Daily Archives: May 17, 2022

Besides being former lord mayors of Dublin, what do former taoiseach Bertie Ahern, former Green Party leader John Gormley, Sen D Dublin Bay Rockall Loftus, Vincent Ballyfermot Jackson, Carmencita Hederman, Emer Costello, Sen Haughey, Hazel Chu and dozens more have in common?

It was another former lord mayor of Dublin, Fianna Fils Paul McAuliffe, who supplied the answer on Thursday evening as a Dil debate on the proposed new National Maternity Hospital (NMH) was drawing to a close.

The answer is that all of the above have been governors of the Holles Street hospital. And Alison Gilliland, the current Lord Mayor, is now a member of the board.

McAuliffe dropped this mini-bombshell while addressing public concerns over the Government leasing the land on which the new hospital is to be built rather than owning it outright. Having read all the documents, he said, as a layman, he couldnt find any mechanism which would allow the landlord or management of St Vincents Hospital Group (SVHG) to interfere in the running of the clinically independent maternity hospital.

And then, as he was on the subject of ownership and governance, he decided to come clean with Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly.

Now Minister, in all the times I have talked to you about this, I have never mentioned it, but you might be surprised to hear that I am a former governor of the National Maternity Hospital.

What? Who knew?

When I was elected lord mayor, I was made a governor, Paul revealed, adding that it certainly came as a surprise to him at the time. Not only that, but when the chairman of Holles Street, aka the archbishop of Dublin, couldnt attend, I had the responsibility of chairing the meetings.

While there is a lot of talk about the current hospital building being outdated, McAuliffe used his own experience to point out that the governance model is completely outdated too, but this hasnt prevented all legally permissible services from being carried out in the NMH.

The archbishop of Dublin has never attended the board meetings and when the first notice and meeting pack arrived in the Mansion House for new incumbent Paul McAuliffe, he quickly wrote back and said he would not be attending any of them.

When I was made Lord Mayor I think I was chair of about 20 different companies and I wrote to all of them and said Look, I think its very bad governance nowadays for somebody to be put on your board that you didnt choose and then for them to be replaced every 12 months. McAuliffe thinks the Holles Street appointment dates back to the National Maternity Hospital Act in the 1930s, when Alfie Byrne was lord mayor for all but one year of that decade and was put on all sorts of boards.

My view was that corporate governance is totally different to what it was years ago and I wasnt comfortable being made legally responsible for a company that I really knew nothing about. It used to be an honorary thing, but these days company law is, rightly, very strict so now you have to register board membership and declare to Sipo and all the rest.

William Herberts ears must have been burning this week because everyone was talking about him after Stephen Donnelly casually dropped his name on Wednesday morning in the middle of the health committees meeting on the NMH.

The ownership of the land is not linked to the appointment of directors, the Minister for Health explained to members, giving the example of the current set-up. The owner of the land under Holles Street is the Earl of Pembroke, whoever that is, and he has no influence.

That would be William Alexander Sidney Herbert, the stinking rich 18th Earl of Pembroke, who owns a 14,000-acre estate in Wiltshire and a magnificent stately home (used to film interior scenes in the Netflix hits Bridgerton and The Crown) along with the freehold of the National Maternity Hospital and many other properties around the Merrion Square area.

The rents paid by the State to British aristocratic landlords in this ridiculous throwback to our colonial past isnt exactly onerous. Figures released back in 2011 for our ground rent obligations included 257.76 for Iveagh House, 220 for the Four Courts and 7.33 for Dublin Castle.

But still, every little counts.

The proposed 10-a-year long-lease rental agreement between the State and St Vincents Hospital looks cheap in comparison. However, the Government continues to come under pressure from the Opposition to convince St Vincents to either gift or sell the land to the State instead of the lease option. Sinn Fin is keeping the political drama going by bringing forward a motion next week on securing full public ownership of the site and building.

Acquiring freehold ownership of public buildings has always been complicated. Just over 300 years ago, in 1715, property developer Joshua Dawson sold his Dawson Street residence with freehold to Dublin Corporation for 3,500, in addition to an annual rent of 40 shillings.

