longer just a transitional tenure for students and young people, before they buy their own home or secure social housing.”
As people over 35 were more likely to rent for life, the State would be faced with a “housing affordability crisis” when this cohort began to retire, due to the lack of long-term affordable rental options, Ms Hayden said.
“Where it is an option, under-25s may still be living at home with their parents as they cannot afford to rent,” she said.
“We can also see a growing cohort of people without children in the private rented sector. These may all be indicators of delayed independence and family formation as renting is not a secure or reliable housing option,” she said.
Case study: “I have been paying a huge rent and tolerating what I consider to be dangerous conditions”
Noirin is a tenant in her 50s who has been renting since she lost her home in the aftermath of the financial crash. Over the last five years she had reported numerous problems requiring repairs to her landlord’s agent, without success.
Following contact with Threshold she was advised of her rights as a tenant, a number of which she had been unaware of.
“I wrongly believed that I had to put up with many issues as rentals are so scarce. I have been paying a huge rent of €1,200 per month and tolerating what I consider to be dangerous conditions – below the minimum standards – in an effort to simply keep a roof over my head,” she said.
“This will be the first Christmas in five years, that I will have a safe, working cooker and functioning heaters in the bathroom and bedroom,” she said.


theirishtimes--2020-12-10--Most people believe housing should be enshrined in Constitution

More than six out of 10 Irish people believe the right to housing should be enshrined in the State ’ s constitution , new research has found .
The survey , commissioned by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission ( IHREC ) and carried out by the Amárach research group earlier this month , reveals 64 per cent of Irish people believe citizens of this country should have a constitutional right to housing .
More than 80 per cent of those surveyed said housing was a basic human right while 79 per cent supported the inclusion of a new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people against discrimination due to their socio-economic status .
The majority of respondents said family background , a person ’ s home address or type of house , educational background and economic situation should be outlawed as grounds for discrimination .
The IHREC survey was carried out among 1,200 participants to mark the UN ’ s Human Rights Day which takes place every year on December 10th – the day the UN general assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 .
The declaration lays out the rights every human being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ race , colour , religion , sex , language , political or other opinion , national or social origin , property , birth or other status .
According to the IHREC survey , more than half of Irish people disagree with the view that every person in Ireland enjoys the same basic human rights while 56 per cent disagreed with the statement that human rights abuses are “ not really a problem in Ireland ” .
Only 28 per cent of respondents said they would know who to contact if they felt their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ someone close to them , were being violated .
Of these , more than 30 per cent said they ’ d contact the IHREC , 24 per cent said they ’ d contact gardaí , 13 per cent would contact another rights group , 9 per cent would consult citizens information and 8 per cent would contact a solicitor .
When it comes to knowledge about human rights , 60 per cent of people said they knew a “ great deal ” or “ fair deal ” while 33 per cent said they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ nothing ” about their rights .
About 95 per cent of respondents agreed human rights were important for creating a fairer society in Ireland .
IHREC chief commissioner Sinéad Gibney said the survey results underlined the need to look at housing in Ireland “ as a right , not a commodity ” .
“ Housing represents more than just the cost of bricks and mortar ; it ’ s where our children grow , where our families gather , and where generations should feel safe and secure , ” said Ms Gibney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facing socio-economic challenges should now be considered for prohibition in law , she added .
“ This approach would allow people seeking employment to ensure that their applications are assessed on their skills , qualifications and ability rather than on social background or postal address , ” said Ms Gibney .
She warned that the Covid-19 pandemic had presented challenges in protecting human rights , both in relation to life and health , but also through actions taken by the State in its response to the crisis and recovery plans .
“ What @ @ @ @ @ @ @ look at Ireland post-Covid through a prism of human rights and equality to ensure we recover better , ” she said .

More than 80 per cent of those surveyed said housing was a basic human right. Photograph: iStock
More than six out of 10 Irish people believe the right to housing should be enshrined in the State’s constitution, new research has found.
The survey, commissioned by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) and carried out by the Amárach research group earlier this month, reveals 64 per cent of Irish people believe citizens of this country should have a constitutional right to housing.
More than 80 per cent of those surveyed said housing was a basic human right while 79 per cent supported the inclusion of a new ground in Irish equality law to protect people against discrimination due to their socio-economic status. The majority of respondents said family background, a person’s home address or type of house, educational background and economic situation should be outlawed as grounds for discrimination.
The IHREC survey was carried out among 1,200 participants to mark the UN’s Human Rights Day which takes place every year on December 10th – the day the UN general assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. The declaration lays out the rights every human being on Earth is entitled to regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
READ MORE
According to the IHREC survey, more than half of Irish people disagree with the view that every person in Ireland enjoys the same basic human rights while 56 per cent disagreed with the statement that human rights abuses are "not really a problem in Ireland".
Only 28 per cent of respondents said they would know who to contact if they felt their human rights, or the rights of someone close to them, were being violated.
Of these, more than 30 per cent said they’d contact the IHREC, 24 per cent said they’d contact gardaí, 13 per cent would contact another rights group, 9 per cent would consult citizens information and 8 per cent would contact a solicitor.
When it comes to knowledge about human rights, 60 per cent of people said they knew a “great deal” or “fair deal” while 33 per cent said they knew “not very much” or “nothing” about their rights.
About 95 per cent of respondents agreed human rights were important for creating a fairer society in Ireland.
IHREC chief commissioner Sinéad Gibney said the survey results underlined the need to look at housing in Ireland “as a right, not a commodity”.
“Housing represents more than just the cost of bricks and mortar; it’s where our children grow, where our families gather, and where generations should feel safe and secure,” said Ms Gibney.
Discrimination against people living in areas facing socio-economic challenges should now be considered for prohibition in law, she added. “This approach would allow people seeking employment to ensure that their applications are assessed on their skills, qualifications and ability rather than on social background or postal address,” said Ms Gibney.
She warned that the Covid-19 pandemic had presented challenges in protecting human rights, both in relation to life and health, but also through actions taken by the State in its response to the crisis and recovery plans.
“What’s now important is that we look at Ireland post-Covid through a prism of human rights and equality to ensure we recover better,” she said.


theirishtimes--2020-12-10--No choirs, no indoor music, no parents: Schools get advice on celebrating Christmas

