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xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_crime-law"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/crime-law/courts" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Courts</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack b-header-nav-chain__subsection-anchor subsection-anchor " data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="center" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><a class="c-link" href="/property" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Property</a><button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="header_sub_section_property" aria-label="Show Property sub sections" class="c-button c-button--medium c-button--default submenu-caret" type="button"><span><svg class="c-icon" width="20" height="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_property"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/property/residential" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Residential</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/property/commercial-property" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Commercial Property</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/property/interiors" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Interiors</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack b-header-nav-chain__subsection-anchor subsection-anchor " data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="center" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><a class="c-link" href="/food" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Food</a><button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="header_sub_section_food" aria-label="Show Food sub sections" class="c-button c-button--medium c-button--default submenu-caret" type="button"><span><svg class="c-icon" width="20" height="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_food"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/food/drink" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Drink</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/food/recipes" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Recipes</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/food/restaurants" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Restaurants</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack b-header-nav-chain__subsection-anchor subsection-anchor " data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="center" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><a class="c-link" href="/health" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Health</a><button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="header_sub_section_health" aria-label="Show Health sub sections" class="c-button c-button--medium c-button--default submenu-caret" type="button"><span><svg class="c-icon" width="20" height="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_health"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/health/your-family" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Your Family</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/health/your-fitness" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Your Fitness</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/health/your-wellness" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Your Wellness</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/health/your-fitness/get-running" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Get Running</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack b-header-nav-chain__subsection-anchor subsection-anchor " data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="center" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><a class="c-link" href="/life-style" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Life & Style</a><button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="header_sub_section_life-style" aria-label="Show Life & Style sub sections" class="c-button c-button--medium c-button--default submenu-caret" type="button"><span><svg class="c-icon" width="20" height="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_life-style"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/life-style/fashion" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Fashion</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/tags/beauty/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Beauty</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/life-style/fine-art-antiques" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Fine Art & Antiques</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/life-style/gardening" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Gardening</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/life-style/people" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">People</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/life-style/travel" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Travel</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack b-header-nav-chain__subsection-anchor subsection-anchor " data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="center" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><a class="c-link" href="/culture" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Culture</a><button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="header_sub_section_culture" aria-label="Show Culture sub sections" class="c-button c-button--medium c-button--default submenu-caret" type="button"><span><svg class="c-icon" width="20" height="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_culture"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/culture/art" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Art</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/culture/books" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Books</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/culture/film" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Film</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/culture/music" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Music</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/culture/stage" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Stage</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/culture/tv-radio" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">TV & Radio</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack b-header-nav-chain__subsection-anchor subsection-anchor " data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="center" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><a class="c-link" href="/environment" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Environment</a><button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="header_sub_section_environment" aria-label="Show Environment sub sections" class="c-button c-button--medium c-button--default submenu-caret" type="button"><span><svg class="c-icon" width="20" height="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_environment"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/environment/climate-crisis" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Climate Crisis</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack b-header-nav-chain__subsection-anchor subsection-anchor " data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="center" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><a class="c-link" href="/technology" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Technology</a><button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="header_sub_section_technology" aria-label="Show Technology sub sections" class="c-button c-button--medium c-button--default submenu-caret" type="button"><span><svg class="c-icon" width="20" height="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_technology"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/technology/big-tech" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Big Tech</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/technology/consumer-tech" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Consumer Tech</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/technology/data-security" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Data & Security</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/technology/gaming" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Gaming</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack b-header-nav-chain__subsection-anchor subsection-anchor " data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="center" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><a class="c-link" href="/science" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Science</a><button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="header_sub_section_science" aria-label="Show Science sub sections" class="c-button c-button--medium c-button--default submenu-caret" type="button"><span><svg class="c-icon" width="20" height="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_science"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/science/space" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Space</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><a class="c-link" href="/media" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Media</a></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><a class="c-link" href="/abroad" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Abroad</a></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><a class="c-link" href="/obituaries" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Obituaries</a></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><a class="c-link" href="/transport" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Transport</a></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack b-header-nav-chain__subsection-anchor subsection-anchor " data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="center" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><a class="c-link" href="/motors" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Motors</a><button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="header_sub_section_motors" aria-label="Show Motors sub sections" class="c-button c-button--medium c-button--default submenu-caret" type="button"><span><svg class="c-icon" width="20" height="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_motors"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/motors/car-reviews/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Car Reviews</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><a class="c-link" href="/listen/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Listen</a></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack b-header-nav-chain__subsection-anchor subsection-anchor " data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="center" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><a class="c-link" href="/podcasts" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Podcasts</a><button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="header_sub_section_podcasts" aria-label="Show Podcasts sub sections" class="c-button c-button--medium c-button--default submenu-caret" type="button"><span><svg class="c-icon" width="20" height="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div 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most flattering title to its victor, but don’t tell that to Wild Thang.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NJ2J5YIOCFBRNIXPDEMEARGGDI","additional_properties":{"_id":1719063678375},"content":"The eight-year-old Pekinese won this year’s World’s Ugliest Dog competition on Friday.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ALZLRVIHJVDCFBPITSJ5GTF7XQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1719063678376},"content":"The annual contest, held at the 2024 Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California, featured eight dogs vying for the title. 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The site notes that “the contest speaks to the importance of advocating for the adoration of all animals and the benefits of adopting”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"B2NQKDYR4JEHVJP64IKHAVX5IY","additional_properties":{"_id":1719063678380},"content":"Wild Thang’s owner, Ann Lewis, can expect to receive $5,000 (€4,674) for the win and an appearance on NBC’s Today show.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XEMPIZCINZHH5DAAX674LBLELI","additional_properties":{"_id":1719063678381},"content":"The runner-up in the contest was a 14-year-old pug named Rome. And rounding out the podium in third place was a white-coated mixed-breed 14-year-old dog named Daisy Mae, who was rescued from the streets at age two and has lost her teeth, hair and vision.","type":"text"},{"_id":"J4V3GOBGRNDRDIOYFJQPXJSO7Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1719063678382},"content":"Other entrants included chihuahua mixes, Chinese crested mixes and pug mixed breeds, including a 14-year-old Brussels-griffon/pug mix named Freddie Mercury. Freddie Mercury did not win a prize this year in his debut at the event but is the official mascot of Petaluma’s local ice-cream truck and makes frequent appearances at local birthday parties as well as youth sporting events.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EWEEXBCBQ6NURBKHL4IIMEEEFY","additional_properties":{"_id":"2SO3DQXG4FC47AYD46SJ62IMQM"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"SV3U4H2EOSCGMDX6O76F3PL6BQ","additional_properties":{"_id":"UA6ZBLG4YVBNLMGZNKRLCJYDT4"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"Y5SERNVJFZB6FDDXN7FLE6XL4Q","additional_properties":{"_id":"JIZHQ2B2QZHLVBBGW2XCB7X5R4"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"FUZHEIDUMBEFLETZNQUBCENWEU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Voting was conducted by a panel of judges, with the public able to vote online for the people’s choice award, which went to 14-year-old pug Rome.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6NBG5WYFEVFNJHMP4WCYCFVQIM","additional_properties":{"_id":1719063678384},"content":"Judges this year included NBC News correspondent Gadi Schwartz, human rights advocate Linda Witong Abrahm and California’s state treasurer, Fiona Ma.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TJEUNIVTNFFJPAZVSV47VW57V4","additional_properties":{"_id":"XOAQ5LVQDFAGLM5IAZCTDVBUJ4"},"content":"Six-legged dog found in Wales has surgery to remove extra limbs","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"L3JBCJ4HARFCPMYGFOGXDXZX6I","additional_properties":{"_id":1719063678385},"content":"The idea for the event came from Petaluma resident Ross Smith in 1971 as a way to generate fundraising revenue for the community’s Old Adobe Association, and the Sonoma-Marin Fair has hosted the event since 1988. – Guardian","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"name":"Michael Sainato"}]},"description":{"basic":"The annual contest, held in California, featured eight dogs vying for the top prize"},"display_date":"2024-06-22T14:21:46.941Z","headlines":{"basic":"World’s Ugliest Dog contest: Eight-year-old Pekinese Wild Thang claims title","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"ZLB2OTGB32CMWEC4PNIWXTQULU","auth":{"1":"b9cf8e37cbeca60caf85eff5bd55e43ba4086c2de1021f927ac57a7c7aee1caa"},"focal_point":{"x":2746,"y":1441},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/ZLB2OTGB32CMWEC4PNIWXTQULU.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/offbeat/2024/06/22/worlds-ugliest-dog-contest-eight-year-old-pekinese-wild-thang-claims-title/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"L7L6Z2OMN5H5ZNHHYX74CWVTWI","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":168,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/fa4544fb-1904-490b-bca4-67f44ba797b9/versions/1717152239/media/a22a15a51d50b08ebc3748c78a3da582_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/offbeat/2024/06/02/royal-horticultural-society-of-ireland-votes-to-retain-royal-in-its-name/","content_elements":[{"_id":"Q6GZL653HJAONH7PA4O4B2ECGU","additional_properties":{"_id":1717002325253},"content":"Members of the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/royal-horticultural-society-of-ireland-rhsi/\" target=\"_blank\">Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland</a> have voted overwhelmingly to retain the word “royal” in its name.","type":"text"},{"_id":"T6U5SPHCVJA7XLE53XWRM3AIMY","additional_properties":{"_id":1717002325254},"content":"The group undertook a consultation process with members starting in December before a vote was taken in recent weeks.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5ATINMUFDNH37MVLKAKXYOEDJY","additional_properties":{"_id":1717150111647},"content":"“It didn’t become a raging argument,” chairman Philip Hollwey said. “There were no huge ructions about it.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"HY4GHBW4ENB5TM5E54SUHUQRWQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1717002325255},"content":"The society was founded in the Rose Tavern in Donnybrook, south Dublin, as the Horticultural Society of Ireland in 1816 and added the word “royal” to its name some time before 1848.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZW6ZWBJT2ZFZLCWAQBOEUQOSMY","additional_properties":{"_id":1717002325256},"content":"The society’s former secretary and former editor of its journal, Mary Hackett, submitted the motion that the board seek the views of the membership on changing the society’s name to “Horticultural Society of Ireland or another title acceptable to members”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"N4LVCND4KFB7DPOSHGEMZPQ354","additional_properties":{"_id":"QZ2SO5WM6BB7ZFOD3KHLAJONPQ"},"content":"The Irish Times view on the Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland: what’s in a name?","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"BR5UOTGAJJBYZFVNX27OYMZV2U","additional_properties":{"_id":1717002325257},"content":"A survey was conducted with the society’s almost 1,500 members being asked to share their thoughts. About a quarter of the group’s membership took part in the vote and 76 per cent of them voted to keep the name in its current form.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NAYBI4JQH5DJNGVJ7ZTOCAN4HY","additional_properties":{"_id":1717002325258},"content":"“On one side, you had the political and historical argument about the word ‘royal’,” Mr Hollwey said. “On the other, you had the practical argument about the cost of the change and trouble involved in implementing that change.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"7FK5XV7IEVEZVJHGOZH2PZQAW4","additional_properties":{"_id":1717002325259},"content":"He said the cost of a full rebrand would have been tens of thousands of euro.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BAJQAXP33RFNNFXMNHT4JMPD4Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1717150111653},"content":"“We have other challenges,” he said. “A lot of members felt we have limited resources and it was a case of how are they best used.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VROZLGV32JCZPOJ5VWVPBEYGF4","additional_properties":{"_id":1717002325260},"content":"“There wasn’t a groundswell for change. One of the things that kept coming up was the cost of change, and the mechanism of seeing the change through would be enormously expensive and difficult.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AXOCZNUO35E43JFCGXQFCAOU2Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1717002325261},"content":"“Overriding a lot of it, people said it didn’t matter enough to us to warrant this expenditure. We’re not hanging on the name through any affiliation with anything royalist at all. It’s more a case of ‘leave things as they are’ rather than being pro or against royalty.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"TW3HYC5V3ZDLPCAAYKHV2ZD7DA","additional_properties":{"_id":1717002325262},"content":"The society describes itself as “a modern charity with a passion for everything green and blooming”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5FW6IJM4ZBCETIVENK3LWXNXSA","additional_properties":{"_id":1717002325263},"content":"“Our mission is simple: we are all about spreading the love and knowledge of horticulture, arboriculture and floral art, all while fostering a deep respect for our environment and creating a close-knit community among our members,” it says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YCDY6C2IB5FUNMX3YVDX7FFP3I","additional_properties":{},"type":"list"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Colin Gleeson"}},"name":"Colin Gleeson"}]},"description":{"basic":"There was ‘no raging argument’ or ‘huge ructions’ as matter came down to costs and desire to maintain status quo, chairman said"},"display_date":"2024-06-02T05:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland votes to retain ‘royal’ in its name","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"F5CIFCIIE7AXDVIJ4KRMZ4EUBI","auth":{"1":"14715d3d3115c23a456f5c82529bc694f2410289c616f8b529bc584eaaf45230"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/F5CIFCIIE7AXDVIJ4KRMZ4EUBI.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/offbeat/2024/06/02/royal-horticultural-society-of-ireland-votes-to-retain-royal-in-its-name/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"7CVW2LKHWJDF3FLCUCR3ZGHATQ","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":220,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/10576442/media/5ccdceb39d81e03864802aac2c8f05cf_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/sport/2024/02/10/how-did-the-irish-womens-basketball-team-become-embroiled-in-controversy-over-israel/","content_elements":[{"_id":"CUMWIWBO4VAODJHRZJBBZ2XHHM","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681863},"content":"What was it all about?","type":"header"},{"_id":"7HB3DKU5HFH6DGNTIWD5K5OK54","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681864},"content":"The Irish women’s basketball team was drawn in a qualifying group with <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/israel/\" target=\"_blank\">Israel</a>, <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/france/\" target=\"_blank\">France</a> and <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/latvia/\" target=\"_blank\">Latvia</a> for the 2025 European Championships, with the four nations scheduled to play each other home and away. But Ireland’s trip to Israel last November was postponed after war broke out in the region.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IWIWIN2WGZAKLIE2QMTQDG4FGE","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681865},"content":"What happened then?","type":"header"},{"_id":"WDKEJ6M6TJD3RAYTNATFAKCXJI","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681866},"content":"Israel, whose home match against Ireland is scheduled for November of this year, anticipated those home and away fixtures being reversed, expecting Dublin to host them this month in the rearranged game, while they would welcome Ireland to Tel Aviv next November.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YTMBX6NJGJHUVJMNLDV7RYSBOY","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681867},"content":"But?","type":"header"},{"_id":"KHDCIPQBGJDO7NDPFMMWKAP7RA","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681868},"content":"Basketball Ireland rejected that proposal, saying that it could not “guarantee the safety of the Israeli team” in Dublin because of “the likelihood of protests”, and so asked for the game to be played in a neutral venue. The sport’s governing body, Fiba, acceded to that request, so Latvia was chosen as the host for the game.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CGT4X5QBWJDN7LBFUL57I73YIA","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681869},"content":"How did the Israelis feel about that?","type":"header"},{"_id":"4LQSNSM6VVFV3HMWCKIKWKERVQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681870},"content":"They were furious. “We regret that the Irish are not standing by us and not responding in the spirit of sports,” said their basketball federation, contrasting Ireland’s behaviour with that of Latvia, who “are made of the best human material”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XJ2QCZ5ELJHCZMW7K64N2WHXO4","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681871},"content":"And then?","type":"header"},{"_id":"ZH3RQYLXPBDQDOEOAQTGPATOLA","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681872},"content":"A mountain of pressure was placed on Basketball Ireland to boycott the game, in support of the people of Gaza, but its chief executive John Feehan insisted that<a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/2024/02/06/basketball-ireland-ceo-im-not-prepared-to-destroy-my-sport-for-a-gesture-that-will-have-no-impact/\" target=\"_blank\"> such a “gesture” would not make “a blind bit of difference”</a>. And if it did refuse to fulfil the fixture, it would face a meaty fine and a potential ban from international competition.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HJPTW5NDNZETTLESAP42MHXE7I","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681873},"content":"Was there yet more controversy in the build-up?","type":"header"},{"_id":"KUMRZDLYBNHVJBDJKWOGY5YFEA","additional_properties":{"_id":1707480020531},"content":"Of course. The Israelis posted photos online of members of the Israeli Defence Forces visiting the team during training; among those images was one of an assault weapon lying at the side of the court. Then one of their squad, Dor Saar, said: “It’s known that they [Ireland] are quite anti-Semitic, it’s not a secret.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"OZO4KMJH3VGF5IIRLX2B5FEXSY","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681875},"content":"How did Basketball Ireland react?","type":"header"},{"_id":"4O7IOIORCFGQPGDNSNVCRBQXYM","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681876},"content":"In response to the “inflammatory and wholly inaccurate” remarks, they announced that the Irish players would not partake in “traditional prematch arrangements” including “exchanging of gifts” and “formal handshakes”, “while our players will line up for the Irish national anthem by our bench, rather than centre court”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"R4EFCDSZVFBHXLXGWNZON3JWQQ","additional_properties":{"_id":"VNTB2BU6MNDTHIM2CQITULIU5E"},"content":"Malachy Clerkin: We know all the reasons for Ireland to play Israel at basketball. We also know it should not happen","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"Y3G3ZB3WEFEDHDUVOANVYRVNLY","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681877},"content":"But the match went ahead?","type":"header"},{"_id":"XB5L4AVAHBBJVCIV2GOOW53WRA","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681878},"content":"It did. And the Irish players looked decidedly uncomfortable, not least when they had to stand in front of electronic advertising boards that read: “WE LOVE ISRAEL”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HPXQBIVEVZHKPNPSMSYCZ3RJQA","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681879},"content":"Who won?","type":"header"},{"_id":"GQYSCNIFFZCTFEBRPBC6GFLDCY","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681880},"content":"Israel.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PRUDNVR7BBEBTFRKN6BUOIFLBY","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681881},"content":"How do France and Latvia feel about playing Israel?","type":"header"},{"_id":"EXBKBI2LJBANNO33UP37JN5GYM","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681882},"content":"All quiet from them so far, so it’s hard to know. But for now, their games against Israel are due to go ahead.","type":"text"},{"_id":"33UZLT7JCVH7FLT3VWH7PQIBSE","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681883},"content":"What’s the wider position regarding Israel in international sport?","type":"header"},{"_id":"N5ILQUTI55BHPBV6PGSJTCFYLI","additional_properties":{"_id":1707480020542},"content":"It remains largely untouched. The International Olympic Committee, for example, supports Israel’s inclusion in this summer’s Paris Games. This has prompted accusations of “hypocrisy” from Russia and Belarus, whose teams are banned from the Olympics and whose individual athletes will only be allowed compete if they have not openly supported the war in Ukraine – and even then they will be classed as “neutral” athletes, with no flags, emblems or anthems allowed","type":"text"},{"_id":"OX44MV7JIBDXPP3PS64ESGAMMA","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681885},"content":"It’s a funny old sporting world?","type":"header"},{"_id":"2GIQIDGY7RHPDEM73W5U4Z4GUA","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681886},"content":"It is.