Bray seafront, county Wicklow.
(Thanks Paul Condron)
Yesterday.
Jacky Grainger defied death cycled from College Green to Westmoreland St and on to O’Connell Street in Dublin.
The journey prompted her to write an open letter to Dublin City Council.
She wrote:
Hi Dublin City Council, after nearly being crushed to death under a car wheel [yesterday] morning trying to cycle in one tiny lane shared by buses, cyclists, cars and taxis, from College Green on to Westmoreland St, I then faced, (as all cyclists on this route do every day) the prospect of this ‘wall of steel’ in order to get from Westmoreland St straight down onto O’Connell St.
This is the scene every single day here, right outside Bewleys (Starbucks, whatever) if you’re going straight ahead. I am not a nervous cyclist by any means, but this is absolutely *terrifying*.
Most bus drivers here do their best I feel to look out for us – but they shouldn’t have to! And I’ve had more than one conversation with bus drivers hanging out their window who think it’s ridiculous too!
There is NO provision for cyclists here and it is only a minor *miracle* that’s someone has not been killed yet. What is being done about it and when can we expect change?
In fairness.
Sources in Rio have revealed that the boxer was tested in recent days and a banned substance is believed to have shown up in the sample.
Officially, no confirmation of the alleged positive sample has been given by Sport Ireland or the Olympic Council of Ireland.
It is understood that the boxer was subjected to a domestic test in Ireland before travelling to Rio, but news of the positive sample only emerged earlier today.
…the boxer faces the possibility of being banned from competing in the games which are due to commence tomorrow.
Meanwhile…
Who is it? You know so let us boxers know https://t.co/CTkUqTvHQd
— Paddy Barnes (@paddyb_ireland) August 4, 2016
Irish boxing team captain Paddy Barnes, who will carry the Irish flag at tomorrow’s opening ceremony, intervenes.
More as we get it.
Update:
Irish boxer who failed drug test in build-up to Rio is Michael O’Reilly #Rio2016 #boxing https://t.co/yc3oXlylMq pic.twitter.com/lEBVUz47k2
— Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) August 4, 2016
Yikes!
Rory writes:
Yesterday it was revealed that climate records have been shattered worldwide. I think that an important subject related to this is how much Ireland will be fined if it does not reducec arbon emissions to acceptable levels.
Brendan Howlin has previously stated that said fines could run into 100s of millions of euro.
But this article suggests the fine could be as much as 2 billion. And this is not taking into account the economic costs of 1-2 billion for agri sector by mid century due to climate change itself.
So how much could Ireland be fined?
Anyone?
Save Poolbeg.
A comedy ‘short’.
From Rob Reeves, who writes:
I’m currently doing a series of 12 comedy sketches/short films in the hopes of getting a show commissioned. I’d love if your readers could check out one or more of the three already completed [see also below’. They’re all 3-5 minutes long and have received a great response so far at screenings around Dublin.
Also:
Donough ‘Pencil Robot’ O’Malley writes:
I’ve been illustrating scenes from over the summer. the good, the bad, and the ugly. I thought your readers might recognise this scene particularly from Dublin( with all the young tykes taking to the waterways in the heat. Other illustrations from the series ‘I drew what you did last summer’ can be found here
Andy Byrne writes:
I know you don’t usually partake in things like this, but my wife’s bike appears to have been stolen sometime last night from the shed. It was, and likely still is, a silver Specialized commuting bike (as above) and has mudguards and a back rack. It was savagely taken from Artane [Dublin 5]. Any help in getting it returned is appreciated :)