Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG

Investment bank JP Morgan move cements Capital Dock as flagship development

DUBLIN DOCKLANDS SCHEME TO HAVE 32,000SQ M OF OFFICE SPACE AND 190 RESIDENTIAL UNITS

  

KENNEDY WILSON, THE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER OF THE CAPITAL DOCK SITE, WILL ULTIMATELY OWN AN 85% INTEREST IN THE SITE, WITH NAMA OWNING THE BALANCE.

Capital Dock, where JP Morgan has just acquired a 12,000sq m (130,000sq ft) building, is a development by Kennedy Wilson, an international real estate firm, in Dublin’s south docks. The 613,000sq m (660,000sq ft) development is a joint venture with the National Asset Management Agency (Nama) and Toronto-headquartered Fairfax Financial Holdings.

The US investment bank announced on Monday that it is to acquire a 12,000sq m building in a move that will provide it with the capacity to double its Irish work force to 1,000.

Kennedy Wilson confirmed that the bank would become the first major occupier of the Capital Dock development through a forward-funding sale agreement. It is understood JP Morgan will pay about €125 million for the building, about €10,400 per square metre or €961 per square foot.

“We are excited to welcome JP Morgan, through its acquisition of 200 Capital Dock, as the first major office occupier to commit to this best-in-class mixed-use campus development, to grow its existing business and meet its long-term plans in Ireland, ” said William McMorrow, chairman and chief executive of Kennedy Wilson.

Extending over 1.9 hectares (4.8 acres) on Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, the development will include 32,000sq m (345,000sq ft) of office space and 190 residential units.

Partnership

The partnership between Kennedy Wilson, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and Nama began as the former sought to get zoning for the Capital Docks site. Part of that site was acquired in mid-2013 when Kennedy Wilson and its equity partner took ownership of a 3.4 acre plot.

Kennedy Wilson is reported to have paid €106 million to secure its interest in the site.

In December 2014, a joint-venture agreement was signed between Kennedy Wilson, its equity partner and Nama. The arrangement entailed Kennedy Wilson and Nama merging their adjacent sites at Sir John Rogerson’s Quay.

Kennedy Wilson, the development manager of the site, would ultimately own an 85 per cent interest in the site with Nama owning the balance.

Planning for the site was awarded in October 2015 and site-enabling works began a month later. The main contract was awarded to Sisk in July 2016 and was one of the biggest commercial development contracts awarded in the Irish market in recent years

Nama originally held an interest of 75% in the 22 hectares of undeveloped land in the docklands strategic development zone. It is estimated that about 370,000 sq m (four million square feet) of commercial space and more than 2,000 apartments will ultimately be delivered on the 15 sites originally held by Nama.

Some €250 million is being invested in Capital Dock, which is situated directly opposite the Three Arena in Dublin’s docklands and which will accommodate two large office blocks and a 23-storey residential tower.

In an interview with The Irish Times last year, Kennedy Wilson’s global chairman and chief executive Bill McMorrow said of Capital Dock: “In Los Angeles, that would be a very big development. We’re very proud of that particular project.”

The first of three office buildings is due to be delivered at Capital Dock in late 2017, followed by 190 high-quality residential apartments in mid-2018.

Last year, Alison Rohan, head of Ireland for Kennedy Wilson, said the scheme, which was designed by Irish architecture firm O’Mahony Pike, was the largest mixed-use development in Dublin’s south docks.

“As a campus location offering over 330,000sq ft of flexible office space in addition to on-site residential, leisure and retail amenities, we expect it will appeal to both Irish and international companies looking for a location in the heart of the capital, and from which to grow their business.”

Enterprise Ireland report reveals Brexit impact on Irish exports

CLIENT COMPANIES RECORD BIG DROP IN UK EXPORT GROWTH IN 2016 AS STERLING DEPRECIATES

  

ENTERPRISE IRELAND CHIEF EXECUTIVE JULIE SINNAMON: “WE HAVE TO WORK ON THE BASIS THAT BREXIT WILL CREATE NEW BARRIERS TO IRISH TRADE WITH THE UK.”

Client companies of Enterprise Ireland have reported a major slowdown in the growth of Irish exports to the UK in the wake of Brexit.

