theirishtimes--2020-03-04--Mother accused of murdering her three children too unwell to appear in court

A mother accused of murdering her three young children at their home in Dublin was unable to face a court hearing on Wednesday because she was in the Central Mental Hospital ( CMH ) .
The bodies of Deirdre Morley ’ s sons Conor ( 9 ) and Darragh ( 7 ) , and her daughter Carla ( 3 ) McGinley were discovered in their home at Parsons Court in Newcastle , just before 8pm on January 24th last .
Ms Morley was remanded in custody by Dublin District Court on January 29th , with an order that she would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after she was charged with three counts of murder .
She was too unwell to be brought to court for her subsequent hearing a week later and the case had been adjourned until Wednesday .
Ms Morley ( 43 ) , a nurse at Our Lady ’ s Children ’ s Hospital , Crumlin , in Dublin , was due to appear at Dublin District Court on Wednesday but again she could not come to court .
Defence solicitor Jonathan Dunphy told Judge Colin Daly there was a sick-note from the CMH , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a four-week adjournment .
Judge Daly confirmed a letter from a CMH doctor had been furnished to the court and he requested a psychiatric report on the next occasion .
The case was adjourned in her absence until April 1st next .
The district court can not grant bail in a murder case .
Ms Morley was found by a taxi driver near her house shortly before the children ’ s bodies were discovered .
She was treated for days at Tallaght University Hospital before she was charged .
The children ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same time gardaí and paramedics reached the house and when they went inside they found the three children dead .
“ She made no reply in response to each of the charges and was handed a copy of charge , ” Det Sgt Dara Kenny had said at Ms Morley ’ s first hearing on January 29th , five days after the death of her children .

Judge Daly confirmed a letter from a CMH doctor had been furnished to the court and he requested a psychiatric report on the next occasion.
A mother accused of murdering her three young children at their home in Dublin was unable to face a court hearing on Wednesday because she was in the Central Mental Hospital (CMH).
The bodies of Deirdre Morley’s sons Conor (9) and Darragh (7), and her daughter Carla (3) McGinley were discovered in their home at Parsons Court in Newcastle, just before 8pm on January 24th last.
Ms Morley was remanded in custody by Dublin District Court on January 29th, with an order that she would receive a psychiatric assessment while in prison after she was charged with three counts of murder.
She was too unwell to be brought to court for her subsequent hearing a week later and the case had been adjourned until Wednesday.
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Ms Morley (43), a nurse at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, in Dublin, was due to appear at Dublin District Court on Wednesday but again she could not come to court.
Defence solicitor Jonathan Dunphy told Judge Colin Daly there was a sick-note from the CMH, in Dundrum. There was consent to a four-week adjournment.
Judge Daly confirmed a letter from a CMH doctor had been furnished to the court and he requested a psychiatric report on the next occasion.
The case was adjourned in her absence until April 1st next.
The district court cannot grant bail in a murder case.
Ms Morley was found by a taxi driver near her house shortly before the children’s bodies were discovered. She was treated for days at Tallaght University Hospital before she was charged.
The children’s father Andrew McGinley arrived home at the same time gardaí and paramedics reached the house and when they went inside they found the three children dead.
“She made no reply in response to each of the charges and was handed a copy of charge,” Det Sgt Dara Kenny had said at Ms Morley’s first hearing on January 29th, five days after the death of her children.


theirishtimes--2020-03-04--Royal visit: William and Kate to travel to Meath and Kildare

The only full day of the official Irish visit by Britain ’ s Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Ireland will see the royal couple making multiple stops in Dublin , Kildare and Meath before heading west to Galway .
The pair arrived in Dublin on Tuesday for a three-day visit to Ireland , their first official visit to the State .
Prince William and Kate Middleton on Wednesday visited the mental health charity Jigsaw in Temple Bar and were due to travel to the town of Prosperous , Co Kildare to see a youth programme called Extern .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to visit the Howth Marine Institute before moving on to Co Meath for a tour of the Teagasc Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation centre in Grange .
Also on the schedule is a visit to the Museum of Literature Ireland on St Stephen ’ s Green in Dublin .
After that the royal family will head west to Galway ahead of a walkabout in the city centre and a visit to a local GAA club tomorrow morning .
The couple met President Michael D Higgins and the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Garden of Remembrance .
They rounded out their day with a visit to the Guinness Storehouse before spending the night in Farmleigh House in the Phoenix Park .
The couple talked about the UK ’ s decision to leave the EU during a meeting with the President his wife Sabina and spoke about building on the foundations of the Belfast Agreement that ushered in peace in Northern Ireland .
During a visit to Dublin ’ s Garden of Remembrance , the couple called for a “ brighter future ” in a handwritten @ @ @ @ @ @ @ couple also met Mr Varadkar and his partner Matt Barrett at Government Buildings .

Britain's Duke and Duchess of Cambridge continued their official visit to Ireland which included a walk along the Howth cliffs in Dublin and a visit to Jigsaw, a organisation providing youth mental health services in the capital's city centre.
The only full day of the official Irish visit by Britain's Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Ireland will see the royal couple making multiple stops in Dublin, Kildare and Meath before heading west to Galway.
The pair arrived in Dublin on Tuesday for a three-day visit to Ireland, their first official visit to the State.
Prince William and Kate Middleton on Wednesday visited the mental health charity Jigsaw in Temple Bar and were due to travel to the town of Prosperous, Co Kildare, to see a youth programme called Extern.
The royal couple discussed mental health and youth participation with the young people involved with Jigsaw.
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The couple then took a walk down the lane of love in Dublin’s Temple Bar to look at the street art that lines the walls.
Speaking after the visit, Ewan McGrane (17) said it was “unbelievable” to meet Prince William and Kate Middleton.
“They were incredible. It was quite an experience. We talked about youth mental health and the importance of it. We were surpised that they wanted to meet us so this is amazing,” he said.
“It was very secretive at first. We knew people were coming, but we weren’t even told who. It was only a few days ago when we were officially told.”
Jesse Dent Gallagher (18) said the discussion with the royals was "shockingly normal".
“They were just very down to earth. I didn’t feel too much that I was talking to these people who were on a different level. They were just very nice, very normal, very respectful,” he said.
“You could tell they were actually interested in what we had to say. They were really getting engaged with us, and making sure we all had a chance to speak. It’s wonderful watching the organisation grow and seeing it capture the attention of people like the royals.”
He hopes that now that “very influential people” have taken a public interest in mental health, it will encourage more people to take it seriously.
Abigail McDonnell, a member of the youth advisory panel, said it was a “whirlwind” morning.
“It was a very, very surreal experience. It’s going to take me a few days to digest the fact that I just shook Kate’s hands,” she said. “They were very, very casual and that definitely put us all at ease.”
In the afternoon, the Duke and Duchess are due to return to Dublin to visit the Howth Marine Institute before moving on to Co Meath for a tour of the Teagasc Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation centre in Grange.
Also on the schedule is a visit to the Museum of Literature Ireland on St Stephen’s Green in Dublin.
After that the royal couple will head west to Galway ahead of a walkabout in the city centre and a visit to a local GAA club tomorrow morning.
The couple met President Michael D Higgins and the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, on Tuesday and visited the Garden of Remembrance. They rounded out their day with a visit to the Guinness Storehouse before spending the night in Farmleigh House in the Phoenix Park.
The couple talked about the UK's decision to leave the EU during a meeting with the President and his wife, Sabina, and spoke about building on the foundations of the Belfast Agreement that ushered in peace in Northern Ireland.
During a visit to Dublin’s Garden of Remembrance, the couple called for a “brighter future” in a handwritten note left with a wreath.
The couple also met Mr Varadkar and his partner, Matt Barrett, at Government Buildings.


theirishtimes--2020-03-04--Lisa Smith wants trial dealt with quickly ‘to prove her innocence’, court told

Isis suspect Lisa Smith ’ s wants her trial dealt with quickly “ so she can prove her innocence ” , a court has heard .
After a trek from war-torn Syria to Turkey with her daughter , aged two , the former Irish Defence Forces member was brought back to Ireland on December 1st when she was arrested .
The mother of one , aged 38 , from Co Louth , was questioned for three days before she was charged with being a member of Isis from 2015 to 2019 .
After three weeks in custody on remand , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ High Court , which ordered her to abide by a list of strict conditions including an internet and social media ban .
In January , her lawyers pleaded on her behalf with the Director of Public Prosecutions ( DPP ) to drop the case due to lack of evidence .
She appeared again before Judge Colin Daly at Dublin District Court on Wednesday to be served with a book of evidence by the prosecution .
Ms Smith , dressed in black overcoat and maroon headscarf , stood silently at the side of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DPP solicitor explained that the book of evidence was not ready .
Six weeks were needed to finalise it , he explained .
Defence solicitor Peter Corrigan said on the last date the case was in court , January 8th , his client was told she would be served with the book of evidence on Wednesday , March 4th .
Mr Corrigan said Ms Smith was “ on strict bail conditions and anxious that matters be dealt with expeditiously ” .
There were a number of points in relation to the charge brought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at them “ very carefully ” , adding , “ It is the case that this matter should be discontinued ” .
He wanted the prosecution to again look at documentation provided .
The judge replied that this was a matter for the DPP and he did not have a function in relation to that issue .
Mr Corrigan consented to the six-week adjournment but told the court that was with the caveat that the matter be dealt with expeditiously .
Ms Smith was “ anxious to have her matter dealt with so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
Judge Daly ordered her to appear again on April 17th next .

