A dramatic timelapse of severe weather events filmed last month in Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska and Colorado by photographer Nicolaus Wegner.
This morning.
Krakow International Airport, Poland.
Martin C writes:
Ryanair’s new classy image is just a pile of marketing cock….
I figured it was a good idea to take the kids on a break to see Auschwitz/Birkenau for a couple of days but we’re stranded in Krakow airport now, day number 2 due to freezing fog nothing leaving or landing (I only know that because of flightradar24 when I get the odd sliver of wifi) and it’s all stacking up however Ryanair have NO STAFF on the ground, ZERO ASSISTANCE, chaos…upset kids, angry adults and the airport have stupidly kept cramming people into the airside gate area like cattle knowing full well nothing is happening (the flight boards have the flights up but with bullsh*t times, you can see some flights circling now for over an hour with flightradar24, others like mine haven’t even left their origin you liars) having use of a laptop and wifi is all fine and well for someone like me but there’s a lot of older people in the frame that are not internet savvy, trying to help them out I’m becoming some sort of a mini-travel agent…MICHAEL O’LEARY GET SOME FUPPING BUSSES ORGANISED NOW TO TAKE US TO BERLIN OR SOME AIRPORT THAT YOU CAN LAND YOUR PLANES INTO TO GET US OUT OF HERE AND HOME. PLEASE.
Anyone?
Not So Fast
at
Former Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan, top, and PULSE records showing his penalty points for speeding terminated
In April 2013 Irish Independent journalist Gemma O’Doherty broke the story of how former Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan had penalty points for speeding quashed. Ms O’Doherty lost her job soon after.
Further to this, Sinn Féin TD Padraig MacLochlainn addressed Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald in the Dáil last week about ‘new developments’ concerning Mr Callinan’s penalty points being quashed.
Mr MacLochlainn spoke about these developments during the second stage debate on the Garda Síochána (Amendment) (No.3) Bill 2014.
“Consider the issue of accountability concerning questions. It has been brought to my attention by journalist Gemma O’Doherty in recent days that she has reported that former Garda Commissioner Mr. Martin Callinan had penalty points for speeding terminated. He confirmed this in an article in the Irish Independent. Ms O’Doherty asserts she was fired a number of weeks after that story was published, and she is taking a number of legal cases in regard to that.”
“She has advised me she has come into possession of new information. On that basis, she submitted a number of questions to the Acting Garda Commissioner, which the latter has refused to answer, as is evident from the e-mail. The questions, which Ms O’Doherty sent to the Minister also, are as follows.”
“What was the basis for the termination of Mr. Callinan’s speeding fine? There was no indication of the reason on the PULSE printout.
Why was Mr. Callinan not using an official Garda car on the day he was caught speeding given that he was on official Garda business?
Did he drive to work on the day he incurred his speeding ticket?
What time did he start work that day?
Was the meeting he was speeding to pre-planned?
Was this meeting recorded in his diary? Was he aware of this meeting?
Was anyone with Mr. Callanan in his car when he was caught speeding?
Was a written report made of his meeting? At what time did the meeting begin and end? What was the location of the meeting? Did Mr. Callanan return to Garda headquarters after the meeting? Did he claim mileage or subsistence allowance for the day in question? Were there any other occasions on which Mr. Callanan used his private car for Garda business?”“All of these questions are now on the record of the Dáil. Since the Acting Garda Commissioner has not provided the information, I ask that the Minister provide it. It is a very serious matter and there is considerable public interest in it. I hope the Minister can obtain the answers to the questions that the Acting Garda Commissioner has refused to give.”
Ms Fitzgerald did not respond.
Previously: To Protect And Swerve
Commissioner had penalty points erased while on duty (Gemma O’Doherty, Irish Independent, April 19, 2013)
Transcript via Kildare Street
Photocall Ireland
The Al-Helal Club Under-14 side
Gaza Action Ireland writes:
A team of Palestinian children will play football in Ireland next summer, thanks to an initiative to be launched today by former Irish manager Brian Kerr.
Under-14 members of the Al-Helal club, based in northern Gaza, will play against teams from Dublin, Tipperary, Limerick and Belfast during their visit next August.
Al-Helal’s clubhouse was damaged in the Israeli assaults of 2012 and 2014. With the nearby sea polluted by sewage, football is often the only exercise and entertainment available to Gaza’s children, who have just lived through the third major attack in less than six years on the territory where they live. It is being organised by Gaza Action Ireland (GAI) and Antrim to Gaza, who need to raise thousands of euro to support the initiative. ..Contributions can be made here. Thank you.
Pictures from last night’s vigil for the late Savita Halappanavar in Eyre Square, Galway.
Yesterday was the second anniversary of the 31-year-old dentist’s death at University Hospital Galway.
Meanwhile, in Dublin…
A vigil at Stephen’s Green, Dublin last night.
Taken by Sinister Images (Facebook)
Previously: Free Today?
Liz O’Donnell, who is replacing Gay Byrne as head of the Road Safety Association (RSA)
The workers at the RSA,
Have said goodbye to Uncle Gay,
And are now greeting Liz,
As it looks like she is,
To be hired sometime later today.
