theirishtimes--2020-08-18--Banning spectators from outdoor sporting events ‘bizarre’, says professor

Government measures to temporarily ban spectators from outdoor sporting events have been branded “ bizarre ” when people can continue to congregate in pubs .
Kingston Mills , professor of experimental immunology at Trinity College Dublin , said he did not understand the measure , one of a number of new Covid-19 restrictions introduced on Tuesday .
“ [ It is ] completely bizarre .
People are fed up and one of the things that would lift people ’ s spirits is a bit of live sport , ” he said .
“ One hundred people in a pub ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distancing , I have seen them in my local pub ... and then you are not allowed to have 50 or 100 people at a football match ?
” Prof Mills welcomed some of the Government interventions , including measures intended to protect older people - although he said they would be growing tired of such restrictions - but said he found inconsistencies in the various approaches .
Prof Mills said he was weary of advice for people to avoid public transport .
“ We are saying don ’ t take public transport @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a huge risk ; I think public transport where they are spaced out and wearing masks is maybe less of a risk , but it ’ s a risk , ” he said .
However , he added that he did not believe it was an area of great transmission .
“ Obviously if people can work from home , they should work from home.
” Prof Mills said the area where gains must be made is in testing .
It is not happening quickly enough , he said , and there was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testing - with 90 minute processing times - that would not only “ completely change the whole dynamic ” but would allow for testing at airports and replace the current invasive procedures with saliva samples .
He said there were “ half-hearted ” efforts at controlling potential transmission via overseas travel .
Prof Sam McConkey of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland ( RCSI ) said he was not surprised by the need for a further crackdown on social movements and that there was now an argument to pursue a New Zealand-style @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we have taken action .
It ’ s clear to me given the numbers are rising that we definitely , as a society , need to take action , ” he said .
“ Inevitably we were going to relax the restrictions to the extent that we were going to see a rise of some sort.
” However , he said he hoped the latest tranche of moves represented a more “ finessed and tailored ” approach than the previous lockdown .
Another option , he said , was to follow the lead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eight weeks of aggressive measures followed by a focus on strictly controlled travel into the country which would allow a greater return to normal living conditions .

Government measures to temporarily ban spectators from outdoor sporting events have been branded “bizarre” when people can continue to congregate in pubs.
Kingston Mills, professor of experimental immunology at Trinity College Dublin, said he did not understand the measure, one of a number of new Covid-19 restrictions introduced on Tuesday.
“[It is] completely bizarre. People are fed up and one of the things that would lift people’s spirits is a bit of live sport,” he said.
“One hundred people in a pub; I know they aren’t social distancing, I have seen them in my local pub...and then you are not allowed to have 50 or 100 people at a football match?”
READ MORE
Prof Mills welcomed some of the Government interventions, including measures intended to protect older people - although he said they would be growing tired of such restrictions - but said he found inconsistencies in the various approaches.
Prof Mills said he was weary of advice for people to avoid public transport.
“We are saying don’t take public transport. I think packed public transport is a huge risk; I think public transport where they are spaced out and wearing masks is maybe less of a risk, but it’s a risk,” he said. However, he added that he did not believe it was an area of great transmission.
“Obviously if people can work from home, they should work from home.”
Prof Mills said the area where gains must be made is in testing. It is not happening quickly enough, he said, and there was now an opportunity to move to rapid testing - with 90 minute processing times - that would not only “completely change the whole dynamic” but would allow for testing at airports and replace the current invasive procedures with saliva samples.
He said there were “half-hearted” efforts at controlling potential transmission via overseas travel.
Prof Sam McConkey of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) said he was not surprised by the need for a further crackdown on social movements and that there was now an argument to pursue a New Zealand-style approach.
“I am glad that we have taken action. It’s clear to me given the numbers are rising that we definitely, as a society, need to take action,” he said.
“Inevitably we were going to relax the restrictions to the extent that we were going to see a rise of some sort.”
However, he said he hoped the latest tranche of moves represented a more “finessed and tailored” approach than the previous lockdown.
Another option, he said, was to follow the lead of New Zealand and apply six to eight weeks of aggressive measures followed by a focus on strictly controlled travel into the country which would allow a greater return to normal living conditions.


theirishtimes--2020-08-18--Main points: What are the new Covid-19 restrictions?

The Government announced these new measures to combat coronavirus on Tuesday evening .
They are due to come into effect immediately and remain in place until September 13th .
* All businesses should continue to allow remote working where possible .
* If you are having visitors over to your home , you should limit them to six people from no more than three households .
* Outdoor gatherings are to be limited to 15 people .
* Restaurants and cafes , including pubs which serve food , can remain open but with a mandatory closing time of 11.30pm .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ revert to ‘ behind-closed-doors ’ with no spectators allowed .
There should also be strict avoidance of social gatherings before and after games or fixtures .
* Indoor training should be limited to six people and outdoor training should be limited to 15 people .
* Public transport should be avoided where possible .
* If you are travelling in a car or other vehicle with someone from outside your household , it is recommended that you wear a face covering .
* All State bodies with responsibility for monitoring , inspection and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ basis .
Meanwhile , for those over-70 or who are extremely medically vulnerable , it is asked that you use your individual judgement to : * Keep the number of people you meet as low as possible .
When you do meet people - it should be at a distance of two metres and for as short a time as possible .
* Shop during designated hours ( special times that shops have set up for those who are over-70 or medically vulnerable to safely do their shopping ) .

An Taoiseach Micheál Martin says that the tightening of key restrictions to help curb the spread of Covid-19 will impact upon most people in Ireland. Video: RTÉ
The Government announced these new measures to combat coronavirus on Tuesday evening. They are due to come into effect immediately and remain in place until September 13th.
* All businesses should continue to allow remote working where possible.
* If you are having visitors over to your home, you should limit them to six people from no more than three households.
* Outdoor gatherings are to be limited to 15 people.
READ MORE
* Restaurants and cafes, including pubs which serve food, can remain open but with a mandatory closing time of 11.30pm.
* Sports events and matches are to revert to ‘behind-closed-doors’ with no spectators allowed. There should also be strict avoidance of social gatherings before and after games or fixtures.
* Indoor training should be limited to six people and outdoor training should be limited to 15 people.
* Public transport should be avoided where possible.
* If you are travelling in a car or other vehicle with someone from outside your household, it is recommended that you wear a face covering.
* All State bodies with responsibility for monitoring, inspection and compliance will intensify activities on an integrated basis.
Meanwhile, for those over-70 or who are extremely medically vulnerable, it is asked that you use your individual judgement to:
* Keep the number of people you meet as low as possible. When you do meet people - it should be at a distance of two metres and for as short a time as possible.
* Avoid public transport where possible.
* Shop during designated hours (special times that shops have set up for those who are over-70 or medically vulnerable to safely do their shopping).


theirishtimes--2020-08-20--Covid-19: HSE to open a third contact tracing centre

A third HSE contact tracing centre to identify people newly infected with coronavirus is to open as the public health response to Covid-19 is ramped up for a potential surge in cases .
The increase in the number of cases in the past month led the HSE to establish a second tracing centre in UCD in addition to the health service ’ s national centre in Galway .
There are talks ongoing to establish a third HSE centre at UCC in the coming days to deploy enough public health officials to respond to any possible increase in the number of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ HSE is using Revenue Commissioners officials in Limerick and Dublin , along with the Army band , to make calls to newly confirmed cases of Covid-19 to trace their contacts .
There has been a sharp increase in the speed and number of recent cases along with the complexity of cases with first calls to inform the newly infected sometimes taking hours because they are foreign nationals requiring translators and support in several languages .
Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said on Wednesday that the testing and tracing system had been “ caught @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fault of the “ entire political and administration system ” .
Prof Mary Codd , who runs the contact tracing centre at UCD , said it was “ not quite accurate ” to say it was caught off guard .
She said “ an escalation plan ” was in place to bring the UCD centre back into operation within 36 hours with a surge in cases earlier this month .
The increase in new infections over the weekend of August 7th-9th forced the HSE ’ s contact tracing operation to escalate its response @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more contact tracers .
Plans are already in place to establish a permanent testing and contact tracing operation within the HSE with a long-term dedicated workforce deployed on multiple shifts each day .
The increase in cases , from a low of 61 per week to 533 cases in the second week in August , has left health officials having to trace and call up to 1,000 contacts of confirmed cases every day .
New restrictions announced on Tuesday to limit house and garden parties , and social events connected to workplaces and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ average number of contacts .
The average number for an infected individual stands at about six , up from an average of two in May , though some individuals can have up to 50 contacts .
The median turnaround time from referral for a Covid-19 test to the completion of contact tracing is just under three days .
Ireland ’ s 14-day cumulative number of Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people stood at 25.4 on Wednesday , higher than the UK at 21 , Greece at 24.4 and Italy at 10.3 .
Outbreaks at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the overall national figure with Kildare reporting an incidence rate per 100,000 of 190 , Offaly at 133.4 and Laois at 55.5 .
New figures show the number of Covid-19 outbreaks in family homes are continuing to rise with 78 reported in August to date , compared with 20 in June and 87 in July .
There have been 1,718 outbreaks – each defined as two or more cases – in private homes during the pandemic .
The number of outbreaks in workplaces has risen to 60 from 49 a month ago .

