theirishtimes--2020-11-21--Distinctive Blackface ram has new and potent value

One sound from autumn has stayed with me over the years : the hollow thock ... thock ... thock of colliding skulls in a confrontation of rams .
One animal had pushed his horns too far through the fence , so the other had merely to back off and charge again in a concatenation of thuds , like those of a fence-post being sledgehammered into the ground .
This one-off display was reminiscent of wildlife films about rutting mountain mouflon of Asia Minor , from which , some 7,000 years ago , most of our modern sheep breeds were domesticated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like most of those in Mayo and Connemara , trace their temperament to a more recent source in the history of Connacht ’ s hill sheep .
About 1850 a Scottish landowner , Capt Boswell Houston , leased some 40,000 acres of west Mayo , embracing Mweelrea Mountain along with the Sheffry and Partry hills .
At Killary Harbour he brought in thousands of Blackface “ hornies ” from Scotland , together with Scottish shepherds .
They duly extinguished the golden eagles that nested on a peak above the Houstons ’ house , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also , on the captain ’ s boast , marked 26,000 sheep at one shearing , they found it hard to keep track of all the rams at tupping time .
Some rams found themselves guided into mating with the local people ’ s sheep , the small , white cladoir of the shore , nourished substantially on seaweed .
While in Scotland and Northern Ireland the Blackface evolved into strains with bigger frames or better suited to wintering indoors , the breed centred on Mayo and Connemara remains strongly distinctive .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with a coarse thatch of fleece that ’ s proof against wind and rain .
At a time when western hill farming is often pictured as in steady decline , its mountain slopes fit only for “ rewilding ” , the Blackface bloodline is being given a new and potent value .
The Mayo Blackface Sheep Group , formed in 2004 by enthusiastic hill farmers from Achill to Tourmakeady , promotes the breed as a fount of pedigree genes for crossbred sheep on Ireland ’ s lowland farms .
Its recent sale @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for sale at good prices .
Bred , for example , with Bluefaced Leicester rams , Blackface ewes produce the “ Mayo mule ” , reliably and prolifically mothering twin lambs .
Many Mayo farmers have pure-bred Blackface flocks but no records of breeding results to back up a pedigree certificate .
Now , through the group , they use data systems from Teagasc , the state research body .
It sees improving Blackface rams as the quickest way to boost lowland genes in their new Sheep Ireland programme .
Released from monastic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their calling since late October , the season ’ s effort costing them some 15 per cent of bodyweight .
Each covers three or four ewes a day to a total of 50 , sometimes more .
As a check on their activity , a colourful paste , called raddle , is smeared around their brisket ( not , in this case , a cut of beef ) or supplied by a crayon in a harness .
This leaves its mark on the rear of the ewes .
As with humans , however @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( and some 15 per cent of rams are gay ) .
The colour of the raddle is changed every couple of weeks to help weed out rams that aren ’ t performing .
The new potential for Blackface comes at a crucial time for the western hills .
After the ecological trauma of overgrazing peatland late in the 1900s , commonage numbers were controlled and grants introduced for more nature-friendly farming .
The new problem , as Teagasc sees it , is the growing abandonment of higher and poorer land by ageing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some amalgamation of land , but farmers in the numerous “ special areas of conservation ” complain that potential restrictions cut the resale value by half .
Meanwhile , locally led agri-environment schemes , promoted by Teagasc ’ s Farming for Nature programme , promise hill grazing kept in some balance with upland biodiversity .
The first of its aims is that “ sheep can be an ecological tool ” .
A scheme launched in the past year covers the mountains of the Twelve Bens and Maumturks , where past overgrazing was so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extinguish rare plants on the peaks .
Some 80 per cent of farmers have signed up to a results-based scheme of payments .
Walking the land with advisers , they choose from grazing plans and other measures they have helped to develop and organise .
Among them is clearance of rhododendron shrubs , invasive and widespread on Connemara peatland .
The Blackface breed will be “ maintained and enhanced ” for a hopefully “ sustainable ” role , perhaps alongside cattle that are kinder to some habitats .
And hopefully the group will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ North Connemara Locally-Led Agri -Environmental Scheme or NCLLAES .
There was a time , after all , when Connemara farmers could have picked a good word from Irish .
But I note that a website about Blackface prospects for the Galway Capital of Culture prefers to speak of “ Project Baa Baa ” .

One sound from autumn has stayed with me over the years: the hollow thock...thock...thock of colliding skulls in a confrontation of rams. One animal had pushed his horns too far through the fence, so the other had merely to back off and charge again in a concatenation of thuds, like those of a fence-post being sledgehammered into the ground.
This one-off display was reminiscent of wildlife films about rutting mountain mouflon of Asia Minor, from which, some 7,000 years ago, most of our modern sheep breeds were domesticated. Our local Blackface, however, like most of those in Mayo and Connemara, trace their temperament to a more recent source in the history of Connacht’s hill sheep.
About 1850 a Scottish landowner, Capt Boswell Houston, leased some 40,000 acres of west Mayo, embracing Mweelrea Mountain along with the Sheffry and Partry hills. At Killary Harbour he brought in thousands of Blackface “hornies” from Scotland, together with Scottish shepherds. They duly extinguished the golden eagles that nested on a peak above the Houstons’ house, deep in Doolough Pass.
While they also, on the captain’s boast, marked 26,000 sheep at one shearing, they found it hard to keep track of all the rams at tupping time. Some rams found themselves guided into mating with the local people’s sheep, the small, white cladoir of the shore, nourished substantially on seaweed.
READ MORE
While in Scotland and Northern Ireland the Blackface evolved into strains with bigger frames or better suited to wintering indoors, the breed centred on Mayo and Connemara remains strongly distinctive. It makes the most of rough upland herbage, with a coarse thatch of fleece that’s proof against wind and rain. At a time when western hill farming is often pictured as in steady decline, its mountain slopes fit only for “rewilding”, the Blackface bloodline is being given a new and potent value.
The Mayo mule
The Mayo Blackface Sheep Group, formed in 2004 by enthusiastic hill farmers from Achill to Tourmakeady, promotes the breed as a fount of pedigree genes for crossbred sheep on Ireland's lowland farms. Its recent sale at Ballinrobe saw more than 2,000 sheep for sale at good prices. Bred, for example, with Bluefaced Leicester rams, Blackface ewes produce the "Mayo mule", reliably and prolifically mothering twin lambs.
Many Mayo farmers have pure-bred Blackface flocks but no records of breeding results to back up a pedigree certificate. Now, through the group, they use data systems from Teagasc, the state research body. It sees improving Blackface rams as the quickest way to boost lowland genes in their new Sheep Ireland programme.
Released from monastic paddocks, the rams have been about their calling since late October, the season’s effort costing them some 15 per cent of bodyweight. Each covers three or four ewes a day to a total of 50, sometimes more.
As a check on their activity, a colourful paste, called raddle, is smeared around their brisket (not, in this case, a cut of beef) or supplied by a crayon in a harness. This leaves its mark on the rear of the ewes. As with humans, however, the effort is not always productive (and some 15 per cent of rams are gay). The colour of the raddle is changed every couple of weeks to help weed out rams that aren’t performing.
Hill grazing
The new potential for Blackface comes at a crucial time for the western hills. After the ecological trauma of overgrazing peatland late in the 1900s, commonage numbers were controlled and grants introduced for more nature-friendly farming.
The new problem, as Teagasc sees it, is the growing abandonment of higher and poorer land by ageing or partly employed farmers. There is some amalgamation of land, but farmers in the numerous “special areas of conservation” complain that potential restrictions cut the resale value by half.
Meanwhile, locally led agri-environment schemes, promoted by Teagasc’s Farming for Nature programme, promise hill grazing kept in some balance with upland biodiversity. The first of its aims is that “sheep can be an ecological tool”.
A scheme launched in the past year covers the mountains of the Twelve Bens and Maumturks, where past overgrazing was so severe as to blacken the bogs and extinguish rare plants on the peaks. Some 80 per cent of farmers have signed up to a results-based scheme of payments. Walking the land with advisers, they choose from grazing plans and other measures they have helped to develop and organise. Among them is clearance of rhododendron shrubs, invasive and widespread on Connemara peatland.
The Blackface breed will be “maintained and enhanced” for a hopefully “sustainable” role, perhaps alongside cattle that are kinder to some habitats. And hopefully the group will find a more sustainable title than the North Connemara Locally-Led Agri -Environmental Scheme or NCLLAES.
There was a time, after all, when Connemara farmers could have picked a good word from Irish. But I note that a website about Blackface prospects for the Galway Capital of Culture prefers to speak of “Project Baa Baa”.


theirishtimes--2020-11-21--I thought this creature was a piece of plastic, what is it? Readers’ nature queries

I discovered a peacock butterfly with wings folded sheltering behind a bucket and wondered if it was going into hibernation .
I need to move the bucket ; where would be the best place to put it ?
– Maryll McCarthy , Carrigrohane , Co Cork Peacocks generally hibernate in walls or wood piles or in outhouses .
I witnessed this amazing sight of a sparrowhawk feeding on a pigeon in our back garden .
We were mesmerised watching her strip the pigeon for more than half an hour .
– Michael Flanagan , Rathfarnham , Dublin 14 We had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
An extremely tall sunflower that we thought failed to flower turned out to have tubers attached .
Are they Jerusalem artichokes ?
We have never planted these .
– Kate Hogan , Stilllorgan , Co Dublin It ’ s hardly a Jerusalem artichoke if you didn ’ t have any .
Perennial sunflowers grow tubers .
Could you tell me the name of this bat ?
My niece found it at her house in Sligo .
– Barbara Coughlan , Athboy , Co Meath .
The brown long-eared bat is widespread in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ washed up on the beach in Tramore and , at first , thought it was a piece of colourful plastic .
– Gabi Zagnoj , Tramore , Co Waterford It was a Portuguese man o ’ war , a hydrozoan composed of many individuals with different functions .
They are commonly referred to as jellyfish .
We picked up this amazing stone on Fanore beach in Co Clare .
I think it is a fossil of Fucus Vesiculosus .
I am a geography teacher and my second years want to establish whether it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the plant has become petrified like marble embedded within the limestone .
– Carol Flynn , Co Clare It is a fossil and certainly looks like a plant .
Ethna Viney welcomes observations and photographs at Thallabawn , Louisburgh , Co Mayo , F28 F978 , or by email at viney @ anu.ie .
Please include a postal address