John Moynes
(Haydn West/Photocall Ireland)
Front page of today’s Irish Daily Mai
On Irish Water’s website, it describes Coleman Sheehy as:
Coleman Sheehy was appointed to the Irish Water Board in November 2013. Mr. Sheehy is involved in property investment and development and commenced employment with Sherry Fitzgerald Estate Agents. He subsequently spent some time in America, where he was involved in property investment and real estate with members of his family prior to returning to Ireland. He is currently involved in property investment and real estate in Ireland, the UK and in Central and Eastern Europe.
Journalist Neil Michael reports in the Irish Daily Mail [not online] today:
“The Mail asked both Mr Sheehy and Irish Water to flesh out his employment history but both declined. A call to Sherry FitzGerald, meanwhile, elicited a short statement to the effect that he ‘worked for us briefly in the later 1990s’. Further enquiries led sources to claim he spent less than a year there – in the lettings department.”
“And as far as him currently being ‘involved in property investment and development’, evidence of this was hard to come by last week, other than his apparent involvement in a firm that was recently listed for strike-off. On the Companies Registration Office database of directorships, Mr Sheehy is listed as having two directorships.
“One is with Irish Water with the first name ‘Coleman’ as it appears on his birth certificate, and for which he describes his profession as ‘property consultant’. The other – using the first name Colman 0 is with a firm called Melot Properties, set up in 1995 and run by older brother Andrew. Coleman joined as a director in 2004 and here he lists his profession as ‘valuer’.”
“Melot Properties, which has just been listed for strike-off from the register of companies for the fourth time since June 2011, steadily built up assets of €227,000 in 1996 to just over €1million in the year to September 2011. These assets for the company – which has outstanding bank loans of more than €1million in 2011 – appear to include two addresses on Gardiner Place, Dublin city centre. According to the Companies Registration Office latest records, two judgement summonses have been issued against the company. One, in 2009, was for €14,725.”
“The Mail put a series of questions in writing to Mr Sheehy last week, including one about this judgement. While he has declined to talk directly about it or any other issues raised by the Mail, last week an envelope was hand-delivered anonymously to our offices. This contained a letter appearing to show that this judgement had been settled in the sum of €10,000.”
“Although [Mr Sheehy’s aunt, Kathleen Sheehy] knew little of Coleman and his appointment, she did reveal that her family is steeped in Fine Gael history. Her father, for example, fought as a Free State soldier under Michael Collins and he later fought under Franco during the Spanish Civil War. ‘He was only a young fella when he was carrying dispatches up to Michael Collins by train to Cork,’ she recalled.”
Meanwhile, Fiach Kelly, in the Irish Times this morning, reports:
“The brother of a Fine Gael donor recorded as giving €1,000 to Lucinda Creighton when she was contesting a Dáil seat for the party was appointed to the board of Irish Water, The Irish Times has learned.”
…
“[Coleman] Sheehy, known as Frankie Sheehy, is listed as Colman Francis Sheehy in the Companies Registration Office (CRO) under records held for Irish Water. In the CRO documents confirming his directorship of Irish Water, Mr Sheehy’s occupation is listed as a property consultant and declares another directorship, of Melot Properties Limited.”“Andrew Sheehy is listed as another director of Melot. Sources said the pair are brothers. Andrew Sheehy is recorded under Standards in Public Office (SIPO) records as having donated €1,000 to Ms Creighton in 2007, when she contested and won a Dáil seat in Dublin South East. Ms Creighton last said Andrew Sheehy “made a donation to my campaign in 2007, but I don’t really know the guy”.”
Meanwhile, in last weekend’s Sunday Independent, Shane Ross wrote:
“A mystery man sits beside [Irish Water chairman] Rose [Hynes] at the monthly meeting. A director called Coleman Sheehy hardly registers on Google. The company provides the following utterly useless information about Coleman. He is “involved in property investment and development and commenced employment with Sherry FitzGerald estate agents. He subsequently spent some time in America, where he was involved in property investment and real estate with members of his family prior to returning to Ireland.”
“He is currently involved in property investment and real estate in Ireland , the UK and Central and Eastern Europe.“No past employer named, bar Sherry FitzGerald. No dates. No education. No positions. No titles. No qualifications. Company searches draw a blank. But Coleman has been to America. We know that. Maybe he travelled by boat? So he probably knows all about water.”
“I rang the Department of Environment on Thursday to ask about Coleman’s qualifications. “I do not have any idea who he is,” responded the press officer. I rang Irish Water. They wanted 12 hours to find out.”
Brother of Fine Gael donor appointed to board of Irish Water (Irish Times)
Shane Ross: Rose’s garden at Irish Water needs weeding (Sunday Independent)
Previously: Contains Impurities – The irish Water Timeline
Dim Some
at
Ramen, Dennehy’s Cross, Cork.
Thanks John Downing
Striking Out
at
Diarmuid Connolly
After pleading guilty to serious assault charges, Dubs player Diarmuid Connolly saw his case struck out yesterday.
District Court judge Patrick Clyne made the ruling as he said Mr Connolly had “done all that had been asked of him through a serious of restorative justice measures”.
Independent Legal editor Dearbhail McDonald asks:
Will the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) challenge Judge Patrick Clyne’s generous strike out given the fact that judges have huge discretionary power, in particular where there are extenuating circumstances “of a special character”?
Anyone?
Lucky Bounce Of The Ball For All Star Attacker (Dearbhail McDonald, Independent.ie)