theirishtimes--2020-07-07--Coronavirus: One more death and 24 new cases reported in the Republic

One more death of a person diagnosed with Covid-19 has been reported by the National Public Health Emergency Team .
This brings to 1,742 the total number of deaths from the disease in the Republic .
Nphet also reported another 24 new confirmed cases of the virus on Tuesday , bringing the total number of cases 25,538 .
Validation of data at the Health Protection Surveillance Centre has resulted in the denotification of 17 confirmed cases .
The figure of 25,538 confirmed cases reflects this .
The HSE is working to identify any contacts the patients may have had to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prevent further spread .
There are currently 19 people with Covid-19 in Irish hospitals , with nine in intensive care units .
However , a breakdown of data provided by the HSE shows there have been no admissions to either in the last 24 hours .
One person has been discharged from ICU in that period .
Ireland is now fast approaching the half million test mark , with 467,852 Covid-19 tests completed .
Of those , 6,529 have been carried out in the last 24 hours and to date there has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The most recent figures available show a total of 3,309 people have been hospitalised with the disease , with 437 , or 13.2 per cent , of those requiring ICU .
A total of 8,234 healthcare workers have tested positive .
The latest data also shows there have been 1,823 clusters of infection , while exactly one third of transmissions have been in the community .
Dr Ronan Glynn , acting chief medical officer at the Department of Health , said that as of 5pm on Tuesday evening the Covid Tracker App @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is one more example of the solidarity and collective spirit that has characterised the Irish public ’ s response to Covid-19 to date .
“ The app is an important tool to support our contact tracing systems .
It has the potential to reduce the time that people are active in the community with infection , which will have a significant impact on the transmission of the disease .
“ The more people who download and use this app , the more effective it will be .
It is a further opportunity for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ response to Covid-19 , ” he said .
Meanwhile no coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the North ’ s Department of Health on Tuesday .
The total number of fatalities remains at 554 .
Five new cases of coronavirus were identified , out of 806 people who were tested .
In total , 5,761 cases of the virus have been confirmed in Northern Ireland since the outbreak began .
In the last seven days , 26 people have tested positive for the virus , according to the Department of Health .

Nphet also reported another 24 new confirmed cases of the Covid-19 on Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases 25,538.
One more death of a person diagnosed with Covid-19 has been reported by the National Public Health Emergency Team.
This brings to 1,742 the total number of deaths from the disease in the Republic.
Nphet also reported another 24 new confirmed cases of the virus on Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases 25,538.
Validation of data at the Health Protection Surveillance Centre has resulted in the denotification of 17 confirmed cases. The figure of 25,538 confirmed cases reflects this.
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The HSE is working to identify any contacts the patients may have had to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread.
There are currently 19 people with Covid-19 in Irish hospitals, with nine in intensive care units. However, a breakdown of data provided by the HSE shows there have been no admissions to either in the last 24 hours. One person has been discharged from ICU in that period.
Ireland is now fast approaching the half million test mark, with 467,852 Covid-19 tests completed. Of those, 6,529 have been carried out in the last 24 hours and to date there has been a 6.1 per cent positive rate overall.
The most recent figures available show a total of 3,309 people have been hospitalised with the disease, with 437, or 13.2 per cent, of those requiring ICU.
A total of 8,234 healthcare workers have tested positive. The latest data also shows there have been 1,823 clusters of infection, while exactly one third of transmissions have been in the community.
Dr Ronan Glynn, acting chief medical officer at the Department of Health, said that as of 5pm on Tuesday evening the Covid Tracker App had approximately 545,000 downloads.
“This is one more example of the solidarity and collective spirit that has characterised the Irish public’s response to Covid-19 to date.
“The app is an important tool to support our contact tracing systems. It has the potential to reduce the time that people are active in the community with infection, which will have a significant impact on the transmission of the disease.
“The more people who download and use this app, the more effective it will be. It is a further opportunity for us to play our part in the response to Covid-19,” he said.
Meanwhile no coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the North’s Department of Health on Tuesday.
The total number of fatalities remains at 554.
Five new cases of coronavirus were identified, out of 806 people who were tested. In total, 5,761 cases of the virus have been confirmed in Northern Ireland since the outbreak began.
In the last seven days, 26 people have tested positive for the virus, according to the Department of Health.


theirishtimes--2020-07-07--Families holidaying abroad may jeopardise reopening of schools

Parents who bring their families on holiday abroad risk jeopardising the safe reopening of schools in September , an Oireachtas committee has heard .
Alan Mongey , president of the National Association of Principals and Deputies and principal of Coláiste Bhaile Chláir , a 1,000-pupil secondary school in Co Galway , warned parents against heading abroad on holidays .
“ If parents want students returning to school in September , well , then going off on foreign holiday to Portugal or Spain is going to place significant challenges on the ability of schools to accept those students in through the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he said .
“ This is all about trying to keep Covid-19 out of schools and trying to maintain safe , healthy practices within schools.
” The Oireachtas Covid-19 committee heard from primary and secondary principals ’ representatives who said they want a full return of all students to school in late August and early September .
However , they warned this will only be possible if schools are properly funded to ensure school reopening can take place in a way that is safe for students and staff .
The Irish Primary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ additional money for cleaning , training , supervision and support is needed in order to fully implement public health guidelines for school reopening .
Substitute cover , in particular , will be crucial and teaching principals will need to be provided with additional leadership and management time .
“ Simply put , they can not be expected to teach as well as lead their schools through the reopening phase , ” said Páiric Clerkin , IPPN chief executive .
“ To enable schools to manage during the reopening phase , substitute cover is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the centralised procurement and distribution to schools of cleaning material and personal protective equipment will ease the burden on schools .
But he said specific training is required for cleaning staff , staff reps , compliance officers and school leaders .
Mr Mongey said secondary school principals also want to see a full return of all students to school in late August-September , provided that schools are funded to do so safely .
The alternative , he said , was a blended learning approach which would have a huge economic and educational @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funded to employ staff to ensure schools are kept clean and that school leaders are supported to develop new and safe routines for students and staff .
However , he said staffing levels were cut during the last recession and have not been fully restored .
“ I have 1,000 pupils in my school and almost 100 members of staff .
At present , I have one cleaner funded through the resources I get , ” he said .
This , he said would be nowhere near enough to comply with safety guidelines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the supervision of school students and ensuring physical distancing is maintained will be a major challenge .
“ On wet , windy , cold days , when you have every student squeezed into classrooms and corridors around the school .
.
.
Yes , the vast majority of students are well behaved and will follow the guidelines , but teenagers are teenagers , and young people are young people , and they continue to push the boundaries not just at home but in school .
.
.
So , a huge amount of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supervision at lunch-times.
” Both principals ’ groups acknowledged that implementing physical distancing in classrooms will be very challenging , but said it was possible if the rights supports are in place .

The National Association of Principals and Deputies has warned parents against heading abroad on holidays. File photograph: Alan Betson / The Irish Times
Parents who bring their families on holiday abroad risk jeopardising the safe reopening of schools in September, an Oireachtas committee has heard.
Alan Mongey, president of the National Association of Principals and Deputies and principal of Coláiste Bhaile Chláir, a 1,000-pupil secondary school in Co Galway, warned parents against heading abroad on holidays.
"If parents want students returning to school in September, well, then going off on foreign holiday to Portugal or Spain is going to place significant challenges on the ability of schools to accept those students in through the doors at the beginning of September," he said.
“This is all about trying to keep Covid-19 out of schools and trying to maintain safe, healthy practices within schools.”
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The Oireachtas Covid-19 committee heard from primary and secondary principals’ representatives who said they want a full return of all students to school in late August and early September.
However, they warned this will only be possible if schools are properly funded to ensure school reopening can take place in a way that is safe for students and staff.
The Irish Primary Principals’ Network (IPPN) said additional money for cleaning, training, supervision and support is needed in order to fully implement public health guidelines for school reopening.
Substitute cover, in particular, will be crucial and teaching principals will need to be provided with additional leadership and management time.
“Simply put, they cannot be expected to teach as well as lead their schools through the reopening phase,” said Páiric Clerkin, IPPN chief executive.
“ To enable schools to manage during the reopening phase, substitute cover is needed for every absence.”
Mr Clerkin said the centralised procurement and distribution to schools of cleaning material and personal protective equipment will ease the burden on schools.
Training
But he said specific training is required for cleaning staff, staff reps, compliance officers and school leaders.
Mr Mongey said secondary school principals also want to see a full return of all students to school in late August-September, provided that schools are funded to do so safely.
The alternative, he said, was a blended learning approach which would have a huge economic and educational cost.
Schools will need to be funded to employ staff to ensure schools are kept clean and that school leaders are supported to develop new and safe routines for students and staff.
However, he said staffing levels were cut during the last recession and have not been fully restored.
“I have 1,000 pupils in my school and almost 100 members of staff. At present, I have one cleaner funded through the resources I get,” he said.
This, he said would be nowhere near enough to comply with safety guidelines for reopening schools.
He also said the supervision of school students and ensuring physical distancing is maintained will be a major challenge.
“On wet, windy, cold days, when you have every student squeezed into classrooms and corridors around the school . . . Yes, the vast majority of students are well behaved and will follow the guidelines, but teenagers are teenagers, and young people are young people, and they continue to push the boundaries not just at home but in school . . . So, a huge amount of support is going to be required for supervision at lunch-times.”
Both principals’ groups acknowledged that implementing physical distancing in classrooms will be very challenging, but said it was possible if the rights supports are in place.


theirishtimes--2020-07-07--Coronavirus has caused decline in people with dementia, carers say

