theirishtimes--2020-05-23--Man (35) remanded on bail after drugs seizure in Mallow

A 35-year-old man has been charged with possession of cocaine following a search by gardaí at a checkpoint in Mallow , Co Cork earlier this week .
Stephen Murphy was brought before a special sitting of Cork District Court on Saturday after gardaí seized €2,000 worth of cocaine on Thursday .
Mr Murphy was charged with possession of cocaine and possession of cocaine for sale or supply at Mitchelstown Road , Mallow , on May 21st .
Insp Pat Murphy told the court that gardaí had no objection to Mr Murphy , a native of Passage West in Co Cork @ @ @ @ @ @ @ met .
Det Garda Liam Finn outlined the conditions sought by gardaí , including that Mr Murphy resides with his uncle at Ardmore Estate , Passage West .
He said gardaí were asking Mr Murphy to abide by an 11pm to 7am curfew when staying at the address , and that he sign on every Monday , Wednesday and Saturday at Anglesea Street Garda station in Cork city .
They were also asking him to provide a mobile phone number that he could be contacted on at all times .
Judge Colm Roberts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unable to contact him on his mobile he risked losing bail and being taken in custody .
Det Garda Finn said Mr Murphy should have no contact directly or indirectly with Keith O ’ Donovan ( 47 ) of Gurranebraher , Cork city , and he should not leave the jurisdiction or apply for travel documents to do so .
Judge Roberts made it a condition of Mr Murphy ’ s bail that he would not commit any offence while on remand .
Defence solicitor Joe Cuddigan said his client was willing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gardaí , including being contactable at all times .
Insp Murphy said gardaí were seeking a month-long remand and Judge Roberts remanded Mr Murphy on his own bond to appear again on June 17th .
A 47-year-old man detained by gardaí at the same checkpoint in Mallow on May 22nd remains in Garda custody after his arrest for suspected drug trafficking .

A 35-year-old man has been charged with possession of cocaine following a search by gardaí at a checkpoint in Mallow, Co Cork earlier this week.
Stephen Murphy was brought before a special sitting of Cork District Court on Saturday after gardaí seized €2,000 worth of cocaine on Thursday.
Mr Murphy was charged with possession of cocaine and possession of cocaine for sale or supply at Mitchelstown Road, Mallow, on May 21st.
Insp Pat Murphy told the court that gardaí had no objection to Mr Murphy, a native of Passage West in Co Cork, getting bail once certain conditions were met.
READ MORE
Det Garda Liam Finn outlined the conditions sought by gardaí, including that Mr Murphy resides with his uncle at Ardmore Estate, Passage West.
He said gardaí were asking Mr Murphy to abide by an 11pm to 7am curfew when staying at the address, and that he sign on every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at Anglesea Street Garda station in Cork city.
They were also asking him to provide a mobile phone number that he could be contacted on at all times.
Judge Colm Roberts warned Mr Murphy that if gardaí were unable to contact him on his mobile he risked losing bail and being taken in custody.
Det Garda Finn said Mr Murphy should have no contact directly or indirectly with Keith O’Donovan (47) of Gurranebraher, Cork city, and he should not leave the jurisdiction or apply for travel documents to do so.
Judge Roberts made it a condition of Mr Murphy’s bail that he would not commit any offence while on remand.
Defence solicitor Joe Cuddigan said his client was willing to abide by all the conditions sought by gardaí, including being contactable at all times.
Insp Murphy said gardaí were seeking a month-long remand and Judge Roberts remanded Mr Murphy on his own bond to appear again on June 17th.
A 47-year-old man detained by gardaí at the same checkpoint in Mallow on May 22nd remains in Garda custody after his arrest for suspected drug trafficking.


theirishtimes--2020-05-24--HSE reports large fall in number of care homes at highest risk of Covid-19

The number of residential care facilities with Covid-19 outbreaks in the HSE ’ s highest risk category has fallen to seven , down from 75 a month ago .
HSE chief executive Paul Reid said at its weekly briefing that there are 51 people with the coronavirus disease in intensive care unit ( ICU ) beds .
This is down from 76 two weeks ago .
Minister for Health Simon Harris announced on Saturday he had established a Covid-19 nursing home expert panel which will examine how the Government responded to the pandemic as well as assessing best practice for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ widespread concern over the number of deaths associated with residential care facilities , with more than 60 per cent of all Covid-19 deaths in Ireland related to care homes .
The decision comes following a recent National Public Health Emergency Team ( NPHET ) recommendation .
The panel will report to the Minister by the end of June 2020 .
Mr Reid said the HSE had completed a report into why 244 Covid-19 cases at the Mater Hospital in Dublin dating back to March were not reported until mid-May .
He said he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Health ’ s secretary general Jim Breslin on Friday .
He confirmed the report concluded that the Mater did meet its legal obligation on the reporting of the cases and that testing and contact tracing was completed on the cases .
The report recommends changes to validating data between health reporting agencies and other hospitals had provided assurances that they were uploading data correctly , he said .
The late reporting of the 244 historical cases led to the number of new Covid-19 cases being reported by the department to 426 on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ main infectious diseases hospital in the State , had insisted that it reported all cases of positive results to the relevant authorities on a daily basis and that it complied with all its reporting requirements , though said that the data may not have been accurately captured.
” Mr Reid said the HSE planned to carry out two studies in June to test the population to try to measure the scale of infection and immunity amongst the public to Covid-19 .
Similar assessments in Italy and Spain had shown that just 5 per @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Spain had antibodies protecting them from the disease , while it was 1 per cent in Denmark and less than 1 per cent in Norway .
Mr Reid said New York , the worst affected state in the US claims to be at 12.3 per cent .
On Saturday , the Department of Health said 13 more people with Covid-19 had died , bring the State ’ s death toll to 1,604 .
In a statement , it said the Health Protection Surveillance Centre had been notified of 76 confirmed cases of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the Republic .
The statement said that of the confirmed cases , 57 per cent are female and 43 cent are male , nd the median age is 48 .
A total of 3,211 cases ( 13 per cent ) have been hospitalised , of which 393 had been admitted to intensive care .
A total of 7,813 cases are associated with healthcare workers .
Dublin has the highest number of cases at 11,830 ( 48 per cent ) followed by Cork with 1,420 ( 6 per cent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 6 per cent ) .
Of those for whom transmission status is known , community transmission accounts for 60 per cent , close contact accounts for 38 per cent , travel abroad accounts for 2 per cent .

Four more people with Covid-19 have died, according to the Department of Health, bringing the State's death toll from the disease to 1,608.
In a statement on Sunday evening, the department said the Health Protection Surveillance Centre has been notified of 57 new cases of the disease, meaning there are now 24,639 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the Republic.
The statement said that of the confirmed cases, 57 per cent are female and 43 cent are male, and the median age is 48.
Some 3,222 people (13 per cent of cases) have been hospitalised, of whom 394 have been admitted to intensive care. A total of 7,819 cases are associated with healthcare workers.
READ MORE
Dublin has the highest number of cases at 11,873 (48 per cent) followed by Cork with 1,428 (6 per cent) and Kildare with 1,392 cases (6 per cent).
Of those for whom transmission status is known, community transmission accounts for 59 per cent, close contact accounts for 38 per cent, travel abroad accounts for 3 per cent.
Earlier, the chief executive of the HSE said reducing physical distancing to a metre would create “significant extra capacity” to manage patients but this was for the State’s emergency health team to decide.
At a briefing in Dublin, Paul Reid said that the current two metre distancing rule was reducing the volume of patients that could be handled by the State's health service and was having "significant implications" for capacity in emergency departments and outpatients' waiting rooms.
A one-metre limit would improve capacity in managing outpatients and emergency departments, he said, but that the HSE would be guided by the State’s National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) that was managing the response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr Reid was responding to growing political debate about whether the two-metre rules should be relaxed in line with the World Health Organisation rule to keep a distance of one metre.
HSE chief clinical officer Dr Colm Henry said that the health service was following Nphet on the “best international advice” and also on how other countries were emerging from the initial stages of the pandemic and “how they are refining that distance or otherwise.”
“For the moment it is two metres based on the best available evidence that we have,” he said.
On Sunday, Labour Party leader Alan Kelly urged Minister for Health Simon Harris to carry out an audit on the effect of this change on increasing capacity in health services to treat more patients.
This follows a discussion at the Cabinet meeting on Friday evening where several Ministers pushed for the physical distancing rule to be reduced to one metre.
On Saturday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said there had been no change in the advice from Nphet and that the public health advice to maintain the two-metre distance still stands.
Meanwhile, Mr Reid said the number of residential care facilities with Covid-19 outbreaks in the HSE’s highest risk category has fallen to seven, down from 75 a month ago.
He said there are 51 people with the coronavirus disease in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, down from 76 two weeks ago.
Nursing home panel
Mr Harris announced on Saturday he had established a Covid-19 nursing home expert panel which will examine how the Government responded to the pandemic as well as assessing best practice for the months ahead.
There has been widespread concern over the number of deaths associated with residential care facilities, with more than 60 per cent of all Covid-19 deaths in Ireland related to care homes.
The decision comes following a recent National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) recommendation. The panel will report to the Minister by the end of June 2020.
Mr Reid said the HSE had completed a report into why 244 Covid-19 cases at the Mater Hospital in Dublin dating back to March were not reported until mid-May. He said he had submitted the report to the Department of Health’s secretary general Jim Breslin on Friday.
He confirmed the report concluded that the Mater did meet its legal obligation on the reporting of the cases and that testing and contact tracing was completed on the cases.
The report recommends changes to validating data between health reporting agencies and other hospitals had provided assurances that they were uploading data correctly, he said.
The late reporting of the 244 historical cases led to the number of new Covid-19 cases being reported by the department to 426 on May 13th.
The Mater, the main infectious diseases hospital in the State, had insisted that it reported all cases of positive results to the relevant authorities on a daily basis and that it complied with all its reporting requirements, though said that the data may not have been accurately captured.”
Mr Reid said the HSE planned to carry out two studies in June to test the population to try to measure the scale of infection and immunity amongst the public to Covid-19.
Similar assessments in Italy and Spain had shown that just 5 per cent of the populations in Italy and Spain had antibodies protecting them from the disease, while it was 1 per cent in Denmark and less than 1 per cent in Norway. Mr Reid said New York, the worst affected state in the US , “claims to be at 12.3 per cent”.


