theirishtimes--2020-08-21--Parents eligible for free school transport will get €5 a day if children do not use bus

Parents with children eligible for free school transport who decide not to use it due to safety fears during the coronavirus pandemic will be entitled to a grant of up to €5.10 per school day .
This money is aimed at assisting families in arranging private transport to get their children to schools , which are due to start reopening from next week .
Some parents have expressed concern that their children may be at risk if travelling on schoolbuses , where facilitating social distancing may be an issue despite public health guidance recommending such a move .
Minister for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all parents eligible for free transport will receive letters outlining their entitlement to a grant .
The payment will be based on the distance a family resides from their school of eligibility with a maximum daily allowance payable of €5.10 per day .
About 120,000 children travelled on schoolbuses daily last year .
Roughly half of these children were eligible for free transport , while others were concessionary – or paid-for – ticket holders .
A spokeswoman for the Department of Education said grants would be paid at the end of the school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confirming the number of days of school attended .
“ For those children who are eligible for transport under the terms of the school transport scheme and whose parents decide not to use transport for the 2020/2021 school year , arising from the most recent health advice , the department will provide a grant to support them with the cost of private transport arrangements , ” the spokeswoman said .
There was confusion earlier this week about what public health rules would apply on schoolbuses after a change in advice from the National @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It advised that secondary students should both maintain physical distancing and wear face coverings while on schoolbuses , in line with wider rules on public transport .
This was a change to earlier advice which stated that physical distancing was not required .
The updated advice says primary school students should physically distance “ where possible ” on buses , but do not need to wear face coverings .
The department on Thursday said there would be a “ rolling implementation ” of these new guidelines to provide for physical distancing on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that hundreds of additional buses will now be needed to transport some 68,000 secondary students to school each day in compliance with the new guidelines .
A spokesman for the department said discussions were under way with Bus Éireann – which operates school transport services – so that any services that can operate from the start of the school year at 50 per cent capacity would do so .
He said other post-primary transport services would be re-organised and additional services would be provided as required to allow for physical distancing “ over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meantime , he said a range of measures will be in place to ensure the safe operation of school transport services .
They include pre-assigned seating to ensure children sit beside siblings or classmates , additional hygiene and cleaning measures on board schoolbuses , and the wearing of face coverings for children over the age of 13 years of age .
He said the department welcomed NPHET advice and arrangements for primary school transport will proceed as planned when schools reopen .
These services will operate fully when schools reopen , with additional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Secondary school services will also commence operation when schools reopen , with additional measures and hygiene requirements in place , and with the “ rolling implementation of measures to provide physical distancing on the post-primary services as required ” , he added .

Some parents have expressed concern that their children may be at risk if travelling on schoolbuses. Photograph: iStock
Parents with children eligible for free school transport who decide not to use it due to safety fears during the coronavirus pandemic will be entitled to a grant of up to €5.10 per school day.
This money is aimed at assisting families in arranging private transport to get their children to schools, which are due to start reopening from next week.
Some parents have expressed concern that their children may be at risk if travelling on schoolbuses, where facilitating social distancing may be an issue despite public health guidance recommending such a move.
Minister for Education Norma Foley said on Friday that all parents eligible for free transport will receive letters outlining their entitlement to a grant.
READ MORE
The payment will be based on the distance a family resides from their school of eligibility with a maximum daily allowance payable of €5.10 per day.
About 120,000 children travelled on schoolbuses daily last year. Roughly half of these children were eligible for free transport, while others were concessionary – or paid-for – ticket holders.
Grants
A spokeswoman for the Department of Education said grants would be paid at the end of the school year following the receipt of relevant documentation confirming the number of days of school attended.
“For those children who are eligible for transport under the terms of the school transport scheme and whose parents decide not to use transport for the 2020/2021 school year, arising from the most recent health advice, the department will provide a grant to support them with the cost of private transport arrangements,” the spokeswoman said.
There was confusion earlier this week about what public health rules would apply on schoolbuses after a change in advice from the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET).
It advised that secondary students should both maintain physical distancing and wear face coverings while on schoolbuses, in line with wider rules on public transport. This was a change to earlier advice which stated that physical distancing was not required.
The updated advice says primary school students should physically distance “where possible” on buses, but do not need to wear face coverings. The department on Thursday said there would be a “rolling implementation” of these new guidelines to provide for physical distancing on secondary schoolbus services.
It is understood that hundreds of additional buses will now be needed to transport some 68,000 secondary students to school each day in compliance with the new guidelines.
A spokesman for the department said discussions were under way with Bus Éireann – which operates school transport services – so that any services that can operate from the start of the school year at 50 per cent capacity would do so.
He said other post-primary transport services would be re-organised and additional services would be provided as required to allow for physical distancing “over the coming period”.
Advice
In the meantime, he said a range of measures will be in place to ensure the safe operation of school transport services. They include pre-assigned seating to ensure children sit beside siblings or classmates, additional hygiene and cleaning measures on board schoolbuses, and the wearing of face coverings for children over the age of 13 years of age.
He said the department welcomed NPHET advice and arrangements for primary school transport will proceed as planned when schools reopen. These services will operate fully when schools reopen, with additional measures and hygiene requirements in place.
Secondary school services will also commence operation when schools reopen, with additional measures and hygiene requirements in place, and with the “rolling implementation of measures to provide physical distancing on the post-primary services as required”, he added.


theirishtimes--2020-08-21--Covid-19: Strong evidence for less invasive tests and self-testing – Hiqa

Less invasive tests for the virus causing Covid-19 could be introduced for adults and children , according to the Health Information and Quality Authority ( Hiqa ) .
A new report by Hiqa said saliva or nasal specimens may offer a viable alternative to the current standard invasive test for the coronavirus which collects specimens from the back of the nose and throat .
Following a review of the latest evidence from international academic research , Hiqa said the taking of saliva or nasal specimens might be more acceptable in terms of comfort , particularly for children .
Hiqa ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health technology assessment , Máirín Ryan , said supervised self-testing where individuals take the swab themselves , may also be an option .
“ This could reduce the risk of infection for healthcare professionals , ” Dr Ryan said .
Less invasive tests could be considered following validation studies by the National Virus Reference Laboratory and the Health Service Executive .
Hiqa said its review of academic research and evidence indicated the virus was primarily spread by contact and droplet transmission and that the relative importance of aerosol transmission – fine particles suspended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possibly restricted to specific contexts .
Dr Ryan said understanding the contribution of different routes of transmission was important to inform prevention and control measures .
“ While spread appears to be primarily by contact and droplet transmission , the relative importance of aerosol transmission is unclear and is likely [ to be ] context specific , ” Dr Ryan said .
She said such contexts for airborne particles were low temperatures or enclosed and poorly ventilated environments .
However , Hiqa said there was “ limited , low-certainty evidence ” that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dr Ryan said the latest evidence underlined the importance of adhering to a range of infection control measures , including face coverings , respiratory etiquette , hand-washing and maintaining a safe physical distance to reduce the spread of the infection and protect the most vulnerable members of society .
She said it also highlighted that while transmission from children to adults and to other children does occur in households and schools , the rates remained low .
A review of studies on the use of face masks by healthy people in the community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infection .
There was no evidence that they led to increased harm or a false sense of security , leading people to neglect hand hygiene .

The current standard invasive test for coronavirus collects specimens from the back of the nose and throat. Photograph: Alan Betson
Less invasive tests for the virus causing Covid-19 could be introduced for adults and children, according to the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa).
A new report by Hiqa said saliva or nasal specimens may offer a viable alternative to the current standard invasive test for the coronavirus which collects specimens from the back of the nose and throat.
Following a review of the latest evidence from international academic research, Hiqa said the taking of saliva or nasal specimens might be more acceptable in terms of comfort, particularly for children.
Hiqa’s deputy chief executive and director of health technology assessment, Máirín Ryan, said supervised self-testing where individuals take the swab themselves, may also be an option.
READ MORE
“This could reduce the risk of infection for healthcare professionals,” Dr Ryan said. Less invasive tests could be considered following validation studies by the National Virus Reference Laboratory and the Health Service Executive.
Aerosol transmission
Hiqa said its review of academic research and evidence indicated the virus was primarily spread by contact and droplet transmission and that the relative importance of aerosol transmission – fine particles suspended in the air — was unclear and possibly restricted to specific contexts.
Dr Ryan said understanding the contribution of different routes of transmission was important to inform prevention and control measures.
“While spread appears to be primarily by contact and droplet transmission, the relative importance of aerosol transmission is unclear and is likely [to be] context specific,” Dr Ryan said.
She said such contexts for airborne particles were low temperatures or enclosed and poorly ventilated environments.
However, Hiqa said there was “limited, low-certainty evidence” that the virus could be transmitted via aerosols.
Dr Ryan said the latest evidence underlined the importance of adhering to a range of infection control measures, including face coverings, respiratory etiquette, hand-washing and maintaining a safe physical distance to reduce the spread of the infection and protect the most vulnerable members of society.
She said it also highlighted that while transmission from children to adults and to other children does occur in households and schools, the rates remained low.
A review of studies on the use of face masks by healthy people in the community found they may reduce the risk of infection. There was no evidence that they led to increased harm or a false sense of security, leading people to neglect hand hygiene.