More than 85 per cent of family carers for people with dementia are concerned about a decline in their loved one ’ s condition as a result of the coronavirus pandemic , a new survey has found .
The research , conducted by the Alzheimer ’ s Society of Ireland ( ASI ) , asked 126 carers and 15 individuals with dementia a series of questions about how the coronavirus restrictions have affected their lives .
Family carers reported witnessing an “ alarming deterioration ” in the health and wellbeing of people with dementia , due to the withdrawal of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to the report .
Some 77 per cent of carers said their caring workload has increased since the virus , while almost 60 per cent of respondents reported that medical appointments for the person with dementia were either cancelled or postponed during the pandemic .
About 47 per cent of respondents experienced cessation of day care services , 42 per cent experienced the cancellation of support groups and activities for both the carer and person with dementia and 26 per cent experienced closure of respite services .
The report also examined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with 75 per cent of respondents with dementia concerned about a decline in their mental health and 61 per cent of family carers being concerned for their own mental health .
Pat McLoughlin , chief executive of ASI , said the research paints a “ very dark and disturbing picture of the plight ” family carers and people with dementia face in life after lockdown .
“ While many family carers were struggling to cope prior to Covid-19 , this crisis has amplified their difficulties and turned everyday caring into a daily struggle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health of people with dementia has deteriorated during lockdown , ” Mr McLoughlin said .
“ Our research findings show that living in lockdown has taken an enormous toll on the wellbeing and mental health of family carers , a toll that has intensified as Covid-19 restrictions on dementia-specific services have continued despite other lockdown restrictions lifting.
” Mr McLoughlin said “ it is clear ” that face-to-face services for people with dementia , such as day care , must reopen “ as soon as possible ” .
Denise Monahan , who is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cunningham ( 82 ) , believes it is crucial that the Government now issues a roadmap for the reopening of dementia-specific services such as day care .
“ The lockdown has proved very challenging for my dad and for us as a family .
Perhaps the most heartbreaking aspect of the lockdown is that my brothers could not visit and now Dad struggles to identify them , ” Ms Monahan said .
“ The closure of the day centre was a huge loss and now he does not really remember Rose Cottage [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that I can get my hair , nails and eyes done and yet this vital service is not available for Dad ’ s social and emotional wellbeing .
We need the day care centre open as soon as possible – the sooner , the better .
”

Seamus Cunningham (82) who has dementia, is cared for by his daughter Denise Monahan. Photograph: Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland.
More than 85 per cent of family carers for people with dementia are concerned about a decline in their loved one’s condition as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, a new survey has found.
The research, conducted by the Alzheimer's Society of Ireland (ASI), asked 126 carers and 15 individuals with dementia a series of questions about how the coronavirus restrictions have affected their lives.
Family carers reported witnessing an “alarming deterioration” in the health and wellbeing of people with dementia, due to the withdrawal of “vital” dementia-specific supports and services, according to the report.
Some 77 per cent of carers said their caring workload has increased since the virus, while almost 60 per cent of respondents reported that medical appointments for the person with dementia were either cancelled or postponed during the pandemic.
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About 47 per cent of respondents experienced cessation of day care services, 42 per cent experienced the cancellation of support groups and activities for both the carer and person with dementia and 26 per cent experienced closure of respite services.
The report also examined possible long-term implications of the lockdown, with 75 per cent of respondents with dementia concerned about a decline in their mental health and 61 per cent of family carers being concerned for their own mental health.
‘Disturbing picture’
Pat McLoughlin, chief executive of ASI, said the research paints a “very dark and disturbing picture of the plight” family carers and people with dementia face in life after lockdown.
“While many family carers were struggling to cope prior to Covid-19, this crisis has amplified their difficulties and turned everyday caring into a daily struggle. It is also clear that the health of people with dementia has deteriorated during lockdown,” Mr McLoughlin said.
“Our research findings show that living in lockdown has taken an enormous toll on the wellbeing and mental health of family carers, a toll that has intensified as Covid-19 restrictions on dementia-specific services have continued despite other lockdown restrictions lifting.”
Mr McLoughlin said “it is clear” that face-to-face services for people with dementia, such as day care, must reopen “as soon as possible”.
Denise Monahan, who is a full-time carer for her father Seamus Cunningham (82), believes it is crucial that the Government now issues a roadmap for the reopening of dementia-specific services such as day care.
“The lockdown has proved very challenging for my dad and for us as a family. Perhaps the most heartbreaking aspect of the lockdown is that my brothers could not visit and now Dad struggles to identify them,” Ms Monahan said.
"The closure of the day centre was a huge loss and now he does not really remember Rose Cottage [day centre]. It is frustrating that I can get my hair, nails and eyes done and yet this vital service is not available for Dad's social and emotional wellbeing. We need the day care centre open as soon as possible – the sooner, the better."


theirishtimes--2020-07-08--Number targeted by violent theft has trebled in past four years

The number of people targeted in personal crimes almost doubled in the last four years , with violent thefts and physical assaults trebling .
However , household crimes like burglary have dropped significantly .
There was also clear evidence that most crimes were not being reported to the Garda , with 39 per cent of people victimised in personal crime reporting some or all of it to the Garda and 61 per cent not making any report .
A new Crime and Victimisation report by the Central Statistics Office ( CSO ) also debunks the view that rural areas are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , three quarters of adults felt “ very safe ” or “ fairly safe ” walking in their local area at night .
However , 36 per cent of women felt “ a little unsafe ” or “ very unsafe ” compared to 13 per cent of men .
More than two thirds of people , 68 per cent , said the Garda was “ very effective ” or “ quite effective ” while 10 per cent believed they were “ not effective at all ” .
Most concerning for the Garda was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person have increased so significantly since the survey was last conducted in 2015 .
Last year , for example , 1.7 per cent of people nationally reported they had fallen victim to a violent theft in the previous 12 months , more than three times the level reported in 2015 .
Some 1.7 per cent of people also said they had been physically assaulted at some point in the past year , three times the number recorded in the 2015 survey .
The most common crimes people fell victim to were non-violent thefts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of people over the age of 18 years said they had fallen victim to a non-violent theft , up from 2.4 per cent in 2014 .
Furthermore , in 2019 3.9 per cent of people had been victimised in a fraud , also up from 2.4 per cent four years earlier .
Overall , almost one in 10 people – 9.7 per cent – last year reported falling victim to a violent or non-violent theft , an assault or a fraud at some time in the previous 12 months , compared to 5.3 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2015 .
Men were slightly more likely to fall victim to personal crime than women ; 10 per cent of men compared with nine per cent of women .
Sexual offending was not dealt with in the survey as it is reviewed in other research .
Some 2.7 per cent of households in 2019 reported being burgled at some point in the previous 12 months , down from 3.2 per cent in 2014 .
And 1.7 per cent of households reported falling victim to vandalism , down from 2.2 per cent four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ burglary rate in Dublin was very significantly higher than anywhere else in the country , despite the often-repeated claim rural Ireland suffered from a serious burglary problem .
In Dublin , 6.1 per cent of households last year reported being burgled .
This was far higher than the next worst hit area , the South-East , where 3.6 per cent of households reported a burglary .
In the west of Ireland just 1.8 per cent of households reported being burgled .
While 21 per cent of farm households reported falling victim to crime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 18 per cent , related to trespassing on lands .
Less than one half of one per cent – meaning fewer than one in 200 farms – report the theft of a vehicle .
And two per cent of farms reported theft of farm machinery .
Just one per cent of farms reported theft of livestock .
Younger people were also much more likely to be targeted in “ personal crimes ” with 14 per cent of people in the 18-29 year category being victimised compared to five per cent of people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group Of those people who did not report the personal crimes they had been subjected to to the Garda , 35 per cent said they did not believe the crime was serious enough or they had suffered no loss .
A further 24 per cent of people who did not report crimes to the Garda said they had reported it themselves .
Some 38 per cent believed the Garda would not or could not do anything about the crimes and so they did not report the offences .
A further two per cent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Garda because they feared reprisal .

Younger people were also much more likely to be targeted in ‘personal crimes’. Photograph: iStock
The number of people targeted in personal crimes almost doubled in the last four years, with violent thefts and physical assaults trebling. However, household crimes like burglary have dropped significantly.
There was also clear evidence that most crimes were not being reported to the Garda, with 39 per cent of people victimised in personal crime reporting some or all of it to the Garda and 61 per cent not making any report.
A new Crime and Victimisation report by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) also debunks the view that rural areas are impacted more significantly by crime.
Overall, three quarters of adults felt “very safe” or “fairly safe” walking in their local area at night. However, 36 per cent of women felt “a little unsafe” or “very unsafe” compared to 13 per cent of men. More than two thirds of people, 68 per cent, said the Garda was “very effective” or “quite effective” while 10 per cent believed they were “not effective at all”.
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Most concerning for the Garda was the extent to which crimes against the person have increased so significantly since the survey was last conducted in 2015.
Last year, for example, 1.7 per cent of people nationally reported they had fallen victim to a violent theft in the previous 12 months, more than three times the level reported in 2015.
Some 1.7 per cent of people also said they had been physically assaulted at some point in the past year, three times the number recorded in the 2015 survey.
The most common crimes people fell victim to were non-violent thefts and frauds. Some 3.9 per cent of people over the age of 18 years said they had fallen victim to a non-violent theft, up from 2.4 per cent in 2014. Furthermore, in 2019 3.9 per cent of people had been victimised in a fraud, also up from 2.4 per cent four years earlier.
Overall, almost one in 10 people – 9.7 per cent – last year reported falling victim to a violent or non-violent theft, an assault or a fraud at some time in the previous 12 months, compared to 5.3 per cent when the survey was conducted in 2015.
Burglaries
Men were slightly more likely to fall victim to personal crime than women; 10 per cent of men compared with nine per cent of women. Sexual offending was not dealt with in the survey as it is reviewed in other research.
Some 2.7 per cent of households in 2019 reported being burgled at some point in the previous 12 months, down from 3.2 per cent in 2014. And 1.7 per cent of households reported falling victim to vandalism, down from 2.2 per cent four years earlier.
The data shows the burglary rate in Dublin was very significantly higher than anywhere else in the country, despite the often-repeated claim rural Ireland suffered from a serious burglary problem. In Dublin, 6.1 per cent of households last year reported being burgled. This was far higher than the next worst hit area, the South-East, where 3.6 per cent of households reported a burglary. In the west of Ireland just 1.8 per cent of households reported being burgled.
While 21 per cent of farm households reported falling victim to crime, the vast majority of that offending, 18 per cent, related to trespassing on lands. Less than one half of one per cent – meaning fewer than one in 200 farms – report the theft of a vehicle. And two per cent of farms reported theft of farm machinery. Just one per cent of farms reported theft of livestock.
Younger people were also much more likely to be targeted in “personal crimes” with 14 per cent of people in the 18-29 year category being victimised compared to five per cent of people in the 60 years and older age group
Of those people who did not report the personal crimes they had been subjected to to the Garda, 35 per cent said they did not believe the crime was serious enough or they had suffered no loss. A further 24 per cent of people who did not report crimes to the Garda said they had reported it themselves.
Some 38 per cent believed the Garda would not or could not do anything about the crimes and so they did not report the offences. A further two per cent of people said they did not go to the Garda because they feared reprisal.


