theirishtimes--2020-07-08--Garda detective charged with making death threats against ex-partner

A Garda detective has been charged with making threats to kill his former partner , who is also a garda , The Irish Times has learned .
The detective faces another related charge of allegedly attempting to coerce the woman .
The Director of Public Prosecutions late last year approved criminal charges in the case after a criminal investigation by An Garda Síochána .
Both alleged offences date back almost a decade .
The detective was arrested at a Dublin city centre Garda station last year before being charged .
While Garda Headquarters has declined to comment on the case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been suspended from duty pending the outcome of the case .
In reply to queries , Garda Headquarters said it “ does not comment on named individuals ” .
“ As a general comment , and not specifically in relation to any inquiry , An Garda Síochána is prohibited from commenting on matters that may be before the courts and it is the policy An Garda Síochána not to comment on internal discipline , ” it said .
The detective charged with the alleged crimes has been in the force for more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ involved in a number of investigations into drug crime , and has been based in Leinster .
There have been no findings of wrongdoing made against him and the allegations made against him are not proven .
It is not yet clear when he is expected to go to trial .
While he was charged last year and the matter has been before the courts since then , the fact that he is charged with the offences has not emerged publicly before now .
Both the male detective now facing the charges and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the allegations against him , were members of the Garda at the time it is alleged the crimes were committed .
Both remain Garda members but are no longer based in the same part of the country .
When the case next comes before the courts , the book of evidence is expected to be served .

Both remain Garda members but are no longer based in the same part of the country. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA Wire
A Garda detective has been charged with making threats to kill his former partner, who is also a garda, The Irish Times has learned.
The detective faces another related charge of allegedly attempting to coerce the woman.
The Director of Public Prosecutions late last year approved criminal charges in the case after a criminal investigation by An Garda Síochána.
Both alleged offences date back almost a decade. The detective was arrested at a Dublin city centre Garda station last year before being charged.
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While Garda Headquarters has declined to comment on the case, The Irish Times understands the detective has been suspended from duty pending the outcome of the case.
In reply to queries, Garda Headquarters said it “does not comment on named individuals”.
“As a general comment, and not specifically in relation to any inquiry, An Garda Síochána is prohibited from commenting on matters that may be before the courts and it is the policy An Garda Síochána not to comment on internal discipline,” it said.
Drug investigations
The detective charged with the alleged crimes has been in the force for more than 20 years. He has been involved in a number of investigations into drug crime, and has been based in Leinster.
There have been no findings of wrongdoing made against him and the allegations made against him are not proven. It is not yet clear when he is expected to go to trial.
While he was charged last year and the matter has been before the courts since then, the fact that he is charged with the offences has not emerged publicly before now. Both the male detective now facing the charges and his former partner, who has made the allegations against him, were members of the Garda at the time it is alleged the crimes were committed.
Both remain Garda members but are no longer based in the same part of the country.
When the case next comes before the courts, the book of evidence is expected to be served.


theirishtimes--2020-07-08--More than 720,000 people sign up for new Covid-19 tracker app

More than 720,000 people have signed up for the new Covid tracker app aimed at helping to identify close contacts of people who test positive for Covid-19 .
The app , launched on Tuesday by Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly , has so far been taken up by 15 per cent of the population and 23 per cent of all those over 16 years with smartphones , a Health Service Executive spokesman said .
While data on the download performance of apps on their debut is not publicly available , Australia ’ s CovidSafe app racked up two million downloads @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to about 8 per cent of the population .
And in Britain , the self-reporting app for those with symptoms of the virus had 750,000 downloads in its first 24 hours .
HSE chief executive Paul Reid said use of the app in Ireland could see a reduction in the time required to trace close contacts of someone who tested positive from days to hours .
He also said the app cost about €850,000 to develop with an annual running cost of €350,000-€400,000 .
Meanwhile , concerns have been raised with the State @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of individuals who may have encountered people with Covid-19 are not engaging with the contact-tracing process .
At a meeting of the National Public Health Emergency Team ( NPHET ) last month , officials were told that despite multiple attempts over a period of days to phone or text the close contacts of confirmed Covid-19 cases , a proportion are not engaging with the system .
“ The NPHET was advised that a proportion of the people who are identified as close contacts of confirmed cases do not complete the full contract-tracing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state .
The HSE said its contact management programme takes “ an active approach ” and makes “ multiple attempts to contact the close contacts over multiple days ” .
“ This includes text messages , phone calls , and leaving voicemails ; however , it is not always possible to make contact with these individuals.
” The HSE also said it would undertake a further analysis looking at the number of close contacts identified per case and the proportion of those who are contacted and then tested for a first and second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would examine international experience around how to improve contact tracing .

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has urged all members of the public to download the new Covid-19 contact-tracing app in order to protect themselves and others. Video: RTÉ
More than 720,000 people have signed up for the new Covid tracker app aimed at helping to identify close contacts of people who test positive for Covid-19.
The app, launched on Tuesday by Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly, has so far been taken up by 15 per cent of the population and 23 per cent of all those over 16 years with smartphones, a Health Service Executive spokesman said.
While data on the download performance of apps on their debut is not publicly available, Australia’s CovidSafe app racked up two million downloads in its first 24 hours – equivalent to about 8 per cent of the population. And in Britain, the self-reporting app for those with symptoms of the virus had 750,000 downloads in its first 24 hours.
HSE chief executive Paul Reid said use of the app in Ireland could see a reduction in the time required to trace close contacts of someone who tested positive from days to hours.
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He also said the app cost about €850,000 to develop with an annual running cost of €350,000-€400,000.
Concerns
Meanwhile, concerns have been raised with the State’s public-health team that a significant number of individuals who may have encountered people with Covid-19 are not engaging with the contact-tracing process.
At a meeting of the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) last month, officials were told that despite multiple attempts over a period of days to phone or text the close contacts of confirmed Covid-19 cases, a proportion are not engaging with the system.
“The NPHET was advised that a proportion of the people who are identified as close contacts of confirmed cases do not complete the full contract-tracing process,” minutes of the meeting state.
The HSE said its contact management programme takes “an active approach” and makes “multiple attempts to contact the close contacts over multiple days”.
“This includes text messages, phone calls, and leaving voicemails; however, it is not always possible to make contact with these individuals.”
The HSE also said it would undertake a further analysis looking at the number of close contacts identified per case and the proportion of those who are contacted and then tested for a first and second time. The HSE also said it would examine international experience around how to improve contact tracing.


theirishtimes--2020-07-07--Rear-ending claim dismissed after court told car ‘rolled nine metres’ into other vehicle

A talented soccer player , who skippered his club team to silverware in a major amateur youth league final after telling his doctor he had been sidelined because of injuries he suffered in a rear-ending traffic accident , has lost a €60,000 damages claim in the Circuit Civil Court .
Lee Rogers ( 27 ) , described as a “ high level ” footballer with St Kevin ’ s Soccer Club in Dublin , was also ordered to pay the legal costs of a woman he alleged had run into the back of his car while waiting to join a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Judge John O ’ Connor told Mr Rogers he had no hesitation in accepting the evidence of Tanya Ratcliffe , Casa Da Tanvor , Ballystrahan , St Margarets , Co Dublin , who told the court the soccer player and warehouse worker ’ s car had rolled back for almost nine metres into the front of her Mercedes Benz .
Mr Rogers , while being cross-examined by barrister Conor Kearney , counsel for Ms Ratcliffe and her husband ’ s company , Trevor Ratcliffe Deliveries , said he had been driving on a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and unaccompanied because he “ needed to get home from work ” .
The court heard he had told a garda following the accident at Loughran Roundabout , Swords , that at the time of the accident , on a wet , dark November evening , he had been accompanied by a co-worker who had been unable to wait at the scene and had left to continue his way home .
He told Mr Kearney , who appeared with Francis Gaughan of BLM Solicitors , he had bought his 2004 Ford car for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and had been driving it to and from his work .
He said he had been driving it for about five months following the accident before it had been parked up and stolen on him .
Mr Rogers said he had been sitting in his car at the roundabout when Ms Ratcliffe ’ s Mercedes had driven into the back of his car , injuring him .
He denied his car had rolled backwards into her vehicle while they waited to join the roundabout .
Ms Ratcliffe told Mr Kearney she had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rogers ’ s car when it started rolling towards her .
She said his car had been sitting with no lights and she had pumped her horn eight or nine times before it collided with her .
The impact had been so slight she had suffered no injury .
She said that when she got out to speak to Mr Rogers , only seconds after the accident , he was sitting in his car “ talking to his Ma ” about the injuries he had received in the accident .
She had called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ car had been shunted forward by the Mercedes and he had suffered pain in his lower back area .
The following day he had attended the medical centre at the Omni Park Shopping Centre , Santry , and had been assessed by a doctor .
It was felt he had suffered a soft tissue injury and had been prescribed anti-inflammatory tablets and gel and advised to remain active .
He had been off work for two days .
In a subsequent medical review , he had reported he enjoyed playing soccer three times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been unable to resume his sporting activities .
Mr Kearney told him he had told a doctor he had been unable to resume football until December 2018 despite having played in the Leinster Senior League in February of that year and having captained his team in the winning final in March 2018 .
Judge O ’ Connor , dismissing Mr Rogers ’ s claim , said the case all boiled down to credibility and he had no hesitation whatsoever in accepting Ms Ratcliffe ’ s version of events .

