This afternoon.

Lazlo Panaflex writes:

Smooth, creamy irony on Westland Row[Dublin 2]…

Earlier: Making Hay

Meanwhile…

FIGHT!

Meanwhile…

David McCullagh and Miriam O’Callaghan of RTÉ’s Prime Time

This morning.

RTÉ announced that it will broadcast two live television debates as part of its general election coverage. The dates have yet to be announced.

The Claire Byrne Live Leaders’ Debate will involve “leaders from a number of political parties” to debate in front of a live audience.

Secondly, in “the final days of the campaign”, Prime Time will hold a leaders’ debate which will involve “the party leaders from the two largest political parties” taking part in “a live head-to-head studio debate”.

Morning Ireland broadcaster, and former Six One presenter, Bryan Dobson will also hold a series of interviews with party leaders at 7pm on RTÉ One throughout the campaign.

Meanwhile…

On Virgin Media One…

Thanks Laura Fitzgerald

Another gorgeous shot of the ‘Mother of Pearl’ or nacreous cloud formations which occurred late last year over Sweden, in this case, on New Year’s Eve in the skies above Ostersund. To wit:

A relatively rare phenomenon in clouds known as iridescence can bring up unusual colours vividly or even a whole spectrum of colours simultaneously. These polar stratospheric clouds clouds (…) are formed of small water droplets of nearly uniform size. When the Sun is in the right position and, typically, hidden from direct view, these thin clouds can be seen significantly diffracting sunlight in a nearly coherent manner, with different colors being deflected by different amounts. Therefore, different colours will come to the observer from slightly different directions. Many clouds start with uniform regions that could show iridescence but quickly become too thick, too mixed, or too angularly far from the Sun to exhibit striking colours. 

(Image: Goran Strand)

apod

Hello you.

This afternoon.

Merrion Square, Dublin 2

Verona Murphy, a former Fine Gael by-election candidate and now Wexford Independent hopeful for General Election 2020 talking to farmers during a tractor protest against beef prices among other issues.

Sam Boal/RollingNews


From top: The spot where a man was seriously injured when a tent he was sleeping in was removed by an ‘industrial vehicle’; Taoiseach Leo Varadkar launching Fine Gael’s election campaign at CombiLift in Monaghan today

Earlier today.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and other members of Fine Gael launched the party’s general election campaign at CombiLift in Monaghan.

During the launch, Mr Varadkar was asked by reporters about the homeless man who suffered ‘life-changing injuries’ when the tent in which he was sleeping was removed by Dublin City Council/Dublin Regional Homeless Executive and Waterways Ireland near Leeson Street Bridge, along the Grand Canal yesterday at lunchtime.

An “industrial vehicle” was reportedly being used to remove the man’s tent.

Mr Varadkar initially said he was “loathe” to comment on individual cases “until we know all the facts” before he called on Dublin’s Lord Mayor and city councillor Paul McAuliffe to make a statement.

He said Mr McAuliffe is “politically responsible for the council”.

Mr McAuliffe is also a general election candidate in Dublin North West where Fine Gael’s Noel Rock is hoping to retain his seat.

Mr Varadkar told journalists:

“My understanding is that the city council and Waterways Ireland did check the tents before moving them but obviously something went wrong here.

“So I think it’s important that, you know, the city council and, you know, the Lord Mayor, whose politically responsible for the city council, should make a statement, and Waterways Ireland too.

“But the most important thing is that we wish him a speedy recovery.

“He is known to homeless services, has been offered accommodation in the past, will be offered accommodation in the future.

“We’ll do everything we can to reduce rough sleeping.

“I remember when we took over the housing department about three-and-a-half years ago, there were over 160 people sleeping rough on our streets in Dublin, that’s now down around 92.”

Meanwhile…

Meanwhile…

UPDATE:

Earlier: At Leeson Street Bridge (Updated)

Pic: Andrew Lowth


This morning/afternoon.

Annahagh, County Monaghan.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar with Minister Simon Coveney, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe and Helen McEntee, Minister of State for European Affairs inspect a forklift factory with Martin McVicar, MD (pic 2) of Combilift at a Fine Gael General Election Campaign Launch/Brexit visit.

Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews

In April.

Journalist Sam Bungey and documentarian Jennifer Forde will present their West Cork podcast live to audiences in Dublin, Galway and Cork.

The events will be organised by The Good Room, who say:

Sophie Toscan du Plantier was murdered days before Christmas in 1996, her broken body discovered at the edge of her property near the town of Schull in West Cork. The rest remains a mystery.

Gripping, yet ever elusive, join the real-life hunt for answers with the creators of the popular true-crime podcast series.

West Cork, which Time Magazine named as one of it’s top 50 favourite podcasts, guides listeners through the brutal, unsolved murder and the tangled web of its investigation, while introducing an intricate cast of characters, a provocative prime suspect, and a recovering community whose story begs to be heard.

Meet the makers and hear exclusive behind-the-scenes stories with Sam and Jennifer on stage.

Tickets for the Dublin show can be bought here, the Galway show here and Cork here.

Thanks Louise Barker

Broadsheet.ie