I discovered a peacock butterfly with wings folded sheltering behind a bucket and wondered if it was going into hibernation. I need to move the bucket; where would be the best place to put it? – Maryll McCarthy, Carrigrohane, Co Cork
Peacocks generally hibernate in walls or wood piles or in outhouses.
A sparrowhawk in Dublin.
I witnessed this amazing sight of a sparrowhawk feeding on a pigeon in our back garden. We were mesmerised watching her strip the pigeon for more than half an hour. – Michael Flanagan, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14
Sunflower bulbs in Dublin.
We had a few errant sunflowers over the summer. An extremely tall sunflower that we thought failed to flower turned out to have tubers attached. Are they Jerusalem artichokes? We have never planted these. – Kate Hogan, Stilllorgan, Co Dublin
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It’s hardly a Jerusalem artichoke if you didn’t have any. Perennial sunflowers grow tubers.
A brown long-eared bat in Meath.
Could you tell me the name of this bat? My niece found it at her house in Sligo. – Barbara Coughlan, Athboy, Co Meath.
The brown long-eared bat is widespread in this country.
A Portuguese man o’ war in Waterford.
I found this creature washed up on the beach in Tramore and, at first, thought it was a piece of colourful plastic. – Gabi Zagnoj, Tramore, Co Waterford
It was a Portuguese man o’ war, a hydrozoan composed of many individuals with different functions. They are commonly referred to as jellyfish.
A fossil in Clare.
We picked up this amazing stone on Fanore beach in Co Clare. I think it is a fossil of Fucus Vesiculosus. I am a geography teacher and my second years want to establish whether it is a fossil. It would seem that the plant has become petrified like marble embedded within the limestone. – Carol Flynn, Co Clare
It is a fossil and certainly looks like a plant.
Ethna Viney welcomes observations and photographs at Thallabawn, Louisburgh, Co Mayo, F28 F978, or by email at viney@anu.ie. Please include a postal address


theirishtimes--2020-11-21--One hundred years after Bloody Sunday, Croke Park remembers those who died

The 14 civilians killed or fatally injured at Croke Park on Bloody Sunday were remembered at a ceremony at the stadium on Saturday , 100 years after their deaths .
In contrast to the maelstrom and bloodshed of the day in 1920 , Croke Park was silent and cast into darkness for the ceremony , which preceded the Dublin-Meath Leinster Senior Football Championship final .
It was a cool , still evening without a breath of wind around the stadium , and a half moon hung over the Canal End .
For too long Michael Hogan , the Tipperary footballer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Stand , was the only name of those killed that day 100 years ago to be remembered .
The others were an anonymous , amorphous group of victims .
There was no hierarchy of remembrance on Saturday night , however .
Instead , the names of the 14 who died were read out in alphabetical order , beginning with Jane Boyle , a butcher ’ s assistant , who was due to get married that week and was buried in her wedding dress , and ending with Joe Traynor , the football-mad captain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who died when a bullet entered his back .
As each name was read out , a torch was lit at the corner of Hill 16 and the Canal End and a beam of light was cast into the skies over Croke Park .
The site of the wreathlaying was the spot where Michael Hogan was shot dead .
In the parallel universe that used to be our normal lives , the centenary of Bloody Sunday was supposed to coincide with the second international rules test between Ireland and Australia , with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was the emptiness that stood out , as Taoiseach Micheál Martin and President Michael D Higgins laid wreathes .
Actor Brendan Gleeson , reading from a script prepared by Michael Foley , the author of The Bloodied Field , recalled a sunny Sunday 100 years ago when 15,000 people turned up for a match at a time of war when such occasions were a rare thing .
At 3.25pm bullets skimmed the turf and bullets sparked off the wall as people fell , having been shot or crushed to death .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or mortally wounded on the fields and banks of Croke Park and in the streets outside , ” he recalled .
“ They are our family , our friends , our people .
We remember them all.
” Earlier in the day the relatives of one of the victims , James Matthews , remembered him at his graveside in Glasnevin Cemetery .
Mr Matthews ( 38 ) was from a tenement in North Cumberland Street in Dublin .
He was married and had four daughters .
As was the case for many who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family did not have the means to erect a headstone , and he lay unmarked , and for the most part unremembered , until the GAA ’ s Bloody Sunday project erected a headstone over his grave in 2016 .
His then 95-year-old daughter Nancy attended that unveiling and paid a silent tribute to the father she never knew .
Her mother was three months ’ pregnant with her on Bloody Sunday .
Nancy died at the age of 97 in 2018 and is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery near her father .
On @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death , members of his extended family visited his grave .
His grandsons John , Martin and James Lynch were in attendance .
They laid a wreath in the Dublin colours and placed a Dublin GAA flag beside it .
The visit coincided with an announcement by the Abbey Theatre that a bursary has been created in the name of James Matthews to allow an artist to reimagine his life and death .
James Matthews was hit while trying to flee Croke Park during the shooting .
He was shot as he attempted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grounds and died later from haemorrhagic shock .
“ In normal circumstances we would have been in Croke Park , ” said James Lynch , who is named after him .
“ It is great that we have an actual grave to visit .
“ For my grandfather it was a normal Sunday and it ended in tragedy .
The impact on our family was horrendous.
” James Burke ( 44 ) , another one of those who died after crown forces opened fire on Bloody Sunday , was remembered at a dawn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ club in south Dublin .
The Tricolour and the flags of Dublin and Tipperary were raised at dawn and lowered at 3pm by the grandsons and great-grandsons of Mr Burke , a father of five .
The granite base of his headstone will be moved to the club grounds into perpetuity .
In a statement to mark Bloody Sunday , British ambassador Paul Johnston said it was a “ day for reflection ” .
He also echoed the words of Queen Elizabeth II when she visited Ireland in 2011 : “ To all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of our troubled past I extend my sincere thoughts and deep sympathy .
With the benefit of historical hindsight we can all see things which we would wish had been done differently or not at all.
” Mr Johnston , who was not invited to the ceremony at Croke Park , said there will be many opportunities to “ reflect on the complex and difficult past ” in the coming years .

The 14 civilians killed or fatally injured at Croke Park on Bloody Sunday were remembered at a ceremony at the stadium on Saturday, 100 years after their deaths.
In contrast to the maelstrom and bloodshed of the day in 1920, Croke Park was silent and cast into darkness for the ceremony, which preceded the Dublin-Meath Leinster Senior Football Championship final.
It was a cool, still evening without a breath of wind around the stadium, and a half moon hung over the Canal End.
For too long Michael Hogan, the Tipperary footballer who gave his name to the Hogan Stand, was the only name of those killed that day 100 years ago to be remembered. The others were an anonymous, amorphous group of victims.
READ MORE
There was no hierarchy of remembrance on Saturday night, however. Instead, the names of the 14 who died were read out in alphabetical order, beginning with Jane Boyle, a butcher's assistant, who was due to get married that week and was buried in her wedding dress, and ending with Joe Traynor, the football-mad captain of the Young Emmets team in Inchicore who died when a bullet entered his back.
As each name was read out, a torch was lit at the corner of Hill 16 and the Canal End and a beam of light was cast into the skies over Croke Park.
The site of the wreathlaying was the spot where Michael Hogan was shot dead.
In the parallel universe that used to be our normal lives, the centenary of Bloody Sunday was supposed to coincide with the second international rules test between Ireland and Australia, with a packed house in attendance.
Instead, it was the emptiness that stood out, as Taoiseach Micheál Martin and President Michael D Higgins laid wreathes.
Actor Brendan Gleeson, reading from a script prepared by Michael Foley, the author of The Bloodied Field, recalled a sunny Sunday 100 years ago when 15,000 people turned up for a match at a time of war when such occasions were a rare thing.
At 3.25pm bullets skimmed the turf and bullets sparked off the wall as people fell, having been shot or crushed to death.
“In 90 seconds 14 people lay dead or mortally wounded on the fields and banks of Croke Park and in the streets outside,” he recalled.
“They are our family, our friends, our people. We remember them all.”
Graveside remembrance
Earlier in the day the relatives of one of the victims, James Matthews, remembered him at his graveside in Glasnevin Cemetery.
Mr Matthews (38) was from a tenement in North Cumberland Street in Dublin. He was married and had four daughters.
As was the case for many who were shot on that day, his family did not have the means to erect a headstone, and he lay unmarked, and for the most part unremembered, until the GAA’s Bloody Sunday project erected a headstone over his grave in 2016.
His then 95-year-old daughter Nancy attended that unveiling and paid a silent tribute to the father she never knew. Her mother was three months’ pregnant with her on Bloody Sunday.
Nancy died at the age of 97 in 2018 and is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery near her father.
On the 100th anniversary of James's death, members of his extended family visited his grave. His grandsons John, Martin and James Lynch were in attendance. They laid a wreath in the Dublin colours and placed a Dublin GAA flag beside it.
The visit coincided with an announcement by the Abbey Theatre that a bursary has been created in the name of James Matthews to allow an artist to reimagine his life and death.
Relatives of James Matthews visit his grave in Glasnevin Cemetery
James Matthews was hit while trying to flee Croke Park during the shooting. He was shot as he attempted to scale a wall out of the grounds and died later from haemorrhagic shock.
“In normal circumstances we would have been in Croke Park,” said James Lynch, who is named after him. “It is great that we have an actual grave to visit.
“For my grandfather it was a normal Sunday and it ended in tragedy. The impact on our family was horrendous.”
Dawn ceremony
James Burke (44), another one of those who died after crown forces opened fire on Bloody Sunday, was remembered at a dawn ceremony at the Ballinteer St Johns GAA club in south Dublin.
The Tricolour and the flags of Dublin and Tipperary were raised at dawn and lowered at 3pm by the grandsons and great-grandsons of Mr Burke, a father of five. The granite base of his headstone will be moved to the club grounds into perpetuity.
In a statement to mark Bloody Sunday, British ambassador Paul Johnston said it was a "day for reflection". He also echoed the words of Queen Elizabeth II when she visited Ireland in 2011: "To all those who have suffered as a consequence of our troubled past I extend my sincere thoughts and deep sympathy. With the benefit of historical hindsight we can all see things which we would wish had been done differently or not at all."
Mr Johnston, who was not invited to the ceremony at Croke Park, said there will be many opportunities to “reflect on the complex and difficult past” in the coming years.


