theirishtimes--2020-04-30--Suspended solicitor seeks to halt inquiry into claims of professional misconduct

A suspended Co Roscommon solicitor , Declan O ’ Callaghan , has initiated High Court proceedings aimed at prohibiting an inquiry by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal ( SDT ) into a company ’ s allegations of professional misconduct against him .
The proceedings by Mr O ’ Callaghan , Sligo Road , Ballaghaderreen , arise from the conduct of the inquiry when it came before the tribunal on February 11th .
On Thursday , Mr Justice Michael Twomey granted Michael Mullooly , for Mr O ’ Callaghan , leave to bring judicial review proceedings seeking orders restraining the tribunal continuing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nirvanna Property Holdings Ltd and quashing the tribunal ’ s decision to adjourn that inquiry to late May .
The judge refused to grant , at this stage , counsel ’ s ex-parte ( one side only represented ) application for an interim injunction restraining the tribunal proceeding with the inquiry in late May .
The inquiry concerns allegations by Nirvanna Property Holdings Ltd .
In an affidavit grounding the application for judicial review , Mr O ’ Callaghan , who denies the company ’ s allegations against him , said the inquiry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and he attended and was represented .
He said the chairman had opened proceedings , taken representations and then spoken directly to Tom Fleming of the Nirvanna company , telling Mr Fleming he was entitled to open the case and to call witnesses .
Counsel for Mr O ’ Callaghan queried whether Mr Fleming could represent his company in proceedings before the tribunal and referred to various legal authorities to the effect a limited company can not be represented in proceedings by a director .
Mr O ’ Callaghan said Mr Fleming had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a solicitor for 10 years but had been “ blocked ” by the Law Society .
Mr Fleming sought a short recess after which he looked for an adjournment .
The tribunal had said it was satisfied Mr Fleming could not represent the company and indicated it would put the matter back if Mr Fleming wished to see if he could get a solicitor .
Mr O ’ Callaghan said Mr Fleming applied for that adjournment and Mr O ’ Callaghan ’ s counsel objected to an adjournment on the basis the tribunal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his company .
Mr O ’ Callaghan said the tribunal then considered the matter and made three findings .
These were ( 1 ) the matter had not “ commenced ” because Mr O ’ Callaghan ’ s side had raised a preliminary matter , ( 2 ) it had power under its rules to postpone any further steps in the matter and ( 3 ) was obliged to hold an inquiry to consider the allegations of misconduct made against Mr O ’ Callaghan .
Mr O ’ Callaghan said his position was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been asked to make an opening submission and to call evidence .
While the tribunal can adjourn or postpone an inquiry when an application is made to the tribunal , the tribunal had found Mr Fleming did not have standing to represent the company so there was no “ bona fide ” application for an adjournment .
The tribunal policy on adjournments provides there should be no adjournments except in exceptional circumstances and there were no exceptional circumstances in this case , he said .
He said the tribunal ’ s third @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obliged to deal with each allegation of misconduct and the chairman “ for some reason ” felt it could not do so .
The tribunal could and should have considered the evidence before it , including forms completed on behalf of the company and affidavits , including from Mr O ’ Callaghan rebutting the allegations , he said .
The decision to adjourn/postpone was made without , or in excess of , jurisdiction and breached his rights to a fair hearing and fair procedures , he said .
The High Court suspended Mr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in July 2018 .
Last November , at a separate inquiry before the SDT , he admitted professional misconduct arising from unlawfully retaining client funds concerning a house sale and was told to pay €10,000 compensation to the Law Society .
Separately from the Nirvanna matter , Mr O ’ Callaghan is also subject of another inquiry before the SDT which has yet to be heard .

The proceedings by Declan O’Callaghan, Sligo Road, Ballaghaderreen, arise from the conduct of the inquiry when it came before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal on February 11th. File photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill
A suspended Co Roscommon solicitor, Declan O’Callaghan, has initiated High Court proceedings aimed at prohibiting an inquiry by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) into a company’s allegations of professional misconduct against him.
The proceedings by Mr O’Callaghan, Sligo Road, Ballaghaderreen, arise from the conduct of the inquiry when it came before the tribunal on February 11th.
On Thursday, Mr Justice Michael Twomey granted Michael Mullooly, for Mr O’Callaghan, leave to bring judicial review proceedings seeking orders restraining the tribunal continuing with the inquiry into allegations made by Nirvanna Property Holdings Ltd and quashing the tribunal’s decision to adjourn that inquiry to late May.
The judge refused to grant, at this stage, counsel’s ex-parte (one side only represented) application for an interim injunction restraining the tribunal proceeding with the inquiry in late May. The inquiry concerns allegations by Nirvanna Property Holdings Ltd.
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Affidavit
In an affidavit grounding the application for judicial review, Mr O’Callaghan, who denies the company’s allegations against him, said the inquiry came before the tribunal on February 11th and he attended and was represented.
He said the chairman had opened proceedings, taken representations and then spoken directly to Tom Fleming of the Nirvanna company, telling Mr Fleming he was entitled to open the case and to call witnesses. Counsel for Mr O’Callaghan queried whether Mr Fleming could represent his company in proceedings before the tribunal and referred to various legal authorities to the effect a limited company cannot be represented in proceedings by a director.
Mr O’Callaghan said Mr Fleming had said he had been trying to get a solicitor for 10 years but had been “blocked” by the Law Society. Mr Fleming sought a short recess after which he looked for an adjournment.
The tribunal had said it was satisfied Mr Fleming could not represent the company and indicated it would put the matter back if Mr Fleming wished to see if he could get a solicitor. Mr O’Callaghan said Mr Fleming applied for that adjournment and Mr O’Callaghan’s counsel objected to an adjournment on the basis the tribunal had found Mr Fleming could not represent his company.
Mr O’Callaghan said the tribunal then considered the matter and made three findings. These were (1) the matter had not “commenced” because Mr O’Callaghan’s side had raised a preliminary matter, (2) it had power under its rules to postpone any further steps in the matter and (3) was obliged to hold an inquiry to consider the allegations of misconduct made against Mr O’Callaghan.
Mr O’Callaghan said his position was the inquiry had commenced and Mr Fleming had been asked to make an opening submission and to call evidence. While the tribunal can adjourn or postpone an inquiry when an application is made to the tribunal, the tribunal had found Mr Fleming did not have standing to represent the company so there was no “bona fide” application for an adjournment.
The tribunal policy on adjournments provides there should be no adjournments except in exceptional circumstances and there were no exceptional circumstances in this case, he said. He said the tribunal’s third reason for adjourning was because it felt obliged to deal with each allegation of misconduct and the chairman “for some reason” felt it could not do so. The tribunal could and should have considered the evidence before it, including forms completed on behalf of the company and affidavits, including from Mr O’Callaghan rebutting the allegations, he said.
The decision to adjourn/postpone was made without, or in excess of, jurisdiction and breached his rights to a fair hearing and fair procedures, he said.
The High Court suspended Mr O’Callaghan’s practising certificate in July 2018. Last November, at a separate inquiry before the SDT, he admitted professional misconduct arising from unlawfully retaining client funds concerning a house sale and was told to pay €10,000 compensation to the Law Society. Separately from the Nirvanna matter, Mr O’Callaghan is also subject of another inquiry before the SDT which has yet to be heard.


theirishtimes--2020-04-30--Government offers contracts to student radiographers to work in hospitals

The Government is to offer temporary contracts to about 50 student radiographers to work in the health service during the @ @ @ @ @ for Health Simon Harris said on Thursday that he had proposed that the students would @ @ @ @ @ radiographers .
Trade union Siptu had campaigned for the student radiographers to be given paid @ @ @ @ @ on foot of similar arrangements put in place for student nurses and medical scientists .
@ @ @ @ @ to be offered three-month contracts in mid-May on completion of placements in hospitals .
Siptu @ @ @ @ @ the union welcomed the decision .
“ Radiographers are in short supply within the health @ @ @ @ @ demand for them at home in public and private healthcare and abroad .
It is @ @ @ @ @ a clear message they are needed.
” The radiographers are likely to be given contracts @ @ @ @ @ pay scale of just over €28,000 which is in line with the offer made to @ @ @ @ @ weeks ago .

Minister for Health Simon Harris said that he had proposed that the students would be given roles as assistant radiographers. Photograph: iStock
The Government is to offer temporary contracts to about 50 student radiographers to work in the health service during the current coronavirus crisis.
Minister for Health Simon Harris said on Thursday that he had proposed that the students would be given roles as assistant radiographers.
Trade union Siptu had campaigned for the student radiographers to be given paid roles in the health service on foot of similar arrangements put in place for student nurses and medical scientists.
The student radiographers are expected to be offered three-month contracts in mid-May on completion of placements in hospitals.
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‘Great demand’
Siptu sector organiser Kevin Figgis said the union welcomed the decision.
“Radiographers are in short supply within the health service and there is great demand for them at home in public and private healthcare and abroad. It is vital we send these students a clear message they are needed.”
The radiographers are likely to be given contracts based on the healthcare assistant pay scale of just over €28,000 which is in line with the offer made to student nurses a number of weeks ago.


theirishtimes--2020-04-30--Ebola drug remdesivir leads race for effective Covid-19 treatment