The median turnaround time from referral for a Covid-19 test to the completion of contact tracing is just under three days. File photograph: Alan Betson
A third HSE contact tracing centre to identify people newly infected with coronavirus is to open as the public health response to Covid-19 is ramped up for a potential surge in cases.
The increase in the number of cases in the past month led the HSE to establish a second tracing centre in UCD in addition to the health service’s national centre in Galway.
There are talks ongoing to establish a third HSE centre at UCC in the coming days to deploy enough public health officials to respond to any possible increase in the number of new cases.
In addition, the HSE is using Revenue Commissioners officials in Limerick and Dublin, along with the Army band, to make calls to newly confirmed cases of Covid-19 to trace their contacts.
READ MORE
There has been a sharp increase in the speed and number of recent cases along with the complexity of cases with first calls to inform the newly infected sometimes taking hours because they are foreign nationals requiring translators and support in several languages.
Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said on Wednesday that the testing and tracing system had been "caught off guard" and this was the fault of the "entire political and administration system".
Prof Mary Codd, who runs the contact tracing centre at UCD, said it was "not quite accurate" to say it was caught off guard. She said "an escalation plan" was in place to bring the UCD centre back into operation within 36 hours with a surge in cases earlier this month.
The increase in new infections over the weekend of August 7th-9th forced the HSE’s contact tracing operation to escalate its response twice over that weekend, calling in more contact tracers.
Plans are already in place to establish a permanent testing and contact tracing operation within the HSE with a long-term dedicated workforce deployed on multiple shifts each day.
The increase in cases, from a low of 61 per week to 533 cases in the second week in August, has left health officials having to trace and call up to 1,000 contacts of confirmed cases every day.
Restrictions
New restrictions announced on Tuesday to limit house and garden parties, and social events connected to workplaces and sports clubs are designed to reduce the average number of contacts.
The average number for an infected individual stands at about six, up from an average of two in May, though some individuals can have up to 50 contacts. The median turnaround time from referral for a Covid-19 test to the completion of contact tracing is just under three days.
Ireland's 14-day cumulative number of Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people stood at 25.4 on Wednesday, higher than the UK at 21, Greece at 24.4 and Italy at 10.3.
Outbreaks at meat plants in the midlands have skewed the overall national figure with Kildare reporting an incidence rate per 100,000 of 190, Offaly at 133.4 and Laois at 55.5.
New figures show the number of Covid-19 outbreaks in family homes are continuing to rise with 78 reported in August to date, compared with 20 in June and 87 in July.
There have been 1,718 outbreaks – each defined as two or more cases – in private homes during the pandemic. The number of outbreaks in workplaces has risen to 60 from 49 a month ago.


theirishtimes--2020-08-20--Nursing homes: ‘Upset suffered cannot be overstated’

Ann Fitzpatrick remembers watching the Covid-19 pandemic spread across the world , and wreak havoc in nursing homes , throughout January and February .
“ I couldn ’ t but think at that point , that this too will happen in Ireland .
” She moved quickly , trying to get gowns , gloves , masks and sanitisers for her home , St Theresa ’ s Nursing Home in Thurles , Co Tipperary .
However , she found herself frustrated , with supplies bought up by the HSE , itself worried about the impact on the acute hospital sector .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ we were all going out to battle and some of us had greater armour than others ” .
When three suspected Covid cases emerged in her nursing home , where 30 people live and 32 people work , she was caught up in testing backlogs , waiting “ eight or nine days ” to get results .
And when extra funds were made available to the sector , she says they came with the condition that her nursing home accept people being discharged from hospitals .
She refused the funds , due @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among workers and residents .
To date , she has had no Covid in her home , but nursing home stakeholders who volunteered their experiences for a 200-page expert report on the nursing home sector and Covid-19 , published on Wednesday , were not so lucky .
The report details the emotional and psychological impact of the pandemic for families , employees and operators .
The authors of the panel engaged with homes that experienced significant numbers of deaths – one home experienced six deaths in a 36-hour period .
The report notes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ residents and workers contracted Covid “ which placed a significant strain ” on basic staffing levels .
The report details that in some instances , residents did not have direct GP support as doctors themselves were cocooning .
This was at its worst early in the pandemic , and later improved .
“ The overall level of upset suffered by residents , relatives and staff connected with these nursing homes can not be overstated .
Many will require ongoing support and understanding in the coming months.
” The panel found that once Covid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seemed to spread with undue haste ” ; while it praised HSE Covid response teams , it found that “ speedy access to PPE varied , especially in the early weeks of the pandemic ” .
The authors found that “ staffing levels were overstretched due to illness , the need to isolate – something that still causes many of the staff concerned ongoing distress and guilt ” .
Meanwhile , many in nursing homes said that while they understood the rationale for visiting restrictions , they “ were still thought to have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were close to death and also for residents with dementia whose diminished insight as to what was going on was compounded by not seeing their relatives ” .
Family members expressed their “ utter frustration bordering on anger ” at the policy , particularly when a family member was close to death “ and no family member [ was ] allowed in to say goodbye ” .

Ann Fitzpatrick, owner of St Theresa’s Nursing Home in Thurles: In the early days, it was like ‘we were all going out to battle and some of us had greater armour than others’. Photograph: Alan Betson
Ann Fitzpatrick remembers watching the Covid-19 pandemic spread across the world, and wreak havoc in nursing homes, throughout January and February. "I couldn't but think at that point, that this too will happen in Ireland. "
She moved quickly, trying to get gowns, gloves, masks and sanitisers for her home, St Theresa's Nursing Home in Thurles, Co Tipperary. However, she found herself frustrated, with supplies bought up by the HSE, itself worried about the impact on the acute hospital sector.
It was like, she says, “we were all going out to battle and some of us had greater armour than others”.
When three suspected Covid cases emerged in her nursing home, where 30 people live and 32 people work, she was caught up in testing backlogs, waiting “eight or nine days” to get results. And when extra funds were made available to the sector, she says they came with the condition that her nursing home accept people being discharged from hospitals. She refused the funds, due to concerns over the risk of infection among workers and residents.
READ MORE
To date, she has had no Covid in her home, but nursing home stakeholders who volunteered their experiences for a 200-page expert report on the nursing home sector and Covid-19, published on Wednesday, were not so lucky. The report details the emotional and psychological impact of the pandemic for families, employees and operators.
‘Significant strain’
The authors of the panel engaged with homes that experienced significant numbers of deaths – one home experienced six deaths in a 36-hour period. The report notes that in addition to fatalities, many residents and workers contracted Covid “which placed a significant strain” on basic staffing levels.
The report details that in some instances, residents did not have direct GP support as doctors themselves were cocooning. This was at its worst early in the pandemic, and later improved.
“The overall level of upset suffered by residents, relatives and staff connected with these nursing homes cannot be overstated. Many will require ongoing support and understanding in the coming months.”
The panel found that once Covid came into a facility, “it seemed to spread with undue haste”; while it praised HSE Covid response teams, it found that “speedy access to PPE varied, especially in the early weeks of the pandemic”. The authors found that “staffing levels were overstretched due to illness, the need to isolate – something that still causes many of the staff concerned ongoing distress and guilt”.
Meanwhile, many in nursing homes said that while they understood the rationale for visiting restrictions, they “were still thought to have been cruel, especially for residents who were close to death and also for residents with dementia whose diminished insight as to what was going on was compounded by not seeing their relatives”.
Family members expressed their “utter frustration bordering on anger” at the policy, particularly when a family member was close to death “and no family member [was] allowed in to say goodbye”.


theirishtimes--2020-08-20--Garda study shows attitudes towards Travellers and Roma

Not a single frontline Garda surveyed on attitudes towards Travellers had a favourable view of the community , according to an internal study of the organisation .
Gardaí also had similarly poor views of the Roma community , with almost 75 per cent of frontline members surveyed expressing poor opinions of its members , according to the study published this year , a copy of which was obtained by The Irish Times .
The main purpose of the study by Insp David McInerney was to evaluate the role of the garda ethnic liaison officer ( ELO ) programme , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who are now known as diversity officers , serve as contact points in the Garda for vulnerable minorities and investigate allegations of hate crimes .
Insp McInerney interviewed 182 gardaí from across the organisation , comprising 111 ELOs and 71 frontline gardaí , between 2012 and 2014 .
“ In most cases , the respondent ELOs and frontline officers displayed a one-sided and largely negative view of Travellers , ” he said .
Garda headquarters said it had enacted numerous initiatives aimed at combatting discrimination since the interviews were carried out .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ study in a positive light and said it showed the success of the Garda ’ s ethnic liaison programme in improving opinions of minorities .
The study shows that gardaí who regularly interact with minorities as part of their work invariably have more positive views of them compared with gardaí on general duties .
It also quotes several gardaí making negative comments about Roma and Traveller people .
“ You ’ d spot them a mile off and they ’ re always up to no good , ” one frontline garda said of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ causing trouble for us , ” said another about the Traveller community .
Asked to rank ethnic minorities , excluding Travellers , in order of preference , frontline gardaí placed the Roma community last out of six , below “ Arabs ” and “ Blacks ” .
Asked if they had a good or very good opinion of Travellers before joining the Garda , zero per cent of both frontline officers and ELOs said yes .
Some 45 per cent of ELOs and 40 per cent of frontline officers said they had a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the remainder indicating a neutral opinion or declining to answer .
When asked about their opinion after joining the Garda , 32 per cent of ELOs said they had a good opinion of Travellers .
However , this figure remained at zero for frontline officers , while the proportion with a “ very poor ” opinion rose by 10 per cent .
While some ELOs said interacting with Travellers in their job boosted their opinion of the community , comments from some other frontline members were less positive .
“ Sure why would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we would get is hassle…opening up a hornet ’ s nest , ” said one midlands Garda on encountering Travellers on his daily patrols .
Regarding the Roma community , 73 per cent of frontline gardaí and 43 per cent of ELOs had poor or very poor opinions .
Zero frontline gardaí and 4 per cent of ELOs had positive opinions .
Opinions of other ethnic minorities were somewhat better .
However , significant proportions of frontline gardaí still had negative views of Indian and Pakistani people ( 21 per cent ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black Africans ( 30 per cent ) .