theirishtimes--2020-08-22--Two men charged over New IRA membership

Two men charged over New IRA membership

Two men have appeared in court charged with directing terrorism in Northern Ireland following an investigation into the New IRA involving MI5 .
Shea Reynolds ( 26 ) and Patrick McDaid ( 50 ) were accused of attending a meeting in Omagh , Co Tyrone , as part of their activities .
They are also accused of IRA membership .
The offences relate to earlier this year up until last month .
Reynolds , from Belvedere Manor in Lurgan in Co Armagh , was charged with four offences .
These included conspiracy to possess Semtex explosives to endanger life and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attending the meeting in Omagh .
McDaid , from Magowan Park in Derry , faces three charges including intending to commit acts of terrorism .
Under cross examination at Belfast Magistrates Court where two men appeared via video-link , Detective Chief Inspector Griffin told Sinead Marmion , solicitor for Reynolds , “ yes that ’ s correct ” when she twice asked him if the UK security service MI5 had been involved in the investigation .
He maintained however that Reynolds was “ made fully aware ” of their involvement and denied that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the involvement of MI5 ” .
The charges arise as part of Operation Arbacia , which is “ an ongoing investigation into the activities of the New IRA ” , according to PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Barbara Gray who said in an earlier statement that seven men and two women , aged between 26 and 50 , were arrested on Tuesday in early morning raids in Derry , Tyrone and Armagh .
Defence solicitors for both men confirmed that were not applying for bail but Reynolds ’ lawyer Ms Marmion put a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The pair were remanded into custody and the case adjourned September 18th .
- Additional reporting PA

Two men have appeared in court charged with directing terrorism in Northern Ireland following an investigation into the New IRA involving MI5.
Shea Reynolds (26) and Patrick McDaid (50) were accused of attending a meeting in Omagh, Co Tyrone, as part of their activities. They are also accused of IRA membership. The offences relate to earlier this year up until last month.
Reynolds, from Belvedere Manor in Lurgan in Co Armagh, was charged with four offences. These included conspiracy to possess Semtex explosives to endanger life and intending to commit acts of terrorism through attending the meeting in Omagh.
McDaid, from Magowan Park in Derry, faces three charges including intending to commit acts of terrorism.
READ MORE
Under cross examination at Belfast Magistrates Court where two men appeared via video-link, Detective Chief Inspector Griffin told Sinead Marmion, solicitor for Reynolds, “yes that’s correct” when she twice asked him if the UK security service MI5 had been involved in the investigation.
He maintained however that Reynolds was “made fully aware” of their involvement and denied that he released “reports to the media about the involvement of MI5”.
The charges arise as part of Operation Arbacia, which is “an ongoing investigation into the activities of the New IRA”, according to PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Barbara Gray who said in an earlier statement that seven men and two women, aged between 26 and 50, were arrested on Tuesday in early morning raids in Derry, Tyrone and Armagh.
They remain in police custody.
Defence solicitors for both men confirmed that were not applying for bail but Reynolds’ lawyer Ms Marmion put a number of questions to the senior detective.
The pair were remanded into custody and the case adjourned September 18th. - Additional reporting PA


theirishtimes--2020-08-22--Showers ahead as overnight winds leave another 3,000 without power

Scattered showers and some sunny spells are forecast for the weekend after further strong winds and storm damage overnight .
Around 7,000 homes and businesses are without power on Saturday - 4,000 as a result of Storm Ellen and the remainder due to additional high winds on Friday night .
The south , midlands and west of the country were worst affected , and ESB Networks said it has been working “ since first light ” to restore all outages .
Meanwhile , Irish Water is working to restore water to east and north Cork , south Tipperary , west @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Longford and Galway .
Met Éireann said it would be mostly cloudy and breezy for a time on Saturday with showers or longer spells of rain .
However , it will become drier later this afternoon with some evening sunshine developing and scattered showers .
Highest temperatures will be between 16 and 19 degrees with moderate southwest winds .
Scattered showers will continue overnight with some heavy downpours later , especially across the west , the northwest and parts of the midlands .
There will be mist and fog patches too with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Sunday will bring further showery spells of rain , mainly across the northern half of the country .
It will be somewhat drier elsewhere with sunny spells .
However , rain will move into Munster before nightfall .
Highest temperatures will be between 15 and 19 degrees , with the mildest conditions across the southern counties .
Winds in Co Cork reached almost 145km/h at the mouth of Cork harbour during Storm Ellen earlier this week , bringing down trees and power lines across Munster .
A credit union has offered to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tree which came crashing down on the outskirts of Cork city .
St Michael ’ s Credit Union , which serves Blackrock and Mahon on the city ’ s southside , said it wanted to replace “ the iconic monkey puzzle on Jacob ’ s Island in Mahon ” during high winds .
“ This landmark tree , which was planted by William Crawford around 1845 , has been enjoyed locally since it was planted and has been a beautiful sight for people travelling on the South Link Road.
” The credit union @ @ @ @ @ @ @ departments in Cork City Council with a view to planting a new monkey puzzle , which is native to Chile and can grow up to 40 metres in height .
“ The tree was part of the local history and heritage - it would be a shame if future generations in Blackrock and Mahon didn ’ t have the chance to enjoy another monkey puzzle , ” said St Michael ’ s .
UCC Plant scientist Dr Eoin Lettice lamented the loss of the tree , recalling it was planted by William Crawford @ @ @ @ @ @ @ occupied by the Mahon Point Shopping Centre .
“ Crawford was an eminent horticulturalist , collecting and growing plants at Lakelands from around the world .
He had at Lakelands a ‘ perfect arboreatum ... richly planted ... with rare shrubs and trees ’ .
” Independent member of Cork City Council and local historian , Cllr Kieran McCarthy said he hoped that the wood from the fallen Monkey Puzzle could be used locally to create some memorial .
“ Sad to see this early 19th century beautiful Monkey Maze tree in Mahon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ - I would love to see a wooden sculpture or seat made from remains , ” he tweeted .

Motorists make their way through flooded roads on Thursday near Dunmanway in Co Cork following Storm Ellen. Photograph: Damien Storan/PA Wire
Scattered showers and some sunny spells are forecast for the weekend after further strong winds and storm damage overnight.
Around 7,000 homes and businesses are without power on Saturday - 4,000 as a result of Storm Ellen and the remainder due to additional high winds on Friday night.
The south, midlands and west of the country were worst affected, and ESB Networks said it has been working "since first light" to restore all outages.
Monkey Puzzle Tree in Mahon-watch the back left of this video carefully. For perspective-this tree was planted by William H. Crawford in his gardens at 'Lakelands' (Mahon Peninsula), probably around 1845.#StormEllen https://t.co/Uw8e1L9VpR — Jen Buckley (@ReColaisteMCobh) August 19, 2020
Meanwhile, Irish Water is working to restore water to east and north Cork, south Tipperary, west Waterford, south Limerick, east Clare, Longford and Galway.
READ MORE
Met Éireann said it would be mostly cloudy and breezy for a time on Saturday with showers or longer spells of rain. However, it will become drier later this afternoon with some evening sunshine developing and scattered showers.
Highest temperatures will be between 16 and 19 degrees with moderate southwest winds. Scattered showers will continue overnight with some heavy downpours later, especially across the west, the northwest and parts of the midlands.
There will be mist and fog patches too with lowest temperatures between 10 and 14 degrees.
Sunday will bring further showery spells of rain, mainly across the northern half of the country. It will be somewhat drier elsewhere with sunny spells. However, rain will move into Munster before nightfall. Highest temperatures will be between 15 and 19 degrees, with the mildest conditions across the southern counties.
Winds in Co Cork reached almost 145km/h at the mouth of Cork harbour during Storm Ellen earlier this week, bringing down trees and power lines across Munster.
‘Landmark tree’
A credit union has offered to replace a 175 year old monkey puzzle tree which came crashing down on the outskirts of Cork city.
St Michael’s Credit Union, which serves Blackrock and Mahon on the city’s southside, said it wanted to replace “the iconic monkey puzzle on Jacob’s Island in Mahon” during high winds.
“This landmark tree, which was planted by William Crawford around 1845, has been enjoyed locally since it was planted and has been a beautiful sight for people travelling on the South Link Road.”
The credit union said it was liaising with the relevant departments in Cork City Council with a view to planting a new monkey puzzle, which is native to Chile and can grow up to 40 metres in height.
“The tree was part of the local history and heritage - it would be a shame if future generations in Blackrock and Mahon didn’t have the chance to enjoy another monkey puzzle,” said St Michael’s.
UCC Plant scientist Dr Eoin Lettice lamented the loss of the tree, recalling it was planted by William Crawford at his Lakelands Estate, now largely occupied by the Mahon Point Shopping Centre.
“Crawford was an eminent horticulturalist, collecting and growing plants at Lakelands from around the world. He had at Lakelands a ‘perfect arboreatum...richly planted...with rare shrubs and trees’.”
Independent member of Cork City Council and local historian, Cllr Kieran McCarthy said he hoped that the wood from the fallen Monkey Puzzle could be used locally to create some memorial.
“Sad to see this early 19th century beautiful Monkey Maze tree in Mahon snap with the force of Storm Ellen - I would love to see a wooden sculpture or seat made from remains,” he tweeted.


theirishtimes--2020-08-22--Man charged in connection with €53,000 drugs seizure in Cork

A 37-year- old man has been remanded on bail after he was charged in connection with a €53,000 drugs seizure by gardaí from the Mayfield District Drugs Unit in Cork earlier this week .
Tomasz Ostrowski with an address at Rosewood Estate in Ballincollig was charged with a total of four offences when he appeared at a vacation sitting of Cork District Court .
Mr Ostrowski , a Polish national , was charged with possession of cannabis and possession of cannabis for sale or supply at Lotabeg Estate , Boherboy Road , Mayfield on August 19th .
And he was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possession of cannabis and possession of cannabis for sale or supply at Rosewood Estate in Ballincollig on the same date .
Det Garda Damian Cronin of Mayfield Garda Station gave evidence of arrest , charge and caution and said that Mr Ostrowski made no reply to the charges when they were put to him after caution .
Sgt Pat Lyons said that the gardaí were still awaiting the DPP ’ s direction on the matter , saying that gardaí had no objection to bail for Mr Ostrowski once he agreed to a number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kelleher said his client had no objection to the bail terms being sought by gardaí and Judge Marie Keane remanded him on his own bond to appear on September 30th .
Judge Keane made it a condition of Mr Ostrowski ’ s bail that he reside at Rosewood Estate , Ballincollig , keep a 9pm to 6am curfew there and sign on daily at Anglesea Street Garda Station .
She also made it a condition of bail that Mr Ostrowski would surrender his passport and would be contactable by gardaí 24 hours a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mobile phone .

