Latest news with #StStephen'sDay
Irish Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Fight or flight? Here's how I feel about plans to fly burgers over my house
They are the answers to the questions nobody asked. The great ideas to cater to the needs no one knew existed. And the history of invention is littered with them. There is the USB portal shaped like a fake rock. Diet Water, a creation of the Sapporo beer company in 2004. A sleeping bag you can walk around in, umbrellas for shoes and the 'Goldfish Walker' – basically a bowl on wheels. They all share one thing in common, an absurd pretence that they are here to make life somehow easier and better. When life was getting along just fine without them. Now into this hall of infamy steps Dublin's newest must have service – take away delivery by drone. Full transparency. My house may be in the catchment area where 'tech start up' firm Manna has lodged a planning application to open a new drone-port. Manna has already been fulfilling a need no one knew existed in the Dublin 15 area for over a year. The service employs a squadron of drones to parachute cups of flat white coffee, kebabs and burgers into the seemingly besieged gardens of suburbia where residents are deemed incapable of making it out as far as the chipper. It has sparked complaints from some homeowners that it is like living under the flight path of a fleet of airborne lawnmowers. The creepy invasion of privacy has also been likened in the Dail to a new kind of dystopia. And now they are coming to a patch of sky near you – or at least near me. Manna wants to open close to Dundrum shopping centre to extend the reach of its flying burgers. Now I'm happy to admit I've never been a fan of drones. Dublin ranks as Ireland's noisiest city in brand new poll I dread each St Stephen's Day when a new horde of middle-aged men emerge on the beaches and in the parks proudly controlling their new buzzing surveillance toys over the heads of helpless citizens. And it seems I'm not alone. A NASA study found people under the regular flight paths of drones believe they are more irritating than loud traffic. Noise pollution in cities is also a proven killer. That's because humans have an emotional response to sound. It is detected by the ear and passed onto the amygdala area of the brain for assessment. This becomes part of the body's 'fight-or-flight' response that has evolved to help us react quickly to sounds such as a predator crashing through the bushes. Or a drone delivering curry chips to your next-door neighbour. It causes your heart rate to go up. Your nervous system starts to kick in and you release stress hormones, like cortisol and adrenaline. Over time the risk of heart attack, stroke and death increases. When the source of the noise is a machine delivering the contents of a deep-fried Spice Bag those risks rise dramatically again. Across Europe excessive noise is linked to 12,000 premature deaths a year It also contributes to a condition that 22 million Europeans suffer from - 'Chronic High Annoyance.' (A figure that grew to 22 million and one as soon as I discovered this is a thing). Drones flying fast food around Dublin City Noise can lead to breeding problems in wildlife – and I dare say some human life too. In California, a drone crash-landed at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve causing 2,500 terns to abandon their nests and around 1,500 of their unborn young. There are even records of a crow attacking a delivery drone in Canberra. Now it would be one thing to accept all that in the name of technological progress that is improving lives. Drones can be used to fly medicines, monitor disasters, do scientific research… But as a nation, we have survived a famine, bankruptcy and a global pandemic without anyone needing a single of chips airdropped into their back garden. To listen to the Manna planning application it sounds like a merger between the Red Cross and Greenpeace. It is supplying a service that is both a giant leap for mankind and good for the environment. They are hoping we will all just get used to it. Much like Elwood's response to Jake in the Blues Brothers when he asked how often the bone-shaking train goes by the apartment window: 'So often you won't notice.' Dublin to become first European city to offer fast food delivery by drone But I grew up under the flight path to Dublin Airport. Both my parents are now buried under it. I know incessant noise pollution is enough to disturb the sleep of the dead. It's one reason Michael O'Leary hasn't spent some of the millions he made from charging families to bring clothes on holidays to move from his country ranch to a house on the approach path to Dublin airport's terminal one. So if there are any tech upstarts out there looking to develop a surface-to-air, anti-burger missile system, let's just say I'm interested. Years of underage hurling and camogie activity in the household have even given me a prototype built from abandoned hurls and around 150 used sliotars. Fight or Flight? You have my answer. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
Irish Daily Mirror
05-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
Next Ireland bank holiday date as change for 2026 confirmed
After enjoying a steady stream of monthly bank holidays in January, February, March, April, May and June, people across Ireland have grown accustomed to regular long weekends - and with a potential heatwave on the way, many are already looking ahead to the next one. However, July brings some disappointment, as there are no bank holidays scheduled this month. That makes the official lists for 2025 and 2026 all the more useful for anyone looking to plan trips, family time or a well-earned break. There are 10 bank holidays in total this year and the vast majority of employees are entitled to paid leave for them under the Organisation of Working Time Act. Most businesses and schools close, while other services like public transport still operate but often have restricted schedules. With six bank holidays already behind us, the next one is coming soon - the August bank holiday falls on Monday, August 4 this year. That's followed by one more in October, before we wrap up 2025 with Christmas Day and St Stephen's Day. Looking ahead to 2026, a notable change is on the way: St Stephen's Day (December 26) will fall on a Saturday. That means most workers will be entitled to a substitute benefit - essentially, an extra day off - as compensation for the public holiday falling on a weekend. According to Citizen's Information: "If the public holiday falls on a day which is not a normal working day for that business (for example, on Saturday or Sunday), you are still entitled to benefit for that public holiday. However, you do not have any automatic legal entitlement to have the next working day off work." The Irish Government has confirmed that employers must offer one of the following options: So, many Irish workers can expect a bonus day off around Christmas in 2026. This change will be even more pronounced in 2027 when both Christmas Day and St Stephen's Day will fall on the weekend - Saturday and Sunday - meaning two extra days off could be on offer for many workers, depending on employer arrangements. Remaining 2025 bank holidays Full list of 2026 bank holidays So while July may leave a gap in your calendar, there's still plenty to look forward to - especially with a festive bonus on the horizon in 2026.