theirishtimes--2020-11-21--Father and son who saved two women off Galway coast stage another rescue

A swimmer who got into difficulty off the coast of Co Galway on Saturday morning has been rescued by the fishermen who saved two young women clinging to the buoy of a lobster pot earlier this year .
Patrick Oliver and his son Morgan were fishing off Salthill on Saturday when they spotted the swimmer taking refuge on Palmer ’ s Rock .
The Olivers took the man on board their fishing boat and brought him back to Galway Docks .
The man was taken into the RNLI Galway Lifeboat Station , where he received treatment for symptoms of hypothermia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rescued cousins Sara Feeney ( 23 ) and Ellen Glynn ( 17 ) after the women got into difficulty while paddleboarding off Furbo beach , Co Galway , in August .
The women had spent more than 15 hours in the water on their paddleboards by the time of their rescue , and had held onto each other overnight .
In a statement , Galway RNLI said Salthill was busy with swimmers and promenade walkers on Saturday morning and a member of the public had raised the alarm about the swimmer at 10.30am @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the assistance of Galway Lifeboat , who launched from Galway Docks , ” it said .
“ Two members of the lifeboat shore crew made their way to the promenade to assist in the rescue.
” Deputy Launch Authority Seán Óg Leydon said many people who have taken up sea swimming this year during the Covid-19 lockdown may not realise the dangers of winter swimming .
“ The sea is a great resource for us but we have to respect it and our limits .
Luckily this swimmer made his way to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assistance , ” he said .

A swimmer who got into difficulty off the coast of Co Galway on Saturday morning has been rescued by the fishermen who saved two young women clinging to the buoy of a lobster pot earlier this year.
Patrick Oliver and his son Morgan were fishing off Salthill on Saturday when they spotted the swimmer taking refuge on Palmer's Rock.
The Olivers took the man on board their fishing boat and brought him back to Galway Docks.
The man was taken into the RNLI Galway Lifeboat Station, where he received treatment for symptoms of hypothermia until an ambulance arrived.
READ MORE
The Olivers rescued cousins Sara Feeney (23) and Ellen Glynn (17) after the women got into difficulty while paddleboarding off Furbo beach, Co Galway, in August. The women had spent more than 15 hours in the water on their paddleboards by the time of their rescue, and had held onto each other overnight.
Alarm raised
In a statement, Galway RNLI said Salthill was busy with swimmers and promenade walkers on Saturday morning and a member of the public had raised the alarm about the swimmer at 10.30am.
“The Irish Coast Guard sought the assistance of Galway Lifeboat, who launched from Galway Docks,” it said. “Two members of the lifeboat shore crew made their way to the promenade to assist in the rescue.”
Deputy Launch Authority Seán Óg Leydon said many people who have taken up sea swimming this year during the Covid-19 lockdown may not realise the dangers of winter swimming.
“The sea is a great resource for us but we have to respect it and our limits. Luckily this swimmer made his way to a place he could rest and wait for assistance,” he said.


theirishtimes--2020-11-21--Three arrested after vehicles and stolen goods seized in Dublin

Three people have been arrested following the seizure of vehicles and stolen goods in Co Dublin on Saturday .
Gardaí carried out a search under warrant at a premises in Saggart as part of an ongoing investigation into an organised crime gang .
Two cars , a Breitling watch and a crossbow were seized .
Earlier searches as part of this investigation resulted in €3,800 in cash , six cars and three caravans being seized .
Gardaí from the detective unit in Tallaght conducted the searches with the assistance of colleagues from the Emergency Response Unit , Criminal Assets Bureau @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dog Unit .
Three people were arrested - two women ( aged in their 40s and 20s ) and a man in his 20s .
They were taken to Tallaght and Rathfarnham Garda stations and detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 .
They have since been released and a file will now be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions ( DPP ) .
Three people were previously arrested in relation to this investigation in January , two women ( aged in their 40s and 20s ) and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is also being prepared for submission to the DPP reagarding these arrests .

Three people have been arrested following the seizure of vehicles and stolen goods in Co Dublin on Saturday. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA.
Three people have been arrested following the seizure of vehicles and stolen goods in Co Dublin on Saturday.
Gardaí carried out a search under warrant at a premises in Saggart as part of an ongoing investigation into an organised crime gang.
Two cars, a Breitling watch and a crossbow were seized. Earlier searches as part of this investigation resulted in €3,800 in cash, six cars and three caravans being seized.
Gardaí from the detective unit in Tallaght conducted the searches with the assistance of colleagues from the Emergency Response Unit, Criminal Assets Bureau, Stolen Motor Vehicle Investigation Unit and Dog Unit.
READ MORE
Three people were arrested - two women (aged in their 40s and 20s) and a man in his 20s. They were taken to Tallaght and Rathfarnham Garda stations and detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984.
They have since been released and a file will now be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Three people were previously arrested in relation to this investigation in January, two women (aged in their 40s and 20s) and a man in his 20s. A file is also being prepared for submission to the DPP reagarding these arrests.


theirishtimes--2020-11-21--Life’s problems should not draw us to violence, funeral of man (24) hears

Life is often unbearably difficult but violence is not the answer to our problems , the funeral of a young man killed in Co Mayo this week has heard .
“ While life is tough we should never be drawn to violence , ” Fr Richard Gibbons told the funeral Mass of Michael McDonagh ( 24 ) at the Church of St John the Baptist in Knock on Saturday .
“ Our understanding of life comes from Jesus , the son of God , and the fact that he wants us to live the fullest life that we can , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sometimes life can get us down .
It can send us on different paths and wrong paths but there ’ s always hope.
” Mr McDonagh died after an incident at a house in Swinford , Co Mayo on Monday .
A 31-year-old man has been arrested , charged with his murder and remanded in custody .
The deceased grew up in Knock and , in his childhood years , was an altar boy in Knock Parish .
He was one of an extended family of 15 , with 11 sisters and three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a small group of mourners , including the dead man ’ s foster parents , Winnie and Bernie , in keeping with Covid-19 restrictions .
A significant group of mourners gathered outside the church and followed the hearse as its made its way to the local cemetery .
The cortege , which numbered up to 200 people , was led by a lone piper and gardaí maintained a modest but discreet presence outside as the church and graveyard .

A piper leads a cortege in Knock, Co Mayo as the funeral Mass of Michael McDonagh (24) took place in the town on Saturday. Photograph: Conor McKeown.
Life is often unbearably difficult but violence is not the answer to our problems, the funeral of a young man killed in Co Mayo this week has heard.
“While life is tough we should never be drawn to violence,” Fr Richard Gibbons told the funeral Mass of Michael McDonagh (24) at the Church of St John the Baptist in Knock on Saturday.
“Our understanding of life comes from Jesus, the son of God, and the fact that he wants us to live the fullest life that we can, joyfully, hopefully and not despairing. Sometimes life can get us down. It can send us on different paths and wrong paths but there’s always hope.”
Mr McDonagh died after an incident at a house in Swinford, Co Mayo on Monday. A 31-year-old man has been arrested, charged with his murder and remanded in custody.
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The deceased grew up in Knock and, in his childhood years, was an altar boy in Knock Parish. He was one of an extended family of 15, with 11 sisters and three brothers.
The Mass was attended by a small group of mourners, including the dead man’s foster parents, Winnie and Bernie, in keeping with Covid-19 restrictions.
A significant group of mourners gathered outside the church and followed the hearse as its made its way to the local cemetery. The cortege, which numbered up to 200 people, was led by a lone piper and gardaí maintained a modest but discreet presence outside as the church and graveyard.


theirishtimes--2020-11-21--Covid-19: 10 more deaths recorded in Northern Ireland

A further 10 people with Covid-19 have died in Northern Ireland , the North ’ s Department of Health has said .
The total death toll from the disease recorded by the department now stands at 923 .
There were also another 357 confirmed cases of the virus recorded in Northern Ireland in the last 24-hour reporting period .
A total of 49,442 people have now tested positive for Covid-19 in Northern Ireland since the coronavirus pandemic began .
Meanwhile , Queen ’ s University Belfast has launched a programme of rapid Covid-19 testing for students .
The programme means @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place in Northern Ireland to conduct asymptomatic testing on a large scale .
The testing at Queen ’ s will support students who hope to return home for Christmas , with results expected within an hour .
Minister for Health Robin Swann welcomed the news at the university .
“ It will help us to understand how asymptomatic testing can be implemented and extended more widely in the future , to other parts of Northern Ireland , ” he said .
“ It is through undertaking NTIs [ new testing interventions ] such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ informed plans for the future , which will benefit everyone in Northern Ireland.
” However , Mr Swann warned that testing alone is “ not a panacea ” to delivering a normal festive period this year .
“ Everyone must continue to adhere to the current restrictions and public health requirements , ” he said .
“ We must continue to drive down infection rates and ensure that we enter the festive period with as few new cases every day as possible.
” – PA