theirishtimes--2020-05-24--Kennedy Summer School to be postponed until next year

The Covid-19 pandemic continues to impact on Irish tourism with news that two of the country ’ s best-known summer schools have been postponed because of the virus .
The organisers of the Kennedy Summer School in New Ross , Co Wexford , which commemorates the late US President , John F Kennedy , have announced that this year ’ s event scheduled for September will be postponed until 2021 .
And the organisers of the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival in Cork , which commemorates Irish-born US labour leader Mary Harris , have announced that they are deferring this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of July until November .
Kennedy Summer School chairman Willie Keilthy said that after discussions between organisers , Larry Donnelly , Eileen Dunne , Dr Robert Mauro , Sinead McSweeney and Dr Brian Murphy , it was decided to shelve this year ’ s event .
“ The health and safety of the community in New Ross , our speakers , patrons and our organising committee , together with all our partners , are of the utmost importance to us , ” said Mr Keilthy in a statement .
“ After closely monitoring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the past two months , and speaking at length with members of the organising team , the Kennedy Summer School New Ross has been officially postponed.
” Dr Robert Mauro of Boston College , who had been working on organising the US guests for the Summer School , said recent developments regarding Covid-19 made it impossible to effectively and safely run this year ’ s event , “ It has been a difficult decision to postpone the 2020 event in New Ross .
However , it would be unrealistic to expect all of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at this time , ” said Dr Mauro .
“ The future evolution of this pandemic in the US is much unknown at present and aside from the organisational aspects for the Kennedy Summer School 2020 , the health and well-being of our guests and speakers must come first.
” Meanwhile , James Nolan of the Cork Mother Jones Committee said the committee had decided to move this year ’ s festival to the last weekend in November in the interests of the safety of those attending .
“ We feel the November @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also gives us the option of perhaps using online technology to ensure the festival can go ahead.
” Mr Nolan pointed out that Mother Jones , who was born Mary Harris in Cork in 1837 , died on November 30th , 1930 , so holding the festival the end of November will allow them to mark the 90th anniversary of her death .
And he said how gratified it was for the organising committee to hear President Michael D Higgins evoke the spirit of Mother Jones when he recently quoted her when praising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ The fact President Higgins quoted Mother Jones ’ s famous line ‘ Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living ” to honour our front line and emergency workers was an acknowledgement of her role in protecting workers.
” Mr Nolan said that day thousands of people around the world still draw inspiration from the work of Mother Jones , who survived three fever pandemics , as she continued to fight for improved conditions for workers .
“ She survived the Great Famine here in Cork , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , when she continued to practise as a nurse despite losing her family to the fever , and the flu pandemic of 1918/19 , ” he said .
“ Although we are moving this year ’ s festival , we intend to ensure Mother Jones will be celebrated around the time of her birth in July/August and closer to the original dates we will see the most practical way to celebrate her birth in Cork .
”

Kerry Kennedy, daughter of Robert F Kennedy, was inducted into the Irish-America Hall of Fame during the Kennedy Summer School in 2018. Photograph: Mary Browne
The Covid-19 pandemic continues to impact on Irish tourism with news that two of the country’s best-known summer schools have been postponed because of the virus.
The organisers of the Kennedy Summer School in New Ross, Co Wexford, which commemorates the late US President, John F Kennedy, have announced that this year's event scheduled for September will be postponed until 2021.
And the organisers of the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival in Cork, which commemorates Irish-born US labour leader Mary Harris, have announced that they are deferring this year's event from the end of July until November.
Kennedy Summer School chairman Willie Keilthy said that after discussions between organisers, Larry Donnelly, Eileen Dunne, Dr Robert Mauro, Sinead McSweeney and Dr Brian Murphy, it was decided to shelve this year's event.
READ MORE
“The health and safety of the community in New Ross, our speakers, patrons and our organising committee, together with all our partners, are of the utmost importance to us,” said Mr Keilthy in a statement.
“After closely monitoring the risk and impact of Covid-19 over the past two months, and speaking at length with members of the organising team, the Kennedy Summer School New Ross has been officially postponed.”
Dr Robert Mauro of Boston College, who had been working on organising the US guests for the Summer School, said recent developments regarding Covid-19 made it impossible to effectively and safely run this year's event,
“It has been a difficult decision to postpone the 2020 event in New Ross. However, it would be unrealistic to expect all of our US guests and speakers to travel at this time,” said Dr Mauro.
“The future evolution of this pandemic in the US is much unknown at present and aside from the organisational aspects for the Kennedy Summer School 2020, the health and well-being of our guests and speakers must come first.”
Safety
Meanwhile, James Nolan of the Cork Mother Jones Committee said the committee had decided to move this year's festival to the last weekend in November in the interests of the safety of those attending.
“We feel the November date allows for more certainty. It also gives us the option of perhaps using online technology to ensure the festival can go ahead.”
Mr Nolan pointed out that Mother Jones, who was born Mary Harris in Cork in 1837, died on November 30th, 1930, so holding the festival the end of November will allow them to mark the 90th anniversary of her death.
And he said how gratified it was for the organising committee to hear President Michael D Higgins evoke the spirit of Mother Jones when he recently quoted her when praising health workers in the fight against Covid-19.
“The fact President Higgins quoted Mother Jones’s famous line ‘Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living” to honour our front line and emergency workers was an acknowledgement of her role in protecting workers.”
Mr Nolan said that day thousands of people around the world still draw inspiration from the work of Mother Jones, who survived three fever pandemics, as she continued to fight for improved conditions for workers.
"She survived the Great Famine here in Cork, the Yellow Fever outbreak in Memphis in 1867, when she continued to practise as a nurse despite losing her family to the fever, and the flu pandemic of 1918/19," he said.
“Although we are moving this year’s festival, we intend to ensure Mother Jones will be celebrated around the time of her birth in July/August and closer to the original dates we will see the most practical way to celebrate her birth in Cork.”


theirishtimes--2020-05-24--Woman dies in hospital after being hit by car in Kildare

A woman who was hit by a car while out walking in Co Kildare earlier this week has died in @ @ @ @ @ pedestrian , a woman aged in her late 50s , was struck by the car @ @ @ @ @ on the R418 at Nicholastown near Athy .
She sustained serious injuries and was airlifted @ @ @ @ @ Hospital where she was pronounced dead on Saturday .
The driver of the car , @ @ @ @ @ , was also taken for medical treatment .
He was the sole occupant of the @ @ @ @ @ in a statement that the coroner has been notified and a postmortem examination will be @ @ @ @ @ for witnesses or anyone with information to contact Athy station on 059-8634210 or the Garda @ @ @ @ @ .

A woman who was hit by a car while out walking in Co Kildare earlier this week has died in a Dublin hospital.
The pedestrian, a woman aged in her late 50s, was struck by the car at about 4.30pm on Wednesday on the R418 at Nicholastown near Athy.
She sustained serious injuries and was airlifted from the scene to Beaumont Hospital where she was pronounced dead on Saturday.
The driver of the car, a man in his 70s, was also taken for medical treatment. He was the sole occupant of the car.
READ MORE
The Garda said in a statement that the coroner has been notified and a postmortem examination will be arranged.
Gardaí are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to contact Athy station on 059-8634210 or the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111.


theirishtimes--2020-05-23--Highest Covid-19 incidence recorded on north side of Dublin

There are significantly more cases of coronavirus on the north side of Dublin than other parts of the capital , according to new figures from the Health Service Executive ( HSE ) .
Dublin north west has the highest concentration of Covid-19 , with 2,183 cases and 115 deaths .
The area includes Glasnevin , Phibsboro , Cabra , Finglas , and Blanchardstown .
A breakdown of figures reveals the number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the HSE ’ s eight community care areas .
The figures show the Dublin north area , which stretches from Coolock to Howth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has 2,164 coronavirus cases , and 125 deaths to date .
The Dublin north central area has 1,439 confirmed cases and 76 deaths , and covers Drumcondra up to Dublin Airport .
Dublin west has 1,614 cases and 121 coronavirus deaths , and the area covers Inchicore , Lucan , Saggart and Rathcoole .
Dublin accounts for over half of the national total of 24,506 cases .
The figures from the HSE show there have been 680 Covid-19 deaths in Dublin , accounting for 40 per cent of the overall 1,592 deaths from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the least number of confirmed cases at 852 , and the area includes Terenure and Ballyboden .
Dún Laoghaire has had 989 Covid-19 cases and 50 deaths , according to the figures .
The area also includes Blackrock , Stillorgan , Cabinteely , and Shankill .
The Dublin south west area , which includes Drimnagh , Tallaght and Fortunestown , has 1,402 cases and 92 deaths .
In a statement , a HSE spokeswoman said “ for confidentiality reasons we don ’ t provide data for small geographical areas .
”