Mr Rogers claimed his car had been shunted forward by the Mercedes and he had suffered pain in his lower back area. Stock image: iStock
A talented soccer player, who skippered his club team to silverware in a major amateur youth league final after telling his doctor he had been sidelined because of injuries he suffered in a rear-ending traffic accident, has lost a €60,000 damages claim in the Circuit Civil Court.
Lee Rogers (27), described as a “high level” footballer with St Kevin’s Soccer Club in Dublin, was also ordered to pay the legal costs of a woman he alleged had run into the back of his car while waiting to join a roundabout near Swords in November 2017.
Judge John O’Connor told Mr Rogers he had no hesitation in accepting the evidence of Tanya Ratcliffe, Casa Da Tanvor, Ballystrahan, St Margarets, Co Dublin, who told the court the soccer player and warehouse worker’s car had rolled back for almost nine metres into the front of her Mercedes Benz.
Mr Rogers, while being cross-examined by barrister Conor Kearney, counsel for Ms Ratcliffe and her husband’s company, Trevor Ratcliffe Deliveries, said he had been driving on a provisional licence without “L” plates and unaccompanied because he “needed to get home from work”.
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The court heard he had told a garda following the accident at Loughran Roundabout, Swords, that at the time of the accident, on a wet, dark November evening, he had been accompanied by a co-worker who had been unable to wait at the scene and had left to continue his way home.
He told Mr Kearney, who appeared with Francis Gaughan of BLM Solicitors, he had bought his 2004 Ford car for €1,100 about a year before the accident and had been driving it to and from his work. He said he had been driving it for about five months following the accident before it had been parked up and stolen on him.
Mr Rogers said he had been sitting in his car at the roundabout when Ms Ratcliffe’s Mercedes had driven into the back of his car, injuring him. He denied his car had rolled backwards into her vehicle while they waited to join the roundabout.
Ms Ratcliffe told Mr Kearney she had been stopped about two car lengths from Mr Rogers’s car when it started rolling towards her. She said his car had been sitting with no lights and she had pumped her horn eight or nine times before it collided with her. The impact had been so slight she had suffered no injury.
She said that when she got out to speak to Mr Rogers, only seconds after the accident, he was sitting in his car “talking to his Ma” about the injuries he had received in the accident. She had called the Garda.
Mr Rogers claimed his car had been shunted forward by the Mercedes and he had suffered pain in his lower back area. The following day he had attended the medical centre at the Omni Park Shopping Centre, Santry, and had been assessed by a doctor.
It was felt he had suffered a soft tissue injury and had been prescribed anti-inflammatory tablets and gel and advised to remain active. He had been off work for two days. In a subsequent medical review, he had reported he enjoyed playing soccer three times a week before the accident but had been unable to resume his sporting activities.
Mr Kearney told him he had told a doctor he had been unable to resume football until December 2018 despite having played in the Leinster Senior League in February of that year and having captained his team in the winning final in March 2018.
Judge O’Connor, dismissing Mr Rogers’s claim, said the case all boiled down to credibility and he had no hesitation whatsoever in accepting Ms Ratcliffe’s version of events.


theirishtimes--2020-07-09--Hiqa queried HSE’s room-sharing in Cork hospital

The State ’ s health service watchdog twice queried the HSE ’ s decision to allow coronavirus-infected residents share rooms with non-Covid residents at a west Cork care facility during an outbreak of the disease .
The regulator , the Health and Information Quality Authority ( Hiqa ) , twice wrote to the HSE over how residents were being accommodated at Clonakilty Community Hospital after receiving information from a concerned relative claiming that infection controls were not being followed .
The care facility was among the worst affected in the country during the pandemic , recording 10 Covid-19 deaths in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Letters detailing the concerns were released to The Irish Times by Hiqa under the Freedom of Information Act .
Hiqa redacted information identifying individuals and homes from the records but this newspaper has independently established their identities .
Hiqa deputy chief inspector Susan Cliffe wrote to HSE chief officer for Cork and Kerry Ger Reaney on April 17th raising concerns that residents who had not yet tested positive for Covid-19 were in the same multi-occupancy room as residents who had tested positive .
“ This puts vulnerable residents at serious risk of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In the absence of a detailed response , she wrote again to the HSE on April 27th escalating her same concerns to the HSE ’ s national director of community operations , David Walsh .
Mr Reaney responded on May 1st saying in a three-page letter : “ You will note the only locations where residents with no symptoms are in the same room as residents who are positive or suspected positive is in the [ unidentified unit of the hospital ] .
” The residents in this unit “ have dementia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appropriately accommodate them elsewhere while maintaining infection control ” , he continued .
The HSE ’ s Cork Kerry Community Healthcare division said in reply to queries that the care facility followed “ at all times ” the expert advice and guidance of a consultant geriatrician , a public health consultant and the HSE ’ s infection prevention and control team during the outbreak .
“ At all times , every possible precaution was taken to keep residents and staff safe , ” it said .

A concerned relative contacted the HSE claiming that infection controls were not being followed at Clonakilty Community Hospital.
The State's health service watchdog twice queried the HSE's decision to allow coronavirus-infected residents share rooms with non-Covid residents at a west Cork care facility during an outbreak of the disease.
The regulator, the Health and Information Quality Authority (Hiqa), twice wrote to the HSE over how residents were being accommodated at Clonakilty Community Hospital after receiving information from a concerned relative claiming that infection controls were not being followed.
The care facility was among the worst affected in the country during the pandemic, recording 10 Covid-19 deaths in an outbreak that began on April 5th.
Letters detailing the concerns were released to The Irish Times by Hiqa under the Freedom of Information Act. Hiqa redacted information identifying individuals and homes from the records but this newspaper has independently established their identities.
READ MORE
Hiqa deputy chief inspector Susan Cliffe wrote to HSE chief officer for Cork and Kerry Ger Reaney on April 17th raising concerns that residents who had not yet tested positive for Covid-19 were in the same multi-occupancy room as residents who had tested positive.
“This puts vulnerable residents at serious risk of contracting the virus,” she said.
In the absence of a detailed response, she wrote again to the HSE on April 27th escalating her same concerns to the HSE’s national director of community operations, David Walsh.
Mr Reaney responded on May 1st saying in a three-page letter: “You will note the only locations where residents with no symptoms are in the same room as residents who are positive or suspected positive is in the [unidentified unit of the hospital].”
The residents in this unit “have dementia and it has not been possible to appropriately accommodate them elsewhere while maintaining infection control”, he continued.
The HSE’s Cork Kerry Community Healthcare division said in reply to queries that the care facility followed “at all times” the expert advice and guidance of a consultant geriatrician, a public health consultant and the HSE’s infection prevention and control team during the outbreak.
“At all times, every possible precaution was taken to keep residents and staff safe,” it said.


theirishtimes--2020-07-09--More people seeking treatment for cocaine use than for cannabis

For the first time in the State more people have been presenting for treatment for cocaine use than for cannabis , while the number of children entering drug treatment has also significantly increased .
New data for drug trends in Ireland from the Health Research Board ( HRB ) reveals that although heroin remains a very significant problem , it is being displaced by cannabis and particularly cocaine .
Men about 30 years of age have been using cocaine , while drinking alcohol , in such large numbers they are driving changes for the treatment of all drug types , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ correspond with concerns among senior Garda officers who told The Irish Times that cocaine had become increasingly popular among men with higher disposable incomes as the economy had recovered in recent years .
A total of 10,664 cases were treated for problem drug use last year , up from 10,274 in 2018 .
The same drug user can account for more than one case in a year .
Children , aged 17 years or younger , accounted for 7.7 per cent of all drug treatment cases last year and 15.5 per cent of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of any age , seeking drug treatment were male .
Interim chief executive at the HRB , Dr Mairead O ’ Driscoll , said the new figures “ illustrate the level of cocaine use in Irish society ” .
“ The consistent rise in demand for cocaine treatment , coupled with an increase in cases in paid employment and a decrease in proportion of cases mixing drugs , reflects clear changes in patterns of drug use , ” she said .
The new 2019 drug treatment data , set for release on Thursday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seeking treatment for cocaine as their main problem drug having trebled since 2013 .
Some 14 per cent of cocaine users in treatment last year also said they had used crack cocaine , up from 11 per cent in 2018 .
Opioids , mainly heroin , were the main problem drug reported in 39 per cent of treatment cases last year , down from 51 per cent in 2013 .
For the first time last year more people who presented for treatment described cocaine as their main problem drug rather than cannabis .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 24 per cent of all drug treatment cases last year , up from 8 per cent in 2013 .
Cannabis was the main drug in 23.5 per cent of all cases last year , down from 29 per cent in 2013 .
Some 24 per cent of people in drug treatment last year had injected a drug at some point – a high-risk behaviour – down from 36 per cent in 2013 .
Of all the drug users in treatment last year , some 65 per cent were treated in outpatient facilities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and 3 per cent by GPs .

Cocaine has become increasingly popular among men with higher disposable incomes as the economy recovered in recent years. Photograph: iStock
For the first time in the State more people have been presenting for treatment for cocaine use than for cannabis, while the number of children entering drug treatment has also significantly increased.
New data for drug trends in Ireland from the Health Research Board (HRB) reveals that although heroin remains a very significant problem, it is being displaced by cannabis and particularly cocaine.
Men about 30 years of age have been using cocaine, while drinking alcohol, in such large numbers they are driving changes for the treatment of all drug types, the HRB has found.
Its findings correspond with concerns among senior Garda officers who told The Irish Times that cocaine had become increasingly popular among men with higher disposable incomes as the economy had recovered in recent years.
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A total of 10,664 cases were treated for problem drug use last year, up from 10,274 in 2018. The same drug user can account for more than one case in a year.
Children, aged 17 years or younger, accounted for 7.7 per cent of all drug treatment cases last year and 15.5 per cent of new cases. Three-quarters of people, of any age, seeking drug treatment were male.
Interim chief executive at the HRB, Dr Mairead O’Driscoll, said the new figures “illustrate the level of cocaine use in Irish society”.
“The consistent rise in demand for cocaine treatment, coupled with an increase in cases in paid employment and a decrease in proportion of cases mixing drugs, reflects clear changes in patterns of drug use,” she said.
Treatment data
The new 2019 drug treatment data, set for release on Thursday by the HRB, reveals numbers now seeking treatment for cocaine as their main problem drug having trebled since 2013. Some 14 per cent of cocaine users in treatment last year also said they had used crack cocaine, up from 11 per cent in 2018.
Opioids, mainly heroin, were the main problem drug reported in 39 per cent of treatment cases last year, down from 51 per cent in 2013. For the first time last year more people who presented for treatment described cocaine as their main problem drug rather than cannabis.
Cocaine was the main drug of choice in 24 per cent of all drug treatment cases last year, up from 8 per cent in 2013. Cannabis was the main drug in 23.5 per cent of all cases last year, down from 29 per cent in 2013.
Some 24 per cent of people in drug treatment last year had injected a drug at some point – a high-risk behaviour – down from 36 per cent in 2013. Of all the drug users in treatment last year, some 65 per cent were treated in outpatient facilities, 15 per cent in residential settings and 3 per cent by GPs.


