Herald mixes up Stormzy and Lukaku in photograph error

‘Hands up, we got it badly wrong’: newspaper apologises for confusion in Monday’s article

Offbeat

Niamh Towey

Mon, Jul 10, 2017, 15:00 Mon, Jul 10, 2017, 15:57

The Herald newspaper has apologised for mixing up professional soccer player Romelu Lukaku and grime artist Stormzy in a photograph error.

An article in Monday’s Herald with the headline “Lukaku ready for work” is accompanied by a photograph of Stormzy - not Lukaku.

The photograph used, which sees Stormzy in a Manchester United jacket, was in fact taken at the club’s away kit launch last May in London.

Lukaku, who is an Everton striker, is on the brink of signing a transfer deal with Manchester United.

The newspaper’s editor, Alan Steenson, issued an apology on herald.ie, saying:

“Hands up, we got it badly wrong.

“Earlier, we made an error with a picture of Romelu Lukaku that wasn’t him. It was Stormzy.

“To be honest, we are totally embarrassed and want to say sorry to all involved and our readers for the error.

“We will keep our eye on the ball in future.”

Google Doodle celebrates woman who made alcohol from potatoes

Swedish scientist Eve Ekeblad’s 293rd birthday marked with potato-themed doodle

Offbeat

Nora-Ide McAuliffe

Mon, Jul 10, 2017, 12:40 Mon, Jul 10, 2017, 12:40

The woman who discovered that potatoes could be turned into alcohol is celebrated in today’s Google Doodle.

Eve Ekeblad, born on July 10th, 1724 was the Swedish scientist who brought potatoes, which were at that time grown mainly in the greenhouses of the aristocracy, to the general Swedish population.

However, she is most remembered for her 1746 discovery that potatoes could be distilled into spirits and flour.

Today’s doodle marking her 293rd birthday, celebrates her “ingenuity and her scientific achievements”.

The doodle comprises a chopping board with ‘Google’ spelt out using a potato, potato skins and flour.

Google says “her discovery helped reduce famine in years to come” as the potato became a staple food in Sweden, increasing the supply of wheat, rye and barley available for making bread.

Her pioneering work led her to become the first woman elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1748. The next woman given such recognition was Lise Meitner, an Austrian physicist who worked on radioactivity and nuclear physics, elected 203 years later in 1951.

Along with being a scientist and an agronomist and she also was a Countess having been born into nobility. She married Count Claes Claesson Ekeblad at 16 and the couple had seven children. She died in in 1786 aged 61.

Irish man goes to stag do, ends up trampled on by Pamplona bulls

Electronics engineer previously swam between Alcatraz and San Francisco

Offbeat

Gerard Couzens

Mon, Jul 10, 2017, 11:40 Mon, Jul 10, 2017, 11:40

An Irishman injured during the first San Fermines bull run on Friday took time out of a stag do to risk his life and kept his decision secret from his wife, it has emerged.

Electronics engineer Stephen Tighe (39) decided to head to Pamplona, Spain and run with the bulls for the first time after travelling to the northern Spanish city of Bilbao for the party with 15 friends.

The group had planned to see the three-day Bilbao BBK Live rock and pop festival, which ended on Saturday and featured a headline performance by Depeche Mode.

But Stephen spent most of his weekend in bed in hospital nearly two hours drive away after colliding with another runner and suffering chest injuries. He only told his wife he was in hospital after being admitted.

Mr Tighe is believed have returned to Ireland after he was given the all-clear to leave hospital following his unexpected 48-hour stay.

The keen sportsman, who once swam between Alcatraz and San Francisco, broke off from his trip to Bilbao to head to Pamplona with a friend.

He said he was trampled on by bulls after falling to the ground near the start of the half-mile course.

He told a local newspaper: “With everyone running at the same time, it was very difficult to move.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to go to the BBK but it would have been a shame not to have come to Pamplona when I was so close.”

Mr Tighe, who went to hospital himself after feeling pain in his chest, added in his short hospital interview: “My wife just said to me when I told her, ‘Why did you do that?’

“At least it’s not serious and I can tell the story.”

Ireland Quidditch team aim to make magical memories in Oslo

Fifteen sides enter European cup as sport inspired by ‘Harry Potter’ continues to grow

Offbeat

Sorcha Pollak

Fri, Jul 07, 2017, 17:59 Fri, Jul 07, 2017, 18:01

“Harry mounted his broomstick and kicked off from the ground. What a feeling – he swooped in and out of the goalposts and then sped up and down the pitch. The Nimbus 2000 turned wherever he wanted at his lightest touch.”

When JK Rowling first had the idea for a boy called Harry, a school called Hogwarts and a ball game played on broomsticks she never could have imagined that nearly three decades later the magical game of chasers, beaters, bludgers and snitches would evolve into a competitive sport played by young men and women around the world.

Quidditch, the sport made famous through the Harry Potter books and films, started out as a sporting activity for Potter-aficionados in the US eager to recreate the magical broomstick competitions from their childhood books. However over the years, the sport, which consists of athletes running around with a broom between their legs, has become a popular game for athletes and Potter enthusiasts alike.

The International Quidditch Association describes the game as a mixed gender contact sport played by more than 500 teams in more than 26 countries around the world. It says the sport seeks to improve gender education across sport while promoting equality, diversity, leadership and physical activity.

