Dublin Voice 24-4-2020

dublinvoice April 24, 2020 t: 01 901 5565, e: info@dublinvoice.ie

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Break-ins rise as burglars stay local

There has been a sharp increase in the number of burglaries in commercial premises across Dublin as criminal gangs are forced to stay local due to Garda patrols enforcing travel restrictions.

Gardaí have been called to the scenes of a number of breakins or attempted burglaries at premises in the capital since the Covid-19 pandemic began.

Officers suspect that a criminal gang which used to

target suburban Dublin has now moved closer to the city centre to carry out the crimes.

Premises with expensive fixed assets and stock, such as pubs, are being targeted by the burglary gang.

Fianna Fáil’s Jim O’Callaghan said Gardaí have also reported an increase in Cork, Limerick and Waterford in the past number of weeks.

He said: “Gardai have reported a recent increase in crime in

cities. Gardaí believe that the checkpoints established as part of Operation Fanacht have interrupted the movement of criminal gangs who target rural areas close to the motorway.

“Commercial premises have now become target areas. I would strongly urge communities to remain vigilant of suspicious activity during these testing times.”

“There are so many premises lying idle at the moment and

owners are doing everything in their power to mitigate against burglaries,” Adrian Cummins, head of the Restaurant Association of Ireland, told TheJournal.ie. “Our industry would not be as high risk as say those with a significant quantity of alcohol stock, valuable furniture or TV equipment. “ Gardaí have also seen burglars targeting homes while families exercise or go shopping during the lockdown.

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Unit 5, IDEA House, Killarney Road Business Park, Bray

Students registered for SciFest 2020 are being asked to upload their projects online for judging for this year’s 15th annual SciFest@College competition - log onto www.scifest.ie for online judging by May 14

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COVID-19 OUTBREAK Don’#t forget to wash your hands

COVID-19 OUTBREAK Don’#t forget to wash your hands

April 24, 2020

Oh baby! Sales of pregnancy test kits increase by 25%

THE country looks set for a a baby boom later this year and early next year after local stores saw an increase of 25% in the sales of pregnancy test kits.

Yes, Dealz, may just have solved the mystery of how couples have been keeping themselves busy during the lockdown following the rise in demand for the €1.50 kits.

The discount retailer, which has kept its stores open to

sell essential items, has seen the rise of 25% since the first week of lockdown, with sales at Dealz Tallaght store surpassing the rest of the country - banana bread musn’t be the only bun in the oven!

“If you’ve been wondering how people have been spending their time in lockdown, we’ve found the answer,” Sharon Sheridan, Country Manager for Dealz Ireland said. “Couples under

the same roof don’t need to worry about social distancing and as our sales figures show, they’ve been getting up close and personal, finding more ways to relax other than watching Netflix or doing jigsaws.”

Dealz buyers have already started planning Christmas ranges, but at this rate baby clothes and teddy bears are likely to be top of the gift list, they say.

Animal lovers warned

pet-owners are being advised to wash their animals after it emerged Coronavirus could be transferred through our furry friend’s furs and coats.

The Veterinary Council of Ireland (VCI) say although pets are not considered to be active transmitters to humans, they can carry Covid-19 in their fur and their faeces.

With this in mind, the VCI has given new pet guidance due to the Covid-19 pandemic, advising people who have tested positive to isolate their pets for two-weeks also.

The VCI are urging people who think their pet came into contact with a confirmed case to wash their pet, and advise petowners to follow good hygiene advise when handling their pets, including washing their hands with soap in hot water after petting or handling them, and the same after clearing up their droppings.

CEO of the Veterinary Council Niamh Muldoon said precautions need to be taken: “Obviously you wash your hands after you interact with any animal.”

Summer’s top events cancelled to prevent contagion The country is set for a Summer like no other after all festivals and mass gathering in the country are to be ruled out unti the end of August.

It means no major sporting fixtures or concerts will take place in the country this summer after the Government said local authorities had been advised not to consider licences for any such major events.

Meanwhile the cancellation of the 2020 Tidy Towns competition was confirmed

by Minister for Rural and Community Development Michael Ring “in the interests of public health and safety”.

“I know that many TidyTowns Committees have been wondering if the competition will proceed this year and I believe it is important to provide certainty .

“For me, the health and welfare of the volunteers on the TidyTowns Committees is paramount. Given the current restrictions around public gatherings, travel, and adherence to social distancing, it would not be appropriate to ask voluntary groups to work on TidyTowns projects in their communities at this time.

