theirishtimes--2020-06-16--Patient transfers into nursing homes may have been as high as 2,300

Up to 2,300 patients were approved for transfer from acute hospitals to nursing homes in the run-up to the Covid-19 pandemic in February and March , new figures indicate .
Some nursing home owners have said they believe the virus was brought into their facilities through patients being transferred out of hospitals in advance of the expected surge of coronavirus cases in March .
Public health officials have said there is no evidence this was the case but the issue is likely to be examined by an expert panel currently reviewing the official response to the pandemic in nursing homes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked the Health Service Executive to provide information on the number of patients transferred from hospitals to private nursing homes between January 1st and March 31st , and the number who were tested for the virus prior to transfer .
Officials responded by providing information on patients in hospitals who were approved for discharge to nursing homes or convalescent care using transitional care funding .
They cautioned that some patients may not take up the offer and an audit is under way to determine the number who took up a placement .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the question of whether patients being transferred had been tested .
The data shows 1,118 patients were offered funding in January and 980 in February ; the Republic ’ s first case of the virus was on February 29th .
The figure peaked at 1,363 in March , before falling to 324 funding approvals in April and 288 in May .
Almost 1,000 of the Republic ’ s Covid-19 deaths have been linked to outbreaks in nursing homes .
Separately , Dealgan House , a privately run nursing home in Dundalk where 23 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ admitted four residents under Fair Deal or transitional care funding , the committee has been told .
Two of the admissions were made from Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital , one from Louth Hospital and one directly from the community , according to information provided by the HSE to the committee .
A total of three new deaths of patients with Covid-19 were reported by the National Public Health Emergency Team on Tuesday .
This brings to 1,709 the total number of deaths linked to the disease in the Republic .
The team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the total number of cases to 25,334 .
Meanwhile , almost 52 per cent of Covid-19 cases had an underlying condition , according to the latest analysis from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre .
Of this group , 21 per cent had one underlying condition , 7.9 per cent had two and 3.9 per cent had three or more .
The most commonly reported conditions were chronic heart disease , chronic respiratory disease , diabetes , chronic neurological disease and cancer .
Some 13.9 per cent of cases had chronic respiratory disease and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In relation to Covid-19 deaths , 41.8 per cent had chronic neurological disease , 30.6 per cent had chronic heart disease , 17 per cent had chronic respiratory disease , 14.6 per cent had cancer or a malignancy , and 14.3 per cent had diabetes .
The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in hospital intensive care units has fallen to24 , with six more suspected cases .
In Northern Ireland , one more person died on Tuesday , taking the total to 542 .
The North ’ s Department of Health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have tested positive for Covid-19 , bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 4,854 .

Almost 1,000 of the Republic’s Covid-19 deaths have been linked to outbreaks in nursing homes. Photograph: John Stillwell/PA
Up to 2,300 patients were approved for transfer from acute hospitals to nursing homes in the run-up to the Covid-19 pandemic in February and March, new figures indicate.
Some nursing home owners have said they believe the virus was brought into their facilities through patients being transferred out of hospitals in advance of the expected surge of coronavirus cases in March. Public health officials have said there is no evidence this was the case but the issue is likely to be examined by an expert panel currently reviewing the official response to the pandemic in nursing homes.
The Dáil special committee on Covid-19 asked the Health Service Executive to provide information on the number of patients transferred from hospitals to private nursing homes between January 1st and March 31st, and the number who were tested for the virus prior to transfer.
Officials responded by providing information on patients in hospitals who were approved for discharge to nursing homes or convalescent care using transitional care funding. They cautioned that some patients may not take up the offer and an audit is under way to determine the number who took up a placement.
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The HSE’s answer did not address the question of whether patients being transferred had been tested.
Outbreaks among residents
The data shows 1,118 patients were offered funding in January and 980 in February; the Republic’s first case of the virus was on February 29th. The figure peaked at 1,363 in March, before falling to 324 funding approvals in April and 288 in May.
Almost 1,000 of the Republic’s Covid-19 deaths have been linked to outbreaks in nursing homes.
Separately, Dealgan House, a privately run nursing home in Dundalk where 23 residents died in April and May, admitted four residents under Fair Deal or transitional care funding, the committee has been told.
Two of the admissions were made from Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, one from Louth Hospital and one directly from the community, according to information provided by the HSE to the committee.
A total of three new deaths of patients with Covid-19 were reported by the National Public Health Emergency Team on Tuesday. This brings to 1,709 the total number of deaths linked to the disease in the Republic.
Underlying conditions
The team also reported another 14 cases, bringing the total number of cases to 25,334.
Meanwhile, almost 52 per cent of Covid-19 cases had an underlying condition, according to the latest analysis from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre.
Of this group, 21 per cent had one underlying condition, 7.9 per cent had two and 3.9 per cent had three or more.
The most commonly reported conditions were chronic heart disease, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes, chronic neurological disease and cancer.
Some 13.9 per cent of cases had chronic respiratory disease and 10.6 per cent had chronic heart disease.
In relation to Covid-19 deaths, 41.8 per cent had chronic neurological disease, 30.6 per cent had chronic heart disease, 17 per cent had chronic respiratory disease, 14.6 per cent had cancer or a malignancy, and 14.3 per cent had diabetes.
The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in hospital intensive care units has fallen to24, with six more suspected cases.
In Northern Ireland, one more person died on Tuesday, taking the total to 542. The North’s Department of Health also reported that just two more people have tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 4,854.


theirishtimes--2020-06-16--Gardaí seek witnesses to sex attack on woman in Sandycove

Gardaí investigating a sexual assault on a young woman in Sandycove , south Dublin , have urged potential witnesses to come forward .
The woman , who was in her 20s , was attacked in the early hours of Monday , May 25th , close to the seafront in the south Dublin suburb .
Gardaí believe there were very few people in the area at the time but have urged anyone who was working as taxi or delivery driver , or anyone out walking or running at the time , to come forward .
Detectives want to hear from anyone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seafront between midnight and 1.30am , especially those who may have been recording on a dashcam or other devices .
The criminal investigation has been ongoing since the day of the attack and gardaí have reviewed available CCTV footage from the area .
The woman underwent an examination after the assault .
Gardaí are especially keen to speak to a man identified as a person of interest in the inquiry and who they know was in the area around the time .
Detectives now need to identify him as part of the criminal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ area around the time of the attack and was described as a white male , of average build and with dark hair .
He was approximately 5 ’ 7 ” in height and at the time he was seen in the area around the time of the attack he was wearing a hoodie top .
The investigation is being carried out by gardaí at Dún Laoghaire Garda station who can be contacted on ( 01 ) 666 5000 .
Witnesses and anyone who believes they may know the man who feels they have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contact the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 .

The investigation is being carried out by gardaí at Dún Laoghaire Garda station who can be contacted on (01) 666 5000.
Gardaí investigating a sexual assault on a young woman in Sandycove, south Dublin, have urged potential witnesses to come forward.
The woman, who was in her 20s, was attacked in the early hours of Monday, May 25th, close to the seafront in the south Dublin suburb.
Gardaí believe there were very few people in the area at the time but have urged anyone who was working as taxi or delivery driver, or anyone out walking or running at the time, to come forward.
Detectives want to hear from anyone who was in the vicinity of the seafront between midnight and 1.30am, especially those who may have been recording on a dashcam or other devices.
READ MORE
The criminal investigation has been ongoing since the day of the attack and gardaí have reviewed available CCTV footage from the area.
The woman underwent an examination after the assault.
Gardaí are especially keen to speak to a man identified as a person of interest in the inquiry and who they know was in the area around the time. Detectives now need to identify him as part of the criminal investigation.
He was alone in the area around the time of the attack and was described as a white male, of average build and with dark hair. He was approximately 5’7” in height and at the time he was seen in the area around the time of the attack he was wearing a hoodie top.
The investigation is being carried out by gardaí at Dún Laoghaire Garda station who can be contacted on (01) 666 5000.
Witnesses and anyone who believes they may know the man who feels they have relevant information about the crime can also contact the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.


theirishtimes--2020-06-16--Gardaí smashed car window to pepper spray driver, court hears

Gardaí had to smash a car window with a hammer and pepper spray the driver after he drove at their car in Cork , a court has heard .
Tony Delaney ( 25 ) of Spring Lane Halting Site in Ballyvolane in Cork , was jailed for two years by Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin at Cork Circuit Criminal Court after he pleaded guilty to endangerment at Castlelands , Buttevant on July 20th , 2019 The charge alleged that Delaney recklessly engaged in conduct while attempting to evade capture by gardaí by using his car to try to push their patrol @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flow of passing traffic .
Det Garda Aidan Long told the court gardaí received a call at about 8.15am on the day in question that a suspected drunk driver was driving south in a Lexus towards Charleville from the Limerick direction .
Garda Brian Callanan and Garda Conor O ’ Halloran responded to the call and were driving northwards on the N20 when they met a Lexus coming against them at Ballyhea village .
They turned around and followed the car , with the siren and blue flashing lights turned on .
Delaney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crossing over continuous white lines to overtake cars between Ballyhea and Buttevant .
He drove through Buttevant town at high speed and he eventually stopped at Castlelands , south of the town , some 13km from where gardaí first encountered him .
A back seat passenger got out of the car and ran off but gardaí pulled up and penned in the car .
Delaney then tried to ram the Garda car and push it out of his way and on to the roadway .
Garda O ’ Halloran got out of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to break the window of the Lexus and b efore deploying pepper-spray on the driver .
Delaney tried to run from the scene was subdued and arrested , the court heard .
Det Garda Long said that Delaney had 61 previous convictions , including for drunken driving and driving without insurance and he had been disqualified several times from driving for periods of four years and eight years .
He was disqualified from driving at the time of the offence , having been given an eight year disqualification in 2015 and another eight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Garda Long .
Defence barrister Paula McCarthy BL put it to Det Garda Long that her client had been co-operative and Det Garda Long said that while he refused to give gardaí his name at the scene , he was co-operative at the Garda station .
Ms McCarthy said her client was struggling with an addiction to drugs and alcohol at the time but was deeply remorseful over his behaviour and had written a letter of apology to the court .
She said the defendant ’ s wife and wider family were supportive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in undertaking rehabilitation on his release from prison and she appealed to Judge Sean Ó Donnabhái to be as lenient as possible .
Judge Ó Donnabháin said he had not received the letter of apology but he was not interested in receiving one from a man who consistently ignored repeated court orders disqualifying him from driving .
He said Delaney had an appalling record and he would be far more interested in him adhering to orders disqualifying him from driving rather than writing worthless letters of apology from prison .
He said that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legislation as he he sentenced him to two years in jail for the endangerment and imposed a further disqualification from driving for a period of 10 years “ I have no doubt this man should not be back on the back on the road , he should not be allowed to drive a car until there is a considerable change in his attitude to society , ” he said .