theirishtimes--2020-07-08--NI pair will not face prosecution for German backpacker’s murder

Two people investigated in connection with the murder of German backpacker Inga Maria Hauser in Northern Ireland in April 1988 will not face prosecution .
The North ’ s Public Prosecution Service ( PPS ) announced on Wednesday that the evidence against the two suspects “ did not provide a reasonable prospect of conviction for any offence.
” The teenager ’ s body was found dumped in a remote part of Ballypatrick Forest outside Ballycastle in Co Antrim 14 days after she was last seen alive on a ferry from Scotland to Larne .
The 18-year-old , from Munich , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and had travelled through England and Scotland before her death .
According to her diaries she intended to head south towards Dublin once she docked in Co Antrim .
In a statement , the PPS said two people - a 60-year-old man and a 57-year-old woman - had been reported to them by the Police Service of Northern Ireland ( PSNI ) regarding the circumstances of Ms Hauser ’ s disappearance and death .
The male suspect was reported in connection with her murder , and the female for withholding information from police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and detailed investigation which resulted in the submission of a file to the PPS in June 2019 , ” the PPS said .
“ All the evidence and information on this file was carefully considered by a team of senior prosecutors with the assistance of advice from independent senior counsel .
“ It was concluded that the evidence in respect of both suspects did not provide a reasonable prospect of conviction for any offence.
” The PPS listed a number of “ evidential difficulties ” which had contributed to their decision that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
These included the absence of evidence to link the suspect to the victim after she disembarked the ferry at Larne Port on 6th April 1988 , or linking the suspect to the location where her body was found .
DNA evidence recovered from the crime scene , which the PPS said was “ to be closely connected to the commission of the offence ” , did not match the suspect .
There was also a “ lack of clarity , arising from conflicting expert evidence , in relation to the approximate date @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the suspect.
” In regard to the second suspect , the PPS said the “ evidence was insufficient to establish that she possessed and withheld information that would have been of material assistance to the police investigation.
” The Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions , Michael Agnew , said Ms Hauser ’ s murder “ causes enduring distress and pain over 32 years later , ” and the PPS “ acknowledge the deep disappointment felt today by the family and friends who loved Inga Maria and still miss her .
“ The file @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of extensive PSNI investigations and was given the most careful consideration by a team of highly experienced prosecutors.
” He said the PPS had “ offered reassurance to the family of Inga Maria that this decision was taken only after a most careful and thorough consideration of all available evidence ” and they had outlined the reasons for their decision to Ms Hauser ’ s sister Friederike .
“ Should Inga Maria ’ s family wish to meet with us again in future , we are fully committed to doing so and will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they may have , ” Mr Agnew said .
In an appeal on the 30th anniversary of Ms Hauser ’ s murder , detectives said they believed a number of people may have been involved either directly in her murder or in the subsequent cover-up .
One of the largest DNA screenings ever undertaken in the UK was carried out to try and find a match to a male genetic profile at the murder scene .
Two thousand samples were tested but failed to provide a definitive match .
It is understood the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the killing 30 years ago .
It is believed republican paramilitaries had considered passing information about the alleged murderer to the Royal Ulster Constabulary ( RUC ) at the height of the Troubles , but did not follow through .
A solicitor for the Hauser family said they were “ distraught ” and would ask the North ’ s Department of Justice to set up an independent panel to investigate her murder .
The detective in charge of the investigation into Ms Hauser ’ s murder said police “ remain as committed as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ murderers to justice ” and made a direct appeal to the family and friends of her killer or killers to come forward .
“ If you are a family member who has information , or who even assisted the killer or killers in the aftermath of the incident , think hard about the impact of all this on Inga ’ s family and step up and help bring an end to their plight , ” said Detective Chief Superintendent Raymond Murray .
“ Give us the information we need to take this investigation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want people to do if this was your daughter or granddaughter - subjected to a brutal and ruthless assault after arriving in a new country before being killed and left in a forest .
“ Think of the fear and pain she felt , think of her family not having justice .
Do the decent thing , ” he said .
Detective Chief Superintendent Murray also made a renewed appeal to the public and in particular to people in North Antrim , as well as anyone who may have seen her travelling in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Scotland , before she embarked on the Stranraer to Larne ferry on April 6th , 1988 .
Her body was found 14 days later , on April 20th .
The PSNI believe she died shortly after she arrived in Northern Ireland .
He said the police ’ s thoughts were with Ms Hauser ’ s family , and they would now assess the best way to proceed with the investigation .
“ This has been a huge and complex investigation and has included a long term forensic effort to identify the man whose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and understand how it fits into the case , ” he said .
“ This has included a mass screening exercise of around 1800 samples taken face to face , extensive work on two occasions with the national database to try and trace the DNA through potential family members of the crime scene material donor , and an international request for other countries to check their databases also .
“ Over the years we have watched developments in science and explored them to see if they can benefit this case .
We will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do this.
” He said that over 30 years the police had spoken to “ hundreds of potential witnesses , used cutting edge science and made targeted media appeals in Northern Ireland and Scotland to push the enquiry forward .
“ We have taken 2,551 statements , written 662 reports , conducted 292 questionnaires , conducted over 400 house to house enquiries , conducted 29 interviews , processed 7,400 documents and consulted with specialists in fields from behavourialism to DNA science .
“ Inga Maria ’ s family need to know what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ died not knowing who killed their daughter and her sister remains heartbroken.
” Anyone with information should contact detectives in Maydown , Co Derry on 02871379783 or call anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 .

The ferry terminal in Larne Harbour where Inga Maria Hauser arrived in April 1988 from Scotland, two weeks before her body was discovered in a remote part of Ballypatrick Forest. File photograph: PA
Two people investigated in connection with the murder of German backpacker Inga Maria Hauser in Northern Ireland in April 1988 will not face prosecution.
The North’s Public Prosecution Service (PPS) announced on Wednesday that the evidence against the two suspects “did not provide a reasonable prospect of conviction for any offence”.
The teenager's body was found dumped in a remote part of Ballypatrick Forest outside Ballycastle in Co Antrim 14 days after she was last seen alive on a ferry from Scotland to Larne.
Inga Maria Hauser: her body was found dumped in a remote part of Ballypatrick Forest outside Ballycastle in Co Antrim.
The 18-year-old, from Munich, was on a backpacking trip around Europe and had travelled through England and Scotland before her death. According to her diaries she intended to head south towards Dublin once she docked in Co Antrim.
READ MORE
In a statement, the PPS said two people – a 60-year-old man and a 57-year-old woman – had been reported to them by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) regarding the circumstances of Ms Hauser's disappearance and death.
The man was reported in connection with her murder, the female for withholding information. A file was sent by the PSNI to the PPS in June 2019.
The evidence was carefully considered: “It was concluded that the evidence in respect of both suspects did not provide a reasonable prospect of conviction for any offence,” said the PPS.


theirishtimes--2020-07-08--Cockroach infestation found in Indian restaurant in Dublin

An active cockroach infestation was found in the motor of a food preparation fridge during an inspection of an Indian restaurant in Dublin ’ s north inner city last month .
A closure order was served on Dera on Parnell Street by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland ( FSAI ) in June , as well as on Giovanni ’ s takeaway in Dundalk , Co Louth for a different issue .
Both orders have since been lifted .
Cockroaches were found in traps in and behind the food preparation fridge in the kitchen of Dera .
“ Live and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beneath the food preparation fridge , ” the inspection report says .
“ The above conditions lead to a serious risk of food being contaminated with pathogenic bacteria , likely to render the food unfit for humans.
” Meanwhile , Giovanni ’ s was issued with an improvement order last October in relation to training for staff handling food , cleaning and sanitation , cooling and personal hygiene standards , which had not been complied with within the timeframe specified .
“ Food handlers did not maintain a high degree of personal cleanliness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in particular after activities which could lead to a risk of contamination of the foodstuffs , ” the order stated .
Dr Pamela Byrne , chief executive of the FSAI emphasised the need for food businesses to have “ adequate pest control systems and robust food hygiene practices in place ” , particularly as establishments begin to reopen following the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions .
“ Many food businesses are reopening to customers having been closed for a number of months .
Food business owners need to ensure that there hasn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their premises , ” Dr Byrne said .
“ Now is the time to carry out a deep clean of a food business to ensure that all food contact surfaces and utensils are clean and safe for use .
“ It is a legal requirement for all staff working in food businesses to be supervised and/or trained in food safety and hygiene .
It is not acceptable that last month ’ s closure orders showed that a number of food workers at these food businesses did not have even a basic knowledge or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ”