On Friday, Team Ireland set off to Oslo in Norway where they will compete in the European Quidditch Cup this weekend alongside 15 teams from across Europe including Austria, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Turkey, Germany and the UK. Last year, the team participated for the second time in the Quidditch World Cup where they were beaten by Australia who went on to win the tournament.

Rebecca O’Connor (23), who is one of the reserve players on the Irish team, says Quidditch attracts young men and women who are “a little nerdy” and might not feel comfortable signing up to their local sports clubs. The game also ensures there are no more than four people of the same gender on the seven-person team.

“I didn’t play much sport growing up but I’ve had really good coaches who have worked with women to give us more confidence,” says O’Connor. “When you’re around people encouraging you, you don’t feel so intimidated about tackling a large, male player.

O’Connor got involved with the sport because of her love of the Harry Potter books but says increasing numbers are signing up to get fit rather than spending hours chatting about all things Gryffindor and Slytherin. She says the age of players ranges from 18 to early 30s and while most participants are students, rising numbers of young professionals are getting involved.

O’Connor used to play in Galway and now plays for the local team in Bristol. However, she still travels home for the Team Ireland training sessions which take place in Dublin and Belfast.

“My favourite aspect is the community element because it’s a bit nerdy and really easy to make friends. Now I can play sport and not feel really out of my depth. It’s a chance to get fit and feel confident about my body.”

Dublin bookshop nominates ‘Nipples on my Knee’ as oddest book title of year

Winning author and publisher of Diagram prize have nothing to gain except the adulation of millions

Books

Roisin Guyett-Nicholson

Fri, Jul 07, 2017, 16:00 Fri, Jul 07, 2017, 16:00

Many authors and aspiring writers dream one day to be named winner of the Booker prize or the Costa award and to be celebrated for their work. However, there is one literary prize that should be valued above all other: the Diagram Prize for Oddest Book title. Though the award brings no money, the winning authors can cling to the celebrated notoriety of joining previous winners such as The Big Book of Lesbian Horse Stories (the 2003 winner) or Too Naked for the Nazis (last year’s winner).

This year’s shortlist includes An Ape’s View of Human Evolution, the Commuter Pig-Keeper, Nipples on my Knee, Love Your Lady Landscape and Renniks Australian Pre-Decimal & Decimal Coin Errors: The Premier Guide for Australian Pre-Decimal & Decimal Coin Errors.

Nipples on my Knee was nominated by The Gutter Bookshop in Dublin. The bookshop was unavailable for comment, however it tweeted the news saying: “Vote for your #DiagramPrize ‘Oddest Book Title of the Year’! NB No pressure, but one of these IS MY NOMINATION!!!

According to trade magazine Bookseller, which presents the awards, the Nipples on my Knee authors, Graham and Debra Robertson, invite readers to “sit back in front of the fireplace on a cold, snowy evening, perhaps with a glass of sherry, while we relate to you our experiences from 25 years in the sheep business”.

The award was first presented in 1978 by Trevor Bounford and Bruce Robertson, co-founders of publishing solutions firm The Diagram Group. They came up with the idea while trying to alleviate boredom at the annual Frankfurt Book Fair. The inaugural winner was Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Nude Mice.

Tom Tivnan, the prize co-ordinator said of the nominees “this is a standout year – time and again Diagram voters have shown that they have two favourite areas: animal husbandry and naughtiness.” While he praised all the nominated titles, he explained “Nipples on my Knee has got to be an early bookies’ favourite, as it combines both animal husbandry and Carry On-esque ribaldry. But, in the 39th year of this award, I can say that odd is, and remains, the new black.”

While neither the author or publisher of the winning book receive a monetary prize, whoever nominates the book will be sent “a passable bottle of claret”.

The public can vote for their favourite by tweeting hashtags based on the book titles, #teamnipples to @thebookseller and voting closes on July 21st. Winners will be announced on July 28th. Full details of the nominees can be found at thebookseller.com/diagramprize2017

Weetabix seized by New Zealand customs in cereal row

Hundreds of boxes of the product impounded after complaints by rival Weet-Bix

Offbeat

Fri, Jun 30, 2017, 19:43 Fri, Jun 30, 2017, 19:43

Customs officers in New Zealand have seized and impounded hundreds of boxes of the breakfast cereal Weetabix after complaints by rival cereal giant Weet-Bix that it could confuse customers.

The pallet of Weetabix - about 300 boxes - arrived in a container load of British goods last week, destined for the shelves of the A Little Bit of Britain grocery store in Christchurch, which largely caters to British expats.

But New Zealand customs officials detained the pallet at the request of Sanitarium, which claimed the cereal infringed its trademark cereal Weet-Bix, which is a staple in many New Zealand homes.

This week, Sanitarium sent a letter to Lisa Wilson, the co-owner of A Little Bit of Britain, saying it would release her cereal shipment if she placed a sticker over the offending Weetabix label once the item was on her shelves, and blanked out the name Weetabix when she sold the cereal online.

Other British stores in the North Island have complied with Sanitarium’s demands, but Wilson has decided to fight the company, which she accuses of “bullying” her small, family-run business.

“They [Sanitarium] walk in and slap an agreement down and it is quite daunting for a very small business . . . they are trying to bully the small guys,” Wilson said.

