2021 EMERGENCY SERVICE AND MEDICAL REVIEW
AMBULANCE IRELAND
HIDDEN HISTORIES
THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF IRELAND’S HERITAGE CENTRE
THE PARAMEDIC APPROACH
DFB’S PARAMEDICS TRAINING DURING LOCKDOWN
ON THEIR
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THE IRISH COAST GUARD’S BUSY YEAR
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DUBLIN FIRE RESCUE EMERGENCY AMBULANCE SERVICE
PROTECTING THE CITY AND COUNTY SINCE 1862
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CONTENTS 4TH JULY
SPORTS AND SOCIAL CLUB
2021
28 A SAFE AND SECURE HOME
The Work of Nursing Homes Ireland
36 THE POWER OF ONE GROWN Forest’s Green Approach
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40 TECHNOLOGY 42 THE PARAMEDIC APPROACH Training DFB’s Paramedics in Lockdown
03 EDITOR’S LETTER 04 IRISH NEWS 06 INTERNATIONAL NEWS 07 SPACE TECHNOLOGY AIDING COVID FIGHT
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46 MOTORING
Ford’s Kuga SUV and Citroen’s C4
50 BOOKSHELF
Irish Companies Harnessing innovative tech to combat the pandemic
08 COAST GUARD ROUNDUP The Coast Guard had a challenging 2020
10 DEFENCE FORCES ROUNDUP
Work at home and abroad in 2020
14 THE ROAD TO SAFETY
Road Safety Campaigns launched in the pandemic
20 FIRST RESPONDER COVID CONCERNS
DCU Study on Frontline Challenges
22 HIDDEN HISTORIES
The RCPI’s Heritage Centre
08 AMBULANCE IRELAND
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2021 EMERGENCY SERVICE AND MEDICAL REVIEW
AMBULANCE IRELAND
HIDDEN HISTORIES
THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF IRELAND’S HERITAGE CENTRE
THE PARAMEDIC APPROACH
DFB’S PARAMEDICS TRAINING DURING LOCKDOWN
ON THEIR
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THE IRISH COAST GUARD’S BUSY YEAR
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EDITOR’S LETTER
letter from the
Editor: Adam Hyland Contributors: Adam Hyland Creative Director: Jane Matthews Designer: James Moore Cover Credit: Irish Coast Guard Photography: James Moore, An Garda Síochána, Ford, Citroen, Dublin Fire Brigade, Penguin, Viking, Hachette Ireland, Reach Sport, Flir, Pixabay, iStock, The Wellcome Collection, RCPI Production Executive: Claire Kiernan Sales Manager: David Byrne Publisher: Ashville Media Group, Unit 55, Park West Road, Park West Industrial Estate, Dublin 12, D12 X9F9. Tel: (01) 432 2200 Fax: (01) 676 6043 Managing Director: Gerry Tynan Chairman: Diarmaid Lennon Distribution by: Magazine Mailing Publisher’s statement: The information in Ambulance Ireland is carefully researched and believed to be accurate and authoritative, but the Publisher cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions. Statements and opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Editor or the Publisher. Copyright © Ashville Media Group Ltd. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the Publisher.
2021 EMERGENCY SERVICE AND MEDICAL REVIEW
AMBULANCE IRELAND
HIDDEN HISTORIES
THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF IRELAND’S HERITAGE CENTRE
THE PARAMEDIC APPROACH
DFB’S PARAMEDICS TRAINING DURING LOCKDOWN
ON THEIR
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THE IRISH COAST GUARD’S BUSY YEAR
03/02/2021 16:13
EDITOR W
elcome to the 2021 edition of Ambulance Ireland. As always, we bring you the latest news and features covering Ireland’s medical and emergency services sectors, as well as interesting and inspiring stories from our frontline personnel and from around the globe. Last year brought unprecedented challenges for the emergency and frontline services in Ireland and across the world as the COVID-19 pandemic changed how we live and work, and a huge amount of thanks must go to all of those people who help to keep us safe during these difficult times. There has never been a greater need for highly-trained emergency personnel, and it is remarkable how the Dublin Fire Brigade managed to bring a large number of recruits through paramedic training during the worst days of the pandemic. This training is difficult at the best of times, so to successfully train recruits during lockdown measures is a great achievement that you can read about here. Also remarkable is the work being done by firefighter/ paramedic Neil McCabe, whose latest venture into sustainability and a greener environment sees his GROWN Forest initiative plant indigenous trees. It was very interesting to talk to him about the numerous green projects he has overseen. It was a pleasure to talk to Harriet Wheelock, Keeper of Collections at the Royal College of Physician’s Heritage Centre, who revealed some very interesting stories behind the objects and artefacts they hold, and to hear from Nursing Homes Ireland on coming through a challenging year. In our Defence Forces and Coast Guard roundups, we review the increasing level of activity seen by the men and women who protect us on a daily basis. Despite the restrictions placed on movement over the last year, these services were kept exceptionally busy, and their contribution to society can’t be overestimated. Elsewhere, we look at the latest road safety campaigns brought in to keep us safe at a time when traffic behaviour changed dramatically, and see what’s new in the world of motoring and emergency services technology. Best wishes,
Adam Hyland AMBULANCE IRELAND
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IRISH NEWS
IRISH news
The latest in nationwide health, medical and emergency services news.
HSE DIGITAL TEAM AWARDED
DELAYS TO CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL QUERIED
The HSE’s Digital Transformation team won two awards and were partners in a further two at the Irish Healthcare Awards held at the end of 2020. The ceremony, which took place online, saw the Digital Team win in the Educational Meeting of the Year category for HSE Digital Academy and Best COVID-19 Response: Public Sector category. They were also associated with two other winners, namely RedZinc Services, who won Best COVID-19 Response Private Sector for their video consultation initiative, and Patient MPower, which helped to monitor patients in their own homes. Speaking at the awards, Professor Martin Curley, Director of HSE Digital Transformation said: “We are thrilled with this national recognition for our efforts in aligning the digital health ecosystem and the co-delivery of important digital solutions in response to COVID-19. The recognition encourages us to redouble our efforts to lead and catalyse digital transformation of our health system.
Members of the Children’s Health Ireland board have undertaken an in-depth analysis of further possible delays to the construction of the New Children’s Hospital and raised concerns over the impact of further delays on staff morale. They have written to the Minister for Health to express these concerns, “outlining the concerns in relation to the impact of delays on the delivery of services. In November, the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHDB) Chief Officer Mr David Gunning told the Oireachtas committee on health there were “considerable pressures” on the construction budget for the completion of the NCH, and it was subsequently reported that Mr Gunning said the completion date of August 2022 would not be met, but a new completion date could not be provided
CALL FOR AIR CORP SEARCH AND RESCUE ROLE The Government has been urged by a group of aviation experts and a number of Oireachtas members to give the Air Corps a role in Ireland’s search and rescue services. A new search and rescue aviation contract is currently being developed, but Minister for Defence Simon Coveney says he does not expect the Air Corps to have full responsibility for these services in future contracts. However, he has stated that he does want it to be as involved as it possibly can be. Gerard Craughwell, Independent
Senator and chair of Secure Ireland’s Search and Rescue (SISAR), said the group wants to “solidify” the Air Corp’s involvement in these services. “While there has been a contract for operating the helicopter side of search and rescue over the last ten years, the Irish Air Corps were on an available basis for top cover, which is a communications link between the helicopter and mainland,” he told national radio. He added that the State has recently spent €260million on new aircraft, while
pilots have been recommissioned into the Air Corps and the expertise is there to provide full, on contract top cover once resources are made available, as well as for search and rescue helicopters to be used on the east coast. Mr Craughwell added that this service provision should be put on a formal footing similar to the air ambulance and Garda helicopter services, which would allow for a rostered service where air search and rescue would be on standby and available 24/7 and 365 days a year.
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IRISH NEWS
INVESTMENT IN STATE SECURITY URGED
PRE-HOSPITAL EMERGENCY CARE
the review that Russian incursion into Irish airspace and the Irish Sea have added to “growing concerns about Ireland’s inability to protect its critical national infrastructure”. He added: “The Irish Naval service has no anti-submarine capability and its ability to deter or even detect such maritime intelligence gathering is exceptionally limited. Neither has Ireland got the radar, air defence and air interdiction capability necessary to deter and monitor Russian or other aircraft entering Irish airspace without permission.” Dr Viktoriya Fedorchak, lecturer in European Studies at the Norwegian university of Science and Technology, pointed out that Ireland is “an ideal point” to destabilise regional security and undermine the UK’s defences, and argued that investment in national fighter jets for the Air Corps is the main solution to the current and future threats to the Irish State.
NAS AIR SERVICE MILESTONE
Ireland must invest in its air, sea and cybersecurity to fend off threats from hostile states such as Russia, a number of military officers and academics have advised. Writing in the Defence Forces review 2020, the experts point to incursions into Irish airspace by Russian aircraft as well as Russian submarine activity near the Irish Sea, and highlight the lack of Irish air interception capability, with a dependence on the British RAF. They highlight the threat to Ireland’s hightech industry posed by both interference in undersea cables transmitting data across the Atlantic and a lack of investment in cybersecurity, saying that the establishment of the Commission on the Future of the Defence Forces and the development of Ireland’s first National Security Strategy present opportunities for investment in security infrastructure. Commandant Derek McGourty said in
The National Ambulance Service’s Emergency Aeromedical Service (AES) reached an impressive milestone in October of last year when it airlifted its 3,000th patient. Established in June, 2012, the service operating out of Athlone is a joint project between the Department of Health, the HSE and the Defence Forces, enabling the rapid transfer of critical patients to the most appropriate hospital. It has since become a vital asset to the Midlands region in terms of critical pre-hospital care.
Two senior figures have recently been appointed to the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council. Chief Fire Officer with Dublin Fire Brigade, Dennis Keeley, and Director Emeritus of the Order of Malta Ambulance Corps, Aidan O’Brien, will serve on the Council until August 2024. They were appointed by Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly following nominations last year.
TCD MEDICINE PROGRAMME MONITORED The undergraduate medicine programme at Trinity College Dublin is subject to an “ongoing progress monitoring process” following a highly critical accreditation report by the Medical Council. An inspection took place in 2018 with the programme accredited for two years rather than the standard five. In one of its major findings, the Council’s accreditation report stated that a number of third and fifth year students reported
that they had experienced a high level of stress and that supports provided by the School of Medicine were not effective. Fifth year students described “a very mixed experience”, while third year students claimed the School was “dismissive of stress, mental health issues and wellbeing of the students”, citing a lack of support while on rotation in Tallaght and St James’s Hospitals, and a failure to properly introduce them into the
clinical setting. According to the report, when feedback was given to the School of Medicine on a number of issues at a special meeting, they were told to take responsibility of their issues themselves. Professor Michael Gill, head of TCD School of Medicine said they were taking on board all recommendations from the Medical Council and there are ongoing discussions with the College and the HSE on their implementation. AMBULANCE IRELAND
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
INTERNATIONAL
news
Medical and emergency services news from around the world.
FIREFIGHTER HEALTH CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED
NEW VITAL SIGNS APP LAUNCHED An Israeli AI health start-up company has developed an app that analyses a person’s face to get medical-grade insights into their health, including respiration rate and heart rate variability. The Binah Team app can be used on mobile phones or laptops to enable remote vital sign monitoring, giving companies and organisations the ability to check on the health and wellbeing of their staff as more and more people work from home. Requiring no integration into current technologies and including a cloud-based management platform, it enables organisations to instantly offer health monitoring to its employees and members. The app extracts vital signs using a video taken of the upper cheek region of the face and analyses this with advanced AI and deep learning algorithms to measure heart rate, oxygen saturation and mental stress.
WORLD UNPREPARED FOR PANDEMIC The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that the world was “woefully underprepared” according to UN health agency chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Developing “muscle memory is key to pandemic response” according to the WHO chief, who cited how Thailand drew from its experience with SARS and H5N1 to swiftly scale up an effective track and trace system, leaving them among the least affected nations in the world by the current pandemic. “The whole world must do this to strengthen preparedness,” he said, adding that “the only way” to confront these global threats is “as a global community, united in solidarity and committed to long-term cooperation”. He also said that the right political and financial commitment and investment now could prevent and mitigate future pandemics.
EU PROJECTS PROVED TO HELP COVID FIGHT
Medical and safety technology company Dräger has launched a “Health for the Firefighter” campaign to support Fire and Rescue Services in driving the cultural changes required to protect firefighters’ health. A survey of UK firefighters found considerable concern over the impact of exposure to contaminants on long-term health, with some 84% of respondents saying there were concerned about the risk of cancer. The survey also found that 68% of firefighters fear the impact of COVID-19 on their long-term health. The survey revealed the most important factor in combatting firefighter concerns over contaminants was the cleaning of masks, with 97% of respondents rating this as very or extremely important, closely followed by the cleaning of BA (95%) and the cleaning of PPE (94%).
