Stopaigh that.

Peig.

Flirty, giggly agus girlish.

Old Ireland in Colour writes:

We can confirm that Irish legend Peig Sayers did indeed smile! Here she is with English linguist Kenneth Jackson having the craic…1932-1935

Orignial pics via The National Folklore Collection

From top  Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Josepha Madigan at a press briefing today; ‘Shine Your Light’ tweet this afternoon

This afternoon.

At a press briefing in Government Buildings currently ongoing.

Fine Gael TD and Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Josepha Madigan said the Government was asking the people and artists of Ireland to “shine a light” on Easter Saturday “to remind us that love and hope are always with us”.

The minister added that RTÉ has a “big range of activity planned to support this idea” which is being supported by the Government, Creative Ireland and the Arts Council.

Ms Madigan also told those present at the briefing that the Government will also be working with Facebook to support a new online initiative for artists, Ireland Performs, while Arts Council chairman Kevin Rafter announced a €1million fund for new online art projects.

Ms Madigan clarified that there will be 334 awards from the €1million, equalling to approximately €3,000 per artist.

In respect of the “shine a light” idea, Ms Madigan said:

“Shine a light for our frontline staff, our healthcare workers, the people who are keeping us going through these dark times. We will be lighting up public buildings around the country and in our embassies around the world.

“Our peacekeepers in the Middle East will also be shining their light.

“I’m inviting everybody here today to join in and be part of the light, to be the light in the darkness.

“It can be the light of the smallest candle or the lighting up of a ten-storey building. So let’s shine a light together for the people whom we love, people whom we now know are sick, our grannies, granddads we cannot see, or our friends we cannot visit these holidays.

“So shine a light for whoever is your heart.”

Complete and utter, putrid-smelling Concannonballs.

FIGHT!

Watch the briefing live here

Earlier: A Refusal To Hold Themselves Accountable

Rollingnews

From top: Denis O’Brien took over the Beacon Hospital in 2014; Mick Barry in the Dáil yesterday

Yesterday.

Leinster House, Dublin 2.

Socialist Party TD Mick Barry n the Dáil yesterday raised the government’s agreement with the Private Hospitals Association to use their members’ facilities for the treatment of both Covid-19 and non Covid-19 patients.

Mr Barry said:
“I welcome the fact that the State will have the use of the facilities of 19 private hospitals for the next three months.

The private hospitals, such as the Beacon Hospital owned by Denis O’Brien, the Hermitage Medical Clinic, Blackrock Clinic or the Bon Secours chain, should not be compensated for this.

The two-tier health system should not be dismantled this week and re-established in three months’ time.

Rather than develop these points in the limited time available to me, I wish to ask why the deal between the State and the Private Hospitals Association is, for the most part, a secret deal.

When the State does a deal with workers and their representative organisations, the details are usually published online, they are published in the newspapers and they are subject to scrutiny and public comment.

However, when the State does a deal with billionaires and wealthy corporations in this instance, the details are being kept secret. Why is that?

Is it because the deal has not been signed yet? Is it because the hospital association is insisting on commercial secrecy?

Is it because the Government thinks there may be public criticism of the sums involved? The details of the deal should be published immediately and the secrecy around it should stop.

Extraordinary powers have been granted to the State by the Dáil and they are in evidence over this two-week period of lockdown.

The overwhelming majority of the population is complying and will comply with restrictions in the interest of public health.

However, we should not blind ourselves to the abuse of Covid-19 special powers in other jurisdictions, nor should we blind ourselves to the abuse of special powers in this jurisdiction in the past.

This situation needs to be carefully monitored by organisations that defend the interests of workers, young people and oppressed groups and by those who defend civil liberties.

As a workers’ representative, I will do my best to help monitor this situation in the weeks ahead.”

Anyone?

Yesterday: Silver Chicken Comes Home To Roost

Rollingnews

New York Times on March 27 and Front page of today’s Irish Times

Um.

This morning.