In order to secure their Mansion House, the Corpo also agreed to provide a very expensive loaf of double refined sugar weighing six pounds at Christmas along with two fat male hens.

In return, Joshua Dawson agreed to build on an extra room which could be used for civic receptions, and which is still used for this purpose today.

Two fat male hens? Maybe the Government could send a pair over to the SVHG to seal the deal, if its still clinically appropriate.

But who?

Aodhn Rordin and comedian Gary Cookes Football Walking Tours of Dublin started up almost two years ago and ticked along quietly during the pandemic. From the beginning, their unique take on the history of football (not the done thing to say soccer) in the capital picked up great reviews from the thoughtful aficionados who signed up for trips.

Labour TD Rordin may spend his working week talking away in Leinster House and his Saturdays pounding constituency pavements in Dublin Bay North, but on Sunday he likes to relax and unwind by pounding more streets in Dublin while talking for up to two hours at a time to total strangers.

Now that all restrictions have been lifted, the football-loving duo are ramping up their tour schedule and increasing the numbers allowed on each outing (25 max).

Rordin and Cookes original tour meandered around the northside of the city, beginning in the shadow of Croke Park in Ballybough, stopping at locations of note in Irish soccer history and usually ending up at Dalymount Park by way of Tolka Park and Bertie Aherns Drumcondra. They talk history and politics along the way but strictly of the sporting variety. The yarns are great.

Cooke, of Aprs Match fame, is renowned for his impersonations of legends such as Johnny Giles and Liam Brady and some lad called Eamon Dunphy, and he peppers his contributions with bursts of shining insight from the great men.

They muse on the troubled history of the game and its perceived Irishness when viewed against the unsullied GAA. They probe the sometimes difficult relationship with official Ireland. There is a stop outside the Archbishops Palace in Drumcondra to remember the time John Charles McQuaid attempted to have an international match against Yugoslavia banned.

And they wonder if the reason why Ireland played Poland so many times back in the 1970s and 1980s was really because certain high-ranking FAI officials were carrying on romantic liaisons with Polish women.

Now, out from under the shade of Covid, the two tour guides have been signed up internationally. Or at least, they have been lured across to the dark, sorry, south side.

We are setting off next Sunday [May 22nd] from the Little Museum of Dublin on St Stephens Green and exploring the great football connections on the south side of the city. Did you know that 38 senior internationals came from Ringsend? says Aodhn, who is rather nerdy about soccer and collects jerseys and programmes which he likes to produce during tours. We hope to keep going most Sundays for the rest of the summer.

Booking details are on the Little Museum of Dublins website. Meanwhile, the lads havent abandoned their northside gig entirely. Prospective punters can email FootballWalkingTour@gmail.com for information.

Former tnaiste and leader of the Progressive Democrats Mary Harney made a rare visit to Leinster House on Thursday when she appeared before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) hearing into financial governance issues at the University of Limerick in 2020. She was there as chancellor and chair of the college governing board.

In response to questions, she said it is an unpaid role and she does not claim expenses for it.

Sinn Fins Matt Carthy asked the esteemed witness about the number of boards and committees on which she sits.

Mary, who retired from the Dil and national politics in 2011, did a quick tot. Well, Im on the board of four private companies and I do other consulting as well.

The meeting was robust in parts, with Harney and Independent TD Verona Murphy getting involved in a short spat over the chancellors role as a public interest director with KPMG.

Harney held her ground, as she did throughout the session. The politicians were impressed. Labours Sen Sherlock, while not sharing her ideology, praised her for always being honourable, honest and straightforward.

The chairman, Sinn Fins Brian Stanley, noted as he was wrapping up that it was the first time Mary Harney had been before a committee in his time. She earlier told TDs her last visit was for the banking inquiry in 2015.

I noticed as people came in, I would say the majority of them werent here when I was a deputy and Im not gone that long.

I wasnt one, said Stanley.

Im just telling you about the recycling of deputies, just to maybe warn you all, she replied.

His colleague Matt Carthy chimed in gallantly, or maybe not: Maybe well all be as successful afterwards as you were.

I think, deputy Carthy, youre very successful, she told him.