Lisa Smith’s defence counsel said she was ‘on strict bail conditions and anxious that matters be dealt with expeditiously’. File photograph: Alan Betson / The Irish Times
Isis suspect Lisa Smith’s wants her trial dealt with quickly “so she can prove her innocence”, a court has heard.
After a trek from war-torn Syria to Turkey with her daughter, aged two, the former Irish Defence Forces member was brought back to Ireland on December 1st when she was arrested.
The mother of one, aged 38, from Co Louth, was questioned for three days before she was charged with being a member of Isis from 2015 to 2019.
After three weeks in custody on remand, she was released on bail by the High Court, which ordered her to abide by a list of strict conditions including an internet and social media ban.
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In January, her lawyers pleaded on her behalf with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to drop the case due to lack of evidence.
She appeared again before Judge Colin Daly at Dublin District Court on Wednesday to be served with a book of evidence by the prosecution.
Ms Smith stood silently at the side of the courtroom, as a solicitor for the DPP solicitor explained that the book of evidence was not ready.
Six weeks were needed to finalise it, he explained.
Defence solicitor Peter Corrigan said on the last date the case was in court, January 8th, his client was told she would be served with the book of evidence on Wednesday, March 4th.
Mr Corrigan said Ms Smith was “on strict bail conditions and anxious that matters be dealt with expeditiously”.
There were a number of points in relation to the charge brought and he urged the prosecution to look at them “very carefully”, adding, “It is the case that this matter should be discontinued”.
He wanted the prosecution to again look at documentation provided.
The judge replied that this was a matter for the DPP and he did not have a function in relation to that issue.
Mr Corrigan consented to the six-week adjournment but told the court that was with the caveat that the matter be dealt with expeditiously.
Ms Smith was “anxious to have her matter dealt with so she can prove her innocence”, he said.
Judge Daly ordered her to appear again on April 17th next.


theirishtimes--2020-03-04--Coronavirus: Ex-Italian PM given all-clear to participate in Dublin conference

Former Italian prime minister Romano Prodi has been given the all-clear to participate in a public conference at Trinity College Dublin after travelling from a coronavirus-hit region of Italy .
Mr Prodi arrived hours before Irish people were cautioned against non-essential travel to parts of Italy to prevent the spread of Covid-19 from Europe ’ s hardest-hit country .
The former president of the European Commission is due to speak at a conference entitled Europe and the Future , which is hosted by the university ’ s debating society , the College Historical Society , and the Institute of International @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Organisers assessed whether Mr Prodi ’ s attendance at the event , which is expected to draw a large attendance , should proceed in light of the travel advisory from Department of Foreign Affairs regarding four regions in Italy .
After consulting with Trinity College , the IIEA said it had taken the university ’ s guidance on the matter and that the event would be proceeding as planned with Mr Prodi speaking .
“ Trinity College is sticking to Government guidelines .
At present , those guidelines do not include any restrictions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around the country .
For this reason , they have advised there will be no restrictions in place at Trinity today , ” said a spokesman for the IIEA .
The event is taking place as part of a week-long commemoration marking the 250th anniversary of “ the Hist ” and was open to members of the public who registered online to attend .
Mr Prodi travelled into Dublin on Tuesday afternoon from Bologna , the capital of the Emilia-Romagna area , via Munich in Germany , according to a spokesman for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ identified in the Republic of Ireland so far have been individuals who have returned to the country after travelling to Italy .
The Department of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday night advised the Irish public against non-essential travel to the Emilia-Romagna and three other regions in northern Italy badly affected by the virus after the second case was confirmed .
“ We have been closely monitoring the advice of the HSE and Trinity College ’ s dedicated coronavirus unit and we have been in continual consultation with the Italian embassy in Dublin , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all advice available to use , and in consultation with the Hist and Trinity ’ s chief medical officer , we decided to continue with the event as foreseen.
” Mr Prodi is one of a panel of speakers at the event where Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will deliver the opening address .
Other speakers include former European Commission president Herman Van Rompuy , former EU secretary-general Catherine Day , former EU ambassador to the US David O ’ Sullivan and Tony Barber , Europe Editor of The Financial Times .
Another former European @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to speak but he cancelled his appearance due to travel advice relating to the coronavirus .
Italy , the European country worst affected by the outbreak , is struggling to contain the spread of the illness with the death toll rising to 79 and the total number of cases reaching 2,502 on Monday .
The country ’ s health authorities are considering setting up a new quarantine red zone to try to contain the virus that is spreading from the wealthy northern regions of Lombardy , Veneto and Emilia-Romagna to the south .

Former Italian prime minister Romano Prodi has travelled from northern Italy to Ireland to speak at a conference at Trinity College Dublin on Wednesday. Photograph: Tony Gentile/Reuters.
Former Italian prime minister Romano Prodi has been given the all-clear to participate in a public conference at Trinity College Dublin after travelling from a coronavirus-hit region of Italy.
Mr Prodi arrived hours before Irish people were cautioned against non-essential travel to parts of Italy to prevent the spread of Covid-19 from Europe’s hardest-hit country.
The former president of the European Commission is due to speak at a conference entitled Europe and the Future, which is hosted by the university's debating society, the College Historical Society, and the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA).
Organisers assessed whether Mr Prodi’s attendance at the event, which is expected to draw a large attendance, should proceed in light of the travel advisory from Department of Foreign Affairs regarding four regions in Italy.
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After consulting with Trinity College, the IIEA said it had taken the university’s guidance on the matter and that the event would be proceeding as planned with Mr Prodi speaking.
"Trinity College is sticking to Government guidelines. At present, those guidelines do not include any restrictions on Italians travelling to Ireland or moving around the country. For this reason, they have advised there will be no restrictions in place at Trinity today," said a spokesman for the IIEA.
The event is taking place as part of a week-long commemoration marking the 250th anniversary of “the Hist” and was open to members of the public who registered online to attend.
Mr Prodi travelled into Dublin on Tuesday afternoon from Bologna, the capital of the Emilia-Romagna area, via Munich in Germany, according to a spokesman for the IIEA.
The two cases of coronavirus identified in the Republic of Ireland so far have been individuals who have returned to the country after travelling to Italy.
The Department of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday night advised the Irish public against non-essential travel to the Emilia-Romagna and three other regions in northern Italy badly affected by the virus after the second case was confirmed.
“We have been closely monitoring the advice of the HSE and Trinity College’s dedicated coronavirus unit and we have been in continual consultation with the Italian embassy in Dublin,” said the IIEA spokesman.
“Following all advice available to use, and in consultation with the Hist and Trinity’s chief medical officer, we decided to continue with the event as foreseen.”
Mr Prodi is one of a panel of speakers at the event where Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will deliver the opening address. Other speakers include former European Commission president Herman Van Rompuy, former EU secretary-general Catherine Day, former EU ambassador to the US David O'Sullivan and Tony Barber, Europe Editor of The Financial Times.
Another former European Commission president José Manuel Barroso was due to speak but he cancelled his appearance due to travel advice relating to the coronavirus.
Italy, the European country worst affected by the outbreak, is struggling to contain the spread of the illness with the death toll rising to 79 and the total number of cases reaching 2,502 on Monday.
The country's health authorities are considering setting up a new quarantine red zone to try to contain the virus that is spreading from the wealthy northern regions of Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna to the south.


theirishtimes--2020-03-04--Coronavirus: Expert warns ‘difficult decisions’ ahead for Irish authorities