Research carried out by the Italian Fire and Rescue Service has shown that EU-funded projects are helping emergency services to collaborate despite location, language and technological barriers. The study titled ‘How EU Funded Research Projects have improved Covid-19 Resilience of Rescue and Emergency Control Rooms’ highlights the IN-PREP project funded under the EU’s Horizon 2020 grants as one such research project, showing that recent technological developments have allowed emergency services to exchange data in a more effective way to protect frontline workers responding to COVID-19. Stefano Marsella of the Italian Fire and Rescue Service, who co-authored the study, said: “The ability to exchange information quickly and effectively between those responding to disasters is a core element of crisis management, which is made more complex due to the number of agencies involved, their location and differences in language and technology used. “Responding to Covid-19 has meant agencies need to work together despite social and physical distancing regulations. Up to now this has been a difficult and complex task but recent developments from EU research projects are allowing this collaboration to take place in a safe, coordinated way. The technological side of the challenge can be considered substantially overcome.”
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AIR AMBULANCE
SPACE TECHNOLOGY AIDING COVID FIGHT IN IRELAND
Two Irish companies are harnessing innovative technology to combat the pandemic.
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rish companies are deploying their expertise in space technology to help in the fight against COVID-19. Tech companies Skytek and PMD Solutions, in partnership with Beaumont Hospital, were recently awarded contracts by the European Space Agency (ESA) for cutting-edge projects comprising of a virtual command and control centre that will streamline and support effective emergency response, and wearable technology that will support remote monitoring of patient health using satellite technology. Skytek’s React 2 is a satellite-enabled platform for virtual command centres and includes secure information exchange, distributed working of key personnel, provision of pandemic current situational awareness and support for automated workflows of common tasks. Designed to coordinate the COVID-19 response, it links in to Ireland’s Computerised Infectious Disease Reporting system to generate alerts when numbers of suspected cases go beyond a defined figure. React 2 also links in to acute hospital monitoring systems, allowing decision makers to understand the nature of an outbreak.
The HSE and Irish Centre for Emergency Management will assist with the design and testing of the system. PMD Solutions’ space-enabled medical solution will allow for the monitoring of patients with compromised respiratory problems in order to assess and understand quickly the information about the patient that is needed by healthcare providers. It is the world’s first patient wearable, using 5G technology to eliminate the need for unnecessary “middle-ware” that has up to now impeded the scaled adoption of community patient monitoring systems. RespiraSense is a body-worn respiratory rate monitor with the advantage of superior position tracking using the European Space Agency’s Galileo satellite system. If a patient becomes unstable, the only intervention is prolonged hospitalisation and possible ventilation in an Intensive Care Unit. Time to intervene is critical in preventing such escalations of care that are currently placing a huge strain on healthcare systems once again in Europe. In a clinical trial in Beaumont hospital in 2020, RespiraSense was implemented in the hospital COVID-19 ward. It demonstrated an ability to identify which
patients would experience respiratory failure 12 hours earlier than the standard of care. Beaumont Hospital will be the clinical lead for the design of this solution, and the aim is that RespiraSense can send critical patient physiological data direct from the wearable device to healthcare providers so the right patients get the right care at the right time. The projects are supported through the Government’s investment in the ESA’s programme in advanced communications satellite technologies and systems (ARTES). Minister of State for Business Damien English TD welcomed the announcement of the contracts, saying: “I am very pleased to see further examples of Irish technology companies leading the way in developing innovative technologies to help mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. It shows how Ireland’s investment in ESA is supporting Irish companies to develop solutions that make a real difference to our lives. “These projects also clearly demonstrate how space technology can deliver tangible solutions to current and emerging challenges, including our global fight against the pandemic.”
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COAST GUARD ROUNDUP 2020
ON THEIR
GUARD Despite lockdowns, the Irish Coast Guard had a busy 2020 under difficult circumstances.
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espite the impact of COVID-19 that saw movement and activity severely restricted over the course of 2020, the Irish Coast Guard saw another very busy year, particularly in late summer. In total, the maritime emergency organisation’s three Rescue Coordination Centres at Malin Head, Valentia Island and MRCC Dublin responded to 2,643 incidents. This compares to 2,490 incidents in 2019. Due to nationwide lockdowns when the country was hit by the first wave of the pandemic, the months of February, March and April saw the lowest recorded number of incidents in recent years, but the figures rose dramatically as summer approached, and August and September proved to be exceptionally busy. There were 464 maritime incidents recorded in August, compared to 369 in the same month in 2019, and 307 incidents recorded in September compared to 239 the previous year.
DANGERS
The Coast Guard noted that an increase in two particular activities contributed to the rise in safety concerns and the number of incidents in these months: The number of people using inflatable devices such as lilos and dinghies on beaches and inland waterways during the summer months, and an increase in the number of people participating in open water swimming in autumn and into winter. Public safety messages were promoted throughout the year via the revamped www.safetyonthewater.gov.ie website and other social media platforms in conjunction with the Marine Safety Communications Sub-Group consisting of the Coast Guard, Water Safety Ireland, the RNLI, Bord Iascaigh Mhara, and the Commissioners of Irish Lights and Irish Sailing. This campaign proved successful, with the Coast Guard praising the fact that the majority of the public were heeding these safety messages regarding open water swimming and adhering to basic safety precautions.
The core safety message of Raise the Alarm and Stay Afloat, also continued to be promoted across the year, highlighting the importance of never engaging in any commercial or recreational boating activity without wearing a fully-serviced life jacket or personal flotation device, coupled with a capacity to raise the alarm via radio or personal locator beacon. Unfortunately, the Coast Guard did nevertheless record a total of 72 drownings in Ireland in 2020, and while each of these was tragic, the figure is down on 2019 numbers. However, with a particular emphasis on what it categorises as Lives Saved, which is assistance provided that prevented loss of life, severe risk to life, or protracted hospitalisation, the Irish Coast Guard recorded that 391 individuals’ lives were saved in 2020 through their direct action.
OTHER SERVICES
The Coast Guard Helicopter services provided under contract by CHC Ireland, which operates day and night services out of bases at Sligo, Shannon, Dublin and Waterford, flew a total of 781 missions, up slightly on 2019 (770 missions).
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COAST GUARD ROUNDUP 2020
In addition to Search and Rescue services, these missions included 24/7 emergency medical support and interhospital transfers to the HSE, including emergency paediatric transfers to the UK. The 44 Volunteer Coast Guard units that provide a combination of rescue boat, cliff rescue, shoreline search and emergency community support in conjunction with other emergency services such as An Garda Síochána, the National Ambulance Service, Fire Services and Mountain Rescue, were tasked with a total of 1,270 missions in 2020. These missions included COVID19-related transport support provided to the HSE. The RNLI, which is categorised as a declared resource to the Coast Guard
meaning that each individual station can be directly requested to respond to individual incidents, were tasked with 783 missions in total in 2020. On top of this, Community Inshore Rescue Boats responded to 84 missions. MRCC Dublin, which acts as the national single point of contact for processing satellite beacon alerts and Emergency Locator Transmissions (ELTs) from vessels and crafts of all types within the Irish rescue region, recorded a total of 192 satellite beacon alerts.
ADVANCES
2020 saw further development in the use of Small Unmanned Aircraft drone systems (UAVs), which have enabled Coast Guard units to enhance their
search capabilities, and this year the organisation anticipates it will have nine units with these search capabilities. In preparation for future developments in VHF (Very High Frequency) Data Exchange systems, the Coast Guard’s engineering branch also completed equipment updates to several of their hilltop sites around the country in 2020. Following on from the publication of the 2019 National Search and Rescue Plan (NSP), June of last year saw the publication of the National Maritime Oil & HNS Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCP). This important document established a national framework and strategy to coordinate marine pollution preparedness and response, which the Coast Guard will play an essential role in.
THANKS
Over the course of what was a difficult year for all, the Irish Coast Guard said that their biggest challenge was to ensure the 24/7 delivery of their full search and rescue services despite the unprecedented situation brought on by the global pandemic, but Coast Guard Director Eugene Clonan praised the organisation for their achievements, saying: “I want to thank all the men and women that make up our search and rescue community for the discipline and commitment they have demonstrated in maintaining service availability through the most challenging of times.”
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DEFENCE FORCES 2020 ROUNDUP
KEEPING US SAFE The Irish Defence Forces faced old and new challenges in 2020.
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n what was an unprecedented year, the Irish Defence Forces continued with a large number of operations both at home and abroad, while also taking on invaluable work to keep the people of Ireland safe during the pandemic. There was a wide range of Defence & Security Operations in 2020 that included Aid to Civil Power & Aid to the Civil Authority operations on a daily basis supporting An Garda Síochána, Local Authorities and other key agencies of the State. These included 133 operations in support of gardaí involving explosives disposal, prisoner escorts, explosives escorts, major cash escorts and search operations, as well as the continued provision of a permanent armed guard at the maximum security Portlaoise Prison, the Central Bank, Irish Industrial Explosives and Government Buildings. While visits from international dignitaries were necessarily curtailed due to the pandemic, a company of troops was deployed with supporting elements on a Land Security Operation during the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in March. Personnel and expertise were also supplied to support the National Cyber Security Centre, and were deployed throughout the year to assist civil authorities during multiple operations including flood defence preparations and pump maintenance in Westmeath, Clare and Limerick.
SEA Offshore, in its protection of its 220million maritime acres of sea, the Naval Service conducted 307 fisheries
boardings, resulting in 16 detentions of vessels from the UK, France, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Belgium and Denmark, for alleged infringements of fishing regulations in support of the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority. The Naval Service Dive Section (NSDS) was deployed to 19 operations, including underwater maintenance of the naval fleet, autonomous underwater vehicle operations and berth surveys/ clearances for visiting ships. It was also involved in three search and recovery operations in support of An Garda Síochána and the Irish Coast Guard, and successfully located the missing sunken vessel FV ALIZE. There were 14 separate search and rescue responses, with the LÉ NIAMH averting a potential ecological disaster by taking under tow a stricken crude oil tanker in the vicinity of Galway Bay.
AIR Aerial surveillance of Ireland’s waters continued to be carried out by the Air Corps, which conducted more than 140 patrol flights in 2020. It also completed almost 350 emergency aeromedical services Carrying out aerial surveillance of Ireland’s waters, the Air Corps conducted more than 140 surveillance flights in 2020. It completed almost 350 emergency aeromedical services missions supporting the HSE and 45 inter-hospital flights, as well as responding to several request to provide aerial firefighting across five counties, dropping more than 340,000 litres of water to protect property. While continuing to support the Garda Air Support Unit, the Air Corps also played its part in the fight against the pandemic, conducting ten COVID-19 sample transport flights to Germany in direct support of the National Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic.
INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS The Irish Defence Forces’ longest unbroken record of overseas service with the UN continued throughout 2020, with personnel deployed on UN, NATO, PfP (Partnership for Peace), EU CSDP (Common Security and Defence Policy) and OSCE Peace Support and Crisis Management operations across 14 missions in 13 countries. At the time of writing, there are currently 581 personnel serving overseas, with the largest deployment with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), where 345 soldiers are serving. This includes an infantry battalion patrolling the demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel. The second largest deployment is with the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan Heights, Syria, where 138 Irish soldiers are currently serving. The infantry group provides a quick reaction force for the mission. Irish staff officers also serve in UNDOF HW, where Brigadier General Maureen O’Brien has held the role of Deputy Force Commander since 2019. An Army Ranger Wing is also deployed in Mali, working with the German Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance Task Force, while 20 soldiers are also deployed to deliver education and training to the Malian Armed Forces. Other deployments include missions in Bosnia, Kosovo and Congo. Three personnel are also deployed to the operational HQ of the EU Naval Force Mediterranean Operation in Rome, tasked with the implementation of the UN arms embargo on Libya, as well as the disruption of human smuggling and trafficking networks.
INNOVATION The Defence Forces won a grant of 50,000 from the OPS Innovation Fund
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DEFENCE FORCES 2020 ROUNDUP
All images courtesy Óglaigh na hÉireann.
to purchase and install a virtual reality augmentation upgrade to the Helicopter Winching Simulator in Casement Aerodrome, due to the possible interagency opportunities it brings. Importantly, considering the events of the year, the Defence Forces were also involved in the testing of adapted technology normally found in cruise ships to offer a new approach to management of personal contacts and social distancing measures. The wearable device produced by DIGISOFT uses Bluetooth connectivity to identify, measure and track interactions between wearers.
TRAINING AND EDUCATION With the message in mind that we train for what we can predict, and educate for what we cannot, there was in 2020 a continued focus on training and education to ensure the Irish Defence Forces develop their personnel and prepare them for complex operating environments both domestically and overseas. Some 386 General Service Recruit inductions took place, with 20 Apprentices and three Naval Service specialists completing recruit training. Some 64 cadets were inducted to the Defence Forces and began their military training in 2020, with six of those serving members who joined from enlisted ranks. Interestingly, 47 previously retired members re-joined across all ranks and services during 2020. As part of the third-level education scheme, 15 Army and Naval Service Officers graduated with degrees from a range of universities, with 106 Officers awarded academic qualifications through
collaboration with Maynooth University on the Leadership, Management and Defence Studies programme, while a further nine Officers graduated from the National Maritime College of Ireland (NCMI). Also, 141 non-commissioned Officers graduated from academic programmes with IT Carlow, 32 Naval Service NCOs graduated from NCMI, 24 enlisted personnel graduated through the Trainee Technician Scheme in Communications Systems and Electronic/ Mechanical Engineering. There were also 875 Skill Courses
conducted in 2020 with 10,003 student days, developing and maintaining Defence Force capabilities, while 488 personnel underwent 26 career courses to develop leadership and decisionmaking skills.
