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Residents of Yangzhou perform a 'fan dance' to celebrate China's national day Meng Delong/ColorChinaPhoto/AP/Press Association Images

The Daily Fix: Saturday

In tonight’s Fix: The latest in the race for the Áras; the Central Bank under fire; and what was discovered in one man’s underwear?

EVERY DAY, TheJournal.ie brings you a round-up of all the day’s main news as well as the bits and pieces you may have missed.

Race for the Áras…

  • Independent presidential candidate Mary Davis has defended herself after it emerged she had been paid €190,000 for sitting on various State boards. She said she had been appointed by various different groups, and had nothing to hide.
  • We’ve been wondering whether former Tánaiste and justice minister Michael McDowell has been weighing in on the presidential race – after a Twitter account was set up in his name, and posted several comments about Martin McGuinness. However, the jury’s still out on its authenticity…
  • And TheJournal.ie asked seven of our readers – each supporting a different presidential hopeful – to outline why they made their decision. Here’s what they said.
  • Meanwhile, pity the poor candidates – they’ve been out and about canvassing all day, several of them in the pouring rain. Mary Davis was in Kerry; Michael D Higgins in Galway; Gay Mitchell in Kilkenny; and David Norris in Limerick. Meanwhile Seán Gallagher and Martin McGuinness met voters in Dublin and did their best to stay dry:

Photo: Stephen Kilkenny/LightCurvePhoto.com

In the day’s other news…

  • Gardaí have revealed that there were no signs of a break-in at the Limerick flat where 54-year-old Martin Purcell was found murdered yesterday. A post mortem revealed that Mr Purcell was killed by multiple stab wounds.
  • More than 4,000 people have signed an online petition calling for the release of 65-year-old Teresa Treacy, who was jailed two weeks ago for refusing to allow the ESB and Eirgrid to carry out work on her land. A spokesperson for her supporters’ group said the Dochas Centre at Mountjoy has received 25,000 emails and letters from Ms Treacy’s well-wishers.
  • The Central Bank has come under fire after it emerged managers spent €155,000 on staff parties during 2008 – the year when the financial crisis hit Ireland. Labour’s Kevin Humphreys today told TheJournal.ie that the figures show staff “ran away with themselves” when they should have been focusing on the economic situation.
  • On the subject of economic recovery, Fine Gael TD Eoghan Murphy travelled to Silicon Valley recently to see what Ireland could learn from the famously dynamic tech hub. Here’s what he found out…
  • A fairground in eastern Australia received an unexpected new attraction when a light aircraft crashed into its Ferris wheel – and then got stuck in the structure. Four people were rescued, but only after a photographer took these dramatic pictures.
  • Bad news for anyone planning to visit Holland for, uh, illicit reasons – the government has begun enforcing a ban on foreign tourists in the country’s famous cannabis-selling coffee shops. The ban was implemented in Maastricht today and is to be rolled out across the whole country.
  • And we might admire his initiative, but it all went wrong for a 31-year-old man from Cameroon who was stopped at Dublin Airport today with €37,000 in cash hidden inside his underwear. (The cash was seized, but it’s not known what happened to the pants.)
  • Finally, one not to try at home: Unicyclist Lutz Eichholz has broken the world record for cycling along on top of a row of beer bottles. (No, we didn’t know there was a record for that either). Here’s how he did it:

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    TT
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    Feb 29th 2020, 6:43 PM

    Couldn’t give 2 flying ducks

    402
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    Mute Mairtin Antaine O Conaill
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    Feb 29th 2020, 7:01 PM

    @james dimaggio: at least he’s acknowledging this child.

    207
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    Mute Stephanie Fitzgerald
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    Feb 29th 2020, 7:19 PM

    @james dimaggio: Irrelevant comment re Varadkar, as much as I dislike him.

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    TT
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    Feb 29th 2020, 7:21 PM

    @james dimaggio: you lost me at ‘normal’

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    Mute Cat K.
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    Feb 29th 2020, 11:38 PM

    @TT: hence why you clicked on the article

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    Mute Margaret Mcgarry
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    Mar 1st 2020, 9:48 AM

    @TT: then why read it

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    Mute The_five_lamps
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    Feb 29th 2020, 7:06 PM

    I thought he was pro-withdrawal…

    192
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    Mute Aimoo
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    Feb 29th 2020, 6:44 PM

    More like a grandad than a dad.

