Behold: the 2021 Rolls Royce Ghost – a bourgemobile for a new era, apparently. Reengineered from the ground up, with four wheel drive, four wheel steering and electronic doors (no more chauffeur standing in the rain or finding an abandoned airfield to turn in), toning down the Parthenon grille, minimising the Spirit of Ecstasy figurehead but retaining RR’s bespoke interiors, uncluttered controls and ‘constellation’ headliner.

Yours for €280,000 (+ options).

uncrate

“We’ve a Taoiseach looking like he’s in opposition, we’ve a Tanaiste that thinks he’s taoiseach and a Minister for Health who’s going around acting independently of everyone else.”

Publican Paraic Geary

This afternoon.

Cork City and Carrigaline, County Cork.

Pub owners, staff and supporters rally in Cork and picket the office of Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence Simon Coveney in Carrigaline during a nationwide publican backlash against Covid-19 measures for pubs that don’t sell food.

Fight, etc.

 

This afternoon.

Handball Alley, Croke Park, Dublin

One of two Covid-19 ‘pop-up’ test centres set up in Dublin due to concern over the rising number of cases in the capital, with the Acting Chief Medical Officer of the HSE Dr Ronan Glynn urging people in the city ‘to be cautious and limit their social interactions’.

Sasko Lazarov/Rollingnews

Behold: Messier 1 – the inextricable mess left over when a star explodes. To wit:

The Crab Nebula – the result of a supernova seen in 1054 AD – is filled with mysterious filaments. The filaments are not only tremendously complex, but appear to have less mass than expelled in the original supernova and a higher speed than expected from a free explosion. The featured image, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, is presented in three colours chosen for scientific interest. The Crab Nebula spans about 10 light-years. In the nebula‘s very centre lies a pulsar: a neutron star as massive as the Sun but with only the size of a small town. The Crab Pulsar rotates about 30 times each second.

(Image: NASA, ESA, Hubble, J. Hester, A. Loll (ASU)

apod

Saturday

Meanwhile…

This afternoon.

‘Our Kid’ joins the Maskchester debate.

As you were.

FIGHT!

Also: any excuse.

Earlier: Seeking Cover

Ian Brown?

John Squire?

Meanwhile…

Olé.

Ailbhe Reddy – Looking Happy

Are you Reddy to be heartbroken?

Dublin singer/songwriter Ailbhe Reddy (top) warns against looking up your ex online after the split in this cracking tune from her forthcoming album Personal History, due next month.

The video is directed by Ciaran O’Brien and Ailbhe.

Ailbhe says:

“The song is all about watching someone’s life from afar post-break-up. We should all know by now that what people present online is a shiny, happy version of events but sometimes it’s impossible to have that logic when you’re hurting.

“Most people have probably ended up scrolling through the online profile of an ex and feeling like their life is full of fun parties and holidays, because that’s all people show of their life online.”

Nick says: Break up, log off, move on.

Ailbhe Reddy

This afternoon.

Further to a report in this morning’s Financial Times (top) which claims sections of the upcoming UK Internal Market Bill would undercut key provisions of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Ms Ursula Von Der Leyen [European Commission President]  warned that, in Brussels’ view, the clause – which would see the British province continue to follow some EU rules while maintaining an open border with Ireland – is essential.

Senior Irish Government sources would not be drawn on The Financial Times report, with one source speculating that it was part of a stepping up of “noise” by the UK as the future relationship negotiations enter a critical phase.

EU chief warns UK must respect Brexit withdrawal deal (RTÉ)

Broadsheet.ie