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Ireland lost the run of itself over free McDonald's breakfast

McDonald’s branches all over Ireland gave out out FREE Egg McMuffins this morning. Chaos ensued.

DID YOU SUCCUMB to the temptation of a tasty and free McDonald’s breakfast this morning? Did you?

McDonald’s branches across the country were handing out Egg McMuffins free of charge until 10am today as part of a new promotion, simply titled Free Breakfast Friday.

And you as you probably know, people take free food very, very seriously.

This was the scene at McDonald’s on O’Connell Street this morning

Here was the state of McDonald’s Blackrock

And Waterford

Queues out the door were pretty standard, actually

Some McDonald’s branches were simply not ready for the demand

And even the people at the drive-thrus couldn’t escape the free breakfast crush

But the question is – was it worth it? Yes, according to, like, everyone:

 

Are you suddenly starving? We’re STARVING.

Historian caught on camera giving epic eye-roll at Richard III’s burial>

So McDonald’s is selling Big Mac-patterned jammies now…>

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113 Comments
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    Mute Ed
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    Jun 18th 2020, 8:16 AM

    It’s a farce. How does eating a €9 meal make 1 metre distancing ok instead of 2 metres?

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    Mute NotMyIreland
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    Jun 18th 2020, 9:17 AM

    @Ed: It doesn’t, the allocation of 90 mins time slots at 1m distancing mitigates some of the added risk of reducing 2m to 1m. The €9 is part of the Intoxicating Liquor Act with regards to what constitutes a meal, and must be adhered to by the publican to be allowed open three weeks earlier than those who don’t serve food.

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    Mute Ed
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    Jun 18th 2020, 9:32 AM

    @NotMyIreland: 1 metre should suffice in all shops so as who would spend more than 90 minutes in one. As with everything FG have done during the pandemic everything is contradictory to something else.

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    Mute NotMyIreland
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    Jun 18th 2020, 10:01 AM

    @Ed: 1m distancing is for people seated at tables, not moving around. If they are moving around 2m distancing should be adhered to according to the guidelines. So unless you go into a shop to sit in the one place without moving around it is 2m.

    19
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    Mute Daimhín De Naois
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    Jun 18th 2020, 10:23 AM

    @NotMyIreland: You can contract the virus by being beside an infected person for a minimum of 15mins, hence the 2m rule. But theyre saying now, you can sit within that distance with another person for 90mins but out and about walking around you must stay 2m apart and youre grand…Its absolutely nonsensical.

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    Mute NotMyIreland
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    Jun 18th 2020, 11:13 AM

    @Daimhín De Naois: You can catch the virus in the time it takes to take a few breaths, if the viral particles are in the air. The 15min rule is for determining a close contact for testing, but also mitigates risk, and as we are not equipped to test all contacts they had to set some form of parameters and limits. Its the same with the 105 minutes, its just parameters to mitigate against risk, not make the risk zero. Also the guidelines say people not in the same household should still be seated 2m apart. They have relaxed the rules for the viability of business, which was called for, and now people give out that there are differences. The alternative was to stick to the 2m rigidly and let businesses fail.

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    Mute Daimhín De Naois
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    Jun 18th 2020, 11:40 AM

    @NotMyIreland: The chances of randomly breathing in enough suspended viral particles and getting sick is slim to none. Below 15 mins in an enclosed environment is low risk exposure. Over 15 is high risk. Therefore 90 is? The issue is relaxing one rule for one setting and enforcing it in another. Its non sensical. Indoors is worse for contraction than outdoors yet for this business model we’re told its the opposite.

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    Mute William J Gardener
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    Jun 18th 2020, 1:00 PM

    @Ed: each metre will cost an extra €9

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    Mute NotMyIreland
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    Jun 18th 2020, 1:05 PM

    @Daimhín De Naois: Its true the amount of time spent increases the chances. It can only take one breath in certain situations, ie. someone sneezes in your direction within the area of spread of a sneeze. So yes, close face to face contact is 15 mins. But my original point that the 15 minute rule was picked to mitigate risk still stands, it could have been 5, 10 or 20. This is from the ECDC:
    Longer duration of contact is assumed to increase the risk of transmission; the 15-minute limit is arbitrarily selected for practical purposes. Public health authorities may consider some persons who had a shorter duration of contact with the case as having had high-risk exposure, based on individual risk assessments.