“I have therefore decided that the TidyTowns competition will not go ahead this year.”

Although sporting events are not covered by licences they are also likely to be cancelled in the coming weeks.

This means the 2020 AllIreland championships cannot go ahead as normal, in packed stadiums, before the autumn, while the League of Ireland, racing festivals and other major sporting events will be severely curtailed, if they can go ahead at all.

MCD owner Denis Desmond has said he is not surprised by the Government’s decision to ban large gatherings .

Mr Desmond, who is the biggest promoter of live shows in Ireland, said he was already planning for a cancellation of the shows planned for the summer time as many international acts are not touring anyway.

“It was only a matter of time.

It’s the right thing to do.We’ve been expecting it. Germany and Denmark announced these restrictions last week and it’s only a matter of time before the UK announces it too,” he said.

“Everybody needs to be on the same page.

“American acts would find it difficult to come to Europe.

They would not just be dependent on shows in the UK and Ireland, they would have to have shows in Europe too.”

Enable Ireland makes appeal as shops close

Enable Ireland is appealing to the people of the county to help them raise funds after they were forced to temporarily close their 21 charity shops due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The charity is now facing a potential loss of €1.5m income in 2020 and is asking members of the public who are at home during the outbreak, to take some time to de-clutter their wardrobes and homes and get ready to donate their unwanted

items to Enable Ireland once their shops re-open.

You can support Enable Ireland by shopping on their online charity shop www. enableireland.ie/shoponline or donate online at www. enableireland.ie/donate.

Enable Ireland is a national charity which employs 1,200 staff and provides disability services to over 8,500 children and adult with disabilities in 15 counties.

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Council sees rise in dumping

The local council, along with local authorities throughout the country, has recorded a significant increase in illegal dumping and fly tipping since people were asked to stay at home as a result of Covid-19.

All domestic waste services are showing increases in waste generated at home as we spend more time there and do all our eating and consumption in our own homes.

Staying at home has been linked to an increase in DIY and many people are taking the opportunity to declutter.

Online deliveries have grown generating extra packaging waste.

The increase in dumping is most noticeably in the form of small-scale fly tipping with individual items dumped or small quantities of household waste by individuals.

The dumping is occurring more locally with offenders travelling short distances.

The number of bulky items being dumped, such as mattresses, has also grown.

Street bins have seen big increases in volume even when few people are out and about.

April 24, 2020

Ready, steady, go: Rules set ‘Help’ pleas flood to ease for older people from locals to Community Call

Older people are expected to be allowed to exercise outdoors when the Government announces the first measures to ease Covid-19 restrictions on May 5.

Over-70s will still be asked to ‘cocoon’, but they will no longer be forced to stay in their homes 24 hours a day, according to a report in today’s Irish Independent.

It says the expected ban on non-essential travel will also be relaxed to allow people to travel more than 2km from their homes, although a new

limit is likely to be set.

Plans are also being drafted to allow hardware stores and garden centres to re-open as long as social distancing measures are adhered to.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he hopes to be able to announce the removal of some coronavirus restrictions by May 5th but did not want to give “false assurances”.

Mr Varadkar confirmed the Government will release details of its plans to lift restrictions introduced to combat the spread of coronavirus in

work of community groups and individuals who have volunteered their assistance during the COVID-19 emergency.

The COVID-19 Community Call Helpline is here if you need:

advance of May 5, when they are due to be either lifted or extended.

Asked on RTÉ if there might be some removal of restrictions on May 5, Mr Varadkar said: “That is what I’m hoping when I stand up there and speak to the Irish people in early May, that is what I want to be able to say, but I don’t want to give a false assurance now.”

He said it would depend on the infection rate of the virus, capacity in hospitals and testing and tracing.

THE county’s Community Call has received hundreds of calls in its first week of operation.

A team of staff from the Council and HSE staff have been covering 12-hour shifts from 8am to 8pm every day to operate the service which aims to direct people to the help they need during the Covid-19 crisis.

No request is considered nonessential and there are huge numbers of community and voluntary groups and local organisations working in the background to make sure noone is left in need of help.

The special Helpline and dedicated email – which is open every day from 8am to 8pm - is available to elderly and vulnerable people who need urgent assistance at this time.

Operating since March 31, the Helpline has already proven successful with several hundred calls responded to.

The majority of requests are seeking assistance with delivery of shopping for those elderly and vulnerable people who are cocooning.