Tony Delaney (25) of Spring Lane Halting Site in Ballyvolane in Cork, was jailed for two years for endangering two gardaí by ramming their car. File Photograph: PA
Gardaí had to smash a car window with a hammer and pepper spray the driver after he drove at their car in Cork, a court has heard.
Tony Delaney (25) of Spring Lane Halting Site in Ballyvolane in Cork, was jailed for two years by Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin at Cork Circuit Criminal Court after he pleaded guilty to endangerment at Castlelands, Buttevant on July 20th, 2019
The charge alleged that Delaney recklessly engaged in conduct while attempting to evade capture by gardaí by using his car to try to push their patrol car out on the road into the flow of passing traffic.
Det Garda Aidan Long told the court gardaí received a call at about 8.15am on the day in question that a suspected drunk driver was driving south in a Lexus towards Charleville from the Limerick direction.
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Garda Brian Callanan and Garda Conor O'Halloran responded to the call and were driving northwards on the N20 when they met a Lexus coming against them at Ballyhea village.
They turned around and followed the car, with the siren and blue flashing lights turned on.
Delaney continued to drive at high speed, crossing over continuous white lines to overtake cars between Ballyhea and Buttevant.
He drove through Buttevant town at high speed and he eventually stopped at Castlelands, south of the town, some 13km from where gardaí first encountered him.
A back seat passenger got out of the car and ran off but gardaí pulled up and penned in the car. Delaney then tried to ram the Garda car and push it out of his way and on to the roadway.
Garda O’Halloran got out of the patrol car and used an emergency hammer to break the window of the Lexus and b efore deploying pepper-spray on the driver.
Delaney tried to run from the scene was subdued and arrested, the court heard.
Det Garda Long said that Delaney had 61 previous convictions, including for drunken driving and driving without insurance and he had been disqualified several times from driving for periods of four years and eight years.
He was disqualified from driving at the time of the offence, having been given an eight year disqualification in 2015 and another eight year disqualification in 2018, said Det Garda Long.
Defence barrister Paula McCarthy BL put it to Det Garda Long that her client had been co-operative and Det Garda Long said that while he refused to give gardaí his name at the scene, he was co-operative at the Garda station.
Ms McCarthy said her client was struggling with an addiction to drugs and alcohol at the time but was deeply remorseful over his behaviour and had written a letter of apology to the court.
She said the defendant’s wife and wider family were supportive of him and wanted to assist him in undertaking rehabilitation on his release from prison and she appealed to Judge Sean Ó Donnabhái to be as lenient as possible.
Judge Ó Donnabháin said he had not received the letter of apology but he was not interested in receiving one from a man who consistently ignored repeated court orders disqualifying him from driving.
He said Delaney had an appalling record and he would be far more interested in him adhering to orders disqualifying him from driving rather than writing worthless letters of apology from prison.
He said that Delaney had no respect for road traffic legislation as he he sentenced him to two years in jail for the endangerment and imposed a further disqualification from driving for a period of 10 years
“I have no doubt this man should not be back on the back on the road, he should not be allowed to drive a car until there is a considerable change in his attitude to society,” he said.


theirishtimes--2020-06-16--Covid-19: Number being prosecuted for breaching lockdown has ‘slowed to trickle’

The number of people being prosecuted after gardaí alleged they had breached Covid-19 lockdown restrictions is relatively very small , with the DPP approving charges in only four such cases over the past week .
Garda Headquarters on Tuesday revealed that of the 307 times people had come to their attention in relation to the lockdown restrictions , 86 had resulted in criminal charges or summonses to appear before the courts .
This means that in the past week the DPP has approved charges in only four additional cases .
And in the past three weeks only 20 new charges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increase in the number of people facing such charges has now become a sustained pattern and strongly suggests the DPP is proving very reluctant to press criminal charges .
In many cases there has been a lack of clarity surrounding the specific breaches of the law allegedly committed by people who were arrested by Garda members for breaching the Covid-19 restrictions or whose names were taken pending further investigation .
Garda Headquarters has said that in all of the cases where charges have not been pursued to date , investigations were ongoing .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ at which the DPP was approving charges had “ slowed to a trickle ” and many doubted if even half of the 307 incidents recorded by gardaí as a breach would eventually result in charges .
As part of restrictions during the initial period of lockdown , people were advised to stay in their homes unless they had a reasonable excuse , such as shopping for supplies , attending a medical appointment , or they were critical workers going about their jobs , among other reasons .
However , people in the Republic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exercise within 2km of home , which was later increased to 5km .
If people were found further from home without a reasonable excuse and refused to comply with a direction from gardaí to return home , they were in breach of the law .
Gardaí had the power to arrest suspects alleged to have breached these restrictions , or take their names and contact details pending further action , which happened 307 times .
Those powers were given to Garda members on April 8th and lapsed last Monday week , when the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 20km from home and were downgraded to public health advice , rather than a regulation enforceable by law .
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said that while there had been “ very good compliance ” generally among the public with regard to the Covid-19 lockdown rules , the Republic was still only in phase two of the easing of restrictions .
“ We all need to continue to play our part in reducing the spreading of Covid-19 by staying local , not making unnecessary journeys , and maintaining social distancing , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Covid-19 situation , I said that An Garda Síochána will continue to operate as a community-based policing service with a focus on protecting the vulnerable .
This approach will not change during this phase.
” The latest weekly update on the Garda ’ s Covid-19 operation related to the last two days of its “ kilometre from home ” powers .
Just three new enforcement incidents were recorded during that short period and two new incidents from the previous week were recorded during the same period .
Some 100 incidents of coughing or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in total during the operation , and spit guards , which are used to cover a suspect ’ s head and prevent spitting at gardaí , have been used 75 times .
Garda members working on its Covid-19 operation also detected 2,086 crimes not related to the pandemic , such as motoring offences , public order crimes and weapons and drug offences .
The Garda National Vetting Bureau has also processed some 32,308 applications for Covid-19-related voluntary posts and other jobs related to the pandemic .

The number of people being prosecuted after gardaí alleged they had breached Covid-19 lockdown restrictions is relatively very small, with the DPP approving charges in only four such cases over the past week.
Garda Headquarters on Tuesday revealed that of the 307 times people had come to their attention in relation to the lockdown restrictions, 86 had resulted in criminal charges or summonses to appear before the courts.
This means that in the past week the DPP has approved charges in only four additional cases. And in the past three weeks only 20 new charges have been approved.
The very slow increase in the number of people facing such charges has now become a sustained pattern and strongly suggests the DPP is proving very reluctant to press criminal charges.
READ MORE
In many cases there has been a lack of clarity surrounding the specific breaches of the law allegedly committed by people who were arrested by Garda members for breaching the Covid-19 restrictions or whose names were taken pending further investigation.
Garda Headquarters has said that in all of the cases where charges have not been pursued to date, investigations were ongoing. However, Garda sources said the rate at which the DPP was approving charges had “slowed to a trickle” and many doubted if even half of the 307 incidents recorded by gardaí as a breach would eventually result in charges.
As part of restrictions during the initial period of lockdown, people were advised to stay in their homes unless they had a reasonable excuse, such as shopping for supplies, attending a medical appointment, or they were critical workers going about their jobs, among other reasons.
However, people in the Republic were permitted to leave their homes to exercise within 2km of home, which was later increased to 5km. If people were found further from home without a reasonable excuse and refused to comply with a direction from gardaí to return home, they were in breach of the law.
Gardaí had the power to arrest suspects alleged to have breached these restrictions, or take their names and contact details pending further action, which happened 307 times. Those powers were given to Garda members on April 8th and lapsed last Monday week, when the travel restrictions increased to a limit of 20km from home and were downgraded to public health advice, rather than a regulation enforceable by law.
‘Very good compliance’
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said that while there had been "very good compliance" generally among the public with regard to the Covid-19 lockdown rules, the Republic was still only in phase two of the easing of restrictions.
“We all need to continue to play our part in reducing the spreading of Covid-19 by staying local, not making unnecessary journeys, and maintaining social distancing,” he said.
"At the outset of the Covid-19 situation, I said that An Garda Síochána will continue to operate as a community-based policing service with a focus on protecting the vulnerable. This approach will not change during this phase."
The latest weekly update on the Garda’s Covid-19 operation related to the last two days of its “kilometre from home” powers.
Just three new enforcement incidents were recorded during that short period and two new incidents from the previous week were recorded during the same period.
Some 100 incidents of coughing or spitting at Garda members have been recorded in total during the operation, and spit guards, which are used to cover a suspect’s head and prevent spitting at gardaí, have been used 75 times.
Garda members working on its Covid-19 operation also detected 2,086 crimes not related to the pandemic, such as motoring offences, public order crimes and weapons and drug offences.
The Garda National Vetting Bureau has also processed some 32,308 applications for Covid-19-related voluntary posts and other jobs related to the pandemic.