    199
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    Mute SFAnkleTapper
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    Feb 29th 2020, 7:15 PM

    @Aimoo: once again he didn’t exit on time.

    211
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    Mute Lukevic101
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    Feb 29th 2020, 7:39 PM

    @SFAnkleTapper: do you mean Borexit?

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    Mute G Fitz
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    Feb 29th 2020, 8:14 PM

    @SFAnkleTapper: brilliant

    11
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    Mute Benjamin Shéamuis De Brugha
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    Feb 29th 2020, 6:45 PM

    When you read the wikipedia article on Johnson wiki don’t even know how many children he has – it says 5 or 6 lol

    153
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    Mute nicknack
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    Feb 29th 2020, 6:45 PM

    Sugar daddy still hitting the back of the net

    99
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    Mute Blind Faith
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    Feb 29th 2020, 7:08 PM

    So did she propose to him . . . given the day that’s in it?

    66
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    Mute Tom Bomb
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    Feb 29th 2020, 8:30 PM

    Another poorly negotiated Withdrawal Agreement.

    58
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    Mute Burn_the_Witch
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    Feb 29th 2020, 10:30 PM

    @Tom Bomb: I dunno, if she’s with Boris, she’s probably worse.

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    Mute John gaughan
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    Feb 29th 2020, 6:56 PM

    Ifs it’s a girl call her Mary Lou

    57
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    Mute ⚡ Seánie ⚡
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    Feb 29th 2020, 6:46 PM

    Can you say shotgun wedding

    46
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    Mute Daniel Dunne
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    Feb 29th 2020, 6:54 PM

    Congratulations to them both. Johnson is a fresh looking 55.

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    Mute eoin carroll
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    Feb 29th 2020, 6:59 PM

    @Daniel Dunne: thought he was in his 60s tbh

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    Mute Daithi Mac An TSionnaigh
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    Feb 29th 2020, 7:59 PM

    That poor woman

    53
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    Mute Twitruser2020
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    Feb 29th 2020, 6:45 PM

    How is his black eye from last week looking? Don’t stray like a dog when your girlfriend is pregnant.

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    Mute David Carroll
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    Feb 29th 2020, 7:57 PM

    Get baby done.

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    Mute 2thFairy
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    Feb 29th 2020, 9:44 PM

    Is he not still married to his last wife?

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    Mute Pete Gilmartin
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    Feb 29th 2020, 9:42 PM

    Could you imagine that man on top of you pounding away?

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    Mute Brian
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    Feb 29th 2020, 10:53 PM

    @Pete Gilmartin: I bet you did!!!

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    Mute Anne Kelly
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    Mar 1st 2020, 11:54 AM

    @Pete Gilmartin: why would you want to imagine something like this

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    Mute Mary N. Cooke
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    Feb 29th 2020, 9:13 PM

    The state of him

    20
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    Mute Rory J Leonard
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    Feb 29th 2020, 8:25 PM

    Grandfather Stanley said “Boris, round up your children”

    Okay Dad “No 10”

    No pun in 10 did!

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    Mute Tom Bomb
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    Feb 29th 2020, 8:34 PM

    Another poorly executed Withdrawal Agreement.

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    Mute Todd Hebert
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    Feb 29th 2020, 7:08 PM

    Poor Carrie Symonds! :o

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    Mute David Shiels
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    Mar 1st 2020, 4:01 AM

    Hardly news. At least the 6th child by at least the 3rd woman.

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    Mute John kane
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    Feb 29th 2020, 8:32 PM

    Imagine how the conception went! Oh get a good mental image there

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    Mute Toffeemac
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    Feb 29th 2020, 10:48 PM

    Brexit baby

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    Mute Ian O'Rourke
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    Mar 1st 2020, 7:20 AM

    Is this the bird he punched the head of ??

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    Mute Denise Prendergast
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    Feb 29th 2020, 9:55 PM

    Gross

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    Mute Garreth Byrne
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    Mar 1st 2020, 3:14 PM

    Will she tie the knot and make an honest man of him?

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