Free tonight?

Get the cake and candles out.

Join Canice Kenealy and Co as legendary Kilkenny indie band Engine Alley celebrate 30 years in the business with a special show in the backroom of Cleere’s bar in the Marble City.

Any excuse.

Any excuse 2.

Nick says: Where does all the time go?

Engine Alley at Cleere’s

A tender to provide a Direct Provision centre at the Connemara Gateway Hotel in Oughterard, County Galway, has been withdrawn

Oughterard, a definition

Pronounced ewk-ter-árd.
See also: Little Rock, Smethwick,
Enoch, Port Elizabeth…
A good place to illegally ditch
old fridges, huge yellow couches,
detached wardrobe doors,
mattresses with the springs
poking out of them.
Locals will know why you’ve done it
and a few will privately accept your verdict.

The perfect location to toss
brimming colostomy bags
out the windows of speeding vehicles
in the hope some member of
the County Council will think
it’s free curry sauce and drown
their chips in the contents.

And the old lady in the charity shop
will snap your hand off
to take all the World War Two
Germany army helmets you have
because there’s some who blew through here recently
who like to put them on
while making right-handed
love to themselves
in front of the unforgiving mirror
with the overhead lights blazing
like their own private
torch-lit procession.

Kevin Higgins

Earlier: Free Tomorrow?

Yesterday: A Clear Plan

Previously: Withdrawn

*dry swallow*

Yesterday.

Queens Public Library, Corona, New York.

Only infant cannibalism can save the climate, a ‘town hall’ meeting for US Democrat Representative for New York’s 14th congressional district, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hears.

Isn’t that a little extNOMNOMNOMNOM

‘Eat The Babies’: Twitter Reacts To Alexandria Ocasio Cortez Town Hall Meeting (Newsweek)

Monday: Watch, Rinse, Repeat

Meanwhile…

Above from left: Alan Kelly TD  with Senator Ged Nash and Labour Party leader Brendan Howlin and Joan Burton TD (top right)

No, really.

We only hit you because we love you.

Please?.

Yesterday.

Royal College of Physicians Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2.

The Labour Party launched its Alternative Budget 2020….

Labour leader Brendan Howlin warned the Fine Gael economic “recovery” is failing to work for large parts of the country, saying some areas still face 8% unemployment rates while one in four are working low-paying jobs.

With the threat of a no deal Brexit looming on the horizon, he said vulnerable people must be protected, in next Tuesday’s budget, with specific measures needed to improve employment levels in areas outside of Dublin…

Meanwhile…

Above from left:  Green Party Deputy Leader Catherine Martin TD, Finance Spokesperson Neasa Hourigan and Leader Eamon Ryan TD launching their pre-budget submission yesterday

Yesterday.

Irish Georgian Society, Dublin 2.

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has thrown down the environmental gauntlet to Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil by insisting next week’s budget must be the start of a decade of green policies to save the country.

Mr Ryan made the claim at the launch of his party’s alternative budget, saying “a decade-long strategy for a carbon neutral Ireland” is vital if a “secure future for the next generation” is to be achieved.

Greens urge decade of green policies ahead of possible kingmaker role (Fiachra Ó Cionnaith, Irish Examiner)

Rollingnews

Then Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Paschal Donohoe, at the Public Services Card Centre, D’Olier House in Dublin after he registered for a PSC in 2016; Washington Post

Um.

Loughlin O’Nolan tweetz:

The Public Services Card has made Bloomberg and the Washington Post. Not in a good way either.

Emmanuel Macron wants to scan your face (Washington Post)

Meanwhile…

Previously: Public Services Card on Broadsheet

Tomorrow.

From 11am at Liberty Hall, Eden Quay, Dublin 1.

The Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland, which was founded in 2014, will hold its first conference entitled ‘Towards A More Humane Asylum Process’.

The group writes:

“This conference will bring together people in the asylum system from all over the country who will speak about the past and present of the Direct Provision, asylum and deportation machine and point the way forward to the end of Direct Provision and a more humane asylum system.

“Speakers will be people who have been or are currently in the asylum and Direct Provision system.

“We will follow the day with a MASI party in the evening with brilliant music, song, dance and general good vibes, togetherness and solidarity.

“MASI – the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland – is a grassroots organisation based in Ireland.

“We are people who are or have been in the asylum and direct provision system in Ireland, working and advocating together for justice, freedom and dignity for refugees, asylum seekers and migrants.

“Our focus is on the Right to Education and the Right to Work for all people seeking asylum, on the complete abolition of direct provision and an end to deportations.”

Meanwhile, MASI has set up a GoFundMe page to help with the costs of transportation for people in Direct Provision and emergency accommodation centres around Ireland who wish to attend the conference.

Those who wish can donate here.

MASI Conference 2019 (Facebook)

Chief Constable at the Police Service of Northern Ireland Simon Byrne

Last night.

The BBC reported:

The Chief Constable [of the PSNI] Simon Byrne has told Boris Johnson the PSNI will not police any customs checkpoints on the Northern Ireland border after Brexit.

Mr Byrne had a 30 minute video call with the prime minister last Friday.

He also told Mr Johnson he had “no plans to put police officers on any one of 300 crossings” along the border.

Brexit: PSNI ‘won’t police customs checkpoints’, says chief constable (BBC)

Pic: BBC

A fallen bin in Galway during Storm Lorenzo yesterday; ‘Crisis’ Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government Eoghan Murphy; Head of Forecasting at Met Éireann Evelyn Cusack at the National Emergency Coordination Centre in Dublin yesterday

Oh, the humanity.

