Category Archives: Misc

Ryan McMullan – Static

Falling for a dancer.

The star of the County Down (Portaferry, to be precise), Ryan McMullan (top) leads us on a merry dance on the new single from his forthcoming album Redesign, due in September.

Ryan writes:

“Written in the Scottish Highlands with the incredible Foy Vance, Static came from a conversation about finding yourself in something before you’d even come to terms with it. And in turn, coming to terms with it mid-conversation. Ready or not; the heart wants.”

The process of recording the album was shown in the documentary Debut which was directed by Brendan J. Byrne and shown last year at Galway Film Fleadh and on the BBC. The film centres around a four-day recording and listening session in Cruit Island, County Donegal, at the end of 2019.

Ryan plays Custom House Square, Belfast, on August 27.

Nick says: Hotsteppers assemble.

Ryan McMullan

Brooke Scullion (in blue) rehearses in Turin, Italy yesterday

Tonight.

Turin, Italy.

The Eurovision Song Contest officially gets underway…

…Via Rachael Kane at Paddy Power:

Ireland are massive odds on NOT to make it past the semi-final stage.

Almost half (46%) of all their customers are backing Ukrainian folk-rap group Kalush Orchestra, who are huge favourites (1/2) to win the contest outright.

By comparison, no such confidence is being shown for the Irish entry by punters, with just 8% of those having a wager on the contest, backing Ireland.

In fact, it’s a 1/5 shot, reflecting a probability of 83.3%, that 23-year-old Derry native Brooke Scullion and her song That’s Rich won’t make it out of their group when they hit the stage with the second batch of semi-finalists on Thursday night.

So, it will come as no surprise to learn that the bookies make them long shots at 300/1 to win this year’s contest outright.

Um.

Irish Eurovision star Brooke Scullion on vocal rest ahead of semi-finals (The Irish Mirror)

Pic: Eurovision.tv

Yesterday: Qualify Street

Gulp.

Last night.

Carrigtwohill, county Cork.

Via Garda Press Office:

At approximately 7.30pm, Gardaí attached to the Midleton District Crime Unit and Midleton Drugs Unit stopped and searched a vehicle and discovered 20kg of suspected cannabis herb. The drugs seized are estimated to be worth €400,000. They will now be sent for further analysis. A woman and a man, both aged in their 30s, were arrested at the scene. They are currently detained at Cobh Garda Station under Section 2 of the Drug Trafficking Act 1996.

The streets are a little safer this morning.

RollingNews

Last night.

Further to the release by court order of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine safety data…

…Via Daily Exposé:

One of the documents contained in the Pfizer data dump is ‘reissue_5.3.6 postmarketing experience.pdf’.  Page 12 of the confidential document contains data on the use of the Pfizer Covid-19 injection in pregnancy and lactation.

Pfizer state in the document that by 28th February 2021 there were 270 known cases of exposure to the mRNA injection during pregnancy.

One-hundred-and-forty-six of those mother cases did not immediately report the immediate occurrence of any clinical adverse event. But 124 of the 270 mother cases did. Meaning 46% of the mothers exposed to the Pfizer Covid-19 injection suffered an adverse reaction.

Of those 124 mothers suffering an adverse reaction, 49 were considered non-serious adverse reactions, whereas 75 were considered serious. This means 58% of the mothers who reported suffering adverse reactions suffered a serious adverse event ranging from uterine contraction to foetal death.

There were 34 outcomes altogether at the time of the report, but 5 of them were still pending. Pfizer note that only 1 of the 29 known outcomes were normal, whilst 28 of the 29 outcomes resulted in the loss/death of the baby. This equates to 97% of all known outcomes of Covid-19 vaccination during pregnancy resulting in the loss of the child.

When we include the 5 cases where the outcome was still pending it equates to 82% of all outcomes of Covid-19 vaccination during pregnancy resulting in the loss of the child. This equates to an average of around 90% between the 82% and 97% figure.

Confidential Pfizer Docs. reveal 90% of Covid Vaccinated Pregnant Women lost their Baby; but Pfizer claimed: “No safety signals emerged” (Daily Exposé)

Previously: Trials

Meanwhile…

This morning.

Dublin Castle, Dublin 2.

Green Party leader and Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan arriving for cabinet.

Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews

The STI Clapham in 2017

This morning.

Via RTÉ News:

Documents obtained by RTÉ News under the Freedom of Information Act reveal how management at Dublin Port was opposed to allowing a shipment of Russian diesel dock in the port in early March, following the invasion of Ukraine.

…CEO of Dublin Port Eamonn O’Reilly first informed Secretary General of the Department of Transport Ken Spratt and other senior officials in an email dated 4 March of the imminent arrival of the STI Clapham with a consignment of Russian diesel which had requested permission to dock in the port….

…On Sunday 6 March, the Secretary General of the Department of Transport wrrote to the Chair of Dublin Port on the direction of the Minister for Transport to inform him “…there is no legal basis to refuse to accept this product…” and that sanctions against Russia exclude oil product.

Dublin Port management was opposed to docking of Russian diesel shipment

Pic: Wikimedia

Michael Lynn

This afternoon.

Criminal Courts of Justice, Dublin.

Former solicitor Michael Lynn, who has pleaded not guilty to 21 counts of stealing a total of almost €30m from financial institutions in 2006 and 2007, said he had ‘permission from bankers’ to use money they gave him for mortgages in Ireland to fund property development abroad.

Via RTÉ News:

Mr Lynn said the banks he dealt with were aware of his other borrowings and aware of his investments abroad. He said the minute a loan goes through, the loan is registered within 30-60 days and is visible to the Irish Credit Bureau.

He said credit checks were more powerful than any statement of affairs. He said he was never asked to provide an explanation for undisclosed lending revealed in an ICB check. “I simply didn’t need to,” he said, “they were aware of the other borrowings and aware of the investments abroad“.

Mr Lynn said there was no effort whatsoever by him to conceal his loans. The banks he said, could see every loan he had. He said it bounced out at them. If he had been trying to pull the wool over their eyes or take advantage of them, their own internal checks were showing his loans, he said.

Mr Lynn told defence counsel, Paul Comiskey O’Keeffe that undisclosed lending was never raised with him. No concern was raised with him, he said, he was not brought in for a meeting to see if he was “up to something”. He said what he was up to was doing business, and the banks were enabling him and assisting him in doing that business.

Lynn says bankers gave permission to fund property development abroad (RTE)

RollingNews

The nearly three meter tall Wicklow granite standing stone named “Stele”, is carved with representations of King Laoghaire and St. Patrick on two sides, with a third side carved in bi-lingual bas relief script. The wording is from a poem in an Early Irish manuscript, translated by Seamus Heaney, referencing ‘stormy seas and Norse raiders of old’

Saturday.

Sandycove, county Dublin.

President Michael D. Higgins and Sabina Higgins joined Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Cathaoirleach, Councillor Lettie McCarthy and local artist Imogen Stuart  (above centre) at the unveiling of ’Stele’ a Standing Stone created by Imogen and installed in Otranto Park overlooking Dún Laoghaire and Dublin Bay.

Nice, but looks nothing like Maureen O’Hara.

President Higgins unveils new sculpture in Sandycove (DLR)

Pics: Peter Cavanagh