theirishtimes--2020-12-06--‘We were delighted’: couple of nearly 70 years enjoy first hug in 10 months

A couple who have been married for nearly 70 years were able to embrace for the first time in 10 months at the weekend , having previously only seen each other through perspex partition or on video calls due to coronavirus restrictions .
Eddie Burtenshaw ( 98 ) , a resident of the Hamilton Park nursing home in Balbriggan , was reunited with his wife Gladys ( 93 ) on Saturday .
The couple , who are originally from north Dublin , were married in March 1951 and have three daughters .
Mr Burtenshaw entered the nursing home four years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the virus , he had family visitors every day while his wife was in to see him between four and five times a week .
“ It was great to see him on Saturday , we were delighted , ” Mrs Burtenshaw told The Irish Times .
“ It ’ s been awful not being able to get in to see him properly .
I spoke to him a few times over the phone but you can ’ t really speak properly .
I was able to give him a hug but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the way things are.
” Mrs Burtenshaw said her husband was “ in good form ” .
“ I ’ m happy about that , ” she added .
“ He is lonely enough but the girls in there are very good to him .
“ I ’ m hoping to get in to see him again soon .
We talked about everything , just catching up .
We just liked being together again and thanked God that we ’ re all right.
” Mrs Burtenshaw was tested onsite at the nursing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minutes as part of the Health Passport Europe digital platform the care centre is using to facilitate visits over the Christmas period .
The Health Passport system allows visitors to receive their test results within 20 minutes after being tested .
The results are automatically received privately into their Health Passport app .
Families can book a 15-minute visiting slot over Christmas once their negative test result is obtained .
David Pratt , managing director and chief executive of Hamilton Park nursing home , said : “ We wanted to seek a way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ones in the safest possible way this month , one that would mitigate any risks of potentially spreading the virus.
” From Monday , residents of nursing homes and other care facilities are able to have one visit by one person per week .
Tadhg Daly , chief executive of Nursing Homes Ireland , the representative body for private nursing homes that make up 80 per cent of the sector , welcomed the easing of visiting restrictions but said “ a high degree of vigilance ” was required .
He urged people to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decide to go to a nursing home ; this is a shared responsibility ” .

Eddie Burtenshaw (98), a resident of the Hamilton Park nursing home in Balbriggan, was reunited with his wife Gladys (93) on Saturday. Photograph: Julien Behal Photography
A couple who have been married for nearly 70 years were able to embrace for the first time in 10 months at the weekend, having previously only seen each other through perspex partition or on video calls due to coronavirus restrictions.
Eddie Burtenshaw (98), a resident of the Hamilton Park nursing home in Balbriggan, was reunited with his wife Gladys (93) on Saturday. The couple, who are originally from north Dublin, were married in March 1951 and have three daughters.
Mr Burtenshaw entered the nursing home four years ago due to mobility problems. Prior to the virus, he had family visitors every day while his wife was in to see him between four and five times a week.
"It was great to see him on Saturday, we were delighted," Mrs Burtenshaw told The Irish Times. "It's been awful not being able to get in to see him properly. I spoke to him a few times over the phone but you can't really speak properly. I was able to give him a hug but I couldn't get too close with the way things are."
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Mrs Burtenshaw said her husband was “in good form”. “I’m happy about that,” she added. “He is lonely enough but the girls in there are very good to him.
‘Thanked God’
“I’m hoping to get in to see him again soon. We talked about everything, just catching up. We just liked being together again and thanked God that we’re all right.”
Mrs Burtenshaw was tested onsite at the nursing home and received her results within 20 minutes as part of the Health Passport Europe digital platform the care centre is using to facilitate visits over the Christmas period.
The Health Passport system allows visitors to receive their test results within 20 minutes after being tested. The results are automatically received privately into their Health Passport app.
Families can book a 15-minute visiting slot over Christmas once their negative test result is obtained.
David Pratt, managing director and chief executive of Hamilton Park nursing home, said: "We wanted to seek a way that we could facilitate visits from loved ones in the safest possible way this month, one that would mitigate any risks of potentially spreading the virus."
From Monday, residents of nursing homes and other care facilities are able to have one visit by one person per week.
Tadhg Daly, chief executive of Nursing Homes Ireland, the representative body for private nursing homes that make up 80 per cent of the sector, welcomed the easing of visiting restrictions but said “a high degree of vigilance” was required.
He urged people to “limit your own contacts before you decide to go to a nursing home; this is a shared responsibility”.


theirishtimes--2020-12-06--Kerry employer builds homes to help and retain staff

St Nicholas ’ Day , on December 6th , is when Polish children get a visit from a certain white-bearded , red-robed figure .
And if they are good , the original Santa brings small gifts and treats .
This Sunday , one Polish family living in Co Kerry was celebrating a somewhat larger handover – as they took ownership of their own home after a 16-year wait .
Marcin and Anna Wójs have moved into what is the first house built by Walsh Colour Print in Castleisland for employees who have struggled to get a foot onto the property @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the educational title Educate.ie , Walsh Colour Print was established in 1991 in the small Kerry town synonymous with the late Con Houlihan and a great rugby and athletics tradition .
In 2017 , the company embarked on the groundbreaking project to enable employees to own their own homes in an effort to provide security for its staff as well as to attract and retain workers .
The houses in small blocks are A-rated , with air-to-water heating , and come in at the not-for-profit price of €150,000 – the price signalled by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when they began the project .
The first three have been finished , with another 17 under construction .
Mr Wójs was the catalyst for the project , Mr Walsh explained .
A fork lift driver who had been working with the company for 12 years , he told the company of the family ’ s struggle to find their own home and how it was getting them down .
“ Our worry was what was going to happen him when he ’ s 65 and renting all those years , ” Mr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trapped “ earning too much to qualify for social housing and not able to reach the mortgage for houses in Kerry .
At the same time the cost of rent is hefty and prices are continuing to rise .
Anyone working for the company will now have the opportunity to own their own home and the mortgage repayments will be less than the rental , Mr Walsh said .
“ We hope this will give us the edge , in retaining our workforce and also in recruiting new people , ” he added @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by our employees .
Employees have to work with the company for 10 years and after that they are free to sell without any penalty.
” Mr Wójs ’ s wife Anna , who is working with Educate.ie , said the couple were so frustrated at paying rents of €900-€1,000 a month they considered leaving Ireland .
“ Lots of friends moved back to Poland two and three years ago , ” she said .
Owning their own home “ means a lot ” , she said .
Two years ago , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been renting for six years before Christmas because it was being sold .
“ Now we have a house , we feel better , ” she said .
“ My daughter can have her own room .
I can have my kitchen .
Mine !
It ’ s like a Christmas present !
” In all there is planning for 70 houses and creche facilities on the company-owned land at Bawnluskaha just outside the town .

The Wójs family from Castleisland outside their new house built in a not-for-profit initiative by Marcin’s employer Walsh Colour Print. Photograph: Domnick Walsh
St Nicholas’ Day, on December 6th, is when Polish children get a visit from a certain white-bearded, red-robed figure. And if they are good, the original Santa brings small gifts and treats.
This Sunday, one Polish family living in Co Kerry was celebrating a somewhat larger handover – as they took ownership of their own home after a 16-year wait.
Marcin and Anna Wójs have moved into what is the first house built by Walsh Colour Print in Castleisland for employees who have struggled to get a foot onto the property ladder.
A national company that includes the educational title Educate.ie, Walsh Colour Print was established in 1991 in the small Kerry town synonymous with the late Con Houlihan and a great rugby and athletics tradition.
READ MORE
In 2017, the company embarked on the groundbreaking project to enable employees to own their own homes in an effort to provide security for its staff as well as to attract and retain workers.
The houses in small blocks are A-rated, with air-to-water heating, and come in at the not-for-profit price of €150,000 – the price signalled by Tony and Patricia Walsh three years ago when they began the project.
Family struggle
The first three have been finished, with another 17 under construction.
Mr Wójs was the catalyst for the project, Mr Walsh explained. A fork lift driver who had been working with the company for 12 years, he told the company of the family’s struggle to find their own home and how it was getting them down.
“Our worry was what was going to happen him when he’s 65 and renting all those years,” Mr Walsh said.
The Wójs were “trapped “ earning too much to qualify for social housing and not able to reach the mortgage for houses in Kerry. At the same time the cost of rent is hefty and prices are continuing to rise.
Anyone working for the company will now have the opportunity to own their own home and the mortgage repayments will be less than the rental, Mr Walsh said.
“We hope this will give us the edge, in retaining our workforce and also in recruiting new people,” he added.
Ten-year scheme
“The houses are fully owned by our employees. Employees have to work with the company for 10 years and after that they are free to sell without any penalty.”
Mr Wójs’s wife Anna, who is working with Educate.ie, said the couple were so frustrated at paying rents of €900-€1,000 a month they considered leaving Ireland.
“Lots of friends moved back to Poland two and three years ago,” she said.
Owning their own home “means a lot”, she said. Two years ago, they had to move from the house they had been renting for six years before Christmas because it was being sold.
“Now we have a house, we feel better,” she said. “My daughter can have her own room. I can have my kitchen. Mine! It’s like a Christmas present!”
In all there is planning for 70 houses and creche facilities on the company-owned land at Bawnluskaha just outside the town.


theirishtimes--2020-12-06--Two gardaí recovering from injuries after violent incidents in Co Louth