In its latest report, the State agency responsible for helping Irish companies access international markets said export growth to the UK had slowed from 12% in 2015 to 2% last year.

The fall-off was largely due to a decline in food exports, which have been worst hit by the recent depreciation in sterling. The UK accounted for about a third of the €21.6 billion in exports from Enterprise Ireland-supported firms last year.

“The fact that the growth of exports to the UK has slowed suggests that the impact of Brexit on Irish companies has already started,” said Enterprise Ireland chief executive Julie Sinnamon.

“Companies cannot afford to wait until the Brexit negotiations conclude – they must act now,” Ms Sinnamon said. “While diversifying from the UK might have been a desirable objective for Irish companies in the past, Brexit means that it is now an urgent imperative.”

New Euro-zone strategy

In response to the challenges posed by Brexit, Enterprise Ireland has launched a new euro-zone strategy, which aims to boost Irish exports to the bloc by 50% to €6 billion by 2020.

European Commission forecasts ‘robust expansion’ of Irish GDP

Speaking at the launch, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said helping companies to diversify into European markets was a significant plank of the Government’s overall Brexit strategy.

“Following the UK’s decision to leave the EU, the Government immediately acted to ensure our enterprise agencies had additional resources in order to offer all available assistance to our exporters to prepare for the challenges posed by Brexit,” he said.

Enterprise Ireland said its strategy would see it partner some 600 client companies, about half of which are what it described as “euro-zone start” – ie relatively new to the euro-zone market and heavily reliant on the UK.

The remainder were “euro-zone scale”, meaning they were already exporting into the bloc, it said.

Additional resources use?

Ms Sinnamon said some of the additional resources would be used to fund euro-zone market research and feasibility grants.

“This strategy is about driving one of the most significant shifts in the footprint of our client exports in the euro zone,” she said. “We have to work on the basis that Brexit will create new barriers to Irish trade with the UK.

“On the other hand, euro-zone markets can provide currency stability, proximity and potential for growth and opportunities for Irish companies,” she added.

Despite the economic uncertainty hanging over world markets, exports from Enterprise Ireland client companies grew by 6% to €21.6 billion last year. The UK accounted for more than a third of the total.

Export sales grew across most territories, the agency noted, with growth in the United States and Canada jumping by 19% to €3.7 billion, followed by the Asia Pacific region, which was up 16% to €1.8 billion.

On a sector-by-sector basis, the strongest export growth globally was in software and internationally traded services. which grew by 16% to €4.3 billion.

Life sciences, engineering, cleantech, paper print, packaging and electronics exports rose by 10 per cent to €3.9 billion while construction, timber and consumer retail exports increased by 8 per cent to €2.9 billion.

Garda Commissioner O’Sullivan may go before special sitting of committee over Templemore

FITZGERALD BACKS GARDA COMMISSIONER TO ADDRESS ‘DEEP-SEATED ISSUES’

  

AN OLD PAL’S PACT IS BEING ACTED OUT IN PUBLIC?

MINISTER FOR JUSTICE FRANCES FITZGERALD HAS BEEN CRITICISED FOR SUPPORTING THE GARDA COMMISSIONER’S RETENTION IN HER ROLE.

The Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee may hold special sittings before the end of this month to re-examine Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan on the extent of her knowledge of financial irregularities at Templemore Garda College.

The committee had originally invited the Garda Commissioner to attend its meeting on July 13th as part of its inquiry into the inflated Garda breath-test figures controversy.

However, at its meeting on May 4th, a senior civilian employee in the Garda – director of human resources John Barrett – gave an account of a meeting on the Templemore college issue that contradicted Ms O’Sullivan’s account of how and when she became aware of financial irregularities in the Garda training college.

Members of the PAC said on Monday they wanted the Garda Commissioner to come before it at a much earlier date to respond to that controversy.

Its chair, Sean Fleming (Fianna Fáil), said the committee would decide on Thursday what witnesses, besides the Garda Commissioner, it would recall and the programme of work that would be involved.

Two committee members, Alan Kelly (Labour) and Catherine Connolly (Independent) said they wanted the Garda Commissioner to attend as soon as possible.

Special sittings needed?

In Mr Kelly’s case, he said it should happen as early as next week if possible, and argued that the committee could convene special sittings if necessary.