CEREMONIAL EVENTS In what would have been a very busy year for commemorations, a large number of ceremonies and State visits were either cancelled or significantly reduced as a result of the pandemic, but the Defence Forces did participate in almost 20 significant military and State events.
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DEFENCE FORCES 2020 ROUNDUP These included the annual State commemoration ceremonies, such as the 104th anniversary of the Easter Rising at the GPO, the 1916 Leaders Commemoration at Arbour Hill and Áras an Uachtaráin, and the National Day of Commemoration at Collins Barracks. The Defence Forces also took part in the National Famine Commemoration held at the Delaney Famine Monument in St Stephen’s Green, a special ceremony in April to commemorate those who lost their lives to COVID-19, and a ceremony in November to remember the eight members of the Defence Forces who passed away in 2020. Ceremonial honours were afforded to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in March and the President of Greece in January, and for two ceremonies at Áras an Uachtaráin when six ambassadors presented their credentials.
COVID-19 The Defence Forces response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Operation Fortitude, saw the organisation play an integral role in dealing with the State’s handling of the health crisis. It established a COVID-19 Joint Operational Planning Group and began its increased support to the HSE in March. At the same time, there was a curtailment or cancellation of certain activities such as non-essential training, all sports, all military competitions, and travel. Support for the HSE consisted of the provision of military planning expertise, command and control structures,
engineering advice and works, logistics and transport, military medical help and buildings for the establishment of the COVID-19 Testing Centre at the Aviva Stadium and elsewhere. In all, to help fight the spread of the disease, some personnel were deployed for 53,259 individual duties, 9,442 vehicles were deployed, 197 Naval Service vessels, and ten aircraft. Defence Forces personnel were also deployed to assist in contact tracing, the transportation of vulnerable citizens to test centres, the collection, and the storage and distribution of PPE and medical supplies.
Tents were supplied at HSE sites and pop-up locations such as meat plants, while logistics support was provided at Punchestown and City West Test Centres, contingency support was given to nursing homes, and personnel were deployed to support and man temporary body storage facilities. Liaison continued to the end of the year with stakeholders including the HSE, NAS, Dublin and Cork Airports, Dublin, Cork and Galway Port Authorities, Irish Water, An Post and the Office of Emergency Planning. In December as a third wave of the pandemic hit, further frontline support was provided by the Defence Forces, significantly increasing the surge capacity of the HSE, and remaining in place until this wave has been suppressed. This includes 56 military first responders daily and 60 extra personnel deployed to contact tracing. Overall, in what was a very challenging year for all of Irish society, the dedication of the Defence Forces and the invaluable work they do means that we are in good hands as we move into 2021, when hopefully, the pandemic can finally be brought under control.
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ROAD SAFETY
THE ROAD TO D
SAFETY
A number of safety campaigns have been launched as traffic behaviour changed during the pandemic.
espite the numerous restrictions on movement throughout the year and repeated requests from Government, the HSE and frontline organisations to “stay at home”, resulting in significantly reduced levels of traffic, 2020 saw an increase in road fatalities. This highlights the challenges faced by the Road Safety Authority and the amount of work they have had to put in to making our roads safer. Up to June of last year, there was a 17% increase in fatal collisions compared to 2019, with double the number of pedestrian deaths. This
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prompted the RSA and An Garda Síochána to re-emphasise the need for extra care on our roads before the June Bank Holiday, when some restrictions had been lifted so that people could travel further and enjoy outdoor activities. In support of the stronger message from the RSA to be safe on our roads, Minister for Transport Shane Ross said: “I am greatly alarmed at the rise in road deaths this year, particularly at the increase in pedestrian deaths. Road safety is a public health issue and the way we all behave on the road determines whether people live, suffer injury or die. I am appealing to all road users to please take a closer look at how you behave on the road and to take greater responsibility and practice good road safety habits.” This message was backed up by the Garda National Roads Policing Unit, who launched a Roads Policing enforcement operation focusing on the four ‘Lifesaver’ offences of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, speeding, nonseatbelt wearing and using a mobile phone while driving. Chief Superintendent Paul Cleary noted that some 1,153 people had been detected driving under the influence of an intoxicant between March and June, while there were still significant numbers of drivers recorded not wearing a seatbelt or using their mobile phone while driving.
that adjusting to a new normal meant including the changing of traffic dynamics, urging drivers to slow down and take extra care when passing cyclists and pedestrians. It included two new radio adverts aired on local and national radio, supported by digital and social media activity. The RSA also reminded car owners to ensure their vehicle, which may not have been driven for some time due to lockdowns, were still roadworthy, and to undertake basic maintenance checks. Assistant Commissioner Paula Hilman, Roads Policing and Community Engagement, said at the launch: “We are seeing more traffic on the roads. As the number of vehicles is increasing, so too are the numbers of people involved in active travelling - walking and cycling. The landscape in our cities is changing due to the increased allocation of road space to cycle lanes and pedestrian pathways. We are appealing to all road users, country-wide, to continue to be vigilant while on the roads – be aware of changed road layouts and be
mindful of vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and motor cyclists.” She continued: “An Garda Síochána will maintain a visible presence on our road network. I would ask all road users to remember the basics of road safety, to drive within speed limits, to comply with road signage, don’t drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs, make sure to wear your seatbelt while driving and don’t be distracted by electronic devices. Please show consideration for other road users, we all have a responsibility to help each other to stay safe on our roads.” Minister Ross added: “People have done so much over the last three months to tackle the coronavirus, save lives and protect public health. The commitment we have seen across the country has been extraordinary. But road safety is also a public health issue and we need to see the same commitment from all road users to saving lives on our roads. We know from the data that most road deaths are preventable; most collisions are as a result of human behaviour. So just
SHARING ROADS SAFELY
In June, as restrictions were once again eased to allow people to travel 20km from home and more traffic was seen on the roads, the RSA and An Garda Síochána launched a new safety campaign urging road users to share roads safely, and reminding drivers that there were more people walking and cycling than in previous months. The campaign, “We’re on the road back. Make it a safer one”, asked that road users reflect on the fact
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as we have adapted our behaviour in the face of a pandemic, we must be prepared to change our behaviour to meet the challenges with more of us walking and cycling on the road.”
FATALITIES
Unfortunately, the trend of increasing road fatalities continued as the year went on, with the most recent figures available showing that by the start of November, 126 people had lost their lives on Irish roads, compared to 114 in 2019. This number includes 50 drivers, 23 vehicle passengers, 17 motorcyclists, ten cyclists and 26 pedestrians. Figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that traffic volumes dropped by more than 51% in Dublin during the final week of October, when further lockdown restrictions were imposed, with a 55.4% drop nationwide, so the number of fatalities points towards incidents being more serious, with the ability to speed due to less traffic on the roads, and an increase in the number of people walking or cycling, also contributing to the high toll. With such alarming numbers of road deaths, the launch of Road Safety Week came at a very opportune time, starting on 5 October with a host of events and initiatives planned up to and including 11 October.
RSA Chairperson, Liz O’Donnell.
ROAD SAFETY WEEK
These included the RSA’s Annual Academic Lecture on 5 October, Tyre Safety Day on 9 October, and both Child Safety Day and Beep Beep Day on 11 October, when schoolchildren across the country were provided with high-vis goods and road safety materials. The theme of the 2020 campaign was Driver Fatigue, an important issue considering a quarter of Irish people surveyed admitting that they had recently driven while tired. This issue was addressed at the Annual RSA Lecture, when the findings of the E-Survey of Road Users’ Attitudes (ESRA) were released, showing that 23.9% of Irish drivers said that in the previous month they had driven at least once when they were so tired they had trouble keeping their eyes open. This was higher than the European average of 20%. These figures follow on from a 2019 study by the RSA that found that 16% of 1,000 motorists surveyed said they had fallen asleep or nodded off while driving. At the Annual Lecture, which in 2020 went online with more than 200 safety stakeholders attending the webinar, Professor Walter McNicholas, director of pulmonary and sleep disorders at St Vincent’s Hospital and an expert on sleep apnoea as a cause of driver fatigue, said that sleepiness when driving is associated with between 20% and 25% of all major road accidents globally.
DRIVER FATIGUE
He explained that obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a disorder that affects 5-10% of the adult population, and
that patients with this condition are seven times more likely to have a road traffic collision. Speaking about the issues raised in the lecture, Minister of State Naughton, said the findings were “worrying” and added: “We know that driving while fatigued significantly increases your risk of being involved in a road traffic collision. But just as you wouldn’t get behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated, don’t drive if you are fatigued. Health experts have been proclaiming the importance of sleep for many years, but in the case of road safety, a good night’s sleep might just save your life.” RSA Chairperson Liz O’Donnell also said that the findings demonstrate why driver fatigue is often referred to as a “silent killer”. “The advice for drivers suffering from fatigue and who find themselves fighting sleep at the wheel is simple,” she said. “Stop, sip, sleep. Pull over safely, drink a caffeinated drink, and take a 15-20 minute nap. By the time you restart your journey, the caffeine should have taken effect and you should be able to drive safely for another hour or so. However, the only cure for driver fatigue is sleep.” The issue of driver fatigue then took centre stage in a new RSA TV-led advertising campaign that provided drivers with advice on what to do if they feel sleepy while driving, supported by national and local radio, digital, social, and outdoor campaigns. The RSA also teamed up with Applegreen to provide motorists with a free cup of coffee every bank holiday weekend to help fight fatigue behind the wheel.
“Just as you wouldn’t get behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated, don’t drive if you are fatigued” IRELAND 16 AMBULANCE
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what’s on your
You’re not alone when it ComeS to CopinG www.turn2me.org
Forums, Group Support, 1to1 Counselling, iphone enabled
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ROAD SAFETY
TESTING
In December, the RSA and An Garda Síochána, in collaboration with the Department of State for International and Road Transport and Logistics and Professor Denis Cusack from the Medical Bureau of Road Safety, launched another safety campaign focusing on the Christmas and New Year periods and beyond into 2021. This campaign focused on Mandatory Intoxicant Testing, with gardaí having a visible enforcement presence around the country for a month and detecting 85 people driving under the influence of alcohol and 26 driving under the influence of drugs. This followed on from figures that show that despite traffic volumes being down by 70% at some times over the course of 2020, there had been a 133% increase in the amount of people detected driving under the influence of drugs (2,537 in 2020 compared to 1,192 in 2019). Speaking at the launch, Assistant Commissioner Paula Hilman said: “Our message is clear – do not drive if you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or a combination of both. We have a shared responsibility to help each other to stay safe on our roads.”
RSA Chairperson O’Donnell added: “The consequences of driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs can be devastating. I would appeal to anyone about to drive after drinking alcohol to stop and wait until they are alcohol free and safe to drive. If you see a friend or family member about to drive while under the influence, please intervene, offer to get them a taxi, or if necessary, call the gardaí. Allowing someone to drive while under the influence is simply not worth the risk.” Minister of State Naughton also appealed for extra vigilance at a time when restrictions on movement were lifted temporarily to enable people to enjoy the Christmas period.
VIGILANCE
“For many, a lifting of national restrictions will allow us to visit and meet with our families and friends again,” she said. “This will inevitably mean that the roads will be very busy. We will also hopefully be able to get out for a cycle or walk with family and friends. It is important that as drivers, we make a special effort to be on the lookout for these vulnerable members of our community. Let’s give them plenty of space when overtaking.
Don’t forget that pedestrians will have to socially distance when walking on footpaths and the roadside where there are none.” As we move through the first few months of 2021, we face uncertain times and further lockdowns and restrictions on movement, but the levels of traffic continue to be higher than perhaps they should be. It is inevitable that more people will take to the road to walk or cycle in order to maintain their health, and it is up to all road users to be aware of others and to remain safe at all times. As a society, we have sacrificed a lot to remain safe during an unprecedented global health crisis, and as the words of RSA members and An Garda above have shown, this needs to extend to our actions on Irish roads. Hopefully, as we emerge from this pandemic, it will be into a safer environment for all road users.
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COVID STUDY
STUDY REVEALS FIRST RESPONDER COVID CONCERNS
DCU report highlights challenges, worries and ethical dilemmas faced during pandemic. IRELAND 20 AMBULANCE
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A
new report from DCU’s Listen project looking at the experiences of pre-hospital first responders during the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed that contracting the virus and passing it on to loved ones was the primary source of concern for the emergency services. Some 82% of respondents to the survey of 815 first responders from the National Ambulance Service, Dublin Fire Brigade and other fire services nationwide, as well as Civil Defence highlighted this as the main worry they experienced, but rising transmission rates (63%), having family with underlying conditions (35%), lack of adherence to lockdown and social distancing regulations by the public (22%) and worry about the general uncertainty of what society was being faced with (21%) were also cited as causes for concern.
