Donie's all Ireland daily news BLOG

A 53% majority of Irish people favour abortion on grounds of suicide

  

Poll carried out over 12 days among just under 1,000 voters

A new opinion poll shows a majority in favour of allowing abortion on grounds of suicide, although support has slipped over the past three months.

The Millward Brown poll for tomorrow’s Sunday Independent also shows an increase in support for Sinn Féin.

Carried out over 12 days running up to last Thursday among just under 1,000 voters around the country, the poll measures support for allowing abortion in a range of situations.

53% believe abortion is acceptable where the woman’s life is threatened by reason of suicide – 5% lower than in February.

72% say abortion should be allowed in cases of rape, 78% where there is a threat to life other than suicide, 69% where there is a long term threat to health, with just 28% supporting a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion for other reasons.

On party support, 32% were undecided who to vote for.

When they are excluded, support for Fine Gael is at 23%, down one point since the last Sunday Independent poll a month ago.

Labour is unchanged at 12%. Fianna Fáil is down one to 26%; Sinn Fein gains three to 19%, while Independents and others are down one to 19%.

SATISFACTION WTIH ALL THE PARTY LEADERS IS UP.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny is up one to 26%, Tanáiste Eamon GIlmore up three to 19%; Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin gains six to 34%, while Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams is up five to 28%.

Millward Brown also asked if Mr Gilmore should stay as Labour leader –  26% said he should, compared to 39% who think he should step down, and 36% who did not know.

Just 14% of voters said Labour should stay in government and continue with the Programme for Government; 30% said the party should stay, but renegotiate the Programme; 31% said they should leave while 25% said they did not know.

The Donal Walsh diaries reveal his true bravery

  

In his last hours, teenager turned to his family and joked it was like a scene from ‘Sopranos’

The parents of crusading teenager Donal Walsh have opened their hearts about their son’s final hours and given access to the notes he made in the weeks before his death.

His bereaved family have told the Irish Independent that even as their 16-year-old son was just a couple of hours from death, he woke up and saw his family around him and joked: “‘Ah lads, this is like a scene out of ‘The Sopranos’.”

Donal’s life and his selfless appeal to vulnerable young people to say no to suicide struck a cord with the entire nation.

Now his father Fionnbar has allowed the Irish Independent access to his son’s private den, where he wrote and was surrounded by friends as he battled terminal cancer before his death at his home in Blennerville, Co Kerry, on Sunday.

The wooden den is covered in uplifting slogans and heartfelt messages from his friends and loved ones.

It was here – in the place where he was most comfortable – that he wrote the inspiring lines: “I’ve climbed God’s mountains… And as much as I’d love to go around to every fool on this planet and open their eyes to the mountains that surround them in life, I can’t. But maybe if I shout from mine they’ll pay attention.” His notes include lines from songs he liked and some of his own thoughts, with the theme of a message of hope from the dying boy.

They contain the line from the band Nickleback: “Everyone has things that they hide, Everyone keeps most things inside, Everyone needs to feel loved.” The walls have been stencilled with positive statements by Donal.

“Leave no stone unturned. Leave your fears behind.

“We stand together in line. No regrets in mind.” His writings show a boy who loved life and who encouraged others to live life to the full.

Fionnbar told the Irish Independent of Donal’s final moments, when his mother Elma noticed a slight change in his breathing.

She called his father and sister Elma to Donal’s side. His Uncle Brian just made it up the stairs in time. They were all there when Donal drew his last breath.

Fionnbar spoke movingly of his son’s final conversation with parish priest Fr Padraig Walsh.

“What’s on the other side, Father?” he asked.

“I don’t know Donal, but it’ll be a far better place with you in it.’ “Are you afraid?” asked Fr Padraig.

“I’m not Father, but I’m nervous,” he replied.

Battles

Donal’s parents also revealed the private battles he faced as he campaigned to bring his message of hope to the public.

He had to be brought by wheelchair to the RTE studios to take part in ‘The Saturday Night Show’ with Brendan O’Connor and it took an extraordinary physical effort to make the 400-mile round trip to Dublin from his home in Blennerville, near Tralee in Co Kerry.

The television appearance moved a nation to tears of sadness, hope and admiration. An ambulance was on standby in case Donal took a turn.

A proposed visit to the President, Michael D Higgins, had to be cancelled on medical advice, amid fears a trip to Dublin could mean his last wish of dying at home in Blennerville would not have come true.

Mrs Walsh also revealed how they told him of the seriousness of his illness.

“He was too intelligent to hide the truth from,” said his mother Elma.

“He clammed up on us once when we held back. It was then we decided to tell him he had very little time.

“Donal forecast his death almost to the day.”

Low-fat foods just giving some Irish people a ‘licence to overeat’

  

CONSUMERS IN IRELAND VIEW FOODS MARKETED AS LOW FAT OR HEALTHY AS A LICENCE TO OVEREAT.

