Author Archives: Bodger

This afternoon.

Meanwhile…

Earlier…

From top: Dr Peter Boylan; Dr Jennifer Walsh, Consultant Obstetrician/Gynaecologist at The National Maternity Hospital, and Master of the National Maternity Hospital Professor Shane Higgins

This morning.

Holles Street, Dublin 2.

Via Independent.ie:

The National Maternity Hospital would be open to removing or redefining the phrase “clinically appropriate” from documents regulating the new hospital.

Professor Shane Higgins, master of the existing hospital on Holles St, said that “having seen how much upset and concern it does cause, we would be open to defining it or having it removed.”

Meanwhile…

Prof Higgins said that he did not understand concerns about the new hospital being on a leasehold. He said many other buildings that received significant public investment like the Mansion House and the new Central Bank were also on a leasehold as the new NMH will be.

Meanwhile…

…yesterday, former Master Dr Peter Boylan told the Oireachtas health Committee:

“Vatican permission was conditional on the Sisters observing certain specified canon laws. The St Vincent’s companies bind them to uphold the values of Mother Mary Aikenhead, the founder of the order.

“The concern about Catholic ethos is too acute to proceed unless and until there is full scrutiny of all correspondence between Ireland and Rome.

“The Government should directly ask the new owners of St Vincent’s Holdings – Dr David Brophy, Professor Michael Keane and Sharen McCabe – why they cannot gift, as the Sisters of Charity said they would in 2017, or sell the land to the State,” he added.

“Specifically, do the conditions set down by the Vatican preclude St Vincent’s Holdings from gifting or selling the land?

“Prior agreement on the services must include a specified list of procedures including but not limited to abortion, elective sterilisation, assisted fertility and gender realignment surgery, and any procedure that becomes legal in the future.”

This morning, Prof Higgins responded:

“[Dr Boylan] was a highly respected clinician for his entire career, but I don’t understand the vitriol of the opposition.”

National Maternity Hospital open to removing phrase ‘clinically appropriate’ from new hospital’s regulation documents (Independent.ie)

Yesterday: Release Vatican correspondence before new National Maternity Hospital can be built, former master Peter Boylan says (Independent.ie)

RollingNews

This morning/afternoon.

They’re in so much trouble.

Meanwhile…

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We didn’t even know it was on.

Garden Terrace, House, Leeson Street, Dublin 2.

The launch of Avène’s New Ultra Broad Spectrum Facial Suncare Collection SPF 50+, now Available at Boots.

In time for the Irish ‘Summer’.

From top; Elle Gordon and Kellie Billings; Niamh Martin and Sarah O Callaghan; Corina Gaffey and Patrick Kavanagh; Melanie Morris; Megan Virgo and Kathryn Devanney; Amy Rohu and Lisa Murrin; Judy Gilroy and Trine Jenson; Grace Cahill and Katie Allen; Norah and Carissa Casey, and Event host Dr. Doireann O’Leary (left), April Kerr and Roberta Von Meding.

Pics Karen Morgan

This morning

A survey, carried out by Currys, has revealed that only 37% of people regularly recycle old electronic items.

How dare you.

With this in mind…

…Via Currys Ireland:

‘We are today launching ‘Cash for Trash’, a limited time offer where shoppers can swap unused tech products, broken or in working order, for a voucher worth €5 to spend in store or online.

Bring all your old, broken, unwanted tech, large or small, to your closest Currys store by 14th June. In return, Currys will give you a €5 voucher redeemable against any eligible in-store purchase (by June 14.2022).’

Jaimie Cantwell, Head of Commercial at Currys Ireland adds:

“We’re confident the public are going to get behind this scheme in a big way, and help us to avoid adding more tech to landfill.”

Currys Ireland

 

President of the High Court Mary irvine

This morning.

Further to the imminent retirement of Mary Irvine as the first woman president of the High Court…

…Via Irish Times:

Ms Justice Irvine championed controversial new guidelines to slash minor personal injury awards – a deeply, deeply unpopular move in the eyes of many barristers:

“Treason, as far as I’m concerned, what she has done amounts to treason to the Bar,” one senior counsel fumed to The Irish Times this week, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Barristers have felt under siege for some years now, but the impact of the personal injury guidelines has particularly contributed to division in the legal world about Ms Justice Irvine’s tenure in the State’s third most senior judicial position.

“Remote hearings have been expanded much more than necessary, depriving junior barristers of essential training opportunities, and judges should never have got involved in making guidelines which mean people will not get properly compensated for their injuries,” said the same barrister.

Up to a third of barristers may quit, believes a junior counsel: “I think Ms Justice Irvine was excellent at getting the courts up and running again after Covid but I would have liked to see her, as a barrister herself, being more sympathetic to the position of barristers,” she said.

Alternatively…

“The personal injuries barristers can yearn for the halcyon days of the past all they want, those days are not coming back,” according to another barrister, whose area of practice does not include personal injuries. “There’s a whiff of misogyny about a lot of the criticism of Judge Irvine

Legal world divided on legacy of retiring High Court president *Mary Carolan, Irish Times)

RollingNews

Alan Dukes, former Chairman of IBRC at a press briefing in relation to the Siteserv issue on April 23, 2015  at the offices of Eames Solicitors, Dublin 2

He was ‘scandalised’.