theirishtimes--2020-06-16--Students ‘searching in the dark’ for clarity on university reopening

Third-level students need clarity by the end of June on what to expect when colleges reopen in the autumn in order to make informed decisions about their next steps , the president of the Union of Students in Ireland has said .
The impact on public health caused by the coronavirus pandemic has led to universities and colleges having to address how they can continue teaching while keeping their staff and students safe in a post-pandemic environment .
Most third-level institutions have said they will offer a blended approach to course delivery but , according to USI president Lorna Fitzpatrick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make an informed decision on whether to accept or refuse a college offer is lacking .
“ They won ’ t need to know the individual detail of dates of assessments and so on but what they will need to know is if they are expected to be on campus two or three days a week , or two or three days a month , and how long that is planned for , ” she said .
“ People are searching in the dark and are trying to find answers .
The answers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yet which is leaving people in a panic and with a fear of the unknown .
We are only a few short weeks out from September and it will go in the blink of an eye.
” Students who would have worked over the summer are facing financial uncertainty as a result of the unemployment crisis caused by the pandemic and will have concerns surrounding the accommodation and technical costs associated with blended learning arrangements , she said .
“ Students who would have earned €2,000 over the summer months on a monthly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in receipt of a reduced pandemic payment of €203 a week which will bring them down from €2,000 to €800 or so which has a massive impact on their ability to return to learning for the new academic year , ” Ms Fitzpatrick .
“ Accessible and affordable ” flexible accommodation arrengements are going to be essential for the new academic year , she noted .
“ There ’ s no point in having all of these wonderful options if people can ’ t benefit from them.
” Concerns about the impact the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were also highlighted in the results of a new survey published by DCU .
The survey of almost 1,500 prospective students identified worries about how they will make new friends , how they will adapt to the blended model of teaching and issues relating to student accommodation as key concerns .
Responding to the survey results , Dr Claire Bohan director of student support and development at DCU , said she expected the changed learning environment would result in a more personalised experience for students .
She said that “ mass activities ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being moved online which will allow for an increased focus to be placed on the personal and individual activities on campus .
“ For me , that is what it should be about .
Suddenly , we are going to have to take on more staff and break the large group of students into smaller groups of students , ” said Dr Bohan .
Efforts are also being made to make sure college accommodation fits the blended learning model .
It is hoped that students who are required to attend sessions on campus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minimise the disruption and costs associated with student accommodation .
“ If a student will be on campus two days a week , it will be a Monday and Tuesday or a Wednesday and Thursday - and not Monday and Friday .
We are being very practical about it .
We know there are students coming from Donegal who can ’ t be expected to hop on a bus both ways twice a week , ” said Dr Bohan .
Students will also participate in an orientation transition programme which will take place @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) .
“ As we talk to them about university life , social life , clubs and societies and academic structures they will be learning how to use the VLE before they have to start interacting with the academic area.
” Asked whether students would be better off deferring their course for a year , Dr Bohan said : “ If you are ever going to have an experience where the focus is really clearly on the students and really clearly on the experience , that is going to be an aboslute priority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , don ’ t defer .
”

Most third-level institutions have said they will offer a blended approach to course delivery in the autumn. Photograph: Getty
Third-level students need clarity by the end of June on what to expect when colleges reopen in the autumn in order to make informed decisions about their next steps, the president of the Union of Students in Ireland has said.
The impact on public health caused by the coronavirus pandemic has led to universities and colleges having to address how they can continue teaching while keeping their staff and students safe in a post-pandemic environment.
Most third-level institutions have said they will offer a blended approach to course delivery but, according to USI president Lorna Fitzpatrick, the detail required by students to make an informed decision on whether to accept or refuse a college offer is lacking.
“They won’t need to know the individual detail of dates of assessments and so on but what they will need to know is if they are expected to be on campus two or three days a week, or two or three days a month, and how long that is planned for,” she said.
READ MORE
“People are searching in the dark and are trying to find answers. The answers aren’t there for them just yet which is leaving people in a panic and with a fear of the unknown. We are only a few short weeks out from September and it will go in the blink of an eye.”
Students who would have worked over the summer are facing financial uncertainty as a result of the unemployment crisis caused by the pandemic and will have concerns surrounding the accommodation and technical costs associated with blended learning arrangements, she said.
“Students who would have earned €2,000 over the summer months on a monthly basis who are now going to be in receipt of a reduced pandemic payment of €203 a week which will bring them down from €2,000 to €800 or so which has a massive impact on their ability to return to learning for the new academic year,” Ms Fitzpatrick.
“Accessible and affordable” flexible accommodation arrengements are going to be essential for the new academic year, she noted. “There’s no point in having all of these wonderful options if people can’t benefit from them.”
Survey
Concerns about the impact the changed learning environment is likely to have were also highlighted in the results of a new survey published by DCU.
The survey of almost 1,500 prospective students identified worries about how they will make new friends, how they will adapt to the blended model of teaching and issues relating to student accommodation as key concerns.
Responding to the survey results, Dr Claire Bohan director of student support and development at DCU, said she expected the changed learning environment would result in a more personalised experience for students.
She said that “mass activities” such as large lectures and classes are being moved online which will allow for an increased focus to be placed on the personal and individual activities on campus.
“For me, that is what it should be about. Suddenly, we are going to have to take on more staff and break the large group of students into smaller groups of students,” said Dr Bohan.
Efforts are also being made to make sure college accommodation fits the blended learning model. It is hoped that students who are required to attend sessions on campus will have those days grouped together to minimise the disruption and costs associated with student accommodation.
"If a student will be on campus two days a week, it will be a Monday and Tuesday or a Wednesday and Thursday - and not Monday and Friday. We are being very practical about it. We know there are students coming from Donegal who can't be expected to hop on a bus both ways twice a week," said Dr Bohan.
Students will also participate in an orientation transition programme which will take place in the virtual learning environment (VLE).
“As we talk to them about university life, social life, clubs and societies and academic structures they will be learning how to use the VLE before they have to start interacting with the academic area.”
Asked whether students would be better off deferring their course for a year, Dr Bohan said: “If you are ever going to have an experience where the focus is really clearly on the students and really clearly on the experience, that is going to be an aboslute priority this September so I would say no, don’t defer.”


theirishtimes--2020-06-16--Feelings ramp up in Fianna Fáil in debate about coalition

Canvassing to persuade Fianna Fáil members in the west of Ireland to back the three-party coalition deal has begun in earnest , with feelings already running high on both sides of the debate .
A battle royal lies ahead judging by the position taken by the treasurer of Fianna Fáil ’ s Ballina Comhairle Ceantar , Noel Mullen , who says coalition with Fine Gael will “ finish the party ” .
Mr Mullen , a FF member since 1966 , says Dara Calleary , “ who I ’ ve supported and voted for all my life , and his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a party meeting that a vote for Sinn Féin was a vote for Leo ” .
“ But he forgot to tell us that a vote for Dara Calleary is a vote for Leo , ” said Mr Mullen .
“ I feel let down by that , very badly let down .
If I wanted to vote for Fine Gael couldn ’ t I have voted for their candidate here myself ?
“ I think there is a disconnect between the leadership and the people on the ground .
I will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t mind saying it , ” said Mr Mullen , whose grandfather was a founding member of Fianna Fáil .
Life-long Fianna Fáil member Tony Flaherty ( 73 ) says that the party ’ s membership in Galway is not supportive of the proposed coalition , but may vote for it to avoid another general election .
Located in Moycullen , he went on : “ I don ’ t know what way I will vote yet , but the only reason I ’ d vote for it is to avoid another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make much difference , we ’ d be back in the same place again.
” However , he worries about the Greens .
“ I think their policy is crazy for rural Ireland .
They put up as much smoke in China or India in a minute as we would do over here in a year .
But they want all of us to go around on bicycles.
” Ennis Comhairle Ceantar member Angela Coll , whose grandfather , Patrick Gilgunn , was elected as a Sinn Féin councillor in Leitrim in 1922 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says she has never seen the party ’ s grassroots so divided .
“ It ’ s been non-stop .
I ’ m being canvassed by grassroots members rather than councillors , which is very unusual .
The grassroots are reaching out to other grassroots .
“ I don ’ t want to go into government with Fine Gael .
We canvassed to get rid of Fine Gael , but if we don ’ t form a government we are handing power to Sinn Féin , and I have no interest in that.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ get rid of Micheál Martin .
“ There is a huge amount of the grassroots who are not happy with [ him ] and see this as an opportunity to shift him .
If we vote no he would have to go , ” she told The Irish Times .