After a series of setbacks because of disappointing outcomes in smaller drug trials , the Ebola drug remdesivir has re-emerged as the antiviral treatment with best potential to counter Covid-19 .
This follows early indications from a large randomised human trial being conducted in 70 hospitals across the world .
It is likely to lead to the US Food and Drug Administration giving it emergency clearance for use in US hospitals .
It coincided , however , with publication by the Lancet medical journal of a small trial in Wuhan , China , which concluded it was ineffective .
So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sciences is the best treatment option before a vaccine emerges .
The US government ’ s leading specialist on infectious diseases Dr Tony Fauci announced there was now clear-cut evidence of remdesivir ’ s benefit in reducing the time to recovery with indications it may also reduce death rates .
This was the trigger to allow patients who were given a placebo to switch to taking the drug .
Adults admitted to hospital with advanced coronavirus who received remdesivir recovered “ much faster ” than those given a placebo .
The data was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Allergy and Infectious Diseases , which is leading the trial .
More than 1,000 patients are participating in the study , which began in early April .
Recovery meant a patient was well enough to come off oxygen , to be discharged from hospital or to return to normal activity .
Dr Fauci said the trial “ shows remdesivir has a clear-cut , significant , positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery ” .
Irish immunologist Prof Luke O ’ Neill of Trinity College Dublin said his reference to remdesivir being “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it sets the bar on something that works on Covid-19 ” .
Remdesivir is “ an experimental antiviral ” .
It was rapidly pushed through trials for Ebola after showing promising results in the lab , and then rolled out in affected areas of Africa .
It was subsequently deemed less effective than monoclonal antibody drugs , which are often used for cancer treatment .
It was revived with the Covid-19 outbreak as it showed promising results in preventing Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and Sars , which are also caused by coronaviruses .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in animals .
Dr Elena K Schneider-Futschik , from the University of Melbourne , said given the absence of other Covid-19 treatments and promising data , “ we can assume that the drug may be fast-tracked ” .
The Wuhan study indicated no statistically clinical benefit .
However , the researchers tested a smaller number of patients – just over 200 – and it was stopped because of a failure to find enough eligible patients .
It did show “ a numeric benefit ” , which was enough for researchers to recommend further @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commentary published alongside the study , Dr John David Norrie of the University of Edinburgh noted this obstacle may recur during the pandemic , and “ pooling data across possibly several underpowered but high-quality studies looks like our best way to obtain robust insight ” .
“ Promising signals from observational data must be rigorously confirmed or refuted in high-quality randomised trials – particularly given that for Covid-19 no proven safe and effective treatments yet exist , ” he added .
That is additionally challenging in a pandemic , and temptation to lower @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resisted , because adopting ineffective and potentially unsafe interventions risks only harm without worthwhile benefit , while making it even harder to undertake trials to find truly effective and safe interventions , he warned .
Meanwhile , further statistical evidence of a link between BCG vaccination and lower rates of Covid-19 has emerged in a study of 55 countries , covering 62.9 per of the world population , by scientists based at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem .
The study released by Medrxiv before peer review is completed showed “ significantly improved Covid-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The strongest correlation is attributed to vaccinated under 25s , and “ to a lesser degree the middle age group ( 25-64 years ) ” , while a correlation with older people was insignificant .
“ We propose that BCG immunisation coverage , especially among the most recently vaccinated , may contribute to attenuation of the Covid-19 spread and severity , ” they conclude .
Seven clinical trials using BCG vaccine on older people and healthcare workers to evaluate its impact on coronavirus infection are in progress throughout the world .

After a series of setbacks because of disappointing outcomes in smaller drug trials, the Ebola drug remdesivir has re-emerged as the antiviral treatment with best potential to counter Covid-19.
This follows early indications from a large randomised human trial being conducted in 70 hospitals across the world. It is likely to lead to the US Food and Drug Administration giving it emergency clearance for use in US hospitals.
It coincided, however, with publication by the Lancet medical journal of a small trial in Wuhan, China, which concluded it was ineffective.
So far, the drug produced by Gilead Sciences is the best treatment option before a vaccine emerges. The US government's leading specialist on infectious diseases Dr Tony Fauci announced there was now clear-cut evidence of remdesivir's benefit in reducing the time to recovery with indications it may also reduce death rates.
READ MORE
This was the trigger to allow patients who were given a placebo to switch to taking the drug.
Adults admitted to hospital with advanced coronavirus who received remdesivir recovered “much faster” than those given a placebo. The data was released by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is leading the trial.
More than 1,000 patients are participating in the study, which began in early April. Recovery meant a patient was well enough to come off oxygen, to be discharged from hospital or to return to normal activity.
Dr Fauci said the trial “shows remdesivir has a clear-cut, significant, positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery”.
Irish immunologist Prof Luke O'Neill of Trinity College Dublin said his reference to remdesivir being "the standard of care" meant "it sets the bar on something that works on Covid-19".
Remdesivir is "an experimental antiviral". It was rapidly pushed through trials for Ebola after showing promising results in the lab, and then rolled out in affected areas of Africa. It was subsequently deemed less effective than monoclonal antibody drugs, which are often used for cancer treatment.
Promising results
It was revived with the Covid-19 outbreak as it showed promising results in preventing Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and Sars, which are also caused by coronaviruses. But those studies have only been done in animals.
Dr Elena K Schneider-Futschik, from the University of Melbourne, said given the absence of other Covid-19 treatments and promising data, “we can assume that the drug may be fast-tracked”.
The Wuhan study indicated no statistically clinical benefit. However, the researchers tested a smaller number of patients – just over 200 – and it was stopped because of a failure to find enough eligible patients. It did show “a numeric benefit”, which was enough for researchers to recommend further study of the drug.
In a commentary published alongside the study, Dr John David Norrie of the University of Edinburgh noted this obstacle may recur during the pandemic, and "pooling data across possibly several underpowered but high-quality studies looks like our best way to obtain robust insight".
“Promising signals from observational data must be rigorously confirmed or refuted in high-quality randomised trials – particularly given that for Covid-19 no proven safe and effective treatments yet exist,” he added.
That is additionally challenging in a pandemic, and temptation to lower the threshold of convincing evidence must be resisted, because adopting ineffective and potentially unsafe interventions risks only harm without worthwhile benefit, while making it even harder to undertake trials to find truly effective and safe interventions, he warned.
Meanwhile, further statistical evidence of a link between BCG vaccination and lower rates of Covid-19 has emerged in a study of 55 countries, covering 62.9 per of the world population, by scientists based at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
The study released by Medrxiv before peer review is completed showed “significantly improved Covid-19 outcomes in countries with higher BCG”.
The strongest correlation is attributed to vaccinated under 25s, and “to a lesser degree the middle age group (25-64 years)”, while a correlation with older people was insignificant.
“We propose that BCG immunisation coverage, especially among the most recently vaccinated, may contribute to attenuation of the Covid-19 spread and severity,” they conclude.
Seven clinical trials using BCG vaccine on older people and healthcare workers to evaluate its impact on coronavirus infection are in progress throughout the world.


theirishtimes--2020-04-30--Photos by Irishman who helped liberate Bergen-Belsen go on display online

A photo album from an Irish second World War veteran who was present at the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp has been made public for the first time .
The album of Albert “ Paddy ” Sutton , who died in 2018 at the age of 96 , was handed over to the National Museum of Ireland ( NMI ) this year .
It is being made public as part of a new online exhibition entitled Reflections on Resilience by the museum to coincide with the lockdown and the closure of the museum .
Mr Sutton went to Belfast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ joined the Royal Air Force .
As part of the ground crew , he was in the vanguard of the Allied liberation force that invaded Nazi-occupied Europe in 1944 .
He kept a photographic diary as he went along and photographed a confrontation with a collaborator in Brussels .
He was in the first lorry-load of troops to liberate Bergen-Belsen in northern Germany on April 15th , 1945 .
The 75th anniversary of the liberation was last month .
One of Mr Sutton ’ s tasks was to bury the dead .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on newsreels at the time and were profoundly shocking for audiences who had not known what was going on .
In 2016 , he was awarded the Légion d ’ honneur by the French government for his role in the liberation of Europe .
NMI head of collections Dr Audrey Whitty described Mr Sutton ’ s gift to the museum as an “ incredible photograph album ” and an eyewitness to history .
There are 26 objects in total of the more than two million objects in the NMI collection which are part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the museum ’ s reserve collection , although a few items including the St Patrick ’ s Bell from the 7th century and the Irish Republic flag which flew over the GPO during Easter week 1916 have been on public display .
It begins with a fish trap found in 2004 in Clowanstown , Co Meath , from the Mesolithic era and ends with Alison Lowry ’ s A New Skin , a current exhibition which is an artistic response to the legacy of mother and baby homes and Magdalene laundries .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and indeed all living things , have always responded to the environment they find themselves in by adapting and learning how to survive in it – just like we are today during the coronavirus crisis .
“ There are countless examples of this throughout our collection and we hope that Reflections in Resilience will give people pause for thought during these challenging times .
As a country , and a planet , we have overcome great obstacles in the past and we will do so again.
” One of the objects being exhibited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ originated in China between 1300 and 1340 .
The Fonthill Vase is an object of major international importance .
When the vase was brought to Europe , it was given elaborate mounts of filigree and enamel while in the possession of the Royal Hungarian House of Anjou .
Europeans were unable to make porcelain until more than four centuries later .
The vase is the earliest documented piece of Chinese porcelain to have reached Europe .
The museum managed to acquire the vase at auction in Scotland in 1882 for 28 pounds and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inviting members of the public to reflect on objects in their own lives or homes that they consider to be symbols of resilience , and to post a photo of those items on Twitter using the hashtag # ReflectionsonResilience .
National Museum of Ireland director Lynn Scarff said Irish families have always drawn on “ wellsprings of resilience ” throughout history .
“ After examining our own collection through the lens of our new reality , we ’ ve brought together a selection of objects and specimens that we hope will offer people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , not only as individuals and a nation , but also as a global community , ” she said .

