This afternoon.
Oluwaseun Ola, who lives in direct provision in Mayo, tweetz:
I don’t know who sent us these vouchers, whoever you are, thank you so much.
Are you considering doing something for someone this Christmas? Why not donate a €20 voucher to someone in Direct Provision that will be a perfect gift.
Yesterday.
Nassau Street, Dublin 2.
The launch of ‘Green Friday’ in the Kilkenny store encouraging shoppers to get behind this year’s shop local campaign on ‘Black Friday’ this Friday.
From top: Pat Kenny and Marian O’Gorman, CEO of the Kilkenny Group ; Anna Daly Ailbhe Garrihy; Chupi Sweetman.
Previously: The New Black
Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland
Private Eye.
On shelves tomorrow.
Thanks Bernard
.
Dublin city centre.
TV Presenter and writer, Maia Dunphy launching the Zenflore (‘specially selected’ B vitamins) Digital Detox Campaign .
A digital detox endorses a period of time during which a person refrains from using electronic devices such as smartphones or computers, regarded as an opportunity to reduce stress or focus on social interaction in the physical world.
Madness.
FIGHT!
Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland
Farmers sleep in their cabs of their tractors outside the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin this morning
Further to the ongoing farmers’ protest in Dublin.
One of the farmers who has organised the protest, Daniel Long, told Seán O’Rourke on RTÉ Radio One this morning that the farmers will break up the protest if the Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed “corrects” the Dáil record in regards to comments he made yesterday.
Mr Creed said that death threats had been made against management at C&D Pet Foods in Edgeworthstown in Co Longford – a company at the centre of injunction proceedings against two men, Fine Gael Cllr Paraic Brady, from Drumlish, Co Longford, and Colm Leonard, from Aughanoran Dring, Co Longford, preventing them and others from trespassing at or blockading the facility.
Mr O’Rourke earlier said that the show had got word from Mr Creed’s department that he has no intention to clarify or correct what he said.
Cllr Brady told Mr O’Rourke said:
“There was a PULSE when it was reported back four weeks ago, five weeks ago, but, to date, no member of management or staff has come forward to An Garda Siochana even on request, regarding they were willing to give a statement to move this forward.”
On Morning Ireland earlier, Fran McNulty reported that according to “Garda sources”, no complaint about death threats had been made by the company.
Yesterday, Mr Creed told the Dáil:
“…this is a matter which the Garda is aware of, senior management in that company have had death threats issued against them, and their partners and families have been intimidated in that local community.
“This is not simply an issue of the Government not wanting to resolve this issue. We are grappling with what are very difficult issues.
“We have seen in other cases what happens when senior executives in companies are threatened. You, Deputy Mattie McGrath, may dismiss the significance of death threats against people. The Government does not.”
Mr Long told Mr O’Rourke that he told the minister this morning that what he said in the Dáil yesterday was not a true statement.
Asked how Mr Creed responded, the farmer said:
“He wasn’t very clear, he was evasive, I suppose would be the fairest way to put it, like. He said that was what was presented to him. He said he had a PULSE number. That’s kind of all he made of it like.”
Mr O’Rourke clarified with Mr Long: “The minister was relying on a record on the PULSE system?” to which Mr Long replied: “yeah”.
UPDATE: C& D has said that it DID report death threats to the gardai.
Listen back here
Dáil transcript: Oireachtas.ie
Earlier: ‘He Met The Farmers But Didn’t Meet The Delegation’
The late chef Gary Rhodes at the launch of his restaurant Rhodes D7, Dublin, in July 2006
“The Rhodes family are deeply saddened to announce the passing of beloved husband, father and brother, Gary Rhodes OBE.
“Gary passed away last evening, Tuesday 26th November 2019, at the age of 59, with his beloved wife Jennie by his side. The family would like to thank everyone for their support and ask for privacy during this time.”
A statement released by the family of Gary Rhodes this morning.
RIP.
Television chef Gary Rhodes has died, aged 59 (The Irish Times)
Protesting farmers on Merrion Square and St Stephen’s Green last night and this morning; Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed meeting some of the protesters
This morning.
As farmers continue to protest outside Leinster House, tractors continue to block a number of roads around Merrion Square and St Stephen’s Green in Dublin.
The Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed did meet with some of the farmers for about 10 minutes at 7.30am this morning but one farmer told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that he didn’t meet with the group’s official delegation assigned to meet him.
Prior to Mr Creed’s meeting on the street, one of the protesting farmers, from Carlow, told Morning Ireland earlier that the protest was organised last Friday.
“This could have been avoided because last Friday, the people that were organising this protest, they gave the Government an option to call off the protest for the injunctions over two men to be lifted.”
“…how long we’re going to be here? We’ve had no contact from Government at all.”
Asked what he’d like the Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed to do, the farmer said:
“We don’t want him to do a whole lot, just come out and meet us and hear what we have to say and just want to know why the injunctions haven’t been lifted and why the task force started hasn’t been up and running yet.”
A separate farmer told Morning Ireland:
“I came up at 10.30am last night [Tuesday night]. Rural Ireland is forgotten about, completely by the city I think. No harm to the people living up here, I think they’re living in a bit of a bubble.