Ms Connolly said she wanted the hearing to be held “as quickly as possible”. She said the committee “was not happy to wait until July given the urgency and import of the matter”.

Meanwhile, Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald said on Monday she continued to support the Garda Commissioner and had no objective evidence that Ms O’Sullivan had done anything wrong.

Ms Fitzgerald is facing increasing political pressure over her support for Ms O’Sullivan as the force remains dogged by a series of controversies.

Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and Labour have all strongly criticised Ms Fitzgerald for supporting the Garda Commissioner’s retention in her role.

Sinn Féin deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald and the party’s spokesman on justice Jonathan O’Brien confirmed they would consider tabling a motion of no confidence.

POLITICAL EXPEDIENCY

Ms Fitzgerald said “while of course the Opposition are going to ramp up the pressure and use the commissioner to ramp up pressure indeed on me, I would say that politics and political expediency aren’t going to sort out the very deep-seated issues in relation to An Garda Síochána”.

“I would also say that when you shine a light you see a lot of things that have been kept in the dark for a long period, and by previous governments indeed.

“The issues for example like Templemore and [phone] interception – the interception issues go back to the early 2000s with Fianna Fáil in government for 11 of the last 17 years.

“Templemore, we had reports in 2008, 2009; what action was taken then? And the idea that somehow you blame people who are trying to shine a light and do the current reforms is simply not the way that we are going to get real reform.”

Scientists find gene with key to bowel disorders

The gene, known as MDR1, governs an important extractor system for toxins in the gut, removing damaging substances from intestinal cells.

    

SCIENTISTS HAVE IDENTIFIED A KEY GENE THAT HELPS TO EXPLAIN AN UNDERLYING CAUSE OF INCURABLE BOWEL DISORDERS, WHICH AFFECT AROUND 15,000 PEOPLE IN IRELAND.

A study found that blocking the effects of the beneficial gene can harm vital parts of the cell, and lead to bowel disease.

The findings boost understanding of the cause of these lifelong conditions and could lead to new treatments, scientists say.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) includes disorders such as Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. The causes of these conditions are unknown and there is currently no cure.

The gene, known as MDR1, governs an important extractor system for toxins in the gut, removing damaging substances from intestinal cells, scientists said.

A research team, led by the University of Edinburgh, showed that MDR1 function was lower in people with inflamed IBD compared with those without inflammation.

Experts then showed that mice without MDR1 had faulty mitochondria, parts of the cell known as “batteries”, which play a vital role in energy generation and cell health.

This mitochondrial dysfunction then resulted in colitis, inflammation of the inner lining of the bowel – a defining feature of IBD.

Researchers involved in the study analysed genetic data from 90,000 people, 40,000 of whom had IBD.

The university study also revealed that a drug called Mitoquinone, which protects the mitochondria against toxins, can reduce colitis and promote bowel recovery in the mice lacking MDR1. Scientists have described this as a “significant step forward”.

Lead author Dr Gwo-Tzer Ho, of Edinburgh’s MRC Centre for Inflammation Research, said: “IBD has a serious impact on quality of life. We have shown that MDR1 and mitochondrial function are important jigsaw pieces in the complex causes of IBD. Our studies highlight the importance of shielding the mitochondria from damage. This will open new approaches to drug targets that focus on the mitochondria to better design treatments for patients.”

The study, carried out with researchers at the University of Bristol, the USA and Japan, was published in the journal ‘Mucosal Immunology’.

Ireland’s capacity to conduct clinical trials to be expanded

Increased scale of clinical research has benefited many Irish patients with better outcomes

    

NORMA HARTE (LEFT), JOAN JORDAN AND DR FIONNUALA KEANE AT THE HRB-CRCI SEMINAR TO MARK INTERNATIONAL CLINICAL TRIALS DAY.

The scale of clinical research has improved dramatically in Ireland over the past five years, leading to better outcomes for patients and helping many avail of innovative treatments. But the health service needs to be better structured to facilitate trials and involve patients more to match achievements elsewhere in Europe, 200 delegates heard on Monday at a national seminar to mark International Clinical Trials Day 2017.