Fergal Reid tweetz:

This morning’s Irish Times takes a design lead from a recent, striking New York Times front page. Even more powerful when it’s our own live register.

‘Design lead’ or ‘lazy pilfering’.

YOU decide!

Previously: 513,350

Gulp.

Brave new world, brah.

Last night: Locking Down Our Civil Liberties

Track of Aer Lingus flight from China carrying PPE equipment for Irish medical workers on Wednesday; video message from HSE CEO Paul Reid last night

This morning

On RTÉ’s Morning Ireland

Journalist George Lee spoke to presenter Audrey Carville about the personal protective equipment which the State has ordered from China as part of a €208million deal, the first batch of which arrived last Sunday.

Last night, Mr Lee indicated on RTÉ’s Nine O’Clock News that there were “some concerns” over the imported equipment and he said the HSE had started to tweak their specifications. He emphasised that the items work but are just not what Irish medics are used to.

It follows the Netherlands, Spain and Turkey claiming earlier this week that they had encountered problems with Chinese-made coronavirus testing kits and protective equipment.

This morning, Mr Lee and Ms Carville had this exchange.

Audrey Carville: “This is a huge issue for medical staff on the frontline. We know that supplies are coming in from China, George. Some staff are concerned about its suitability. It’s heavier and perhaps more robust than they are used to. We got a statement from the HSE last night.

“They said that some elements of the first batch from China were not ideal. They’re words. But may be usable if an alternative supply isn’t available. They went on to say that infection, prevention and control clinical experts from the HSE undertake product testing on all shipments to assess the quality and suitability and in this video message to healthcare staff last night, the Chief Executive of the HSE Paul Reid had this to say.

[Plays clip]

“I know the issue of PPE, personal protective equipment has been an issue of major concern. We have been in negotiations worldwide to secure a very significant order of over €200million and that delivery has started over the last few days.

“We are, however, engaged worldwide, to secure alternative stocks should these supplies not materialise to the extent that we expect. It’s a very competitive worldwide market but our procurement teams have done really well to secure what we have to date.”

Carville: “That’s Paul Reid in a video message on Twitter last night, George, what do you make of that?”

Lee: “Well, obviously, there are big issues. This was a huge order that was placed. It’s €200million worth of an order for personal protective equipment that had a global rush to try and find all of this stuff. It’s very hard to source it and the HSE felt that they were very lucky to be able to get such a massive amount. And in terms of the amount of order that they put in typically, they would spend €15million on personal protective equipment in an entire year.

“So, €60million has been spent already in a short number of months. But this was €208million so this is absolutely enormous.

“There was nobody on the ground, or could be on the ground with regard to checking the stuff in terms of what they were getting because it’s so difficult to get to China so they were checking all this material when it comes on the planes from China.

“The first one arrived on Sunday, it involves Aer Lingus flights coming form here, going to China, nobody getting off that flight, it’s loaded up and it comes back and it arrives in Dublin Airport, a 25-hour roundtrip and there are the order of 50 of those roundtrips involved in this massive order.

“Now I think there are five batches of material so this is an enormous amount of stuff coming and I think there was some disappointment when they saw some of the equipment because it wasn’t quite what the Irish healthcare workers are typically expecting so they have tweaked and adjusted the order as they’ve seen it.

“There are obviously going to be issues and eyebrows raised when some people see the material I think,, the personal protective equipment. Because it’s different. But the number one thing that the HSE says is that this is World Health Organisation quality. It is, it is of the standard and it does work as protective equipment.

“It may need to be adjusted but the one thing we should say is that they have identified a secondary supply that they could use if needed which I think, a line of supply, if they can’t get sorted in relation to whatever the issues are on some of this material.

“It’s a big order and no doubt it’s a story we’ll hear a little bit more about as people see whether the equipment is what they’re looking for.”

Listen back in full here

Previously: “I Think That We Will Try Our Best”

How Long Is A Piece Of Nucleocapsid?

Top pic: Michael Kelly

Broadsheet.ie