RISK
Not surprisingly, the report also reveals that 92% of respondents believe their occupation placed them at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19, largely due to regular contact with infected or asymptomatic patients. In general, first responders rated the risk to the country as a whole as much larger than the risk to their own family in particular, with 42% of respondents saying the impact on their home was high or very high, and 87% saying the impact on the country was high or very high. A lack of facilities and vital safety equipment needed for protection and sanitisation in some areas and organisations was also a major cause of distress for these frontline workers, with 23% of ambulance workers saying they felt they were not provided with adequate PPE. On the other hand, more than 90% of Fire Service respondents said their organisation did provide adequate PPE. The report also reveals that first responders have faced a range of ethical dilemmas such as bringing people to hospitals while knowing this increased the risk of infection to the patient. Respondents also felt conflicted by having to stop families from
accompanying their loved ones to hospital, knowing they may never see them again, while decisions concerning ventilation and resuscitation were often challenging. Conflict and stress were also evident regarding the duty of care to patients and the duty of care and safety to a first responder’s own family.
SUPPORT
When it came to how they felt their own organisation valued their role during the pandemic, 61% of NAS participants said they felt their role in their agency’s response is valued, while for both the Fire Service and Civil Defence this figure was at 83%. Despite their concerns, the vast majority of respondents (80%) said they were prepared and willing to work extended hours/days as required, motivated by a sense of duty and comradeship, while the public outpouring of gratitude and the community spirit brought about by adversity proved to be sources of strength and support to participants. The most prominent type of support articulated by participants was moral support and praise coming from members of the public, the communities in which they lived, and communities in which they served. Respondents referenced the many acts of kindness and gratitude, which often manifested as gifts and donations of food from businesses and individuals alike. Trust in the Government’s leadership and the expert guidance from the Chief Medical Officer were also factors that mitigated some of the stress and concern for these frontline workers during the pandemic. When it came to confidence in themselves, and whether they felt prepared to work during another pandemic, more than 84% said they would.
CHANGES
When asked what they would change about the pandemic response in Ireland, the most common answer was earlier action on lockdown, followed by earlier education and communication on the
transmission of the disease, PPE stockpiles, faster closing of borders, a more consistent application of protocols across agencies, faster input from management and leadership positions, and earlier and increased enforcement of social distancing and restriction guidelines. Respondents also called for earlier and more testing and tracing, and more effective preparation once it became apparent the virus was coming. They called for better and faster locking down of nursing homes, and no discharging of patients from hospitals to vulnerable nursing homes, despite the fears of the health service being overwhelmed, as well as increased availability of masks and sanitisers. The Listen project, funded as part of DCU’s COVID-19 Research and Innovation Hub, aimed to highlight the experiences of first responders who have been completing testing, medical assessment and initial treatment of suspected COVID-19 cases in a range of settings and across several organisations. Gathering data collected during the first lockdown period between 30 April and 17 May, after which Government eased restrictions as part of Phase 1 of reopening society and business, it looks at levels of risk, impact and worry in relation to the pandemic, as well as the perception of preparedness and response, alongside their experience of staff safety, health and wellbeing. Report co-author Professor Caroline McMullan said of the report’s importance: “This research records the voice of an often overlooked, yet critical element of the COVID-19 response, and gives us all an opportunity to learn from their response. “Notwithstanding all the worries, duties of care, ethical dilemmas and risks, first responders continued their work as pre-hospital healthcare professionals during the most unprecedented and challenging health emergency in the history of the State. The public’s acknowledgement of their work reflects the outstanding debt owed by society to first responders during this pandemic.”
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RCPI HERITAGE CENTRE
HIDDEN HISTORIES
The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland’s Heritage Centre is a treasure trove of fascinating stories of medicine, murder and curious mementos.
I
n Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes story, The Adventure of the Speckled Band, the famous detective tells Dr Watson: “When a doctor does go wrong, he is the first of criminals. He has nerve and he has knowledge. Palmer and Pritchard were among the heads of their profession.” The Pritchard referred to was notorious enough at the time that the author could assume his audience knew who he was talking about, and what he had done to be considered “the first of criminals”. The facts behind his chilling story may have been forgotten over time but they were recently unearthed among
the vast amount of records and artefacts of interest kept in the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland’s (RCPI) Heritage Centre Collections by Keeper of Collections Harriet Wheelock. His story of murder and execution is just one of many in the Heritage Centre, which is a hidden gem for anyone interested in medical history and its sometimes dark or odd connections to history. Located at the RCPI building at 6 Kildare Street, it holds more than 50,000 items relating to the history of medicine and medical education in Ireland, including books, archives, photos, paintings and objects.
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One of the letters from murderer Dr Pritchard to Dr Butcher.
Old medical equipment on display at the Heritage Centre
Unfortunately impacted by the pandemic, tours and research opportunities are currently closed to the public, but the Heritage Centre website features online exhibitions and recordings of talks on various topics, and there are plans in place to expand the display space within the building to accommodate bigger exhibitions in the future. For now, these records await curious eyes, and the inquisitiveness of historians and researchers is what led Harriet to the story of this Dr Pritchard.
MURDER “I came across this story completely by chance,” she tells me. “We have a collection of about 200 letters that were written to an Irish surgeon called Richard Butcher who was working in the 1840s and 1850s and was famous for a particular knee operation. He wrote to doctors across Ireland and Britain, surveying them on whether they had carried out this operation, the results, and how they had carried it out, which he was particularly interested in because he had devised a tool called Butcher’s Saw. “The letters were categorised as letters to Dr Butcher but had little other information, but a couple of
years ago I started working through them to see if I could find more information, and one of the things I did was identify who the doctors were, which is quite easy to do because the medical directories published in the 1850s list every doctor in the British Isles. “I came across a series of letters from a Dr Edward Pritchard, and looked him up in the directory to find out who he was, and because there were quite a few letters, I decided to research him online. It turns out he was more interesting than I was expecting because he was a notorious murderer whose case shocked society in the mid-1800s.” Hampshire-born Pritchard trained in medicine in the Royal Navy before working in a practice in Yorkshire, at which time he wrote frequently to Dr Butcher and was quite complimentary about him. He moved to Glasgow in 1859, and four years later, things took a turn. After a fire at his house, the body of a servant girl named Elizabeth McGrain was found. The fire had started in her bedroom but there were no signs of any attempt by her to escape, so an investigation thought it possible that she was probably either
dead or unconscious when the fire broke out. “There wasn’t enough evidence for a prosecution,” Harriet tells me, “but two years later, Pritchard’s wife Mary Jane Taylor, the daughter of a wealthy silk merchant, and his motherin-law, died within three weeks of each other at the family home. Both had been treated by Pritchard, with the help of another doctor named Dr Paterson, who grew suspicious of their illnesses and refused to sign the death certificates, which Pritchard presumably signed himself. “An anonymous letter was sent to authorities, which led to the bodies of the two women being examined, and they were found to contain an extremely nasty poison called antimony. Pritchard was convicted of both murders and was executed in 1865, becoming the last person to be publicly hanged in Glasgow.” Arthur Conan Doyle, who had studied medicine and based his famous creation on his medical school professor Dr Joseph Bell, would have been familiar with the case, hence the reference in his story. “The letters themselves are clinical,” Harriet tells me, “but because of who he was, they become much more interesting. You wonder, if several years after Butcher received these letters from Pritchard, if he remembered their correspondence,
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The trial of Dr Pritchard shocked society (copyright The Wellcome Collection).
and how he felt to have written back and forth to a person who ended up murdering his wife and mother-in-law.”
TRIALS The Collections also have a connection to another notorious murder case that came to light when a researcher approached Harriet about a Dublin-born artist called William Burke Kirwan. “Kirwan was an artist specialising in medical illustrations in the 19th century, which was common before photography was available. He would have been invited into hospitals, sat in on operations, and drawn these as well as illustrations of removed organs and body parts,” she tells me. “We have about 80 such illustrations in the collection, some by Kirwan, and when the researcher came to ask if we had any of his works, I was introduced to the story.” As the story goes, Kirwan and his wife Sarah went to Ireland’s Eye on a day trip. She went swimming, but supposedly drowned. “It wasn’t clear what happened, whether it was an accident or foul play,” Harriet says, “but there were signs of manual asphyxiation, so Kirwan was tried for the murder and convicted.”
The fact that it was revealed at his court case that he had a mistress and eight children living in Sandymount gave the prosecution motive, but despite being convicted of the murder, he wasn’t sentenced to death and was instead transported. Kirwan had a considerable defence led by barrister, MP and Home Rule advocate Isaac Butt, and was not short of character references, which probably saved him from the gallows.
“Kirwan obviously knew a lot of people in the medical profession and there were quite a lot of pamphlets published about the case, including not just doctors giving their views in court, but also character references, so he had a lot of influential people on his side, which may have helped,” Harriet says. “His illustrations tend to be quite popular to visitors because they are quite graphic,” she adds, “but there is certainly an interest in the gruesome side of his story, and we try to strike a balance between the sensational and the valid reasons for displaying such items in a medical history collection. He certainly is an interesting figure. “I’m sure there are more stories like those of Pritchard and Kirwan in our collections, it is just a matter of uncovering them. For instance, with Pritchard, if I hadn’t gone through those letters, we never would have found out about his notorious life. Certainly in the library there are many accounts of doctors giving evidence in court of poisonings, and for researchers there is a huge amount of records here that means they could get to uncover new information.”
OBJECTS OF INTEREST It’s not just in the archives that you can find interesting stories, but in the many objects in the collections. As well as antique medical equipment and curios, there are some truly unique pieces of history. “The two most famous things we have are the diaries of Kathleen Lynn, who was Chief Medical Officer for the Irish resistance army in 1916, and Napoleon’s toothbrush,” Harriet tells me.
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Kathleen Lynn’s diary starts on Easter Monday 1916, in which she very casually starts off with ‘Easter Monday, revolution’ and goes on to talk about her role and experiences throughout the Rising. She kept this while she was in prison too, so it gives a fascinating insight into the events of those days and the aftermath.”
Dr Kirkpatrick, whose index details 12,000 registered doctors from the 1850s onwards.
NAPOLEON’S TOOTHBRUSH She adds: “I have a love/hate relationship with the toothbrush because everybody always asks about it,” but the story goes that when Napoleon was captured after Waterloo in 1815, he was taken to St Helena by the British Navy. The doctor on board was Blackrock-born Barry O’Meara, and because he spoke French he could talk to the fallen Emperor and it turns out they got on very well. Napoleon asked for O’Meara to be his personal doctor while he was in captivity, and O’Meara agreed on the condition that he would not be asked to spy on the Frenchman for the British. “Napoleon gave O’Meara several gifts during this time, but because he was in captivity, he didn’t really have much,” Harriet says, “but he did give him snuff boxes and his toothbrush, which we have in our collection, and also a lancet O’Meara used to bleed Napoleon. The items we have from him passed through several Irish surgeons and in the 1930s were given to the College. “O’Meara was quite outspoken about the conditions Napoleon was kept in and subtly suggested that this
Napoleon’s toothbrush.
was making him ill and was intentional, and wrote letters to British papers about it, which didn’t go down well. He was dismissed from the Navy and they tried to get him to stop practising medicine, but he moved back to London and set up a dental practice. He displayed Napoleon’s wisdom tooth that he had removed in his shop window, alongside a letter from Napoleon verifying it was his and recommending him as a dentist. So that brought in a lot of business. “After Napoleon died, O’Meara also published an account of the time they had spent together – he had told O’Meara to keep a diary and when the Frenchman died he could publish it and make a fortune. It was an overnight bestseller and O’Meara ended up very wealthy.
Harriet Wheelock, Keeper of Collections at the RCPI’s Heritage Centre.
“This does tend to come up in quizzes about lesser-known Dublin: Where is Napoleon’s toothbrush? So now you know.”
ARCHIVES The majority of the collections are from the College’s own records and archives, but since the 1860s many more items and records have been donated, so it continues to grow. “Large portraits were donated because people didn’t have enough room for them at home, for example,” Harriet tells me, “and as medical equipment changed, we started to get the more antique equipment donated, and we do still get donations if a doctor passes away. We also get archives from working hospitals so that we can provide access to their historical items, which most hospitals are not able to do themselves. “We have been very lucky to get some very interesting items donated, and we tend not to buy anything because it belittles the donations we have been generously donated.”