Schools are to be issued with strict advice aimed at ensuring end-of-term celebrations or performances take place in line with public health guidelines .
The new Department of Education guidance says celebrating Christmas is important to support “ positive wellbeing for pupils and students in schools ” .
However , it adds that current health and safety guidelines advise that gatherings or large school groups such as choirs should be avoided .
“ Wind and brass instruments , including tin whistles and recorders , should not be played indoors due to the additional risk of infection such activity poses , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ performances and other precautions such as moisture guards for wind instruments may be considered as alternative options.
” While usual school assemblies should be avoided , it says class performances may be shared with other classes and parents using digital technologies .
“ Parents/guardians should not be invited to attend end-of-term celebrations this year , ” it says .
However , Christmas singing - while maintaining social distancing and within normal “ pods ” or groups of students - can take place outdoors .
“ Unfortunately , no parents / guardians will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” it adds .
The guidance notes that students often like to share Christmas cards and small gifts .
While this is allowable , it says it needs to be undertaken in a “ controlled manner , such that it does not involve pupils/students moving and interacting outside of their usual pods or contacts ” .
Any cards or gifts , it says , would ideally be given to a staff member directly and then distributed to students in a “ controlled way ” .
“ There should be a strong emphasis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” it adds .
In relation to end-of-term exams in post-primary schools , the guidance says schools should consider holding these among individual class groups in their classrooms rather than in large assembly-style groupings .
“ Teachers are reminded that they can continue to handle copybooks or exam papers completed by the students but there must be a strong emphasis on hand hygiene at all times , ” the guidance states .
In the case of exams , schools should continue to implement all public health guidelines in terms of physical distancing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to prevent and control the spread of Covid-19 .

The Department of Education has advised schools that gatherings or large school groups such as choirs should be avoided in the run-up to Christmas. Photograph: iStock
Schools are to be issued with strict advice aimed at ensuring end-of-term celebrations or performances take place in line with public health guidelines.
The new Department of Education guidance says celebrating Christmas is important to support “positive wellbeing for pupils and students in schools”.
However, it adds that current health and safety guidelines advise that gatherings or large school groups such as choirs should be avoided.
“Wind and brass instruments, including tin whistles and recorders, should not be played indoors due to the additional risk of infection such activity poses,” it states.
READ MORE
“Outdoor class performances and other precautions such as moisture guards for wind instruments may be considered as alternative options.”
While usual school assemblies should be avoided, it says class performances may be shared with other classes and parents using digital technologies.
“Parents/guardians should not be invited to attend end-of-term celebrations this year,” it says.
However, Christmas singing - while maintaining social distancing and within normal “pods” or groups of students - can take place outdoors.
“Unfortunately, no parents / guardians will be allowed to attend these outdoor events either,” it adds.
The guidance notes that students often like to share Christmas cards and small gifts.
While this is allowable, it says it needs to be undertaken in a “controlled manner, such that it does not involve pupils/students moving and interacting outside of their usual pods or contacts”.
Any cards or gifts, it says, would ideally be given to a staff member directly and then distributed to students in a “controlled way”.
“There should be a strong emphasis on hand hygiene at all times,” it adds.
In relation to end-of-term exams in post-primary schools, the guidance says schools should consider holding these among individual class groups in their classrooms rather than in large assembly-style groupings.
“Teachers are reminded that they can continue to handle copybooks or exam papers completed by the students but there must be a strong emphasis on hand hygiene at all times,” the guidance states.
In the case of exams, schools should continue to implement all public health guidelines in terms of physical distancing, wearing of masks, hand-hygiene and sanitisation to prevent and control the spread of Covid-19.


theirishtimes--2020-12-10--Sperm whales one of most abundant whale species off Ireland, study finds

We may have lost Fungi but new research reveals has Ireland has an abundance of sperm whales living off its shores .
There is an estimated population of 380 sperm whales in waters deeper than 300 metres off Ireland ’ s western shores , according to a new study by Scotland-based Sea Mammal Research Unit Consulting ( SMRU Consulting ) and Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology ( GMIT ) .
Researchers from the study , which was recently published in the Journal of Cetacean Research and Management , spent 45 days at sea , covering 120,000 square kilometres and acoustically detecting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Simon Berrow of GMIT said the study used an underwater microphone , known as a hydrophone , to count the number of sperm whales , creating the first ever abundance estimate for offshore Ireland .
The deep-diving nature of the whales means they can spend nearly an hour at depths in excess of 300 metres , with only short periods at the surface , resulting in them being difficult to see .
“ The distinctive echo-location clicks of sperm whales are thought to be the most powerful vocalizations produced by any animal and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kilometres and this unique acoustic characteristic allowed the sperm whales to be counted by sound alone , ” he said .
Each whale was pinpointed by comparing the exact time that each click arrived at each hydrophone in the array and then triangulating bearings from sequential clicks over extended encounters .
The results revealed that sperm whales occurred at densities as high as 4.2 whales per 1000 squared kilometres in some regions and that they seem to prefer seabed areas that sloped to the northwest , such as the Erris and Rockall Basins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sperm whales in the South Brona Basin canyon system , which is around 350km west of Co Kerry , the study found , while few whales were detected off the southwest slopes .
Dr Jonathan Gordon of SMRU Consulting and lead author , who has pioneered acoustic methods to study of sperm whales since the 1980s , said sperm whales , like many deep diving mammals , were “ once extremely difficult to study as live animals at sea ” .
“ Now , however , with deep sea listening equipment and highly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behaviour of these giants of our seas are no longer hidden from us , ” he said .

Researchers at the Sea Mammal Research Unit and the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology spent 45 days at sea, studying sperm whales and acoustically detecting the whale species’ sound. Video: IMS/GMIT
We may have lost Fungi but new research reveals has Ireland has an abundance of sperm whales living off its shores.
There is an estimated population of 380 sperm whales in waters deeper than 300 metres off Ireland's western shores, according to a new study by Scotland-based Sea Mammal Research Unit Consulting (SMRU Consulting) and Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT).
Researchers from the study, which was recently published in the Journal of Cetacean Research and Management, spent 45 days at sea, covering 120,000 square kilometres and acoustically detecting the whale species’ sound.
Sperm whale at surface . Photograph: Simon Berrow
Deploying towed hydrophone from RV Celtic Voyager. Photograph: Simon Berrow
Dr Simon Berrow of GMIT said the study used an underwater microphone, known as a hydrophone, to count the number of sperm whales, creating the first ever abundance estimate for offshore Ireland.
READ MORE
Sperm whale at surface . Photograph: Simon Berrow
The deep-diving nature of the whales means they can spend nearly an hour at depths in excess of 300 metres, with only short periods at the surface, resulting in them being difficult to see.
“The distinctive echo-location clicks of sperm whales are thought to be the most powerful vocalizations produced by any animal and can be heard over many tens of kilometres and this unique acoustic characteristic allowed the sperm whales to be counted by sound alone,” he said.
Each whale was pinpointed by comparing the exact time that each click arrived at each hydrophone in the array and then triangulating bearings from sequential clicks over extended encounters.
The results revealed that sperm whales occurred at densities as high as 4.2 whales per 1000 squared kilometres in some regions and that they seem to prefer seabed areas that sloped to the northwest, such as the Erris and Rockall Basins.
There was a dense concentration of sperm whales in the South Brona Basin canyon system, which is around 350km west of Co Kerry, the study found, while few whales were detected off the southwest slopes.
Deploying towed hydrophone from RV Celtic Voyager. Photograph: Simon Berrow
Dr Jonathan Gordon of SMRU Consulting and lead author, who has pioneered acoustic methods to study of sperm whales since the 1980s, said sperm whales, like many deep diving mammals, were "once extremely difficult to study as live animals at sea".
“ Now, however, with deep sea listening equipment and highly automated analyses software, the location and behaviour of these giants of our seas are no longer hidden from us,” he said.