“They are trying to force us to do what they want because they are a multimillion-dollar company, but we are not willing to bow to Sanitarium’s demands as we don’t believe there is a case of trademark infringement here and we are standing up for that principle.”

Wilson said her grocery store sold about seven boxes of Weetabix a day to mostly British immigrants. She said the look, taste and packaging of Weet-Bix and Weetabix were completely different and could not be easily confused.

She said the suggestion a niche grocery store like hers was trying to steal Sanitarium’s customers was “ridiculous”.

“I don’t feel we should have to cover the word up because they are different words and different customers, and the boxes look nothing alike,” she said.

“They taste different as well. Brits who have grown up on Weetabix like it but Kiwis prefer their Weet-Bix. It isn’t a competition.”

In a statement, Sanitarium’s general manager in New Zealand, Rob Scoines, was unmoved by her argument.

“The Weet-Bix brand is protected by international law and in turn it is often precluded from being sold in other global markets due to the Weetabix trade mark,” he said.

“In this instance, we have offered the importer a solution which enables them to sell their product while protecting our Weet-Bix brand. We are actively seeking their response.”

On social media, the seizure of the shipment of Weetabix drew scorn from British expats and New Zealanders alike, some of whom said they would start boycotting Sanitarium’s products in New Zealand.

The hashtag #freetheweetabix was also widely used by supporters.

“Whatever happened to freedom of choice?” posted Marie Shepherd on Facebook. “We as consumers have the choice of which brand we would like to purchase. Shame on you Sanitarium.”

“Preventing access to Weetabix is in no way going to make me buy Weet-Bix, it’s revolting,” posted Lin Holt, also on Facebook.

“In fact I don’t have much time for bullies, so I will not be buying any Sanitarium products at any point in the future!”

Guardian service

It only takes a minute... for your house to be worth 7 cent more

Latest house price index reports €2,000 rise per month

Offbeat

Patrick Logue

Fri, Jun 30, 2017, 09:59 Fri, Jun 30, 2017, 11:10

It’s doesn’t bear thinking about, so we’ve thought about it for you.

If your property is in negative equity you may be cheering it on, but if you are, on the other hand, in the market for a new house you may feel a sense of panic at the latest house price report.

Today’s house price index published by property website Daft.ie says that prices have been rising on average nationally by a staggering €2,000 per month over the last 12 months.

We dusted off The Irish Times calculator to see what that really means for you, and here’s what we have come up with.

On average, every day your house could be increasing in value by €66 or to look at it another way, €2.77 for every hour of every day. That’s not far shy of €500 a week and for each minute that passes, your house price is on the rise by a whopping 4 cent. That’s another 4 cent just there since you started reading this.

When you take Dublin, the figures are even more stark. Properties in the capital increased by €3,221 a month over the last year, according to Friday’s survey, which is about €100 per day, €4.50 per hour, 7 cent a minute and more than €700 a week.

In Galway, properties have been increasing by €2,644 per month, which is nearly €90 per day, €3.67 per hour and 6 cent per minute, while in Cork property is heading north to the tune of “only” €1,798 a month, €60 a day, €2.50 an hour or about 4 cent a minute.

‘She has a nice smile’: Trump singles out RTÉ’s Caitriona Perry

RTÉ Washington Correspondent told to ‘come here’ by Donald Trump

Offbeat

Patrick Logue Simon Carswell

Wed, Jun 28, 2017, 09:32 Wed, Jun 28, 2017, 18:27

US president Donald Trump made the unusual move of inviting RTÉ’s Washington Correspondent Caitriona Perry to his desk during a phone call with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on Tuesday.

Mr Trump sat at his desk in the Oval Office while talking to Mr Varadkar in Dublin. Members of the media were present for the beginning of the conversation when the pair exchanged niceties

“Hello how are you?...Congratulations on your great victory. We have so many people from Ireland in this country. I know so many of them too. I feel I know all of them. But I just want to congratulate you. That was a great victory that you had.”

Mr Trump continued: “We have a lot of your Irish press watching us... they are just now leaving the room.

“Where are you from , come here, come here, where are you from?” the president said gesturing to Perry to come over to his desk. “We have all of this beautiful Irish press, where are you from?” he asked the reporter again.

After telling the president who she was and which news outlet she represented, Mr Trump told Mr Varadkar: “Caitriona Perry, she has a nice smile on her face, so I bet she treats you well”, as Perry retreated back to the press corps. She later described the incident on Twitter as a “bizarre moment” .

Other Twitter users and media immediately picked up on the incident. Britain’s Telegraph newspaper Tweeted: “Did Trump just flirt with Irish reporter Caitriona Perry during a diplomatic phone call?”, while Mashable headlined its piece on the incident: “Trump creeps on reporter in the Oval Office, thoroughly grossing out the internet”.

RTÉ said Perry would not be commenting today, but a former Washington Correspondent for the broadcaster Charlie Bird described the moment as “fantastic” in terms of access for Ms Perry.

“For any journalist to get that bit of face-time in the Oval Office is just amazing. Mind you, it is Donald Trump, but that’s life,” he said in Dublin at a conference he was moderating.

“As a journalist, you find yourself in those positions. When I was there, I found myself in a position with Obama and he put his arm around me. The White House press corps don’t like things like that. The officials in the White House around whatever president it is, they don’t like that happening.”