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I ask Harriet if she has a particular favourite among the many objects, and she tells me about Dr Kirkpatrick. “Dr Kirkpatrick was registrar of the College between 1910 and 1954, and the majority of the items we have are down to him because either he collected them and gave them to the College, or because he encouraged people to donate them. He collected a huge amount of information on Irish-born doctors, so we have 12,000 biographical files which we call the Kirkpatrick Index. He left his archive to the College, and as well as all of his medical notes and publications, he also left a small book detailing his family history research. Within that book, I discovered that we are actually distantly related. The book is my favourite item, because I appreciate the work he did for the College – I wouldn’t have this job without his contribution – but also was delighted to find out we had a personal connection.”
they have and how to go about doing the research, and post-pandemic that service will return, but you can also commission the Centre to do the research for you for a small fee. The Heritage Centre has also signed a deal with ancestry.com to digitise a lot of their records, which will be worked on after the pandemic ends too. This tracing service has brought numerous successes, and even helped to connect two separate researchers who turned out to be related. “When we are commissioned to do research, I always write up and keep a copy of the report,” Harriet tells me, “and on two occasions we had commissions for the same person from different individuals. Both were distant relatives researching the family history from different sides, so it was nice to be able to match them up.” This research has also resulted in the discovery of more dark tales involving doctors who met untimely ends.
TRACING FAMILY
IRA INVOLVEMENT
The Heritage Centre can also help anybody interested in researching their own family’s links to the medical profession in Ireland, with a number of records to help trace doctors. “Medical registration was introduced in 1858 so from that year onwards every doctor has to register every year, and any doctor who registered after that year is easy to find,” Harriet says. “They are in the register with their name, address and where they worked, so you can get quite a lot of information from that. We also have the Kirkpatrick Index, so if the person you are looking for is in there, that’s great, because a lot of the work has already been done for you. On top of that we also have quite a lot of published works such as histories of hospitals, collections of biographies of doctors, so any number of source materials to help you find out about the doctors in your family history.” In normal times, you could arrange an appointment to visit the Centre and Harriet would show you what records
“One of the more interesting ones we had was when I was asked to do research on an Irish doctor called Charles Pentland,” Harriet says. “He died in London in the 1920s. We had some information on him in the Kirkpatrick Index, with some newspaper cuttings about his death
which detailed that he was killed in a traffic accident right outside his London home. A lorry drove up onto the pavement and knocked him down. “From reading the articles and from other documents we had, it rapidly became apparent that Dr Pentland may have been targeted by the IRA. He had been in the British Army in WW1 and then worked in Leitrim as a doctor. In 1919 or 1920, a farmer came to tell him that he had seen IRA members training nearby, and he felt duty-bound to inform the police. The farmer was killed soon after, and Pentland left for London before he met the same likely fate. “I looked into first-hand accounts of military history and there are several mentions of Dr Pentland by IRA members, one of which said that they knew Pentland was in London and that ‘it was just a matter of time’.” From the curious to the macabre, there are countless stories to be unravelled at the RCPI’s Heritage Centre, and anyone who wants to delve into their family’s connections to the medical profession, discover more about medicine in Ireland over the centuries, or just learn about the many strange and fascinating stories behind the archives and objects held there, can look forward to the time when this pandemic ends and we can step into history once more.
Kathleen Lynn’s 1916 Rising diary.
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Welcome to those in need Bro. Kevin would like to thank those who have donated to the Capuchin Day Centre, enabling us to provide 850 meals a day and 1,700 food parcels a week for the people who attend the centre. We have a doctor’s clinic, dental clinic and chiropodist on-site and showers are provided every day.
Please send a donation, no matter how small to: Bro. Kevin Crowley ofm cap. Capuchin Day Centre, 29, Bow Street, Dublin 7. Telephone: 01-8720770
or donate online
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Cuan Mhuire HARBOUR OF MARY
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NURSING HOMES
BRINGING SAFETY TO HOMES Nursing Homes Ireland CEO Tadhg Daly talks to Adam Hyland about optimism and overcoming the challenges of a very difficult year.
A
year into the pandemic, we are still faced with some uncertainties, and we can’t say just when we will be able to return to a normal way of life. One thing we are certain of is that COVID-19 has hit senior members of society hardest. It is therefore imperative that we are able to keep this most vulnerable group safe, and this difficult challenge is one that Nursing Homes Ireland (NHI) has worked tirelessly to overcome. As the national representative body for the private and voluntary nursing home sector, they oversee the operation of the more than 460 nursing homes in Ireland that provide sustainable, high-quality care to more than 25,000 residents by actively supporting and representing their
members. As Government and Health guidelines and best practices have seen constant change over the past year, and as this unprecedented health crisis rose, fell and rose again, it has been difficult for all care sectors to keep pace. The core values of Nursing Homes Ireland, however, have meant that they have been able to successfully empower their members with up-to-date information and guidance, influence policy decisions through advocacy, and provide leadership to the sector. Other core values that have come to the fore over the last year are the promotion of a positive image of the sector and the important role it plays, and partnership with all relevant stakeholders to support the delivery of care.
CHALLENGES
Nursing Homes Ireland, CEO Tadhg Daly.
“It has been a difficult year for all of us,” NHI CEO Tadhg Daly tells me as we speak about just how the organisation managed to get to the point where nursing homes are now one of the safest places to be in the country as the third wave threatens society once more. “At the outset, when COVID-19 first arrived, there was maybe a blind spot when it came to nursing homes, and our concern was that while there was a lot of preparation going on, it seemed to focus almost exclusively on the acute hospital system, so we had to work hard to ensure our sector was considered. “We were carefully monitoring what had been going on overseas
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BORRIS LODGE Private Nursing Home On visiting Borris Lodge you are immediately struck by the carefree homely atmosphere created to make one feel like a real V.I.P.
St Joseph’s Nursing Home is a newly extended, state-of-the-art nursing home located just outside the beautiful, thriving and scenic town of Kenmare. The home is family run by Donncha, Emer, Sean and Kathleen Kidney who have a combined experience of more than 60 years in the nursing profession. The purpose built fifty bedded Nursing Home is overlooked by the beautiful MacGillycuddy Reeks to the north and is within a stone’s throw of the scenic Kenmare Bay to the south.
Before you make that final decision on where you wish to retire or convalesce- a visit to Borris Lodge is a must.
Email: info@kenmarestjosephs.com Web: www.kenmarestjosephs.com
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Borris, Co. Carlow. Tel: 059 977 3112 Fax: 059 977 3038 Mobile: 086 807 3928. E-Mail: jimmy@borrislodge.ie Website: www.borrislodge.ie
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OAKWOOD
Private Nursing and Retirement Homes
Roscommon & Ballaghaderreen
Thanking THE AMBULANCE SERVICE For all their help and assistance
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Ashford House Nursing Home, Tivoli Terrace East, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, A96 T853. Phone: 01 280 9877 E-Mail: reception@ashfordhouse.ie
FAMILY RUN SINCE 1972
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Sisters of St Joseph of Cluny would like to express heartfelt appreciation to all Ambulance staff for effective and cheerful service always ,especially during Covid
ers
Sist e
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From all of us in
Carysfort Nursing Home 7 Arkendale Rd, Glenageary, Co. Dublin T: 01 285 0780
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Ballard Lodge NURSING HOME Borris Rd., Portlaoise, Co. Laoise
Thank you The Management, Staff and Residents of Hazel Hall Nursing Home wish to thank each member of the Ambulance Services for their tireless work and dedicated service to their patients throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Family run Nursing Home for both Respite/Convalescence and long term care T: 057 866 1299 | E: administrator@ballardlodge.ie
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NURSING HOMES
and had noted that COVID-19 was having a serious impact on older, more vulnerable people. We had the same concerns as others about PPE, adequate testing measures, and of course the discharging of people from hospitals to the nursing home setting without having been tested for the virus, which was definitely a contributory factor in the spread of infection within homes. “These were the early challenges, as was keeping abreast of Government and HSE guidelines that were constantly changing, but we were communicating with our members on a daily basis from February 2020 onwards, updating them on public health guidance so they could be as prepared as they could be, given the enormous challenges we were about to face.”
PROACTIVITY The important role of communicating with members and advocating for the sector to be considered in all health matters resulted in what CEO Daly says was very positive feedback from all members, who felt they were being given the best possible support they could have in order to successfully manage the situation. “This positivity came out of our very responsive and proactive approach where we were liaising with the Department of Health, the HSE, HIQA and all of the relevant State bodies, and acting as a conduit for all the advice, information and support that was fed back to our members.” The proactive approach could be seen in the NHI’s early decision to restrict visiting in March of last year, following a meeting with the Department of Health when concerns over the trajectory of the disease were voiced. This meant the introduction of an essential visitors only rule, and the exclusion of children, with the only exceptions being for palliative care and end of life scenarios. “We were one of the earliest organisations to make that decision,” CEO Daly says. “Looking back, it is
“One of our main priorities for this year is to get back to safe visiting” clear to me that there were very high levels of community transmission that were finding their way into nursing homes, and while some people suggested our action was premature, we are confident that we made the right decision. “These restrictions essentially became part of the national guidance afterwards, and while some of these restrictions were eased towards the end of the summer, unfortunately we are now back in the same difficult position we were in early on. “But restricting visitors was and is important for everybody at the moment, not least the people who reside in the nursing homes, because health care is for all of us, and we have to balance the risk of COVID-19 with the wellbeing of residents.”
COMMUNICATION As advocates for private and voluntary
nursing home providers, residents and all those who live and work in the sector, the last year has seen NHI’s role increase substantially, with constant communication with the relevant State bodies necessary. “Prior to COVID-19, we may have met with the Minister for Health twice a year, and Government and State officials occasionally,” CEO Daly says, “but in the peak of the pandemic we were meeting every week. Because of the impact the first wave was having on nursing homes, it was necessary for us to be in weekly consultation with the Minister and daily contact with department officials. “We needed to ensure that they understood the challenges nursing homes faced on the ground and also what was required in terms of support for the safety and care of the 30,000 people residing in nursing homes across the country.”
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Thank you To our wonderful National Ambulance Service for their great help and support over the past year
Fairfield Nursing Home
Quarry Road, Drimoleague, Co. Cork
From all the Team and Residents at Cherryfield Lodge Nursing Home
the in
Cherryfield Lodge Nursing Home Milltown Park, Dublin 6, D06 79PN 01 498 5800
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Tel: 028 31881 Fax: 028 31882 Email: fairfielddrimoleague@eircom.net Fairfield Nursing Home is a single storey purpose built facility offering the most modern of conveniences and comforts. Accommodations include single rooms en-suite and double rooms en-suite. All bedrooms have individually controlled central heating, over bed light, TV point and telephone point. Some bedrooms and their bathrooms are designed for wheelchair access. Residents are assured of safety and security with a Nurse Call system installed at each bedside, bathroom and reception room.
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NURSING HOMES
VACCINATION Although there is still some uncertainty regarding when the entire population will receive a vaccine, it must be noted that by the time you read this, every single nursing home resident in Ireland will have received both necessary doses, and that must be seen as a great success for the sector. “Every vaccination counts, so it was important and we are very thankful that the National Immunisation Advisory Committee prioritised nursing home residents and staff to become the first to receive them,” says CEO Daly. That rollout in itself was no small undertaking, given that nursing homes are located across the length and breadth of the country. “We had to ensure good communication between ourselves and all of our members to make sure they all knew what was needed for
the rollout of the vaccine,” CEO Daly tells me. “We worked very closely with the HSE to make sure all rollouts were scheduled and carried out in a timely manner, and we made sure that all nursing homes were aware of and prepared for the vaccine to be administered.” What is also encouraging is that the take-up within nursing homes has been close to 100% for residents and 90% for staff, and Nursing Homes Ireland is continuing to engage with the HSE to ensure nursing homes remain COVID-19 free from now on. “We are continuously advocating for the vaccination of all people being discharged from hospitals into nursing homes,” CEO Daly says, “so new admissions to nursing homes will be given the vaccine before they leave the hospital as part of a standard testing regime.” While the vaccine rollout is a major success, there is still a lot of work to
be done by Nursing Homes Ireland, with the focus still very much on the trajectory of the infection rates and the emergence of new variants. “One of the things we are speaking to people in public health about is that while the vaccine is fantastic and a new dawn in some respects, we still need to keep a close eye on infection control measures, and these may be in place for quite some time because we don’t yet know the trajectory of the virus over the next few months,” CEO Daly says. “One of our main priorities for this year is to get back to safe visiting, so we need to keep an eye on developments. We also need to look at the whole model of care because we have to remember that nursing homes are a home for their residents, and we need to move away from a very clinical model of care, so there needs to be a discussion about how we operate and how we see nursing homes in the future and the sustainability of the sector. “It is important for us to be proactive in terms of shaping the future of nursing home care. For me, sometimes the language or narrative around older people can be pejorative and sometimes disturbing – terms like the tsunami of older people – but what we should be doing is celebrating the fact that people are living longer, and that we have a range of supports to tend to their care needs. “We pride ourselves on the fact that we work collaboratively with all stakeholders in the sector, nobody has a monopoly on wisdom. What we need to do is work together, and face the challenge of the integration of the sector, something we look forward to.”
PRAISING STAFF Tadhg Daly is also keen to point out that none of the achievements of nursing homes in Ireland could have been realised without the dedication of staff, something he feels the whole country needs to recognise.