The second World War photo album of Albert Sutton, who died in 2018 at the age of 96
A photo album from an Irish second World War veteran who was present at the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp has been made public for the first time.
The album of Albert "Paddy" Sutton, who died in 2018 at the age of 96, was handed over to the National Museum of Ireland (NMI) this year.
It is being made public as part of a new online exhibition entitled Reflections on Resilience by the museum to coincide with the lockdown and the closure of the museum.
Mr Sutton went to Belfast at the start of the war and joined the Royal Air Force. As part of the ground crew, he was in the vanguard of the Allied liberation force that invaded Nazi-occupied Europe in 1944.
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He kept a photographic diary as he went along and photographed a confrontation with a collaborator in Brussels.
Irish man Albert Sutton served in the RAF in the second World War
He was in the first lorry-load of troops to liberate Bergen-Belsen in northern Germany on April 15th, 1945. The 75th anniversary of the liberation was last month. One of Mr Sutton's tasks was to bury the dead.
The images from the concentration camp were shown on newsreels at the time and were profoundly shocking for audiences who had not known what was going on.
Légion d’honneur
In 2016, he was awarded the Légion d’honneur by the French government for his role in the liberation of Europe.
Albert Sutton (left) and Ken McLean with standard bearers, at the Service of Commemoration for those who served in the second World War, at Monkstown Parish Church, Co Dublin, in 2014. File photograph: Eric Luke
NMI head of collections Dr Audrey Whitty described Mr Sutton's gift to the museum as an "incredible photograph album" and an eyewitness to history.
There are 26 objects in total of the more than two million objects in the NMI collection which are part of the online exhibition.
Most are from the museum’s reserve collection, although a few items including the St Patrick’s Bell from the 7th century and the Irish Republic flag which flew over the GPO during Easter week 1916 have been on public display.
It begins with a fish trap found in 2004 in Clowanstown, Co Meath, from the Mesolithic era and ends with Alison Lowry's A New Skin, a current exhibition which is an artistic response to the legacy of mother and baby homes and Magdalene laundries.
Dr Whitty added: “People, and indeed all living things, have always responded to the environment they find themselves in by adapting and learning how to survive in it – just like we are today during the coronavirus crisis.
“There are countless examples of this throughout our collection and we hope that Reflections in Resilience will give people pause for thought during these challenging times. As a country, and a planet, we have overcome great obstacles in the past and we will do so again.”
One of the objects being exhibited virtually is the Fonthill Vase, which originated in China between 1300 and 1340.
Filigree
The Fonthill Vase is an object of major international importance. When the vase was brought to Europe, it was given elaborate mounts of filigree and enamel while in the possession of the Royal Hungarian House of Anjou.
The Fonthill Vase is the earliest documented piece of Chinese porcelain to have reached Europe.
Europeans were unable to make porcelain until more than four centuries later. The vase is the earliest documented piece of Chinese porcelain to have reached Europe. The museum managed to acquire the vase at auction in Scotland in 1882 for 28 pounds and seven shillings.
The museum is also inviting members of the public to reflect on objects in their own lives or homes that they consider to be symbols of resilience, and to post a photo of those items on Twitter using the hashtag #ReflectionsonResilience. National Museum of Ireland director Lynn Scarff said Irish families have always drawn on "wellsprings of resilience" throughout history.
“After examining our own collection through the lens of our new reality, we’ve brought together a selection of objects and specimens that we hope will offer people an opportunity to reflect on our resilience, not only as individuals and a nation, but also as a global community,” she said.


theirishtimes--2020-04-30--Lotto winner’s 11-year saga highlights ‘systemic problem’ in Irish courts

The European Court of Human Rights ( ECHR ) has upheld a complaint by a former Lotto winner that his right to a fair trial within a reasonable timeframe had been violated by the Irish courts system .
In an unanimous decision the seven-judge court found that the time it took the Supreme Court to deal with an appeal taken by former Lotto winner , Vincent Keaney , from Cobh , Co Cork , was a violation of article 6 of the European Convention of Human Rights .
It also found unanimously that there had been a violation of article @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s entitlement to an effective remedy when there has been a breach of their rights .
However , the court decided not to grant any financial award to Mr Keaney , because of findings by the Irish courts that the way he had pursued his unsuccessful pleas in the Irish courts , had come close to being an abuse of process .
“ It was not the court ’ s intention to provide a perverse incentive to applicants to pursue cases in an abusive manner at domestic level only to seek to secure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” the court said in a statement released with the judgement .
Irish judge , Síofra O ’ Leary , who was one of the seven judges who heard the case , issued a separate but concurring judgment in which she referred to “ signs of a systemic problem ” in the Irish courts system in relation to the right to a timely trial .
She said the fact that the case had been dealt with by a seven-judge “ chamber ” rather than a more usual three-judge committee , was recognition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the case , specifically in relation to the Irish courts system .
Mr Keaney , who won £1 million in the mid-1990s when he was an unemployed single parent , bought a building in Cobh with his winnings where he intended to run the Titanic Bar and Restaurant .
He invested almost half a million pounds in the plan to convert the former Cunard White Star terminal in Cobh , which was used by the transatlantic liner route , but ran out of money .
He then borrowed extensively in an attempt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investment from third parties .
However , the business was unsuccessful and in 2006 he took proceedings against 18 defendants , making various claims including deceit , fraud , and undue influence .
The entire proceedings , in which Mr Keaney was ultimately unsuccessful , were resolved after 11 years and two months .
In the High Court many of his claims were found to have been “ frivolous or vexatious ” .
The Supreme Court indicated that the addition of unsubstantiated allegations in his written submissions was “ nothing short of an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were lodged between 2007 and 2009 , and were dismissed by the Supreme Court between 2015 and 2017 .
Mr Keaney complained to the ECHR about the length of time between the institution of his civil proceedings and delivery of the final judgment , and claimed that delays in his case had been caused by the organisation of the Irish legal system .
The Luxembourg-based court has now found that the High Court proceedings were resolved within a reasonable timeframe given the conduct of Mr Keaney , but that this was not the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even though problems persisted with how Mr Keaney processed those proceedings .
His conduct alone could not justify the entire length of the appeal proceedings , it has decided .
Certain stages of the Supreme Court proceedings had been unreasonably protracted .
Mr Keaney ’ s inaction in prosecuting his appeals before the Supreme Court had apparently persisted without repercussions until such time as the defendants had taken action seeking to dismiss them , the ECHR said .
“ It had taken eight years between the applicant appealing to the Supreme Court and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ No adequate explanation had been given for the appeals having been allowed to lie dormant for between five and seven years.
” The court also found that it did not consider the Irish State ’ s view that people who had been denied a timely trial could seek damages through the courts , to be an effective remedy .
It said it had flagged problems in this area as far back as 2003 and in a number of judgments since then .
There were problems in relation to Irish jurisprudence , but “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remedial action itself ” .
It noted the length of time it took to process civil appeals in the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court , citing data from the 2018 annual report of the Courts Service .
A scheme for a new law to address the remedy issue , the European Convention on Human Rights ( Compensation for delays in Court Proceedings ) Bill 2018 , remained at a pre-legislative stage , the ECHR noted .
The court was told it required further consideration at Government level .
Ms O ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ daily reality which faces courts in jurisdictions where the ratio of judges to population is low , where the volume of litigation is substantially greater than the number of judges made available to deal with it , where commensurate resources are lacking , and where procedural rules may need an overhaul to protect the courts and other litigants from those who waste time ” .

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The European Court of Human Rights. The court decided not to grant any financial award to Vincent Keaney. File photograph: Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty Images
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has upheld a complaint by a former Lotto winner that his right to a fair trial within a reasonable timeframe had been violated by the Irish courts system.
In an unanimous decision the seven-judge court found that the time it took the Supreme Court to deal with an appeal taken by former Lotto winner, Vincent Keaney, from Cobh, Co Cork, was a violation of article 6 of the European Convention of Human Rights.
It also found unanimously that there had been a violation of article 13, which concerns a person’s entitlement to an effective remedy when there has been a breach of their rights.
However, the court decided not to grant any financial award to Mr Keaney, because of findings by the Irish courts that the way he had pursued his unsuccessful pleas in the Irish courts, had come close to being an abuse of process.
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“It was not the court’s intention to provide a perverse incentive to applicants to pursue cases in an abusive manner at domestic level only to seek to secure a violation of the European Convention thereafter,” the court said in a statement released with the judgement.
Irish judge, Síofra O’Leary, who was one of the seven judges who heard the case, issued a separate but concurring judgment in which she referred to “signs of a systemic problem” in the Irish courts system in relation to the right to a timely trial.
She said the fact that the case had been dealt with by a seven-judge “chamber” rather than a more usual three-judge committee, was recognition of the importance of the matters raised by the case, specifically in relation to the Irish courts system.
Mr Keaney, who won £1 million in the mid-1990s when he was an unemployed single parent, bought a building in Cobh with his winnings where he intended to run the Titanic Bar and Restaurant.
He invested almost half a million pounds in the plan to convert the former Cunard White Star terminal in Cobh, which was used by the transatlantic liner route, but ran out of money.
He then borrowed extensively in an attempt to complete the project, and sought investment from third parties.
However, the business was unsuccessful and in 2006 he took proceedings against 18 defendants, making various claims including deceit, fraud, and undue influence.
The entire proceedings, in which Mr Keaney was ultimately unsuccessful, were resolved after 11 years and two months.
In the High Court many of his claims were found to have been “frivolous or vexatious”.
The Supreme Court indicated that the addition of unsubstantiated allegations in his written submissions was “nothing short of an abuse of process”.
The appeals were lodged between 2007 and 2009, and were dismissed by the Supreme Court between 2015 and 2017.
Mr Keaney complained to the ECHR about the length of time between the institution of his civil proceedings and delivery of the final judgment, and claimed that delays in his case had been caused by the organisation of the Irish legal system.
The Strasbourg-based court has now found that the High Court proceedings were resolved within a reasonable timeframe given the conduct of Mr Keaney, but that this was not the case with the Supreme Court appeals, even though problems persisted with how Mr Keaney processed those proceedings.
His conduct alone could not justify the entire length of the appeal proceedings, it has decided.
Certain stages of the Supreme Court proceedings had been unreasonably protracted. Mr Keaney’s inaction in prosecuting his appeals before the Supreme Court had apparently persisted without repercussions until such time as the defendants had taken action seeking to dismiss them, the ECHR said.
“It had taken eight years between the applicant appealing to the Supreme Court and the dismissal of his second appeal. No adequate explanation had been given for the appeals having been allowed to lie dormant for between five and seven years.”
The court also found that it did not consider the Irish State’s view that people who had been denied a timely trial could seek damages through the courts, to be an effective remedy.
It said it had flagged problems in this area as far back as 2003 and in a number of judgments since then.
There were problems in relation to Irish jurisprudence, but “also concerns about the speediness of the remedial action itself”.
It noted the length of time it took to process civil appeals in the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, citing data from the 2018 annual report of the Courts Service.
A scheme for a new law to address the remedy issue, the European Convention on Human Rights (Compensation for delays in Court Proceedings) Bill 2018, remained at a pre-legislative stage, the ECHR noted. The court was told it required further consideration at Government level.
Ms O’Leary said the case reflected “the daily reality which faces courts in jurisdictions where the ratio of judges to population is low, where the volume of litigation is substantially greater than the number of judges made available to deal with it, where commensurate resources are lacking, and where procedural rules may need an overhaul to protect the courts and other litigants from those who waste time”.