Gardaí who regularly interact with minorities as part of their work have more positive views of them compared with gardaí on general duties. Photograph: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos
Not a single frontline Garda surveyed on attitudes towards Travellers had a favourable view of the community, according to an internal study of the organisation.
Gardaí also had similarly poor views of the Roma community, with almost 75 per cent of frontline members surveyed expressing poor opinions of its members, according to the study published this year, a copy of which was obtained by The Irish Times.
The main purpose of the study by Insp David McInerney was to evaluate the role of the garda ethnic liaison officer (ELO) programme, which he established in 2001. ELOs, who are now known as diversity officers, serve as contact points in the Garda for vulnerable minorities and investigate allegations of hate crimes.
Insp McInerney interviewed 182 gardaí from across the organisation, comprising 111 ELOs and 71 frontline gardaí, between 2012 and 2014.
READ MORE
“In most cases, the respondent ELOs and frontline officers displayed a one-sided and largely negative view of Travellers,” he said.
Garda headquarters said it had enacted numerous initiatives aimed at combatting discrimination since the interviews were carried out. It said it viewed the results of the study in a positive light and said it showed the success of the Garda’s ethnic liaison programme in improving opinions of minorities.
The study shows that gardaí who regularly interact with minorities as part of their work invariably have more positive views of them compared with gardaí on general duties.
Negative comments
It also quotes several gardaí making negative comments about Roma and Traveller people. “You’d spot them a mile off and they’re always up to no good,” one frontline garda said of Roma. “They’re always causing trouble for us,” said another about the Traveller community.
Asked to rank ethnic minorities, excluding Travellers, in order of preference, frontline gardaí placed the Roma community last out of six, below “Arabs” and “Blacks”.
Asked if they had a good or very good opinion of Travellers before joining the Garda, zero per cent of both frontline officers and ELOs said yes. Some 45 per cent of ELOs and 40 per cent of frontline officers said they had a poor or very poor opinion, with the remainder indicating a neutral opinion or declining to answer.
When asked about their opinion after joining the Garda, 32 per cent of ELOs said they had a good opinion of Travellers. However, this figure remained at zero for frontline officers, while the proportion with a “very poor” opinion rose by 10 per cent.
While some ELOs said interacting with Travellers in their job boosted their opinion of the community, comments from some other frontline members were less positive.
“Sure why would we go up to them when all we would get is hassle…opening up a hornet’s nest,” said one midlands Garda on encountering Travellers on his daily patrols.
Regarding the Roma community, 73 per cent of frontline gardaí and 43 per cent of ELOs had poor or very poor opinions. Zero frontline gardaí and 4 per cent of ELOs had positive opinions.
Opinions of other ethnic minorities were somewhat better. However, significant proportions of frontline gardaí still had negative views of Indian and Pakistani people (21 per cent), Arabs (30 per cent) and Black African (30 per cent).


theirishtimes--2020-08-20--Seek and ye shall (mostly) find the detail of nature’s treasure trove

Developing the skills to recognise different species of animals and plants enables us to enjoy our landscapes as more diverse and richly populated places .
Such skills also empower us to contribute to well-informed environmental policy through citizen science .
Many of us , however , find identifying species a daunting challenge .
Even if you are moderately knowledgeable about birds , for example , because of a life-long hobby , learning to distinguish trees can still be baffling at first .
As for grasses , insects , arachnids , and fungi , the vast diversity within each group can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ however , apps promise to unscramble this confusion for you .
There are more available all the time , and they claim to be increasingly accurate .
Until recently , however , they have mostly been limited to just one taxonomic kingdom , plants .
Enter Seek , a recent subset of iNaturalist , an initiative of the Californian Academy of Science and National Geographic .
It ’ s free to download to your phone .
It claims to be able to identify , almost instantly , many species across the world , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well as flowers and trees .
So you can try it on beetles and on giant redwoods , on sedges , finches , mushrooms and squirrels .
Seek has another attractive characteristic too .
Most popular identification apps require you to take a photograph , submit it online , and then consider a number of species options that the app suggests from its database .
This is true of Pl @ ntNet , PlantSnap , and Seek ’ s own big brother , the iNaturalist app , which also operates across taxonomic kingdoms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already familiar with the species in question , but it can seem complicated and off-putting to beginners and amateurs .
With Seek , however , as soon as you point your phone at a distinguishable object , it will begin an almost instant onscreen count-down through five taxonomic categories , from kingdom to family .
It may then pause before advancing to genus , and it will pause a little longer before reaching , all things being equal , to species .
And you can use it to trawl through your past photos @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evaded you years back .
It is also designed to be child-friendly , as it operates offline and does not require you to join any social network .
It includes gaming elements , too , so that you can compete with yourself for “ badges ” and “ challenges ” .
This feature may engage some of us and irritate others .
You can always ignore it .
But does Seek really work ?
The idea that any phone-based system can identify such a wide range of life forms seems , even our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good to be true .
Over a two-week trial , however , I ’ ve found that it can work remarkably well , despite some notable glitches .
In the first hour , it correctly identified a peacock butterfly , a ( dead ) wood mouse , a jay and a foxglove .
I ’ m still a happy novice at plant identification after a decade trying , but at least I ’ m now fairly aware of what I don ’ t recognise .
This ample category includes the members of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ common plants whose flowers , and often their leaves , look very like dandelions .
But they belong to almost a dozen genera , most with several species apiece : catsears , hawkbits , nippleworts , hawksbeards , hawkweeds , sow-thistles and so on .
I had long given up on this group , but with Seek I was able to quickly establish that most of the genera are present in hedgerows within a kilometre of our home in Glenmalure .
And checking these identifications off a good field guide confirmed that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Going to species level in several of these genera is much trickier .
A serious botanist , and anyone submitting good records for citizen science , would painstakingly “ key out ” all characteristics of each plant observed , using a dense botanical guide like Webb ’ s Irish Flora .
But at least the app was pointing me in the direction of a particular genus to consider .
The same was true for some trees .
At the Furry Glen in the Phoenix Park I tried it on the elegant trees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It quickly proclaimed them to be “ willows ” , but would go no further in specifying this notoriously difficult genus .
With familiar and more easily distinguished plant species I generally found it remarkably accurate , but I found one instructive error .
It had correctly identified sheepsbit , a lovely blue , scabious-like wildflower , on a roadside bank .
But when I picked a blossom and put it in a glass of water , the app decided it was a “ California sea urchin ” .
Presumably , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anthers , very broadly similar to a sea urchin ’ s spines , combined with the water in the image , sent it off in an almost comically misleading direction .
This kind of error is not new to the app ’ s creators .
Tony Iwane of iNature gave me another example , which illustrates how the iNaturalist and Seek apps ’ “ learning ability ” evolved : “ In early tests of computer vision , we hadn ’ t trained on photos of humans .
So submitting a photo of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a western fence lizard , at the time the most observed species on iNaturalist .
One possible explanation is that a good number of fence lizard photos featured human hands , so that might have been the closest match to human.
” Iwane reminds me that “ Seek ’ s machine-learning model is based entirely on observations from .
.
the iNaturalist community , so it ’ s really the hard work of thousands and thousands of people on iNaturalist that enables Seek to function.
” iNaturalist ’ s blogexpands on how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ developing .
A second apparent confusion , however , turned out to be very fruitful , and indicated how Seek may help us engage more deeply with connections between species .
I was testing it on a hogweed umbel , and to my surprise my screen popped up with “ spindle ermine moth ” .
On closer inspection , I found that the umbel held a number of small caterpillars weaving a web .
I haven ’ t been able to check out the identification independently yet , and hogweed is not listed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for this moth ’ s larva .
But I can now investigate further .
So I ’ m beginning to see carrying the app as rather like walking with a more observant and ( usually ) much better-informed companion .
And if I want to dig deeper , I can , of course , use the iNaturalist app , or something similar , like Pl @ ntNet , which both allow you to consider a range of options , and to post questions and observations to their communities online .
Will using apps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Several Irish experts offer their opinions .
“ For wild plants , I ’ ve used Pl @ ntnet .
The key thing is taking pictures of different parts of the plant ( flowers , leaves , habit etc ) .
I find it ’ s good to narrow down plants to Family/Gensus , and then I use the keys in Irish Flora to double-check.
” “ Basically I would not recommend it .
I feel it makes the user lazy and doesn ’ t encourage an enquiring mind to try and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The only way to learn [ the craft of species identification ] is to go through the process of keying out features and understanding what to look for .
At best , apps can only be ‘ suggestions ’ and .
.narrow the possibilities .
If people understand that , and confirm what an app tells them by other sources , then great .
”