theirishtimes--2020-12-10--‘Morally permissible’ for Catholics to accept Covid-19 vaccine which uses aborted foetal cells

It is “ morally permissible ” for Catholics to accept a Covid-19 vaccination which involves the use of cell lines derived from aborted foetuses , the Irish Catholic Church has said .
The Catholic Church traditionally teaches that it is unethical to use stem cells derived from aborted fetuses in medical research .
However , in a statement on Wednesday , the Irish Catholic Bishops ’ Conference said Catholics could accept vaccines using these stem-cells if a more “ ethically acceptable ” alternative is not available .
“ Questions have arisen that human foetal cell-lines , which have their origins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , are used in the development and production of some of the vaccines for Covid-19 , ” the statement said .
“ If a more ethically acceptable alternative is not readily available to them , it is morally permissible for Catholics to accept a vaccine which involves the use of foetal cell-lines , especially if the potential risk to life or health is significant , as in the case of a pandemic ” The statement said that refusal to accept a vaccine could contribute to “ significant loss of life in the community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most vulnerable .
“ This reality must inform any judgement of conscience , ” it added .
The church reaffirmed its “ consistent teaching ... that abortion is always gravely immoral ” .
“ The church has always made a distinction , however , between formal ( deliberate ) involvement in an immoral act and material involvement , which may be incidental and remote , ” it said .
“ The decision of those who decide to accept vaccines which have had some link with foetal cell-lines in the past does not imply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The church also noted that many of the vaccines currently in devlopment “ do not depend for their design or production on foetal cell lines ” .
“ Catholics should continue to advocate for the availability of ethically-developed vaccines .
In that way they bear witness that biomedical research should always be conducted in a manner which is consistent with respect for life and for human dignity , ” it added .
The church encouraged Catholics to support a programme of vaccination , not only for their own good , but for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ derived from elective abortions have been used since the 1960s to manufacture vaccines , including current vaccines against rubella , chickenpox , hepatitis A , and shingles .
Posts circulated on social media last month that the AstraZeneca/Oxford Covid-19 vaccine contains aborted foetus cells , prompting concerns that members of the public would object to the vaccine on moral grounds .
AstraZeneca has said its vaccine uses a cell strain taken from a female foetus aborted in the 1970s .
However , the company said the cells are used to propagate the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not make it into the final jab .

Catholics should continue to advocate for the availability of ethically-developed vaccines. Stock photograph: iStock/Getty
It is "morally permissible" for Catholics to accept a Covid-19 vaccination which involves the use of cell lines derived from aborted foetuses, the Irish Catholic Church has said.
The Catholic Church traditionally teaches that it is unethical to use stem cells derived from aborted fetuses in medical research.
However, in a statement on Wednesday, the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference said Catholics could accept vaccines using these stem-cells if a more “ethically acceptable” alternative is not available.
“Questions have arisen that human foetal cell-lines, which have their origins in abortions carried out in the past, are used in the development and production of some of the vaccines for Covid-19,” the statement said.
READ MORE
“If a more ethically acceptable alternative is not readily available to them, it is morally permissible for Catholics to accept a vaccine which involves the use of foetal cell-lines, especially if the potential risk to life or health is significant, as in the case of a pandemic”
The statement said that refusal to accept a vaccine could contribute to “significant loss of life in the community”, particularly among those who are most vulnerable.
“This reality must inform any judgement of conscience,” it added.
The church reaffirmed its “consistent teaching ... that abortion is always gravely immoral”.
“The church has always made a distinction, however, between formal (deliberate) involvement in an immoral act and material involvement, which may be incidental and remote,” it said.
“The decision of those who decide to accept vaccines which have had some link with foetal cell-lines in the past does not imply any consent on their part to abortion.”
The church also noted that many of the vaccines currently in devlopment “do not depend for their design or production on foetal cell lines”.
“Catholics should continue to advocate for the availability of ethically-developed vaccines. In that way they bear witness that biomedical research should always be conducted in a manner which is consistent with respect for life and for human dignity,” it added.
The church encouraged Catholics to support a programme of vaccination, not only for their own good, but for the common good of humanity.
Cells derived from elective abortions have been used since the 1960s to manufacture vaccines, including current vaccines against rubella, chickenpox, hepatitis A, and shingles.
Posts circulated on social media last month that the AstraZeneca/Oxford Covid-19 vaccine contains aborted foetus cells, prompting concerns that members of the public would object to the vaccine on moral grounds.
AstraZeneca has said its vaccine uses a cell strain taken from a female foetus aborted in the 1970s. However, the company said the cells are used to propagate the virus for the vaccine but these cells do not make it into the final jab.


theirishtimes--2020-12-10--‘I knew something was desperately wrong with me because I couldn’t open my eyes’