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NURSING HOMES
“Once we are in a safer place, with the vaccination rolled out, it is important to have the ability to reflect and to pay tribute to the staff,” he says. “From nurses to carers to cleaners and kitchen staff, everybody in the sector has worked exceptionally hard in what has been a relentless 12-month period. “I couldn’t give enough praise for people working in the sector because it has been so hard for them, they have worked in very difficult circumstances, but they have never stopped, and in some cases they have lost people they were close to, people they had known and cared for over a couple of years. It has been tragic on so many levels and upsetting for all concerned. We have put in place psychological support to help people who have been affected in this way. It is very important that we don’t just move on, that we recognise these difficulties.” These supports include a partnership with AWARE and the Community Foundation for Ireland that employees of nursing homes can avail of, with NHI ensuring all staff know they are in place and free to use if needed. Nursing Homes
“From nurses to carers to cleaners and kitchen staff, everybody in the sector has worked exceptionally hard in what has been a relentless 12-month period” Ireland is also working with the Hospice Foundation to provide grief management support, while the organisation itself has its own campaign called Caring Together, with videos on the website to promote a better community support and understanding of the nursing home sector and the part it plays in a wellfunctioning health service.
POSITIVITY Every death from COVID-19 is a tragedy, and with the vulnerable demographic within nursing homes, it was inevitable that many deaths
were recorded in this sector, but CEO Daly is keen to point to the overwhelming positivity that can be taken from the way in which the crisis has been handled. “It must be noted that while there have been a significant number of deaths in the nursing home sector unfortunately, the vast majority of those that contracted COVID-19 in a nursing home made a recovery,” he says, “and that is down to the hard work of many people, not least the staff. Despite the tragedies, we are optimistic about the outcome and we have to be positive, and older people themselves are hugely positive. “The resilience of the sector and of all of the residents in the nursing homes has been great, and it has been matched by the community at large who have shown their compassion by dropping in gifts to their local nursing home,” he adds. “That has to be acknowledged as well, because there has been a lot of good that has come out of so much suffering. “We have an increasingly ageing demographic, so the responsibility is on all of us to ensure we have all the supports in place to meet their care needs, and the nursing home sector has a critical role to play in that. We are proud of the care we provide, proud of the staff who have worked so hard, and we look forward to the day when we can safely take a step back to recognise all of the work that has been done.”
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GROWN FOREST
THE POWER OF ONE Dublin Fire Brigade firefighter/paramedic Neil McCabe talks to Adam Hyland about his latest venture into sustainability and a greener environment.
I
n the last few years, Dublin Fire Brigade firefighter and paramedic Neil McCabe has done an incredible amount of work on environmental issues that started out with recycling projects at Kilbarrack Fire Station in north Dublin, and evolved into his innovative GreenPlan that has now become a global initiative that has seen his sustainability programme incorporated into all building planning within Dublin Fire Brigade, Dublin City Council and organisations across the world, culminating in his meeting then-President Barack Obama at the White House. Now, in the latest venture, Neil, serving with A Watch North Strand, has turned his attention to GROWN Forest, a project run as part of the GROWN ethical clothing business he runs with fellow DFB members Damian Bligh of D Watch Blanchardstown, and Stephen O’Reilly at D Watch, Dolphin’s Barn.
GROWN FOREST
Featured on RTÉ’s Eco Eye in August 2020, GROWN Forest represents the impact we can make together by preparing land and forests for future generations to enjoy, with a native tree planting project providing the chance for each individual to make a tangible difference to the environment and embrace ‘the power of one’. It has become an exciting branch of the GROWN ethical clothing business, which grew out of a mission to reduce the amount of plastics making their way into Ireland’s waterways.
FF/P, head of Grown Forest and GreenPlan creator Neil McCabe planting trees on Eco Eye
“We started off as a project to educate people on the amount of plastic waste that was in the ocean,” Neil explains. “Myself, Stephen and Damian swim a lot, and we found that every time we went for a swim we were coming out with a bag of plastic. We wanted to highlight this, because a lot of people don’t know that when you wash your clothes, microbeads are released because clothing has so much plastic and synthetic fibre in it. This makes its way to the ocean and has a terrible effect on marine life. “We developed an organic t-shirt range that eventually expanded to other garments, all with the purpose of saying to people that there are
other ways to buy clothing, to buy better clothing, that shouldn’t cost the earth, literally.” He explains how the idea for a tree planting project came about. “I got the idea of planting a tree for every item of clothing we produced, regardless of whether it sold,” he says. “It has always been a lifelong dream for me to develop forestry and to grow the idea that ordinary people can have a tree planted for them because they bought an item of clothing. “That idea took hold, and for the last two Black Fridays, we closed down the webpage and said to people that if you are online on Black Friday buying something with money you don’t have, for somebody who doesn’t really want
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GROWN FOREST new behaviours in consumerism and views on the environment. “We live such a resource-easy life, but with COVID, people are looking at their own families, at their homes, and I believe that from what I have seen in 12 years of working in environmental matters that definitely in the last few months people have become more environmentally conscious, they can see the needless, fast-paced consumerism we had been used to, but also that we can get by with what we have, we don’t need such a resource-easy supply chain. A gift like a tree is far more meaningful than buying something commoditybased. It’s choosing to make a change. People are starting to say I want to be a
The protected land in Wicklow where people can buy a GROWN Forest native tree to plant. RIGHT: People get the chance to plant their own tree and see the difference it makes to our approach to the environment
something from you anyway, why not buy a native Irish tree instead, and have it planted in Ireland? We got such a good response from it that it became GROWN Forest, and I left the clothing side to the others to spearhead it.” The idea is that the company has bought a collection of joined-up areas of land that have been legally protected so that no trees can be cut down within them, and gives the public the opportunity to buy their very own native Irish tree, enabling them to reduce their own carbon footprint. In many ways, it’s the perfect gift. “The most amazing thing about what we are doing is knowing that the trees we plant will outlive us,” Neil
says. “They won’t be cut down, so this is creating a legacy. You can buy a tree for any occasion – a birth, marriage or death – you pick the species of tree, and we have certain land belts where we plant the specific trees such as Irish oak or holly. The person gets a native tree put in the ground which is then barcoded and verified, and once it has been established, they can eventually go and see their own tree.”
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
With the world and how we live in it turned upside down by COVID-19, Neil feels that there has been a definite shift in mindsets towards
“The most amazing thing about what we are doing is knowing that the trees we plant will outlive us” AMBULANCE IRELAND
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GROWN FOREST part of that change, and that is what I am trying to achieve.” Again, it all goes back to the individual realising that they can make a difference. “Undoubtedly, there are still fossil fuels burning, there are still emissions, so many environmental issues still happening,” Neil says, “but generally, there has been a shift in the psyche where people have become more environmentally conscious, and they are realising that little changes all add up.” Still in its infancy as a start-up, GROWN Forest is growing in popularity and support as not just a business but an ethos. “What’s positive is that people are not just buying a tree, they are buying into what it is all about,” Neil agrees. “We get return customers and people who just want to be a part of what we are doing. They are buying into something completely different. It’s a full-blown legacy that will outlive all of us.” This has led to welcome expansion, with new land recently acquired in Wicklow and plans in place to start planting trees in the coming weeks, and some people will get the chance to take part in this planting: something that is proving very popular. “We get people down to the land to plant the trees, to get soil under their nails, which is a brilliant day out,” Neil explains. “People are completely outside of their natural environment, spade in hand, planting trees they didn’t even know the name of before, but now they know the different species, how to plant them, where they should grow, so it’s a really good day out. There is nothing as amazing as planting a big native Irish tree, and knowing it is growing, to be able to say I planted that, and to be able to look around and see 1,000 of them. It’s a really special feeling. “A lot of people reach out to us asking if they can be involved, and we actually have to cull the numbers because there are too many, we ended up doing a lottery because so many people want to take part. But that’s a good complaint to have.”
“There has been a shift in the psyche ... little changes all add up” Neil says that he has received a lot of positive feedback from his DFB colleagues, many of whom have already bought a tree for a loved one, and are getting the message out that you can make a difference by doing this. “It’s a meaningful gift,” Neil says, “and a lot of DFB members are very interested in that. It all goes back to the power of one – what can you do? You can buy better, and if it doesn’t cost a fortune, and it’s native Irish, there’s a whole story to it. We also give a card that is embossed, environmentally friendly, hand-cut and printed, with the different tree species on them, so there is really nice, tangible element to the gift.”
GROWTH
Speaking about how proud he must be of his achievements with GROWN, Grown Forest, and the GreenPlan, Neil looks back on their humble beginnings. “I’m coming up to my third year in North Strand – which is a terrific place to work - after 12 years in Kilbarrack,” he says. “I wanted a change, but Kilbarrack has been a big part of my life for so many years and I undertook a lot of different projects there for the DFB and Dublin City Council. Kilbarrack was the start of my GreenPlan career as a side project to my work as a FF/P, and that has grown incredibly over the years. We used to joke for years in the station that I would be on the ambulance one day and meeting the President of the United States the next, but then that happened in real life! “I’m proud of that, but also of the impact my work has had on the
DFB, and on fire brigades and other organisations all over the world. The GreenPlan is now being followed in 51 countries and in five languages. There are more than 100,000 applications of the GreenPlan in action globally, it’s a full-blown social enterprise with a real impact, creating a procedurebased system for green living. I could go on for hours talking about it, I am so proud of it. But it had a humble origin in Kilbarrack fire station, with no budget.” It’s a huge achievement that the GreenPlan has been incorporated into the planning for all DFB builds, and those of organisations worldwide, and due to its importance, it has become the norm, which again is something Neil is very proud of. “Every new build, every renovation and refurb, every upgrade, has to follow these procedures and they are set in stone – renewable technology, energy consumption, carbon emissions, waste water, impact on the environment. But we have the luxury now of being able to say everything has been set up and is in place, the procedures are still live, and we don’t have to worry about whether something will be done in the future because they are all part of the procedures and will be done automatically as part of the process. The groundwork is there already. “We did that at Skerries retained station when that was built from scratch, it was all just part of the norm, and the best part is that it is a cultural, behavioural shift, where people are now saying that this is just part of the norm, this is how you go about any build or refurb. Finglas and Phibsboro were overhauled following the same process, and it has gone across the whole DFB and Dublin City Council now, as well as across the world.”
CLIMATE ACTION
That global reach is also seen in another one of Neil’s concerns, Ashoka, of which he is an Irish Fellow and climate change advisor. The organisation emphasises and enables the ability for people to make real change in society.
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GROWN FOREST to talk about the climate crisis, the responses they could make. For me, that was the most fulfilling moment. I had spent years trying to explain that this was a crisis, that if the air isn’t clean, we can’t breathe, and if we can’t breathe, we will die. Climate change is as big as that. And to see that now I don’t have to do that kind of work anymore because climate change is being recognised as such a major issue, shows that 12 years haven’t been wasted. That’s so fulfilling.” As with his journey from Kilbarrack to the White House a few years ago,
Planting native Irish trees helps individuals make a difference to the climate
“Ashoka is a huge part of my life and one of the things I am most proud of,” he tells me. “It means the word to me. I bring the GreenPlan to the table and use Ashoka as a global platform to bring its ethos around the world. It’s great to have an organisation like that which says we want to help and provide a solution to a problem, and for me, it’s an Irish-based solution to the global climate crisis, and it’s really rewarding to see it in action.” This global platform led to what
Neil describes as “the culmination of my work”, when last year, he and other Ashoka Fellows met in Madrid and drafted a climate response plan that would make its way to the UN where it has been taken on as an important programme for climate action. “The event in Madrid was mindblowing in terms of the impact, the people involved,” he says. “The top ten CEOs from the top ten companies in Spain were there, major business leaders coming together
Neil muses on the fact that he is able to talk about UN campaigns he has been involved with and addresses to global business leaders, while sitting in an ambulance in North Strand, but as with the GROWN Forest treeplanting project, great things come from humble beginnings. Find out more about GROWN Forest at www.grown.ie/trees, about GROWN at www.grown.ie, the GreenPlan at www.thegreenplan.ie and Ashoka at www.ashoka.org
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TECHNOLOGY
TECHNOLOGICAL TOOLS
THE LATEST INNOVATIONS FOR THE WORLD’S EMERGENCY SERVICES.
SMART AMBULANCE
Thailand has introduced a new 5G-connected smart ambulance. In partnership with Nopparat Rajathanee Hospital in Bangkok, communications company Thai True Corporation has developed new features for its fleet to help improve diagnostic and treatment procedures, as well as the communication between paramedics and doctors at the hospital. The vehicle, known as the “new ER model” can provide high-resolution large data such as CT scans, x-rays and ultrasound images that can be sent
over a “smart intelligence network”, as well as live streamed footage from internal CCTV cameras. As part of the new model, paramedics can wear AR glasses that also send images to the hospital in real time so that doctors can monitor patients’ symptoms. The ambulance also has an enhanced smart ventilation system that pushes air out of the vehicle and reduces the risk of infection, which is particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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TECHNOLOGY
GREEN LIGHT Traffic lights and intersections in the German city of Ludwigsburg near Stuttgart have been equipped with technology to enable fire engines and rescue service teams to get to emergencies faster. In an initiative led by traffic technology group SWARCO, each light and junction has been fitted with Cohda Wireless MK5 Roadside Units that correspond with the equivalent units on board rescue vehicles to grant them green-light passage en route to emergencies. The system works by sending messages relaying position and speed, several times per second, from emergency vehicles to a traffic light controller, where these signals are processed and compared with scenarios stored in the programming. If the system detects an approaching emergency vehicle, the traffic light controller automatically prioritises that vehicle until it has gone through the lights or intersection. Cohda Wireless’s technology has been applied in other similar ways to make roads safer. In Estonia and Finland, its V2X hardware and software features in a smart pedestrian crosswalk solution that alerts pedestrians and other road-users to danger, while vehicle positioning technology was successfully trialled in the Bjørnegård tunnel in the municipality of Bærum in Norway in an effort to improve vehicle safety in this tunnel and others like it around the world.