The presence of cockroaches in a kitchen leads to a serious risk of food being contaminated with pathogenic bacteria, likely to render the food unfit for humans. File photograph: Getty Images
An active cockroach infestation was found in the motor of a food preparation fridge during an inspection of an Indian restaurant in Dublin’s north inner city last month.
A closure order was served on Dera on Parnell Street by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) in June, as well as on Giovanni's takeaway in Dundalk, Co Louth for a different issue. Both orders have since been lifted.
Cockroaches were found in traps in and behind the food preparation fridge in the kitchen of Dera.
“Live and dead cockroaches were noted on the floor beneath the food preparation fridge,” the inspection report says.
READ MORE
“The above conditions lead to a serious risk of food being contaminated with pathogenic bacteria, likely to render the food unfit for humans.”
Meanwhile, Giovanni’s was issued with an improvement order last October in relation to training for staff handling food, cleaning and sanitation, cooling and personal hygiene standards, which had not been complied with within the timeframe specified.
“Food handlers did not maintain a high degree of personal cleanliness by frequently and effectively washing hands, in particular after activities which could lead to a risk of contamination of the foodstuffs,” the order stated.
Dr Pamela Byrne, chief executive of the FSAI emphasised the need for food businesses to have "adequate pest control systems and robust food hygiene practices in place", particularly as establishments begin to reopen following the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions.
“Many food businesses are reopening to customers having been closed for a number of months. Food business owners need to ensure that there hasn’t been any pest activity in or around their premises,” Dr Byrne said.
“Now is the time to carry out a deep clean of a food business to ensure that all food contact surfaces and utensils are clean and safe for use.
“It is a legal requirement for all staff working in food businesses to be supervised and/or trained in food safety and hygiene. It is not acceptable that last month’s closure orders showed that a number of food workers at these food businesses did not have even a basic knowledge or training in food safety and hygiene.”


theirishtimes--2020-07-08--ESB found negligent over flood damage to UCC buildings

The ESB could be facing a huge damages bill after the Supreme Court ruled it was guilty of negligence concerning extensive flood damage to buildings on the campus of University College Cork ( UCC ) in 2009 .
UCC ’ s action over the damage is among about 400 sets of proceedings initiated against the ESB arising from the flooding in Cork .
The finding of negligence by four of the five judges has implications for those cases – and wider implications for the ESB ’ s liability arising from its management of hydroelectric dams in the State .
Four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ESB had a liability on the basis the case was an exception to the general principle that an individual did not owe a duty of care to prevent harm to another caused by actions of a third party .
Dissenting , Mr Justice Donal O ’ Donnell said the flooding was caused by the River Lee , not any positive act by the ESB , and there was “ no compelling reason ” why the cost of flooding to UCC “ should be shifted from insurers who had agreed to be responsible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ESB and its customers ” .
A hearing to assess damages in the UCC case will proceed before the High Court on a date to be fixed .
The extent of damages will depend on the Supreme Court ’ s decision on a cross-appeal , yet to be heard , concerning whether there was contributory negligence by UCC in relation to the extent of the flood damage .
In a subrogated claim on behalf of its insurer Aviva , UCC claimed the ESB ’ s management of water releases from two hydro-electric @ @ @ @ @ @ @ significant unnecessary additional flooding causing substantial damage to 29 buildings on its campus in 2009 .
Aviva sought €20 million damages for losses at UCC , plus another €14 million for losses suffered by other property owners .
The ESB denied liability and argued the existence of the dams had reduced the level of water that came down to UCC .
The Supreme Court judgments concerned appeals taken after the Court of Appeal overturned findings by the High Court ’ s Mr Justice Max Barrett of 60 per cent liability on the ESB @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cent contributory negligence on UCC ’ s part .
The Supreme Court had decided it should first determine whether the ESB had a liability .
The majority concluded today the ESB was , on the facts and the law , guilty of negligence .
The judgments addressed important issues , including the liability of a dam operator in respect of persons downstream , the law relating to duty of care and the liability of statutory undertakings .
The main judgment , by Chief Justice Frank Clarke and Mr Justice John MacMenamin , noted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ management regime of the Lee dams by the ESB would have reduced flooding downstream , including at UCC , and in light of the conditions that applied in the immediate run -up to the flooding and the relevant water forecasts , the ESB was negligent in not operating a different management of the Lee dams .
On the other hand , the evidence made clear the management of the dams had not made things worse but might be said to have failed to make things better , they said .
This meant the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obligation of the ESB extended to an obligation to manage the dams , in at least some circumstances , in a manner designed to improve conditions downstream .
They found this case came within one of the relatively limited types of situation where the law imposes a duty to confer a benefit , in this case to downstream landowners and occupiers , by the ESB managing the dams in a way which would give rise to less flooding than would have occurred if the dams were not there .
The ESB , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ control over a danger , even though that danger was not of its making , does , subject to certain limitations , owe such a duty of care and was in breach of that duty , the two judges held .
Mr Justice Peter Charleton , in a concurring judgment , said the findings of fact by Mr Justice Barrett were the ESB had warnings of a storm , knew the ground was sodden and could have released water earlier to make room in the dam systems for the danger reasonably predicted .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on damages .
The first was the ESB ’ s duty under statute is to generate electricity and its liability depends not just on managing the waterway but taking reasonable precautions consistent with the need to create power .
The second was , by releasing water earlier to cope with very heavy rain forecast , the ESB may well have flooded UCC and Cork city to some degree which , on the evidence , would have been less than the major flood ultimately caused .
Any future damages would be assessed on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ floods , he said .

The Supreme Court has ruled the ESB was guilty of negligence concerning extensive flood damage to buildings on the UCC campus. File photograph: Aidan Crawley
The ESB could face a huge damages bill after the Supreme Court ruled it was guilty of negligence concerning extensive flood damage to buildings on the campus of University College Cork (UCC) in 2009.
UCC’s action over the damage against the semi-State company is among about 400 sets of proceedings initiated against the ESB arising from the flooding in Cork.
The finding of negligence by four of the five judges has implications for those cases – and wider implications for the ESB’s liability arising from its management of hydroelectric dams in the State.
Flooding in Cork.
Four of the five Supreme Court judges concluded that the ESB had a liability on the basis the case was an exception to the general principle that an individual did not owe a duty of care to prevent harm to another caused by actions of a third party.
READ MORE
Dissenting, Mr Justice Donal O’Donnell said the flooding was caused by the River Lee, not any positive act by the ESB, and there was “no compelling reason” why the cost of flooding to UCC “should be shifted from insurers who had agreed to be responsible for that very risk and placed upon the ESB and its customers”.
A High Court hearing to assess damages for UCC will proceed, though a date is yet to be fixed. The extent of damages will depend on the Supreme Court’s decision on a cross-appeal, yet to be heard, concerning whether there was contributory negligence by UCC in relation to the extent of the flood damage.
In a subrogated claim on behalf of its insurer Aviva, UCC claimed the ESB’s management of water releases from two hydroelectric dams on the River Lee led to significant unnecessary additional flooding causing substantial damage to 29 buildings on its campus in 2009.
Aviva sought €20 million damages for losses at UCC, plus another €14 million for losses suffered by other property owners.
The ESB denied liability and argued the existence of the dams had reduced the level of water that came down to UCC.
The Supreme Court judgments concerned appeals taken after the Court of Appeal overturned findings by the High Court’s Mr Justice Max Barrett of 60 per cent liability on the ESB’s part and of 40 per cent contributory negligence on UCC’s part.
The Supreme Court had decided it should first determine whether the ESB had a liability.
The majority concluded on Wednesday that the ESB was, on the facts and the law, guilty of negligence.
The judgments addressed important issues, including the liability of a dam operator in respect of persons downstream, the law relating to duty of care and the liability of statutory undertakings.
Management regime
The main judgment, by Chief Justice Frank Clarke and Mr Justice John MacMenamin, noted the High Court had found a different management regime of the Lee dams by the ESB would have reduced flooding downstream, including at UCC, and in light of the conditions that applied in the immediate run-up to the flooding and the relevant water forecasts, the ESB was negligent in not operating a different management of the Lee dams.
On the other hand, the evidence made clear the management of the dams had not made things worse but might be said to have failed to make things better, they said.
This meant the central legal issue was whether the legal obligation of the ESB extended to an obligation to manage the dams, in at least some circumstances, in a manner designed to improve conditions downstream.
They found this case came within one of the relatively limited types of situation where the law imposes a duty to confer a benefit, in this case to downstream landowners and occupiers, by the ESB managing the dams in a way that would give rise to less flooding than would have occurred if the dams were not there.
The ESB, as a party with a special level of control over a danger, even though that danger was not of its making, does, subject to certain limitations, owe such a duty of care and was in breach of that duty, the two judges held.
Mr Justice Peter Charleton, in a concurring judgment, said the findings of fact by Mr Justice Barrett were the ESB had warnings of a storm, knew the ground was sodden and could have released water earlier to make room in the dam systems for the danger reasonably predicted.
He added two caveats which might impact on damages. The first was the ESB’s duty under statute is to generate electricity and its liability depends not just on managing the waterway but taking reasonable precautions consistent with the need to create power.
The second was, by releasing water earlier to cope with very heavy rain forecast, the ESB may well have flooded UCC and Cork city to some degree which, on the evidence, would have been less than the major flood ultimately caused. Any future damages would be assessed on the difference in the damage of the two floods, he said.
Ms Justice Elizabeth Dunne agreed with the majority.