This morning.

Following Storm Lorenzo yesterday, a Status Yellow wind warning remains in place for counties Longford, Westmeath, Galway, Mayo, Roscommon and Clare until 11am.

On RTÉ’s Morning Ireland earlier, chair of the National Emergency Co-ordinarion Group Keith Leonard spoke to Dr Gavin Jennings about Storm Lorenzo.

From their discussion:

Dr Gavin Jennings: “The country seems to have survived?”

Keith Leonard: “Absolutely. And I think, Gavin, maybe there’s kind of two factors that play into that. The first is that the storm has appeared to have stalled slightly before it made landfall last night which took some of the energy out of the actual storm as it tracked down through the country.

“I suppose the second point to make is, I think, that the public advice and the safety advice that was given out yesterday and the day before was very well heeded by people and communities and people looked after each other very well during this. Which I think has been a huge positive influence on the outcome.”

Jennings: “Is it over?”

Leonard: “I think we’re seeing the worst, the peaks of the winds have gone through. We still have some yellow warnings in effect and, as you’ve heard already from your previous reporters, we have some serious issues in Donegal town. There may be other issues of flooding throughout Donegal which seems, there seems to be a lot of rainfall has fallen there. So probably, as well, we’ve reports now of maybe 7,500 people without power.

“I think Longford, and Ballymahon, have experienced some wind. So it’ll probably be another few hours before the full effect of this storm has blown through.”

Jennings: “You’re due to meet later today, is that right?”

Leonard: “That’s correct.”

Jennings: “Is it necessary now?”

Leonard: “I think it is. As I say, we have a recovery situation in Donegal which we’ll have to look into and find what support we can provide for Donegal and we also have to collate the information and obviously, as well, there’s always a lesson to identify, apiece, at the end of all of the national co-ordination effort so I think we will be meeting today. Yes we will be meeting.”

Jennings: “What lessons do you think we’ve learned so far?”

Leonard: “I suppose, we’ll have to reflect on that as we go through the meeting. But I think probably we want to work on how we refine and balance all these responses are how we balance the public safety message with making sure that society continues to function and operate as normally as possible.”

Jennings: “Did we overreact?”

Leonard: “I don’t think so. I think the information that we had from early on was that this was the most easterly, most category 5, hurricane. As it approached Ireland, the wind was, I think, in excess of 1,600 kilometres which is a huge Atlantic storm. And I think probably we were fortunate in the fact that it did stall over the north of the country before it came inland which helped to reduce some of the impact.”

Jennings: “Almost all climate experts and weather predictors would suggest that  we’re going to have a lot more storms like this?”

Leonard: “I’m not qualified to give, maybe, the climate analysis of this but I definitely think that local authorities who are the lead agencies for this are putting in an increasing amount of work, year on year, into how to respond to winter storms and to respond to severe weather in general.”

Jennings: “Keith Leonard, thank you very much for speaking to us…”

Listen back in full here

Meanwhile…

Earlier on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland…

RTÉ’s Paschal Sheehy reporting from Blennerville, Co Kerry this morning

RTÉ’s regional correspondents spoke to Morning Ireland presenter Bryan Dobson from their respective locations.

Paschal Sheehy, in Co Kerry, reported:

“I have a picture-postcard scene in front of me from my office this morning. I’m on Blennerville Bridge – the gateway to the Dingle Peninsula in West Kerry.

“And I am looking out at the windmill and it’s a rough scene here but certainly not exceptional by any manner of means.

“I have memories of crossing this bridge, walking to primary school when I was a child and the waves lapping over the bridge from one side to the other.

“I was here at high tide last night. The seas were rough but nothing like what I would have expected if the winds came at 130kph and, in fact, they didn’t.

“The highest wind speeds recorded in Kerry overnight were about half that – 67kph, gusts of 67kph at Met Éireann’s weather observatory in Valentia.”

“And so it was a quiet night…”

Ciaran Mulooly, in Mulranny, Co Mayo, reported:

“It’s been a night of high wind and considerable rain but nothing in line with the forecast as to what people had feared…”

“For the most part it looks like Storm Lorenzo did not come anyplace near the height it was supposed to and predicted to on this part of North Mayo.”

Teresa Mannion, in Galway, reported:

“I think my reporting here this morning is similar to Ciaran there. In Galway, there have been no significant overnight developments either in the city or the county as we speak.”

“Last night’s high tide, at 9.24pm to be exact, it came and went without any major flooding incident. There was a pit overtopping at the prom in Salthill but nothing more really…”

“…I was the sole person to call Galway City’s [Council] number last night and earlier this morning so they had no calls. There was three to Galway County Council – all about fallen trees…”

Meanwhile…

In Donegal town…

LIVE: Thousands left without power as Storm Lorenzo hits (RTE)

Yesterday: It Is Upon Us

Pic: Paschal Sheehy

UPDATE:

A ‘memorial’ to former New York mayor Ed Koch’s policy of releasing wolves into the subway to curtail the activities of graffiti artists, created by mischievous sculptor Joe Reginella (who’s been messing with tourists’ heads for years).

You may be familiar with his previous memorial to the giant octopus attack on the Staten Island Ferry.

hifructose

Podcast: Should Ireland bring back wolves? (RTÉ)

Broadsheet.ie