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Mary Hannigan"}},"name":"Mary Hannigan"}]},"description":{"basic":"Basketball Ireland saying it could not ‘guarantee the safety of the Israeli team’ in Dublin blew up into a major diplomatic incident"},"display_date":"2024-02-10T06:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"How did the Irish women’s basketball team become embroiled in controversy over Israel?","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"V7SGZNWBOFEHNKNDWMYN3QHMWY","auth":{"1":"867e175b452435232895cce117cf0878f2ffb375a4f66d377ece332c56ccedcd"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/V7SGZNWBOFEHNKNDWMYN3QHMWY.JPG"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Sport"},{"name":"Offbeat"},{"name":"World"},{"name":"Middle East"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/sport/2024/02/10/how-did-the-irish-womens-basketball-team-become-embroiled-in-controversy-over-israel/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/sport","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Sport"}}}},{"_id":"4Y65VC5H2BDLRMQ7J7DELGQJCQ","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/offbeat/2024/01/20/six-legged-dog-found-in-wales-has-surgery-to-remove-extra-limbs/","content_elements":[{"_id":"MVJQMKIQ6NE5VHJZLG5N7BBDA4","additional_properties":{"_id":1705759224051},"content":"A six-legged dog who was found abandoned in a car park in Wales has undergone surgery to remove her extra limbs.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JQWJQKA5RFEGJFVWM7K5EK33VM","additional_properties":{"_id":1705759224052},"content":"Ariel, a spaniel puppy, was found in Pembroke last September and, after a fundraising appeal, was able to have surgery. The dog was taken in by the Greenacres Rescue charity, near Haverfordwest, and has been cared for by a foster family.","type":"text"},{"_id":"POMBPVYKFZE7XOYK52KC4AKKSU","additional_properties":{"_id":1705759224054},"content":"She was named after the character from Disney’s film The Little Mermaid because her partly fused extra back legs were said to resemble a mermaid’s tail.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AKP3ZCZ5TRANVCQR3RBGQIVZYY","additional_properties":{"_id":1705759224055},"content":"Ariel, who was born with multiple birth defects, was operated on at Langford Vets small animal referral hospital in Somerset.","type":"text"},{"_id":"D4TICOMVGRGN3PDYJ2LCPU7Y7A","additional_properties":{"_id":1705759224056},"content":"“Her additional limbs have been removed. Thankfully, having the CT [computerised tomography] images meant they did not discover anything unexpected, and although it wasn’t a regular amputation, it was ‘uneventful’,” the charity said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UM3TSSQQWZFWZBC36UF35AVS4I","additional_properties":{"_id":"CAJE6BLXDNAFNGYX6XZINJQIII"},"content":"Guinness World Records reviews evidence related to ‘world’s oldest dog’ title","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"4ADQWU44NZCKZGNKNQ47ERHXQ4","additional_properties":{"_id":1705759224057},"content":"“When we spoke, she was in recovery, having lots of love and fuss from the nursing team but all be reassured she’s doing well. We really hope she will now have an easy and quick recovery.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"JAF52KNQRNBZFLM4XZHIHF3VWQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1705759224058},"content":"Mikey Lawlor, the founder and manager of Greenacres Rescue, told the BBC: “There were two procedures which lasted about two hours, but both went fine. The next day she was up, walking around and eating and drinking.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7ZI43TAAUZAMRB7OSJMETTGNKM","additional_properties":{"_id":1705759224059},"content":"“Now we just need to keep our fingers crossed she doesn’t get any infections, but she really is in the best hands.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"3QCABGSLQNGRRMAOA5WC5BEWOY","additional_properties":{"_id":1705759224060},"content":"It is hoped Ariel can be discharged this weekend to return home to her foster family in west Wales.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WOH6FDU5CRH7JOQL7TZUFPWRKE","additional_properties":{"_id":1705759224061},"content":"“Then, after she’s had several weeks of physiotherapy and recovery, we’ll see about finding her a forever home,” Mr Lawlor said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SYM6AOQGRRDKRLW6O5FYEMUDY4","additional_properties":{"_id":1705759224062},"content":"He said the response to Ariel’s story had been “incredible”, with calls and emails from as far away as Australia.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2QIR35UPLFALHJAZACZDTQYII4","additional_properties":{"_id":1705759996223},"content":"“I just can’t say enough of a thank-you to everyone who’s contributed to helping her,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"COPJFBGMPBC7FFVFGE26GZQXSI","additional_properties":{"_id":"4UD3TVLBFNHMDOYW65P4B5HWRY"},"content":"Kennels at full capacity after dog abandonment spiked in 2023, says ISPCA","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"26KGPDJXIJEG5AZOR6OXV6G3GY","additional_properties":{"_id":1705759224063},"content":"Vicki Black, the Langford Vets hospital director, said: “Ariel was a complicated little dog whose care required close collaboration across a number of our specialist-led teams including orthopaedics, soft-tissue surgery, anaesthesia and radiology.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PSOSUORKRVGKDJ5KGTV2IG4PFI","additional_properties":{"_id":1705759224064},"content":"“We are delighted such a lovely dog has recovered from her surgery well. As part of the University of Bristol, we are a centre committed to career-long learning and are proud to innovate and treat pets like Ariel.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IHV7YYWF5JGFNLKF6D6DCWVNZY","additional_properties":{"_id":1705759224065},"content":"“Ariel deservedly has many devoted supporters. It was a great pleasure to treat her and work with Greenacres Rescue.” - Guardian","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[]},"description":{"basic":"Spaniel pup Ariel named after Disney’s The Little Mermaid as partly fused extra back legs said to resemble a mermaid’s tail"},"display_date":"2024-01-20T14:08:47.753Z","headlines":{"basic":"Six-legged dog found in Wales has surgery to remove extra limbs","native":""},"label":{},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"ZNLR52UKUZHNPH2DQK5AZG2TRM","auth":{"1":"0ff5917558ef6456e48099fd3f57187880df70ba1646fb74a504acccefdf234d"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/ZNLR52UKUZHNPH2DQK5AZG2TRM.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/offbeat/2024/01/20/six-legged-dog-found-in-wales-has-surgery-to-remove-extra-limbs/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"PBKJ74IE4REOHMPAROJWHLH5OU","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/offbeat/2024/01/17/guinness-world-records-reviews-evidence-related-to-worlds-oldest-dog-title/","content_elements":[{"_id":"GSCKGD53Z5GZNM5Q6BEMIYCU6Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1705473009994},"content":"Guinness World Records (GWR) is conducting a formal review of the “world’s oldest dog” title it gave to a Portuguese dog named Bobi who died last year. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"KBSFV2DXYFGO7MJBH22KI3Z7BA","additional_properties":{},"content":"The move follows complaints by veterinarians who raised doubts over his age.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WBUY46ZLINDM3IXCN6TLHPM2TI","additional_properties":{"_id":1705473009996},"content":"Bobi was a purebred Rafeiro Alentejano who spent his life in a village in central Portugal. GWR originally said the creature lived for 31 years and 165 days, breaking a record held since 1939 by an Australian cattle-dog that died at 29 years and five months.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NVKFXOWL6ZCYBA4SGHMC4737FA","additional_properties":{"_id":1705473009997},"content":"Bobi, who died in October, had been declared the world’s oldest dog in February. His breed, traditionally used as sheepdogs, has a normal life expectancy of 12-14 years.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KBD5HRSB2RDFFPBV7MKWRVTMHI","additional_properties":{"_id":1705473009999},"content":"A spokesman for GWR said the review into Bobi’s record was ongoing and it included looking over evidence again, seeking new evidence, reaching out to experts and those linked to the original application.","type":"text"},{"_id":"S7J5W3EYQ5GH7GQB3IAW3K6JTY","additional_properties":{"_id":1705473010000},"content":"“While our review is ongoing, we have decided to temporarily pause applications on both the record titles for oldest dog living and (oldest dog) ever until all of our findings are in place and have been communicated.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"XKBL4RKFR5GGPFOQJ3IXSEBQ6E","additional_properties":{"_id":1705473010001},"content":"Bobi’s owner, Leonel Costa, said in a statement on Tuesday that after his dog’s death, “an elite within the veterinary world ... tried to give people the idea that Bobi’s life story was not true”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YCLFVSE3GJBEVK3TOM5BQBA6BQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1705473010002},"content":"According to Mr Costa, some veterinarians were upset because he attributed Bobi’s longevity to factors including a steady diet of “human food” rather than pet food, which he said was often recommended by those in the sector.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UF5TBQTOAVECBLY6W257CQ2TR4","additional_properties":{"_id":1705473010003},"content":"“Everything would be different if we had said he (Bobi) ate pet food for three decades,” he said, adding that all requirements requested by the GWR were met.","type":"text"},{"_id":"C4J4U644KJDPNICXS7HCTTWLUU","additional_properties":{"_id":1705473010005},"content":"No action has yet been taken regarding any record holders, GWR said. 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His fur was thinning, his eyesight had worsened and he needed to rest more than in earlier years. - Reuters","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[]},"description":{"basic":"Owner claims ‘elite within veterinary world’ trying to give people idea that Bobi’s life story not true"},"display_date":"2024-01-17T06:41:56.103Z","headlines":{"basic":"Guinness World Records reviews evidence related to ‘world’s oldest dog’ title","native":""},"label":{},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"3Z3OEWFQ7JDRFD5K5FUVHCLT2U","auth":{"1":"419003cffe5319cae9d72d3a212220dfb1fc7df1b4d3b332fd03411965e16366"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/3Z3OEWFQ7JDRFD5K5FUVHCLT2U.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/offbeat/2024/01/17/guinness-world-records-reviews-evidence-related-to-worlds-oldest-dog-title/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"DD7SJHJZWVDDZAI6TTXM2ECELM","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":153,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/10025644/media/4bdfff6442f10cedb28af62f7b16fc44_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/offbeat/2023/12/29/public-warned-not-to-approach-wild-monkey-that-escaped-from-co-wicklow-sanctuary/","content_elements":[{"_id":"HTZ4A2UYXFFJLMXKV6CCEF6G4U","additional_properties":{"_id":1703877619844},"content":"Members of the public have been advised not to approach a wild monkey that broke loose from a sanctuary and made his way into the woodlands of Co Wicklow.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZPOQMVGNG5EMXEBWVOMDFJHFYU","additional_properties":{"_id":1703877619845},"content":"Charlie, a Capuchin monkey rescued from a UK lab about 20 years ago, escaped his island at the Monkey Sanctuary Ireland in Rathdrum earlier this month.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7V6DGLONQ5G4LI3PXWO2WI7U2U","additional_properties":{"_id":1703877619846},"content":"His owner Willie Heffernan believes Charlie will be able to survive with his foraging skills but that traffic around the area could prove his biggest threat.","type":"text"},{"_id":"G2LBTZKLW5CI3BNVO3ZNDURMRY","additional_properties":{"_id":1703877619847},"content":"While non-aggressive and disease free, the monkey is not used to contact with people who are warned to keep away and contact the sanctuary if they spot him.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YMR47FTT6VA7BFAG7WDKQ7XY6E","additional_properties":{"_id":1703877619848},"content":"“He won’t attack unless you try and pick him up,” he said. “He’ll bite you, he’ll nip you, he’s like a feral cat.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MMKMTMP27NH35NXUDQ3LO7AP4E","additional_properties":{"_id":1703877619849},"content":"“He’s not a pet, he’s never been petted so he’s not used to that. I would put food in a pulley-bucket and I’ll wheel it overhead to the island, that’s the only contact [he has]. And cleaning out and if he needs any veterinary care.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"EEQ4VUUXKBBGVGXPO7KM4P5Y4E","additional_properties":{"_id":1703877619850},"content":"He is also expected to avoid built up areas and stay in the wooded areas, of which there is no shortage.","type":"text"},{"_id":"M76IWWXTCVDDNIALEUGOVWPHSM","additional_properties":{"_id":1703877619851},"content":"“You couldn’t get any more wilderness, continuous trees and forests and wildlife. From Laragh all the way down to Arklow is one big huge wooded [area],” Mr Heffernan said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6CWQNZGZOZHIFAONI32VOYAWPI","additional_properties":{"_id":1703877619852},"content":"“The only unfortunate thing is he wouldn’t be aware of traffic and he looks exactly like a cat so he could easily be killed crossing the road. And also it’s the hunting season and he likes sitting up on top of trees with no leaves so he’s a prime target.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"EVSR62VM6JFNVFCHOLF3W7AF4E","additional_properties":{"_id":1703877619853},"content":"Mr Heffernan said Charlie escaped from his island via a fallen tree when staff had been attempting to relocate him and another monkey.","type":"text"},{"_id":"D227MZ4SM5GHLFN4HOE4U7DOJY","additional_properties":{"_id":1703877619854},"content":"Charlie is one of 25 monkeys at the sanctuary, most of which were rescued from lab environments.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3G565PANFVEW3FW7ZGJLFVGABA","additional_properties":{"_id":1703877619855},"content":"According to the sanctuary website, the “island monkeys” had spent their entire lives in cages but are now free to spend their days climbing and swinging through the trees.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MXNBWZB2IZHVBPK3ZK4CJBPUJA","additional_properties":{"_id":1703877619856},"content":"Although native to South America, they have adapted well to Irish weather and live in insulated houses fitted with continuous heat lamps during the winter and even radios playing classical music.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZTBFBYTI5JDQJKG767VE2OOS34","additional_properties":{"_id":1703877619857},"content":"Their diet of vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds and potatoes, among other things, is supplied by local supermarkets.","type":"text"},{"_id":"T24XYD55NRB6LCPTUJAU3SGP24","additional_properties":{},"type":"list"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Mark Hilliard"}},"name":"Mark Hilliard"}]},"description":{"basic":"A Capuchin monkey, rescued from a UK lab about 20 years ago, escaped from Monkey Sanctuary Ireland in Rathdrum earlier this month"},"display_date":"2023-12-29T20:57:43.705Z","headlines":{"basic":"Public warned not to approach wild monkey that escaped from Co Wicklow sanctuary","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"IZQ36U5B63YUWXHEH2ACEEAWQM","auth":{"1":"6ca89eb74810449c80c52623911ef708d658448c90a75f8bb3e174a914ca6ee4"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/IZQ36U5B63YUWXHEH2ACEEAWQM.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/offbeat/2023/12/29/public-warned-not-to-approach-wild-monkey-that-escaped-from-co-wicklow-sanctuary/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"H4AGIAVAFNE3XLV3YM7BWGQRGI","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":106,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/8604708/media/402cf06a9ca8e823fb09bdf56ffb7310_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/2023/09/20/ploughing-championships-world-record-broken-for-wellies-thrown-at-same-time/","content_elements":[{"_id":"5O7DCMQ3IZDKLNETL3M42NBCNQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1695221972251},"content":"Hundreds of people at the National Ploughing Championships have broken the Guinness world record for the most amount of wellington boots being thrown simultaneously, Macra na Feirme said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"d4f05f29-abf0-4c44-8a38-775113f3ead6","additional_properties":{"_id":"5XJ3OC6GJNBYJFPM2N7RMVEOOM"},"subtype":"irish-times-video","type":"video"},{"_id":"2PI4FE77OJACZIWWS7HNDTLSPA","additional_properties":{"_id":1695221972252},"content":"Eilean Houlihan, president of Macra na Feirme, said 995 people, including the Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue, took part in the effort at the ploughing championships at Ratheniska, Co Laois.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XQTLZAUOY5EOZILRKEJVF7QKRY","additional_properties":{"_id":1695221972253},"content":"The former record was registered at the Holsworthy and Stratton Show in Holsworthy in the United Kingdom in 2018, where 792 took part in the wellie throwing.","type":"text"},{"_id":"74WIUHQ6BVFARPGXQGSRHKMMSI","additional_properties":{"_id":"Y7SCVBD245G5LHOIN3ZJ7IVDKE"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"FO4BJEOPHVAF7IOO4PUU57DE7Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1695221972255},"content":"Macra na Feirme, which led the record attempt, recruited people from the walkways of the event site. One of these was Rose Connolly, from Co Tipperary, who said that she’d never been part of a world record attempt before. “It’s a good bit of craic,” she said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KSJQ6HZTKVCBTLNQ7K3AZ6PNGE","additional_properties":{"_id":1695221972256},"content":"Announcing the record-breaking feat, Macra na Feirme said: “At the signal participants launched their wellington boots into the air in unison. Hundreds of wellingtons flew through the air, which was a sight to behold in itself.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"52JUKM7VVJD2PGJ4H56QI57V54","additional_properties":{"_id":1695221972257},"content":"In the statement Ms Houlihan said: “It is hard to find the words to express how it feels to have broken this record. The atmosphere here today was beyond imagination with everyone coming together to break the Guinness World Record. It is a true testament to everyone here at the ploughing who backed Macra in our world record attempt.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"NW4GTNKXPVCE3JOWI3D3EYZYZY","additional_properties":{"_id":1695221972258},"content":"Macra has adhered to the Guinness World Record rules for record attempts and will submit its evidence to Guinness World Records to have the attempt verified, the statement added.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Fiachra Gallagher"}},"name":"Fiachra Gallagher"}]},"description":{"basic":"‘Hundreds of wellingtons flew through the air’: Macra na Feirme says 995 people took part in the record-breaking feat in Co Laois"},"display_date":"2023-09-20T13:50:18.839Z","headlines":{"basic":"Ploughing Championships: World record broken for wellies thrown at same time","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"KQFNCBQWUBAATH5VJZZO2VRUZY","auth":{"1":"76d18ba48f5e49eeaca51c56c3587198682e77e9e95d75348fc667cfde127163"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/KQFNCBQWUBAATH5VJZZO2VRUZY.png"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/2023/09/20/ploughing-championships-world-record-broken-for-wellies-thrown-at-same-time/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Ireland"}}}},{"_id":"V2OSOZNHMNC47GBYJIWITV7GEE","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":164,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/7888115/media/0939810c56e8e47a747b97e0e757589b_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/2023/08/22/bear-miles-two-irish-teddies-set-for-dublin-stop-as-they-fly-around-the-world-for-charity/","content_elements":[{"_id":"44SB2UAUSFC3PAHWEASIPJUCJA","additional_properties":{"_id":1692637834076},"content":"Two teddy bears who have spent the past few months traversing the globe for charity courtesy of airline crews are set to attend an aviation fundraiser in Dublin at the end of the month.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IOXTIWT4WNGCBBDJEQYPAQQKD4","additional_properties":{"_id":1692637834078},"content":"So far, the bears have been pictured with pilots and stewards in cockpits, on aeroplane wings and even sitting in an engine in places as far apart as Seattle in the United States, Johannesburg in South Africa and Perth, Western Australia – and not forgetting Ibiza in the Balearics, Tel Aviv in Israel and Helsinki in Finland, among other places.","type":"text"},{"_id":"X6CQK7TQEBBH7NTFNLVKT7IP4E","additional_properties":{"_id":1692701965825},"content":"The bears’ travels are all part of the Aviation Ireland Challenge, a fundraiser designed to raise money for the children’s hospice LauraLynn and the animal charity Dogs Trust. The fundraiser is the brainchild of the teddy bears’ ‘carer’, Jason Phelan, a flight operations administrator with the Irish Aviation Authority.","type":"text"},{"_id":"S32EJJYZ2VBEPA7RYCDVNPAZ2A","additional_properties":{"_id":1692637834082},"content":"In mixture of fantasy and ‘borrowing’ from real life, Mr Phelan created <a href=\"https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/captpaddytbear\" target=\"_blank\">Capt Paddy T Bear</a> – who he says is an ex-Irish Air Corp pilot – and his <a href=\"https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sidekicklucky\" target=\"_blank\">sidekick Lucky,</a> based on a puppy rescued near the Royal Canal in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, in 2014.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7IQ7XZF4HVGLRJOEP253VNF3CI","additional_properties":{"_id":1692637834085},"content":"Since January this year Capt Paddy has been bringing Lucky on a year-long adventure – the Aviation Ireland Challenge – with the target of visiting as many places as possible and raising funds along the way. All money raised by the two bears through their promotional events is being divided by the children’s hospice LauraLynn and Dogs Trust.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XORXHDABIRD2ZHWTWCZ65GU4QA","additional_properties":{"_id":1692637834087},"content":"“I thought this up on December 28th last year – people have used bears to raise money for charity in the past and I thought it would be a good idea to use them to raise money for Laura Lynn and Dogs Trust Ireland, two great charities”, Mr Phelan told The Irish Times.","type":"text"},{"_id":"P2O4EXU72NHARGWEEDZA76AQ2A","additional_properties":{"_id":1692637834088},"content":"However, he said he was surprised at the speed at which the bears’ fame has spread and the enthusiasm shown for the idea by the airline community. 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Finally, Scooter was being recognised for his best qualities on Friday as he was given the title of the world’s ugliest dog.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FESBDNQSD5HDFGWCQIV64KQGBI","additional_properties":{"_id":1687692181363},"content":"The competition, held as part of the Sonoma-Marin fair in Petaluma, California, for the past 50 years, is a world-renowned event that promotes dog adoption and showcases extraordinary canines that have defied adversity – and celebrates their imperfections.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AX4MVITP35D6FJFQDE3OXT6WHI","additional_properties":{"_id":1687692181364},"content":"Scooter – a Chinese crested with sparse hair, a ratlike tail and a tongue that just won’t stay in his mouth – has certainly overcome challenges in his seven years. When he was just a pup, a breeder brought Scooter to animal control in Tucson to have him euthanised. 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After the pet parade had been replaced with a dog contest, Smith suggested an ugly dog contest. The idea stuck and the contest has lived on, standing in contrast to dog shows that highlight special skills or pedigree.","type":"text"},{"_id":"O5X3J3VV7ZBTDG5PPHMFJBGHUQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1687692181372},"content":"Former winners have included Scamp the Tramp in 2019, a mutt with bug eyes and matted hair; Quasi Modo in 2015, a shepherd and pit bull mix whose spinal birth defects left it hunchbacked; and Walle, a beagle, bassett, boxer mix who one judge in 2013 said looked like it had been “Photoshopped” together from several different dogs.","type":"text"},{"_id":"X6SMNRRBMNH6JOBC5E5YGONWG4","additional_properties":{"_id":1687692919527},"content":"But Chinese cresteds have proven themselves to be the breed to beat, capturing the title at least 10 times since 2000.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XQRKX6XN5JB2XO33UMZ6VVPOTM","additional_properties":{"_id":1687692181373},"content":"On Friday, Scooter did his breed proud, winning the hearts of the judges and the top prize of $1,500 (€1,372) and a trophy. – Guardian","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"name":"Diana Ramirez-Simon"}]},"description":{"basic":"Contest in California showcases canines that have defied adversity and celebrates their imperfections"},"display_date":"2023-06-25T11:33:58.180Z","headlines":{"basic":"Scooter, a Chinese crested, is crowned World’s Ugliest Dog","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"APOEIYNXCFCQWDYPTGA6VRX64Y","auth":{"1":"c0c95960e387075ae5919b934540a69261aa50d997b69197940fc1bb39739aef"},"focal_point":{"x":2070,"y":713},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/APOEIYNXCFCQWDYPTGA6VRX64Y.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"US"},{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/world/us/2023/06/25/scooter-a-chinese-crested-is-crowned-worlds-ugliest-dog/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/world/us","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"US"}}}},{"_id":"YCKML2BQIJEKFBRBDG6GVV6MDQ","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":108,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/6964367/media/3b6d7ed9764946b6d1be72199f71d72d_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/offbeat/2023/05/31/missing-giant-ice-cream-cone-returned-to-its-owner-in-donegal/","content_elements":[{"_id":"OFHJFY35VVHOHAUCLUQO6RATMU","additional_properties":{"_id":1685540100748},"content":"A missing giant ice-cream cone has been returned to its owner in Co Donegal – after locals put a bit of heat on the thief.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LQY4EJRDXVG33AXIKL7NF3RFVQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1685540100751},"content":"The large replica 99 was taken from outside the Circle K garage at Glencar in Letterkenny during the current warm spell.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TJGBHG74E5A4VPQUWORSLEEQNE","additional_properties":{"_id":1685540100752},"content":"A SOS was sent out to see if enough publicity could be whipped up to “cone-r” the culprits and solve the cold case.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QF6T63XX4FGGVMMOT2BC2PBU64","additional_properties":{"_id":1685540100753},"content":"Gardaí issued an appeal and revealed they had CCTV footage of the theft.","type":"text"},{"_id":"N5X4BITVCFAVPGXF3RV2UH6ZQE","additional_properties":{"_id":1685540100754},"content":"Garda Gráinne Doherty pleaded with anyone who came across the cone to get in touch with Letterkenny station.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RN3SIJLH3NA4ZDEBUIM67T2HHA","additional_properties":{"_id":1685540100755},"content":"“Somebody has seen this cone,” Garda Doherty said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FMFQ6N5QKFE7NFYTW3YDFHXF3U","additional_properties":{"_id":1685540100756},"content":"“If a giant ice-cream cone has appeared in your livingroom or your friend’s apartment, somebody knows something about this these things are quite expensive and times are hard for businesses. 