Two young gardaí required medical treatment over the weekend following separate violent incidents in Co Louth .
On Saturday a garda , aged in his 20s , was struck by a car on the M1 Motorway .
At 1.45pm the garda and his colleagues from the Dundalk Roads Policing Unit pulled over a car along the northbound carriageway near junction 20 , while conducting speed checks .
The car came to a stop and the Garda walked from his patrol vehicle to speak to the driver .
The driver then accelerated suddenly , hitting the Garda and throwing him to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The garda was taken by ambulance to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda where he was treated for a broken collarbone and assessed for concussion .
He was released shortly after midnight on Sunday and is convalescing at home .
“ He got a good whack .
It could have very easily been fatal , ” one local garda commented .
General secretary of the Garda Representative Association Pat Ennis said the incident could have had far more serious consequences .
The driver of the vehicle involved in the hit-and-run has not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are appealing for any witnesses to the incident to come forward , along with road users with dashcam footage who were on the M1 route at the time of the hit-and-run on Saturday afternoon .
Anyone with information is asked to contact Dundalk Garda station ( 042 ) 938 8400 , or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 .
In a second incident , a garda , also aged in his 20s , was hospitalised after allegedly being attacked during a drugs search in Dundalk .
A man has since been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ occurred as two gardaí questioned a man following the seizure of a small amount of drugs at a house in the Glenwood Area at about 9pm on Saturday .
The garda suffered injuries to his face and hands and may have sustained a concussion .
He was taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and was later discharged .
A second garda was also allegedly attacked during the incident but did not require medical attention .
A man was arrested at the scene and taken to Dundalk Garda station where he was detained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Act , 1984 .
The suspect has since been charged in relation the incident and is due to appear before the next sitting of a District Court on Monday morning .
Louth GRA representative Derek O ’ Donoghue said the incident “ goes to show the hazards of the job .
People don ’ t realise that you come to work on time , you finish on time but no one knows what will happen in between.
” It is understood Dundalk was busy on Friday and Saturday with large numbers of people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the newly opened restaurants and gastropubs .
However , there were no other major incidents reported .

Two young gardaí required medical treatment over the weekend following separate violent incidents in Co Louth.
On Saturday a garda, aged in his 20s, was struck by a car on the M1 Motorway. At 1.45pm the garda and his colleagues from the Dundalk Roads Policing Unit pulled over a car along the northbound carriageway near junction 20, while conducting speed checks.
The car came to a stop and the Garda walked from his patrol vehicle to speak to the driver. The driver then accelerated suddenly, hitting the Garda and throwing him to the side before fleeing the scene.
The garda was taken by ambulance to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda where he was treated for a broken collarbone and assessed for concussion. He was released shortly after midnight on Sunday and is convalescing at home.
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“He got a good whack. It could have very easily been fatal,” one local garda commented.
General secretary of the Garda Representative Association Pat Ennis said the incident could have had far more serious consequences.
The driver of the vehicle involved in the hit-and-run has not yet been located.
Gardaí in Dundalk are appealing for any witnesses to the incident to come forward, along with road users with dashcam footage who were on the M1 route at the time of the hit-and-run on Saturday afternoon.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Dundalk Garda station (042) 938 8400, or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.
In a second incident, a garda, also aged in his 20s, was hospitalised after allegedly being attacked during a drugs search in Dundalk. A man has since been charged with assault.
The alleged assault occurred as two gardaí questioned a man following the seizure of a small amount of drugs at a house in the Glenwood Area at about 9pm on Saturday.
Concussion
The garda suffered injuries to his face and hands and may have sustained a concussion. He was taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and was later discharged.
A second garda was also allegedly attacked during the incident but did not require medical attention.
A man was arrested at the scene and taken to Dundalk Garda station where he was detained under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.
The suspect has since been charged in relation the incident and is due to appear before the next sitting of a District Court on Monday morning.
Louth GRA representative Derek O’Donoghue said the incident “goes to show the hazards of the job. People don’t realise that you come to work on time, you finish on time but no one knows what will happen in between.”
It is understood Dundalk was busy on Friday and Saturday with large numbers of people coming down from Northern Ireland to socialise in the newly opened restaurants and gastropubs. However, there were no other major incidents reported.


theirishtimes--2020-12-06--Four leading female academics enter race to become Trinity provost

Four leading female academics have put their names forward for the position of provost of Trinity College Dublin .
Prof Linda Doyle , former dean of research ; Prof Linda Hogan , former vice-provost ; Prof Jane Ohlmeyer , professor of history and chairwoman of the Irish Research Council ; and Dr Sarah Alyn-Stacey , associate professor in French , have all confirmed to colleagues that they have applied for the position .
Provost Patrick Prendergast is due to finish his 10-year term on July 31st , 2021 , and the next head of Trinity will take over the following @ @ @ @ @ @ @ applicants is unknown as the initial interview process is confidential .
However , the number of senior female academics who have entered the race raises the possibility that Trinity could have its first female provost in its 428-year history .
Applications for the position of provost closed at midday on Friday , and initial interviews will take place during December and January .
Candidates will be formally nominated afterwards and an election campaign will get under way between February 5th and April 7th , with the election due to take place on April @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down from her position as the dean of research .
She was the founding director of Connect , a Science Foundation Ireland research centre , and has played a key role in promoting female participation in the Stem sector .
Prof Linda Hogan , professor of ecumenics , served as vice-provost between 2011 and 2016 .
Her research has focuses on areas such as ethics and human rights , and she is a member of the Irish Council for Bioethics .
Prof Jane Ohlmeyer , who was director of the Long Room Hub @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early modern Irish and British history and is Erasmus Smith ’ s Professor of Modern History at Trinity .
Dr Sarah Alyn-Stacey is an associate professor in Trinity ’ s French department and is director of the Trinity Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies .

Provost Patrick Prendergast is due to finish his 10-year term on July 31st next year. Photograph: iStock
Four leading female academics have put their names forward for the position of provost of Trinity College Dublin.
Prof Linda Doyle, former dean of research; Prof Linda Hogan, former vice-provost; Prof Jane Ohlmeyer, professor of history and chairwoman of the Irish Research Council; and Dr Sarah Alyn-Stacey, associate professor in French, have all confirmed to colleagues that they have applied for the position.
Provost Patrick Prendergast is due to finish his 10-year term on July 31st, 2021, and the next head of Trinity will take over the following day.
The identity of any other applicants is unknown as the initial interview process is confidential.
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However, the number of senior female academics who have entered the race raises the possibility that Trinity could have its first female provost in its 428-year history.
Applications for the position of provost closed at midday on Friday, and initial interviews will take place during December and January.
Election campaign
Candidates will be formally nominated afterwards and an election campaign will get under way between February 5th and April 7th, with the election due to take place on April 10th.
Prof Linda Doyle recently stepped down from her position as the dean of research. She was the founding director of Connect, a Science Foundation Ireland research centre, and has played a key role in promoting female participation in the Stem sector.
Prof Linda Hogan, professor of ecumenics, served as vice-provost between 2011 and 2016. Her research has focuses on areas such as ethics and human rights, and she is a member of the Irish Council for Bioethics.
Prof Jane Ohlmeyer, who was director of the Long Room Hub until recently, is an expert in early modern Irish and British history and is Erasmus Smith’s Professor of Modern History at Trinity.
Dr Sarah Alyn-Stacey is an associate professor in Trinity’s French department and is director of the Trinity Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies.


theirishtimes--2020-12-06--Nursing homes visits to resume as rate of staff testing positive for Covid-19 falls

Public visits are resuming at nursing homes on Monday as figures show a drop in the rate of nursing home staff testing positive for Covid-19 .
New health guidance rules coming into effect will permit one visit to nursing home residents per week by one person under the Government ’ s Level 3 restrictions currently in place .
This measure would remain in place under Level 4 , while under Level 5 visiting would be restricted to one visit every two weeks by one person .
Tadhg Daly , chief executive of Nursing Homes Ireland , the representative body for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ per cent of the sector , said the easing of visiting restrictions were welcome but he urged caution .
“ There is a high degree of vigilance required .
We would be saying to people who are visiting : there is a big degree of personal responsibility there to limit your own contacts before you decide to go to a nursing home .
This is a shared responsibility , ” he said .
New figures show that the rate of nursing home staff testing positive for Covid-19 under the HSE ’ s serial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ levels recorded in early October .
Tens of thousands of tests have been carried out under the fortnightly mass testing of nursing home workers introduced in July that aims to catch the virus before outbreaks occur .
In a further sign of declining infection rates within nursing homes , the new figures from the HSE show that in the current fifth cycle of testing being undertaken , there has been a positivity rate of 0.33 per cent , or 163 cases detected among 46,732 swabs from nursing home staff so far .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which started in mid-October and continued through the start of the six-week Level 5 lockdown , rose to 0.53 per cent of swabs taken from staff .
The rate in the third cycle of testing , which ran through the month of September and into the first half October , was 0.3 per cent .
The rate was as low as 0.13 per cent during the summer .
Serial testing is considered to have been effective in reducing the number of infections , outbreaks and fatalities in nursing homes during the second wave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the worst affected during the first wave of the pandemic between March and May , accounting for more than half of the deaths associated with the coronavirus disease .
The share of Covid-related deaths among nursing home residents has fallen in the second wave .
If a member of staff at a nursing home tests positive , the HSE usually directs testing of residents within the nursing home , though not in all cases .
This led the State ’ s health service regulator Hiqa to ask the HSE for greater consistency on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The HSE said on Thursday that three private nursing homes which are in receipt of pandemic support from the State ’ s health service remain in the highest risk category of concern .
The HSE confirmed it was providing specific support to 146 nursing homes around the State .
While the majority were being helped with the likes of personal protective equipment ( PPE ) , three remain in the so-called “ red category ” where “ there continues to be a significant risk ” .
The number in the worst-hit category dropped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said last week there were 102 open outbreaks of Covid-19 across all long term residential care facilities – some 5 per cent of all such facilities .
More than half ( 53 ) are older people ’ s homes and centres .