Asked whether he thought Mr Trump’s behaviour towards his former RTÉ colleague was inappropriate or creepy, Mr Bird said: “I don’t understand Trump. I’d say somebody pointed her out to him: ‘This is a journalist from Irish television.’ It is a bit of fun. It lightens the load.”

Still, the veteran journalist had criticism for Mr Trump in the wake of the incident. “He frightens me. Jesus, he frightens me,” said Mr Bird.

Live giant lobster found in passenger’s luggage at Boston airport

Alarm raised after crustacean packed in cooler was sent through X-ray scanner

Offbeat

Matthew Haag

Tue, Jun 27, 2017, 14:00 Tue, Jun 27, 2017, 14:04

On a conveyor belt of bags, purses and laptops at Boston Logan International Airport on Sunday, one meaty package was clamouring for an additional security screening.

Next to the rest of the carry-on luggage that morning, it was a fish out of water and appeared overstuffed, perhaps too big to fit under an airplane seat.

“I don’t know what would have triggered what we call an alarm, whether it was the size of the container or how it appeared on the X-ray image,” said Michael McCarthy, a spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

The it? An approximately 9kg (20lb) live Atlantic lobster that was transported through Terminal C of Logan Airport. Like any other carry-on item, a passenger sent the crustacean, which was packed in an insulated cooler, through the X-ray scanner. It projected the outline of the spiny creature on a security agent’s screen.

Logan Airport, with its proximity to the lobster-rich waters of New England, is no stranger to crustaceans. In fact, the TSA has a webpage that explains just how to transport lobsters “in a clear, plastic, spill-proof container” and advises that an agent will need to inspect it.

On Sunday, a security agent not only inspected it, he also took a photo with the monster lobster, which was shared on the TSA’s Twitter page. For its brief fame, much remains a mystery. It appeared to be male, but did it have a name? Where was it found, and where was it going? Was it destined for a clam bake, for a taxidermist or to be kept as a pet?

“Anecdotally, I have no indication of any other lobster of this size,” Mr McCarthy said.

But 33 years ago, there was a lobster named Big Jake. Caught off Long Island, Big Jake weighed 25 pounds and was shipped to Anchorage, Alaska, where he toiled with his tiny brethren in a tank and carried a steep price at a seafood store: $212.

In a world where restaurants call 3-pound lobsters “jumbo,” Big Jake became an overnight celebrity and the subject of multiple stories by The Associated Press in January 1984. Customers crowded the Anchorage store to see him and fought over who would buy him. Some said they wanted to mount him in their homes.

It was not a good environment for Big Jake, who was then shipped cross-country again, this time for a market in Boston. But fame, even for lobsters, can be cruel. His health deteriorating, Big Jake landed in Boston with “a mere flicker left in him,” the Anchorage seafood store owner told The AP. He died and was sent back to Alaska, on ice. The crustacean on Sunday escaped Big Jake’s fate, at least while at the airport.

- New York Times

The latest crisis to hit Northern Ireland: fatbergs under Belfast

Scooters, Christmas trees, sofas, money and teddy bears among items removed from sewers

Offbeat

Amanda Ferguson in Belfast

Sun, Jun 25, 2017, 16:53 Mon, Jun 26, 2017, 14:24

Northern Ireland Water (NIW) staff have so far spent six Sundays breaking down a “massive fatberg” that is clogging up a sewer under takeaway restaurants in Belfast.

Hardy crews have had the unenviable task of trying to remove the Dublin Road fatberg — made of cooking fat, oil, grease, baby wipes, sanitary products and other items — with hoses and spades.

They have taken away “a couple of hundred tonnes” of fat, oil and grease (FOG) material and it is expected the operation will take several more days.

In the last two years NIW has spent over £5 million clearing blockages from the sewer system for which 70-80 per cent were “caused by FOG and inappropriate items”.

And in the past, NIW staff have had to remove everything from bells and teddy bears to Christmas trees, sofas, money and a child’s car seat from Northern Ireland’s sewers.

Gavin McCready, NIW Networks Sewerage Manager, said as the Dublin Road houses a number of fast food outlets, the problem of FOG in the sewers is significant in this area.

“While most businesses use grease traps and bin their waste correctly, those that don’t are contributing to a massive fatberg in the sewers around the area,” he said.

“Our team has been on the site, working over a number of Sunday mornings, clearing the fat that has solidified.

“This is labour intensive work that can only be done early in the morning before the traffic builds up.”

Mr McCready described the fatberg removal as a “massive project” and urged local residents and businesses to use grease traps and bin FOG rather than pouring it down sewers. “We would appeal to all our customers, especially food outlets, to dispose of their FOG appropriately,” he said.

“For householders, let it cool and then put it into the bin. Alternatively, pour it into a disposable container and take it to your local oil bank.

“Businesses they also risk blocking their own drainage systems, which results in extra costs being incurred in clean-up efforts.”

Fatbergs can not only result in out of sewer flooding, but also odour problems and the risk of rat infestations. NIW said recent research carried out showed that 96 per cent of people were surprised by how much impact they could have on blockages and a further 49 per cent thought it was mainly NI Water’s responsibility to reduce blockages.

“We are doing our part by investing in the network, however, we will never win this battle alone; upgrading sewers will not stop blockages if the public are going to continue flushing inappropriate items such as wipes and disposing of FOG down the drain,” Mr McCready added. “We need the support of the public and businesses to dispose of these items properly.”

