theirishtimes--2020-07-17--Aaron Brady rejects suggestion he shares characteristics of a psychopath

The man accused of murdering Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe has rejected a suggestion that he shares the characteristics of a psychopath .
On his fifth and final day giving evidence Aaron Brady ( 29 ) told prosecution counsel Brendan Grehan SC that a witness for the prosecution , Daniel Cahill , is a psychopath and a liar who assaulted him and threatened to cut off his toes after breaking into his apartment on St Patrick ’ s Day 2015 .
Mr Cahill denies any involvement in the assault and break-in and has told the trial that he heard Mr Brady @ @ @ @ @ @ @ occasions .
When Mr Grehan described a psychopath as someone who lacks morality , shows no remorse or empathy and is willing to lie to get out of any situation , blame others and play the victim card Mr Brady said , “ That is exactly what Daniel Cahill is.
” Mr Grehan suggested that the accused “ look a little closer to home ” to which Mr Brady replied : “ No .
I have never gone into someone ’ s room and threatened to cut someone ’ s toes off.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Road , Crossmaglen , Co Armagh has pleaded not guilty to the capital murder of Det Gda Adrian Donohoe who was then a member of An Garda Síochána on active duty on January 25th , 2013 at Lordship Credit Union , Bellurgan , Co Louth .
Mr Brady has also pleaded not guilty to a charge of robbing approximately €7,000 in cash and assorted cheques on the same date and at the same location .
The jury also heard on Friday that Mr Brady submitted an alibi on September 26th last year when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ October 7th .
Mr Brady also agreed with Mr Grehan that a District Court judge told him on July 27th , 2018 that he had two weeks to provide an alibi and in February 2018 gardai told him that if he failed to mention anything that he would later rely on in court a jury could use his failure as support for other evidence .
Mr Grehan asked the accused about interviews he gave to gardai at Dundalk Garda station in February 2018 .
Mr Brady recalled gardaí telling him that under a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jury could draw inferences against him if he refused to answer certain questions or did not say something which he would later rely on in court .
He said his solicitor told him there was “ no definitive evidence linking to the crime ” so he was advised not to answer .
When Mr Brady was then asked in that interview in February 2018 if he wished to give an account he said : “ I strongly deny any involvement in the murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe and any other matter put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that after seven days in custody Mr Brady was charged with the murder of Detective Garda Donohoe and on July 27th 2018 appeared before a judge at the District Court where the book of evidence was served on him .
Mr Brady agreed that on that date the judge at the District Court told him that he had 14 days to serve the prosecution with a notice of alibi .
Mr Brady told counsel that he consulted his solicitor and understood what this meant .
The accused further agreed that he was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2019 and on September 26th his solicitor sent a a letter to the prosecution stating : “ Please find enclosed a notice of alibi which is being served outside the statutory period.
” The letter stated that the defence had considered waiting until they had received full disclosure from the prosecution before serving the notice but due to the volume of ongoing disclosure and the impending trial date they had decided to send the notice now .
The alibi notice contained one line stating : “ The accused gives notice of alibi that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the offence the accused was at Concession Road , Crossmaglen.
” On December 20th , 2019 Mr Brady ’ s solicitor wrote a second letter with an enclosed statement by Mr Brady detailing his movements at the time of the robbery and shooting at Lordship Credit Union .
The notice of alibi was officially served on February 17th , a number of weeks after the trial had begun .
Mr Grehan then read the statement made by Mr Brady in which he said that when he spoke to gardai in February 2013 he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been loading cubes of illegally laundered diesel waste at a yard on Concession Road in south Armagh at the time of the shooting out of fear that he might be prosecuted .
He said he gave gardai an “ off the record ” account of his involvement in diesel laundering but told them he was unable to to load any cubes onto the trailer because the forklift didn ’ t work .
He said he left the yard after about 15 minutes .
In his evidence before the jury Mr Brady has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in fact he spent about 90 minutes to two hours loading diesel onto a trailer from 8pm to about 9.30pm or 10pm .
The shooting at Lordship happened at between 9.25pm and 9.30pm .
Mr Grehan put it to the accused that by allowing him to make this portion of his statement off the record gardaí were making it clear to him that they were only interested in getting an honest account of his movements and had no interest in diesel laundering .
Mr Brady replied : “ I ’ m sure they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they weren ’ t interested in anything else but you have to understand , I ’ m talking to two members of An Garda Siochana .
They have that information as soon as I tell them.
” When Mr Grehan pointed out that Concession Road is in Northern Ireland and beyond the power of the gardai Mr Brady replied : “ I don ’ t know what what powers the gardai had.
” Mr Grehan put it to him that if he had such a concern he wouldn ’ t have told gardai @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he did implicate himself in a crime by saying that he was trying to load cubes of illegal diesel waste .
Mr Brady said that at the time he didn ’ t believe that trying to start a forklift was a crime and therefore he was n't implicating himself in a crime .
He said he didn ’ t want to tell gardai that he had actually loaded cubes onto the trailer .
Mr Brady also criticised the garda investigation , saying that gardai should have checked the yard on Concession Road after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minutes there from about 8pm on the night of the robbery .
Mr Brady also addressed the evidence of Molly Staunton who told the trial that she heard Mr Brady say that he had “ shot a cop ” in Ireland .
The accused said that Ms Staunton was mistaken .
He said he the word “ cop ” would not be in his vocabulary and suggested that Ms Staunton may have had trouble understanding his accent .
He accepted Ms Staunton ’ s evidence that he had come out of his room @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but he said this was because gardai had called to his girlfriend ’ s parents ’ home in Tralee and “ blackened my name ” .
He was angry , he said , because he thought he was going to lose his girlfriend and unborn son .
He described Ms Staunton as “ vulnerable ” and said he was concerned that during her evidence via video link from her New York home she was interrupted by a man telling her : “ Tell them what you are supposed to tell them.
” Mr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he had shot a garda or murdered anyone .
Under reexamination defence counsel Michael O ’ Higgins SC asked Mr Brady where he would put himself on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 would describe a person who says : “ Things are hard , let ’ s get on with it , ” and five would describe someone who says : “ Poor me , I ’ m a victim.
” Mr Brady put himself at number 1 .
The trial will continue on Monday in front of Mr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ six men and seven women .

The man accused of murdering Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe has rejected a suggestion that he shares the characteristics of a psychopath.
On his fifth and final day giving evidence Aaron Brady (29) told prosecution counsel Brendan Grehan SC that a witness for the prosecution, Daniel Cahill, is a psychopath and a liar who assaulted him and threatened to cut off his toes after breaking into his apartment on St Patrick’s Day 2015. Mr Cahill denies any involvement in the assault and break-in and has told the trial that he heard Mr Brady admit to killing a garda on three occasions.
When Mr Grehan described a psychopath as someone who lacks morality, shows no remorse or empathy and is willing to lie to get out of any situation, blame others and play the victim card Mr Brady said, “That is exactly what Daniel Cahill is.”
Mr Grehan suggested that the accused “look a little closer to home” to which Mr Brady replied: “No. I have never gone into someone’s room and threatened to cut someone’s toes off.”
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Aaron Brady (29) from New Road, Crossmaglen, Co Armagh has pleaded not guilty to the capital murder of Det Gda Adrian Donohoe who was then a member of An Garda Síochána on active duty on January 25th, 2013 at Lordship Credit Union, Bellurgan, Co Louth. Mr Brady has also pleaded not guilty to a charge of robbing approximately €7,000 in cash and assorted cheques on the same date and at the same location.
The jury also heard on Friday that Mr Brady submitted an alibi on September 26th last year when his trial was due to begin on October 7th.
Mr Brady also agreed with Mr Grehan that a District Court judge told him on July 27th, 2018 that he had two weeks to provide an alibi and in February 2018 gardai told him that if he failed to mention anything that he would later rely on in court a jury could use his failure as support for other evidence.
Mr Grehan asked the accused about interviews he gave to gardai at Dundalk Garda station in February 2018. Mr Brady recalled gardaí telling him that under a provision in the Criminal Justice Act a jury could draw inferences against him if he refused to answer certain questions or did not say something which he would later rely on in court.
He said his solicitor told him there was “no definitive evidence linking to the crime” so he was advised not to answer. When Mr Brady was then asked in that interview in February 2018 if he wished to give an account he said: “I strongly deny any involvement in the murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe and any other matter put before me in interview.”
Mr Grehan said that after seven days in custody Mr Brady was charged with the murder of Detective Garda Donohoe and on July 27th 2018 appeared before a judge at the District Court where the book of evidence was served on him. Mr Brady agreed that on that date the judge at the District Court told him that he had 14 days to serve the prosecution with a notice of alibi. Mr Brady told counsel that he consulted his solicitor and understood what this meant.
The accused further agreed that he was initially listed for trial on October 7th 2019 and on September 26th his solicitor sent a a letter to the prosecution stating: “Please find enclosed a notice of alibi which is being served outside the statutory period.”
The letter stated that the defence had considered waiting until they had received full disclosure from the prosecution before serving the notice but due to the volume of ongoing disclosure and the impending trial date they had decided to send the notice now. The alibi notice contained one line stating: “The accused gives notice of alibi that at the time of the commission of the offence the accused was at Concession Road, Crossmaglen.”
On December 20th, 2019 Mr Brady’s solicitor wrote a second letter with an enclosed statement by Mr Brady detailing his movements at the time of the robbery and shooting at Lordship Credit Union. The notice of alibi was officially served on February 17th, a number of weeks after the trial had begun.
Mr Grehan then read the statement made by Mr Brady in which he said that when he spoke to gardai in February 2013 he was reluctant to tell them that he had been loading cubes of illegally laundered diesel waste at a yard on Concession Road in south Armagh at the time of the shooting out of fear that he might be prosecuted.
He said he gave gardai an “off the record” account of his involvement in diesel laundering but told them he was unable to to load any cubes onto the trailer because the forklift didn’t work. He said he left the yard after about 15 minutes. In his evidence before the jury Mr Brady has said that was a lie and that in fact he spent about 90 minutes to two hours loading diesel onto a trailer from 8pm to about 9.30pm or 10pm. The shooting at Lordship happened at between 9.25pm and 9.30pm.
Mr Grehan put it to the accused that by allowing him to make this portion of his statement off the record gardaí were making it clear to him that they were only interested in getting an honest account of his movements and had no interest in diesel laundering.
Mr Brady replied: “I’m sure they had some interest, They did say they weren’t interested in anything else but you have to understand, I’m talking to two members of An Garda Siochana. They have that information as soon as I tell them.” When Mr Grehan pointed out that Concession Road is in Northern Ireland and beyond the power of the gardai Mr Brady replied: “I don’t know what what powers the gardai had.”
Mr Grehan put it to him that if he had such a concern he wouldn’t have told gardai anything about diesel laundering and suggested that he did implicate himself in a crime by saying that he was trying to load cubes of illegal diesel waste. Mr Brady said that at the time he didn’t believe that trying to start a forklift was a crime and therefore he wasn't implicating himself in a crime. He said he didn’t want to tell gardai that he had actually loaded cubes onto the trailer.
Mr Brady also criticised the garda investigation, saying that gardai should have checked the yard on Concession Road after he told them he had spent 15 minutes there from about 8pm on the night of the robbery.
Mr Brady also addressed the evidence of Molly Staunton who told the trial that she heard Mr Brady say that he had “shot a cop” in Ireland. The accused said that Ms Staunton was mistaken. He said he the word “cop” would not be in his vocabulary and suggested that Ms Staunton may have had trouble understanding his accent. He accepted Ms Staunton’s evidence that he had come out of his room one evening upset and “ranting” but he said this was because gardai had called to his girlfriend’s parents’ home in Tralee and “blackened my name”. He was angry, he said, because he thought he was going to lose his girlfriend and unborn son.
He described Ms Staunton as “vulnerable” and said he was concerned that during her evidence via video link from her New York home she was interrupted by a man telling her: “Tell them what you are supposed to tell them.”
Mr Brady also denied ever telling Daniel Cahill that he had shot a garda or murdered anyone.
Under reexamination defence counsel Michael O’Higgins SC asked Mr Brady where he would put himself on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 would describe a person who says: “Things are hard, let’s get on with it,” and five would describe someone who says: “Poor me, I’m a victim.” Mr Brady put himself at number 1.
The trial will continue on Monday in front of Mr Justice Michael White and a jury of six men and seven women.