A man walks in Belfast on Friday. Northern Ireland has reported another 357 coronavirus cases. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA Wire
A further 10 people with Covid-19 have died in Northern Ireland, the North's Department of Health has said.
The total death toll from the disease recorded by the department now stands at 923.
There were also another 357 confirmed cases of the virus recorded in Northern Ireland in the last 24-hour reporting period.
A total of 49,442 people have now tested positive for Covid-19 in Northern Ireland since the coronavirus pandemic began.
READ MORE
Meanwhile, Queen's University Belfast has launched a programme of rapid Covid-19 testing for students.
The programme means Queen’s will be the first place in Northern Ireland to conduct asymptomatic testing on a large scale.
The testing at Queen’s will support students who hope to return home for Christmas, with results expected within an hour.
Minister for Health Robin Swann welcomed the news at the university.
“It will help us to understand how asymptomatic testing can be implemented and extended more widely in the future, to other parts of Northern Ireland,” he said.
“It is through undertaking NTIs [new testing interventions] such as this that we can develop fully informed plans for the future, which will benefit everyone in Northern Ireland.”
However, Mr Swann warned that testing alone is “not a panacea” to delivering a normal festive period this year.
“Everyone must continue to adhere to the current restrictions and public health requirements,” he said.
“We must continue to drive down infection rates and ensure that we enter the festive period with as few new cases every day as possible.” – PA


theirishtimes--2020-11-21--Health officials working on strategy to overcome vaccine scepticism

Health officials are developing a public communications strategy ahead of the roll out of a Covid-19 vaccination programme , amid concerns that public scepticism could threaten to undermine crucial participation .
Views on how a vaccine will be received are mixed from those who predict pent up demand , to others who say distrust poses a genuine threat to the levels of immunisation required to protect the overall population .
Last month , an Ipsos MRBI survey found that one-third of people are “ unsure ” about getting vaccinated while 12 per cent said they would not participate .
Separate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , much of the scepticism around coronavirus vaccines is due to the speed at which they have been developed .
Dr Eoghan de Barra , a consultant in infectious diseases at the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences , who has conducted research in vaccine development , said he would be “ very concerned ” about public confidence .
“ No matter what vaccine we have , if we don ’ t have people taking it up in [ sufficient ] numbers it won ’ t work , ” he said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the same processes have been followed as in other vaccines .
“ There is an onus on us to offer people the data and the evidence and the reassurance as to how these work … we know that when vaccination rates falter we get a re-emergence of cases.
” Dr Gerald Barry , a virologist based at University College Dublin , explained that not everyone who gets vaccinated becomes immune .
If the reproduction rate , or “ R number ” of a virus in the population is as high as four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social distancing or mask wearing – scientists estimate that about 75 per cent of the population would need to be immunised in order to achieve so-called herd immunity .
If a 90 per cent effective vaccine was employed ( such as that suggested in early Pfizer testing ) then about 85 per cent of the population would need to be vaccinated – a level that illustrates the mammoth task at hand in terms of public take up .
Confidence , Dr Barry said , is a “ big concern ” – he has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his own medical students .
“ From now on it ’ s going to become [ a public question of ] : should we take the vaccine , why should we take it , can I trust it ?
There is the PR approach that has to be taken to convince people that it ’ s safe but it can be very hard to change people ’ s mind.
” The Department of Health said the stocks it purchases via the European Commission will be required to meet “ rigorous international safety standards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Group , chaired by the Department , is currently developing an immunisation programme plan that includes a communications campaign , it said .
This is to be rolled out in advance of an immunisation programme .
Although the department did not elaborate , it is likely to focus on the strength of the scientific and medical process .
Kingston Mills , Prof of Experimental Immunology at Trinity College Dublin , said any vaccines that ultimately arrive on the market will be subject to strict safety guidelines by both the European Medicines Agency and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US , built around strong performance data .
“ I think we need a PR campaign to explain to people how this vaccine is assessed for safety and the benefit , especially if it prevents people from dying , ” he said of the need for large societal participation .
Prof Sam McConkey , head of the RCSI ’ s Department of International Health and Tropical Medicine , and a familiar media voice during the pandemic , moved to discourage fears of long-term side effects .
“ Most of the side effects from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have happen very soon after you take them , in the first few days .
You don ’ t expect five or 10 years later to get a side effect , ” he said in a recent RTÉ interview , in which he discussed public suspicion of the new Pfizer vaccine .
Scepticism is not new .
Ireland has experienced it most recently with the HPV vaccine against cervical cancer , while links between MMR and autism have been debunked .
Whatever public campaign health authorities in Ireland pursue they will face a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of MKC Communications , said messaging would be “ immensely difficult ” but very much related to whatever level of trust the Government and health authorities have managed to build to date .
“ There are parts of the population that simply don ’ t trust their government so just because the government says you need to take your medicine it doesn ’ t mean they are going to do it , ” he said .
“ My gut feeling is that most people still believe and trust what the Government is saying.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the message – a vaccine will almost certainly lead to improved quality of life in a world crippled by pandemic restrictions .
Whatever the concerns of the public , and by consequence the medical and scientific communities , doctors on the frontline are upbeat .
Dr Mary Favier , president of the Irish College of General Practitioners , said its members are generally confident as a greater demand for the regular flu vaccine this year is seen as a proxy indicator of anticipation over one that can target the coronavirus .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of anti-vaxers ” , as well as “ valid ” scepticism among other parts of society given the speed at which the vaccine has been developed .
But the bigger issue , she said , will be how they manage a drip feed in supply .
“ From a patient point of view there is extraordinary interest in the vaccine , ” she said .
“ People will be lining up … it ’ s not something we need to sell .
”

The Department of Health said the vaccine stocks it purchases via the European Commission will be required to meet ‘rigorous international safety standards’.
Health officials are developing a public communications strategy ahead of the roll out of a Covid-19 vaccination programme, amid concerns that public scepticism could threaten to undermine crucial participation.
Views on how a vaccine will be received are mixed from those who predict pent up demand, to others who say distrust poses a genuine threat to the levels of immunisation required to protect the overall population.
Last month, an Ipsos MRBI survey found that one-third of people are "unsure" about getting vaccinated while 12 per cent said they would not participate.
Separate to hard line “anti-vax” views, much of the scepticism around coronavirus vaccines is due to the speed at which they have been developed.
READ MORE
Dr Eoghan de Barra, a consultant in infectious diseases at the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, who has conducted research in vaccine development, said he would be "very concerned" about public confidence.
“No matter what vaccine we have, if we don’t have people taking it up in [sufficient] numbers it won’t work,” he said, stressing that while development has been accelerated, the same processes have been followed as in other vaccines.
“There is an onus on us to offer people the data and the evidence and the reassurance as to how these work … we know that when vaccination rates falter we get a re-emergence of cases.”
Dr Gerald Barry, a virologist based at University College Dublin, explained that not everyone who gets vaccinated becomes immune.
‘Herd immunity’
If the reproduction rate, or “R number” of a virus in the population is as high as four – with no mitigating factors such as social distancing or mask wearing – scientists estimate that about 75 per cent of the population would need to be immunised in order to achieve so-called herd immunity.
If a 90 per cent effective vaccine was employed (such as that suggested in early Pfizer testing) then about 85 per cent of the population would need to be vaccinated – a level that illustrates the mammoth task at hand in terms of public take up.
Confidence, Dr Barry said, is a “big concern” – he has already fielded questions over vaccine safety from his own medical students.
“From now on it’s going to become [a public question of]: should we take the vaccine, why should we take it, can I trust it? There is the PR approach that has to be taken to convince people that it’s safe but it can be very hard to change people’s mind.”
The Department of Health said the stocks it purchases via the European Commission will be required to meet "rigorous international safety standards".
A new Covid-19 Immunisation Strategy Group, chaired by the Department, is currently developing an immunisation programme plan that includes a communications campaign, it said. This is to be rolled out in advance of an immunisation programme.
Although the department did not elaborate, it is likely to focus on the strength of the scientific and medical process.
Safety guidelines
Kingston Mills, Prof of Experimental Immunology at Trinity College Dublin, said any vaccines that ultimately arrive on the market will be subject to strict safety guidelines by both the European Medicines Agency and the Food and Drug Administration in the US, built around strong performance data.
“I think we need a PR campaign to explain to people how this vaccine is assessed for safety and the benefit, especially if it prevents people from dying,” he said of the need for large societal participation.
Prof Sam McConkey, head of the RCSI’s Department of International Health and Tropical Medicine, and a familiar media voice during the pandemic, moved to discourage fears of long-term side effects.
"Most of the side effects from most [other medical] products we have happen very soon after you take them, in the first few days. You don't expect five or 10 years later to get a side effect," he said in a recent RTÉ interview, in which he discussed public suspicion of the new Pfizer vaccine.
Scepticism is not new. Ireland has experienced it most recently with the HPV vaccine against cervical cancer, while links between MMR and autism have been debunked. Whatever public campaign health authorities in Ireland pursue they will face a challenge.
Tim Kinsella, managing director of MKC Communications, said messaging would be "immensely difficult" but very much related to whatever level of trust the Government and health authorities have managed to build to date.
“There are parts of the population that simply don’t trust their government so just because the government says you need to take your medicine it doesn’t mean they are going to do it,” he said.
“My gut feeling is that most people still believe and trust what the Government is saying.”
He noted too the transactional benefit of the message – a vaccine will almost certainly lead to improved quality of life in a world crippled by pandemic restrictions.
‘Extraordinary interest’
Whatever the concerns of the public, and by consequence the medical and scientific communities, doctors on the frontline are upbeat.
Dr Mary Favier, president of the Irish College of General Practitioners, said its members are generally confident as a greater demand for the regular flu vaccine this year is seen as a proxy indicator of anticipation over one that can target the coronavirus.
She acknowledged the existence of a “cohort of anti-vaxers”, as well as “valid” scepticism among other parts of society given the speed at which the vaccine has been developed. But the bigger issue, she said, will be how they manage a drip feed in supply.
“From a patient point of view there is extraordinary interest in the vaccine,” she said. “People will be lining up … it’s not something we need to sell.”


theirishtimes--2020-11-21--Covid-19: Call to avoid unnecessary ‘mingling’ as 344 cases and four deaths confirmed