theirishtimes--2020-07-08--Three people arrested over suspected murder of couple in 2015

Gardaí investigating the disappearance and assumed murders of a couple five years ago have arrested three people .
Two men , aged in their 50s and 60s , and a woman in her 40s , were arrested during the pre-planned operation early on Wednesday morning .
They were being held for questioning about the assumed murders of William Maughan and Anastasija Varslavane in April , 2015 .
They were last seen in Laytown , Co Meath , and gardaí believe they were abducted and murdered by a crime gang based in the north east .
Detectives believed they were killed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Maughan and Ms Varslavane , Latvian national , were about to go to the Garda and link them to drug-related gun murder in 2014 .
While the bodies of the missing couple have never been found , the case was upgraded to a murder investigation in 2016 and has been under investigation since then , including a cold case review .
Searches in Co Meath were continuing on Wednesday as the three suspects arrested were being questioned at Garda stations in Meath and Dublin under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State @ @ @ @ @ @ @ detention of an English man in his 50s in Co Meath in April .
He was questioned about the assumed murders of the couple and also the separate discovery of two caches of guns and ammunition in Gormanstown , Co Meath , last January and in April , 2019 .
Gardaí believe the couple were abducted by a criminal gang operating in Meath and Louth and whose leader has since become a central player in the worsening Drogheda gangland feud .
The gang leader believed to be behind the abduction and assumed murders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also suspected of the gun murder of Benny Whitehouse ( 35 ) in Balbriggan in 2014 .
Whitehouse was a drug dealer who was shot dead as he returned to his car after bringing his daughter into national school .
Gardaí believe Mr Maughan and Ms Varslavane were killed because the men who killed Whitehouse feared the couple was intent on supplying information to the Garda about the murder .
Their bodies were then disposed of in some way by the gang but the remains have never been found .

Gardaí investigating the disappearance and assumed murders of a couple five years ago have arrested four people.
Two men, aged in their 50s and 60s, and a woman in her 40s, were arrested during the pre-planned operation early on Wednesday morning.
A fourth arrest of a man in his 20s was made on Wednesday evening.
They were being held for questioning about the assumed murders of William Maughan (35) and Anastasija (Anna) Varslavane (21) in April, 2015.
READ MORE
The couple were last seen in Laytown, Co Meath, and gardaí believe they were abducted and murdered by a crime gang based in the northeast.
Detectives believed they were killed because members of the gang feared Mr Maughan and Ms Varslavane, a Latvian national, were about to go to the Garda and link them to a drug-related gun murder in 2014.
While the bodies of the missing couple have never been found, the case was upgraded to a murder investigation in 2016 and has been under investigation since then, including a cold case review.
Searches
Searches in Co Meath were continuing on Wednesday as the suspects arrested were being questioned at Garda stations in Meath and Dublin.
The latest arrests follow the detention of an English man in his 50s in Co Meath in April. He was questioned about the assumed murders of the couple and also the separate discovery of two caches of guns and ammunition in Gormanstown, Co Meath, last January and in April, 2019.
Gardaí believe the couple were abducted by a criminal gang operating in Meath and Louth whose leader has since become a central player in the worsening Drogheda gangland feud.
The gang leader believed to be behind the abduction and assumed murders of Mr Maughan and Ms Varslavane was also suspected of the gun murder of Benny Whitehouse (35) in Balbriggan in 2014.
Whitehouse was a drug dealer who was shot dead as he returned to his car after bringing his daughter into national school.
Gardaí believe Mr Maughan and Ms Varslavane were killed because the men who killed Whitehouse feared the couple was intent on supplying information to the Garda about the murder.
Their bodies were then disposed of in some way by the gang but the remains have never been found.
Just before 3pm on the day they disappeared, from their home in Laytown, Ms Varslavane apparently rang the Maughan family pleading for help. However, her calls were answered by her partner’s young brother who has special needs and did not understand her.
“We’re in bits, we really are,” the missing man’s father, Joe Maughan, previously told The Irish Times. “At this stage I don’t know what to even say to people; we’re devastated.”
Mr Maughan said he was convinced his son and Ms Varslavane knew who killed Whitehouse and were murdered by the same people.
“William knew about it and these criminals get paranoid from the amount of cocaine they are taking; they think people are going to say things about them,” he said.


theirishtimes--2020-07-08--It's time to wave goodbye to single-sex schools

Boys have never really featured in my life .
I attended an all-girls ’ Catholic primary and secondary school and I am now in my third year of study to become a primary school teacher , a female dominated profession .
Boys are pretty to look at and fun to flirt with on the bar stools in Ryan ’ s on a Friday night , but I don ’ t truly understand them .
I can ’ t hold the conversation .
I do , however , know how to smile and wink and make a boy think he ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I miss this in lockdown , and I am dying for Dublin ’ s night life to resume , but I have not yet mastered the art of communication with the male species .
I have never been in a serious relationship .
Sometimes I wonder is there something wrong with me ?
Do I repel men ?
Am I missing some vital brain part that would allow for male connection ?
In primary school a white painted line on the school yard ’ s tarmac separated the boys ’ school from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loitered around the white line were brave and rebellious and wild .
They waved at the boys from the other side of the line until the teacher on yard patrol shooed them back to class .
I remember in sixth class , a classmate was standing too close to the line when the principal walked past .
She was scolded and publicly shamed and told to button her shirt up to the collar .
The first time a boy spoke to me was from the side of a pitch during an under-13s camogie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ball for a sideline cut when a skinny teenage boy in a grey striped tracksuit , a few years my senior , started giving me guff .
“ Ah c ’ mere boys .
Look at dis wun ’ s legs .
De f*kin lengt of dem hairs .
You ’ d wan na get a razor at dem tings darlin ” .
I fluffed the shot , of course , and the sliotar dribbled pathetically along the grass .
The pack of boys laughed on .
I don ’ t think I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I didn ’ t understand this boy , if this is what boys were like , then I didn ’ t need that kind of disappointment in my life .
In secondary school , boys were these alien creatures who rode their BMX bikes through the school gates on the opposite side of the road .
Boys and girls separated still by a white line but now a broken one which allowed for overtaking and could be crossed .
I first ventured over that line in fourth year when I was 16 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a hat to participate in a public speaking programme .
I was nervous and skittish , and I had never seen a boy up close before .
At 16 I was thrown into the lion ’ s den and was expected to integrate with these beastly organisms who huddled together , thumping their chests and slapping each other ’ s backs , guffawing at some abstract inside joke I couldn ’ t understand but giggled girlishly along with anyway in attempt to be liked .
It was strange to see them in their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pungent and wafting , a combination of sweat and a cheap , sickly Lynx that gave me a headache .
I felt self-conscious to the point of social dysfunction .
I would go home and lie in bed and replay in my head all the ways in which I embarrassed myself in front of these boys , these boys who I desperately wanted to fit in with , who I hoped with an all-consuming desperation would find me attractive .
I had picked up the message somewhere along the way that to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boy and only conventional physical beauty would attract the male gaze .
Being seen by a boy was the ultimate social capital , the ultimate form of validation , the only validation I craved .
I also , admittedly , liked this experimental hanging out with boys ; the thrill of hanging out on the other side of white line .
While segregated education has messed with my non-existent romantic life and stunted my ability to form male friendships , it has also enabled the development of a deep appreciation for the medicinal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been my female friends who taught me my physical appearance does not equate to my worth , that food is not the enemy , that the beach is for surfing and sunbathing in hot sand .
It was not meant for concealing your “ repulsive fatness ” under a towel .
It is my female friends who have walked me through the irregular periods and breast lumps .
They squeezed my hand during painful at-home DIY hair removals .
It was the girls who I stuffed tissues in my bra with before our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Connemara .
It was a female friend who gave me step by step instructions over Facetime when I couldn ’ t locate my vagina trying to insert a tampon age 15 .
She was only short of drawing me a diagram because in school , though I was taught to label the uterus and the fallopian tubes , though we were taught to label even the penis and scrotum , we had never labelled the vulva , a gaping hole in the RSE curriculum .
It is the girls who I have cried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It ’ s with three girls crammed into one cubicle in the bathroom in Angel Lane that we have mended broken hearts , performed emotional open-heart surgery ( in the background some desperate soul bangs down the door dying for a whizz ) .
It ’ s the girls who give me a pep talk before pushing me towards that lad at the bar .
This is despite the fact I would much rather dance the night away with them because I have learned that there is nothing that a bop in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ as we like to call it ) can ’ t fix .
It is my female friends who have helped me make this awkward and bumpy transition from adolescence to young adulthood .
I might never understand the boys but there will always be the girls .
I paint a pretty picture of female friendship .
There has also been comparison , competition bruised egos , jealousy and squabbles over boys who don ’ t care anyway .
As we grow older , there can now be heated discussions on capitalism versus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we all , the passionate youths , begin to formulate our political identities .
There are friendships that ebb and flow and some that wane , never to be renewed .
Some friendships have been difficult to salvage but as a student who has spent her entire educational career surrounded by women , I will graduate ( one day with the help of God ) with a degree in female communication .
It is this ability to communicate with each other that allows for the survival of these female bonds , the bonds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 14-year-old brother tells me , “ Megan , girls just sit around and talk about their feelings all day ” and he ’ s not wrong .
I spend a disproportionate amount of time talking about my feelings with my friends and this , from the other side of the white line , appears to be what can be absent in male friendships .
I do not mean to do men a disservice ( # notallmen ) .
There are men in my life that I am grateful I can turn to but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ older sisters , listening to tales of menstrual cups and bra malfunctions and my dad is a trained psychotherapist and practicing Yogi ( He basically thinks he ’ s Buddha .
In yoga class , the instructor often has to apologise to him for opening the class with a cheery ‘ Good morning ladies .
Oh .
Sorry and Rob .
Didn ’ t see you there ’ ) .
These males who are central in my life , who I love and who are so hugely important to me ; I don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the wider Irish male population .
If we ’ ve learned anything from Sally Rooney ’ s Normal People and Paul Mescal ’ s gut-wrenching and unrestricted portrayal of Conall in therapy , it is that boys are not often afforded a space to speak freely their innermost feelings , to reach out to one another in times when friendships have crumbled due to life circumstance .
As depicted in the show , the consequences of this can be devastating .
We already knew this maybe .
On the other side of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that emotional expression is “ gay ” or “ girlish ” ( this is not considered to be a positive thing , but rather something shameful ; in case you were unsure ) .
It is in this way , the LGBTQ community , women and men themselves are harmed by the censorship of male emotion .
Outside of therapy , I wonder do males feel like they have permission to outwardly display feelings of embarrassment , inadequacy , shame , angst , and insecurity ?
If not , then why ?
Sometimes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still feel like we are separated by some imaginary white line .
There is nothing natural about the separated education of boys and girls and the result is a stark gender difference and a warped socialisation that , in my experience , has proved difficult now to undo .
The result is the accentuation of a toxic lad culture in which feelings are shamed while also the perpetuation a toxic female culture where girls compete for the attention of the male gaze if they are considered pretty or grades if they are considered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weight or their academic ability .
As per the history books , segregation of the human race , in all its forms has not proved to be beneficial .
There are the studies , of course , that show that girls who attend all girls ’ schools reap academic benefits , but I would argue that our psychosocial development is stunted at the hands of this meritocratic system .
The evolution of our educational system has been influenced heavily by the history of the Irish Catholic Church and its role in education but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dominant transactional model of education where the teacher is paid to produce the academic gains and straight A ’ s of her students in State examinations .
Good grades seem to trump the need for the holistic development of the child .
I will continue to try and develop meaningful male friendships , erase the white line , undo this strange socialisation that has left me awkward and blushing in the presence of men .
I ’ m on Tinder now .
If there are any boys who would like to grab a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ landscapes for an hour or two , swipe right .