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Let your friends know it’s safe after its adventure,” laughed a spokesperson for the garage.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ICVD7MYTDNBVBAYXNOP2DDKKDY","additional_properties":{"_id":1685540100762},"content":"Bizarrely, there have been a number of similar thefts in recent months in and around Letterkenny at Tobins filling station and also Callaghan’s XL shop.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Stephen Maguire"}]},"description":{"basic":"Large replica 99 was taken from outside the Circle K garage at Glencar in Letterkenny during the warm weather"},"display_date":"2023-05-31T13:40:25.447Z","headlines":{"basic":"Missing giant ice-cream cone returned to its owner in Donegal","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"LAWYNHIBVZELTOCEFH5CNJY7SI","auth":{"1":"075ac75057b24166aaed1e18da99a62a07b07dd7ed1170558475be4798a4b8f2"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/LAWYNHIBVZELTOCEFH5CNJY7SI.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/offbeat/2023/05/31/missing-giant-ice-cream-cone-returned-to-its-owner-in-donegal/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"2TD7IUEHH5BVBK7DHX4YKEILIU","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":211,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/6268003/media/793f3b261a30deca717052680478afdc_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/offbeat/2023/02/16/us-cancer-patient-developed-uncontrollable-irish-accent-doctors-say/","content_elements":[{"_id":"YW6LPA7AJVCKTKKU6H4GFANZLU","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393869},"content":"A cancer patient in the US developed what researchers say was an “uncontrollable Irish accent” during treatment, despite never having been to Ireland nor having immediate relatives from the country.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3TTOTANRENBGTBBVKZN3QG5HJY","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393870},"content":"While still rare, cases of foreign accent syndrome (FAS) are more common in patients following strokes or head trauma, or who have psychiatric disorders, according to the experts from North Carolina’s Duke University and the Carolina Urologic Research Center of South Carolina.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3LJNROZVUJBXDHCJ4FCLERX7CU","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393871},"content":"During research, they could find only two similar cases to the “brogue” that evolved in the unnamed US patient, who was a man in his 50s with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. Both other cases occurred in women cancer patients in their 50s and 60s between 2009 and 2011.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KJMXZOPEHVFNJGMVA2EZ6GRT2M","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393872},"content":"“To our knowledge, this is the first case of FAS described in a patient with prostate cancer and the third described in a patient with malignancy,” said the report, published in the British Medical Journal.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5KRTC624RJCY5CQJNCZPHNCFGA","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393873},"content":"Some details of the man’s case, including his own nationality, were not revealed. But researchers said he maintained the Irish accent through about 20 months of treatment, and a gradual onset of paralysis, until his death.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TWK7ABPTORGPJH242BX7BG7CQ4","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393874},"content":"Although the man had lived in England in his 20s, and had friends and more distant family members from Ireland, he had never visited Ireland, nor previously spoken in an Irish accent.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4VLQQJWWRBGBRJU2JSL35N2X3I","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393875},"content":"“He had no neurological examination abnormalities, psychiatric history or MRI of the brain abnormalities at symptom onset,” the report said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FQNKIR5TSRFVZF22TZUBENQGHE","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393876},"content":"“Despite chemotherapy, his neuroendocrine prostate cancer progressed resulting in multifocal brain metastases and a likely paraneoplastic ascending paralysis leading to his death.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"R32GNMZTPJEUVIGVBV6QNC45TI","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393877},"content":"The authors suspect the paraneoplastic neurological disorder (PND), which develops in some cancer patients whose immune systems attack parts of the brain, spinal cord, nerves or muscles, was responsible.","type":"text"},{"_id":"72LMEAAUUJD4ZMHLD64RWIWZMA","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393878},"content":"“His accent was uncontrollable, present in all settings and gradually became persistent,” the report said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CPZP3JA73NAERHYGEXPILVYRVE","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393879},"content":"Some who have developed FAS regain their original accent, either spontaneously or through intensive speech therapy, while for others the change is permanent.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IS4GO6ZCYBCDPLV5U4KVUX64FY","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393880},"content":"The Guardian reported in 2010 the case of Sarah Colwill, a UK woman whose native west country accent was supplanted by a Chinese lilt about seven years after she suffered a stroke.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QVIMHXL5UZFSTPMFG3DZYOT4EI","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393881},"content":"Four years earlier, another British woman and stroke victim, Linda Walker of Newcastle, realised her distinctive Geordie accent had given way to a Jamaican one.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SRUBCGTNDBGILPVAUMGQ6PCQ6I","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393882},"content":"“Not only did I have a stroke, but I got lumbered with this foreign accent syndrome as well,” she said at the time. “I didn’t realise what I sounded like, but then my speech therapist played a tape of me talking. I was just devastated.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"5ZEDH7N4ZNBQ7FLJUN2CJ525R4","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393883},"content":"The US report said the case of the patient with the Irish accent underscored a need for more research.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IRQN4H2MYZFBVNERUNSYSBOPTY","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393884},"content":"“This unusual presentation highlights the importance of additional literature on FAS and PNDs associated with prostate cancer to improve understanding of the links between these rare syndromes and clinical trajectory,” the report concluded.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[]},"description":{"basic":"Man who developed foreign accent syndrome had never been to Ireland nor had any immediate Irish relatives"},"display_date":"2023-02-16T17:38:52.760Z","headlines":{"basic":"US cancer patient developed ‘uncontrollable’ Irish accent, doctors say","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"ZKBZD6YHMVGUZGI742ZQS77YGQ","auth":{"1":"83746a6182a09891ea2c0b772288e037b057ed51a9759a4440173d45623bc596"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/ZKBZD6YHMVGUZGI742ZQS77YGQ.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/offbeat/2023/02/16/us-cancer-patient-developed-uncontrollable-irish-accent-doctors-say/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"LSYYGGSVEJE45PICNEUFEZ6QGE","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/science/2023/02/03/dodos-have-been-extinct-for-hundreds-of-years-can-scientists-really-bring-them-back-to-life/","content_elements":[{"_id":"6XSKVXPXHRGQXEL2HLOTZ3XUEU","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881924},"content":"A US gene-editing company has announced it plans to bring the dodo, a Mauritian bird last seen in the 17th century, back to at least a semblance of life.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PQN5WE2HMRFANOXLZEM2EXURRE","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881925},"content":"Whether “bringing back” a semblance of the extinct flightless bird is feasible is a matter of much debate – and controversy.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UBEY3ENMFBCDNOZ2QQI34ULSQI","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881926},"content":"It grabbed global headlines, prompting accusations of rogue scientists “playing God” and science showing its reckless side by pursuing a risky experiment with potential for grave, unforeseen outcomes.","type":"text"},{"_id":"N6SBEGWO3NFOJAVMTT26YT62AQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881927},"content":"Is this an outlandish proposition?","type":"header"},{"_id":"JE2DBJKBHREDPFKADIHPQQW4XQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881928},"content":"In many respects, no. Gene-editing techniques now exist that allow scientists to mine the dodo genome for key traits that they believe they can then effectively reassemble within the body of a living relative.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ALHED2DBXBBOFENLZBCGLI2NLU","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881929},"content":"Whole genomes of mammals are now known with ability to track genes responsible for distinct traits. Crispr technology – Crispr, which stands for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, denotes particular types of DNA sequences –<i> </i>has transformed research, enabling gene editing that is fast, simple and precise.","type":"text"},{"_id":"S3FVFNIOCZDY7EJA4WMV2K45AI","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881930},"content":"The scientists in question say their work, beyond providing an insight into the extinct dodo’s existence, could help inform conservation of rare species not yet extinct. This is the realm of the Holy Grail for researchers witnessing accelerating extinction across Planet Earth and desperately trying to find ways to arrest it.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AK46YS7NRFDXLFC6QBPNE6DVS4","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881931},"content":"As species vanish at a rate not seen in 10 million years, more than a million species are on the brink. Humans are driving this through activities that take over animal habitats, pollute nature and fuel global warming.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2RGUNRNJ4ZBALJCP5S2DFYCS4M","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881932},"content":"What technique is likely to be deployed?","type":"header"},{"_id":"35ADFNLX2VBG7KXYMAUXUYHCZU","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881933},"content":"With the mammalian species the technique requires implanting gene-editing material into the reproductive system of an existing relative of the species, such as an elephant in the mammoth’s case. It could take many pregnancies to create viable offspring. To produce <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/news/dolly-the-cloned-sheep-is-dead-but-her-new-career-is-about-to-begin-1.348946\" target=\"_blank\">Dolly the cloned sheep</a>, in 1996, from a mammary-gland cell required 277 attempts.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GECGZXRWQNE5HDJRQ6JCF7H2XQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881934},"content":"Dodos are most closely related to pigeons. The researchers will be able to work with pigeon eggs and use genetic material that can be modified to reflect key traits of the dodo. But this will be technically challenging, as no one has yet managed to use gene-editing for birds in this way.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7RJXOLOBENDSRKLJKAUQFPXWFQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881935},"content":"Who is behind the venture?","type":"header"},{"_id":"XZCC2JTRRJBTPJM32HF3FP7GYY","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881936},"content":"Colossal Biosciences, which is based in Dallas, was founded in 2021 by a tech entrepreneur, Ben Lamm, and a Harvard University geneticist, George Church. It has <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/news/science/scientists-move-closer-to-resurrecting-woolly-mammoth-1.2978573\" target=\"_blank\">already embarked on projects to revive the woolly mammoth</a> and the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/world/asia-pacific/2022/08/16/it-is-not-a-matter-of-if-but-when-scientists-vow-to-bring-tasmanian-tiger-back-from-extinction/\" target=\"_blank\">thylacine (the Tasmanian tiger)</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XX2WPYK2DBH6PKFPICH6Z3RIZI","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881937},"content":"With a reported $150 million of additional investment (and a valuation of $1.5 billion), the company has now added the first bird to its list. This is significant, as it means changing the gene-editing technique to accommodate an external egg. This could bypass at least some of the <a href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/feb/16/woolly-mammoth-resurrection-scientists\">ethical dilemmas for scientists</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XAVNQ35ZARA4NKW2HNP376SQR4","additional_properties":{"_id":"HOA5HDVUKVFUZELBSWIMNQJTTE"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"MUFFEYNNQRGRVPPNG7ILP76C2A","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881938},"content":"Beth Shapiro, the lead palaeogeneticist at Colossal, told the Guardian she had been fascinated by the dodo for more than two decades, since pursuing a degree at Oxford, where she saw a <a href=\"https://oumnh.ox.ac.uk/oxford-dodo-en#:~:text=The%20Oxford%20dodo%20is%20the,Mauritius%2C%20in%20the%20Indian%20Ocean.\" target=\"_blank\">preserved dodo</a> as a museum exhibit, and tried to persuade the museum to let her extract its DNA.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IXFKBCBY5VHLJDPNSPNYF3STNE","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881939},"content":"But she warned the revived dodo could never be an exact replacement for what has been made extinct. “What we are trying to do is to isolate the genes that distinguish the dodo,” she said. “It would be crazy to think the solution [to the world’s biodiversity crisis] was to bring back a proxy.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"Y5U5SKFNTJBBNACDVRZG6YS5UI","additional_properties":{"_id":"IRC3EKY4SZHMLPG7WMPZDGBPJQ"},"content":"Give Me a Crash Course In ... Winter storms","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"D2QHRLYL2VD6LGTOIWNBDQV62Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881940},"content":"Where do ethics come in?","type":"header"},{"_id":"S6X5VC3XGZAUDEHFGCYTRZB7NE","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881941},"content":"Scientific endeavour is neutral but needs a moral and ethical framework to ensure it is in the best interests of humanity and Planet Earth. It raises endless questions. Just because you can regenerate a version of the dodo, should you do it? Is this the best allocation of resources when we should be saving the species that we have before they go extinct?","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Kevin O'Sullivan"}},"name":"Kevin O'Sullivan"}]},"description":{"basic":"Give Me a Crash Course: Colossal Biosciences, a Dallas start-up, wants to mine the dodo genome for key traits to reassemble in the body of a living relative"},"display_date":"2023-02-03T17:36:09.664Z","headlines":{"basic":"Dodos have been extinct for hundreds of years. Can scientists really bring them back to life?","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"MIRKLPGBWED3MMBE6UULYIRHO4","auth":{"1":"a8fd2a93590a5eb70af9e0233e5e76895d7c28cad23ec4dc9e8da778ca6f3654"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/MIRKLPGBWED3MMBE6UULYIRHO4.jpg"}},"subtype":"feature","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Science"},{"name":"Environment"},{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/science/2023/02/03/dodos-have-been-extinct-for-hundreds-of-years-can-scientists-really-bring-them-back-to-life/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/science","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Science"}}}},{"_id":"BCTXOPBV5VGKDEPSDQW37B3CVM","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":290,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/5610034/media/9f610dba83d36c80116bd1a6a581eeaa_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/culture/music/2022/11/12/the-beauty-of-great-music-a-vatican-astronomers-50-year-love-for-rory-gallagher/","content_elements":[{"_id":"ASFI2DM3Y5H4PH6XRJWAN5BBCI","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128503},"content":"“You are a moonchild and pretty soon child, I’ve got that feeling that I’m going to make you smile forever,” – little could Irish rocker Rory Gallagher have realised how aptly Moonchild captured the joy his music was to bring to one of his biggest fans, Vatican astronomer, Br Guy Consolmagno.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CBZV4PLROVGI3M2PDAZJOQ5HEA","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128506},"content":"The Director of the Vatican Observatory based at the Pope’s Summer Residence at Castel Gandolfo, Br Guy is a Jesuit but also a huge fan of Gallagher for over 50 years since first discovering the Cork-reared rock and blues guitarist as a teenager in his native Detroit in the US in the late 1960s.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OXZKACGUONGYBBA75ILZHWJHAA","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128507},"content":"“It was the summer of 1969 and my friend Mike Timmreck went to see Blind Faith who were playing in Detroit and when I asked him what they were like, he said they were a disappointment but the support act, a band called Taste were spectacular and that was my introduction to Rory,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2MCTQT7MGZDCVG7WQ6PFTMIR2E","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128508},"content":"Already a keen fan of both rock and blues after seeing acts like bluesman, John Lee Hooker, an up-and-coming young rocker called Bob Seger and Detroit legends, the MC5 play at his high school, Br Guy began the task of tracking down Taste’s two albums when studying in Boston.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2L5XWBA46BBFDCQC42VVDVNISM","subtype":"youtube","type":"oembed_response"},{"_id":"62VX46BODFDEJBHWQ4ZXYCWUWA","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128509},"content":"“Originally, being young at the time, it was Rory’s guitar virtuosity that attracted me but also the songs – not only did they have this raw power, but they also had something else – after you had something really powerful, it would be followed by something that would tear your heart apart.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZPL2TKUX6FGNZKPT2AVILDWTNQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128510},"content":"“Really for me, it was the first [self-titled] solo album, Rory Gallagher, that sold me on Rory – there are so many sweet songs on it – I Fall Apart has always been a favourite for me from the time I first heard it. When I heard it as a kid, I saw it as a love song, which of course it is,” he explained.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RQVBVZ6PKVDDNALML4GHV7SE6A","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128511},"content":"“But now as a Jesuit, I see it now almost as religious song – a song about any relationship between a lover and one who is loved and that’s sort of anxiety – ‘Do they still love me? Do they not still love me?’ and in a curious way, that’s the beauty of great music – it can speak to you on so many levels.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"6RHQ2I2ANZE5RD4MLXWGCCSXTY","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128512},"content":"“A sputnik kid”, fascinated by the space race between the US and the USSR, Br Guy studied at MIT and the University of Arizona where he specialised in the study of asteroids and meteorites which was what first brought him to Cork in 2009 to give a lecture at Blackrock Castle Observatory.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UZSX5GG4CBAJBHGZGSE6IZWINI","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128513},"content":"Br Guy mentioned to the organisers of his lecture at the then newly opened observatory, then part of Cork Institute of Technology and now part of the Munster Technological University, that he was a Gallagher fan and calls were made so he got to see some of the places associated with his hero.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IKR5WYD5YJBA3IDCHYQYMT2JU4","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128514},"content":"“Sadly, I never got to see Rory play live but when I came to Cork in 2009, I visited his grave which was a rare and special moment – I had no idea that he was so big here in Cork or that there was a music library named after him, so I got a thousand-dollar tour of places associated with him.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GU5TH56IIJC3HERGCL3TIB3J2M","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128515},"content":"“We walked on the stage at Cork City Hall where he performed on the 1974 Irish Tour – I even got to chat with Eric Kitteringham, the original bassist with Taste, who was sadly dying at the time, and I visited Crowleys Music Store where I met the guy who sold Rory his famous Fender Stratocaster.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"DEDMK557PNFEHPGKYST47EAF44","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128516},"content":"“And then Leo Enwright, the Irish space journalist, who is a big Rory fan – he fixed me up with Rory’s brother, Donal – Donal wasn’t around at the time but later when he came to Rome to promote one of Rory’s albums, I invited him to the Vatican Observatory and we’ve been great friends ever since.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"LVZNMLJXDZEY3NF4XH23LHJS34","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128517},"content":"Indeed, Br Guy and Donal have become such good friends that Br Guy has stayed with Donal at his home in Ballycotton on this latest visit to Cork when he gave another lecture – this time in the Rory Gallagher Theatre at Munster Technological University – on why people chose to study astronomy.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PNV7I2CWP5CIVJF34HQZVBPRBI","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128518},"content":"“One of my favourite Rory songs is A Million Miles Away which I discovered he wrote during a visit to Ballycotton with its very evocative line about ‘sailing like driftwood on a windy bay’ so to know that I am standing in the spot, where he wrote that song, makes it feel like sacred ground,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"M5JC5C4ETJEYBFZB5O3B5ZIJ3A","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128519},"content":"“But the whole theme of that song also relates to me as a Jesuit and an astronomer – that we have this nostalgia for something beyond the noise of the bar to remember a deeper time and a deeper place and a deeper calling that we all have, so it really resonates to me as a very spiritual song.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"67PU6FVBBJBQTFMOFRVWIA7UMI","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128520},"content":"<i>For more information on Br Guy’s work as an astronomer, please visit his blog, </i><a href=\"https://brotherguy.livejournal.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><i>brotherguy.livejournal.com</i></a>","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"premium"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Barry Roche"}},"name":"Barry Roche"}]},"description":{"basic":"Br Guy Consolmagno has long admired the songwriting of the 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like Ireland’s Bayeux Tapestry – all Irish history from the Neolithic Age to modern times is there,” said Diarmuid Ó Drisceoil, contemplating his first-time venture into TV presenting and his exploration of the Munster Blackwater.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MXLGEXQTF5A25HM3NYUSM33L6I","additional_properties":{"_id":1667897539089},"content":"Following in the footsteps of Irish-language activist Annraoi Ó Liatháin’s travel classic <i>Cois Móire</i>, the author followed the river from its source in Kerry through Cork and into Waterford before entering the sea at Youghal in a series of the same name.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5N6LXROQKBAMLHG6CET6DE35BQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1667893897003},"content":"“Annraoi was from Glendine near Youghal and his father was the gamekeeper at Ballinatray House so he grew up there and that’s where he fell in love with fishing and the river – he joined the Civil Service and was very involved in Irish-language circles and was very republican in his thinking.","type":"text"},{"_id":"D2DCTPPJXBBOXOTHAYTZDQDYLM","additional_properties":{"_id":1667893897004},"content":"“He wrote a book about fishing in Ireland, and he wrote books about the Blackwater and the Suir as well as a couple of novels, all <i>as Gaeilge,</i> but his book about the Blackwater, which was published in 1964 is regarded as a classic of Irish language travel classic and I use that as my guide, as it were.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"QN6ZD7IYNREKZEXVH5JPHPMHTM","additional_properties":{"_id":1667893897005},"content":"Unlike Ó Liatháin, who walked along the banks of the Blackwater, Ó Drisceoil took to the river itself, paddling his own canoe for all but the first ten kilometres from its source on the Kerry side of the Mullaghareirk Mountains and journeying by boat the remainder of its 169 kilometres to Youghal.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MGB3AYBXXRG3VNFP6DQWZBU26M","additional_properties":{"_id":1667893897006},"content":"En route, he passed landmarks including stately homes such as Ballymacoy House, ancestral home of the Hennessy family of Cognac fame, Renny, where Edmund Spenser lived, and Ilecash House, where British fascist Oswald Mosley stayed.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VCZMJD3QLJFAXADB3GJZXV42LU","additional_properties":{"_id":1667893897007},"content":"“I speak to lots of interesting people along the way, like Donal Hickey, formerly of <i>The Irish Examiner</i>, about growing up in Knocknagree, and Con Houlihan, who owns Duarigle Castle, and we look at Nora Herlihy from Ballydesmond who founded the Irish Credit Union movement,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2HH2THAHS5AEHBVD7QFITPENUQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1667893897008},"content":"“At Clonbanin, I hear the story of the famous ambush in March 1921 when the IRA under Sean Moylan attacked a British army convoy and the British general Hanway Robert Cumming shouted ‘To Hell with Surrender – give them the lead’ just before he was shot dead along with 12 of his men.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"PAT5FS7CMZCJPAL4ODEMTPYOFI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Past Banteer, Ó Drisceoil heard the story of 17th century rapparee, Donal A’ Rasca, a descendant of the O’Keeffes of Dromagh Castle, who was betrayed to the British by his lover, Mairead Ní Cheallaigh","type":"text"},{"_id":"WLSG5DMZOJE4BJUGVQBAXTV2FI","additional_properties":{"_id":1667893897010},"content":"“When Donal met Mairead in his hideout at Gortmore Cave, he hugged her and he felt something under her chemise and he found a document given to her by the British, promising her all sorts. He knew he was betrayed, and he stabbed her to death – it’s a tragic story but the cave is amazing.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZAVDQHIPXZDIVGEB7B3JA3DVHM","additional_properties":{"_id":1667893897009},"content":"Further downstream, Ó Drisceoil met Máire Ní Bhriain, who told him about how Mallow developed as a Spa town, styling itself on Bath in England.","type":"text"},{"_id":"E55YQM6P6ZDPFG23C57SBRASNM","additional_properties":{"_id":"23KF232RUVDWRADDD3FK2HZCHM"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"OPOMY2FDXFG3RMFW6NZNA45JMQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1667893897020},"content":"On the home straight, Ó Drisceoil headed for Youghal where the Blackwater enters the sea, encountering links with Sir Walter Raleigh and Richard Boyle, and Ireland’s longest boardwalk at Claycastle.","type":"text"},{"_id":"H6CEOSP6VJEUTDZSNVT2FRCOVM","additional_properties":{"_id":1667893897021},"content":"“The Blackwater is an extraordinary river, so rich in history and lore and stories – I know it’s been called Ireland’s Rhine which probably stems from the Cappoquin to Youghal section because you have these wooded hills and these big striking castles on prominent points,” said Ó Drisceoil.