A further 344 cases of Covid-19 and four deaths have been confirmed in the State , as a senior health official asked people to avoid unnecessary “ mingling ” for the remaining 10 days of the lockdown .
In a statement on Saturday evening , the Department of Health said a total of 70,143 cases have been confirmed in Ireland and 2,022 people with the disease have died since the pandemic began .
Of the latest cases , 127 were in Dublin , 46 were in Cork , 26 were in Louth , 22 were in Donegal , 20 were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spread across 20 counties .
The median age of those infected was 32 , and 69 per cent of the cases were in people aged under 45 .
As of 2pm on Saturday , 269 people were in hospital with Covid-19 , with 32 patients in intensive care units .
Over the last 14 days there has been an average of 113.3 cases per 100,000 people nationally , with the highest incidence rates recorded in Donegal ( 255 cases per 100,000 ) , Limerick ( 218.1 ) and Louth ( 201.7 ) .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ just above the national average ( 123.1 ) with the lowest incidence of Covid-19 in Wexford ( 39.4 ) , Galway ( 62 ) and Wicklow ( 68.8 ) .
Northern Ireland ’ s Department of Health on Saturday said 10 further deaths and 357 additional Covid-19 cases had been reported in the previous 24 hours .
Meanwhile , Dr Colm Henry , the HSE chief clinical officer , on Saturday said the more the public avoids “ mingling with people unnecessarily ” for the remainder of the Level 5 restrictions , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country at Christmas .
Dr Henry said some trends seen in recent days suggest that people have increased their levels of socialising despite the curbs .
“ What we see is a slight rise of the number of contacts per case .
That infers there ’ s been some let up in that reduction of contacts and the way people intermingle with each other , ” Dr Henry told RTÉ ’ s Saturday with Katie Hannon .
“ That R value is not just an inanimate number .
It ’ s the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between people , all of which produce this number that tells us how much we ’ re interacting with each other and how much this virus is transmitting.
” The Government is currently grappling with how best to exit the highest level of restrictions , which are due to be eased on December 1st .
Case numbers decreased dramatically in the first few weeks of restrictions , however the declining trend has stalled .
Dr Henry said the more “ we gain ” between now and the beginning of December , the more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reopening economic and social life .
“ The more it sticks at this level , this stalling we ’ ve seen over the last few days of 300 to 400 cases per day , it narrows our options .
We want to widen options as much as possible , ” he said .
“ The more we do now , the more we avoid mingling with people unnecessarily ; and that includes employers , employees striving to work from home , the more we avoid mingling with each other in any social settings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have at the beginning of December , for Christmas , and that ’ s better for everybody.
” The R number - the number of cases linked to each confirmed infection - has increased slightly from 0.6 to between 0.7 and 0.9 .
Dr Tony Holohan , the chief medical officer , this week attributed the “ stalled ” progress to public compliance with restrictions .
He said people have “ slipped ” and the country had effectively “ lost a week ” .
Meanwhile , Taoiseach Micheál Martin on Friday said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was worrying and might have been stoked by news around a new vaccine as well as restriction fatigue being experienced by the public .
However , he added that he wants Ireland to exit Level 5 on December 1st , but that this Christmas will be very different to previous years and large groups of people could not congregate in pubs or other settings .
Meanwhile , the chairman of the Government ’ s vaccine taskforce has said a strategy to inoculate the Irish population against Covid-19 will be dealt with “ urgently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said urgency is “ the key word ” and that the taskforce will release information on the roll out of vaccines when it is “ available and when it ’ s accurate ” .
Reports this week suggest three vaccines are showing positive early indicators .
Moderna ’ s vaccine has a confirmed 94.5 per cent efficacy ; Pfizer-BioNTech ’ s hits 95 per cent on that scale ; and Oxford University-AstraZeneca ’ s phase 2 findings showed it causing few side effects , particularly among older people .
“ We got really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ press release .
I think there ’ s great excitement about the indicators of at least three of the vaccines ; the Oxford university one , the moderna one and the Pfizer one .
Really strong indications , ” Prof MacCraith told RTÉ radio ’ s The Business on Saturday .
The taskforce is to have its first full meeting early next week , and Prof MacCraith said one of the issues it will be addressing is how to go about communicating the State ’ s plans to distribute a vaccine .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Irish public to get certainty ” on what was going to happen .
“ Going out with speculations is not really helpful to Irish society .
The general public deserves clarity and really clear information on this .
I think that ’ s what we ’ ll do over the coming weeks , ” he said .
“ We ’ ll decide next week the approach to that but I think at this stage , urgency and certainty are the key issues and I think that is critically important for the general @ @ @ @ @ @ @ general well being for our economy as well.
” The Taoiseach on Friday told Virgin Media News the vaccine could be available early next year .
“ The European President of the Commission is now saying it could be the second half of December that they will get authorisation ... which could mean , for the early part of 2021 , we ’ re in a position to start procuring the vaccine .
It could change the situation significantly for the better , ” he said .
Mr Martin previously said that people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safe vaccines to prevent the virus are approved and ready .

Dr Colm Henry, HSE chief clinical officer, said some of the Covid-19 trends seen in recent days suggest that people have increased their levels of socialising. Photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times.
A further 344 cases of Covid-19 and four deaths have been confirmed in the State, as a senior health official asked people to avoid unnecessary “mingling” for the remaining 10 days of the lockdown.
In a statement on Saturday evening, the Department of Health said a total of 70,143 cases have been confirmed in Ireland and 2,022 people with the disease have died since the pandemic began.
Of the latest cases, 127 were in Dublin, 46 were in Cork, 26 were in Louth, 22 were in Donegal, 20 were in Limerick and the remaining 103 were spread across 20 counties.
The median age of those infected was 32, and 69 per cent of the cases were in people aged under 45.
READ MORE
As of 2pm on Saturday, 269 people were in hospital with Covid-19, with 32 patients in intensive care units.
Over the last 14 days there has been an average of 113.3 cases per 100,000 people nationally, with the highest incidence rates recorded in Donegal (255 cases per 100,000), Limerick (218.1) and Louth (201.7). The rate in Dublin is running at just above the national average (123.1) with the lowest incidence of Covid-19 in Wexford (39.4), Galway (62) and Wicklow (68.8).
Northern Ireland's Department of Health on Saturday said 10 further deaths and 357 additional Covid-19 cases had been reported in the previous 24 hours.
Meanwhile, Dr Colm Henry, the HSE chief clinical officer, on Saturday said the more the public avoids “mingling with people unnecessarily” for the remainder of the Level 5 restrictions, the more options there will be for reopening the country at Christmas.
Interacting
Dr Henry said some trends seen in recent days suggest that people have increased their levels of socialising despite the curbs.
“What we see is a slight rise of the number of contacts per case. That infers there’s been some let up in that reduction of contacts and the way people intermingle with each other,” Dr Henry told RTÉ’s Saturday with Katie Hannon.
“That R value is not just an inanimate number. It’s the sum total of a million small interactions between people, all of which produce this number that tells us how much we’re interacting with each other and how much this virus is transmitting.”
The Government is currently grappling with how best to exit the highest level of restrictions, which are due to be eased on December 1st. Case numbers decreased dramatically in the first few weeks of restrictions, however the declining trend has stalled.
Dr Henry said the more “we gain” between now and the beginning of December, the more options there will be in terms of reopening economic and social life.
“ The more it sticks at this level, this stalling we’ve seen over the last few days of 300 to 400 cases per day, it narrows our options. We want to widen options as much as possible,” he said.
“The more we do now, the more we avoid mingling with people unnecessarily; and that includes employers, employees striving to work from home, the more we avoid mingling with each other in any social settings, the number of options we will have at the beginning of December, for Christmas, and that’s better for everybody.”
R number
The R number - the number of cases linked to each confirmed infection - has increased slightly from 0.6 to between 0.7 and 0.9.
Dr Tony Holohan, the chief medical officer, this week attributed the “stalled” progress to public compliance with restrictions. He said people have “slipped” and the country had effectively “lost a week”.
Meanwhile, Taoiseach Micheál Martin on Friday said the the level of new infections of late was worrying and might have been stoked by news around a new vaccine as well as restriction fatigue being experienced by the public.
However, he added that he wants Ireland to exit Level 5 on December 1st, but that this Christmas will be very different to previous years and large groups of people could not congregate in pubs or other settings.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the Government’s vaccine taskforce has said a strategy to inoculate the Irish population against Covid-19 will be dealt with “urgently and comprehensively”.
Prof Brian MacCraith said urgency is “the key word” and that the taskforce will release information on the roll out of vaccines when it is “available and when it’s accurate”.
Reports this week suggest three vaccines are showing positive early indicators. Moderna’s vaccine has a confirmed 94.5 per cent efficacy; Pfizer-BioNTech’s hits 95 per cent on that scale; and Oxford University-AstraZeneca’s phase 2 findings showed it causing few side effects, particularly among older people.
"We got really excellent news this week, albeit by press release. I think there's great excitement about the indicators of at least three of the vaccines; the Oxford university one, the moderna one and the Pfizer one. Really strong indications," Prof MacCraith told RTÉ radio's The Business on Saturday.
Vaccine distribution
The taskforce is to have its first full meeting early next week, and Prof MacCraith said one of the issues it will be addressing is how to go about communicating the State’s plans to distribute a vaccine. He said it was “very important for the Irish public to get certainty” on what was going to happen.
“Going out with speculations is not really helpful to Irish society. The general public deserves clarity and really clear information on this. I think that’s what we’ll do over the coming weeks,” he said.
“We’ll decide next week the approach to that but I think at this stage, urgency and certainty are the key issues and I think that is critically important for the general well being of Irish society and the general well being for our economy as well.”
The Taoiseach on Friday told Virgin Media News the vaccine could be available early next year.
“The European President of the Commission is now saying it could be the second half of December that they will get authorisation... which could mean, for the early part of 2021, we’re in a position to start procuring the vaccine. It could change the situation significantly for the better,” he said.
Mr Martin previously said that people vulnerable to Covid-19 would be prioritised once safe vaccines to prevent the virus are approved and ready.


theirishtimes--2020-11-22--Ancestors of Biden, Obama JFK, Reagan left Ireland ‘within some 10 years of each other’