When Dr Rosie Mangan went on a field trip to Brazil a year ago , things didn ’ t go quite to plan .
“ My area of research looks at using biology to keep ahead of pesticide resistance on farms , ” she explains .
“ That includes protecting helpful insects that are not the intended target of pesticides .
So I went to Brazil to collect some insects from our project partners so I could bring them back to Scotland , where I was working on the study at the University of Stirling .
I was really looking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ side of the world.
” But then everything changed .
While in Brazil , Mangan was badly injured in a traffic collision .
“ I remember a loud bang when the cars collided , and then everything cut out , ” she recalls from her home in Offaly .
“ That is probably when I had the brain injury.
” She was rushed to hospital in Brazil and put into an induced coma .
Several weeks later , Mangan was transferred back to Ireland .
She remembers little between the accident and waking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but it ’ s not all blank .
“ One thing I remember was hearing my Dad ’ s voice , and I knew something had changed and I must be back in Ireland .
And that is when I really started to fight to wake up , ” she says .
“ I also remember hearing my Mum ’ s voice , my sister ’ s voice , my boss ’ s voice and my boyfriend Conor ’ s voice .
I knew all those voices were close to me and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me because I couldn ’ t open my eyes , but I knew if I could hear those voices close to me I was probably going to be okay , ” she adds .
From there , Mangan worked on her rehabilitation with teams at the Mater and at Cappagh Hospital ; much of it during the Covid-19 pandemic .
“ The lack of visits during Covid was extremely challenging and overwhelming , ” she points out .
“ [ BUT ] the interdisciplinary specialist rehabilitation teams in the hospitals , Acquired Brain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Executive ) local primary care are so talented .
They really helped me to change my life with physiotherapy , occupational therapy , psychology and speech and language therapy , ” she says .
“ I went from being barely able to sit up in a chair to walking , and being able to speak at an online conference held by the Royal Entomological Society .
I spoke about our research group ’ s work on making farms more sustainable and diverse to help to avoid pesticide resistance evolving .
At the start @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have imagined being able to do that.
” Mangan believes her scientific training is helping her through neurological rehabilitation .
“ I think that the determination I have developed in my research has given me patience and confidence to go through this , ” she says .
“ I replaced experimental repetition with neurological repetition .
Sometimes you have to accept that things don ’ t work the way you expect them to the first time or even the tenth time you try , and that is something that happens in science , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and keeping going.
” She also kept track of her progress , including the number of steps she took .
“ I counted my steps in August to raise funds for the Mater Foundation , ” she says .
“ My friends were running 100 miles in a month to raise money , and I took more than 1,600 steps .
It was a good way to keep me motivated , because I want to try and help raise awareness about the need for more neurological rehabilitation services in Ireland .
Neurological injury @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , stroke and traumatic brain injury , and everyone should have the resources to make as good a recovery as possible.
” Mangan has been writing up her results about biological control of pesticide resistance during her recovery , and in January she will present online at the Ecology and Evolution Conference Ireland .
She also wants to get back to carrying out research with the team in Scotland .
“ We have a limited arsenal of pesticide products left and we need to make sure they are protected against pesticide resistance , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ why we are trying to come up with good biological control strategies to stop pesticide resistance evolution , such as making the agricultural landscape more diverse over local and national scales and over successive seasons .
We need to create environments that keep ahead of resistance evolving , we need to keep moving the goalposts so it is less likely to happen .
”

When Dr Rosie Mangan went on a field trip to Brazil a year ago, things didn't go quite to plan.
"My area of research looks at using biology to keep ahead of pesticide resistance on farms," she explains. "That includes protecting helpful insects that are not the intended target of pesticides. So I went to Brazil to collect some insects from our project partners so I could bring them back to Scotland, where I was working on the study at the University of Stirling. I was really looking forward to the trip to the other side of the world."
But then everything changed. While in Brazil, Mangan was badly injured in a traffic collision. “I remember a loud bang when the cars collided, and then everything cut out,” she recalls from her home in Offaly. “That is probably when I had the brain injury.”
Voices of home
READ MORE
She was rushed to hospital in Brazil and put into an induced coma. Several weeks later, Mangan was transferred back to Ireland. She remembers little between the accident and waking up in the Mater Hospital in Dublin, but it's not all blank.
“One thing I remember was hearing my Dad’s voice, and I knew something had changed and I must be back in Ireland. And that is when I really started to fight to wake up,” she says.
“I also remember hearing my Mum’s voice, my sister’s voice, my boss’s voice and my boyfriend Conor’s voice. I knew all those voices were close to me and I knew something was desperately wrong with me because I couldn’t open my eyes, but I knew if I could hear those voices close to me I was probably going to be okay,” she adds.
From there, Mangan worked on her rehabilitation with teams at the Mater and at Cappagh Hospital; much of it during the Covid-19 pandemic. "The lack of visits during Covid was extremely challenging and overwhelming," she points out. "[BUT] the interdisciplinary specialist rehabilitation teams in the hospitals, Acquired Brain Injury Ireland and HSE (Health Service Executive) local primary care are so talented. They really helped me to change my life with physiotherapy, occupational therapy, psychology and speech and language therapy," she says.
"I went from being barely able to sit up in a chair to walking, and being able to speak at an online conference held by the Royal Entomological Society. I spoke about our research group's work on making farms more sustainable and diverse to help to avoid pesticide resistance evolving. At the start of the year I could not even have imagined being able to do that."
Scientific motivation
Mangan believes her scientific training is helping her through neurological rehabilitation. “I think that the determination I have developed in my research has given me patience and confidence to go through this,” she says. “I replaced experimental repetition with neurological repetition. Sometimes you have to accept that things don’t work the way you expect them to the first time or even the tenth time you try, and that is something that happens in science, so I was used to keeping positive and keeping going.”
Dr Rosie Mangan believes her scientific training is helping her through neurological rehabilitation.
She also kept track of her progress, including the number of steps she took. "I counted my steps in August to raise funds for the Mater Foundation, " she says. "My friends were running 100 miles in a month to raise money, and I took more than 1,600 steps. It was a good way to keep me motivated, because I want to try and help raise awareness about the need for more neurological rehabilitation services in Ireland. Neurological injury comes in many forms, including concussion, stroke and traumatic brain injury, and everyone should have the resources to make as good a recovery as possible."
Evolving science
Mangan has been writing up her results about biological control of pesticide resistance during her recovery, and in January she will present online at the Ecology and Evolution Conference Ireland. She also wants to get back to carrying out research with the team in Scotland.
“We have a limited arsenal of pesticide products left and we need to make sure they are protected against pesticide resistance,” she explains. “That is why we are trying to come up with good biological control strategies to stop pesticide resistance evolution, such as making the agricultural landscape more diverse over local and national scales and over successive seasons. We need to create environments that keep ahead of resistance evolving, we need to keep moving the goalposts so it is less likely to happen.”


theirishtimes--2020-12-10--Documents reveal deep concern over Ireland's spending on PPE during pandemic