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MLHKPFH7EZHYDOBPXX7EN4SYP4","additional_properties":{"_id":1667893897022},"content":"“But Annraoi Ó Liatháin took an exception to that analogy, and he says that it’s part of our inferiority complex here in Ireland and he says it’s the Germans who should be describing the Rhine as ‘The Blackwater of Germany’, not vice versa.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ERC6KOXFRZCGZN3AQDUYS6MHLM","additional_properties":{"_id":1667893897024},"content":"“All of Ireland’s history is there and when you look at the archaeology, you can talk about the native Irish, the Vikings, the Normans, the Munster Plantation, you have abbeys, and castles and big houses – it’s fascinating and I enjoyed the journey so much. Hopefully that comes across in the series.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"CHD4FHY4PBA5JFBAFJOIWUXWAU","additional_properties":{"_id":1667893897025},"content":"<i>Cois Moire, made by Cormorant Films with support from Cork County Council, begins on TG4 on Wednesday November 9th at 9.30pm.</i>","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Barry Roche"}},"name":"Barry Roche"}]},"description":{"basic":"Munster river carries Irish history from Neolithic to modern times, says Diarmuid Ó Drisceoil"},"display_date":"2022-11-08T08:54:19.900Z","headlines":{"basic":"‘Blackwater is like Ireland’s Bayeux tapestry’: TV presenter takes to river for 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Irish crane manufacturer is helping a major US container terminal operator work towards reducing its carbon emissions — but first there is the minor matter of transporting the three mega cranes across the Atlantic Ocean.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AP4SSW3RD5HHTATZYMLXIJSXQU","additional_properties":{"_id":1661006225456},"content":"Killarney crane manufacturer, Liebherr, secured the order for the three megamax ship-to-shore (STS) container cranes from US company, Maher Terminals in 2021 and since then its expert team of engineers and designers have been working to bring the project to completion.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CEL2223NBVCUXKWFBD7JHI33CI","additional_properties":{"_id":1661006225457},"content":"Liebherr’s Managing Director of Sales, Gerry Bunyan explained that the cranes were designed and built at the company’s plant at Gortroe in Killarney and following manufacture, the main components were transported by road to Fenit from where they then brought by sea to Cobh.","type":"text"},{"_id":"INZIIXFK7VA6TMXBJDPH5IDBGI","additional_properties":{"_id":1661006225458},"content":"“This is the third group of Liebherr ship-to-shore container cranes to have shipped from Cobh — we have previously shipped three ship-to-shore container cranes to Puerto Rico and a further two to the Hull in the UK but these are the largest ship-to-shore container cranes to ship from Cobh to date.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"PN57QZRTDVG75DW2JQWNUTBCOM","additional_properties":{"_id":1661006225459},"content":"Assembly work began on the three massive structures in Rushbrooke near Cobh earlier this year but so huge are the three cranes that they cannot be fully assembled until they reach their final destination at the Port of New York and New Jersey because of the Bayonne Bridge.","type":"text"},{"_id":"E74UNACP4FCEJFLECFOHT45SP4","additional_properties":{"_id":1661006225460},"content":"“The Bayonne Bridge connects Bayonne in New Jersey with Staten Ireland in New York but before arriving at Maher Terminals, the cranes and their specialist transport ship, the BigLift Baffin, need to pass under the bridge which has a clearance of 66 metres,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"T7HUTXAMEBHINI4RL3HVDSYSDE","additional_properties":{"_id":1661006225461},"content":"“A fully assembled crane on board a vessel can be significantly higher than this, so the preferred solution is to transport the cranes partly assembled with the upper structure, comprising the boom, the beam and the A frame resting on the lower structure for the duration of the voyage.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"6YBVP2NG4NBNFB7UMDI52VTAO4","additional_properties":{"_id":1661006225462},"content":"The BigLift Baffin which, at 173m long and 42m wide is over 30m longer than the pitch at Croke Park and almost half as wide, will leave the Port of Cork next week with the three megamax STS cranes and, all going well, reach its destination on America’s East Coast ten days later.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VKW5TDGAGFHR5O7O3FSSOGBEZY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Improved service","type":"header"},{"_id":"JVRHOXTQJ5BO5IDLFSG5C6R4T4","additional_properties":{"_id":1661006225463},"content":"Mr Bunyan said: “When the vessel arrives in America, it will anchor off Sandy Hook off New Jersey where final preparations will be made for passing under the bridge — the vessel will wait until tidal conditions are optimum for clearance under the Bayonne Bridge.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KX2UOEZ7RJH23LLVDKGIRNZULI","additional_properties":{"_id":1661006225464},"content":"“Once the cranes pass under the bridge, they will complete the short journey to Maher Terminals, roll off the delivery vessel, where winch-up of the lower structure to the final operational configuration of the cranes will be completed.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZGSOIBKYJJBCVPZ5I65YMPR4WU","additional_properties":{"_id":1661006225465},"content":"Mr Bunyan said that once the cranes are commissioned, they will enter service alongside eight existing Liebherr ship to shore container cranes already at the port which Maher Terminals ordered from the Killarney-based manufacturer since placing their first order in 2011.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SIOKVJPB2JEYPIS23HZVPOTRQE","additional_properties":{"_id":1661006225466},"content":"He explained that Maher is very conscious of the need for sustainable port Infrastructure and the Liebherr cranes form a key component in Maher’s strategy to become a Net Zero emissions facility by 2040 and Liebherr was proud to play its part in helping the US company achieve that goal.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MJHIUM3OIVGX3LGTDX6LUPP6WU","additional_properties":{"_id":1661006225467},"content":"He said that the Liebherr cranes were manufactured using high tensile steel and, with a lattice main beam and boom, they were lighter and required less energy to operate than traditional cranes while features such as LED flood lights reduced energy consumption by 70 per cent.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MCYC4HFGQ5H6HGNWTANQI7SM6Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1661006225468},"content":"“With these latest technically advanced machines working alongside the other Liebherr STS cranes at the Port, we are confident Maher Terminals will be able to offer improved services and faster turnarounds and continue to grow as the North American’s largest marine container terminal.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Barry Roche"}},"name":"Barry Roche"}]},"description":{"basic":"Killarney crane manufacturer secured order for three megamax ship-to-shore container cranes for US company"},"display_date":"2022-08-20T16:03:10.282Z","headlines":{"basic":"Kerry-built cranes to be shipped across the Atlantic to New Jersey","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"QQHK424X5JFIZFKGKWKMZDHVSY","auth":{"1":"1ecfb4820f3a1f37912366bee7d3dc30270f91ff08d9611303d25cdab4f10bb0"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/QQHK424X5JFIZFKGKWKMZDHVSY.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/offbeat/2022/08/20/kerry-built-cranes-to-be-shipped-across-the-atlantic-to-new-jersey/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"CICSI2HYDZC7LLMPXP7VQN2IC4","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/offbeat/2022/08/19/fota-pride-swells-as-new-asiatic-lion-is-wooed-by-lionesses/","content_elements":[{"_id":"IH57WAVE7RDWTMW3FLQGG5NS2Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1660932275592},"content":"He may not have a backstory like that of Simba, the hero of the Lion King, but Fota Wildlife Park is hoping that its latest feline recruit will help the Cork nature reserve play its part in saving the endangered Asiatic Lion from extinction.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7UU2I32OMBC5TIZ5ARKWUIQ4SQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1660932275595},"content":"New Asiatic lion <a href=\"https://www.fotawildlife.ie/news/visitors-at-fota-wildlife-park-can-now-see-the-new-male-endangered-asiatic-lion-yali/\" target=\"_blank\">Yali</a> arrived from Paignton Zoo in Devon in the UK earlier this month and has spent the past fortnight undergoing routine acclimatisation to his new habitat in the Asian sanctuary at the park where he is being gradually introduced to the two female lionesses, Gira and Gita.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7NBIUPCP45GYROZLCES6XSA6WQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1660932275596},"content":"Lead ranger at Fota Julien Fonteneau said the wildlife park anticipates that six-year-old Yali will form a new pride at the 40-hectare park in east Cork with Gira and Gita as part of the ex-situ European endangered species programme (EEP) for Asiatic lions.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YLCWGFIHIJHI3KIVO3EXMAP5GI","additional_properties":{"_id":1660932275597},"content":"“The Asiatic lion is classified as endangered and inhabits only one remaining site in the world, the Gir forest in India, with an estimated current population in the region of 500 to 600 lions. Which means that wildlife parks and zoos play a crucial role in safeguarding the species,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BVXPVL7MH5E7NCN4ZTGMGVIL4I","additional_properties":{"_id":1660932275598},"content":"“We will gradually introduce Yali to Gira and Gita, who are sisters, are both aged eight, and came from Helsinki Zoo in Finland in the summer of 2016. Gira gave birth to two litters with the previous male lion, Shanto, who sadly died from kidney failure earlier this year,” he added.","type":"text"},{"_id":"INHKX7MLTRGKRJSM7T2U7JX6MY","additional_properties":{"_id":1660932275599},"content":"Mr Fonteneau explained that the Asiatic Lion is a subspecies of the genus Panthera that split from African lions around 100,000 years ago and it was once widespread from the Mediterranean to India and Iran, covering most of southwest Asia, where it was also known as the Persian lion.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IIHLPJKLIJDYHHDOR3RJJITTOQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1660932275600},"content":"However, since the turn of the 20th century the Asiatic lion’s range has been restricted to the near 1,500 square kilometre Gir forest national park and the surrounding areas in the state of Gujarat on the west coast of India, he explained.","type":"text"},{"_id":"R2B2JCNGVBBAVGWT2WVOBZQUAQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1660932275601},"content":"Mr Fonteneau said that, like their somewhat larger African cousins, male Asiatic lions have a mane, although it is much shorter and darker and does not cover their ears, while they also have a distinctive longitudinal fold running under their belly.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UVH7SSURXNEYDG34ZAU6OQ3QOI","additional_properties":{"_id":1660932275602},"content":"Male Asiatic lions reach sexual maturity at about five years old, while female Asiatic lions reach sexual maturity earlier at about four years of age. Mating is not seasonal and takes place all year round, while gestation lasts 112-119 days, after which one to five cubs are born, he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GSYY2LS6J5CSRIMZ4ZBADRYGQY","additional_properties":{"_id":1660932275603},"content":"Mr Fonteneau said that Fota was delighted to introduce Yali to visitors to the park this week and they were very hopeful that he would soon establish a new pride with Gira and Gita, even though he still has some growing to do.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IQQBG3M3SNFO5LLAVHIG7EZ76U","additional_properties":{"_id":1660932275604},"content":"“Yali has spent the last two weeks slowly getting used to his new surroundings and the lionesses but last night we were thrilled to hear him roaring, which means he’s much more comfortable and feeling territorial in his new habitat here,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YXO4V3W2UVEPVNXUUQA3CC4LGM","additional_properties":{"_id":1660932275605},"content":"“He is not as big a lion as <a href=\"https://www.fotawildlife.ie/news/fota-wildlife-park-are-heartbroken-to-announce-the-death-of-shanto-the-asiatic-lion/\" target=\"_blank\">Shanto</a> was, he still has a bit of girth and muscle to put on and his mane is still growing but we expect it will fill out more as he becomes part of the new pride here in the Asian sanctuary in the park.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WKMDML7HGFGFDEJELWDTESFO3E","additional_properties":{"_id":1660932275606},"content":"“Both Gira and Gita have both been trying to woo him since he arrived, but he’s not paying them much heed so far. 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He will finish the cycle on the anniversary of the death of his other older sister, Deirdre, who died on August 6th, 2019.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SWOLXYENBZHKXPXEHRHQHMSU7E","additional_properties":{"_id":1659522158060},"content":"“I lost my two sisters, Rose and Deirdre, and my nephew Christopher to three different types of cancer in the last six years, and I thought it would be a nice idea to do something in their memory to help fund research plus I regularly come across the impact cancer can have in my work as a coroner,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BY76YA5LVZASPNTEBT3I7ZMBPY","additional_properties":{"_id":1659522158061},"content":"“I first thought of it on the day of my sister Rose’s burial in May last year, but then I let it subside for a while, and then over Christmas I decided I better do something so I bought a bike and I’ve been in training since January, I might do 50km three days a week plus maybe 20km two other days.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"FANQILOOMZE2BF4MR3JO7AAEYM","additional_properties":{"_id":1659522158062},"content":"Mr Comyn’s original plan was to cycle from the home place of his late mother, Cherrie, at Groomsport on the Ards Peninsula in Co Down through Belfast all the way to Cork, but he had some doubts about his ability to do the 450km it would involve so he had to change tack.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TAZLMZTMJFCLNEZUNXTOKUZMZY","additional_properties":{"_id":1659522158063},"content":"“It would have been nice to cycle from Groomsport in recognition of my mother’s northern heritage, but I decided I had better be a bit more realistic in my ambitions, so I am cycling from my father’s home place of Kilconnell in east Galway, which is a bit more manageable at just over 220km.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"DJDH45SALRCFFJJCOWAVHNJOMI","additional_properties":{"_id":1659522158064},"content":"His plan is to complete the 220km trip from his late father, Andrew’s ancestral home at Ballinderry Park House in Kilconnell to Cork University Hospital in Wilton over two days, starting on August 5th and avoiding motorways but sticking to main roads as much as possible.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GLFOFCRU3FH5FOT6L4LVDV5IVY","additional_properties":{"_id":1659522158065},"content":"“I don’t know why this particular idea came to me, but it did — my late father moved to Mallow to set up his legal practice in 1948 so the only family we have left in Kilconnell are those that are buried there so this will be a nice way of connecting with family roots.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"7I5VGGWHIFAEPIOJMFUX5ONSTE","additional_properties":{"_id":1659522158066},"content":"Joining Mr Comyn on the journey will be his friends, Peter Boyle, Ger O’Sullivan, and Jim Ronayne who, like him, have been clocking up the miles on their bikes in preparation for the trip while his wife, Gwynne, will be driving the support car to ensure everything goes smoothly.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6KHFQ4MD7BHQNIHNWAEIGMVDWE","additional_properties":{"_id":1659522158067},"content":"“We aim to leave it early — we will be cycling five or six hours each day, doing 20kp/h or so — there are some hills but it’s not too bad — one of the biggest hills and possibly the toughest challenge will be on the home straight up Wilton Road to CUH but hopefully we’ll make it up to Wilton alright.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"F5I6YG2RXZFERH6JSHH2ML6YGA","additional_properties":{"_id":1659522158068},"content":"“I’ve set up a Go Fund Me page and all the donations will go to the CUH Cancer charity — I’m paying for the bike and the other equipment and the accommodation myself, but everything we raise will go to assist the great work that they do into cancer research at CUH.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"EJDSUF45T5A5BJXKP2XSWQC76I","additional_properties":{"_id":1659522158069},"content":"Anyone wishing to donate to the Galway-to-Cork charity cycle can do so by visiting <a href=\"https://www.gofundme.com/f/6fgpc4-cycle-for-cancer-research\" target=\"_blank\">his page</a>. ","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Barry Roche"}},"name":"Barry Roche"}]},"description":{"basic":"Philip Comyn plans to cycle over 220kms this weekend to raise funds for cancer research after losing three family members to the disease"},"display_date":"2022-08-03T10:46:36.720Z","headlines":{"basic":"Coroner takes to his bike to raise funds for cancer research","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"C2SG5C6UPJJSRPMK5NCWP64CAQ","auth":{"1":"ae7cfdf16ea77a29d70d492e597eb7eb098fcdfe659ffb9f72972c25fbbd6aed"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/C2SG5C6UPJJSRPMK5NCWP64CAQ.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Health"},{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/health/2022/08/03/coroner-takes-to-his-bike-to-raise-funds-for-cancer-research/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/health","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Health"}}}},{"_id":"DWZ2PFZWBZBBRKJNJJBAOUV52M","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":162,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/4686918/media/77d6101edc84bed6163373d4729d21f9_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/offbeat/2022/07/24/learning-to-fly-aged-86-i-think-the-secret-is-to-keep-moving-and-not-to-give-up/","content_elements":[{"_id":"WPI2N6ASDBCWHIBMBBJNJQRRE4","additional_properties":{"_id":1658673765374},"content":"An 86-year-old self-confessed adrenaline junkie from Co Louth has ticked another challenge off her bucket list by flying an aeroplane.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4LKABCQBKNEPVLALUHEFAKXMGI","additional_properties":{"_id":1658673765375},"content":"Annette Callan, from Ardee, recently took control of a two-seater craft during an introductory lesson at the National Flight Centre in Co Kildare.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QHHSBLP3SFD7BDRDXNVUT7XKRA","additional_properties":{"_id":1658673765376},"content":"“The instructor got a great kick out of her and even let her take full control of the plane as she travelled through the skies over Meath and Louth,” says her daughter, Deirdre McCormack. “She absolutely loved it and can’t wait to get back up again so I’d say that’s the Christmas and birthday presents from us sorted for a while.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"JLWG3EXRZNFYDH3ECKYCE4NMRQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1658673765377},"content":"Ms Callan says she could not wait to “get into the driving seat in the plane as I am a bit of a daredevil”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PZKRVMO5QRE6TP2O4ATSUYBY7A","additional_properties":{"_id":1658673765378},"content":"“I was so looking forward to the challenge of flying solo and ticking another thing off the bucket list,” she says. “It was a wonderful experience. I had a great sense of freedom and calm up there. Being in control of the aircraft was really stimulating and just goes to show that you are never too old to do anything.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"7MEC625FVBESNN6GBFFISE4POI","additional_properties":{"_id":1658673765379},"content":"Ms Callan has previously completed a skydive, learned to stand on her head in her morning yoga practice, gone jet skiing and parasailing, and scaled Croagh Patrick before the Covid-19 pandemic put the brakes on her adventures.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MEVUUM5DFVBXVAOPADODQWAE2M","additional_properties":{"_id":1658673765380},"content":"“I think the secret is to keep moving and not to give up,” she says. “I’m a very strong-minded person and I won’t let anything beat me — so bring on the next challenge.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"STRVVBHFFFGLHK63OK5MVGVP54","additional_properties":{"_id":1658673765381},"content":"Keeping positive, she says, is one of the keys to making the most of life.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5WO6XS34MBDKLAICOEDPGLDMCM","additional_properties":{"_id":1658673765382},"content":"“I hate being around complainers,” she says, adding that she insists on getting out in cold weather which is aided by warming up two potatoes in the microwave and putting them in her gloves to keep her hands warm.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VNZFRFQGY5BL5BHGUN6KH63HPY","additional_properties":{"_id":1658673765383},"content":"“Sure I’m busier now than I was 20 years ago.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"JLWG3EXRZNFYDH3ECKYCE4NMRQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1658673765384},"content":"Ms McCormack says relatives struggle to believe how full of life the octogenarian is at times.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BNY3NLVQ7JAZ3LUAKDGZUZRKNQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1658673765385},"content":"“We can’t keep up with her. I’d be embarrassed to tell her I was tired after a day’s work,” she says. “She looks after the grandkids when her children are working and is really the backbone of this family. 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UK cinemas have banned groups of young people wearing suits during screenings of Minions: The Rise Of Gru.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ACKHIYYAXRCTPFNNY2FZQOXLRA","additional_properties":{"_id":1657001384004},"content":"The decision comes after some young moviegoers were criticised for rowdy behaviour after a viral trend erupted on the social media app TikTok.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6HNWTW6CUNB7FIXYAJ4NDC5MJQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1657001384005},"content":"The trend involves large groups of teenage boys, who call themselves The Gentleminions, filming themselves going to watch the latest instalment in the Despicable Me franchise dressed in suits.","type":"text"},{"_id":"M3GPDIRB4JAERJVAMTWMOGTE5Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1657001384006},"content":"It is not clear where the trend originated but the #gentleminions videos show suited groups attending the screenings and copying the main character, supervillain Felonius Gru, and his signature hand 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is not every day a sloth is born at Fota Wildlife Park in Co Cork - in fact it’s the first time so it’s hardly surprising that Fota management are celebrating and inviting the public to come up with a name for their latest arrival.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OEZSZGC6ZJGCXHIRNZS3JL4YDQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1654111898475},"content":"The baby sloth, whose gender is still unknown, was born following a gestation of six months to mother, Talyta and father, Matheo on April 30th, displaying an impeccable sense of time as its home in the Tropical House had just re-opened to the public after closure due to the Covid pandemic.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JT6JDPBGNZCTNLII4FBI56ZYXA","additional_properties":{"_id":1654111898476},"content":"Lead Ranger, Julien Fonteneau explained that Matheo, who is four and a half years old, came to Fota from Wilhelma Zoo in Stuttgart in Germany in 2019 while mother Talyta, who is three years old, arrived in Fota from Papiliorama Swiss Tropical Gardens in 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Not only does the Wildlife Park have great success breeding the fastest land animal, the cheetah and the tallest land animal in the world, the cheetah, we have now also bred the world’s slowest moving animal, the sloth.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"M6NZLQZPM5BRJD4MVQOZANBGIQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1654111898478},"content":"Mr Fonteneau explained that the Linné's two-toed sloth, which is native to South America, can grow up to 65cm and live on average 20 years in the wilderness and up to 40 years in captivity but getting a glimpse of Fota’s latest arrival can be elusive due to the animal’s nocturnal nature.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7CUWFCOWFBH4JLKSCBP3I42DCM","additional_properties":{"_id":1654111898479},"content":"“Young sloths will cling to their mother’s belly for approximately five weeks until they have the strength to move on their own. The little one is already pulling at leaves and other foods we give to the adults, although not leaving the mother’s safety on its own yet.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"2PVIRDV7ZVBCHNX4SBAGVSQTWY","additional_properties":{"_id":1654111898480},"content":"Sloths eat, sleep, mate, and give birth from their upside-down position high among the branches and to accommodate their upside-down lifestyle, the hair in the middle of the belly grows up towards the back while their face hair points upward, allowing water to run off during rainstorms, he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4ODCBPFKVJG3HE5EE2IEL4HRGE","additional_properties":{"_id":1654111898481},"content":"Sloths, which sleep on average 15-20 hours a day, spend almost their entire life suspended from trees and the only time they descend to the forest floor is to go to defecate and urinate, which they do about once a week, he added.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CLDLN5QIAVAKXKCDTZIRRJA7RY","additional_properties":{"_id":1654111898482},"content":"But sloths, who are solitary except when they mate high in the treetops, are strong swimmers and to move to a new area of trees, they often wait for the forest to flood so that they can swim to a new resting and feeding site.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TKJ23JQIG5HE5HLTHB45YXMT7Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1654111898483},"content":"“Their diet primarily consists of various leaves, stems, buds, and a selection of fruit but insects are also consumed. This type of diet requires a specialised digestive system and sloths possess a large, four-chambered stomach, like cows.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"4X7B3DKVORGYDEJWZ3JU6BMVDE","additional_properties":{"_id":1654111898484},"content":"Mr Foneneau explained that while bacteria in the sloth’s guts helps it to digest large amount of plant matter, the animal’s adherence to such a heavily leafy diet with a low nutritional value means sloths are slow to exert themselves unless necessary.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MSMWHN6W3NHFRK7UPVWO67NIFQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1654111898485},"content":"“Predators such as jaguars and ocelots, harpy eagles, and anacondas pose a threat to sloths in their native habitats. They defend themselves with their sharp claws and teeth, and if required, sloths can move quickly through the trees to evade capture.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"TCSOKGEGFJAJJGB7R7LO5YGXPQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1654111898486},"content":"But Fota’s newest arrival will face no such threats in the park’s Tropical House and Mr Fonteneau and his colleagues are hoping that the public will take to the newly born sloth and come up with an interesting name for him or her.