Author Archives: Bodger

SPLUTTER!

This afternoon.

F***k Off Ring (Ella Grace)

Irish-made stocking fillers to broadsheet@broadsheet.ie marked ‘Irish-Made Stocking Fillers’

Bethesda Children’s Hospital in Budapest, Hungary this morning

This afternoon.

Via AFP:

Several European nations started vaccinating children aged five to 11 against Covid-19 on Wednesday in an effort to contain a raging pandemic and keep schools open

Croatia, Germany, Spain, Greece and Hungary were among those opening up their inoculation drives to younger kids, with other nations [including Ireland] still weighing their approach.

“As soon as we offered the vaccine appointments, they were pretty much all snapped up,” said Jakob Maske, a Berlin-based doctor and spokesman for Germany’s association of paediatricians.

But he downplayed expectations. “Five to 11-year-olds only make up around three percent of the German population,” he told AFP, describing the immunisation impact as “a small cog” in the effort.

Europe Ramps Up Vaccine Drive For Children (Yahoo News)

Reuters

This afternoon.

Kildare Street, Dublin 2.

Pupils and teachers  from five Gaelscoils (Scoil Bhríde, Gaelscoil Lios na nÓg, Scoil Mológa, Bunscoil Sancta Maria and Gaelscoil Eoin) plus some TDs (including Labour’s Ivana Bacik – above back centre) gathered outside Leinster House calling for a Gaelcholáiste for their school area, in South Dublin, which currently has 44 English-medium secondary schools and 0 Irish-medium secondary schools.

Letters and cards were handed in from the pupils to the Minister for Education Norma Foley to help secure her support for an independent Gaelcholáiste.

Conradh Na Gaeilge

This afternoon.

Close contacts of confirmed Covid-19 cases may have to restrict their movements and stay at home over Christmas, under new measures to be considered by NPHET when it meets.

Currently people do not have to restrict their movements if they are a non-household close contact and are fully vaccinated.

Further NPHET recommendations expected – Varadkar (RTÉ)

Meanwhile..

Dr Mary Favier, Covid advisor for the Irish College of General Practitioners, says people who test positive for Covid-19 from tomorrow will have to self-isolate on Christmas Day.

This morning.

Via RTÉ News:

Dr Mary Favier, Covid advisor for the Irish College of General Practitioners, said that the whole population has to face Covid-19 again and there is likely to be a very big surge as a result of the Omicron variant.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Dr Favier said the anticipated volume of cases resulting from the highly infectious variant will present difficulties, even though the variant appears to cause less serious illnesses.

“People should remember that if they have a Covid-positive test tomorrow they are now in self-isolation on Christmas Day,” she said.

“So it’s our personal behaviors in the next few days that will make a difference to how we manage Christmas and how we manage the next surge.”

Christmas in isolation for Covid cases from tomorrow (RTÉ)

RollingNews/Contact The Elderly

Furglan National School.

Forgleann, Lahinch, Co. Clare, Ireland.

Jacinta Sheerin writes:

One Summer afternoon on the coast of Lahinch, a bird flew into a classroom and hurt his wing. A little boy, Cian Vaughan, cupped it in his hands until the bird got strong and was able to fly away. My son Adam Wall (top) looked on at his classmate rescuing the bird and when he got home that evening, he wrote a poem called HOPE.

The film was made by Alex Gill from Cracking Light Productions in Ennistymon. It features Adam reading his poem as well as his classmates sharing their hope for the future.

Furglan National School

Gulp.

This morning.

Via Robert Shorrt:

Property prices in October rose by 13.5% on an annual basis to mark the fastest annual pace of growth in over six years, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office….

Today’s CSO figures show that the mid-point or median price of a home nationally was €275,000 in October.

In Dublin, that figure was €400,000 with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown remaining the most expensive location at €580,000.

Outside Dublin, the cheapest location was Longford where the median priced property was €129,000.

Annual property prices jump by 13.5% in October – CSO (RTE)

Illustration via CSO

Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen

‘In anticipation of the coming crisis, [UK Prime Minister] Boris Johnson on Sunday delivered a televised address in which he…announced new measures, including a recommendation that people work from home and a legal requirement for mask-wearing in most public indoor areas. Vaccine passports will be needed to enter large venues such as nightclubs.

Viewed from Ireland, such steps look minimal, in some cases recklessly so, yet they have ignited a rebellion within his Conservative parliamentary party, where civil libertarians and Covid-deniers are resisting all new public health measures.’

 

Irish Times editorial, December 13

The Irish Times view on Britain’s Covid-19 ‘tidal wave’: nobody at the tiller (Irish Times, December 13)

Meanwhile…

‘I read your editorial “The Irish Times view on Britain’s Covid-19 ‘tidal wave’: nobody at the tiller”  with interest.

I find it somewhat astonishing that you chose to group civil libertarians and Covid-deniers together. In no way am I a Covid-denier. I have had my vaccines, try to maintain social distance and wear a mask when it is appropriate to do so, and I urge others to do the same.

I am, however, a civil libertarian. I fundamentally believe that people should have the right to make their own choices and not be penalised if theirs is not the state-approved one.

I have always believed that civil liberties are to be defended vigorously. Perhaps it is only in The Irish Times that civil libertarianism is a bad thing? Who would have thought it? ‘

Andrew Bridgen, Conservative MP, House of Commons.

Irish Times Letters

This morning.

Via Irish Times:

Parents who decide not to vaccinate their younger children against Covid-19 have been told they face a greater risk of missing school and other activities through contracting the virus.

The HSE, through an online information page, says: “If you decide not to get your child vaccinated, there is a greater risk they could get Covid-19.

“Their symptoms will most likely be mild if they get the virus, but they will still need to isolate from others. This means they may miss school and other activities.”

SE rolls out information campaign on children’s Covid vaccines (Irish Times)

Meanwhile…

Anyone?

RollingNews

Staying in Christmas Day?

Peter O’Toole – Réalta & Rógaire on TG4.

Linda writes;

Peter O’Toole was known throughout the world as Lawrence of Arabia (top), as a hell-raising actor and as an Irishman. His distinguished career saw him conquer the stage and screen as one of our greatest movie stars.

However, between his time on stage and screen, O’Toole spent his life in Connemara, a place he called home, a place that offered him a refuge and respite from the pressures of the world of entertainment.

Featuring rare family archive and interviews with his daughter Kate O’Toole, friends and co-stars, including Twiggy, Brian Blessed and Irish co-stars Bryan Murray, Jim Bartley and Mary Coughlan, Peter O’Toole – Realta & Rogaire is the definitive account of the life and career of one of our greatest movie stars and his enduring love of Ireland. Produced by Dearg Films.

Peter O’Toole – Réalta & Rógaire on TG4 on Christmas Day at 9.25pm.