A 37-year- old man has been remanded on bail after he was charged in connection with a €53,000 drugs seizure by gardaí from the Mayfield District Drugs Unit in Cork earlier this week.
Tomasz Ostrowski with an address at Rosewood Estate in Ballincollig was charged with a total of four offences when he appeared at a vacation sitting of Cork District Court.
Mr Ostrowski, a Polish national, was charged with possession of cannabis and possession of cannabis for sale or supply at Lotabeg Estate, Boherboy Road, Mayfield on August 19th.
And he was also charged with two further offences of possession of cannabis and possession of cannabis for sale or supply at Rosewood Estate in Ballincollig on the same date.
READ MORE
Det Garda Damian Cronin of Mayfield Garda Station gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution and said that Mr Ostrowski made no reply to the charges when they were put to him after caution.
Sgt Pat Lyons said that the gardaí were still awaiting the DPP's direction on the matter, saying that gardaí had no objection to bail for Mr Ostrowski once he agreed to a number of conditions.
Defence solicitor, Diarmuid Kelleher said his client had no objection to the bail terms being sought by gardaí and Judge Marie Keane remanded him on his own bond to appear on September 30th.
Judge Keane made it a condition of Mr Ostrowski's bail that he reside at Rosewood Estate, Ballincollig, keep a 9pm to 6am curfew there and sign on daily at Anglesea Street Garda Station.
She also made it a condition of bail that Mr Ostrowski would surrender his passport and would be contactable by gardaí 24 hours a day seven days a week on a mobile phone.


theirishtimes--2020-08-22--Ireland’s first Hindu temple opens its doors in Walkinstown

Ireland ’ s first official Hindu Temple formally opens its doors in Walkinstown on Saturday following nearly two decades of fundraising and planning by the Irish Hindu community .
The new temple , which is marking its opening by holding a number of small events over the weekend with limited numbers to keep in line with Covid-19 restrictions , expects thousands of members of the Irish Hindu community to pass through its doors over the coming months .
While the centre will primarily serve as a place of worship for Hindus , it will also offer meditation and yoga classes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workshops and be available for school visits and youth activities for the general public , Sudhansh Verma , director of the Vedic Hindu Cultural Centre of Ireland told The Irish Times .
“ The community has been waiting for this for a long time so everyone is very excited .
Finally we ’ ll have a place to embrace our culture , we miss that link here .
We expect between 8-10,000 people will have visited by the end of the year but for now we have to keep following restrictions on numbers.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the campaign to find a permanent home for a Hindu temple in Ireland for nearly two decades , says the community has been relying on temporary locations to offer space for worship up until now and described the opening as “ a historic moment ” .
“ Before this we were renting places and moving around all the time .
We used community centres , school halls , GAA centres but now finally the hunt is over .
“ I remember doing my first prayer session in Clontarf castle in 2001 and we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I could count on my fingers how many people from India and Nepal lived here .
But the community has grown a lot.
” White the 2016 census recorded just over 14,300 Hindus living in Ireland , Mr Verma says the actual figure , when taking into account the number of students , nurses tech workers who have moved here in recent years , is much closer to 25,000 people .
Asked if the Hindu community has experienced any racism or rejection in this country , Mr Verma said he ’ s always @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kind ” .
He underlined that the new centre at the Sunbury Industrial Estate in Walkinstown would be open to people of “ all faiths and religions ” .
“ We as a religion do not believe in fundamentalism ; we believe we are all a family and can have different manifestations of God .
We want people to live together peacefully and amicably , that is the main objective .
This will not only be a spiritual centre but a community centre.
” He added that he hoped the centre ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to homeless people working in partnership with local charities .
Teenagers studying religion at Leaving Cert level will be able to attend classes on Hinduism at the temple , he said .
While the centre is open to the public , no walk-in visitors will be allowed while Covid-19 restrictions remain in place and access to the site is only available through pre-booking via the Vedic Hindu Cultural Centre .

Ireland’s first official Hindu temple recently opened in Walkinstown, Dublin, following nearly two decades of fundraising and planning by the Irish Hindu community. Video: Kathleen Harris
Ireland's first official Hindu Temple formally opened its doors in Walkinstown on Saturday following nearly two decades of fundraising and planning by the Irish Hindu community.
The new temple, which is marking its opening by holding a number of small events over the weekend with limited numbers to keep in line with Covid-19 restrictions, expects thousands of members of the Irish Hindu community to pass through its doors over the coming months.
While the centre will primarily serve as a place of worship for Hindus, it will also offer meditation and yoga classes, language classes, music and dance workshops and be available for school visits and youth activities for the general public, Sudhansh Verma, director of the Vedic Hindu Cultural Centre of Ireland told The Irish Times.
“The community has been waiting for this for a long time so everyone is very excited. Finally we’ll have a place to embrace our culture, we miss that link here. We expect between 8-10,000 people will have visited by the end of the year but for now we have to keep following restrictions on numbers.”
READ MORE
Mr Verma, who has lead the campaign to find a permanent home for a Hindu temple in Ireland for nearly two decades, says the community has been relying on temporary locations to offer space for worship up until now and described the opening as “a historic moment”.
“Before this we were renting places and moving around all the time. We used community centres, school halls, GAA centres but now finally the hunt is over.
"I remember doing my first prayer session in Clontarf castle in 2001 and we had about 200 people. Back then I could count on my fingers how many people from India and Nepal lived here. But the community has grown a lot."
While the 2016 census recorded just over 14,300 Hindus living in Ireland, Mr Verma says the actual figure, when taking into account the number of students, nurses tech workers who have moved here in recent years, is much closer to 25,000 people.
Asked if the Hindu community has experienced any racism or rejection in this country, Mr Verma said he’s always found Ireland to be “generous and kind”. He underlined that the new centre at the Sunbury Industrial Estate in Walkinstown would be open to people of “all faiths and religions”.
“We as a religion do not believe in fundamentalism; we believe we are all a family and can have different manifestations of God. We want people to live together peacefully and amicably, that is the main objective. This will not only be a spiritual centre but a community centre.”
He added that he hoped the centre’s kitchen could be used to provide food to homeless people working in partnership with local charities. Teenagers studying religion at Leaving Cert level will be able to attend classes on Hinduism at the temple, he said.
While the centre is open to the public, no walk-in visitors will be allowed while Covid-19 restrictions remain in place and access to the site is only available through pre-booking via the Vedic Hindu Cultural Centre.
For more information, visit hindu.ie


theirishtimes--2020-08-22--Funding brings reprieve for Bunratty and King John’s castles

Shannon Heritage which had been faced with the immediate closure of Bunratty Castle and Folk Park in Co Clare and St John ’ s Castle in Limerick , has been given Government funding to keep the attractions open – at least until the end of the year .
The Shannon Group which comprises commercial and tourism businesses including Shannon Heritage , said on Tuesday it needed an “ urgent ” €4.6million to keep Bunratty and King John ’ s sites open until next June .
On Thursday the Minister of State Hildegard Naughten said funding of €2.6 million had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mary Considine , CEO of the Shannon Group said the money would enable the organisation to keep the Bunratty and King Johns heritage sites open to the end of December .
Ms Considine said the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has been devastating for the heritage business which is hugely dependent on international visitors .
Visitor numbers to Shannon Heritage owned sites is down 80 percent year on year , forcing the organisation to consider closure of the two sites in less than two weeks .
“ Today ’ s announcement is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employees at Bunratty Castle and Folk Park and King John ’ s Castle , but for the mid-west tourism industry ” Ms Considine said .