Boys have never really featured in my life. I attended an all-girls’ Catholic primary and secondary school and I am now in my third year of study to become a primary school teacher, a female-dominated profession.
Boys are pretty to look at and fun to flirt with on the bar stools in Ryan’s on a Friday night, but I don’t truly understand them. I can’t hold the conversation. I do, however, know how to smile and wink and make a boy think he’s fallen in love at first sight. I miss this in lockdown, and I am dying for Dublin’s night life to resume, but I have not yet mastered the art of communication with the male species. I have never been in a serious relationship. Sometimes I wonder is there something wrong with me? Do I repel men? Am I missing some vital brain part that would allow for male connection?
Separated
In primary school a white painted line on the school yard’s tarmac separated the boys’ school from the girls’. The girls who loitered around the white line were brave and rebellious and wild. They waved at the boys from the other side of the line until the teacher on yard patrol shooed them back to class. I remember in sixth class, a classmate was standing too close to the line when the principal walked past. She was scolded and publicly shamed and told to button her shirt up to the collar.
The first time a boy spoke to me was from the side of a pitch during an under-13s camogie match. I was propping up the ball for a sideline cut when a skinny teenage boy in a grey striped tracksuit, a few years my senior, started giving me guff. “Ah c’mere boys. Look at dis wun’s legs. De f*kin lengt of dem hairs. You’d wanna get a razor at dem tings darlin'.”
READ MORE
I fluffed the shot, of course, and the sliotar dribbled pathetically along the grass. The pack of boys laughed on. I don’t think I owned a razor at the time. I didn’t understand this boy, if this is what boys were like, then I didn’t need that kind of disappointment in my life.
Alien
In secondary school, boys were these alien creatures who rode their BMX bikes through the school gates on the opposite side of the road. Boys and girls separated still by a white line but now a broken one which allowed for overtaking and could be crossed.
I first ventured over that line in fourth year when I was 16. Some boys and girls were selected from a hat to participate in a public-speaking programme. I was nervous and skittish, and I had never seen a boy up close before. At 16 I was thrown into the lion’s den and was expected to integrate with these beastly organisms who huddled together, thumping their chests and slapping each other’s backs, guffawing at some abstract inside joke I couldn’t understand but giggled girlishly along with anyway in attempt to be liked. It was strange to see them in their natural habitat.
The smell was both pungent and wafting, a combination of sweat and a cheap, sickly Lynx that gave me a headache. I felt self-conscious to the point of social dysfunction. I would go home and lie in bed and replay in my head all the ways in which I embarrassed myself in front of these boys, these boys who I desperately wanted to fit in with, who I hoped with an all-consuming desperation would find me attractive. I had picked up the message somewhere along the way that to be valued was to be seen by a boy and only conventional physical beauty would attract the male gaze. Being seen by a boy was the ultimate social capital, the ultimate form of validation, the only validation I craved. I also, admittedly, liked this experimental hanging out with boys; the thrill of hanging out on the other side of white line.
Segregated
While segregated education has messed with my non-existent romantic life and stunted my ability to form male friendships, it has also enabled the development of a deep appreciation for the medicinal qualities of female friendship. It has been my female friends who taught me my physical appearance does not equate to my worth, that food is not the enemy, that the beach is for surfing and sunbathing in hot sand. It was not meant for concealing your “repulsive fatness” under a towel.
It is my female friends who have walked me through the irregular periods and breast lumps. They squeezed my hand during painful at-home DIY hair removals. It was the girls who I stuffed tissues in my bra with before our first underage disco in the Gaeltacht in Connemara. It was a female friend who gave me step-by-step instructions over Facetime when I couldn’t locate my vagina trying to insert a tampon age 15. She was only short of drawing me a diagram because in school, though I was taught to label the uterus and the fallopian tubes, though we were taught to label even the penis and scrotum, we had never labelled the vulva, a gaping hole in the RSE curriculum.
It is the girls who I have cried with over failed academic and athletic pursuits. It’s with three girls crammed into one cubicle in the bathroom in Angel Lane that we have mended broken hearts, performed emotional open-heart surgery (in the background some desperate soul bangs down the door dying for a whizz). It’s the girls who give me a pep talk before pushing me towards that lad at the bar. This is despite the fact I would much rather dance the night away with them because I have learned that there is nothing that a bop in Flannery’s (a ‘flanobops’ as we like to call it) can’t fix. It is my female friends who have helped me make this awkward and bumpy transition from adolescence to young adulthood. I might never understand the boys but there will always be the girls.
Friendship
I paint a pretty picture of female friendship. There has also been comparison, competition bruised egos, jealousy and squabbles over boys who don’t care anyway. As we grow older, there can now be heated discussions on capitalism versus socialism, tax policies and privatisation as we all, the passionate youths, begin to formulate our political identities.
There are friendships that ebb and flow and some that wane, never to be renewed. Some friendships have been difficult to salvage but as a student who has spent her entire educational career surrounded by women, I will graduate (one day with the help of God) with a degree in female communication. It is this ability to communicate with each other that allows for the survival of these female bonds, the bonds that nourish me so deeply. My 14-year-old brother tells me, “Megan, girls just sit around and talk about their feelings all day” and he’s not wrong. I spend a disproportionate amount of time talking about my feelings with my friends and this, from the other side of the white line, appears to be what can be absent in male friendships.
I do not mean to do men a disservice (#notallmen). There are men in my life that I am grateful I can turn to but my brother has grown up with two older sisters, listening to tales of menstrual cups and bra malfunctions and my dad is a trained psychotherapist and practising Yogi (He basically thinks he’s Buddha. In yoga class, the instructor often has to apologise to him for opening the class with a cheery "Good morning ladies. Oh. Sorry and Rob. Didn’t see you there"). These males who are central in my life, who I love and who are so hugely important to me; I don’t think they are representative of the wider Irish male population.
If we’ve learned anything from Sally Rooney’s Normal People and Paul Mescal’s gut-wrenching and unrestricted portrayal of Connell in therapy, it is that boys are not often afforded a space to speak freely their innermost feelings, to reach out to one another in times when friendships have crumbled due to life circumstance. As depicted in the show, the consequences of this can be devastating. We already knew this may be. On the other side of the white line, it seems to me that emotional expression is “gay” or “girlish” (this is not considered to be a positive thing, but rather something shameful; in case you were unsure).
It is in this way, the LGBTQ community, women and men themselves are harmed by the censorship of male emotion. Outside of therapy, I wonder do males feel like they have permission to outwardly display feelings of embarrassment, inadequacy, shame, angst, and insecurity? If not, then why?
White line
Sometimes when I talk to boys, I still feel like we are separated by some imaginary white line. There is nothing natural about the separated education of boys and girls and the result is a stark gender difference and a warped socialisation that, in my experience, has proved difficult now to undo. The result is the accentuation of a toxic lad culture in which feelings are shamed while also the perpetuation a toxic female culture where girls compete for the attention of the male gaze if they are considered pretty or grades if they are considered clever, stitching their self-worth to their weight or their academic ability.
As per the history books, segregation of the human race, in all its forms has not proved to be beneficial. There are the studies, of course, that show that girls who attend all girls’ schools reap academic benefits, but I would argue that our psychosocial development is stunted at the hands of this meritocratic system.
The evolution of our educational system has been influenced heavily by the history of the Irish Catholic Church and its role in education but also the rise of capitalism and the dominant transactional model of education where the teacher is paid to produce the academic gains and straight As of her students in State examinations. Good grades seem to trump the need for the holistic development of the child.
I will continue to try and develop meaningful male friendships, erase the white line, undo this strange socialisation that has left me awkward and blushing in the presence of men. I’m on Tinder now. If there are any boys who would like to grab a coffee and talk about their internal emotional landscapes for an hour or two, swipe right.