theirishtimes--2020-04-30--Number of homeless people drops below 10,000 amid Covid-19 measures

The number of homeless people continued to fall in March , dropping below 10,000 , amid warnings against complacency in the aftermath of Covid-19 restrictions being lifted .
New figures published on Thursday shows there were a total of 6,552 adults and 3,355 children in emergency accommodation during a week in March , totalling 9,907 .
That represents a 2.3 per cent decrease on February ’ s number ( 10,148 ) , a trend cautiously welcomed by homeless charities .
The Simon Communities of Ireland said the decrease was anticipated but welcome and reflected decisive measures taken to prevent people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Since the Covid-19 crisis began , 600 new places had been secured with the promise of more to come where necessary .
“ We hope to see another fall next month .
This would be real progress , ” said Simon Communities spokesman Wayne Stanley .
“ We know that there are many individuals and families who were on the brink of homelessness who have been supported to remain in their home due to the moratorium on evictions for the duration of the crisis .
Once the health crisis eases , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supports in place to help these families and individuals stay out of homeless emergency accommodation.
” Similarly , Focus Ireland chief executive Pat Dennigan said the fall in the number had been “ widely predicted ” not just because of the anti-eviction measures but also the number of Airbnb lettings coming back onto the rental market .
Mr Dennigan said the work his charity had done to help families secure homes during the month was “ more important than ever as the public health emergency throws a revealing light on the inadequacies of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the reducing numbers showed a need for an incoming government to expand on measures brought in during the Covid-19 pandemic .
Focus Ireland said emergency measures that have helped reduce homelessness and which are due to expire in June should be retained .
New home building should also be helped to come back rapidly following the lockdown , it said .
The March reduction included 62 less adults , 179 less dependants and 122 less families in emergency accommodation .
Commenting on the latest figures , Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ basis with local authorities and NGOs to ensure the safety of those in emergency accommodation during the current pandemic .
“ Despite the current challenges work is taking place across the country to move people into homes , ” he said .
“ We continue to add capacity to the system where needed to allow for isolation and social distancing and are working closely with the HSE .
”

New figures published on Thursday shows there were a total of 6,552 adults and 3,355 children in emergency accommodation during a week in March, totalling 9,907. Photograph: iStock
The number of homeless people continued to fall in March, dropping below 10,000, amid warnings against complacency in the aftermath of Covid-19 restrictions being lifted.
New figures published on Thursday shows there were a total of 6,552 adults and 3,355 children in emergency accommodation during a week in March, totalling 9,907. That represents a 2.3 per cent decrease on February’s number (10,148), a trend cautiously welcomed by homeless charities.
The Simon Communities of Ireland said the decrease was anticipated but welcome and reflected decisive measures taken to prevent people entering homelessness during the public health emergency.
Since the Covid-19 crisis began, 600 new places had been secured with the promise of more to come where necessary.
READ MORE
"We hope to see another fall next month. This would be real progress," said Simon Communities spokesman Wayne Stanley.
“We know that there are many individuals and families who were on the brink of homelessness who have been supported to remain in their home due to the moratorium on evictions for the duration of the crisis. Once the health crisis eases, we need to ensure that there are preventative supports in place to help these families and individuals stay out of homeless emergency accommodation.”
Similarly, Focus Ireland chief executive Pat Dennigan said the fall in the number had been "widely predicted" not just because of the anti-eviction measures but also the number of Airbnb lettings coming back onto the rental market.
Mr Dennigan said the work his charity had done to help families secure homes during the month was “more important than ever as the public health emergency throws a revealing light on the inadequacies of emergency accommodation”.
Both charities said that the reducing numbers showed a need for an incoming government to expand on measures brought in during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Focus Ireland said emergency measures that have helped reduce homelessness and which are due to expire in June should be retained. New home building should also be helped to come back rapidly following the lockdown, it said.
The March reduction included 62 less adults, 179 less dependants and 122 less families in emergency accommodation.
Commenting on the latest figures, Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy said his department was working on a daily basis with local authorities and NGOs to ensure the safety of those in emergency accommodation during the current pandemic.
“Despite the current challenges work is taking place across the country to move people into homes,” he said.
“We continue to add capacity to the system where needed to allow for isolation and social distancing and are working closely with the HSE.”


theirishtimes--2020-04-30--Covid-19: 70 complaints to Gsoc about enforcement of regulations

The Garda Ombudsman ( Gsoc ) has received more than 70 complaints from the public relating to Garda enforcement of the Covid-19 movement restrictions .
Gsoc said it is passing anonymised versions of the complaints over to Garda management to assist them “ in identifying issues which may be emerging in the enforcement of the restrictions.
” Many of the complaints have not yet been assessed to see if they meet the threshold for a full investigation , it said .
One in three of the complaints , about 23 , alleged gardaí were not observing social distancing at checkpoints @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Masks are typically not used by gardaí on Covid-19 checkpoints but many members wear gloves .
Gsoc said some complaints related to incidents where gardaí were “ rude or abrupt at a checkpoint ” .
Other people complained that gardaí instructed them to return home after the person said they were going further than 2km to do their shopping .
The 2km limit applies only to exercise and not essential journeys such as food shopping .
“ The Ombudsman Commission believes that sharing anonymised details in this way in real time will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the public and allow Garda management address issues as they arise , ” a Gsoc spokeswoman said .
Garda enforcement of the Covid-19 movement restrictions has been ongoing since April 8th .
Since Tuesday the force has been engaged in the second stage of Operation Fanacht , a high-visibility policing operation which will see 2,500 garda on the roads at any one time over the long weekend .
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris appeared before the Policing Authority on Wednesday where he answered questions about reports that gardaí were checking people ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being deployed at checkpoints .
Mr Harris said he had not received reports of gardaí checking people ’ s shopping and said members have no right to do so .
However he said armed gardaí will continue to be used at checkpoints due to extreme pressure on manpower resources .
As of last Sunday gardaí had arrested 76 people under the emergency Covid-19 legislation and another 760 people under traditional legislation “ where other offences were highlighted in the course of COVID-19 operations , ” it said .
It has deployed spit-hoods , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over suspects heads to stop them spitting or coughing , on 15 occasions .
Mr Harris said the hoods are being used sparingly and only until the pandemic has passed .
Between April 8th and 25th there were 31 incidents of people spitting or coughing on gardaí .

The Garda Ombudsman (Gsoc) has received more than 70 complaints from the public relating to Garda enforcement of the Covid-19 movement restrictions.
Gsoc said it is passing anonymised versions of the complaints over to Garda management to assist them “in identifying issues which may be emerging in the enforcement of the restrictions.”
Many of the complaints have not yet been assessed to see if they meet the threshold for a full investigation, it said.
One in three of the complaints, about 23, alleged gardaí were not observing social distancing at checkpoints or were not using gloves or masks. Masks are typically not used by gardaí on Covid-19 checkpoints but many members wear gloves.
READ MORE
Gsoc said some complaints related to incidents where gardaí were “rude or abrupt at a checkpoint”. Other people complained that gardaí instructed them to return home after the person said they were going further than 2km to do their shopping. The 2km limit applies only to exercise and not essential journeys such as food shopping.
“The Ombudsman Commission believes that sharing anonymised details in this way in real time will alert the Garda Síochána to concerns emerging from the public and allow Garda management address issues as they arise,” a Gsoc spokeswoman said.
Garda enforcement of the Covid-19 movement restrictions has been ongoing since April 8th. Since Tuesday the force has been engaged in the second stage of Operation Fanacht, a high-visibility policing operation which will see 2,500 garda on the roads at any one time over the long weekend.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris appeared before the Policing Authority on Wednesday where he answered questions about reports that gardaí were checking people’s shopping bags and that armed officers were being deployed at checkpoints.
Mr Harris said he had not received reports of gardaí checking people’s shopping and said members have no right to do so. However he said armed gardaí will continue to be used at checkpoints due to extreme pressure on manpower resources.
As of last Sunday gardaí had arrested 76 people under the emergency Covid-19 legislation and another 760 people under traditional legislation “where other offences were highlighted in the course of COVID-19 operations,” it said.
It has deployed spit-hoods, wire and mesh devices which are placed over suspects heads to stop them spitting or coughing, on 15 occasions. Mr Harris said the hoods are being used sparingly and only until the pandemic has passed.
Between April 8th and 25th there were 31 incidents of people spitting or coughing on gardaí.


theirishtimes--2020-04-30--Coronavirus: Nine more deaths reported in Northern Ireland