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    Mute NotMyIreland
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    Jun 18th 2020, 1:19 PM

    @NotMyIreland: The 90, or now 105, min rule was also a limit arbitrarily selected for practical purposes. Why is there a difference? The 15 min rule is for determining who is a close contact, (part of the case definition), ie. someone within 2m of a case for 15 mins. The 105 limit however is a risk mitigation technique, (not a part of a case definition), for those gathering indoors. The equivalent risk mitigation technique for outdoors is 2m social distancing, which is not time limited.

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    Mute Donal Reddington
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    Jun 18th 2020, 3:39 PM

    @Ed: I love pints more than anyone. They are delicious.

    So pubs were not supposed to be opening, pubs used argument that they wanted to serve food. Then when that happened they complained about 2m rule and now the issue is serving food.

    If you don’t have 2m and you don’t have food its just a pub!!!

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    Mute Damian Moylan
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    Jun 18th 2020, 7:21 PM

    @Ed: Well, small people have a lower vapour exit velocity upon sneezing unless a mask is worn so s=ut+1/2ft2 meaning a lower distance (s) (where f=acceleration; t=time of travel; u=initial velocity=0) but what do i know, just avoid the big guy in the corner not wearing a mask…

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    Mute Damian Moylan
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    Jun 18th 2020, 7:28 PM

    @Daimhín De Naois: Tbh these are all empirical measures. There is no magic scientific formula unless you apply the Bournoulli fluids equation which seems very harsh and unrealistic imho as you would have to assume everyone emitting vapour by breathing or sneezing is actually infected.

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    Mute Dermot O'Reilly
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    Jun 18th 2020, 10:39 PM

    @Ed: where can you get a meal for €9?

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    Mute School4work
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    Jun 18th 2020, 8:49 AM

    Is it too much to ask people to show some dignity and wait until all pubs are opened:

    If you rush back into pubs you may rush back into lockdown:

    Relax and enjoy your life, you only have one:

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    Mute Sue Kelly
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    Jun 18th 2020, 1:43 PM

    @School4work: Its mostly the publican that are concerned. Their bill like every other business are coming in and they cant pay them

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    Mute Mairead Jenkins
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    Jun 18th 2020, 8:08 AM

    A lot of complaining by the publicans re the rules that allow them to open earlier than planned if they serve food. They wanted to be treated as restaurants and to be allowed open with them. What did they expect? Clearly NPHET feels it is still too early for ‘normal’ pubs to reopen. Presumably when we get to that phase the rules will be much more straightforward.

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    Mute Jeremiah A Craic
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    Jun 18th 2020, 7:48 AM

    If they don’t open the pubs soon we’re gonna turn into alcoholics!

    108
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    Mute WreckDefier
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    Jun 18th 2020, 8:56 AM

    @Jeremiah A Craic: We already are

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    Mute Kevin
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    Jun 18th 2020, 10:53 AM

    @Jeremiah A Craic:

    Delicious irony. Comment of the week. Take a bow…. :-))

    23
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    Mute Edel Quinn
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    Jun 18th 2020, 9:58 AM

    People will NOT be social distancing when they’re drunk. Fact.

    81
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    Mute Florence Bass
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    Jun 18th 2020, 1:59 PM

    @Edel Quinn: obviously 1 of the reasons why 90 minutes is suggested so you don’t get DRUNK !!!!

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    Mute my name
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    Jun 18th 2020, 3:26 PM

    @Florence Bass: if you can’t get drunk in 90 minutes Florence you’re not swallowing correctly

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    Mute Margaret Mcgarry
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    Jun 18th 2020, 3:34 PM

    @Florence Bass: it takes far less than 90 mins to get drunk

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    Mute Logan Shepherd
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    Jun 18th 2020, 5:36 PM

    @my name: I don’t see what that has to do with getting drunk (‘ ‘)

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    Mute my name
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    Jun 18th 2020, 6:40 PM

    @Logan Shepherd: ssssh

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    Mute MickN
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    Jun 18th 2020, 10:23 AM

    “Lets us open, we can do it, we can make adjustments”

    “Ok you can open, just make adjustments”

    “Nah this isnt fair we want it back to normal now instead”

    Its unreal how fast caring business is turning on its promises..

    62
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    Mute tuco
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    Jun 18th 2020, 8:09 AM

    With about the urinals,auld fella coughing spluttering and pissing on yeah at the same time telling yeah his parched the last few months and the wife is nagging him

    84
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    Mute Logan Shepherd
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    Jun 18th 2020, 12:58 PM

    @tuco: Ok .. I won’t go so ..

