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GARDAÍ HAVE CARRIED out a number of arrests as part of a road enforcement clampdown on the May Bank Holiday weekend.
In Carlow last night, gardaí doing speed checks clocked a motorist travelling at 157 km/h on the M9 motorway. The driver failed roadside tests for cocaine, opiates and cannabis.
The car was seized as the driver was disqualified from driving.
Follow up searches of the car recovered 2,000 ecstasy tablets and 250 grams of cocaine. Gardaí have valued the seizure at approximately €40,000.
A man in his 20s was arrested before being released with a file to be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
In Dublin, gardaí implemented 10 checkpoints across the capital yesterday evening as part of Operation Lockdown. The operation saw 595 motorists tested for alcohol and 15 for drugs.
Three arrests were made, one for drink driving and two for drugs.
Also in Dublin, gardaí stopped a motorcyclist who used a bus lane to undertake an unmarked garda vehicle while driving 100 km/h in a 80 km/h zone.
In Cork, gardaí conducted a checkpoint in Carrigaline last night and made two arrests on suspicion of drink driving. Three cars were also seized.
In Clare, a Lissycasey checkpoint on Thursday night saw the driver of a 45 tonne articulated truck testing positive for cocaine. The driver was arrested and taken to Ennis
Garda Station.
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Looking forward to this after the fantastic success of the visit so far.
@Phillip O’Brien: enjoy it, hope the rain stays away
Why is he speaking almost entirely in Italian to a crowd of 500,000 English speakers, when a) he speaks perfect English, and b) Italian isn’t his first language anyway?
@bopter: is he by any chance speaking Latin?
@bopter: Maybe because he thinks the majority of the 125,000 concert-goers come from Italy?
Not my cup of tea at all, but good luck to them.
@Pants Machine: agreed. Not religious, but I respect friends and family who are.
Hope they all enjoy their day I hear he does a good Mass
@Davy Boy: mass hysteria , mass propaganda and mass denial of justice for victims of brutality
I wonder what the breakdown of the figures from overseas are?
@David Dineen:
This is the important question.
@David Dineen: Give it up…with your” breakdown “. Event is on, it’s very successful by all accounts, there are huge numbers everywhere, Live and let Live for people who have a faith- and who have gained much comfort, solace, help and support from their Church. And I repeat, those same people have as much support and possibly are more active in seeking support for Victims, than you or I. The disappointment is really setting in now for the begrudges..trying to nit-pick for any flaw or perceived negativity.
@sequoia: On a losing mission now, forget it.
@Margate: that’s the second abuse survivor you’ve attacked here that I’ve seen in under 24 hours. Well done. There’s a spot reserved for you but it ain’t where you’d like it to be.
@Margate: If success can be judged by the ” “Huge numbers” you claim then this visit is a failure. There were just over 50k people in Croke park yesterday (including those working at the event) which is 30k less than the location can hold. There were no “massive crowds” along any of the routes either, with plenty of space for onlookers at barriers. Today’s Phoenix park mass is unlikely to hit the 500k number with lots of tickets still available. It’s by no means the success that the RCC will try to claim it is.
@Margate:
I seem to be getting under your skin for some reason.
As I explained to you elsewhere. The data here is fascinating. And I really want to know how it slices.
However, and I suspect you know this as much I suspect it, that at least 50% of the attendees are from outside the state.
@sequoia: I would be surprised if it was that high but it’s an interesting question. Which event are you talking about?
@Seamus Mac:
Really interested in them separately and as a whole.
Interviews with the public at various events on tv yesterday were 50/50 (thereabouts) but that’s selective presentation. I’m really interested in the granular data such as specific cities and countries of (a) their nationality & (b) their domicile.
That way for example if there were particularly high number of Brazilians in knock yesterday, we could get a measure as to the percentage of them that travelled from Brazil vs Gort.
@sequoia: not sure we’ll get that info but would be interesting
Hope it lashes rain
@Simon Doyle: oh how edgy!
@Simon Doyle: Your a bad minded person.
@Simon Doyle:
How horrible of you !
Let people and families enjoy their faith .
Be a Grinch in your own time .
Your bitterness won’t stem the crowds …
@Simon Doyle:
How horrible a remark!
Your pettiness won’t stem the crowds having a memorable day out…. your Grinch-like comments really don’t impact on anyone… because no one cares!
@Simon Doyle: Obviously if that’s your mindset, it’s the same wish for the people honouring the Tuam babies today, they will get the same rain/ weather as outdoor event too. Pretty petty, pretty sad that that’s your attitude.
@Simon Doyle: I’m hoping for thunder and lightening too.
@Pinkady: he might be well intentioned, and the risk of airborne diseases may be reduced for to moisture in the air. We need to stop looking for the bad in people’s intentions. And sure you can just write it off as his “sin” – that would work.
@Pinkady: a drop of rain certainly did stem the crowd. As always only about a quarter show up for mass
what happened to all the muppets that were going to grab a big load of tickets then NOT attend?? Guess they got a big load of egg on their faces this weekend
@Frank Dubogovik: did they? How?
@Dave O Keeffe: try and keep up/ read the articles today and yesterday…much larger than anticipated attendances do Papal visit.
