GOOD MORNING.
Here’s all the news you need to know this St Patrick’s Day.
1. Asylum seekers who were transferred from Mount Street to the grounds of an old nursing home in the Dublin Mountains on Saturday have said that the conditions at the site meant they “could not” stay there.
Men who travelled back to the city on Saturday night said that when they left that morning, they were instructed not to take their tents with them. One man said he felt that they were treated “like animals”.
2. In our main story this morning, Órla Ryan speaks to Dr Austin O’Carroll, the head of Dublin’s new North Inner City Drugs and Alcohol Task Force, which has been reestablished amid a national conversation about our approach to drug use.
Areas in the north inner city have long been “traumatised” by poverty and addiction, O’Carroll told The Journal. He said it’s vital that people with lived experience of addiction are on the new task force to give their insights on what communities need.
3. There will be a range taking place across every corner of the country today to mark St Patrick’s Day.
You can get a quick snapshot of everything that’s on offer here.
4. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will return to the White House today to attend a St Patrick’s Day brunch with US President Joe Biden.
Reporting from Washington DC, our Political Editor Christina Finn says the Taoiseach will present the traditional bowl of shamrock to Biden and both men will deliver remarks.
5. Staying in Washington, US President Joe Biden quipped about Leo Varadkar’s younger years when he worked as a congressional intern on Capitol Hill during a Washington ‘roast’ style dinner on Saturday evening.
Varadkar attended the Gridiron Club and Foundation Dinner, the oldest journalist association in Washington DC, sharing a table with the Biden, the US Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as Jeff Bezos, Amazon Executive Chairman and Bill Burns, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
6. Back home, the news that Ireland’s only vinyl record maker went into liquidation last week has come as a blow to the Irish music industry and affected some upcoming releases from Irish artists.
Dublin Vinyl was established in 2016 and as well as pressing records for local artists, the company had contracts with major international record labels. On 4 March, liquidators were appointed to deal with the company by the High Court after Dublin Vinyl experienced significant financial difficulties owing to a number of factors.
7. In Iceland, a state of emergency has been declared following a volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula, the fourth eruption to hit the area since December.
A volcanic eruption “started between stora Skogfell and Hagafell on the Reykjanes Peninsula,” said a statement from the Icelandic Met Office (IMO). Live video images showed glowing lava and billowing smoke.
8. Russia has said it was targeted by a wave of Ukrainian drones overnight ahead of the final day of a presidential vote set to extend President Vladimir Putin’s rule for another six years.
The Russian Defence Ministry reported downing 35 Ukrainian drones overnight, including four in the Moscow region.
9. Ireland have retained the Six Nations title after a 17-14 win over Scotland at Aviva Stadium.
While hopes of a historic successive second Grand Slam were ended by defeat in England last weekend Andy Farrell’s side responded with an all-important result in front of their own fans.
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