A ‘religious hallucination’ and the shocking murder of a young boy

In 1888, police arriving to a Co Kerry house found the bloodied body of 13-year-old Patrick Doyle lying among debris in the yard

Offbeat

Dean Ruxton

Sun, Jun 25, 2017, 09:00 Sun, Jun 25, 2017, 09:59

When the police arrived to the Doyles’ house in Beaufort, Co Kerry, they found the bloodied body of 13-year-old Patrick lying among furniture, clothes and bedding strewn across the yard.

Officers had first heard a rumour that a person had been shot at the home about 12 km outside Killarney. Arriving on a Sunday afternoon, they found a different scene, one with “the most peculiar and shocking features”, according to a news report in The Irish Times on Tuesday, January 31st, 1888.

“A ghastly sight met their gaze when they entered the yard leading to the house, for stretched in a pool of blood was the murdered and partially nude corpse of Patrick Doyle,” reads the report.

The house was in “perfect pandemonium”. Approaching the front door, police encountered the adults in the family - three daughters, a son, and parents Johanna and Michael Doyle - partially nude, armed with scythes, reaping hooks and pikes, acting in a “demoniacal manner” and “threatening all who approached the house”.

The paper says there were three other infants in the family, aged 7-12 - though in other reports, just two are mentioned. In 1888, the language surrounding disability was blunt; Patrick and the young siblings are described as “idiots” - a nonspecific term for a range of developmental disabilities. In other reports, Patrick is described at various points as deaf and epileptic. His age differs in other publications, ranging from 11 to 13.

When the police reached the door, the family settled down, at first: “Whether it was the presence of the police or not that quieted them it cannot be said, but at all events, with the exception of Michael Doyle, who was the owner of the house and father of the family, they all threw down their weapons, or at least dropped them for the moment.”

The peace didn’t last long and “as soon as the police entered, a terrible scene ensued while the sergeant and the others were putting them under arrest, for the Doyles violently resisted and struggled with the constabulary.”

The struggle with the family lasted a “considerable time” and came under control only after the officers armed themselves with spades. The Doyles were “brought out of the house by force, and handcuffed after considerable difficulty, various attempts being made to kick and bite the constabulary.”

Meanwhile, young Patrick’s body remained outside, its appearance “the most appalling circumstance” of the situation. “There was nothing save a shirt on the unfortunate creature, while the face and neck were disfigured as if dogs or pigs had been tearing them.” A report from the Kerry Sentinel on the same day goes further than simile and says a sow had actually been feeding on the body.

What exactly happened was difficult to unwind. Clues as to what sparked the episode were scarce. “They saw the body lifeless, and they saw the uproar created, and beyond this they have not succeeded in discovering the least information,” says the report.

An early rumour, according to the Sentinel, theorised that the family had eaten a sheep that died of rabies. A later report in the Kerry Evening Post said Michael snr was sitting in the corner of the room during the fighting at the house and appeared frightened at what was happening.

Early on Saturday, the police learned, the family went to bed as usual. Neighbours reported nothing out of the ordinary; it was assumed things took a turn during the night. By the middle of Sunday, the family had become “raving mad” - elsewhere, the unnamed reporter describes the behaviour of the adult Doyles as that of “raving lunatics”, who suffered a “fit of insanity”.

On Sunday, a nephew of Michael snr visited the house, where he claimed he was held hostage for a time before he managed to escape. The same afternoon, a neighbour named John Galvin reported the commotion at the house to the parish priest, who told him to alert the police.

In custody, the Doyles prayed, wringing their hands and throwing themselves to their knees. The violence, particularly among the daughters, continued: “In the police barrack the greatest difficulty was experienced in preventing the girls attacking their father, while he and the mother were not so violent as in the early part of the day.”

Curiosity mounted and crowds gathered at the house, which remained under the watch of the police. There was little doubt that the boy had been murdered, and it was established then that “the madness of the family was of a religious character.”

An inquest was held at Killarney District Lunatic Asylum, where it emerged Johanna, Patrick’s mother, had killed the boy.

“His mother, Mary Doyle, had some hallucination that so long at the boy lived the family would be subject to evil influences,” says the inquest report. “She confessed to having on this account killed her son with three strokes of a hatchet. She imagined she had been to heaven, and seen several of its accepted citizens.”

Five of the six adults in the family were sent to the asylum; Michael snr, deemed a man of “low intelligence”, but not insane, was not committed.

The following April, the board of governors of the asylum held a monthly meeting, at which Michael Doyle requested that some of the members of his family to be released. Besides the eldest, Julia, they “appeared to him to be as well as they ever were,” according to a story in the Kerry Weekly Reporter on the 21st of that month.

Months later, on the morning of July 11th, all five of the Doyles were discharged from the asylum and declared cured of the collective “mania” they had experienced. Immediately, Johanna and her eldest son Michael jnr were arrested.

In court on the same day, Dr Oscar Woods - from the asylum - read Johanna’s confession from his notes, though not without respectfully protesting at first, in an attempt to preserve patient confidentiality, according to a report in the Sentinel.