Sunday World
27-06-2025
- Sunday World
Directions from DPP remain outstanding in alleged St Stephen's Day fatal hit-and-run
John Halpin (45) is charged with dangerous driving causing the deaths of a husband and wife Anthony Hogg and Georgina Hogg Moore. Directions from the DPP remain outstanding in an alleged fatal hit-and-run incident that claimed the lives of a couple on St Stephen's Day. John Halpin (45) is charged with dangerous driving causing the deaths of a husband and wife Anthony Hogg and Georgina Hogg Moore. Mr Halpin, with an address at Whitestown Avenue in Blanchardstown, is also charged with two counts of hit-and-run and failing to offer assistance at the scene at Blanchardstown Road South on December 26, 2024. Judge David McHugh adjourned the case for four weeks to a date in July. Mr Hogg (40) and his wife Georgina (39) were struck while crossing a road near Blanchardstown Shopping Centre. The couple, married with children, lived in the nearby Whitestown area. Sergeant Conor Mohan told Blanchardstown District Court a co-accused was due in court on a date in July, and the State was 'hopeful directions would be available at that stage'. As part of his bail conditions, Mr Halpin has been ordered to have no contact with any witnesses in the case, nor to have any contact with the deceased couple's family. He has not yet indicated how he intends to plead to the charges.
Irish Independent
27-06-2025
- Irish Independent
DPP's directions outstanding in alleged fatal hit-and-run
Directions from the DPP remain outstanding in an alleged fatal hit-and-run incident that claimed the lives of a couple on St Stephen's Day.
Sunday World
23-06-2025
- Sunday World
Man called garda ‘honey bun' and threatened to ‘sort her out' before lunging at her
Martin Gembicky, from Slovakia and of Seville Place, Dublin 1 had denied the charges A cyber security expert called a garda 'honey bun' and threatened to 'sort her out' before lunging at her, grabbing her patrol car keys and trying to get her baton in a 'frightening' struggle. The garda was on duty in Dublin city centre at Christmas and had asked Martin Gembicky (38) to stop loitering when he reacted violently, leaving her in 'complete and utter shock'. Judge Michèle Finan found him guilty of obstruction and threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour, saying Gembicky, who is a linguist, 'got the wrong end of the stick and misinterpreted what was going on'. Martin Gembicky (38). Photo: Collins She told him to pay €2,000 to a garda charity and adjourned the case at Dublin District Court. Gembicky, from Slovakia and of Seville Place, Dublin 1 had denied the charges. The court heard gardaí were on duty on Westmoreland Street at 12.30am on St Stephen's Day. People were loitering outside Circle K and when 'respectfully' told to leave, Gembicky called the gardaí 'f**king assholes' and refused to move on. Martin Gembicky (38). Photo: Collins News in 90 Seconds - Monday June 23 The female garda said Gembicky 'referred to me as honey bun' and that he would 'f**king sort me out'. She was 'not sure what he meant by that' but she was in 'a lot of fear'. He lunged at her, shoving her against the door. Gembicky tried to take the baton from her utility belt, which fell off. He took the car keys off her stab vest. Her colleague pulled Gembicky away and struggled with him. After he was arrested, the accused threatened that he had 'interesting friends in the UK that would sort us out', she said. Gembicky claimed the female garda had told him to stop talking to beggars and was 'aggressive and rude' to him. He maintained she lunged at him to stop him recording her on his phone, then the other garda wrestled him to the ground. Gembicky was also found guilty of unlawful possession of a knife, which he claimed he had as a 'survivalist' for picking mushrooms, and a lockpick set which he maintained was for a hobby. Judge Finan commended both gardaí for their professionalism and 'exemplary' conduct in the incident.