Henry Street in Dublin on Friday. The capital accounts for over half of the national total of 24,506 cases. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA Wire
There are significantly more cases of coronavirus on the north side of Dublin than other parts of the capital, according to new figures from the Health Service Executive (HSE).
Dublin north west has the highest concentration of Covid-19, with 2,183 cases and 115 deaths. The area includes Glasnevin, Phibsboro, Cabra, Finglas, and Blanchardstown.
A breakdown of figures reveals the number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the HSE’s eight community care areas.
The figures show the Dublin north area, which stretches from Coolock to Howth and then as far as Skerries, has 2,164 coronavirus cases, and 125 deaths to date.
READ MORE
The Dublin north central area has 1,439 confirmed cases and 76 deaths, and covers Drumcondra up to Dublin Airport.
Dublin west has 1,614 cases and 121 coronavirus deaths, and the area covers Inchicore, Lucan, Saggart and Rathcoole.
Dublin accounts for over half of the national total of 24,506 cases. The figures from the HSE show there have been 680 Covid-19 deaths in Dublin, accounting for 40 per cent of the overall 1,592 deaths from the virus.
Dublin south central has the least number of confirmed cases at 852, and the area includes Terenure and Ballyboden.
Dún Laoghaire has had 989 Covid-19 cases and 50 deaths, according to the figures. The area also includes Blackrock, Stillorgan, Cabinteely, and Shankill.
The Dublin south west area, which includes Drimnagh, Tallaght and Fortunestown, has 1,402 cases and 92 deaths.
In a statement, a HSE spokeswoman said “for confidentiality reasons we don’t provide data for small geographical areas.”


theirishtimes--2020-05-25--More than 1,400 nursing home healthcare workers infected in outbreaks – HSE

More than 1,400 nursing home healthcare workers were infected with Covid-19 while working in facilities where clusters of the disease have been identified , new figures show .
This is more than double the number of healtcare workers who fell ill as a result of clusters in the State ’ s hospitals .
Data released by the HSE to The Irish Times show that there were 1,405 confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease among healthcare workers caught up in clusters of infection in nursing homes .
This compares with 613 healthcare workers infected in hospital clusters , 251 in clusters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospital and long-stay units .
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre , which counts official numbers on coronavirus cases , only collects data on the work setting of a healthcare worker in cases linked to outbreaks .
Some 5,055 infected healthcare workers – out of a total of 7,660 Covid-19 healthcare worker cases as of last weekend – were not linked to a cluster of the disease .
The new figures from the HSE show the extent to which nursing homes lost staff to illness .
They do not include healthcare workers and other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and wait long periods for tests in March and early April to confirm whether they had the virus .
About 32 per cent of Ireland ’ s 24,000 known Covid-19 cases relate to healthcare workers .
“ It is a serious statistic , one that causes concern with us , ” Dr Colm Henry , the HSE chief clinical officer , said at a Covid-19 briefing on Sunday .
When asked whether he felt an expert panel on the Covid-19 response in nursing homes should have included a representative of private nursing homes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the make-up of the group , announced on Saturday , was a matter for Minister for Health Simon Harris .
He expected the panel would have “ deep engagement ” with the sector .
The panel will report back to Mr Harris by the end of June on how the Government responded to the pandemic in nursing homes , which account for more than half the deaths from Covid-19 .
Nursing Homes Ireland , which represents private operators – about 75 per cent of the sector – has said it was “ critical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the experiences of the facilities .
The panel will be chaired by UCD professor Cecily Kelleher , who will be joined by retired geriatrician Prof Cillian Twomey , RCSI director of nursing Petrina Donnelly and Bridget Doherty , who will represent the public interest .
Siptu , the State ’ s largest trade union , which represents thousands of staff working in nursing homes , called for healthcare workers to have a voice on the panel and asked Mr Harris to appoint a trade union representative .
“ Many of our members working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ staffing models in many private nursing home facilities exposed workers to long hours and fatigue , ” said Siptu organiser Paul Bell .
“ These are two burning issues in this sector and workers want to see them addressed.
” Anne O ’ Connor , HSE chief operations officer , said the number of residential care facilities deemed at high risk from the disease had fallen to just seven from 75 a month ago .
A further 72 care homes are receiving significant support from the HSE , she said .
There are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 250 nursing homes out of a total of 571 in the State .
The HSE was supporting 804 long-term residential care facilities , but the majority of these , 448 , are “ on our radar for regular , normal PPE delivery , ” she said .
Ms O ’ Connor said a “ key concern ” for the HSE was the delay in elderly patients being discharged back to nursing homes from hospitals because of outbreaks .
There are 409 people in hospitals whose discharge has been delayed , up from 211 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expressed concerns that the National Public Health Emergency Team has not agreed a protocol to test all nursing home residents being discharged from hospitals .
Nursing Homes Ireland has said the discharge of nursing home residents from hospitals contributed to the spread of the virus to care facilities in March .
Dr Henry said there was “ no blanket diktat ” that every nursing home resident should be tested on discharge from hospital but there was a “ very low threshold ” for ordering a test for older people given asymptomatic spread and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have typical symptoms .

Simon Harris: the expert panel will report back to the Minister for Health by the end of June on how the Government responded to the pandemic in nursing homes. Photograph: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin
More than 1,400 nursing home healthcare workers were infected with Covid-19 while working in facilities where clusters of the disease have been identified, new figures show.
This is more than double the number of healtcare workers who fell ill as a result of clusters in the State’s hospitals.
Data released by the HSE to The Irish Times show that there were 1,405 confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease among healthcare workers caught up in clusters of infection in nursing homes. This compares with 613 healthcare workers infected in hospital clusters, 251 in clusters at residential institutions and 182 in community hospital and long-stay units.
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre, which counts official numbers on coronavirus cases, only collects data on the work setting of a healthcare worker in cases linked to outbreaks.
READ MORE
Some 5,055 infected healthcare workers – out of a total of 7,660 Covid-19 healthcare worker cases as of last weekend – were not linked to a cluster of the disease.
The new figures from the HSE show the extent to which nursing homes lost staff to illness. They do not include healthcare workers and other nursing home staff who had to self-isolate and wait long periods for tests in March and early April to confirm whether they had the virus.
About 32 per cent of Ireland’s 24,000 known Covid-19 cases relate to healthcare workers.
"It is a serious statistic, one that causes concern with us," Dr Colm Henry, the HSE chief clinical officer, said at a Covid-19 briefing on Sunday.
When asked whether he felt an expert panel on the Covid-19 response in nursing homes should have included a representative of private nursing homes, HSE chief executive Paul Reid said the make-up of the group, announced on Saturday, was a matter for Minister for Health Simon Harris. He expected the panel would have "deep engagement" with the sector.
Nurses gather for a strike about their lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) outside a hospital in New York. The city is the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak in the US. Photograph: Justin Lane/EPA
The panel will report back to Mr Harris by the end of June on how the Government responded to the pandemic in nursing homes, which account for more than half the deaths from Covid-19.
Nursing Homes Ireland, which represents private operators – about 75 per cent of the sector – has said it was "critical" that the panel takes on board the experiences of the facilities.
The panel will be chaired by UCD professor Cecily Kelleher, who will be joined by retired geriatrician Prof Cillian Twomey, RCSI director of nursing Petrina Donnelly and Bridget Doherty, who will represent the public interest.
Burning issues
Siptu, the State’s largest trade union, which represents thousands of staff working in nursing homes, called for healthcare workers to have a voice on the panel and asked Mr Harris to appoint a trade union representative.
“Many of our members working in these settings contracted Covid-19 and the staffing models in many private nursing home facilities exposed workers to long hours and fatigue,” said Siptu organiser Paul Bell. “These are two burning issues in this sector and workers want to see them addressed.”
Anne O’Connor, HSE chief operations officer, said the number of residential care facilities deemed at high risk from the disease had fallen to just seven from 75 a month ago. A further 72 care homes are receiving significant support from the HSE, she said. There are clusters of the disease in more than 250 nursing homes out of a total of 571 in the State.
The HSE was supporting 804 long-term residential care facilities, but the majority of these, 448, are “on our radar for regular, normal PPE delivery,” she said.
Ms O’Connor said a “key concern” for the HSE was the delay in elderly patients being discharged back to nursing homes from hospitals because of outbreaks. There are 409 people in hospitals whose discharge has been delayed, up from 211 in early April.
Nursing homes have expressed concerns that the National Public Health Emergency Team has not agreed a protocol to test all nursing home residents being discharged from hospitals. Nursing Homes Ireland has said the discharge of nursing home residents from hospitals contributed to the spread of the virus to care facilities in March.
Dr Henry said there was “no blanket diktat” that every nursing home resident should be tested on discharge from hospital but there was a “very low threshold” for ordering a test for older people given asymptomatic spread and how only a third of older people have typical symptoms.


theirishtimes--2020-05-25--Slain Army private’s son calls on SF to acknowledge act of murder

The son of the only Irish Army member to be killed by the IRA during the Troubles has called on the Sinn Féin leader to acknowledge that his father ’ s death was murder and to instruct any party members with information to come forward .
In an interview with the Sunday Independent , Mary Lou McDonald said the IRA ’ s campaign was “ justified ” and , had she been older , there was “ every chance ” she would have joined .
David Kelly said it was “ retraumatising ” to read that a potential taoiseach “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the illegal organisation that murdered my father ” .
Sinn Féin was contacted for comment , but had not responded by the time of going to press .
In the interview , Ms McDonald acknowledged that “ all of the acts of violence were awful .
.
.
I do accept that IRA actions hurt and killed a great many people .
I also know that actions of state forces and actors and loyalist paramilitaries similarly caused grief and loss.
” Mr Kelly was nine when his father , Pte Patrick Kelly ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1983 .
The father-of-four , who was living in Moate , Co Westmeath , was part of a joint Garda-Army operation attempting to rescue supermarket boss Don Tidey , who had been kidnapped by the IRA and was being held in a forest hideout near Ballinamore , Co Leitrim .
Pte Kelly and trainee garda Gary Sheehan died when the gang opened fire without warning .
Mr Kelly said his father ’ s body was “ sprayed with machine-gun fire ” .
Nobody has ever been convicted over either killing .
Mr Kelly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ McDonald ’ s “ analysis that this was a legitimate war ” .
“ My father wasn ’ t in a war , he was doing his duty , and the man who killed my father has never been held accountable for that.
” Families , Mr Kelly said , were “ left with no justice .
My father was just doing his duty as an Irish Army soldier and his life was just taken , and it ruined many lives .
It ’ s no good just bringing up other cases .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , of the victims and survivors group the South East Fermanagh Foundation , said that while Ms McDonald could “ sugar coat it with language such as ‘ all the killings were awful ’ ” , it was not an acknowledgment of the “ illegitimacy of violence ” .
Ms McDonald ’ s comments were also criticised by unionist politicians .
DUP MP for East Derry Gregory Campbell said it was “ like the old proverb , the more things change , the more they stay the same ” .
“ We have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ terror .
And what is almost as bad is somebody who wasn ’ t involved because of her age but who then defends those who were , and justifies those who were , and it ’ s clear from her comments that that ’ s what she ’ s trying to do , ” he said .
Ulster Unionist Party leader Steve Aiken said Ms McDonald ’ s comments were “ an insult to all the many innocent victims of terrorism on all sides of the conflict ” .

