Author Archives: Bodger

Offaly county councillor Ken Smollen

This morning.

Offaly county councillor and chair of the Irish Democratic Party Ken Smollen, who runs a food delivery service for impoverished families, received the following message from a Laois mum whose identity he is protecting on Facebook

“Hi Ken I am very sorry to message and ask could you please please help me anyway you can with food, I am a single mother with a baby almost a year old.

“I’m private renting at the moment.. I’m paying €180 of my €234.50 a week on rent, and the remaining €54.50 goes between formula baby food nappies and electric.

“My child’s father is supposed to pay €20 maintenance a week, I’ve never seen a cent of it. At present I haven’t eaten more than a slice of stale bread and a tin of soup myself in three days.

“I will go without to make sure my daughter can eat. Anyway if you could please help me any way you could I’d be very very grateful.

“It is eating me having to message you to ask but I can’t ask anyone else. SVP told me this week they can’t help me until September as they take holidays for all of August over here.

“I see you visited Laois yesterday so I hope you wouldn’t see it too far to be able to help me any way possible. Thanks very much.”

Earlier: The First Steps

Ken Smollen (Facebook)

This morning.

At the Irish Film Institute, on Eustace Street, Dublin 2.

Refurbishment work is beginning on Cinema 1 and the cinema’s folks tweetz:

Our cinema seats will be available to collect in several pieces which will make them easier to carry. We would still recommend using a car for pick up!

If anyone is looking to take a seat you’re free to come on down. They’ll be available to take shortly!

The seat, back, arms, base and bolts are all separate. It’s a Frankenseat of your very own!

Refurb 2019 (IFI)

‘sup?

Seán writes:

This is Scout – she is a Lab\Collie cross – a Labrolly :) . Her favourite things in the world are tennis balls, toast, and running in the woods. Happy International Dog Day!



Papi writes:

Max at the beach wondering why his human is stupid enough to swim in the sea in Norway in December. Other human concurs.

Janet writes:

Kitcha the Jackie (right) aka The Boss and Leo… All the best to all at BS towers It’s actually sunny!

Vanessa writes:

Jessie with added Chemtrails. Happy dog day.

Lois writes:

Macy the dog and Jacob the baby living the dream…

More to follow.

Send your dog to broadsheet@broadsheet.ie marked ‘My Dog On Dog Day’

Earlier: Just Dogs?

Saturday.

Mountjoy Square Park, Dublin 1.

Scenes from the fourth Festival of Nations which attracted a diverse gathering from all over Ireland to Dublin’s north east inner city.

Supported by Dublin City Council, the festival is organised by the Diversity and Multicultural Initiative, a voluntary group dedicated to “promoting cultural diversity and celebrating the many ethnic heritages in Ireland today”.

Ireland’s Festival of Nations (Facebook)

Rollingnews

David McCourt with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at a Science Foundation of Ireland event in New York, March 2018

Yesterday.

Via The Sunday Business Post:

In a highly critical report into the National Broadband Plan (NBP) seen by The Sunday Business Post, members of the cross-party Oireachtas Communications Committee warned that public money would be used to subsidise its roll-out in areas where it wasn’t needed.

The report, which will be published on Tuesday, found that the procurement process run by the Department of Communications was “overly complex, restrictive, redundant and unfit for purpose”, despite being well intentioned.

It said the terms of the tender were too narrow and excluded “other viable options”.

A government source disputed the findings and said that if the recommendations were followed it would add a further siginificant delay to the project.

Broadband plan is waste of taxpayers’ money, says report (Peter O’Dwyer, The Sunday Business Post)

Related: Broadband deal signing with Granahan McCourt set to be delayed for month (Justine McCarthy, The Sunday Times)

Previously: Still Loading

Hello you.

A young Cilian Murphy rehearsing for Neil Labute’s The Shape of Things at the Gate Theatre, Dublin in 2002.

Leon Farrell/Rollingnews

Meanwhile….

How was it for you?

Peaky Blinders, episode one review: Slick, superficial and absolutely gripping (The Independent.co.uk)

Yesterday.

The Barrow Way, County Carlow

Wickedfairysad writes:

Walked about 10k along the Barrow Way yesterday. What a gorgeous part of the world. Butterfly spotting, saw Peacocks, Red Admirals, Small Blues, Small Whites, and Damsel flies.

Highly recommend. Carlow is beautiful…

Barrow Way?