The county has a large net-

The Leaving Cert exams will take place this Summer, starting on Wednesday, July 29.

The date was confirmed

by Education Minister Joe McHugh in the Dáil recently.

He said a full schedule for the exams will be released in the first week of June.

The news has been welcomed by teachers’ unions.

However, Teachers Union of Ireland President Seamus Lahart warned the new exam timetable will also impact the start date for the new college year and people will have to prepare to work around that.

Minister McHugh’s announcement followed calls from Fianna Fáil’s Health spokesperson Stephen Donnelly TD for clarity on the Leaving Cert exams, stating it was causing students mental anguish not having a definitive date for the beginning of the

exams. The Wicklow TD said: “The Leaving Cert is a challenging time for students in ordinary times, however the situation has been exacerbated and heightened given the unprecedented situation we are all facing in containing the Coronavirus.

“I fully appreciate that the public health emergency is the main priority at this time, but we will be facing very serious mental health repercussions unless the government and the Education Minister in particular begins to address the very real concerns of students, teachers and parents.”

Meanwhile Minister McHugh has asked second-level schools to hold-off on making decision regarding assessment arrangements for Junior Cycle students until a collective agreement as to how to proceed is reached with education

partners. Three schools have announced that they will not be participating in tests planned for autumn which will replace the traditional exams.

The Department said the State Examinations Commission will send exam papers it has prepared to schools so that they can be used in school-based exams that individual schools will organise in the autumn.

These exams are not going to be certified State exams.

However, problems have emerged with this model; chief among them that if schools are to hold the exams on different days, students in some schools will become aware of what is coming up in the papers.

Three schools in Galway, Kilkenny and Limerick have already announced that they will not be participating in this arrangement, preferring to hold end-of-year assessments.

• Food, household items, fuel, medications collected or delivered • Someone to talk to or other social supports • Meals delivery • Response to Garda related concerns • Help with other medical or health needs See ad vertisement on page 3 for all contact details.

Meanwhile, ALONE, the national charity for older people, is partnering with each COVID-19 Community Call Forum.

If you need information, reassurance, or just to talk you can call them on 0818 222 024.

You can also contact ALONE if you are experiencing difficulties with physical and mental health, finance, loneliness and other challenges.

School’s out but Leaving cert to begin on July 29

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April 24, 2020

opinion&comment

Grass is always shorter on otherside

H

ow does your garden grow?

Hardly at all, if my neighbours are anything to go by. Never have lawns been so frequently mowed or hedges so regularly trimmed.

Lockdown has turned many fingers green. One of my daughters is planting a wildflower garden at her house, another has taken to growing vegetables.

I am sorry to report that this green tide has not reached me.

As I have confessed in this column before, my efforts at gardening are largely a form of warfare, in which I emerge from the trenches for slash and burn attacks aimed at halting the advance of weeds and their allies, the brambles. Sadly, noncombatant flowers and inoffensive shrubs often fall victim to friendly fire.

Lockdown has not changed my approach but, whereas these manoeuvres were once conducted every six months at most, I now go over the top every six days, more frequently if

Michael Wolsey

there is nothing good on television.

My lawn is cut to the quick, the shrubs reduced to stumps, and woe betide any weed that dares to raise its head in Wolsey Gardens.

DIY has also spread among my neighbours like, well, a virus.

I am told that new-found enthusiasm for baking has put flour in short supply. Surely, the same will soon apply to paint.

The decent man next door, having painted a small wall that divides us, asked if he could pop over and do my side. I assured him he was welcome - “do the

whole house if you like!”. And, you know, if this goes on much longer, he just might.

I have no plans to give it a try myself. I believe writing and painting don’t mix and, because that is a good excuse, refer you in evidence to the case of Brendan Behan who was a painter before he was an author.

Behan was employed by Irish Lights and sent to paint a lighthouse at St John’s Point, which is on the County Down coast,

not far from Newcastle.

The budding playwright charmed many of the locals but not the principal lighthouse keeper, a Mr D Blakely, who wrote to Irish Lights asking them to sack Behan, whom he described as “the worst specimen” he had met in 30 years of service .

“His language is filthy and he is not amenable to any law or order,” he wrote. “The spare house, which was clean and

ready for painters, has been turned into a filthy shambles inside a week. Empty stinking milk bottles, articles of food, coal, ashes and other debris litter the floor of the place which is now in a scandalous condition of dirt.”

Although Behan often boasted about his painting skills, I suspect his heart was never really in the job.