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin. “There is a huge amount of the grassroots who are not happy with [him] and see this as an opportunity to shift him”
Canvassing to persuade Fianna Fáil members in the west of Ireland to back the three-party coalition deal has begun in earnest, with feelings already running high on both sides of the debate.
A battle royal lies ahead judging by the position taken by the treasurer of Fianna Fáil's Ballina Comhairle Ceantar, Noel Mullen, who says coalition with Fine Gael will "finish the party".
Mr Mullen, a FF member since 1966, says Dara Calleary, "who I've supported and voted for all my life, and his father before him, told us at a party meeting that a vote for Sinn Féin was a vote for Leo".
“But he forgot to tell us that a vote for Dara Calleary is a vote for Leo,” said Mr Mullen. “I feel let down by that, very badly let down. If I wanted to vote for Fine Gael couldn’t I have voted for their candidate here myself?
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“I think there is a disconnect between the leadership and the people on the ground. I will be voting against this, and I don’t mind saying it,” said Mr Mullen, whose grandfather was a founding member of Fianna Fáil.
Life-long Fianna Fáil member Tony Flaherty (73) says that the party's membership in Galway is not supportive of the proposed coalition, but may vote for it to avoid another general election.
Located in Moycullen, he went on: "I don't know what way I will vote yet, but the only reason I'd vote for it is to avoid another election. An election wouldn't make much difference, we'd be back in the same place again."
However, he worries about the Greens. "I think their policy is crazy for rural Ireland. They put up as much smoke in China or India in a minute as we would do over here in a year. But they want all of us to go around on bicycles."
Canvassed
Ennis Comhairle Ceantar member Angela Coll, whose grandfather, Patrick Gilgunn, was elected as a Sinn Féin councillor in Leitrim in 1922 before joining Fianna Fáil in 1926, says she has never seen the party's grassroots so divided.
“It’s been non-stop. I’m being canvassed by grassroots members rather than councillors, which is very unusual. The grassroots are reaching out to other grassroots.
“I don’t want to go into government with Fine Gael. We canvassed to get rid of Fine Gael, but if we don’t form a government we are handing power to Sinn Féin, and I have no interest in that.”
She says some members want to get rid of Micheál Martin. “There is a huge amount of the grassroots who are not happy with [him] and see this as an opportunity to shift him. If we vote no he would have to go,” she told The Irish Times.


theirishtimes--2020-06-16--High Court fixes urgent hearing to decide if Seanad is validly constituted

The president of the High Court has fixed an urgent hearing next week of a major constitutional action over whether or not there is a validly constituted Seanad .
If the Seanad is invalidly constituted as of now with 49 out of 60 members , and that is not corrected urgently , significant criminal legislation , including a law permitting the continuation of the non-jury Special Criminal Court , will lapse on June 29th , High Court president Mr Justice Peter Kelly was told .
The case arises from a dispute between Senators and the Taoiseach over whether the Seanad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is validly constituted and entitled to sit and pass legislation .
The Taoiseach has argued , that until 11 nominees of a taoiseach nominated by the 33rd Dail are appointed to the Upper House , the Seanad is not validly constituted .
The Taoiseach has said he resigned from the office on February 20th last and is currently carrying out his duties in line with Article 28.11 of the Constitution pending the election of a taoiseach by the Dail under Article 13.1.1 .
In a letter of June 10th last , he told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has not elected a taoiseach , he can not advise the President to fix a day for the first meeting of the new Seanad and , until a newly elected taoiseach appoints 11 members to the Seanad , the Seanad is not properly composed and can not pass legislation .
The Taoiseach said the plaintiffs had raised an important point of law that needed to be clarified “ due to the fact that necessary legislation may need to be enacted in the coming weeks ” .
Ten elected Senators , Ivana Bacik , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hoey , Sharon Keogan , Michael McDowell , Rebecca Moynihan , Ronan Mullen , Marie Sherlock and Mark Wall , have brought the proceedings against An Taoiseach , Ireland and the Attorney General .
On Tuesday , John Rogers SC , with Eileen Barrington SC and Hugh McDowell BL , for the 10 , said they had been hoping for a political solution to the “ conundrum ” but , despite correspondence between the sides , that has so far not been forthcoming and they want a legal solution .
The current situation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the appointment of a new taoiseach on June 27th “ or they won ’ t ” , counsel said .
He outlined that the case concerns interpretation of Article 18 of the Constitution concerning the composition of the Seanad and election of Senators .
Unless there is a resolution of the significant difference of opinion between his clients and the Taoiseach , it is necessary this matter be tried because of the potential consequences if a taoiseach finds himself not in a position towards the end of next week to appoint senators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , for the defendants , agreed the matter was urgent and said his side would facilitate the earliest possible hearing .
In their action , the Senators want various declarations including that , since the election of the 49 Senators by April 3rd last , there has been no constitutional inhibition on the Taoiseach advising the President to fix a day for the first meeting of the Seanad and that the nomination of 11 senators by a taoiseach is not a constitutional prerequisite to the sitting , meeting or functioning of the Seanad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both Houses of the Oireachtas .
Mr Justice Kelly said the case raised major constitutional issues and he would direct a hearing next week before a three judge High Court .
He himself could not be part of that court as the legislature has deemed , because he turns 70 on Wednesday , he had reached “ statutory senility ” and must retire , he remarked .
Mr Rogers said he wanted to pay tribute to the judge for his “ outstanding service ” .
His reputation was as approachable , getting business @ @ @ @ @ @ @ style , colour and enthusiasm ” , counsel said .
The judge “ uplifted us and this branch of government ” , there was no issue of senility , “ everyone knows the capacity of your mind , your greatest feature is your knowledge and you did difficult things in the interests of justice which must have been at a price ” , he added .

The president of the High Court has fixed an urgent hearing next week of a major constitutional action over whether or not there is a validly constituted Seanad.
If the Seanad is invalidly constituted as of now with 49 out of 60 members, and that is not corrected urgently, significant criminal legislation, including a law permitting the continuation of the non-jury Special Criminal Court, will lapse on June 29th, High Court president Mr Justice Peter Kelly was told.
The case arises from a dispute between Senators and the Taoiseach over whether the Seanad, currently comprising 49 elected members, is validly constituted and entitled to sit and pass legislation.
The Taoiseach has argued, that until 11 nominees of a taoiseach nominated by the 33rd Dail are appointed to the Upper House, the Seanad is not validly constituted.
READ MORE
The Taoiseach has said he resigned from the office on February 20th last and is currently carrying out his duties in line with Article 28.11 of the Constitution pending the election of a taoiseach by the Dail under Article 13.1.1.
In a letter of June 10th last, he told the plaintiffs, because the 33rd Dail has not elected a taoiseach, he cannot advise the President to fix a day for the first meeting of the new Seanad and, until a newly elected taoiseach appoints 11 members to the Seanad, the Seanad is not properly composed and cannot pass legislation.
The Taoiseach said the plaintiffs had raised an important point of law that needed to be clarified “due to the fact that necessary legislation may need to be enacted in the coming weeks”.
Ten elected Senators, Ivana Bacik, Victor Boyhan, Gerard Craughwell, Annie Hoey, Sharon Keogan, Michael McDowell, Rebecca Moynihan, Ronan Mullen, Marie Sherlock and Mark Wall, have brought the proceedings against An Taoiseach, Ireland and the Attorney General.
On Tuesday, John Rogers SC, with Eileen Barrington SC and Hugh McDowell BL, for the 10, said they had been hoping for a political solution to the “conundrum” but, despite correspondence between the sides, that has so far not been forthcoming and they want a legal solution.
The current situation is that political events will either crystallise with the appointment of a new taoiseach on June 27th “or they won’t”, counsel said.
He outlined that the case concerns interpretation of Article 18 of the Constitution concerning the composition of the Seanad and election of Senators.
Unless there is a resolution of the significant difference of opinion between his clients and the Taoiseach, it is necessary this matter be tried because of the potential consequences if a taoiseach finds himself not in a position towards the end of next week to appoint senators, counsel said.
Conleth Bradley SC, for the defendants, agreed the matter was urgent and said his side would facilitate the earliest possible hearing.
In their action, the Senators want various declarations including that, since the election of the 49 Senators by April 3rd last, there has been no constitutional inhibition on the Taoiseach advising the President to fix a day for the first meeting of the Seanad and that the nomination of 11 senators by a taoiseach is not a constitutional prerequisite to the sitting, meeting or functioning of the Seanad or to the passing of legislation by both Houses of the Oireachtas.
Mr Justice Kelly said the case raised major constitutional issues and he would direct a hearing next week before a three judge High Court.
He himself could not be part of that court as the legislature has deemed, because he turns 70 on Wednesday, he had reached “statutory senility” and must retire, he remarked.
Mr Rogers said he wanted to pay tribute to the judge for his “outstanding service”. His reputation was as approachable, getting business done and dealing with things “with style, colour and enthusiasm”, counsel said.
The judge “uplifted us and this branch of government”, there was no issue of senility, “everyone knows the capacity of your mind, your greatest feature is your knowledge and you did difficult things in the interests of justice which must have been at a price”, he added.


theirishtimes--2020-06-16--Costs of greenways could rise due to Kerry ‘template’, officials warn

The original application for funding for the South Kerry Greenway “ made no provision ” for the cost of land acquisition from more than 170 individual landowners , documents released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal .
The estimated bill for the 32km project between Glenbeigh and Renard has ballooned due to both engineering challenges and the rising cost of acquiring the former railway lands for the cycling and walking amenity .
By December 2015 , within two years of the application , the estimate for the greenway had reached €16.1 million , the documents show .
This was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under the national cycle network funding scheme of the Department of Transport in mid-2014 .
Kerry County Council had modelled the project on the Great Western Greenway , where Co Mayo landowners gave “ permissive use ” for the old railway to be used as a cycleway with no compensation paid out .
In contrast , Kerry County Council found itself having to buy back for public use land that was once in the ownership of CIÉ .
The documents relating to the period 2014-2017 released by the department expressed concern that significant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for “ poor land ... mostly used for sheep farming ” .
Kerry County Council was basing its land offers on the Irish Farmers ’ Association/National Roads Authority compensation for road schemes , the department noted .
This would set a precedent , and “ costs for all greenway projects are going to rise substantially ” , according to a December 2015 report .
Fears were expressed in the department that “ the genie might be out of the bottle ” and prices in Kerry would be a “ template ” for other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legal services were also described as “ significant ” .
Often three solicitors and three valuers were employed for each section of land in the greenway , officials noted .
Asked about the cost overruns , a council spokesman on Tuesday said the department had carried out its own review of the plan and in late 2015 expressed “ great comfort ” at the revised cost estimates .
He added the Kerry greenway “ was a forerunner of what is now the accepted standard for greenways in terms of various engineering elements such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ No project of this standard and complexity had been constructed at that time so there were no comparative costs available to the department by which to judge the Kerry County Council estimates submitted ” .
The IFA said it had no comment to make on the sums offered to landowners other than to restate its opposition to the compulsory purchase order process in developing greenways .
The estimated cost of the Kerry greenway has now reached more than €20 million , a hearing of An Bord Pleanála was told in November 2019 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the project is due shortly .
The 42km Co Mayo greenway , which opened in April 2010 , cost €5.7 million to develop , while the 46km Waterford Greenway , which opened in March 2017 , cost €15 million .