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GNS6KYGCFZG3LD2BMRC6UA3QEI","additional_properties":{"_id":1654111898487},"content":"Mr Fonteneau said: “We are urging people to help us come up with a name for the baby sloth via the blog, <a href=\"http://www.fotawildlife.ie/news\" target=\"_blank\">www.fotawildlife.ie/news</a>, and to be in with a chance to win a conservation annual pass and we’re hoping we are going to get a big response.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Barry Roche"}},"name":"Barry Roche"}]},"description":{"basic":"Park’s Tropical House has just re-opened to the public after closure due to the Covid pandemic"},"display_date":"2022-06-01T22:11:10.132Z","headlines":{"basic":"First sloth born at Fota Wildlife Park arrives with impeccable timing","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"MIT2CPZQWBA7JMWDGBFCP4AUGA","auth":{"1":"e90990c300be79f26d2563ca47794188933c83db6b3976050dccae9c6ae9bc4a"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/MIT2CPZQWBA7JMWDGBFCP4AUGA.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"},{"name":"Science"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/offbeat/2022/06/01/first-sloth-born-at-fota-wildlife-park-arrives-with-impeccable-timing/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"K63EXS3URTWHVL2E4ETCAVOW24","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/news/offbeat/four-year-old-dutch-boy-takes-mother-s-car-for-a-spin-in-his-pyjamas-1.4867637","content_elements":[{"_id":"MMDXNNUMKVE2JIHHWB7Z76BWXU","additional_properties":{},"content":"A \"highly enterprising\" four-year-old boy was reunited with his parents unscathed after grabbing his mother's keys and taking her car for an early-morning drive through the streets of Utrecht in the Netherlands, police have said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DT42VNMUQREQNFIQZNXOUD6MLE","additional_properties":{},"content":"The boy, in pyjamas and bare feet, was spotted wandering on a street in the city's Overvecht district early on Saturday morning by bystanders who called emergency services, the North Utrecht police force said on its Instagram account.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6YW5GG4GMFG4VHTGCJX3GHDP7A","content":"After receiving a medical check-up and a cuddly bear from an ambulance crew, the toddler - with no immediate sign of any parents in the vicinity - was taken to the nearest police station and given a mug of hot chocolate, the post said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GFI267I4HRCXHA3JHVPE3RHWKU","content":"Soon afterwards, a police patrol reported that a car had been abandoned in the same neighbourhood, apparently after first hitting two parked vehicles. A call to the registered owner of the car revealed it to be the boy’s mother.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EGJYCKCD6VDPLO46ATTRNT7G74","content":"“She explained that her son was ‘highly enterprising’,” police said. “She spoke to the child on the phone, and we saw him imitate a collision and make a steering movement with his hands. This made us suspect he might have been driving.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"VLICBJJK3VFA7A6H5HEYDMUUHQ","content":"Officers accompanied the mother and her son to the abandoned car, where they were joined by the boy’s father. “At the car, we asked the child if he could show us how it worked,” Utrecht police recounted in their Instagram post.","type":"text"},{"_id":"H6MT3CCZTFEKFFUBZVUVD3UGA4","content":"“He opened the car, and put the key in the ignition. He started the car, moved his left foot to the clutch, and hit the accelerator.” They concluded that he had been “woken up early when his father left to go to work, and decided to go for a drive”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FGIG72UUKBCB7I4HLITRSHT6MI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Fortunately, police said in their post - titled \"New Max Verstappen discovered in Overvecht\", in a reference to the 2021 Belgian-Dutch Formula One world champion - \"this mini boy-racer's adventure ended with a fizzle\".","type":"text"},{"_id":"SVOA3BK4OZB77M2XNFDWAFIG54","content":"- Guardian","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"description":{"basic":"‘Highly enterprising’ child found wandering streets after abandoning car in Utrecht"},"display_date":"2022-05-02T17:20:44Z","headlines":{"basic":"Four-year-old Dutch boy takes mother’s car for a spin in his pyjamas"},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"VWQTYA63U732SX73TM4CLBKGCU","auth":{"1":"c3c54c9b9aae991b9f222e41492fdb98262bb9bb40ff5bb285900bb4733a85ec"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/VWQTYA63U732SX73TM4CLBKGCU.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/news/offbeat/four-year-old-dutch-boy-takes-mother-s-car-for-a-spin-in-his-pyjamas-1.4867637","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"MVIMKQNQIXR5TUU3RJBWV63J4I","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/news/offbeat/feline-the-love-all-my-children-have-four-legs-1.4867407","credits":{},"description":{"basic":"The 2022 Supreme Cat Show returned to Dublin for the first time in three years due to the pandemic. 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A similar bottle sold for €23,000 a number of years ago, although the estimate on the current item goes to just €14,000.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HJ7KCDAYLFFRVKOVFA6PBEF22A","additional_properties":{},"content":"It is being sold complete with leather bag and its newspaper wrapping. \"They've been together for over 120 years, it would be a shame for them to part company now,\" the vendor <a href=\"https://www.whiskeybidders.com/\">whiskeybidders.com</a> said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IQBXPMLDEFHQXBG7UOW7LEGSJY","additional_properties":{},"content":"John Cassidy originally opened the Monasterevin Distillery in 1784, according to notes accompanying the sale, and 100 years later it was producing 250,000 gallons of the drink annually.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7ONT2RVBVFFH5NN2E3ENXUCKJA","additional_properties":{},"content":"It was often exported to London, transported to Dublin initially by canal and then shipped from Dublin Port. Cassidy's Distillery and Brewery closed in 1934.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JTA763OXLBDF7CO2DMDVBE6JRM","content":"“Now, another 140 years later, a bottle of this extremely rare and special whiskey has survived and is available at auction on the current Whiskey Bidders online auction which finishes on Sunday, April 9th,” the vendor said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HMQ3LR3MEJGFDKXHM2RH6HYRLE","additional_properties":{},"content":"\"The Cassidy name is probably the start of a long history of distilling in Monasterevin. Another rare and special whiskey, Ballyhooly Blue Ribbon Twin Cask Single Malt also has links to the town.\"","type":"text"},{"_id":"CO67HYFQQFAT3MP6F2TU3CXDTQ","content":"Valuable Irish whiskeys are often sold at auction, attracting bidders for both its quality and romanticism.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7FHDYPXEIJHZZHPC7CWZMPQB3Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"In 2020, a bottle of Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Chapter One sold at auction for €42,000, at that time reported to be the most expensive bottle.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Mark Hilliard"}},"name":"Mark Hilliard"}]},"description":{"basic":"Cassidy’s Whiskey up for auction after it was found wrapped in newspaper in doctor’s bag"},"display_date":"2022-04-04T12:33:05Z","headlines":{"basic":"Rare 142-year-old Irish whiskey bottle could fetch €14,000"},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"UZEB35LJPVHFAUMR45G5DFWYAM","auth":{"1":"c3603bd7290de4907c73db811497f8b6d407345343d23262025e149346daffe7"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/UZEB35LJPVHFAUMR45G5DFWYAM.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/news/offbeat/rare-142-year-old-irish-whiskey-bottle-could-fetch-14-000-1.4844168","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"ZOTGGKOPH4BKP2WSQZJAX63PD4","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/news/offbeat/the-postman-always-rings-eventually-lost-letters-arrive-51-years-late-1.4787944","credits":{},"description":{"basic":"A recent reconstruction of a post office in Lithuania has uncovered undelivered mail - thought to have been taken by a worker looking for money - from over 50 years ago, which the Lithuanian postal service has since attempted to deliver."},"display_date":"2022-01-28T14:06:43Z","embed_html":"<div class=\"powa\" id=\"powa-ZOTGGKOPH4BKP2WSQZJAX63PD4\" data-org=\"irishtimes\" data-env=\"prod\" data-uuid=\"ZOTGGKOPH4BKP2WSQZJAX63PD4\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.562\" data-api=\"prod\"><script src=\"//irishtimes.video-player.arcpublishing.com/prod/powaBoot.js?org=irishtimes\"><\/script></div>","headlines":{"basic":"The postman always rings... eventually: lost letters arrive 51 years late"},"promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"6b98c75bf54cb91b02b56ef311a7ba670b01f49fc5eba8f207321d4cf59abb0e"},"type":"image","url":"https://d2j5ip5u6h2g6o.cloudfront.net/01-30-2022/t_748399e041d94675938f84571e3c98c4_name_main_.jpg"}},"subtype":"imported","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Video"},{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"video","website_url":"/news/offbeat/the-postman-always-rings-eventually-lost-letters-arrive-51-years-late-1.4787944","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/video","name":"Video"}}}},{"_id":"ZOOLOXRKKWA6OMNG4JMISBKOUA","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/news/offbeat/mayo-shop-that-sold-winning-19m-lotto-ticket-is-named-1.4779951","content_elements":[{"_id":"ISXV5ROFOFCOPPTEL6IABE52IE","additional_properties":{},"content":"A record-breaking €19 million National Lottery ticket which won last Saturday's draw was sold at a small roadside shop in Castlebar, it has been revealed, after more than seven months of un-won draws.","type":"text"},{"_id":"T7YMUIYFARBB5CFRFN5WE4IG6U","content":"On Wednesday morning, all eyes will turn to Laura’s XL store on Hopkins Road in Garryduff, marking just the latest in a string of lottery successes for the town.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MMRTQ4JGCVGUJIKA4RNYE4NC6E","content":"So far, four jackpot prizes have been claimed in this small corner of the northwest, including a massive €29 million EuroMillions haul just over two years ago.","type":"text"},{"_id":"J3N35WVZ5JAK7B5QEWIIELZ2WM","content":"“The Castlebar ticket holder, who has become Ireland’s largest ever Lotto jackpot winner, has made contact and arrangements are now being made for their prize to be paid,” the National Lottery confirmed of the latest win.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ETVG7UXU25E2BGV3S7D6PEA6EM","content":"The unveiling of exactly where the ticket was purchased ahead of last Saturday’s draw is bound to start the usual local speculation and questions about who holds the golden ticket.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UD6EA4QXEFDHHHOVAGC2YZIN5Q","content":"The first Castlebar EuroMillions jackpot, worth €15 million, was won in April 2014. Less than two years ago, another €17 million EuroMillions jackpot was scooped in the area.","type":"text"},{"_id":"B4ODPIYJZJCMRAMEAMAGFLSUHI","content":"This latest jackpot had become a major public and political talking point, having remained capped at €19.06 million since October 2nd and not been won since June last year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2MSQXIOXQRGFZNHTW3WZJ7RCNI","content":"The draw had become the first “will be won” prize with a guarantee that might have seen the prize shared among anyone who matched five numbers and a bonus, or further down the order of winning combinations if necessary.","type":"text"},{"_id":"B63S2BZXXJFQFNRAPAECSI7RPI","content":"In the end, that system was moot – as one lucky person matched all six numbers.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Mark Hilliard"}},"name":"Mark Hilliard"}]},"description":{"basic":"Winning ticket holder has made contact with National Lottery"},"display_date":"2022-01-19T07:02:48Z","headlines":{"basic":"Mayo shop that sold winning €19m lotto ticket is named"},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"SI2VNJ2S5N73LZHHUCOHGLKRMQ","auth":{"1":"ca409dd7ec5bc5c55506e5b4aee73a0b6a199460a25209f17a7e4df15f032b2a"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/SI2VNJ2S5N73LZHHUCOHGLKRMQ.jpg"},"lead_art":{"_id":"LFXYFAGH2DJSADJJ6FL2SWZ3UM","embed_html":"<div class=\"powa\" id=\"powa-LFXYFAGH2DJSADJJ6FL2SWZ3UM\" data-org=\"irishtimes\" data-env=\"prod\" data-uuid=\"LFXYFAGH2DJSADJJ6FL2SWZ3UM\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.562\" data-api=\"prod\"><script src=\"//irishtimes.video-player.arcpublishing.com/prod/powaBoot.js?org=irishtimes\"><\/script></div>","promo_image":{"auth":{"1":"4d825d9a3465bca34fd46870add4c91f2f355b65c1db304f96fb955b10d4fac0"},"type":"image","url":"https://d2j5ip5u6h2g6o.cloudfront.net/01-26-2022/t_4c4b36179bcc40ddb4ef21de23fc196e_name_main_.jpg"},"promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"4d825d9a3465bca34fd46870add4c91f2f355b65c1db304f96fb955b10d4fac0"},"type":"image","url":"https://d2j5ip5u6h2g6o.cloudfront.net/01-26-2022/t_4c4b36179bcc40ddb4ef21de23fc196e_name_main_.jpg"}},"type":"video"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/news/offbeat/mayo-shop-that-sold-winning-19m-lotto-ticket-is-named-1.4779951","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"FW4ISLBMGA2ACKIDGYVFFJAURU","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/news/offbeat/christmas-island-turns-scarlet-red-as-millions-of-crabs-migrate-1.4732321","credits":{},"description":{"basic":"The roads of Australia's Christmas Island have turned scarlet red as millions of crabs begin their annual migration to the sea in order to mate and spawn. 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Despite the high Covid-19 incidence rate among five to 12 year olds, health officials have reassured parents that trick-or-treating can be enjoyed safely by taking some simple precautions.","type":"text"},{"_id":"A2FP2PTYJJFWRF7GCNI5WKE3BQ","content":"So, what are people’s main concerns?","type":"text"},{"_id":"4CY5K7WD6REUHLNBATJY4L366M","content":"<strong>My kids are super excited about tomorrow’s trick-or-treating but I’m slightly nervous about all the close contacts and visits to different houses. What can I do to keep my family and other families safe?</strong>","type":"text"},{"_id":"CZX6Q256ABDANHYD7UGOE5KJNQ","content":"Don’t worry, there’s a few easy steps you can take on Halloween to ensure your kids have a brilliant evening while staying safe.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IVJQ5XGU45DBLLM4YTXHFRBO2U","content":"Firstly, all trick-or-treating should be outdoors – chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan has urged people to step outside when distributing treats and snacks.","type":"text"},{"_id":"U7NHZE63PZG53JWJ7H6WEQQHUY","content":"Keep trick-or-treat groups small, limited to one or two families.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UOZ4KLISHJHOLL6P6TSR2FB2OE","content":"Make sure your children know they should avoid large groups of kids gathering on doorsteps.","type":"text"},{"_id":"M3OKG2R27FBL7ABHXQ4M3PGTXQ","content":"Parents and trick-or-treaters should carry plenty of hand sanitiser and wash/clean hands as often as possible through the evening.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BFTMWIEZD5DIBKZONDXPWV3A4Q","content":"If your child is displaying any flu-like symptoms, such as a dry cough, fever, tiredness or a sore throat, they will need to stay home. Deputy chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn said this week that while people could “do the things they normally do at Halloween”, a sick child should not mix with other children. This is not only to prevent the spread of Covid but also to avoid getting the flu.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RNCDWJMUQVHUVHXJ7TO7OIBKA4","content":"<strong>What about masks, should my kids be wearing them during trick-or-treating?</strong>","type":"text"},{"_id":"5XUVD7QN7RBNXM4TBVASBABLPQ","content":"Masks are a really easy way to keep your kid extra safe on Halloween night. Try incorporating a cloth mask into your child’s costume, it will add to their overall look and put your mind at ease when they’re running around with other kids.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ITEYYSSWNVEGHPSLKQH3RKHFVQ","content":"<strong>Our neighbours have invited us into their home, is it okay to visit?</strong>","type":"text"},{"_id":"CCN4C23RC5FSLAEXFJFQR2FWWM","content":"If you’re having visitors over, keep a couple of windows open, make sure there is plenty of hand sanitiser and ensure people keep their distance from one another. 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here:","type":"text"},{"_id":"S5UX3AY3ANDAJBT6R3DE3EEYPQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"APPLE","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"YW7ZVCH2YRCOBA5KRUUUSEJOQQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"SPOTIFY","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"ID7HHOS7DFABLMXSIFFE464CRQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"RSS","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"HAFWKDXPIBGHTNJBU44N22NQBE","additional_properties":{},"content":"ACAST","type":"interstitial_link"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Sorcha Pollak"}},"name":"Sorcha Pollak"}]},"description":{"basic":"In the News: Drama is based on people in debt forced to play children’s games for money or death"},"display_date":"2021-10-22T08:54:33Z","headlines":{"basic":"Squid Game: How South Korea’s social inequality inspired Netflix’s biggest 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It’s pretty difficult.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"XVH4TCSRYBD2BCBKIE6SALWTQM","content":"Mr Jackson said the idea for the heart came to him while he was out feeding his sheep “supplementary tucker” as they are “quite pregnant and need a bit of extra TLC”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HU5GWK5BPJF65CT7QB77JLELQI","content":"Actually making the heart took “three or four” attempts, Mr Jackson said, with his initial efforts turning out less than desirable.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4OQN3A5J3BEOZEMQTCF5QYXYGM","content":"“The first time I tried it looked like the sh*t emoji, I tell you, and whilst my Aunty Deb had a good sense of humour, that wasn’t exactly what I was going for,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QHILSBKYXNCMXACF3ZJSE2MMF4","content":"Having created the heart, the video was filmed by drone and sent to his family in Brisbane so it could be overlaid to Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge over Troubled Water and played at his aunt’s funeral.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ST4QIJJLRRDO3FRGEDEGMU4OHI","content":"“When I saw [the final product] I would be the first to admit that there was plenty of waterworks,”Mr Jackson said. “It was very lovely to have it as part of a sendoff. It was certainly something that she would have loved and absolutely cherished.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"GS52NKQKSVHG7CCC2PC3L6VBGU","content":"Mr Jackson said he first started making his sheep art during a previous drought when he fed his sheep from the back of his flatbed truck every single day.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UI6SMF4ARZHUDEXSDV6LDQXOIY","content":"He soon learned he could draw shapes in the landscape and that the sheep would gather.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OWCQZ44B6VEX5OR2X4VT34NSNM","content":"“And they haven’t forgotten yet,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NHHZEQVO6VDL7BUE3GTJQADM4E","content":"In the past Mr Jackson has created other shapes like a giant ABC logo, though he stressed that the tribute was solely for Aunty Deb.","type":"text"},{"_id":"L4TBBR3W6FE3DBRUWIJNLNF7JQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"\"I completely get I'm not Robinson Crusoe, I'm not the only person whose doing it tough with lockdown and borders and Covid,\" he said. \"It's a very, very challenging time. And knowing my Aunty Deb, if this sheep art - if it brought a smile to even one person's face, she would be a very proud aunty.\"","type":"text"},{"_id":"WHYD2Z2QDZAS5IKL4CIW6XEGKI","content":"“Certainly the reaction online has been such that, yeah, hey there’s a lot of people doing it tough and need a smile on their dial.”– Guardian","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"description":{"basic":"Ben Jackson used sheep in a farewell message as he was unable to travel for funeral"},"display_date":"2021-08-26T07:08:24Z","headlines":{"basic":"A love heart made out of sheep: Australian farmer pays tribute to his aunt"},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"3DEZCO73AUOOAPM2J4IDKM4SLM","auth":{"1":"6a88e9cbf9095e98a6587183ac021566cc764aaa53ebe6e6a4e760f4c8e71eda"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/3DEZCO73AUOOAPM2J4IDKM4SLM.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/news/offbeat/a-love-heart-made-out-of-sheep-australian-farmer-pays-tribute-to-his-aunt-1.4656755","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"JJCPE32WOH4C7GJAV3FZHT6VFU","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/news/offbeat/extraordinary-800-year-old-chain-mail-found-in-co-longford-1.4652228","content_elements":[{"_id":"GCPGEBKLSVHLNPWHOZJNRZUEPQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"A vest of chain mail, which is more than 800 years old, has been handed in to the Knights and Conquests Heritage Centre in Granard, Co Longford.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4UC37O2UPNBY3K4IC235PJDM3Y","content":"At an event last weekend a member of the public disclosed that they had a hauberk, or coat of chain mail, in their garden shed.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NEJX32OU2JDXPP5ECT6UDWUQ7Y","content":"The centre’s general manager Bartle D’Arcy said he was astonished when the member of the public brought in the artefact, which is in excellent condition.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3MUADVY3AZBGLNNQZPWTUKXX7I","content":"“We had a Norman heritage day as part of [national] heritage week. I was walking around wearing a chain mail coif when people came up to me and said that they had ‘some of that’ in their shed. I said ‘what do you mean you have some of that in your shed?’","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZMCR5JO6G5CJJKTX77VJSQFHWQ","content":"“They brought it in to me two days ago and it is a full hauberk, 800 years old. They took it out of a drain a few years ago with a digger and just had it in their shed. It is extraordinary.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"F5JH5L3MVZGODPIKIW2PSVB5XQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Mr D'Arcy brought the chain mail to the National Museum of Ireland on Thursday. Officers there said that they were amazed to see an intact hauberk, having only ever seen fragments of chain mail.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WU74WWENLZCSJJCVGNGM4OORPY","content":"“It is an amazing, extraordinary find. This all happened because of a chance encounter. They didn’t know what it was because it got stuck in the digger bucket. Unless you knew your history you wouldn’t really know what it was.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6TQGU4NI6ZA3NJ7JJTXOMOC2AU","content":"“It wasn’t discovered in Granard but it was discovered locally, but we are protecting the identity of the person. We are doing everything by the book and have declared it to the museum and so on,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6FGZ4PJ3AJGYVEECMZFDAN3CEY","content":"Plans are afoot to put the chain mail on display in Longford. Mr D’Arcy said the museum would take the chain mail away to carry out some work on it.","type":"text"},{"_id":"G4SPCK5ALBC3HCZZYNUWDD5HBI","content":"Mr D’Arcy said the chain mail was in such good condition because it was in water for so many years.","type":"text"},{"_id":"K4HIXLLWO5GWXCZUJZXCUI2MTY","content":"“It only rusts if you have water and air and if its only in water it survives. When the digger brought it up it was in peat.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"7DYNNQAKZFBETMJNGVJOQKYF5A","additional_properties":{},"content":"It is understood the chain mail dates back to 1172 shortly after the Normans arrived in Ireland. It will be restored and preserved before it goes on display.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"name":"Olivia Kelleher"}]},"description":{"basic":"Member of public hands in full hauberk dating from Norman era to Granard centre"},"display_date":"2021-08-20T17:16:22Z","headlines":{"basic":"‘Extraordinary’ 800-year-old chain mail found in Co Longford"},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"RT5LK3BVSSHZL6WGJIJICRAQ24","auth":{"1":"53e3636e54abfbc7c10cf31832fbf05809f6b312a66d5cba915747179fbf584a"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/RT5LK3BVSSHZL6WGJIJICRAQ24.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/news/offbeat/extraordinary-800-year-old-chain-mail-found-in-co-longford-1.4652228","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"QQMW2BHDSQEQQJFDEPXQZRWSIM","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/news/offbeat/feathers-ruffled-as-great-white-pelican-spotted-in-co-wicklow-1.4645712","content_elements":[{"_id":"FDIAL7P5VJF2BGNVAD3NBVXX6Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"A Great White Pelican caused some ruffled feathers on Thursday after it escaped from Fota Wildlife Park on Little Island in Co Cork and flew as far north as Arklow, Co Wicklow.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3PYF3OSXFVHZPELTLRZ3QVIABI","content":"The bird was spotted near Nineteen Arches Bridge on the Avoca River by local woman Elaine Murphy and wildlife photographer Sean Garvey. The sighting initially caused some excitement as there has never been a sighting of a wild pelican recorded in Ireland.","type":"text"},{"_id":"26DZA3WTFZAYPEMVKCINXM3HNE","content":"One of the largest flying birds in the world, the Great White Pelican generally weighs about 10kg and has a wingspan of nearly 3m. It is typically found in swamps and shallow lakes around Southeast Europe, Asia and Africa.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3E364FKZSZCPXDJ4RPYYT7CDCE","content":"The bird is awkward on land, but it can fly for a whole day and night without stopping, covering distances up to 300 miles. It is also surprisingly light for its size because of air spaces in its bones and under its skin.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VWMM5KMEUFGMJNUF54AOQ7KM5M","additional_properties":{},"content":"Despite its ability to cover large distances, Birdwatch Ireland spokesman Niall Hatch said it would be a rarity to find one in the wild so far north.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6F7PPJU3LJB4LBHIMQVLAUN424","content":"“There has never been a true wild pelican recorded in Ireland,” he said. “However we have been getting reports of pelicans sporadically for the past three years or so, near the south coast.","type":"text"},{"_id":"C3B2GWT7RNFD7MW3O6YIS7YWRM","content":"“All the previous reports have related to the captive birds at Fota Wildlife Park. These birds are kept there but their wings aren’t always clipped so they can fly freely, which is a little unusual. My suspicion would be it is one of those, but it is hard to be certain.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DNTWIQXT7ZAWBACM55BDVJCY2M","content":"“In August 2018, two of them turned up at Tacumsin Lake in Co Wexford. They had coloured plastic rings on their legs, which was very suggestive of captive origin, and it turned out they had escaped or flown away from Fota Wildlife Park.","type":"text"},{"_id":"P7SEQWFB7JEF7OEXOZCK2OOA5A","content":"“Birds do unusual things. There is no accounting for what they will do. The closest Great White Pelicans get to us is the Balkan Peninsula. They are capable of flying long distances and are free flying birds, but it would take a lot for one to migrate as far north as this.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"72P4QAU6WVA7ZLZTKY3F344G4I","content":"The suspicion was confirmed by Fota Wildlife Park animal care manager Declan O’Donovan who said one the park’s male pelicans is currently missing.