His approach, as described

by Mr Blakely, seems rather

like my own on the odd occasion when I have been called upon to tackle such work. “He is wilfully wasting materials, opening drums and paint tins by blows from a heavy hammer, spilling the contents which is now running out of the paint stores. Drums of waterwash opening and exposed to the weather, paint brushes dirty and lying all around the station — no cleaning up of any mess but he tramps through everything.”

The letter was written in 1950 when Behan was 27. Mr Blakely also complained that “the painter B Behan (was) absent from his work all day yesterday and not returning to station until 1.25am this morning”.

I suspect Behan may have discovered the simple truth that, if you approach a job really badly, someone else is likely to do it for you.

That’s my plan for home improvements in this era of coronavirus. The painter is poised next door. Now I just need to find a volunteer plasterer, window cleaner and landscape gardener. Time, I am sorry to say, is on my side.

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April 24, 2020

insideback

Is June realistic for sport to restart?

W

hile the Premier League in England scrambles for a plan to allow them to finish the 2019-20 season, we have had a plan in place here for some time, namely resuming League of Ireland activities in June.

The question has to be asked though, is June realistic for the resumption of the SSE Airtricity Premier and First divisions (the ‘June Plan’ involves resuming the leagues on the weekend of Friday 19 June and finishing in December)?

The same questions applies to GAA, rugby and all other sports.

An awful lot of water has flowed under the bridge since the plan was hatched a month ago after a teleconference involving all 19 League of Ireland clubs.

It pains me to say it – because like everyone else I want football and every other aspect of life to return to normal – but I don’t think we will be seeing

football resume in June. That’s just too soon to be able to have large gatherings of people huddled in stadiums, not to mention players up close and personal with each other on the field.

Too much is still up in the air about COVID-19.

We are still in full lockdown as we wait for the pandemic to be brought under control.

Hospitals are strained to breaking point.

There is no vaccine on the horizon, no evidence that even if we get antibody testing (to see who has had the virus) that it will prove ongoing immunity in those who have cleared the virus from their systems. Social distancing will be a feature of life into 2021.

Major sporting events due to be scheduled over the summer have fallen off the 2020 calendar. No Wimbledon, no Tour de France, no Tokyo Olympics, no 2020 UEFA European Championships.

This summer will not be one for sport.

It will be one for the serious business of continued social distancing, lifting of lockdowns gradually and planning for how

Waterford FC’s Graham Cummins gets the better of Bray Wanderers Gary Shaw in a match before the lockdown began

to get back to normal while dealing with COVID-19 on an ongoing basis going forward.

September is a more realistic target for resuming in my opinion.

The FAI need to take the decision that all football activity remains suspended until the other side of the summer.

What would that mean? It would mean having only the period from September to December available to complete the 2020 SSE seasons.

The obvious thing would be to give both the Premier and First divisions a haircut that would reduce them to two series of games, namely each club playing each other once at home and once away.

Even this – as extreme as it sounds – wouldn’t be the end of things. You are looking at reduced crowds being allowed into stadiums to allow for social distancing. Add in the wearing of gloves that would muffle both COVID-19 and the claps of fans, facemasks that would muffle both COVID-19 and the cheers of fans and it will make for a very bizarre experience.

- Brian Quigley

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April 24, 2020

WILDLIFE

ninenottomiss

April Flowers

book of the week

with Justin Ivory

Robin in song.

(Photo Justin Ivory) It’s May so it is time to set your clocks early to get up and celebrate the beauty of birdsong with one of nature’s great events – the dawn chorus.

If you have never been privy to this magical experience, then I urge you to at least once make the effort to drag yourself out of bed before dawn. You will be in for a treat.

What is the dawn chorus?

It is the time of day when birds are at their most vocal and it reaches a peak in May in the Northern Hemisphere as by this time most of our summer migrants have arrived in and join with our resident birds.

The highest number of individuals and range of species are singing this month to create the best free daily concert you’ll ever hear!

Which birds sing?

It is mainly male birds that sing with one notable exception being the Robin, where females also sing (but mainly in Autumn/Winter).

Why do birds sing?

Two main reasons; to mark and defend a territory, and to attract a mate.

Why sing at dawn?

Many reasons. It is an efficient use of time as it is still too dark to search for food. It let’s rival males know you survived the night and the territory is still occupied.

There is not much predator activity at this time of the day, so it is safer. Females are also at their most fertile early in the morning.

There is less air and wind turbulence, and less background noise, so sound carries further.

