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From top: Today’s Irish Independent; UK Met Office graph depicting the relationship between the El Nino and cold winters in Ireland.

The coldest winter since the 1950s?

Not so fast, weather fans.

Mark Dunphy writes~:

There are some scientific/meteorological reasons to suggest that the building blocks for a colder than average winter to verify are in place. They include record-breaking cold seas surface temperatures in the North Atlantic, entrenched early season cold in Russia and soon Eastern Europe, a strong El Nino, and periods of High Pressure blocking in recent weeks dragging in a polar continental airmass across Ireland and Britain.

But – strong El Ninos and cold Atlantic waters have come and gone without record breaking cold occurring in this part of the world in the past. For example, the strong El Nino year of 1991-92 winter season saw Oct-May in Ireland/Britain producing warmer than average conditions. Furthermore, the below UK Met Office data shows strong/very strong El Nino years (circled in red) not exactly supporting the circulating theory of impending record breaking cold.

Furthermore, the UKMO [UK Meto Office] plot (pic 2) confirms the relationship between the El Nino and cold winters in Ireland doesn’t hold for STRONG events.

The Irish Independent article bases its article on the fact that migratory birds have migrated to this side of the world. Nothing too unusual about that you might think. The birds in question migrate to the UK every year and have arrived early for two reasons.

Easterly winds have been persistent in recent weeks meaning that they have decided to take off west while the going is good (easier flight than the flight they normally make against westerly winds).

The other reason is that Siberia has seen winter kick in rather early. Eastern and central Europe too will experience some snow over the next few days. Many other similar newspaper articles have appeared in recent weeks with no evidence other than supposition to claim that Ireland is set for its coldest winter since 1963.

FIGHT!

Is Ireland heading for a record breaking cold winter? Perhaps not (Mark Dunphy, The Clare Herald)

Is Ireland Heading For The Worst Winter In 50 Years (Independent.ie)

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The Educate Together Facebook page today

This morning’s Irish Times reveals how Hindu couple Roopesh Panicker and his wife Najamol Kalangara struggled to find a place for their four-year-old daughter Eva at any of the Catholic schools near their home.

They were repeatedly told, under the schools’ enrolment policies, the schools were entitled to give preference to Catholic children.

Eva is now attending a Catholic school a half-hour’s drive away.

Mr Panicker said

“It is a big Catholic school with lots of spaces. But all the children on our road go to the school across the park. She asks, ‘Daddy why do I not go to the same school as my friends’? I don’t want to fill her head about discrimination, so I tell her little lies about how her school is bigger and better. But she will keep asking and I will have to tell her eventually.”

Further to this, comments on the Educate Together website suggest this problem only worsens when parents are trying to find a secondary school place for their non-Catholic children.

Anyone?

Hindu family fails to get place for child in local school (Irish Times)

Educate Together (Facebook)

sulky

Ireland’s Sulky Racers,

This Thursday on RTÉ2 at 9pm

A one hour documentary [directed by Martin Danneels] “offering a unique insight into one of Ireland’s most fascinating sub-cultures”.

Anne Louise Foley writes:

Scorned by media and the mainstream, Ireland’s Sulky Racers care deeply about their ‘coloured’ horses; yet they race on the wild side, illegally, on Sundays at dawn, on dual carriageways blocked off to traffic. The sport and the personalities that drive it have never before been the subject of a television documentary. Until now.

These passionate horsemen race their light-weight traps – sulkies – at startling speeds. When one owner challenges another, his horse’s reputation is at stake. So too are thousands of Euro.

Following a group of owners and drivers based in counties Dublin, Meath, Clare and Limerick, Ireland’s Sulky Racers shows the extremes that these complex and compelling individuals will go to in order to prepare their piebald for race day.

FIGHT!

flirt:jennings

Happy birthday, Flirt FM 101.3.

Colm Dunne writes:

You might like this: Flirt FM, Galway’s alternative student radio station turned 20 this year. We had a chat with a few past participants [including RTÉ Radio Morning Ireland presenter (Dr) Gavin Jennings, top] at the celebrations….

Flirt FM

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Breast cancer survivors Teresa Costello (left) and Emma Hannigan, who has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer for the tenth time

Online car insurance provider Its4Women.ie will donate €4 to Breast Cancer Ireland for every story shared on its4breastcancer.ie during the month of October, breast cancer awareness month.

Its4Women will commission an Irish designer to collate the stories into a piece of art which will be donated to Professor Arnold Hill’s Clinic in Beaumont Hospital.

Author Emma Hannigan writes:

A breast cancer diagnosis evokes a myriad of emotions. When I was diagnosed at first I vowed that I would stand up and fight. But most of all, I vowed I wouldn’t allow cancer to silence me. So much control is removed by a cancer diagnosis. I know I was thrust into an unfamiliar world where hospitals slowly became the norm.”

“But I swiftly realised that I could still be me. By talking and listening to other patients, I also knew that I wasn’t alone.”

“I’m supporting this campaign because I want to encourage women across Ireland to come together and share their unique experiences this October. Don’t allow cancer to silence you. Raise your voices and be heard. Let’s fight the good fight, together.”

Teresa Costello writes:

“I was 36 years old when I was diagnosed. I wasn’t breast aware nor did I check my breasts. By chance while in the shower I found a lump. My doctor wasn’t overly concerned but to be extra vigilant he sent me to St James’s Hospital.

“I had three tumors and dimpling on my breast. My treatment plan was 8 sessions of Chemo, Mastectomy and immediate reconstruction and Radiation. I finished my treatment May 2014 and thankfully, after what was a whirlwind of a year, I am very much back to myself.

“I have a Facebook page called Breast Friends which provides support & advice to people affected by breast cancer. If there is one piece of advice I can give to others it’s to check your breasts regularly, know them and if there are changes or you are concerned something isn’t right get straight to your GP. Early detection is vital in winning the fight.”

Stories can be submitted here

Breast Cancer Ireland

anti-ttip-berlin-09102015-1a

Berlin, Germany

A massive protest in the German capital against the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) accord being negotiated by the European Union and the United States.

John Gallen writes:

While we were fixated with sports, the Germans were protesting TTIP with 1/4 million of them out in Berlin. Note: German govt says 100,000 marched, organisers say 250,000…

Hundreds of Thousands March in Berlin Against TTIP Trade Deal (FilmsForAction)

Previously: TTiP Of The Iceberg

Broadsheet.ie