theirishtimes--2020-07-08--Four men arrested after €40,000 worth of cannabis seized in Cork

Four men have been arrested after more than €40,000 worth of cannabis was seized in two separate Garda operations in Co Cork on Tuesday .
Officers from the Cork City Divisional Drugs Unit stopped a car in the Banduff area of Ballyvolane on the city ’ s northside just after midday on Tuesday .
They found a kilo of cannabis with a street value of €20,000 along with €3,650 in cash which they believe was the proceeds of crime .
The driver of the car , a man in his 30s , was arrested and taken to Mayfield Garda station @ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and Customs Officers were also involved in the operation which led to a follow up search of a house in the Banduff area .
Gardai arrested a man in his 30s at the house .
He was also taken to Mayfield Garda station for questioning about the drugs and cash finds .
In a separate incident , uniformed officers from the Bridewell Garda Station stopped and searched a car at Industry Street on the city ’ s southside just before midnight on Tuesday .
Gardai found 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ total just over a kilo of cannabis with an estimated street value of an approximate €23,000 hidden in the vehicle .
Gardai arrested the two occupants of the car , two men in their 20s and 30s , and brought them to the Bridewell Garda station for questioning .
The two men are detained under drugs trafficking legislation which allows gardai detain suspects for up to seven days .

Gardaí arrested four men in Cork on Tuesday after over €40,000 worth of cannabis was seized in two separate operations. File photograph: Getty Images
Four men have been arrested after more than €40,000 worth of cannabis was seized in two separate Garda operations in Co Cork on Tuesday.
Officers from the Cork City Divisional Drugs Unit stopped a car in the Banduff area of Ballyvolane on the city’s northside just after midday on Tuesday.
They found a kilo of cannabis with a street value of €20,000 along with €3,650 in cash which they believe was the proceeds of crime.
The driver of the car, a man in his 30s, was arrested and taken to Mayfield Garda station for questioning.
READ MORE
Members of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and Customs Officers were also involved in the operation which led to a follow up search of a house in the Banduff area.
Gardai arrested a man in his 30s at the house. He was also taken to Mayfield Garda station for questioning about the drugs and cash finds.
In a separate incident, uniformed officers from the Bridewell Garda Station stopped and searched a car at Industry Street on the city’s southside just before midnight on Tuesday.
Gardai found 10 individually wrapped vacuum packaged bags containing in total just over a kilo of cannabis with an estimated street value of an approximate €23,000 hidden in the vehicle.
Gardai arrested the two occupants of the car, two men in their 20s and 30s, and brought them to the Bridewell Garda station for questioning.
The two men are detained under drugs trafficking legislation which allows gardai detain suspects for up to seven days.


theirishtimes--2020-07-08--Unaccompanied learner drivers got penalty points 59,000 times since 2008

Motorists who broke the law by driving on learner permits without being accompanied by a driver with a full licence have received penalty points 59,000 times since 2008 .
Minister for Agriculture Barry Cowen , who made an abject apology to the Dáil last night for a drink-driving penalty and for driving on a provisional licence , was never sanctioned for driving unaccompanied .
The Fianna Fáil TD for Laois–Offaly would have incurred two penalty points every time he drove unaccompanied were he stopped and checked at a Garda checkpoint .
If he was not displaying “ L ” plates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ points , or four points in total , per journey .
Twelve points are required for a driving ban .
Mr Cowen was caught drink driving after the All-Ireland final in 2016 and incurred penalty points and a three-month driving ban , rather than a conviction , as his blood alcohol limit was on the lower end of the scale .
He was driving on a provisional licence , or learner permit , at the time as he had not passed a driving test and received a full licence .
It is an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ permit , holders to drive if they are not accompanied by a person who has had a full licence for at least two years .
Mr Cowen said on the day he was caught drink driving he was accompanied by an experienced driver with a full licence .
However , he added he had at times driven unaccompanied .
Although he has escaped sanction for that offence , other drivers have been penalised 59,037 times since it became a penalty-point offence during Christmas week in 2014 .
As a learner permit holder , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ display an “ L ” plate .
Furthermore , when he passed his driver test , as he has done since drink driving in 2016 , he was obliged under law to display an “ N ” novice plate for two years .
It was unclear if he had complied with those legal requirements , both of which became penalty point offences in late 2014 .
Since then penalty points have been imposed 34,130 times for failure to display an “ L ” plate and 4,659 times for failure to display an “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so-called provisional drivers ’ licences have been tightened several times in the Republic over the past 15 years .
Indeed , there is now no such thing as a provisional licence , which were replaced with learner permits .
From October 2007 , new drivers were issued with learner permits rather than provisional licences though provisional licences already on issue could still be used .
That move was designed to make it clear new drivers were expected to take lessons and pass a driving test quickly and that learner permits were only intended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Until 2008 if drivers were on their second or subsequent provisional licence they were permitted to drive alone without the need to be accompanied by a full licence holder .
From July 1st , 2008 , any driver on a learner permit or provisional licence faced a fine of up to €1,000 if detected driving unaccompanied .
In December 2014 , that became punishable by an €80 fine and two penalty points , though the sanction increases if the fine is not paid within 28 days .
From the same date learner permit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” learner plates were liable for two penalty points .
Those drivers who had just passed their test were required to display “ N ” novice plates , for two years , and faced two penalty points if they did not do so .
Finally , from December 22nd , 2018 , it became an offence for the owner for a vehicle own to allow their car be driven by an unaccompanied learner driver .
Garda that change to the Road Traffic Amendment Act 2018 , known as the Clancy Amendment , gardaí @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any vehicle on the spot being driven by an unaccompanied learner driver .

Minister for Agriculture Barry Cowen has told the Dáil he is "profoundly sorry" for a drink-driving offence in 2016. Video: Oireachtas TV
Motorists who broke the law by driving on learner permits without being accompanied by a driver with a full licence have received penalty points 59,000 times since 2008.
Minister for Agriculture Barry Cowen, who made an abject apology to the Dáil last night for a drink-driving penalty and for driving on a provisional licence, was never sanctioned for driving unaccompanied.
The Fianna Fáil TD for Laois–Offaly would have incurred two penalty points every time he drove unaccompanied were he stopped and checked at a Garda checkpoint.
If he was not displaying “L” plates the Minister would have incurred another two points, or four points in total, per journey. Twelve points are required for a driving ban.
READ MORE
Mr Cowen was caught drink driving after the All-Ireland final in 2016 and incurred penalty points and a three-month driving ban, rather than a conviction, as his blood alcohol limit was on the lower end of the scale.
He was driving on a provisional licence, or learner permit, at the time as he had not passed a driving test and received a full licence. It is an offence for provisional licence, or learner permit, holders to drive if they are not accompanied by a person who has had a full licence for at least two years.
Mr Cowen said on the day he was caught drink driving he was accompanied by an experienced driver with a full licence. However, he added he had at times driven unaccompanied.
Learner permits
Although he has escaped sanction for that offence, other drivers have been penalised 59,037 times since it became a penalty-point offence during Christmas week in 2014.
As a learner permit holder, Mr Cowen was also legally obliged to display an “L” plate. Furthermore, when he passed his driver test, as he has done since drink driving in 2016, he was obliged under law to display an “N” novice plate for two years.
It was unclear if he had complied with those legal requirements, both of which became penalty point offences in late 2014.
Since then penalty points have been imposed 34,130 times for failure to display an “L” plate and 4,659 times for failure to display an “N” plate.
The laws around so-called provisional drivers’ licences have been tightened several times in the Republic over the past 15 years.
Indeed, there is now no such thing as a provisional licence, which were replaced with learner permits. From October 2007, new drivers were issued with learner permits rather than provisional licences though provisional licences already on issue could still be used.
That move was designed to make it clear new drivers were expected to take lessons and pass a driving test quickly and that learner permits were only intended for a short period of learning.
Until 2008 if drivers were on their second or subsequent provisional licence they were permitted to drive alone without the need to be accompanied by a full licence holder.
From July 1st, 2008, any driver on a learner permit or provisional licence faced a fine of up to €1,000 if detected driving unaccompanied. In December 2014, that became punishable by an €80 fine and two penalty points, though the sanction increases if the fine is not paid within 28 days.
From the same date learner permit drivers who failed to display “L” learner plates were liable for two penalty points. Those drivers who had just passed their test were required to display “N” novice plates, for two years, and faced two penalty points if they did not do so.
Finally, from December 22nd, 2018, it became an offence for the owner for a vehicle own to allow their car be driven by an unaccompanied learner driver. Garda that change to the Road Traffic Amendment Act 2018, known as the Clancy Amendment, gardaí were also given the power to seize any vehicle on the spot being driven by an unaccompanied learner driver.


theirishtimes--2020-07-08--HSE predicts over one million registrations for Covid-19  app in  24 hours

More than 865,000 people have signed up for the HSE ’ s new tracker app which is aimed at helping identify close contacts of those who test positive for Covid-19 .
HSE chief executive Paul Reid said on Wednesdy morning he expects the app to have one million users within 24 hours of its formal launch on Tuesday , adding that it is “ by far the most successful launch of this app anywhere in the world .
“ Well done Ireland .
Please keep it going and protect everyone by downloading it now , ” he wrote on Twitter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Stephen Donnelly described the take-up of the app as a “ huge act of solidarity ” .
Speaking at the launch on Tuesday , Mr Reid said that use of the app could see a reduction in the time required to trace close contacts of someone who tested positive from days to hours .
He also said the app cost about €850,000 to develop with an annual running cost of €350,000 to €400,000 .
Dr Ronan Glynn , acting chief medical officer at the Department of Health , said the app “ is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tracing systems ” .
“ It has the potential to reduce the time that people are active in the community with infection , which will have a significant impact on the transmission of the disease , ” he said .
“ The more people who download and use this app , the more effective it will be .
It is a further opportunity for us to play our part in the response to Covid-19.
” HSE chief executive Paul Reid said it expects the app to have one million users within 24 hours @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of one more person diagnosed with Covid-19 was reported by the National Public Health Emergency Team on Tuesday .
This brings to 1,742 the total number of deaths from the disease in the Republic .
Nphet also reported another 24 new confirmed cases of the virus yesterday , bringing the total number of cases to 25,538 .