theirishtimes--2020-07-09--Mother and five children sleep in car while seeking shelter

A Tipperary mother says she has been sleeping in her car with her five children since last week because she can not get emergency accommodation .
Roseanne Joyce ( 37 ) has been told by Tipperary County Council there is no emergency accommodation and has advised her to return to her parents ’ home in Nenagh until she can source private rented accommodation , with the support of the housing assistance payment ( HAP ) .
Ms Joyce and her parents say , however , she can no longer stay at the three-bedroom house , where she has been since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As well as my parents I have two sisters there and a nephew .
There was 11 of us there – five adults and six kids – so you can imagine the strain and pressure we were all under , ” says Ms Joyce .
She and her children , aged between three and 16 , had returned from London , where they had been after the break-up of her marriage in July 2018 .
Before that they had lived in local authority housing in Shannon , Co Clare .
She is repaying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ County Council .
On their return , Tipperary County Council approved Ms Joyce for HAP .
She has been seeking rented housing since , and is allowed pay up to €720 per month for a three-bedroom home under the HAP limits .
“ My mother and father , they minded us for five months but they are not young .
It caused a lot of problems to be honest , especially with the kids , so many of them .
The queue for the bathroom alone .
There was a massive row and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I came here with my children , ” she says , speaking to The Irish Times in the council offices ’ carpark in Nenagh .
“ They knew where I was living and I explained I ’ d had to leave .
I said I needed somewhere , a hostel or something .
I just need somewhere until I find a HAP house .
They said there was nothing they could do.
” She shows blankets folded in the boot of her car , a blow-up mattress and four-man tent .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work the tent , and it ’ s been too wet .
I was just going to find a field and put it up.
” They slept in the car , she says , last Wednesday and Thursday , pulling in to different locations each night .
“ I sleep in the driver seat .
My oldest daughter sleeps in the passenger seat .
David ( 5 ) and Danny ( 9 ) sit in the back seat with Joanna Rose ( 3 ) in her seat.
” Thomas ( 13 ) sleeps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
She has been washing in garage and council bathrooms , she adds .
On Friday , gardaí were called to the council where she had spent the day with the children .
“ The guards were very nice .
They rang around looking for somewhere for us .
In the end , my sister said she ’ d take us just until Monday.
” Gardaí said they could not comment on an individual case .
Her sister , Breda Quilligan , said she agreed to to take them in , “ under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ am in a tiny , upstairs , two-bedroom apartment with three kids .
Roseanne had to sleep on clothes on the floor .
It ’ s too hectic here.
” Their mother , Christina Harty , confirmed Ms Joyce and the children had been with her and her husband “ since early February ” .
“ There were 11 of us in a small house all through the lockdown .
The house was too full of kids and my husband is a sick man.
” She added : “ I hope she gets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can ’ t come back here and there ’ s no one else to help her.
” Ms Joyce returned to the council offices on Monday and Tuesday asking for emergency accommodation .
She has not been permitted to park at the offices overnight .
Jack Griffin , development worker with the Tipperary Rural Traveller Project said the organisation had been advocating for Ms Joyce since May .
“ There seems to be systemic failing , that there is no emergency accommodation in north Tipperary .
We have flagged with the council that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , since May.
” A spokesman for the council said there was a “ dearth ” of emergency accommodation across Tipperary .
He did not accept the family had no option but to sleep in the car , however , and described spending her days with the children in the council car park as a “ protest ” .
He said the council ’ s homelessness officer had “ gone above and beyond ” in assisting Ms Joyce source HAP accommodation , adding a property had been identified in Cashel , 53km from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advised to take .
Her children had experienced “ a lot of upset ” in recent months , she said .
“ They are happily settled now in schools in Nenagh , and my family is here .
I need to be close to them .
I ’ m open to living outside Nenagh , but Cashel is too far away .
If I take that house I ’ d never get back to my family.
” Though local authorities are not legally obliged to provide emergency accommodation to homeless people , under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are set out .
These include to “ arrange lodgings or contribute to the cost of such accommodation or lodgings for a homeless person ” .
Under the Act a person “ shall ” be regarded as “ homeless ” if “ there is no accommodation available which , in the opinion of the authority , he , together with any other person who normally resides with him .
.
.
can reasonably occupy or remain in occupation of ” .
Ms Joyce said the council “ seem to think I have somewhere @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never been in this position before .
All I want is a room for my kids to sleep while I find us a home ” .

Roseanne Joyce with three of her five children – Johanna Rose, David and Danny – in the car they live in outside the offices of Tipperary County Council in Nenagh. Photograph: John D Kelly
A Tipperary mother says she has been sleeping in her car with her five children since last week because she cannot get emergency accommodation.
Roseanne Joyce (37) has been told by Tipperary County Council there is no emergency accommodation and has advised her to return to her parents' home in Nenagh until she can source private rented accommodation, with the support of the housing assistance payment (HAP).
Ms Joyce and her parents say, however, she can no longer stay at the three-bedroom house, where she has been since February, due to overcrowding.
“As well as my parents I have two sisters there and a nephew. There was 11 of us there – five adults and six kids – so you can imagine the strain and pressure we were all under,” says Ms Joyce.
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She and her children, aged between three and 16, had returned from London, where they had been after the break-up of her marriage in July 2018. Before that they had lived in local authority housing in Shannon, Co Clare. She is repaying rental arrears on that house to Clare County Council.
On their return, Tipperary County Council approved Ms Joyce for HAP. She has been seeking rented housing since, and is allowed pay up to €720 per month for a three-bedroom home under the HAP limits.
“My mother and father, they minded us for five months but they are not young. It caused a lot of problems to be honest, especially with the kids, so many of them. The queue for the bathroom alone. There was a massive row and I left on July 1st.
“I came here with my children,” she says, speaking to The Irish Times in the council offices’ carpark in Nenagh. “They knew where I was living and I explained I’d had to leave. I said I needed somewhere, a hostel or something. I just need somewhere until I find a HAP house. They said there was nothing they could do.”
She shows blankets folded in the boot of her car, a blow-up mattress and four-man tent. “I couldn’t figure out how to work the tent, and it’s been too wet. I was just going to find a field and put it up.”
They slept in the car, she says, last Wednesday and Thursday, pulling in to different locations each night.
Garage bathrooms
"I sleep in the driver seat. My oldest daughter sleeps in the passenger seat. David (5) and Danny (9) sit in the back seat with Joanna Rose (3) in her seat." Thomas (13) sleeps in a third seat at the back. She has been washing in garage and council bathrooms, she adds.
On Friday, gardaí were called to the council where she had spent the day with the children. “The guards were very nice. They rang around looking for somewhere for us. In the end, my sister said she’d take us just until Monday.”
Gardaí said they could not comment on an individual case.
Her sister, Breda Quilligan, said she agreed to to take them in, "under the circumstances . . . but I am in a tiny, upstairs, two-bedroom apartment with three kids. Roseanne had to sleep on clothes on the floor. It's too hectic here."
Their mother, Christina Harty, confirmed Ms Joyce and the children had been with her and her husband "since early February".
“There were 11 of us in a small house all through the lockdown. The house was too full of kids and my husband is a sick man.”
She added: “I hope she gets some help from the council because she can’t come back here and there’s no one else to help her.”
Ms Joyce returned to the council offices on Monday and Tuesday asking for emergency accommodation. She has not been permitted to park at the offices overnight.
Jack Griffin, development worker with the Tipperary Rural Traveller Project said the organisation had been advocating for Ms Joyce since May.
‘Protest’ action
“There seems to be systemic failing, that there is no emergency accommodation in north Tipperary. We have flagged with the council that she could not stay where she was, since May.”
A spokesman for the council said there was a “dearth” of emergency accommodation across Tipperary. He did not accept the family had no option but to sleep in the car, however, and described spending her days with the children in the council car park as a “protest”.
He said the council's homelessness officer had "gone above and beyond" in assisting Ms Joyce source HAP accommodation, adding a property had been identified in Cashel, 53km from Nenagh, which Ms Joyce had been advised to view.
Her children had experienced “a lot of upset” in recent months, she said.
“They are happily settled now in schools in Nenagh, and my family is here. I need to be close to them. I’m open to living outside Nenagh, but Cashel is too far away. If I take that house I’d never get back to my family.”
Though local authorities are not legally obliged to provide emergency accommodation to homeless people, under the 1998 Housing Act their general responsibilities are set out. These include to “arrange lodgings or contribute to the cost of such accommodation or lodgings for a homeless person”.
Under the Act a person “shall” be regarded as “homeless” if “there is no accommodation available which, in the opinion of the authority, he, together with any other person who normally resides with him . . . can reasonably occupy or remain in occupation of”.
Ms Joyce said the council “seem to think I have somewhere to go . . . I have never been in this position before. All I want is a room for my kids to sleep while I find us a home”.