“Without such trials medical progress becomes a matter of chance,” said Prof Joe Eustace chair of the Health Research Bureau Clinical Research Coordination Ireland (HRB-CRCI) which acts as a co-ordinating centre for Ireland’s involvement in clinical trials. While there was a dramatic improvement in the scale of research, it was not yet sufficient for Ireland to become a world-class trial location, he said. In Denmark, which has a similar population to Ireland, it has five times the number of trials in train compared to the Republic.

“Clinical research not only save lives but enhances patients’ lives in the longer term as new products come into the market. Those countries that have embraced research as part of their national healthcare system have also witnessed better outcomes for their patients,” Prof Eustace added.

New clinical trials

Since 2014, there has been a 37% increase in the number of sites conducting clinical research in Ireland. In 2016 there were 15 hospitals and almost 300 clinical investigators working with clinical research facilities and centres around the country. Over the past number of years, more than 100 new clinical trials have opened in Ireland, delegates heard at the event, which was hosted by the HRB-CRCI in Dublin.

Investments in physical infrastructure, researchers and research networks had been the springboard to the recent upsurge in clinical trials activity in our health system, noted Dr Mairead O’Driscoll, interim HRB chief executive. Between now and 2020, it is planned to spend a further €54 million to maintain and expand Ireland’s capacity to conduct clinical trials and healthcare intervention studies, she added.

In practice, there was a need for all interested health professionals to have the capacity to test new innovative treatments, therapies and medical devices with their patients during their daily work, said Dr Pat O’Mahony chief executive of Molecular Medicine Ireland, a body set up by third-level institutions to help medical research yield benefits for patients. “It would mean greater and easier access for patients, and increased opportunities to collect research data… fundamentally increasing the clinical research scale we have in Ireland. Our ultimate aim should be that any patient who needs care, is suitable and has a desire to access novel treatments under development, could have the option to do so,” Dr O’Mahony added.

Paediatric research

Clinical trials were especially important in paediatric research as so many diseases originated during pregnancy or in early childhood, according to Prof Geraldine Boylan, director of the Irish Centre for Fetal and Neonatal Translational Research based in Cork.

Young people were “protected from research” in the past, so much so very few drugs for children were developed. The reality is they cannot be treated as young adults and just given “a smaller dose”. Their make-up was different so they needed to be participants in research, including those at the earliest stages of life, to get the best possible outcomes. Where that involved a young baby, who was very ill at birth, or born prematurely, the whole family needed to be centrally involved, she said.

Prof Boylan outlined the circumstances of the birth of Tara-Lee to Norma and Jason Harte, who was born after a very difficult birth at Cork University Maternity Hospital, without a heartbeat having sustained a brain injury. She was treated in intensive care unit by cooling therapy where her core body temperature was brought down by several degrees over a 72-hour period. Now nearly 20 months old, Tara-Lee had benefited from a treatment which was developed by way of clinical research; her development since had been “absolutely perfect”.

Erin Dolan who lives in Lahinch, Co Clare, outlined how she participated in a clinical trial last year at University Hospital Galway during the months of her pregnancy as a consequence of having diabetes type 1 since she was 10. She had benefitted from continuous glucose monitoring, which accurately indicated her blood sugar level, and helped control high levels so it did not detrimentally affect her baby. While the trial required extra trips to hospital, “it was worth it as it benefited me and other women” in similar circumstances. Her daughter Maeve was born a normal, healthy baby, as a consequence.

User-friendly information

Patients needed to be more centrally involved in Irish clinical research to ensure a better success rate, said Dr Derick Mitchell of Irish Patient Organisations, Science and Industry, which supports delivery of health innovations to people with unmet medical needs.

Patients were trying to find out where clinical trials were happening, but they needed to make informed decisions. Having them centrally involved with user-friendly information of where trials were happening and how to get involved was essential. “Having them involved at the beginning can make a real difference in improving the quality of research,” he said.

For Ireland to be better recognised for its clinical research, where it can be done quickly and to the highest standard, Dr Mitchell said there was a need for clinicians in the health sector to be given “protected time” for their work, and for a central ethics committee to approve research rather than individual hospitals.

Scientists identify a 50-foot mystery sea beast washed up on Indonesian beach?

  

A giant sea creature, possibly with tusks, washed up on a beach in Indonesia last week, freaking out people on the island of Seram and launching a global guessing game to determine what, exactly, it used to be.