International Dawn Chorus Day Sunday May 3 marks International Dawn Chorus Day while Sunday May 17 marks National Dawn Chorus Day and there will be events happening across the country.

You can join me at 4am in the wonderful Killruddery estate in Bray on both days where I will be leading walks followed by breakfast (need to register in advance).

tv show of the week

HOROSCOPES

film of the week

Normal People

By Sally Rooney

OZARK Netflix

Selah and the Spades Amazon Prime

Sally Rooney’s novel is long-listed for the Man Booker Prize, and there is a Lenny Abrahamson TV adaptation coming to RTE on Tuesday evenings. The author understands enduring Irishness, sifting forensically through the leavings of intense pain. Normal People follows the author’s successful debut, Conversations with Friends, and the central, on-off relationship is documented with remarkable commitment. The saga commences as Connell and Marianne begin a sexual relationship in their last year in school in the West of Ireland town of Carricklea and takes off from there.

The comparisons with Breaking Bad don’t go away but, now in its third series, pretty much everyone watching Ozark will tell you that at its best it is criminally good backwoodsnoir. The previously mild-mannered financial adviser Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) continues to be up to his neck in it with drug barons in Missouri. Like Breaking Bad’s Walter White, Marty becomes ever more darkly criminal as he gets increasingly desperate. It’s a show that runs on his life-or-death problemsolving, and a whole lot of murk.

The characters in Tayarisha Poe’s film, pupils at an elite American boarding school, are precocious even by the standards of such places. They feud like movie gangsters. Nifty dialogue, music and camerawork support this concept, creating a heightened teenage drama.

Lovie Simone and Celeste O’Connor, as the faction leader Selah and her protégée, give a well-acted portrait of two young women. “This arresting debut about a high-school ‘queen bee’ nurturing her successor-in-crime heralds a singular new talent in director Tayarisha Poe,” The Guadian says. High praise indeed.

charity of the week

game of the week

kids film of the week

Aries Keep practicing. Discipline with your work builds the infrastructure for a successful career. Plan and do the homework.

Taurus Anticipate an educational change. The completion of a project opens time for something more fun.

Reinforce foundational structures.

Gemini Financial discipline pays off. Collaborate for a shared venture. Contribute what you can. Review budgets and plans together.

Cancer Coordinate efforts with your partner. Take care of practical priorities and then celebrate the results together.

Leo Practice with mental as well as physical discipline. Build and strengthen foundational basics before advancing to more difficult moves.

enable ireland www.enableireland.ie

linkee www.playlinkee.com

Trolls World Tour U, 91 mins, Various streaming sites

Enable Ireland is appealing to the people of the county to help them raise funds after they were forced to temporarily close their 21 charity shops due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The charity is now facing a potential loss of €1.5 million income in 2020 and is asking members of the public who are at home during the outbreak, to take some time to de-clutter their wardrobes and homes and get ready to donate their unwanted items to Enable Ireland once their shops re-open. You can support Enable Ireland by shopping on their online charity shop www.enableireland.ie/shoponline

Linkee is the super-simple, ‘shouty-outy’ family quiz game that does things a little differently to other games. It’s easy to learn, answer four questions, then work out what links those answers and shout ‘linkee’. Get it right and win a letter, win enough letters to spell LINKEE and you win the game. You don’t have to be a trivia genius to be good at Linkee, you don’t even need to know the all the answers to play along. It’s all about making connections and taking risks. It only takes two minutes to learn and 30 minutes to play, you’ll never get bored with 100s of questions inside.

The glittery pop-singing creatures used to think they were the only trolls in their world, but now — in one of those sudden changes often found in gratuitous sequels — they learn they are one tribe among six. The other five have different musical loyalties, and when the rockers set out to conquer everyone, it falls to Poppy, the first film’s heroine (voiced by Anna Kendrick), to try to save cultural diversity. Compared with its 2016 predecessor, the sequel is duller and more conventional. Still, songs and silliness abound.

replay of the week

radio show of the week documentary of the week

Virgo Experience is the best teacher. Listen to elders and young people. Investigate your passion for deeper understanding.

Libra Take care of domestic chores and responsibilities.

Take out the trash, and do the dishes. Clean bathrooms and floors.

Scorpio The dynamics of a conversation change.

Context is decisive. Keep your word, and stay respectful.

Sagittarius

Stick to tested and reliable suppliers, methods and partners. Profit through providing excellent service.