In an interview with the Sunday Independent, Mary Lou McDonald has said the IRA’s campaign was “justified” and, had she been older, there was “every chance” she would have joined. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw
The son of the only Irish Army member to be killed by the IRA during the Troubles has called on the Sinn Féin leader to acknowledge that his father’s death was murder and to instruct any party members with information to come forward.
In an interview with the Sunday Independent, Mary Lou McDonald said the IRA’s campaign was “justified” and, had she been older, there was “every chance” she would have joined.
David Kelly said it was "retraumatising" to read that a potential taoiseach "would have felt the urge to join the illegal organisation that murdered my father".
Sinn Féin was contacted for comment, but had not responded by the time of going to press.
READ MORE
Garda-Army operation
In the interview, Ms McDonald acknowledged that “all of the acts of violence were awful . . . I do accept that IRA actions hurt and killed a great many people. I also know that actions of state forces and actors and loyalist paramilitaries similarly caused grief and loss.”
Mr Kelly was nine when his father, Pte Patrick Kelly (36), was killed in December 1983. The father-of-four, who was living in Moate, Co Westmeath, was part of a joint Garda-Army operation attempting to rescue supermarket boss Don Tidey, who had been kidnapped by the IRA and was being held in a forest hideout near Ballinamore, Co Leitrim.
Pte Kelly and trainee garda Gary Sheehan died when the gang opened fire without warning. Mr Kelly said his father's body was "sprayed with machine-gun fire". Nobody has ever been convicted over either killing.
Mr Kelly said he “totally rejects” Ms McDonald’s “analysis that this was a legitimate war”.
“My father wasn’t in a war, he was doing his duty, and the man who killed my father has never been held accountable for that.”
‘No justice’
Families, Mr Kelly said, were “left with no justice. My father was just doing his duty as an Irish Army soldier and his life was just taken, and it ruined many lives. It’s no good just bringing up other cases. Deal with this case.”
Kenny Donaldson, of the victims and survivors group the South East Fermanagh Foundation, said that while Ms McDonald could "sugar coat it with language such as 'all the killings were awful'", it was not an acknowledgment of the "illegitimacy of violence".
Ms McDonald’s comments were also criticised by unionist politicians.
DUP MP for East Derry Gregory Campbell said it was "like the old proverb, the more things change, the more they stay the same".
“We have people denying they were involved in the terror. And what is almost as bad is somebody who wasn’t involved because of her age but who then defends those who were, and justifies those who were, and it’s clear from her comments that that’s what she’s trying to do,” he said.
Ulster Unionist Party leader Steve Aiken said Ms McDonald's comments were "an insult to all the many innocent victims of terrorism on all sides of the conflict".


theirishtimes--2020-05-25--Traveller realities amid the pandemic: ‘I thought I’d never see a sup from a tap again’

Brigid Harty ( 28 ) , her husband , John Reilly , and their nine children – all under 12 – share a caravan on a muddy , rocky site just off the M8 motorway outside Cashel , Co Tipperary .
Also on the site are John ’ s parents , Nellie ( 62 ) and Willy ( 73 ) Reilly , who share a traditional , brightly painted wagon .
Pretty though it is ( tourists stop to take photographs ) , the wood is crumbling , the interior is cramped and dark , and Nellie shows how , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the tarpaulin roof .
“ We got this years back .
In the cold and wet , it ’ s not good for your health , ” she says .
For most of their two years on the site they have had no running water , toilets or secure electricity supply .
They collected water from a service station across the road , filling basins to wash themselves and their clothes .
With the Covid-19 crisis , however , and following direction from the Department of Housing , Tipperary County Council has provided @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A March 18th circular told councils that some members of the Traveller community , especially those on sites with limited facilities , “ may be particularly vulnerable ” to Covid-19 and “ extra measures may need to be put in place ” .
These included toilets , running water , additional accommodation to ease overcrowding , extra refuse collection and additional units ( either mobiles on site or houses elsewhere ) that could be used for self-isolation .
“ It should be noted that every effort should be made to find prompt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
.
The Traveller Accommodation Unit has some funding available for essential mitigation works and any such requests will be prioritised within 24 hours , ” the circular said .
Take-up of this funding has been mixed , with 19 of the State ’ s 31 local authorities – they are not named – drawing down a combined €1.7 million , the department said .
Advocates say it has taken a global pandemic for vulnerable families , including hundreds of children living in poverty , to get basic services , and that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fear is that the facilities will disappear when the pandemic passes .
“ We can not go back after this , ” says Martin Collins of Pavee Point .
“ In this day and age it ’ s not acceptable for people to have to walk for water .
We need to make sure that this crisis is used to bring about positive change.
” The Reillys say the water provided is welcome , but that the tank is filled once a week and runs out after four days .
The portaloos , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for three weeks and one is very dirty , while the second can not be approached without retching due to the smell .
The families still clamber into an adjoining field to go to the toilet as they fear someone could catch an infection from using the portaloos .
Nellie , who has asthma and diabetes , says : “ Ah , ’ tis wrong the way we are living at this time and age.
” The family does not know if they will be permitted to keep the water butt and toilets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tipperary County Council said the portaloo contractor had “ great difficulty ” accessing the “ unauthorised site .
.
.
not helped by the large number of dogs ” .
He said the families had used the portaloos incorrectly .
The families had been offered alternative accommodation but had turned it down , he added .
“ [ The council ] has been working with the Tipperary Rural Traveller Project [ TRTP ] and the occupants .
.
.
to try and address [ housing ] issues , with limited success.
” Jack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TRTP , said the housing offered to the families was “ not acceptable ” to them , due to the location in one case .
The other case involved “ standard social housing which the families do not want ” .
About 130km away , in Edenderry , Co Offaly , Lena ( 46 ) and Danny ( 46 ) O ’ Brien and their three older children ( 15 , 16 and 21 ) share a tiny caravan by the side of the Carrick Road .
Despite the pandemic , they still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They have not seen their younger children ( aged six and 13 ) since the start of the pandemic .
Since last year they have lived with relatives elsewhere , on the advice of Tusla , until the family ’ s housing situation improves .
“ We have been here three years , ” says Lena .
“ We have no toilet , nowhere to shower .
We do go to a field .
We used to go to the swimming pool to shower but that ’ s closed.
” They collect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Danny describes as “ heartbreaking ” that they have not seen two of their children for so long .
“ We would take a house anywhere , to get our children back.
” A spokesman said Offaly County Council could not comment on an individual case but was “ continuing to actively pursue sustainable and appropriate housing solutions for a number of Traveller families ” .
A “ range of services ” had been provided , he added , including “ standard housing and sanitary facilities ” .
In the Carcur area @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 19 , including eight children , have just been provided with a cold-water tap and three portaloos after three years .
These are being cleaned weekly and are spotless .
Mary Berry ( 63 ) says her husband Patrick ( 65 ) “ is after having a quadruple bypass and has had two mini-strokes after ” .
“ He ’ s very depressed .
I myself have high blood pressure , angina .
We have no way of showering ourselves .
We used to go to other people ’ s houses , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t go , ” she says .
“ Five weeks ago we got a tap from the council .
It ’ s very , very good of them because I thought I ’ d never see a sup of water from a tap again .
And the three toilets , and a bin for the rubbish .
Oh I tell you , it was the very same as winning the lotto .
It does make a big difference .
“ We are after putting in two very hard years here with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t know how we are after surviving .
I would hope to almighty God that we don ’ t have to spend another winter here.
” A spokesman for Wexford County Council said alternative accommodation was available to the families “ should they wish ” during the pandemic and they could return to Carcur afterwards , though it was “ not suitable for permanent habitation ” .
“ Standard housing is not the long-term desired housing solution for the families , ” he said , adding that a group housing scheme was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2019-2024 .
On private land off Old Connaught Avenue in Shankill , Co Dublin , the extended Moorehouse family has been provided with two taps and a portaloo by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council , after 10 years .
Five households , including more than 10 children and an adult with profound hearing impairment , are living on the site .
In the Holyhill area of Cork city , The Irish Times met a family of 11 sharing a three-bed caravan , and a young widow ( 29 ) with four young children living @ @ @ @ @ @ @ six weeks .
A spokeswoman said Cork City Council could not comment on individual cases but was “ continuing to work with families across the city to address their concerns and needs due to Covid-19 ” .
The Irish Traveller Movement ( ITM ) has details of numerous cases across the country where Travellers continue to live in dire conditions , despite the March 18th circular .
“ Supports have not been comprehensively applied in the nine weeks since the circular was issued , ” says ITM director Bernard Joyce .
He said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be built on , rather than taken back , after the crisis .
A department spokesman , however , described the services as “ temporary arrangements ” .
“ The department would like to acknowledge local authorities for their swift response in implementing these measures , and the valuable assistance of the national Traveller organisations during this emergency .
”

