The number of patients in ICU stands at 48. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has been notified of 18 additional deaths related to Covid-19. Of the deaths reported on Tuesday, seven occurred in April, three occurred in March, three occurred in February, three occurred in January and one death was reported as occurring before January. […]

5 years ago

“Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare.” The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US Food and Drug Administration have recommended the United States pause the use of Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot Covid-19 vaccine following six reported cases of a “rare and severe” type of blood clot. The New […]

5 years ago

This one has been around for a little while, but a number of people across Ireland have been caught out recently. WhatsApp scams are not a new thing by any means, but they continue to linger and catch out unsuspecting members of the public. A JOE reader got in touch after being locked out of […]

5 years ago

The man in his 20s is alleged to have stabbed another man, leaving him with serious injuries. Gardaí are investigating a serious assault that occurred on Saturday (11 April) at a residence in the Ellen Street area of Limerick city. Around 5.10pm, Gardaí were called to the scene of a reported disturbance where they observed […]

5 years ago

“I haven’t seen the article.” Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said that he has not seen an article which claims he queried why he wasn’t being mentioned in tweets from the Department of Health Twitter account. Donnelly said the query was a piece of work carried out by a member of his staff but […]

5 years ago

Some changes come into effect today. A phased easing of Level 5 restrictions is set to begin across Ireland today (12 April) and will continue over the coming weeks. Ireland has been in a Level 5 lockdown for more than 100 days and today marks the first major steps at emerging from the restrictions. Schools […]

5 years ago

More countries are set to be added to the list in the coming days. Albania, Israel and St. Lucia have all been removed from Ireland’s mandatory hotel quarantine list. Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said the trio will no longer be designated states under the system of mandatory hotel quarantine and people who have arrived […]

5 years ago

Sunlight is in short supply in Ireland in general, but there’s some days where sunglasses are useful. Welcome to the party and the fourth edition of Tech Corner. Be sure to read why I no longer microwave my coffee, why smartphone printers are underrated and whether or not you need a UV sanitiser for your […]

5 years ago

One of the reasons for the closure orders was a cat litter tray in a food preparation area. Five enforcement orders were served on food businesses in Ireland during the month of March for breaches of food safety legislation, according to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI). The orders were for breaches of food safety […]

5 years ago

A good idea. Vodafone Ireland has launched a new plan for those who have become unemployed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The new Pay As You Go plan will offer unlimited data, unlimited calls and unlimited texts in exchange for €15 top up every four weeks for six months. Vodafone has said the new […]

5 years ago

Featuring some very special guests. TG4 will honour President Michael D. Higgins on his 80th birthday with a one-hour special featuring some of Ireland’s greatest poets, singers, musicians, thinkers, playwrights and dancers. In what will be a celebration of President Higgins and his life, the show will showcase the best of Irish arts, which has […]

5 years ago

Anyone with information is urged to come forward. A man in his 30s has been arrested following a stabbing incident in Newbridge in Kildare on Wednesday (7 April). Gardaí attended a scene at Thomas Street around 7.30pm, where a man in his 30s was discovered with an apparent stab wound. He was treated at the […]

5 years ago

Scary scenes. The Northern Ireland executive will meet on Thursday morning to discuss the ongoing unrest in the region after a sixth night of violence and unrest saw police attacked and a bus hijacked and set on fire in Belfast. Along with the bus being attacked and set on fire, there were clashes between loyalists […]

5 years ago

A new report said Vitamin D is not a cure for Covid-19 but evidence suggests it can prevent more severe symptoms. The Oireachtas Health Committee has recommended all adults in Ireland should take a daily Vitamin D supplement due to growing international evidence that it may help to prevent the severity of Covid-19 outbreaks. It […]

5 years ago

Industrial action looks likely unless an agreement can be reached. The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) and the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) have voted for an emergency motion backing industrial action, up to and including strike action, if they are not prioritised for vaccination. It comes after a decision was made by the government to […]

5 years ago

Thoughts? Proposals are being considered to relax the mask-wearing requirement for people who have been fully vaccinated. According to The Irish Times, NPHET is set to discuss proposals on mask-wearing for people who have had full immunisation against Covid-19 for at least two weeks as part of a “vaccine bonus”. Also being considered by NPHET […]

5 years ago

Great to hear. Health Service Executive CEO Paul Reid has said that vaccines are now protecting the “most vulnerable” in our nursing homes. It comes as the HSE released the figures for the latest round of testing of nursing home residents across the country. “In the latest cycle of testing, of over 16,100 tests, the […]