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has urged all members of the public to download the new Covid-19 contact-tracing app in order to protect themselves and others. Video: RTÉ
Some one million people have now downloaded the HSE’s new tracker app which is aimed at helping identify close contacts of those who test positive for Covid-19.
HSE chief executive Paul Reid said on Wednesday night the app comes at an important time as we begin to move about more "and will support us in managing future cases" of the virus.
“The app won’t make you immune to the virus but it can help to reduce the risk. Lets keep it going. Please sign up and encourage your network to do so also,” he said on Twitter.
Right now I can confirm that we have now reached 1M registered users of the #CovidTrackerApp. The app wont make you immune to the virus but it can help to reduce the risk. Lets keep it going. Please sign up and encourage your network to do so also. @HSELive #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/5EkDaNSUhx — Paul Reid (@paulreiddublin) July 8, 2020
In a statement issued by the HSE he added: “I would encourage those who have not yet downloaded the app to do so, and for the 1 million people who have already downloaded the app, I would ask them to share it with their friends and families. The more people who download the app the greater its impact will be.”
READ MORE
The app was launched on Tuesday and given the number of downloads he said earlier it is “by far the most successful launch of this app anywhere in the world.
"Well done Ireland. Please keep it going and protect everyone by downloading it now," he wrote on Twitter on Wednesday morning.
Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly said that throughout the pandemic, the Irish people have shown great solidarity and were still showing it.
“One million downloads in less than two days is a huge achievement, and I want to thank everyone who has downloaded it, and especially the team who have worked so hard to develop it.
“Using this app means you are protecting yourself, you are protecting your family, you are protecting your friends, and you are protecting many people you don’t know. I’m asking you to take the two minutes and download it now.”
If a person using the app tests positive for Covid-19 they can choose to anonymously alert other app users who they have been in close contact with, including people they may not know. Those who receive an alert will also have quick and easy access to advice and testing, the HSE said, adding that this will support existing testing and contact tracing measures that are in place.
Speaking at the launch on Tuesday, Mr Reid said that use of the app could see a reduction in the time required to trace close contacts of someone who tested positive from days to hours. He also said the app cost about €850,000 to develop with an annual running cost of €350,000 to €400,000.
Eleven new cases of the virus were confirmed in the State on Wednesday.
Dr Ronan Glynn, acting chief medical officer at the Department of Health, said the app "is an important tool to support our contact tracing systems".
“It has the potential to reduce the time that people are active in the community with infection, which will have a significant impact on the transmission of the disease,” he said.
“The more people who download and use this app, the more effective it will be. It is a further opportunity for us to play our part in the response to Covid-19.”


theirishtimes--2020-07-08--Gardaí ‘confused’ about policing of pubs, survey finds

Garda members were “ confused ” about how they should police the reopening of pubs and they were forced to depend on the media asking questions to clarify their role during the Covid-19 policing operation , the Garda ’ s middle managers have said .
Ten days after the reopening of pubs , the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors ( AGSI ) said its members still did not know if policing that reopening should be done under liquor licensing laws or health regulations .
The criticism by the sergeants and inspectors emerges at a time of growing concern over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , especially in Dublin .
Gardaí have been directed to inspect pubs but have no power to take any immediate action , such as closing a pub , during inspections .
The AGSI said the Covid-19 policing operation had become much harder since restrictions had been eased .
Its general secretary Antoinette Cunningham said senior Garda management and the Department of Justice must now provide clear operational guidelines , training and appropriate legislative changes for the continuing policing operation related to Covid-19 .
She said a survey the association had carried out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Garda from a “ lessons learned ” perspective .
“ We were left without adequate guidance and training and relied on the media to ask questions about how gardaí would police Covid-19 regulations , ” she said .
“ The initial guidance for policing experienced an unacceptable delay .
Confusion still reigns on whether it is liquor licensing laws or health regulations that are to be enforced by our members .
“ Until there is a vaccine we will have to live with the virus and policing restrictions may become a feature of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” she said , adding a possible second wave of the virus was of real concern .
The survey found strong support for the 12-hour shifts introduced during the pandemic , with many AGSI members keen the shift pattern be retained .
Furthermore , sergeants and inspectors overwhelmingly expressed a desire for controversial spit hoods to be retained after the pandemic had passed .
The hoods are mesh coverings made available to gardaí to place over the heads of suspects to prevent them spitting .
The Policing Authority has repeatedly cautioned against the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ carried out first .
The AGSI member survey was carried out in mid-June , at which point Garda members had been working the pandemic 12-hour shifts for 12 weeks , with 52 per cent of the association ’ s 2,285 members replying via email .
The findings have been released to coincide with an AGSI national executive meeting in Portlaoise , Co Laois .
Some 74 per cent expressed satisfaction with the 12-hour shifts and 83 per cent expressed a desire to see that roster piloted during “ normal policing conditions ” .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ greater sense of community policing and connectedness to the public during the emergency ” .
Public interaction and the public ’ s response were both “ deemed highly positive ” , with satisfaction rates of over 90 per cent in that regard .
However , there was “ a sense that Garda management did not make the welfare of members a priority ” and a call for an improvement in communication from senior management .
Sergeants and inspectors said “ their knowledge of the emergency regulations was poor in the early days due @ @ @ @ @ @ @ implementation ” .
Some 94 per cent of sergeants and inspectors said Garda members should have access to priority testing for Covid-19 .
Some 67 per cent believed the emergency policing regulations “ were not adequately explained or informed to them by Garda management at the beginning ” of the pandemic .

The criticism by the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) emerges at a time of growing concern over groups congregating on the street to socialise, especially in Dublin. Photograph: Gaillot et Gray/PA Wire
Garda members were “confused” about how they should police the reopening of pubs and they were forced to depend on the media asking questions to clarify their role during the Covid-19 policing operation, the Garda’s middle managers have said.
Ten days after the reopening of pubs, the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) said its members still did not know if policing that reopening should be done under liquor licensing laws or health regulations.
The criticism by the sergeants and inspectors emerges at a time of growing concern over groups congregating on the street to socialise, especially in Dublin. Gardaí have been directed to inspect pubs but have no power to take any immediate action, such as closing a pub, during inspections.
The AGSI said the Covid-19 policing operation had become much harder since restrictions had been eased.
READ MORE
Its general secretary Antoinette Cunningham said senior Garda management and the Department of Justice must now provide clear operational guidelines, training and appropriate legislative changes for the continuing policing operation related to Covid-19.
She said a survey the association had carried out of its members provided vital information for the Garda from a “lessons learned” perspective.
“We were left without adequate guidance and training and relied on the media to ask questions about how gardaí would police Covid-19 regulations,” she said.
“The initial guidance for policing experienced an unacceptable delay. Confusion still reigns on whether it is liquor licensing laws or health regulations that are to be enforced by our members.
“Until there is a vaccine we will have to live with the virus and policing restrictions may become a feature of our work in the short term,” she said, adding a possible second wave of the virus was of real concern.
Shift pattern
The survey found strong support for the 12-hour shifts introduced during the pandemic, with many AGSI members keen the shift pattern be retained. Furthermore, sergeants and inspectors overwhelmingly expressed a desire for controversial spit hoods to be retained after the pandemic had passed.
The hoods are mesh coverings made available to gardaí to place over the heads of suspects to prevent them spitting. The Policing Authority has repeatedly cautioned against the hoods being retained without a review being carried out first.
The AGSI member survey was carried out in mid-June, at which point Garda members had been working the pandemic 12-hour shifts for 12 weeks, with 52 per cent of the association’s 2,285 members replying via email.
The findings have been released to coincide with an AGSI national executive meeting in Portlaoise, Co Laois.
Some 74 per cent expressed satisfaction with the 12-hour shifts and 83 per cent expressed a desire to see that roster piloted during “normal policing conditions”.
AGSI members believed there was “a greater sense of community policing and connectedness to the public during the emergency”. Public interaction and the public’s response were both “deemed highly positive”, with satisfaction rates of over 90 per cent in that regard.
However, there was “a sense that Garda management did not make the welfare of members a priority” and a call for an improvement in communication from senior management.
Sergeants and inspectors said “their knowledge of the emergency regulations was poor in the early days due to a lack of clear guidelines on implementation”.
Some 94 per cent of sergeants and inspectors said Garda members should have access to priority testing for Covid-19. Some 67 per cent believed the emergency policing regulations “were not adequately explained or informed to them by Garda management at the beginning” of the pandemic.