Bridget Harty and Helen (Nellie) Reilly with five of Bridget’s nine children (Nellie’s grandchildren), Mikey Reilly (18 months), Biddy Reilly (8), Nelly Reilly (6 months), Judy Reilly (3) and Diane Reilly (6) beside one of the wagons on a halting site the family live in just off the M8 at Cashel, Co Tipperary. Photograph: Laura Hutton
Brigid Harty (28), her husband, John Reilly, and their nine children – all under 12 – share a caravan on a muddy, rocky site just off the M8 motorway outside Cashel, Co Tipperary.
Also on the site are John’s parents, Nellie (62) and Willy (73) Reilly, who share a traditional, brightly painted wagon. Pretty though it is (tourists stop to take photographs), the wood is crumbling, the interior is cramped and dark, and Nellie shows how, when it rains, water soaks through the tarpaulin roof.
“We got this years back. In the cold and wet, it’s not good for your health,” she says.
For most of their two years on the site they have had no running water, toilets or secure electricity supply. They collected water from a service station across the road, filling basins to wash themselves and their clothes.
READ MORE
With the Covid-19 crisis, however, and following direction from the Department of Housing, Tipperary County Council has provided a 1,000-litre water butt and two portaloos.
A March 18th circular told councils that some members of the Traveller community, especially those on sites with limited facilities, “may be particularly vulnerable” to Covid-19 and “extra measures may need to be put in place”. These included toilets, running water, additional accommodation to ease overcrowding, extra refuse collection and additional units (either mobiles on site or houses elsewhere) that could be used for self-isolation.
“It should be noted that every effort should be made to find prompt and practical solutions on existing sites . . . The Traveller Accommodation Unit has some funding available for essential mitigation works and any such requests will be prioritised within 24 hours,” the circular said.
Helen (Nellie) and her husband Willie Reilly inside their wagon on a halting site just off the M8 at Cashel, Co Tipperary. Photograph: Laura Hutton
In this day and age it's not acceptable for people to have to walk for water
Take-up of this funding has been mixed, with 19 of the State’s 31 local authorities – they are not named – drawing down a combined €1.7 million, the department said.
Advocates say it has taken a global pandemic for vulnerable families, including hundreds of children living in poverty, to get basic services, and that the progress is welcome. However, the fear is that the facilities will disappear when the pandemic passes.
"We cannot go back after this," says Martin Collins of Pavee Point. "In this day and age it's not acceptable for people to have to walk for water. We need to make sure that this crisis is used to bring about positive change."
The Reillys say the water provided is welcome, but that the tank is filled once a week and runs out after four days. The portaloos, Bridget adds, have not been emptied for three weeks and one is very dirty, while the second cannot be approached without retching due to the smell. The families still clamber into an adjoining field to go to the toilet as they fear someone could catch an infection from using the portaloos.
Nellie, who has asthma and diabetes, says: “Ah, ’tis wrong the way we are living at this time and age.”
Incorrectly
The family does not know if they will be permitted to keep the water butt and toilets after the pandemic. A spokesman for Tipperary County Council said the portaloo contractor had "great difficulty" accessing the "unauthorised site . . . not helped by the large number of dogs". He said the families had used the portaloos incorrectly.
The families had been offered alternative accommodation but had turned it down, he added. “[The council] has been working with the Tipperary Rural Traveller Project [TRTP] and the occupants . . . to try and address [housing] issues, with limited success.”
Jack Griffin, family support worker with the TRTP, said the housing offered to the families was "not acceptable" to them, due to the location in one case. The other case involved "standard social housing which the families do not want".
About 130km away, in Edenderry, Co Offaly, Lena (46) and Danny (46) O'Brien and their three older children (15, 16 and 21) share a tiny caravan by the side of the Carrick Road. Despite the pandemic, they still have neither running water nor a toilet. They have not seen their younger children (aged six and 13) since the start of the pandemic. Since last year they have lived with relatives elsewhere, on the advice of Tusla, until the family's housing situation improves.
“We have been here three years,” says Lena. “We have no toilet, nowhere to shower. We do go to a field. We used to go to the swimming pool to shower but that’s closed.”
They collect water from a tap near the canal.
Danny describes as “heartbreaking” that they have not seen two of their children for so long. “We would take a house anywhere, to get our children back.”
A spokesman said Offaly County Council could not comment on an individual case but was “continuing to actively pursue sustainable and appropriate housing solutions for a number of Traveller families”. A “range of services” had been provided, he added, including “standard housing and sanitary facilities”.
In the Carcur area of Wexford, the extended Berry family of 19, including eight children, have just been provided with a cold-water tap and three portaloos after three years. These are being cleaned weekly and are spotless.
Bridget Harty and Johnny Reilly with seven of their nine children, Mikey (18 months), Judy (3), Nelly (6 months), Danny (7), Joe (4), Diane (6) and Biddy (8) beside one of two trailers the family live in on a halting site just off the M8 at Cashel, Co Tipperary. Photograph: Laura Hutton
We are after putting in two very hard years here with the cold, the muck. I don't know how we are after surviving
Mary Berry (63) says her husband Patrick (65) "is after having a quadruple bypass and has had two mini-strokes after".
“He’s very depressed. I myself have high blood pressure, angina. We have no way of showering ourselves. We used to go to other people’s houses, but with this disease now we can’t go,” she says.
“Five weeks ago we got a tap from the council. It’s very, very good of them because I thought I’d never see a sup of water from a tap again. And the three toilets, and a bin for the rubbish. Oh I tell you, it was the very same as winning the lotto. It does make a big difference.
“We are after putting in two very hard years here with the cold, the muck. I don’t know how we are after surviving. I would hope to almighty God that we don’t have to spend another winter here.”
Alternative accommodation
A spokesman for Wexford County Council said alternative accommodation was available to the families “should they wish” during the pandemic and they could return to Carcur afterwards, though it was “not suitable for permanent habitation”.
“Standard housing is not the long-term desired housing solution for the families,” he said, adding that a group housing scheme was planned under the current Traveller Accommodation Programme 2019-2024.
On private land off Old Connaught Avenue in Shankill, Co Dublin, the extended Moorehouse family has been provided with two taps and a portaloo by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, after 10 years. Five households, including more than 10 children and an adult with profound hearing impairment, are living on the site.
In the Holyhill area of Cork city, The Irish Times met a family of 11 sharing a three-bed caravan, and a young widow (29) with four young children living with no running water for the past six weeks.
A spokeswoman said Cork City Council could not comment on individual cases but was "continuing to work with families across the city to address their concerns and needs due to Covid-19".
The Irish Traveller Movement (ITM) has details of numerous cases across the country where Travellers continue to live in dire conditions, despite the March 18th circular.
"Supports have not been comprehensively applied in the nine weeks since the circular was issued," says ITM director Bernard Joyce. He said the hope remained that the uneven progress would be built on, rather than taken back, after the crisis.
A department spokesman, however, described the services as “temporary arrangements”.
“The department would like to acknowledge local authorities for their swift response in implementing these measures, and the valuable assistance of the national Traveller organisations during this emergency.”


theirishtimes--2020-05-25--HSE wants to retain most private hospital capacity secured

The Health Service Executive wants to retain most of the capacity it currently has in private hospitals under the controversial agreement reached between the Government and the independent sector during the Covid-19 pandemic .
The Government must decide this week whether it wants to extend the initial three-month arrangement until the end of July .
The Irish Times has learned that the State paid out €112.4 million to the private hospitals in advance payments to cover April and the first week of May under the current arrangement based on estimated costs submitted .
The actual costs will be subject to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effectively take control of 2,000 beds in nearly 20 hospitals as well as theatre and diagnostic facilities ahead of a feared surge in demand for care due to Covid-19 .
The deal has been criticised due to the cost and because significant numbers of private hospital beds remained unused .
Private sector consultants have maintained they have been effectively shut out of the hospitals in which they have traditionally practised and that this has affected patient care .
It is understood that the HSE , which has been reviewing the current arrangements , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it would like to retain much of the additional capacity .
HSE chief executive Paul Reid said on Sundaythat any extension of the current agreement would ultimately be a matter for the Government but that from the HSE ’ s perspective , it needed to retain the capacity available .
Minister for Health Simon Harris is to bring a memo to Cabinet on the issue this week .
A confidential Department of Health/HSE submission to the National Public Health Emergency Team earlier this month maintained that the Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the arrangement given the costs involved .
HSE operations director Anne O ’ Connor on Sunday said private hospitals were getting busier .
She said there was about 50 per cent occupancy of in-patient beds and about 80 per cent occupancy for day cases .
Private consultants opposed to the agreement maintained last week that the in-patient occupancy level was about 35 per cent .
In a letter to TDs at the weekend , the consultants argued that the State ’ s takeover of private hospitals would lead to unnecessary deaths and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The letter signed by Stephen Frohlich – the managing partner of Critical Care Partners ( a group of 15 anaesthetists and intensive care consultants in the independent sector ) – forecast that unused capacity in private hospitals would cost the State €300 million by the end of June .
The Department of Health said that , under its agreement , a participating private hospital was due 80 per cent of its estimated monthly costs in advance from the HSE .
“ Actual costs incurred are subject to verification .
.
.
and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ payment or clawback in the subsequent month .
The HSE has made advance payments for April totalling €90.2 million and €22.2 million in the first week in May , ” it said .
The department said this was based on estimates provided by the participating hospitals and that detailed information regarding payments to individual hospitals or hospital groups was “ commercially sensitive ” and therefore would not be published .