Nine more people have died in Northern Ireland with Covid-19 , the North ’ s Department of Health said on Thursday afternoon , bringing the total number of deaths to 347 .
The department also reported there were 73 new confirmed cases of coronavirus in the North .
The total number of confirmed cases is now 3,536 .
So far 25,778 have been tested for the virus in Northern Ireland .
The North ’ s Minister of Health Robin Swann said that Northern Ireland was at a “ crucial juncture ” and there was no possibility that restrictions would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We need to make sure that as an Executive that we don ’ t take decisions that risks lives or undermines public safety , ” he said .
While the Executive from Monday is to review whether there can be any easing of the restrictions Mr Swann said social distancing measures were still “ vitally needed to save lives ” .
On Wednesday , the North ’ s Minister for Agriculture Edwin Poots suggested that in a graduated fashion some rules could be relaxed , with the possible initial opening of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ however said : “ There will be no ‘ Big Bang ’ moment when all these restrictions go away .
The consequences of doing that would be catastrophic .
Social distancing will be part of our lives in some form for months to come – maybe even years .
“ Until we have a widely available vaccine there will be no full return to what only a few months ago was normality.
” Mr Swann said any changes to the restrictions would happen “ carefully and incrementally ” .
He added that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community has “ not been as serious as we first feared ” .
“ But that does not mean the warnings were misplaced , it means the warnings were taken seriously and people stayed at home and kept their distance , ” he said .
Mr Swann said the Northern Executive recognised “ that simply maintaining the current lockdown indefinitely could have serious repercussions for many people ’ s mental and physical wellbeing ” .
“ We will all have to weigh up our options very carefully , working closely with colleagues across @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the right decisions at the right time , ” he said .
Northern Ireland ’ s chief scientific officer Prof Ian Young said while Northern Ireland had passed the peak number of cases , hospital admissions and ICU bed occupancy , the fall in the number of cases had been very slow .
He said the North remained on a “ knife edge ” to keep the reproduction number , ie the number of people each infected person gives the virus to , below one .
Currently , the figure is between 0.8 @ @ @

The North’s Minister for Health Robin Swann: ‘We need to make sure that as an Executive that we don’t take decisions that risks lives or undermines public safety.’ Photograph: Kelvin Boyes/Press Eye/PA Wire
Nine more people have died in Northern Ireland with Covid-19, the North's Department of Health said on Thursday afternoon, bringing the total number of deaths to 347.
The department also reported there were 73 new confirmed cases of coronavirus in the North. The total number of confirmed cases is now 3,536.
So far 25,778 have been tested for the virus in Northern Ireland.
The North's Minister of Health Robin Swann said that Northern Ireland was at a "crucial juncture" and there was no possibility that restrictions would be significantly eased "any time soon".
READ MORE
“We need to make sure that as an Executive that we don’t take decisions that risks lives or undermines public safety,” he said.
While the Executive from Monday is to review whether there can be any easing of the restrictions Mr Swann said social distancing measures were still “vitally needed to save lives”.
On Wednesday, the North's Minister for Agriculture Edwin Poots suggested that in a graduated fashion some rules could be relaxed, with the possible initial opening of churches and garden centres.
Mr Swann however said: “There will be no ‘Big Bang’ moment when all these restrictions go away. The consequences of doing that would be catastrophic. Social distancing will be part of our lives in some form for months to come – maybe even years.
“Until we have a widely available vaccine there will be no full return to what only a few months ago was normality.”
Mr Swann said any changes to the restrictions would happen “carefully and incrementally”.
He added that the spread of Covid-19 so far across the community has “not been as serious as we first feared”.
“But that does not mean the warnings were misplaced, it means the warnings were taken seriously and people stayed at home and kept their distance,” he said.
‘Serious repercussions’
Mr Swann said the Northern Executive recognised “that simply maintaining the current lockdown indefinitely could have serious repercussions for many people’s mental and physical wellbeing”.
“We will all have to weigh up our options very carefully, working closely with colleagues across these islands to ensure that we take the right decisions at the right time,” he said.
Northern Ireland's chief scientific officer Prof Ian Young said while Northern Ireland had passed the peak number of cases, hospital admissions and ICU bed occupancy, the fall in the number of cases had been very slow.
He said the North remained on a “knife edge” to keep the reproduction number, ie the number of people each infected person gives the virus to, below one. Currently, the figure is between 0.8 and 0.9.


theirishtimes--2020-04-30--Coronavirus: 43 more people with Covid-19 die while numbers in hospital ‘persistent’

Another 43 people have died with Covid-19 in the State , bringing the total number of deaths here to 1,232 , according to the National Public Health Emergency Team ( NPHET ) .
The Department of Health this evening confirmed another 359 cases , bringing the total diagnosed cases to 20,612.Of the confirmed cases 58 per cent are female and 42 per cent are male with a median age of 49 years , 13 per cent were hospitalised .
Some 13 per cent , of 2,706 have been hospitalised , with 360 admitted to ICU .
Chief Medical Officer Dr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in hospitals and intensive care units is “ persistent… and we ’ d like to see that dropping.
” Senior health officials have said the pressure being exerted on the hospital system by Covid-19 is greater than it was when emergency measures were introduced , meaning the healthcare system would “ find it very difficult to manage ” if a second surge of infection occurred , senior health officials have said .
Prof Philip Nolan , who is chair of the Department of Health ’ s Covid-19 modelling group , on Thursday night @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on hospital wards and in intensive care is “ significantly higher ” than where it was at the end of March .
While these numbers are dropping rather than increasing , senior public health officials remain concerned by the load on the hospital system .
“ We remain optimistic that those numbers will come down further , but it ’ s quite clear that they are very significantly elevated compared to where we started and it is still a huge workload on our healthcare system and a very significant risk at present.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the number of people in hospital grew from 170 to 440 , while those in intensive care jumped from 50 to 80 .
On Wednesday evening , there were 1,065 confirmed or suspected cases in Irish hospitals , and a further 120 confirmed or suspected cases in critical care beds .
Despite the positive trends in recent data , this pressure , combined with persistent infection in the community , contributes to the case against the relaxation of measures , Dr Holohan said .
“ We ’ re seeing around 100-200 cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Those are close to the figures we were seeing back in March when we introduced these measures , ” Dr Holohan said .
“ Notwithstanding the progress we have made , we think the case hasn ’ t arisen yet to give us a reasonable belief that now is the time to lift restrictions , ” he said .
“ On every measure we are sharing with you , we have seen improvement , and that ’ s all giving us encouragement , but we need to get down to a lower @ @ @ @ @ @ @ preparations are being made to further broaden the criteria for testing for Covid-19 , which will lead to more people being referred for testing .
He said that NPHET will today consider whether to remove membership of a priorty group as a grounds for testing eligibility .
If it does so , that will mark the most significant loosening of the criteria since the testing system was overwhelmed in March , leading to long delays in achieving test results .
Since then , the health service has been working to increase capacity , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , meaning this capacity has not been put under pressure .
“ We want to make sure ( loosening restrictions ) is not going to have an effect that ’ s beyond our capacity to test , and we don ’ t think it will , ” he said .
According to a new Department analysis , 34 per cent of cases in healthcare workers relate to nurses , healthcare assistants amount to 24 per cent and cases among doctors account for just seven per cent .
“ Since the pandemic began in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assistants , 22 doctors and 45 other allied healthcare workers have been hospitalised with Covid-19 , ” Dr Holohan said .
Meanwhile Minister for Health Simon Harris told the Dáil the Covid-19 reproduction rate or ‘ R ’ number for coronavirus remains stable at between 0.5 and 0.8 .
This means that a person with coronavirus is now passing it on to less than one person as opposed to 2.4 people when restrictions began on March 27th .
Mr Harris said that if the epidemic continued at that rate 4,800 people would have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would have 2,200 people today seriously ill in critical care ” .
He said that sadly , 1,190 lives have been lost to the virus .
“ But thanks to the incredible efforts of the Irish people , our modelling suggests we have saved over 3,500 lives .
“ That is 3,500 reasons to stay at home , 3,500 reasons to stay the course and 3,500 reasons to keep with us.
” At that time 100 people were being hospitalised every single day and 70 people were in ICU .
Twenty two people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 40 people a day are still being hospitalised with Covid-19 .
Between three to four people are being admitted to ICU every day.
” Mr Harris said that about 33 per cent of private hospital capacity is being used with some hospitals at 50 per cent .
He added that “ this is increasing , and will increase further when we restart elective work ” .
He said that more than 150 consultants have now signed up to the contract offered , “ and I understand more will do so once the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ private rooms if required to provide public services is concluded this week ”