The court heard that on the day of her admission, Johanna told Dr Woods: “On Saturday night at cock-crow I took that fairy, Patsey, he was not my son he was a devil, a bad fairy - I could have no luck when he was in the house. I carried him out of the house and threw him into the yard and then got a hatchet and struck him three blows on the head. Michael helped me to carry him out. I then came back and we all prayed and went to heaven.”

The only evidence tying Michael jnr to the crime was his mother’s statement. The evidence was deemed insufficient and he was freed.

Johanna pleaded not guilty to the murder of her son, as based on Dr Woods’s evidence, she was not sane on the night of January 28th.

The jury found her guilty, though insane at the time of the murder. She was spared the standard death sentence and instead imprisoned for an undetermined time, “at her Majesty’s pleasure”.

This story is part of the Lost Leads series - a revisiting of lesser-known stories that have made the pages of The Irish Times since 1859. What can you find? Let us know on Twitter: @irishtimes or @deanruxton. For more information on subscribing to the archive, see here: www.irishtimes.com/archive

Looking ruff: Martha has been crowned the ugliest dog in the world

Neapolitan mastiff beat Moe, a Brussels griffon-pug mix

Offbeat

Sat, Jun 24, 2017, 16:34 Sat, Jun 24, 2017, 16:41

A 125lb gentle giant named Martha has been crowned the winner of the 29th annual World’s Ugliest Dog Contest.

The Neapolitan mastiff was a favourite of the northern California crowd from the start, often plopping down on her side on stage with her droopy face spread across the ground when she was supposed to be showing off.

She was rescued when she was nearly blind, but after several operations can see again, according to her handler Shirley Zindler.

She lumbered away with $1,500, a flashy trophy and a trip to New York for media appearances, all things she could hardly care less about.

She beat 13 other dogs, most of them the kind of older, smaller dogs who dominate the competition.

Moe, a 16-year-old Brussels griffon-pug mix who was the oldest in the competition, came in second.

He had lost his hearing and sight but his sense of smell is strong and he was enjoying all the smells at the Sonoma-Marin Fair where the contest is held, including funnel cakes and other fried goodies.

Chase, a 14-year-old Chinese crested-harke mix, came third.

The contestants were judged on first impressions, unusual attributes, personality and audience reaction.

AP

Boys wear skirts to school in protest over shorts ban

Over 30 pupils protest after Exeter school insists they wear trousers despite heatwave

Fashion

Fri, Jun 23, 2017, 15:54 Fri, Jun 23, 2017, 15:57

Some had borrowed from girlfriends, others from sisters. A few had gone the extra mile and shaved their legs.

When the Isca academy in Devon opened on Thursday morning an estimated 30 boys arrived for lessons, heads held high, in fetching tartan-patterned skirts.

The hottest June days since 1976 had led to a bare-legged revolution at the secondary school in Exeter.

As the temperature soared past 30 degrees earlier this week, teenage boys had asked their teachers if they could swap their long trousers for shorts. They were told no – shorts were not permitted in the school uniform policy.

When they protested that the girls were allowed bare legs, the school – no doubt joking – said the boys were free to wear skirts too if they chose.

On Wednesday, a handful braved the giggles and did so. On Thursday the scale of the rebellion increased and at least 30 boys opted for the attire. One of the pupils said up to 70 were dressed in skirts.

“Quite refreshing” was how one of the boys described the experience, pointing out that if even Royal Ascot had allowed racegoers in the royal enclosure to remove their jackets then the school ought to relax its dress code.

Another said he rather enjoyed the “nice breeze” his skirt had afforded him.

A third, tall boy said he was told his short skirt exposed too much hairy leg. Some of the boys visited a shop on their way to Isca – the name the Romans gave to Exeter – to pick up razors to make sure they did not fall foul of any beauty police.

Ironically, the temperature had dropped in Exeter to a more manageable 20 degrees but some boys said they had enjoyed the freedom afforded by the skirts and that they might continue.

The school said it was prepared to think again in the long-term. The headteacher, Aimee Mitchell, said: “We recognise that the last few days have been exceptionally hot and we are doing our utmost to enable both students and staff to remain as comfortable as possible.

“Shorts are not currently part of our uniform for boys and I would not want to make any changes without consulting both students and their families. However, with hotter weather becoming more normal, I would be happy to consider a change for the future.”

Ms Mitchell said that pupils and staff would be allowed to remove their ties and undo top buttons. During lessons, shirts could also be untucked, but had to be tucked in at the end of lessons.

‘I was very proud of Ryan’

However, it was too late. The revolution was under way and was picked up by media organisations across the globe and Devon county council was forced to help the school out with inquiries.

A spokesperson said: “About 30 boys arrived at school this morning wearing school skirts. None of the boys have been penalised – no one was put in isolation or detention for wearing a skirt.”

The mother of one of the boys who began the protest said she was proud of him. Claire Lambeth (43) said her son Ryan (15) came home earlier this week complaining about the heat.

“He said it was unbearable. I spoke to a teacher to ask about shorts and she said it was school policy [that they could not be worn]. I did say this was exceptional weather, but they were having none of it. If girls can wear skirts, why can’t boys wear shorts?

“Ryan came up with the idea of wearing a skirt so that evening we borrowed one. He wore it the next day – as did five other boys. This morning there were about 50 to 60 of them in skirts.

“I didn’t expect it to take off like that. The school is being silly really – this is exceptional weather. I was very proud of Ryan. I think it was a great idea.”