Paddy Woodworth using the Seek app on his phone in Dublin’s Phoenix Park to identify items found in nature from trees, flowers, shrubs to animals. Photograph: Alan Betson
Developing the skills to recognise different species of animals and plants enables us to enjoy our landscapes as more diverse and richly populated places. Such skills also empower us to contribute to well-informed environmental policy through citizen science.
Many of us, however, find identifying species a daunting challenge. Even if you are moderately knowledgeable about birds, for example, because of a life-long hobby, learning to distinguish trees can still be baffling at first. As for grasses, insects, arachnids, and fungi, the vast diversity within each group can quickly scramble your brain.
Today, however, apps promise to unscramble this confusion for you. There are more available all the time, and they claim to be increasingly accurate. Until recently, however, they have mostly been limited to just one taxonomic kingdom, plants.
Enter Seek, a recent subset of iNaturalist, an initiative of the Californian Academy of Science and National Geographic. It’s free to download to your phone. It claims to be able to identify, almost instantly, many species across the world, from the animal and fungi kingdoms as well as flowers and trees. So you can try it on beetles and on giant redwoods, on sedges, finches, mushrooms and squirrels.
READ MORE
Seek has another attractive characteristic too. Most popular identification apps require you to take a photograph, submit it online, and then consider a number of species options that the app suggests from its database. This is true of Pl@ntNet, PlantSnap, and Seek’s own big brother, the iNaturalist app, which also operates across taxonomic kingdoms.
This is helpful for specialists, already familiar with the species in question, but it can seem complicated and off-putting to beginners and amateurs.
With Seek, however, as soon as you point your phone at a distinguishable object, it will begin an almost instant onscreen count-down through five taxonomic categories, from kingdom to family. It may then pause before advancing to genus, and it will pause a little longer before reaching, all things being equal, to species.
And you can use it to trawl through your past photos, searching out identifications that may have evaded you years back.
It is also designed to be child-friendly, as it operates offline and does not require you to join any social network. It includes gaming elements, too, so that you can compete with yourself for “badges” and “challenges”. This feature may engage some of us and irritate others. You can always ignore it.
But does Seek really work? The idea that any phone-based system can identify such a wide range of life forms seems, even our age of AI, a little too good to be true. Over a two-week trial, however, I’ve found that it can work remarkably well, despite some notable glitches. In the first hour, it correctly identified a peacock butterfly, a (dead) wood mouse, a jay and a foxglove.
Dozen genera
I’m still a happy novice at plant identification after a decade trying, but at least I’m now fairly aware of what I don’t recognise. This ample category includes the members of the “hawkish complex”. These are common plants whose flowers, and often their leaves, look very like dandelions. But they belong to almost a dozen genera, most with several species apiece: catsears, hawkbits, nippleworts, hawksbeards, hawkweeds, sow-thistles and so on.
I had long given up on this group, but with Seek I was able to quickly establish that most of the genera are present in hedgerows within a kilometre of our home in Glenmalure. And checking these identifications off a good field guide confirmed that the app was getting the genera consistently right.
Going to species level in several of these genera is much trickier. A serious botanist, and anyone submitting good records for citizen science, would painstakingly “key out” all characteristics of each plant observed, using a dense botanical guide like Webb’s Irish Flora. But at least the app was pointing me in the direction of a particular genus to consider.
The same was true for some trees. At the Furry Glen in the Phoenix Park I tried it on the elegant trees at the head of the pond there. It quickly proclaimed them to be "willows", but would go no further in specifying this notoriously difficult genus.
Paddy Woodworth using the Seek app on his phone in Dublin’s Phoenix Park. Photograph: Alan Betson
With familiar and more easily distinguished plant species I generally found it remarkably accurate, but I found one instructive error. It had correctly identified sheepsbit, a lovely blue, scabious-like wildflower, on a roadside bank. But when I picked a blossom and put it in a glass of water, the app decided it was a "California sea urchin". Presumably, the plant's purple colour and prominent anthers, very broadly similar to a sea urchin's spines, combined with the water in the image, sent it off in an almost comically misleading direction.
This kind of error is not new to the app's creators. Tony Iwane of iNature gave me another example, which illustrates how the iNaturalist and Seek apps' "learning ability" evolved:
“In early tests of computer vision, we hadn’t trained on photos of humans. So submitting a photo of a human would often result in the suggestion of a western fence lizard, at the time the most observed species on iNaturalist. One possible explanation is that a good number of fence lizard photos featured human hands, so that might have been the closest match to human.”
Hard work
Iwane reminds me that “Seek’s machine-learning model is based entirely on observations from . . the iNaturalist community, so it’s really the hard work of thousands and thousands of people on iNaturalist that enables Seek to function.”
iNaturalist's blogexpands on how recognition models for these apps are still developing. A second apparent confusion, however, turned out to be very fruitful, and indicated how Seek may help us engage more deeply with connections between species. I was testing it on a hogweed umbel, and to my surprise my screen popped up with "spindle ermine moth".
On closer inspection, I found that the umbel held a number of small caterpillars weaving a web. I haven’t been able to check out the identification independently yet, and hogweed is not listed as one of the usual plant habitats for this moth’s larva. But I can now investigate further.
So I’m beginning to see carrying the app as rather like walking with a more observant and (usually) much better-informed companion. And if I want to dig deeper, I can, of course, use the iNaturalist app, or something similar, like Pl@ntNet, which both allow you to consider a range of options, and to post questions and observations to their communities online.
Good app, bad app?
Will using apps undermine field recognition skills and taxonomic knowledge? Several Irish experts offer their opinions.
“For wild plants, I’ve used Pl@ntnet. The key thing is taking pictures of different parts of the plant (flowers, leaves, habit etc). I find it’s good to narrow down plants to Family/Gensus, and then I use the keys in Irish Flora to double-check.”
– Jane Stout, professor in botany at Trinity College Dublin
“Basically I would not recommend it. I feel it makes the user lazy and doesn’t encourage an enquiring mind to try and learn the way into the subject.”
– botanist Zoë Devlin
“The only way to learn [the craft of species identification] is to go through the process of keying out features and understanding what to look for. At best, apps can only be ‘suggestions’ and . .narrow the possibilities. If people understand that, and confirm what an app tells them by other sources, then great.”
– Liam Lysaght, director, National Biodiversity Centre.


theirishtimes--2020-08-20--Is there anyone out there? Drake’s Equation gives a clue

The Drake Equation is a formula for the number of developed civilisations in our galaxy , the Milky Way .
This number is determined by seven factors .
Some are known with good accuracy but the values of most are quite uncertain .
It is a simple equation comprising seven terms multiplied together ( see illustration ) .
There are no exponentials , no power laws and no logarithms ; the equation is linear in each of its factors .
All terms are equally important , and the overall uncertainty is dominated by the most uncertain terms .
The equation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ serve as a framework for a conference at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory , Green Bank , West Virginia in 1961 .
This meeting was to investigate the possibility of detecting intelligent life in the Milky Way .
The equation had terms representing the key quantities that would need to be determined in order to estimate the likelihood of life on other planets .
It was intended as an instrument to facilitate discussion , but has proven to be very durable .
It is a valuable teaching aid and is found in many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the seven terms in the equation was estimated at the conference .
The first term is the rate at which new stars are formed in the galaxy .
It has a value of about 20 per year .
Next is the fraction of stars with planets .
At the time of the conference , this was completely unknown .
We have now found evidence of thousands of stars with their own solar systems and we estimate about half of all stars have planets .
But could they sustain life ?
Only if they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Goldilocks Zone – not too hot and not too cold .
This is determined by the third term .
The next two terms specify the proportion of these planets that contain life and the fraction of these in which there is intelligence .
The sixth term represents the fraction of intelligent civilisations that are technologically advanced and that could communicate with us .
The last term measures the average longevity of an advanced civilisation .
This is a crucial factor , and it could vary from a century to billions of years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get N , the number of detectable civilisations in our galaxy .
Since the formulation of the Drake Equation about 60 years ago , our knowledge has advanced greatly , and many of the factors determining N are now much better known .
The recent discovery of thousands of planetary systems was a major scientific advance .
Our understanding of biology suggests that , wherever conditions are right , life will emerge , so it must be abundant in the cosmos .
The Drake Equation does not quantify precisely the extent of extra-terrestrial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is essentially probabilistic in nature .
It has been a great aid in guiding discussions and has served as a stimulus to research .
The search for exoplanets – those around stars other than our Sun – continues and there is now a vibrant field of investigation called astrobiology .
We have no idea when life outside Earth will be found but the ultimate success of the quest is virtually certain .
When we do detect intelligent life elsewhere , it will almost certainly be far in advance of our own civilisation .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ we get what we wish for , we will not regret it .
• Peter Lynch is emeritus professor at UCD School of Mathematics & Statistics – he blogs at thatsmaths.com

The Drake Equation is a formula for the number of developed civilisations in our galaxy, the Milky Way. This number is determined by seven factors. Some are known with good accuracy but the values of most are quite uncertain. It is a simple equation comprising seven terms multiplied together (see illustration).
There are no exponentials, no power laws and no logarithms; the equation is linear in each of its factors. All terms are equally important, and the overall uncertainty is dominated by the most uncertain terms.
The equation was formulated by astronomer Frank Drake to serve as a framework for a conference at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Green Bank, West Virginia in 1961. This meeting was to investigate the possibility of detecting intelligent life in the Milky Way.
Valuable aid
The equation had terms representing the key quantities that would need to be determined in order to estimate the likelihood of life on other planets. It was intended as an instrument to facilitate discussion, but has proven to be very durable. It is a valuable teaching aid and is found in many university textbooks on astronomy.
READ MORE
Each of the seven terms in the equation was estimated at the conference. The first term is the rate at which new stars are formed in the galaxy. It has a value of about 20 per year. Next is the fraction of stars with planets. At the time of the conference, this was completely unknown.
We have now found evidence of thousands of stars with their own solar systems and we estimate about half of all stars have planets. But could they sustain life? Only if they are in a favourable region known as the Goldilocks Zone – not too hot and not too cold. This is determined by the third term.
The next two terms specify the proportion of these planets that contain life and the fraction of these in which there is intelligence. The sixth term represents the fraction of intelligent civilisations that are technologically advanced and that could communicate with us.
The last term measures the average longevity of an advanced civilisation. This is a crucial factor, and it could vary from a century to billions of years. Multiplying all seven terms together we get N, the number of detectable civilisations in our galaxy.
Recent discovery
Since the formulation of the Drake Equation about 60 years ago, our knowledge has advanced greatly, and many of the factors determining N are now much better known. The recent discovery of thousands of planetary systems was a major scientific advance. Our understanding of biology suggests that, wherever conditions are right, life will emerge, so it must be abundant in the cosmos.
The Drake Equation does not quantify precisely the extent of extra-terrestrial life in the Milky Way; it is essentially probabilistic in nature. It has been a great aid in guiding discussions and has served as a stimulus to research. The search for exoplanets – those around stars other than our Sun – continues and there is now a vibrant field of investigation called astrobiology.
We have no idea when life outside Earth will be found but the ultimate success of the quest is virtually certain. When we do detect intelligent life elsewhere, it will almost certainly be far in advance of our own civilisation. Let’s hope that, when we get what we wish for, we will not regret it.