Irish policy-makers will have difficult decisions to make in relation to the coronavirus in the coming weeks , flu virus experts have said , following the confirmation of the State ’ s second Covid-19 case on Tuesday .
Prof Kingston Mills , of Trinity College Dublin ’ s centre for immunology , on Wednesday questioned why more stringent measures to deal with the coronavirus had not been introduced and queried if flights between the State and Italy should still be operating .
Both cases confirmed in Ireland to date have involved people who travelled from Italy .
The woman at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now receiving appropriate care , according to the National Public Health Emergency Team ( NPHET ) , and efforts to trace people who have been in contact with her are underway .
Her illness is unrelated to the first case , which was confirmed last Sunday and involves a school student from Dublin .
A total of 397 people have been tested for the virus to date with only two cases confirmed .
All non-essential travel to four regions in Italy - Lombardy , Veneto , Emilia-Romagna and Piedmont - is now being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Affairs .
It updated its travel advice , which previously said non-essential travel in Italy should be limited to 11 specific towns , on Tuesday night .
Commenting on this development , Prof Mills asked what the definition of essential is when it comes to travel and how a person should judge this .
“ We need to look more seriously at means of curtailing travel to that region ( in Italy ) .
” Speaking on RTÉ ’ s Today with Séan O ’ Rourke show , he also queried HSE information @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 15 minutes in the company of an infected person .
“ I ’ m surprised at that 15 minutes figure .
You could be infected in 10 seconds if a person ( with the virus ) sneezed on you , ” Prof Mills said .
He acknowledged that the longer a person spends in the company of an infected patient , the greater the risk of transmission .
“ Fifteen minutes is an arbitrary figure , ” he said .
He warned that hand washing could give people a false sense of security @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to stop the spread of the virus , but the biggest risk is from someone coughing and sneezing in your vicinity.
” The chair of the State ’ s coronavirus advisory group , Dr Cillian de Gascun said on Wednesday that there is still no evidence of community transmission of the coronavirus in Ireland , but he warned the situation is evolving rapidly .
He told RTÉ radio ’ s Morning Ireland that two weeks ago there were only three cases in Italy , but in the space of 11 days this had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the “ significant containment ” efforts by China had helped give other countries time to plan and prepare .
Dr de Gascun said that if Ireland were to see a similar rise in cases then plans would have to change .
The Irish hospital system is “ as prepared as it can be ” to deal with the virus , but it is under pressure , he added .
Guidance on mass gatherings is to be publishing in the coming days , following cross-Government review , said Dr Holohan , who saw no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to why the St Patrick ’ s Day Festival could not go ahead .
Dr Kim Roberts , influenza virus researcher and assistant professor of virology at Trinity College Dublin , said the Irish authorities should expect more cases of the coronavirus .
“ It was always a case that we would have another , we should expect more , in some other countries the numbers infected with the virus are going up , and quite quickly , ” she told Newstalk Breakfast .
“ There is a balance that needs to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ within a country , to make sure that information gets across in a way that can be absorbed and not create fear and panic .
“ But we do need to explain to people that this situation is changing and that in all likelihood we will see more cases in Ireland , we will see clusters of cases probably within family groups , that ’ s what ’ s happening in other countries as well and we may see evidence of community transmission.
” The Department of Health has said the testing of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospitals to the community , most likely in people ’ s homes .
Dr Holohan said this would take further pressure off hospitals and that the tests would be carried out by paramedics .
Issues relating to vulnerable people , healthcare workers , medicines supply and the preparedness of hospitals are to be examined by four separate sub-committees , the NPHET also announced .
The measure being taken to counter the spread of the virus do have wider societal implications , he acknowledged , and these would be addressed by a Cabinet committee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issue .
Dr Roberts said that if the authorities could “ act swiftly and decisively with identified cases , with identified people infected with this virus and they self-isolate and take that self-isolation seriously , we can reduce the spread ” .
“ We can slow down the transmission so that our health services are not over stretched and that ’ s one of the key things , ” she added .
“ There ’ s a lot of discussion about how serious this situation is , we can ’ t give specifics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to affect , we can only give the data - what the data is suggesting , but we do need to take it seriously .
“ Policy makers have difficult decisions to make , I think we should expect that policy will change swiftly over the next few weeks , depending on what the evidence is saying about community transmission in Ireland and the UK .
”

Both Covid-19 cases confirmed in Ireland to date have involved people who travelled from Italy. Photograph: Audrey McAvoy/AP.
Non-essential surgeries may have to be cancelled if the health system experiences a big rise in coronavirus cases, according to Minister for Health Simon Harris.
A surge in cases would force the health service to “prioritise” and could lead to elective surgeries being cancelled, “but we’re nowhere near that at this stage”, said Mr Harris.
Dealing with the outbreak is “likely to be with us for many weeks and months and possibly beyond”, the Minister told Newstalk FM on Wednesday.
He said public health notices would be issues to help trace contacts of confirmed cases if this was required. But to date “this hasn’t been necessary” in the two cases that have occurred.
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Mr Harris emphasised the authorities have the power to ensure that people self-isolate if they are diagnosed with the virus.
“I don’t want to engage in hysteria by outlining measures too bluntly. But the reality is Covid-19 is now a notifiable disease, this is a normal public health precaution we take. We would have done the same with Sars [severe acute respiratory syndrome],” he told RTÉ radio’s News at One.
The Minister said he had signed a statutory instrument, a piece of secondary legislation, a week-and-a-half ago. “That makes it a notifiable disease, that does give our authorities the powers to ensure people isolate. But let me be very clear our experience in this country is that people co-operate and take very seriously public health advice. It’s important to be proportionate, that we listen to doctors and experts.”
When asked about the possibility of cancelling the St Patrick’s Day festival, Mr Harris replied: “My view is that my view shouldn’t matter, the advice as of today is that it does not need to be cancelled [but] that might change. It’s about making the right call, the situation could evolve.”
Meanwhile, Irish policymakers will have difficult decisions to make in relation to the coronavirus in the coming weeks, flu virus experts have said
The latest bulletin comes following confirmation of the State’s second Covid-19 case on Tuesday.
Prof Kingston Mills, of Trinity College Dublin’s centre for immunology, on Wednesday questioned why more stringent measures to deal with the virus had not been introduced. He also queried if flights between the Republic and Italy should still be operating.
Both cases confirmed in Ireland to date have involved people who travelled from Italy. The woman at the centre of the latest case is now receiving appropriate care, according to the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), and efforts to trace people who have been in contact with her are underway.
“If the HSE cannot contact the people [identified through contact tracing] then they will make a public announcement. That hasn’t been necessary to date,” Mr Harris said earlier on Wednesday.
The woman’s illness is unrelated to the first case, which was confirmed last Sunday and involves a school student from Dublin. A total of 397 people have been tested for the virus to date with only two cases confirmed.
Mr Harris said the key to containing the virus is people coming forward and maintaining patient confidentiality.
All non-essential travel to four regions in Italy – Lombardy, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna and Piedmont – is now being advised against by the Department of Foreign Affairs. It updated its travel advice, which previously said non-essential travel in Italy should be limited to 11 specific towns, on Tuesday night.
Essential travel
Commenting on this development, Prof Mills asked what the definition of essential is when it comes to travel and how a person should judge this.
“We need to look more seriously at means of curtailing travel to that region [in Italy].”
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Séan O’Rourke show, he also queried HSE information about the virus being transmitted only after 15 minutes in the company of an infected person.
“I’m surprised at that 15 minutes figure. You could be infected in 10 seconds if a person [with the virus] sneezed on you,” said Prof Mills.
He acknowledged that the longer a person spends in the company of an infected patient, the greater the risk of transmission.
“Fifteen minutes is an arbitrary figure,” he said.
He warned that hand washing could give people a false sense of security. “Hand washing is one way to stop the spread of the virus, but the biggest risk is from someone coughing and sneezing in your vicinity.”
Chairman of the State’s coronavirus advisory group Dr Cillian de Gascun said on Wednesday that there is still no evidence of community transmission in Ireland. But he warned the situation is evolving rapidly.
He told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that two weeks ago there were only three cases in Italy, but in the space of 11 days this had risen to 2,000.
He acknowledged that the “significant containment” efforts by China had helped give other countries time to plan and prepare. Dr de Gascun said that if Ireland were to see a similar rise in cases then plans would have to change. The Irish hospital system is “as prepared as it can be” to deal with the virus but it is under pressure, he added.
Mass gatherings
Guidance on mass gatherings is to be publishing in the coming days, following cross-Government review, said the State’s chief medical officer, Dr Tony Holohan who saw no reason “as things stand” as to why the St Patrick’s Day Festival could not go ahead.
Dr Kim Roberts, influenza virus researcher and assistant professor of virology at Trinity College Dublin, said the Irish authorities should expect more cases of the virus.
“It was always a case that we would have another, we should expect more,” she told Newstalk Breakfast.
“There is a balance that needs to be struck especially early on in an outbreak within a country, to make sure that information gets across in a way that can be absorbed and not create fear and panic. But we do need to explain to people that this situation is changing and . . . we may see evidence of community transmission.”
The Department of Health has said the testing of suspected cases is to be moved from hospitals to the community, most likely in people’s homes. Dr Holohan said this would take further pressure off hospitals and that the tests would be carried out by paramedics.
Issues relating to vulnerable people, healthcare workers, medicines supply and the preparedness of hospitals are to be examined by four separate sub-committees, the NPHET also announced.
Measures being taken to counter the spread of the virus have wider societal implications, Dr Holohan acknowledged and these would be addressed by a Cabinet committee that has been established to examine the issue.
Self-isolation
Dr Roberts said that if the authorities could “act swiftly and decisively with identified cases, with identified people infected with this virus and they self-isolate and take that self-isolation seriously, we can reduce the spread.
“Policymakers have difficult decisions to make. I think we should expect that policy will change swiftly over the next few weeks, depending on what the evidence is saying about community transmission in Ireland and the UK.”


theirishtimes--2020-03-04--Fewer trees to be felled in revised BusConnects plans

The latest BusConnects plans will be unveiled on Wednesday morning .
The National Transport Authority ( NTA ) will publish @ @ @ @ @ bus corridors and a further round of public consultation will begin .
The new plans @ @ @ @ @ felled and fewer households losing part of their front gardens .
Originally , 1,400 properties @ @ @ @ @ were to lose part of their front gardens and 825 trees faced removal .
The @ @ @ @ @ is subject to approval from An Bord Pleanála .
Construction of the corridors would be @ @ @ @ @ basis up to 2027 .
BusConnects aims to overhaul the bus system in the Dublin @ @ @ @ @ dedicated bus lanes and 200km of cycle tracks along 16 of the busiest corridors and @ @ @ @ @ .
The NTA says the plans promise faster journey times and a high-frequency service on @ @ @ @ @ network .