theirishtimes--2020-07-09--Covid-19: Dentists issue warning over mouth cancers

A high number of mouth cancers could be missed , or found late because people are unable , or less likely to go to their dentist during the Covid-19 crisis , dentists now warn .
Dentists are attempting to catch up with cases , but Professor Leo Stassen , an oral surgeon who specialises in treating cancers , warns that late-diagnosis will become a nationwide issue as the State emerges from lockdown .
“ I think it ’ s going to be a big problem , ” he said , noting that dentists were helping to discover between 150 and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic struck .
Prof Stassen identified two cases of mouth cancer during the lockdown when he was sent photographs of two concerned patients , but many patients are ignoring symptoms .
Rather than seek medical treatment , some people are wrongly concerned about the risks of coronavirus when they go to the dentist , or unaware emergency dental services have continued to operate throughout .
Mouth cancers are relatively common .
Cases caught early have about a 90 per cent survival rate and may only require surgery , while cases caught at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rate of between 5 and 10 per cent .
Prof Stassen also noted that his and other clinics are now facing “ drastically reduced ” patient capacity due to social distancing measures and patients will have to be prioritised based on their case files .
As well as those with unchecked symptoms , patients who have recovered from the disease must be checked to ensure they do not develop a second case .
In the past 10-15 years , the management of oral cancer has greatly improved but , he said , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” .
Limerick dentist Dr Robert Bowe was alarmed to discover two mouth cancers in the first three weeks after he returned to regular practice ; before that he had seen just one case in eight years .
“ People had to put things off although we were open for emergencies and people could travel out of their areas and come to the dentist , but generally people were avoiding interactions , ” he said of recent months .
“ My point is , if I am seeing this as a dentist , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
” One of his patients had a mouth ulcer underneath a denture which went unchecked .
Another had swelling around a tooth .
On later inspection he was concerned by the pattern and took a scan which he sent on to a doctor .
The patient was booked in for medical treatment the following day and had a biopsy which later confirmed B-cell lymphoma .
“ The message would be that if you have an ulcer that hasn ’ t gone away after two weeks you should get it [ checked ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vast majority that are investigated aren ’ t anything to worry about but if it needs treatment , if it ’ s picked up early it ’ s much easier to treat.
” The Irish Dental Association ( IDA ) recently warned that Ireland was facing an “ unprecedented crisis ” , following a survey of 329 practitioners on the fallout from Covid-19 .
As well as addressing the financial difficulties experienced by practices , it noted the pandemic was impacting on people ’ s ability to seek treatment .
Chief executive Fintan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ routine dentistry , many practitioners were unable to provide emergency care because of a lack of personal protective equipment ( PPE ) , a problem that has since somewhat abated .
“ Oral health is a key part of a person ’ s overall health , and the effects of this outbreak will have repercussions that will last long after the virus has disappeared , ” he said .
“ The bleak reality is that , unless supports are put in place for dentists , dental practices will close and patients will have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospitals will be overwhelmed with emergency dental appointments .
”

A high number of mouth cancers could be missed, or found late because people are unable, or less likely to go to their dentist during the Covid-19 crisis, dentists now warn.
Dentists are attempting to catch up with cases, but Professor Leo Stassen, an oral surgeon who specialises in treating cancers, warns that late-diagnosis will become a nationwide issue as the State emerges from lockdown.
“I think it’s going to be a big problem,” he said, noting that dentists were helping to discover between 150 and 180 cancers each year before the Covid-19 pandemic struck.
Prof Stassen, president of the Irish Dental Association (IDA), identified two cases of mouth cancer during the lockdown when he was sent photographs of two concerned patients, but many patients are ignoring symptoms.
READ MORE
Rather than seek medical treatment, some people are wrongly concerned about the risks of coronavirus when they go to the dentist, or unaware emergency dental services have continued to operate throughout.
Mouth cancers are relatively common. Cases caught early have about a 90 per cent survival rate and may only require surgery, while cases caught at a later stage of development have a survival rate of between 5 and 10 per cent.
Prof Stassen also noted that his and other clinics are now facing “drastically reduced” patient capacity due to social distancing measures and patients will have to be prioritised based on their case files.
As well as those with unchecked symptoms, patients who have recovered from the disease must be checked to ensure they do not develop a second case.
In the past 10-15 years, the management of oral cancer has greatly improved but, he said, “Covid-19 has knocked us off our perch”.
Limerick dentist Dr Robert Bowe was alarmed to discover two mouth cancers in the first three weeks after he returned to regular practice; before that he had seen just one case in eight years.
“People had to put things off although we were open for emergencies and people could travel out of their areas and come to the dentist, but generally people were avoiding interactions,” he said of recent months.
“My point is, if I am seeing this as a dentist, what other things are being put off?”
One of his patients had a mouth ulcer underneath a denture which went unchecked. Another had swelling around a tooth. On later inspection he was concerned by the pattern and took a scan which he sent on to a doctor. The patient was booked in for medical treatment the following day and had a biopsy which later confirmed B-cell lymphoma.
“The message would be that if you have an ulcer that hasn’t gone away after two weeks you should get it [checked],” he said.
“The vast majority that are investigated aren’t anything to worry about but if it needs treatment, if it’s picked up early it’s much easier to treat.”
The association recently warned that Ireland was facing an "unprecedented crisis", following a survey of 329 practitioners on the fallout from Covid-19.
As well as addressing the financial difficulties experienced by practices, it noted the pandemic was impacting on people’s ability to seek treatment.
Fintan Hourihan, the group's chief executive, noted in May that besides the impossibility of routine dentistry at the time, many practitioners were unable to provide emergency care because of a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE). Since then, dental services have resumed and some dentists have sourced their own PPE.
“Oral health is a key part of a person’s overall health, and the effects of this outbreak will have repercussions that will last long after the virus has disappeared,” he said.
“The bleak reality is that, unless supports are put in place for dentists, dental practices will close and patients will have to travel further for dental care and hospitals will be overwhelmed with emergency dental appointments.”


theirishtimes--2020-07-09--Practices of livestock farming are a global health issue

There has been an understandable rush to see the coronavirus pandemic as a reason to rethink aspects of modern life .
Working from home has been touted as a solution to long commutes and cycle lanes to the problem of urban traffic .
Environmentalists have pointed out that swift collective action , similar to that against Covid-19 , could be effectively applied to the problem of climate change .
If we focus specifically on the issue of containing infectious disease , however , then we ought to be having a very stark look at our relationship with the other animals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is believed to be a zoonotic disease ( one spread from animals to humans ) , only one among the many that emerge each year .
Scientists have just identified another swine flu strain that they believe has potential to cause a pandemic .
If we think back to the feared pandemics of the recent past most of them can be traced to animals .
More importantly , they can be traced to human relationships with other animals .
For example , it is now generally accepted that HIV/AIDs ( arguably the last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as SARS CoV 2 ) moved from chimpanzees into humans .
Both the emergence and the subsequent spread of the disease were enabled by economic factors ( including imperialism ) that brought people into denser groups and encouraged game hunting .
This allowed many more opportunities for disease exchange between humans and between humans and chimpanzees .
Expansion of human habitats has often exposed us to new diseases from wild animals , but equally important are livestock farming practices .
In fact many historians believe that Europeans experienced higher rates of disease than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ close association with domestic animals rather than close association with other humans .
The SARS CoV 2 pandemic is a reminder that food animals can give us much more than nourishment .
How we manage livestock may have a direct bearing on whether we can avoid future pandemics of zoonotic diseases .
A significant shift in how Ireland and much of the western world raised food animals occurred during the 19th century .
Diseases like rinderpest , tuberculosis and pleuropneumonia threatened supplies of cattle and had the potential to sicken the people who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not pass to humans , but that was not known at the time .
City governments sought to eliminate sick animals from the food chain , and they demanded centralised abattoirs where they could more effectively inspect the meat .
One was constructed in Dublin in 1882 , just outside of the North Circular Road near to the former cattle market .
The idea was to prevent butchers from slaughtering in their own yards and thus remove an environmental hazard while improving meat inspection .
Since the 19th century many aspects of livestock @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : towards larger farms , larger herds , larger killing facilities and larger markets .
This has created efficiencies and enabled an improved human diet ( which in and of itself is one protection against disease ) .
And the changes worked to reduce problems with tuberculosis and other diseases transmitted by food .
But that solution has created a new problem .
Public health officials of the 19th and 20th centuries worried about the crowding of people into tenements where disease might spread easily .
They worried about these people bringing animals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presence made habitations and yards even dirtier and more of a risk .
Now , however , we often crowd those animals together in conditions far worse than a 19th century tenement building .
Those who sought public health reform in the past believed that if they could only separate dense human populations from animals then they would reduce the risk of disease .
And for a while and in some places it did .
But we need a much more drastic reimagination of our relationship with the animals we raise to eat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ global health issue , not just a climate change issue .
Human health can not be crudely separated from animal health .
We can do little about farming practices in China , but we can learn from this disaster .
If we continue to crowd animals together in large numbers to feed ourselves we maintain a high risk from emergent zoonotic disease .