theirishtimes--2020-07-17--Week is a long time in politics for Micheál Martin

Political life goes through cycles , with times of heightened drama followed by periods that are taciturn and mundane .
Over four months , the negotiations that led to the formation of government had as many twists and as much intrigue needed to fill two seasons of a Netflix series .
Following its creation , the expectation was the new Coalition would bed in , with things winding down as the August torpor approached .
That has not happened .
Instead , the coalition has got off to an uneven and rocky start .
Fianna Fáil lost Barry Cowen within @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of office .
The Green have been given an early reminder of the reality of big compromises in government .
The running sores left by its bruising debate over coalition have not fully healed .
Moreover , it is in the throes of a leadership contest between Eamon Ryan and Catherine Martin which has the potential of having a destabilising impact on the party .
By contrast , Fine Gael has been relaxed and unruffled – managing to sail through it all calmly .
The Cowen affair has been a huge setback for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life in government after a decade in the cold .
The party has worked hard to reinvent itself as a modern party , strong on probity and on standards .
Its problem is that its high-profile TDs have a habit of getting mired in controversy or playing hard and fast with the rules .
Cowen ’ s drink-driving ban controversy recalled the recent Votegate controversy involving Niall Collins and Timmy Dooley and – travelling further back in time – the forced resignations of prominent office holders like Willie O ’ Dea , John @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – Ray Burke .
There is irony here , too .
Micheál Martin ’ s earlier career was characterised by caution , especially when he was minister for health .
He acquired the reputation – which he bridled against – of being indecisive and a waverer .
As a point of fact , in his latter career , his actions would suggest the complete opposite .
He dispatched those who broke the rules under his leadership with a certain streak of ruthlessness .
On the morning after Barry Cowen was sacked by Martin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Martin had moved too hastily .
It is true that the pressure had not yet reached the fever pitch that made it unavoidable .
Knowing Cowen ’ s stubborn nature , it is a likely that the decision was made to end it there and then , rather than wait for the same result some days later , with a whole pile more of grief added .
Was the decision and its timing right ?
Senior Ministers felt that it was and that Martin had no other choice .
But it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saw it as a sign of an absence of loyalty on Martin ’ s past – and party loyalty has always been big in Fianna Fáil .
Cowen himself now looks he could join Martin ’ s growing number of adversaries .
According to another of their number , as many as a third of the TDs would not support the Taoiseach .
A boil has appeared that will not be easily lanced .
A significant minority now favour an alternative path , and with it , an alternative leader .
Not quite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Government – perhaps at the moment when Martin steps down as taoiseach at the end of 2022 .
And before a blow was struck , the party knows it has to perform exceptionally in government if it is going to survive .
It has taken on four of the most difficult portfolios – health , housing , public expenditure and education .
There are a number of certainties that go with those departments – unpopularity , controversy , brickbats .
Ministers will need to show tangible results – not impossible , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brave move for Martin to elevate Norma Foley , a first time TD , into education too .
She has had an uncertain first few weeks and has got into hot water over the manner in which the delay in publishing Leaving Cert results was announced .
“ The exploding clown car that is the Department of Education trundles on , ” was Aodhán Ó Ríordáin ’ s scathing verdict .
Another new Minister of State Thomas Byrne strongly denied a claim by a party activist on social media he had tipped off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ban .
Altogether it ’ s not a good look .
Strangely , since becoming taoiseach , Martin has projected a stronger and more confident figure than following the shambles of its election campaign .
But it needs more than him to ward off the real and immediate threat posed by Sinn Féin .
And the main Opposition party is already flexing its muscles .
In the socially distanced Dáil there is a roll-call and it ’ s then it is brought home how big a presence it has in the Chamber .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in on Fianna Fáil and on the Greens .
There were two votes on Thursday that the Greens would have supported without thinking in Opposition – relating to proposals to extend maternity benefit payments during Covid-19 and to give lower-paid workers more rights .
The Government voted them down and you could see how hard that was for some of the Greens .
“ The Green TDs who promised change , ” harrumphed Ruairí Ó Murchú of Sinn Féin in a tweet , “ all 12 voted against improvements in the lives of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Sinn Féin and other Opposition parties will table private members Bills on issues such as direct provision , Israel , LNG , housing , social welfare , equality issues and animal rights during the course of this Dáil term that will really test the cohesion of all Green members to the programme to which they have signed up to .
And then there is the Greens ’ leadership contest .
Initially , it was thought that vote would mirror that of the programme for government .
But in the past week , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Catherine Martin has gained kudos for the leading role she played in negotiations , and is favoured more by those who emphasise social justice .
Ryan has majored wholly on his experience – and with him , it ’ s almost all environment .
She has countered that by saying experience is not a prerequisite and can stymie risk-taking .
Few say Martin will win it , but if Ryan ’ s margin is less than 60 per cent to 40 per cent , it will exacerbate internal tensions , which are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it all being Karma .
Like Fianna Fáil , the Greens need to show early tangible wins .
The Climate Action Bill needs to be published within the promised 100 days .
The Climate Advisory Council needs to be up and running with a five-year carbon budget .
The Just Transition Plan needs to be delivered early , as will a strong policy statement setting out the State ’ s withdrawal of support for a liquefied natural gas plan on the Shannon Estuary in north Kerry .
And the list goes on .