Yellow ribbons on trees lining St Mobhi road on Dublin’s northside, protesting the Bus Connects proposal, last year. Photograph: Dave Meehan
Almost 2,500 trees are to be felled to cater for proposed bus corridors in Dublin under the latest BusConnects plans.
The plans would see 776 properties lose part of their front gardens and 2,449 trees removed.
The original proposals, published in late 2018 and early last year, said 1,400 properties and between 1,500 and 1,600 trees would be impacted.
However, the National Transport Authority (NTA) has said the overall number of trees impacted by the revised proposals is "significantly less than the original plans, particularly in relation to larger, mature trees".
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“The original brochures recorded the number of roadside trees impacted as full mapping surveys hadn’t been completed at that stage. That number was approximately 1,500,” an NTA spokeswoman said.
“Mapping surveys have now been largely completed, and the total number of trees, both roadside trees and off-road trees, impacted by the revised proposals is approximately 2,500 trees. Most of the off-road trees are smaller, more recently planted trees. The replanting scheme will see more trees replanted than the number removed.”
The highest number of trees affected are on the Lucan-to-city-centre corridor (509), followed by the Bray-to-city-centre corridor (390) and the Blanchardstown-to-city-centre corridor (368).
The Greenhills-to-city-centre route would see the largest number of properties affected (120) followed by Clongriffin to city centre (118).
The NTA said the revised proposals were aimed at minimising the impact on properties and trees and include new one-way systems, the introduction of signal controlled priority and bus gates.
Around13,000 submissions were received during the last round of public consultation on the bus corridor project, with the largest number (2,760) of those were in relation to the Rathfarnam-to-city-centre corridor.
Public consultation on the revised bus corridor proposals runs until April 17th. A series of information events will be hosted by the NTA during March.
The NTA said in parallel with public consultation, “work is ongoing on developing the technical, environmental, and transport impact assessment reports necessary for submission of a planning application for each corridor to An Bord Pleanála”.
Final plans are due to be presented to An Bord Pleanála for statutory approval at end of this year.
BusConnects aims to overhaul the bus system in the Dublin region by creating 230km of dedicated bus lanes and 200km of cycle tracks along 16 of the busiest corridors and a redesign of the network. The NTA said the plans would result in journey time savings of up to 40 to 50 per cent on the corridors.
The final network plan is due to be published this summer, and work will start in early 2021 over a phased three-year period.


theirishtimes--2020-03-04--Chief Justice: EU measures could have unintended consequences for Ireland

The country ’ s top judge has warned that Ireland needs to ensure “ a common law voice ” remains heard in the formulation of EU legislation in the post-Brexit era .
The Chief Justice , Mr Justice Frank Clarke , said Ireland was now the only fully common law country in the EU following the UK ’ s exit , while the two member states with a mixed common and civil law system – Cyprus and Malta – are considerably smaller jurisdictions .
In a keynote speech at Trinity College Dublin on Tuesday night on the future of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mr Justice Clarke said fitting EU measures into a common law system can sometimes be difficult .
“ One of the real challenges for the common law in Ireland post-Brexit is that a large voice at European legislative and judicial tables will no longer be there , ” he remarked .
“ Putting forward the case for tweaking measures to make it easier for them to fit into a common law system is a role which will now fall largely on Ireland although we will , doubtless , have some support from our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Justice Clarke said he thought those challenges posed a risk for the common law in Ireland .
While he accepted there was no widespread demand from within the EU or its institutions to attempt to change Ireland ’ s legal system against our will , the Chief Justice said his main concern was that measures adopted by the EU could have unintended consequences .
Having a common law voice presence at the EU table was important to minimise the risk of EU legislation causing such unanticipated problems when transposed into the law of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Justice said .
He noted quite considerable difficulties had been encountered in the past in attempting to adapt the procedures in common law countries to certain types of European legislation which he suspected would continue in the future .
Mr Justice Clarke said unintended consequences could potentially make it more difficult for Ireland to maintain its common law system by accident rather than by design .
While the problems were not insurmountable , Mr Justice Clarke said the issue would require “ significant vigilance.
” .
However , he said addressing the issue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discussions at European level on proposed legislation .
In the past , Mr Justice Clarke said there were many occasions where Ireland had been content to allow UK officials to take the lead role on common law issues unless there was a specific Irish angle to a question .
He said it had to be acknowledged that the UK , as a significant player within the EU , had made a material difference on the development of EU legislation .
The Chief Justice claimed there would also be a need for Ireland to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Justice of the European Union where there was a common law angle to be addressed .

The country’s top judge has warned that Ireland needs to ensure “a common law voice” remains heard in the formulation of EU legislation in the post-Brexit era.
The Chief Justice, Mr Justice Frank Clarke, said Ireland was now the only fully common law country in the EU following the UK’s exit, while the two member states with a mixed common and civil law system – Cyprus and Malta – are considerably smaller jurisdictions.
In a keynote speech at Trinity College Dublin on Tuesday night on the future of the common law system in Ireland post-Brexit, Mr Justice Clarke said fitting EU measures into a common law system can sometimes be difficult.
“One of the real challenges for the common law in Ireland post-Brexit is that a large voice at European legislative and judicial tables will no longer be there,” he remarked.
READ MORE
“Putting forward the case for tweaking measures to make it easier for them to fit into a common law system is a role which will now fall largely on Ireland although we will, doubtless, have some support from our colleagues in Cyprus and Malta.”
Mr Justice Clarke said he thought those challenges posed a risk for the common law in Ireland.
While he accepted there was no widespread demand from within the EU or its institutions to attempt to change Ireland’s legal system against our will, the Chief Justice said his main concern was that measures adopted by the EU could have unintended consequences.
Having a common law voice presence at the EU table was important to minimise the risk of EU legislation causing such unanticipated problems when transposed into the law of a common law jurisdiction, the Chief Justice said.
He noted quite considerable difficulties had been encountered in the past in attempting to adapt the procedures in common law countries to certain types of European legislation which he suspected would continue in the future.
Mr Justice Clarke said unintended consequences could potentially make it more difficult for Ireland to maintain its common law system by accident rather than by design.
While the problems were not insurmountable, Mr Justice Clarke said the issue would require “significant vigilance.”.
However, he said addressing the issue would require greater resources being put into discussions at European level on proposed legislation.
In the past, Mr Justice Clarke said there were many occasions where Ireland had been content to allow UK officials to take the lead role on common law issues unless there was a specific Irish angle to a question.
He said it had to be acknowledged that the UK, as a significant player within the EU, had made a material difference on the development of EU legislation.
The Chief Justice claimed there would also be a need for Ireland to intervene more in proceedings before the Court of Justice of the European Union where there was a common law angle to be addressed.


theirishtimes--2020-03-04--Coronavirus: Growing divergence in UK and Ireland’s response

Differences are emerging between the approaches taken by Ireland and by the UK to the threat posed by the coronavirus , divergences that could become significant in the event of a surge in cases in either country .
The background to these differences lies in the UK ’ s departure from the European Union in January , making the outbreak the first real test of co-operation between the two countries in a post-Brexit environment .
Simply the fact that this is the first big international event since Brexit makes it more likely the UK will use this opportunity to highlight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ EU and other pan-European bodies .
Add to this Boris Johnson ’ s muscular style of leadership and you have the ingredients for even wider divergences in approach as the weeks go by .
Against this , Ministers on both sides of the Border have been in touch over Covid-19 and , we are told , public health officials from the Republic and Northern Ireland have been tic-tacking about it since January .
The differences in approach between the two countries span various aspects of the public response , from travel advice to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republic , authorities reacted to a first case by closing the school attended by the affected student for two weeks .
Yet in Britain , its department of education says that where educational settings are impacted by a confirmed case of the virus , “ in most cases , closure of the childcare or education setting will be unnecessary ” .
Any decision on closure “ will be a local decision based on various factors such as establishment size and pupil mixing , ” according to the department ’ s advice .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Irish public health officials have indicated they took their decision to close the Dublin school based on its layout and other local factors .
Experts in both jurisdictions emphasise that , in the words of the British authorities , “ contacts are not considered cases and if they are well , they are very unlikely to have spread the infection to others.
” Public health officials in Ireland have refused to identify the school where a case occurred , sparking considerable controversy .
Yet in the UK , some schools where cases have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way to issue statements to the media .
Both countries have issued travel advice for some of the areas most affected by the virus .
Both advise against all travel to Hubei province in China , and against all non-essential travel to the rest of China and Iran , for example .
The Department of Foreign Affairs here has also issued advice for South Korea , Japan , Singapore , Hong Kong and parts of Italy , but in the UK , the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has spread its net further , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thailand , Taiwan , Myanmar , Malaysia , Laos , Cambodia and Macao .
One of the biggest differences in approach between Ireland the UK relates to self-isolation .
In the UK , people arriving from areas with ongoing community transmission of Covid-19 are being asked to isolate themselves for 14 days after arriving back .
This means they have to stay at home and not go to work or school .
Channel 4 journalist Jon Snow was one of those captured by this requirement , after travelling to Iran to cover elections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nick Robinson , also spent a fortnight at home as a precautionary measure following a holiday in Vietnam and Cambodia .
In contrast , Ireland is not asking people who return from areas where there is community transmission of the disease to isolate themselves – unless they develop symptoms .
This is because Ireland is following the guidelines laid down by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control , to which the UK no longer belongs .