5 years ago

Ireland hopes to have administered one million vaccine doses this week. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been notified of nine additional deaths related to Covid-19. Three of the deaths occurred in January, two in February, three in March and one in April. The HPSC has been notified of an additional 443 confirmed cases […]

5 years ago

Very sad news. Two people have been killed following a fatal road traffic collision involving three cars in Louth on Tuesday morning. Gardaí are investigating the collision which occurred around 8.10am on the Ardee Link Road, just off the M1 at Richardstown. The driver and the lone occupant of the first car, a man in his early […]

5 years ago

The journey began in Limerick. A man in his late 20s has been arrested following a hijacking incident in Limerick on Sunday, 4 April. Gardaí said around 5pm, a man sitting in his car in the O’Malley Park area of Limerick was asked for a lift by another man. The driver agreed but at some […]

5 years ago

The car failed to stop for Gardaí at a checkpoint. A man in his 20s has been arrested and charged in relation to a dangerous driving incident in Cork on Sunday, 4 April. At around 5pm, a car failed to stop for Gardaí at an Operation Fanacht checkpoint in Kanturk. Gardaí followed the car at […]

5 years ago

There’s a high chance you, or someone you know, were part of it. Over the past number of days, it was revealed that the personal data of hundreds of millions of Facebook users around the world has been leaked online, including 1.5 million users from Ireland. The Facebook leak affects 533 million people worldwide and […]

5 years ago

Moving along. Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said that one in six adults in Ireland have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. Posting on Twitter on Tuesday, Donnelly also said the number of people in intensive care units in the country has fallen by around 75% since it reached its peak […]

5 years ago

In the germ conscious time we live in, it’s an interesting device. Welcome to the party, you’re reading the third instalment of Tech Corner. Be sure to read why I no longer microwave my coffee and also why printers for smartphones are underrated. It’s safe to say that disinfecting products are in high demand and […]

5 years ago

Case numbers remain stubbornly high. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has been notified of eight additional deaths related to Covid-19. Four of the deaths occurred in March while the other four occurred in February. The median age of those who died was 74 years and the age range was 51 – 94 years. The HPSC […]

5 years ago

How would you even keep track? A man in his late 50s has been arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged fraudulent insurance claims. As part of Operation Fraction, Gardaí from the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau arrested the man on Friday morning, 2 April. The man was arrested for offences contrary to […]

5 years ago

There are now seven pop-up testing centres across Ireland. Four new Covid-19 testing sites have opened today across the country for people who don’t have symptoms of the virus. It takes the current number of pop-up testing points in the country to seven after three others opened earlier this week. The new testing sites are […]

5 years ago

The protest took place on April Fools’ Day. Gardaí have arrested and charged three men in relation to breaches of Covid-19 Public Health Regulations that occurred on St. Patrick’s Bridge, Cork on 1 April. Around 4pm Gardaí engaged with a small group protesting against current Public Health restrictions on St. Patrick’s Bridge. Gardaí said they […]

5 years ago

No April fools. A raft of energy price increases are set to affect one million Irish households with increases starting from today and continuing throughout the month of April. Customers of SSE Airtricity will see their electricity prices increase by 6.2% and gas prices increase by 4.5%. Meanwhile, Pinergy electricity prices are set to rise […]

5 years ago

He left the scene empty handed. A man has been arrested and charged by Gardaí in relation to a robbery in Cork last Sunday (28 March). Shortly before 6pm on the day, a man entered an off licence on Douglas Street and threatened staff with what is believed to have been a syringe, before leaving […]

5 years ago

No appointment is necessary. Seven new temporary Covid-19 testing centres are set to open in a number of areas across Ireland on Thursday and Friday this week. The temporary testing centres will allow people without symptoms of Covid-19 to get a free test without having to organise it through their GP. The HSE is opening […]

5 years ago

A new Code of Practice has been revealed. Employees will have enhanced rights to disconnect from work outside normal working hours, under a new Code of Practice published by the Government on Thursday. As part of The Right To Disconnect, employees will be entitled not to have to “routinely” perform work outside their normal working […]

5 years ago

“It had become intolerable, on the morning of our departure, there were plain clothes police outside our home watching us and our children.” An Irish journalist working in China has been forced to flee the country amid concerns for the safety of her husband and her family. Yvonne Murray, RTÉ’s Beijing Correspondent, and her husband, […]

