Ireland's Senate referendum poster boy subject to racist abuse

Irish actor Daryl McCormack suffers racist abuse
as result of referendum spokesperson work

The twenty year old Dublin student who effectively became the poster-boy for the defeated Seanad referendum has been subject to racist abuse because of his skin colour, it has emerged.

Daryl McCormack (20), who hails from Tipperary, appeared on televised informational adverts by the Referendum Commission, an independent body charged with informing the general public about the topic of upcoming referendums.

McCormac, who studied at Dublin Institute of Technology and is a part time model and actor, appeared in the adverts informing viewers about the upcoming referendum in both English and Irish, which he is fluent in.

The adverts were carried repeatedly on national television in the run up to the election, last Thursday, which saw the government suffer an embarrassing defeat when voters chose to retain Ireland's second electoral chamber, the Seanad.

Some family members are reported to be livid at the abuse, posted on both the actor's personal Facebook page as well as that of the Referendum Commission, while others have maintained that McCormack is a "proud Irish man" and will simply rise above the denigrating remarks.

His uncle, Gary McCormack, said that he had forewarned the young man to expect abuse given the prominence of his work.

"We sat down a number of months ago and said 'Daryl, you will be getting this type of abuse," the uncle told the Herald newspaper in Dublin.

However, it is understood that the actor, who had previously encountered racism, hasn't read the comments and has no intention of doing so.

"It's like water off a duck's back [for him," the proud uncle commented.

The Referendum Commission said that it informed McCormack of the abuse once it had been spotted, and remove, from their Facebook page, but did not deem it serious enough to warrant referring the matter to the authorities.

A spokesperson for the Integration Center, an organization promoting the integration of immigrants to Ireland as well as minority rights, branded the comments "disgraceful".

"The culprits are foolish and nothing short of racist," the organization's CEO, Kilian Forde, commented.

Constitutional Convention backs emigrant vote for Irish Presidential elections

Constitutional Convention debates emigrant vote.
Majority in favor.

The Constitutional Convention -- a representative sample of Irish citizens and politicians convened to make non-binding recommendations for policymakers -- has backed giving Irish emigrants a vote.

Although the Convention's suggestion have no legislative or governmental authority by themselves, its findings do have to be debated in parliament, and the result may serve as a surprise to the government who may not have been aware that support for the controversial proposal is strong at home as well as in the diaspora.

The issue was the fourth in the series of the eight topical issues that the Convention is set to debate.

78 of the Convention's 100 members balloted in favor of the proposal after two days of debate and discussion at Malahide in North Dublin, with 5 less members saying that they would be happy to extend the right to those resident in Northern Ireland.

Just 38 of the respondents also voted in favor of stipulating a time-limit to how long ex-pats could exercise the right.

Over 120 countries have provisions allowing for their overseas emigrants to vote, but successive governments have proven themselves less than enthusiastic about the possibility of extending the privilege to Irish citizens now resident overseas -- a group which is reckoned to number at least 3 million, although the figure is in constant fluctuation.

The deliberations saw experts present either side's argument before the issue was submitted to vote.

Representing traditional opposition to an emigrant vote, Dr Paul O'Connor argued that emigrants were not sufficiently well informed about Irish current affairs to be able to add a thoughtful and useful voting contribution to important national issues.

That argument was countered by the claim that the global information flow between Ireland and its diaspora -- led by widely-read diaspora websites and newspapers -- alongside freely-available VoIP services such as Skype, made the point irrelevant in today's world.

Others have argued that extending a vote to the diaspora should have been a necessary quid pro quo for the Diaspora's financial backing of tourist initiatives such as The Gathering.

Emigrant organization representatives from around the world, along with a number of Irish embassies, joined the proceedings by video feed, something the Convention's chairperson said added a "powerful insight" into how that group feels.

A number of missions issued circulars to local ex-pats soliciting submissions about their feelings on the topic which were then shortlisted and circulated to those in attendance at the plenary.

Jennie McShannong of Irish in Britain said that the Irish community there wanted to "play a part" and "have a real stake" in the running of the country.

A number of campaign groups and websites are active in lobbying for the vote including the Vote for Irish Citizens campaign, VICA.