Last Wednesday , the Minister for Health , Stephen Donnelly , told the Oireachtas health committee the Health Service Executive would spend €920 million on personal protective equipment ( PPE ) this year .
However , official documents show that behind the scenes over several months there has been serious concern among senior officials and Ministers regarding expenditure on PPE supplies .
The Department of Public Expenditure maintained that at one stage in the summer the HSE had spent at least €120 million more than the authorised levels set by Cabinet .
The documents reveal that shortly after taking up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cabinet “ to regularise the financial sanctioning position of the HSE with respect to the procurement of PPE ” .
He told HSE chairman Ciarán Devane on August 21st that most of the expenditure on PPE up to that point had not been in compliance with the agreed sanctioning process .
Devane said in reply that the HSE ’ s procurement operation had acted swiftly and decisively to the pandemic and “ resulted in Ireland being ahead of many larger healthcare systems in securing key supply lines ” .
The provision of adequate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ HSE leaders at the start of the pandemic .
In an average year the HSE spent about €15 million on PPE .
However , 2020 was not an average year and the international market was anything but normal as countries competed against each other .
The HSE had been told by the World Health Organisation that globally the demand for PPE was 100 times the normal rate and prices were up to 20 times higher .
At the same time it was supplying greater quantities to an increased number of facilities .
From @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to GPs , out-of-hours services , university medical facilities and the Defence Forces .
Later , more than €27 million in PPE would be provided to nursing homes .
The HSE entered into a major contract to secure significant stocks from China , based on an original Government approval for it to spend about €208 million .
On April 23rd it told the Health Budget Oversight Group , which comprises officials of the HSE , Department of Health and the Department of Public Expenditure , that an additional €48 million would be necessary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Government on April 26th agreed an overall provision of €251.8 million .
In May the HSE told the Department of Health it would need more .
The then Department of Health secretary-general , Jim Breslin , said that , given the scale envisaged , a further Cabinet decision would be needed .
Breslin told HSE chief executive Paul Reid he appreciated the extreme pressure it was facing but that securing official sanction was crucial .
He said “ flash ” reports on health spending circulated within Government indicated PPE expenditure already was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wanted assurances the HSE was operating within official sanctions and , if it was not , that this would be corrected .
On June 17th the Department of Public Expenditure told Breslin that as of early days of that month the HSE had actually spent €371 million on PPE while the Government had authorised only €251 million .
It said the Government had to authorise any such expenditure in advance , that a business case with options had to be submitted and Ministers could not be left “ with a binary choice ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out by the HSE .
The HSE said the PPE markets were “ volatile , complex and uncertain ” .
It said additional and secondary supply lines had to be opened at pace .
On June 26th the HSE sought a further €574.4 million on PPE to secure stocks until the end of 2020 or early 2021 .
Part of the money was for surgical masks , which had become increasingly important as the National Public Health Emergency Team in late April had recommended that these be worn in significantly more circumstances .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ pressure on HSE supply lines ” .
He said that with strong support from the Department of Foreign Affairs and IDA Ireland and following a personal political intervention by then taoiseach Leo Varadkar , a deal had been reached with a South Korean company against the backdrop of an export ban on such products in that country .
Reid said in early July that IDA Ireland had advised that “ in order to maintain the benefits of this exemption and to maintain the benefits of the commercial and political relationship between Ireland and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this order had to be secured urgently .
On July 27th the Cabinet agreed to provide additional funding of up to €670 million to regularise spending of €509 million already incurred or committed by the HSE and to cover estimated additional expenditure of €161 million to meet the cost of procuring PPE .

The HSE said the PPE markets were “volatile, complex and uncertain”. It said additional and secondary supply lines had to be opened at pace. Photograph: Alan Betson
Last Wednesday, the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, told the Oireachtas health committee the Health Service Executive would spend €920 million on personal protective equipment (PPE) this year.
However, official documents show that behind the scenes over several months there has been serious concern among senior officials and Ministers regarding expenditure on PPE supplies.
The Department of Public Expenditure maintained that at one stage in the summer the HSE had spent at least €120 million more than the authorised levels set by Cabinet.
HSE chief executive Paul Reid. The provision of adequate PPE supplies was a key concern among HSE leaders at the start of the pandemic. Photograph: Tom Honan
The documents reveal that shortly after taking up office last summer, Donnelly asked the Cabinet “to regularise the financial sanctioning position of the HSE with respect to the procurement of PPE”.
READ MORE
He told HSE chairman Ciarán Devane on August 21st that most of the expenditure on PPE up to that point had not been in compliance with the agreed sanctioning process.
Devane said in reply that the HSE's procurement operation had acted swiftly and decisively to the pandemic and "resulted in Ireland being ahead of many larger healthcare systems in securing key supply lines".
Key concern
The provision of adequate PPE supplies was a key concern among HSE leaders at the start of the pandemic.
In an average year the HSE spent about €15 million on PPE. However, 2020 was not an average year and the international market was anything but normal as countries competed against each other.
The HSE had been told by the World Health Organisation that globally the demand for PPE was 100 times the normal rate and prices were up to 20 times higher. At the same time it was supplying greater quantities to an increased number of facilities.
From mid-February the HSE started to provide PPE to GPs, out-of-hours services, university medical facilities and the Defence Forces. Later, more than €27 million in PPE would be provided to nursing homes.
The HSE entered into a major contract to secure significant stocks from China, based on an original Government approval for it to spend about €208 million.
On April 23rd it told the Health Budget Oversight Group, which comprises officials of the HSE, Department of Health and the Department of Public Expenditure, that an additional €48 million would be necessary.
The Department of Public Expenditure said the Government on April 26th agreed an overall provision of €251.8 million.
HSE chairman Ciarán Devane said the HSE’s procurement operation had acted swiftly and decisively to the pandemic. Photograph: Alan Betson
In May the HSE told the Department of Health it would need more.
The then Department of Health secretary-general, Jim Breslin, said that, given the scale envisaged, a further Cabinet decision would be needed.
Breslin told HSE chief executive Paul Reid he appreciated the extreme pressure it was facing but that securing official sanction was crucial.
He said “flash” reports on health spending circulated within Government indicated PPE expenditure already was running ahead of sanctioned levels.
Breslin wanted assurances the HSE was operating within official sanctions and, if it was not, that this would be corrected.
Authorisation
On June 17th the Department of Public Expenditure told Breslin that as of early days of that month the HSE had actually spent €371 million on PPE while the Government had authorised only €251 million. It said the Government had to authorise any such expenditure in advance, that a business case with options had to be submitted and Ministers could not be left “with a binary choice” to accept or reject a scenario set out by the HSE.
The HSE said the PPE markets were “volatile, complex and uncertain”. It said additional and secondary supply lines had to be opened at pace.
On June 26th the HSE sought a further €574.4 million on PPE to secure stocks until the end of 2020 or early 2021.
Part of the money was for surgical masks, which had become increasingly important as the National Public Health Emergency Team in late April had recommended that these be worn in significantly more circumstances.
Reid said this had “placed enormous pressure on HSE supply lines”.
He said that with strong support from the Department of Foreign Affairs and IDA Ireland and following a personal political intervention by then taoiseach Leo Varadkar, a deal had been reached with a South Korean company against the backdrop of an export ban on such products in that country.
Reid said in early July that IDA Ireland had advised that “in order to maintain the benefits of this exemption and to maintain the benefits of the commercial and political relationship between Ireland and South Korea” an initial batch from this order had to be secured urgently.
On July 27th the Cabinet agreed to provide additional funding of up to €670 million to regularise spending of €509 million already incurred or committed by the HSE and to cover estimated additional expenditure of €161 million to meet the cost of procuring PPE.


theirishtimes--2020-12-10--Should Ireland consider compulsory vaccination against Covid-19?