A farmers’ market in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China. How we manage livestock may have a direct bearing on whether we can avoid future pandemics of zoonotic diseases. Photograph: EPA/Alex Plavevski
There has been an understandable rush to see the coronavirus pandemic as a reason to rethink aspects of modern life. Working from home has been touted as a solution to long commutes and cycle lanes to the problem of urban traffic.
Environmentalists have pointed out that swift collective action, similar to that against Covid-19, could be effectively applied to the problem of climate change. If we focus specifically on the issue of containing infectious disease, however, then we ought to be having a very stark look at our relationship with the other animals on the planet.
SARS CoV 2 is believed to be a zoonotic disease (one spread from animals to humans), only one among the many that emerge each year. Scientists have just identified another swine flu strain that they believe has potential to cause a pandemic. If we think back to the feared pandemics of the recent past most of them can be traced to animals. More importantly, they can be traced to human relationships with other animals.
For example, it is now generally accepted that HIV/AIDs (arguably the last pandemic to cause a similar global panic as SARS CoV 2) moved from chimpanzees into humans. Both the emergence and the subsequent spread of the disease were enabled by economic factors (including imperialism) that brought people into denser groups and encouraged game hunting. This allowed many more opportunities for disease exchange between humans and between humans and chimpanzees.
READ MORE
Domestic animals
Expansion of human habitats has often exposed us to new diseases from wild animals, but equally important are livestock farming practices. In fact many historians believe that Europeans experienced higher rates of disease than indigenous peoples in the Americas because of close association with domestic animals rather than close association with other humans.
The SARS CoV 2 pandemic is a reminder that food animals can give us much more than nourishment. How we manage livestock may have a direct bearing on whether we can avoid future pandemics of zoonotic diseases.
A significant shift in how Ireland and much of the western world raised food animals occurred during the 19th century. Diseases like rinderpest, tuberculosis and pleuropneumonia threatened supplies of cattle and had the potential to sicken the people who ate them. Rinderpest and pleuropneumonia do not pass to humans, but that was not known at the time.
City governments sought to eliminate sick animals from the food chain, and they demanded centralised abattoirs where they could more effectively inspect the meat. One was constructed in Dublin in 1882, just outside of the North Circular Road near to the former cattle market. The idea was to prevent butchers from slaughtering in their own yards and thus remove an environmental hazard while improving meat inspection.
Since the 19th century many aspects of livestock farming have gone in the same direction: towards larger farms, larger herds, larger killing facilities and larger markets. This has created efficiencies and enabled an improved human diet (which in and of itself is one protection against disease). And the changes worked to reduce problems with tuberculosis and other diseases transmitted by food.
But that solution has created a new problem. Public health officials of the 19th and 20th centuries worried about the crowding of people into tenements where disease might spread easily. They worried about these people bringing animals into those environments, believing that their presence made habitations and yards even dirtier and more of a risk. Now, however, we often crowd those animals together in conditions far worse than a 19th century tenement building.
Public health
Those who sought public health reform in the past believed that if they could only separate dense human populations from animals then they would reduce the risk of disease. And for a while and in some places it did.
But we need a much more drastic reimagination of our relationship with the animals we raise to eat. Practices of livestock farming are a global health issue, not just a climate change issue. Human health cannot be crudely separated from animal health.
We can do little about farming practices in China, but we can learn from this disaster. If we continue to crowd animals together in large numbers to feed ourselves we maintain a high risk from emergent zoonotic disease.
Dr Juliana Adelman lectures in history at Dublin City University


theirishtimes--2020-07-09--‘People are dying’ – private nursing homes’ plea for State help

Two of the nursing homes worst hit by coronavirus appealed directly to then minister for health Simon Harris for help as they fought severe Covid-19 outbreaks in March and April .
The private homes – Tara Winthrop in Swords , Co Dublin and Dealgan House in Dundalk , Co Louth – struggled to cope with outbreaks prompting them to make desperate , late-night pleas for help .
Newly released emails show the depth of the crisis in some nursing homes , the sector most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic accounting for 985 or 56 per cent of the 1,738 Covid-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chief executive of Tara Winthrop , one of the first nursing homes in Ireland to experience a Covid-19 outbreak , told senior State health officials on the weekend of March 20th-21st the facility “ can not contain the outbreak without support directly on our units ” and management at the nursing home “ no longer have the resources to manage the outbreak ” .
The situation reached crisis point at Dealgan House over the Easter weekend in April , when a director warned in an email to the HSE that if the home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a fighting chance of survival , the home needs to be virtually turned into a hospital ” .
Both homes recorded multiple cases of coronavirus and deaths related to the disease , running to more than 20 confirmed or suspected Covid-19 deaths at each care facility .
A quarter of the residents at Dealgan House died .
The appeals for help are contained in emails released by health service regulator , Health and Information Quality Authority ( HIQA ) , to The Irish Times under the Freedom of Information ( FoI ) Act @ @ @ @ @ @ @ identifying individuals and the homes .
This newspaper has independently established the identity of the homes and the individuals in the correspondence .
Covid-19 swept through Tara Winthrop three weeks before Dealgan House .
In an email sent at 11.15pm on Friday , March 20th , to HSE officials , Mr O ’ Donovan said the large Swords home needed an additional 12 staff the following day to cover symptomatic staff calling in sick and 11 staff to cover the shortfall on the Sunday .
“ I can not highlight enough the immediate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he wrote .
In addition to the extra staff , Mr O ’ Donovan appealed for personal protective equipment ( PPE ) , the results of swab tests , swabs for further tests and “ one single contact in public health ” .
He warned that without further supplies of PPE , the home would breach minimum requirements “ of the most recent HSE guidance note on PPE ” .
He had not received a response by the following day so he escalated his concerns .
At 1.53pm that Saturday , he forwarded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same recipients and this time copied the then minister for health and other Department of Health and HSE senior officials .
The situation at the north Co Dublin home “ continues to get more serious by the hour ” with more staff out sick , he said .
Mr O ’ Donovan referred to a newspaper article published that day reporting then taoiseach Leo Varadkar telling a private Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting that in Italy nursing homes residents were not going to the hospital when Covid-19 hit but to the morgue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want that to happen here .
“ It has and is happening , ” Mr O ’ Donovan wrote in his email that Saturday afternoon .
He said : “ I need the following now : acknowledgment of receipt of email , one senior point of contact in public health has decision-making authority ; [ and ] immediate staffing support for carers , nurses , cleaners and catering.
” Mr O ’ Donovan signed off , saying : “ Again , I appeal for your immediate attention to this critical situation for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he sent a follow-up email expressing relief that “ six personnel ” had arrived to help and these were “ crucial to us containing the outbreak and protecting the residents ” .
“ We no longer feel unheard and unsupported , ” he wrote .
In a call with a Tara Winthrop staff member the following week , Hiqa noted that it was told that the number of staff calling in sick was increasing daily to the point that the Swords nursing home was “ considering asking relatives to come and assist with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ related to .
The crisis was just as grave at Dealgan House when it hit three weeks later , at the Easter weekend .
Fintan Farrelly , one of the home ’ s owners , emailed the State ’ s chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan late on April 11th saying he would not normally make a request “ through this channel ” but “ as it is Easter Saturday and the situation is so urgent , I ’ m appealing directly to you ” .
“ In our nursing home , people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with staff absences .
Many of these staff were tested weeks ago and have had no result , ” he wrote .
The privately owned nursing home did not know which residents were infected until they had symptoms and that “ in a number of cases , the residents have passed away within hours of showing the first symptoms ” , he said .
They “ desperately ” needed mass testing of all staff and residents with next-day results , he told Dr Holohan , “ so that we can get a clear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outbreak under control ” .
Mr Farrelly alerted Mr Harris to his concerns the next day , telling the then minister for health in an email at 8.47pm on Easter Sunday that the nursing home required extra nurses from the HSE to work day and night shifts .
“ I fear that when the history of Ireland ’ s Covid-19 pandemic is written , the failure to adequately support nursing homes during the month of March and up to the current time , will have resulted in multiple avoidable deaths and will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic , ” he wrote .
“ We are said to be ‘ all in this together ’ but we feel strongly that Ireland ’ s most vulnerable and concentrated group , the over 25,000 residents of our nursing homes , have been and continue to be neglected by your department and the HSE .
We cherish our elderly people and feel they are being badly let down by the State.
” The staff had been “ decimated ” , he wrote , and said some who were self-isolating had not received test @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be “ unnecessarily absent from work , thus exacerbating desperate staff shortage ” .
“ It was not our experience that healthcare workers were prioritised for testing and it appears that prioritisation only applied to the HSE , ” he wrote .
Mr Farrelly said the home was desperately short of nurses “ and on occasion have only had one nurse on night duty , dealing with 80 residents , some of whom are very ill ” .
“ Our experience is that the support promised from the HSE is not forthcoming and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said in his email to the minister .
Mr Farrelly said he was “ very disturbed ” to hear that while Dealgan was “ in dire straits and our residents are dying ” a local hospital in Co Louth was “ practically empty of patients and is fully staffed ” and nurses were told to take leave “ due to an insufficient workload ” and “ will be called if necessary ” .
On Monday , April 13th , Mr Farrelly emailed a HSE official with a long list of what the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers .
Dealgan ’ s residents “ deserve a chance to fight this virus ” at the home , he said , and the only alternative was to sent them to a local hospital .
“ This is not our wish nor that of families , nor I ’ m sure that of the HSE , ” he wrote .
Four days later , the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland ( RCSI ) Hospitals Group stepped in and temporarily took over the management of the Co Louth nursing home .
A spokesman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Covid-19 outbreak was closed and they had not had a new outbreak since May .
The 84-bed capacity home had 22 Covid-19 deaths .
Tara Winthrop said on Wednesday that it had 18 confirmed and five suspected Covid deaths at the facility , which has 140 beds .
A spokesman for the home said a further five asymptomatic staff tested positive two weeks ago as part of the HSE ’ s weekly testing of all nursing home staff but they had isolated , recovered and returned to work .
All residents subsequently tested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said close liaison with Mr Harris , his department and the HSE from March “ enabled learnings from this experience to inform and improve the measures taken subsequently to help cope with outbreaks across the nursing home sector ” .
He said the Swords nursing home was “ working tirelessly to protect the residents and the staff and continue to work , on a daily basis , with the experts in the HSE , Department of Health and Hiqa to fight this virus ” .