The 42km Great Western Greenway in Co Mayo cost €5.7m to develop. The 32km South Kerry Greenway is now estimated to cost more than €20m. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill
The original application for funding for the South Kerry Greenway “made no provision” for the cost of land acquisition from more than 170 individual landowners, documents released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal.
The estimated bill for the 32km project between Glenbeigh and Renard has ballooned due to both engineering challenges and the rising cost of acquiring the former railway lands for the cycling and walking amenity.
By December 2015, within two years of the application, the estimate for the greenway had reached €16.1 million, the documents show. This was almost four times the original amount approved under the national cycle network funding scheme of the Department of Transport in mid-2014.
Kerry County Council had modelled the project on the Great Western Greenway, where Co Mayo landowners gave "permissive use" for the old railway to be used as a cycleway with no compensation paid out.
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In contrast, Kerry County Council found itself having to buy back for public use land that was once in the ownership of CIÉ.
The documents relating to the period 2014-2017 released by the department expressed concern that significant sums were being offered by the council for “poor land ... mostly used for sheep farming”.
Kerry County Council was basing its land offers on the Irish Farmers’ Association/National Roads Authority compensation for road schemes, the department noted. This would set a precedent, and “costs for all greenway projects are going to rise substantially”, according to a December 2015 report.
Fears were expressed in the department that “the genie might be out of the bottle” and prices in Kerry would be a “template” for other greenway projects.
Significant fees
Fees for agents and legal services were also described as “significant”. Often three solicitors and three valuers were employed for each section of land in the greenway, officials noted.
Asked about the cost overruns, a council spokesman on Tuesday said the department had carried out its own review of the plan and in late 2015 expressed “great comfort” at the revised cost estimates.
He added the Kerry greenway “was a forerunner of what is now the accepted standard for greenways in terms of various engineering elements such as surfacing, alignment and gradients. No project of this standard and complexity had been constructed at that time so there were no comparative costs available to the department by which to judge the Kerry County Council estimates submitted”.
The IFA said it had no comment to make on the sums offered to landowners other than to restate its opposition to the compulsory purchase order process in developing greenways.
The estimated cost of the Kerry greenway has now reached more than €20 million, a hearing of An Bord Pleanála was told in November 2019. A decision from the planning board on the project is due shortly.
The 42km Co Mayo greenway, which opened in April 2010, cost €5.7 million to develop, while the 46km Waterford Greenway, which opened in March 2017, cost €15 million.


theirishtimes--2020-06-16--Solicitor sent for trial accused of theft and perverting course of justice

A top criminal defence solicitor has told a court he is innocent “ beyond any doubt ” as he was sent forward for trial of accused of theft and perverting the course of justice .
“ I wish to say the State are aware there are witnesses that prove my innocence beyond any doubt , ” Cahir O ’ Higgins told district court president Judge Colin Daly on Tuesday after he was served with a book of evidence .
“ They should have spoken to them before dragging my name through the mud .
They should have spoken to all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ manner before charging me with a crime I did not commit , ” he added .
Mr O ’ Higgins ( 45 ) , appeared at Dublin District Court accused of theft of €400 belonging to a Spanish man who was a defendant in district court proceedings , on July 30t , 2016 .
The theft allegedly happened at a Londis shop , on Parkgate Street , close to the Criminal Courts of Justice building .
Mr O ’ Higgins is also accused of four counts of perverting the course of public justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 8th and December 17th , within the State and at the Bridewell Garda station in Dublin .
These charges allege intent to pervert the course of public justice , by producing to the investigating garda a copy of notes purportedly made by him on July 30th , 2016 which contained information that he knew to be untrue , and that he knew the notes were not made on this date .
These offences are in the context of a criminal investigation into the theft allegation .
The Director of Public Prosecutions ( DPP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ book of evidence was served on Mr O ’ Higgins in court by Detective Garda Colm Kelly .
Judge Daly then made the order sending him forward for trial on bail to the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court where he will face his next hearing on July 10th .
Mr O ’ Higgins applied for legal aid .
Judge Daly said the issue was reserved for the circuit court to determine .

Cahir O’Higgins: appeared at Dublin District Court accused of theft of €400 belonging to a Spanish man who was a defendant in district court proceedings. File Photograph: Alan Betson
A top criminal defence solicitor has told a court he is innocent “beyond any doubt” as he was sent forward for trial of accused of theft and perverting the course of justice.
"I wish to say the State are aware there are witnesses that prove my innocence beyond any doubt," Cahir O'Higgins told district court president Judge Colin Daly on Tuesday after he was served with a book of evidence.
“They should have spoken to them before dragging my name through the mud. They should have spoken to all potential witnesses in an unbiased and impartial manner before charging me with a crime I did not commit,” he added.
Mr O'Higgins (45), appeared at Dublin District Court accused of theft of €400 belonging to a Spanish man who was a defendant in district court proceedings, on July 30t, 2016.
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The theft allegedly happened at a Londis shop, on Parkgate Street, close to the Criminal Courts of Justice building.
Mr O’Higgins is also accused of four counts of perverting the course of public justice contrary to common law, on December 8th and December 17th, within the State and at the Bridewell Garda station in Dublin.
These charges allege intent to pervert the course of public justice, by producing to the investigating garda a copy of notes purportedly made by him on July 30th, 2016 which contained information that he knew to be untrue, and that he knew the notes were not made on this date. These offences are in the context of a criminal investigation into the theft allegation.
He denies the charges.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) directed trial on indictment.
A book of evidence was served on Mr O’Higgins in court by Detective Garda Colm Kelly.
Judge Daly then made the order sending him forward for trial on bail to the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court where he will face his next hearing on July 10th.
Mr O’Higgins applied for legal aid. Judge Daly said the issue was reserved for the circuit court to determine.


theirishtimes--2020-06-16--Medics feel most at risk of contracting Covid-19, CSO data shows

Doctors , nurses and dentists feel they are most at risk of being infected with Covid-19 , while artists and farm machinery drivers consider themselves at the least risk , new data shows .
In an analysis of occupations with potential exposure to the virus , the Central Statistics Office found that people working in retail and farming - the two largest occupational groups in the country - considered themselves at low risk of exposure to the disease .
Medical and dental workers are among those who rated themselves as being most exposed to the disease followed by nurses and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exposure .
Computer programmer and software developers were among the workers who considered themselves as “ never being exposed to disease while at work ” , the CSO said .
Teachers in nursery education and at primary and secondary level rated themselves as working at arm ’ s length from others but secondary school teachers felt they had an exposure to the disease that was less than that felt by primary and nursery education teachers .
Waiting and bar staff rated themselves as working in similar proximity to others but waiting staff felt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the coronavirus disease .
Professionals such as advertising executives along with laundry workers and dry cleaners said that they generally do not work close to people and are rarely exposed to diseases .
The CSO found that there was in general a correlation between working in proximity to others and increased exposure to the disease .
The data reflects international trends showing healthcare workers as being amongst those considered most at risk from contracting the coronavirus disease .
Almost a third of the Covid-19 cases confirmed in the State have been healthcare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases of the disease as of last Saturday , some 8,130 or 32 per cent were healthcare workers , according to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre .

Medical and dental workers are among those who rated themselves as being most exposed to Covid-19.
Doctors, nurses and dentists feel they are most at risk of being infected with Covid-19, while artists and farm machinery drivers consider themselves at the least risk, new data shows.
In an analysis of occupations with potential exposure to the virus, the Central Statistics Office found that people working in retail and farming - the two largest occupational groups in the country - considered themselves at low risk of exposure to the disease.
Medical and dental workers are among those who rated themselves as being most exposed to the disease followed by nurses and midwives as the second-highest ranked group for exposure.
Computer programmer and software developers were among the workers who considered themselves as “never being exposed to disease while at work”, the CSO said.
READ MORE
Teachers in nursery education and at primary and secondary level rated themselves as working at arm’s length from others but secondary school teachers felt they had an exposure to the disease that was less than that felt by primary and nursery education teachers.
Waiting and bar staff rated themselves as working in similar proximity to others but waiting staff felt they have a higher rate of exposure to the coronavirus disease.
Professionals such as advertising executives along with laundry workers and dry cleaners said that they generally do not work close to people and are rarely exposed to diseases.
The CSO found that there was in general a correlation between working in proximity to others and increased exposure to the disease.
The data reflects international trends showing healthcare workers as being amongst those considered most at risk from contracting the coronavirus disease.
Almost a third of the Covid-19 cases confirmed in the State have been healthcare workers.
Of more than 25,303 known cases of the disease as of last Saturday, some 8,130 or 32 per cent were healthcare workers, according to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre.


theirishtimes--2020-06-17--Man who had sex with underage teen he met online gets suspended sentence