Political life goes through cycles, with times of heightened drama followed by periods that are taciturn and mundane.
Over four months, the negotiations that led to the formation of government had as many twists and as much intrigue needed to fill two seasons of a Netflix series. Following its creation, the expectation was the new Coalition would bed in, with things winding down as the August torpor approached.
That has not happened. Instead, the coalition has got off to an uneven and rocky start. Fianna Fáil lost Barry Cowen within three weeks of him getting his seal of office. The Greens have been given an early reminder of the reality of big compromises in government.
The running sores left by its bruising debate over coalition have not fully healed. Moreover, it is in the throes of a leadership contest between Eamon Ryan and Catherine Martin which has the potential of having a destabilising impact on the party.
READ MORE
By contrast, Fine Gael has been relaxed and unruffled – managing to sail through it all calmly.
The Cowen affair has been a huge setback for Fianna Fáil, as it readjusts to life in government after a decade in the cold. The party has worked hard to reinvent itself as a modern party, strong on probity and on standards. Its problem is that its high-profile TDs have a habit of getting mired in controversy or playing hard and fast with the rules.
Cowen's drink-driving ban controversy recalled the recent Votegate controversy involving Niall Collins and Timmy Dooley and – travelling further back in time – the forced resignations of prominent office holders like Willie O'Dea, John O'Donoghue and – most egregiously – Ray Burke.
There is irony here, too. Micheál Martin’s earlier career was characterised by caution, especially when he was minister for health. He acquired the reputation – which he bridled against – of being indecisive and a waverer.
As a point of fact, in his latter career, his actions would suggest the complete opposite. He dispatched those who broke the rules under his leadership with a certain streak of ruthlessness.
On the morning after Barry Cowen was sacked by Martin, a former Fine Gael minister mused that Martin had moved too hastily. It is true that the pressure had not yet reached the fever pitch that made it unavoidable. Knowing Cowen’s stubborn nature, it is a likely that the decision was made to end it there and then, rather than wait for the same result some days later, with a whole pile more of grief added.
Absence of loyalty
Was the decision and its timing right? Senior Ministers felt that it was and that Martin had no other choice. But it is a minority in the parliamentary party who saw it as a sign of an absence of loyalty on Martin’s past – and party loyalty has always been big in Fianna Fáil.
Cowen himself now looks he could join Martin’s growing number of adversaries. According to another of their number, as many as a third of the TDs would not support the Taoiseach. A boil has appeared that will not be easily lanced.
Former minister for agriculture Barry Cowen: The Cowen affair has been a huge setback for Fianna Fáil, as it readjusts to life in government after a decade in the cold. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA
A significant minority now favour an alternative path, and with it, an alternative leader. Not quite yet, but certainly within the lifetime of the Government – perhaps at the moment when Martin steps down as taoiseach at the end of 2022.
And before a blow was struck, the party knows it has to perform exceptionally in government if it is going to survive. It has taken on four of the most difficult portfolios – health, housing, public expenditure and education. There are a number of certainties that go with those departments – unpopularity, controversy, brickbats. Ministers will need to show tangible results – not impossible, but really difficult.
It was a brave move for Martin to elevate Norma Foley, a first time TD, into education too. She has had an uncertain first few weeks and has got into hot water over the manner in which the delay in publishing Leaving Cert results was announced. "The exploding clown car that is the Department of Education trundles on," was Aodhán Ó Ríordáin's scathing verdict. Another new Minister of State Thomas Byrne strongly denied a claim by a party activist on social media he had tipped off the media about Cowen's drink-driving ban. Altogether it's not a good look.
Strangely, since becoming taoiseach, Martin has projected a stronger and more confident figure than following the shambles of its election campaign. But it needs more than him to ward off the real and immediate threat posed by Sinn Féin.
Opposition muscle
And the main Opposition party is already flexing its muscles. In the socially distanced Dáil there is a roll-call and it's then it is brought home how big a presence it has in the Chamber. It has wasted no time in zoning in on Fianna Fáil and on the Greens. There were two votes on Thursday that the Greens would have supported without thinking in Opposition – relating to proposals to extend maternity benefit payments during Covid-19 and to give lower-paid workers more rights. The Government voted them down and you could see how hard that was for some of the Greens.
“The Green TDs who promised change,” harrumphed Ruairí Ó Murchú of Sinn Féin in a tweet, “all 12 voted against improvements in the lives of workers’ rights and new mothers”.
Sinn Féin and other Opposition parties will table private members Bills on issues such as direct provision, Israel, LNG, housing, social welfare, equality issues and animal rights during the course of this Dáil term that will really test the cohesion of all Green members to the programme to which they have signed up to.
And then there is the Greens’ leadership contest. Initially, it was thought that vote would mirror that of the programme for government. But in the past week, both sides agree it will be close.
Catherine Martin has gained kudos for the leading role she played in negotiations, and is favoured more by those who emphasise social justice. Ryan has majored wholly on his experience – and with him, it’s almost all environment. She has countered that by saying experience is not a prerequisite and can stymie risk-taking. Few say Martin will win it, but if Ryan’s margin is less than 60 per cent to 40 per cent, it will exacerbate internal tensions, which are real and present, despite Greens insisting it all being Karma.
Like Fianna Fáil, the Greens need to show early tangible wins. The Climate Action Bill needs to be published within the promised 100 days. The Climate Advisory Council needs to be up and running with a five-year carbon budget. The Just Transition Plan needs to be delivered early, as will a strong policy statement setting out the State's withdrawal of support for a liquefied natural gas plan on the Shannon Estuary in north Kerry. And the list goes on.


theirishtimes--2020-07-17--Man who admitted abusing boy gets suspended sentence due to delay bringing prosecution

A judge has suspended the prison sentence of a man who admitted in 2002 to sexually abusing a child because of the “ unconscionable delay ” in prosecuting him .
Kevin Brazil ( 50 ) admitted to sexually abusing the then 12-year-old boy when gardaí interviewed him in 2002 , but no file was sent forward to the Director of Public Prosecutions ( DPP ) .
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the garda investigating the allegations in 2002 is now deceased .
In 2016 the investigation was revived when the victim again made the allegations against Brazil .
Sentencing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that had matters been properly prosecuted by the state , the accused would not now be facing these charges at this remove .
She said that if not for “ the unconscionable delay of the state ” a custodial sentence would be inevitable .
She sentenced Brazil to three years imprisonment , but said because he acknowledged his guilt in 2002 and has not offended since his release from custody for another offence , the principle of proportionality was best served by suspending the entirety of the three year sentence for a period @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wainsfort Manor Grove , Terenure , Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to seven counts of sexually assaulting a child in the city on unknown dates between April 1 , 2002 and June 30 , 2002 .
The court heard that Brazil had approached the child on a street and arranged for him to come to his flat at a previous address , where he abused him .
He met him a number of other times over the following months .
After the boy made a complaint to gardaí , Brazil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gardaí that he had performed oral sex on the boy and that he had given the boy money and cigarettes .
Brazil has 16 previous convictions for sexual assaulting a child , all relating to the abuse of another boy between March 2000 and July 2002 .
In 2004 , Brazil was sentenced for these offences to three years imprisonment with the final year suspended .
Superintendent Barry Walsh told Patrick Gageby SC , defending , that he was not in a position to say why a file had not been sent to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He said that he was the investigating garda in relation to the allegations that were prosecuted in 2004 and that he was unaware at the time of these other offences .
Mr Gageby said that the delay in prosecuting this case was not the fault of his client .
He said his client has not offended since being released from custody .
Judge Sheahan said that if a file had been sent to the DPP after Brazil made admissions in 2002 , it most likely would have been prosecuted alongside his other convictions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that understandably the victim faced great anxiety because of the failure to bring closure to these matters .
She said that , in fairness to Brazil , this can not be laid at his door as he made admissions in 2002 and pleaded guilty when charges were brought against him .
She said the case was aggravated by the seriousness of the offending , the age disparity between the parties and Brazil engaging in similar offending over the same time period .
Judge Sheahan said the mitigating factors in the case were the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the admissions made in 2002 , his employment history , his efforts made to rehabilitate , his remorse and the fact that he has not come to garda attention since his release from custody in 2006 .
Superintendent Barry Walsh told Antonia Boyle BL , prosecuting , that in April of 2002 , Brazil approached the victim on a street in Dublin city centre .
Brazil later made an arrangement with the boy to come to the accused ’ s apartment .
In the apartment , Brazil asked the boy to sit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if he wanted “ to do some stuff with him ” .
Brazil took the boy ’ s trousers down and performed oral sex on him .
As he was leaving the apartment , Brazil gave the boy €40 and told him not to tell anyone .
Similar incidents occurred over the three month period .
On one such other occasion , Brazil rang the boy ’ s mother claiming to be the father of a friend of his and asked if the boy could stay in his home for the night .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ his clothes and got the boy to strip naked before going to bed .
The boy woke in the middle of the night to find Brazil on top of him , naked and grinding their genitals together .
This continued for around 10 or 15 minutes .
In his victim impact statement , which was read before the court , the victim said that being sexually assaulted was his first sexual experience and that he had “ little or no idea how wrong what he was doing to me was ” .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the psychological effect of what happened to him “ at all well ” .
He said that had he not had to endure what Brazil did to him , his life would be different now .
He said he had great difficulty interacting with people one on one .
He said he feels threatened by gay males , something he feels bad about because he knows the vast majority of the gay community are good people .
The victim said he hopes to leave what was done to him in the past @

On one occasion the defendant gave the boy €40 after abusing him and told him not to tell anyone. File photograph: Dave Meehan/The Irish Times
A judge has suspended the prison sentence of a man who admitted in 2002 to sexually abusing a child because of the “unconscionable delay” in prosecuting him.
Kevin Brazil (50) admitted to sexually abusing the then 12-year-old boy when gardaí interviewed him in 2002, but no file was sent forward to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the garda investigating the allegations in 2002 is now deceased. In 2016 the investigation was revived when the victim again made the allegations against Brazil.
Sentencing him on Friday Judge Elma Sheahan said that had matters been properly prosecuted by the state, the accused would not now be facing these charges at this remove. She said that if not for "the unconscionable delay of the state" a custodial sentence would be inevitable.
READ MORE
She sentenced Brazil to three years imprisonment, but said because he acknowledged his guilt in 2002 and has not offended since his release from custody for another offence, the principle of proportionality was best served by suspending the entirety of the three year sentence for a period of three years.
Brazil, of Wainsfort Manor Grove, Terenure, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to seven counts of sexually assaulting a child in the city on unknown dates between April 1, 2002 and June 30, 2002.
The court heard that Brazil had approached the child on a street and arranged for him to come to his flat at a previous address, where he abused him. He met him a number of other times over the following months.
After the boy made a complaint to gardaí, Brazil was interviewed by gardaí. He told gardaí that he had performed oral sex on the boy and that he had given the boy money and cigarettes.
Brazil has 16 previous convictions for sexual assaulting a child, all relating to the abuse of another boy between March 2000 and July 2002. In 2004, Brazil was sentenced for these offences to three years imprisonment with the final year suspended.
Superintendent Barry Walsh told Patrick Gageby SC, defending, that he was not in a position to say why a file had not been sent to the DPP regarding the earlier offences. He said that he was the investigating garda in relation to the allegations that were prosecuted in 2004 and that he was unaware at the time of these other offences.
Mr Gageby said that the delay in prosecuting this case was not the fault of his client. He said his client has not offended since being released from custody.
Judge Sheahan said that if a file had been sent to the DPP after Brazil made admissions in 2002, it most likely would have been prosecuted alongside his other convictions for sexual assault.
Judge Sheahan said that understandably the victim faced great anxiety because of the failure to bring closure to these matters. She said that, in fairness to Brazil, this cannot be laid at his door as he made admissions in 2002 and pleaded guilty when charges were brought against him.
She said the case was aggravated by the seriousness of the offending, the age disparity between the parties and Brazil engaging in similar offending over the same time period.
Judge Sheahan said the mitigating factors in the case were the accused’s early pleas of guilty, the admissions made in 2002, his employment history, his efforts made to rehabilitate, his remorse and the fact that he has not come to garda attention since his release from custody in 2006.
Superintendent Barry Walsh told Antonia Boyle BL, prosecuting, that in April of 2002, Brazil approached the victim on a street in Dublin city centre. Brazil later made an arrangement with the boy to come to the accused's apartment.
In the apartment, Brazil asked the boy to sit on his knee and then asked him if he wanted “to do some stuff with him”. Brazil took the boy’s trousers down and performed oral sex on him.
As he was leaving the apartment, Brazil gave the boy €40 and told him not to tell anyone. Similar incidents occurred over the three month period.
On one such other occasion, Brazil rang the boy’s mother claiming to be the father of a friend of his and asked if the boy could stay in his home for the night. Brazil told the boy he would wash his clothes and got the boy to strip naked before going to bed.
The boy woke in the middle of the night to find Brazil on top of him, naked and grinding their genitals together. This continued for around 10 or 15 minutes.
In his victim impact statement, which was read before the court, the victim said that being sexually assaulted was his first sexual experience and that he had “little or no idea how wrong what he was doing to me was”.
The victim said that he did not deal with the psychological effect of what happened to him “at all well”. He said that had he not had to endure what Brazil did to him, his life would be different now.
He said he had great difficulty interacting with people one on one. He said he feels threatened by gay males, something he feels bad about because he knows the vast majority of the gay community are good people.
The victim said he hopes to leave what was done to him in the past.