It is “ not surprising ” that descendants of Irish emigrants who left during the Famine are now becoming “ part of the establishment ” in the United States , a genealogist who researched the Irish connections of Joe Biden and Barack Obama has said .
Fiona Fitzsimons , researcher with the Irish Family History Centre , said descendants of former US presidents John F. Kennedy , Ronald Reagan , Mr Obama and president-elect Mr Biden all left Ireland for America “ within about 10 years of each other ” .
“ It ’ s the 500lb gorilla in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; the Famine .
In six years the Irish population was depleted by about a quarter , ” Ms Fitzsimons said .
“ Every fourth person either died or emigrated in a six-year period .
.
.
there ’ s a flood of Irish into America .
So it ’ s not surprising that from the 1960s through to the present that you ’ re seeing the descendants of that generation of Irish , who have now become part of the establishment .
“ These were poor Irish flooding in that weren ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with resources who came and settled .
It took them a number of generations to establish a foothold and to get an education and work towards becoming the establishment.
” Ms Fitzsimons , along with her colleague Helen Moss , were commissioned to research Mr Biden ’ s Irish connections ahead of his visit to Ireland in 2016 while he was serving as vice-president .
Two of Biden ’ s great great grandfathers were originally from Ireland – Patrick Blewitt from Ballina in Co Mayo and Owen Finnegan from the Cooley Peninsula in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Finngeans eventually ended up settling in Scranton , Pennsylvania , having left Ireland in the late 1840s .
Ms Fitzsimons said although Biden was raised with “ a keen sense of being Irish ” , Mr Kennedy ’ s links to Ireland were stronger .
A number of the late president ’ s great grandparents were from Ireland .
“ I think at this stage there ’ s something like 22 Irish-American presidents , ” Ms Fitzsimons said .
“ We don ’ t think about most of them because they are Ulster-Scots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what it was to be Irish in the 20th century – rural and Catholic – that tends to exclude our heritage which is kind of ridiculous when you consider how important that connection with the United States has been to us .
“ I don ’ t think he ’ s [ Biden ’ s ] the most Irish .
JFK , before he ever went across [ to Ireland ] , he didn ’ t need a genealogist because he was in touch with the family .
They remained in touch with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they were surprised that there was an Irish connection there – it was so long ago to them they had forgotten about it.
” Ms Fitzsimons added she believes the “ scramble to find a politician ’ s roots ” , such as American presidents ’ , is “ a way to try and claim common ground with them ” .
The Irish Family History Centre publishes a free magazine every quarter which is available at https : //irishlivesremembered.ie/

Fiona Fitzsimons presenting her research to the Bidens during their 2016 visit to Ireland. Photograph : White House Press Office
It is "not surprising" that descendants of Irish emigrants who left during the Famine are now becoming "part of the establishment" in the United States, a genealogist who researched the Irish connections of Joe Biden and Barack Obama has said.
Fiona Fitzsimons, researcher with the Irish Family History Centre, said descendants of former US presidents John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Mr Obama and president-elect Mr Biden all left Ireland for America "within about 10 years of each other".
“It’s the 500lb gorilla in the room that you can’t ignore; the Famine. In six years the Irish population was depleted by about a quarter,” Ms Fitzsimons said.
“Every fourth person either died or emigrated in a six-year period . . . there’s a flood of Irish into America. So it’s not surprising that from the 1960s through to the present that you’re seeing the descendants of that generation of Irish, who have now become part of the establishment.
READ MORE
“These were poor Irish flooding in that weren’t the well-connected, well-educated middle classes with resources who came and settled. It took them a number of generations to establish a foothold and to get an education and work towards becoming the establishment.”
Ms Fitzsimons, along with her colleague Helen Moss, were commissioned to research Mr Biden's Irish connections ahead of his visit to Ireland in 2016 while he was serving as vice-president.
Two of Biden's great great grandfathers were originally from Ireland – Patrick Blewitt from Ballina in Co Mayo and Owen Finnegan from the Cooley Peninsula in Co Louth.
The Blewitts and the Finngeans eventually ended up settling in Scranton, Pennsylvania, having left Ireland in the late 1840s.
Ms Fitzsimons said although Biden was raised with “a keen sense of being Irish”, Mr Kennedy’s links to Ireland were stronger. A number of the late president’s great grandparents were from Ireland.
“I think at this stage there’s something like 22 Irish-American presidents,” Ms Fitzsimons said.
“We don’t think about most of them because they are Ulster-Scots. The narrow way that we defined what it was to be Irish in the 20th century – rural and Catholic – that tends to exclude our heritage which is kind of ridiculous when you consider how important that connection with the United States has been to us.
“I don’t think he’s [Biden’s] the most Irish. JFK, before he ever went across [to Ireland], he didn’t need a genealogist because he was in touch with the family. They remained in touch with the family. Whereas for President Obama, they were surprised that there was an Irish connection there – it was so long ago to them they had forgotten about it.”
Ms Fitzsimons added she believes the “scramble to find a politician’s roots”, such as American presidents’, is “a way to try and claim common ground with them”.
The Irish Family History Centre publishes a free magazine every quarter which is available at https://irishlivesremembered.ie/


theirishtimes--2020-11-22--Suspected racist attack at Co Armagh house being investigated

Police are investigating a suspected racist attack at a house in the North .
A group of youths were outside @ @ @ @ @ , Lurgan , Co Armagh , when a stone was thrown at a front window @ @ @ @ @ .
The window was smashed , according to a Police Service of Northern Ireland ( @ @ @ @ @ resident of the house , a foreign national , was standing outside the house at @ @ @ @ @ was injured in the attack .
The PSNI said it is treating the incident as @ @ @ @ @ The youths , who were involved in “ antisocial behaviour ” , had scattered by @ @ @ @ @ .
House-to-house inquiries were carried out , and an appeal has been issued for witnesses @

The PSNI is treating a Lurgan, Co Armagh, incident as ‘racially motivated’
Police are investigating a suspected racist attack at a house in the North.
A group of youths were outside a house at Spelga Park, Lurgan, Co Armagh, when a stone was thrown at a front window shortly before 8pm on Saturday.
The window was smashed, according to a Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) spokeswoman.
The resident of the house, a foreign national, was standing outside the house at the time. No one was injured in the attack.
READ MORE
The PSNI said it is treating the incident as “racially motivated”.
The youths, who were involved in “antisocial behaviour”, had scattered by the time the police arrived. House-to-house inquiries were carried out, and an appeal has been issued for witnesses.


theirishtimes--2020-11-22--Covid-19: Large numbers gather to drink in Cork city centre

A large number of people came into Cork city centre to socialise on Saturday night , with most not maintaining a social distance or wearing masks , gardaí said , but there were few instances of drunkenness or public order issues .
Gardaí have this weekend mount heightened checks and patrols in public places associated with on-street drinking during the pandemic after alarm was raised over crowds gathering in Dublin and Cork last weekend .
Plans to ban the sale of takeaway drinks from pubs for the remainder of the lockdown were floated and later dropped by the Government following @ @ @ @ @ @ @ began coming into Cork city centre from around 4pm and formed queues outside the dozen or so pubs that are serving takeaway pints before drinking outdoors .
The source said pubs were serving alcohol on the North Main Street , Cornmarket Street , Oliver Plunkett Street , Marlboro Street , Patrick Street , Emmet Place and the Grand Parade , some having queues of up to 60 people outside .
A number of coffee shops and ice cream parlours were also open and drew lengthy queues on Saturday evening .
Families came to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Christmas lights and some were still there two and three hours later , said the source , and these added to the numbers around Patrick Street , Oliver Plunkett Street and Grand Parade .
The source said that “ as long as you have pubs that can sell takeaway drinks , then you will have people availing of that ” .
“ There weren ’ t many instances of drunkenness .
We had a total of five arrests during the period from 7am on Saturday until 7am ( Sunday ) morning - and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ period from 5pm until 10pm on Saturday and one was for assaulting a guard .
“ So the number of arrests for public order wasn ’ t anything unusual even though we did end up with 600-700 people in the city centre area particularly around the Grand Parade .
People were not keeping proper social distancing but when gardaí asked people to move on , they did.
” Footage filmed by charity worker Ali Hamou , who works in Cork city centre , was posted on social media on Saturday night .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without masks , gathered in the Grand Parade area .
Mr Hamou , who volunteers with the One Human Charity giving out food and clothes to people sleeping rough in Cork city centre , posted that “ Saturday night was a troubled night ” .
He estimated that up to 1,000 people were in the city centre at around 8pm .
A Garda source told The Irish Examiner that Friday night had been one of the busiest gardaí had experienced in Cork since the pandemic began back in March , despite the State @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saturday night “ seems to have built on that ” , the source said .
Dublin city centre was also busy on Saturday evening and night but Garda sources said there was less alcohol consumption than on the previous weekend and few public order incidents .
Gardaí directed some groups of drinkers to move on but there were no major incidents , one source said .
Many of those who came to the city were families trying to see the Christmas lights and went home in the early evening .
Footage of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Grafton Street has been widely shared online .
Gardaí said the crowd dispersed shortly afterwards .