theirishtimes--2020-08-20--Great human advances were made throughout the ‘Dark Ages’

You all know the story , frequently recounted to the present day .
Following the fall of Rome ( 476AD ) , Europe entered the Dark Ages ( 476 to 1453 ) , a Catholic-dominated era when , to quote Voltaire , “ barbarism , superstition and ignorance covered the face of the world ” .
Later , as church dominance waned , the Dark Ages were succeeded by the Renaissance ( 1400-1600 ) , the Scientific Revolution ( 1543-1687 ) and the Enlightenment ( 1715-1789 ) , allowing people to slake their thirst for knowledge unhindered by theology .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ freed by the Reformation ( 1517 ) from blinkered Catholicism .
But this story is a myth , according to social scientist/historian Rodney Stark in his book Bearing False Witness ( Templeton Press , 2016 ) .
There were no Dark Ages and no Scientific Revolution .
Great advances were made throughout the “ Dark Ages ” and the revolutionary discoveries of the “ Scientific Revolution ” were simply normal incremental scientific advances .
And as for religion frustrating scientific progress , the major discoveries of the Scientific Revolution were made in universities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on previous work largely done by churchmen .
Anti-Catholic propaganda by Enlightenment philosophers helped the Dark Ages myth to take hold , but most modern historians have revised the interpretations of these philosophers .
Stark ’ s position , which I summarise in this article , is an emphatic synthesis of these revisions , supplemented by his own research .
Contrary to Enlightenment propaganda , major advances were made in all areas during the so-called Dark Ages – science and education ( universities ) , power generation ( water and wind mills ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chartres Cathedral ) , agriculture ( crop-rotation , heavy plough , horse-collar ) , warfare ( cannons , heavy-armoured cavalry ) , music ( musical notation ) and much more .
The university was invented in the Dark Ages , many universities developing from church cathedral/monastic schools .
Universities were tasked with the pursuit of knowledge and innovation was esteemed , eg human dissection was introduced into human physiology studies .
The first university was founded in Bologna in about 1088 , then Paris ( 1150 ) , Oxford ( 1167 ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1209 ) .
About 60 more were added by 1500 , over half endowed with papal charters .
Stark records the scientific work done by clerics in medieval universities , including Roger Bacon ( 1214 -1205 ) and William of Ockham ( 1295-1349 ) .
For example , space in the solar system was identified as a frictionless vacuum , allowing heavenly bodies to continue in motion forever .
It was discovered that Earth turns on its axis and human perceptions that the earth is stationary in space are unreliable .
Such work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the importance of controlled scientific experiments , making it possible for modern science to arise and come of age later in the Scientific Revolution .
Nicholas Copernicus ( 1473 -1543 ) , “ Father of the Scientific Revolution ” , was a university-educated church canon , well acquainted with these advances .
Copernicus proposed that the sun sits at the centre of our solar system .
This was a significant advance but can justifiably be categorised as a normal incremental advance in scientific knowledge , not a revolutionary breakthrough .
The Copernican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This is wrong , and to make his system work Copernicus decorated his orbits with loops .
Copernicus was corrected by Johannes Kepler ( 1571-1630 ) who demonstrated that the orbits are elliptical – another incremental advance .
Neither Copernicus nor Kepler understood why planets don ’ t fly out of their orbits .
Isaac Newton ’ s theory of gravity explained this , another normal , albeit brilliant , incremental advance .
Newton ( 1643-1727 ) acknowledged this : “ If I have seen further it is by standing on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all famous scientists of the Scientific Revolution era , beginning in 1543 and including all born before 1680 .
He found 52 such scientists , 13 of whom were clergy .
Twenty-six were Catholics and 26 were Protestants .
Thirty-one were devoutly religious and 20 were conventionally religious .
Only one was a sceptic .
Nobody knows for sure why modern science uniquely arose in medieval Christian Europe .
But many point to the primacy of reason in Christian theology combined with belief that God created a world operating on rational principles and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s creation is worthy of study , but is not divine itself , it can be manipulated to see how it works .
And so , science arose .
I ’ m not dodging Galileo ; I will deal with the great man in another article .
William Reville is an emeritus professor of biochemistry at UCC

You all know the story, frequently recounted to the present day. Following the fall of Rome (476AD), Europe entered the Dark Ages (476 to 1453), a Catholic-dominated era when, to quote Voltaire, “barbarism, superstition and ignorance covered the face of the world”.
Later, as church dominance waned, the Dark Ages were succeeded by the Renaissance (1400-1600), the Scientific Revolution (1543-1687) and the Enlightenment (1715-1789), allowing people to slake their thirst for knowledge unhindered by theology. The Scientific Revolution was conducted by scientists freed by the Reformation (1517) from blinkered Catholicism.
But this story is a myth, according to social scientist/historian Rodney Stark in his book Bearing False Witness (Templeton Press, 2016). There were no Dark Ages and no Scientific Revolution. Great advances were made throughout the "Dark Ages" and the revolutionary discoveries of the "Scientific Revolution" were simply normal incremental scientific advances.
And as for religion frustrating scientific progress, the major discoveries of the Scientific Revolution were made in universities strongly supported by the church, building on previous work largely done by churchmen.
READ MORE
Anti-Catholic propaganda by Enlightenment philosophers helped the Dark Ages myth to take hold, but most modern historians have revised the interpretations of these philosophers. Stark’s position, which I summarise in this article, is an emphatic synthesis of these revisions, supplemented by his own research.
Contrary to Enlightenment propaganda, major advances were made in all areas during the so-called Dark Ages – science and education (universities), power generation (water and wind mills), architecture (gothic architecture, eg Chartres Cathedral), agriculture (crop-rotation, heavy plough, horse-collar), warfare (cannons, heavy-armoured cavalry), music (musical notation) and much more.
Pursuit of knowledge
The university was invented in the Dark Ages, many universities developing from church cathedral/monastic schools. Universities were tasked with the pursuit of knowledge and innovation was esteemed, eg human dissection was introduced into human physiology studies. The first university was founded in Bologna in about 1088, then Paris (1150), Oxford (1167), Palencia (1208) and Cambridge (1209). About 60 more were added by 1500, over half endowed with papal charters.
Stark records the scientific work done by clerics in medieval universities, including Roger Bacon (1214 -1205) and William of Ockham (1295-1349). For example, space in the solar system was identified as a frictionless vacuum, allowing heavenly bodies to continue in motion forever. It was discovered that Earth turns on its axis and human perceptions that the earth is stationary in space are unreliable.
Such work established the primacy of empiricism over authority and the importance of controlled scientific experiments, making it possible for modern science to arise and come of age later in the Scientific Revolution.
Nicholas Copernicus (1473 -1543), "Father of the Scientific Revolution", was a university-educated church canon, well acquainted with these advances. Copernicus proposed that the sun sits at the centre of our solar system. This was a significant advance but can justifiably be categorised as a normal incremental advance in scientific knowledge, not a revolutionary breakthrough.
The Copernican planetary orbits around the Sun are circular. This is wrong, and to make his system work Copernicus decorated his orbits with loops. Copernicus was corrected by Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) who demonstrated that the orbits are elliptical – another incremental advance.
Neither Copernicus nor Kepler understood why planets don’t fly out of their orbits. Isaac Newton’s theory of gravity explained this, another normal, albeit brilliant, incremental advance. Newton (1643-1727) acknowledged this: “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants .”
Clergy
Stark identified all famous scientists of the Scientific Revolution era, beginning in 1543 and including all born before 1680. He found 52 such scientists, 13 of whom were clergy. Twenty-six were Catholics and 26 were Protestants. Thirty-one were devoutly religious and 20 were conventionally religious. Only one was a sceptic.
Nobody knows for sure why modern science uniquely arose in medieval Christian Europe. But many point to the primacy of reason in Christian theology combined with belief that God created a world operating on rational principles and amenable to rational analysis. Since God's creation is worthy of study, but is not divine itself, it can be manipulated to see how it works. And so, science arose.
I'm not dodging Galileo; I will deal with the great man in another article.
William Reville is an emeritus professor of biochemistry at UCC


theirishtimes--2020-08-20--Alcohol selling for ‘pocket money prices’, says lobby group