“The infrastructure, the roads, farmers, smaller shops, publicans, everyone, hauliers, everyone, just completely forgotten about.”
RTÉ’s Agriculture Correspondent Fran McNulty later spoke to Bryan Dobson about the meeting between Mr Creed and some of the farmers – during which an audio clip of Mr Creed’s meeting was played.
Fran McNulty: “Quite a surprise this morning Bryan when at about 7.30am, Minister Creed left his office, which is just a stone’s throw from the main blockade here on Merrion Square. He walked up Kildare Street, he met with around 20 or 30 farmers, for around 10 minutes or so.
“He took everybody by surprise. Many of the main people who’d been appointed to speak with the minister weren’t here, it was a 10-minute exchange, it was unpleasant at times…”
Later
Bryan Dobson: “The farm organisations aren’t involved in this. There’s an issue about who he would negotiate with, to bring this protest to an end. But what are the farmers involved saying, what was their reaction?”
McNulty: “Well it wasn’t good, Bryan. You heard somebody there, earlier on, say that ‘all we want is the minister to come out and meet us’. That’s exactly what he did this morning. Yet many of the farmers here this morning are saying ‘that is simply not good enough, he caught us off guard, he caught by surprise’.
“There’s even a dispute here, this morning, Bryan, a letter was submitted to the minister by one group. Another group is now saying ‘that’s not the letter, it’s not our letter, we need to give the minister our letter and until he signs our letter, we’re going nowhere’.
“So there’s quite a lot of disunity among those who are protesting here and that’s because you don’t have structures of the established organisations in place.
“So the farmers are quite unhappy. We spoke to one of them just a few minutes ago. He met with the minister face to face, his name is Jarlath [inaudible]. He’s from Tulsk in Co Roscommon.”
Interview played
Jarlath: “I think it was a silly move on his behalf. Because yesterday evening, we send five delegates down to meet him and he refused to meet them and he came up here this morning, when he knew RTÉ and the reporters wasn’t here and he met 40 or 50 farmers and he said an awful lot but said nothing, he said nothing.”
McNulty: “He has met you though, he’s come here…”
Jarlath: “He has what? No, he has not met us. He met the farmers but he didn’t meet the delegation that he was to meet yesterday evening and until he does, we’ll be here.”
McNulty: “Is it not enough that the minister would walk out of his office and up the street and meet face to face with farmers here?”
Jarlath: “No, I don’t think so. No, I don’t think so. You can’t talk to a crowd of people. You can’t get your issues across with a crowd of people. We all have different issues, we’re all farmers. You must sit down and you talk to delegated people. That’s the only way you can get an end to it.”
McNulty: “So you’re not going anywhere, despite the fact he came out to see you?”
Jarlath: “I’m afraid not. Now there’s some of us who stayed all night, we have to go home, but we have replacements coming. Like no one will leave unless their replaced.”
Later Mr Dobson asked Mr McNulty about the injunctions that were referred to in Morning Ireland’s earlier report.
Mr McNulty explained these are injunctions related to C&D Pet Foods in Edgeworthstown in Co Longford, preventing protesters from blockading the premises of the pet food manufacturer.
He also recalled that, yesterday in the Dáil, Mr Creed claimed that death threats had been made against management at the C&D Pet Food.
However, Mr McNulty said that, according to “Garda sources”, no complaint about death threats has been made by the company.
Listen back in full here
Meanwhile, AA Roadwatch reports:
A number of significant closures are in place in the south city centre for a demonstration, including around St Stephen’s Green. Stephen’s Green East and North are closed along with Kildare St and Dawson St.
Leeson St outbound is closed, but traffic can currently use St Stephen’s Green South to go from Leeson St inbound to Cuffe St. The Kevin St/Cuffe St stretch is closed to traffic heading towards Stephen’s Green.
Elsewhere, Merrion Square South and East, and Merrion St Upper are also closed.
Yesterday: What’s On The Grill?
UPDATE:
Minister Michael Creed meets with some protestors at his Department, including Longford FG Cllr Paraic Brady @rtenews pic.twitter.com/OzRRujj254
— Fran McNulty (@franmcnulty) November 27, 2019
UPDATE:
Minister Creed meeting Kildare farmer John Dallon at the Department of Agriculture this morning.
RTÉ’s Agriculture Correspondent Fran McNulty tweetz:
Protesting farmers block the exit to Leinster House in Merrion Square, several Oireachtas members and staff unable to leave.
Ongoing road closures in Dublin says An Garda Síochána. Kevin Street, Cuffe Street, Kildare Street, Merrion Square South, Dawson Street & Merrion Row will remain closed tomorrow as farmer protests continue.
Farmers’ protest causes major disruption in Dublin (RTÉ)
Earlier: What’s On The Grill?
Hic.
Ruadhain writes:
As listed in Brannigan’s bar on Cathedral Street [off O’Connell Street, Dublin 1]
Long neck rather than hard neck?
Oh.
This afternoon.
Ely Place, Dublin 2.
Among a convoy of tractors which have converged on Dublin city centre carrying farmers protesting the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement and baiting vegans.
More as we get it.
Thanks Seán Doyle
Update:
This afternoon.
Merrion Street, Dublin 2.
Farmers and their families congregate near Government Buildings.
Clampers not outside.