Keep your financial agreements.

love/hate RTÉ Player

liveline RTE Radio 1, Mon-Fri 1.45-3pm

It’s hard to believe this show started nearly 10 years ago. The first season introduced John Boy, criminal kingpin, and the four friends Darren, Nidge, Robbie and Tommy as members of his gang. The show has also featured Ruth Negga, Ruth Bradley, Killian Scott, and Chris Newman. The story focused on rivalries within the criminal milieu and the psychological effects of violence on the Darren character.

A classic of Irish TV production that hasn’t dated at all.

Discussion and debate with Joe Duffy. Have you got a story to tell? An issue you want to air publicly? If you’d like to talk to Joe on-air about an issue that concerns you then we want to hear from you. You can email the programme at any time to joe@rte.ie, call the office at 01 208 3263 / 2984 / 2980 or 3438 (or out of office hours and leave a message) or on 1850 715 815, Monday to Friday from 12.30pm – 3.15pm.

ReMastered: The Miami Showband Massacre Netflix On July 31, 1975, three members of the Miami Showband were killed in Co Down. The incident, considered one of the worst atrocities of The Troubles, is a powerful tribute to the work of one man, Stephen Travers, who was present when his bandmates were gunned down at a fake UVF checkpoint as they traveled home from a gig in Banbridge, Co Down.

Travers, who was 24-year-old at the time of the incident, has spent his life keeping the story alive.

Capricorn Rely on your own talents and efforts. Take charge, and do what it takes. Use best quality materials. Selfdiscipline serves you well.

Aquarius You’re especially sensitive.

Take quiet time for yourself.

Recharge and rest. Consider where you’ve been and where you’re going.

Pisces Your team’s discipline is admirable. Together, you’re formidable.

Integrity provides optimal workability.

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COVID-19 OUTBREAK Don’#t forget to wash your hands

COVID-19 OUTBREAK Don’#t forget to wash your hands

dublinvoice.ie April 24, 2020

Dublin abuse support services back new campaign

Domestic abuse and rape crisis support services in Dublin have added their voices to a major new TV, Radio and Social Media advertising campaign to tackle the serious issue of domestic violence.

The campaign seeks to reassure victims that services are ‘still here’, and that victims are being prioritised during the COVID-19 emergency.

“In Rape Crisis we know that the confined emergency conditions are particularly tough for survivors carrying trauma from sexual violence,” Clíona Saidléar, Executive Director of Rape Crisis Network Ireland said.

“Rape Crisis Centres nationwide are here to support you through this crisis.

“Please reach out to us. We also know that unfortunately many people will be experiencing sexual violence or the escalation of sexual violence within their family at this time.

“Know that you have a right to safety from sexual violence and we are all still here and ready to support you.’

Burger fans rejoice!

Bray cult favorites, Box Burger have joined forces with new online retailer, StuffUNeed.ie to deliver BOX BURGER DIY to households all over Dublin, Bray, Delgany and Greystones.

Do It Yourself and get creative with Box Burger’s award-winning Irish beef patties, fresh house ingredients, tips by head chef and fool-proof five step guide.

Each box includes the making of six juicy burgers with lots of toppings and sauces to get down and dirty.

Box Burger DIY is priced at €34.99 and available to order on www.stuffuneed.ie.

Meanwhile, Seán Cooke from the Male Advice Line said: “It is very important we get the message out that support services are available for all victims and survivors of domestic abuse. It is fantastic that all services are working together

with the Department to get this critical message out there.”

The new ads were developed by the Department of Justice and Equality who collaborated with frontline services.

The ads depict the reality for victims of domestic abuse when

their home is no longer a safe place.

One of the radio ads depicts a mother trying to reassure her child that their effort to hide from their abuser is just a game of ‘Hide and Seek’ while the other features a male victim try-

ing to communicate his plight to the emergency services.

The TV ad meanwhile portrays a woman’s attempt to keep in contact with her friend through a video call being interrupted by her abusive partner.

The ads carry the message to victims that services are still available despite the COVID-19 emergency.

The Department has provided an additional allocation of over €196,000 to community and voluntary groups to support their work and is also funding the making and airing of the ad.

Information on services and supports for victims is available on www.stillhere.ie.

“During Covid-19, women in domestic abuse situations and their children are especially vulnerable in the home.

“Women may feel they have no where to go, and no one to turn to. This is a crucial initiative that lets women know that even at this time, we are still here, and help is available,” Orla O’Connor, Director of the National Women’s Council of Ireland said.

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dublinvoice.ie April 24, 2020