HSE operations director Anne O’Connor: says private hospitals are getting busier, with some 50 per cent occupancy of in-patient beds and 80 per cent occupancy for day cases. Photograph: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland/PA
The Health Service Executive wants to retain most of the capacity it currently has in private hospitals under the controversial agreement reached between the Government and the independent sector during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Government must decide this week whether it wants to extend the initial three-month arrangement until the end of July.
The Irish Times has learned that the State paid out €112.4 million to the private hospitals in advance payments to cover April and the first week of May under the current arrangement based on estimated costs submitted. The actual costs will be subject to verification.
The agreement saw the State effectively take control of 2,000 beds in nearly 20 hospitals as well as theatre and diagnostic facilities ahead of a feared surge in demand for care due to Covid-19. The deal has been criticised due to the cost and because significant numbers of private hospital beds remained unused.
READ MORE
Private sector consultants have maintained they have been effectively shut out of the hospitals in which they have traditionally practised and that this has affected patient care.
Extension of agreement
It is understood that the HSE, which has been reviewing the current arrangements, has advised the Department of Health that it would like to retain much of the additional capacity.
HSE chief executive Paul Reid said on Sundaythat any extension of the current agreement would ultimately be a matter for the Government but that from the HSE's perspective, it needed to retain the capacity available. Minister for Health Simon Harris is to bring a memo to Cabinet on the issue this week.
A confidential Department of Health/HSE submission to the National Public Health Emergency Team earlier this month maintained that the Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe would have to agree to any extension of the arrangement given the costs involved.
HSE operations director Anne O’Connor on Sunday said private hospitals were getting busier. She said there was about 50 per cent occupancy of in-patient beds and about 80 per cent occupancy for day cases. Private consultants opposed to the agreement maintained last week that the in-patient occupancy level was about 35 per cent.
Value for money
In a letter to TDs at the weekend, the consultants argued that the State’s takeover of private hospitals would lead to unnecessary deaths and illnesses and provide little value for money.
The letter signed by Stephen Frohlich – the managing partner of Critical Care Partners (a group of 15 anaesthetists and intensive care consultants in the independent sector) – forecast that unused capacity in private hospitals would cost the State €300 million by the end of June.
The Department of Health said that, under its agreement, a participating private hospital was due 80 per cent of its estimated monthly costs in advance from the HSE.
“Actual costs incurred are subject to verification . . . and any difference is subject to a balancing payment or clawback in the subsequent month. The HSE has made advance payments for April totalling €90.2 million and €22.2 million in the first week in May,” it said.
The department said this was based on estimates provided by the participating hospitals and that detailed information regarding payments to individual hospitals or hospital groups was “commercially sensitive” and therefore would not be published.


theirishtimes--2020-05-24--Greater Dublin, provincial cities best equipped to deal post Covid-19 crisis

Greater Dublin will be the region least affected by the economic crisis arising from the Covid-19 pandemic due to better remote working potential for people living there , a study by two University College Cork academics states .
Dr Frank Crowley and Dr Justin Doran found that social distancing and remote working would be less of an issue in and around the capital and in provincial cities due to a higher proportion of people having jobs in sectors where doing so was an option .
The academics said this disparity meant that “ a one size fits all policy ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to resolve the regional inequalities .
“ The Greater Dublin city region will be the least affected by social distancing measures and will likely be better insulated due to greater remote working potential for the population living there , ” they wrote .
The authors , who are attached to the Spatial and Regional Economics Research Centre at the UCC Department of Economics , looked at Irish data in the context of international trends and used two indices to capture the potential impact of Covid-19 in Ireland .
Firstly , they looked at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to engage in social distancing procedures and secondly they looked at the occupations which may have the most scope for remote working .
They used occupational data from US data centre Occupational Information Net and then applied it to the 318 different job categories in Ireland , as defined by the Central Statistics Office .
Dr Crowley and Dr Doran found that if social distancing potential in an occupation , sector or place is high , then it is likely that remote working potential is too .
They found these measures differ hugely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the highest potential for both was among jobs found in the Greater Dublin area and in provincial cities .
“ At a town level , more affluent , more densely and highly populated , better educated and better broadband provisioned towns have more jobs with potential for social distancing and remote working , ” they said .
Prior to Covid-19 , they note that only 14 per cent of the Irish workforce worked remotely with highest proportion of employees doing so the education , ICT and finance sectors .
Sectors such as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , transport and accommodation and food had less than one in 10 employees working from home .
Looking at the Government ’ s Pandemic Unemployment Payment statistics , the academics identified accommodation and food , retail , motor vehicle repair and construction as being among the most affected sectors .
They said this had regional implications as some were more dependent on the sectors with lower potential for social distance and remote working , which would result in regional inequalities .
“ For example , given the dependence of some peripheral areas and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospitality industry , the economic contagion effect at the local level may have devastating consequences for these communities , ” they wrote .
“ The Irish government needs to consider carefully how local and regional policy settings could be redesigned in order to better accommodate the impacts of increased social distancing and remote working on society over the short term and how it could help deeply affected workings and businesses recover in the medium to longer term .
”

Greater Dublin will be the region least affected by the economic crisis arising from the Covid-19 pandemic due to better remote working potential for people living there, a study by two University College Cork academics finds. Image: iStock.
Greater Dublin will be the region least affected by the economic crisis arising from the Covid-19 pandemic due to better remote working potential for people living there, a study by two University College Cork academics states.
Dr Frank Crowley and Dr Justin Doran found that social distancing and remote working would be less of an issue in and around the capital and in provincial cities due to a higher proportion of people having jobs in sectors where doing so was an option.
The academics said this disparity meant that “a one size fits all policy” response to the crisis would be unlikely to resolve the regional inequalities.
“The Greater Dublin city region will be the least affected by social distancing measures and will likely be better insulated due to greater remote working potential for the population living there,” they wrote.
READ MORE
The authors, who are attached to the Spatial and Regional Economics Research Centre at the UCC Department of Economics, looked at Irish data in the context of international trends and used two indices to capture the potential impact of Covid-19 in Ireland.
Firstly, they looked at the occupations which have the most potential to engage in social distancing procedures and secondly they looked at the occupations which may have the most scope for remote working.
They used occupational data from US data centre Occupational Information Net and then applied it to the 318 different job categories in Ireland, as defined by the Central Statistics Office.
Occupations
Dr Crowley and Dr Doran found that if social distancing potential in an occupation, sector or place is high, then it is likely that remote working potential is too.
They found these measures differ hugely across occupations, sectors and places and that the highest potential for both was among jobs found in the Greater Dublin area and in provincial cities.
“At a town level, more affluent, more densely and highly populated, better educated and better broadband provisioned towns have more jobs with potential for social distancing and remote working,” they said.
Prior to Covid-19, they note that only 14 per cent of the Irish workforce worked remotely with highest proportion of employees doing so the education, ICT and finance sectors.
Sectors such as health, administration, construction, retail, transport and accommodation and food had less than one in 10 employees working from home.
Looking at the Government’s Pandemic Unemployment Payment statistics, the academics identified accommodation and food, retail, motor vehicle repair and construction as being among the most affected sectors.
Dependent
They said this had regional implications as some were more dependent on the sectors with lower potential for social distance and remote working, which would result in regional inequalities.
“For example, given the dependence of some peripheral areas and smaller urban areas on the tourism and hospitality industry, the economic contagion effect at the local level may have devastating consequences for these communities,” they wrote.
“The Irish government needs to consider carefully how local and regional policy settings could be redesigned in order to better accommodate the impacts of increased social distancing and remote working on society over the short term and how it could help deeply affected workings and businesses recover in the medium to longer term.”


theirishtimes--2020-05-24--Pricewatch: Left on the shelf - what we are no longer buying

There has been a lot of attention paid to how we shop and what we have been buying since the start of the Covid-19 crisis began but what we are leaving behind has been largely ignored , at least until now .
Even before the virus arrived on these shores , people in Ireland were watching with an unpleasant mixture of amusement and alarm as shoppers as far away as Australia fought over rolls over toilet paper .
Then Covid-19 came to Ireland and it was joined almost immediately by panic buying .
Spending in supermarkets on the day the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closing on March 12th dramatically outstripped even the busiest shopping before last Christmas .
That day saw sales climb 20 per cent higher than the average big Christmas shop with retailers recording a 60 per cent bounce on the same day the previous week .
Toilet paper disappeared from shelves almost immediately .
Shocked and scared shoppers seeking certainty in a desperately uncertain time stacked trolleys and stood in long lines .
While the panic quickly subsided as people realised that supply chains were pretty solid , spending has continued to surge .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ groceries today is up about 30 per cent compared with last year .
It is not just food people are buying .
Manicures and home baking have been the unexpected beneficiaries of the pandemic with sales of nail polish remover , fake nails , hand creams and baking trays soaring as people have done their best to keep themselves busy and distracted from bad news while confined to their homes .
Social media users have appealed for help in finding once niche products like yeast and “ strong ” white flour .
Sales @ @ @ @ @ @ @ climbed as people have got used to life in lockdown .
But what about the Left Behind ?
What have we stopped buying ?
Obviously with the closure of virtually all retail outlets apart from those deemed essential – food shops and pharmacies mainly – people had no choice but to stop buying many things but what about the products that we could still buy that we have chosen not to ?
Pricewatch got in touch with two of the leading retailers in Ireland – Lidl and Tesco – to find out what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they were before the crisis began .
One of the surprising early fallers in the supermarket sweeps was bread , a product which would have been an early favourite to disappear .
It certainly had a great track record .
When the Beast from the East blew into town just over two years ago the first thing that Irish shoppers reached for was the sliced pan .
During and immediately after the snow came , bread could not be found anywhere and thousands of pictures and memes circulated widely on social media showed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reach for comfort food like toast at a time of crisis ” was the line from retail experts post-storm Emma .
Well not during this time of greater crisis .
Supermarket data as well as anecdotal evidence suggest that the professional breadmakers of our world have struggled in the face of unexpected competition from the amateurs .
Another victim has been grooming products – or at least those favoured by one gender in particular .
While many women appear to have been actively seeking out such things , men appear to be to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the lockdown goes on with retailers reporting a significant decline in things which help men make themselves presentable over recent weeks .
“ We have noticed that men are adopting a more relaxed approach to their grooming habits with a 23 per cent decrease in sales across our men ’ s grooming range , ” a Lidl spokeswoman tells Pricewatch .
“ We are predicting plenty of beards and lengthy locks this summer with items such as our hair gel , shaving foam , disposable razors and aftershave moving a little slower @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she says .
By contrast , she notes that there has been “ a significant increase among our women ’ s beauty range ” with nail polish remover , face creams and face masks all proving to be popular during the lockdown .
The spokeswoman for the discounter also points out that a 20 per cent bounce in sales of baking products had led to declining sales of some of its pre-made cake and confectionary lines including its premium cakes , queen cake buns and jelly sweets .
It will be interesting to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be maintained when the world starts to return to normal in the days and weeks ahead .
Tesco shoppers , meanwhile have been buying less school lunch material – for obvious reasons – and less bread .
“ We ’ re seeing some reductions in bakery products , particularly bread as people appear to be making less sandwiches , ” its spokeswoman says .
“ Equally single serve yoghurt pots and drinks and lunchbox snacks have become less frequent purchases , compared with the same period last year.
” Ready-made sandwiches are off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out that with many customers now working from home , “ cosmetic items have become less important from a shopping perspective ” .
She says there had been a decline in demand for make-up , contact lens solution , hairspray and travel size toiletries .
Ah remember when we needed travel size toiletries to get through airport security ?
Good times .
People also seem less concerned about stains on their clothes with stain removers declining since the beginning of April .
Sales of shoe care products have also fallen , no doubt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shoe polish has been significantly less for months now .
What have you stopped buying ?
We recently asked Twitter users what they had stopped buying since the crisis started .
Here are just a selection of the responses .
Hair spray , fake tan , smokes – I quit .
Toilet paper – I stocked up beforehand .
Bread – making my own .
Any baked goods – baking myself .
- Claire Donan Ecological cleaning products .
Now it ’ s like the more bleach to kill germs the better !
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the need for lunch sandwiches has dried up .
Single portion items have been replaced with family or large servings as we are sitting down to all meals together .
- Derek Wynne Razors ( I don ’ t need to explain this one – do I ? )
Cooked meats ( and all things packed lunch related ) .
Prepared meals ( when need feeding within 30 seconds of getting home from office ) .
Cream , wine and anything else related to entertaining guests .
- Jo Fearon Nice yogurts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resist walking by them but I do click and collect now ( live in country not taking spots off people ) so never think to add it to the shop but definitely spending more on food as we are keeping meal / bed time routine with kids and more baking .
- Sandra Hunt McCann Ready made sausage rolls – make my own now .
Also individual yogurts , buying big tubs now , and pour into bowl as needed .
- Sam Walsh Frozen pizza , used to buy an odd one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if stuck .
Would need too many now and no room in freezer .
- Alice Reily Diesel , clothes , ready made meals and cartons of hummus .
I ’ ve time to make my own now .
Hummus that is not the clothes !
- Sonya Murray No school lunches – so less bread and no Frubes , grapes or little bags of digestive biscuits .
Oh and more spuds for all the Mammy dinners .
Also bought roast beef for today for first time in years .
Just to make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Long Soap and deodorant cos not going out .
- Paul Kelly Spring onions , because they don ’ t come in plastic ( which I was delighted over ) but now they ’ re a little too exposed to the elements .
- Niamh Fitzpatrick

