Author Archives: Bodger

This morning.

Via Irish Times Letters:

You quote new research in the Addiction medical journal which found that “Ireland is one of only two countries in Europe where alcohol consumption did not decline” during the Covid-19 pandemic and that “average consumption remained unchanged” during the period .

It’s difficult to take these findings seriously when you consider that figures published last month by the Revenue Commissioners showed that alcohol sales have plummeted during the Covid pandemic. In the first quarter of 2021, the sale of all types of alcohol – beer, cider, wine and spirits – fell by 19.7 per cent.

If sales have fallen by a fifth, then how could consumption have remained steady, as the new research claims?

Are we to believe that lockdown boredom has led to a sudden explosion in home brewing and the operation of poitín stills across the country?

I would have expected you to have applied a more rigorous and questioning analysis of the research you quoted.

The only thing which has “remained unchanged” during Covid is the puritanical attitude of the political and public health systems to even the most moderate and responsible consumption of alcohol.

Barry Walsh,

Dublin 3.

Fight!

Hic.

Irish Times Letters

iStock/Getty

Um.

Anyone?

Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan said:

“The extent of personal banking information that is reportedly being sought, to secure a viewing, is extremely concerning – as well as being a potential breach of GDPR.

“Why does an estate agent need to be provided with detailed financial information for the sole purpose of organising a viewing of a property – following which, a client may or may not opt to bid for the property?

‘Knowledge of mortgage approval should only be required if a client wishes to proceed to bid on a property. Even then, there is no reason why an estate agent should be provided with detailed bank statements.”

Anyone?

The votes are in.

Last month, we asked for your most memorable whiskey experience.

On offer was a free Tasting for FOUR people at Teeling Whiskey Distillery in  Dublin’s Newmarket plus a handcrafted Teeling Cocktail to enjoy afterwards (worth 100 big ones in total).

There could be only one winner.

Third Place:

Zaccone writes:

‘During the 2018 February/March snow in Ireland I was calling in on a couple of elderly neighbours to check in on them, make sure they had groceries etc. Two of the oul lads who lived next door to each other ended up inviting me in for a drink with them. I ended up completely unexpectedly drinking whiskey all afternoon in front of an open fire, looking out at the snow, hearing all about the long, interesting, lives these two guys had lived.

They’re both dead now unfortunately, but it was an unforgettable experience that will stick with me for the rest of my life. And the whiskey was definitely a huge part of it – I doubt I would have heard half as interesting stories from them without it.’

Runner up:

Scottser writes:

‘Jamming with the lads over New Year’s one time turned into a late night early morning weed n beer session. Beer ran out so out came the whiskey until 5 am and instead of calling in sick, I decide to go to work. The singer drove me to the airport after I gave him a punch in the jaw and I was duly delivered to the job in a pukey heap at the front door with my uniform under me arm. The singer took off the wrong way round the airport one way system, ended up being chased by the airport cops and crashed his car on the old airport road. I was sacked next day.’

Winner:

alickdouglas writes:

‘Over 20 years ago I was coordinating a research project in a far distant land and we got to know some of the locals reasonably well. One day my translator accidentally got us invited to some local religious festival at 10 in the morning, that involved the men of the village going from house to house, drinking home made hooch. We were picked up about early in the circuit and ended up visiting something like 10 houses. Each time, it was a brisk, mysterious ceremony and then a shot of hooch and off to the next place. Finally, ended up in the local ‘chief’s house’, The 20 or so of us sat in this big circle, and the chap to my left poured this huge glass of whiskey, took a mouthful and passed it to his left, each person doing the same. It dawned on me I was going to be the last one, and followed the glass round with my eyes. Finally it got to the chap to my right, and he looked at me with a big smile: I saw he had no teeth, and some mysterious ulcery-looking marks around his mouth. He took a slurp and handed it to me. I was a fair few sheets to the wind, but had the presence of mind to pour the booze into my mouth without letting the glass touch my lips. I have a somewhat hazy memory of myself and the translator dashing back to our lodging and cracking open my emergency bottle of Jameson and vigorously gargling it. I still have all my teeth.’

Thanks all.

Previously: A Lovely Teeling Came O’er me Stealing

Teeling Whiskey Distillery

Jacob Long and Jack Brennan of cheese-based, lockdown start-up Griolladh, now in five locations

This morning.

Sinead writes:

Jacob Long and Jack Brennan, the founders of grilled cheese go-to Griolladh, will celebrate the success of their lockdown start up with a charity walk in aid of The Capuchin Day Centre for Homeless People.

This Saturday (June 19), Jacob and Jack will start off from Griolladh in Bray at 8am and walk 45k to Malahide, where they opened their first Griolladh food truck exactly one year ago.

Donations are welcome at link below. A percentage of Griolladh sales that week will be donated, and Griolladh will also match the amounts donated in the collection boxes at each of their 5 locations!

Griolladh Fundraising

They’ve gone too far this time.

FIGHT!

From analysing TDs’ expenses to digging the dirt on rivals, a look inside the Sinn Féin electoral toolkit (Philip Ryan, Indpendent,ie)

This morning.

Via Independent.ie:

Older and vulnerable people will be first in line for top-up jabs while a programme for vaccinating secondary school pupils is also being considered.

The National Immunisation Advisory Committee will discuss whether booster shots should match the vaccine a person originally received or if they can be mixed.

The plans under consideration at the highest levels of Government are aimed at ensuring people continue to be protected in the winter months when the country is most vulnerable to a virus outbreak.

Booster vaccines to be offered in winter to head off risk of Covid-19 variant surge (Independent.ie)

RollingNews