Further to the leak this morning of a final draft of the Siterserv legal review that reportedly asserts:

‘The bank made its decision to approve the sale of the Siteserv group to Denis O’Brien in good faith, but based on misleading and incomplete information provided to it by the company.’

The State incurred a loss of more than €100 million on the sale.

Siteserv shareholders were paid €5 million as part of the deal.

Throughout the sale process, criticism was usually angrily shut down.

How angrily?

Via Irish Times (April 24, 2015)

Former IBRC chairman Alan Dukes said he is “extremely angry” the review of the Siteserv sale and other transactions conducted by the bank will seek evidence of criminality or malpractice.

The very fact that the possibility of criminality had been mentioned was “absolutely outrageous”, he told a press conference in Dublin.

Mr Dukes said he does not know the precise list of transactions to be covered under the Government-commissioned IBRC review into transations worth more than €10 million, but that he was “happy” the review is taking place.

However, he said he is “scandalised”at the notion of the review seeking evidence of malpractice by IBRC, a State-owned bank set up to wind down the assets of Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Nationwide.

There were “no grounds for suggesting that”, he told the press conference .

Some people, he said, saw “conspiracy in their tea leaves”, adding he wished to say “in the strongest possible terms” that any such allegations were out of place.

He said he tried not be paranoid, adding that did not mean “they’re not out to get you”, to laughter from many of those present….

Siteserv: Dukes ‘angry’ at suggestion of criminality (Irish Times, April 24, 2015)

Meanwhile…

Former Finance Minister Michael Noonan

“

[Alan Dukes] assured me that what happened was in the best interests of the State and consequently of the taxpayer”.

“The deal was the deal and I was assured the components of the deal were necessary to get the best results for the taxpayer. All transactions were complete. There was no possibility of a reversal and I trusted Alan Dukes.”

Michael Noonan, April 22, 2015.

Good times.

Earlier: Now Den

Previously: Deal Timeline

 The Bank That Liked To Say Yes

RollingNews

Thanks Giggidygoo

This morning.

Via RTE News

The first order of business will then be the election of a new Speaker and two deputies. This requires the support of a majority of all Members of the Assembly as well as a majority of the nationalist and unionist designations.

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson has confirmed that his party will not support these appointments as part of his campaign against the Northern Ireland Protocol.

In a statement to Belfast’s daily Unionist newspaper the News Letter, he said the protocol is eroding the very foundations that devolution has been built upon.

The decision means the Assembly cannot even discuss the appointment of a First and Deputy First Minister.

DUP to block election of speaker when Assembly meets (RTE)

This morning.

Via Irish Times:

Mr Justice Brian Cregan circulated a confidential draft final report to witnesses on Thursday after seven years of investigation, in which he criticised a process “below the surface” where certain events occurred during the sale without the bank’s knowledge.

…Although the findings are still subject to change, the judge has reiterated the conclusion set out in a previous draft report last year that the deal was not commercially sound.

“The commission has determined that it can be concluded that the bank made its decision to approve the sale of the Siteserv group to Mr O’Brien in good faith, but based on misleading and incomplete information provided to it by the company,” the judge said.

Sale of Siteserv to Denis O’Brien based on ‘misleading information’, judge says (Irish Times)

Previously: How The Deal Was Done: Siteserv Timeline

RollingNews

Brooke Sculliion, Ireland’s Bellaghy-born Eurovision Song Contest, gets local support at a roundabout outside Derry City

Tonight.

Ted writes:

Tonight’s the big night! Brooke’s qualifying odds have steadily improved to reach 11/4 today in a tough Semi Final 2. I’m confident she’ll comfortably sneak in ahead of Cyprus and Belgium.

Meanwhile…

G’wan The Brooke.

Pic via Reddit user Renegade Revan

Alison Oliver in Conversations with Friends

On The Late Late Show…

…Maureen Catterson writes:

As they prepare for the launch of the eagerly awaited new drama Conversations with Friends, Oscar-nominated director Lenny Abrahamson and the show’s Cork-born star Alison Oliver will join Ryan to chat about bringing Sally Rooney’s novel to life on the small screen.

Joining us on the show is a special musical treat from three men who share the same birthday John Sheahan, Paul Brady & Mundy will be playing some of their biggest hits & sharing some stories along the way.

Westlife’s Mark Feehily will join Ryan this Friday to talk about how fatherhood has changed his life, why doing The Masked Singer had a profound effect on him, and his excitement at getting back on stage with Westlife this summer. He’ll also be performing two special songs.

Plus, we will have a very special performance from composer Ruth Anne Cunningham and some of The Late Late Toy Showkids including Saoirse Ruane as they get ready to make a very special announcement that has been in the works for quite some time.

The Late Late Show on RTÉ One tomorrow at 9:35pm.

Pic: Hula