Shannon Heritage which had been faced with the immediate closure of Bunratty Castle and Folk Park in Co Clare and St John’s Castle in Limerick, has been given Government funding to keep the attractions open – at least until the end of the year.
The Shannon Group which comprises commercial and tourism businesses including Shannon Heritage, said on Tuesday it needed an “urgent” €4.6million to keep Bunratty and King John’s sites open until next June.
On Thursday the Minister of State Hildegard Naughten said funding of €2.6 million had been approved.
Welcoming the funding announcement, Mary Considine, CEO of the Shannon Group said the money would enable the organisation to keep the Bunratty and King Johns heritage sites open to the end of December.
READ MORE
Ms Considine said the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has been devastating for the heritage business which is hugely dependent on international visitors.
Visitor numbers to Shannon Heritage owned sites is down 80 percent year on year, forcing the organisation to consider closure of the two sites in less than two weeks.
“Today’s announcement is great news, not only for our employees at Bunratty Castle and Folk Park and King John’s Castle, but for the mid-west tourism industry” Ms Considine said.


theirishtimes--2020-08-22--New Garda powers will focus on ‘rogue hospitality operators’ - Taoiseach

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has confirmed the new powers due to be given to the gardaí will focus on tackling rogue hospitality operators rather than private house parties .
However , speaking on a visit to Co Cork this week , Mr Martin ruled out recalling the Dáil early to debate the new powers for gardaí to help ensure people abide by new Covid-19 guidelines .
There have been calls since from the Opposition for the Dáil to be recalled to debate the fallout of the Oireachtas golf dinner controversy .
Mr Martin said that he had asked Attorney General Paul @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Government will need to introduce new legislation to ensure compliance on Covid-19 guidelines but the priority will be rogue operators within the hospitality sector .
“ We don ’ t envisage gardaí in normal cases going into houses – basically the attorney general is now working with line departments in relation to preparing the legislation , ” said Mr Martin during a visit to Mahon on Thursday .
“ We won ’ t be recalling the Dáil to do it , there won ’ t be a necessity to do that because Covid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , certainly well into next year , and we have to factor that into how we organise ourselves as a society and as an economy .
“ But , that said , if there are rogue operators in hospitality , for example , we believe extra powers are required for the gardaí to go into an establishment and say what ’ s happening right here in front of me is endangering public health and I need to close this facility down .
“ That ’ s the first priority and that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ departments , is working on .
In relation to the homes , that ’ s far more complex and NPHET did advise that but Government said subject to the attorney general ’ s advice.
” Mr Martin acknowledged that are “ considerable complications ” involved in drawing up legislation that would allow gardaí to enter homes to ensure private parties are adhering to Government guidelines but the focus is very much on those commercial operators ignoring the guidelines But he stressed such operators were a small minority .
“ The vast majority of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adhering to the rules and to the guidelines to be fair - the vast majority of hotels , the vast majority of restaurants , are all adhering to this and Gastro pubs as well .
“ But where an untoward incident develops I think we do need an additional power and we are examining that right now but no decisions have been taken until the legislation is properly formulated .
”

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has confirmed the new powers due to be given to the gardaí will focus on tackling rogue hospitality operators rather than private house parties. Photograph: Gareth Chaney/Collins
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has confirmed the new powers due to be given to the gardaí will focus on tackling rogue hospitality operators rather than private house parties.
However, speaking on a visit to Co Cork this week, Mr Martin ruled out recalling the Dáil early to debate the new powers for gardaí to help ensure people abide by new Covid-19 guidelines.
There have been calls since from the Opposition for the Dáil to be recalled to debate the fallout of the Oireachtas golf dinner controversy.
Mr Martin said that he had asked Attorney General Paul Gallagher SC to look at whether the Government will need to introduce new legislation to ensure compliance on Covid-19 guidelines but the priority will be rogue operators within the hospitality sector.
READ MORE
Preparing
“We don’t envisage gardaí in normal cases going into houses – basically the attorney general is now working with line departments in relation to preparing the legislation,” said Mr Martin during a visit to Mahon on Thursday.
“We won’t be recalling the Dáil to do it, there won’t be a necessity to do that because Covid is with us for a long time, certainly well into next year, and we have to factor that into how we organise ourselves as a society and as an economy.
“But, that said, if there are rogue operators in hospitality, for example, we believe extra powers are required for the gardaí to go into an establishment and say what’s happening right here in front of me is endangering public health and I need to close this facility down.
“That’s the first priority and that’s what the Attorney General, with other departments, is working on. In relation to the homes, that’s far more complex and NPHET did advise that but Government said subject to the attorney general’s advice.”
‘Considerable complications’
Mr Martin acknowledged that are “considerable complications” involved in drawing up legislation that would allow gardaí to enter homes to ensure private parties are adhering to Government guidelines but the focus is very much on those commercial operators ignoring the guidelines
But he stressed such operators were a small minority. “The vast majority of people it has to be said are adhering to the rules and to the guidelines to be fair - the vast majority of hotels, the vast majority of restaurants, are all adhering to this and Gastro pubs as well.
“But where an untoward incident develops I think we do need an additional power and we are examining that right now but no decisions have been taken until the legislation is properly formulated.”


theirishtimes--2020-08-22--Two sea species whose enmity is carried by wind and water

The ultimate ripples of the summer ’ s long calms have been making gentle deliveries from the pleuston , the world of small , aquatic organisms living on the surface of the sea .
Beachcombing readers are reporting clusters of white-plated barnacles with swollen heads and rubbery necks arriving at the tideline .
They look much like the goose-neck barnacles , familiar as dense growths on drifting logs and fish-boxes .
Dosima fascicularis , however , the buoy-making barnacle , can make its own float .
The young forms settle on small , drifting particles and exude a buoyant , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ animal to arrive from warmer waters is one of my favourite examples of design for wind and wave .
Velella velella , the by-the-wind sailor , rarely comes ashore as a whole animal .
It ’ s a little hydrozoan , a colony of organisms wrapped in a jelly of deep blue .
A shallow fringe of tentacles is venomous enough to stun plankton and small fish .
What usually survives at the tideline , sometimes piling up by the million , is the creature ’ s float , a flat disc a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is a thin , triangular , flexible sail with a rainbowed , iridescent sheen .
The sail , of chitin , is mounted , compass-wise , from NW to SE or NE to SW. Its shape and sculpture stop it kinking or curling at the bottom in heavy , gusting winds .
Tests in a wind tunnel found this “ drag-based , locomotory structure ” keeps Velella sailing “ approximately broadside to the flow of oncoming water ” .
The differing angle of the sail takes the animal travelling in different directions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Both forms now occur in the north Atlantic and serve the animal ’ s dispersal across the ocean .
Velella was thought to be confined to the Mediterranean until the 1980s , when the first adult was captured in the north Atlantic by scuba divers .
Most of those reaching our waters are said to be left-sailors and once , for citizen science , I gathered handfuls of little floats from the strand and sat in the garden to sort them .
Result : 228 were left-sailors ; 42 were right-sailors .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of “ extraordinary occurrences ” of Velella , as recorded in the Irish Naturalists ’ Journal .
From July to November , millions of its gleaming discs formed drifts along the shore from Cork to Mayo , piling up deeply in the rock pools and gullies of Connemara and against the nets of salmon farms offshore .
As an animal of all the world ’ s oceans , driftlines of dying Velella are a widespread phenomenon .
On the Pacific coast of North America , most springs find them stranded , to some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to California , and “ massive ” strandings are regular in the northwest Mediterranean .
In 2006 New Zealand entered its first mass stranding in biodiversity records as many millions piled up , metres wide , along west coast beaches ( most , again , were left sailors ) .
In today ’ s chemically sensitive thinking , the mass decay of Velella is considered for its role in the planet ’ s cycling of carbon .
Given the extraordinary abundances of jellyfish in widely separated marine ecosystems , Ireland has shared global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on aquaculture , fisheries and swimmers driven from the waves .
The exceptional blooms of jellies are widely blamed on climate change and the warming of ocean ecosystems .
But a study by 22 researchers , published in 2012 by the US National Academy of Sciences , found the answer in “ a pattern of decadal oscillations in jellyfish populations that have occurred for at least a century ” .
Their consumption of planktonic life competes with that of commercial fish .
A research team led by UCC ’ s Tom Doyle studied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ floating rafts of seaweed in the Celtic Sea and found a preference for fish eggs and small fish .
But Velella has its own predators .
Leaving aside an estuarial feed by mallard ducks , prompting a report headed “ Quacks snack on smacks ” , and the more regular intake by oceanic turtles , the animal ’ s closest enemy floats alongside it , upside down .
Janthina janthina , the violet sea snail , is suspended from a raft of silver bubbles .
It makes this by lifting its foot above @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in mucus that hardens into something like cellophane .
Drifting beneath this scrap of froth , the graded colour of its shell , deepening to violet blue , has a function , helping to conceal it from the downward gaze of seabirds and the upward gaze of fish .
Like so many carnivores , Janthina eats whatever it comes across , and its seemingly random encounters with Velella depend on the vagaries of wind that governs both their lives .
But in any substantial stranding of Velella , the empty shells of Janthina @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the sand , sometimes – if rarely – in hundreds .
Their beauty makes them treasures .
But pick them up gently , or a squeeze will shatter them to bits .