@Frank Dubogovik: How can they much larger than anticipated when all the tickets were sold out???
@Pixie McMullen: there were organized groups attaining tickets in bulk amount with the intention of not going/ stopping access to tickets from those who wanted to go as a form of mass protest, no pun intended. The idea was to make a statement nationally and internationally that Irish people didn’t care enough to go anymore. Apparently, Joe Duffy show did lots of reports on it.
I have no interest in going myself but I do think that it is sad that a lot of people in the country are excited about going and are really into their faith which is their business but EVERY single article about the visit has turned into one filled with anger and negativity. I’m not for one minute dismissing the horrible history of abuse associated but it really feels like an atmosphere gone into negative overdrive
@Frank Dubogovik: that’s frickin amazing! You measured the attendance before the event even happened?!?!?!
@Frank Dubogovik: by my count there’s at least 370,000 no shows
@Dave O Keeffe: Oul Frank won`t be back on this thread i reckon…
@Frank Dubogovik: Try and keep up. Vatican spokesman/concert organiser on RTÉ this morning claimed around 200,000 in attendance. Gardaí reckoned a bit under 130,000, but I’m sure all the Beliebers had a great day out.
steady flow.. 1 every 10 minutes arriving
Is it possible to get a fact check on the percentage of nationalities attending to get a proper overview of foreign/domestic attendance?
@sequoia: You really are Desperate at this stage.
@Margate:
I’m not desperate about anything.
I’m interested in the actual cultural/ethnic breakdown.
Interviews on tv yesterday were about 50/50 between Irish people and other nationalities.
I’m interested in how many people traveled here for the event and where they came from.
Perfectly valid request.
In 1979 the majority of attendees would have been Irish, however, nearly 40 years later, our population breakdown has changed, air travel is cheaper, and there’s been a distancing from the church by a lot of people.
This data is fascinating and important to know.
Seriously, adoration for papacy’s and monarchies in the 21st century… we are fkd as a species..
@Bart Teeling: Adoration for various groups with negative agendas, less interest in the genocide going on around the world especially in Middle East and Africa and massive popular concentration on “reality tv” shows like Big Brother and the latest pile of tv license money wastage – love island. Our species has continued EVEN FURTHER down a slippery slope since the beginning of this century and despite many would have you believe, it’s not ALL down to the pope, Catholic Church, Donald Trump and the Russians even if they are part of the lineup of the usual suspects with Kaisor Sozé (or however you spell his name). It seems God is implicated in the crimes whether it’s “our God” , Jesus or Allah but the Devil is in the detail after all.
Another burst of rain and Phoenix Park is going to resemble Glastonbury, hope they got their wellies with them.
@Pixie McMullen: lots of disabled people and elderly their, are you sure that you’re against abuse?
@Sayitlikeitis: What on earth does that mean?? I simply pointed out a fact, That, if there is another heavy does of rain, coupled with that much foot traffic, it would resemble Glastonbury.
What exactly are you accusing me of?
And it that any way for a “Christian” to act?
@Sayitlikeitis: Pretty sure pixie isn’t the one making elderly and disabled people walk miles to stand in a field in the rain. Why didn’t he just come for longer and have several smaller indoor events in the RDS where the world meeting of families was?
@Pixie McMullen: I know that you were making a genuine comparison to Glastonbury with crowds and rain at a festival but I think that @sayitlikeitis just read a lot of negative and nasty snippy comments on this article and picked up yours as a sarcastic one also which I doubt was intended to be at all.
@John Mullin: I have purposely kept away from most of the pope articles, I abhor what the Catholic Church has done, but i`m also sick and tired of all the pope and church bashing, it`s making me feel uncomfortable, My mother is a devout Catholic, and i would NEVER ridicule her over it.
The message has been delivered loud and clear, all the pope bashers are doing now is flogging a dead horse
@Pixie McMullen: 100% agree with everything you just said. That’s my feeling also. But I feel that by admitting that and not making negative comments against the Church we are probably going to be accused or labeled as being Catholic Church sympathizers and not caring enough for people who have been abused..it’s too easy to be negative, I’m trying to focus on the positive so my thoughts outweigh the negative ones but it’s hard when it seems to be in the atmosphere all the time now.
@Pixie McMullen: don’t worry, they’ve been on to Bono and he’s going to keep the rain away
@Sam Harms: he’s a bit busy Sam.
@Seamus Mac: doing what? Appearing at places?
@Dave Harris: yes
I got in early today with my bike, no hassle at all. https://youtu.be/-QVe67l2cUs
And the Lord spake, saying, “First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who, being naughty in My sight, shall snuff it.
@BarronVonVaderHam: it’s the magic number. Really good
If I begged for money and pretended to talk to an imaginary man in the sky I’d be locked up…. All religion is such a crock of Shhht
@thomas patrick: There’s a guy works down the chip shop swears he’s Elvis…
Oh no! Not rain, he should of came up to Donegal if he wanted to experience real rain. You know, wet rain
@Noel James Doherty: “he should of came” ??
@RJ.Fallon: yeah that’s what I said he should of came
@Noel James Doherty: ok, it must have meaning somewhere.
130,000 was the attendance out of 500,000. Ed Sheeran has more pulling power.
have your say