Research by all-Ireland nutritional awareness body Safefood found Irish people eat up to 71pc more than the recommended portion of “healthy” foodstuffs and they’ll also eat far more of it than the standard product.

For example, with a lower fat coleslaw they’ll eat as much as 126g of it compared with just 74g of a luxury brand. The same applied to breakfast cereal – with women choosing larger portions of Special K than Frosties, researchers found. This means buying “healthier” products could actually lead to weight gain over time, Safefood said.

Lead researcher Professor Barbara Livingstone, of the University of Ulster, said consumers where being influenced by the “health halo” of some products.

“They see them as representing the less guilty option and so eat more. Further education on what is a healthy portion size is warranted to overcome these misconceptions,” she said.

The research, which was carried out among 180 Irish adults and published in the ‘International Journal of Obesity’, found that people selected portion sizes that were between 28pc and 71pc larger than what was recommended in five out of six cases.

Safefood’s Dr Cliodhna Foley-Nolan said there had been a huge increase in the number of foods with nutrition and health claims over the past 20 years but the population was still getting fatter.

“The research shows that these foods are viewed by some consumers as a licence to overeat,” Dr Foley-Nolan added.

“However, in the case of many products, the fat that is removed in the ‘healthier’ product is replaced by other ingredients, such as sugar, and the calorie savings are small.”

Rory McIlroy to set up his own management company

  

In a spectacular mid-season move, Rory McIlroy is planning to leave Horizon Sports and set up his own management company, made up of some friends, family and close confidants.

McIlroy’s father Gerry is expected to play a prominent role in the new operation. Just over 18 months ago, McIlroy, one of world sport’s hottest properties, stunned golf by quitting the giant International Sports Management, run by Chubby Chandler, and joining Horizon, a Dublin firm with global ambitions.

McIlroy’s management team at Horizon have been taken aback by this latest development in the ever-eventful career of Irish golf’s charismatic world No 2. However, they are remaining tight-lipped pending further discussions with McIlroy (above), whose management contract at Horizon has a number of years to run.

Professional golf circles have been rife with speculation about McIlroy’s plans to set up his own management structure, but Horizon boss Conor Ridge declined to comment on the matter or answer any questions.

“We simply do not comment on industry rumours or speculation,” he insisted. “Horizon Sports Management always has and always will give first priority to the confidentiality of its clients.”

When approached by reporters at The Players Championship in Florida last week, McIlroy said he was still with Horizon and firmly dismissed any further questions on the matter. He could not be contacted yesterday.

Suggestions that McIlroy might team up with Tiger Woods and his long-standing business manager Mark Steinberg have been firmly dismissed by insiders.

So, too, is talk of the Holywood native joining one of the major sports agencies like Legardere, who have his girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki on their books, or IMG.

Instead, authoritative sources reveal the 24-year-old Irishman is keen to follow Tiger’s example and that set by other sports megastars like Roger Federer in tennis and football’s Lionel Messi by choosing to be managed by their closest lieutenants – family and friends.

If Tiger was McIlroy’s idol growing up, he aspires to be like Federer, anotherNike icon, who has become an international symbol of grace and good taste.

In a fascinating recent article in the ‘New York Times’ about the young Ulsterman’s determination to play a proactive role in building his brand image, Karen Crouse wrote: “McIlroy said he discussed the business side of sports management with Federer over dinner in December, while in Brazil to watch Wozniacki.”

Role model: “He’s a role model, someone I can pattern myself after,” McIlroy told her. Interestingly, Federer and his long-standing agent Tony Godsick both left IMG last summer and set up on their own.

In Crouse’s article, she aptly described Horizon as a “boutique” company with just 12 employees, which gave McIlroy the final call in his endorsement deals and every other element of his career.

“He’s the boss,” Ridge was quoted as saying.

McIlroy’s stock soared as he rose to world No 1 on the back of a second Major title and four other victories last year, leading to three major new global endorsement contracts already in 2013, with Bose, Omega and, of course, Nike, which is reportedly worth $20m-plus a year.

Ridge and the high-powered lawyers and business advisers that consult for Horizon did the spadework on these lucrative deals, but McIlroy did far more than merely sign on the dotted line. He carefully vets each of the many commercial suitors that come to his door.

Meanwhile, McIlroy’s decision to switch all 14 of his golf clubs to Nike in one swoosh at the start of the season (Tiger took 10 years to put a full set of Nikes in his bag) gives further indication of the decisive, forceful nature which has helped make McIlroy the man and golfer he is today.

Perhaps the greatest example thus far of McIlroy’s determination to control his own destiny came in October 2011, when the young Ulsterman told Chandler, his agent, manager, mentor and friend during his first four years as a professional, that he’d decided to quit ISM.

At that time, he publicly expressed his thanks to Chandler and his company for “the very important role they played in my success to date”.