A giant sea creature washes up on a beach in the Maluku Islands of Indonesia, cellphones come out and the image goes around the world, prompting thousands to ask: What is it? Meanwhile, Serum Island residents are asking: How do we get rid of this thing?

A giant sea creature, possibly with tusks, washed up on a beach in Indonesia last week, freaking out people on the island of Seram and launching a global guessing game to determine what, exactly, it used to be.

As images of the floating carcass rocketed around the Internet, the scientific community asked itself: What is it? How did it get to an Indonesian island? And what does its presence say about climate change and whale migration habits?

The people of Seram have a more pressing query: How do we get rid of it?

Asrul Tuanakota, a 37-year-old fisherman, initially thought he had discovered a boat stranded in shallow water, according to the Jakarta Globe. On closer inspection, he determined that it was the rotting corpse of a 50-foot-long dead sea creature, possibly a giant squid because the remains looked like tentacles.

Blood seeping from the dead sea beast had turned the water near the coastline a bright red, which didn’t stop locals from wading in for a closer look and snapping pictures.

George Leonard, the chief scientist at the Ocean Conservancy, told the Huffington Post that the rotting carcass was probably a baleen whale, judging by parts of a protruding skeleton and what appear to be baleen plates used to filter out food.

Decomposition gases bloated the whale into a very un-whale-like shape, and some of the noxious gases were seeping out.

Seram, the largest island in the Maluku Island group, is near the migration routes for baleen whales, so it makes sense that one would be nearby. Locals have asked the government to help remove the carcass, the Huffington Post reported.

But dead whales usually sink to the bottom of the ocean, providing a years-long buffet for the creatures that dwell there, according to Live Science. The publication theorized that the whale had a bacterial infection that produced more gases or that it possibly died in warm waters, allowing bacteria to accumulate and gases to expand its body. It also could have died an unnatural death after being clipped by a ship.

Of course, things die in the ocean all the time producing all kinds of weird phenomena. But now fishermen and villages and tourists — and their smartphones — are coming into contact with dead sea things as they go through the circle of life.

For example, fishermen off the western coast of Australia found a humongous floating balloon of flesh that looked as if it was the first sign of an alien invasion. At first, the father and son thought they had encountered a hot-air balloon.

“When we got closer we realized it had to be a dead whale because of the smell,” Mark Watkins told the West Australian.

They snapped photos of the whale balloon, then headed to shore. By then, they said, circling sharks had taken bites of the dead creature, causing it to deflate.

This year, a giant, hairy sea creature washed up on a beach in the Philippines, according to the Daily Mail. Locals believe the unusual occurrence was brought on by a recent earthquake.   e

Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG

One-in-five (20%) now employed by foreign multinationals in Ireland

LATEST IDA NUMBERS SHOW EMPLOYMENT IN MULTINATIONAL SECTOR ROSE TO 187,000 IN 2015

     

IDA chief executive Martin Shanahan left pic.

The State body said firms it supports created just under 19,000 jobs last year.

One-in-five private sector workers in Ireland are now employed directly or indirectly by foreign multinationals, according to IDA Ireland.

The agency’s end-of-year report reveals IDA-backed firms created just under 19,000 jobs in 2015, bringing total employment in the sector to 187,000, the highest level in the IDA’s 67-year history.

Some 53 per cent of the new jobs were generated outside of Dublin, compared to 49 per cent in 2014, with technology, business services and life sciences highlighted as the best-performing sectors.

“While there is a global trend towards foreign direct investment (FDI) favouring large urban centres, IDA statistics continue to show the strength and resilience of FDI in regional locations,” the agency said.

Employment outside the capital currently accounts for 59 per cent of the total footprint.

The IDA estimates that for every 10 jobs created by FDI, a further seven indirect jobs are generated in the wider economy. This means about 318,000 jobs or one in five private sector jobs are supported by Irish-based multinationals.

The number of high-profile investments secured by the IDA during the year rose to 213 from 197 in the previous year, with “new name” investments rising to 94.

IDA chief executive Martin Shanahan acknowledged the strong performance was achieved against a backdrop of “favourable trading conditions”, which may change.

However, he noted the outlook for 2016 remained positive, with the pipeline for the first quarter “looking relatively strong”.