A large number of people came into Cork city to socialise on Saturday night, with few seen maintaining a social distance, gardaí said, but there were few instances of drunkenness or public order issues. Video: Ali Hamou
A large number of people came into Cork city centre to socialise on Saturday night, with most not maintaining a social distance or wearing masks, gardaí said, but there were few instances of drunkenness or public order issues.
Gardaí have this weekend mount heightened checks and patrols in public places associated with on-street drinking during the pandemic after alarm was raised over crowds gathering in Dublin and Cork last weekend. Plans to ban the sale of takeaway drinks from pubs for the remainder of the lockdown were floated and later dropped by the Government following the scenes.
A source said people began coming into Cork city centre from around 4pm and formed queues outside the dozen or so pubs that are serving takeaway pints before drinking outdoors.
The source said pubs were serving alcohol on the North Main Street, Cornmarket Street, Oliver Plunkett Street, Marlboro Street, Patrick Street, Emmet Place and the Grand Parade, some having queues of up to 60 people outside.
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A number of coffee shops and ice cream parlours were also open and drew lengthy queues on Saturday evening.
Families came to town at around 5pm to see the Christmas lights and some were still there two and three hours later, said the source, and these added to the numbers around Patrick Street, Oliver Plunkett Street and Grand Parade.
Arrests
The source said that “as long as you have pubs that can sell takeaway drinks, then you will have people availing of that”.
“There weren’t many instances of drunkenness. We had a total of five arrests during the period from 7am on Saturday until 7am (Sunday) morning - and only three of those were during the period from 5pm until 10pm on Saturday and one was for assaulting a guard.
“So the number of arrests for public order wasn’t anything unusual even though we did end up with 600-700 people in the city centre area particularly around the Grand Parade. People were not keeping proper social distancing but when gardaí asked people to move on, they did.”
A Garda spokesman said videos circulating on social media of gardaí racing into a crowd at the Grand Parade related to a pursuit of a young man suspected of drug dealing. He was later arrested and a quantity of cocaine was recovered.
“One Garda received minor facial injuries during the incident. During this incident, and as a result of a small number of other, mainly related, minor public order incidents, nine males were arrested by gardaí,” the spokesman said.
Footage filmed by charity worker Ali Hamou, who works in Cork city centre, was posted on social media on Saturday night. It showed large groups of people, many without masks, gathered in the Grand Parade area.
Mr Hamou, who volunteers with the One Human Charity giving out food and clothes to people sleeping rough in Cork city centre, posted that “Saturday night was a troubled night”. He estimated that up to 1,000 people were in the city centre at around 8pm.
A Garda source told The Irish Examiner that Friday night had been one of the busiest gardaí had experienced in Cork since the pandemic began back in March, despite the State being under Level 5 lockdown restrictions. Saturday night “seems to have built on that”, the source said.
Dublin
Dublin city centre was also busy on Saturday evening and night but Garda sources said there was less alcohol consumption than on the previous weekend and few public order incidents.
Gardaí directed some groups of drinkers to move on but there were no major incidents, one source said. Many of those who came to the city were families trying to see the Christmas lights and went home in the early evening.
Footage of a large crowd singing along to a busker on Grafton Street has been widely shared online. Gardaí said the crowd dispersed shortly afterwards.


theirishtimes--2020-11-22--Bloody Sunday centenary: ‘For my grandfather...it ended in tragedy’

Until 2016 , James Matthews was one of the victims of the Croke Park massacre on Bloody Sunday whose resting place was an unmarked grave in Dublin ’ s Glasnevin cemetery .
The 38-year-old , from a tenement on North Cumberland Street , was married with four daughters .
Like many shot on that day , his family did not have the means to erect a headstone , and Matthews lay unmarked and , for the most part , unremembered for the best part of a century .
That was until the GAA ’ s Bloody Sunday project erected a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nancy , his then 95-year-old daughter , attended the unveiling and paid a silent tribute to the father she never knew .
Her mother was three months pregnant with her on Bloody Sunday .
Nancy died in 2018 and is buried in Glasnevin cemetery near her father .
On the 100th anniversary of his death , members of his extended family visited his grave .
His grandsons - John , Martin and James Lynch - laid a wreath in the Dublin colours and placed a Dublin GAA flag beside it .
The visit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Theatre that a bursary has been created in the name of James Matthews to allow an artist to reimagine his life and death .
Matthews died while trying to flee Croke Park during the shooting .
He was shot as he attempted to scale a wall out of the ground and died later from shock haemorrhage .
“ In normal circumstances we would have been in Croke Park , ” said James Lynch , who is named after his grandfather .
“ It is great that we have an actual grave to visit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a normal Sunday and it ended in tragedy .
The impact on our family was horrendous.
” Twenty years after Matthews died , his widow Connie fell off from a balcony in Mary ’ s Mansions in Dublin .
“ That piled on more tragedy for my mother , ” said James Lynch .
“ When her father died , she was just three .
When her mother died she was into her 20s .
There was very little said about it .
“ My mother did tell me when I was old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taken her own life and she probably never got over Bloody Sunday.
” James Burke ( 44 ) , another of the 14 victims shot dead by Crown forces on Bloody Sunday , was remembered at a dawn ceremony in Ballinteer St Johns GAA club in south Dublin .
The father-of-five lived close to where the club ’ s grounds are now .
The tricolour and the flags of Dublin and Tipperary were raised at dawn and lowered at 3pm by his grandsons and great-grandsons .
The granite base of his headstone will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perpetuity .
The GAA staged a special remembrance ceremony on Saturday to honour the 14 victims killed at Croke Park by crown forces on Bloody Sunday - November 21st , 1920 .
Fourteen flames were lit on Hill 16 , with a corresponding pillar of light dedicated to each of those who died .
Taoiseach Micheál Martin and President Michael D. Higgins attended the event .
In a statement , the President said : “ At the close of that day of such killing and injury 100 years ago , 32 people , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or dying in Dublin .
Countless others were wounded , many with their lives irrevocably changed as a result of the events of the day .
More death and heartbreak was to follow.
” In a statement to mark Bloody Sunday , the British ambassador Paul Johnston said it was a “ day for reflection ” and he echoed the words of Queen Elizabeth II when she visited Ireland in 2011 .
“ To all those who have suffered as a consequence of our troubled past , I extend my sincere thoughts and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ historical hindsight we can all see things which we would wish had been done differently or not at all .
”

Actor Brendan Gleeson read an emotional narrative , while Taoiseach Micheal Martin and President Higgins were among those to lay wreaths at Croke Park for a special GAA event to commemorate the 14 lives lost on 21 November 1920. Video: RTE News Now
Until 2016, James Matthews was one of the victims of the Croke Park massacre on Bloody Sunday whose resting place was an unmarked grave in Dublin's Glasnevin cemetery.
The 38-year-old, from a tenement on North Cumberland Street, was married with four daughters.
Like many shot on that day, his family did not have the means to erect a headstone, and Matthews lay unmarked and, for the most part, unremembered for the best part of a century. That was until the GAA’s Bloody Sunday project erected a headstone over his grave in 2016.
Nancy, his then 95-year-old daughter, attended the unveiling and paid a silent tribute to the father she never knew. Her mother was three months pregnant with her on Bloody Sunday. Nancy died in 2018 and is buried in Glasnevin cemetery near her father.
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On the 100th anniversary of his death, members of his extended family visited his grave. His grandsons - John, Martin and James Lynch - laid a wreath in the Dublin colours and placed a Dublin GAA flag beside it.
Bursary
The visit coincided with an announcement by the Abbey Theatre that a bursary has been created in the name of James Matthews to allow an artist to reimagine his life and death.
Matthews died while trying to flee Croke Park during the shooting. He was shot as he attempted to scale a wall out of the ground and died later from shock haemorrhage.
“In normal circumstances we would have been in Croke Park,” said James Lynch, who is named after his grandfather. “It is great that we have an actual grave to visit.
“For my grandfather it was a normal Sunday and it ended in tragedy. The impact on our family was horrendous.”
Twenty years after Matthews died, his widow Connie fell off from a balcony in Mary’s Mansions in Dublin.
“That piled on more tragedy for my mother,” said James Lynch. “When her father died, she was just three. When her mother died she was into her 20s. There was very little said about it.
“My mother did tell me when I was old enough to know that my granny had taken her own life and she probably never got over Bloody Sunday.”
James Burke (44), another of the 14 victims shot dead by Crown forces on Bloody Sunday, was remembered at a dawn ceremony in Ballinteer St Johns GAA club in south Dublin. The father-of-five lived close to where the club's grounds are now.
The tricolour and the flags of Dublin and Tipperary were raised at dawn and lowered at 3pm by his grandsons and great-grandsons. The granite base of his headstone will be moved to the club grounds into perpetuity.
Remembrance ceremony
The GAA staged a special remembrance ceremony on Saturday to honour the 14 victims killed at Croke Park by crown forces on Bloody Sunday - November 21st, 1920.
Fourteen flames were lit on Hill 16, with a corresponding pillar of light dedicated to each of those who died. Taoiseach Micheál Martin and President Michael D. Higgins attended the event.
In a statement, the President said: “At the close of that day of such killing and injury 100 years ago, 32 people, three of them children, lay dead or dying in Dublin. Countless others were wounded, many with their lives irrevocably changed as a result of the events of the day. More death and heartbreak was to follow.”
In a statement to mark Bloody Sunday, the British ambassador Paul Johnston said it was a "day for reflection" and he echoed the words of Queen Elizabeth II when she visited Ireland in 2011.
“To all those who have suffered as a consequence of our troubled past, I extend my sincere thoughts and deep sympathy. With the benefit of historical hindsight we can all see things which we would wish had been done differently or not at all.”


theirishtimes--2020-11-22--Witnesses sought after woman (30s) dies in car crash near Ardee

A woman has died following a car crash in Co Louth .
The single vehicle collision happened on the N2 @ @ @ @ @ Glebe , between Ardee and Carrickmacross , at about 8.50pm on Saturday .
The driver @ @ @ @ @ 30s , was pronounced dead at the scene and later removed to Our Lady of @ @ @ @ @ where a postmortem will be carried out .
A Garda spokesman said in a statement @ @ @ @ @ place near Ardee because part of the N2 has been closed in both directions to @ @ @ @ @ the crash site by forensic collision investigators .
Anyone who witnessed the crash , particularly @ @ @ @ @ from the area around the time of the incident , is asked to contact gardaí @ @ @ @ @ 041 ) 6853222 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666111 .
“ Gardaí are @ @ @ @ @ of a white car travelling from the direction of Carrickmacross towards Ardee at approximately 8:50pm @ @ @ @ @ , ” the spokesman added .