5 years ago

Sure look, it will be like dining on the continent… A €17 million fund to help businesses which serve food to pay for more outdoor seating has been announced. On Wednesday, Minister for Tourism Catherine Martin and Fáilte Ireland announced the details of the new scheme, which aims to develop outdoor capacity for food businesses […]

5 years ago

Not ideal. Working from home has its benefits and its downsides, and the downsides were never more evident than this incident involving the US Strategic Command Twitter account this week. Managing the social media of a major military power comes with a lot of responsibility, especially when said account runs the country’s powerful nuclear weapons […]

5 years ago

The current position is described as “precarious”. Covid-19 cases could surge to 2,000 a day within the space of four weeks, The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) has warned the government. The Irish Times reported that a letter had been written by public health officials warning Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly about the precariousness […]

5 years ago

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said the changes did not mean the original plan had been a failure. The government has announced a change to the National Vaccination Programme which will see the number of cohorts drop from 15 to nine. It means a change to an age-based system, once those aged 70 years and older, the vulnerable […]

5 years ago

While some things will stay the same, others will change in April. Taoiseach Micheál Martin has announced a number of changes to the current public health restrictions in place in Ireland. The changes will come into effect on a phased basis over the next month or so and below is a full breakdown of what […]

5 years ago

An investigation is underway to “establish the facts”. The chief executive of the VHI has stepped aside from his position after it was revealed he received a Covid-19 vaccine at the Beacon Hospital. In a statement issued on Tuesday evening, the VHI said: “The Board of VHI learned this morning that John O’Dwyer, CEO, received a […]

5 years ago

It is Tuesday. What a glorious day it was outside today; well, from this particular writer’s vantage point it was anyway. If the weather was poor in your area, I am quite sorry and I did not mean to gloat. But as the sun sets this evening and you settle on your couch, these are […]

5 years ago

It’s thought the government is seriously considering allowing fully vaccinated people to meet indoors next month. A leading virologist has called for people who have received their full vaccinations to be allowed to socialise freely with others who have received their full vaccinations. Liam Fanning, professor of immunovirology at University College Cork, said he thinks […]

5 years ago

Big changes. A number of countries look set to be added to the list of high-risk countries from which travellers into Ireland must undertake a mandatory hotel quarantine. The list looks set to be expanded, with some reports suggesting 43 countries are currently being considered for addition. The Irish Independent reported the US, Germany, France […]

5 years ago

There will be a strong Garda presence on Irish roads this week. Gardaí have said they’ve recommenced high profile checkpoints on motorways and dual carriageways around Ireland ahead of the Easter weekend. These checkpoints will be supported by local mobile checkpoints on surrounding and parallel routes. An Garda Síochána also warned it would be increasing […]

5 years ago

The man died following an incident on Monday morning. Gardaí are investigating all the circumstances of the death of a man in his 50s, following an incident at Markievicz House. Gardaí responded to reports of an incident at Markievicz House, Dublin 2 at approximately 11am on Monday morning, 29 March. The man in his 50s […]

5 years ago

As of 26 March, 786,569 doses of Covid-19 vaccine has been administered. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has been notified of one additional death related to Covid-19. The HPSC has been notified of 539 confirmed cases of Covid-19. 262 of the cases are  in Dublin, 32 in Kildare, 30 in Westmeath, 26 in Galway, 21 […]

5 years ago

Tricky indeed. This one is straightforward. You have ten questions with two and a half minutes to answer them all correctly. The questions are general knowledge and generally completely useless knowledge in everyday life… until now. If the quiz is not displaying correctly, please click here.

5 years ago

It. Is. Monday. A new working week is upon us and things are looking up in the world, although only marginally. The weather is set to reach new heights for the year. The end of the Suez Canal debacle is in sight, even if it likely didn’t affect you too much. And best of all, […]

5 years ago

The funding will be spent in 19 counties across Ireland. The National Transport Authority and Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan have announced funding of €72.8m for 340 sustainable transport projects in 19 local authorities. The funding is in addition to the multi-annual active travel investment programme announced on 11 February. The €72.8m announced for rural […]

5 years ago

Be sure to check out last week’s piece. It’s our second edition of Tech Corner and all I have to say is; Welcome to the party, pal. I’m not exactly sure why, but mobile printing hasn’t really taken off yet. Some might argue that the mere presence of smartphones has eliminated the need for printed […]

5 years ago

Cases continue to hang above 500. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has been notified of 20 additional deaths related to Covid-19. Of the deaths reported today, 11 occurred in March, three in February and six in January. The median ages of those who died was 73 years and the age range was 57-91 years. The […]

5 years ago