The Chief Medical Officer of the HSE, Tony Holohan has again dampened hopes that the lockdown regulations will come to an end in the short term. Video: RTÉ
Another 43 people have died with Covid-19 in the State, bringing the total number of deaths here to 1,232, according to the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET).
The Department of Health this evening confirmed another 359 cases, bringing the total diagnosed cases to 20,612.Of the confirmed cases 58 per cent are female and 42 per cent are male with a median age of 49 years, 13 per cent were hospitalised. Some 13 per cent, of 2,706 have been hospitalised, with 360 admitted to ICU.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said the number of people in hospitals and intensive care units is “persistent… and we’d like to see that dropping.”
Senior health officials have said the pressure being exerted on the hospital system by Covid-19 is greater than it was when emergency measures were introduced, meaning the healthcare system would “find it very difficult to manage” if a second surge of infection occurred, senior health officials have said.
READ MORE
Prof Philip Nolan, who is chair of the Department of Health’s Covid-19 modelling group, on Thursday night emphasised that the number of Covid-19 patients on hospital wards and in intensive care is “significantly higher” than where it was at the end of March.
While these numbers are dropping rather than increasing, senior public health officials remain concerned by the load on the hospital system. “We remain optimistic that those numbers will come down further, but it’s quite clear that they are very significantly elevated compared to where we started and it is still a huge workload on our healthcare system and a very significant risk at present.”
In the week before measures were introduced, the number of people in hospital grew from 170 to 440, while those in intensive care jumped from 50 to 80. On Wednesday evening, there were 1,065 confirmed or suspected cases in Irish hospitals, and a further 120 confirmed or suspected cases in critical care beds.
Despite the positive trends in recent data, this pressure, combined with persistent infection in the community, contributes to the case against the relaxation of measures, Dr Holohan said.
“We’re seeing around 100-200 cases per day from the population in general. Those are close to the figures we were seeing back in March when we introduced these measures,” Dr Holohan said. “Notwithstanding the progress we have made, we think the case hasn’t arisen yet to give us a reasonable belief that now is the time to lift restrictions,” he said.
“On every measure we are sharing with you, we have seen improvement, and that’s all giving us encouragement, but we need to get down to a lower baseline.”
Dr Holohan also indicated that preparations are being made to further broaden the criteria for testing for Covid-19, which will lead to more people being referred for testing. He said that NPHET will today consider whether to remove membership of a priorty group as a grounds for testing eligibility. If it does so, that will mark the most significant loosening of the criteria since the testing system was overwhelmed in March, leading to long delays in achieving test results. Since then, the health service has been working to increase capacity, but against the backdrop of lower referrals, meaning this capacity has not been put under pressure.
“We want to make sure (loosening restrictions) is not going to have an effect that’s beyond our capacity to test, and we don’t think it will,” he said.
According to a new Department analysis, 34 per cent of cases in healthcare workers relate to nurses, healthcare assistants amount to 24 per cent and cases among doctors account for just seven per cent.
“Since the pandemic began in Ireland, 72 nurses, 40 healthcare assistants, 22 doctors and 45 other allied healthcare workers have been hospitalised with Covid-19,” Dr Holohan said.
Reproductive rate
Meanwhile Minister for Health Simon Harris told the Dáil the Covid-19 reproduction rate or 'R' number for coronavirus remains stable at between 0.5 and 0.8 . This means that a person with coronavirus is now passing it on to less than one person as opposed to 2.4 people when restrictions began on March 27th.
Mr Harris said that if the epidemic continued at that rate 4,800 people would have died and “our modelling suggests we would have 2,200 people today seriously ill in critical care”. He said that sadly, 1,190 lives have been lost to the virus.
“But thanks to the incredible efforts of the Irish people, our modelling suggests we have saved over 3,500 lives.
“That is 3,500 reasons to stay at home, 3,500 reasons to stay the course and 3,500 reasons to keep with us.”
At that time 100 people were being hospitalised every single day and 70 people were in ICU. Twenty two people had lost their lives.
“Up to 40 people a day are still being hospitalised with Covid-19. Between three to four people are being admitted to ICU every day.”
Mr Harris said that about 33 per cent of private hospital capacity is being used with some hospitals at 50 per cent.
He added that “this is increasing, and will increase further when we restart elective work”.
He said that more than 150 consultants have now signed up to the contract offered, “and I understand more will do so once the recent agreement that the HSE can fund private rooms if required to provide public services is concluded this week”


theirishtimes--2020-04-30--Locked down but looking up: What is there to see in the sky this May?

Named for the fleet-footed messenger of the gods , the planet Mercury can be equally tricky to catch during its brief trips out of the sun ’ s glare .
This month though you ’ ve a great chance to spot it .
It can be picked up in the evening twilight from May 15th onwards .
Mercury ’ s low altitude means any local obstructions can hinder your view though .
Given a clear horizon , look for a bright “ star ” just above the west-northwest skyline on that date at 10pm ( summer time ) .
Things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ each passing day to close in on Venus – the gap is narrowest on the 22nd before widening again .
The crescent moon near the pair on the 24th will greatly aid spotting Mercury .
A planetarium app also allows you track the daily aspect .
Mercury is roughly 10 degrees up at the end of civil twilight at the last week of May – about the same angle as a clenched fist held at arm ’ s length .
Civil twilight is that period just after sunset or before sunrise when there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ occupations .
One persistent myth is that the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus never saw Mercury .
Copernicus was the astronomer who discovered that Earth orbits the sun not the other way around .
Nowhere in his notes does he say that .
Copernicus made a number of observations of the planet when checking his calculations of its motion but was unable to make continuous sightings during the times in its orbit when Mercury was either too deep in the sun ’ s glare or unfavourably placed from his location .
Astronomers only finally pinned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crossed , or transited , the sun – and that had to wait until the 17th century and the invention of the telescope .
Our first close-up of Mercury was not until 1973/4 when the Mariner 10 probe made three fly-bys .
Images returned showed a cratered and airless world rather like our moon .
Nasa ’ s Messenger spacecraft orbited between 2011 and 2015 and ongoing is BepiColombo , a joint European and Japanese mission that reaches Mercury in December 2025 following a circuitous route that involves gravity assists from Earth , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down its inbound speed and conserve fuel .
Tiny deviations measured in the planet ’ s predicted position during the 19th century led to one of the more curious episodes in astronomy – the search for an intra-Mercurial planet that scientists even dubbed Vulcan .
Einstein ’ s Theory of General Relativity resolved the issue without the need for a hypothetical world but like that historical wild goose chase , sometimes Mercury itself can be just as elusive .
Venus is a brilliant lamp in the western sky the majority of May but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its angular distance from the sun decreases and our days lengthen .
A small telescope shows the planet ’ s phase becoming more slender during the month in tandem with an increase in its apparent size .
Mercury is also an evening sky object from the second half of May .
Mars , Jupiter , and Saturn are all late-hour objects .
The former rises after 1am at the end of May in Aquarius , with the moon close on the 15th .
Jupiter , in the Sagittarius constellation , and Saturn , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ midnight by the 31st .
Jupiter is the brightest star-like object in this area of the sky and is cream coloured .
Saturn shows a more yellowish tint and lies a short distance to the left of Jupiter .
The gibbous ( more than half-full ) moon is near both planets during the early hours of the 12th and 13th .
The full moon on May 7th is also a “ supermoon ” , the last such one for 2020 .
Last quarter is then on the 14th , new moon on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the 30th .
Our southern sky view in May is into the void .
A little below the handle of the Plough is the constellation Coma Berenices where you might spot a smattering of faint stars seemingly spread out into braids .
This is a true stellar association which is relatively old .
Marked as Melotte 111 on our chart , low power binoculars enhance your view .
The group is close to the Milky Way ’ s north pole so our gaze in this direction is up and out of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Arc downwards from the handle of the Plough and you come to Arcturus , a nearby orange giant star .
Its sloping orbit round the galaxy means Arcturus is just passing through our neighbourhood and will recede from view in a half million years .
Arcturus is about 36.6 light years away but back in 1933 , it was thought to be a round 40 .
As a result , astronomers focused the star ’ s light on a photoelectric cell to turn on the illuminations of that year ’ s Chicago World @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years after the first one in 1893 .
Keep going with that arc from Arcturus and skip on to bluish Spica , the brightest star in Virgo .
Spica is a pair of stars 250 light years away whose mutual tug from circling so close to each other means they are egg-shaped .
Now scan way to the upper right of Spica to find a backward question-mark pattern known as the Sickle of Leo .
It is anchored by the bright star Regulus that lies 79 light years away .
In reality , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the fainter companions visible in amateur telescopes .
Leo is depicted as a resting lion facing west , with the sickle marking his forequarters and head , while the body stretches towards the left of that .
The area of sky to the upper right of Virgo sweeping through Coma Berenices is known as the realm of the galaxies .
Spilling over into Ursa Major and Leo too , this region is sprinkled with a multitude of distant star cities .
A telescope or large binoculars will allow you glimpse the brighter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ All are smudges of light due to their great distance , but seeing a many billion star conurbation – some maybe hosting habitable planets – in the eyepiece is a humbling experience .
Turn Left at Orion , by Br Guy Consolmagno and Dan Davis , is an excellent guide to finding showpiece galaxies , star clusters , and nebulae in a telescope .
The beauty of the book is that it tells you exactly how these objects appear in your instrument rather than in photos .
C/2020 F8 ( SWAN ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visible to the unaided eye from a dark site from mid-month but will be best seen as a stubby glow in binoculars .
It can be found low in the northeast before dawn .
The comet is a Southern Hemisphere object at present and putting on quite a show .
See cometwatch.co.uk .
SpaceX plan their first crewed flight to the International Space Station on May 27th from the Kennedy Space Center , getting closer to Nasa ’ s long-term goal of return to flight from US soil .
Two veteran former Nasa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ due to spend two weeks on the ISS with the current Expedition 63 crew before returning to Earth .
The station itself makes a series of passes in the morning sky at the beginning of May .
The times change daily so that by the second half of the month it starts late-evening flyovers .
A useful site to create predictions and charts for your location is heavens-above.com .
John Flannery ( @ theskybyeye ) is a long-time amateur astronomer with a particular interest in astronomical history and sky phenomena observable with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ annual sky calendar and the thread at http : //bit.ly/2s8OGJI will allow you download the 2020 edition .
Fellow members of the Irish Astronomical Society organise many public outreach events during the year and volunteer during Open Nights at Dunsink Observatory .