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5O7EGYWDH5AFDLK3AAQA2O67CA","content":"“It is one of ours,” he said. “We have one of our two males out at the moment, and we can see a blue tag in some of the photographs.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NVJT36JQDVHNJJLECPOMGFQMQM","content":"“Normally we tend to clip them to keep them within the park. This one just got a bit of flight underneath his wings and was able to pop out. He comes back to us on a regular basis and we feed him.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4OVYCHYN4BAT5BOULFUGWUZBUY","content":"“He will spend a few days up around Wicklow. He’ll then come back in to Fota, and pop out to the harbour.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KXOKOAFB7FGY5P2SXPOO27HX4E","content":"“We have a sort of plan in place to catch him when he comes back. It doesn’t always work out the way we want it to, but we will catch him and once we do we’ll clip his feathers and he’ll be back with his buddy.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"NH4OFJQB7ZAWPLEJIRWEXNUZNU","content":"The Great White Pelican eats about 1.5kg of fish each day, catching food using its pouched beak, which can expand to hold nearly 13 litres of water. It also eats crustaceans and ducklings on occasion.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JLT4AUJFLBDOLIDXOEYSULTEYA","content":"It spends most of its time in water and tends to choose reed beds or small islands near freshwater lakes when it is looking to establish a safe nesting area. Pelicans often breed in large colonies of between 40,000 to 50,000 pairs in the wild.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Colin Gleeson"}},"name":"Colin Gleeson"}]},"description":{"basic":"‘We have a sort of plan in place to catch him’: Bird escapes from Fota Wildlife Park"},"display_date":"2021-08-12T18:22:41Z","headlines":{"basic":"Feathers ruffled as Great White Pelican spotted in Co Wicklow"},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"IY5NT5YBO6EUXLFAKEDQDM7SXA","auth":{"1":"4acf293dd169ac63010b9eef611bf3d333d41b4db3743597e5b48cb986375101"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/IY5NT5YBO6EUXLFAKEDQDM7SXA.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/news/offbeat/feathers-ruffled-as-great-white-pelican-spotted-in-co-wicklow-1.4645712","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"B5SZYAEMG7AZL4BIDM67WLEHVU","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/news/offbeat/man-bitten-by-python-while-sitting-on-toilet-in-austria-1.4614298","content_elements":[{"_id":"XEOIYGXEOJBWTOOSWTBKOSKDXQ","content":"A man in Austria was bitten by a 1.6m python during an early-morning visit to the toilet at his home, police said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SPCKWGQMK5BARCJWKPIKWUIEL4","content":"The reptile, which apparently escaped from a neighbour’s apartment and may have slithered through the drains, was later cleaned and handed back to its owner.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DXPUOMZYJFAHZPQVKJ72XB7VBM","content":"The 65-year-old man said he “felt a ‘nip’ in the genital area” shortly after sitting on the toilet at home in Graz, according to a statement from police in Styria province. He then looked into the toilet and discovered the albino reticulated python.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZCXQF4TK5FEW5JBNYJNEXXII4M","content":"The snake apparently had escaped unnoticed from the apartment of the man’s 24-year-old neighbour.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TT3Q652LR5CUJMGK4S3W6FKC4M","content":"It was not immediately possible to figure out how it escaped and how it got into the toilet, but police said it may have made its way through the drains.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EGU3DXVVYFHSZB23DLSCXNKJUY","content":"A reptile expert was called to retrieve the snake, which was returned to his owner.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LPA3UZZOHNC6LB6IT4GZVO3WSY","content":"Police said the younger man kept 11 non-venomous constrictor snakes and a gecko in his apartment, in terrariums and drawers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2AUNMH35TBGSRJ7JGENLZDCMW4","content":"He faces an investigation on suspicion of causing bodily harm by negligence.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VPSPUILFPNAUNEWAVHT2VWOAVM","content":"The victim sustained only minor injuries, police said. - PA","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"description":{"basic":"Police in Graz believe snake escaped from neighbouring apartment and went through drains"},"display_date":"2021-07-07T19:13:21Z","headlines":{"basic":"Man bitten by python while sitting on toilet in Austria"},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"4RBKYU7GY72ZYYNV7UPSHXFGGA","auth":{"1":"c3ca305100efe2e1121c70928e772ac6973f5c4cbfddf208bb8e24f9a80e291b"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/4RBKYU7GY72ZYYNV7UPSHXFGGA.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/news/offbeat/man-bitten-by-python-while-sitting-on-toilet-in-austria-1.4614298","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"CNLPAGUN33JOB2FAPQAVTFMY7Y","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/news/offbeat/peter-parker-and-the-pontiff-spider-man-meets-the-pope-in-rome-1.4601333","credits":{},"description":{"basic":"27-year-old Mattia Villardita from northern Italy has met with Pope Francis, dressed as Spider-Man, in recognition of his work visiting sick children in hospital dressed as famous superheroes. 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Cat hit grass bounced and walked away! <a href=\"https://t.co/LRBsjMta2Z\">pic.twitter.com/LRBsjMta2Z</a></p>— Chicago Fire Media (@CFDMedia) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/CFDMedia/status/1392939570380029953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 13, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>","type":"raw_html"},{"_id":"7IRBIVV3P5GWVPRRIPRQZURLFA","content":"Prompting screams from some at the scene, it soared through the air, over a wall, and on to the grass.","type":"text"},{"_id":"24GGX4IT2NCQBAIAFFNBDKLFV4","content":"Having bounced off the turf it immediately wandered off, unharmed.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FFWQH6G2LVFRDOYNJMG2JIQQP4","additional_properties":{},"content":"\"It went under my car and hid until she felt better after a couple of minutes and came out and tried to scale the wall to get back in,\" said fire department spokesman Larry Langford.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BAXDLLH5XVECZMEOEZLFMJZHRA","content":"Mr Langford said he was attempting to find the cat’s owner.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YR2AEXJRCJHSBFT32UAWB5MI4I","content":"The video has been viewed more than 200,000 times, while no injuries were reported after the fire. –PA","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"description":{"basic":"Video shows cat soaring through the air and on to the grass, landing unharmed"},"display_date":"2021-05-14T09:54:48Z","headlines":{"basic":"Cat jumps from fifth floor of burning Chicago building"},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"274QGL7WO6S5RJBDH2YQU7JRNE","auth":{"1":"46ccf1dee28d1d6be0c0788a881a6c65d8ae55a4bdf296a86065d8db7b834583"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/274QGL7WO6S5RJBDH2YQU7JRNE.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/news/offbeat/cat-jumps-from-fifth-floor-of-burning-chicago-building-1.4565063","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"Q3FQN7GRNBKKPYUHS2TCVGLLEQ","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/news/offbeat/bells-ring-out-in-celebration-as-dublin-church-re-opens-for-services-1.4564547","credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Bryan O'Brien"}},"name":"Bryan O'Brien"}]},"description":{"basic":"Bell ringers at Christ Church Taney in Dundrum, Dublin have returned to bell ringing duties to celebrate the reopening of church services to the public there after a long break, due to Covid- 19. 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Video: Jakub Walutek"},"display_date":"2021-05-08T09:24:32Z","embed_html":"<div class=\"powa\" id=\"powa-D3XMKPSJGLEBSSG5NS5JQ74C54\" data-org=\"irishtimes\" data-env=\"prod\" data-uuid=\"D3XMKPSJGLEBSSG5NS5JQ74C54\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.562\" data-api=\"prod\"><script src=\"//irishtimes.video-player.arcpublishing.com/prod/powaBoot.js?org=irishtimes\"><\/script></div>","headlines":{"basic":"Kinsale marks Darkness into Light with special parade"},"promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"3bbe71f2e265ee5a7572496be484038c228fca06a477c937419aa8eaa3e23a78"},"type":"image","url":"https://d2j5ip5u6h2g6o.cloudfront.net/10-19-2021/t_e08e62315e7946a1b0d5a53cc0aa9d1e_name_main_.jpg"}},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Video"},{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"video","website_url":"/news/offbeat/kinsale-marks-darkness-into-light-with-special-parade-1.4559469","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/video","name":"Video"}}}},{"_id":"ZPFUXTKXCITAIBBXOBW5DVP3E4","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/news/offbeat/dad-told-me-to-call-down-cork-shop-lists-responses-it-doesn-t-want-to-job-ad-1.4552570","content_elements":[{"_id":"ZKO44323SZGSXMDHFXOD5EMCNE","additional_properties":{},"content":"A west Cork supermarket owner who is recruiting summer staff has received a number of applications after he posted a tongue-in-cheek advert warning that he did not want to receive CVs from teenagers who were being forced to apply by their parents.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UBGQ6WRD2JE3XAKRUKD2KR5WIU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Colm O'Sullivan of Sam's Gala store in Dunmanway, Co Cork laid out exactly what he didn't want from applicants.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2SHU7XSSGJFFZOVCVAQP6B2A3Q","content":"The list of preferences is as follows, according to the ad:","type":"text"},{"_id":"L7A36OAQ6VDMHOAQNW32FFNMSM","content":"“Daddies asking for a job for their son because he’s a big strapping lad, is a good footballer, feeds the neighbour’s goldfish when they’re on holidays and cuts the lawn every Saturday.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TOMTZW3GCFAJJN7RBIIXP6R6GQ","content":"“Mammies asking for a job for their daughter and telling us she’s great around the house, emptied the dishwasher at Christmas, cleans her bedroom every Saturday and loves meeting new people yet is sitting in the car outside the door!","type":"text"},{"_id":"QJK6HADWDRHXLNDWZNXGADJLJ4","additional_properties":{},"content":"\"People coming in, handing in their CV over the counter and running out the door like Paddy Cullen running back in to the goal in 1978 to catch Mikey Sheehy's free.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RWKO4R6UZFBKJFRVLRTIGOUAH4","content":"“People who cannot work on Sunday because it’s their next-door neighbour’s third cousin’s First Communion.","type":"text"},{"_id":"M52H7LS2ABHPPE2F3R3LPX6Y24","content":"“People asking for a job instead of asking for work as the country is full of people with jobs who don’t do a tap of work.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KN5RXAMRUJAI3OQ7MAX4XTODY4","content":"“What we DO want are;","type":"text"},{"_id":"NCXL3LITFRCTBEXGKABFYKCISE","content":"“Teenagers who want to make the transition from pocket money to earning their own to come into the shop unaccompanied by parents, ask to speak with Noreen or Colm and simply tell us why they want to work for the summer.","type":"text"},{"_id":"R7W2N7NLFBBZHLF6VVQFWWW5BU","content":"“Top Tip; ‘My mother doesn’t want me hanging around the house for the summer’ or ‘my Dad told me to call down’ are not the correct answers.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"NGTEGDUYS75VXJDCIT7Y2RNOEM","additional_properties":{},"type":"image"},{"_id":"Z5LGZPGB3VHXLAXFXQYNNIL45A","additional_properties":{},"content":"Mr O' Sullivan told Patricia Messinger on Cork's C103FM that the response to advert has been fantastic.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HUKUI2MAONH6DE4NFQQ3JLUWTU","content":"“People have taken it as it was meant to be – tongue in cheek with some seriousness in there. I have teenagers myself and they took the decision at about 14 to distance themselves from myself and my wife because they think they are adults at that stage.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XDJEEXCWMFG7JO4WVBG5DCNJ44","content":"“I think young people should go and fend for themselves, go and look for a job and they appreciate it a lot if they have to go out for the first time in their lives and go looking for work.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NBGW6C4D5BAQZDQ4GRGAN63LLE","content":"“They learn there is a lot more to getting a job like opening a bank account, paying PRSI and in the space of two weeks they have had a serious reality check.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LLPJFXBOQNACHEX4UEOVNI5GAA","content":"“We are not going to do a rigorous interview process where they have to provide details of exams or tests, all we want is for them to come in and have a chat and tell us why they want to work.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"Q4JVP7WHGFFL5PC6K77KHF77WU","content":"Mr O’Sullivan intends to provide the successful teenagers with up to 10 hours paid work a week in order to spread the earnings around among them.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JW3VM6BQUNBJJGP34VEHJKXUZQ","content":"He said “I want to see the teens coming in on their own and leaving the parents outside. 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The not-for-profit park, which cares for over a 135 species, has experienced significant loss of income during the pandemic - but also great support from the public. 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He had travelled to Australia on an immigrant programme, but because he was returning home early, he would have had to repay the government for the costs of sending him there, and he could not afford it.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LPSR2QCQVZCR5HIXYBRNGUG3AE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Mr Robson's journey proved hazardous as his crate was diverted to a much slower route than the 36-hour trip he had envisaged. He was in the crate for more than four days when he was detected in Los Angeles. He was flown the rest of the way first class after the story made headlines worldwide.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FKJ66MD2JLTR6AKYD7J33LEJXI","additional_properties":{},"type":"image"},{"_id":"QHTC7UJ25R4MNCETOFKBP3BAMQ","additional_properties":{},"type":"image"},{"_id":"VKOWXOUIGVGTJL77FR3PAGAP2I","content":"Mr Robson tried but failed to resume contact with the two friends on his return but after The Irish Times recently reported on his efforts, one of them got in touch. Mr Robson said his friend wished to remain anonymous but he was happy to let people know they had made contact. The Irish man is trying to establish contact with the second man. “We don’t know 100 per cent where he is, to be honest. He could be anywhere,” Mr Robson said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7ANS337LVFCAXLX7YNQYBQJYTA","content":"Mr Robson said it was “really brilliant” to get an email from his old friend. To be certain it was him, he asked three questions, which only he and the other Irish man could have known. “And not only did he answer the three questions, he added more to it. We are still getting on as well as we were 56 years ago, which is nice,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PXU2XL54IZEUDLDIM2466MK2VE","content":"“He’s a lovely chap and his wife is wonderful. My ultimate aim, when the [Covid-19] virus stops spreading around, is to meet up.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"LJUTIJHEKVC4HNVA2HKSSYLJWU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Quiet","type":"header"},{"_id":"3CEAZDKWJBELHKYLTNAE4NRB6E","additional_properties":{},"content":"The Irish man told him he had returned to live in Ireland some years after Mr Robson's journey. He had told his wife, children and grandchildren about his involvement, but they had done their best to keep it quiet.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SWRKV76N4VDBBDZCA36JN2535E","content":"When the Irish friends heard Mr Robson had been discovered, they changed address, to avoid repercussions. “And so the reason I did not get a reply to my letters is that they didn’t receive them. It was rather pleasing because at one stage I thought they didn’t want to talk to me, but that’s not true at all. Quite the opposite.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"6SJDR2ISX5GQVCE4PNM5XTUGHI","content":"Mr Robson is working with a film production company to tell his story and pre-sales of his book, The Crate Escape, which will be published at the end of April, have rocketed.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LZRZDHEAENDPTBKRPWARPL4YZE","content":"Mr Robson said he was completely unprepared for the level of interest in the story and was exhausted. He will turn 76 in June and has some health issues. “To be honest, I’d like it to stop now, the newspapers and interviews, and get back to my normal, boring existence, and perhaps go to the premiere of the movie,” he said.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Alison Healy"}},"name":"Alison Healy"}]},"description":{"basic":"Robson says friend who helped nail him into wooden crate wished to remain anonymous"},"display_date":"2021-04-17T03:00:46Z","headlines":{"basic":"Man to meet Irish friend who helped airmail him from Australia"},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"joanna_us"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"4DH4O4S443KRQUM3IFAKVSKRVM","auth":{"1":"caa86b9da1257cb687fffbcc7950a0778dcdc978e1261b1f2f8f0d4041d97f58"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/4DH4O4S443KRQUM3IFAKVSKRVM.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/news/offbeat/man-to-meet-irish-friend-who-helped-airmail-him-from-australia-1.4539579","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"WEBA6QVOGPIWJFJSKAZS6BLMZU","additional_properties":{"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/4555/podcasts/1738570/media/c4d146a37daae0f5f74e4a84fb674c74_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/news/offbeat/the-crate-escape-two-irishmen-who-helped-mail-friend-home-from-australia-sought-1.4529448","content_elements":[{"_id":"SRXHNNBONZGUDKIEFEBSG3MZPE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Were you in Australia in 1965, and did you help a homesick Welsh man to mail himself home in a wooden crate? If so, he wants to hear from you.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MSFY7XHHIZC75PGOEV7WUIPLLE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Brian Robson was just 19 when two Irish friends helped him to climb into a crate so that he could airmail himself from Melbourne to London. His journey took some hazardous turns and could have been fatal had it not been interrupted.","type":"text"},{"_id":"T3CBLVPAIFA25HTUEVGCCCUTVU","type":"quote"},{"_id":"GND3QXBK4ND7BONL3BUCSISTEE","additional_properties":{},"content":"The Cardiff teenager had taken a job with Victorian Railways on an assisted immigration programme in Australia in 1964. He immediately regretted it and wanted to return home, but under the scheme he would have to repay approximately £700. His monthly wage was around £40.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QVH5I6GUSZB2FCIX64VWJLNHWY","content":"Eleven months into his stay he devised a plan to send himself home by air-freight, cash on delivery. He had become good friends with two Irish people who also worked for Victorian Railways.","type":"text"},{"_id":"A6FNNC7PKNEA5GWS6P24FOKKII","content":"“I’m 99 per cent sure that they were called Paul and John,” he told The Irish Times. “I couldn’t even tell you their surnames it’s such a long time ago, and I’d only recognise them if I saw photographs of them that were taken at that time. We got on famously…They used to come to my bedsit, or I would go to see them, almost on a daily basis.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"XWSSFL3S2BBERND5HKXL4YCQ2E","content":"He asked them for help with his unorthodox itinerary. “Paul really was 100 per cent against it…but John said ‘don’t worry about it, I’ll persuade him’. And so, they both went ahead and helped.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"AKXQQQQVRNGTHPKWKEM5TJXR6Y","content":"He bought a wooden crate the size of a mini-fridge and booked his slot with Qantas airline. The Irish pair helped to harness him into the crate and nail it shut. It was a tight fit as it also contained his suitcase and pillows as well as a flashlight and a book of Beatles songs to keep him company.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4RS2YMDJXBEKXJ5DSSJF3ZVRIM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Horrific experience","type":"header"},{"_id":"ZBFKIO3SABARFF5M4PKNVR3UFA","content":"Mr Robson was not expecting a pleasant journey, but it was still much worse than he had bargained for. “It was quite a horrific experience, in truth.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"5KIFZAY4Z5CQ3AHURQXC3ROLXA","additional_properties":{},"content":"The journey from Melbourne to London was supposed to take 36 hours but that flight was full, so he was loaded onto a Pan Am flight which took a much slower route.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RZNG2MGATZHK3LQ5KUHALOSFGI","content":"Despite numerous “This Side Up” signs on his crate, it was unceremoniously dumped upside down, so he was left standing on his head for almost a day before being loaded on to a plane. The airplane’s hold was simultaneously freezing and boiling hot, his body ached, and he had difficulty breathing.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Y3NGXBNGWJC2RINLPAIE6X5E7Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"Four days later his crate was lifted into a freight shed. But it wasn't London. He was in Los Angeles, and the FBI immediately became involved.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6KXTCGPCZZ3LJZK7V4EQ4IOVRE","additional_properties":{},"type":"image"},{"_id":"4OKDBXVGFRERTBN7HWLOOF3XXE","content":"“My two friends and I didn’t know whether my plan was legal or illegal, quite honestly, so I agreed that I would keep their names out of it completely, which I did.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"RIJUWXOVJ5ATXCS5HYAIDOHSNM","content":"After the FBI confirmed that he was not a Cold War spy, he was released and flown to London first class by Pan Am. He spent a life working in retail, and now, aged 75, will tell his story in a book, The Crate Escape, which will be published in late April. A film is also in the works.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DJYPRHBLLFHOBFYCBUXBGCG33Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"Sealed shut","type":"header"},{"_id":"JY4JKHAVTVGDXATTAZ56GMJ2BM","content":"Yet he has always wondered what happened to his Irish friends. He wrote to them when he returned from Australia, but didn’t get a reply.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QSQUWVP3QFHNHLEPT3SJIYLAVU","type":"quote"},{"_id":"XNHF4V2P45GX3P2I766DFT4NFA","content":"“I did try a couple of times, I think, and of course we didn’t have internet in those days, so from that day to this I’ve never spoken to them. They were the last people I spoke to in Australia before the crate was sealed shut.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"RJL62VUXXJDCRCH764A5CMQ7OY","content":"They must know what happened to him because his story went all over the world at the time. “But I’ve got no idea what happened to them. I would love to hear what happened after I left.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"I4ABNDHW4NGBRNIN4ROGI4SETY","content":"*Paul and John, or their relatives can contact Mr Robson at brianpms@hotmail.com","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Alison Healy"}},"name":"Alison Healy"}]},"description":{"basic":"Welsh man who airmailed himself in crate in 1960s seeks two Irish friends who helped nail it shut"},"display_date":"2021-04-06T00:58:22Z","headlines":{"basic":"‘The crate escape’: Two Irishmen who helped mail friend home from Australia sought"},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"joanna_us"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"YUWRX52SKHIEQ3IDMIPUTX55VM","auth":{"1":"7b823194c508604b7ef2342d8abf1ee90f89302d45db96044438cf5f6d79d621"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YUWRX52SKHIEQ3IDMIPUTX55VM.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/news/offbeat/the-crate-escape-two-irishmen-who-helped-mail-friend-home-from-australia-sought-1.4529448","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}}],"count":1310,"_id":"29c447af811c29b37d9945447b5f4d2b928bfa82b10e66a9d1cb7b99cbe4aad8"},"expires":1742185974412,"lastModified":1742185673277},"{\"feedOffset\":0,\"feedSize\":50,\"includeSections\":\"/offbeat\"}":{"data":{"content_elements":[{"_id":"PPYWBO7XUZAPNNM2J43JK2H5XY","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":161,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/40ad6d31-34e9-41cc-a83a-f3b5d7a4ebde/versions/1719066475/media/dfe3d84850872574868ec91a23b926b2_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/offbeat/2024/06/22/worlds-ugliest-dog-contest-eight-year-old-pekinese-wild-thang-claims-title/","content_elements":[{"_id":"BL2M34NCT5AU5GYCVFQU5GU3EQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1719063678374},"content":"The World’s Ugliest Dog contest may not render the most flattering title to its victor, but don’t tell that to Wild Thang.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NJ2J5YIOCFBRNIXPDEMEARGGDI","additional_properties":{"_id":1719063678375},"content":"The eight-year-old Pekinese won this year’s World’s Ugliest Dog competition on Friday.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ALZLRVIHJVDCFBPITSJ5GTF7XQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1719063678376},"content":"The annual contest, held at the 2024 Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California, featured eight dogs vying for the title. 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The site notes that “the contest speaks to the importance of advocating for the adoration of all animals and the benefits of adopting”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"B2NQKDYR4JEHVJP64IKHAVX5IY","additional_properties":{"_id":1719063678380},"content":"Wild Thang’s owner, Ann Lewis, can expect to receive $5,000 (€4,674) for the win and an appearance on NBC’s Today show.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XEMPIZCINZHH5DAAX674LBLELI","additional_properties":{"_id":1719063678381},"content":"The runner-up in the contest was a 14-year-old pug named Rome. And rounding out the podium in third place was a white-coated mixed-breed 14-year-old dog named Daisy Mae, who was rescued from the streets at age two and has lost her teeth, hair and vision.","type":"text"},{"_id":"J4V3GOBGRNDRDIOYFJQPXJSO7Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1719063678382},"content":"Other entrants included chihuahua mixes, Chinese crested mixes and pug mixed breeds, including a 14-year-old Brussels-griffon/pug mix named Freddie Mercury. Freddie Mercury did not win a prize this year in his debut at the event but is the official mascot of Petaluma’s local ice-cream truck and makes frequent appearances at local birthday parties as well as youth sporting events.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EWEEXBCBQ6NURBKHL4IIMEEEFY","additional_properties":{"_id":"2SO3DQXG4FC47AYD46SJ62IMQM"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"SV3U4H2EOSCGMDX6O76F3PL6BQ","additional_properties":{"_id":"UA6ZBLG4YVBNLMGZNKRLCJYDT4"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"Y5SERNVJFZB6FDDXN7FLE6XL4Q","additional_properties":{"_id":"JIZHQ2B2QZHLVBBGW2XCB7X5R4"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"FUZHEIDUMBEFLETZNQUBCENWEU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Voting was conducted by a panel of judges, with the public able to vote online for the people’s choice award, which went to 14-year-old pug Rome.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6NBG5WYFEVFNJHMP4WCYCFVQIM","additional_properties":{"_id":1719063678384},"content":"Judges this year included NBC News correspondent Gadi Schwartz, human rights advocate Linda Witong Abrahm and California’s state treasurer, Fiona Ma.