theirishtimes--2020-07-17--Messy, disappointing, confusing: Leaving Cert students react to delay of exam results

The Department of Education ’ s decision to delay Leaving Cert results until several weeks later than normal , on September 7th , took students by surprise .
The Irish Times spoke to some of the more than 60,000 Leaving Cert student affected by the news .
“ I ’ ve applied to go to the Netherlands to study Law in Society and I was conditionally accepted but that ’ s based on me getting the results that I need and to have those in by August 31st .
“ It ’ s all well and good they ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Northern Ireland but there are students going to different countries that have different timelines .
So it doesn ’ t really give us much assurance .
“ I emailed the college last night .
.
.
it ’ s a tough time .
I know I ’ m not the only student in this position and there ’ s probably an influx of students emailing different colleges saying ‘ my results won ’ t be in ’ .
It ’ s very , very messy.
” “ It puts more stress and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m planning to go to DCU and they ’ ve given us a start date of September 21st for first years to come for a two-week orientation and then online lectures and that from October 5th .
“ But it means I ’ m literally only going to have a couple of days really to get organised , as the first round offers only come out on September 11th .
It ’ s a matter of only a couple of days I ’ ll have to prepare myself to go to college which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m from Donegal and preparing to go to a big city like Dublin , which I ’ ve never really been in before , is a big thing for me.
” “ For myself it ’ s difficult because I don ’ t know whether I should be getting accommodation .
I don ’ t have any idea about what next year might look like .
It ’ s obviously very confusing .
“ I ’ m hoping to study Irish and English in UCC .
I do have accommodation lined up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deposit down because I don ’ t know what ’ s happening , if I ’ ll even need to be based in Cork .
“ The last few months have been so stressful and the worst thing is just the uncertainty , all the speculation .
Hopefully we ’ ll get as much clarification as possible soon.
” “ I ’ m really disappointed and frustrated , especially how the news came .
The communication could have been so much better .
“ I was really looking forward to getting those results @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to happen .
This is so much different to a normal Leaving Cert year .
If I had sat the exams I would have a rough idea of how I was going to do but now I really have no idea what those results will be like .
“ It just kicks that ball down the way and makes it harder to focus on the end goal which is going to college .
I am lucky that the course I want to do is low enough points and most of the courses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so it makes planning that bit easier but still I would love to have that certainty closer to the time .
”

The Department of Education’s decision to delay Leaving Cert results until several weeks later than normal, on September 7th, took students by surprise. The Irish Times spoke to some of the more than 60,000 Leaving Cert student affected by the news.
Alicia O’Sullivan (19), Cork
"I've applied to go to the Netherlands to study Law in Society and I was conditionally accepted but that's based on me getting the results that I need and to have those in by August 31st.
"It's all well and good they're talking about the UK and students going to Northern Ireland but there are students going to different countries that have different timelines. So it doesn't really give us much assurance.
“I emailed the college last night . . . it’s a tough time. I know I’m not the only student in this position and there’s probably an influx of students emailing different colleges saying ‘my results won’t be in’. It’s very, very messy.”
READ MORE
Charles Gallagher (19), Donegal
Charles Gallagher (19), Donegal
“It puts more stress and anxiety on the situation. I’m planning to go to DCU and they’ve given us a start date of September 21st for first years to come for a two-week orientation and then online lectures and that from October 5th.
“But it means I’m literally only going to have a couple of days really to get organised, as the first round offers only come out on September 11th. It’s a matter of only a couple of days I’ll have to prepare myself to go to college which is a big thing.
“I’m from Donegal and preparing to go to a big city like Dublin, which I’ve never really been in before, is a big thing for me.”
Katie Halpin-Hill (18), Waterford
Katie Halpin-Hill (18), Waterford
“For myself it’s difficult because I don’t know whether I should be getting accommodation. I don’t have any idea about what next year might look like. It’s obviously very confusing.
“I’m hoping to study Irish and English in UCC. I do have accommodation lined up but I haven’t put a deposit down because I don’t know what’s happening, if I’ll even need to be based in Cork.
“The last few months have been so stressful and the worst thing is just the uncertainty, all the speculation. Hopefully we’ll get as much clarification as possible soon.”
Luke Casserly (19), Longford
Luke Casserly (19), Longford
“I’m really disappointed and frustrated, especially how the news came. The communication could have been so much better.
“I was really looking forward to getting those results next month and knowing what’s going to happen. This is so much different to a normal Leaving Cert year. If I had sat the exams I would have a rough idea of how I was going to do but now I really have no idea what those results will be like.
“It just kicks that ball down the way and makes it harder to focus on the end goal which is going to college. I am lucky that the course I want to do is low enough points and most of the courses I want to do are in DCU so it makes planning that bit easier but still I would love to have that certainty closer to the time.”


theirishtimes--2020-07-17--Father endangered baby girl’s life by dangling her over river upside down, court told

A father endangered the life of his three and a half month old baby girl when he held her upside down by one leg over the River Fergus in Ennis during a tense stand-off in April , a court has heard .
The allegation is among seven new charges brought against the 28-year-old Ennis man at Ennis District Court concerning a series of alleged offences over a four-hour period at four locations on April 10th and the early hours of April 11th last .
Members of the Garda Armed Response Unit along with trained negotiators were called in to defuse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ baby girl .
The man was arrested and the baby was returned into the arms of her mother shortly after 2am on April 11th .
The man is accused of intentionally or recklessly engaging in conduct where he held the baby upside-down by one leg over the River Fergus at Woodquay , Ennis creating a substantial risk of death or serious harm .
He is also accused of intentionally or recklessly swinging the baby over his head and to the ground aggressively and narrowly missing a steel pole at Carmody Street , Ennis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ making threats that he would kill or cause serious harm to the baby and violently tossing the baby around in the air while holding her by one ankle with one hand and threatening to smash her head off the ground .
The man is also charged with wilfully assaulting , ill-treating , neglecting and exposing the child in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering .
The accused made ‘ no reply ’ after charge and caution .
Sgt Aiden Lonergan told Judge Patrick Durcan that the Director of Public Prosecutions ( DPP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by indictment to the Circuit Court .
Persons convicted in the circuit court of offences under Section 13 Non Fatal Against the Person Act and Section 246 of the Children ’ s Act are liable to prison terms up to seven years .
Gardaí have taken 60 statements and sought CCTV from 30 different premises in Ennis as part of an investigation into the alleged offences .
The Ennis man has been in custody since the incident and has remained on remand at Limerick prison after facing an initial charge concerning the incident @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and High Court were refused .
Solicitor for the accused , Daragh Hassett told the judge that he intends to bring a fresh bail application next Wednesday .
The man is also charged with assault causing harm of his partner and the child ’ s mother on Friday , April 10th at an address in Ennis prior to the alleged assault of the baby .
Judge Durcan further remanded the accused man — who can ’ t be named for legal reasons — in custody to appear again before court on July 22nd @

Other allegations against the man include making threats that he would kill or cause serious harm to the baby.
A father endangered the life of his three and a half month old baby girl when he held her upside down by one leg over the River Fergus in Ennis during a tense stand-off in April, a court has heard.
The allegation is among seven new charges brought against the 28-year-old Ennis man at Ennis District Court concerning a series of alleged offences over a four-hour period at four locations on April 10th and the early hours of April 11th last.
Members of the Garda Armed Response Unit along with trained negotiators were called in to defuse the situation concerning the father and his baby girl.
The man was arrested and the baby was returned into the arms of her mother shortly after 2am on April 11th.
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The man is accused of intentionally or recklessly engaging in conduct where he held the baby upside-down by one leg over the River Fergus at Woodquay, Ennis creating a substantial risk of death or serious harm. He is also accused of intentionally or recklessly swinging the baby over his head and to the ground aggressively and narrowly missing a steel pole at Carmody Street, Ennis on April 10th.
Other allegations include making threats that he would kill or cause serious harm to the baby and violently tossing the baby around in the air while holding her by one ankle with one hand and threatening to smash her head off the ground.
The man is also charged with wilfully assaulting, ill-treating, neglecting and exposing the child in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering. The accused made ‘no reply’ after charge and caution.
Sgt Aiden Lonergan told Judge Patrick Durcan that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has directed that the case proceed by indictment to the Circuit Court.
Persons convicted in the circuit court of offences under Section 13 Non Fatal Against the Person Act and Section 246 of the Children’s Act are liable to prison terms up to seven years.
Gardaí have taken 60 statements and sought CCTV from 30 different premises in Ennis as part of an investigation into the alleged offences.
The Ennis man has been in custody since the incident and has remained on remand at Limerick prison after facing an initial charge concerning the incident. Bail applications at the District Court and High Court were refused.
Solicitor for the accused, Daragh Hassett told the judge that he intends to bring a fresh bail application next Wednesday. The man is also charged with assault causing harm of his partner and the child’s mother on Friday, April 10th at an address in Ennis prior to the alleged assault of the baby.
Judge Durcan further remanded the accused man — who can't be named for legal reasons — in custody to appear again before court on July 22nd.