There has been a lot of attention paid to how we shop and what we have been buying since the start of the Covid-19 crisis began but what we are leaving behind has been largely ignored, at least until now.
Even before the virus arrived on these shores, people in Ireland were watching with an unpleasant mixture of amusement and alarm as shoppers as far away as Australia fought over rolls over toilet paper. Then Covid-19 came to Ireland and it was joined almost immediately by panic buying.
Spending in supermarkets on the day the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced that schools were closing on March 12th dramatically outstripped even the busiest shopping before last Christmas. That day saw sales climb 20 per cent higher than the average big Christmas shop with retailers recording a 60 per cent bounce on the same day the previous week. Toilet paper disappeared from shelves almost immediately.
Shocked and scared shoppers seeking certainty in a desperately uncertain time stacked trolleys and stood in long lines.
READ MORE
While the panic quickly subsided as people realised that supply chains were pretty solid, spending has continued to surge.
The average amount people are spending on groceries today is up about 30 per cent compared with last year.
It is not just food people are buying. Manicures and home baking have been the unexpected beneficiaries of the pandemic with sales of nail polish remover, fake nails, hand creams and baking trays soaring as people have done their best to keep themselves busy and distracted from bad news while confined to their homes. Social media users have appealed for help in finding once niche products like yeast and “strong” white flour.
Sales of colouring books and jigsaws have also climbed as people have got used to life in lockdown.
But what about the Left Behind? What have we stopped buying? Obviously with the closure of virtually all retail outlets apart from those deemed essential – food shops and pharmacies mainly – people had no choice but to stop buying many things but what about the products that we could still buy that we have chosen not to?
Pricewatch got in touch with two of the leading retailers in Ireland – Lidl and Tesco – to find out what people are less interested in today than they were before the crisis began.
One of the surprising early fallers in the supermarket sweeps was bread, a product which would have been an early favourite to disappear.
It certainly had a great track record. When the Beast from the East blew into town just over two years ago the first thing that Irish shoppers reached for was the sliced pan. During and immediately after the snow came, bread could not be found anywhere and thousands of pictures and memes circulated widely on social media showed empty bread shelves.
We are predicting plenty of beards and lengthy locks this summer with items such as our hair gel, shaving foam, disposable razors moving a little slower from our shelves
“Oh people reach for comfort food like toast at a time of crisis” was the line from retail experts post-storm Emma. Well not during this time of greater crisis. Supermarket data as well as anecdotal evidence suggest that the professional breadmakers of our world have struggled in the face of unexpected competition from the amateurs.
Another victim has been grooming products – or at least those favoured by one gender in particular. While many women appear to have been actively seeking out such things, men appear to be to in grave danger of letting themselves go as the lockdown goes on with retailers reporting a significant decline in things which help men make themselves presentable over recent weeks.
“We have noticed that men are adopting a more relaxed approach to their grooming habits.”
“We have noticed that men are adopting a more relaxed approach to their grooming habits with a 23 per cent decrease in sales across our men’s grooming range,” a Lidl spokeswoman tells Pricewatch.
“We are predicting plenty of beards and lengthy locks this summer with items such as our hair gel, shaving foam, disposable razors and aftershave moving a little slower from our shelves than usual,” she says.
By contrast, she notes that there has been “a significant increase among our women’s beauty range” with nail polish remover, face creams and face masks all proving to be popular during the lockdown.
The spokeswoman for the discounter also points out that a 20 per cent bounce in sales of baking products had led to declining sales of some of its pre-made cake and confectionary lines including its premium cakes, queen cake buns and jelly sweets.
Sales of shoe care products have also fallen, no doubt because the need for shoes never mind shoe polish has been significantly less for months now
It will be interesting to see if our interest in baking can be maintained when the world starts to return to normal in the days and weeks ahead.
Tesco shoppers, meanwhile have been buying less school lunch material – for obvious reasons – and less bread. “We’re seeing some reductions in bakery products, particularly bread as people appear to be making less sandwiches,” its spokeswoman says.
“Equally single serve yoghurt pots and drinks and lunchbox snacks have become less frequent purchases, compared with the same period last year.” Ready-made sandwiches are off the menu too.
The spokeswoman points out that with many customers now working from home, “cosmetic items have become less important from a shopping perspective”.
She says there had been a decline in demand for make-up, contact lens solution, hairspray and travel size toiletries.
Ah remember when we needed travel size toiletries to get through airport security? Good times.
People also seem less concerned about stains on their clothes with stain removers declining since the beginning of April. Sales of shoe care products have also fallen, no doubt because the need for shoes never mind shoe polish has been significantly less for months now.
What have you stopped buying?
We recently asked Twitter users what they had stopped buying since the crisis started. Here are just a selection of the responses.
Hair spray, fake tan, smokes – I quit. Toilet paper – I stocked up beforehand. Bread – making my own. Any baked goods – baking myself. - Claire Donan
Ecological cleaning products. Now it’s like the more bleach to kill germs the better! - Sean Deartha
Sliced Ham has disappeared as the need for lunch sandwiches has dried up. Single portion items have been replaced with family or large servings as we are sitting down to all meals together. - Derek Wynne
Razors (I don’t need to explain this one – do I?) Cooked meats (and all things packed lunch related). Prepared meals (when need feeding within 30 seconds of getting home from office). Cream, wine and anything else related to entertaining guests. - Jo Fearon
Haven’t put diesel in car since 12th March. - Louise Holohan
Nice yogurts like Rolo etc. Couldn't resist walking by them but I do click and collect now (live in country not taking spots off people) so never think to add it to the shop but definitely spending more on food as we are keeping meal / bed time routine with kids and more baking. - Sandra Hunt McCann
Ready made sausage rolls – make my own now. Also individual yogurts, buying big tubs now, and pour into bowl as needed. - Sam Walsh
Frozen pizza, used to buy an odd one or liked to have one in freezer if stuck. Would need too many now and no room in freezer. - Alice Reily
Diesel, clothes, ready made meals and cartons of hummus. I’ve time to make my own now. Hummus that is not the clothes! - Sonya Murray
No school lunches – so less bread and no Frubes, grapes or little bags of digestive biscuits. Oh and more spuds for all the Mammy dinners. Also bought roast beef for today for first time in years. Just to make it feel like Sunday. - Samantha Long
Soap and deodorant cos not going out. - Paul Kelly
Spring onions, because they don’t come in plastic (which I was delighted over) but now they’re a little too exposed to the elements. - Niamh Fitzpatrick


theirishtimes--2020-05-24--Gardaí investigate reports of fight involving up to 60 youths in Cork

Gardaí are investigating reports that dozens of teenagers met for a prearranged fight in Co Cork on Saturday night in breach of the Covid-19 regulations .
Videos posted on social media show up to 60 people – all believed to be minors – fighting in groups in a wooded area near Mount Oval Village in Rochestown .
Gardaí are understood to be investigating if the fight was prearranged between pupils attending a Cork city school and a group from east Cork who travelled for the confrontation .
No injuries were reported but it is understood the event is the latest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behaviour in the Mount Oval area , which have led to serious concerns among local residents .
Cllr Mary Rose Desmond , of Fianna Fáil , urged anyone who witnessed the incident or has any information about it to contact gardaí .
She told Cork ’ s 96FM she did not expect to see “ that level of violence ” and that it was “ very worrying ” to see an “ orchestrated gathering with numerous assaults taking place ” .
The incident is the second such confrontation to take place in Cork @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , also captured on social media , involving up to 14 teenagers in Ballincollig on May 14th .
That incident saw a fight break out between a group of local Ballincollig teenagers and a group of teenagers from Gurranabraher on Cork ’ s northside near East Gate in the centre of Ballincollig on the afternoon of May 14th .
Footage of the Ballincollig fight showed some teenagers hitting others with bars , after which no injuries were reported .
Gardaí began an investigation into the matter and have identified all the parties involved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a teenager faces losing part of his finger after it got caught as he jumped from a railing while fleeing the scene of a drinking party at Ballynoe Hill in Cobh .
The youth was one of about 30 teenagers who were drinking near a wooded area at about 8pm in breach of Covid-19 regulations but who dispersed a number of times when gardaí arrived at the scene .
It is understood that gardaí arrested one of the teenagers involved in the party and seized what they suspect was a quantity of cocaine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ involving the teenager who injured his finger .
Gardaí are understood to have alerted the emergency services and the youth was taken to Cork University Hospital to undergo emergency surgery to try and save his finger .