New rules coming into effect will permit one visit to nursing home residents per week by one person under the Government’s Level 3 restrictions currently in place. Photograph: iStock
Public visits are resuming at nursing homes on Monday as figures show a drop in the rate of nursing home staff testing positive for Covid-19.
New health guidance rules coming into effect will permit one visit to nursing home residents per week by one person under the Government’s Level 3 restrictions currently in place.
This measure would remain in place under Level 4, while under Level 5 visiting would be restricted to one visit every two weeks by one person.
Hospital Report
Tadhg Daly, chief executive of Nursing Homes Ireland, the representative body for private nursing homes that make up 80 per cent of the sector, said the easing of visiting restrictions were welcome but he urged caution.
READ MORE
“There is a high degree of vigilance required. We would be saying to people who are visiting: there is a big degree of personal responsibility there to limit your own contacts before you decide to go to a nursing home. This is a shared responsibility,” he said.
New figures show that the rate of nursing home staff testing positive for Covid-19 under the HSE’s serial testing programme has fallen back to around levels recorded in early October.
Tens of thousands of tests have been carried out under the fortnightly mass testing of nursing home workers introduced in July that aims to catch the virus before outbreaks occur.
Worst affected
In a further sign of declining infection rates within nursing homes, the new figures from the HSE show that in the current fifth cycle of testing being undertaken, there has been a positivity rate of 0.33 per cent, or 163 cases detected among 46,732 swabs from nursing home staff so far.
The positivity rate in the fourth cycle, which started in mid-October and continued through the start of the six-week Level 5 lockdown, rose to 0.53 per cent of swabs taken from staff.
The rate in the third cycle of testing, which ran through the month of September and into the first half October, was 0.3 per cent. The rate was as low as 0.13 per cent during the summer.
Serial testing is considered to have been effective in reducing the number of infections, outbreaks and fatalities in nursing homes during the second wave of the virus.
Nursing homes were the worst affected during the first wave of the pandemic between March and May, accounting for more than half of the deaths associated with the coronavirus disease. The share of Covid-related deaths among nursing home residents has fallen in the second wave.
If a member of staff at a nursing home tests positive, the HSE usually directs testing of residents within the nursing home, though not in all cases. This led the State’s health service regulator Hiqa to ask the HSE for greater consistency on testing in a letter in October.
Private homes concern
The HSE said on Thursday that three private nursing homes which are in receipt of pandemic support from the State’s health service remain in the highest risk category of concern.
The HSE confirmed it was providing specific support to 146 nursing homes around the State.
While the majority were being helped with the likes of personal protective equipment (PPE), three remain in the so-called “red category” where “there continues to be a significant risk”.
The number in the worst-hit category dropped from seven last week.
The HSE said last week there were 102 open outbreaks of Covid-19 across all long term residential care facilities – some 5 per cent of all such facilities.
More than half (53) are older people’s homes and centres.


theirishtimes--2020-12-06--Garda hospitalised after alleged assault in Co Louth

A member of An Garda Síochána was hospitalised following an alleged assault while on patrol in Co Louth on Saturday @ @ @ @ @ after two members of the force questioned a man in connection with a small drugs @ @ @ @ @ of Dundalk at approximately 9pm .
The alleged assault happened after a second man was @ @ @ @ @ the seizure .
One of the gardaí was taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital @ @ @ @ @ was treated for concussion and cuts to his hands and has been discharged .
The @ @ @ @ @ medical attention .
A man was arrested and taken to Dundalk Garda station where he @ @ @ @ @ of the Criminal Justice Act , 1984 .
The man has since been charged in @ @ @ @ @ due to appear before the next sitting of a District Court on Monday morning .

A man was arrested and taken to Dundalk Garda station where he was detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA Wire
A member of An Garda Síochána was hospitalised following an alleged assault while on patrol in Co Louth on Saturday night.
The incident began after two members of the force questioned a man in connection with a small drugs seizure in the Glenwood area of Dundalk at approximately 9pm. The alleged assault happened after a second man was spoken to in connection with the seizure .
One of the gardaí was taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda. The garda was treated for concussion and cuts to his hands and has been discharged. The second garda did not require medical attention.
A man was arrested and taken to Dundalk Garda station where he was detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.
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The man has since been charged in relation the assault and is due to appear before the next sitting of a District Court on Monday morning.


theirishtimes--2020-12-06--Coronavirus: 301 new cases but no further deaths reported in State

The National Public Health Emergency Team ( Nphet ) reported a further 301 confirmed cases of the disease on Sunday , bringing to 74,246 the total number of cases in the pandemic .
No new deaths of Covid-19 patients were reported to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre .
This left the total number of Covid-related deaths in the State at 2,099 .
Of the new cases , 119 were in Dublin , 32 in Donegal , 16 in Cork , 13 in Kildare and13 in Kilkenny with the remaining 108 cases are spread across 18 other counties .
The median @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cent were under 45 years of age .
On Sunday afternoon , there were 231 Covid-19 patients in hospital , including 28 in ICU .
There were eight additional hospitalisations in the previous 24 hours .
The national incidence of the disease fell slightly to 80.7 cases per 100,000 people over the past 14 days .
Donegal , the county with the highest incidence , recorded a small increase since Saturday , with an incidence of 224.9 .
Kilkenny and Louth had the next highest incidences by county , while Leitrim , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lowest .
Earlier on Sunday , newly-published minutes of Nphet meetings showed that members of the group last month called for the weekly imposition or lifting of pandemic restrictions as case numbers varied .
Nphet also heard a proposal that people be limited to six contacts outside their family for six months but this was rejected as “ unrealistic ” .
This week-on-week approach was proposed by “ some members ” to take account of the changing epidemiological situation but other Nphet members questioned its “ practicality ” .
Instead , Nphet resolved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lifting of Level 5 restrictions before Christmas in order to “ mitigate any rush ” if shops , restaurants and other services were to open on the same day .
This involved an initial easing of measures from December 1st and , later in the month , a further relaxation “ in recognition of the holiday period ” .
Afterwards , restrictions would be tightened up again to the December 1st level for at least three weeks “ to assess the impact of the Christmas period ” .
The Government ultimately opted for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raised them earlier and more widely than recommended by Nphet .
Concern was also raised at the November 12th meeting of Nphet about the plan to re-open on December 1st “ and whether this date would be too early with regard to Christmas , potentially causing a significant rise in numbers in the pre-Christmas period ” .
“ Members stated that they would favour a conservative approach in the beginning of December , followed by a social period with very clear guidelines , then a return to more conservative measures following the holiday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sector , “ many members ” of Nphet raised the issue of superspreading events and asked that it “ examine why some settings should open , as opposed to justifying why they should remain closed ” .
But other members pointed to the rules in other countries on capacity limits and opening hours as as potential examples for what should be implemented in Ireland .
The meeting also heard of concern about incidence rates in Co Donegal , which were then – and now – more than twice the national rate .
Cross-border @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at wakes and funerals , were identified as some of the factors driving the trend .
Officials said Irish data was needed on the types of settings and activities linked to increased risk of virus transmission .
Consideration should also be given to retrospective contact tracing and well-designed case-control studies .
The meeting resolved that consideration be given to the types of supports needed to enable people to safely self-isolate at home .
Health Information and Quality Authority members told the meeting a small proportion of cases ultimately seed the majority of local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ areas were indoor , high occupancy and poorly ventilated environments , where there is shouting and singing , insufficient use of face coverings , and prolonged contact .
The range and/or intensity of public health measures may need to differ for settings and activities conducive to superspreading , according to Nphet .
These settings include “ health and social care settings , meat and food processing plants , cruise ships , prisons , shopping malls , religious settings , bars , nightclubs , restaurants , gyms , offices , weddings , and large @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of poorly ventilated environments and the risk they pose for spreading the disease was highlighted at the meeting , and experts in ventilation are to be drafted in to build on previous research work .
The Department of Health said there was now more understanding of high-risk environments , activities , and behaviours , in addition to greater knowledge on community transmission and the impact restrictions have on the spread of the virus .
There were further lessons to be learned from the recent exit strategies employed by other countries , it said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heard that “ many people ” have contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs to ascertain if travelling to see family at Christmas is considered essential .
Nphet said the progress made during the Level 5 restrictions could be compromised by importing cases through international travel and emphasised the need to effectively manage this risk .
Christmas planning was also discussed at a meeting on November 5th .
According to the minutes , “ the distinction between pubs and restaurants was noted as important , and the idea of a pub/restaurant as providing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strictly applied and enforced , than a private house should be considered ” .
“ Emphasis on how to make higher risk activities safer was highlighted , with particular regard to guidance on ventilation for pubs/restaurants/retail which was noted due to super-spreader events that occurred previously.
” Nphet ’ s communications team made a “ safe socialising ” proposal under which “ people should socialise with an exclusive group of six people from outside their household for the next six months or until a vaccine is distributed ” .
Young adults living at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group of six separate to their parents ” .
“ Many members of Nphet expressed concern that the expectation may be unrealistic , especially when tied to the arrival of a vaccine .
It was also noted that it may be exclusionary , particularly among younger cohorts , ” the minutes record .