Although the Convention's recommendations are not binding, they are reported to government, who can decide, based on the issue and strength of the vote, whether or not to hold a referendum on the issue.

Ireland basks in September heatwave as temperatures reach 75F

Sunny weather returns to Ireland

After one of the sunniest summers on record, Ireland is basking in a late Fall heatwave with temperatures reaching 24C (75F) in parts of the country.

A forecaster with Met Éireann, Ireland's national meteorological service, described the phenomenon as "unusual", with present conditions set to last for the duration of the week.

The autumnal burst is the icing on the cake after one of the sunniest and warmest summers recorded in Ireland with below average rainfall values recorded almost across the country, and up to 20 percent more sunshine than average across the Southern coast, reports Met Eireann.

The spectacular summer happily coincided with The Gathering 2013 with one newspaper dubbing it 'the summer that saved Irish tourism."

Sean Quinn, CEO of Fáilte Ireland, Ireland's national tourist body, said that the lengthy spell of un-interrupted good weather during the peak holiday season in late July and August had meant that many families had chosen 'staycations' over traditional Mediterranean getaways.

Word of the Irish beach bonanza quickly spread, however, with inbound tourism figures from the traditional key geographies of the UK, US, and the European Union, all remaining extremely buoyant as a results of the good conditions, with over one million visitors from the US alone choosing a holiday on the Emerald Isle.

Tourism remains Ireland's most important indigenous industry and accounts for over 4 percent of Domestic GDP.

A spokesperson for Fáilte Ireland said that the tourism boost meant that the "dark days" of the recession lull were in the past, with the planned growth being spearhead by The Gathering project delivering tangible results.

It wasn't good news for all, however.

National carrier Aer Lingus bore the brunt of the staycation craze, revising its end of year profit guidance downwards from €69m to €60m.

Irish university launches first ever alcohol free dorms

UCC to pilot novel drink-free accommodation

As Irish universities return for the start of a new college term, one school is piloting an unlikely new initiative: alcohol free dorms.

University College Cork (UCC) has become the first university in Ireland to offer such accommodation and says that the move will allow students who want to experience university in a more sober mind-frame the ability to do so.

The university's Health Promotion Officer, Deirdre Griffin, said that the specialist hall would allow students and staff to "take control over and improve their well-being" adding that it developed on UCC's broader selection of specialist need accommodation, which already includes dorms specifically for fluent Irish language speakers, single-sex dorms, as well as one for mature students only.

The college added that the alcohol free dorm, at Victoria Lodge, would appeal to international students whose "religious and cultural backgrounds" might preclude them from drinking alcohol altogether or limit the frequency with which they imbibe.

Final year and postgraduate students have also reportedly expressed a strong interest in the new trial project.

The news gained national and local media coverage and even spawned a #dryapartments hashtag on Twitter. Most blog commentary was positive on the new option.

The healthy new dorms were announced after a 2010 health and well-being survey at the university showed up a "concerning" pattern of binge drinking among both male and female undergraduate students, which found that almost half of the cohort engaged in binge drinking more than once a week.

Almost all students that reported partaking in the frequent binge drinking said that it had led to adverse consequences, with "regretting something said or done", experiencing the "adverse effects" of drinking while at lectures, and missing school altogether among the most frequently reported negative consequences.

Those looking to gain a spot in the drink-free accommodation must provide the university with a detailed personal statement outlining why they specifically wish to live under such arrangements.

Those found to have drunk on the dorms will face penalties "in line with current university disciplinary procedures," according to the college, whose subsidiary, UCC Campus Accommodation, manages most of the non-private college rental market in Cork.

Despite Ireland's heavy drinking culture, the university's accommodation office has reported a "very strong uptake" on the new flats, with another Irish university -- the University of Limerick -- considering introducing the novel form of housing for the 2014 term.

The move follows on from previous efforts to clamp down on problem drinking at the college which included a ban on "mystery tours" -- bus trips with an unknown location --- effected in 2010.

Woman in emergency airlift after jellyfish mauling in Dublin

Jellyfish swarm

A woman diving with her friends in a popular Dublin swimming spot was airlifted by the Dublin Coast Guard after being mauled by a jellyfish, it has been reported.

