Author Archives: Bodger

This afternoon.

Eimear Harding writes:

Circle K, Ireland’s largest fuel and convenience retailer, has today announced it will offer FREE hot drinks to all frontline HSE staff and all emergency services in the coming weeks across its network of service stations.

Effective from today  until March 29 the measures are designed to support those dealing with the current COVID-19 pandemic as well as supporting local communities

Circle K

From top: RTÉ 9 O’ Clock News report on Supervalu last night; email from SuperValu today

This afternoon.

RK writes:

Not sure you want another empty shelves story but I thought this one was interesting considering Supervalu management were on the RTÉ 9 o’clock news last night advising people not to panic buy/stockpile as there was no issue with the supply chain…

….I placed a weekly shopping order online yesterday morning (I’ve a chronic lung issue and currently attempting to social distance myself, I’ve also been working from home for 2 weeks, I thought online ordering was wise).

The order was placed well before the Taoiseach’s announcement and before any of the madness took hold yesterday.

There were 5 free delivery slots for today when I placed the order and it was for a standard weekly shop (if it was an order for a 1,000 rolls of toilet paper I’d understand!).

Supervalu have just phoned me to apologise that they’ve cancelled the entire order, the (very nice) person I spoke to said they were cancelling all orders due to demand.

I specifically queried the issue and they confirmed there was a lack of supply to fulfill the orders.

I asked if the order could be postponed and was told that no all orders were being cancelled completely.

Anyone?

Earlier: Shelf Isolation

This morning.

Garda HQ, Phoenix Park, Dublin.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris speaks on the measures being put in place by An Garda Síochána to maximise its ‘operational effectiveness’.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has written to a number of senior officers who are due to retire in the next few weeks asking them to stay on in the national interest.

Among those asked to remain working in the force is the Assistant Commissioner in charge of policing Dublin, Pat Leahy. He was due to retire at the end of this month. It is understood he has agreed to remain in his post.

Over 300 students from the Garda College Templemore are to be attested as gardaí next week and allocated to garda stations all over the country….

Senior gardaí asked to delay retirement ‘in national interest’ over Covid-19 (RTÉ)

Rollingnews

Musician and singer Bob Glynn

Alexis Cronin (brother of the ‘sheet‘s Olga), writez:

My wife [Evanna Lyons] and I were out for a few drinks in Dublin city last week when we came across Bob Glynn.

He’s a musician who was busking and who has truly amazing vocals.

He got chatting to us as Evanna and I enjoyed his session so much. In the end, we had a pint together and he told us he gives away the money he gets from busking to homeless people in Dublin and buys pastries for heroin addicts.

He was such a genuine guy and a refreshing story for Broadsheet in the midst of Corona-gate.

He also gave me the idea to make a guitar out of recycled plastic. I am hoping to have it ready for him by end of this month.

Mmf.

Bob Glynn

Previously: Plastic Soul

Soldiers of the Irish Army section of the Defence Forces on training excercise on the Curragh Plains, County Kildare last year

This morning

Irish Mirror journalist Saoirse McGarrigle predicts a dystopian future starting this Monday at 8am.

We would like to remind the armed forces that as a trusted news website we can be helpful in rounding up others.

Thanks Conor

Eamonn Farrell/Rollingnews

UPDATE:

Coronavirus: Defence Forces personnel told to report to barracks (Ronan McGreevy, The Irish Times)

UDPATE:

 

Hueston Station, Dublin this morning

This morning.

Minister for Health Simon Harris spoke to Bryan Dobson  on RTÉ Radio One’s Morning Ireland.

It followed a decision of the National Health Emergency Team last night, that people returning from Spain and Italy will be given leaflets at Irish airports in which they’ll be encouraged to restrict their movements for the next two weeks, specifically to not go to work and to lessen their social contacts.

In regards to people returning from Cheltenham, Mr Harris said they will get information about symptoms.

The Health Minister also said:

“We’re more likely to get this virus in our home from bad practice in terms of hand hygiene and the like, so do please follow the health advice. You have a really important role to play.”

Of the closures announced yesterday, he said:

“They’re in place now until the 29th of March, they’ll be reviewed right through the process and reviewed again on the 29th of March. If they need to be extended they will be but we need see. We’ve taken some very, very significant measures that are asking people in our country to alter their behaviour quite significantly for the next fortnight. We’ll only obviously continue those measures if it’s absolutely necessary and if they’re proving to have a benefit.

“So at this stage it’s too early to say [if they closures be extended for a longer period of time].”

“….It is an absolutely reality that this is something that could be with us for many, many months and we have to be conscious when we’re taking those measures as well, that measures we take have to be sustainable. We have to try to keep our country going, not to put our country into lockdown, we need people to go to work today and we need people to bake the bread and supply our supermarkets and we need our healthcare professionals to get to work.

“And we need to look after each other as well. So all of the measures we’re taking have to be seen through that prism.

“This is not a storm that goes away after a couple of days. This is asking people to alter our behaviour and change our lives for quite a period of time ahead.”

He also said:

“We have a suite of measures but we have to implement them at the right time and I think what we’ve now shown is a willingness to do that, to listen and to act quickly and decisively and we’ll continue to do that.

“Obviously all of the measures that have been put in place could be scaled up, if the need arose so we have banned gatherings indoors of 100 people, outdoors of 500 people, there’s obviously potential to do that,

“But what we won’t be doing is kind of strongman, macho politics movements where you’re looking like you’re doing something for he sake of doing something. We’ll be following the science here, we’ll be following the doctors’ advice, we’ll be listening to the chief medical officer and we’ll be acting.”

“…It’s very much a marathon not a sprint. Our country is not in lockdown. This is still, the same great country it was yesterday. We’re just asking everybody to live their lives a little bit differently so that we can try and make a real national collective effort.”

Listen back in full here

Last night.

Conan on TBS.

Team Coco writes;

100% Irish Conan can’t believe that [not-fully Irish actor and comedian] Nick Offerman (Ron Swanson in Parks and Recreation) gets to be the new spokesperson for Guinness….

Team Coco

Thanks Dina

Meanwhile…

Hic.

One of Nick’s Guinness spots for St Patrick’s Day 2020 currently on US telly.