The week-on-week approach was proposed by ‘some members’ to take account of the changing epidemiological situation but other Nphet members questioned its ‘practicality’. Photograph: Paul Faith/AFP via Getty
The National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) reported a further 301 confirmed cases of the disease on Sunday, bringing to 74,246 the total number of cases in the pandemic.
No new deaths of Covid-19 patients were reported to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre.
This left the total number of Covid-related deaths in the State at 2,099.
Hospital Report
Of the new cases, 119 were in Dublin, 32 in Donegal, 16 in Cork, 13 in Kildare and13 in Kilkenny with the remaining 108 cases are spread across 18 other counties.
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The median age was 32 years and 64 per cent were under 45 years of age.
On Sunday afternoon, there were 231 Covid-19 patients in hospital, including 28 in ICU. There were eight additional hospitalisations in the previous 24 hours.
The national incidence of the disease fell slightly to 80.7 cases per 100,000 people over the past 14 days. Donegal, the county with the highest incidence, recorded a small increase since Saturday, with an incidence of 224.9. Kilkenny and Louth had the next highest incidences by county, while Leitrim, with an incidence of 15.6, had the lowest.
Earlier on Sunday, newly-published minutes of Nphet meetings showed that members of the group last month called for the weekly imposition or lifting of pandemic restrictions as case numbers varied.
Nphet also heard a proposal that people be limited to six contacts outside their family for six months but this was rejected as “unrealistic”.
This week-on-week approach was proposed by “some members” to take account of the changing epidemiological situation but other Nphet members questioned its “practicality”.
Instead, Nphet resolved to recommend a two-phased approach to the lifting of Level 5 restrictions before Christmas in order to “mitigate any rush” if shops, restaurants and other services were to open on the same day.
This involved an initial easing of measures from December 1st and, later in the month, a further relaxation “in recognition of the holiday period”. Afterwards, restrictions would be tightened up again to the December 1st level for at least three weeks “to assess the impact of the Christmas period”.
The Government ultimately opted for a phased approach to lifting restrictions but raised them earlier and more widely than recommended by Nphet.
Concern was also raised at the November 12th meeting of Nphet about the plan to re-open on December 1st “and whether this date would be too early with regard to Christmas, potentially causing a significant rise in numbers in the pre-Christmas period”.
“Members stated that they would favour a conservative approach in the beginning of December, followed by a social period with very clear guidelines, then a return to more conservative measures following the holiday period.”
Superspreading in hospitality
In relation to the hospitality sector, “many members” of Nphet raised the issue of superspreading events and asked that it “examine why some settings should open, as opposed to justifying why they should remain closed”. But other members pointed to the rules in other countries on capacity limits and opening hours as as potential examples for what should be implemented in Ireland.
The meeting also heard of concern about incidence rates in Co Donegal, which were then – and now – more than twice the national rate. Cross-border travel, as well as large outbreaks at wakes and funerals, were identified as some of the factors driving the trend.
Officials said Irish data was needed on the types of settings and activities linked to increased risk of virus transmission. Consideration should also be given to retrospective contact tracing and well-designed case-control studies.
The meeting resolved that consideration be given to the types of supports needed to enable people to safely self-isolate at home.
Health Information and Quality Authority members told the meeting a small proportion of cases ultimately seed the majority of local transmission of the virus. The highest-risk areas were indoor, high occupancy and poorly ventilated environments, where there is shouting and singing, insufficient use of face coverings, and prolonged contact.
The range and/or intensity of public health measures may need to differ for settings and activities conducive to superspreading, according to Nphet. These settings include “health and social care settings, meat and food processing plants, cruise ships, prisons, shopping malls, religious settings, bars, nightclubs, restaurants, gyms, offices, weddings, and large shared accommodation”.
The particular issue of poorly ventilated environments and the risk they pose for spreading the disease was highlighted at the meeting, and experts in ventilation are to be drafted in to build on previous research work.
The Department of Health said there was now more understanding of high-risk environments, activities, and behaviours, in addition to greater knowledge on community transmission and the impact restrictions have on the spread of the virus. There were further lessons to be learned from the recent exit strategies employed by other countries, it said.
International travel
On international travel, the meeting heard that “many people” have contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs to ascertain if travelling to see family at Christmas is considered essential.
Nphet said the progress made during the Level 5 restrictions could be compromised by importing cases through international travel and emphasised the need to effectively manage this risk.
Christmas planning was also discussed at a meeting on November 5th. According to the minutes, “the distinction between pubs and restaurants was noted as important, and the idea of a pub/restaurant as providing a more controlled environment, when guidelines are strictly applied and enforced, than a private house should be considered”.
“Emphasis on how to make higher risk activities safer was highlighted, with particular regard to guidance on ventilation for pubs/restaurants/retail which was noted due to super-spreader events that occurred previously.”
Nphet’s communications team made a “safe socialising” proposal under which “people should socialise with an exclusive group of six people from outside their household for the next six months or until a vaccine is distributed”. Young adults living at home would be allowed have a “group of six separate to their parents”.
“Many members of Nphet expressed concern that the expectation may be unrealistic, especially when tied to the arrival of a vaccine. It was also noted that it may be exclusionary, particularly among younger cohorts,” the minutes record.


theirishtimes--2020-12-06--Tom Barry said Provos only had ‘themselves to blame’ for losing support

Tom Barry , the architect of the Kilmichael ambush during the War of Independence , “ point blank ” refused to support republican hunger strikers in Portlaoise prison during the Troubles because of the tactics of the Provisional IRA , correspondence shows .
Barry , a veteran of the Anti-Treaty IRA in the Civil War who died in 1980 , was regularly called upon by republicans to endorse IRA violence during the Troubles .
In his now deleted tweet , Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley likened the Kilmichael ambush to the killing of 18 British soldiers at Narrow Water in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claiming they were “ the 2 IRA operations that taught the elite of [ the ] British army and the establishment the cost of occupying Ireland .
Pity for everyone they were such slow learners ” .
He has since apologised for it .
Barry was an early supporter of the Provisional IRA but he became disillusioned with its tactics especially after the Birmingham pub bombings of 1974 which killed 21 people and injured 182 others , saying that even an Ireland “ overflowing with milk and honey ” was not worth the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he would have bombed Whitehall and Scotland Yard .
He outlined his views in an interview with The Sunday Independent in March 1976 in which he stated : “ I back the right of Republicans to shoot , kill and bomb British occupying forces .
Nobody can deny that .
But I do not back the bombing of obvious civilian targets like pubs and that bloody carry-on.
” In a letter in UCD archives , Sheila Humphreys ( also known as Sighle Humphreys ) , a republican veteran of Cumann na mBan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Barry .
The unsent letter is undated , but events in it correspond with the hunger strike that was going on in Portlaoise Prison .
In March 1977 20 Republican political prisoners , including the former Sinn Féin deputy Martin Ferris , began a hunger strike over prison conditions .
After 47 days on hunger strike , they gave up without forcing any concessions .
Humphreys was asked by Maire Comerford , another veteran of Cumann na mBan , to approach Barry about declaring public support for the hunger strikers .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 30 minutes did not go well , Humphreys recalled .
“ But he would not allow his name to go forward .
He refused point blank to have his name included .
He said that the men who were carrying out the recent killings especially that last shooting could not be called IRA , ” she wrote .
“ He said that he had recently been invited to Derry and Belfast , but had refused both invitations .
Since the hunger strikes began he had been approached to use his influence in certain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had told whoever had approached him that he should realise that the organisation was losing support from all quarters and that they had only themselves to blame.
” Historian Brian Hanley , who came across the letter while researching his book The Impact of the Troubles on the Republic of Ireland , 1968-79 says the killings Barry may be referring to are the shooting dead of three businessmen in early February and March of 1977 by the IRA , Jeffery Agate , Donald Robinson and James Nicholson .
Mr Hanley stressed that though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 83 , was appalled by civilian casualties , he would have “ shed no tears ” for the members of the Parachute Regiment killed at Narrow Water .

Tom Barry said in 1976: “I back the right of Republicans to shoot, kill and bomb British occupying forces. Nobody can deny that. But I do not back the bombing of obvious civilian targets like pubs and that bloody carry-on.”
Tom Barry, the architect of the Kilmichael ambush during the War of Independence, "point blank" refused to support republican hunger strikers in Portlaoise prison during the Troubles because of the tactics of the Provisional IRA, correspondence shows.
Barry, a veteran of the Anti-Treaty IRA in the Civil War who died in 1980, was regularly called upon by republicans to endorse IRA violence during the Troubles.
In his now deleted tweet, Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley likened the Kilmichael ambush to the killing of 18 British soldiers at Narrow Water in August 1979 by the Provisional IRA, claiming they were "the 2 IRA operations that taught the elite of [the] British army and the establishment the cost of occupying Ireland. Pity for everyone they were such slow learners".
He has since apologised for it.
READ MORE
Barry was an early supporter of the Provisional IRA but he became disillusioned with its tactics especially after the Birmingham pub bombings of 1974 which killed 21 people and injured 182 others, saying that even an Ireland "overflowing with milk and honey" was not worth the price of such an attack. Instead, he would have bombed Whitehall and Scotland Yard.
He outlined his views in an interview with The Sunday Independent in March 1976 in which he stated: “I back the right of Republicans to shoot, kill and bomb British occupying forces. Nobody can deny that. But I do not back the bombing of obvious civilian targets like pubs and that bloody carry-on.”
In a letter in UCD archives, Sheila Humphreys (also known as Sighle Humphreys), a republican veteran of Cumann na mBan, recalled a telephone conversation she had with Barry.
The unsent letter is undated, but events in it correspond with the hunger strike that was going on in Portlaoise Prison.
In March 1977 20 Republican political prisoners, including the former Sinn Féin deputy Martin Ferris, began a hunger strike over prison conditions. After 47 days on hunger strike, they gave up without forcing any concessions.
Public support
Humphreys was asked by Maire Comerford, another veteran of Cumann na mBan, to approach Barry about declaring public support for the hunger strikers.
The phone call which lasted between 25 and 30 minutes did not go well, Humphreys recalled.
“But he would not allow his name to go forward. He refused point blank to have his name included. He said that the men who were carrying out the recent killings especially that last shooting could not be called IRA,” she wrote.
"He said that he had recently been invited to Derry and Belfast, but had refused both invitations. Since the hunger strikes began he had been approached to use his influence in certain quarters, but had also refused and had told whoever had approached him that he should realise that the organisation was losing support from all quarters and that they had only themselves to blame."
Historian Brian Hanley, who came across the letter while researching his book The Impact of the Troubles on the Republic of Ireland, 1968-79 says the killings Barry may be referring to are the shooting dead of three businessmen in early February and March of 1977 by the IRA, Jeffery Agate, Donald Robinson and James Nicholson.
Mr Hanley stressed that though Barry, who died at the age of 83, was appalled by civilian casualties, he would have “shed no tears” for the members of the Parachute Regiment killed at Narrow Water.


