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Tens of thousands of people arrived this morning for 93rd contest National Ploughing Championships, which got underway this morning with the traditional welly throw competition.
The National Brown Bread Baking contest, live sheep shearing and farm safety tutorials are just a few of the hundreds of events and activities that are also taking place throughout the day.
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And with an election on the horizon, attendees can expect to see politicians from all parties out pressing the flesh ahead of the first day back in the Dáil tomorrow.
Today’s warm and sunny weather has been welcomed by the crowds and one phrase has been repeated in small talk all over the festival: “We’ve got a great day for it.”
Speaking to The Journal, at Met Éireann’s stand in Laois, meteorologist Rebecca Cantwell explained that the dry conditions are as a result of weather patterns that, although later than expected, aren’t that abnormal.
Cantwell said: “We would usually experience this set up over summer, where we’d expect a few periods of high pressure. But it just hasn’t happened, until now.”
She added that the prolonged period of sunny weather is due to stick around until Thursday because high air pressure, which has built up over Ireland, has been “stalled” by weaker winds in the atmosphere.
While this high pressure is keeping cooler and wetter conditions away from Ireland, for now, Cantwell said the same scenario is stalling low air pressure elsewhere in Europe, resulting in devastating floods in many countries.
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All the 8th amendment does is harm women’s health. Replace it with legislation that treats pregnant women and girls as autonomous humans, not Tupperware containers. The rally for lies this Saturday will be interesting.
@DaisyChainsaw: I find these, while no doubt well meaning, a tad disturbing in that the more options and recommendations that are made, the more they’ll cherry pick from and ignore but still be able to quite legitimately say they followed the advice of the Citizens’ Assembly.
@Daithí Ó Coinnigh: Kenny announced when the Assembly delivered not what was wanted (by the politicians in government) that there was another committee to be set up and ‘consider’ the Assmbly’s output – i.e. Water it down or even better – drag it into a dark alley, ignore it and bull ahead regardless.
Let women determine their own treatment options – NOT politicians!!!
If you’re going to explain the word consensus, don’t do so incorrectly. Consensus is where you arrive at something acceptable to all or the vast majority. Thus, these recommendations are acceptable to the vast majority of the assembly.
@Fiachrá Ó Dubhthaigh: repealing and then creating legislation for this is the best way.
Ireland’s obsession with referendums for everything really needs to stop, the only way this can stop is us stopping adding everything to the constitution even when it doesn’t need to be in it.
The first thing I have to say is “When did 25% become a consensus”. The second thing is ” I believe that the Citizens Assembly is one of the most sexist groups I’ve ever come across. Have men and boys not got an equal right to control over their reproduction . Or any ! This assembly is so biased that it didn’t even mention condoms for boys and men.
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