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TJEUNIVTNFFJPAZVSV47VW57V4","additional_properties":{"_id":"XOAQ5LVQDFAGLM5IAZCTDVBUJ4"},"content":"Six-legged dog found in Wales has surgery to remove extra limbs","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"L3JBCJ4HARFCPMYGFOGXDXZX6I","additional_properties":{"_id":1719063678385},"content":"The idea for the event came from Petaluma resident Ross Smith in 1971 as a way to generate fundraising revenue for the community’s Old Adobe Association, and the Sonoma-Marin Fair has hosted the event since 1988. – Guardian","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"name":"Michael Sainato"}]},"description":{"basic":"The annual contest, held in California, featured eight dogs vying for the top prize"},"display_date":"2024-06-22T14:21:46.941Z","headlines":{"basic":"World’s Ugliest Dog contest: Eight-year-old Pekinese Wild Thang claims title","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"ZLB2OTGB32CMWEC4PNIWXTQULU","auth":{"1":"b9cf8e37cbeca60caf85eff5bd55e43ba4086c2de1021f927ac57a7c7aee1caa"},"focal_point":{"x":2746,"y":1441},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/ZLB2OTGB32CMWEC4PNIWXTQULU.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/offbeat/2024/06/22/worlds-ugliest-dog-contest-eight-year-old-pekinese-wild-thang-claims-title/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"L7L6Z2OMN5H5ZNHHYX74CWVTWI","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":168,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/fa4544fb-1904-490b-bca4-67f44ba797b9/versions/1717152239/media/a22a15a51d50b08ebc3748c78a3da582_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/offbeat/2024/06/02/royal-horticultural-society-of-ireland-votes-to-retain-royal-in-its-name/","content_elements":[{"_id":"Q6GZL653HJAONH7PA4O4B2ECGU","additional_properties":{"_id":1717002325253},"content":"Members of the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/royal-horticultural-society-of-ireland-rhsi/\" target=\"_blank\">Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland</a> have voted overwhelmingly to retain the word “royal” in its name.","type":"text"},{"_id":"T6U5SPHCVJA7XLE53XWRM3AIMY","additional_properties":{"_id":1717002325254},"content":"The group undertook a consultation process with members starting in December before a vote was taken in recent weeks.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5ATINMUFDNH37MVLKAKXYOEDJY","additional_properties":{"_id":1717150111647},"content":"“It didn’t become a raging argument,” chairman Philip Hollwey said. “There were no huge ructions about it.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"HY4GHBW4ENB5TM5E54SUHUQRWQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1717002325255},"content":"The society was founded in the Rose Tavern in Donnybrook, south Dublin, as the Horticultural Society of Ireland in 1816 and added the word “royal” to its name some time before 1848.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZW6ZWBJT2ZFZLCWAQBOEUQOSMY","additional_properties":{"_id":1717002325256},"content":"The society’s former secretary and former editor of its journal, Mary Hackett, submitted the motion that the board seek the views of the membership on changing the society’s name to “Horticultural Society of Ireland or another title acceptable to members”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"N4LVCND4KFB7DPOSHGEMZPQ354","additional_properties":{"_id":"QZ2SO5WM6BB7ZFOD3KHLAJONPQ"},"content":"The Irish Times view on the Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland: what’s in a name?","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"BR5UOTGAJJBYZFVNX27OYMZV2U","additional_properties":{"_id":1717002325257},"content":"A survey was conducted with the society’s almost 1,500 members being asked to share their thoughts. About a quarter of the group’s membership took part in the vote and 76 per cent of them voted to keep the name in its current form.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NAYBI4JQH5DJNGVJ7ZTOCAN4HY","additional_properties":{"_id":1717002325258},"content":"“On one side, you had the political and historical argument about the word ‘royal’,” Mr Hollwey said. “On the other, you had the practical argument about the cost of the change and trouble involved in implementing that change.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"7FK5XV7IEVEZVJHGOZH2PZQAW4","additional_properties":{"_id":1717002325259},"content":"He said the cost of a full rebrand would have been tens of thousands of euro.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BAJQAXP33RFNNFXMNHT4JMPD4Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1717150111653},"content":"“We have other challenges,” he said. “A lot of members felt we have limited resources and it was a case of how are they best used.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VROZLGV32JCZPOJ5VWVPBEYGF4","additional_properties":{"_id":1717002325260},"content":"“There wasn’t a groundswell for change. One of the things that kept coming up was the cost of change, and the mechanism of seeing the change through would be enormously expensive and difficult.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AXOCZNUO35E43JFCGXQFCAOU2Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1717002325261},"content":"“Overriding a lot of it, people said it didn’t matter enough to us to warrant this expenditure. We’re not hanging on the name through any affiliation with anything royalist at all. It’s more a case of ‘leave things as they are’ rather than being pro or against royalty.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"TW3HYC5V3ZDLPCAAYKHV2ZD7DA","additional_properties":{"_id":1717002325262},"content":"The society describes itself as “a modern charity with a passion for everything green and blooming”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5FW6IJM4ZBCETIVENK3LWXNXSA","additional_properties":{"_id":1717002325263},"content":"“Our mission is simple: we are all about spreading the love and knowledge of horticulture, arboriculture and floral art, all while fostering a deep respect for our environment and creating a close-knit community among our members,” it says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YCDY6C2IB5FUNMX3YVDX7FFP3I","additional_properties":{},"type":"list"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Colin Gleeson"}},"name":"Colin Gleeson"}]},"description":{"basic":"There was ‘no raging argument’ or ‘huge ructions’ as matter came down to costs and desire to maintain status quo, chairman said"},"display_date":"2024-06-02T05:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland votes to retain ‘royal’ in its name","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"F5CIFCIIE7AXDVIJ4KRMZ4EUBI","auth":{"1":"14715d3d3115c23a456f5c82529bc694f2410289c616f8b529bc584eaaf45230"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/F5CIFCIIE7AXDVIJ4KRMZ4EUBI.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/offbeat/2024/06/02/royal-horticultural-society-of-ireland-votes-to-retain-royal-in-its-name/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"7CVW2LKHWJDF3FLCUCR3ZGHATQ","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":220,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/10576442/media/5ccdceb39d81e03864802aac2c8f05cf_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/sport/2024/02/10/how-did-the-irish-womens-basketball-team-become-embroiled-in-controversy-over-israel/","content_elements":[{"_id":"CUMWIWBO4VAODJHRZJBBZ2XHHM","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681863},"content":"What was it all about?","type":"header"},{"_id":"7HB3DKU5HFH6DGNTIWD5K5OK54","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681864},"content":"The Irish women’s basketball team was drawn in a qualifying group with <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/israel/\" target=\"_blank\">Israel</a>, <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/france/\" target=\"_blank\">France</a> and <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/latvia/\" target=\"_blank\">Latvia</a> for the 2025 European Championships, with the four nations scheduled to play each other home and away. But Ireland’s trip to Israel last November was postponed after war broke out in the region.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IWIWIN2WGZAKLIE2QMTQDG4FGE","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681865},"content":"What happened then?","type":"header"},{"_id":"WDKEJ6M6TJD3RAYTNATFAKCXJI","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681866},"content":"Israel, whose home match against Ireland is scheduled for November of this year, anticipated those home and away fixtures being reversed, expecting Dublin to host them this month in the rearranged game, while they would welcome Ireland to Tel Aviv next November.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YTMBX6NJGJHUVJMNLDV7RYSBOY","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681867},"content":"But?","type":"header"},{"_id":"KHDCIPQBGJDO7NDPFMMWKAP7RA","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681868},"content":"Basketball Ireland rejected that proposal, saying that it could not “guarantee the safety of the Israeli team” in Dublin because of “the likelihood of protests”, and so asked for the game to be played in a neutral venue. The sport’s governing body, Fiba, acceded to that request, so Latvia was chosen as the host for the game.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CGT4X5QBWJDN7LBFUL57I73YIA","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681869},"content":"How did the Israelis feel about that?","type":"header"},{"_id":"4LQSNSM6VVFV3HMWCKIKWKERVQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681870},"content":"They were furious. “We regret that the Irish are not standing by us and not responding in the spirit of sports,” said their basketball federation, contrasting Ireland’s behaviour with that of Latvia, who “are made of the best human material”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XJ2QCZ5ELJHCZMW7K64N2WHXO4","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681871},"content":"And then?","type":"header"},{"_id":"ZH3RQYLXPBDQDOEOAQTGPATOLA","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681872},"content":"A mountain of pressure was placed on Basketball Ireland to boycott the game, in support of the people of Gaza, but its chief executive John Feehan insisted that<a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/2024/02/06/basketball-ireland-ceo-im-not-prepared-to-destroy-my-sport-for-a-gesture-that-will-have-no-impact/\" target=\"_blank\"> such a “gesture” would not make “a blind bit of difference”</a>. And if it did refuse to fulfil the fixture, it would face a meaty fine and a potential ban from international competition.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HJPTW5NDNZETTLESAP42MHXE7I","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681873},"content":"Was there yet more controversy in the build-up?","type":"header"},{"_id":"KUMRZDLYBNHVJBDJKWOGY5YFEA","additional_properties":{"_id":1707480020531},"content":"Of course. The Israelis posted photos online of members of the Israeli Defence Forces visiting the team during training; among those images was one of an assault weapon lying at the side of the court. Then one of their squad, Dor Saar, said: “It’s known that they [Ireland] are quite anti-Semitic, it’s not a secret.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"OZO4KMJH3VGF5IIRLX2B5FEXSY","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681875},"content":"How did Basketball Ireland react?","type":"header"},{"_id":"4O7IOIORCFGQPGDNSNVCRBQXYM","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681876},"content":"In response to the “inflammatory and wholly inaccurate” remarks, they announced that the Irish players would not partake in “traditional prematch arrangements” including “exchanging of gifts” and “formal handshakes”, “while our players will line up for the Irish national anthem by our bench, rather than centre court”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"R4EFCDSZVFBHXLXGWNZON3JWQQ","additional_properties":{"_id":"VNTB2BU6MNDTHIM2CQITULIU5E"},"content":"Malachy Clerkin: We know all the reasons for Ireland to play Israel at basketball. We also know it should not happen","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"Y3G3ZB3WEFEDHDUVOANVYRVNLY","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681877},"content":"But the match went ahead?","type":"header"},{"_id":"XB5L4AVAHBBJVCIV2GOOW53WRA","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681878},"content":"It did. And the Irish players looked decidedly uncomfortable, not least when they had to stand in front of electronic advertising boards that read: “WE LOVE ISRAEL”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HPXQBIVEVZHKPNPSMSYCZ3RJQA","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681879},"content":"Who won?","type":"header"},{"_id":"GQYSCNIFFZCTFEBRPBC6GFLDCY","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681880},"content":"Israel.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PRUDNVR7BBEBTFRKN6BUOIFLBY","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681881},"content":"How do France and Latvia feel about playing Israel?","type":"header"},{"_id":"EXBKBI2LJBANNO33UP37JN5GYM","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681882},"content":"All quiet from them so far, so it’s hard to know. But for now, their games against Israel are due to go ahead.","type":"text"},{"_id":"33UZLT7JCVH7FLT3VWH7PQIBSE","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681883},"content":"What’s the wider position regarding Israel in international sport?","type":"header"},{"_id":"N5ILQUTI55BHPBV6PGSJTCFYLI","additional_properties":{"_id":1707480020542},"content":"It remains largely untouched. The International Olympic Committee, for example, supports Israel’s inclusion in this summer’s Paris Games. This has prompted accusations of “hypocrisy” from Russia and Belarus, whose teams are banned from the Olympics and whose individual athletes will only be allowed compete if they have not openly supported the war in Ukraine – and even then they will be classed as “neutral” athletes, with no flags, emblems or anthems allowed","type":"text"},{"_id":"OX44MV7JIBDXPP3PS64ESGAMMA","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681885},"content":"It’s a funny old sporting world?","type":"header"},{"_id":"2GIQIDGY7RHPDEM73W5U4Z4GUA","additional_properties":{"_id":1707471681886},"content":"It is.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Mary Hannigan"}},"name":"Mary Hannigan"}]},"description":{"basic":"Basketball Ireland saying it could not ‘guarantee the safety of the Israeli team’ in Dublin blew up into a major diplomatic incident"},"display_date":"2024-02-10T06:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"How did the Irish women’s basketball team become embroiled in controversy over Israel?","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"V7SGZNWBOFEHNKNDWMYN3QHMWY","auth":{"1":"867e175b452435232895cce117cf0878f2ffb375a4f66d377ece332c56ccedcd"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/V7SGZNWBOFEHNKNDWMYN3QHMWY.JPG"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Sport"},{"name":"Offbeat"},{"name":"World"},{"name":"Middle East"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/sport/2024/02/10/how-did-the-irish-womens-basketball-team-become-embroiled-in-controversy-over-israel/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/sport","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Sport"}}}},{"_id":"4Y65VC5H2BDLRMQ7J7DELGQJCQ","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/offbeat/2024/01/20/six-legged-dog-found-in-wales-has-surgery-to-remove-extra-limbs/","content_elements":[{"_id":"MVJQMKIQ6NE5VHJZLG5N7BBDA4","additional_properties":{"_id":1705759224051},"content":"A six-legged dog who was found abandoned in a car park in Wales has undergone surgery to remove her extra limbs.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JQWJQKA5RFEGJFVWM7K5EK33VM","additional_properties":{"_id":1705759224052},"content":"Ariel, a spaniel puppy, was found in Pembroke last September and, after a fundraising appeal, was able to have surgery. The dog was taken in by the Greenacres Rescue charity, near Haverfordwest, and has been cared for by a foster family.","type":"text"},{"_id":"POMBPVYKFZE7XOYK52KC4AKKSU","additional_properties":{"_id":1705759224054},"content":"She was named after the character from Disney’s film The Little Mermaid because her partly fused extra back legs were said to resemble a mermaid’s tail.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AKP3ZCZ5TRANVCQR3RBGQIVZYY","additional_properties":{"_id":1705759224055},"content":"Ariel, who was born with multiple birth defects, was operated on at Langford Vets small animal referral hospital in Somerset.","type":"text"},{"_id":"D4TICOMVGRGN3PDYJ2LCPU7Y7A","additional_properties":{"_id":1705759224056},"content":"“Her additional limbs have been removed. Thankfully, having the CT [computerised tomography] images meant they did not discover anything unexpected, and although it wasn’t a regular amputation, it was ‘uneventful’,” the charity said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UM3TSSQQWZFWZBC36UF35AVS4I","additional_properties":{"_id":"CAJE6BLXDNAFNGYX6XZINJQIII"},"content":"Guinness World Records reviews evidence related to ‘world’s oldest dog’ title","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"4ADQWU44NZCKZGNKNQ47ERHXQ4","additional_properties":{"_id":1705759224057},"content":"“When we spoke, she was in recovery, having lots of love and fuss from the nursing team but all be reassured she’s doing well. We really hope she will now have an easy and quick recovery.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"JAF52KNQRNBZFLM4XZHIHF3VWQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1705759224058},"content":"Mikey Lawlor, the founder and manager of Greenacres Rescue, told the BBC: “There were two procedures which lasted about two hours, but both went fine. The next day she was up, walking around and eating and drinking.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7ZI43TAAUZAMRB7OSJMETTGNKM","additional_properties":{"_id":1705759224059},"content":"“Now we just need to keep our fingers crossed she doesn’t get any infections, but she really is in the best hands.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"3QCABGSLQNGRRMAOA5WC5BEWOY","additional_properties":{"_id":1705759224060},"content":"It is hoped Ariel can be discharged this weekend to return home to her foster family in west Wales.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WOH6FDU5CRH7JOQL7TZUFPWRKE","additional_properties":{"_id":1705759224061},"content":"“Then, after she’s had several weeks of physiotherapy and recovery, we’ll see about finding her a forever home,” Mr Lawlor said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SYM6AOQGRRDKRLW6O5FYEMUDY4","additional_properties":{"_id":1705759224062},"content":"He said the response to Ariel’s story had been “incredible”, with calls and emails from as far away as Australia.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2QIR35UPLFALHJAZACZDTQYII4","additional_properties":{"_id":1705759996223},"content":"“I just can’t say enough of a thank-you to everyone who’s contributed to helping her,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"COPJFBGMPBC7FFVFGE26GZQXSI","additional_properties":{"_id":"4UD3TVLBFNHMDOYW65P4B5HWRY"},"content":"Kennels at full capacity after dog abandonment spiked in 2023, says ISPCA","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"26KGPDJXIJEG5AZOR6OXV6G3GY","additional_properties":{"_id":1705759224063},"content":"Vicki Black, the Langford Vets hospital director, said: “Ariel was a complicated little dog whose care required close collaboration across a number of our specialist-led teams including orthopaedics, soft-tissue surgery, anaesthesia and radiology.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PSOSUORKRVGKDJ5KGTV2IG4PFI","additional_properties":{"_id":1705759224064},"content":"“We are delighted such a lovely dog has recovered from her surgery well. As part of the University of Bristol, we are a centre committed to career-long learning and are proud to innovate and treat pets like Ariel.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IHV7YYWF5JGFNLKF6D6DCWVNZY","additional_properties":{"_id":1705759224065},"content":"“Ariel deservedly has many devoted supporters. It was a great pleasure to treat her and work with Greenacres Rescue.” - Guardian","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[]},"description":{"basic":"Spaniel pup Ariel named after Disney’s The Little Mermaid as partly fused extra back legs said to resemble a mermaid’s tail"},"display_date":"2024-01-20T14:08:47.753Z","headlines":{"basic":"Six-legged dog found in Wales has surgery to remove extra limbs","native":""},"label":{},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"ZNLR52UKUZHNPH2DQK5AZG2TRM","auth":{"1":"0ff5917558ef6456e48099fd3f57187880df70ba1646fb74a504acccefdf234d"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/ZNLR52UKUZHNPH2DQK5AZG2TRM.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/offbeat/2024/01/20/six-legged-dog-found-in-wales-has-surgery-to-remove-extra-limbs/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"PBKJ74IE4REOHMPAROJWHLH5OU","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/offbeat/2024/01/17/guinness-world-records-reviews-evidence-related-to-worlds-oldest-dog-title/","content_elements":[{"_id":"GSCKGD53Z5GZNM5Q6BEMIYCU6Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1705473009994},"content":"Guinness World Records (GWR) is conducting a formal review of the “world’s oldest dog” title it gave to a Portuguese dog named Bobi who died last year. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"KBSFV2DXYFGO7MJBH22KI3Z7BA","additional_properties":{},"content":"The move follows complaints by veterinarians who raised doubts over his age.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WBUY46ZLINDM3IXCN6TLHPM2TI","additional_properties":{"_id":1705473009996},"content":"Bobi was a purebred Rafeiro Alentejano who spent his life in a village in central Portugal. GWR originally said the creature lived for 31 years and 165 days, breaking a record held since 1939 by an Australian cattle-dog that died at 29 years and five months.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NVKFXOWL6ZCYBA4SGHMC4737FA","additional_properties":{"_id":1705473009997},"content":"Bobi, who died in October, had been declared the world’s oldest dog in February. His breed, traditionally used as sheepdogs, has a normal life expectancy of 12-14 years.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KBD5HRSB2RDFFPBV7MKWRVTMHI","additional_properties":{"_id":1705473009999},"content":"A spokesman for GWR said the review into Bobi’s record was ongoing and it included looking over evidence again, seeking new evidence, reaching out to experts and those linked to the original application.","type":"text"},{"_id":"S7J5W3EYQ5GH7GQB3IAW3K6JTY","additional_properties":{"_id":1705473010000},"content":"“While our review is ongoing, we have decided to temporarily pause applications on both the record titles for oldest dog living and (oldest dog) ever until all of our findings are in place and have been communicated.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"XKBL4RKFR5GGPFOQJ3IXSEBQ6E","additional_properties":{"_id":1705473010001},"content":"Bobi’s owner, Leonel Costa, said in a statement on Tuesday that after his dog’s death, “an elite within the veterinary world ... tried to give people the idea that Bobi’s life story was not true”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YCLFVSE3GJBEVK3TOM5BQBA6BQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1705473010002},"content":"According to Mr Costa, some veterinarians were upset because he attributed Bobi’s longevity to factors including a steady diet of “human food” rather than pet food, which he said was often recommended by those in the sector.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UF5TBQTOAVECBLY6W257CQ2TR4","additional_properties":{"_id":1705473010003},"content":"“Everything would be different if we had said he (Bobi) ate pet food for three decades,” he said, adding that all requirements requested by the GWR were met.","type":"text"},{"_id":"C4J4U644KJDPNICXS7HCTTWLUU","additional_properties":{"_id":1705473010005},"content":"No action has yet been taken regarding any record holders, GWR said. It added that any action would be determined by the review's outcome.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MQJGHCAGZNA2TMRVWDMFTUBI5Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1705473010006},"content":"Prior to his death, Bobi still loved walks but had become less adventurous, Mr Costa previously said. His fur was thinning, his eyesight had worsened and he needed to rest more than in earlier years. - Reuters","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[]},"description":{"basic":"Owner claims ‘elite within veterinary world’ trying to give people idea that Bobi’s life story not true"},"display_date":"2024-01-17T06:41:56.103Z","headlines":{"basic":"Guinness World Records reviews evidence related to ‘world’s oldest dog’ title","native":""},"label":{},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"3Z3OEWFQ7JDRFD5K5FUVHCLT2U","auth":{"1":"419003cffe5319cae9d72d3a212220dfb1fc7df1b4d3b332fd03411965e16366"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/3Z3OEWFQ7JDRFD5K5FUVHCLT2U.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/offbeat/2024/01/17/guinness-world-records-reviews-evidence-related-to-worlds-oldest-dog-title/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"DD7SJHJZWVDDZAI6TTXM2ECELM","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":153,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/10025644/media/4bdfff6442f10cedb28af62f7b16fc44_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/offbeat/2023/12/29/public-warned-not-to-approach-wild-monkey-that-escaped-from-co-wicklow-sanctuary/","content_elements":[{"_id":"HTZ4A2UYXFFJLMXKV6CCEF6G4U","additional_properties":{"_id":1703877619844},"content":"Members of the public have been advised not to approach a wild monkey that broke loose from a sanctuary and made his way into the woodlands of Co Wicklow.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZPOQMVGNG5EMXEBWVOMDFJHFYU","additional_properties":{"_id":1703877619845},"content":"Charlie, a Capuchin monkey rescued from a UK lab about 20 years ago, escaped his island at the Monkey Sanctuary Ireland in Rathdrum earlier this month.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7V6DGLONQ5G4LI3PXWO2WI7U2U","additional_properties":{"_id":1703877619846},"content":"His owner Willie Heffernan believes Charlie will be able to survive with his foraging skills but that traffic around the area could prove his biggest threat.","type":"text"},{"_id":"G2LBTZKLW5CI3BNVO3ZNDURMRY","additional_properties":{"_id":1703877619847},"content":"While non-aggressive and disease free, the monkey is not used to contact with people who are warned to keep away and contact the sanctuary if they spot him.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YMR47FTT6VA7BFAG7WDKQ7XY6E","additional_properties":{"_id":1703877619848},"content":"“He won’t attack unless you try and pick him up,” he said. “He’ll bite you, he’ll nip you, he’s like a feral cat.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MMKMTMP27NH35NXUDQ3LO7AP4E","additional_properties":{"_id":1703877619849},"content":"“He’s not a pet, he’s never been petted so he’s not used to that. I would put food in a pulley-bucket and I’ll wheel it overhead to the island, that’s the only contact [he has]. And cleaning out and if he needs any veterinary care.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"EEQ4VUUXKBBGVGXPO7KM4P5Y4E","additional_properties":{"_id":1703877619850},"content":"He is also expected to avoid built up areas and stay in the wooded areas, of which there is no shortage.","type":"text"},{"_id":"M76IWWXTCVDDNIALEUGOVWPHSM","additional_properties":{"_id":1703877619851},"content":"“You couldn’t get any more wilderness, continuous trees and forests and wildlife. From Laragh all the way down to Arklow is one big huge wooded [area],” Mr Heffernan said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6CWQNZGZOZHIFAONI32VOYAWPI","additional_properties":{"_id":1703877619852},"content":"“The only unfortunate thing is he wouldn’t be aware of traffic and he looks exactly like a cat so he could easily be killed crossing the road. And also it’s the hunting season and he likes sitting up on top of trees with no leaves so he’s a prime target.