The ultimate ripples of the summer’s long calms have been making gentle deliveries from the pleuston, the world of small, aquatic organisms living on the surface of the sea.
Beachcombing readers are reporting clusters of white-plated barnacles with swollen heads and rubbery necks arriving at the tideline. They look much like the goose-neck barnacles, familiar as dense growths on drifting logs and fish-boxes.
Dosima fascicularis, however, the buoy-making barnacle, can make its own float. The young forms settle on small, drifting particles and exude a buoyant, spongy blob like polystyrene.
The second animal to arrive from warmer waters is one of my favourite examples of design for wind and wave. Velella velella, the by-the-wind sailor, rarely comes ashore as a whole animal. It’s a little hydrozoan, a colony of organisms wrapped in a jelly of deep blue. A shallow fringe of tentacles is venomous enough to stun plankton and small fish.
READ MORE
What usually survives at the tideline, sometimes piling up by the million, is the creature’s float, a flat disc a few centimetres wide. Set diagonally across it is a thin, triangular, flexible sail with a rainbowed, iridescent sheen.
The sail, of chitin, is mounted, compass-wise, from NW to SE or NE to SW. Its shape and sculpture stop it kinking or curling at the bottom in heavy, gusting winds. Tests in a wind tunnel found this “drag-based, locomotory structure” keeps Velella sailing “approximately broadside to the flow of oncoming water”.
The differing angle of the sail takes the animal travelling in different directions, leftwards or rightwards from the wind. Both forms now occur in the north Atlantic and serve the animal’s dispersal across the ocean.
Velella was thought to be confined to the Mediterranean until the 1980s, when the first adult was captured in the north Atlantic by scuba divers. Most of those reaching our waters are said to be left-sailors and once, for citizen science, I gathered handfuls of little floats from the strand and sat in the garden to sort them. Result: 228 were left-sailors; 42 were right-sailors.
Extraordinary year
That was in 1992, a year of “extraordinary occurrences” of Velella, as recorded in the Irish Naturalists’ Journal. From July to November, millions of its gleaming discs formed drifts along the shore from Cork to Mayo, piling up deeply in the rock pools and gullies of Connemara and against the nets of salmon farms offshore.
As an animal of all the world’s oceans, driftlines of dying Velella are a widespread phenomenon. On the Pacific coast of North America, most springs find them stranded, to some extent, on beaches from British Columbia to California, and “massive” strandings are regular in the northwest Mediterranean.
In 2006 New Zealand entered its first mass stranding in biodiversity records as many millions piled up, metres wide, along west coast beaches (most, again, were left sailors). In today’s chemically sensitive thinking, the mass decay of Velella is considered for its role in the planet’s cycling of carbon.
Given the extraordinary abundances of jellyfish in widely separated marine ecosystems, Ireland has shared global concern at the impact of toxic species on aquaculture, fisheries and swimmers driven from the waves.
The exceptional blooms of jellies are widely blamed on climate change and the warming of ocean ecosystems. But a study by 22 researchers, published in 2012 by the US National Academy of Sciences, found the answer in “a pattern of decadal oscillations in jellyfish populations that have occurred for at least a century”.
Seaweed rafts
Their consumption of planktonic life competes with that of commercial fish. A research team led by UCC’s Tom Doyle studied the diet of Velella caught up in floating rafts of seaweed in the Celtic Sea and found a preference for fish eggs and small fish.
But Velella has its own predators. Leaving aside an estuarial feed by mallard ducks, prompting a report headed “Quacks snack on smacks”, and the more regular intake by oceanic turtles, the animal’s closest enemy floats alongside it, upside down.
Janthina janthina, the violet sea snail, is suspended from a raft of silver bubbles. It makes this by lifting its foot above the water and trapping morsels of air in mucus that hardens into something like cellophane.
Drifting beneath this scrap of froth, the graded colour of its shell, deepening to violet blue, has a function, helping to conceal it from the downward gaze of seabirds and the upward gaze of fish.
Like so many carnivores, Janthina eats whatever it comes across, and its seemingly random encounters with Velella depend on the vagaries of wind that governs both their lives. But in any substantial stranding of Velella, the empty shells of Janthina are also likely to be there on the sand, sometimes – if rarely – in hundreds.
Their beauty makes them treasures. But pick them up gently, or a squeeze will shatter them to bits.


theirishtimes--2020-08-22--Back to school ... but to what? ‘We’ve been in purgatory since March’