Tara Winthrop Private Clinic, in Swords, Co Dublin, was one of the first nursing homes in Ireland to experience a Covid-19 outbreak. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill
Two of the nursing homes worst hit by coronavirus appealed directly to then minister for health Simon Harris for help as they fought severe Covid-19 outbreaks in March and April.
The private homes – Tara Winthrop in Swords, Co Dublin and Dealgan House in Dundalk, Co Louth – struggled to cope with outbreaks prompting them to make desperate, late-night pleas for help.
Newly released emails show the depth of the crisis in some nursing homes, the sector most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic accounting for 985 or 56 per cent of the 1,738 Covid-19 deaths.
A quarter of the residents at Dealgan House nursing home, Dundalk, Co Louth, died during the Covid-19 outbreak. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill
Joe O'Donovan, chief executive of Tara Winthrop, one of the first nursing homes in Ireland to experience a Covid-19 outbreak, told senior State health officials on the weekend of March 20th-21st the facility "cannot contain the outbreak without support directly on our units" and management at the nursing home "no longer have the resources to manage the outbreak".
READ MORE
The situation reached crisis point at Dealgan House over the Easter weekend in April, when a director warned in an email to the HSE that if the home’s residents were to have “a fighting chance of survival, the home needs to be virtually turned into a hospital”.
Both homes recorded multiple cases of coronavirus and deaths related to the disease, running to more than 20 confirmed or suspected Covid-19 deaths at each care facility.
A quarter of the residents at Dealgan House died.
The appeals for help are contained in emails released by health service regulator, Health and Information Quality Authority (HIQA), to The Irish Times under the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act. The records were redacted of information identifying individuals and the homes. This newspaper has independently established the identity of the homes and the individuals in the correspondence.
Covid-19 swept through Tara Winthrop three weeks before Dealgan House.
‘Immediate threat’
In an email sent at 11.15pm on Friday, March 20th, to HSE officials, Mr O’Donovan said the large Swords home needed an additional 12 staff the following day to cover symptomatic staff calling in sick and 11 staff to cover the shortfall on the Sunday.
“I cannot highlight enough the immediate threat…at the home from Covid-19,” he wrote.
In addition to the extra staff, Mr O’Donovan appealed for personal protective equipment (PPE), the results of swab tests, swabs for further tests and “one single contact in public health”.
He warned that without further supplies of PPE, the home would breach minimum requirements “of the most recent HSE guidance note on PPE”.
He had not received a response by the following day so he escalated his concerns.
At 1.53pm that Saturday, he forwarded his previous night's email to the same recipients and this time copied the then minister for health and other Department of Health and HSE senior officials.
The situation at the north Co Dublin home “continues to get more serious by the hour” with more staff out sick, he said.
Mr O'Donovan referred to a newspaper article published that day reporting then taoiseach Leo Varadkar telling a private Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting that in Italy nursing homes residents were not going to the hospital when Covid-19 hit but to the morgue, and that Mr Varadkar did not want that to happen here.
“It has and is happening,” Mr O’Donovan wrote in his email that Saturday afternoon.
He said: “I need the following now: acknowledgment of receipt of email, one senior point of contact in public health has decision-making authority; [and] immediate staffing support for carers, nurses, cleaners and catering.”
Mr O’Donovan signed off, saying: “Again, I appeal for your immediate attention to this critical situation for a high-risk vulnerable group.”
At 5.40pm, he sent a follow-up email expressing relief that “six personnel” had arrived to help and these were “crucial to us containing the outbreak and protecting the residents”.
“We no longer feel unheard and unsupported,” he wrote.
In a call with a Tara Winthrop staff member the following week, Hiqa noted that it was told that the number of staff calling in sick was increasing daily to the point that the Swords nursing home was “considering asking relatives to come and assist with caring” for the residents they were related to.
The crisis was just as grave at Dealgan House when it hit three weeks later, at the Easter weekend.
Direct appeal
Fintan Farrelly, one of the home's owners, emailed the State's chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan late on April 11th saying he would not normally make a request "through this channel" but "as it is Easter Saturday and the situation is so urgent, I'm appealing directly to you".
“In our nursing home, people are dying and we are struggling terribly with staff absences. Many of these staff were tested weeks ago and have had no result,” he wrote.
The privately owned nursing home did not know which residents were infected until they had symptoms and that “in a number of cases, the residents have passed away within hours of showing the first symptoms”, he said.
They “desperately” needed mass testing of all staff and residents with next-day results, he told Dr Holohan, “so that we can get a clear picture of the situation and get the outbreak under control”.
Mr Farrelly alerted Mr Harris to his concerns the next day, telling the then minister for health in an email at 8.47pm on Easter Sunday that the nursing home required extra nurses from the HSE to work day and night shifts.
“I fear that when the history of Ireland’s Covid-19 pandemic is written, the failure to adequately support nursing homes during the month of March and up to the current time, will have resulted in multiple avoidable deaths and will be identified as the greatest tragedy of the pandemic,” he wrote.
“We are said to be ‘all in this together’ but we feel strongly that Ireland’s most vulnerable and concentrated group, the over 25,000 residents of our nursing homes, have been and continue to be neglected by your department and the HSE. We cherish our elderly people and feel they are being badly let down by the State.”
The staff had been “decimated”, he wrote, and said some who were self-isolating had not received test results, so they could in fact be “unnecessarily absent from work, thus exacerbating desperate staff shortage”.
“It was not our experience that healthcare workers were prioritised for testing and it appears that prioritisation only applied to the HSE,” he wrote.
Mr Farrelly said the home was desperately short of nurses “and on occasion have only had one nurse on night duty, dealing with 80 residents, some of whom are very ill”.
“Our experience is that the support promised from the HSE is not forthcoming and I ask you why not?” he said in his email to the minister.
‘Dire straits’
Mr Farrelly said he was “very disturbed” to hear that while Dealgan was “in dire straits and our residents are dying” a local hospital in Co Louth was “practically empty of patients and is fully staffed” and nurses were told to take leave “due to an insufficient workload” and “will be called if necessary”.
“This beggars belief!” he wrote.
On Monday, April 13th, Mr Farrelly emailed a HSE official with a long list of what the home required, including nurses and healthcare workers.
Dealgan’s residents “deserve a chance to fight this virus” at the home, he said, and the only alternative was to sent them to a local hospital.
“This is not our wish nor that of families, nor I’m sure that of the HSE,” he wrote.
Four days later, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) Hospitals Group stepped in and temporarily took over the management of the Co Louth nursing home.
A spokesman for Dealgan House said this week the Covid-19 outbreak was closed and they had not had a new outbreak since May. The 84-bed capacity home had 22 Covid-19 deaths.
Tara Winthrop said on Wednesday that it had 18 confirmed and five suspected Covid deaths at the facility, which has 140 beds.
A spokesman for the home said a further five asymptomatic staff tested positive two weeks ago as part of the HSE’s weekly testing of all nursing home staff but they had isolated, recovered and returned to work. All residents subsequently tested negative, he added.
The spokesman said close liaison with Mr Harris, his department and the HSE from March “enabled learnings from this experience to inform and improve the measures taken subsequently to help cope with outbreaks across the nursing home sector”.
He said the Swords nursing home was “working tirelessly to protect the residents and the staff and continue to work, on a daily basis, with the experts in the HSE, Department of Health and Hiqa to fight this virus”.


theirishtimes--2020-07-09--Covid and non-Covid dementia residents shared room at care facility

The Health Service Executive allowed coronavirus-infected residents with dementia in a Co Cork care home to share the same room with residents not infected with Covid-19 , newly released records reveal .
Emails between the HSE and the health watchdog , the Health Information and Quality Authority ( Hiqa ) , show the regulator twice raised concerns in April about Covid and non-Covid residents with dementia sharing a multi-occupancy room at Clonakilty Community Hospital , which is run by the HSE .
Two weeks after the regulator first raised concerns on April 17th , the HSE admitted there were residents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as residents who were “ positive or suspected positive ” .
The HSE ’ s chief officer in the Cork-Kerry area , Ger Reaney , replied by letter on May 1st saying the residents in the shared room had dementia and “ it has not been possible to appropriately accommodate them elsewhere while maintaining infection control ” .
The correspondence , which had identifying information on individuals and the homes redacted , was released by HIQA to The Irish Times following a request made under the Freedom of Information ( FoI ) Act @ @ @ @ @ @ @ identity of the homes and the individuals in the correspondence .
The west Cork facility , which last year had 43 residents with dementia out of 103 living at the home , was among more than 400 care facilities that had to battle outbreak of coronavirus .
The HSE confirmed that 10 residents at Clonakilty Community Hospital died during the outbreak of the virus .
Hiqa contacted the HSE on April 17th after receiving unsolicited information from a concerned relative that the health service was not implementing infection-prevention control guidelines in managing Covid-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cliffe , Hiqa ’ s deputy chief inspector , wrote to Mr Reaney raising concerns about accommodating residents that had not yet tested positive for Covid-19 and Covid-positive residents in the same multi-occupancy room .
“ This puts vulnerable residents at serious risk of contracting the virus , ” she wrote .
She said where the single-room capacity of a care facility was exceeded and it was “ necessary to cohort residents in a multi-occupancy room ” , only residents diagnosed with Covid-19 could be “ cohorted together ” and probable Covid-19 cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The risk of cohorting probable cases in multi-occupancy areas is much greater than that of cohorting confirmed positive residents together , as the suspect cohort is likely to include residents with and without Covid-19 , ” she wrote .
She asked that the HSE set out within three days the risk assessment undertaken and what action was being taken to protect residents “ who have not yet contracted Covid-19 ” .
In the absence of detailed response beyond “ holding emails ” , Ms Cliffe wrote to the HSE again on April 27th @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the care facility .
“ This situation continues to put vulnerable residents at risk , ” she said .
Mr Reaney , in his May 1st reply , told Ms Cliffe that an outbreak control team was managing the home and “ every opportunity to cohort patients in line with the guidelines was followed , along with reducing beds and maximising use of [ a ] limited number of single rooms ” .
He told her that “ managing an outbreak was a fluid situation ” and that the health service “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cohorting cases within the limitations of available rooms ” .
A consultant geriatrician visited on April 17th and 24th and confirmed Covid-positive residents were being managed “ in line with best practice and that no different action was recommended ” .
He rejected a suggestion of “ assigning residents of different gender with dementia in the same room ” , saying it was not considered a “ safe option ” .
The 129-bed Clonakilty Community Hospital was one of 19 publicly funded community and nursing home facilities that Hiqa warned the HSE and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being “ centres of concern ” and at “ high risk ” for the spread of Covid-19 due to the multi-occupancy rooms and shared facilities .
The HSE ’ s Cork Kerry Community Health said in a statement yesterday that from the first confirmed case of Covid-19 at Clonakilty on April 5th a consultant geriatrician , a public health consultant and the infection and prevention control team regularly visited to provide expert advice .
“ Their expert advice and guidance was followed at all times , ” the HSE said .
It described @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time for residents , for their families , for the community and for the staff caring for the residents ” and that the hospital “ continued to provide both compassionate and high quality care to all residents at all times.
” “ At all times , every possible precaution was taken to keep residents and staff safe , ” it said .
The statement said that management of the outbreak included “ cohorting ” which involved keeping residents with Covid-19 or suspected of having Covid-19 separate from other residents .
“ This worked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outbreak , ” the HSE said .
“ It is not possible to give a full breakdown of each resident ’ s location on particular dates , but at all times the advice of the consultants in public health and geriatrics who were engaged in the outbreak control team and on site was followed , ” said the health service said .
The HSE said that “ significant extra supports ” were “ quickly put in place ” to support staff , including additional staff being redeployed to the community hospital , experienced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Kerry , and clinical support from hospitals in the south west .