Youve been through all the battles over the nineties and the noughties, cooed Stanley.

I sure have, smiled the witness. I thought I learned how to watch my back, but its a constant . . . I describe myself, chairman, as a recovering politician.

Well settle on that, said Brian.

Afterwards, some long-serving Oireachtas officials discussed Mary Harneys performance. Usually a figurehead-type like a chancellor just reads the opening statement and lets the permanent staff answer the questions. But she controlled it all. It was a masterclass in how to handle a committee meeting. Id forgotten how good she was, said one.

See original here:

Miriam Lord: Strange case of the mayor and the maternity hospital - The Irish Times

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Since the competition is so captivating, fans can commonly be heard wishing for daily battles on the gridiron. While its not realistic for players to play every other day as we see in other professional sports competitions, theres always the possibility for another league to pop up, like the XFL.

One alternative method to pull in more of the general football audience is by playing games in the spring and summer during the slow portion of the NFL offseason as it is now. Weve seen this take place with the revival of the USFL as of late.

But the USFL arent the only ones who have tried, and theyre not the only ones who will continue to keep trying to tap into the NFL fanbase around the globe.

Even though the USFL may have beaten the XFL to the punch by resuming play sooner, its not like the latter has lacked any proper planning at any step of the way.

Led by actor, wrestler, and former University of Miami football player Dwayne Johnson (The Rock), the XFL will return in February of 2023. Hes joined by longtime business partner Dany Garcia along with Gerry Cardinales RedBird Capital to provide funding for the new venture.

Weve already gotten a glimpse at team names and head coaches who have signed contracts to lead their respective squads, starting in 2023.

As we get closer to the highly anticipated return of the XFL, more details are beginning to emerge.

While the return of the XFL has been in the works for some time now, we only recently discovered how they plan to put the league in front of a massive audience.

According to The Rock, the XFL will be able to be viewed on ABC, ESPN, Disney+, and FX in 2023.

This is a definitive moment for the XFL and the beginning of an incredible, long-term partnership for the league, building on my longstanding, very successful legacy relationship Ive had with Disney throughout my career. Were excited to be working with global visionaries that are aligned with the XFLs values, are true team players and share our ambitious goals to grow the XFL as a global sports and entertainment business. Through the combined power of Disney and the XFL, together we will create a new powerhouse on the sports calendar and bring a dynamic game of football to fans everywhere. Time to ball out.

This multi-year agreement ensures every XFL regular season and playoff game will be televised once they open up play again on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023.

As fans continue to seek more ways to soak up as much football content as possible, the XFL provides yet another intriguing avenue, but the only bad part is that we have to wait until the week after Super Bowl 2023 to see what its all about.

Related: XFL reportedly trying to counteract USFLs progress by pitching better pay and schedule to player agents

Go here to read the rest:

The Rock announces all XFL games will broadcast on ABC, ESPN, Disney+, and FX in 2023 - Sportsnaut

We scribe types have a thing we call a non-answer answer that we sometimes get in response to a question. Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry gave a doozy of an example late Sunday night.

Jarry was asked about playing on an injured right foot after the Penguins tough, season-ending 4-3 loss in overtime against Rangers in New York in Game 7 of the teams first-round playoff series.

After all, he had been out since April 14 with what is suspected to be a broken bone in that foot.

Heres the telling non-answer answer: After a pause, Jarry said, Uh I was able to play.

Its easy to extrapolate that Jarry was far from 100 percent and would not have been deemed ready to play under many other circumstances.

And that the guy gutted out something most likely painful and difficult to make 26 saves and help give the Penguins a chance to extend their season.

There also was visual evidence to suggest that. On his way to and from the interview table postgame, he had that right foot heavily iced and seemed to walk with some pain.

The injury left Jarry with some unfinished business. He admittedly and if he hadnt admitted it, many others were there to remind him didnt play his best a year ago, and that was a large factor in the Penguins first-round playoff loss against the New York Islanders.

Penguins winger Jake Guentzel nearly got emotional Sunday night when asked about Jarry.