theirishtimes--2020-12-07--‘Major increase’ in socialising could see Covid cases surge, Nphet warns Donnelly

The National Public Health Emergency Team ( Nphet ) warned the Government that a “ major increase ” in socialisation could see 450 cases of coronavirus infection per day being diagnosed before the end of the year .
Such a level would be above the point at which Nphet has estimated a three-week intervention would be required to bring cases back under control .
In a letter sent last week , the Nphet warned Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly that significant growth in socialisation and the diversity of contacts over the festive period could “ lead to much higher levels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to date ” .
The public health team ’ s modelling shows that if the R number , which estimates how quickly the disease is spreading through the population , grows to 2.0 from 22nd December to 6th January , 300-450 cases per day could be seen by New Year ’ s Day , and 800-1200 per day by the second week of January .
The five-day moving average started rising again last Friday and now stands at 295 .
The letter also flags concerns about the impact of an increased caseload on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arguing that due to “ resource constraints ” , “ any significant increase in incidence over the coming weeks has the potential to once again challenge the timely investigation and management of cases , clusters , and outbreaks by the Departments of Public Health.
” The letter outlines more conservative projections , which are based on keeping the R number at 1.4 of below .
In these scenarios cases could still be as high as 300-600 per day by the second week in January .
The Nphet has previously told the Government that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place when cases are around 400 per day in order to be effective .
The letter , sent on December 3rd , and after the Government decided to unwind the Level 5 restrictions , also flags concerns around international travel which “ has the potential to rapidly undermine the progress achieved by the country in recent weeks ” .
In the letter , chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan told Mr Donnelly that Ireland made “ great progress ” during the recent lockdown period , with “ significant suppression of viral transmission ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ significant concern ” over the level of infection , which has stalled .
“ The number of confirmed cases in intensive care and deaths associated with Covid-19 are not reducing .
We continue to observe persistently high incidence in older persons , a population group most vulnerable to morbidity and mortality associated with the disease.
” Dr Holohan also said there had been increases movement in society and more contact between people “ in anticipation of the recent relaxation of Level 5 measures and we now approach the Christmas period with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ burden.
” Nphet last week endorsed a joint paper on prioritisation - the order in which different groups will be selected for vaccination - from the Department of Health and the National Immunisation Advisory Committee ( NIAC ) .
The CMO told Mr Donnelly that the prioritisation list is “ based on ethical principles ” and takes into account a range of factors , including the characteristics of Covid-19 and how it spreads , the individuals most susceptible to infection and the characteristics of different candidate vaccines .
The list of provisional priority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paper approved by Nphet , will remain under review .
“ Vaccine allocation strategies depend upon a number of factors , including vaccine efficacy in different age/risk groups , the availability of effective therapeutics , and the epidemiological situation at the time the vaccine becomes available , ” Dr Holohan wrote .
The letter also confirms that there will be a serial testing programme for healthcare workers in acute settings put in place in early January , along the lines of those in place for nursing homes and meat factories .

Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said in a letter on December 3rd that there was ‘significant concern’ over the level of new infections. Photograph: Collins
No new deaths of Covid-19 patients have been reported by the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) for the second day in a row. This leaves at 2,099 the total number of deaths in the pandemic.
Nphet also reported 242 confirmed cases of the virus, bringing to 74,468 the total number of cases in the Republic.
Of the cases notified on Monday, 113 are men and 129 are women while 63 per cent are under 45 years of age. The median age is 37 years old.
There were 76 cases in Dublin; 27 in Donegal; 22 in Kilkenny; 16 in Galway; 14 in Louth and the remaining 87 cases are spread across 18 other counties.
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As of 2pm, 223 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 28 are in ICU. There have been nine additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.
It is "more likely than not" that Ireland will be experiencing "challenging" levels of Covid-19 transmission in January due to increased socialising over Christmas, chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan has forecast.
It was less likely that the country will be able to avert significant levels of infections, he told the Nphet briefing on Monday.
Asked what Nphet’s alternative was to the imposition of recurrent lockdowns, Dr Holohan said officials did not want to be in a position where the only recommendation they made to Government was for tight and challenging restrictions “but if we have to do it we will”.
He said a combination of the measures applied, a high level of compliance among the public and the strengthening of public health capacity so that outbreaks can be quickly picked up and controlled had the greatest potential for avoiding harder measures targeted at the entire population.
However, high case numbers along with increased socialising made it more likely than not that challenging levels of disease transmission will occur in January.
Dr Holohan said he was “surprised” by the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) guidance last week that stated that air travel was not a high-risk activity.
Nphet does not agreed with this advice and has made its views known within the ECDC, he said. Its advice remained that people avoid non-essential travel this Christmas.
He said plans for the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines in Ireland are “well advanced” and the taskforce overseeing it was on schedule to publish its detailed proposals on Friday.
Dr Holohan said that since restrictions were eased, people have a lot more opportunities to do things such as shopping or travelling.
He urged the public to “select from that menu” by doing one or two things rather than the entire list. If people do “everything”, he warned this will result in increased socialisation and crowding, thereby increasing the risk of virus transmission.
He said case numbers have “bottomed out” above 250 a day. “We’ve passed the low point at a much higher level than we would have liked.”
Evidence of the disimproving figures can be seen in the divergence between Ireland’s 14-day incidence, which is down 25 per cent, and our seven-day incidence, which is up 11 per cent.
However, there was good reason to be hopeful about the situation and if things were kept under control, a surge in infections could be avoided, Dr Holohan said.
The national incidence of the disease has increased slightly to 80 cases per 100,000 people over the past 14 days. The five-day moving average of cases now stands at 288 cases per day.
Donegal and Kilkenny, where there are major hospital outbreaks, continue to have the highest county incidences, at 232.4 and 172.3 respectively. Leitrim has the lowest incidence, at 15.6.
So far this month, there have been 16 deaths, compared to 147 in November and 120 in October.
Nphet officials reported 49 ongoing virus outbreaks in hospitals, in 18 different institutions, involving 921 cases. Some 443 of these cases are healthcare workers.
Since October, 73 deaths have been linked to hospital outbreaks and 32 in nursing homes. Some 99 nursing homes deaths have occurred since October.
The number of people who think the worst of the pandemic is over now surpasses those who say the worst is still to come, according to the latest polling figures carried out for Nphet.
Meanwhile, public health officials have clarified advice issued last week in relation to religious services, particularly over the Christmas period. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre says musical instruments that are physically blown by mouth, such as brass and wind instruments should be avoided at such services. However, pipe organs can be played “as long as all the appropriate public health measures are in place”.
Earlier, it emerged that Nphet had warned the Government a “major increase” in socialisation could see 450 cases of Covid-19 infection per day being diagnosed before the end of the year.
Such a level would be above the point at which Nphet has estimated a three-week intervention would be required to bring cases back under control.
In a letter sent last week, Nphet warned Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly that significant growth in socialisation and the diversity of contacts over the festive period could "lead to much higher levels of viral transmission than have been seen to date".
The public health team’s modelling shows that if the R number, which estimates how quickly the disease is spreading through the population, grows to 2.0 from December 22nd to January 6th, between 300 and 450 cases per day could be seen by New Year’s Day, and 800 to 1n 200 per day by the second week of January.
The five-day currently stands at 295.
The letter also flags concerns about the impact of an increased caseload on curtailing the spread of the virus, arguing that due to “resource constraints”, “any significant increase in incidence over the coming weeks has the potential to once again challenge the timely investigation and management of cases, clusters, and outbreaks by the Departments of Public Health.”
The letter outlines more conservative projections, which are based on keeping the R number at 1.4 of below.
In these scenarios cases could still be as high as 300 to 600 per day by the second week in January.
Nphet has previously told the Government that a three-week intervention would have to take place when cases are around 400 per day in order to be effective.
The letter, sent on December 3rd, and after the Government decided to unwind the Level 5 restrictions, also flags concerns around international travel which “has the potential to rapidly undermine the progress achieved by the country in recent weeks”.
In the letter, chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan told Mr Donnelly that Ireland made “great progress” during the recent lockdown period, with “significant suppression of viral transmission”.
However, he says there is “significant concern” over the level of infection, which has stalled.
“The number of confirmed cases in intensive care and deaths associated with Covid-19 are not reducing. We continue to observe persistently high incidence in older persons, a population group most vulnerable to morbidity and mortality associated with the disease.”
Dr Holohan also said there had been increases movement in society and more contact between people “in anticipation of the recent relaxation of Level 5 measures and we now approach the Christmas period with a significantly high force of infection and healthcare burden.”
Nphet last week endorsed a joint paper on prioritisation - the order in which different groups will be selected for vaccination - from the Department of Health and the National Immunisation Advisory Committee.
Dr Holohan told Mr Donnelly that the prioritisation list is “based on ethical principles” and takes into account a range of factors, including the characteristics of Covid-19 and how it spreads, the individuals most susceptible to infection and the characteristics of different candidate vaccines.
The list of provisional priority groups, which is contained in the paper approved by Nphet, will remain under review. “Vaccine allocation strategies depend upon a number of factors, including vaccine efficacy in different age/risk groups, the availability of effective therapeutics, and the epidemiological situation at the time the vaccine becomes available,” Dr Holohan wrote.
The letter also confirms that there will be a serial testing programme for healthcare workers in acute settings put in place in early January, along the lines of those in place for nursing homes and meat factories.


