Author Archives: Bodger

Above from left: John Molloy, Rachel O’Byrne, Kathy Rose O’Brien and Rachel O’Byrne from the cast of The Dead outside the Gaiety theatere in Dublin

This afternoon.

King Street, Dublin 2.

The cast of The Dead, a short opera of the short story by James Joyce, announce performances on August 7 and 8 at the Gaiety Theatre with audience members capped at 50 people. Jelly was among the side-dishes served during the Christmas party at the story’s centre.

Its arias will give you the Chivers.

Chivers/shivers.

Suit yourselves.

The Dead: An Opera (Gaiety Theatre)

RollingNews

This afternoon.

Kildare Street, Dublin 2.

Dublin Bus workers gather outside Leinster House to protest against proposed work practice changes under the National Transport Authority’s (NTA) Bus Connects plan.

The NTA propose drivers receive a 6.5pc pay rise over the next three years, as well as a further 1pc retrospective payment. In return, drivers will need to sign up to roster and shift changes and give up their premium payments for Sundays and bank holidays.

Sam Boal/RollingNews

This morning.

Half-eaten apple, Tree of Knowledge (out of picture), serpent (top right).

Meanwhile…

This morning.

Dun Laoghaire, county Dublin

Lorraine Heskin, founder of Gourmet Food Parlour, at the 15-year celebration of the restaurant group, with haute cuisine-loving People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett.

GFP employs over 200 people and now has 6 restaurants with a catering division that serves the Olympic Federation of Ireland and the Dublin GAA County Board.

Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland

Slightly Bemused writes:

I have a couple of plants at the front of my house, nestled under the box shrub by the path. Every couple of years a couple of spires arise from the depths and eventually flower with white blooms. I call them my Trffids, but beyond that I do not know what they are. They tend to lean out into the path as if to trap a passing pedestrian or doggie.

I had wanted to get a picture of them upright in flower, but unfortunately they collapsed yesterday, I suspect under the weight of the rains we had. So I had to prune them, and clear the surface for the unwary.

If anyone could let me know what they are, I would be most grateful. The first two photos show them upright before they bloomed, which may help. I tried a Google Image search, but to no avail.

Anyone?

NO!

It’s much, much muckier than that.

Via RTÉ:

Hosted by 2FM’s Laura Fox and Emma Power, My First Ride is a brand-new podcast from RTÉ which celebrates all the big firsts of a weekly celebrity guest, from innocent moments to more, eh, adult events. Available for today, Thursday 29 July, each episode will hear a well-known name look back at some of the most momentous moments of their lives – happy, sad, challenging and occasionally mortifying.

In the first episode Vogue Williams talks about her school days (where she got suspended a few times), fighting with her sister (and a notable incident, where she got her bum slapped for hitting her sister during her birthday party!) how she was ‘always in trouble for swearing’, her first kiss at 12, her first proper boyfriend and the ensuing heartache…

Splutter, etc.

My First Ride (RTÉ)

Philip Nolan, Chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group delivering a press briefing on COVID-19 this afternoon in the Department of Health

This afternoon.

Department of Health, Dublin 2.

Via RTÉ:

Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, said the median age of today’s Covid cases is 24.

He said at the moment it is a disease of young people dominated by those aged 19 to 24, followed by those aged 13 to 18, but in that age group it is mostly 16- and 17-year-olds followed by those aged 25 to 34.

“The current trajectory of the more transmissible Delta variant across the country means that unvaccinated people remain at high risk of contracting Covid-19.

“The pace at which our vaccination programme is operating means that it will not be long before you can avail of a vaccine. In the meantime, unvaccinated people should take all public health precautions to avoid contracting the disease.”

Meanwhile..

Professor Karina Butler, Chair of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee this afternoon

Professor Karina Butler, Chair of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC), said clinical trials estimated efficacy of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines as 100% in the 12-15 age group, “making them extremely effective in preventing infection in this age cohort”.

“I would strongly encourage those aged 12-15 years of age with underlying medical conditions, those living with a younger child with complex medical needs, or with an immuno-compromised adult to accept vaccination as soon as it is offered,” she said.

Prof Butler said it is very reasonable for parents to pause and think about whether they need their children to get vaccinated.

Overwhelmingly, Covid is a mild disease in children and most children will be asymptomatic or have only mild symptoms, she said.

However, there will be a number of children who will have severe symptoms and be hospitalised – less than 1%.

….Prof Butler said taking all factors into account, and looking at the impact of the pandemic on children – an increase in anxiety, an increase in eating disorders, fear of mingling, a feeling that adults are pulling away from them, and disruption to their normal growth and development – they felt that the benefits of vaccination exceeded any risk.

Latest NPHET Covid-19 briefing (RTÉ)

RollingNews