An inshore lifeboat was also rushed to the scene after the viscous attack.

The rescue missions were deployed at 11am yesterday after two women were reported missing offshore.

When rescued, the woman was suffering from hypothermia and has visible jellyfish stings to her face; the boat crew described her condition as 'serious'.

The unlucky bather was then airlifted to Our Lady of the Lourdes hospital in Drogheda where she underwent further treatment.

Although the identity of the jellyfish isn't known, Ireland does suffer from influxes of poisonous jellyfish during the late summer and early fall months due to to the proximity of the warm North Atlantic Drift.

The EcoJel project, a leading European jellyfish research study based in Haulbowline, Cork

According to its Jellyfish ID Card the compass, barrel, blue, and Lion's Mane jellyfish are all known to inflict stings capable of needing medical attention.

Although not strictly a jellyfish, the Portuguese Man O War, whose sting can be fatal, made its way to Irish beaches last summer, with sighting all over the southern Irish coastline.

Troll riddled Ask.fm insists changes will make their site safer

Erin Gallagher the 13-year-old Donegal girl who committed suicide
due to online bullies on Ask.fm

Ask.fm, the website implicated in the suicides of at least two Irish schoolgirls who suffered online abuse through its pages, has promised that a series of new safety features will make the website substantially safer for its users.

The site is particularly popular among young Irish adolescents and allows users to submit questions anonymously to other users' profiles.

The sites' founders said that a through safety review has now been completed and that a report functionality, similar to that found on Facebook, will be installed. More staff will also be hired to work as full time moderators to weed out abusive comments.

An extra website will also be created specifically for parents.


The website suffered an advertising backlash in the wake of the suicides, with major clients Vodafone, Laura Ashley, and charity Save the Children all pulling their campaigns from the site.

The site has cooperated in sending the IP addresses of offending messengers to law enforcement but many parents may justifiably fear that the latest series of changes will not go far enough in making the site a secure environment for online peer-to-peer communication.

A concerned parent told the UK Daybreak breakfast show that some schools were already taking the step of sending out text messages to parents advising them to keep their children off the site.

David Smith, the parent of Hannah, who took her life after receiving a torrent of abuse through the website, welcomed the news today; he had previously been an outspoken advocate for enhanced security on Ask.fm and other social networking websites.

Marketing group in hot water over sex night after 'knickers for drink' scandal

Crowds getting wild at Karma nightclub in Athlone

Irish parents are reportedly enraged after an Athlone nightclub decided to promote a sex themed party to coincide with Leaving Cert (SAT) results' night.

Raunchy rodeo games, a wet t-shirt contest, and all-out drinking contests were among the attractions promised on flyers advertising the 'F**k Results' night at the Karma Nightclub, in Athlone.

The story made the front page of yesterday's Irish Sun, a popular national tabloid publication.

A spokesman for the National Parents' Council, the group representing Irish school children's parents, said that the promotion was 'appalling.'

Another told the Sun that teenagers "should not be subject to this kind of promotion"; a local politician described the night as marketing companies trying to "take advantage" of young students.

The night was the work of the now-notorious Midnight Promotions, a marketing company that is no stranger to controversy and which previously caused media outrage after running a Dublin club night where female patrons could exchange their underwear for free drinks.

Remarkably, despite national media coverage of that promotion, Midnight ran a similar night offering free entry to women that sent in cleavage snaps just a number of days' ago.

The company, which has been regularly accused of misogynism, sexism, and 'crossing the line' with its edgy promotions, also suffered a massive publicity fallout from a night it ran at another Dublin nightclub, Alchemy, whose poster was sub-titled "if you're not up for it, don't cum."

A "significant number of complaints" were lodged to the country's advertising regulator in the wake of that event, but it said it did not have authority to regulate the contents of advertising via social media at the present time.

A Facebook group with 600 concerned members was even founded to "end Monday at Alchemy's sexist and dangerous advertising," still believed to be managed by Midnight.

The company is also largely behind a new tabloid-esque college news website, according to the University Times. which largely features content about sex, drinking, and celebrity news.

It's men's guides on one night stands recently, similarly, provoked a number of complaints.