The Government has been accused of “ inertia ” over its failure to enact legislation to stop retailers using the lure of cheap alcohol to drive footfall , with a leading lobby group warning that harmful amounts can be bought for little more than €5 .
Alcohol Action Ireland ( AAI ) , an advocate for reducing alcohol harm , also said the coronavirus crisis had led to a significant shift in alcohol use in Ireland with “ hyper-competitive pricing ” fuelling a massive surge in sales and an increase in domestic drinking .
The AAI said its annual off-licence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of alcohol to everyday shoppers and the urgent necessity to commence minimum pricing of alcohol products that will ensure the strongest , cheapest alcohol at very low cost is eliminated from the market ” .
The survey , conducted over two weeks in July in one urban and two regional centres , found that cider remained the cheapest alcohol product available to consumers , with beer the second cheapest ahead of wine and spirits .
The report said the Irish consumer could spend as little as 44 cent for a standard drink of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beer , with a standard drink of wine costing as little as 59 cent .
The AAI pointed out that that a man could drink the weekly low-risk limit of 17 standard drinks for as little as €7.65 , while a woman consuming alcohol within the same guidelines could reach the weekly low-risk limit of 11 standard drinks for just €4.95 .
“ The exceptional affordability of alcohol .
.
.
across a retail landscape dominated by a few major corporations continues to sustain Ireland ’ s excessive use of alcohol , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As long as alcohol can be purchased at ‘ pocket money ’ prices and so easily , the public health objectives to reduce alcohol harms will not be reached.
” He pointed out that Ireland was almost two years on from the enactment of the Public Health ( Alcohol ) Act and said “ inertia marks the implementation of the central policy measures on pricing , promotion and product information ” .
The chairman of the alliance , Prof Frank Murray , said Taoiseach Micheál Martin had demonstrated as a previous minister for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commitment to objectives of public health alcohol policy ” .
Prof Murray said the price survey would have to act as a catalyst for the Government and Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly “ to honour , without further delay , its long-standing commitment to introduce minimum pricing of alcohol products ” .
“ Throughout the Covid-19 crisis we have witnessed a significant shift in alcohol use , with hyper-competitive pricing fuelling a massive surge in off-trade sales and an increase in domestic drinking , ” said Dr Joe Barry , adjunct professor of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ This temporary behaviour may well become a permanent lifestyle for many , which in time will only add to the already enormous public cost burden to care and manage the corrosive impact on individuals , their families , enterprise and across the whole of our society of alcohol harms .
”

A report shows the Irish consumer can spend as little as 44 cent for a standard drink of cider and 52 cent for a standard beer, with a standard drink of wine costing as little as 59 cent. Photograph: Eric Luke
The Government has been accused of “inertia” over its failure to enact legislation to stop retailers using the lure of cheap alcohol to drive footfall, with a leading lobby group warning that harmful amounts can be bought for little more than €5.
Alcohol Action Ireland (AAI), an advocate for reducing alcohol harm, also said the coronavirus crisis had led to a significant shift in alcohol use in Ireland with "hyper-competitive pricing" fuelling a massive surge in sales and an increase in domestic drinking.
The AAI said its annual off-licence price survey confirmed the “exceptional affordability of alcohol to everyday shoppers and the urgent necessity to commence minimum pricing of alcohol products that will ensure the strongest, cheapest alcohol at very low cost is eliminated from the market”.
The survey, conducted over two weeks in July in one urban and two regional centres, found that cider remained the cheapest alcohol product available to consumers, with beer the second cheapest ahead of wine and spirits.
READ MORE
17 units
The report said the Irish consumer could spend as little as 44 cent for a standard drink of cider and 52 cent for a standard beer, with a standard drink of wine costing as little as 59 cent.
The AAI pointed out that that a man could drink the weekly low-risk limit of 17 standard drinks for as little as €7.65, while a woman consuming alcohol within the same guidelines could reach the weekly low-risk limit of 11 standard drinks for just €4.95.
“The exceptional affordability of alcohol . . . across a retail landscape dominated by a few major corporations continues to sustain Ireland’s excessive use of alcohol,” said AAI spokesman Eunan McKinney.
“As long as alcohol can be purchased at ‘pocket money’ prices and so easily, the public health objectives to reduce alcohol harms will not be reached.”
He pointed out that Ireland was almost two years on from the enactment of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act and said “inertia marks the implementation of the central policy measures on pricing, promotion and product information”.
Public health
The chairman of the alliance, Prof Frank Murray, said Taoiseach Micheál Martin had demonstrated as a previous minister for health that he had "a strong commitment to objectives of public health alcohol policy".
Prof Murray said the price survey would have to act as a catalyst for the Government and Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly “to honour, without further delay, its long-standing commitment to introduce minimum pricing of alcohol products”.
"Throughout the Covid-19 crisis we have witnessed a significant shift in alcohol use, with hyper-competitive pricing fuelling a massive surge in off-trade sales and an increase in domestic drinking," said Dr Joe Barry, adjunct professor of public health medicine at Trinity College Dublin.
“This temporary behaviour may well become a permanent lifestyle for many, which in time will only add to the already enormous public cost burden to care and manage the corrosive impact on individuals, their families, enterprise and across the whole of our society of alcohol harms.”


theirishtimes--2020-08-20--Proactive contact is key to policing diverse society, says report’s author

Figures showing some frontline gardaí ’ s low opinion of the Travelling community are concerning but they should not be surprising .
Gardaí are members of society and over the years many studies have shown that discrimination against Travellers is deeply ingrained in this society .
What is perhaps more concerning is that negative attitudes towards the minority community increased after joining the force .
According to the results of a study into garda racial attitudes published in today ’ s Irish Times , 10 per cent of frontline officers surveyed said they had a “ poor view ” of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increased to 20 per cent when asked about their views now .
Meanwhile , the proportion of frontline gardaí surveyed with “ good ” or “ very good ” views of Travellers before and after joining remained the same – zero per cent .
This is likely down to the nature of the interaction between frontline gardaí and Travellers .
Seventy per cent of garda interaction with the community was to arrest one of its members , compared to 20 per cent of instances where Travellers were the victim of a crime .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ this year , relies on interviews conducted with gardaí between 2012-14 .
Interviews were carried out with 182 gardaí from across the organisation , comprising 111 ethnic liaison officers ( ELOs ) and 71 frontline gardaí .
One of the study ’ s main findings is that gardaí who interacted with Travellers and other ethnic minorities in non-adversarial matters have more positive views of those communities .
Garda ELOs , now known as diversity officers , who proactively interacted with Travellers , reported much higher opinions of the community than their frontline colleagues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ study ’ s author , Insp David McInerney , is that proactive , non-confrontational contact is the key to policing a diverse society .
“ I see a different side to things , and now get on very well with a lot of those that I was always complaining about , ” one ELO told the author of their interactions with the Travelling community .
“ The only way you can make progress is by respecting them , ” another said .
“ A good opportunity for this is at the time of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can go and pay your respects to the families .
You also get to meet and know the different family members , which can be quite an impossible task .
I don ’ t mind working with them.
” Of concern to garda management , however , might be how some ELOs said they built trust within the Travelling community : through the use of “ discretion ” in not executing arrest warrants .
“ I get nothing but respect from them .
They know I could lock up many of them , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” one ELO said .
One Dublin ELO intervened to prevent the arrest by his colleagues of a black man who he knew suffered from a mental illness .
Another Dublin ELO dealing with an illegal immigrant who had been the subject of a vicious racist assault , ignored the victim ’ s illegal status and did not alert the Garda National Immigration Bureau .
“ It turned out that he was illegal , but I pretended I did not know this , ” the Garda said .
People from ethnic minorities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that an understanding of their culture and traditions by gardaí was key to a successful policing strategy .
One member of the Travelling community suggested gardaí live on a halting site for a while “ and see what a Traveller ’ s life is really like ” .
A further area of concern highlighted by the study is the prevalence of “ racially disparaging ” comments made by some gardaí among themselves in their workplace .
Forty per cent of frontline gardaí surveyed said they frequently heard disparaging remarks about Travellers .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ black community was 26 per cent and 21 per cent respectively .
“ The reality is that racially disparaging comments are quite common within the garda workplace from the perspectives of both ELOs and [ frontline officers ] , ” Insp McInerney writes .
Furthermore , the vast majority of frontline officers surveyed ( 83 per cent ) did not take any action on hearing such remarks and zero per cent said they would challenge the behaviour .
Twenty eight per cent of ELOs said they would take no action , with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behaviour .
Insp McInerney said : “ An Garda Síochána ’ s relationship with the indigenous Traveller community proves that a great deal more has to be done to challenge racism against this group both from within and outside the Garda institution.
” In the Garda ’ s defence , and according to a lengthy statement sent to The Irish Times , much has been done to combat racism and discrimination in the force since the interviews were conducted .
This includes the establishment of initiatives such as “ Traveller dialogue days ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ communication , dialogue and collaboration ” , a Garda Traveller Advisory Group to build up “ a culture of respect ” in the force , and increased collaboration with representatives of the community .
Insp McInerney ’ s study was aimed at evaluating the role of the ELO programme , which he established in 2001 .