“Undoubtedly, the transparency, competitiveness and stability of Ireland’s tax regime has stood us in good stead against what has been global uncertainty,” he said.

Investment in infrastructure, greater commercial property space, particularly in Dublin, and more competitive personal income tax rates would also be key to securing future investment.

The IDA’s latest five-year strategy targets the creation of 80,000 new jobs by 2020.

Among the notable investment coups announced last year was Apple’s decision to invest €850 million in a new data centre in Athenry, Co Galway.

The centre, which will help run its online services like iTunes and Maps, alongside a similar investment in Denmark, represents Apple’s biggest-ever investment in Europe.

Social media giant Facebook also announced plans for a new €200 million data centre in Clonee, Co Meath.

More than 330 new jobs are also being created in Co Donegal by finance firmPramerica, which is building a new, high-tech campus in Letterkenny.

Software firm Slack was also one of a host of US companies to announce plans for a European base in Dublin’s tech hub.

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton said multinational companies had played a “massive role” in the State’s economic recovery.

“This consistent record of job-creation does not happen by accident, and is only made possible by careful implementation of good pro-jobs policies,” he said.

New space ESA business centre to help Irish start-ups reach for stars

FIVE-YEAR MISSION FOR ENTERPRISE IRELAND AS IT SIGNS DEAL WITH EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY

      

EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY’S (ESA) XMM-NEWTON: ENTERPRISE IRELAND HAS SIGNED AN AGREEMENT WITH THE ESA TO DEVELOP AN INCUBATION CENTRE FOR SPACE BUSINESSES IN IRELAND.

Enterprise Ireland has signed an agreement with the European Space Agency(ESA) to develop an incubation centre for space businesses in Ireland. The centre, when it is established, will bid to support more than 25 start-ups involved in space-related technologies by 2020.

The agreement was made during Enterprise Ireland’s trade and investment mission to the Netherlands and Germany, which is being led by TaoiseachEnda Kenny.

Some 45 Irish companies are currently working with ESA in the development of innovative technologies for the global market in space systems and space-related services and applications. The Irish space sector is estimated to have generated annual revenues of €76 million in 2015.

“This partnership between the European Space Agency and Enterprise Ireland will mean that Irish businesses and their innovators will be at the frontier of new space technologies,” Mr Kenny said at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (Estec) in Noordwijk, Netherlands.

“Ireland already has a proud record of building up a cluster of space technology companies and this new space incubator will take advantage of Government investment in research infrastructure in Ireland, the extensive network of technical facilities and expertise of the ESA, as well as the business development resources of Enterprise Ireland.”

Enterprise Ireland chief executive Julie Sinnamon said the deal would support client companies that are developing new technologies in areas such as advanced materials, microelectronics, avionics and space-related services.

Client companies that participated in the mission to the Netherlands included Arralis, Curtis Wright, Radisens Diagnostics, Treemetrics and Enbio.

In 2015, Enbio opened a €1.5 million space technology centre in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, for the production of “sunscreen for satellites”, while other Ireland-based companies operating in the sector include sensor company SensL, laser manufacturer Elbana Photonics and Moog Dublin, which is working on protecting spacecraft from harsh vibrations on lift-off.

Dissident republican weapons becoming ‘more sophisticated’

GARDAÍ PUT MORTARS, RIFLES, AND BOMB MAKING ITEMS SEIZED OVER PAST FIVE YEARS ON DISPLAY.

   

A RIFLE SEIZED FROM DISSIDENT REPUBLICANS IS SHOWN BY GARDAÍ.

Weaponry seized from dissident republicans has been growing steadily more sophisticated over the past five years, according to gardaí.

Assistant commissioner John O’Mahony, who leads the force’s crime and security division, told reporters there was also evidence of increased sophistication in the activities of dissident republicans.

He was speaking at Garda Headquarters in Dublin on Wednesday during a briefing on weapon seizures, and where a number of seized guns and bomb-making equipment was put on display.

During the briefing, members of the Garda ballistics unit showcased a range of weapons seized from dissident republicans.

They included a beer keg bomb recovered from Kilcurry in May 2014, mortars, sniper rifles, AK47 rifles, associated ammunition, a phone trigger circuit, timer power units, rockets and a sample of explosives.