Never before have so many people looked forward to being jabbed with a sharp object .
Hopes for the return of social life are now pinned to small phials of Covid-19 spike proteins and the syringes that may deliver us .
While roll-out will take some time , and we need to continue with the same public-health measures , the announcement of the successful vaccines has given us all a bit of light at the end of the tunnel .
To stop the circulation of Covid-19 , at least 50 per cent of the population will need to be vaccinated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compulsory vaccination should be considered in order to accelerate the process .
In both Ireland and the UK , this would be a significant reversal of vaccine policy .
The United States has compulsory vaccination : a parent must prove that their child has had certain vaccinations before entry into public school .
Ireland has no compulsion but the provision of vaccination in schools and through the public health service is persuasive .
Vaccination rates have declined over the past decade but they remain well above 70 per cent for almost every vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 90 per cent .
Nonetheless , recent outbreaks of mumps and measles have reminded us that reduction in our vigilance means an increase in disease .
Compulsory smallpox vaccination was introduced in 1853 in England and Wales and in 1863 in Ireland and Scotland .
Smallpox was the only disease for which there was an available vaccine .
The disease was not only life-threatening , it was also potentially disfiguring through the scars caused by healed “ pox ” .
A particularly bad outbreak in the 1830s killed more than 40,000 people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there was some debate about whether the state ought to be involved in providing vaccination .
Historian Deborah Brunton has written extensively on the vaccination project in Britain and Ireland .
She argues the system of public vaccination established under the first Vaccination Act in 1840 was particularly important because it set up provision of free vaccination through doctors employed by the poor law medical system .
This system enabled the roll-out of compulsory vaccination over a decade later .
The system was simple .
Doctors were paid for successful vaccinations , supposedly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In reality , regulation was light .
This voluntary system reached rates of vaccination of more than 70 per cent of infants in some years .
The greater the perceived threat from smallpox , the higher the rates of vaccination .
Brunton judges the 1840 act as a failure in Ireland .
Implementation was difficult because the poor law system differed and matters were not helped by the lower fee offered to Irish doctors .
By 1850 there was a sense that smallpox mortality had not been reduced to the level hoped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compulsory vaccination were touted as measures of success .
But the introduction of compulsory vaccination in England in 1853 did not increase rates of vaccination and by the 1860s there was significant opposition to the principle .
When compulsion was introduced in Ireland , by contrast , vaccination rates that were already high rose further still and deaths from smallpox dropped dramatically to fewer than 20 per year .
A terrible outbreak in the 1870s caused thousands of deaths but the rate was far lower in Ireland than in England and Wales .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the willingness in Ireland to vaccinate children and adults – and even to revaccinate people when an epidemic threatened .
As Ciarán Wallace has shown , compulsory vaccination continued almost uncontested in Ireland into the early 20th century with no emergence of the “ conscientious objector ” who troubled the vaccination system in England .
Despite this , another outbreak of smallpox in 1902 and 1903 claimed a significant number of lives in Dublin and required a huge response including renewed vaccinations , isolation hospitals and the incineration of belongings .
There was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of these invasive measures .
Can we take any lessons from smallpox vaccination ?
I think one is that even without compulsion , Irish people will take a vaccine if they perceive a benefit from it .
Another is that Ireland has a strong history of support for vaccination , whether it has been voluntary or compulsory .
I think we can expect high levels of public support for a Covid-19 vaccine .
– @ AdelmanJulianaDr Juliana Adelman is assistant professor of history at Dublin City University

Never before have so many people looked forward to being jabbed with a sharp object. Hopes for the return of social life are now pinned to small phials of Covid-19 spike proteins and the syringes that may deliver us. While roll-out will take some time, and we need to continue with the same public-health measures, the announcement of the successful vaccines has given us all a bit of light at the end of the tunnel.
To stop the circulation of Covid-19, at least 50 per cent of the population will need to be vaccinated. Some people have already begun suggesting compulsory vaccination should be considered in order to accelerate the process. In both Ireland and the UK, this would be a significant reversal of vaccine policy.
The United States has compulsory vaccination: a parent must prove that their child has had certain vaccinations before entry into public school. Ireland has no compulsion but the provision of vaccination in schools and through the public health service is persuasive.
Vaccination rates have declined over the past decade but they remain well above 70 per cent for almost every vaccine offered and in many cases are more than 90 per cent. Nonetheless, recent outbreaks of mumps and measles have reminded us that reduction in our vigilance means an increase in disease.
READ MORE
Compulsory smallpox vaccination was introduced in 1853 in England and Wales and in 1863 in Ireland and Scotland. Smallpox was the only disease for which there was an available vaccine. The disease was not only life-threatening, it was also potentially disfiguring through the scars caused by healed "pox". A particularly bad outbreak in the 1830s killed more than 40,000 people in England and Wales. Nonetheless, there was some debate about whether the state ought to be involved in providing vaccination.
Historian Deborah Brunton has written extensively on the vaccination project in Britain and Ireland. She argues the system of public vaccination established under the first Vaccination Act in 1840 was particularly important because it set up provision of free vaccination through doctors employed by the poor law medical system. This system enabled the roll-out of compulsory vaccination over a decade later.
The system was simple. Doctors were paid for successful vaccinations, supposedly checked by the local poor law board. In reality, regulation was light. This voluntary system reached rates of vaccination of more than 70 per cent of infants in some years. The greater the perceived threat from smallpox, the higher the rates of vaccination.
Brunton judges the 1840 act as a failure in Ireland. Implementation was difficult because the poor law system differed and matters were not helped by the lower fee offered to Irish doctors.
Compulsion
By 1850 there was a sense that smallpox mortality had not been reduced to the level hoped with voluntary vaccination. European examples of compulsory vaccination were touted as measures of success. But the introduction of compulsory vaccination in England in 1853 did not increase rates of vaccination and by the 1860s there was significant opposition to the principle.
When compulsion was introduced in Ireland, by contrast, vaccination rates that were already high rose further still and deaths from smallpox dropped dramatically to fewer than 20 per year. A terrible outbreak in the 1870s caused thousands of deaths but the rate was far lower in Ireland than in England and Wales. One possible cause of the difference was the willingness in Ireland to vaccinate children and adults – and even to revaccinate people when an epidemic threatened.
As Ciarán Wallace has shown, compulsory vaccination continued almost uncontested in Ireland into the early 20th century with no emergence of the “conscientious objector” who troubled the vaccination system in England. Despite this, another outbreak of smallpox in 1902 and 1903 claimed a significant number of lives in Dublin and required a huge response including renewed vaccinations, isolation hospitals and the incineration of belongings. There was a high rate of compliance with all of these invasive measures.
Can we take any lessons from smallpox vaccination? I think one is that even without compulsion, Irish people will take a vaccine if they perceive a benefit from it. Another is that Ireland has a strong history of support for vaccination, whether it has been voluntary or compulsory. I think we can expect high levels of public support for a Covid-19 vaccine. – @AdelmanJulianaDr Juliana Adelman is assistant professor of history at Dublin City University