A Clare man who had sex with an underage teenager he met online after lying to her about his age has received a fully suspended sentence .
The man ( 22 ) , who can not be named to protect the identity of the victim , pleaded guilty to four sample counts of defilement of a child in Co Westmeath and Co Clare on dates between July 2016 and December 2016 .
He has no previous convictions .
The Central Criminal Court heard the man began to speak to the girl on Facebook when she was aged 15 and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 16 .
Passing sentence , Mr Justice Paul McDermott noted that it was not said in the case that the victim was physically assaulted or coerced or contained against her will .
Mr Justice McDermott said the offences were aggravated by the disparity in ages , the deception employed by the man regarding his own age and the man showing “ a selfish disregard for her as a person ” .
He said there was substantial mitigation , including the man being under the age of 18 when communication began with the victim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guilty , his expression of regret and remorse and his lack of previous convictions .
Mr Justice McDermott sentenced the man to two-and-a-half years imprisonment .
He said that having regard for the probation report , testimonials written on the man ’ s behalf and the mitigating factors , he judged there was a positive benefit for this sentence being served in the community .
He therefore suspended the sentence in full on strict conditions , including that the man follow all directions of the Probation Service for three years and refrain from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her friends and family .
At a previous sentencing hearing , a local garda told John Fitzgerald SC , prosecuting , that the man first contacted the teenager on Facebook in August 2015 and they began to exchange regular messages .
The man initially claimed to be aged 16 when he was in fact 17 years old .
The garda said that the man began sending the teenager explicit photos of himself and encouraged her to send him similar photos of herself .
They met in person for the first time in July @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alone together in a tent , the man repeatedly asked for oral sex and sex , both of which the girl eventually agreed to after initially saying no .
The man and the teenager had sex on three occasions over the next two days .
The man did not wear a condom on any of these occasions .
In December 2016 , the teenager visited the man ’ s home .
While in the man ’ s bedroom , the teenager was propositioned by the man ’ s brother and his cousin .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ his penis while the other males were in the room , but the teenager kept saying no .
The man and the teenager then went downstairs and had sex .
The teenager later told gardaí that the entire time she was in the house she felt scared and intimidated .
She said that no one forced her to stay , but she had nowhere else to go .
In interview with gardaí , the man said he did not know what the age of consent was , but he thought that it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years between the two people .
He admitted that he had sex with the teenager and that he had lied about his age .
In her victim impact statement , which she read out in court , the teenage victim said it was extremely hard to put into words what she has gone through .
The teenager said that at first , she thought the man was “ cool and nice and a good person ” .
She said she was “ so young and naive ” and she did not know what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the man made her believe she could trust him , but that he first broke that trust when he lied about his age .
The teenager said it got to a point where she could not remember a day where the man did not make her do explicit things over video .
She said he was always able to pressure her and that she was afraid of him .
She said she was afraid of telling her mother as she thought she was in the wrong .
She said she had not wanted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that she was “ brainwashed ” by him .
The teenager said that forgiving the man does not mean what he did was okay , but that doing so will help her move on .
She said she forgives him but will never forget what he did .
Seamus Clarke SC , defending , said his client ’ s instructions were that the teenager came up as a suggested friend on his Facebook .
His client said he had about 2,000 friends on Facebook and only knew about 200 of them .
Mr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to any adverse garda attention since these offences .
He said that the age gap was not so severe that the court can not see they were both teenagers at the time .

The Central Criminal Court heard the man began to speak to the girl on Facebook when she was aged 15 and the offences took place when she was aged 16. Photograph:iStock
A Clare man who had sex with an underage teenager he met online after lying to her about his age has received a fully suspended sentence.
The man (22), who cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim, pleaded guilty to four sample counts of defilement of a child in Co Westmeath and Co Clare on dates between July 2016 and December 2016. He has no previous convictions.
The Central Criminal Court heard the man began to speak to the girl on Facebook when she was aged 15 and the offences took place when she was aged 16.
Passing sentence, Mr Justice Paul McDermott noted that it was not said in the case that the victim was physically assaulted or coerced or contained against her will.
READ MORE
Mr Justice McDermott said the offences were aggravated by the disparity in ages, the deception employed by the man regarding his own age and the man showing “a selfish disregard for her as a person”.
He said there was substantial mitigation, including the man being under the age of 18 when communication began with the victim, the man’s plea of guilty, his expression of regret and remorse and his lack of previous convictions.
Strict conditions
Mr Justice McDermott sentenced the man to two-and-a-half years imprisonment. He said that having regard for the probation report, testimonials written on the man’s behalf and the mitigating factors, he judged there was a positive benefit for this sentence being served in the community.
He therefore suspended the sentence in full on strict conditions, including that the man follow all directions of the Probation Service for three years and refrain from directly or indirectly contacting the victim or her friends and family.
At a previous sentencing hearing, a local garda told John Fitzgerald SC, prosecuting, that the man first contacted the teenager on Facebook in August 2015 and they began to exchange regular messages. The man initially claimed to be aged 16 when he was in fact 17 years old.
The garda said that the man began sending the teenager explicit photos of himself and encouraged her to send him similar photos of herself.
They met in person for the first time in July 2016 at a birthday party. While alone together in a tent, the man repeatedly asked for oral sex and sex, both of which the girl eventually agreed to after initially saying no.
The man and the teenager had sex on three occasions over the next two days. The man did not wear a condom on any of these occasions.
In December 2016, the teenager visited the man’s home. While in the man’s bedroom, the teenager was propositioned by the man’s brother and his cousin.
The man forced her head down towards his penis while the other males were in the room, but the teenager kept saying no. The man and the teenager then went downstairs and had sex.
The teenager later told gardaí that the entire time she was in the house she felt scared and intimidated. She said that no one forced her to stay, but she had nowhere else to go.
In interview with gardaí, the man said he did not know what the age of consent was, but he thought that it was not an offence if there were two years between the two people. He admitted that he had sex with the teenager and that he had lied about his age.
‘
Young and naive’
In her victim impact statement, which she read out in court, the teenage victim said it was extremely hard to put into words what she has gone through.
The teenager said that at first, she thought the man was “cool and nice and a good person”. She said she was “so young and naive” and she did not know what she was getting into.
She said the man made her believe she could trust him, but that he first broke that trust when he lied about his age.
The teenager said it got to a point where she could not remember a day where the man did not make her do explicit things over video. She said he was always able to pressure her and that she was afraid of him.
She said she was afraid of telling her mother as she thought she was in the wrong. She said she had not wanted the man to get in trouble and that she was “brainwashed” by him.
The teenager said that forgiving the man does not mean what he did was okay, but that doing so will help her move on. She said she forgives him but will never forget what he did.
Seamus Clarke SC, defending, said his client’s instructions were that the teenager came up as a suggested friend on his Facebook. His client said he had about 2,000 friends on Facebook and only knew about 200 of them.
Mr Clarke said his client has not come to any adverse garda attention since these offences. He said that the age gap was not so severe that the court cannot see they were both teenagers at the time.


theirishtimes--2020-06-17--Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies celebrates 80 years of discovery

Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies ( DIAS ) is marking its unique mission and legacy of ground-breaking discoveries with a week of online events culminating in DIAS Day on Friday , which marks the 80th anniversary since the Institute for Advanced Studies Act was enacted .
When founded by taoiseach Éamon de Valera in 1940 , DIAS was only the second institute for advanced studies in the world and the first such institute in Europe .
“ Since then , DIAS has conducted seminal research and attracted renowned academics from all over the world in its core disciplines of Celtic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ geophysics , ” says its chief executive and registrar Dr Eucharia Meehan .
Its many world-leading researchers included JL Synge whose book Relativity : The General Theory had a profound influence on the subsequent work of Penrose and Hawking on black holes and the geometry of the universe .
They also include the notable work of Denis O ’ Sullivan and Alex Thompson , who secured the first Irish space experiments on Apollo 16 and the International Space Station .
“ The bold decision to establish an advanced institute when the State was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a world war , and at a time when few people in Ireland progressed to secondary education was a powerful message that Ireland was a home for intellectual leadership , independent critical enquiry , and innovative frontier research , ” Dr Meehan added .
“ Eighty years later , DIAS continues to be an ambassador for Ireland and contributes to important global discoveries.
” The institute leads Ireland ’ s participation in a number of international and global initiatives that focus on big unanswered questions for mankind .
Currently , there are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ countries based at DIAS .
On Friday at 5pm , Dutch Nobel Laureate Prof Gerard ‘ t Hooft will deliver the inaugural DIAS Day Lecture on black holes and how they might be sources of new physics .
Prof Hooft , who received the Nobel Prize in 1999 for his work on gauge theories , will consider how black holes seem to tell us not only important things about particle physics , but also aspects of space and time that are quite unlike what you read in text books .
All this week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its social media platforms .
This will include a letter from Nobel Laureate Francis Crick to Erwin Schrödinger , then director of theoretical physics at DIAS , acknowledging the influence of his ‘ What Is Life ?
’ lectures in his molecular-biological journey with James Watson that culminated in the discovery of the make-up of DNA .
A series of “ Lockdown Lectures ” by DIAS researchers is also being published on YouTube .
DIAS is donating a copy of Ingenious Ireland to every city and county library across Ireland to mark the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mary Mulvihill – a pioneer of science communication – it is a county-by-county breakdown of intriguing inventions and discoveries , showcasing Ireland ’ s rich heritage of research , scientific curiosity and inventiveness .
For further information about DIAS and to register for events , visit : www.dias.ie/dias2020/