Several lesser-spotted stars and planets should be visible in the skies this May. File image: iStock/Getty
Named for the fleet-footed messenger of the gods, the planet Mercury can be equally tricky to catch during its brief trips out of the sun’s glare. This month though you’ve a great chance to spot it.
It can be picked up in the evening twilight from May 15th onwards. Mercury’s low altitude means any local obstructions can hinder your view though. Given a clear horizon, look for a bright “star” just above the west-northwest skyline on that date at 10pm (summer time).
Things then improve as Mercury gains in height each passing day to close in on Venus – the gap is narrowest on the 22nd before widening again. The crescent moon near the pair on the 24th will greatly aid spotting Mercury. A planetarium app also allows you track the daily aspect. Mercury is roughly 10 degrees up at the end of civil twilight at the last week of May – about the same angle as a clenched fist held at arm’s length. Civil twilight is that period just after sunset or before sunrise when there is still light to do some outdoor occupations.
One persistent myth is that the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus never saw Mercury. Copernicus was the astronomer who discovered that Earth orbits the sun not the other way around.
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Nowhere in his notes does he say that. Copernicus made a number of observations of the planet when checking his calculations of its motion but was unable to make continuous sightings during the times in its orbit when Mercury was either too deep in the sun’s glare or unfavourably placed from his location.
Astronomers only finally pinned down Mercury’s orbit when it crossed, or transited, the sun – and that had to wait until the 17th century and the invention of the telescope.
Our first close-up of Mercury was not until 1973/4 when the Mariner 10 probe made three fly-bys. Images returned showed a cratered and airless world rather like our moon. Nasa’s Messenger spacecraft orbited between 2011 and 2015 and ongoing is BepiColombo, a joint European and Japanese mission that reaches Mercury in December 2025 following a circuitous route that involves gravity assists from Earth, Venus, and Mercury itself to slow down its inbound speed and conserve fuel.
Tiny deviations measured in the planet’s predicted position during the 19th century led to one of the more curious episodes in astronomy – the search for an intra-Mercurial planet that scientists even dubbed Vulcan. Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity resolved the issue without the need for a hypothetical world but like that historical wild goose chase, sometimes Mercury itself can be just as elusive.
The planets
Venus is a brilliant lamp in the western sky the majority of May but drops a little lower each evening as its angular distance from the sun decreases and our days lengthen. A small telescope shows the planet’s phase becoming more slender during the month in tandem with an increase in its apparent size. Mercury is also an evening sky object from the second half of May.
Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are all late-hour objects. The former rises after 1am at the end of May in Aquarius, with the moon close on the 15th. Jupiter, in the Sagittarius constellation, and Saturn, in Capricornus, both rise just before midnight by the 31st. Jupiter is the brightest star-like object in this area of the sky and is cream coloured. Saturn shows a more yellowish tint and lies a short distance to the left of Jupiter. The gibbous (more than half-full) moon is near both planets during the early hours of the 12th and 13th.
The moon
The full moon on May 7th is also a “supermoon”, the last such one for 2020. Last quarter is then on the 14th, new moon on the 22nd, and the first quarter is on the 30th.
The starry sky
Our southern sky view in May is into the void. A little below the handle of the Plough is the constellation Coma Berenices where you might spot a smattering of faint stars seemingly spread out into braids.
This is a true stellar association which is relatively old. Marked as Melotte 111 on our chart, low power binoculars enhance your view. The group is close to the Milky Way’s north pole so our gaze in this direction is up and out of the galactic disc into the deeper universe.
Arc downwards from the handle of the Plough and you come to Arcturus, a nearby orange giant star. Its sloping orbit round the galaxy means Arcturus is just passing through our neighbourhood and will recede from view in a half million years.
Arcturus is about 36.6 light years away but back in 1933, it was thought to be a round 40. As a result, astronomers focused the star's light on a photoelectric cell to turn on the illuminations of that year's Chicago World Fair, which was being held 40 years after the first one in 1893.
Keep going with that arc from Arcturus and skip on to bluish Spica, the brightest star in Virgo. Spica is a pair of stars 250 light years away whose mutual tug from circling so close to each other means they are egg-shaped.
Now scan way to the upper right of Spica to find a backward question-mark pattern known as the Sickle of Leo. It is anchored by the bright star Regulus that lies 79 light years away.
In reality, Regulus is a quadruple system with some of the fainter companions visible in amateur telescopes. Leo is depicted as a resting lion facing west, with the sickle marking his forequarters and head, while the body stretches towards the left of that.
The area of sky to the upper right of Virgo sweeping through Coma Berenices is known as the realm of the galaxies. Spilling over into Ursa Major and Leo too, this region is sprinkled with a multitude of distant star cities. A telescope or large binoculars will allow you glimpse the brighter ones from a reasonably dark location.
All are smudges of light due to their great distance, but seeing a many billion star conurbation – some maybe hosting habitable planets – in the eyepiece is a humbling experience.
Turn Left at Orion, by Br Guy Consolmagno and Dan Davis, is an excellent guide to finding showpiece galaxies, star clusters, and nebulae in a telescope. The beauty of the book is that it tells you exactly how these objects appear in your instrument rather than in photos.
Other sights
C/2020 F8 (SWAN), a recent comet discovery, may be visible to the unaided eye from a dark site from mid-month but will be best seen as a stubby glow in binoculars. It can be found low in the northeast before dawn. The comet is a Southern Hemisphere object at present and putting on quite a show. See cometwatch.co.uk.
Spaceflight
SpaceX plan their first crewed flight to the International Space Station on May 27th from the Kennedy Space Center, getting closer to Nasa's long-term goal of return to flight from US soil. Two veteran former Nasa astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken are due to spend two weeks on the ISS with the current Expedition 63 crew before returning to Earth.
The station itself makes a series of passes in the morning sky at the beginning of May. The times change daily so that by the second half of the month it starts late-evening flyovers. A useful site to create predictions and charts for your location is heavens-above.com.
[ @theskybyeye ]


theirishtimes--2020-04-30--Man who used live piglet as bait to train greyhounds loses appeal over exclusion

A man who used a live piglet as bait to train greyhounds has lost an appeal aimed at overturning his exclusion from racetracks or coursing events .
Christopher Connolly , of Farney ’ s Cross , Cappawhite , Co Tipperary , appealed the High Court ’ s refusal in 2019 to quash a decision by Bord na gCon ( Irish Greyhound Board ) , which regulates greyhound racing in Ireland , to exclude him from events .
The Irish Coursing Club ( ICC ) , which regulates coursing , consented to the exclusion order .
In a judgment delivered electronically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , comprising Ms Justice Caroline Costello , Ms Justice Ann Power and Mr Justice Brian Murray , unanimously dismissed the appeal .
Arising out of events which occurred when Mr Connolly was living in Australia in 2014 , he was subject of a ban imposed by regulatory authorities in the State of Victoria after he was found guilty of using a piglet as live bait at Tooradin Trial Track .
The ban followed a probe by the Australian authorities into incidents , which were widely publicised , where piglets and rabbits were used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ten others involved in that activity were also banned .
Mr Connolly received a lifetime ban , reduced on appeal in 2015 to five years with another five suspended on condition he is of good behaviour .
Mr Connolly returned to Ireland in 2015 and in 2016 he applied to Bord na gCon for a “ kennelhand authorisation ” which would allow him to work in the industry in which he has been involved for many years .
He was refused and appealed to a Bord na gCon control committee which found he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person to be certified ” .
The appeal committee said there was uncontroverted evidence he had pleaded guilty to three offences in Australia “ which were barbaric in nature ” and there should be no tolerance of such behaviour .
It accepted Mr Connolly was involved in the Australian incident to a lesser extent than other participants who were treated more severely than him by the Australian regulators .
He brought High Court proceedings against the board and the ICC saying the decision was flawed and should be set aside on grounds including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The High Court rejected his arguments .
In his appeal against that ruling he argued that the investigation conducted by the board was insufficient to allow it make the exclusion order against him .
A further ground of his appeal was that the procedures adopted by the board when hearing his case did not satisfy the requirements of natural and constitutional justice .
Giving the Court of Appeal ’ s decision , Ms Justice Power said she was satisfied Mr Connolly knew the case he had to meet in the context of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had occurred in Australia .
On no occasion throughout the process had he or his lawyers indicated to the board he disputed any of the findings by the Australian authorities , at hearings where he was represented , made submissions , and before which he made a recorded plea of guilty .
The Court of Appeal was also satisfied Mr Connolly had every opportunity to present his case to the board and was not deprived of his constitutionally protected right to fair procedures in the context of the board ’ s investigation .

A man who used a live piglet as bait to train greyhounds has lost an appeal aimed at overturning his exclusion from racetracks or coursing events.
Christopher Connolly, of Farney’s Cross, Cappawhite, Co Tipperary, appealed the High Court’s refusal in 2019 to quash a decision by Bord na gCon (Irish Greyhound Board), which regulates greyhound racing in Ireland, to exclude him from events. The Irish Coursing Club (ICC), which regulates coursing, consented to the exclusion order.
In a judgment delivered electronically on Thursday, the three-judge appeal court, comprising Ms Justice Caroline Costello, Ms Justice Ann Power and Mr Justice Brian Murray, unanimously dismissed the appeal.
Arising out of events which occurred when Mr Connolly was living in Australia in 2014, he was subject of a ban imposed by regulatory authorities in the State of Victoria after he was found guilty of using a piglet as live bait at Tooradin Trial Track. The ban followed a probe by the Australian authorities into incidents, which were widely publicised, where piglets and rabbits were used as live bait at that track. Ten others involved in that activity were also banned. Mr Connolly received a lifetime ban, reduced on appeal in 2015 to five years with another five suspended on condition he is of good behaviour.
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Mr Connolly returned to Ireland in 2015 and in 2016 he applied to Bord na gCon for a “kennelhand authorisation” which would allow him to work in the industry in which he has been involved for many years. He was refused and appealed to a Bord na gCon control committee which found he was “not a fit and proper person to be certified”.
The appeal committee said there was uncontroverted evidence he had pleaded guilty to three offences in Australia “which were barbaric in nature” and there should be no tolerance of such behaviour.
It accepted Mr Connolly was involved in the Australian incident to a lesser extent than other participants who were treated more severely than him by the Australian regulators.
He brought High Court proceedings against the board and the ICC saying the decision was flawed and should be set aside on grounds including that it was unreasonable and irrational. The High Court rejected his arguments.
In his appeal against that ruling he argued that the investigation conducted by the board was insufficient to allow it make the exclusion order against him. A further ground of his appeal was that the procedures adopted by the board when hearing his case did not satisfy the requirements of natural and constitutional justice.
Giving the Court of Appeal’s decision, Ms Justice Power said she was satisfied Mr Connolly knew the case he had to meet in the context of the investigation conducted by the board into what had occurred in Australia.
On no occasion throughout the process had he or his lawyers indicated to the board he disputed any of the findings by the Australian authorities, at hearings where he was represented, made submissions, and before which he made a recorded plea of guilty. The Court of Appeal was also satisfied Mr Connolly had every opportunity to present his case to the board and was not deprived of his constitutionally protected right to fair procedures in the context of the board’s investigation.