theirishtimes--2020-12-10--Ireland’s first dinosaur bones

Ireland’s first dinosaur bones

A new study of fossilised bones reveals that dinosaurs roamed our shores about 200 million years ago .
The bones , which were found along Co Antrim ’ s eastern coast in the 1980s , are the only dinosaur remains to have ever been recorded on the island of Ireland .
Since their discovery , palaeontologists had long suspected that they were of dinosaur origin but now dinosaur experts have finally identified them as such .
“ People knew about them but they had never been formally described .
Now it ’ s official .
We know what these dinosaurs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a curator and palaeontologist at National Museums Northern Ireland and lead author on the study .
A team of experts from the University of Portsmouth , Queen ’ s University Belfast and National Museums Northern Ireland described four specimens that were previously thought to be dinosaur bones .
By looking at details of the internal structure , shape and surface texture of the bone fragments , they were able to confirm that two of the specimens are indeed dinosaur bones – a first for Ireland – and that they belonged to two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ piece of lower leg bone ( tibia ) of a theropod , a two-footed , meat-eating dinosaur , perhaps related to Megalosaurus .
The other is a piece of upper leg bone ( femur ) of a four-footed , plant-eating dinosaur likely to be Scelidosaurus .
The theropods were a group of upright-walking , mainly meat-eating dinosaurs which includes Tyrannosaurus rex .
They were “ built for speed and for catching sluggish dinosaurs ” , says Simms .
In contrast , “ Scelidosaurus was a plant eater which was armour-plated to resist being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which carried armoured plates on its back , is thought to be an ancestor of armoured dinosaurs such as Ankylosaurus , tank-like dinosaurs with bony plates and spikes .
The size of the bones suggests these dinosaurs were small , roughly up to a couple of metres in length , compared with the ones that evolved later in the Jurassic period – about 201 to 145 million years ago , Simms adds .
The scientists also relied on high-resolution , 3D digital models of the fossils , produced by Dr Patrick Collins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to analyse them .
The study shows “ beyond reasonable doubt that these are dinosaur bones ” , says Prof Maria McNamara , a palaeobiologist at University College Cork .
As for the remaining two specimens , the team has confirmed they are not dinosaur bones .
They identify one as a piece of basalt and the other as part of a jaw of an Ichthyosaur , an extinct marine reptile with a long snout that looked like a dolphin .
“ The original identifications should always be tested and it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up-to-date knowledge on bone morphology , ” says McNamara .
The first dinosaurs evolved about 230 million years ago and they dominated ecosystems until 66 million years ago , when all dinosaurs except birds became extinct .
The bones from Northern Ireland provide a tiny glimpse into the early stages of dinosaur evolution , says Simms , explaining that there aren ’ t many very early Jurassic ( about 199 to 201 million year old ) dinosaurs known from western Europe .
Most people imagine dinosaurs as similar to those popularised in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ but probably the most interesting part of dinosaur evolution is the early stages of their evolution because for over 100 million years these creatures dominated all terrestrial ecosystems at all levels of the food chain ” .
“ So the actual origins of those ecosystems are really interesting .
It is something for us to be proud about .
.
.
that our particular dinosaurs do come from these early parts of the evolutionary history of the group , ” she says .
In the paper , which is published in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the authors playfully write : “ Some might attribute the apparent absence of dinosaur remains from Ireland to the activities of St Patrick , whose apparent success in casting out snakes is well known but there is a more mundane explanation.
” The “ great rarity ” of Irish dinosaur fossils is in fact due to most of Ireland ’ s rocks being “ the wrong age for dinosaurs , either too old or too young ” , says Simms .
Rocks of the correct age have been eroded away or covered up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rocks of the right age are preserved , he explains , they were deposited in ancient seas or deserts and would not normally contain dinosaur remains because these animals mainly lived on land .
We are “ extraordinarily lucky ” to have found these , he says .
The bones , taken to have been eroded out of marine rocks nearby , raise questions about the dinosaurs ’ diet and death .
The two dinosaurs “ were perhaps swept out to sea , alive or dead , sinking to the Jurassic sea bed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he says .
Prof David Martill of the University of Portsmouth , one of the study authors , says : “ Scelidosaurus keeps on turning up in marine strata and I am beginning to think that it may have been a coastal animal , perhaps even eating seaweed like marine iguanas do today.
” Simms agrees : “ Scelidosaurus liked the beach.
” However , because we only have such a small amount of the skeleton , “ it ’ s impossible to say how or why they died , ” says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know enough ” , she says , “ [ to say ] whether they were adapted to a kind of coastal lifestyle and coastal diets , or whether they simply represent bone material that was washed offshore during a storm or by a flood in a river.
” After being buried for 200 million years , the bones were discovered in the 1980s by the late Roger Byrne , a schoolteacher from Jordanstown , Co Antrim , and a keen fossil collector .
Byrne , who is named as co-author on the paper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and boulders on a beach near the Gobbins , on the east coast of Islandmagee and donated them to the Ulster Museum , alongside many other fossils .
“ He had an amazingly good eye .
These are basically black pebbles on a beach that ’ s covered with black basalt pebbles .
He spotted them and recognised that they were a bit different , ” Simms notes .
Byrne ’ s drawings of the bones are included in the paper .
“ These fossils show that dinosaur specimens are out there , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we know we have dinosaurs in Ireland , it does open up the possibility of finding more .
“ Ireland has a rich fossil heritage and there are resources available to learn more about this , ” she adds , mentioning Geological Survey Ireland and the Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark , among others .
“ It ’ s only by learning about life in the past and how life adapted to climatic and environmental changes in the past that we get a perspective on the current changes which life is experiencing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s that life is resilient and it brings hope for the future , ” she says .
The bones will be on display in the Ulster Museum ’ s Deep Time gallery as soon as Covid-19 restrictions allow its reopening .