The pupils told local news website Devon Live they will continue their “Boys in Skirts” campaign until the school changes its uniform code.

It may be that the weather will solve the problem for the school. The Exeter-based UK Met Office – situated up the road from the school – predicts pleasant but not searing temperatures over the coming week. –

Agencies

Is this your five-foot exotic snake found in a south Dublin tree?

Vets appeal to owner to collect ‘friendly’ white corn snake discovered in Ballybrack

Offbeat

Jack Power

Fri, Jun 23, 2017, 12:04 Fri, Jun 23, 2017, 12:04

Vets in Co Wicklow have appealed for information on the owners of a white corn snake which was found up a tree in Ballybrack, south Dublin.

After it was found last week, the 1.5m snake was s taken to the Bairbre O’Malley Veterinary Hospital in Bray, which specialises in treating exotic animals.

The hospital has put out a call to the snake’s owner to recover it if it escaped on its own.

A veterinary nurse who deals with exotic animals said the warm weather recently may have caused the snake to escape and venture out from its home.

Leonie Sunderland, a veterinary nurse at the hospital, said staff received a call about the snake, which is not poisonous, from a member of the public who found it in a tree last Friday.

“They don’t usually go out and about in Ireland because it would be too cold. Given the temperatures last week, it may have escaped,” she said.

The snake is now being kept in the clinic, under warm lights, while staff search for the owner. “We have him in a tank that is tightly shut to prevent any escape attempts – he’s very friendly,” Ms Sunderland said.

If an owner does not come forward the snake will be rehomed, likely by one of the clinic’s regular clients.

The clinic saw an increase in exotic pets being brought in for care during the Celtic Tiger period in Ireland, including raccoons, monkeys and reptiles.

There is no legislation in Ireland around owning exotic or poisonous pets.

Is it really okay to wear shorts into the office?

Do you wear shorts to the office when the sun comes out?

Offbeat

Patrick Logue

Thu, Jun 22, 2017, 12:15 Thu, Jun 22, 2017, 13:00

There’s always one; when the sun comes, so do the shorts.

There may be a slight blip in the good weather today, but if you have a look around the office, you may still find somebody who has abandoned the usual suit trousers, shirt and sensible shoes and is instead wearing boardies and flip flops.

It’s only when the sun splits the stones you find yourself sitting across a table from a colleague dressed more like he’s heading to Lahinch to go surfing than in a meeting to discuss the upcoming half-year results.

It’s all right for the women, they can keep cool in flowing summer attire but it can be a little more challenging for the blokes.

In France, bus drivers took matters one step further when they started wearing skirts to keep cool in sweltering conditions this week. Reports from the western city of Nantes say the drivers, who are members of the CFDT union, said their normal uniform was not appropriate for the hot weather prompting the cross-dressing episode.

In the UK meanwhile, a call-centre worker was sent home for turning up in a pair of shorts. His solution? He went home and changed into a dress. Naturally he took to Twitter to highlight his “plight”.

But the question remains: is it ever all right to wear shorts and flip-flops in the office?

If you are reading this on our news app go here to vote.

Ice-cream van to the rescue on Portmarnock beach

Van used to transport man who got a fish-hook caught in his foot

Offbeat

Sarah Burns

Thu, Jun 22, 2017, 08:39 Thu, Jun 22, 2017, 09:50

An ice-cream van came to the rescue at Portmarnock beach in Dublin on Wednesday.

The van was used by Dublin Fire Brigade to transport a man who got a fish-hook caught in his foot.

“Our truck couldn’t get on the sand, it was too heavy for the sand, it would have sank,” said a spokesman for Dublin Fire Brigade.

“So one of the paramedics got in the back of the ice-cream truck and just went down to the man. Our fire crew met him at a safer place at the back of the golf course.”

The spokesman added “it was a rare event”.

The Morning Sports Briefing

Farrell set to pip Sexton in only change from NZ Maori win, Darragh Ó Sé asks; who in their right mind would be manager?

Sport

Wed, Jun 21, 2017, 08:28 Wed, Jun 21, 2017, 08:28

Owen Farrell is expected to pip Johnny Sexton to the Lions number 10 jersey for Saturday’s opening Test against New Zealand.

In Gerry Thornley’s probable XV, and he’s rarely too far off with these things, Farrell’s inclusion is the only change to the team that overcame the NZ Maori last weekend. The official team announcement is due this evening.

There’s an interesting piece in this morning’s pages from Rob Cole, about the Irishman Ronnie Dawson; the only captain to lead the Lions to victory over the All Blacks at Eden Park. 

“As far as omens go for the British and Irish Lions in their Test opener against the All Blacks this weekend, Warren Gatland could do no better than to pick Munster’s Peter O’Mahony as his captain . . . “

In his column this morning Darragh Ó Sé asks; who in their right mind would be a manager?

He feels for the likes of Andy McEntee and Rory Gallagher this week - “watching a total non-performance and that goes deeper than trying to make a few switches. You may as well be standing in front of a train asking it politely to stop.”

Wexford manager Davy Fitzgerald is considering staying in the stands after serving his suspension. 

“I felt back that night I could see the game way better. There must be logic in why the rugby managers do what they do. Soccer, it’s a little different, it’s a lot slower.”