Matt Melvin , principal of St Etchen ’ s National School in Kinnegad , Co Westmeath , is busy spray-painting social distancing warning signs onto the tarmac of the playground .
There are smiley faces with “ stay safe ” slogans ; multicoloured footprints spaced two metres apart ; jaunty signs reminding pupils to sanitise their hands at the dispensers .
It ’ s a delicate balancing act : welcoming back anxious students after a six-month enforced absence – as well as warning them that school life has changed dramatically .
“ We ’ re trying to set a tone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of safety .
But we ’ re also trying to welcome and reassure children and give them time to settle into the routine of school again.
” Like all other schools , the rhythm of the school day at St Etchen ’ s will change radically .
There will be staggered entry and exit times each day for classes ; parents will be asked to remain in their cars when dropping off children ; pupils will be grouped into pods and class bubbles ; teachers will be asked to stay in their classroom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ athletics , drama and music will all cease until it is safe to do so ; school tours and field trips will be put on ice .
It will all take its toll on school life – but Melvin feels they are small sacrifices to help reopen schools .
“ There ’ s normally great excitement and optimism in the yard in the morning , ” says Melvin .
“ There ’ s lots of hustle and bustle .
Parents meet up and shoot the breeze .
.
.
it will be a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ changes are very doable.
” “ It ’ s a terrible shame to have to curtail all our after-school activities .
The range and scope of them is what defines us as a school .
It sells us to the wider community .
What will happen to music , the choir , tin-whistle practice ?
It ’ s hard to know.
” Melvin says St Etchen ’ s is , in many ways , a microcosm of Irish society – and will face the kind of challenges that most schools will encounter .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ – about 20 per cent are non-Catholic , 15 per cent are non-Irish national .
We ’ ve the children who will go onto Clongowes and the ones who might end up selling drugs .
We ’ ve all the problems and advantages of Irish society.
” He wonders , for example , how the class bubble system will operate in practice , especially given that children from similar backgrounds or nationalities – but different classes – often hang out together in the yard .
“ A lot of the conversation among parents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll be in my child ’ s pod ’ , or ‘ who won ’ t be ’ , ” he says .
The school is finally due to reopen fully on Thursday , August 27th .
The school secretary and caretaker have played a vital role in getting the school ready .
Melvin is looking forward to the big day .
“ It ’ s feels like we ’ ve been in purgatory since March .
.
.
finally , we ’ ll get to reopen .
There is huge anticipation among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ll be delighted .
There ’ s excitement and apprehension .
We want it all to go well .
We won ’ t want to be the school that doesn ’ t do something right and causes the whole house of cards to fall.
” Eva Belle Bradshaw ( 4 ) is worried about her first day in big school .
She ’ s not too concerned about going to a strange school , with children she doesn ’ t know , or lots of rules around hand-washing and distancing .
No @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mammy will miss her too much .
“ So , I drew a picture of mammy and me , playing football .
It ’ s on the livingroom wall .
It ’ s there in case she misses me when I ’ m at school , ” she says .
It ’ s a reminder , she says , of how parents are often more anxious around the reopening of schools than the children .
“ We ’ re definitely more worried than she is .
We ’ ve tried to shelter her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or the chance of school shutting down if there ’ s a second wave .
But she ’ s just excited to be going to school and finally getting to meet new friends and socialise , ” says Julie , a mother of two from Arklow , Co Wicklow .
The first day of school is likely to be very different for parents of junior infants .
While mothers and fathers traditionally accompany their children into class on the first day , with teary photographs , followed by teas and coffees with other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this year .
In most cases , children will be met at the school gates by a teacher or principal , who will guide them into their new classroom .
Parents , in most schools , are being asked to stay off the school premises this year , unless there are exceptional reasons .
The first day in school may also be a bigger jolt for many children .
In recent years , junior infants have tended to breeze into school on their first day .
With two years of preschool under their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the classroom and being separated from their parents .
But most of this year ’ s cohort of new junior infants have been out of early years settings for six months – an eternity for children of this age .
They have also missed out on familiarisation visits to school .
Tearful goodbyes at the school gates , then , look much more likely this year .
In Eva Belle ’ s case , however , her parents feel she ’ ll be fine .
“ We ’ re fortunate that she ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
She ’ ll be glad to see other children .
I have friends who are very concerned for their children and worry about how they ’ ll cope after spending so much time at home .
“ In terms of the first day , we ’ re disappointed we won ’ t be able to be in the classroom on the first day , but it is what it is.
” Christelle Bekombo feels a tinge of excitement , laced with apprehension , when she thinks about returning to the classroom .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ long time .
There is a side of me that is really excited .
This is the job I chose to do , ” says the 26-year-old French teacher .
“ But I do worry about how all the changes will affect teaching : the communications , the distance , all of that.
” Teaching , she says , isn ’ t simply standing at the top of the class dispensing wisdom : it ’ s about trust , relationship-building , engagement .
“ Proximity to students is an important part of teaching @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ If a student is struggling , you sit in beside them and show them how to do the exercise .
It shows a level of care and interest .
So , I ’ d be worried that some will fall behind and feel that I ’ m not treating them as being important .
“ For first years , especially .
They ’ ve come from primary where they are used to teachers providing help on a one-to-one basis .
So , I just hope there are other ways we can make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the classroom.
” The fact that secondary students are being required to wear face masks may also hinder some of the natural communication in class .
Bekombo , originally from Cameroon , is relatively new to teaching .
She fully qualified last March just as her school – Le Chéile Secondary School in Tyrrelstown , northwest Dublin – shut down .
Teaching online , she says , was very hard .
Even though the school was fortunate in that all children had iPads , it still meant approaching and preparing for teaching in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ struggle to engage all students .
“ There are so many different learners .
Some learn best from listening to you in class , others absorb video or songs online better .
You could see online that some were falling back and not logging into classes enough .
As a teacher , you want all your students to be a success and fulfil their potential .
So , it was hard to see some falling behind.
” She says her emphasis will be on getting those at-risk students back in class and consolidating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ topics .
Learning loss , she says , will be inevitable .
“ The old saying is that practice makes perfect .
If you haven ’ t practiced , it will be a challenge .
Some will struggle , but that ’ s my job to help them catch up .
“ I ’ d be more worried about students psychologically .
Everything stopped so suddenly for then .
They now have to adapt to a new routine.
” As for any worries for her health back in the classroom ?
She ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m very fortunate .
I ’ m not a frontline nurse .
So , I ’ m not so much worried as excited .
I just want to get back to the job that I love.
” Olivia Lyons ’ s last day of primary school ended abruptly when her class was preparing a game show in Irish for Seachtain na Gaeilge .
“ Then , the teachers came in and gave us sweets and said we ’ d be shutting down the school for two weeks .
.
.
I had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be coming back in , ” says the 12-year-old , from Kilmore in north Dublin .
There was an initial exhilaration – followed by a dawning realisation of what they had lost : friendships , graduation ceremonies and end-of-school milestones .
“ I found being out of the class hard .
I missed school and seeing my friends and classmates in the yard , ” she says .
The remote learning which replaced the classroom was okay – but it wasn ’ t the same .
“ I had ClassDojo on my phone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , or a project to do .
I found it easy to get done , but others ’ didn ’ t .
.
.
it was harder to learn new things .
We did projects and new stuff , just not as much as we would have.
” Despite the challenges , she feels school ended on a high : teachers organised a virtual graduation ceremony .
All her classmates took part in a online talent show .
The pupils got robes and commemorative hoodies with all their names on it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ they tried really hard to make it really nice , ” she says , Now , she ’ s preparing for her first day in secondary school .
Even in normal times it might be daunting – but this time there are a host of other uncertainties .
“ I ’ m not sure what school will be like , ” she says .
“ I ’ m not used to wearing a face mask .
And it will be weird and awkward seeing friends , or making new ones while staying one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be harder to get to know people.
” There will also be changes getting to school .
Secondary students will be asked to wear face masks on school buses and stay seated close to the same people each day .
For a while , she says , she did feel sad about how school life is going to be different for her generation – but she ’ s got over that .
“ It did feel unfair at the start .
It would nice if everyone got a nice ending and a good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t change anything , ” she says .
“ I ’ ve met up with a good few friends after the lockdown .
We went to the shops and to the park to play football .
We ’ re back playing matches now , and a lot of the girls on my team will be going to my secondary school.
” In a world of social distancing , Carol McSherry ’ s role as a special needs assistant requires working side-by-side with vulnerable children .
“ We ’ re there for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can be pupils with epilepsy , diabetes .
Many are immuno-compromised .
If some of these children got Covid-19 , it would be catastrophic , ” says McSherry , who is based in Co Meath .
“ We ’ re helping some children with toileting or intimate care needs .
We ’ re helping children to be included in the class , assisting them with pencil grip , looking out for trip hazards.
” This support can not be carried out at a distance – so the latest public health guidelines advised wearing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distancing is not possible .
The official guidance is vague , she says , so it will be a case of adapting to individual circumstances .
Another unanswered question is whether she will be assigned to a class bubble and required to avoid mixing with children outside it .
But this , she says , simply won ’ t be possible .
“ There is no way I can be based in just one class .
Most special needs assistants support several children in a school across different classes , ” she says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people who make these decisions don ’ t realise the work we need to do behind the scenes.
” What is encouraging , she says , is that schools which reopened to support children with special needs during the summer – known as July provision – were able to make the new rules work .
“ I did the summer programme myself for two weeks , wearing a mask and it worked .
It wasn ’ t ideal – I ended up having to read books upside down , and couldn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ awkward , but doable.
” She also has worries about how classes will cope with rising levels of sick leave among staff .
Despite these concerns , she is looking forward to the school gates reopening and life returning to the classroom .
“ I want to go back to school .
I love my job .
Some of my best friends are on the staff .
I miss all that .
I just want the reopening to go as safely as possible , ” she says .
Emer Neville from Clonmel in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which Leaving Cert students went through earlier this year .
Having missed a large chunk of schooling during fifth year , she is worried that sixth years are facing into a year of anxiety and uncertainty .
“ I ’ m quite nervous about it – especially being a Leaving Cert student .
I feel we ’ ve been pushed under the rug a bit and ignored , ” she says .
Her biggest worry is trying to make up for lost time – and the fear of being penalised in the exams @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she says , was a real struggle .
“ It was really difficult .
I found it hard to sit and concentrate on the work when there was a pandemic going on in the background .
It meant trying to teach yourself about subjects .
Zoom was a whole new concept , but many teachers didn ’ t have it so there was a lot of sending us notes.
” “ It was strange and the social aspect of it was really hard : not getting to see your friends .
.
.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ up , but there are friends and classmates that I ’ ve lost contact with.
” That said , she ’ s eager to get back to school and catch up with her class .
School life will be very different .
All students at the school have been issued with two face masks .
The schools will be festooned with warning signs and hand sanitisers .
She ’ ll be assigned to a base class , to limit mixing with other students .
“ I ’ m really excited to get back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard to see how the one- or two-metre rule will work in classrooms in practice .
There is that danger that you pick up the virus .
“ The worry is that you would pass it onto a vulnerable family member .
Some of my friends with at-risk family members feel petrified about that and feel they ’ d never forgive themselves.
” She would like to see special measures being taken this year to recognise the unique position that this year ’ s Leaving Cert students are in , “ I just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same uncertainty and that they have a plan .
I think they should either cut the curriculum in half or go down the route of predicted grading .
We just want to avoid the stress that last year ’ s sixth years faced.
” The child with special needs Five-year-old Arlo Sweeney lives just around the corner from the large primary school which his older brother attends .
He should be due to start his first day of school in a few days , but there is no place for him .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him , while he has been refused places in many other schools across the south Dublin area .
That is because Arlo has been diagnosed with autism and schools say they do not have the expertise to meet his needs .
“ You can hear the children in the playground from our house , that ’ s how close the school is , ” says his mother Róisín Kelly .
“ But there is no special class in the school and there is nothing in the south Dublin area .
The system is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ child with additional needs , you are made to fight for everything.
” Arlo is one of dozens of children with special or additional needs in south Dublin who do not have a school place for the coming school year .
And for those with special needs who are lucky enough to have school places , school closures have hit them hardest of all .
Deprived of routine and support , many parents report that their children have regressed and lost out on key skills which have taken them years to acquire , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been assessed as requiring a special class , attached to a mainstream school , which typically has six students to one teacher and two special needs assistants .
While it is one of the most affluent areas of the State , campaigners say there is a “ black hole ” in the provision of special classes .
“ The only explanation I can see is league tables .
Or else there is an assumption that people in more affluent areas can privately educate their children .
But that ’ s not an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in private primary schools , ” says Kelly .
For now , she says Arlo will have to avail of home tuition .
Luckily , she says , parents have banded together to provide this with other children in a preschool setting .
It means that Arlo will likely be almost seven years or age when he finally starts primary .
“ It ’ s not necessarily such as bad thing .
Even if a place was found at the last minute for him , I ’ d worry that the class might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t function for the first six months with all the Covid-19 disruption , ” she says .
“ Our only wish now is that he ’ s gets to be educated in his local community , like his older brother .
That remains our wish for him during his time in education .
I want him to reach his potential , whatever that is .
He just needs access to his basic human right.
” After six long months , the Dempsey family is getting uniforms pressed and school bags prepped for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Even in normal times , the new school year would be a big deal , says Lorraine Dempsey .
Of her four daughters , Hannah ( 5 ) is starting junior infants ; Freya ( 13 ) is starting secondary school ; Sadhbh ( 16 ) is in senior cycle ; and her twin Rianna , who has cerebral palsy and an intellectual disability , returns to her special school .
But the fact that they have spent so long out of the classroom and are facing into very changed school settings makes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ uncertain , anxious – and exciting .
“ It ’ s been such a long break so there will be a lot of settling back in to do .
There ’ s anxiety of different kinds , ” she says .
“ For my youngest , it ’ s adjusting to primary school .
My 13-year-old wonders if she ’ ll be able to make friends and is anxious in an excited kind of way , For Sadhbh , it ’ s more on the academic side of things and missing out on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s about keeping her safe and taking precautions to make sure Covid doesn ’ t make its way into the home.
” She worries that the level of disruption to school will be huge .
Even before Covid-19 , it felt like there was always a family member with a cold or sniffle .
With public health guidelines advising against going to school with any potential coronavirus symptoms , she expects it will be a stop-start kind of year .
“ We ’ re all so interdependent , so that will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exactly how it will pan out , so it ’ s hard to plan or offer reassurances that everything will be okay.
” While her daughters might normally get the bus , she ’ s not sure how this work out or what health precautions are in place – so she ’ ll drive some of them to school in the first few weeks .
Dempsey says she hopes schools will put a big emphasis on fun activities and wellbeing to help settle students back into education .
“ There is a great @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meeting up with classmates .
.
.
I just hope they get a chance to enjoy that , given everything they ’ ve been through .
”