theirishtimes--2020-07-18--Stardust fire haunted Christine Keegan ‘for rest of her life’, funeral told

The Stardust fire tragedy haunted campaigner Christine Keegan “ for the rest of her life ” , her funeral has heard .
Ms Keegan lost her daughters Mary ( 19 ) and Martina ( 16 ) in the fire at the nightclub in Artane on February 14th , 1981 – the worst fire disaster in the history of the State .
Ms Keegan died earlier this week , aged 84 .
Her funeral took place at St Joseph the Artisan Catholic Church in north Dublin on Saturday morning .
Fr Joe Jones told the congregation Ms Keegan ’ s late @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years ago , was “ the love of her life ” and they are “ reunited once again ” .
“ We know too the heartache they both suffered in losing their two lovely daughters Mary and Martina in the Stardust fire , an event that would haunt her for the rest of her life , ” Fr Jones said .
“ An event that would tear not only her family but the many other families , tear them apart , destroying the peace that they should have known but were unable to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the victims and the 48 people whose lives were taken so tragically on that fateful night 39 years ago .
“ Throughout the years Chrissie fought for justice , and she vowed never to give up , and she never did .
Each time I visited her with Communion it was always the topic of conversation between the two of us , and she always said ‘ I will never give up ’ .
” Fr Jones said in the short years he had come to know Ms Keegan she was always @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who did much for her family , friends and neighbours .
“ She was tireless in her efforts to create benefit nights and do good for charities that were close to her heart .
She was a good neighbour , caring and thoughtful , sharing her recipe for a good stew with the neighbours who are also grieving the loss of loved ones as well , ” he said Fr Jones said Ms Keegan is “ finally at peace ” with her daughters , husband and other family members .
“ I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ greeted her with the words ‘ well done good and faithful servant for all the work you have done throughout the years in attempting to bring justice into one of the most darkest moments in the history of our country ’ , ” he added .
Ms Keegan ’ s daughter Lorraine said her mother was “ the best mother any of us could have asked for ” .
“ She was an amazing mother , grandmother and great grandmother .
When children were around her , her eyes lit up , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say is heaven is going to have a great woman .
She is up there now with my Dad , Mary , Martina and Millie-Ruby so she gets to be a mother again to her beautiful daughters and a grandmother again to Millie-Ruby.
” Ms Keegan said her mother will be missed by her family and friends and that she was “ very witty and had a fantastic sense of humour ” .
“ We would ask Ma ‘ are you having a whiskey ’ and she would say ‘ yeah it will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ great quote from Mam , when she cracked a joke and people laughed she would say ‘ stick around you ain ’ t seen nothing yet ’ .
” President Michael D Higgins was represented at the funeral by his aide-de-camp Lieut Col Stephen Howard and Taoiseach Micheál Martin was represented by his aide-de-camp Cdr Caroline Burke .
A number of items were laid out on a table in front of the altar to represent Ms Keegan , including a Liverpool blanket ; trophies she was awarded over the years ; a copy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ often featured in ; an Aldi magazine ; a book on the Stardust tragedy ; and a candle to St Martha .
“ The table is draped in a Liverpool blanket reminding us that you ’ ll never walk alone , and indeed through the years we know that she never did walk alone , there were many people who walked with her , ” Fr Jones said .
Ms Keegan is survived by her children Antoinette , John , Lorraine , Suzanne , Neville and Damien .

Dublin fire brigade members form a guard of honour following the funeral of Christine Keegan at Bonnybrook Parish, St Joseph the Artisan Church, Dublin. Photograph: Dara Mac Donaill/The Irish Times
The Stardust fire tragedy haunted campaigner Christine Keegan "for the rest of her life", her funeral has heard.
Ms Keegan lost her daughters Mary (19) and Martina (16) in the fire at the nightclub in Artane on February 14th, 1981 – the worst fire disaster in the history of the State.
Ms Keegan died earlier this week, aged 84. Her funeral took place at St Joseph the Artisan Catholic Church in north Dublin on Saturday morning.
Neighbours and friends on Greencastle Crescent line street as the funeral cortege makes its way down following the funeral mass of Christine Keegan at Bonnybrook Parish, St Joseph the Artisan Church, Dublin. Photograph: Dara Mac Donaill/The Irish Times
The funeral of Christine Keegan at Bonnybrook Parish, St Joseph the Artisan Church, Dublin. Photograph: Dara Mac Donaill/The Irish Times
By 9.45am, there were about 100 mourners waiting in the grounds of the church for the funeral cortege to arrive. When, just before 10am, the hearse pulled slowly in, it was followed by about 25 of Ms Keegan’s family and close friends.
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Neighbours and friends on Greencastle Crescent line street as the funeral cortege makes its way down following the funeral mass of Christine Keegan at Bonnybrook Parish, St Joseph the Artisan Church, Dublin. Photograph: Dara Mac Donaill/The Irish Times
Eight pallbearers, all dressed in matching sharp black suits, lifted the coffin from the hearse, on to their shoulders, and carried it inside for the funeral mass.
After the funeral cortege entered the church, the door was shut and a sign reading “full” was hung on the handles, with attendance strictly limited due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The rest of the mourners waited patiently outside for the 50 minute service to conclude.
Fr Joe Jones told the congregation Ms Keegan's late husband John, who passed away 34 years ago, was "the love of her life" and they are "reunited once again".
“We know too the heartache they both suffered in losing their two lovely daughters Mary and Martina in the Stardust fire, an event that would haunt her for the rest of her life,” Fr Jones said.
“An event that would tear not only her family but the many other families, tear them apart, destroying the peace that they should have known but were unable to achieve because of the lack of justice for the victims and the 48 people whose lives were taken so tragically on that fateful night 39 years ago.
“Throughout the years Chrissie fought for justice, and she vowed never to give up, and she never did. Each time I visited her with Communion it was always the topic of conversation between the two of us, and she always said ‘I will never give up’.”
Fr Jones said in the short years he had come to know Ms Keegan she was always a “funny, witty person” who did much for her family, friends and neighbours.
“She was tireless in her efforts to create benefit nights and do good for charities that were close to her heart. She was a good neighbour, caring and thoughtful, sharing her recipe for a good stew with the neighbours who are also grieving the loss of loved ones as well,” he said
Fr Jones said Ms Keegan is “finally at peace” with her daughters, husband and other family members.
“I’ve no doubt that each of them greeted her with the words ‘well done good and faithful servant for all the work you have done throughout the years in attempting to bring justice into one of the most darkest moments in the history of our country’,” he added.
Ms Keegan's daughter Lorraine said her mother was "the best mother any of us could have asked for".
“She was an amazing mother, grandmother and great grandmother. When children were around her, her eyes lit up,” she said.
“All I can say is heaven is going to have a great woman. She is up there now with my Dad, Mary, Martina and Millie-Ruby so she gets to be a mother again to her beautiful daughters and a grandmother again to Millie-Ruby.”
Ms Keegan said her mother will be missed by her family and friends and that she was “very witty and had a fantastic sense of humour”.
“We would ask Ma ‘are you having a whiskey’ and she would say ‘yeah it will make me frisky’.
Another great quote from Mam, when she cracked a joke and people laughed she would say ‘stick around you ain’t seen nothing yet’.”
President Michael D Higgins was represented at the funeral by his aide-de-camp Lieut Col Stephen Howard and Taoiseach Micheál Martin was represented by his aide-de-camp Cdr Caroline Burke.
A number of items were laid out on a table in front of the altar to represent Ms Keegan, including a Liverpool blanket; trophies she was awarded over the years; a copy of the Northside People, which she often featured in; an Aldi magazine; a book on the Stardust tragedy; and a candle to St Martha.
“The table is draped in a Liverpool blanket reminding us that you’ll never walk alone, and indeed through the years we know that she never did walk alone, there were many people who walked with her,” Fr Jones said.
After the funeral members of Dublin City Fire Brigade lined up at the entrance of the church as the coffin was carried out. Young members of Ms Keegan’s family were visibly emotional as You’ll Never Walk Alone by Gerry and the Pacemakers was played on speakers in the grounds.
The pallbearers took a moment - standing together, arms around each other, in front of the back of the hearse - after placing it inside. The assembled crowd then moved in to embrace the family.
Dublin fire brigade members form a guard of honour following the funeral of Christine Keegan at Bonnybrook Parish, St Joseph the Artisan Church, Dublin. Photograph: Dara Mac Donaill/The Irish Times
Three units of Dublin City Brigade accompanied the hearse and funeral cortege as it left the church grounds and made the short journey around the corner to Greencastle Crescent where Ms Keegan lived.
As it approached, members of the estate stood at their front doors and looked on in respectful silence. Outside Ms Keegan’s home, about 100 people lined both sides of the street. Many of them, mostly young children, held red balloons.
The hearse made a final stop outside the house, at which point the balloons were released and filled the morning sky as all in attendance burst into applause.
After a few moments, the cortege moved on to bury Ms Keegan’s remains in the church’s adjoining cemetery. As the three units of Dublin Fire Brigade followed some moments later, the crowd burst into applause again.
Ms Keegan is survived by her children Antoinette, John, Lorraine, Suzanne, Neville and Damien.


theirishtimes--2020-07-18--Kinsale sees few foreign visitors but hotels remain conscious over quarantine status