The study found that gardaí who interacted with Travellers and other ethnic minorities in non-adversarial matters have more positive views of those communities. Photograph: Oli Scarff/Getty Images
Figures showing some frontline gardaí’s low opinion of the Travelling community are concerning but they should not be surprising.
Gardaí are members of society and over the years many studies have shown that discrimination against Travellers is deeply ingrained in this society.
What is perhaps more concerning is that negative attitudes towards the minority community increased after joining the force.
According to the results of a study into garda racial attitudes published in today’s Irish Times, 10 per cent of frontline officers surveyed said they had a “poor view” of Travellers before joining the force. This increased to 20 per cent when asked about their views now.
READ MORE
Meanwhile, the proportion of frontline gardaí surveyed with “good” or “very good” views of Travellers before and after joining remained the same – zero per cent.
This is likely down to the nature of the interaction between frontline gardaí and Travellers. Seventy per cent of garda interaction with the community was to arrest one of its members, compared to 20 per cent of instances where Travellers were the victim of a crime.
The study, which was published earlier this year, relies on interviews conducted with gardaí between 2012-14. Interviews were carried out with 182 gardaí from across the organisation, comprising 111 ethnic liaison officers (ELOs) and 71 frontline gardaí.
One of the study’s main findings is that gardaí who interacted with Travellers and other ethnic minorities in non-adversarial matters have more positive views of those communities. Garda ELOs, now known as diversity officers, who proactively interacted with Travellers, reported much higher opinions of the community than their frontline colleagues. The lesson, according to the study’s author, Insp David McInerney, is that proactive, non-confrontational contact is the key to policing a diverse society.
‘Different side’
“I see a different side to things, and now get on very well with a lot of those that I was always complaining about,” one ELO told the author of their interactions with the Travelling community.
“The only way you can make progress is by respecting them,” another said. “A good opportunity for this is at the time of death in their community, when you can go and pay your respects to the families. You also get to meet and know the different family members, which can be quite an impossible task. I don’t mind working with them.”
Of concern to garda management, however, might be how some ELOs said they built trust within the Travelling community: through the use of “discretion” in not executing arrest warrants.
“I get nothing but respect from them. They know I could lock up many of them, but I just keep my mouth shut,” one ELO said.
One Dublin ELO intervened to prevent the arrest by his colleagues of a black man who he knew suffered from a mental illness.
Another Dublin ELO dealing with an illegal immigrant who had been the subject of a vicious racist assault, ignored the victim's illegal status and did not alert the Garda National Immigration Bureau. "It turned out that he was illegal, but I pretended I did not know this," the Garda said.
Disparaging comments
People from ethnic minorities interviewed for the study expressed the view that an understanding of their culture and traditions by gardaí was key to a successful policing strategy. One member of the Travelling community suggested gardaí live on a halting site for a while “and see what a Traveller’s life is really like”.
A further area of concern highlighted by the study is the prevalence of “racially disparaging” comments made by some gardaí among themselves in their workplace.
Forty per cent of frontline gardaí surveyed said they frequently heard disparaging remarks about Travellers. The figure for remarks about the Roma and black community was 26 per cent and 21 per cent respectively.
“The reality is that racially disparaging comments are quite common within the garda workplace from the perspectives of both ELOs and [frontline officers],” Insp McInerney writes.
Furthermore, the vast majority of frontline officers surveyed (83 per cent) did not take any action on hearing such remarks and zero per cent said they would challenge the behaviour. Twenty eight per cent of ELOs said they would take no action, with the same number responding they would challenge the behaviour.
Insp McInerney said: “An Garda Síochána’s relationship with the indigenous Traveller community proves that a great deal more has to be done to challenge racism against this group both from within and outside the Garda institution.”
In the Garda’s defence, and according to a lengthy statement sent to The Irish Times, much has been done to combat racism and discrimination in the force since the interviews were conducted.
This includes the establishment of initiatives such as “Traveller dialogue days” to help “break down barriers through communication, dialogue and collaboration”, a Garda Traveller Advisory Group to build up “a culture of respect” in the force, and increased collaboration with representatives of the community.
Insp McInerney’s study was aimed at evaluating the role of the ELO programme, which he established in 2001.


theirishtimes--2020-08-20--Top handball arena to open at Croke Park after 30-year dispute

A €15.5 million international-standard handball centre at Croke Park has been handed over to the local community , marking the end of a 30-year dispute over the facility .
A 200-year lease at an annual rent of €1 has this week been signed by the GAA and National Handball and Croke Park Community Centre CLG , a new body representing the community group which operated the old 1970s handball alley .
The board of the new centre is chaired by former taoiseach Bertie Ahern .
The new state-of-the-art 35,000sq ft centre features six handball courts , including a “ show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people .
There will also be community facilities , which will accommodate activities hosted in the old centre , including the special needs Rainbow Club , Shika Do martial arts club and dancing classes .
There is also a bar , kitchen facilities and a function room .
The development of the new centre was mired in planning and legal disputes for decades .
In 1988 , the GAA applied to An Bord Pleanála to have the old centre knocked down .
However , the application , which was objected to by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organisation which operated the centre , was refused .
The GAA later objected to the sports club bar licence held on the premises by the Community and Handball Centre .
The centre lost its licence for a period , but it was later restored .
In 2011 , the GAA began legal proceedings to eject the community organisation from the building .
In turn , the community group threatened to seek an injunction against the holding of a Take That concert , as Croke Park had already held the three concerts it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early 2016 , following an inability to resolve the disputes , Mr Ahern agreed to chair a mediation process between the groups .
Following lengthy but ultimately successful talks , the community organisation agreed not to block a new application for permission to redevelop the centre .
Planning permission was granted in 2017 .
Centre manager Fintan Farrelly thanked the GAA for the “ very substantial investment in our community and in our national sport of handball ” .
The facility would bring a “ great lift ” to the local community he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thank Bertie Ahern for his work to bring about this resolution .
It will be great to be working with Croke Park and the GAA and not be working against each other.
” Earlier this year the newly completed facility was used as a Covid-19 testing centre .
This use has now ended and , following a deep clean , it has been handed back to the community organisation .
A director of the centre , Eamon O ’ Brien , said he hopes handball playing will begin in the coming weeks in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ centre will be granted a new club bar licence in October .
Independent city councillor Nial Ring , also a director , said the facility would be a huge boost for the north inner city .
“ This fabulous new centre will be the best handball facility in the world .
It is a national asset but also will be a catalyst for the development of Ballybough and the wider area.
” A GAA spokesman said it would not be commenting publicly until the official launch of the centre .

A €15.5 million international-standard handball centre at Croke Park has been handed over to the local community, marking the end of a 30-year dispute over the facility.
A 200-year lease at an annual rent of €1 has this week been signed by the GAA and National Handball and Croke Park Community Centre CLG, a new body representing the community group which operated the old 1970s handball alley.
The board of the new centre is chaired by former taoiseach Bertie Ahern.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 3 The National Handball Centre in Ballybough, Dublin. Photograph: Tom Honan
The new state-of-the-art 35,000sq ft centre features six handball courts, including a “ show court” that seats up to 650 people. There will also be community facilities, which will accommodate activities hosted in the old centre, including the special needs Rainbow Club, Shika Do martial arts club and dancing classes. There is also a bar, kitchen facilities and a function room.
READ MORE
The development of the new centre was mired in planning and legal disputes for decades.
It will be great to be working with Croke Park and the GAA and not be working against each other
In 1988, the GAA applied to An Bord Pleanála to have the old centre knocked down. However, the application, which was objected to by the Community and Handball Centre, the local organisation which operated the centre, was refused.
The GAA later objected to the sports club bar licence held on the premises by the Community and Handball Centre. The centre lost its licence for a period, but it was later restored.
Injunction
In 2011, the GAA began legal proceedings to eject the community organisation from the building. In turn, the community group threatened to seek an injunction against the holding of a Take That concert, as Croke Park had already held the three concerts it was permitted to hold a year.
In early 2016, following an inability to resolve the disputes, Mr Ahern agreed to chair a mediation process between the groups. Following lengthy but ultimately successful talks, the community organisation agreed not to block a new application for permission to redevelop the centre. Planning permission was granted in 2017.
Centre manager Fintan Farrelly thanked the GAA for the "very substantial investment in our community and in our national sport of handball".
The facility would bring a “great lift” to the local community he said.
“I also want to thank Bertie Ahern for his work to bring about this resolution. It will be great to be working with Croke Park and the GAA and not be working against each other.”
It is a national asset but also will be a catalyst for the development of Ballybough and the wider area
Earlier this year the newly completed facility was used as a Covid-19 testing centre. This use has now ended and, following a deep clean, it has been handed back to the community organisation.
A director of the centre, Eamon O’Brien, said he hopes handball playing will begin in the coming weeks in line with Covid-19 regulations, and the centre will be granted a new club bar licence in October.
Independent city councillor Nial Ring, also a director, said the facility would be a huge boost for the north inner city. "This fabulous new centre will be the best handball facility in the world. It is a national asset but also will be a catalyst for the development of Ballybough and the wider area."
A GAA spokesman said it would not be commenting publicly until the official launch of the centre.


theirishtimes--2020-08-20--Prehistoric site discovered at lake on Sligo-Leitrim border

