Michael Collins ‘the greatest Irishman ever’ says Hookie George.
Michael Collins has been hailed as the greatest Irishman that ever lived – by broadcaster George Hook, writes Ralph Riegel.
Hook stressed that Collins, a former finance minister and IRA commander, has as much relevance to modern Ireland as he did to the fledgling Irish State when he was shot and killed 92 years ago.
The Newstalk broadcaster will deliver the keynote oration at the Beal na mBlath ceremony in west Cork on Sunday to mark the 92nd anniversary of Collins’s death.
He was shot and killed in an ambush as he returned to
Cork city on August 22, 1922, after completing an inspection tour.
George Hook said the invitation to deliver the Beal na mBlath address ranked as “the greatest honour of my life”.
“It is without doubt the greatest honour I have ever received. I believe that Michael Collins was the greatest Irishman that ever lived and I was raised on my mother Anne’s knee with stories about him,” he said.
“His remarkable legacy has lessons for politicians, public servants, businessmen and
patriots. I think his legacy is even more inspirational for modern Ireland.
“If there is a heaven, and I hope there is, I’d like my mother to able to look down and see that I did okay with the oration and the tribute to the memory of Michael Collins.”
Donald Trump on collision course with Co Clare wind farm company
US BILLIONAIRE trump VOWS TO FIGHT PLANNED DEVELOPMENT
The Lodge at Doonbeg Golf Club, Co Clare. Documents lodged with Clare County Council show the wind farm will be visible from Donald Trump’s golf resort, on which he is planning to spend up to €45 million.
US billionaire Donald Trump is in dispute with a firm that is planning to erect a wind farm near his Doonbeg golf club on the Co Clare coast. Clare Coastal Windpower Ltd has lodged fresh plans with Clare County Council for a nine-turbine wind farm 2km from Doonbeg village and 4km from the the Greg Norman-designed links course.
The 413ft-high turbines are nearly 20ft higher than Dublin’s Spire. The lodging of the plans follows Mr Trump declaring on his well-publicised trip to Clare in May that the council had “killed” the prospect of wind turbines being erected near Doonbeg.
Documents lodged by the firm with the council show the wind farm will be visible from Mr Trump’s golf resort, on which he is planning to spend up to €45 million. Some 23 west Clare landowners stand to receive an annual dividend from the wind farm.
The executive vice president at the Trump organisation,George Sorial, said yesterday: “We will examine the planning application in the next number of days and if we conclude that it jeopardises our investment at Doonbeg, we will do whatever is necessary to fight it and protect the beauty of our site.”
The new plan is a scaled-down proposal of a 45-turbine plan that was refused on a number of grounds last year byAn Bord Pleanála. The plan created bitter divisions in the Doonbeg community and the golf club was one of the most vocal opponents against the plan.
According to the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) lodged with the new plan, “it is not anticipated that the proposal will cause any negative impact to tourism in the area”.
According to the promoters, the wind farm will supply sufficient electricity for 14,175 households. A decision is due on the application in October.
Ryanair pursues Cyprus Airways takeover
Ryanair opened talks on Thursday with the Cypriot government about a takeover of lossmaking Cyprus Airways as it looks to open up new routes and create more hubs in the Mediterranean.
Michael O’Leary, chief executive of the Irish airline, was due to meet government officials in Nicosia later on Thursday. He said Ryanair was “engaged in the process” with the Cypriot government about buying the island’s flag carrier, and said he hoped something would come of the initiative. But he warned of a “very political process” in Cyprus.
Ryanair is one of up to 20 airlines that have submitted expressions of interest to the Cypriot government to buy the airline, which has been badly hit by the collapse of the island’s economy.
Ryanair has not made an acquisition of a rival since it bought Buzz more than a decade ago, and Mr O’Leary has frequently disdained the takeover approach to expansion. However, that has not stopped him from laying prolonged siege to Aer Lingus, the rival Irish airline in which Ryanair owns a stake of nearly 30 per cent. His attempt to buy Aer Lingus has been blocked by regulators and the Irish government.
Analysts said any purchase of Cyprus Airways could make long-term sense as Ryanair sought to fulfil its aim of lifting passenger numbers by about half, to 120m, within five years. The Cypriot airline has just six aircraft, while Ryanair has 180 new Boeing 737 aircraft on order, the first of which are due to be delivered later this year.
David Holohan, head of research at Merrion Capital, a Dublin brokerage, said Ryanair could use some of the new aircraft to create a hub in Cyprus if it wanted to target north Africa and to expand around the Mediterranean. “Cyprus Airways would be a very small addition to Ryanair, but if he can pick it up for the right price, it would make sense,” Mr Holohan said.
Cyprus Airways carries about 600,000 passengers a year, compared to nearly 80m for Ryanair. Speaking at the announcement of new routes and expanded winter services from Dublin on Thursday, Mr O’Leary said Ryanair could lift the number carried by the Cypriot airline to 3m. “We could do a big job in restoring the tourism industry in Cyprus,” he said.
Ryanair is trying to shed its reputation for brashness and bare-bones service, with an improved online offering and more concessions for passengers. It is due in the next few weeks to unveil a strategy to attract more business travellers.