    13
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    Mute Pat Kelly
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    Jun 18th 2020, 1:09 PM

    @tuco: you dont have a ‘ wife ‘ lol

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    Mute John Doyle
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    Jun 18th 2020, 1:44 PM

    @tuco: him piSsing on you wont effect you, it’s a respiratory virus

    7
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    Mute Mike Ryan
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    Jun 18th 2020, 1:59 PM

    @tuco: We’ve been adhering to a 1 urinal gap since they were invented. Its an unwritten rule of social distancing that most men have followed for years :D

    19
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    Mute EnKy
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    Jun 18th 2020, 1:17 PM

    Folks, can I ask why the media are ignoring our slow return to education? Even in the UK, some children have gone back to school. They are back around Europe. We are depriving children of an education and this 6 months could cause irreparable damage. I find it incredible how the government is getting an easy ride on this and nursing homes.

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    Mute Seriousnojoke
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    Jun 18th 2020, 2:05 PM

    @EnKy: I wouldn’t take the UK as a good example to look to for any decision making in the pandemic, but the rest of your point is valid. Kids are less susceptible to Covid-19 so school opening shouldn’t be considered.

    16
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    Mute Seriousnojoke
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    Jun 18th 2020, 2:06 PM

    @Seriousnojoke: Sorry, should* be considered

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    Mute Niall Ó Cofaigh
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    Jun 18th 2020, 4:35 PM

    @EnKy: Secondary schools would have been closed 3 weeks ago, primary in 2 weeks time. The UK only starts school holidays mid July, and I am not sure of elsewhere. My estimate is 2 and 1/2 or 3 and 1/2 months is about what has been missed, not 6 months.

    If “damage” has been done then it has been done already in the name of saving lives and stopping spreading the virus. For every step that is taken it can take up to two weeks for any fallout (as in case increases) and I do not think that at the end of April or start of May we were in a position to decide to reopen schools.

    Maybe, now with numbers as low, if this is maintained and people wear the masks and social distance, then we might see the schools being in a position to open in full at the end of the normal school holidays.

    There are children who, for many reasons, may miss months from school (e.g. illness) and have to do extra to catch up but all children are in the same both and I fail to understand the “irreparable damage” statement although I do accept the post leaving cert students may have iusses, but as I say, the same applies to everyone, so everyone has the same catching up to do.

    I think you have to distinguish between “easy ride” and “supporting” the government. Some want flights to Spain back and some want the pubs open and some refuse to consider wearing masks and many fail to social distance – any issues are caused by the people not the government or the health advisers.

    12
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    Mute Martin Moloney
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    Jun 18th 2020, 6:16 PM

    @Seriousnojoke: tell that to the parents of 13 day old child who died from C 19 today jn UK- with no underlying conditions.

    6
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    Mute LD
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    Jun 18th 2020, 7:17 PM

    @EnKy: dramatic much!! irreparable damage to what exactly? Children’s inability to think for themself is what will hopefully be damaged.

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    Mute Seriousnojoke
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    Jun 18th 2020, 7:20 PM

    @Martin Moloney: Very sorry to hear that… Although Less susceptible doesn’t mean completely immune… the risk is there, just much lower than the older age groups… Schools should be reopened with social distancing rules in place of course.

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    Mute Damian Moylan
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    Jun 18th 2020, 7:34 PM

    @EnKy: Secondary Schools in the Netherlands have always been on a shift basis 0730 till 1930. You could have maths in the morning, go home, come back later in the day for Physics etc. Big population nearly 20mln, avg 3k per school.

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    Mute Mick Staines
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    Jun 18th 2020, 10:21 AM

    After 3 pints it wont work anyway. Here comes lockdown 2021

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    Mute Jim Moran
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    Jun 18th 2020, 10:51 AM

    Keep them closed or open them all.

    20
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    Mute John Egan
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    Jun 18th 2020, 10:31 AM

    If there is a financial fund by the EU. I wonder what other EU countries will think of our extreme cautious approach considering majority of them have opened up faster with the same risks but understanding the importance of keeping their economy going.

    17
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    Mute Damian Moylan
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    Jun 18th 2020, 7:38 PM

    @John Egan: i’m not optimistic at all about the prospect of any free money so we could stay at home longer.

    1
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    Mute Sonya Kinsella-Harper
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    Jun 18th 2020, 6:47 PM

    When will they announce their decision on beauty salons & hairdressers reopening

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