Clonakilty Community Hospital: Last year, it had 43 residents with dementia out of 103. It was among more than 400 facilities that had to battle coronavirus. Photograph: Daragh Mac Sweeney/Provision
The Health Service Executive allowed coronavirus-infected residents with dementia in a Co Cork care home to share the same room with residents not infected with Covid-19, newly released records reveal.
Emails between the HSE and the health watchdog, the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa), show the regulator twice raised concerns in April about Covid and non-Covid residents with dementia sharing a multi-occupancy room at Clonakilty Community Hospital, which is run by the HSE.
Two weeks after the regulator first raised concerns on April 17th, the HSE admitted there were residents with no symptoms in the same room as residents who were “positive or suspected positive”.
The HSE's chief officer in the Cork-Kerry area, Ger Reaney, replied by letter on May 1st saying the residents in the shared room had dementia and "it has not been possible to appropriately accommodate them elsewhere while maintaining infection control".
READ MORE
The correspondence, which had identifying information on individuals and the homes redacted, was released by HIQA to The Irish Times following a request made under the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act. This newspaper has independently established the identity of the homes and the individuals in the correspondence.
The west Cork facility, which last year had 43 residents with dementia out of 103 living at the home, was among more than 400 care facilities that had to battle outbreak of coronavirus.
The HSE confirmed that 10 residents at Clonakilty Community Hospital died during the outbreak of the virus.
Hiqa contacted the HSE on April 17th after receiving unsolicited information from a concerned relative that the health service was not implementing infection-prevention control guidelines in managing Covid-19 outbreaks in residential care facilities.
Multi-occupancy room
Susan Cliffe, Hiqa's deputy chief inspector, wrote to Mr Reaney raising concerns about accommodating residents that had not yet tested positive for Covid-19 and Covid-positive residents in the same multi-occupancy room.
“This puts vulnerable residents at serious risk of contracting the virus,” she wrote.
She said where the single-room capacity of a care facility was exceeded and it was “necessary to cohort residents in a multi-occupancy room”, only residents diagnosed with Covid-19 could be “cohorted together” and probable Covid-19 cases should not share with them.
“The risk of cohorting probable cases in multi-occupancy areas is much greater than that of cohorting confirmed positive residents together, as the suspect cohort is likely to include residents with and without Covid-19,” she wrote.
She asked that the HSE set out within three days the risk assessment undertaken and what action was being taken to protect residents “who have not yet contracted Covid-19”.
In the absence of detailed response beyond “holding emails”, Ms Cliffe wrote to the HSE again on April 27th saying she remained concerned about the situation at the care facility.
“This situation continues to put vulnerable residents at risk,” she said.
Mr Reaney, in his May 1st reply, told Ms Cliffe that an outbreak control team was managing the home and “every opportunity to cohort patients in line with the guidelines was followed, along with reducing beds and maximising use of [a] limited number of single rooms”.
‘Safe option’
He told her that “managing an outbreak was a fluid situation” and that the health service “made optimal use of the option of cohorting cases within the limitations of available rooms”.
A consultant geriatrician visited on April 17th and 24th and confirmed Covid-positive residents were being managed “in line with best practice and that no different action was recommended”.
He rejected a suggestion of “assigning residents of different gender with dementia in the same room”, saying it was not considered a “safe option”.
The 129-bed Clonakilty Community Hospital was one of 19 publicly funded community and nursing home facilities that Hiqa warned the HSE and the Department of Health in mid-March about being "centres of concern" and at "high risk" for the spread of Covid-19 due to the multi-occupancy rooms and shared facilities.
The HSE’s Cork Kerry Community Health said in a statement yesterday that from the first confirmed case of Covid-19 at Clonakilty on April 5th a consultant geriatrician, a public health consultant and the infection and prevention control team regularly visited to provide expert advice.
“Their expert advice and guidance was followed at all times,” the HSE said.
It described the outbreak as “an extremely difficult time for residents, for their families, for the community and for the staff caring for the residents” and that the hospital “continued to provide both compassionate and high quality care to all residents at all times.”
“At all times, every possible precaution was taken to keep residents and staff safe,” it said.
The statement said that management of the outbreak included “cohorting” which involved keeping residents with Covid-19 or suspected of having Covid-19 separate from other residents.
“This worked well and was key to containing the outbreak,” the HSE said.
“It is not possible to give a full breakdown of each resident’s location on particular dates, but at all times the advice of the consultants in public health and geriatrics who were engaged in the outbreak control team and on site was followed,” said the health service said.
The HSE said that “significant extra supports” were “quickly put in place” to support staff, including additional staff being redeployed to the community hospital, experienced nurses coming in from hospitals in Cork and Kerry, and clinical support from hospitals in the south west.


theirishtimes--2020-07-09--Using mutations to track the pandemic coronavirus

What are you working on at the moment ?
I ’ m working with the Covid-19 Genomics UK Consortium , to find out more about how the Covid-19 virus – SARS-CoV-2 – is circulating .
How does that work ?
Around the UK , labs are sequencing the genomic material of the SARS-CoV-2 in the samples they receive , and they send us the virus sequences for analysis .
We use computational tools to look for changes , or mutations , in the virus and feed back the information to the government and the researchers working across the country .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Viruses can evolve very quickly , they can develop small changes or mutations in their genomes .
A lot of people think mutations are automatically bad news , but they are just random changes , they are not necessarily good or bad .
By finding these small changes , we can build up a picture of the diversity of Covid-19 viruses that are circulating and help to provide an extra level of information to track its spread .
I have written software called pangolin that assigns lineages to SARS-CoV-2 virus genome sequences , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of software for use in hospitals to assess local outbreaks that can rule out transmission if sequences aren ’ t closely related .
How did you get into this line of work ?
I was in my final year of a PhD with Andrew Rambaut at the University of Edinburgh when the pandemic locked everything down .
For my PhD , I have been developing computer-based tools to allow people to easily analyse virus genomes , and I was just back from a trip to the polio reference lab in Pakistan , where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sequencing system for poliovirus surveillance .
Then SARS-CoV-2 arrived , and everyone in the lab started working on that .
Before coming to Edinburgh , I studied genetics at Trinity College Dublin , and I did a master ’ s degree with Prof Aoife McLysaght , where I was working on molecular evolution in primates .
What do you like most about the research ?
I like its application .
I decided to take up this PhD in Edinburgh because I wanted to use skills I ’ d developed in Aoife ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Viruses can change so quickly , so by building tools to track the changes in the virus over time , you can provide information about outbreaks that we wouldn ’ t otherwise know .
And what has been the biggest challenge ?
I came into this field through genetics and biology , and I think the steepest learning curve was learning to write computer code and develop software .
But I have had great mentors in Aoife and Andrew – and the people I work with .
How has lockdown been for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with work , which is welcome , but I miss my family and partner back in Donabate , where I am from , so video calls have been good .
I have recently caught up online with my old lab in Trinity too , which was fun .
Also the yoga class I was doing on a weekly basis went online , so I could do that during my lunch hour , and that has helped me to keep calm .
”

Áine O’Toole: “By building tools to track the changes in the virus over time, you can provide information about outbreaks that we wouldn’t otherwise know.” .
What are you working on at the moment?
I’m working with the Covid-19 Genomics UK Consortium, to find out more about how the Covid-19 virus – SARS-CoV-2 – is circulating.
How does that work?
Around the UK, labs are sequencing the genomic material of the SARS-CoV-2 in the samples they receive, and they send us the virus sequences for analysis. We use computational tools to look for changes, or mutations, in the virus and feed back the information to the government and the researchers working across the country.
READ MORE
What do you mean by mutations?
Viruses can evolve very quickly, they can develop small changes or mutations in their genomes. A lot of people think mutations are automatically bad news, but they are just random changes, they are not necessarily good or bad.
By finding these small changes, we can build up a picture of the diversity of Covid-19 viruses that are circulating and help to provide an extra level of information to track its spread.
I have written software called pangolin that assigns lineages to SARS-CoV-2 virus genome sequences, and I am working on another piece of software for use in hospitals to assess local outbreaks that can rule out transmission if sequences aren’t closely related.
How did you get into this line of work?
I was in my final year of a PhD with Andrew Rambaut at the University of Edinburgh when the pandemic locked everything down. For my PhD, I have been developing computer-based tools to allow people to easily analyse virus genomes, and I was just back from a trip to the polio reference lab in Pakistan, where I was helping set up a new sequencing system for poliovirus surveillance.
Then SARS-CoV-2 arrived, and everyone in the lab started working on that. Before coming to Edinburgh, I studied genetics at Trinity College Dublin, and I did a master's degree with Prof Aoife McLysaght, where I was working on molecular evolution in primates.
What do you like most about the research?
I like its application. I decided to take up this PhD in Edinburgh because I wanted to use skills I’d developed in Aoife’s lab and apply them to global health. Viruses can change so quickly, so by building tools to track the changes in the virus over time, you can provide information about outbreaks that we wouldn’t otherwise know.
And what has been the biggest challenge?
I came into this field through genetics and biology, and I think the steepest learning curve was learning to write computer code and develop software. But I have had great mentors in Aoife and Andrew – and the people I work with.
How has lockdown been for you?
I've been busy with work, which is welcome, but I miss my family and partner back in Donabate, where I am from, so video calls have been good. I have recently caught up online with my old lab in Trinity too, which was fun.
Also the yoga class I was doing on a weekly basis went online, so I could do that during my lunch hour, and that has helped me to keep calm.”