Its just unbelievable, he said. The guys been through a lot. Hes been a rock all year long. Just to see him out there in Game 7 fighting the way he did, I mean, its just unbelievable what that guy does for our team.

Its just tough when you cant get the win for him, just how hard he battled and made a lot of good saves for us.

Penguins backup goaltender Casey DeSmith started the series, and it seemed to be his net. But in the second overtime of Game 1, he pulled himself out of the game with an injury that later required core muscle surgery.

In stepped third-stringer Louis Domingue, cold and with a heavy meal of spicy pork and broccoli in his belly, as the story goes. Domingue is a journeyman NHL goalie for a reason, and he held things down as best he could.

But when the Penguins missed two shots to clinch the series and headed to New York for Game 7, it was a no-brainer to go with Jarry if he could possibly play.

Even given the obvious physical discomfort, Jarry simply wanted to be involved, to be a good teammate.

He said he wanted to stand tall in there. I think thats something that the guys needed, just someone that could backstop them, someone that could make some saves when they needed.

So, after being out so long, rehabbing, watching the final six games of the regular season (a stretch that included his 27th birthday), watching the Penguins go up 3-1 in the series, watching as the Rangers came back with two straight wins, Jarry was put in a pressure-packed and yet coveted position of making his return for Game 7.

I think its just being calm and making sure that youre putting your best foot forward, he said. Just being able to play, I was grateful for that, that they trusted me to put me in for that. I wanted to give it my best shot.

We are fairly confident there was no pun intended, but, man, he said it.

Read the original here:

Jarry Had All the Guts and Almost the Glory in Game 7 - Pittsburgh Hockey Now

Brown also explained the complicated history of Prince Charles when it comes to love. Prince Charles has never really been seen as a tragic romantic figure, but he is because he fell in love with Camilla very early on, she says. He loved her, wanted to marry her, but couldnt even consider that because she was an aristocratic woman, but she wasnt nearly at the sort of level bride that was being considered for him. Plus, she already had sexual experience, unlike what was expected at the timethat Charles should marry a virginwhich is so ridiculously archaic.

As a result, Charles had to look younger and younger to find his bride and, as the story goes, ended up marrying Diana given that none of his contemporaries (he was 32 at the time of his marriage to Diana in 1981) could pass the virgin test. Charles stayed in love with Camilla all that time, she married someone else, but it was a really long time that he stayed emotionally faithful to Camilla. It was complete agony for him to have to marry someone else.

Royal times they are a-changing.

For more about the royals, listen to the Royally Obsessed podcast with co-hosts Rachel Bowie and Roberta Fiorito. Subscribe now or follow us on Instagram @royallyobsessedpodcast.

RELATED: Um, Sarah Ferguson Just Signed a Mega Book DealAs In, *22* New Books

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Are We Right to Embrace the Future Queen Camilla? Princess Diana Expert Tina Brown Sounds Off - PureWow

BUCKS COUNTY, PA With severe thunderstorms and potentially damaging winds looming on Monday, some schools in Bucks County and the nearby area have decided to dismiss students early.

Palisades School District dismissed middle and high schools at 10:50 a.m., while elementary schools in the district were let out at 12:15 p.m.

In Northampton, middle and high schoolers were let out at 12:15 p.m., while elementary students got out at 1:15 p.m.

"We ask for your patience and flexibility during dismissal today," the district said. "Our principals and staff will prioritize keeping kids safe and will pause dismissal if we are experiencing a severe storm or have a warning that a severe storm will begin during dismissal. Therefore, buses may be delayed today and parents picking up students may need to wait a bit longer than usual."

All after school and evening activities have been canceled in other local districts as well, including Bensalem.

All eastern Pennsylvania counties remain under a hazardous weather outlook. Severe weather is expected to strike between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., with less powerful fronts lingering into the evening. Downpouring rain, hail, and isolated tornadoes are also possible.

Authorities are warning residents to prepare for the weather event and to be aware of road closures. "If you have generators, make sure they are fueled and ready to go, for if this weather does hit us, we would expect power outages with downed trees and wires," the Upper Makefield Township Police Department shared.

Read the rest here:

Schools Dismiss Early In Bucks County With Severe Storms Looming - Patch