A post-lockdown picnic on the shores of Glencar Lake on the Sligo-Leitrim border led to the discovery of almost 1,000 prehistoric tools and provided insight into the working lives of people who lived there thousands of years ago .
Marion Dowd , an archaeologist and local resident , was marking the easing of Covid-19 restrictions in June with her son Fiachra ( 12 ) and another family , when they spotted hundreds of pieces of chert , a rock used to make stone tools , on the shores of the lake .
Dr Dowd , a lecturer at IT Sligo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ level had dropped markedly due to a prolonged dry spell and had revealed a knapping floor , a place where people would have sat and shaped stone into tools more than 4,000 years ago .
“ Basically , families sat at this location thousands of years ago enjoying the lake just as were doing in 2020 , ” she said .
The tools are believed to have been used for gutting and cleaning fish , wood work , basket making and preparing food .
Dr Dowd said this part of the shore would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the past , but that the rising water level of Glencar Lake had covered it over time .
“ I was back there yesterday and it is totally submerged again , ” she said , remarking that the timing of her discovery was fortuitous .
Dr Dowd reported the find to the National Monuments Service and the National Museum of Ireland .
She and her colleague Dr James Bonsall helped to record the site and recover the tools , which will be deposited in the museum .
The lecturer believes some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Bronze Age and it was possible that some are linked to the Mesolithic age .
Dr Dowd and Fiachra had earlier that day visited Sruth in Aghaidh An Aird waterfall , also known as the Devil ’ s Chimney , with Catherine Pineau and her son Yann ( 10 ) .
They followed the stream from the waterfall to the lake and while the children were looking around for a picnic spot , she spotted one of the prehistoric tools on the ground .
“ I suppose it was a case of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time , ” she said , given many people would not have known what the object was .
An expert in prehistoric archaeology , Dr Dowd started to look around and soon realised that the area was a previously unrecorded archaeological site .
It is one of 98 known knapping floors in Ireland , and the second one discovered in Co Sligo .
“ What is interesting was that there was no excavation involved .
These items were just lying there because the level of the lake had dropped , ” she said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as ringforts and crannógs were previously associated with the early medieval period .
But the discovery provides evidence that prehistoric people availed of drinking water and opportunities for fishing , boating and washing around the lake .
The 930 pieces of worked chert were discovered on the shore and the knapping floor spanned a 16m x 13m area .
Among the stone tools found was a convex scraper dating to the Neolithic or Bronze Age , which could have been used for cleaning animal hides or preparing fish .

Yann McGuinness and Fiachra Dowd (right) hold four of the stone tools discovered while picnicking at Glencar Lake.
A post-lockdown picnic on the shores of Glencar Lake on the Sligo-Leitrim border led to the discovery of almost 1,000 prehistoric tools and provided insight into the working lives of people who lived there thousands of years ago.
Marion Dowd, an archaeologist and local resident, was marking the easing of Covid-19 restrictions in June with her son Fiachra (12) and another family, when they spotted hundreds of pieces of chert, a rock used to make stone tools, on the shores of the lake.
Dr Dowd, a lecturer at IT Sligo, said the lake’s water level had dropped markedly due to a prolonged dry spell and had revealed a knapping floor, a place where people would have sat and shaped stone into tools more than 4,000 years ago.
“Basically, families sat at this location thousands of years ago enjoying the lake just as were doing in 2020,” she said.
READ MORE
The tools are believed to have been used for gutting and cleaning fish, wood work, basket making and preparing food.
Dr Dowd said this part of the shore would have been an area of dry land in the past, but that the rising water level of Glencar Lake had covered it over time.
“I was back there yesterday and it is totally submerged again,” she said, remarking that the timing of her discovery was fortuitous.
Dr Dowd reported the find to the National Monuments Service and the National Museum of Ireland. She and her colleague Dr James Bonsall helped to record the site and recover the tools, which will be deposited in the museum.
The lecturer believes some of the tools date to the Stone Age and Bronze Age and it was possible that some are linked to the Mesolithic age.
Dr Dowd and Fiachra had earlier that day visited Sruth in Aghaidh An Aird waterfall, also known as the Devil’s Chimney, with Catherine Pineau and her son Yann (10). They followed the stream from the waterfall to the lake and while the children were looking around for a picnic spot, she spotted one of the prehistoric tools on the ground.
“I suppose it was a case of right person, right place, right time,”she said, given many people would not have known what the object was.
‘No excavation’
An expert in prehistoric archaeology, Dr Dowd started to look around and soon realised that the area was a previously unrecorded archaeological site. It is one of 98 known knapping floors in Ireland, and the second one discovered in Co Sligo.
“What is interesting was that there was no excavation involved. These items were just lying there because the level of the lake had dropped,” she said.
Archaeological sites around Glencar Lake such as ringforts and crannógs were previously associated with the early medieval period. But the discovery provides evidence that prehistoric people availed of drinking water and opportunities for fishing, boating and washing around the lake.
The 930 pieces of worked chert were discovered on the shore and the knapping floor spanned a 16m x 13m area. Among the stone tools found was a convex scraper dating to the Neolithic or Bronze Age, which could have been used for cleaning animal hides or preparing fish.


theirishtimes--2020-08-20--Number refused entry to State by immigration authorities increases

The number of people refused permission by immigration authorities to enter the State through air and seaports and across the Border increased by more than half last year , figures from the European Union ’ s statistics agency show .
Eurostat said 7,455 people were denied entry or “ leave to land ” in Ireland last year , up from 4,797 in 2018 .
The top 10 nationalities denied entry were people from Albania ( 1,730 ) , Brazil ( 720 ) , South Africa ( 580 ) , Bolivia ( 275 ) , Georgia ( 275 ) , China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 210 ) , Zimbabwe ( 175 ) , Pakistan ( 120 ) and India ( 100 ) .
The same nationalities have consistently been among the most commonly denied entry over the past decade .
While entry refusals grew generally , last year ’ s rise is largely down to tougher checks on Albanian and Georgian nationals in the final months of the year .
Both countries are classified by Ireland as “ safe countries of origin ” , meaning the State does not regard Albania or Georgia as places from which nationals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the steps of the plane late last year , preventing these nationalities from making applications for international protection , though the policy has been criticised by a number of migrants ’ rights groups .
The then minister for justice Charlie Flanagan said the change was in response to some immigrants destroying fake documents once they disembarked from planes but before reaching passport control , where some would then apply for international protection .
The number of Albanian nationals refused entry almost tripled last year , while the number of Georgian nationals refused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Applications for asylum from both nationalities dropped significantly after the new policy was introduced .
Eighty per cent of the total refusals occurred at Dublin Airport .
Separate figures from the Irish Prison Service ( IPS ) show the number of people held in prison for suspected immigration offences rose by nearly a fifth last year .
A total of 477 people of various nationalities were detained for suspected immigration offences , up from 406 in 2018 .
More than half , 57 per cent , did not have a valid visa , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were suspected of failing , to have a valid passport .
People of five nationalities – Albanian , Brazilian , Pakistani , Nigerian and Georgian – accounted for more than half of the numbers detained .
The Department of Justice said extra checks were imposed following a sharp rise in the numbers of people travelling on false documents .
An Garda Síochána said “ prompt arrangements ” exist to send people back when breaches were detected .
The rise in detention numbers was “ very worrying ” , the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is one of the few EU countries to regularly detain people in prison for immigration offences .
An immigration detention centre at Dublin Airport remains unused 14 months after its scheduled opening .
The detentions are “ made worse by accommodating these men and women in crowded prisons , where cell-sharing is the norm ” , said the Irish Penal Reform Trust ’ s Fíona Ní Chinnéide .
Nasc , the migrant and refugee centre , has criticised the lack of access to legal representation and the lack of an appeals route .

While entry refusals grew generally, last year’s rise is largely down to tougher checks on Albanian and Georgian nationals in the final months of the year.
The number of people refused permission by immigration authorities to enter the State through air and seaports and across the Border increased by more than half last year, figures from the European Union’s statistics agency show.
Eurostat said 7,455 people were denied entry or “leave to land” in Ireland last year, up from 4,797 in 2018.
The top 10 nationalities denied entry were people from Albania (1,730), Brazil (720), South Africa (580), Bolivia (275), Georgia (275), China (255), the US (210), Zimbabwe (175), Pakistan (120) and India (100). The same nationalities have consistently been among the most commonly denied entry over the past decade.
While entry refusals grew generally, last year’s rise is largely down to tougher checks on Albanian and Georgian nationals in the final months of the year.
READ MORE
Both countries are classified by Ireland as “safe countries of origin”, meaning the State does not regard Albania or Georgia as places from which nationals need protection.
International protection
Immigration checks were moved to the steps of the plane late last year, preventing these nationalities from making applications for international protection, though the policy has been criticised by a number of migrants’ rights groups.
The then minister for justice Charlie Flanagan said the change was in response to some immigrants destroying fake documents once they disembarked from planes but before reaching passport control, where some would then apply for international protection.
The number of Albanian nationals refused entry almost tripled last year, while the number of Georgian nationals refused entry increased by 25 per cent.
Applications for asylum from both nationalities dropped significantly after the new policy was introduced. Eighty per cent of the total refusals occurred at Dublin Airport.
Prison figures
Separate figures from the Irish Prison Service (IPS) show the number of people held in prison for suspected immigration offences rose by nearly a fifth last year. A total of 477 people of various nationalities were detained for suspected immigration offences, up from 406 in 2018.
More than half, 57 per cent, did not have a valid visa, while 22 per cent failed, or were suspected of failing, to have a valid passport.
People of five nationalities – Albanian, Brazilian, Pakistani, Nigerian and Georgian – accounted for more than half of the numbers detained.
The Department of Justice said extra checks were imposed following a sharp rise in the numbers of people travelling on false documents. An Garda Síochána said “prompt arrangements” exist to send people back when breaches were detected.
The rise in detention numbers was “very worrying”, the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland’s Isabel Toolan said.
Ireland is one of the few EU countries to regularly detain people in prison for immigration offences. An immigration detention centre at Dublin Airport remains unused 14 months after its scheduled opening.
The detentions are “made worse by accommodating these men and women in crowded prisons, where cell-sharing is the norm”, said the Irish Penal Reform Trust’s Fíona Ní Chinnéide. Nasc, the migrant and refugee centre, has criticised the lack of access to legal representation and the lack of an appeals route.