theirishtimes--2020-12-07--ESRI warns of delays in Irish citizenship process

Delays in the processing of applications , expensive fees and a lack of clarity around eligibility conditions are among a number of concerns raised in a new report examining Ireland ’ s citizenship process .
The Economic and Social Research Institute ( ESRI ) Pathways to Citizenship report also raises concern around the barriers facing children applying for citizenship before they turn 18 and the lack of an appeal mechanism for people whose applications are declined .
The ESRI report found applicants for Irish citizenship face “ more favourable conditions ” than in other EU member states including not having @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a language or civics test .
However , the lack of clarity around the requirement that a person must be of “ good character ” to qualify for citizenship “ gives rise to uncertainty ” , said the report .
Ireland ’ s naturalisation application and certification fees are also “ among the highest in the EU ” .
The number of applications for Irish citizenship “ jumped significantly ” between 2008 and 2011 , reflecting the rise in numbers who immigrated to Ireland in the early 2000s , reports the ESRI .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ citizenship between 2006 and 2018 but application numbers have “ decreased steadily ” since 2012 .
Just over 8,200 people were granted Irish citizenship through naturalisation in 2018 and 5,800 in 2019 .
While most people who apply are non-EU nationals , the number of EU citizens applying has increased in recent years .
People from Nigeria , India , the Philippines , Pakistan the US and China make up the highest number of applications from non-EU nationals and people from Poland , Romania , the UK , Latvia , Hungary and Lithuania @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apply .
The number of UK citizens who acquired Irish citizenship increased seven fold in the two years following the Brexit referendum , rising from 98 naturalisations in 2016 to 687 in 2018 .
In November 2020 , 5,379 people had been waiting longer than two years for their citizenship application to be processed while a total of 23,187 citizenship applications are currently being processed , according to data published in this newspaper last month .
In October 2020 the Department of Justice said it should take 12 months for a “ straightforward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arising from the 2019 High Court judgement and Covid-19 restrictions .
The High Court ’ s ruling last year that any person applying for Irish citizenship could not spend a day outside Ireland in the year before they apply resulted in “ significant delays ” in the system , notes the report .
The “ six week rule ” , which provides for short term absences from Ireland during the year of continuous residence needed to apply for citizenship , was found to be unlawful in July 2019 by Mr Justice Max Barrett @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found in November 2019 that his judgement was “ unworkable , overly literal , unduly rigid and gives rise to an absurdity ” , says the report .
Applicants for Irish citizenship must have a total reckonable residence of five years during the previous nine years , including one year of “ continuous residence ” .
Applying for citizenship costs €175 and if granted , adults must pay €950 for their certificate while children and widow/widowers of an Irish citizen pay €200 .
Refugees and stateless persons are exempt from paying this fee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good character ” – a term that is “ not defined ” and has no published “ guidelines on its interpretation ” , notes the report .
While application refusals are generally low , the rejection rate increased from 6 per cent to 15 per cent in 2018 when 1,243 applications were refused .
Just five people have had their Irish citizenship revoked in the past decade .

Delays in the processing of applications, expensive fees and a lack of clarity around eligibility conditions are among a number of concerns raised in a new report examining Ireland’s citizenship process.
The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) Pathways to Citizenship report also raises concern around the barriers facing children applying for citizenship before they turn 18 and the lack of an appeal mechanism for people whose applications are declined.
The ESRI report found applicants for Irish citizenship face “more favourable conditions” than in other EU member states including not having to renounce their former nationality or undertake a language or civics test.
However, the lack of clarity around the requirement that a person must be of “good character” to qualify for citizenship “gives rise to uncertainty”, said the report. Ireland’s naturalisation application and certification fees are also “among the highest in the EU”.
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The number of applications for Irish citizenship "jumped significantly" between 2008 and 2011, reflecting the rise in numbers who immigrated to Ireland in the early 2000s, reports the ESRI.
A total of 145,800 people acquired Irish citizenship between 2006 and 2018 but application numbers have “decreased steadily” since 2012. Just over 8,200 people were granted Irish citizenship through naturalisation in 2018 and 5,800 in 2019.
While most people who apply are non-EU nationals, the number of EU citizens applying has increased in recent years.
People from Nigeria, India, the Philippines, Pakistan the US and China make up the highest number of applications from non-EU nationals and people from Poland, Romania, the UK, Latvia, Hungary and Lithuania are the most common EU nationalities to apply.
The number of UK citizens who acquired Irish citizenship increased seven fold in the two years following the Brexit referendum, rising from 98 naturalisations in 2016 to 687 in 2018.
In November 2020, 5,379 people had been waiting longer than two years for their citizenship application to be processed while a total of 23,187 citizenship applications are currently being processed, according to data published in this newspaper last month.
In October 2020 the Department of Justice said it should take 12 months for a "straightforward application" to be processed following delays arising from the 2019 High Court judgement and Covid-19 restrictions.
The High Court’s ruling last year that any person applying for Irish citizenship could not spend a day outside Ireland in the year before they apply resulted in “significant delays” in the system, notes the report.
The “six week rule”, which provides for short term absences from Ireland during the year of continuous residence needed to apply for citizenship, was found to be unlawful in July 2019 by Mr Justice Max Barrett.
However, the Court of Appeal found in November 2019 that his judgement was “unworkable, overly literal, unduly rigid and gives rise to an absurdity”, says the report.
Applicants for Irish citizenship must have a total reckonable residence of five years during the previous nine years, including one year of “continuous residence”.
Applying for citizenship costs €175 and if granted, adults must pay €950 for their certificate while children and widow/widowers of an Irish citizen pay €200. Refugees and stateless persons are exempt from paying this fee.
Applicants must also be of “good character” – a term that is “not defined” and has no published “guidelines on its interpretation”, notes the report. While application refusals are generally low, the rejection rate increased from 6 per cent to 15 per cent in 2018 when 1,243 applications were refused. Just five people have had their Irish citizenship revoked in the past decade.


theirishtimes--2020-12-07--Trial of four accused of assaulting Kevin Lunney to go ahead next month

Judges at the Special Criminal Court on Monday ruled that the trial of four men accused of falsely imprisoning and assaulting Quinn Industrial Holdings ( QIH ) director Kevin Lunney will go ahead next month as scheduled .
Mr Justice Tony Hunt , presiding at the three-judge court , this morning rejected a pre-trial application by defence counsel for the four accused men to adjourn the 12-week trial , which is due to commence on January 11th .
Luke O ’ Reilly ( 66 ) , with an address at Mullahoran Lower , Kilcogy , Co Cavan ; Darren Redmond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , East Wall , Dublin 3 ; Alan O ’ Brien ( 39 ) , of Shelmalier Road , East Wall , Dublin 3 and the fourth accused man , who can not be named for legal reasons , are all charged with false imprisonment and assault causing serious harm to Mr Lunney at Drumbrade , Ballinagh , Co Cavan on September 17th , 2019 .
Mr Lunney ( 50 ) was abducted close to his home in Co Fermanagh on the evening of September 17th .
The businessman ’ s leg was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the letters QIH were carved into his chest during the two-and-a-half hour ordeal before he was dumped on a roadside in Co Cavan .
The four defendants were sent forward for trial before the Special Criminal Court last March and the non-jury court has fixed January 11th , 2021 as their trial date .
It is expected to last 12 weeks .
Delivering the non-jury court ’ s ruling on the matter , Mr Justice Hunt , sitting with Judge Sarah Berkeley and Judge Michael Walsh , said that four separate grounds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the four grounds for the adjournment application submitted by defence counsel Michael O ’ Higgins SC , for the unnamed man and adopted by the three other co-accused , was that the law on the retention and accessing of mobile phone data is in “ a state of significant uncertainty ” in Ireland .
Another reason put forward by the barrister was that High Court challenges are being brought by the defendants against the Special Criminal Court ’ s jurisdiction to try the matter .
Mr O ’ Higgins said there was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case and in his submission there was no reasonable prospect that the material would be scrutinised in the available time .
The lawyer said his client also wanted to go through the material himself , which was not an unreasonable request .
Furthermore , Mr O ’ Higgins submitted that there was also important DNA evidence found on an abandoned Renault Kangoo van , used in the alleged abduction of Mr Lunney , which went on fire from an electrical fault whilst in the possession of gardaí .
He noted that the Garda @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fire and it did not seem unreasonable to wait for the outcome .
The three-judge court disagreed .
Refusing the application , Mr Justice Hunt said that as far as these four grounds were concerned , there was no basis for adjourning the trial .
The case was listed for mention on December 21st at 12.30pm .