Dr Eucharia Meehan, chief executive and registrar of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, at the launch of a year-long programme of events to mark 80 years of discovery at the Institute. Photograph: Marc O’Sullivan
Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) is marking its unique mission and legacy of ground-breaking discoveries with a week of online events culminating in DIAS Day on Friday, which marks the 80th anniversary since the Institute for Advanced Studies Act was enacted.
When founded by taoiseach Éamon de Valera in 1940, DIAS was only the second institute for advanced studies in the world and the first such institute in Europe.
"Since then, DIAS has conducted seminal research and attracted renowned academics from all over the world in its core disciplines of Celtic studies, theoretical physics, astrophysics and geophysics," says its chief executive and registrar Dr Eucharia Meehan.
The letter from Nobel Laureate Francis Crick to Erwin Schrödinger, then director of theoretical physics at DIAS, acknowledging the influence of his ‘What Is Life?’ lectures in his molecular-biological journey with James Watson that culminated in their discovery of the make-up of DNA.
Its many world-leading researchers included JL Synge whose book Relativity: The General Theory had a profound influence on the subsequent work of Penrose and Hawking on black holes and the geometry of the universe.
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They also include the notable work of Denis O'Sullivan and Alex Thompson, who secured the first Irish space experiments on Apollo 16 and the International Space Station.
‘Bold decision’
"The bold decision to establish an advanced institute when the State was in its infancy, at the start of a world war, and at a time when few people in Ireland progressed to secondary education was a powerful message that Ireland was a home for intellectual leadership, independent critical enquiry, and innovative frontier research," Dr Meehan added.
“Eighty years later, DIAS continues to be an ambassador for Ireland and contributes to important global discoveries.”
The institute leads Ireland’s participation in a number of international and global initiatives that focus on big unanswered questions for mankind. Currently, there are about 100 researchers hailing from 20 different countries based at DIAS.
On Friday at 5pm, Dutch Nobel Laureate Prof Gerard 't Hooft will deliver the inaugural DIAS Day Lecture on black holes and how they might be sources of new physics.
Prof Hooft, who received the Nobel Prize in 1999 for his work on gauge theories, will consider how black holes seem to tell us not only important things about particle physics, but also aspects of space and time that are quite unlike what you read in text books.
All this week, DIAS will share #adiscoveryday on its social media platforms. This will include a letter from Nobel Laureate Francis Crick to Erwin Schrödinger, then director of theoretical physics at DIAS, acknowledging the influence of his 'What Is Life?' lectures in his molecular-biological journey with James Watson that culminated in the discovery of the make-up of DNA.
A series of "Lockdown Lectures" by DIAS researchers is also being published on YouTube.
DIAS is donating a copy of Ingenious Ireland to every city and county library across Ireland to mark the 80th anniversary. Written by the late Mary Mulvihill – a pioneer of science communication – it is a county-by-county breakdown of intriguing inventions and discoveries, showcasing Ireland's rich heritage of research, scientific curiosity and inventiveness.
For further information about DIAS and to register for events, visit: www.dias.ie/dias2020/


theirishtimes--2020-06-17--Judges form guard of honour as Mr Justice Peter Kelly retires

Up to 40 judges of the Supreme and High Courts gathered in the yard of the Four Courts on Wednesday to say farewell to High Court president Peter Kelly on his last day in that office .
Mr Justice Kelly was applauded by his colleagues , who formed a guard of honour around what is known as the judges yard , when he arrived for work about 9.30am .
He was clearly taken by surprise on seeing the unprecedented gathering but warmly thanked the judges , saying it had been a wonderful experience working with them .
The gathering included @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court , who was nominated by the Cabinet last week as the next president of the High Court , the third most senior judicial office .
Among the other judges in attendance were Mr Justice George Birmingham , president of the Court of Appeal , Ms Justice Marie Baker and Mr Justice John MacMenamin of the Supreme Court , Ms Justice Caroline Costello of the Court of Appeal and many judges of the High Court .
When a senior judge retires , there is normally a large gathering in court on their last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ judicial colleagues , lawyers , Courts Service staff and family members to hear tributes .
Because of Covid-19 restrictions , that was not possible and Mr Justice Kelly had also indicated he did not wish to have the traditional gathering .
Mr Justice Kelly , who was called to the Bar in 1975 and was appointed a judge of the High Court in 1996 , is a reluctant retiree but is compelled to retire on Wednesday evening because he turns 70 today .
He will spend his final day dealing with wards of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comments earlier this week , he praised the commitment and dedication of staff in the wards of court office .
In a statement of tribute today and wishing the judge a happy retirement , Bar Council Chairman Micheál P. O ’ Higgins SC said Mr Justice Kelly “ is an advertisement for the Irish Bar and Bench ” and a “ beacon for the highest standards of competence , rigour , propriety and independence ” .
He noted Mr Justice Kelly was now the second longest serving judge in the Irish courts , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the High Court and Court of Appeal and , since 2015 , as president of the High Court .
He was “ the leading figure in the establishment of the Commercial Court in 2004 , a lasting and international legacy ” .
“ His work in the wardship list , where justice , humanity and the law co-exist to vindicate the rights of the elderly and vulnerable , gave him particular fulfilment .
This may say something about him.
” Regarded as an accomplished legal writer , Mr Justice Kelly ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of logic and learning and have contributed to the development of the law in many areas ” , Mr O ’ Higgins said .
Equally impressive was his ability to frame a clear , fluent and reasoned ex tempore ( on the spot ) judgment within minutes of a case , he added .
Mr Justice Kelly ’ s “ independence and fearlessness as a judge stand as an example to his colleagues ” , he said .
Law Society director general Ken Murphy said Mr Justice Kelly was a “ fearlessly independent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a first class legal mind , and an utter commitment to the highest of standards for himself and others ” .
Courts Service CEO Angela Denning said Mr Justice Kelly was “ a great friend of , and support to , the Courts Service since he was appointed to the bench ” .
Recalling that the judge , before being called to the Bar , had worked in the High Court Central Office , she said : “ We are very proud that he is one of a number of former courts staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ later in their career.
” “ As a judge , and as president of the High Court , he always worked in partnership with the administrative staff of the service where new processes or rules were being developed , ” she said .
“ Much of the success of the Commercial Court “ can be attributed to his clarity of purpose and collaborative approach ” .

Mr Justice Peter Kelly is applauded by his colleagues in what is known as the judges yard at the Four Courts, Dublin when he arrived for work this morning. Photograph: Mary Carolan/The Irish Times
Up to 40 judges of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and High Court gathered in the yard of the Four Courts on Wednesday to say farewell to High Court president Peter Kelly on his last day in that office.
Mr Justice Kelly was applauded by his colleagues, who formed a guard of honour around what is known as the judges yard, when he arrived for work about 9.30am.
He was clearly taken by surprise on seeing the unprecedented gathering but warmly thanked the judges, saying it had been a wonderful experience working with them.
The gathering included Ms Justice Mary Irvine of the Supreme Court, who was nominated by the Cabinet last week as the next president of the High Court, the third most senior judicial office.
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When a senior judge retires, there is normally a large gathering in court on their last day, including the Attorney General, judicial colleagues, lawyers, Courts Service staff and family members to hear tributes. Because of Covid-19 restrictions, that was not possible and Mr Justice Kelly had also indicated he did not wish to have the traditional gathering.
Mr Justice Kelly, who was called to the Bar in 1975 and was appointed a judge of the High Court in 1996, is a reluctant retiree but is compelled to retire on Wednesday evening because he turns 70 .
In a statement, Bar Council chairman Micheál P O’Higgins SC said Mr Justice Kelly “is an advertisement for the Irish Bar and Bench” and a “beacon for the highest standards of competence, rigour, propriety and independence”.
In a statement, the Minister for Justice & Equality, Charlie Flanagan, on behalf of the Government and on his own behalf, expressed thanks and appreciation to Mr Justice Kelly for his dedicated service as a member of the judiciary.
The Minister said Mr Justice Kelly has been “a powerful presence” on the bench and, in the course of his service in the High Court and the Court of Appeal, “he has been fearless, erudite and compassionate”.
“There have been many developments in Ireland, as a society and an economy, since President Kelly was appointed to judicial office. He has been at the forefront of the law during this time, driving and responding to change including some of the most complex cases that arose during this period.”
The Minister particularly acknowledged the judge’s “special contribution in the areas of wardship and commercial law, where he never lost sight of the human impacts of our legal system”.
He was delighted Mr Justice Kelly will be continuing his work as Chair of the Review of the Administration of Civil Justice and looked forward to receiving the Review Group’s report in September, as its recommendations “will provide significant guidance as to the next steps in our approach to improving access to civil justice within the State”
“I wish President Kelly every good wish on this important day and look forward to seeing his future valuable contributions to public life in various capacities,” the Minister concluded.


theirishtimes--2020-06-17--Increase in offshore wind energy targets in government programme welcomed by sector

Plans to increase offshore wind energy targets in the programme for government from 3.5GW to 5GW have been welcomed by the industry .
The 5GW target , the energy equivalent of power for about 5 million homes , is to be phased in by 2030 , with the first auction of quota to potential developers by next year .
Irish Wind Energy Association CEO David Connolly said the new target of 5GW of offshore wind was “ a tremendous vote of confidence in the wind energy industry ” .
SSE Renewables which last week announced its intention to invest up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the existing Arklow Bank windfarm off the Co Wicklow coast , said the move “ provides investor certainty and supply chain confidence for projects such as the 520MW Arklow Bank Phase Two ” .
It added that its plans for Arklow could be delivered by 2025 , helping to reach the Climate Action Plan ’ s 1GW target of offshore wind in the same year and resulting in a 1 per cent reduction in annual carbon emissions.
” Expansion plans for Arklow Bank envisage up to 100 additional turbines on the site , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ south of the popular Brittas Bay .
When commissioned in 2004 , the seven-turbine Phase One of Arklow Bank was the first offshore wind farm in Ireland , and the world ’ s first array of wind turbines rated over 3 MW each .
It currently generates 25MW of electricity for the national grid and is owned by GE Wind .
The new turbines to be added by SSE Renewables would be located between seven and 13 km offshore and would have capacity to power about half a million homes .
SSE Renewables @ @ @ @ @ @ @ service centre in Arklow Harbour creating about 80 jobs .
Seven other wind farms - with a combined capacity of up to 3,480MW - have been designated by Minister for Communications , Climate Action and Environment Richard Bruton as “ relevant projects ” suitable to proceed .
* ESB and Parkwind ’ s 330MW Oriel windfarm off the Co Louth coast .
* EDF Renewables and Fred Olsen ’ s 1000MW Codling Wind Park – a 1GW , two-project development off the east coast .
The Arklow Bank is not among the windfarms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a spokeswoman for SSE Renewables said as the company does not envisage material planning amendments to its existing consent , the developer did not apply for the expansion to be designated as a “ relevant project ” .
Wicklow Co Cllr Derek Mitchell said he wanted both the Arklow Bank and another project – the Codling Bank windfarm – to go ahead .
“ The greatest contribution Wicklow can make to reducing global warming is to get the Arklow and Codling windfarms working .
This would be the largest contribution of any county @ @ @ @ @ @ @ national target of 5GW by 2030 , ” he said .