Hotel owners in Kinsale , west Cork say they have seen few foreign visitors since reopening on June 29th .
However , many businesses say they are conscious to check with any overseas visitors that they have quarantined while striving to maintain Ireland ’ s reputation for warm hospitality .
Michael Frawley jnr in the White House , Kinsale said if it transpired that an overseas group dining in their restaurant had not quarantined , he would feel obliged to ask them to leave .
“ You have a responsibility to your staff and your customers to be careful and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in jeopardy for the sake of a table of four that might make you anything from €50 to €200 because in the long run , it ’ s just not worth it .
“ You don ’ t want to be negative and you don ’ t want people going away saying ‘ Where is this Irish hospitality ?
’ You want to try and keep the continuity of the Irish hospitality ethos without endangering your staff so you do have to find out where they are from .
It ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he found out on the first week of reopening that it is not as simple as might seem .
He said they found themselves with several groups of French speaking tourists only to discover their visitors were living in Wexford and Wicklow .
“ When the story broke about the restaurant in Tralee refusing people , my initial reaction was that ’ s a bit drastic but then on reflection , they did what we all said we were going to do but were afraid to say publically .
In a way they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ service by being the first to do it.
” Ciarán Fitzgerald of the 33 bedroom Blue Haven Hotel in Kinsale said the hotel had received a lot of attention after tweeting that anyone who has travelled from abroad but has not self-isolated for 14 days should not enter their premises .
Mr Fitzgerald said the overwhelming response had been positive with people feeling reassured that the hotel management were doing everything they could to ensure a safe environment for both customers and staff .
“ We haven ’ t seen many overseas visitors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be 50/50 between domestic and foreign visitors and of those foreign visitors , some 70 per cent would be American but all our group US business has deferred to next year so it looks like being 100 per cent domestic business this year .
“ We ’ ve heard of other towns where large groups of foreign visitors have arrived so we ’ ve put protocols in place - the key is to do it respectfully .
We welcome overseas guests every year and we want to welcome them back so we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any messages that might offend people .
“ All we are asking is for people to follow the guidelines - if you come and sign a declaration saying you have quarantined for 14 days , we will roll out the red carpet and open the doors to you , it doesn ’ t matter where you come from once you followed the guidelines and quarantined here.
” Mr Fitzgerald said he believed that it was better to adopt such an approach and offer reassurance to both staff and other customers as he believed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would prove more beneficial for a town like Kinsale where some 1,000 people rely on tourism for their living .
Over at the 77 bedroom Actons Hotel , sales and marketing manager Amy Buttimer said all their bookings and business since they re-opened were from Irish guests .
“ Kinsale is well known overseas so we would be very heavily dependent on the UK and US markets .
Overseas visitors would probably account for 50 per cent of our business but since we re-opened , the pick-up has been all domestic , nothing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We haven ’ t seen any Americans and we ’ re not going to see any tours this year but in terms of the domestic business , Belfast is the furthest people have come from and we have had a lot of people from Dublin and from Cork city .
It ’ s only up the road but they still see Kinsale as an escape .
”

‘We have had a lot of people from Dublin and from Cork city. It’s only up the road but they still see Kinsale as an escape,’ says Amy Buttimer of Actons Hotel. Photograph: iStock
Hotel owners in Kinsale, west Cork say they have seen few foreign visitors since reopening on June 29th.
However, many businesses say they are conscious to check with any overseas visitors that they have quarantined while striving to maintain Ireland’s reputation for warm hospitality.
Michael Frawley jnr in the White House, Kinsale said if it transpired that an overseas group dining in their restaurant had not quarantined, he would feel obliged to ask them to leave .
We are looking forward to being able to welcome everyone that walks in our door very soon, but for now to keep everyone safe, we request that all guidelines are adhered to prior to us being able to do so. #staysafe @poloconghaile @LucindasIreland @pure_cork @kinsale_ie pic.twitter.com/9ON8mBEl8I — Blue Haven Kinsale, Boutique Hotel (@Bluehavenkinsal) July 13, 2020
“You have a responsibility to your staff and your customers to be careful and you don’t want put them in jeopardy for the sake of a table of four that might make you anything from €50 to €200 because in the long run, it’s just not worth it.
READ MORE
“You don’t want to be negative and you don’t want people going away saying ‘Where is this Irish hospitality?’ You want to try and keep the continuity of the Irish hospitality ethos without endangering your staff so you do have to find out where they are from. It’s a tricky balance.”
But Mr Frawley said he found out on the first week of reopening that it is not as simple as might seem. He said they found themselves with several groups of French speaking tourists only to discover their visitors were living in Wexford and Wicklow.
“When the story broke about the restaurant in Tralee refusing people, my initial reaction was that’s a bit drastic but then on reflection, they did what we all said we were going to do but were afraid to say publically. In a way they’ve done us all a great service by being the first to do it.”
Ciarán Fitzgerald of the 33 bedroom Blue Haven Hotel in Kinsale said the hotel had received a lot of attention after tweeting that anyone who has travelled from abroad but has not self-isolated for 14 days should not enter their premises.
Mr Fitzgerald said the overwhelming response had been positive with people feeling reassured that the hotel management were doing everything they could to ensure a safe environment for both customers and staff.
“We haven’t seen many overseas visitors in the town. Usually our split would be 50/50 between domestic and foreign visitors and of those foreign visitors, some 70 per cent would be American but all our group US business has deferred to next year so it looks like being 100 per cent domestic business this year.
“We’ve heard of other towns where large groups of foreign visitors have arrived so we’ve put protocols in place - the key is to do it respectfully. We welcome overseas guests every year and we want to welcome them back so we don’t want to send out any messages that might offend people.
“All we are asking is for people to follow the guidelines - if you come and sign a declaration saying you have quarantined for 14 days, we will roll out the red carpet and open the doors to you, it doesn’t matter where you come from once you followed the guidelines and quarantined here.”
Mr Fitzgerald said he believed that it was better to adopt such an approach and offer reassurance to both staff and other customers as he believed in the medium to longer term it would prove more beneficial for a town like Kinsale where some 1,000 people rely on tourism for their living.
Over at the 77 bedroom Actons Hotel, sales and marketing manager Amy Buttimer said all their bookings and business since they re-opened were from Irish guests.
“Kinsale is well known overseas so we would be very heavily dependent on the UK and US markets. Overseas visitors would probably account for 50 per cent of our business but since we re-opened, the pick-up has been all domestic, nothing from overseas,” she said.
"We haven't seen any Americans and we're not going to see any tours this year but in terms of the domestic business, Belfast is the furthest people have come from and we have had a lot of people from Dublin and from Cork city. It's only up the road but they still see Kinsale as an escape."


theirishtimes--2020-07-18--Interest in rural property soars as Covid-19 effect kicks in

Charlie McCarthy , an auctioneer who has sold houses , farms and even islands in west Cork for almost half a century , takes the calls on Coom Hill as he looks out on to the Atlantic .
The last time the telephone rang so frequently back in his Skibbereen office was amid Cold War hysteria in mainland Europe during the 1970s , when German newspapers argued that west Cork was the safest place to avoid the impact of nuclear conflict .
“ The Germans and the Dutch came over in their droves .
It was to do with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In recent weeks , the phone has been ringing off the hook again .
“ The interest is unbelievable .
Covid has made a lot of people think .
There is a realisation now you can work remotely , hold meetings on Zoom .
People are hankering for a better lifestyle , they want to raise their families as well.
” Last week , he put up a property online asking €575,000 .
A City worker in London made an immediate offer of €550,000 .
“ I said you need to come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ No , we ’ ve seen it online .
We know the area well .
We want to get out of London ’ .
” While the recent high-profile sale of nearby Horse Island , for €5.5 million to a mystery overseas buyer who bought without seeing it in person , has drawn “ high-end ” attention to the area , McCarthy says interest is “ way up ” in all price brackets .
The claim is borne out by an analysis of online house-hunting .
Angela Keegan , managing director of property @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Irish Times , says searches for houses in west Cork have gone “ through the roof ” since the easing of coronavirus lockdown restrictions – “ Up about 9,000 per cent.
” The figure is based on relatively small numbers .
However , trends nationally show a definite shift by would-be house-buyers , many of whom have been forced to reflect on their way of life since the pandemic .
Online searches for properties in Schull in west Cork during June were up 300 times compared with the same month last year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , while searches for Clonakilty and Kinsale were 3.5 times greater .
There has been an almost 150 per cent spike in interest in Kerry properties , mainly in Kenmare , Killarney and Tralee , with similar surges for Waterford , driven mostly by a fourfold jump in queries about Dungarvan .
In the west , online viewings of properties in Galway city has more than doubled , while counties Mayo – predominantly Westport – and Sligo are recording 160 per cent increases .
Outside of Dublin in Leinster , the focus is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ belt counties of Wicklow , Kildare and Meath .
There has been a 200 per cent rise in searches for Louth – mainly Drogheda and Dundalk – with similar increases for Wexford , Westmeath and Kilkenny .
Queries for Rosslare Strand – the sunniest spot in Ireland , according to Met Éireann – are up 250 per cent .
While there has been a twofold jump in searches for holiday homes , Keegan says the data – which shows numbers seeking cottages , farmhouses and country houses are all up significantly – suggests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ My gut instinct is that while everybody has been at home for a number of months , perhaps they have decided they can live a little bit differently , ” she said .
“ We are seeing increases in searches in areas you wouldn ’ t expect .
They ’ re not all first-time buyers when you see where they are looking .
“ I think people are seeing opportunities to live elsewhere .
Working from home for months in a small house with three or four children , you might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can have a better quality of life and still work from home .
“ People living on the commuter belt , spending three hours a day getting to work and back – they don ’ t have to do it and they are still producing really , really good work.
” The data also suggests people are looking for a bargain .
Searches for properties valued at up to €100,000 have risen fivefold , there has been an eightfold jump in those looking for houses priced under €200,000 , while interest in properties @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that because of limited supply and pent-up demand , a nosedive in prices is unlikely over the coming months , but it will be the end of the year before the full impact of the Covid-19 crisis becomes evident .
But is it a temporary shift in attitude , or a permanent one ?
“ Whether it will be radical or not remains to be seen , depending on how employers adapt to the new norm , but I think we have a better chance of a cultural shift than we would have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lecturer in housing at Technical University of Dublin , believes a “ serendipitous opportunity ” has arrived to regenerate rural Ireland .
“ The Government could capitalise on this now , to revitalise towns and villages , ” he says .
“ It could be levered quite well to attract people into towns and villages .
Now there are people willing to do it .
It is probably easier to persuade people to move into towns and villages now than it would have been 24 months ago.
” The pandemic , says Sirr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city apartments without balconies or outdoor spaces , which are forcing people to think about whether they can live better elsewhere .
However , the Government must manage a drift to the country into towns and villages , not unsustainable one-off houses , he suggests , adding that the cost of providing extra GPs and schools could be done at relatively little cost .
“ I don ’ t think we are going to see a sudden mass exodus of half a million people down to Carrick-on-Shannon or wherever , ” he says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who want to live in a city and people who have to live in and around a city . ''
Meanwhile , four in every 10 of the premium houses now being sold by Savills are going to overseas buyers .
James Butler , head of country sales at Savills , said it registered more buyers in June for “ prime country properties ” than in any month in the previous three years .
All of them – apart from one looking to move closer to family – were seeking more space than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the surge is just the backlog from a three-month lockdown , the coronavirus has “ focused minds ” on where people want to be , said Butler , who believes there is a “ Covid factor ” in about half of all his enquiries .
“ People dealing with some pretty big changes to their lifestyle has resulted in them thinking differently about how they live their lives , where they are based .
They realise they can get substantially more for their money outside of Dublin .
”

