This morning.

Catherine?

You’ve changed.

*turns purple-faced*

Earlier: Obey

Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan

This morning.

Further to Eamon Ryan’s ‘false positive’…

Via The Irish Times:

Mr Ryan said he got his first PCR Covid test from the National Ambulance Service (NAS) – which has been carrying out the tests for ministers who are to travel abroad – on Friday morning and it came back with a positive result on Saturday.

He said he went home and worked on contact tracing of people he had seen in recent days including Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar and secretary general to the government Martin Fraser.

He said his private secretary was later contacted by the HSE to say the results of the test had actually been “inconclusive”.

Mr Ryan said it is his understanding it is “standard” to have a second test in such circumstances, particularly where the person did not have symptoms and were not a close contact. He got the test that evening and it came back on Sunday as “completely negative”.

Mr Ryan said: “I just followed medical advice right the way through all of this”. He said the advice he got after the second test was to “go about your business as normal” so he announced that the trip was back on.

Asked if he had sought the second test he said: “I didn’t have any direct involvement” and his understanding is the suggestion came from the NAS which had contacted his private secretary “rather than from any approach by myself.”

Seems legit.

Ryan says he did not seek second Covid test that allowed him to travel to Cop26 (Irish Times)

Yesterday: Unrepeatable

RollingNews

This morning.

MetroLink – for which the cost is reported to have increased to €10bn – will not see construction start for at least another ten years.

This would mean its earliest completion date would be 2037 – ten years later than originally planned.

The project’s business case is currently being assessed by Government and according to the strategy it is still expected to go for planning approval next year.

Luas Finglas – the first of the Luas extensions – was originally meant to be built by 2028. The earliest completion date is now expected to be around 2034.

Meanwhile other Luas extensions that will not be going ahead until after 2031 are Poolbeg, Lucan, and Bray.

Dublin’s MetroLink postponed for ten years – NTA draft strategy (RTÉ)

Kestine – U.N.I.T.Y

“Another black man they wan hang then crucify.”

Rapper Kestine doesn’t mince his words on his hard-hitting new single which sees him exploring the racial politics of being a black man in a white man’s world.

The video is produced and directed by Brian McDonnell and also stars actors Gabriel Adewusi and Keith Gallagher.

Nick says: Kestine spirit.

Kestine

This morning.

Dublin Castle, Dublin 2.

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath has said businesses in the hospitality industry who do not comply with rules around Covid-19 passes “do not deserve to remain open”.

On his way into Cabinet, the minister said that although there has been a “pretty good level of compliance.. those who aren’t are putting the public at risk”.

Non-Covid compliant businesses ‘don’t deserve to remain open'(RTÉ)

Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews

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