Differences are emerging between the approaches taken by Ireland and by the UK to the threat posed by the coronavirus, divergences that could become significant in the event of a surge in cases in either country.
The background to these differences lies in the UK's departure from the European Union in January, making the outbreak the first real test of co-operation between the two countries in a post-Brexit environment.
Simply the fact that this is the first big international event since Brexit makes it more likely the UK will use this opportunity to highlight its independence from the dictates of the EU and other pan-European bodies. Add to this Boris Johnson’s muscular style of leadership and you have the ingredients for even wider divergences in approach as the weeks go by.
Against this, Ministers on both sides of the Border have been in touch over Covid-19 and, we are told, public health officials from the Republic and Northern Ireland have been tic-tacking about it since January.
READ MORE
The differences in approach between the two countries span various aspects of the public response, from travel advice to school closures and self-isolation.
In the Republic, authorities reacted to a first case by closing the school attended by the affected student for two weeks. Yet in Britain, its department of education says that where educational settings are impacted by a confirmed case of the virus, “in most cases, closure of the childcare or education setting will be unnecessary”.
‘Local decision’
Any decision on closure “will be a local decision based on various factors such as establishment size and pupil mixing,” according to the department’s advice.
The two approaches are not necessarily contradictory; Irish public health officials have indicated they took their decision to close the Dublin school based on its layout and other local factors. Experts in both jurisdictions emphasise that, in the words of the British authorities, “contacts are not considered cases and if they are well, they are very unlikely to have spread the infection to others.”
Public health officials in Ireland have refused to identify the school where a case occurred, sparking considerable controversy. Yet in the UK, some schools where cases have been reported have gone out of their way to issue statements to the media.
Both countries have issued travel advice for some of the areas most affected by the virus. Both advise against all travel to Hubei province in China, and against all non-essential travel to the rest of China and Iran, for example.
The Department of Foreign Affairs here has also issued advice for South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and parts of Italy, but in the UK, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has spread its net further, by providing specific advice for Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, Myanmar, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia and Macao.
Self-isolation
One of the biggest differences in approach between Ireland the UK relates to self-isolation. In the UK, people arriving from areas with ongoing community transmission of Covid-19 are being asked to isolate themselves for 14 days after arriving back. This means they have to stay at home and not go to work or school.
Channel 4 journalist Jon Snow was one of those captured by this requirement, after travelling to Iran to cover elections. Another journalist, BBC's Nick Robinson, also spent a fortnight at home as a precautionary measure following a holiday in Vietnam and Cambodia.
In contrast, Ireland is not asking people who return from areas where there is community transmission of the disease to isolate themselves – unless they develop symptoms. This is because Ireland is following the guidelines laid down by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, to which the UK no longer belongs.


theirishtimes--2020-03-04--Former garda sacked in 1982 for being gay now suing State

A former garda who was dismissed from the force in 1982 for being gay is now suing the State .
The former garda , who went public in The Irish Times last year using the pseudonym “ Liam ” , is suing the State on several grounds including the manner of his treatment , the distress caused by it and the impact of that on his life .
Earnings foregone , including his salary and the Garda pension he would have been entitled to , all form part of the legal papers he has served , via his solicitors , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Justice and Attorney General ’ s office .
The action states the former garda was never charged with any disciplinary issue or criminal offence and that no negative findings were ever arrived at in relation to him within the Garda .
It further states that at the time of his dismissal he was not informed of any reason why he was being “ summarily dismissed ” , which occurred despite internal reviews of his performance stating his work was “ excellent ” .
Despite beginning a search for information about his dismissal as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nothing until last summer after going public .
In reply to queries Garda Headquarters said : “ An Garda Síochána does not comment on matters that are before the courts or in the process of being before the courts.
” Last year , after “ Liam ” went public with his story , Garda Commissioner Drew Harris made documents from 1982 available to him confirming his services were “ dispensed of ” due to “ suspicions of your alleged involvement in homosexual activity ” .
He was dismissed just days before his two-year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to expire , at which point he would have passed out and become a fully attested member of the force .
“ Liam ” was ordered out of a briefing one evening at the Dublin Garda station where he was based , told to take off his uniform and was ordered to leave the station .
A number of Garda members were later sent to his home to take his second uniform , Garda-issue coat , torch , Garda belt and other items .
He is now suing the State claiming he was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his sexuality and that his human rights were breached as a result .
The action taken by “ Liam ” also claims his rights to fair procedure were breached in that he was never told why he was being dismissed and therefore never afforded the opportunity to defend himself .
He further claims his treatment at the hands of the Garda stigmatised him , denied him of his career in the force and his livelihood and pension .
His case is also that the harm done to him was compounded by Garda management @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dismissal from the late 1980s , through the present day .
The defendants in the case must now respond to the former Garda ’ s statement of claim and the case would then be settled out of court or would advance to a full court hearing .

A former garda who was dismissed from the force in 1982 for being gay is now suing the State.
The former garda, who went public in The Irish Times last year using the pseudonym “Liam”, is suing the State on several grounds including the manner of his treatment, the distress caused by it and the impact of that on his life.
Earnings foregone, including his salary and the Garda pension he would have been entitled to, all form part of the legal papers he has served, via his solicitors, on the Garda Commissioner, Department of Justice and Attorney General’s office.
The action states the former garda was never charged with any disciplinary issue or criminal offence and that no negative findings were ever arrived at in relation to him within the Garda.
READ MORE
It further states that at the time of his dismissal he was not informed of any reason why he was being “summarily dismissed”, which occurred despite internal reviews of his performance stating his work was “excellent”.
Despite beginning a search for information about his dismissal as far back as 1987, he received nothing until last summer after going public.
In reply to queries Garda Headquarters said: "An Garda Síochána does not comment on matters that are before the courts or in the process of being before the courts."
Last year, after "Liam" went public with his story, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris made documents from 1982 available to him confirming his services were "dispensed of" due to "suspicions of your alleged involvement in homosexual activity".
Dismissed
He was dismissed just days before his two-year probationary period in the Garda was about to expire, at which point he would have passed out and become a fully attested member of the force.
“Liam” was ordered out of a briefing one evening at the Dublin Garda station where he was based, told to take off his uniform and was ordered to leave the station. A number of Garda members were later sent to his home to take his second uniform, Garda-issue coat, torch, Garda belt and other items.
He is now suing the State claiming he was denied equality under the law because of his sexuality and that his human rights were breached as a result.
The action taken by “Liam” also claims his rights to fair procedure were breached in that he was never told why he was being dismissed and therefore never afforded the opportunity to defend himself.
He further claims his treatment at the hands of the Garda stigmatised him, denied him of his career in the force and his livelihood and pension. His case is also that the harm done to him was compounded by Garda management refusing to engage with him after his dismissal from the late 1980s, through the present day.
The defendants in the case must now respond to the former Garda’s statement of claim and the case would then be settled out of court or would advance to a full court hearing.


theirishtimes--2020-03-04--Gay garda dismissed from force in 1982 ‘frustrated’ by lack of response

A former Garda member who was dismissed from the force in 1982 after senior management learned he was gay has said the public support for him when he first spoke out last July had not been followed up by the response he expected from the Garda or Government .
While Garda Commissioner Drew Harris had made available to him documentation that proved his sexuality was at the centre of his dismissal , and to which he had never been granted access before , he had not met Mr Harris since then despite repeated requests for such a meeting .
Furthermore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had said “ the standards and indeed the laws that applied in 1982 were wrong and would be completely unacceptable today ” , there had also been no meeting with Mr Flanagan .
The former garda added there had also been no apology to him , something he said he would have expected .
And while he had been offered a meeting with a senior civilian member of Garda staff , he believed this was not sufficient given the nature of his case .
“ It is been very frustrating , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and having now decided to sue the Garda , Department of Justice and Attorney General .
“ When I first told my story there was a lot of support ; people who were public figures went on the radio and spoke at length about my story and about how shocking it was .
“ And Fianna Fáil took it up and they called for a public apology .
But then none of the things I would have expected to happen have happened .
It was frustrating and disheartening and the whole thing has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ queries , a Garda spokesperson said : “ An Garda Síochána does not comment on matters that are before the courts or in the process of being before the courts.
” Now in his 60s , the former Garda member has opted not to reveal his identity but was interviewed using the pseudonym “ Liam ” by The Irish Times last year .
He said he has never come out as gay because he felt so scarred by his treatment at the hands of An Garda Síochána almost four decades ago .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his professional appraisals were positive as his two-year probationary period progressed , with commendations for his work rate and professionalism .
But then , in January 1982 , RTÉ set designer and gay man Charles Self was stabbed to death in a house in Monkstown , south Dublin .
The Garda became convinced the key to his murder , which has never been solved , lay within the gay community in Dublin .
Liam was spotted frequenting the Hirschfield Centre , a gay venue in Dublin ’ s Temple Bar , by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inquiry , and in other areas frequented by gay men .
While he was interviewed about his movements several times within the Garda , he was never formally charged with any criminal or disciplinary offence and no findings against him were arrived at .
One evening in 1982 , as he was at a briefing in his Dublin Garda station before going out on night shift , senior Garda officers came into the station and ordered him out of the room .
They demanded he take off his uniform and surrender it to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ short time later other Garda members called to his house to take his second uniform and other items issued to him as a garda .
That effectively completed his dismissal from the force , though he received no correspondence confirming his dismissal or the reasons for it .
Back in 1982 , homosexual acts were illegal , though it was not against the law to be gay .
Liam said he felt unable to fight his dismissal because nobody around him knew he was gay and he did not feel he could come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about a year ago from the Garda , after years of correspondence , stopped with the glowing performance appraisals , with no reference to his dismissal .
However , after he was interviewed at length by The Irish Times last July , Garda Commissioner Drew Harris furnished “ Liam ” with further documentation from 1982 which confirmed he had been dismissed because of his sexuality .
That document , signed by then Garda commissioner Patrick McLaughlin , details places where Liam was seen and where gay men in Dublin frequented at the time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being seen in these places , Liam was “ an excellent worker , good timekeeper and maintains a high level of cleanliness ” .
McLaughlin then added : “ I intend to dispense with his services at an early date.
” Nine months after signing off on Liam ’ s dismissal , McLaughlin resigned after the tapping of the telephones of two journalists , Geraldine Kennedy and Bruce Arnold .