Plans to increase offshore wind energy targets in the programme for government from 3.5GW to 5GW have been welcomed by the industry.
The 5GW target, the energy equivalent of power for about 5 million homes, is to be phased in by 2030, with the first auction of quota to potential developers by next year.
Irish Wind Energy Association CEO David Connolly said the new target of 5GW of offshore wind was “a tremendous vote of confidence in the wind energy industry”.
SSE Renewables which last week announced its intention to invest up to €2 billion on Phase 2 of the existing Arklow Bank windfarm off the Co Wicklow coast, said the move “provides investor certainty and supply chain confidence for projects such as the 520MW Arklow Bank Phase Two”.
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It added that its plans for Arklow could be delivered by 2025, helping to reach the Climate Action Plan’s 1GW target of offshore wind in the same year and resulting in a 1 per cent reduction in annual carbon emissions.”
Expansion plans for Arklow Bank envisage up to 100 additional turbines on the site, about 13 km off the coast, south of the popular Brittas Bay.
When commissioned in 2004, the seven-turbine Phase One of Arklow Bank was the first offshore wind farm in Ireland, and the world’s first array of wind turbines rated over 3 MW each. It currently generates 25MW of electricity for the national grid and is owned by GE Wind.
The new turbines to be added by SSE Renewables would be located between seven and 13 km offshore and would have capacity to power about half a million homes.
SSE Renewables also plan to develop a maintenance and service centre in Arklow Harbour creating about 80 jobs.
Seven other wind farms - with a combined capacity of up to 3,480MW - have been designated by Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment Richard Bruton as “relevant projects” suitable to proceed.
These are :
* ESB and Parkwind’s 330MW Oriel windfarm off the Co Louth coast.
* Innogy’s 1000MW Dublin Array, a two-project development off the east coast.
* EDF Renewables and Fred Olsen’s 1000MW Codling Wind Park – a 1GW, two-project development off the east coast.
* Fuinneamh Sceirde Teoranta’s 400MW Skerd Rocks in Galway Bay.
* Element Power’s 750MW North Irish Sea Array (NISA).
The Arklow Bank is not among the windfarms listed as “relevant projects” but a spokeswoman for SSE Renewables said as the company does not envisage material planning amendments to its existing consent, the developer did not apply for the expansion to be designated as a “relevant project”.
Wicklow Co Cllr Derek Mitchell said he wanted both the Arklow Bank and another project – the Codling Bank windfarm – to go ahead.
“The greatest contribution Wicklow can make to reducing global warming is to get the Arklow and Codling windfarms working. This would be the largest contribution of any county, about 2.5 GW out of a national target of 5GW by 2030,” he said.


theirishtimes--2020-06-17--Teenager’s body recovered from sea off north coast

A teenager has died after getting into difficulty in the sea off the Co. Antrim coast despite the efforts of his friends to try and save him .
A major incident was declared near Dunluce Castle , in the Bushmills area , just after 5pm on Tuesday .
Coastguard teams from Coleraine and Ballycastle as well as the Portrush lifeboat , a rescue helicopter from Scotland and the ambulance service were sent to the scene .
Judith McNiece , from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency , told BBC Radio Ulster that the victim ’ s friends made “ valiant ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I ’ m sure it will be extremely upsetting for them but they can take some comfort in the fact that they did everything they could for their friend.
” Station officer with Coleraine coastguard , Alistair Simpson , said the teenager was “ in the water and unconscious.
” “ He was recovered to the beach at White Rocks where he received medical attention from the ambulance service assisted by coastguard rescue team members and sadly the teenager was declared deceased at the scene , ” he told BBC Radio Foyle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the water around the base of the cliffs , and one had minor injuries .
All three were rescued safely .
The victim is believed to have been in his late teens and was not from the area , Mr Simpson said .
He said the group had been what is known as “ coasteering ” - making their way around the rocks at the base of the cliffs and jumping off them into the sea - when they got into difficulties .
“ It ’ s very tragic for their friends and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Local people were very shocked and saddened .
Sadly this sort of thing does happen occasionally in this part of the world , but it ’ s always a tragedy when it does.
” The Police Service of Northern Ireland ( PSNI ) said police were investigating the circumstances around the teenager ’ s death but it was not being treated as suspicious .

A teenager has died after getting into difficulty in the sea off the Co. Antrim coast despite the efforts of his friends to try and save him.
A major incident was declared near Dunluce Castle, in the Bushmills area, just after 5pm on Tuesday.
Coastguard teams from Coleraine and Ballycastle as well as the Portrush lifeboat, a rescue helicopter from Scotland and the ambulance service were sent to the scene.
Judith McNiece, from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, told BBC Radio Ulster that the victim’s friends made “valiant” efforts to try and rescue him.
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“I’m sure it will be extremely upsetting for them but they can take some comfort in the fact that they did everything they could for their friend.”
Station officer with Coleraine coastguard, Alistair Simpson, said the teenager was “in the water and unconscious.”
“He was recovered to the beach at White Rocks where he received medical attention from the ambulance service assisted by coastguard rescue team members and sadly the teenager was declared deceased at the scene,” he told BBC Radio Foyle.
Three other teenagers were still in the water around the base of the cliffs, and one had minor injuries. All three were rescued safely.
The victim is believed to have been in his late teens and was not from the area, Mr Simpson said.
He said the group had been what is known as “coasteering” - making their way around the rocks at the base of the cliffs and jumping off them into the sea - when they got into difficulties.
“It’s very tragic for their friends and family,” he said. “Local people were very shocked and saddened. Sadly this sort of thing does happen occasionally in this part of the world, but it’s always a tragedy when it does.”
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said police were investigating the circumstances around the teenager’s death but it was not being treated as suspicious.


theirishtimes--2020-06-17--Kerry should have special exemption from Covid restrictions, says Healy-Rae

Independent Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae says his county should be given special exemptions from coronavirus restrictions because it has not had any new cases of Covid-19 in four weeks .
“ It didn ’ t come about easy ...
The people of Kerry had made a lot of sacrifices to make this happen .
“ We have our own way of doing things in Kerry .
“ We want to open the county up and welcome people , we want to ensure that they have a safe and happy time here.
” If it was safe and prudent to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ireland , he wanted Kerry to be fully open for visitors .
However , another Kerry native , Professor Mary Horgan , consultant in infectious diseases at Cork University Hospital ( CUH ) , said Ireland was a small island and it would be too difficult to police county borders .
Prof. Horgan said that Kerry , the fifth largest county in the country , had a large rural population and many of the Covid-19 outbreaks had been in care facilities .
The people of Kerry had done great work in shutting down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the virus in the county .
It was best for the entire country to follow the one path and it would be confusing to have some counties open before others , she said .
The country “ should be reopening things , ” she said .
While she was aware of the importance of hand hygiene and social distancing measures “ a lot of it is our own self responsibility.
” Prof Horgan welcomed the consideration being given to the reopening of some businesses with a one-metre social distancing rule “ given @ @ @ @ @ @ @ difficult to run a country with a two-metre rule ” .
People still needed to stay “ in small pods ” and to be aware of the three Cs – crowds , closed conditions and close contacts , she said .

Michael Healy-Rae: “We have our own way of doing things in Kerry.” Photograph: Tom Honan
Independent Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae says his county should be given special exemptions from coronavirus restrictions because it has not had any new cases of Covid-19 in four weeks.
“It didn’t come about easy...The people of Kerry had made a lot of sacrifices to make this happen.
“We have our own way of doing things in Kerry.
“We want to open the county up and welcome people, we want to ensure that they have a safe and happy time here.”
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If it was safe and prudent to do so, Mr Healy-Rae told RTÉ Morning Ireland, he wanted Kerry to be fully open for visitors.
However, another Kerry native, Professor Mary Horgan, consultant in infectious diseases at Cork University Hospital (CUH), said Ireland was a small island and it would be too difficult to police county borders.
Prof. Horgan said that Kerry, the fifth largest county in the country, had a large rural population and many of the Covid-19 outbreaks had been in care facilities. The people of Kerry had done great work in shutting down and had been successful in containing outbreaks of the virus in the county.
It was best for the entire country to follow the one path and it would be confusing to have some counties open before others, she said.
The country “should be reopening things,” she said. While she was aware of the importance of hand hygiene and social distancing measures “a lot of it is our own self responsibility.”
Prof Horgan welcomed the consideration being given to the reopening of some businesses with a one-metre social distancing rule “given the reality that it would be very difficult to run a country with a two-metre rule”.
People still needed to stay “in small pods” and to be aware of the three Cs – crowds, closed conditions and close contacts, she said.