The minister has been informed of the issue and the Department of Health acknowledged the “distress” that the parents have experienced as a result of the events.
In a statement, Holles Street said it does not comment on individual cases. It confirmed that it has asked the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists to review a recent case at the hospital.
6am
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in Britain has told RTÉ News that it has not yet received a formal approach to undertake the review into the circumstances of a termination of pregnancy at the National Maternity Hospital in Holles Street.
The RCOG said in a statement: “Should an approach be forthcoming, this will be considered in the usual way.”
A rather excellent Stranger Things tie-in from LEGO – a 2,287-piece kit featuring the Byers’ house, Hopper’s police cruiser and 8 minifigs including the Demogorgon.
Due for release next month and yours for around €180.
Members of the ROSA (for Reproductive rights, against Oppression, Sexism & Austerity) movement held a demonstration against sexual harassment.
Rita Harrold, Socialist Party candidate for the European elections (above holding the megaphone), told those gathered:
“Sexual harassment is the norm on our streets, in our homes and in our workplaces.
“We’re specifically calling for the trade union movement to take up the issue of workplace sexual harassment.
“You’re very vulnerable and at real risk if you’re in a low-paid position or your boss or customer is your harasser.
“We’re calling for a €15-an-hour minimum wage and unions to organise in bars and restaurants, so we can stand confidently and say ‘We’re not on the menu’.”
From top: clipping from the Nationalist and Leinster Times newspaper on Friday, February 11, 1994; Tom Dempsey; Fine Gael campaign video for Mr Dempsey
Jack Power, in The Irish Times, reports:
A Fine Gael local election candidate who was previously convicted after embezzling £63,000 from the public health service in the 1990s, is now running for a seat on Kildare County Council.
Tom Dempsey, a former priest and publican, is standing as a candidate for Fine Gael in Newbridge, Co Kildare.
…“I want to make it clear I did not benefit personally from any of the payments I made,” Dempsey said. Following the court case his legal team agreed a repayment plan, and he “paid back everything that was asked”, he said.
“I deeply regret my actions at the time, but felt that I was doing everything I could to relieve people of great hardship. I have atoned and made a fresh start,” he said.
1. Game of Thrones is kind of the only game in town (for another week or two anyway), so this teaser for HBO’s upcoming small-screen adaptation of Alan Moore’s graphic novel Watchmen got lost in the mix a little bit.
2. In case you’re not familiar, the ground-breaking 1986 original depicts an alternate past and present where crime-fighting superheroes not only walk among us, but were directly involved in major turning points in US history, including Vietnam and the successful cover-up of Watergate. Decades after vigilantism was eventually outlawed, the Watchmen are called out of retirement to investigate the murder of one of their own.
3.It was previously adapted by Zack Snyder in 2009. His version was faithful to a fault, mimicking the source novel’s glacially slow pace and sombre atmosphere. It was also a miracle of production design and overall ambition; Watchmen was one of those novels previously considered “unfilmable”. It also boasts one of the most memorable opening sequences of any film you could name.
4. As you would expect, not a lot is known about HBO’s new version. It’s immediately clear that it’s not completely faithful to the original, being set in a more modern era. According to executive producer Damon Lindelof (Lost, Star Trek), it is set “after” the story depicted in the original. One wonders in that case if it’s a sequel to Snyder’s film, which had a considerably different ending to the book.
5. Despite the modern aesthetic, it looks to remain faithful to the original in other ways. The blocking, colour schemes and camerawork are very reminiscent of artist Dave Gibbons‘ original frames.
6. The cast includes Jeremy Irons, Don Johnson, Louis Gosset Jr and Regina King, who recently won an Oscar for her role in If Beale Street Could Talk.
7. With Game of Thrones gone (for now), HBO is angling for its next global hit. WestWorld was a pretender to the throne but disappeared in a puff of its own self-importance, while smaller shows like The Deuce and Big Little Lies, while great, just don’t have the longevity.
8. In my opinion, the real test of a series’ potential in the current era is whether it is forward thinking enough to set up its own endgame right from the start. Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones got people addicted on day one by asking “how is this going to end?”
9. It’s not the only way. Mad Men, The Sopranos and The Wire meandered through their seven seasons with multiple storylines and thematic explorations rather than one big buildup.
10. The crucial difference there was that they were much more grounded in reality and a depiction of (relatively) everyday life. The higher the concept, the higher the stakes need to be, so if Watchmen wants to find as wide an audience as possible, it’s going to have to work extra hard to keep viewers interested.
11. After all, the original Watchmen was one big whodunnit, so the stage is set already. Let’s see if I’m right.