Mr O’Mahony said the three main dissident groups operating in the Republican were the Real IRA, the Continuity IRA, and Óglaigh na hÉireann.

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Some of the items on display were recovered in searches that took place in the latter part of 2015 in Co Monaghan and Co Louth. Other items were recovered earlier last year in searches in Wexford, Kildare and Louth.

“If you look at some of these devices and the way they are operated, it shows an increasing sign of the sophistication in relation to engineering,” said Mr O’Mahony.

“Over the last five years, we have seen a steady and gradual rise in the activities of dissident republicans becoming more sophisticated. We need the people of this jurisdiction to be very conscious that this sort of activity is still going on around the country.”

Resources

He said that while the number of dissident republicans is small, they are “very focused and very clear” in their objectives. “As a result of that, we spend a significant amount of time and resources combating their activities,” he said.

“What we are seeing from a ballistics perspective is a continued increasing capacity to develop and improve explosive devices so these devices are less and less crude as time goes on.”

Mr O’Mahony, who oversaw the security arrangements for the visits of Queen Elizabeth and US president Barack Obama in 2011, said there were concrete threats of attack during the visits. “Absolutely, I say that without hesitation,” he said.

“That’s something that is obviously of great concern to us. Last year we had the visit of Prince Philip and in 2011 we had the queen. On both occasions, we had significant disruption in relation to attacks that were being planned.”

Mr O’Mahony said that “idealism and peer pressure” were the most common mechanisms used by dissidents to recruit followers.

“We’ve seen in the history of this country that there will be somebody there to replace others,” he said.

“We are finding that as we disrupt one area, there are people ready to take over. I can tell you that in just the last two years, we have over 30 firearms seized, over 1,000 rounds of ammunition, a number of mortars and rocket-launchers. One very significant find in the last few years was in Co Dublin where we had a significant seizure of semtex explosive.”

The head of the Irish Farmers Association in Co Louth has called for criminals in Border areas to be tagged while they are before the courts for alleged offences. Mr O’Mahony said the force would “consider favourably” any measure that assists detectives to monitor individuals on bail.

Nursing home residents given sedatives “Unnecessary noise observed”

‘WOKEN AS EARLY AS 6AM THE NEXT MORNING’  A HIQA REPORT SHOWS

   

SOME OF THE RESIDENTS WHO WERE GIVING SLEEPING PILLS WERE WOKEN EARLY IN THE WATERFORD NURSING HOME IN BALLINAKILL DOWNS, DUNMORE RD IN WATERFORD.

INSPECTORS who made an unannounced visit to a private nursing home found four residents were up and dressed as early as 6.05am in the morning before day staff arrived.

Some of the residents who were giving sleeping pills were woken early in the Waterford Nursing Home in Ballinakill Downs, Dunmore Rd in Waterford.

“Cleaning staff were observed by inspectors at 6.30am to be washing and polishing the floors with a machine, ” the report from the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) revealed.

“ At that time of the morning this machine could be heard throughout the ground floor. Inspectors also saw evidence of the communication carers books. These books were used by healthcare assistants to record on a daily basis which residents were washed and dressed by night staff.”

Inspectors also found that one resident had received two different types of psychotropic medication the previous night. Inspectors saw that this resident was washed, dressed and sitting in the dayroom at 6:10am.

“ Inspectors noted that a medication administration record indicated that a resident received a dose that was 50pc higher than the dose clearly prescribed on the medication prescription sheet”

They were not assured in the November inspection that nursing staff were administering medications from the prescription records. This error would not have occurred if nursing staff had administered medication from the prescription which clearly indicated that the medication dose had been altered.

They also noted a incident of alleged abuse of a resident was recorded on August  29 ,2015.” Inspectors saw evidence that the incident had been verbally reported by staff to the assistant director of nursing on the morning after the incident.

“ In addition, staff had provided written statements when requested by the assistant director of nursing.

“However, the Authority had only received a notification from the person in charge on 30 October 2015. Outcome 11: Health and Social Care Needs The person in charge outlined to inspectors that he had been made aware of a complaint regarding an allegation of poor wound care regarding a resident. Inspectors reviewed care plans and turning charts for a resident with pressure sores. Inspectors also spoke to staff regarding this allegation of neglect. Based on this initial review of care inspectors were not satisfied that wound care management was in accordance with evidence based practice.”