Meanwhile Irish success on Tuesday on day one at Royal Ascot was confined to jumps maestro Willie Mullins who won the Ascot Stakes with 4-1 favourite Thomas Hobson. 

Racing correspondent Brian O’Connor thinks that Queen’s Trust could ultimately prove a value alternative at double-figure odds for today’s Prince Of Wales’s Stakes. The “drop back to mile-and-a-quarter makes Highland Reel and Jack Hobbs vulnerable.”

Justin Bieber brings glitz to Bushy Park with impromptu game

Hundreds of ‘Beliebers’ gather in south Dublin park to see popstar play basketball

Offbeat

Aine McMahon

Tue, Jun 20, 2017, 21:07 Tue, Jun 20, 2017, 21:55

Canadian popstar Justin Bieber brought some showbiz to a normally tranquil Bushy Park in south Dublin on Tuesday when he dropped in to shoot hoops with his entourage.

Ahead of his concert in the RDS in Dublin on Wednesday night, Bieber enjoyed a game of basketball with members of his travelling crew.

Fans took to social media to share pictures and videos of the the star playing in the Terenure park.

When Bieber and his entorurage went to leave, they got stuck for 20 minutes on Rathdown Avenue and hundreds of excited fans - a small fraction of the star’s global army of “Beliebers” - gathered around his car.

“He didn’t roll down the window or engage with the fans but, to be fair, there were hundreds of them and they were all a bit excited,” said one eyewitness.

Earlier on Tuesday, Bieber was spotting having a bite to eat in in Picadero’s Spanish restaurant in Maynooth Co Kildare.

The Morning Sports Briefing

Brooks Koepka wins US Open, Gordon D’Arcy says Lions must remember the All Blacks are just men, Cork hurling revival continues

Sport

Mon, Jun 19, 2017, 08:16 Mon, Jun 19, 2017, 08:16

Golf

Brooks Koepka produced a stunning display of ball-striking for a 67 on the final day at Erin Hills to capture the US Open title and his first major win.

The American equaled Rory McIlroy’s low scoring record from 2011 with a -16 total in Wisconsin, pulling away from Brian Harman on the back nine to win by three shots. Koepka’s win means the last seven majors have been won by players for the first time and is further evidence of the incredible strength in depth of golf at the moment.

GAA

Cork continued their hurling revival with a win over Waterford - that sees them into the Munster final against Clare.

The young rebels proved too sharp and hungry for a flat Waterford team, playing their first competitive match in three months.

Also on Sunday, Tyrone were comfortable winners over Donegal in the Ulster football championship. A nine point win for Tyrone and a total of 1-21, not the usual dogfight you’d expect between those two.

Roscommon progressed to the Connacht final after a 17 point win over Leitrim in Hyde Park, while the Galway hurlers smashed Offaly 0-33 to 1-11. Ouch.

The football round two qualifier draw is this morning at 8.30; both Donegal and Mayo are in the pot but cannot face one another.

Rugby

To win, the Lions need to remember that the All Blacks are just men. That’s the message from Gordon D’Arcy this morning.

He believes that Warren Gatland will remind his squad that the Lions have superior game managers ahead of the weekend’s first Test against New Zealand.

“The “All Blacks” is a persona they created for themselves. This is the New Zealand national rugby team, made up of men, just men. When we were turning the tide at Leinster against perceived greats of European rugby, we always played against the man not the jersey.”

Gerry Thornley thinks Peter O’Mahony is the front-runner to captain the team in the first test next Saturday, “if one reads between the lines” of the tourists’ selection to face the Chiefs tomorrow.

The Morning Sports Briefing

Rory McIlroy has a nightmare start to US Open, Jackie Tyrrell explains why Waterford are too nice

Sport

Fri, Jun 16, 2017, 08:46 Fri, Jun 16, 2017, 08:46

Rory McIlroy ran up a horrid US Open opening round of six-over-par 78 yesterday, to leave him all of 13 strokes behind first round leader Rickie Fowler.

He faces a tough ask if he is to survive the cut, which features the top 60 and ties, McIlroy – who was 143rd of the 156 players after the first round – claimed: “I feel like I’m capable. As I said, I just need to get the ball on the fairway.”

In his column this morning, Jackie Tyrrell is analysing Waterford, and he thinks Derek McGrath has put all the eggs in the championship basket; now it’s time to deliver.

“My impression of Waterford all along is that they’re a nice team. You’d love your sister to be going out with one of them. Bigger teams can get away with looking down on them.”

Gerry Thornley believes that Warren Gatland’s choice of captain for Saturday’s Lions match against the Maori All Blacks is a fitting honour for Munster stalwart Peter O’Mahony, after a difficult 12 months.

“I just wanted to get back training for the lads and get stuck in. And that’s what I did. It’s been a bit of a mad season,” explained the Irish flanker.

Meanwhile Gatland has revealed he is set to radically overhaul the Lions team to play the Chiefs in Hamilton next Tuesday, by calling up half a dozen players or more from the Welsh and Scottish squads which are touring in the vicinity.

While ahead of Ireland’s Test against Japan on Saturday morning, Joe Schmidt is ‘excited’ to see how his inexperienced squad handle their fatigue, with an eye on the 2019 World Cup.

“Some guys are flat because they are waking up at 1am or 2am and they can’t get back to sleep.”