The principal
Matt Melvin, principal of St Etchen's National School in Kinnegad, Co Westmeath, is busy spray-painting social distancing warning signs onto the tarmac of the playground.
There are smiley faces with “stay safe” slogans; multicoloured footprints spaced two metres apart; jaunty signs reminding pupils to sanitise their hands at the dispensers.
It’s a delicate balancing act: welcoming back anxious students after a six-month enforced absence – as well as warning them that school life has changed dramatically.
“We’re trying to set a tone to show that we’re conscious of safety. But we’re also trying to welcome and reassure children and give them time to settle into the routine of school again.”
READ MORE
Schools across the country are to reopen after months of lockdown, but fears of outbreaks and coughing students have left many staff members anxious about what lies ahead. Video: Enda O'Dowd
Matt Melvin, principal of St Etchen’s National School, Kinnegad, Co Westmeath, preparing the school for reopening. Photograph: Crispin Rodwell
Like all other schools, the rhythm of the school day at St Etchen’s will change radically.
There will be staggered entry and exit times each day for classes; parents will be asked to remain in their cars when dropping off children; pupils will be grouped into pods and class bubbles; teachers will be asked to stay in their classroom at break-time; swimming, football, athletics, drama and music will all cease until it is safe to do so; school tours and field trips will be put on ice.
It will all take its toll on school life – but Melvin feels they are small sacrifices to help reopen schools.
“There’s normally great excitement and optimism in the yard in the morning,” says Melvin.
“There’s lots of hustle and bustle. Parents meet up and shoot the breeze . . . it will be a shame to lose that, but the changes are very doable.”
“It’s a terrible shame to have to curtail all our after-school activities. The range and scope of them is what defines us as a school. It sells us to the wider community. What will happen to music, the choir, tin-whistle practice? It’s hard to know.”
Melvin says St Etchen’s is, in many ways, a microcosm of Irish society – and will face the kind of challenges that most schools will encounter.
“We’re a diverse school – about 20 per cent are non-Catholic, 15 per cent are non-Irish national. We’ve the children who will go onto Clongowes and the ones who might end up selling drugs. We’ve all the problems and advantages of Irish society.”
He wonders, for example, how the class bubble system will operate in practice, especially given that children from similar backgrounds or nationalities – but different classes – often hang out together in the yard.
“A lot of the conversation among parents and children is, ‘who’ll be in my child’s pod’, or ‘who won’t be’,” he says.
The school is finally due to reopen fully on Thursday, August 27th. The school secretary and caretaker have played a vital role in getting the school ready. Melvin is looking forward to the big day.
“It’s feels like we’ve been in purgatory since March . . . finally, we’ll get to reopen. There is huge anticipation among the kids to get back. They’ll be delighted. There’s excitement and apprehension. We want it all to go well. We won’t want to be the school that doesn’t do something right and causes the whole house of cards to fall.”
EVA BELLE BRADSHAW IS PREPARING TO START PRIMARY SCHOOL IN ARKLOW, CO WICKLOW. PHOTOGRAPH: NICK BRADSHAW
The junior infant
Eva Belle Bradshaw (4) is worried about her first day in big school.
She’s not too concerned about going to a strange school, with children she doesn’t know, or lots of rules around hand-washing and distancing. No, she’s worried that her mammy will miss her too much.
“So, I drew a picture of mammy and me, playing football. It’s on the livingroom wall. It’s there in case she misses me when I’m at school,” she says.
Her mother, Julie, laughs,
It’s a reminder, she says, of how parents are often more anxious around the reopening of schools than the children.
“We’re definitely more worried than she is. We’ve tried to shelter her from any concerns connected with coronavirus, or the chance of school shutting down if there’s a second wave. But she’s just excited to be going to school and finally getting to meet new friends and socialise,” says Julie, a mother of two from Arklow, Co Wicklow.
The first day of school is likely to be very different for parents of junior infants.
While mothers and fathers traditionally accompany their children into class on the first day, with teary photographs, followed by teas and coffees with other parents, none of this will happen this year.
In most cases, children will be met at the school gates by a teacher or principal, who will guide them into their new classroom.
Parents, in most schools, are being asked to stay off the school premises this year, unless there are exceptional reasons.
The first day in school may also be a bigger jolt for many children.
In recent years, junior infants have tended to breeze into school on their first day. With two years of preschool under their belt, they are well accustomed to the classroom and being separated from their parents.
But most of this year’s cohort of new junior infants have been out of early years settings for six months – an eternity for children of this age. They have also missed out on familiarisation visits to school. Tearful goodbyes at the school gates, then, look much more likely this year.
In Eva Belle’s case, however, her parents feel she’ll be fine.
“We’re fortunate that she’s a confident child and very sociable. She’ll be glad to see other children. I have friends who are very concerned for their children and worry about how they’ll cope after spending so much time at home.
“In terms of the first day, we’re disappointed we won’t be able to be in the classroom on the first day, but it is what it is.”
Christelle Bekcombo, at teacher at Le Chéile secondary school in Tyrellstown, Dublin. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill
The teacher
Christelle Bekombo feels a tinge of excitement, laced with apprehension, when she thinks about returning to the classroom.
“It’s been such a long time. There is a side of me that is really excited. This is the job I chose to do,” says the 26-year-old French teacher. “But I do worry about how all the changes will affect teaching: the communications, the distance, all of that.”
Teaching, she says, isn’t simply standing at the top of the class dispensing wisdom: it’s about trust, relationship-building, engagement.
“Proximity to students is an important part of teaching for me,” she says. “If a student is struggling, you sit in beside them and show them how to do the exercise. It shows a level of care and interest. So, I’d be worried that some will fall behind and feel that I’m not treating them as being important.
“For first years, especially. They’ve come from primary where they are used to teachers providing help on a one-to-one basis. So, I just hope there are other ways we can make all students feel valued and important in the classroom.”
The fact that secondary students are being required to wear face masks may also hinder some of the natural communication in class.
Bekombo, originally from Cameroon, is relatively new to teaching.
She fully qualified last March just as her school – Le Chéile Secondary School in Tyrrelstown, northwest Dublin – shut down.
Teaching online, she says, was very hard.
Even though the school was fortunate in that all children had iPads, it still meant approaching and preparing for teaching in new ways. It was also a struggle to engage all students.
“There are so many different learners. Some learn best from listening to you in class, others absorb video or songs online better. You could see online that some were falling back and not logging into classes enough. As a teacher, you want all your students to be a success and fulfil their potential. So, it was hard to see some falling behind.”
She says her emphasis will be on getting those at-risk students back in class and consolidating their learning before moving on to new topics. Learning loss, she says, will be inevitable.
“The old saying is that practice makes perfect. If you haven’t practiced, it will be a challenge. Some will struggle, but that’s my job to help them catch up.
“I’d be more worried about students psychologically. Everything stopped so suddenly for then. They now have to adapt to a new routine.”
As for any worries for her health back in the classroom? She’s not too worried.
“I’m very fortunate. I’m not a frontline nurse. So, I’m not so much worried as excited. I just want to get back to the job that I love.”
Olivia Lyons (12). She is due to start first year in secondary school.
The first-year student
Olivia Lyons’s last day of primary school ended abruptly when her class was preparing a game show in Irish for Seachtain na Gaeilge.
"Then, the teachers came in and gave us sweets and said we'd be shutting down the school for two weeks . . . I had a feeling then that we might not be coming back in," says the 12-year-old, from Kilmore in north Dublin.
There was an initial exhilaration – followed by a dawning realisation of what they had lost: friendships, graduation ceremonies and end-of-school milestones.
“I found being out of the class hard. I missed school and seeing my friends and classmates in the yard,” she says.
It will be weird trying to make friends staying two metres apart
The remote learning which replaced the classroom was okay – but it wasn’t the same.
“I had ClassDojo on my phone and we were given work for a week, or a project to do. I found it easy to get done, but others’ didn’t . . . it was harder to learn new things. We did projects and new stuff, just not as much as we would have.”
Despite the challenges, she feels school ended on a high: teachers organised a virtual graduation ceremony. All her classmates took part in a online talent show. The pupils got robes and commemorative hoodies with all their names on it.
“It was a nice touch – they tried really hard to make it really nice,” she says,
Now, she’s preparing for her first day in secondary school.
Even in normal times it might be daunting – but this time there are a host of other uncertainties.
“I’m not sure what school will be like,” she says. “I’m not used to wearing a face mask. And it will be weird and awkward seeing friends, or making new ones while staying one or two metres apart. It might be harder to get to know people.”
There will also be changes getting to school. Secondary students will be asked to wear face masks on school buses and stay seated close to the same people each day.
For a while, she says, she did feel sad about how school life is going to be different for her generation – but she’s got over that.
“It did feel unfair at the start. It would nice if everyone got a nice ending and a good start in secondary. But we can’t change anything,” she says.
“I’ve met up with a good few friends after the lockdown. We went to the shops and to the park to play football. We’re back playing matches now, and a lot of the girls on my team will be going to my secondary school.”
Carol McSherry who works as a SNA in a primary school in Navan, Co Meath. Photograph: Crispin Rodwell
The special needs assistant
In a world of social distancing, Carol McSherry’s role as a special needs assistant requires working side-by-side with vulnerable children.
“We’re there for the care and safety of children. It can be pupils with epilepsy, diabetes. Many are immuno-compromised. If some of these children got Covid-19, it would be catastrophic,” says McSherry, who is based in Co Meath.
“We’re helping some children with toileting or intimate care needs. We’re helping children to be included in the class, assisting them with pencil grip, looking out for trip hazards.”
This support cannot be carried out at a distance – so the latest public health guidelines advised wearing a visor or face mask when physical distancing is not possible.
The official guidance is vague, she says, so it will be a case of adapting to individual circumstances.
Another unanswered question is whether she will be assigned to a class bubble and required to avoid mixing with children outside it. But this, she says, simply won’t be possible.
“There is no way I can be based in just one class. Most special needs assistants support several children in a school across different classes,” she says,
“I think sometimes that the people who make these decisions don’t realise the work we need to do behind the scenes.”
What is encouraging, she says, is that schools which reopened to support children with special needs during the summer – known as July provision – were able to make the new rules work.
“I did the summer programme myself for two weeks, wearing a mask and it worked. It wasn’t ideal – I ended up having to read books upside down, and couldn’t point to things easily. It was awkward, but doable.”
She also has worries about how classes will cope with rising levels of sick leave among staff. Despite these concerns, she is looking forward to the school gates reopening and life returning to the classroom.
“I want to go back to school. I love my job. Some of my best friends are on the staff. I miss all that. I just want the reopening to go as safely as possible,” she says.
Emer Neville from Clonmel. She is due to enter sixth year and complete the Leaving Cert next summer. Photograph: Crispin Rodwell
The Leaving Cert student
Emer Neville from Clonmel in Co Tipperary saw the stress and turmoil which Leaving Cert students went through earlier this year.
Having missed a large chunk of schooling during fifth year, she is worried that sixth years are facing into a year of anxiety and uncertainty. “I’m quite nervous about it – especially being a Leaving Cert student. I feel we’ve been pushed under the rug a bit and ignored,” she says.
Her biggest worry is trying to make up for lost time – and the fear of being penalised in the exams as a result. Remote learning, she says, was a real struggle.
“It was really difficult. I found it hard to sit and concentrate on the work when there was a pandemic going on in the background. It meant trying to teach yourself about subjects. Zoom was a whole new concept, but many teachers didn’t have it so there was a lot of sending us notes.”
The isolation didn’t make matters easier.
“It was strange and the social aspect of it was really hard: not getting to see your friends . . . in more recent times, we meet up, but there are friends and classmates that I’ve lost contact with.”
That said, she’s eager to get back to school and catch up with her class.
School life will be very different. All students at the school have been issued with two face masks. The schools will be festooned with warning signs and hand sanitisers. She’ll be assigned to a base class, to limit mixing with other students.
“I’m really excited to get back and see friends. It’s hard to see how the one- or two-metre rule will work in classrooms in practice. There is that danger that you pick up the virus.
“The worry is that you would pass it onto a vulnerable family member. Some of my friends with at-risk family members feel petrified about that and feel they’d never forgive themselves.”
She would like to see special measures being taken this year to recognise the unique position that this year’s Leaving Cert students are in,
“I just hope we don’t face the same uncertainty and that they have a plan. I think they should either cut the curriculum in half or go down the route of predicted grading. We just want to avoid the stress that last year’s sixth years faced.”
Róisín Kelly with her son, Arlo Sweeney (5) at their home in Dublin. Photograph: Damien Eagers
The child with special needs
Five-year-old Arlo Sweeney lives just around the corner from the large primary school which his older brother attends.
He should be due to start his first day of school in a few days, but there is no place for him.
The 700-pupil school says it cannot accommodate him, while he has been refused places in many other schools across the south Dublin area.
That is because Arlo has been diagnosed with autism and schools say they do not have the expertise to meet his needs.
If you have a child with additional needs, you are made to fight for everything
“You can hear the children in the playground from our house, that’s how close the school is,” says his mother Róisín Kelly.
“But there is no special class in the school and there is nothing in the south Dublin area. The system is so discriminatory. If you have a child with additional needs, you are made to fight for everything.”
Arlo is one of dozens of children with special or additional needs in south Dublin who do not have a school place for the coming school year.
And for those with special needs who are lucky enough to have school places, school closures have hit them hardest of all.
Deprived of routine and support, many parents report that their children have regressed and lost out on key skills which have taken them years to acquire,
In Arlo’s case, he has been assessed as requiring a special class, attached to a mainstream school, which typically has six students to one teacher and two special needs assistants.
While it is one of the most affluent areas of the State, campaigners say there is a “black hole” in the provision of special classes.
“The only explanation I can see is league tables. Or else there is an assumption that people in more affluent areas can privately educate their children. But that’s not an option – there are no special classes in private primary schools,” says Kelly.
For now, she says Arlo will have to avail of home tuition. Luckily, she says, parents have banded together to provide this with other children in a preschool setting. It means that Arlo will likely be almost seven years or age when he finally starts primary.
“It’s not necessarily such as bad thing. Even if a place was found at the last minute for him, I’d worry that the class might not have a qualified teacher and wouldn’t function for the first six months with all the Covid-19 disruption,” she says.
“Our only wish now is that he’s gets to be educated in his local community, like his older brother. That remains our wish for him during his time in education. I want him to reach his potential, whatever that is. He just needs access to his basic human right.”
Lorraine and Carl Dempsey with their daughters, Freya, Hannah, Sadhbh and Rianna. Photograph: Joe O’Shaughnessy
The family
After six long months, the Dempsey family is getting uniforms pressed and school bags prepped for what feels like a momentous occasion.
Even in normal times, the new school year would be a big deal, says Lorraine Dempsey.
It's been such a long break so there will be a lot of settling back in to do. There's anxiety of different kinds
Of her four daughters, Hannah (5) is starting junior infants; Freya (13) is starting secondary school; Sadhbh (16) is in senior cycle; and her twin Rianna, who has cerebral palsy and an intellectual disability, returns to her special school.
But the fact that they have spent so long out of the classroom and are facing into very changed school settings makes this year’s return to school uncertain, anxious – and exciting.
“It’s been such a long break so there will be a lot of settling back in to do. There’s anxiety of different kinds,” she says.
“For my youngest, it’s adjusting to primary school. My 13-year-old wonders if she’ll be able to make friends and is anxious in an excited kind of way, For Sadhbh, it’s more on the academic side of things and missing out on the curriculum. And with Rianna, it’s about keeping her safe and taking precautions to make sure Covid doesn’t make its way into the home.”
She worries that the level of disruption to school will be huge.
Even before Covid-19, it felt like there was always a family member with a cold or sniffle. With public health guidelines advising against going to school with any potential coronavirus symptoms, she expects it will be a stop-start kind of year.
“We’re all so interdependent, so that will be very strange. No one knows exactly how it will pan out, so it’s hard to plan or offer reassurances that everything will be okay.”
While her daughters might normally get the bus, she’s not sure how this work out or what health precautions are in place – so she’ll drive some of them to school in the first few weeks.
Dempsey says she hopes schools will put a big emphasis on fun activities and wellbeing to help settle students back into education.
“There is a great level of excitement about seeing friends and meeting up with classmates . . . I just hope they get a chance to enjoy that, given everything they’ve been through.”