The nursing home was given an action plan by inspectors to address the issues.

A separate inspection of the HSE- Dungarvan Hospital found that despite it just being 6.30pm on a sunny Friday evening the majority of residents were in bed with the blinds closed. The home was understaffed and just one nurse and one care staff were on duty from 8am onwards.

Visible light from black holes detected for first time in our Galaxy

      

SCIENTISTS OBSERVING V404 CYGNI DISCOVERED THAT EVEN AMATEUR TELESCOPES ARE CAPABLE OF CAPTURING VIOLENT OUTBURST FROM BLACK HOLES CLOSEST TO EARTH.

A Nasa illustration of a supermassive black hole. Before the V404 Cygni observations, similar outbursts had only been seen as intense flashes of x-rays and gamma-rays, using high-spec telescopes.

Astronomers have discovered that black holes can be observed through a simple optical telescope when material from surrounding space falls into them and releases violent bursts of light.

The apparent contradiction emerges when a black hole’s gravity pulls in matter from nearby stars, producing light that can be viewed from a modest 20cm telescope.

Japanese researchers detected light waves from V404 Cygni – an active black hole in the constellation of Cygnus, the Swan – when it awoke from a 26-year-long slumber in June 2015.

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Writing in the journal Nature, Mariko Kimura of Kyoto University and others report how telescopes spotted flashes of light coming from the black hole over the two weeks it remained active. The flashes of light lasted from several minutes to a few hours. Some of the telescopes were within reach of amateur astronomers, with lenses as small as 20cm.

“We now know that we can make observations based on optical rays – visible light, in other words – and that black holes can be observed without high-spec x-ray or gamma-ray telescopes,” Kimura said.

The black hole, one of the closest to Earth, has a partner star somewhat smaller than the sun. The two objects circle each other every six-and-a-half days about 8,000 light years from Earth.

Black holes with nearby stars can burst into life every few decades. In the case of V404 Cygni, the gravitational pull exerted on its partner star was so strong that it stripped matter from the surface. This ultimately spiralled down into the black hole, releasing a burst of radiation. Until now, similar outbursts had only been observed as intense flashes of x-rays and gamma-rays.

At 18.31 GMT on 15 June 2015, a gamma ray detector on Nasa’s Swift space telescope picked up the first signs of an outburst from V404 Cygni. In the wake of the event, Japanese scientists launched a worldwide effort to turn optical telescopes towards the black hole.

The flickers of light are produced when x-rays released from matter falling into the black hole heat up the material left behind.

Poshak Gandhi, an astronomer at Southampton University, said the black hole looked extremely bright when matter fell in, despite being veiled by interstellar gas and dust. “In the absence of this veil, V404 Cygni would have been one of the most distant objects in the Milky Way visible in dark skies to the unaided eye in June 2015,” he writes in the journal.

A Nasa animation demonstrates how a star would be ripped apart if it got too close to a black hole in space.

The discovery comes a day after astronomers reported two massive blasts of gas coming from a supermassive black hole in the heart of a galaxy 26 million light years away. Scientists believe that two arcs of x-rays spotted by Nasa’s Chandra X-ray Observatory at the heart of the spiral galaxy, NGC 5195, are the remnants of huge outbursts of gas from the black hole.

“Astronomers often refer to black holes as eating stars and gas. Apparently, black holes can also burp after their meal,” said Eric Schlegel who led the study at the University of Texas in San Antonio. “It is common for big black holes to expel gas outward, but rare to have such a close, resolved view of these events.”

Christine Jones, a co-author at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, said: “We think these arcs represent fossils from two enormous blasts when the black hole expelled material outward into the galaxy. This activity is likely to have had a big effect on the galactic landscape.”

The eruptions of gas are thought to have been triggered by the smaller galaxy, NGC 5195, merging with its larger neighbour, the Whirlpool galaxy. The merging process drove gas towards the black hole and the material released energy as it fell inside. As the hot, x-ray-emitting gas poured outwards, it swept up colder hydrogen from the galaxy’s centre like a snowplough.

The work was presented at the annual meeting of the American Astronomy Society in Florida.