A former Garda member who was dismissed from the force in 1982 after senior management learned he was gay has said the public support for him when he first spoke out last July had not been followed up by the response he expected from the Garda or Government.
While Garda Commissioner Drew Harris had made available to him documentation that proved his sexuality was at the centre of his dismissal, and to which he had never been granted access before, he had not met Mr Harris since then despite repeated requests for such a meeting.
Furthermore, though Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan had said "the standards and indeed the laws that applied in 1982 were wrong and would be completely unacceptable today", there had also been no meeting with Mr Flanagan.
People who were public figures went on the radio and spoke about my story and about how shocking it was
The former garda added there had also been no apology to him, something he said he would have expected. And while he had been offered a meeting with a senior civilian member of Garda staff, he believed this was not sufficient given the nature of his case.
READ MORE
“It is been very frustrating,” he said of the period since speaking out and having now decided to sue the Garda, Department of Justice and Attorney General.
“When I first told my story there was a lot of support; people who were public figures went on the radio and spoke at length about my story and about how shocking it was.
"And Fianna Fáil took it up and they called for a public apology. But then none of the things I would have expected to happen have happened. It was frustrating and disheartening and the whole thing has been very difficult."
In reply to queries, a Garda spokesperson said: "An Garda Síochána does not comment on matters that are before the courts or in the process of being before the courts."
Scarred
Now in his 60s, the former Garda member has opted not to reveal his identity but was interviewed using the pseudonym “Liam” by The Irish Times last year.
He said he has never come out as gay because he felt so scarred by his treatment at the hands of An Garda Síochána almost four decades ago.
He joined the force in 1980 and all of his professional appraisals were positive as his two-year probationary period progressed, with commendations for his work rate and professionalism.
But then, in January 1982, RTÉ set designer and gay man Charles Self was stabbed to death in a house in Monkstown, south Dublin. The Garda became convinced the key to his murder, which has never been solved, lay within the gay community in Dublin.
Liam was spotted frequenting the Hirschfield Centre, a gay venue in Dublin's Temple Bar, by detectives working on the Charles Self murder inquiry, and in other areas frequented by gay men.
While he was interviewed about his movements several times within the Garda, he was never formally charged with any criminal or disciplinary offence and no findings against him were arrived at.
Liam said he felt unable to fight his dismissal because nobody around him knew he was gay
One evening in 1982, as he was at a briefing in his Dublin Garda station before going out on night shift, senior Garda officers came into the station and ordered him out of the room.
They demanded he take off his uniform and surrender it to them and that he leave. A short time later other Garda members called to his house to take his second uniform and other items issued to him as a garda.
That effectively completed his dismissal from the force, though he received no correspondence confirming his dismissal or the reasons for it.
Illegal
Back in 1982, homosexual acts were illegal, though it was not against the law to be gay. Liam said he felt unable to fight his dismissal because nobody around him knew he was gay and he did not feel he could come out.
The personnel file he obtained about a year ago from the Garda, after years of correspondence, stopped with the glowing performance appraisals, with no reference to his dismissal. However, after he was interviewed at length by The Irish Times last July, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris furnished “Liam” with further documentation from 1982 which confirmed he had been dismissed because of his sexuality.
That document, signed by then Garda commissioner Patrick McLaughlin, details places where Liam was seen and where gay men in Dublin frequented at the time. It added that, apart from being seen in these places, Liam was "an excellent worker, good timekeeper and maintains a high level of cleanliness".
McLaughlin then added: “I intend to dispense with his services at an early date.”
Nine months after signing off on Liam's dismissal, McLaughlin resigned after the tapping of the telephones of two journalists, Geraldine Kennedy and Bruce Arnold.


theirishtimes--2020-03-04--Dublin City Council will not seek judicial review over St Anne's Park apartments

Dublin City Council will not pursue a judicial review of Bord Pleanála ’ s decision to grant more than 650 apartments beside St Anne ’ s Park in Raheny , despite councillors having voted for the legal action .
The council ’ s head of planning , Richard Shakespeare , said he could see “ no valid reason ” to pursue the board in the courts in relation to its decision last month to grant permission to Crekav , a subsidiary of developer Pat Crean ’ s Marlet Property Group , for the large apartment development .
Councillors on Monday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apply to the High Court for a judicial review of “ the validity of the decision ” on a number of grounds , including “ a lack of consideration of Dublin City Council ’ s reasons for recommendation of refusal ” that it was “ contrary to development plan zoning objectives ” , and “ on lack of consideration of scientific evidence , including national and EU protected species and EU habitats directive ” .
The board approved the development of 657 apartments in blocks up to nine storeys , along with almost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fields east of St Paul ’ s College beside the park despite opposition from Dublin City Council and locals .
The controversial apartment-only scheme replaced earlier plans for houses and apartments on the site , which had been the subject of a judicial review , not by the council but by local residents and environmentalists .
While the council had recommended the board refuse permission for the 657 apartments , Mr Shakespeare said he could see no basis for the council to seek a judicial review of the decision .
“ Initiating legal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I can see no valid reason to do so .
Yes , the council and the board had a difference of opinion – we gave our opinion and made our recommendation and we also sent the board the councillors ’ opinions and recommendations , but that is not a reason to seek a judicial review.
” Green Party councillor Donna Cooney , who proposed the motion to take the legal action , said she expected the council management to give “ good consideration ” to the prospect of taking a judicial review .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ case against the board and won ; this would be similar in that the council recommended refusal , but permission was given by An Bord Pleanála .
” Last month the High Court quashed Bord Pleanála ’ s decision to approve developer Johnny Ronan ’ s 13-storey tower beside Salesforce ’ s Dublin docklands headquarters .
Dublin City Council had taken judicial review proceedings in what was its first legal challenge to a grant of planning permission by the board .
Mr Crean said he hoped the challenges to the Raheny development were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he intended to “ immediately ” start work on the apartment development .
“ This land has been zoned for housing for 15 years .
I would never have bought the land if it wasn ’ t zoned , ” he said .
He said opposition to the development had ranged from the land not being appropriately zoned , to the displacement of a sports club , to environmental concerns , to claims the development was being built inside the park .
“ I think I have been fairly tested over numerous issues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ answered every question that ’ s been asked of me .
It seems to be popular to say you oppose housing .
When is it going to be popular to support housing ?
”

An image of the development of 657 apartments in blocks up to nine storeys beside St Anne’s Park in Raheny, Dublin
Dublin City Council will not pursue a judicial review of Bord Pleanála's decision to grant more than 650 apartments beside St Anne's Park in Raheny, despite councillors having voted for the legal action.
The council's head of planning, Richard Shakespeare, said he could see "no valid reason" to pursue the board in the courts in relation to its decision last month to grant permission to Crekav, a subsidiary of developer Pat Crean's Marlet Property Group, for the large apartment development.
Councillors on Monday night voted unanimously for the council to apply to the High Court for a judicial review of "the validity of the decision" on a number of grounds, including "a lack of consideration of Dublin City Council's reasons for recommendation of refusal" that it was "contrary to development plan zoning objectives", and "on lack of consideration of scientific evidence, including national and EU protected species and EU habitats directive".
The board approved the development of 657 apartments in blocks up to nine storeys, along with almost 500 parking spaces, on former playing fields east of St Paul's College beside the park despite opposition from Dublin City Council and locals.
READ MORE
The controversial apartment-only scheme replaced earlier plans for houses and apartments on the site, which had been the subject of a judicial review, not by the council but by local residents and environmentalists.
While the council had recommended the board refuse permission for the 657 apartments, Mr Shakespeare said he could see no basis for the council to seek a judicial review of the decision.
“Initiating legal proceedings is an executive function, and I can see no valid reason to do so. Yes, the council and the board had a difference of opinion – we gave our opinion and made our recommendation and we also sent the board the councillors’ opinions and recommendations, but that is not a reason to seek a judicial review.”
Good consideration
Green Party councillor Donna Cooney, who proposed the motion to take the legal action, said she expected the council management to give "good consideration" to the prospect of taking a judicial review.
"The council has already taken a case against the board and won; this would be similar in that the council recommended refusal, but permission was given by An Bord Pleanála. "
Last month the High Court quashed Bord Pleanála’s decision to approve developer Johnny Ronan’s 13-storey tower beside Salesforce’s Dublin docklands headquarters. Dublin City Council had taken judicial review proceedings in what was its first legal challenge to a grant of planning permission by the board.
Mr Crean said he hoped the challenges to the Raheny development were now at an end, and said he intended to "immediately" start work on the apartment development.
“This land has been zoned for housing for 15 years. I would never have bought the land if it wasn’t zoned,” he said.
He said opposition to the development had ranged from the land not being appropriately zoned, to the displacement of a sports club, to environmental concerns, to claims the development was being built inside the park.
“I think I have been fairly tested over numerous issues over several years, and I have answered every question that’s been asked of me. It seems to be popular to say you oppose housing. When is it going to be popular to support housing?”


theirishtimes--2020-03-04--Coronavirus: Mary Lou McDonald attends HSE meeting at shut-down school

