Author Archives: Nick Kelly

Last night.

The Tonight Show on VMT.

Journalist and mother Larissa Nolan discusses the new, rushed mask mandate for children over 9 in schools. Pupils from third class upwards must wear a mask all day or be asked to “stand down”.

Yesterday: Don’t Mask, Don’t Tell

Meanwhile…

…via Irish Times:

Can my child really be refused entry to school for not wearing a mask?

Department of Education guidelines state unmasked pupils in third class upwards will be refused entry to school if they do not have a medical certificate to show they are exempt from the rules. Schools, however, are being advised by the Government to take a “flexible” and “practical” approach to the new rules over the coming days.

Are these rules underpinned by law?

The guidelines are not statutory but, like existing rules on face masks for secondary students, schools are required to implement them. When asked if school principals will be legally protected when implementing the wearing of face masks, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said where they apply public health policy they will be “protected definitely”.

On what grounds can a child be exempt from wearing a mask?

There three main grounds under which children may be exempt from wearing a mask:

(1) Any pupil with difficulty breathing or other relevant medical conditions

(2) Any pupil who is unable to remove the cloth face-covering or visor without assistance

(3) Any pupil who has special needs and who may feel upset or very uncomfortable wearing the cloth face covering or visor, for example pupils with intellectual or developmental disabilities, mental health conditions, sensory concerns or tactile sensitivity Do children require a medical certificate to prove they are exempt? Most children will not require a medical certificate on the basis schools are best placed to identify children whose needs are such that the wearing of face covering may not be possible for them. In other circumstances, a medical certificate – from a GP, typically – must be provided to the school.

Q and A (Carl O’Brien, Irish Times)

This afternoon

Achtung, Unjabby.

Earlier: Greek Tragedy

Yesterday: Maskschluss

The Cylinders – Medication

Faith, hope and charity drives.

Introducing a blistering video (apparently a cover of a song by ‘The Romboids’, whom I can find no record of…anyone?) and a Gofundme we can all get behind.

The Cylinders write:

‘In October 2021 Eric Flanagan, a member of the Dublin Airport Police & Fire Service, decided that for this year’s Christmas charity drive they would try something different.

Always willing to support the DAA staff charities, the firefighters and police officers dug deep and tapped into the endless hidden talent within the force, to produce a rocking video that will give everyone a much needed boost (of rocking medication) after a tough year and a half.

We need people to indulge their inner rock star, take out your air guitar, dig deep and donate to these fantastic charities. St. Francis Hospice The Mater Foundation Feed Our Homeless.’

The Cylinders are Mick Gurley, Eric Flanagan, Cian Delaney, Keith McDonald, Del Godson and Col Reid.

Nick says: Meds and rockers.

Dublin Airport Police And Fire Rescur Fundraiser (Go Fund me)

Via Wikipedia:

On the afternoon of 29 November 1975, a bomb exploded in the public toilets in the arrivals terminal of Dublin Airport. It killed Aer Lingus worker John Hayes (38), who lived in Balbriggan, and injured nine others. According to bomb experts the bomb was hidden in a toilet tissue dispenser and went off after Hayes washed his hands and was about to leave. The blast ripped through a wall into a public bar where about thirty people were sitting. The airport was evacuated and a second bomb was found and safely detonated by a bomb disposal team.

Dublin Airport Bombings

Bomb Kills Aer Lingus Worker (RTÉ Archive)

Top pic via RTÉ

Pastiche – Bad Loser

Wanna go clubbing? Golf clubbing, that is.

Dublin pop newcomer Pastiche (top) comes out swinging in the video for her new single, which was shot in Laragh House, County Wicklow, by director Louis Maxwell.

Pastiche writes:

“Lyrically, ‘Bad Loser’ is about your inner demons and, in a way, celebrating them. It reads like a diary entry and it’s all very much drawn from personal experiences that I’ve had with my own mental health.

“The moment the song was in the demo stage I had a vision of a house of horrors where all of my demons and sides of my personalities came out to play, displayed to the world.

“Each character is a metaphor, every set is intentional, every colour used sheds a different light on me. I think once you watch the video you really understand the song to a whole new degree, just as I intended It to be enjoyed.”

Nick says: Loser wins.

Pastiche