“Many women would get on the ferry to Holyhead, present themselves to adoption agencies in Britain and would find themselves being repatriated, sent back to Ireland, in some instances before they gave birth, in some instances after.”

Paul Michael Garrett, Social work and Irish people in Britain

Last night.

Dr Lorraine Grimes, (top left) of NUIG, joined Mother and Baby Home adoptee and activist Eunan Duffy (bottom right) and Breeda Murphy (bottom left), spokeswoman for the Tuam Mother and Baby Home Alliance, to discuss Irish mothers who went to England.

The third in a series of shows looking at aspects of the Mother and Baby Home regime ahead of publication of the report of the Commission of Investigation commencing the week of January 11.

Previously: Secrets Of Bessboro

Trafficked With Three Birth Certs

 

Christmas Day at the Forty Foot, Sandycove, County Dublin in 2018

Shrivel your baubles elsewhere.

This afternoon.

People are being asked to forego the annual Christmas Day swim at the 40 Foot in Sandycove due to concerns over large groups of people gathering for the annual tradition.

Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, gardaí, and the Health Service Executive issued the appeal for people to refrain from visiting bathing areas, especially the 40 Foot in Sandycove and at Seapoint this year over the potential risk of spreading Covid-19 at these public gatherings…

Better safe than salty.

Appeal for people to forego Christmas swims at 40 Foot (RTÉ)

Earlier: The Virus Will Steal Your Pint

RollingNews

Joanne Hayes (right) and her sister Kathleen leaving the Kerry Babies Tribunal at Dublin Castle in 1985

This afternoon.

The Four Courts, Dublin

Solicitors for Joanne Hayes – Patrick Mann and Bernadette Cronin- make a statement following the issue of an apology and compensation from the State to Ms Hayes for her treatment during the Kerry Babies case.

It was part of a case brought by Ms Hayes, her sister Kathleen and brothers Michael and Edmund following their arrest by the Gardai in May 1984.

Via Irish Times:

Ms Hayes will receive €1.5 million, while her three siblings will each get €300,000.

Ms Hayes’ daughter, Ms McGuckin, who was a toddler at the time of the scandal, is to get a reported €100,000.

…As part of the settlement the family also secured declarations from the court that all findings or wrongdoing made against them by the Tribunal into the case were, that took place in late 1984- early 1985 were unfounded and incorrect.

The court also made a declaration that their questioning, arrest, charge and prosecution on dates between April and October 1984 were unfounded and in breach of their constitutional rights.

Kerry babies: Suffering and stress of ordeal finally behind us – Joanne Hayes (Irish Times)

Previously: Kerry Babies on Broadsheet

Eamopnn Farrell and Sam Boal/RollingNews

Chief Medical Officer Dept Of Health Dr Tony Holohan

Crazy for the hooch.

It can’t help itself.

This morning.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said:

“Irrespective of the setting, but particularly when that setting is an indoor setting, particular in places where ventilation is poor, particularly where we have use of alcohol – and let’s be honest here, we have a challenge in this country, it is really difficult for us all to maintain public health guidance when it’s mixed in with the use of alcohol.

“But, all of those factors come together to create risks that this virus loves.

“The virus loves indoor settings, it loves close contact between people, and it loves alcohol. And if we give it the opportunity it will transmit very very quickly and that’s what we are seeing.”

Hic.

Country cannot cope with current social contact levels – Holohan (RTÉ)

RollingNews

Behold: a spectacular 35 frame, hour-long exposure of the annual Gemenid meteor shower taken just after midnight last Sunday in the Italian Dolomites. To wit:

Sirius, alpha star of Canis Major and the brightest star in the night, is grazed by a meteor streak on the right. The Praesepe star cluster, also known as M44 or the Beehive cluster, itself contains about a thousand stars but appears as a smudge of light far above the southern alpine peaks near the top. The shower’s radiant is off the top of the frame though, near Castor and Pollux the twin stars of Gemini. The radiant effect is due to perspective as the parallel meteor tracks appear to converge in the distance. As Earth sweeps through the dust trail of asteroid 3200 Phaethon, the dust that creates Gemini’s meteors enters Earth’s atmosphere traveling at about 22 kilometres per second.

(Image: Stefano Pellegrini)

apod

An atmospheric 2016 short by Gabrielle Lissot. To wit:

A young woman follows a trail of coloured threads that leads deep into a thick dark forest, untangling them as she goes, hoping to find the answers to her lingering fears.

animatic

Come Friendly bombs. From top: Oscar Square Park entrance, Dublin 8. aerial view of Oscar Square Park; copies of ‘The Protection of your Home against Air Raids’ was supplied to every home in Dublin; St Patrick’s Park, Dublin 8; Merrion Square Park, Dublin 2

Hiding in plain sight.

Harry Warren writes:

I love walking through Dublin parks. City parks are a vital place of respite and rest. It’s good for the soul to take a leisurely stroll among the peaceful trees and greenery to unwind, perhaps take a seat and watch the world go by. Dublin’s parks have many historic features of interest that are hiding in plain sight but first let us point out where some these interesting features are located.

How about that nice hill in Merrion Square park where young and old run up and down at play, or the location of the normally beautiful view of St. Patrick’s Cathedral from the Bride St. side of Patrick’s park. I say “normally” as the Cathedral is being re-roofed and covered in scaffolding. Or that lovely little park in Oscar Square in the Tenters area in Dublin that has steps at its four corners? They all have one thing in common and their history should be told.

When World War II occurred Ireland being neutral declared an “Emergency”, perhaps ‘one of the understatements of the century. The population needed to be protected. A volunteer Corp known as the Air Raid Precautions was set up, generally referred to as the ARP. It was to be controlled by the local authorities, county councils and city councils.

Thousands volunteered. Dublin Corporation, being the largest of those authorities had full-time officials running the ARP. They produced a copy of a British publication “The Protection of your Home against Air Raids” that was supplied to every home and a decision was taken to build some public air raid shelters for fear of aerial bombing by Germany.

The historic features? The hill in Merrion Square park was built as an air raid shelter and the park in Oscar Square also had an air raid shelter. The Oscar Square shelter is in living memory of the older local folk in the area and they say the entrance to the shelter was along the steps at the entrance of the park. St Patrick’s park?

If you are enjoying the view of St. Patrick’s Cathedral from the Bride St. side of the park you are standing in the location of the original shelter. The above photos of the parks will give you a general idea where the bomb shelters were located.

Many areas around Ireland were bombed by Germany during WW II. Three bombings in Dublin of note were: –

The bombing in Rathdown park Terenure and on the corner of Lavarna Grove and Fortfield Rd on the 2 January 1941 with two homes destroyed, some injuries and damage to nearby homes.

The bombing raid on the morning of the 3 January 1941 in what was then Donore Tce. in the South Circular Road area. Fortunately, there was no loss of life but twenty people suffered injuries. There was extensive damage to property, three homes were completely destroyed, many more were damaged along with a nearby Jewish synagogue and a Presbyterian church.

And worst of all, the 1,000-yard swathe of destruction caused by two German aircraft killing 28 people with hundreds injured in the North Strand area on 31 May 1941.

So, the next time you are in those parks enjoy the fact we are living in more peaceful times and the parks now have more children’s playgrounds than bomb shelters.

All pics by Harry Warren

Broadsheet.ie