A helpline should be set up for families whose children attend the Dublin school currently shut due to coronavirus , Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald has told a meeting of parents at the school .
Ms McDonald , who has publicly stated this week her children attend the school , was one of hundreds of parents who attended an information meeting hosted by the HSE on Monday night .
The meeting , held at a venue away from the school , was conducted in a question-and-answer format , with the initial correspondence sent out to parents read at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behalf of the HSE included director of public health east Dr Deirdre Mulholland and professor of bacteriology at NUI Galway Martin Cormican .
Ms McDonald spoke at the meeting to ask questions , including about how easy it was to pass on the virus during the incubation period .
No commitment was given on her suggestion that a helpline be set up specifically to deal with queries from the families of the children at the school .
A number of people present claimed they had received contradictory information from the HSE ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
One person said when he initially asked should he hold a large family celebration that he had planned , he was advised against it , but when he called back again he was advised he could go ahead with his plans .
In reply , the meeting was told that because the HSE was dealing with an emergency situation , some less-experienced staff had been drafted in to work on the helpline at short notice because more experienced personnel were not available .
The meeting was informed that while the virus was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on surfaces for a matter of hours , the school would be deep-cleaned before it reopened .
One parent said he had had his child tested and he had shown a negative result , with others querying why all the children at the school were not tested .
However , Prof Cormican said if the test was carried out too early it would not detect the condition , and he explained only people who were showing suspected symptoms would be tested .
Other people at the meeting asked questions about how vulnerable some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health conditions , were to contracting the virus .
Meanwhile , a youth group in Dublin has been asked to “ self-isolate ” for two weeks by the HSE to prevent the possible spread of coronavirus .
The group is linked to the case of coronavirus at the school .
A letter the HSE sent on Monday to parents of children who are members of the group said a case of coronavirus had been identified in a person who attended a two-hour meeting of the group last weekend .
“ As a result @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infection , all members ... are being treated as possible contacts of the case , and asked to self-isolate until Sunday March 15th , ” it said .
The Department of Health tweeted on Tuesday it was aware of “ fake letters circulating regarding [ the ] confirmed case of # Covid19 ” but later deleted the tweet .
While the children in the school have been told by the HSE they should not travel abroad for a fortnight , there were questions about whether the parents could travel as several had foreign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the HSE intended to tell Irish airlines that the children who had been told not to travel should not leave the country .
One parent who spoke to The Irish Times in recent days said he had a trip planned with a family group that included children from the school who had been told not to go abroad .
However , he said Ryanair had informed them because there were no confirmed cases of the virus in his family they were free to travel .
As a result , the airline declined their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continued to send them notices to check in early and pre-pay for their baggage .

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Minister for Health Simon Harris during a media briefing on the coronavirus in Government Buildings on Tuesday. Photograph: Gareth Chaney/Collins
A helpline should be set up for families whose children attend the Dublin school currently shut due to coronavirus, Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald has told a meeting of parents at the school.
Ms McDonald, who has publicly stated this week her children attend the school, was one of hundreds of parents who attended an information meeting hosted by the HSE on Monday night.
The meeting, held at a venue away from the school, was conducted in a question-and-answer format, with the initial correspondence sent out to parents read at the gathering.
Those addressing the meeting on behalf of the HSE included director of public health east Dr Deirdre Mulholland and professor of bacteriology at NUI Galway Martin Cormican.
READ MORE
Ms McDonald spoke at the meeting to ask questions, including about how easy it was to pass on the virus during the incubation period. No commitment was given on her suggestion that a helpline be set up specifically to deal with queries from the families of the children at the school.
A number of people present claimed they had received contradictory information from the HSE’s coronavirus helpline, according to people present.
One person said when he initially asked should he hold a large family celebration that he had planned, he was advised against it, but when he called back again he was advised he could go ahead with his plans.
Less-experienced staff
In reply, the meeting was told that because the HSE was dealing with an emergency situation, some less-experienced staff had been drafted in to work on the helpline at short notice because more experienced personnel were not available.
The meeting was informed that while the virus was soft-coated, meaning it could only survive on surfaces for a matter of hours, the school would be deep-cleaned before it reopened.
One parent said he had had his child tested and he had shown a negative result, with others querying why all the children at the school were not tested.
However, Prof Cormican said if the test was carried out too early it would not detect the condition, and he explained only people who were showing suspected symptoms would be tested. Other people at the meeting asked questions about how vulnerable some of their relatives, who had serious health conditions, were to contracting the virus.
Meanwhile, a youth group in Dublin has been asked to “self-isolate” for two weeks by the HSE to prevent the possible spread of coronavirus.
The group is linked to the case of coronavirus at the school.
A letter the HSE sent on Monday to parents of children who are members of the group said a case of coronavirus had been identified in a person who attended a two-hour meeting of the group last weekend.
“As a result, to prevent the possible spread of infection, all members... are being treated as possible contacts of the case, and asked to self-isolate until Sunday March 15th,” it said.
‘Fake letters’
The Department of Health tweeted on Tuesday it was aware of "fake letters circulating regarding [the] confirmed case of #Covid19" but later deleted the tweet.
While the children in the school have been told by the HSE they should not travel abroad for a fortnight, there were questions about whether the parents could travel as several had foreign trips booked.
The meeting was told the HSE intended to tell Irish airlines that the children who had been told not to travel should not leave the country.
One parent who spoke to The Irish Times in recent days said he had a trip planned with a family group that included children from the school who had been told not to go abroad.
However, he said Ryanair had informed them because there were no confirmed cases of the virus in his family they were free to travel. As a result, the airline declined their request for a cancellation and refund and continued to send them notices to check in early and pre-pay for their baggage.


theirishtimes--2020-03-04--Government examining new strategy to manage coastal erosion

A new State strategy to manage coastal erosion which Ministers hope will outline where extra protections need to be put in place is being examined by the Government .
The Cabinet on Tuesday considered a memo on recent flooding across the country , as well as “ managing climate risks to Ireland ’ s changing coast ” .
Kevin “ Boxer ” Moran , the Minister of State for the Office of Public Works and Flood Relief , attended the meeting .
The memo said a new coastal strategy would be scoped out over a six-month period following a presentation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sub-committee on infrastructure last December .
Mr Moran said he hoped the new strategy would follow the model of the Catchment Flood Risk Assessment programme , which outlined a long-term approach for the reduction and management of flood risk in Ireland .
He hoped the coastal strategy would map out the places around Ireland that were at risk from coastal erosion – which he said would be “ as big a problem as flooding ” – and show where extra investment and protections were needed .
The memo to Cabinet said : “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coastal change , to be jointly chaired by the Department of Housing , Planning and Local Government and the OPW , is to initially scope out , over a six- month period , an approach for the development of an integrated , whole-of-government coastal strategy for managing our changing coast , including the governance structures.
” Mr Moran lost his Longford-Westmeath Dáil seat in the general election , and is currently one of a number of Ministers continuing their jobs while they are not TDs .
All Ministers remain in place , even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a new government is formed .
A number of Independent TDs are currently talking to political parties about forming a new government , and Mr Moran said some of those had mentioned to him that he should be a Taoiseach nominee to the Seanad .
A new taoiseach can directly appoint 11 members of the Seanad , but Mr Moran said any such nominations were solely a matter for the next taoiseach .

A new State strategy to manage coastal erosion which Ministers hope will outline where extra protections need to be put in place is being examined by the Government.
The Cabinet on Tuesday considered a memo on recent flooding across the country, as well as “managing climate risks to Ireland’s changing coast”.
Kevin “Boxer” Moran, the Minister of State for the Office of Public Works and Flood Relief, attended the meeting.
The memo said a new coastal strategy would be scoped out over a six-month period following a presentation made by Mr Moran to the Cabinet sub-committee on infrastructure last December.
READ MORE
Mr Moran said he hoped the new strategy would follow the model of the Catchment Flood Risk Assessment programme, which outlined a long-term approach for the reduction and management of flood risk in Ireland.
He hoped the coastal strategy would map out the places around Ireland that were at risk from coastal erosion – which he said would be “as big a problem as flooding” – and show where extra investment and protections were needed.
The memo to Cabinet said: “A high level inter-departmental group on managing coastal change, to be jointly chaired by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government and the OPW, is to initially scope out, over a six- month period, an approach for the development of an integrated, whole-of-government coastal strategy for managing our changing coast, including the governance structures.”
Ministers
Mr Moran lost his Longford-Westmeath Dáil seat in the general election, and is currently one of a number of Ministers continuing their jobs while they are not TDs. All Ministers remain in place, even if they are not TDs, until a new government is formed.
A number of Independent TDs are currently talking to political parties about forming a new government, and Mr Moran said some of those had mentioned to him that he should be a Taoiseach nominee to the Seanad.
A new taoiseach can directly appoint 11 members of the Seanad, but Mr Moran said any such nominations were solely a matter for the next taoiseach.


theirishtimes--2020-03-04--The cavemen within: Did love, not war, bring an end to Neanderthals?