Four are all charged with false imprisonment and assault causing serious harm to Kevin Lunney at Drumbrade, Ballinagh, Co Cavan on September 17th, 2019. Photograph: Quinn Industrial Holdings/PA
A bid to halt the trial of four men accused of falsely imprisoning and assaulting Quinn Industrial Holdings (QIH) director Kevin Lunney has been rejected by judges at the Special Criminal Court on Monday.
Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding at the three-judge court, rejected all four grounds of a pre-trial defence application to adjourn the 12-week trial, which is due to commence on January 11th.
The judge also found the fact a Renault Kangoo van went on fire from an electrical fault while in the possession of gardaí was “immutable” and was not a sufficient basis for the case to be adjourned.
Sean Guerin SC, on behalf of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), previously told the Special Criminal Court that one of the accused men, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had complained to the Garda Ombudsman that DNA was “planted” on a van that he says was deliberately destroyed in a fire so it wouldn’t be made available to the defence. However, Mr Guerin said the fire began accidentally and the CCTV had been disclosed to the defence.
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Luke O’Reilly (66), with an address at Mullahoran Lower, Kilcogy, Co Cavan; Darren Redmond (25), from Caledon Road, East Wall, Dublin 3; Alan O’Brien (39), of Shelmalier Road, East Wall, Dublin 3 and the fourth accused man are all charged with false imprisonment and assault causing serious harm to Mr Lunney at Drumbrade, Ballinagh, Co Cavan on September 17th, 2019.
Mr Lunney (50) was abducted close to his home in Co Fermanagh on the evening of September 17th. The businessman’s leg was broken, he was doused in bleach and the letters QIH were carved into his chest during the two-and-a-half hour ordeal before he was dumped on a roadside in Co Cavan.
The four defendants were sent forward for trial before the Special Criminal Court last March and the non-jury court has fixed January 11th, 2021 as their trial date. It is expected to last 12 weeks.
Delivering the non-jury court’s ruling on the matter, Mr Justice Hunt, sitting with Judge Sarah Berkeley and Judge Michael Walsh, said four separate grounds had been advanced by the defence.
One of the four grounds for an adjournment submitted by defence counsel Michael O’Higgins SC for the unnamed man, and adopted by the three other co-accused, concerned the law on the retention and accessing of mobile phone data. Counsel argued that the law is in “a state of significant uncertainty” in Ireland and the trial should therefore not proceed.
Outlining the reasons for the court’s ruling on this ground, Mr Justice Hunt said the Special Criminal Court did not perceive “sufficient flux and sufficient uncertainty” to justify an adjournment of the trial and it was up to the domestic courts to come to an assessment of the legality or otherwise of the retention of phone data. “No guidance is going to come in the short term in relation to these matters,” he added.
Another reason put forward by Mr O’Higgins was that High Court challenges have been brought by the defendants against the Special Criminal Court’s jurisdiction to try the matter.
In relation to this, Mr Justice Hunt said that a significant fact was that “no stay” had emanated from the High Court and there was no legal impediment to hear the trial and therefore no basis for adjourning it on this ground. If the trial proceeded to its full duration, the judge said it would be late April or early May before a verdict would be available and “it may well be that the High Court gets to the finish line first”.
Mr O’Higgins had also argued that there was a large volume of disclosure in the case and in his submission there was no reasonable prospect that the material would be scrutinised in the available time. The lawyer said his client also wanted to go through the material himself, which was not an unreasonable request.
The court was satisfied, Mr Justice Hunt said, that the ground for an adjournment concerning the volume of disclosure did not arise. The judge said it was not clear to the court whether the lawyers did not have time to “scrutinise the material” and it was “very difficult” to assess the reality of this application.
Finally, Mr O’Higgins had submitted that there was important DNA evidence found on an abandoned Renault Kangoo van, used in the alleged abduction of Mr Lunney, which went on fire from an electrical fault while in the possession of gardaí. He noted that the Garda Ombudsman was carrying out an investigation into the fire and it did not seem unreasonable to wait for the outcome.
Mr Justice Hunt said the result of the fire was “immutable” and could not be changed and sufficient basis had not been put forward on this ground for the case to be adjourned.
“What has happened has happened and whatever the consequences, that will have will have to be worked out at the trial,” he said, adding that it would be nice if GSOC produced a report next week to remove the issue in the case one way or another. DNA, he said, was produced in court in many cases, not the place where the DNA was discovered.
Refusing the defence application, Mr Justice Hunt said that as far as these four grounds were concerned, there was no basis for adjourning the trial. The case was listed for mention on December 21st at 12.30pm.


theirishtimes--2020-12-07--More than 1,300 couples can convert civil partnerships into marriage under new law

Same sex couples in Northern Ireland who previously were in civil partnerships now can now marry for the first time following a recent law change .
More than 30 couples are expected to convert their civil partnerships into marriage this week in Northern Ireland .
First to do so were Cara McCann and Amanda McGurk , who entered a civil partnership on St Valentine ’ s Day last year .
That partnership was officially transformed into a marriage through a registration process at Belfast City Hall on Monday .
Both were involved in the Love Equality campaign for same-sex marriage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new legislation that came into effect on Monday more than 1,300 same sex couples will be able to convert their partnerships into marriage .
Such civil partnerships have been legal in Northern Ireland since 2005 but it was only earlier this year that same-sex marriages were permitted .
Also availing of the law change on Monday were two of the leaders of that campaign , John O ’ Doherty , director of the Rainbow Project who is marrying his partner Martin Toland at Lisburn Civic Centre .
Due , however , to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to have a wedding party on Monday .
“ We want to thank everyone who was part of this great movement for love and equality and which has delivered this wonderful , positive change for our society , ” said Cara McCann .
“ We fought long and hard for the right to marry , ” she added .
John O ’ Doherty of the Rainbow Project said that with Monday ’ s weddings they had “ reached the successful endpoint of our campaign to bring marriage equality to Northern Ireland ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there are still more battles to be fought for equality , but today is a day of celebration , not just for us , but for everyone who marched with us , ” he said .
Patrick Corrigan , Northern Ireland director of Amnesty International , one of the leaders of the Love Equality coalition , said it had taken “ years of campaigning and the efforts of thousands of people to secure the law change which has allowed these loving couples to finally become married couples ” .
“ The experience of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we come together and stand up for what is right we will prevail .
That ’ s a lesson to apply to all the other problems and inequalities we face in this society , ” he said .

Cara McCann and Amanda McGurk outside Belfast City Hall after becoming the first couple in Northern Ireland to convert their civil partnership into a marriage. Photograph: Liam McBurney/PA
Same sex couples in Northern Ireland who previously were in civil partnerships now can now marry for the first time following a recent law change.
More than 30 couples are expected to convert their civil partnerships into marriage this week in Northern Ireland.
First to do so were Cara McCann and Amanda McGurk, who entered a civil partnership on St Valentine's Day last year. That partnership was officially transformed into a marriage through a registration process at Belfast City Hall on Monday.
Amanda McGurk and Cara McCann outside Belfast City Hall on Monday after becoming the first couple in Belfast to convert their civil partnership into a marriage. Both were involved in the Love Equality campaign for same-sex marriage rights in Northern Ireland. Photograph: Liam McBurney/PA Wire
Both were involved in the Love Equality campaign for same-sex marriage rights in Northern Ireland.
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Under the new legislation that came into effect on Monday more than 1,300 same sex couples will be able to convert their partnerships into marriage.
Such civil partnerships have been legal in Northern Ireland since 2005 but it was only earlier this year that same-sex marriages were permitted.
Also availing of the law change on Monday were two of the leaders of that campaign, John O'Doherty, director of the Rainbow Project who is marrying his partner Martin Toland at Lisburn Civic Centre.
Due, however, to the current Covid-19 restrictions neither couple will be able to have a wedding party on Monday.
“We want to thank everyone who was part of this great movement for love and equality and which has delivered this wonderful, positive change for our society,” said Cara McCann.
“We fought long and hard for the right to marry,” she added.
John O’Doherty of the Rainbow Project said that with Monday’s weddings they had “reached the successful endpoint of our campaign to bring marriage equality to Northern Ireland”.
“For the LGBT+ community, there are still more battles to be fought for equality, but today is a day of celebration, not just for us, but for everyone who marched with us,” he said.
Patrick Corrigan, Northern Ireland director of Amnesty International, one of the leaders of the Love Equality coalition, said it had taken "years of campaigning and the efforts of thousands of people to secure the law change which has allowed these loving couples to finally become married couples".
“The experience of the last decade tells us that when we come together and stand up for what is right we will prevail. That’s a lesson to apply to all the other problems and inequalities we face in this society,” he said.


theirishtimes--2020-12-07--Ireland ranked among worst performers in 2020 climate rankings