EMS APP Montana-based medical tech company Pulsara has developed an app that provides a shared platform for EMS, ambulance and emergency management, allowing paramedics to alert an emergency department of a patient’s status, underlying conditions and initial first-responder treatments, as well as their estimated arrival time at the hospital. The app calculates the ETA based on GPS but also allows users to share important details such as ECGs or images from the scene. It also stores all information shared across the platform so that emergency personnel can review each step of the patient’s treatment to identify areas that need improvement.
WILDFIRE SATELLITE SIGNALS Munich-based start-up company OroraTech has developed an early wildfire detection and monitoring service designed to notify fire departments of fire hotspots early enough to help them execute effective fire management strategies. The company that originated at the Technical University of Munich is developing a constellation of about 100 nanosatellites, or CubeSats, that will greatly improve global coverage from above, overpassing an area every 30 minutes and sending data back to Earth faster than satellites already in orbit. Each nanosatellite will be around the size of a shoe box but will contain all of the processing technology needed to observe potential wildfire activity through high-resolution
thermal imagery capture, and send the information back to the relevant authorities and fire departments. The constellation will be built over the next few years with the first launch expected in late-2021, with the aim being that firefighters can use the wildfire detection and monitoring service to see fires on a global scale or customised area of interest, including different options of map layers such as topography, vegetation, fire danger index and weather to help make it easier to identify and analyse fire events.
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TRAINING
THE PARAMEDIC APPROACH The latest Dublin Fire Brigade recruits came through their paramedic training as Ireland faced a second wave of COVID-19. Course Director Karl Kendellen tells Adam Hyland how it was made possible.
“
T
his group of paramedics is a unique class,” Course Director Karl Kendellen tells me. “No other class in the history of Dublin Fire Brigade has ever had to experience this kind of training while under lockdown due to a pandemic.” These are indeed unusual times, and while these latest recruits did incredible work to ensure they were brought through fire fighting training during the first wave of COVID-19, paramedic training for these and other firefighters has had to be carried out under various levels of restriction, making their graduation just as remarkable. For a start, the class size was unusually large, with 56 on the course. “It was a huge class,” Course Director Kendellen agrees. “We had 43 coming straight in from the recruit class, plus ten personnel coming back from operations, and three external students from Dublin Airport Fire Service. As well as myself, we also had Eithne Scully and Ray Kearney as Assistant Course Directors, eight syndicate officers, and tutors, bringing the teaching faculty to 19. So, there were a lot of people involved, all of whom had to be kept safe and who had to follow very strict
regulations on distancing and hygiene that never changed even when the level of restrictions in the country were changing.” Although the class was made up of new members as well as those who had gained operational experience, all of them were more than familiar with the safety measures that had to be followed, and this ultimately led to the class completing the course during what were difficult times. “I think the operational lads had some exposure to how we could work under new guidelines because they were out in the stations,” Course Director Kendellen tells me. “Even though they weren’t yet trained as paramedics, they would still have been going to a lot of medical incidents on the fire appliances. So, they would have been familiar with the isolation techniques and the PPE. Those coming straight in from recruit training would have experienced how things had to work, and they knew no different, but there was some adapting to what we had specifically in place, and everybody fell into it very easily. “Obviously, there were issues from the point of view of how we would typically run a paramedic class and what we could and couldn’t do under the circumstances, but the students
just rowed in when they were asked to do something, or not do something, they facilitated everything as much as they could.” Starting in September, the course ran through to the end of November, with COVID-19 regulations easing at one stage before being reinforced over this period, and at the time of writing all are now in the supernumerary phase of their internship, serving four weeks as an observing third person on the ambulance. “This has been, and will be, an interesting time for them,” Course Director Kendellen says. “For those who came in straight from the recruit class, it has been a hard year. They got two weeks off after a very challenging recruit training course, before coming back in to the paramedic course, again under difficult circumstances. “It is probably harder for those coming back in from operational work, because they have gotten used to shift work, and had to return to Monday to Friday, which is quite restrictive. And it’s not really nine to five, because there’s a huge amount of reading and self-directed learning that has to be done, so it is full on, it completely takes over their lives for 12 weeks. “One advantage they have is that they have been out at cases and seen incidents – cardiac arrests, broken bones, soft tissue injuries – so they are able to put into context what they are being taught, whereas for those who haven’t yet had the experience, it is still very theoretical.”
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TRAINING
Mannequins were used to simulate patient-led exercises to reduce physical contact between students.
Students were able to remotely observe practical lessons.
Social distancing was adhered to at all times during training.
CHALLENGES
Regarding the course itself, Course Director Kendellen and his colleagues had to devise ways to deliver its component parts safely, which presented many challenges given the hands-on nature of the training, but he had good foundations from which to build. “We used the foundations that were put in place by Course Director Tom Doolan when he took the recruit class,” he says. “We kept the pod system and the syndicate groups with one syndicate officer assigned to each to avoid mixing and the risk of contamination. But we did change a few things to take into account where we were at regarding COVID-19 and the second wave of the pandemic. Ordinarily, people would use their colleague or classmate for practice as a patient, and the nature of the course is that it is a physical, hands-on, skills course, but we used a lot of simulation
mannequins instead of having people lying on the ground and being tended to by their syndicate members.” There was also a lot of planning and back-up planning needed for each component of the course that had to be decided on, based on the restriction levels imposed to combat the pandemic. One example is the Mass Casualty training. “We had several different plans for Mass Casualty,” Course Director Kendellen explains, “from preferably running a major incident in the way we would have done in the past with external services, right down to not being able to do anything at all, and everything in between. If we were to run it as before, we simply wouldn’t have been able to guarantee that we wouldn’t bring COVID in. “Because of that, we had to take the traditional Mass Casualty incident and break it down into what one of the instructors described as a
Mannequins were used for all possible scenarios.
deconstructed mass casualty incident. We were able to run it on a circuit so we had eight different components, with each syndicate starting at one point and rotating through the circuit, so we were still able to manage it as one continuous exercise. Each group got exposure to all the learning objectives they needed to do, and all the practical skills they would need, but on a much more segregated basis. It was an innovative way to do it and we were still able to provide enough realism and practical simulation. “There was, as always, a huge amount of effort put into making it happen, with all of the safety and COVID precautions on top of that, and it worked well, with the feedback very encouraging.” There were also challenges when it came to the less physical, classroom-
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TRAINING
“Even though they didn’t get to bond as a unit, you could see that the class knew they were doing something special here” based elements of the course, but this was also successfully completed. “Apart from figuring out how we were going to manage such a big class and keep them safe, we also had to figure out how we were going to deliver the theory elements of the course properly,” Course Director Kendellen tells me. “Previously we could have had everybody in the one lecture room, but social distancing meant that for us this year we had to have the class split across three rooms. “We ended up streaming from one room into the other two. From a tech point of view, we did have some difficulties, and it was a challenge for instructors to adjust to how they delivered their lectures to a streaming audience, rather than one in their lecture room, and the issues of how to keep that tutor-student interaction. “Students were finding that if they weren’t in the room with the lecturer, it is hard to stay motivated and focused. We had considered running three parallel sessions and rotating the tutors, as they had done with the recruit training, but because of the nature of some of the topics, the lecture could be two or three hours long, and there just weren’t enough hours in the day to be able to do that. But we got through it.”
INNOVATION
The use of innovative technology helped in this regard, with an audio-visual system set up to run the abovementioned simultaneous lectures, but other new ideas were also brought in. “We used a lot of the XVR simulation suite available to us,”
‘Patient’ triage.
Course Director Karl Kendellen.
Course Director Kendellen tells me. “For the Mass Casualty training, we were able to simulate a patient triage exercise on a big screen, almost like a video game, where we could have students walk through a shopping centre and triage patients, and this had never been done before for a paramedic course here. “That was fantastic because when we couldn’t go off-site and commandeer a building, we could do it virtually. We have only touched on the huge potential for this, where we could stream learning exercises to stations. For future training there is so much opportunity for innovative training.”
LEVELS OF RESTRICTION
The safety measures that had to be strictly adhered to remained the same as when the recruits first entered the Training Centre, but what differed for the paramedic class was
Mass Casualty training was separated into different groups but each retained the challenges ordinarily faced in this exercise.
the number of restrictions and relative freedoms that came in before the second wave hit, and this too proved to be a challenge. “The move from Level 5 to Level 3 definitely provided more challenges because,” Course Director Kendellen says, “whereas the recruit training took place during full lockdown, paramedic training was taking place when some restrictions had been lifted, people
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TRAINING
One syndicate group tackling an RTC element of the Mass Casualty incident training.
could socialise, schools and businesses were open, so it was hard to manage and ensure that the students were all protecting themselves and their class outside of the Training Centre. “Through no fault of their own, there were some instances when someone was tagged as a close contact of a positive case, which resulted in self-isolation, but we were always fully focused on how we could maintain the integrity of the course and ensuring we didn’t lose one or two syndicates at any stage through cross-contamination or exposure to infection. “I won’t say we were lucky, because a huge amount of work went into keeping everyone safe at all times. All of the instructing staff, all of the people involved in running the Training Centre, and all of the students, worked hard to ensure they didn’t put themselves in any situation that could result in someone testing positive for COVID-19. One of our big fears was that if someone came in with a positive case, we could lose a third of the class, so there was a lot of work done to mitigate those risks.
ACHIEVEMENT
“To get 56 students through in the middle of a pandemic is a huge achievement, and something I am very proud of,” Course Director Kendellen adds. “I can’t speak highly enough of all the instructing staff who kept it moving, and the students who put a huge amount of effort into not going out and living their lives, because it is hard. Between recruit training and paramedic training it is 26 weeks, half a year, and to not be able to go out and let off steam is a big ask. “Of course, it has been hard in that they haven’t been able to bond as a group in the same way other classes would have. That is an unusual situation to be in, and very different from other when you are literally living shoulder to shoulder with your classmates. The group realised this though, and even though they didn’t get to bond as a unit, you could see that they knew they were doing something special here, it was a very unique set of circumstances to be in, and I felt they were very proud to be performing so well, and not being stopped by the pandemic.
When distancing was impossible, students wore masks to protect each other.
“To be able to get through that due to the hard work put in by the students, the faculty, and the mitigation measures put in place, was incredible. In fact, Brigade Training Officer Brendan Carroll mentioned that DFB affiliated with the RCSI were the only thirdlevel partnership or institution that continued face to face education throughout the pandemic, so that again is a great achievement.”
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MOTORING
AN
ELECTRIFIED The distinctive Ford Kuga SUV – Ford’s most electrified vehicle ever – introduces sleek new exterior design with premium proportions for improved roominess and comfort.