There ’ s always been a suspicion that our ancestors pushed Neanderthals to extinction .
The scenario is that modern humans migrated out of Africa and slaughtered or stole hunting grounds from Neanderthals , wiping out our closest relatives about 40,000 years ago .
Another explanation is offered by Prof Svante Pääbo , a Swedish scientist who sequenced the first Neanderthal genome , using DNA extracted from bones found in a Croatian cave .
He believes Neanderthals mixed with modern humans until they dissolved into us .
Neanderthals left Africa about 300,000 years ago and thrived in Europe .
Then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ humans left Africa and colonised Europe , meeting the Neanderthals .
What likely followed was infrequent mixing of modern humans and Neanderthals to give rise to hybrid children , Pääbo says .
This would explain a remarkable finding from his lab at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig , Germany ; about 2 per cent of our DNA came directly from Neanderthals .
“ The reason Neanderthals disappeared might simply be because they were absorbed into larger modern human populations , ” Pääbo adds .
“ Everyone outside of Africa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ includes people in parts of the world where we know Neanderthals never set foot .
It seems that modern humans came out of Africa and met Neanderthals .
Where they met , they mated .
This view of love , not slaughter , has gained support .
“ There was a relatively long period of overlap between Neanderthals and humans in both the Middle East and Europe , ” says Prof Rasmus Nielsen , a computational geneticist at the University of California , Berkeley , who flags 40,000 to 65,000 years ago as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seemed to be a steady increase in the amounts of humans and a steady decline in Neanderthals.
” He estimates there may have been 10 times as many humans as Neanderthals .
“ The genetics suggests that humans and Neanderthals admixed proportionally to their population sizes and essentially merged to become one new species , ” says Nielsen .
However , because the Neanderthals had a smaller population and more inbreeding , natural selection has chiselled away at their DNA contribution since this merger , Nielsen adds , reducing it from 10 per @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cent now .
“ Many of us carry fragments of Neanderthal DNA in our chromosomes , ” notes Pääbo .
One flavour of a gene puts some of us at risk of Type II diabetes .
One in four Asian people carry it .
This came to us from Neanderthals , Pääbo explains .
“ Today it gives us diabetes , but it was probably advantageous when we had periods of starvation.
” Pääbo says human genetic studies also turn up gene variants that seem to protect us against diseases and that seem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In fact , Neanderthal DNA might have even helped us survive flu pandemics , one study suggests .
A discovery of hybrid children of Neanderthals and another form of human ( see panel ) , among just a handful of ancient bones , suggests mixing of humans was common enough .
More evidence of interbreeding comes from a modern human who lived about 40,000 years ago in what is now Romania , whose DNA shows he had a Neanderthal in his family tree .
Pääbo – who wrote about his research in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Genomes ( 2014 ) – says perhaps half of Neanderthal DNA still exists today , spread out among ourselves .
These other humans , Denisovans , also contributed some genes to modern humans .
There is one flavour of a gene ( EPAS1 ) found at unusually high frequencies in Tibetan people who live at very high altitude , where there is less oxygen in the air .
“ This had already been known about , ” says Pääbo , “ but it turns out that this came from the Denisovans , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ colder climes .
This EPAS1 gene variant improves the transport of oxygen in blood .
Our ancestors ’ genetics is revealing , mixed readily with other humans and we still carry their DNA .
“ Hominin species may not evolve as an evolutionary tree with branches that split up from each other and then occasionally go extinct , ” says Nielsen .
“ Rather species diverge and then merge again.
” The diversity of our human past is key to our success as a species , he points out – Neanderthals are not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evolution was upturned by a tiny bone fragment unearthed in a Siberian cave .
“ We were surprised to find that this was neither a Neanderthal nor a modern human , but something else entirely , ” recalls Prof Svante Pääbo at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig .
This led to the discovery of a new people , named Denisovans , after the Denisova Cave in Siberia , named after a local hermit called Dyonisiy ( Denis ) .
Through DNA comparison , scientists discovered that Neanderthals and Denisovans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last ancestor they shared lived about 400,000 years ago .
Pääbo says the Siberian cave “ is a special place because Neanderthals lived there , Denisovans lived there and modern humans lived there ” .
They shared more than just living quarters .
In the journal Nature , Pääbo ’ s group reported that DNA extracted from a bone there came from a person who lived 90,000 years ago and who had a Neanderthal mother and a Denisovan father .
The Denisovan father had some Neanderthal ancestry too , from Western Europe .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ occupy much of Asia and these other humans added as much as 5 per cent to the DNA of today ’ s Pacific island and Australian natives .
So far , we have fossils from a just handful of Denisovans , while we have hundreds of Neanderthal skeletons .
More Denisovan bones are turning up .
Last summer , scientists recovered the first Denisovan remains , a jawbone , from a place other than the famed Siberian cave .
The jawbone came from a Karst cave high on the Tibetan Plateau in China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gave support to geneticists who had predicted that the newly discovered hominins were once widespread in the region .

There's always been a suspicion that our ancestors pushed Neanderthals to extinction. The scenario is that modern humans migrated out of Africa and slaughtered or stole hunting grounds from Neanderthals, wiping out our closest relatives about 40,000 years ago.
Another explanation is offered by Prof Svante Pääbo, a Swedish scientist who sequenced the first Neanderthal genome, using DNA extracted from bones found in a Croatian cave. He believes Neanderthals mixed with modern humans until they dissolved into us.
The Neanderthals evolved from human-like forms that left Africa perhaps 300,000 years ago. Then, about 130,000 years ago, modern humans left Africa and colonised Europe, meeting the Neanderthals.
A fragment of Neanderthal thigh bone shows cutmarks left by the sharp edge of a flint stone tool, similar to the one held here. Photograph: David DeGusta-Berkeley/Reuters
What likely followed was infrequent mixing of modern humans and Neanderthals to give rise to hybrid children, Pääbo says. This would explain a remarkable finding from his lab at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany; about 2 per cent of our DNA came directly from Neanderthals.
READ MORE
Disappeared
“The reason Neanderthals disappeared might simply be because they were absorbed into larger modern human populations,” Pääbo adds. “Everyone outside of Africa carries traces of Neanderthal DNA.” This includes people in parts of the world where we know Neanderthals never set foot. It seems that modern humans came out of Africa and met Neanderthals. Where they met, they mated.
This view of love, not slaughter, has gained support. "There was a relatively long period of overlap between Neanderthals and humans in both the Middle East and Europe," says Prof Rasmus Nielsen, a computational geneticist at the University of California, Berkeley, who flags 40,000 to 65,000 years ago as a key time period. "There seemed to be a steady increase in the amounts of humans and a steady decline in Neanderthals." He estimates there may have been 10 times as many humans as Neanderthals.
"The genetics suggests that humans and Neanderthals mixed proportionally to their population sizes and essentially merged to become one new species," says Nielsen.
However, because the Neanderthals had a smaller population and more inbreeding, natural selection has chiselled away at their DNA contribution since this merger, Nielsen adds, reducing it from 10 per cent at the start to 2 per cent now.
“Many of us carry fragments of Neanderthal DNA in our chromosomes,” notes Pääbo. One flavour of a gene puts some of us at risk of Type II diabetes. One in four Asian people carry it. This came to us from Neanderthals, Pääbo explains. “Today it gives us diabetes, but it was probably advantageous when we had periods of starvation.”
Pääbo says human genetic studies also turn up gene variants that seem to protect us against diseases and that seem to have come from our Neanderthal ancestors. In fact, Neanderthal DNA might have even helped us survive flu pandemics, one study suggests.
Denisovans
A discovery of hybrid children of Neanderthals and another form of human (see panel), among just a handful of ancient bones, suggests mixing of humans was common enough.
More evidence of interbreeding comes from a modern human who lived about 40,000 years ago in what is now Romania, whose DNA shows he had a Neanderthal in his family tree. Pääbo – who wrote about his research in Neanderthal Man: In Search of Lost Genomes (2014) – says perhaps half of Neanderthal DNA still exists today, spread out among ourselves.
These other humans, Denisovans, also contributed some genes to modern humans. There is one flavour of a gene (EPAS1) found at unusually high frequencies in Tibetan people who live at very high altitude, where there is less oxygen in the air. “This had already been known about,” says Pääbo, “but it turns out that this came from the Denisovans,” who appeared to be well adapted to colder climes. This EPAS1 gene variant improves the transport of oxygen in blood.
Our ancestors mixed readily with other humans and we still carry their DNA. “Hominin species may not evolve as an evolutionary tree with branches that split up from each other and then occasionally go extinct,” says Nielsen. “Rather species diverge and then merge again.”
The diversity of our human past is key to our success as a species, he points out – Neanderthals are not entirely gone.
Discovery of a new human
Our picture of human evolution was upturned by a tiny bone fragment unearthed in a Siberian cave. “We were surprised to find that this was neither a Neanderthal nor a modern human, but something else entirely,” recalls Prof Svante Pääbo at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig.
This led to the discovery of a new people, named Denisovans, after the Denisova Cave in Siberia, named after a local hermit called Dyonisiy (Denis).
Through DNA comparison, scientists discovered that Neanderthals and Denisovans were not that closely related: the last ancestor they shared lived about 400,000 years ago. Pääbo says the Siberian cave “is a special place because Neanderthals lived there, Denisovans lived there and modern humans lived there”.
They shared more than just living quarters. In the journal Nature, Pääbo's group reported that DNA extracted from a bone there came from a person who lived 90,000 years ago and who had a Neanderthal mother and a Denisovan father.
The Denisovan father had some Neanderthal ancestry too, from Western Europe. Surprisingly, the little-known Denisovans seemed to occupy much of Asia and these other humans added as much as 5 per cent to the DNA of today's Pacific island and Australian natives.
So far, we have fossils from a just handful of Denisovans, while we have hundreds of Neanderthal skeletons. More Denisovan bones are turning up. Last summer, scientists recovered the first Denisovan remains, a jawbone, from a place other than the famed Siberian cave.
The jawbone came from a Karst cave high on the Tibetan Plateau in China, 3,280m above sea level. It gave support to geneticists who had predicted that the newly discovered hominins were once widespread in the region.