theirishtimes--2020-08-22--What’s this creature I found on Carnivan Bay? Readers’ nature queries

I spotted this creature on Carnivan Bay , Fethard-on-Sea .
What is it ?
– Brenda Cullen , Greystones , Co Wicklow .
It ’ s a by-the-wind-sailor , Velella velella .
See Another Life .
I spotted this beautiful butterfly at the Liffey banks in Chapelizod .
What is it and is it a common butterfly ?
– Marion Rogan , Chapelizod , Dublin 20 The peacock is a common native butterfly , as well as being beautiful .
My daughter Carys ( 12 ) found this starfish on Inch Strand .
Is it a common species ?
– @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s the black brittle star , which is common around our shores .
I saw this jellyfish on Sandymount Strand early in August .
It was about 2ft in diameter .
– Ann Ryan , Sandymount , Dublin 4 The lion ’ s mane jellyfish is dangerous .
Don ’ t touch them as they give a bad sting .
They have been turning up around the coast in recent months .
Can you please identify this caterpillar ?
I ’ m not sure if it is a butterfly or a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Co Kildare It ’ s the caterpillar of the grey dagger moth .
I found this shell on Ross Beach , Killala .
What is it ?
– Ciarán Casey , Foxford , Co Mayo The potato urchin is also called the sea potato .
It has a very fragile shell .
This creature ’ s interesting colour caught my eye , particularly the orange markings on its side , as it wandered across the patio .
– Hannah Dyas , Lucan , Co Kildare It ’ s the forest bug .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ year .
I found these guys down on my bog in Co Roscommon .
– George McDermott , Creggs , Co Roscommon They are the white O ’ Kelly ’ s spotted orchid , a variety of the common spotted orchid , which flowers later than the main species .
Ethna Viney welcomes observations and photographs at Thallabawn , Louisburgh , Co Mayo , F28 F978 , or by email at viney @ anu.ie .
Plelase include a postal address .

I spotted this creature on Carnivan Bay, Fethard-on-Sea. What is it? – Brenda Cullen, Greystones, Co Wicklow.
It's a by-the-wind-sailor, Velella velella. See Another Life.
Peacock butterfly
I spotted this beautiful butterfly at the Liffey banks in Chapelizod. What is it and is it a common butterfly? – Marion Rogan, Chapelizod, Dublin 20
The peacock is a common native butterfly, as well as being beautiful.
The black brittle starfish is common around our shores
My daughter Carys (12) found this starfish on Inch Strand. Is it a common species? – Richard Walsh, Lucan, Co Dublin
It's the black brittle star, which is common around our shores.
Lion’s mane jellyfish
I saw this jellyfish on Sandymount Strand early in August. It was about 2ft in diameter. – Ann Ryan, Sandymount, Dublin 4
The lion's mane jellyfish is dangerous. Don't touch them as they give a bad sting. They have been turning up around the coast in recent months.
READ MORE
Caterpillar of the grey dagger moth
Can you please identify this caterpillar? I'm not sure if it is a butterfly or a moth. – Anne Greene, Celbridge, Co Kildare
It's the caterpillar of the grey dagger moth.
Potato urchin shell
I found this shell on Ross Beach, Killala. What is it? – Ciarán Casey, Foxford, Co Mayo
The potato urchin is also called the sea potato. It has a very fragile shell.
Forest bug
This creature's interesting colour caught my eye, particularly the orange markings on its side, as it wandered across the patio. – Hannah Dyas, Lucan, Co Kildare
It's the forest bug. They are around at this time of year.
White O’Kelly’s spotted orchid
I found these guys down on my bog in Co Roscommon. – George McDermott, Creggs, Co Roscommon
They are the white O'Kelly's spotted orchid, a variety of the common spotted orchid, which flowers later than the main species.
Ethna Viney welcomes observations and photographs at Thallabawn, Louisburgh, Co Mayo, F28 F978, or by email at viney@anu.ie. Plelase include a postal address.