T
he new Kuga Titanium, sporty Kuga ST Line and upscale Kuga Vignale are offered with an advanced range of hybrid powertrains that delivers best-in-class fuel efficiency with the range average improved by up to 28% like-for-like compared with the outgoing model. The Kuga line-up includes Kuga Plug-In Hybrid, Kuga EcoBlue Hybrid (mild hybrid) and Kuga Hybrid (full hybrid) variants, alongside Ford’s 1.5 litre EcoBlue diesel manual. The range offers even more intuitive comfort and driver assistance features, including the FordPass Connect modem that helps owners better manage their Kuga PlugIn Hybrid with new electrified vehicle features for the FordPass app. Further sophisticated technologies include a wireless charging pad and Ford’s SYNC 3 infotainment system1 supported by an eight inch central touchscreen. A premium B&O Sound System produces a high-quality audio experience, while a new industry-first, free-form, 12.3-inch LCD instrument cluster with ‘true colour’ is more informative, intuitive and easier to read. New Stop & Go, Speed Sign Recognition and Lane Centring technologies help drivers negotiate a stop-start and traffic with greater confidence than ever before, while predictive curve light and sign-based light help drivers see more clearly in the dark. Head-up display technology helps drivers to keep their eyes on the road ahead, and Active Park Assist 2 enables fully automated parking manoeuvres at the push of a button. Furthermore, increased rear legroom and luggage space can be realised using sliding second row seats, able to easily move forward or rearward up to 150mm. “The all-new Kuga is our best example yet of Ford’s human-centric design approach; developed in close collaboration with SUV customers to deliver distinctive style, unprecedented powertrain choice, premium comfort and advanced technologies that make life easier for
Line
owners inside and outside of the car,” said Stuart Rowley, President, Ford Europe. The Kuga is based on Ford’s new global front-wheel drive flexible architecture that supports improved aerodynamics for better fuel efficiency and helps reduce Kuga’s weight versus outgoing models by up to 80kg when comparing equivalent powertrain variants. In addition, the Kuga introduces a distinctive new exterior design that is more sculpted and simplified with premium proportions. A streamlined silhouette incorporates a longer wheelbase that creates a larger footprint on the road benefitting ride and stability; a
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MOTORING
longer bonnet; further reclined rear windshield angle; and lower roofline. The result is a more energetic, nimble and capable appearance. A tailored spectrum of choice includes differentiating executions for Kuga Vignale, ST-Line and Titanium variants, each with a unique character to reflect customers’ personalities. With contemporary and confident styling, Kuga Titanium is indicative of the high specification and quality that will be offered to customers. Highlights include a sporty front skid plate and rear diffuser, body-
coloured mirrors, side cladding and door handles, LED daytime running lights and standard 17-inch, or optional 18-inch alloy wheels. The upscale Kuga Vignale conveys exclusive specification and meticulous craftsmanship through bespoke Vignale ornamentation including satin aluminium finishes for the roof rails, bumpers and rocker inserts, as well as unique, elegant front and rear bumper designs. The exterior also features signature Vignale chrome finished front mesh grille and twin tailpipes, alongside standard 19-inch alloy wheels. Windsor leather seats with an exclusive Vignale hexagon design, a leather-wrapped heated steering wheel and velour floor mats further enhance the interior. Bold Kuga ST-Line styling inspired by Ford Performance models includes body-coloured bumpers and side skirts; and a grille, front skid plate, rear diffuser and roof rails finished in black. A large rear spoiler, standard 18 inch alloy wheels, and twin sports exhausts add to the sporty character. Inside a dark headliner, exclusive ST-Line seat designs with contrasting red stitching, alloy pedals, flatbottomed steering wheel, and ST-Line floor mats and scuff plates reflect the performance personality.
POWERTRAIN DIVERSITY
Ford is committed to offering an electrified version of every passenger vehicle it brings to market in Europe and will grow its range of electrified vehicles in Europe to 18 on sale before the end of 2021. The all-new Kuga is the first Ford vehicle to be offered with plug-in hybrid, powertrain technology. The all-new Kuga Plug-In Hybrid delivers the driving range and freedom offered by a traditional combustion engine alongside the efficiency and refinement of an electric powertrain. The battery can be charged using a front fendermounted charging port, and is automatically replenished on the move using regenerative charging technology that captures kinetic energy normally lost during braking. To fully charge the battery from external 230-volt electricity supply will take less than six hours. Drivers can choose when and how to deploy battery power using EV Auto, EV Now, EV Later and EV Charge modes. When the battery reaches its lowest state-of-charge, the Kuga automatically reverts to EV Auto mode – supplementing petrol engine power with electric motor assistance using recaptured energy for optimised fuel efficiency. All-new Kuga customers can also choose the Ford EcoBlue diesel engine with optimised power and refinement. Powertrains are supported by standard Auto Start-Stop for reduced running costs, fitted with a slickshifting six-speed manual transmission. All-new Kuga is offered in 11 colours and is available in four series: Titanium, ST-Line, ST-Line X and Vignale.
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MOTORING
C
itroën Ireland has announced details of their new tenth generation compact hatchback, the Citroën C4 and fully electric ë-C4. The Citroën C4 was first launched as the French brand’s first compact vehicle. However, it is best known for the 2004 edition, which sold 3 million units globally and embodied Citroën’s boldness for technology. The new C4 draws on Citroën’s long and rich experience in the compact hatchback segment, which started in 1928 with the first generation C4. This was later followed by the Ami 6 and Ami 8, which were renowned for their comfort in the 1960s. The following decade saw the introduction of the GS and GSA, featuring hydropneumatic suspension. The Citroën BX was launched in the 1980s and the ZX in the early 1990s, followed by the Xsara in 1997, C4 in 2004 and first edition C4 Cactus in 2014. The new C4 marks the tenth generation of compact hatchback from Citroën and with 92 years of segment experience and a related 12.5 million compact hatchback sales globally, Citroën are promising the new C4 will offer an innovative design and style.
THE
French
CONNECTION Available in petrol, diesel and all-electric, the new Citroën C4 offers the elegance and fluidity of a modern hatchback.
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MOTORING
CITROËN IN IRELAND
As an international automotive brand at the heart of the mainstream market, Citroën has cultivated creativity since 1919. Citroën currently offers eight passenger car models in Ireland: C1, C3, C3 Aircross, C4 Cactus, Grand C4 Spacetourer, C5 Aircross, Berlingo and the Spacetourer. Also on offer is a range of commercial vehicles, including the Berlingo van (2020 Irish Van of the Year), the Dispatch and Relay.
colour packs. There are also six different interior choices and a host of alloy wheel options available to ensure optimal customisation. On the inside, the C4 is modern, featuring a clean, contemporary dashboard, softly shaped door panels and supple materials throughout. The wide horizontal dashboard gives passengers a feeling of space and volume, while the chevron grain pattern on the dashboard and satin chrome (or high-gloss black) accents on the vents, steering wheel, instrument panel and cabin controls offer a comfortable cabin experience by clearly identifying useful touch-points. The short front and rear overhangs, combined with the large-diameter wheels and ground clearance, give the C4 an elevated posture to offer occupants increased visibility.
ELECTRIC FEEL
The front end of the new C4 boasts a v-shaped lighting signature that incorporates Citroën’s new design standards and includes double-stage headlights with chrome chevrons stretched across the entire width of the vehicle. These iconic chevrons flow to the LED daytime running lights at the top and extend to the LED headlights at the bottom. The bonnet, high and horizontal, echoes the concave shape of C5 Aircross SUV and exudes an energetic and assertive attitude. The unique roof-line, combined with the sloping rear window, clearly expresses the aerodynamics of the vehicle, while the rear spoiler enhances the vitality of the body shape. This gently sloping roof and overhanging side windows is a nod to the iconic Citroën GS, but also offers a design feature that allows for a generous boot volume of 380 litres.
SPACE IS ACE
The new C4 offers a choice of 31 colour combinations thanks to seven exterior colours options and five exterior
The Citroën C4 will incorporate the Citroën Advanced Comfort programme, featuring suspension with progressive hydraulic cushions and advanced comfort seats to ensure driving comfort. The new C4 will also be paired with a wide variety of engine options, including three petrol variants: a PureTech 100 S&S six-speed manual gearbox and a PureTech 130 S&S with a choice of sixspeed manual or EAT8 gearbox. There will also be two diesel engines, the BlueHDi 110 S&S 6-speed manual and BlueHDi 130 S&S EAT8. The C4 will feature all-electric drive for the first time; this ë-C4 will offer a 100kW (136hp) package with a WLTP range of 350km. This package is particularly powerful and energetic with 260Nm of torque instantly available for clean, linear acceleration of 0-100km/h in 9.7 seconds and a top speed of 150km/h. The 50kWh electric motor is high-voltage 400V Li-Ion battery and comes with an eight-year 160,000km warranty. The ë-C4 will also feature regenerative braking and a mode selector on the centre console for Eco, Normal or Sport modes. Pat Ryan, Managing Director of Citroën Ireland, comments: “The new C4 finally squares the circle in terms of finding a comfortable family hatchback that offers everyday practicality without compromising on style. The C4 is compact on the outside, but spacious on the inside. It’s also an elegant and sturdy vehicle that I believe will do extremely well here in Ireland. First models have arrived in January 2021 and we will be announcing our prices and specifications for this fantastic new compact hatch in September.”
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOKSHELF
BEST READS FOR EARLY 2021
BEYOND THE TAPE
The Life and Many Deaths of a State Pathologist
A
nyone who watched news coverage in Ireland between 2004 and 2018 will be familiar with the sight of Dr Marie Cassidy, former state pathologist, on her way across a field or into a house in oversized forensics gear to examine a crime scene. In this very interesting and entertaining memoir, Dr Cassidy takes us from her working-class background in Glasgow, through her professional career as a forensic pathologist in Scotland before moving to Dublin and eventually becoming Ireland’s head pathologist until she retired two years ago. From her first case in 1997 when she arrived in Dublin to discuss a possible deputy state pathologist post but found herself immediately whisked away by Garda escort to a Grangegorman murder scene, through the many high-profile and notorious cases in recent Irish criminal history, this book serves almost as an anthology to Ireland’s most famous murder cases of the last 20 years. Dr Cassidy takes us through the details of some harrowing cases that have rocked the country, and how the tell-tale signs of suspicion were noticed: The murders of schoolboy Robert Holohan in Cork in 2005, killed by a neighbour; Siobhan Kearney in 2006, murdered by her husband who tried to make the death look like suicide; Rachel O’Reilly in 2006, murdered by her husband who blamed the crime on burglars; and Tom O’Gorman in 2014, killed by his
Author:
DR MARIE CASSIDY
Publisher:
HACHETTE
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tenant who stabbed him and ate some of his body parts. Her insights into these cases and the ways in which vital evidence was secured at sometimes gruesome crime scenes is fascinating, but what really makes this memoir stand out – apart from the many short anecdotes of unfortunate deaths - is the way in which the author serves up a primer on the history, role and methods of death investigations. Indeed, it is the way in which Dr Cassidy outlines the challenges faced at some scenes that provide the more shocking details and
insights into the approach needed to gather evidence. Despite, or perhaps because of the scenes being described, the author instils a good deal of black humour into this memoir, displaying her personality as a leading expert in pathology who still knows that what she saw on a daily basis was nowhere near a normal day’s work. “This is your opportunity to duck under the police tape with me,” she tells us. “Walk carefully in my footprints and follow me into the scene, but don’t touch anything.”
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BOOK REVIEW
THE HILL
Author:
BERNARD BROGAN
Publisher:
REACH SPORT
Available:
EASONS.COM Price:
€14
With seven All-Ireland winning medals, five Championships and four All-Stars, Bernard Brogan’s career with Dublin GAA has been a huge success. Yet none of his achievements came easily, and in this engrossing autobiography co-penned by journalist Kieran Shannon, he outlines the many challenges he had to overcome to remain relevant in an all-conquering Dublin team in the last couple of years after a second cruciate knee injury. It was never going to be easy to live up to the achievements of his father and brothers, but his steely focus, and a refusal to give up, meant he ended his footballing career on top as part of the Five In A Row side, while juggling the demands of several successful business ventures and a young family. Apart from the fascinating details about the inner workings of the Dublin team, what stands out in this insightful read is Brogan’s determination to overcome intense frustration in a high-performance arena, to be part of something bigger than the individual, to leave a mark as part of a team. Highly recommended.
CHAMPAGNE FOOTBALL
John Delaney and the Betrayal of Irish Football
Authors:
THE SEARCHER
MARK TIGHE & PAUL ROWAN
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VIKING
EASONS.COM €30
With an author interview airing on Virgin Media in October, now is the time to dive into this thoroughly well-researched and excellently written exploration of the 15 years in which John Delaney was head of the FAI. After years in which everybody just shook their heads at the stories of ineptitude and money wasting, Sunday Times journalists Mark Tighe and Paul Rowan finally published a series of revelations about Delaney’s lavish lifestyle and income while the financial situation of the FAI got worse and worse. The details included here – especially those of his lavish 50th birthday party financed by the FAI - will provoke laughter at such frivolity and excess, but the lingering feeling is that of anger, especially when the Irish taxpayer has been expected to chip in to help rebuild the organisation’s finances.
TANA FRENCH VIKING
EASONS.COM €15
The award-winning, hugely successful Tana French returns with this gripping thriller about a recently divorced retired Chicago cop who wants nothing more than to settle down in a quiet Irish village and live in peace. Needless to say, Cal Hooper’s plans almost immediately go awry when a local boy knocks on his door asking for help finding his missing brother. The author is a master at constructing stories about hidden motives and secrets, and doesn’t disappoint with this new character who tries to get to the centre of a mystery while remaining very much on the outside of a seemingly idyllic community.
IRELAND 52 AMBULANCE
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25/03/2021 14:40
WWW.SAFETYONTHEWATER.GOV.IE
STAY AFLOAT STAY IN CONTACT Before you go on the water, check weather and tides. If conditions are unsuitable or if in any doubt cancel your trip and stay safe. • Plan your trip carefully and never go out alone. • Let someone ashore know where you are going and when to expect you back. • Carry a means of communication for raising the alarm should you get into difficulty (e.g. VHF Radio, PLB, Flares) • Check the Safety on the Water website www.safetyonthewater.gov.ie for advice and safety guidelines.
NEVER EVER SWIM ALONE In an emergency, call the Coast Guard on Marine VHF CH. 16 or call 112 / 999
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INSURING
IRELAND
At IPB Insurance, we are proud to be Ireland’s only indigenous mutual insurer, owned by, and managed on behalf of our Local Authority and ETB Members. From the Cliffs of Moher to the Spire in Dublin, we have been protecting our Members and their communities nationwide for over 90 years.
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