In the final night of the European Athletics Championships held at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico, the 4x400m female relay team from Ireland splendidly secured a silver medal. It was evident that they stood a strong chance of securing a medal when the baton was handed over to last-leg runner Sharlene Mawdsley, who hails from Tipperary. In a thrilling competition, she gave her all against the Netherland’s athlete Femke Bol during the final stretch.
In other news, a concert organised by the Dublin Gay Men’s Chorus, scheduled to take place at St Andrew’s Church on Westland Row, Dublin, has been disallowed on account of it being a ‘Pride Festival event’, which the church believes contradicts their mission.
An Irish company has made strides in environmentally friendly inventions, with what’s recognised to be the first-ever solar-powered convenience for dispensing duck food in public parks. This brainchild was conceived during the Covid lockdowns, when Matthew Knight frequented Carrigaline park at Cork city’s fringe, to feed ducks with his young son.
Incidentally, a Spain-bound plane from Scotland that routed over Ireland’s airspace made an unexpected stopover at Shannon Airport in Co Clare on Wednesday, in the wake of an onboard issue. The pilot requested and received permission for this unscheduled landing.
Regarding criminal matters, a taxi driver implicated in the sexual assault of two separate females inside his cab has been characterised by the prosecution as a ‘predator’ during the trial.
The weather forecast suggests a rainy day initially, turning particularly heavy in the southwest, heightening possibilities for localised flooding. However, brighter weather will set in during the morning from the southwest and gradually cover most parts by the afternoon. Isolated showers are predicted post rainfall, increasing towards evening in western areas. A windy day is expected with sporadic strong gusts, and peaks of 13 to 18 degrees are expected. The night will clear up although isolated showers might crop up from the west, as temperatures dip to 6-10 degrees.
The results of the European Election were also revealed.
The aspirations of Grace O’Sullivan, Green MEP from the rather minuscule party in the Coalition, to hold onto her Ireland South seat look bleak following the electoral debacle. In contrast, their alliance partners Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil relished superior electoral outcomes. Dáil weathered slightly less heated exchanges on Wednesday as the TDs gradually gained their composure after arduous electoral campaigns. As is the norm, the local elections have seen their share of triumph and defeat, with the tussle for the 949 seats on city and county councils proving to be no different.
Turning food review for Krewe South, Dublin’s playful tip of the hat towards New Orlean’s distinct character offers excellent value during the week. What makes New Orleans enchanting are its history, jazz music, architectural brilliance and, inevitably, its cuisine.
On the technology front, leveraging open-source software, which is largely free, can secure online safety. Since it is a product of shared work and maintenance, those with the requisite skills can fine-tune the software according to their requirements.
Editorials include Newton Emerson questioning Sinn Féin’s capability to balance its North-South and left-right standpoints. Eoin Drea stresses that the ascent of far-right in Europe renders the traditional approach untenable.
As for sports, outdoor activities are delightful, except when it involves observing one’s offspring engage in competition. A rather tedious Friday evening in a Boston-located hotel turned into an impromptu soccer game in a quiet car park corner, much to my chagrin.
Then, we have some highlights from the podcast.