Rare red panda twin cubs given first check-up at Chester Zoo
The twins were born on June 27 but this is the first time keepers have been able to get a good look at them.
Two rare red panda cubs have been given their first health check-ups at Chester Zoo.
The twins, a boy and a girl, arrived after keepers heard “little squeaks” from a nest box.
Although they were born on June 27 to first-time mum Nima and dad Jung, this is the first time that the zoo staff have been able to get a good look at them.
Keeper Maxine Bradley said: “Our two cubs are in very good shape. They’re big and strong with very thick fur — our male weighed in at just under 1kg and our female 842g.
“We’re really pleased with how well they’re doing and, as soon as we had given them a health check, we popped them back into their nest. It’ll be several weeks until they start to emerge and explore.”
Red pandas are native to the steep forested slopes of the Himalayas.
Lethal jellyfish now on north Dublin beach
LIONS MANE JELLYFISH OUT AT THE FORTY FOOT IN SANDYCOVE DUBLIN
Deadly jellyfish have
spread to Dublin’s northside beaches and have forced the closure of Claremont beach in Howth.
The Lion’s Mane jellyfish, which can cause anaphylactic shock and death, forced
warning notices on beaches on the southside of the city last week that are still in place.
Lions mane jellyfish out at the Forty Foot in Sandycove Dublin today people are asked not to go in Credit: Fergal Phillips
Now Fingal Council has put a red flag on Claremont beach after council staff removed several of the dangerous jellyfish from the area.
Swimmers were also banned from four beaches along the Dublin coast yesterday because of contaminated water.
On the southside, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Council issued bathing ban notices along the shore at Blackrock Baths because of the poor water quality.
A council spokesperson said the water on all other beaches in the council area was “excellent”.
She added that sample results were due back tomorrow and if these met standards the ban would be lifted.
Lions mane jellyfish out at the Forty Foot in Sandycove Dublin today people are asked not to go in Credit: Fergal Phillips
Dublin City Council has also issued swimming ban notices for Sandymount and Merrion beaches.
On the northside, Fingal Council has issued warnings to swimmers at Malahide beach.
A council spokesperson said there was a permanent red flag at Malahide beach because of the dangers of the nearby channel and boat traffic, so swimmers should never use this beach.
She pointed out, however, that swimmers at Low Rock and High Rock, between Portmarnock and Malahide, should also be aware of the water
contamination.
The spokesperson explained that ban notices were only placed on designated beaches with lifeguards. Low Rock and High Rock were not designated but were still popular swimming areas and the Malahide contamination would affect these two points as well.
She said the ban had been put in place because of the high level of contamination in the water, which was thought to be due to a “sewer overflow”.
The ban will last for 72 hours and the HSE has been notified to arrange further sampling.
Last week, warning notices were put on Sandycove, Killiney and Seapoint beaches after 77 Lion’s Mane jellyfish were removed from Sandycove by council workers.
The jellyfish have hundreds of long, hair-like tentacles and their sting can cause “excruciating pain” to bathers.
In extreme cases they can cause anaphylactic shock and death.
More common symptoms include nausea, vomiting and respiratory distress.
People are being urged to swim in lifeguarded areas only.
They should seek medical attention for anything other than minor symptoms where they are stung.
Why do hummingbirds have such a sweet tooth?
Unlike any other birds, hummingbirds seek out sugary nectar. It’s allowed them to successfully fill a very specific niche in the animal world.
But how come they’ve developed a taste for the sweet stuff? Well, scientists have recently discovered it’s all in the genes.
SO, WHAT HAVE THEY FOUND OUT?
Scientists analysed the genetic codes of 10 bird species and found that hummingbirds were the only one that had a genetic adaptation making them drawn to sweetness.
A taste receptor normally geared up for savoury (known as “umami”) flavours which come from amino acids had been altered to instead respond to sugary carbohydrates.
At least 19 genetic mutations – possibly more – were involved in this transformation from savoury to sweet.
WHAT’S THE SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND TO ALL THIS?
Experts split up taste receptors into five broad categories: salty, sour, bitter, sweet and umami – from the Japanese word for savoury.
Before scientists had sequenced the chicken genome (all the genetic code of that animal) it had always been assumed that birds and mammals shared exactly the same taste receptors.
But scientists could find no trace of a sweet receptor gene in either the chicken or many other bird species. Which lead to the question: why do hummingbirds hover around flowers in search of sweet nectar?
WHAT DID THE EXPERIMENTS INVOLVE?
The hummingbirds showed themselves very sensitive to sweet tastes.
Shaking their heads, they spat out tasteless water. They were also not fooled by the sugar substitute aspartame that we use to flavour “sugar free” drinks.
But they lapped up an artificial sweetener that laboratory tests had already predicted they would find irresistible.
WHY ARE THE EXPERTS EXCITED?
Dr Stephen Liberles, from Harvard Medical School, explained how the team’s research showed a great example of how animals evolve at the molecular level.
“If you look at the (molecular) structure of the (taste) receptor, it involved really dramatic changes over its entire surface to accomplish this complex feat,” he said.
“Amino acids and sugars look very different structurally, so in order to recognise them and sense them in the environment, you need a completely different lock and key. The key looks very different, so you have to change the lock almost entirely.”
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