A woman has died following a car crash on the N2 Dublin to Tyrone Road at Glebe near Ardee on Saturday night.
A woman has died following a car crash in Co Louth.
The single vehicle collision happened on the N2 Dublin to Tyrone Road at Glebe, between Ardee and Carrickmacross, at about 8.50pm on Saturday.
The driver, who was in her 30s, was pronounced dead at the scene and later removed to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, where a postmortem will be carried out.
A Garda spokesman said in a statement that local diversions are in place near Ardee because part of the N2 has been closed in both directions to allow for an examination for the crash site by forensic collision investigators.
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Anyone who witnessed the crash, particularly if they have dashcam footage from the area around the time of the incident, is asked to contact gardaí at Ardee station on (041) 6853222 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666111.
“Gardaí are also appealing to any occupants of a white car travelling from the direction of Carrickmacross towards Ardee at approximately 8:50pm to make contact with gardaí,” the spokesman added.


theirishtimes--2020-11-22--Drowning inquiry prompts call for small boat operators to wear flotation devices

The Marine Casualty Investigation Board has recommended that recreational craft operators be reminded of their requirement to wear a personal flotation device following an investigation into a drowning tragedy off west Cork .
The board said Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan should issue a Marine Notice reminding people of their statutory requirement to wear a flotation device on all boats of less than 7m in length .
The recommendation followed an investigation into the death of 23-year-old fisherman Kodie Healy from Durrus , who drowned while fishing in Dunmanus Bay on October 9th 2019 .
The investigation established that Mr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the day in question to go sea angling in the bay aboard his 5.6m open deck boat , Tommy R. The alarm was raised when he failed to return at 8.27pm that day and a search began .
Wreckage of the boat found at Drishane Point on the northern shores of the Mizen Peninsula at 9.59pm that night .
A major search operation was launched and Mr Healy ’ s body was found by divers in an undersea gully off the northwest side of Carbery Island at 4.19pm on October 13th .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of cardio-respiratory failure due to drowning .
It established that there were no signs of alcohol or drugs in his system .
The board concluded that the most probable cause of Mr Healy ’ s death was that sometime after 1pm on October 9th , he fell overboard from the Tommy R , close the northwest shore of Carbery Island .
The boat ’ s steering would have been uncontrolled and it would have come into close proximity to rough seas northwest of Carbery Island and been overwhelmed , broken up and sunk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of factors that contributed to the tragedy , the board said , including the fact there was adverse weather , a small craft warning in operation and rough seas in Dunmanus Bay on the day .
Another factor was that Mr Healy , who had a full certificate of competency for fishing vessels and was on his day off from his regular job , was operating on his own in very dangerous seas .
Significantly , he was not wearing a personal flotation device while the Tommy R was not suitable for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Carbery Island on the day in question , the inquiry noted .
Mr Healy , from Cashalane , Durrus , who is survived by his parents , John Paul and Samantha and siblings , Patrick , Finnian , Suannie and Eden , was buried in Schull Cemetery following a funeral mass at Lowertown Church .

The Marine Casualty Investigation Board has recommended that recreational craft operators be reminded of their requirement to wear a personal flotation device following an investigation into a drowning tragedy off west Cork. Image: iStock.
The Marine Casualty Investigation Board has recommended that recreational craft operators be reminded of their requirement to wear a personal flotation device following an investigation into a drowning tragedy off west Cork.
The board said Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan should issue a Marine Notice reminding people of their statutory requirement to wear a flotation device on all boats of less than 7m in length.
The recommendation followed an investigation into the death of 23-year-old fisherman Kodie Healy from Durrus, who drowned while fishing in Dunmanus Bay on October 9th 2019.
The investigation established that Mr Healy departed Dunmanus Harbour at 8am on the day in question to go sea angling in the bay aboard his 5.6m open deck boat, Tommy R.
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The alarm was raised when he failed to return at 8.27pm that day and a search began. Wreckage of the boat found at Drishane Point on the northern shores of the Mizen Peninsula at 9.59pm that night.
A major search operation was launched and Mr Healy’s body was found by divers in an undersea gully off the northwest side of Carbery Island at 4.19pm on October 13th.
A postmortem found that Mr Healy died because of cardio-respiratory failure due to drowning. It established that there were no signs of alcohol or drugs in his system.
The board concluded that the most probable cause of Mr Healy’s death was that sometime after 1pm on October 9th, he fell overboard from the Tommy R, close the northwest shore of Carbery Island.
Overwhelmed
The boat’s steering would have been uncontrolled and it would have come into close proximity to rough seas northwest of Carbery Island and been overwhelmed, broken up and sunk, it found.
There were a number of factors that contributed to the tragedy, the board said, including the fact there was adverse weather, a small craft warning in operation and rough seas in Dunmanus Bay on the day.
Another factor was that Mr Healy, who had a full certificate of competency for fishing vessels and was on his day off from his regular job, was operating on his own in very dangerous seas.
Significantly, he was not wearing a personal flotation device while the Tommy R was not suitable for the sea conditions existing in the vicinity of Carbery Island on the day in question, the inquiry noted.
Mr Healy, from Cashalane, Durrus, who is survived by his parents, John Paul and Samantha and siblings, Patrick, Finnian, Suannie and Eden, was buried in Schull Cemetery following a funeral mass at Lowertown Church.


theirishtimes--2020-11-23--Covid-19 measures likely to be eased in two stages, as vaccine planning begins

The group tasked with rolling out a Covid-19 vaccine in Ireland will meet on Monday for the first time amid growing hopes a working vaccine will be available within weeks .
The Government task force is expected to draft in business and project management experts to help ensure a speedy distribution of the first vaccines that become available .
Regulatory approval for a vaccine could be issued in the US as early as mid-December after the first application for emergency use authorisation was made in recent days .
A decision by European regulatory bodies on the application by pharmaceutical giant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expected to follow next month .
Task force chairman Prof Brian MacCraith has promised the group will develop a strategy to inoculate the population “ urgently and comprehensively ” .
The Government faces an intense week of decision-making as it finalises a plan for exiting the lockdown next week and managing the pandemic over the Christmas period and beyond .
Although final decisions have yet to be made , it is now expected that the reopening of social and commercial life will be in two stages , with a cautious lifting of some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the numbers of new infections does not rise significantly in the coming weeks – a further reopening in advance of Christmas .
The number of new infections fell again on Sunday night as the sudden rise in daily cases that had alarmed public health officials last week abated in recent days .
With 318 new cases reported on Sunday night , the trend is again downwards .
The seven-day moving average is now 375 , the lowest level since the start of October .
The decline in case numbers will give the Government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days on lifting restrictions but , with no prospect now of daily case numbers falling to the target of 50-100 that was set by public health officials , the National Public Health Emergency Team ( Nphet ) is likely to urge extreme caution for the Christmas period .
The options will be discussed when the Cabinet meets on Monday , which is due to be followed by a Cabinet subcommittee meeting on Monday evening .
That meeting is expected to be attended by senior Nphet figures , including chief medical officer Tony Holohan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaders of the three Coalition parties are likely to discuss the issue when they have a regular pre-Cabinet meeting this evening .
A special Cabinet meeting is expected later this week , probably Friday , to agree the plan for exiting the lockdown .
A major issue to be resolved over the coming days will be situation regarding the hospitality industry .
While decisions have not yet been made , it is thought unlikely that so-called wet pubs – which do not serve food – will be allowed to open .
The fate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a decision that hangs in the balance .
If they are permitted to open , it is hoped that they can remain open rather than face closing again in January .
There will be intensive lobbying of Ministers and TDs over the coming days by hospitality industry representatives .
In an open letter sent to Taoiseach Micheál Martin on Sunday , more than 470 hospitality and events firms argued for their sector to be reopened , and said there was “ no clear evidence for the sector to be treated disproportionately with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compared with other parts of the economy ” .

The group tasked with rolling out a Covid-19 vaccine in Ireland will meet on Monday for the first time amid growing hopes a working vaccine will be available within weeks.
The Government task force is expected to draft in business and project management experts to help ensure a speedy distribution of the first vaccines that become available.
Regulatory approval for a vaccine could be issued in the US as early as mid-December after the first application for emergency use authorisation was made in recent days. A decision by European regulatory bodies on the application by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and a German research partner is expected to follow next month.
Hospital Report
Task force chairman Prof Brian MacCraith has promised the group will develop a strategy to inoculate the population “urgently and comprehensively”.
READ MORE
The Government faces an intense week of decision-making as it finalises a plan for exiting the lockdown next week and managing the pandemic over the Christmas period and beyond.
Two stages
Although final decisions have yet to be made, it is now expected that the reopening of social and commercial life will be in two stages, with a cautious lifting of some restrictions next week, and – if the numbers of new infections does not rise significantly in the coming weeks – a further reopening in advance of Christmas.
The number of new infections fell again last night as the sudden rise in daily cases that had alarmed public health officials last week abated in recent days.
With 318 new cases reported last night, the trend is again downwards. The seven-day moving average is now 375, the lowest level since the start of October.
The decline in case numbers will give the Government encouragement as it decides in the coming days on lifting restrictions but, with no prospect now of daily case numbers falling to the target of 50-100 that was set by public health officials, the National Public Health Emergency Team is likely to urge extreme caution for the Christmas period.
The options will be discussed when the Cabinet meets on Tuesday, which is due to be followed by a Cabinet subcommittee meeting on Tuesday evening. That meeting is expected to be attended by senior Nphet figures, including chief medical officer Tony Holohan and HSE chief Paul Reid.
Hospitality pressure
The leaders of the three Coalition parties are likely to discuss the issue when they have a regular pre-Cabinet meeting this evening.
A special Cabinet meeting is expected later this week, probably Friday, to agree the plan for exiting the lockdown.
A major issue to be resolved over the coming days will be situation regarding the hospitality industry. While decisions have not yet been made, it is thought unlikely that so-called wet pubs – which do not serve food – will be allowed to open. The fate of restaurants and pubs that serve food is a decision that hangs in the balance. If they are permitted to open, it is hoped that they can remain open rather than face closing again in January.
There will be intensive lobbying of Ministers and TDs over the coming days by hospitality industry representatives. In an open letter sent to Taoiseach Micheál Martin on Sunday, more than 470 hospitality and events firms argued for their sector to be reopened, and said there was “no clear evidence for the sector to be treated disproportionately with regards decisions to open or close, compared with other parts of the economy”.