theirishtimes--2020-07-09--UCC and Cork residents welcome Supreme Court ruling on 2009 floods

Barry Keane , one of the many residents along Cork City ’ s Mardyke whose homes were flooded in 2009 , welcomed the Supreme Court ’ s ruling as “ a great result for people whose homes were so dreadfully damaged ” .
“ The Supreme Court judgment recognised that the ESB were required to manage flooding as best they could as well as produce electricity , ” said Keane , a spokesman for the Mardyke Residents ’ Association .
Many of the association ’ s members have claims for damages for the flooding piggybacking on the UCC/Aviva action , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court .
“ Their negligence was to ignore their own data that showed that the amount of rain being absorbed had decreased from 40 per cent to 20 per cent .
That meant that an ordinary storm would become as disaster .
“ Not reducing water levels to a minimum meant a containable flood , based on previous experience , became a catastrophe , ” said Mr Keane , adding that the residents were fortunate UCC had the financial means to take on the ESB .
Solicitor Joe Noonan , who represents several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ properties were damaged in the flood , said the ESB had erred in appealing the High Court decision in 2015 .
“ This has gone on for 11 years and it didn ’ t need to take this long and it shouldn ’ t have taken this long .
It comes too late for some of my clients , who have passed away .
“ For others the hardships that they faced have been intensified over the past decade by the manner it was fought , ” the Cork solicitor went on , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his clients .
Many of these people , with properties from just downstream of Inniscarra Dam all the way through to Grattan Street near the city centre , have been unable to get flood insurance since 2009 .
In turn , that has affected the ability of his clients to sell or develop their properties .
All of these factors will now have to be taken into account in their actions for damages against the ESB , he said .
In a statement , UCC thanked the Supreme Court for the time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ this long-running and complex case ” .
It would , it said , consider the court ruling with its legal team over the coming days .
Its insurer , Aviva , is committed to promoting awareness of the importance of flood risk management , and this ruling provides an important clarification on the obligations of dam operators and property owners , it said .

Barry Keane, one of the many residents along Cork City's Mardyke whose homes were flooded in 2009, welcomed the Supreme Court's ruling as "a great result for people whose homes were so dreadfully damaged".
"The Supreme Court judgment recognised that the ESB were required to manage flooding as best they could as well as produce electricity," said Keane, a spokesman for the Mardyke Residents' Association.
Many of the association's members have claims for damages for the flooding piggybacking on the UCC/Aviva action, which was ruled upon by the Supreme Court.
This has gone on for 11 years and it didn't need to take this long and it shouldn't have taken this long
“Their negligence was to ignore their own data that showed that the amount of rain being absorbed had decreased from 40 per cent to 20 per cent. That meant that an ordinary storm would become as disaster.
READ MORE
"Not reducing water levels to a minimum meant a containable flood, based on previous experience, became a catastrophe," said Mr Keane, adding that the residents were fortunate UCC had the financial means to take on the ESB.
Erred
Solicitor Joe Noonan, who represents several dozen homeowners and some business owners whose properties were damaged in the flood, said the ESB had erred in appealing the High Court decision in 2015.
“This has gone on for 11 years and it didn’t need to take this long and it shouldn’t have taken this long. It comes too late for some of my clients, who have passed away.
“For others the hardships that they faced have been intensified over the past decade by the manner it was fought,” the Cork solicitor went on, saying the ruling has implications for many of his clients.
Many of these people, with properties from just downstream of Inniscarra Dam all the way through to Grattan Street near the city centre, have been unable to get flood insurance since 2009.
Damages
In turn, that has affected the ability of his clients to sell or develop their properties. All of these factors will now have to be taken into account in their actions for damages against the ESB, he said.
In a statement, UCC thanked the Supreme Court for the time it had taken in hearing and considering “this long-running and complex case”. It would, it said, consider the court ruling with its legal team over the coming days.
Its insurer, Aviva, is committed to promoting awareness of the importance of flood risk management, and this ruling provides an important clarification on the obligations of dam operators and property owners , it said.


theirishtimes--2020-07-08--Minister seeks report on use of laughing gas following death of a teenager

Minister of State for Drugs Policy Frank Feighan is seeking a report from his department on the use of nitrous oxide – or laughing gas – following the death of a teenager who ingested the substance in recent weeks .
The father of the teenage boy urged other teenagers to stay away from the drug on Wednesday .
Mick Morrissey from Tallaght , Dublin , told Liveline on RTÉ Radio 1 how his 15-year-old son Alex Ryan Morrissey was found slumped over in an unresponsive state in the Ballycullen area on May 20th .
The HSE on Wednesday added nitrous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drugs following concerns raised in the Dáil .
“ It is a trend that has emerged at festivals , ” said Mr Feighan .
“ Nitrous oxide is an issue that has come to the fore in the last few weeks and months .
It ’ s worrying because it is another trend that is a danger to our children .
“ I ’ ve asked the department to find out from all the HSE areas and get feedback on the issue first of all .
I ’ m hoping to get a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possible .
“ I think there are a lot of education strategies out there already .
We need to ensure that people , and especially young people , are aware of the dangers of this.
” Separately the Minister has withdrawn remarks he made in which he said public officials and staff at RTÉ were “ snorting cocaine all over the place ” .
The new Fine Gael junior minister made the claim during a local radio debate in the midst of the general election campaign .
The discussion was focused on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Ireland .
“ You talk about drugs , I remember 2002 , I was talking about cannabis and nobody was listening , ” he said .
“ Cannabis , like alcohol , is a gateway drug to cocaine and we had this lovely feeling about it , ‘ sure it ’ s a bit of fun ’ .
” Mr Feighan has declined to withdraw the remarks on a number of occasions in the past week , but eventually did so on Wednesday .
“ First of all , I shouldn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , especially one that has done so much to promote the damaging effects of drugs on our society , ” he told Drivetime on RTÉ Radio 1 .
“ It was a town hall debate and my comments were clumsy and unfair .
I ’ m only too happy to withdraw them .
”

Minister of State for Drugs Policy Frank Feighan is seeking a report from his department on the use of nitrous oxide – or laughing gas – following the death of a teenager who ingested the substance in recent weeks.
The father of the teenage boy urged other teenagers to stay away from the drug on Wednesday.
Mick Morrissey from Tallaght, Dublin, told Liveline on RTÉ Radio 1 how his 15-year-old son Alex Ryan Morrissey was found slumped over in an unresponsive state in the Ballycullen area on May 20th.
The HSE on Wednesday added nitrous oxide to the official list of dangerous drugs following concerns raised in the Dáil.
READ MORE
“It is a trend that has emerged at festivals,” said Mr Feighan. “Nitrous oxide is an issue that has come to the fore in the last few weeks and months. It’s worrying because it is another trend that is a danger to our children.
“I’ve asked the department to find out from all the HSE areas and get feedback on the issue first of all. I’m hoping to get a briefing from the department as quickly as possible.
“I think there are a lot of education strategies out there already. We need to ensure that people, and especially young people, are aware of the dangers of this.”
Separately the Minister has withdrawn remarks he made in which he said public officials and staff at RTÉ were “snorting cocaine all over the place”.
The new Fine Gael junior minister made the claim during a local radio debate in the midst of the general election campaign. The discussion was focused on the problem of recreational drug use and crime in Ireland.
“You talk about drugs, I remember 2002, I was talking about cannabis and nobody was listening,” he said. “Cannabis, like alcohol, is a gateway drug to cocaine and we had this lovely feeling about it, ‘sure it’s a bit of fun’.”
Mr Feighan has declined to withdraw the remarks on a number of occasions in the past week, but eventually did so on Wednesday.
“First of all, I shouldn’t have focused on any one organisation, especially one that has done so much to promote the damaging effects of drugs on our society,” he told Drivetime on RTÉ Radio 1.
“It was a town hall debate and my comments were clumsy and unfair. I’m only too happy to withdraw them.”


theirishtimes--2020-07-08--Firearm and cocaine found buried in Laois are seized by gardaí

Gardaí have seized a firearm and a quantity of drugs , which were discovered buried in wasteland in the midlands @ @ @ @ @ was made on the Canal Road in Portarlington , Co Laois .
A search was @ @ @ @ @ 1pm as part of an intelligence led operation .
The firearm , a magazine and @ @ @ @ @ plastic and buried on the site .
A glass jar containing a quantity of suspected @ @ @ @ @ value of €6,000 was also recovered from the site .
The firearm was confirmed safe @ @ @ @ @ Portarlington Garda Station .
Investigations are continuing .

The firearm, a magazine and ammunition were discovered wrapped in plastic and buried on the site.
Gardaí have seized a firearm and a quantity of drugs, which were discovered buried in wasteland in the midlands on Wednesday.
The discovery was made on the Canal Road in Portarlington, Co Laois. A search was conducted in the area at 1pm as part of an intelligence led operation. The firearm, a magazine and ammunition were discovered wrapped in plastic and buried on the site.
A glass jar containing a quantity of suspected cocaine with an estimated street value of €6,000 was also recovered from the site.
A quantity of suspected cocaine with an estimated street value of €6,000 was also recovered from the site.
The firearm was confirmed safe by gardaí and brought to Portarlington Garda Station. Investigations are continuing.