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Stephen Fry

Well.

Further to the Stephen Fry blasphemy law brouhaha…

Liam Stack and Ed O’Loughlin, in the New York Times, report:

The Catholic Church has had profound cultural and political influence in Ireland, but adherence to its teachings has been waning in recent years. There are several continuing controversies in Ireland over the role of religion in public life, Mr. [Eoin Daly, law lecturer at NUI Galway] Daly noted, and Mr. Fry’s brush with the blasphemy law is probably the least urgent.

Ireland became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage by popular vote in 2015. Since then, it has been locked in a tense debate over abortion, which was banned in almost all cases by a 1982 referendum. Activists say thousands of Irish women leave the country for abortions each year.

The country has also experienced a string of scandals related to the Catholic Church’s role in managing public services, including the discovery of a mass grave on the site of a former publicly financed home for unwed mothers run by a religious order, the Sisters of Bon Secours.

“There has been a huge transformation of public opinion away from the orthodox Catholic positions over the last quarter of a century, but you still have significant church involvement in public services, especially education,” Mr. Daly said.

“You could say the church has an outsized institutional role, considering the public opinion, values and beliefs in society.”

Groan.

Irish Police Investigate (but Don’t Charge) Stephen Fry for Blasphemy (New York Times)

Previously: ‘We Believed That We Would Never See A Prosecution For It’

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Mark Malone writes:

Purchased on February 14th for €150,000. Now on the market for €249,000. Flipped for 70% price hike in the middle of a housing crisis.

Via Daft.ie…

“This exceptional property has been totally renovated with a new heating system, replumbed, rewired, new kitchen, new bathroom suite, new windows and stylishly decorated throughout providing a turnkey prospect for potential purchasers.”

10 Nicholas Avenue, Smithfield, Dublin 7 (Daft.ie)

Previously: Flipping Hell

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Until you say so…

Spotted on Sunday evening.

President Michael D Higgins chats to man with a bird on his shoulder while walking The Prom in Salthill, Co Galway.

Taken by Noel McDonagh

Thanks Homelessness In Galway

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Something we’ve rarely seen in Cork since the local Gardaí cracked down on the lads bringing the wee skate ramps to Half-Moon St. a few years back: a street-skate vid.

Brought to you by the kind folk at Primetime Cork (for all your streetwear needs, serving the city over 25 years) as part of their series of videos on Cork culture. They write:

Here’s the next instalment in our ongoing video series, this week showcasing three of Cork’s top skaters and long-time friends of the shop. Throughout our 25 year history Primetime has taken great pride in supporting every aspect of ‘street’ culture in our city, whether musical, artistic or otherwise. Long may this continue!

More videos here.

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Cat Meat – Americana with some very familiar faces

What you may need to know…

01. Cat Meat are something of a hub of Irish music veterans to say the least: Ian Olney (Power of Dreams/Cypress, Mine!) is central to the main line-up, while Morty McCarthy (Sultans of Ping/Pharmacy) has guested behind the kit, and live bassist Mark Healy has prior form in Cypress, Mine! and Lift.

02. Emerging a few years back, the band have recently dropped by some old stomping grounds, with gigs in Cork city and Ballydehob. The outfit plies a warm if somewhat forlorn mix of folk, Americana and blues.

03. Streaming above is the band’s new full-length, Trembling Tongues Make Magpie Bait, also available for free/pay-what-you-want download from the band’s Bandcamp.

04. We’ll keep you posted on any upcoming return Irish legs for the band, though video from their last few shows is up on their Facebook.

Thoughts: The sum of their influences and reference points, but with a hint of ’90s alternative ingenue amid it all.

Cat Meat

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Minister for Social Protection and Fine Gael TD Leo Varadkar launching his Welfare Cheats Cheat Us All campaign last month

This morning.

Fine Gael TD and Minister for Social Protection Leo Varadkar spoke to Cathal MacCoille on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.

During the interview they briefly discussed the Social Welfare Bill and his plans to publish the names of people convicted of social welfare fraud.

It follows the recent launch of his Welfare Cheats Cheat Us All campaign, in which he calls on people to notify the authorities of people they believe are committing welfare fraud.

From the interview this morning…

Cathal MacCoille: “The Social Welfare Bill, it’s attracted a fair amount of attention already because of this proposal to publish the names and addresses of those convicted of welfare fraud. The reason you decided to do that? How many people will be affected?”

Leo Varadkar: “Any given year, it’s about 150 to 200. It’s adopting a somewhat similar approach to that of the Revenue Commissioners, although not going quite as far as they go. They publish settlements, we’ll only publish it if somebody is being convicted in a court of law.”

MacCoille: “Will you publish the details?”

Varadkar: “Obviously, the name and the address and the amount will be published. And also, in addition to that, there’ll be additional penalties for people convicted of welfare fraud. At the moment, sometimes, the penalties are very light. All you have to do is pay back the money the stole which is very unusual. In most fraud cases, you have to pay a penalty as well as pay back the money that was taken. And it will allow us do that.”

Listen back in full here

Sam Boal/Rollingnews

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View of the fire in Cloosh Valley, Co Galway from 16,000 feet yesterday

As the fire service, army and air-corps continue to battle the fire in the Cloosh Valley near Oughterard, Co Galway which began on Sunday…

The Galway Advertiser reports:

The fire in Cloosh Valley near Oughterard, which has destroyed more than 1,000 hectares of forestry is believed to have originated from deliberately set gorse fires, which subsequently spread into Coillte owned forestry.

Deliberately set gorse fires blamed for Cloosh Valley catastrophe (Galway Advertiser)

Pic: Irish Air Corps