“I made great progress under their management and for that I will always be grateful,” said McIlroy, who had won the US Open, his first Major title, the previous June.

Yet in an interview with Golf.com before the 2012 US Masters, McIlroy intimated that he “felt like the path I was going down (at ISM) wasn’t the path I wanted to go down.” He cited the decision not to take out his US Tour card in 2010 as an example.

By joining his close friend Graeme McDowell on the books at Horizon, McIlroy entered a totally different environment. Chandler is revered by long-standing clients like Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood for doing business the old-fashioned way … at Chubby’s firm, a friendly handshake was the only contract they wanted.

Horizon are the polar opposite. Every ‘i’ is dotted and ‘t’ crossed in the contracts drawn up for their clients, with financial and legal matters placed in the hands of internationally respected experts. The company is known for its personal touch and the endless lengths its goes to for the welfare of its clients.

Two formidable examples are Philip Barker, of Arena Wealth, and Oliver Hunt of Onside Law – both installed by Ridge to oversee McIlroy’s global financial and legal affairs.

Arena are a London firm which evolved from IMG’s fund services team. In an anonymous testimony on their website, one of Barker’s golf clients, described as a ‘multiple Major-winner’, writes: “Arena manage all my global financial affairs, from paying my caddie to managing my investments.”

For legal matters, McIlroy has the support of Hunt, the golf specialist at Onside Law, an international agency which caters for the sport, fashion and entertainment industries and has advised each of the previous four European Ryder Cup captains. Hunt, who left IMG to form his niche company, worked closely with Ridge on the details of the deal with Nike and was invited by Horizon and McIlroy to join them as a guest at last month’s US Masters.

In-house, Horizon have a team of six people set aside to handle McIlroy’s day-to-day affairs, but ironically, by encouraging him to forge a close personal relationship with such distinguished extramural experts, Horizon has actually built a structure for McIlroy which makes it easier for him to move on.

The comprehensive service offered by Horizon belies the blase suggestions by critics across the Irish Sea, who forecast in the wake of McIlroy’s departure from ISM that the Dublin firm would be out of its depth in handling one of the greatest golfing talents of all time.

Changed: McIlroy’s arrival inevitably affected the dynamic of the company. Michael Hoey, who along with Gareth Maybin left Horizon last year, said: “with Rory now on board and playing more in the States their management has changed and altered.”

Yet the search for reasons for McIlroy’s stunning decision to head over the Horizon at the busiest part of his season unearths no major disasters or obvious causes for him to walk.

For sure, the much-publicised debacle at the Honda – where McIlroy walked off on the ninth hole of a nightmarish second round – caught them on the hop. Issuing a statement blaming wisdom-tooth pain 45 minutes after the player had told reporters he was not in the right place mentally to compete made a drama out of a crisis.

The Horizon representative on duty at the Honda Classic is expected to be one of McIlroy’s personal assistants in the new management structure, suggesting the incident didn’t play a big part in the decision process.

That the world No 2 had such a sketchy tournament schedule at the start of this season might sometimes be ascribed to his management.

Yet, as with much else in McIlroy’s case, he is unquestionably the master in his own domain.

Massive asteroid 1998 QE2 to fly by Earth on May 31

  

It’s 1.7 miles long. Its surface is covered in a sticky black substance similar to the gunk at the bottom of a barbecue. If it impacted Earth it would probably result in global extinction. Good thing it is just making a flyby.

Asteroid 1998 QE2 will make its closest pass to Earth on May 31 at 1:59 p.m. PDT.

Scientists are not sure where this unusually large space rock, which was discovered 15 years ago, originated from. But the mysterious sooty substance on its surface could indicate it may be the result of a comet that flew too close to the sun, said Amy Mainzer, who tracks near-Earth objects at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge. It might also have leaked out of the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, she said.

We will know more after the asteroid zips closer to Earth and scientists using the Deep Space Network antenna in Goldstone, Calif., and the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico can get a better look at it. Astronomers at both observatories plan to track it closely from May 30 to June 9, according to a JPL release.

At its closest approach the asteroid will still be 3.6 million miles from our planet (about 15 times the distance between the Earth and the moon), but it will be close enough for these powerful radar antennas to see features as small as 12 feet across.

“With radar we can transform an object from a point of light into a small world with its own characteristics,” Lance Benner, JPL’s principal investigator for Goldstone radar observations, said in a statement.

There is no chance that asteroid 1998 QE2 could collide with Earth this go-around, and its next close approach won’t be until 2119.

Still, Mainzer said the size of the asteroid, and its potential for mass destruction, should remind us that there are some scary things flying around in space.

“This is a really big asteroid, similar in size to the one that killed off the dinosaurs, and it’s getting very close to us,” she said. “Fortunately we’ve been tracking its orbit very carefully so we know with great certainty it won’t hit us.

“We don’t need to panic, but we do need to pay attention,” she said.