theirishtimes--2020-04-30--Fastway Couriers seeks court orders over ‘abusive’ parody Twitter account

Fastway Couriers is seeking court orders over an alleged “ abusive ” parody Twitter account most recently named Fartway Deliveries Ireland .
Some of the tweets posted by the parody account insult various geographical regions of Ireland by referring to them in abusive terms such as “ holes ” to which it is claimed Fastway will not deliver , Donogh Hardiman told Mr Justice Michael Twomey in the High Court on Thursday .
Mr Hardiman , for the company , said the nature of the tweets were “ consistently in the same vein ” , they purported to come from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its service as incompetent , and regularly featured “ foul and abusive ” language .
Some of the tweets had suggested Fastway staff were infected with coronavirus and that they lick customers doors , he said .
He said the parody account appeared just before Christmas last and had used various names , the latest appearing to be Fartway Deliveries Ireland but which “ could be anything now ” .
The account has about 3,000 followers and it seems some Twitter users are under the impression they were interacting with Fastway operators , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Connect Ltd , trading as Fastway Couriers , wanted an early return date for its application for orders against Twitter International Company aimed at having the account taken down , or at the very least its content restricted , and obtaining details as to who was behind it .
Fastway ’ s solicitors Byrne Wallace had , in correspondence with Twitter , alleged the parody account breached Fastway ’ s trademark and logo right and that some of the material posted is defamatory and in breach of Fastway ’ s intellectual property rights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the parody account being suspended between April 4th and April 9th , counsel said .
The suspension was lifted on April 11th without notice to his side after Twitter had said the account was consistent with Twitter ’ s own policies .
Twitter had not acceded to requests to have the account removed or to provide information about those responsible for it and in those circumstances Fastway had initiated the court proceedings this week .
Mr Justice Twomey said he saw the basis for counsel seeking an early return date for its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ matter to next week .

Fastway Couriers is seeking court orders over an alleged "abusive" parody Twitter account most recently named Fartway Deliveries Ireland.
Some of the tweets posted by the parody account insult various geographical regions of Ireland by referring to them in abusive terms such as "holes" to which it is claimed Fastway will not deliver, Donogh Hardiman told Mr Justice Michael Twomey in the High Court on Thursday.
Mr Hardiman, for the company, said the nature of the tweets were “consistently in the same vein”, they purported to come from Fastway operators, depicted Fastway staff and its service as incompetent, and regularly featured “foul and abusive” language. Some of the tweets had suggested Fastway staff were infected with coronavirus and that they lick customers doors, he said.
He said the parody account appeared just before Christmas last and had used various names, the latest appearing to be Fartway Deliveries Ireland but which “could be anything now”. The account has about 3,000 followers and it seems some Twitter users are under the impression they were interacting with Fastway operators, he said.
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His client, Parcel Connect Ltd, trading as Fastway Couriers, wanted an early return date for its application for orders against Twitter International Company aimed at having the account taken down, or at the very least its content restricted, and obtaining details as to who was behind it.
Fastway’s solicitors Byrne Wallace had, in correspondence with Twitter, alleged the parody account breached Fastway’s trademark and logo right and that some of the material posted is defamatory and in breach of Fastway’s intellectual property rights.
The correspondence with Twitter had resulted in the parody account being suspended between April 4th and April 9th, counsel said. The suspension was lifted on April 11th without notice to his side after Twitter had said the account was consistent with Twitter’s own policies.
Twitter had not acceded to requests to have the account removed or to provide information about those responsible for it and in those circumstances Fastway had initiated the court proceedings this week.
Mr Justice Twomey said he saw the basis for counsel seeking an early return date for its application against Twitter and he returned the matter to next week.


theirishtimes--2020-05-01--Gardaí search midland towns for batch of drugs that caused three deaths

Gardaí in the midlands are carrying out searches in two towns in an effort to locate a batch of drugs which is suspected of leading to the deaths of three people .
Angela Kelly ( 44 ) died at Clonamore House Hotel in Tullamore , Co Offaly , last Sunday and Amy Mannix ( 19 ) died there on Monday .
Last night a 23-year-old man who was taken to Midlands Regional Hospital on Monday also died .
He had also been staying at Clonamore House , which is being used as emergency accommodation for homeless people .
It is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mannix .
A fourth man , aged in his early 30s , who was hospitalised at the same time has now been discharged .
Gardaí believe all four had ingested fake Xanax tablets which were purchased online and distributed in the midlands .
On Friday morning gardaí launched search operations in Tullamore and in Portarlington in Co Laois .
Gardaí from the two towns were supported by the Armed Support Unit , the Garda Dog Unit and the Laois/Offaly Divisional Drugs Unit .
The search teams are acting on definitive information on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ online .
Gardaí fear the bulk of the batch is still on the streets and that more deaths may occur .
Meanwhile , the Health Products Regulation Authority ( HPRA ) , which regulates prescription medications , has warned about the dangers of purchasing drugs from the internet .
“ Prescription medicines should only be dispensed from a recognised and trusted source , such as your local pharmacy , ” a spokesman said .
“ Buying such medicines elsewhere , including online , represents a serious risk to your health as this is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or quality of these medicines can not be verified.
” Gardaí in Cork have also issued a warning to the public about the dangers of buying prescription medicines online after seizing about 300 tablets in the county on Thursday morning .
Insp Dave Callaghan of Bandon Garda station said gardaí were concerned from a public health perspective about the risk such online purchases pose as there is no guarantee people are getting what they think when they buy drugs online .
“ Tablets bought through the dark web or other illegal sources pose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ individuals who consume them as the exact makeup and content of the tablet is unknown , ” he said .
“ As we ’ ve seen elsewhere , this has resulted in death or caused severe health risks so we would urge anyone to think again before buying any tablets online because you just don ’ t know what you are buying.
” Gardaí suspect that the seized tablets are Limovan , a sleeping tablet , and Valium , a calming medication , but they are awaiting the results of analysis at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are .
They have urged any person with any information on the illegal importation , sale or supply of prescription drugs to contact their local Garda Station or the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111 .
Meanwhile a report by the Health Research Board , the Ana Liffey Drug Project and University College Cork said increasing numbers of people are buying tablets such as Xanax and Valium online from “ pharmacies ” which do not require prescriptions .
These “ pharmacies ” are not regulated and analysis of the medications bought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too strong or not strong enough compared to the official brands .

Gardaí have urged anyone with any information on the illegal importation, sale or supply of prescription drugs to contact them.
Gardaí in the midlands are carrying out searches in two towns in an effort to locate a batch of drugs which is suspected of leading to the deaths of three people.
Angela Kelly (44) died at Clonamore House Hotel in Tullamore, Co Offaly, last Sunday and Amy Mannix (19) died there on Monday. Last night a 23-year-old man who was taken to Midlands Regional Hospital on Monday also died.
He had also been staying at Clonamore House, which is being used as emergency accommodation for homeless people. It is understood he was the boyfriend of Ms Mannix.
A fourth man, aged in his early 30s, who was hospitalised at the same time has now been discharged.
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Gardaí believe all four had ingested fake Xanax tablets which were purchased online and distributed in the midlands.
On Friday morning gardaí launched search operations in Tullamore and in Portarlington in Co Laois. Gardaí from the two towns were supported by the Armed Support Unit, the Garda Dog Unit and the Laois/Offaly Divisional Drugs Unit.
Definitive information
The search teams are acting on definitive information on the location of other drugs which were purchased online. Gardaí fear the bulk of the batch is still on the streets and that more deaths may occur.
Meanwhile, the Health Products Regulation Authority (HPRA), which regulates prescription medications, has warned about the dangers of purchasing drugs from the internet.
“Prescription medicines should only be dispensed from a recognised and trusted source, such as your local pharmacy,” a spokesman said.
“Buying such medicines elsewhere, including online, represents a serious risk to your health as this is unauthorised and unregulated supply and the source or quality of these medicines cannot be verified.”
Gardaí in Cork have also issued a warning to the public about the dangers of buying prescription medicines online after seizing about 300 tablets in the county on Thursday morning.
Insp Dave Callaghan of Bandon Garda station said gardaí were concerned from a public health perspective about the risk such online purchases pose as there is no guarantee people are getting what they think when they buy drugs online.
“Tablets bought through the dark web or other illegal sources pose a real danger to the health of individuals who consume them as the exact makeup and content of the tablet is unknown,” he said.
“As we’ve seen elsewhere, this has resulted in death or caused severe health risks so we would urge anyone to think again before buying any tablets online because you just don’t know what you are buying.”
Seized tablets
Gardaí suspect that the seized tablets are Limovan, a sleeping tablet, and Valium, a calming medication, but they are awaiting the results of analysis at the Forensic Science Laboratory before confirming what exactly they are.
They have urged any person with any information on the illegal importation, sale or supply of prescription drugs to contact their local Garda Station or the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111.
Meanwhile a report by the Health Research Board, the Ana Liffey Drug Project and University College Cork said increasing numbers of people are buying tablets such as Xanax and Valium online from "pharmacies" which do not require prescriptions.
These “pharmacies”are not regulated and analysis of the medications bought from them shows that many are far too strong or not strong enough compared to the official brands.