Dr Mike Simms holding two dinosaur bones found in Co Antrim. Simms is a curator and palaeontologist at National Museums Northern Ireland.
A new study of fossilised bones reveals that dinosaurs roamed our shores about 200 million years ago. The bones, which were found along Co Antrim's eastern coast in the 1980s, are the only dinosaur remains to have ever been recorded on the island of Ireland.
Since their discovery, palaeontologists had long suspected that they were of dinosaur origin but now dinosaur experts have finally identified them as such.
"People knew about them but they had never been formally described. Now it's official. We know what these dinosaurs are," says Dr Mike Simms, a curator and palaeontologist at National Museums Northern Ireland and lead author on the study.
A team of experts from the University of Portsmouth, Queen’s University Belfast and National Museums Northern Ireland described four specimens that were previously thought to be dinosaur bones.
READ MORE
By looking at details of the internal structure, shape and surface texture of the bone fragments, they were able to confirm that two of the specimens are indeed dinosaur bones – a first for Ireland – and that they belonged to two completely different dinosaurs.
One is a piece of lower leg bone (tibia) of a theropod, a two-footed, meat-eating dinosaur, perhaps related to Megalosaurus. The other is a piece of upper leg bone (femur) of a four-footed, plant-eating dinosaur likely to be Scelidosaurus.
The theropods were a group of upright-walking, mainly meat-eating dinosaurs which includes Tyrannosaurus rex. They were “built for speed and for catching sluggish dinosaurs”, says Simms.
In contrast, “Scelidosaurus was a plant eater which was armour-plated to resist being eaten,” he says. Scelidosaurus, which carried armoured plates on its back, is thought to be an ancestor of armoured dinosaurs such as Ankylosaurus, tank-like dinosaurs with bony plates and spikes.
Irish bone fragments from a Scelidosaurus compared to dinosaur bone at the Natural History Museum in London. Photograph: Dr Mike Simms.
The size of the bones suggests these dinosaurs were small, roughly up to a couple of metres in length, compared with the ones that evolved later in the Jurassic period – about 201 to 145 million years ago, Simms adds.
The scientists also relied on high-resolution, 3D digital models of the fossils, produced by Dr Patrick Collins of Queen's University Belfast, to analyse them.
The study shows "beyond reasonable doubt that these are dinosaur bones", says Prof Maria McNamara, a palaeobiologist at University College Cork.
As for the remaining two specimens, the team has confirmed they are not dinosaur bones. They identify one as a piece of basalt and the other as part of a jaw of an Ichthyosaur, an extinct marine reptile with a long snout that looked like a dolphin.
“The original identifications should always be tested and it’s really good to test them with our up-to-date knowledge on bone morphology,” says McNamara.
Dominated ecosystems
The first dinosaurs evolved about 230 million years ago and they dominated ecosystems until 66 million years ago, when all dinosaurs except birds became extinct.
The bones from Northern Ireland provide a tiny glimpse into the early stages of dinosaur evolution, says Simms, explaining that there aren't many very early Jurassic (about 199 to 201 million year old) dinosaurs known from western Europe.
Most people imagine dinosaurs as similar to those popularised in the Jurassic World films, says McNamara, “but probably the most interesting part of dinosaur evolution is the early stages of their evolution because for over 100 million years these creatures dominated all terrestrial ecosystems at all levels of the food chain”.
“So the actual origins of those ecosystems are really interesting. It is something for us to be proud about . . . that our particular dinosaurs do come from these early parts of the evolutionary history of the group,” she says.
In the paper, which is published in the Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association, the authors playfully write: “Some might attribute the apparent absence of dinosaur remains from Ireland to the activities of St Patrick, whose apparent success in casting out snakes is well known but there is a more mundane explanation.”
Reconstruction of life of a Scelidosaurus. Artwork by Julian Friers, part of the Lost Monsters series.
The “great rarity” of Irish dinosaur fossils is in fact due to most of Ireland’s rocks being “the wrong age for dinosaurs, either too old or too young”, says Simms. Rocks of the correct age have been eroded away or covered up by other rock layers. Even where rocks of the right age are preserved, he explains, they were deposited in ancient seas or deserts and would not normally contain dinosaur remains because these animals mainly lived on land. We are “extraordinarily lucky” to have found these, he says.
The bones, taken to have been eroded out of marine rocks nearby, raise questions about the dinosaurs’ diet and death. The two dinosaurs “were perhaps swept out to sea, alive or dead, sinking to the Jurassic sea bed where they were buried and fossilised”, he says.
Prof David Martill of the University of Portsmouth, one of the study authors, says: "Scelidosaurus keeps on turning up in marine strata and I am beginning to think that it may have been a coastal animal, perhaps even eating seaweed like marine iguanas do today."
Simms agrees: “Scelidosaurus liked the beach.” However, because we only have such a small amount of the skeleton, “it’s impossible to say how or why they died,” says McNamara. “We don’t know enough”, she says, “[to say] whether they were adapted to a kind of coastal lifestyle and coastal diets, or whether they simply represent bone material that was washed offshore during a storm or by a flood in a river.”
Keen fossil collector
After being buried for 200 million years, the bones were discovered in the 1980s by the late Roger Byrne, a schoolteacher from Jordanstown, Co Antrim, and a keen fossil collector.
Byrne, who is named as co-author on the paper, found the bones lying among pebbles and boulders on a beach near the Gobbins, on the east coast of Islandmagee and donated them to the Ulster Museum, alongside many other fossils.
Reconstruction of life of a Megalosauridae. Artwork by Julian Friers, part of the Lost Monsters series.
“He had an amazingly good eye. These are basically black pebbles on a beach that’s covered with black basalt pebbles. He spotted them and recognised that they were a bit different,” Simms notes. Byrne’s drawings of the bones are included in the paper.
“These fossils show that dinosaur specimens are out there,” says McNamara. “Now that we know we have dinosaurs in Ireland, it does open up the possibility of finding more.
“Ireland has a rich fossil heritage and there are resources available to learn more about this,” she adds, mentioning Geological Survey Ireland and the Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark, among others.
“It’s only by learning about life in the past and how life adapted to climatic and environmental changes in the past that we get a perspective on the current changes which life is experiencing. If palaeontology teaches us anything, it’s that life is resilient and it brings hope for the future,” she says.
The bones will be on display in the Ulster Museum’s Deep Time gallery as soon as Covid-19 restrictions allow its reopening.