Keano, of FRO Films, writes:

“The dull presidential campaign has been electrified with the launch of a new candidate last weekend, keen to unseat the incumbent and start a new truly national conversation. Vote O’Reilly this Friday.”

Previously: The Break-Up

David McCourt, left, and Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection Pat Breen

Yesterday.

In the Sunday Business Post.

Hugh O’Connell reported:

Fine Gael junior minister Pat Breen held a number of previously unreported meetings with David McCourt who is heading up the last remaining bid for the National Broadband Plan (NBP), The Sunday Business Post can disclose.

Breen met McCourt on three occasions in 2016 including at a breakfast meeting in the Merrion Hotel.

The Minister of State with responsibility for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection has also visited McCourt at his home in Co Clare on several occasions “in a private capacity” over the last two years.

Meanwhile…

Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy

This morning…

Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy lodged an official complaint with the Ceann Comhairle’s office, claiming Mr Breen refused to answer, within the specified timeframe, a parliamentary question she had asked regarding his engagements with David McCourt and bidders in the National Broadband Plan process.

Ms Murphy claims her question should have been replied to by Thursday evening last (October 18) but it wasn’t, while he separately provided answers to a journalist.

Ms Murphy said:

“The parliamentary questions process is a vitally important one and that it might be circumvented in any way is a cause of grave concern.

“It is exceptionally unusual for a PQ not to be replied to within the specified timeframe and for me to then see that the same Minister has spoken with a journalist on the topic whilst neglecting his duties under the parliamentary questions process is hugely frustrating.

“I have lodged a formal complaint with the Ceann Comhairle regarding Minister Breen and his Department’s actions in this regard and I await a reply. It is vital that the PQ process is respected by all Ministers and Departments no matter how unsavoury the answer they have to give might be for them personally.”

Breen had three more meetings with final broadband bidder McCourt (Hugh O’Connell, Sunday Business Post)

Previously: Courting David

Evamore (featuring Sinéad O’Connor) – One More Yard

Emma Harney writes:

On November 2, the ‘One More Yard’ EP will be released on Evamore Records, as part of the Evamore project, which chronicles the sacrifice of young World War One soldiers and also aims to raise awareness of today’s war on cancer.

‘One More Yard’ is inspired by the letters home from a young Irish soldier killed at Flanders. The track’s lead vocals come courtesy of Sinéad O’Connor with supporting vocals by Imelda May. Ronnie Wood plays guitar on the track, with Nick Mason on drums.

The full ‘Evamore’ EP, includes a prologue section featuring haunting instrumentation from the iconic producer Brian Eno, with spoken word from acclaimed actor Cillian Murphy as he reads extracts of letters written by Lieutenant Michael Thomas Wall from the Royal Irish Regiment, to his mother in Dublin.

In his letters, Michael wrote: “Nothing was spared, nothing – and when done there was not one more yard left”.

One More Yard (Evamore)

The EBS250 – a rather nifty hand-held inkjet printer from US company EBS Inkjet Systems that can print multicoloured text, images, and barcodes onto metal, plastic, textiles, concrete, wood, cardboard, and more.

But consider the, ahem, non-commercial applications.

awesomer

This morning.

Townsend Street, Dublin 1.

The launch of Dublin Fire Brigade’s Halloween Fire Safety Campaign in Dublin Fire Brigade HQ involving a disfigured clown mannequin and some intensely loud banger and firework action.

Top, from left: Nial Ring, Lord Mayor of Dublin, Amy Bayley and Hugo Mc Glynn –  6th class students from Holy Family School in Swords –  and Fireman Tom Keegan.

Rollingnews

Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison

“To the children we failed, sorry.

To the parents whose trust was betrayed and who have struggled to pick up the pieces, sorry.

To the whistleblowers, who we did not listen to, sorry.

To the spouses, partners, wives, husbands, children, who have dealt with the consequences of the abuse, cover-ups and obstruction, sorry.

To generations past and present, sorry,

We are sorry. Sorry you are not protected,. Sorry you are not listened to.

We are sorry for refusing to trust the words of children, for not believing you.

As we say sorry, we also say we believe you.”

Australia’s prime Minister Scott Morrison, (top) delivered to a gathering of victims in Canberra, the nation’s capital.

‘We Say Sorry’: Australia Formally Apologizes to Victims of Child Sexual Abuse (New York Times)

‘A sorry that dare not ask for forgiveness’: Scott Morrison delivers apology to survivors of sexual abuse (Sydney Morning Herald)

Pic: Reuters

From left: Conor Brady; Judge Peter Charleton

During the Disclosures Tribunal, Judge Peter Charleton repeatedly called out for journalists, or anyone else, with any knowledge of any smear campaign against Sgt Maurice McCabe to come forward and make it known to the tribunal.

The judge made a specific appeal after editor of The Irish Mirror John Kierans gave evidence, and told how it was his understanding that former Garda Press Officer Supt Dave Taylor had “peddled” the story about Sgt McCabe and Ms D to various newsrooms in Dublin in early 2014.

Judge Charleton said:

“I would be grateful if the message would go forth through whatever media are present in the room, there is actually a duty on people who actually know something about this to come forward.

“I made that plea back in February 2017, and here is yet another variation of people not coming forward, perhaps, perhaps suppressing matters, here is a view being expressed in relation to a situation where an individual has completely waived their privilege.

“If people say they have a privilege but they know something, I would much rather know that, than for them to simply, if it is the case, sit in their office blocks and not come to the Tribunal and not communicate. There is a website. You can communicate. There is a phone line. It is manned. It will be manned indeed all day on Saturday.

“This matter is coming close to an end. And I regard it as not a legal obligation, but much, much more serious than that: a patriotic obligation of people who know something to come forward so that the people of Ireland aren’t left in the daft situation that people who know things in the journalistic profession have not come forward to speak, but, nonetheless, will be able to write articles about what happened to them in the aftermath of the Tribunal report appearing.

“Now, in the event that that happens, the people of Ireland will no doubt take their own view as to the credibility of the persons who do that and that may indeed cause damage to the media outlets who may be involved in this, and I don’t know if they are or not, much worse than any libel action on earth; in other words, people simply stop trusting journalists.

“And it is important that they do, because journalists fulfil an extremely important function within our society and one which personally I value very highly.”

Meanwhile…

In yesterday’s The Sunday Times…

Former Garda Ombudsman Conor Brady, in an opinion piece about An Garda Síochána, wrote:

Many gardai passed on the word to whoever would listen that McCabe was a “bad one”. A businessman friend of mine was told this by a superintendent on the golf course.

One senior official solemnly assured me, in the company of others, that there was a “whole other side” to McCabe.

Mr Brady did not appear as a witness at the Disclosures Tribunal.

Conor Brady: The Maurice McCabe saga goes beyond a morality tale (The Sunday Times)

Earlier: Bryan Wall: Vinidcation At The Expense Of Justice

UPDATE:

In a statement to Broadsheet, a spokesman for the Disclosures Tribunal said:

‘The  tribunal  wishes to advise, Mr Brady never contacted the tribunal and or/gave us a statement and we were not aware of this information.

Mr Brady was never mentioned to us as a journalist we should pursue. He did however, have a GSOC involvement – he was a member of the board from 2005 to 2011.

The tribunal has no further comment to make.’

Broadsheet.ie