Gardaí are investigating reports that dozens of teenagers met for a prearranged fight in Co Cork on Saturday night. File photograph: Frank Miller/The Irish Times
Gardaí are investigating reports that dozens of teenagers met for a prearranged fight in Co Cork on Saturday night in breach of the Covid-19 regulations.
Videos posted on social media show up to 60 people – all believed to be minors – fighting in groups in a wooded area near Mount Oval Village in Rochestown.
Gardaí are understood to be investigating if the fight was prearranged between pupils attending a Cork city school and a group from east Cork who travelled for the confrontation.
No injuries were reported but it is understood the event is the latest in a series of incidents of anti-social behaviour in the Mount Oval area, which have led to serious concerns among local residents.
READ MORE
Cllr Mary Rose Desmond, of Fianna Fáil, urged anyone who witnessed the incident or has any information about it to contact gardaí.
She told Cork’s 96FM she did not expect to see “that level of violence” and that it was “very worrying” to see an “orchestrated gathering with numerous assaults taking place”.
The incident is the second such confrontation to take place in Cork in a fortnight, following a fight, also captured on social media, involving up to 14 teenagers in Ballincollig on May 14th.
That incident saw a fight break out between a group of local Ballincollig teenagers and a group of teenagers from Gurranabraher on Cork's northside near East Gate in the centre of Ballincollig on the afternoon of May 14th.
Footage of the Ballincollig fight showed some teenagers hitting others with bars, after which no injuries were reported. Gardaí began an investigation into the matter and have identified all the parties involved from footage posted online.
Drinking party
Meanwhile, a teenager faces losing part of his finger after it got caught as he jumped from a railing while fleeing the scene of a drinking party at Ballynoe Hill in Cobh.
The youth was one of about 30 teenagers who were drinking near a wooded area at about 8pm in breach of Covid-19 regulations but who dispersed a number of times when gardaí arrived at the scene.
It is understood that gardaí arrested one of the teenagers involved in the party and seized what they suspect was a quantity of cocaine from him before learning of the incident involving the teenager who injured his finger.
Gardaí are understood to have alerted the emergency services and the youth was taken to Cork University Hospital to undergo emergency surgery to try and save his finger.


theirishtimes--2020-05-24--Archaeologists are ‘quite sure’ they have found Red Hugh O’Donnell’s burial place

Spanish archaeologists will on Monday begin a dig inside the remains of a chapel where they are “ quite sure ” Red Hugh O ’ Donnell is buried .
A week-long excavation of Constitution Street in Valladolid in northwest Spain has revealed the walls of what is believed to be the Chapel of Marvels where O ’ Donnell was buried in September 1602 .
He died en route to Valladolid , then the capital of Spain , while waiting for a response from Spain ’ s King Philip III to a letter asking him to send another army to Ireland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ Donnell ’ s Irish and Spanish army was defeated at the Battle of Kinsale in early 1602 and he fled to Spain .
Though the king never did provide the help sought , he gave O ’ Donnell ( who died aged 29 ) a royal funeral , as outlined in the Annals of the Four Masters .
“ His body was conveyed to the king ’ s palace at Valladolid in a four-wheeled hearse , surrounded by countless numbers of the king ’ s state officers , council , and guards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of beautiful wax-light burning on each side of him , ” it said .
“ He was afterwards interred in the monastery of St Francis , in the chapter precisely , with veneration and honour , and in the most solemn manner that any of the Gaels had been ever interred in before.
” It is the chapter , the part of the chapel where monks gathered for meetings , that the archaeologists believe they have found during their excavation .
“ We have found a wall of the chapel .
There is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chapel which we are quite sure is the place where Red Hugh was buried , ” said Carlos Burgos , who is acting as a translator for the archaeologists .
“ Where we are going to start on Monday looks exactly like where investigators say was Red Hugh ’ s burial place.
” Mr Burgos , president of the Hispano-Irish Association , said a number of descendents of O ’ Donnell have been lined up for DNA tests if his remains are found .
Among his closest descendents is Hugo O ’ Donnell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have come to Valladolid over the years looking for the remains of Red Hugh O ’ Donnell , but the Franciscan monastery containing the Chapel of Marvels disappeared in the 19th century .
Mr Burgos said the catalyst for the current dig was a visit by Donegal man Brendan Rohan to the city last year .
Mr Rohan persuaded city authorities to conduct the ongoing dig .
Red Hugh is known as one of the heroes of Irish history .
He and his father-in-law , Hugh Mór O ’ Neill , who between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Ireland , started the Nine Years ’ War to drive the English out of Ireland .
It began promisingly and the Irish won a number of significant victories , but it eventually ended in defeat following the Battle of Kinsale , though hostilities continued after that .
Stories circulated that O ’ Donnell had been poisoned by an Irish traitor , James Blake from Galway , but it is more likely he died of an infection caused by a tapeworm .
He was succeeded as ruler of Tyrconnell by his brother Rory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Neill fled Ireland in 1607 in what became known as the Flight of the Earls .
The latter event marked the end of Gaelic Ireland and the beginnings of the plantations of Ulster .
Mr Burgos said Red Hugh and Rory , who is buried in Rome , were laid to rest in the habits of the Franciscan order .
The remains of Red Hugh could also be identified by his missing big toes , which were amputated following his celebrated escape from prison in the winter of 1591 .
“ Everybody is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Burgos said .
“ This is very important for the Irish in Ireland and the Irish in America .
All this is related to Spanish history and the relationship between Ireland and Spain against the same enemy at the time .
”

An image from day five of the dig on Valladolid’s Constitution Street, in Spain on Friday. Photograph: Twitter
Spanish archaeologists will on Monday begin a dig inside the remains of a chapel where they are "quite sure" Red Hugh O'Donnell is buried.
A week-long excavation of Constitution Street in Valladolid in northwest Spain has revealed the walls of what is believed to be the Chapel of Marvels where O'Donnell was buried in September 1602.
He died en route to Valladolid, then the capital of Spain, while waiting for a response from Spain's King Philip III to a letter asking him to send another army to Ireland to fight against the English.
O'Donnell's Irish and Spanish army was defeated at the Battle of Kinsale in early 1602 and he fled to Spain. Though the king never did provide the help sought, he gave O'Donnell (who died aged 29) a royal funeral, as outlined in the Annals of the Four Masters.
READ MORE
“His body was conveyed to the king’s palace at Valladolid in a four-wheeled hearse, surrounded by countless numbers of the king’s state officers, council, and guards, with luminous torches and bright flambeaux of beautiful wax-light burning on each side of him,” it said.
“He was afterwards interred in the monastery of St Francis, in the chapter precisely, with veneration and honour, and in the most solemn manner that any of the Gaels had been ever interred in before.”
Chapel chapter
It is the chapter, the part of the chapel where monks gathered for meetings, that the archaeologists believe they have found during their excavation.
"We have found a wall of the chapel. There is a place like it inside of the chapel which we are quite sure is the place where Red Hugh was buried," said Carlos Burgos, who is acting as a translator for the archaeologists.
“Where we are going to start on Monday looks exactly like where investigators say was Red Hugh’s burial place.”
Mr Burgos, president of the Hispano-Irish Association, said a number of descendents of O’Donnell have been lined up for DNA tests if his remains are found. Among his closest descendents is Hugo O’Donnell, a Spanish-born military historian.
Visitors have come to Valladolid over the years looking for the remains of Red Hugh O’Donnell, but the Franciscan monastery containing the Chapel of Marvels disappeared in the 19th century.
Mr Burgos said the catalyst for the current dig was a visit by Donegal man Brendan Rohan to the city last year. Mr Rohan persuaded city authorities to conduct the ongoing dig.
Irish hero
Red Hugh is known as one of the heroes of Irish history. He and his father-in-law, Hugh Mór O’Neill, who between them controlled large parts of the north of Ireland, started the Nine Years’ War to drive the English out of Ireland.
It began promisingly and the Irish won a number of significant victories, but it eventually ended in defeat following the Battle of Kinsale, though hostilities continued after that.
Stories circulated that O’Donnell had been poisoned by an Irish traitor, James Blake from Galway, but it is more likely he died of an infection caused by a tapeworm. He was succeeded as ruler of Tyrconnell by his brother Rory, who along with Hugh O’Neill fled Ireland in 1607 in what became known as the Flight of the Earls. The latter event marked the end of Gaelic Ireland and the beginnings of the plantations of Ulster.
Mr Burgos said Red Hugh and Rory, who is buried in Rome, were laid to rest in the habits of the Franciscan order. The remains of Red Hugh could also be identified by his missing big toes, which were amputated following his celebrated escape from prison in the winter of 1591.
“Everybody is very excited about this,” Mr Burgos said. “This is very important for the Irish in Ireland and the Irish in America. All this is related to Spanish history and the relationship between Ireland and Spain against the same enemy at the time.”