Charlie McCarthy, an auctioneer who has sold houses, farms and even islands in west Cork for almost half a century, takes the calls on Coom Hill as he looks out on to the Atlantic.
The last time the telephone rang so frequently back in his Skibbereen office was amid Cold War hysteria in mainland Europe during the 1970s, when German newspapers argued that west Cork was the safest place to avoid the impact of nuclear conflict.
“The Germans and the Dutch came over in their droves. It was to do with the prevailing southwesterly winds,” he says.
In recent weeks, the phone has been ringing off the hook again.
READ MORE
“The interest is unbelievable. Covid has made a lot of people think. There is a realisation now you can work remotely, hold meetings on Zoom. People are hankering for a better lifestyle, they want to raise their families as well.”
Last week, he put up a property online asking €575,000. A City worker in London made an immediate offer of €550,000.
The Government could capitalise on this now, to revitalise towns and villages
“I said you need to come see it. They said: ‘No, we’ve seen it online. We know the area well. We want to get out of London’.”
While the recent high-profile sale of nearby Horse Island, for €5.5 million to a mystery overseas buyer who bought without seeing it in person, has drawn “high-end” attention to the area, McCarthy says interest is “way up” in all price brackets.
Online searches
The claim is borne out by an analysis of online house-hunting.
Angela Keegan, managing director of property website MyHome.ie, which is owned by The Irish Times, says searches for houses in west Cork have gone "through the roof" since the easing of coronavirus lockdown restrictions – "Up about 9,000 per cent."
The figure is based on relatively small numbers. However, trends nationally show a definite shift by would-be house-buyers, many of whom have been forced to reflect on their way of life since the pandemic.
Online searches for properties in Schull in west Cork during June were up 300 times compared with the same month last year. Rosscarbery saw a 4.5 times jump, while searches for Clonakilty and Kinsale were 3.5 times greater.
There has been an almost 150 per cent spike in interest in Kerry properties, mainly in Kenmare, Killarney and Tralee, with similar surges for Waterford, driven mostly by a fourfold jump in queries about Dungarvan.
In the west, online viewings of properties in Galway city has more than doubled, while counties Mayo – predominantly Westport – and Sligo are recording 160 per cent increases.
Outside of Dublin in Leinster, the focus is moving further away from the traditional commuter belt counties of Wicklow, Kildare and Meath. There has been a 200 per cent rise in searches for Louth – mainly Drogheda and Dundalk – with similar increases for Wexford, Westmeath and Kilkenny.
Queries for Rosslare Strand – the sunniest spot in Ireland, according to Met Éireann – are up 250 per cent.
While there has been a twofold jump in searches for holiday homes, Keegan says the data – which shows numbers seeking cottages, farmhouses and country houses are all up significantly – suggests people are re-evaluating the way they live.
“My gut instinct is that while everybody has been at home for a number of months, perhaps they have decided they can live a little bit differently,” she said.
“We are seeing increases in searches in areas you wouldn’t expect. They’re not all first-time buyers when you see where they are looking.
“I think people are seeing opportunities to live elsewhere. Working from home for months in a small house with three or four children, you might be thinking well, actually, I can have a better quality of life and still work from home.
“People living on the commuter belt, spending three hours a day getting to work and back – they don’t have to do it and they are still producing really, really good work.”
The data also suggests people are looking for a bargain.
Searches for properties valued at up to €100,000 have risen fivefold, there has been an eightfold jump in those looking for houses priced under €200,000, while interest in properties under €300,000 has tripled.
Keegan says that because of limited supply and pent-up demand, a nosedive in prices is unlikely over the coming months, but it will be the end of the year before the full impact of the Covid-19 crisis becomes evident.
But is it a temporary shift in attitude, or a permanent one?
“Whether it will be radical or not remains to be seen, depending on how employers adapt to the new norm, but I think we have a better chance of a cultural shift than we would have had before.”
Lorcan Sirr, senior lecturer in housing at Technical University of Dublin, believes a "serendipitous opportunity" has arrived to regenerate rural Ireland.
“The Government could capitalise on this now, to revitalise towns and villages,” he says.
“It could be levered quite well to attract people into towns and villages. Now there are people willing to do it. It is probably easier to persuade people to move into towns and villages now than it would have been 24 months ago.”
The pandemic, says Sirr, has exposed the unsuitability of cramped city apartments without balconies or outdoor spaces, which are forcing people to think about whether they can live better elsewhere.
The coronavirus has focused minds on where people want to be
However, the Government must manage a drift to the country into towns and villages, not unsustainable one-off houses, he suggests, adding that the cost of providing extra GPs and schools could be done at relatively little cost.
“I don’t think we are going to see a sudden mass exodus of half a million people down to Carrick-on-Shannon or wherever,” he says.
“There will always be people who want to live in a city and people who have to live in and around a city."
Overseas buyers
Meanwhile, four in every 10 of the premium houses now being sold by Savills are going to overseas buyers. James Butler, head of country sales at Savills, said it registered more buyers in June for "prime country properties" than in any month in the previous three years.
All of them – apart from one looking to move closer to family – were seeking more space than they already have.
While some of the surge is just the backlog from a three-month lockdown, the coronavirus has “focused minds” on where people want to be, said Butler, who believes there is a “Covid factor” in about half of all his enquiries.
“People dealing with some pretty big changes to their lifestyle has resulted in them thinking differently about how they live their lives, where they are based. They realise they can get substantially more for their money outside of Dublin.”


theirishtimes--2020-07-18--Another Life: The fox as he dwells among us

Of the many surreal images in the iconography of lockdown , for me the most telling was the trotting fox on a shuttered , empty Grafton Street .
There was something post-apocalyptic in the glimpse of this foraging , purposeful creature as the only sign of life .
For many Dubliners , no doubt , the news video was no great surprise .
“ Everyone ” knows there are foxes in dens in shrubberies near the Dáil .
Dozens have had foxes playing on their lawns , chewing the kids ’ toys and squatting among the roses .
Urban foxes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a hillside dotted with sheep and lambs , I no longer expect to meet Vulpes vulpes .
“ On well-run farms ” , as Seamus Heaney wrote , “ pests have to be kept down.
” The last living fox I actually saw was running fast along the strand , closely harassed by a pair of magpies .
Otherwise , the continuing local presence of the species lies in the fine tracks stitched along the tideline , pausing at a dead crab or plastic-strangled gannet .
The ecological phenomenon of city foxes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explanation and much study .
As UCC mammalogist Paddy Sleeman put it recently on RTÉ : “ Meeting a fox in a city is like meeting a friend in another country .
It feels like the individuals and surroundings don ’ t match.
” How they all moved there and why is simple enough .
Canals , railways and riverbanks were corridors to abundant food , from city rats and mice to garbage bags and pigeons .
Grey squirrels , too , as Dr Sleeman mentions in their favour .
But since foxes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s green lacework of parks , gardens and undeveloped waste ground , their interactions with people , children and pets were bound to bring mixed responses .
On one hand were fears and the odd incident , with the media ready to dramatise them .
On the other were delighted encounters with “ nature ” and dishes of dog food put out on the lawn .
Conflicts are as often between neighbours as from actual fox behaviour .
Both the ecology of urban foxes and their relationships with humans have attracted abundant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As Stephen Harris has noted , “ More papers have been published about foxes living in urban Britain than about those in any other habitat in the world.
” Dr Harris , now retired from Bristol University , was a pioneer of research into the urban fox half a century ago , and has served as the animal ’ s leading scientific defender ever since .
In a recent article for British Wildlife magazine , he again worked through the many “ widely disseminated myths ” .
For a start , urban foxes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than their rural cousins .
With a shortage of the “ larger food items ” the countryside provides – the odd lamb , rabbit or ground-nesting bird – July finds the urban adults “ thin and exhausted ” from finding and ferrying food to their cubs .
Do they attack pets ?
Surprisingly few , says Dr Harris .
One of his studies in Bristol found they killed 8 per cent a year of pets kept outdoors , everything from poultry and rabbits to gerbils , goldfish and tortoises .
As for attacking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interactions I have seen between foxes and cats , all the aggressive encounters were started by the cats.
” On its nightly patrol a fox may encounter hundreds of cats , says Dr Harris .
It ignores most of them , avoids the aggressive ones and is known to share a midnight snack with one at the leavings of a dog ’ s dish .
What about human babies ?
He rejects the idea that foxes ever “ attack ” them , as sometimes dramatised by Britain ’ s tabloids .
He agrees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with serious consequences , but suggests this arises through exploratory mouthing of little hands or legs while “ investigating a strange object ” .
Hunting by sound rather than smell and thus not drawn by milk or dirty nappies , they may be attracted to investigate cots or prams by infant wails of distress .
Like other wild mammals , foxes carry diseases and parasites , inviting fears of risk to the health of people or pets .
“ The latest scare ” , as Dr Harris calls it , is the parasite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to dogs if left untreated .
As I reported here in 2016 , the UCD veterinary school was concerned by a sudden trebling in cases of dog “ lungworm ” ( the parasite affects both heart and pulmonary arteries ) .
In a massive sampling of 542 foxes , gathered from every county , it found the nematode in 40 per cent , more than double the rising UK figure .
Dogs can pick it up through slugs or snails that have visited both garden fox droppings and dog dishes left outdoors overnight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them , but points to the pulmonary distress of foxes as well .
“ Dogs and cats , not foxes , ” he asserts , “ dominate the urban ecosystem and we are already seeing the impacts of their diseases on the health and welfare of urban foxes.
” Dr Paddy Sleeman finds the public health risk intensifying European study .
But he favours new approaches to health that consider “ the entire ecosystem – people , domestic animals and wild animals all at the same time ” .