Ireland continues to be among the worst developed countries in the world when it comes to responding the climate crisis , according to the 2020 Climate Change Performance Index ( CCPI ) .
This index analyses how well 57 countries are delivering on decarbonisation commitments .
The EU is at a crossroads as half of its member states are reducing their emissions , it concludes , while others countries , including Ireland , are far short of what is required to meet Paris Agreement goals .
For two years running Ireland was ranked the worst performing country in the EU @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the overall rankings last year .
The country has made a slight improvement to 39th place , largely due to the scale of renewable energy generation and improved policy moves at government level .
It remains , however , in the “ low ” category for the second year running ( after two years in the “ very low ” category ) .
Within the EU , Ireland is now in 19th position just outside “ the outliers on climate progress ” ; Hungary , the Czech Republic and Poland .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 57 countries ( plus EU as a whole ) , which account for 90 per cent of global emissions .
It is regarded as the most reliable indicator of countries ’ response to climate disruption , and has been published yearly since 2005 .
The current index analyses emissions before the coronavirus crisis and does not reflect emission reductions that arose during the pandemic , which are likely to be temporary .
“ The latest CCPI clearly shows the EU stands at a crossroads , ” said Jan Burck , one of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in co-operation with NewClimate Institute and Climate Action Network .
None of the countries surveyed are on “ a path compatible with the Paris Agreement goals ” .
To highlight this point the first three places in the index remain unfilled .
Sweden , the UK , Denmark , Morocco and Norway receive the highest rankings ; the US followed by Saudi Arabia are the worst performing countries .
The EU has moved up from 22nd to 16th position .
This report comes days before the EU summit on the climate targets for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to mark the fifth Anniversary of the Paris Agreement on December 12th .
“ The EU can become a role model in climate protection with green recovery measures after the coronavirus crisis , by setting an ambitious climate target for 2030 in line with the 1,5 degree-limit and a good implementation and further development of its green deal , ” Mr Burck added .
“ But it can also stumble badly if it pursues greenwashing instead of green recovery and implements inadequate targets and instruments in the European green deal , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : emissions ; adoption of renewable energy , energy use and climate policy .
The latter is based on assessments by NGOs and specialist think tanks from respective countries .
The CCPI also evaluates to what extent countries are taking adequate action to be on track towards the Paris goal of limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees .
In its note on Ireland , it finds “ improvement is largely rooted in changes to government policies , and if these are translated into concrete actions then Ireland has considerable potential for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the renewables category , a medium rating in the energy use and ranks “ very low ” on emissions .
“ The improvement in Ireland ’ s overall performance therefore is based on the rating national experts gave to Ireland ’ s new climate policies , leading to an 11-place jump in this category , ” it says .
CCPI experts acknowledge the Government ’ s commitment to greater climate ambition , “ beginning with a climate law which will strengthen the governance framework for climate action ” including five-year emissions budgets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 51 per cent by 2030 .
Stop Climate Chaos policy co-ordinator Sadhbh O ’ Neill said : “ Ireland ’ s slight improvement is based on policy promises .
Now we must see the action plan to actually start eliminating polluting emissions .
Otherwise we ’ ll continue to languish in the bottom half of the climate league table and fail to do our fair share under the Paris Agreement.
” The CCPI acknowledges Ireland ’ s renewable electricity target of 70 per cent by 2030 , but finds “ neither small-scale installations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as planned ” .
“ Furthermore , despite new funding commitments for peat restoration , peatlands are still being mined for horticultural use and fuel .
There is no set end date for the coal and peat phase-out and plant closures are taking place on a haphazard basis , ” it adds .
The CCPI team Identified “ major deficiencies in the country ’ s emission reduction efforts in transport and heat sectors , while “ the biggest laggard sector for Ireland ’ s low rated national climate policy remains agriculture ” .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ dairy production continues , leading to high and increasing use of reactive nitrogen in fertiliser and feed resulting in rising methane and nitrous oxide emissions , it notes .
While early indications suggest the government is returning Ireland to a more progressive position on EU climate policy , “ this is not the case for its position on agriculture ” , it adds .
The CCPI report is available at www.ccpi.org

The 2020 Climate Change Performance Index has rated Ireland’s performance in cutting emissions in the ‘very low’ category. Photograph: Bryan O’Brien
Ireland continues to be among the worst of the world's developed countries when it comes to responding the climate crisis, according to the 2020 Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI).
This index analyses how well 57 countries are delivering on decarbonisation commitments.
The EU is at a crossroads as half of its member states are reducing their emissions, it concludes, while others countries, including Ireland, are far short of what is required to meet Paris Agreement goals.
For two years running Ireland was ranked the worst performing country in the EU, before moving up to 41st place in the overall rankings last year.
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The country has made a slight improvement to 39th place, largely due to the scale of renewable energy generation and improved policy moves at government level.
It remains, however, in the “low” category for the second year running (after two years in the “very low” category).
Within the EU, Ireland is now in 19th position just outside "the outliers on climate progress": Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland.
The CCPI analyses and compares climate protection across 57 countries (plus EU as a whole), which account for 90 per cent of global emissions.
It is regarded as the most reliable indicator of countries’ response to climate disruption, and has been published yearly since 2005.
The current index analyses emissions before the coronavirus crisis and does not reflect emission reductions that arose during the pandemic, which are likely to be temporary.
"The latest CCPI clearly shows the EU stands at a crossroads," said Jan Burck, one of the authors of the index published by Germanwatch in co-operation with NewClimate Institute and Climate Action Network.
None of the countries surveyed are on “a path compatible with the Paris Agreement goals” – so the first three places in the index remain unfilled.
Sweden, the UK, Denmark, Morocco and Norway receive the highest rankings; the US, followed by Saudi Arabia are the worst performing countries. The EU has moved up from 22nd to 16th position.
This report comes days before the EU summit on the climate targets for 2030 and a UN climate ambition summit to mark the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement on December 12th.
“The EU can become a role model in climate protection with green recovery measures after the coronavirus crisis, by setting an ambitious climate target for 2030 in line with the 1,5 degree-limit and a good implementation and further development of its green deal,” Mr Burck added.
“But it can also stumble badly if it pursues greenwashing instead of green recovery and implements inadequate targets and instruments in the European green deal,” he warned.
Four categories it assessed are: emissions; adoption of renewable energy, energy use and climate policy. The latter is based on assessments by NGOs and specialist think tanks from respective countries.
The CCPI also evaluates to what extent countries are taking adequate action to be on track towards the Paris goal of limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees.
In its note on Ireland, it finds “improvement is largely rooted in changes to government policies, and if these are translated into concrete actions then Ireland has considerable potential for improvement.”
Ireland received a high performance in the renewables category, a medium rating in the energy use and ranks “very low” on emissions.
“The improvement in Ireland’s overall performance therefore is based on the rating national experts gave to Ireland’s new climate policies, leading to an 11-place jump in this category,” it says.
CCPI experts acknowledge the Government’s commitment to greater climate ambition, “beginning with a climate law which will strengthen the governance framework for climate action” including five-year emissions budgets and a commitment to cut emissions by 51 per cent by 2030.
Stop Climate Chaos policy co-ordinator Sadhbh O’Neill said: “Ireland’s slight improvement is based on policy promises. Now we must see the action plan to actually start eliminating polluting emissions. Otherwise we’ll continue to languish in the bottom half of the climate league table and fail to do our fair share under the Paris Agreement.”
The CCPI acknowledges Ireland’s renewable electricity target of 70 per cent by 2030, but finds “neither small-scale installations nor renewable heat generation have been accelerated as planned”.
“Furthermore, despite new funding commitments for peat restoration, peatlands are still being mined for horticultural use and fuel. There is no set end date for the coal and peat phase-out and plant closures are taking place on a haphazard basis,” it adds.
The CCPI team identified “major deficiencies in the country’s emission reduction efforts in transport and heat sectors, while “the biggest laggard sector for Ireland’s low-rated national climate policy remains agriculture”.
State support for intensification and expansion of dairy production continues, leading to high and increasing use of reactive nitrogen in fertiliser and feed resulting in rising methane and nitrous oxide emissions, it notes.
While early indications suggest the Government is returning Ireland to a more progressive position on EU climate policy, “this is not the case for its position on agriculture”, it adds.
Minister for Environment and Climate Eamon Ryan said no one could disagree with the latest CCPI rankings, notably on the key metric of emissions. “We still have to up our game there. I’m confident we can do it,” he added.
This would be helped by a full-scale reduction in peat extraction and by continuing to move away from coal use in energy production, he said.
The CCPI report is available at www.ccpi.org


theirishtimes--2020-12-07--Irish Rail: Pre-booking mandatory for Christmas travel

Irish Rail has said pre-booking is to be mandatory on all inter-city , Christmas rail services as capacity is halved due to Covid-19 .
Advance booking will be required on services from Friday , December 18th , to Wednesday 6th January 2021 .
The measures coincide with the relaxation of Government Covid-19 travel rules , which will permit inter-county travel for the first time in up to three months , from December 18th to January 6th .
Trains will however be running at 50 per cent of capacity in line with the Christmas rules for all public transport .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ travel would ensure the available capacity is effectively managed , “ providing customers with a safe and sanitary travelling environment over the Christmas and New Year period ” .
However spokesman Barry Kenny asked that the public “ only travel if your journey is necessary , and avoid peak and busier times if at all possible ” .
“ Holders of existing tickets , such as open returns , season tickets and Department of Social Protection free travel can also pre-book their Intercity reservations during these dates at no charge via irishrail.ie or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unassigned , and customers are asked not to sit in seating designated as restricted , to ensure appropriate distancing ” , Mr Kenny said .
He also reminded passengers that face coverings were mandatory on public transport and in stations Catering services remains suspended onboard inter-city routes , and alcohol is prohibited on all trains Revised schedules are in place from Christmas Eve to New Year ’ s Day inclusive , and customers should check times .
There are no rail services on Christmas Day and St Stephen ’ s Day .
Intercity @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Revised train schedules are in place from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day inclusive. Photograph: Irish Rail
Irish Rail has said pre-booking is to be mandatory on all inter-city, Christmas rail services as capacity is halved due to Covid-19.
Advance booking will be required on services from Friday, December 18th, to Wednesday 6th January 2021.
The measures coincide with the relaxation of Government Covid-19 travel rules, which will permit inter-county travel for the first time in up to three months, from December 18th to January 6th.
Trains will however be running at 50 per cent of capacity in line with the Christmas rules for all public transport.
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A spokesman for Irish Rail said pre-booking inter-city travel would ensure the available capacity is effectively managed, “providing customers with a safe and sanitary travelling environment over the Christmas and New Year period”.
However spokesman Barry Kenny asked that the public “only travel if your journey is necessary, and avoid peak and busier times if at all possible”.
“Holders of existing tickets, such as open returns, season tickets and Department of Social Protection free travel can also pre-book their Intercity reservations during these dates at no charge via irishrail.ie or at 1850366222”
“Seating will be unassigned, and customers are asked not to sit in seating designated as restricted, to ensure appropriate distancing”, Mr Kenny said.
He also reminded passengers that face coverings were mandatory on public transport and in stations
Catering services remains suspended onboard inter-city routes, and alcohol is prohibited on all trains
Revised schedules are in place from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day inclusive, and customers should check times. There are no rail services on Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day.
Intercity travel can be pre-booked at www.irishrail.ie.