Fox with prey: The urban adult is “thin and exhausted” from finding and ferrying food to its cubs. Illustration: Michael Viney
Of the many surreal images in the iconography of lockdown, for me the most telling was the trotting fox on a shuttered, empty Grafton Street. There was something post-apocalyptic in the glimpse of this foraging, purposeful creature as the only sign of life.
For many Dubliners, no doubt, the news video was no great surprise. “Everyone” knows there are foxes in dens in shrubberies near the Dáil. Dozens have had foxes playing on their lawns, chewing the kids’ toys and squatting among the roses. Urban foxes are an old story.
Living on a hillside dotted with sheep and lambs, I no longer expect to meet Vulpes vulpes. “On well-run farms”, as Seamus Heaney wrote, “pests have to be kept down.”
The last living fox I actually saw was running fast along the strand, closely harassed by a pair of magpies. Otherwise, the continuing local presence of the species lies in the fine tracks stitched along the tideline, pausing at a dead crab or plastic-strangled gannet.
READ MORE
The ecological phenomenon of city foxes, however, remains new enough to warrant explanation and much study. As UCC mammalogist Paddy Sleeman put it recently on RTÉ: "Meeting a fox in a city is like meeting a friend in another country. It feels like the individuals and surroundings don't match."
How they all moved there and why is simple enough. Canals, railways and riverbanks were corridors to abundant food, from city rats and mice to garbage bags and pigeons. Grey squirrels, too, as Dr Sleeman mentions in their favour.
But since foxes are predators, denning in the city’s green lacework of parks, gardens and undeveloped waste ground, their interactions with people, children and pets were bound to bring mixed responses.
Dramatised fear
On one hand were fears and the odd incident, with the media ready to dramatise them. On the other were delighted encounters with “nature” and dishes of dog food put out on the lawn. Conflicts are as often between neighbours as from actual fox behaviour.
Both the ecology of urban foxes and their relationships with humans have attracted abundant study, notably in the UK. As Stephen Harris has noted, "More papers have been published about foxes living in urban Britain than about those in any other habitat in the world."
Dr Harris, now retired from Bristol University, was a pioneer of research into the urban fox half a century ago, and has served as the animal's leading scientific defender ever since. In a recent article for British Wildlife magazine, he again worked through the many "widely disseminated myths".
For a start, urban foxes have not grown any bigger or bolder than their rural cousins. With a shortage of the “larger food items” the countryside provides – the odd lamb, rabbit or ground-nesting bird – July finds the urban adults “thin and exhausted” from finding and ferrying food to their cubs.
Do they attack pets? Surprisingly few, says Dr Harris. One of his studies in Bristol found they killed 8 per cent a year of pets kept outdoors, everything from poultry and rabbits to gerbils, goldfish and tortoises.
Night patrol
As for attacking cats, “Of the thousands of interactions I have seen between foxes and cats, all the aggressive encounters were started by the cats.”
On its nightly patrol a fox may encounter hundreds of cats, says Dr Harris. It ignores most of them, avoids the aggressive ones and is known to share a midnight snack with one at the leavings of a dog’s dish.
What about human babies? He rejects the idea that foxes ever “attack” them, as sometimes dramatised by Britain’s tabloids. He agrees they can give rare bites, some with serious consequences, but suggests this arises through exploratory mouthing of little hands or legs while “investigating a strange object”. Hunting by sound rather than smell and thus not drawn by milk or dirty nappies, they may be attracted to investigate cots or prams by infant wails of distress.
Like other wild mammals, foxes carry diseases and parasites, inviting fears of risk to the health of people or pets. “The latest scare”, as Dr Harris calls it, is the parasite he calls French heartworm, potentially fatal to dogs if left untreated.
As I reported here in 2016, the UCD veterinary school was concerned by a sudden trebling in cases of dog “lungworm” (the parasite affects both heart and pulmonary arteries). In a massive sampling of 542 foxes, gathered from every county, it found the nematode in 40 per cent, more than double the rising UK figure.
Dogs can pick it up through slugs or snails that have visited both garden fox droppings and dog dishes left outdoors overnight. Dr Harris is duly concerned for them, but points to the pulmonary distress of foxes as well.
“Dogs and cats, not foxes,” he asserts, “ dominate the urban ecosystem and we are already seeing the impacts of their diseases on the health and welfare of urban foxes.”
Dr Paddy Sleeman finds the public health risk intensifying European study. But he favours new approaches to health that consider “the entire ecosystem – people, domestic animals and wild animals all at the same time”.


theirishtimes--2020-07-18--What species is this pink grasshopper: Readers’ nature queries

I came across this unusual pink grasshopper in the woods just outside Ennis .
What species is it ?
– Emer Dunne , Ennis , Co Clare The common field grasshopper can be green , brown , pink or even purple .
The meadow grasshopper can be green , brown and , very rarely , a vivid pink .
Yours looks like the meadow grasshopper .
I found these little guys on Portmarnock beach .
They were about the size of a walnut .
Are they jellyfish ?
– Ellie McCarthy , Dublin 5 They are sea gooseberries , comb @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jellyfish .
They do not have a sting and are common around our waters , particularly in summer .
I noticed this growing like a parasite on a wild rose .
– Liam McNamara , Moycullen , Co Galway It ’ s called rose bedeguar gall , also robin ’ s pin cushion .
The gall wasp lays a large number of eggs in the leaf bud , which cause the distortion .
We think this is a cuckoo ’ s egg in a robin ’ s nest .
The robin had rolled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back in again .
When I checked later the egg was gone .
Is July 1st not too late for a cuckoo to lay an egg ?
– Patrick Molloy , Bunratty , Co Clare A cuckoo can lay up to 20 eggs in a season and she times her laying to the laying time of the host bird .
I saw this strange growth on the leaves of a lime tree in the college , is it a parasite ?
– Georgina Ward , Maynooth , Co Kildare These growths are caused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chemicals into the leaf .
The mites then suck sap from the galls .
There were three sightings of ruby-tail wasps , identified as Chrysis ignita .
Although they possess a sting it is rarely used .
They are parasites of solitary wasps and bees .
This photo was sent by Simon Mills , Glenageary , Co Dublin .
Ethna Viney welcomes observations and photographs at Thallabawn , Louisburgh , Co Mayo , F28 F978 , or by email at viney @ anu.ie .
Please include a postal address .

I came across this unusual pink grasshopper in the woods just outside Ennis. What species is it? – Emer Dunne, Ennis, Co Clare
The common field grasshopper can be green, brown, pink or even purple. The meadow grasshopper can be green, brown and, very rarely, a vivid pink. Yours looks like the meadow grasshopper.
Sea gooseberries, also known as comb jellies
I found these little guys on Portmarnock beach. They were about the size of a walnut. Are they jellyfish? – Ellie McCarthy, Dublin 5
They are sea gooseberries, comb jellies, a different family to the jellyfish. They do not have a sting and are common around our waters, particularly in summer.
Rose bedeguar gall aka robin’s pin cushion
I noticed this growing like a parasite on a wild rose. – Liam McNamara, Moycullen, Co Galway
It's called rose bedeguar gall, also robin's pin cushion. The gall wasp lays a large number of eggs in the leaf bud, which cause the distortion.
Cuckoo’s egg in robin’s nest
We think this is a cuckoo's egg in a robin's nest. The robin had rolled it out but it must have rolled back in again. When I checked later the egg was gone. Is July 1st not too late for a cuckoo to lay an egg? – Patrick Molloy, Bunratty, Co Clare
A cuckoo can lay up to 20 eggs in a season and she times her laying to the laying time of the host bird.
READ MORE
Lime nail gall mites
I saw this strange growth on the leaves of a lime tree in the college, is it a parasite? – Georgina Ward, Maynooth, Co Kildare
These growths are caused by tiny lime nail gall mites secreting chemicals into the leaf. The mites then suck sap from the galls.
Ruby-tail wasp
There were three sightings of ruby-tail wasps, identified as Chrysis ignita. Although they possess a sting it is rarely used. They are parasites of solitary wasps and bees. This photo was sent by Simon Mills, Glenageary, Co Dublin.
Ethna Viney welcomes observations and photographs at Thallabawn, Louisburgh, Co Mayo, F28 F978, or by email at viney@anu.ie. Please include a postal address.