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"EVSR62VM6JFNVFCHOLF3W7AF4E","additional_properties":{"_id":1703877619853},"content":"Mr Heffernan said Charlie escaped from his island via a fallen tree when staff had been attempting to relocate him and another monkey.","type":"text"},{"_id":"D227MZ4SM5GHLFN4HOE4U7DOJY","additional_properties":{"_id":1703877619854},"content":"Charlie is one of 25 monkeys at the sanctuary, most of which were rescued from lab environments.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3G565PANFVEW3FW7ZGJLFVGABA","additional_properties":{"_id":1703877619855},"content":"According to the sanctuary website, the “island monkeys” had spent their entire lives in cages but are now free to spend their days climbing and swinging through the trees.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MXNBWZB2IZHVBPK3ZK4CJBPUJA","additional_properties":{"_id":1703877619856},"content":"Although native to South America, they have adapted well to Irish weather and live in insulated houses fitted with continuous heat lamps during the winter and even radios playing classical music.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZTBFBYTI5JDQJKG767VE2OOS34","additional_properties":{"_id":1703877619857},"content":"Their diet of vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds and potatoes, among other things, is supplied by local supermarkets.","type":"text"},{"_id":"T24XYD55NRB6LCPTUJAU3SGP24","additional_properties":{},"type":"list"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Mark Hilliard"}},"name":"Mark Hilliard"}]},"description":{"basic":"A Capuchin monkey, rescued from a UK lab about 20 years ago, escaped from Monkey Sanctuary Ireland in Rathdrum earlier this month"},"display_date":"2023-12-29T20:57:43.705Z","headlines":{"basic":"Public warned not to approach wild monkey that escaped from Co Wicklow sanctuary","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"IZQ36U5B63YUWXHEH2ACEEAWQM","auth":{"1":"6ca89eb74810449c80c52623911ef708d658448c90a75f8bb3e174a914ca6ee4"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/IZQ36U5B63YUWXHEH2ACEEAWQM.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/offbeat/2023/12/29/public-warned-not-to-approach-wild-monkey-that-escaped-from-co-wicklow-sanctuary/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"H4AGIAVAFNE3XLV3YM7BWGQRGI","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":106,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/8604708/media/402cf06a9ca8e823fb09bdf56ffb7310_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/2023/09/20/ploughing-championships-world-record-broken-for-wellies-thrown-at-same-time/","content_elements":[{"_id":"5O7DCMQ3IZDKLNETL3M42NBCNQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1695221972251},"content":"Hundreds of people at the National Ploughing Championships have broken the Guinness world record for the most amount of wellington boots being thrown simultaneously, Macra na Feirme said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"d4f05f29-abf0-4c44-8a38-775113f3ead6","additional_properties":{"_id":"5XJ3OC6GJNBYJFPM2N7RMVEOOM"},"subtype":"irish-times-video","type":"video"},{"_id":"2PI4FE77OJACZIWWS7HNDTLSPA","additional_properties":{"_id":1695221972252},"content":"Eilean Houlihan, president of Macra na Feirme, said 995 people, including the Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue, took part in the effort at the ploughing championships at Ratheniska, Co Laois.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XQTLZAUOY5EOZILRKEJVF7QKRY","additional_properties":{"_id":1695221972253},"content":"The former record was registered at the Holsworthy and Stratton Show in Holsworthy in the United Kingdom in 2018, where 792 took part in the wellie throwing.","type":"text"},{"_id":"74WIUHQ6BVFARPGXQGSRHKMMSI","additional_properties":{"_id":"Y7SCVBD245G5LHOIN3ZJ7IVDKE"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"FO4BJEOPHVAF7IOO4PUU57DE7Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1695221972255},"content":"Macra na Feirme, which led the record attempt, recruited people from the walkways of the event site. One of these was Rose Connolly, from Co Tipperary, who said that she’d never been part of a world record attempt before. “It’s a good bit of craic,” she said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KSJQ6HZTKVCBTLNQ7K3AZ6PNGE","additional_properties":{"_id":1695221972256},"content":"Announcing the record-breaking feat, Macra na Feirme said: “At the signal participants launched their wellington boots into the air in unison. Hundreds of wellingtons flew through the air, which was a sight to behold in itself.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"52JUKM7VVJD2PGJ4H56QI57V54","additional_properties":{"_id":1695221972257},"content":"In the statement Ms Houlihan said: “It is hard to find the words to express how it feels to have broken this record. The atmosphere here today was beyond imagination with everyone coming together to break the Guinness World Record. 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The fundraiser is the brainchild of the teddy bears’ ‘carer’, Jason Phelan, a flight operations administrator with the Irish Aviation Authority.","type":"text"},{"_id":"S32EJJYZ2VBEPA7RYCDVNPAZ2A","additional_properties":{"_id":1692637834082},"content":"In mixture of fantasy and ‘borrowing’ from real life, Mr Phelan created <a href=\"https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/captpaddytbear\" target=\"_blank\">Capt Paddy T Bear</a> – who he says is an ex-Irish Air Corp pilot – and his <a href=\"https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sidekicklucky\" target=\"_blank\">sidekick Lucky,</a> based on a puppy rescued near the Royal Canal in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, in 2014.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7IQ7XZF4HVGLRJOEP253VNF3CI","additional_properties":{"_id":1692637834085},"content":"Since January this year Capt Paddy has been bringing Lucky on a year-long adventure – the Aviation Ireland Challenge – with the target of visiting as many places as possible and raising funds along the way. All money raised by the two bears through their promotional events is being divided by the children’s hospice LauraLynn and Dogs Trust.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XORXHDABIRD2ZHWTWCZ65GU4QA","additional_properties":{"_id":1692637834087},"content":"“I thought this up on December 28th last year – people have used bears to raise money for charity in the past and I thought it would be a good idea to use them to raise money for Laura Lynn and Dogs Trust Ireland, two great charities”, Mr Phelan told The Irish Times.","type":"text"},{"_id":"P2O4EXU72NHARGWEEDZA76AQ2A","additional_properties":{"_id":1692637834088},"content":"However, he said he was surprised at the speed at which the bears’ fame has spread and the enthusiasm shown for the idea by the airline community. 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zoo in eastern China has denied suggestions that some of its bears could be humans dressed in costumes.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NSBPOK4UPNBXJPPJWHYPGO46PY","additional_properties":{"_id":1690876295586},"content":"Visitors are thronging a zoo in Zhejiang province after a video of one of its bears standing on its hind legs went viral with some people suggesting she looked so human that she might be a staff member in a bear suit, local media reported on Tuesday.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KPWTMQICRNGV7PWM3UJHIL2KGQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1690874745193},"content":"Visitor numbers at Hangzhou Zoo have gone up by 30 per cent to around 20,000 a day since a video of the Malayan bear, named Angela, became a trending topic on Chinese social media over the weekend, Zhejiang province-based Chao News reported.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AJTBECYVVFDEXJDBK2P6S72GLY","additional_properties":{"_id":1690874745196},"content":"In the widely shared video posted last Thursday, the bear, also known as a 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But not all bears are behemoths and danger personified. 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Finally, Scooter was being recognised for his best qualities on Friday as he was given the title of the world’s ugliest dog.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FESBDNQSD5HDFGWCQIV64KQGBI","additional_properties":{"_id":1687692181363},"content":"The competition, held as part of the Sonoma-Marin fair in Petaluma, California, for the past 50 years, is a world-renowned event that promotes dog adoption and showcases extraordinary canines that have defied adversity – and celebrates their imperfections.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AX4MVITP35D6FJFQDE3OXT6WHI","additional_properties":{"_id":1687692181364},"content":"Scooter – a Chinese crested with sparse hair, a ratlike tail and a tongue that just won’t stay in his mouth – has certainly overcome challenges in his seven years. When he was just a pup, a breeder brought Scooter to animal control in Tucson to have him euthanised. He had been born with hind legs that faced backwards, a condition that seemed to make it certain that he would never walk.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OU6VHEIW5FASBI2NOZ24Y7JDDA","additional_properties":{"_id":1687692181365},"content":"A rescuer took him home to give him “a chance at finding a good home and a fairly normal life”, reads Scooter’s contest entry biography.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NBUJGIBCWRGILDNVMN4QUGWGXE","additional_properties":{"_id":1687692181366},"content":"With the help of therapy and a specialised cart, Scooter is able to walk and “has no idea that he is any different from any other dog”, his biography says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DMISMISJBVBI7LYIKYY4EHWUPM","additional_properties":{"_id":1687692181367},"content":"“I am overjoyed and incredibly proud that Scooter has been crowned the winner of the world’s ugliest dog contest,” said Elmquist, Scooter’s owner, in a statement. “Despite the challenges he has faced with his deformed hind legs, Scooter has defied all odds and shown us the true meaning of resilience and determination.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"34DV5AQX6NGXHPUAMVEPUXL65A","additional_properties":{"_id":1687692181369},"content":"It was that determination that gave Scooter the edge over other contestants, including Prince, a chow chow mix with a scrunched-up face and a floppy ear, and Wild Thang, a pekingese who seemed to be more a luxurious walking wig than a pup.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YYI4F5GD52FKAZP2XGIDM27CUE","additional_properties":{"_id":"5NO3Q5SUFREELO3UODJ7RNQAXU"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"FGCA4AQUWNGUHIRO4CLW5WQ3N4","additional_properties":{"_id":1687692181371},"content":"The contest began in the 1970s when Ross Smith, a member of Petaluma’s Old Adobe Association, was looking for a way to raise money. After the pet parade had been replaced with a dog contest, Smith suggested an ugly dog contest. The idea stuck and the contest has lived on, standing in contrast to dog shows that highlight special skills or pedigree.","type":"text"},{"_id":"O5X3J3VV7ZBTDG5PPHMFJBGHUQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1687692181372},"content":"Former winners have included Scamp the Tramp in 2019, a mutt with bug eyes and matted hair; Quasi Modo in 2015, a shepherd and pit bull mix whose spinal birth defects left it hunchbacked; and Walle, a beagle, bassett, boxer mix who one judge in 2013 said looked like it had been “Photoshopped” together from several different dogs.","type":"text"},{"_id":"X6SMNRRBMNH6JOBC5E5YGONWG4","additional_properties":{"_id":1687692919527},"content":"But Chinese cresteds have proven themselves to be the breed to beat, capturing the title at least 10 times since 2000.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XQRKX6XN5JB2XO33UMZ6VVPOTM","additional_properties":{"_id":1687692181373},"content":"On Friday, Scooter did his breed proud, winning the hearts of the judges and the top prize of $1,500 (€1,372) and a trophy. – Guardian","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"name":"Diana Ramirez-Simon"}]},"description":{"basic":"Contest in California showcases canines that have defied adversity and celebrates their imperfections"},"display_date":"2023-06-25T11:33:58.180Z","headlines":{"basic":"Scooter, a Chinese crested, is crowned World’s Ugliest Dog","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"APOEIYNXCFCQWDYPTGA6VRX64Y","auth":{"1":"c0c95960e387075ae5919b934540a69261aa50d997b69197940fc1bb39739aef"},"focal_point":{"x":2070,"y":713},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/APOEIYNXCFCQWDYPTGA6VRX64Y.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"US"},{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/world/us/2023/06/25/scooter-a-chinese-crested-is-crowned-worlds-ugliest-dog/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/world/us","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"US"}}}},{"_id":"YCKML2BQIJEKFBRBDG6GVV6MDQ","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":108,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/6964367/media/3b6d7ed9764946b6d1be72199f71d72d_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/offbeat/2023/05/31/missing-giant-ice-cream-cone-returned-to-its-owner-in-donegal/","content_elements":[{"_id":"OFHJFY35VVHOHAUCLUQO6RATMU","additional_properties":{"_id":1685540100748},"content":"A missing giant ice-cream cone has been returned to its owner in Co Donegal – after locals put a bit of heat on the thief.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LQY4EJRDXVG33AXIKL7NF3RFVQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1685540100751},"content":"The large replica 99 was taken from outside the Circle K garage at Glencar in Letterkenny during the current warm spell.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TJGBHG74E5A4VPQUWORSLEEQNE","additional_properties":{"_id":1685540100752},"content":"A SOS was sent out to see if enough publicity could be whipped up to “cone-r” the culprits and solve the cold case.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QF6T63XX4FGGVMMOT2BC2PBU64","additional_properties":{"_id":1685540100753},"content":"Gardaí issued an appeal and revealed they had CCTV footage of the theft.","type":"text"},{"_id":"N5X4BITVCFAVPGXF3RV2UH6ZQE","additional_properties":{"_id":1685540100754},"content":"Garda Gráinne Doherty pleaded with anyone who came across the cone to get in touch with Letterkenny station.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RN3SIJLH3NA4ZDEBUIM67T2HHA","additional_properties":{"_id":1685540100755},"content":"“Somebody has seen this cone,” Garda Doherty said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FMFQ6N5QKFE7NFYTW3YDFHXF3U","additional_properties":{"_id":1685540100756},"content":"“If a giant ice-cream cone has appeared in your livingroom or your friend’s apartment, somebody knows something about this these things are quite expensive and times are hard for businesses. We are anxious to have this item returned to the owner.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"BNX3MIOFZRA3PJ6TBH4LLNPQJ4","additional_properties":{"_id":1685540100757},"content":"Garda Doherty added: “To whoever did take it, it might have been a moment of madness, drop it back.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"LRRYXXKTUFA5XOO6VKMPNXATII","additional_properties":{"_id":1685540100758},"content":"After trying “hundreds and thousands” of different avenues of inquiry, the cone has managed to find its way back to its rightful owners.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PIZ3KEOPMZASBGRHSNPYT7AGR4","additional_properties":{"_id":1685540100759},"content":"It has not been confirmed where exactly the cone was taken on its journey.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NITCHVFQGVER3PVPHYJCFAVM34","additional_properties":{"_id":1685540100760},"content":"A spokesperson for the garage said they were just delighted to be reunited with the giant cone.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VLXSGHN24BCKRJG5RVPZ7J2VKU","additional_properties":{"_id":1685540100761},"content":"“We would like to thank the individual who helped us retrieve the cone. Let your friends know it’s safe after its adventure,” laughed a spokesperson for the garage.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ICVD7MYTDNBVBAYXNOP2DDKKDY","additional_properties":{"_id":1685540100762},"content":"Bizarrely, there have been a number of similar thefts in recent months in and around Letterkenny at Tobins filling station and also Callaghan’s XL shop.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Stephen Maguire"}]},"description":{"basic":"Large replica 99 was taken from outside the Circle K garage at Glencar in Letterkenny during the warm weather"},"display_date":"2023-05-31T13:40:25.447Z","headlines":{"basic":"Missing giant ice-cream cone returned to its owner in Donegal","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"LAWYNHIBVZELTOCEFH5CNJY7SI","auth":{"1":"075ac75057b24166aaed1e18da99a62a07b07dd7ed1170558475be4798a4b8f2"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/LAWYNHIBVZELTOCEFH5CNJY7SI.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/offbeat/2023/05/31/missing-giant-ice-cream-cone-returned-to-its-owner-in-donegal/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"2TD7IUEHH5BVBK7DHX4YKEILIU","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":211,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/6268003/media/793f3b261a30deca717052680478afdc_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/offbeat/2023/02/16/us-cancer-patient-developed-uncontrollable-irish-accent-doctors-say/","content_elements":[{"_id":"YW6LPA7AJVCKTKKU6H4GFANZLU","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393869},"content":"A cancer patient in the US developed what researchers say was an “uncontrollable Irish accent” during treatment, despite never having been to Ireland nor having immediate relatives from the country.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3TTOTANRENBGTBBVKZN3QG5HJY","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393870},"content":"While still rare, cases of foreign accent syndrome (FAS) are more common in patients following strokes or head trauma, or who have psychiatric disorders, according to the experts from North Carolina’s Duke University and the Carolina Urologic Research Center of South Carolina.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3LJNROZVUJBXDHCJ4FCLERX7CU","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393871},"content":"During research, they could find only two similar cases to the “brogue” that evolved in the unnamed US patient, who was a man in his 50s with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. Both other cases occurred in women cancer patients in their 50s and 60s between 2009 and 2011.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KJMXZOPEHVFNJGMVA2EZ6GRT2M","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393872},"content":"“To our knowledge, this is the first case of FAS described in a patient with prostate cancer and the third described in a patient with malignancy,” said the report, published in the British Medical Journal.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5KRTC624RJCY5CQJNCZPHNCFGA","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393873},"content":"Some details of the man’s case, including his own nationality, were not revealed. But researchers said he maintained the Irish accent through about 20 months of treatment, and a gradual onset of paralysis, until his death.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TWK7ABPTORGPJH242BX7BG7CQ4","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393874},"content":"Although the man had lived in England in his 20s, and had friends and more distant family members from Ireland, he had never visited Ireland, nor previously spoken in an Irish accent.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4VLQQJWWRBGBRJU2JSL35N2X3I","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393875},"content":"“He had no neurological examination abnormalities, psychiatric history or MRI of the brain abnormalities at symptom onset,” the report said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FQNKIR5TSRFVZF22TZUBENQGHE","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393876},"content":"“Despite chemotherapy, his neuroendocrine prostate cancer progressed resulting in multifocal brain metastases and a likely paraneoplastic ascending paralysis leading to his death.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"R32GNMZTPJEUVIGVBV6QNC45TI","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393877},"content":"The authors suspect the paraneoplastic neurological disorder (PND), which develops in some cancer patients whose immune systems attack parts of the brain, spinal cord, nerves or muscles, was responsible.","type":"text"},{"_id":"72LMEAAUUJD4ZMHLD64RWIWZMA","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393878},"content":"“His accent was uncontrollable, present in all settings and gradually became persistent,” the report said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CPZP3JA73NAERHYGEXPILVYRVE","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393879},"content":"Some who have developed FAS regain their original accent, either spontaneously or through intensive speech therapy, while for others the change is permanent.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IS4GO6ZCYBCDPLV5U4KVUX64FY","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393880},"content":"The Guardian reported in 2010 the case of Sarah Colwill, a UK woman whose native west country accent was supplanted by a Chinese lilt about seven years after she suffered a stroke.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QVIMHXL5UZFSTPMFG3DZYOT4EI","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393881},"content":"Four years earlier, another British woman and stroke victim, Linda Walker of Newcastle, realised her distinctive Geordie accent had given way to a Jamaican one.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SRUBCGTNDBGILPVAUMGQ6PCQ6I","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393882},"content":"“Not only did I have a stroke, but I got lumbered with this foreign accent syndrome as well,” she said at the time. “I didn’t realise what I sounded like, but then my speech therapist played a tape of me talking. I was just devastated.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"5ZEDH7N4ZNBQ7FLJUN2CJ525R4","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393883},"content":"The US report said the case of the patient with the Irish accent underscored a need for more research.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IRQN4H2MYZFBVNERUNSYSBOPTY","additional_properties":{"_id":1676568393884},"content":"“This unusual presentation highlights the importance of additional literature on FAS and PNDs associated with prostate cancer to improve understanding of the links between these rare syndromes and clinical trajectory,” the report concluded.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[]},"description":{"basic":"Man who developed foreign accent syndrome had never been to Ireland nor had any immediate Irish relatives"},"display_date":"2023-02-16T17:38:52.760Z","headlines":{"basic":"US cancer patient developed ‘uncontrollable’ Irish accent, doctors say","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"ZKBZD6YHMVGUZGI742ZQS77YGQ","auth":{"1":"83746a6182a09891ea2c0b772288e037b057ed51a9759a4440173d45623bc596"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/ZKBZD6YHMVGUZGI742ZQS77YGQ.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/offbeat/2023/02/16/us-cancer-patient-developed-uncontrollable-irish-accent-doctors-say/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"LSYYGGSVEJE45PICNEUFEZ6QGE","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/science/2023/02/03/dodos-have-been-extinct-for-hundreds-of-years-can-scientists-really-bring-them-back-to-life/","content_elements":[{"_id":"6XSKVXPXHRGQXEL2HLOTZ3XUEU","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881924},"content":"A US gene-editing company has announced it plans to bring the dodo, a Mauritian bird last seen in the 17th century, back to at least a semblance of life.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PQN5WE2HMRFANOXLZEM2EXURRE","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881925},"content":"Whether “bringing back” a semblance of the extinct flightless bird is feasible is a matter of much debate – and controversy.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UBEY3ENMFBCDNOZ2QQI34ULSQI","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881926},"content":"It grabbed global headlines, prompting accusations of rogue scientists “playing God” and science showing its reckless side by pursuing a risky experiment with potential for grave, unforeseen outcomes.","type":"text"},{"_id":"N6SBEGWO3NFOJAVMTT26YT62AQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881927},"content":"Is this an outlandish proposition?","type":"header"},{"_id":"JE2DBJKBHREDPFKADIHPQQW4XQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881928},"content":"In many respects, no. Gene-editing techniques now exist that allow scientists to mine the dodo genome for key traits that they believe they can then effectively reassemble within the body of a living relative.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ALHED2DBXBBOFENLZBCGLI2NLU","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881929},"content":"Whole genomes of mammals are now known with ability to track genes responsible for distinct traits. Crispr technology – Crispr, which stands for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, denotes particular types of DNA sequences –<i> </i>has transformed research, enabling gene editing that is fast, simple and precise.","type":"text"},{"_id":"S3FVFNIOCZDY7EJA4WMV2K45AI","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881930},"content":"The scientists in question say their work, beyond providing an insight into the extinct dodo’s existence, could help inform conservation of rare species not yet extinct. This is the realm of the Holy Grail for researchers witnessing accelerating extinction across Planet Earth and desperately trying to find ways to arrest it.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AK46YS7NRFDXLFC6QBPNE6DVS4","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881931},"content":"As species vanish at a rate not seen in 10 million years, more than a million species are on the brink. Humans are driving this through activities that take over animal habitats, pollute nature and fuel global warming.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2RGUNRNJ4ZBALJCP5S2DFYCS4M","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881932},"content":"What technique is likely to be deployed?","type":"header"},{"_id":"35ADFNLX2VBG7KXYMAUXUYHCZU","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881933},"content":"With the mammalian species the technique requires implanting gene-editing material into the reproductive system of an existing relative of the species, such as an elephant in the mammoth’s case. It could take many pregnancies to create viable offspring. To produce <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/news/dolly-the-cloned-sheep-is-dead-but-her-new-career-is-about-to-begin-1.348946\" target=\"_blank\">Dolly the cloned sheep</a>, in 1996, from a mammary-gland cell required 277 attempts.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GECGZXRWQNE5HDJRQ6JCF7H2XQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881934},"content":"Dodos are most closely related to pigeons. The researchers will be able to work with pigeon eggs and use genetic material that can be modified to reflect key traits of the dodo. But this will be technically challenging, as no one has yet managed to use gene-editing for birds in this way.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7RJXOLOBENDSRKLJKAUQFPXWFQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881935},"content":"Who is behind the venture?","type":"header"},{"_id":"XZCC2JTRRJBTPJM32HF3FP7GYY","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881936},"content":"Colossal Biosciences, which is based in Dallas, was founded in 2021 by a tech entrepreneur, Ben Lamm, and a Harvard University geneticist, George Church. It has <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/news/science/scientists-move-closer-to-resurrecting-woolly-mammoth-1.2978573\" target=\"_blank\">already embarked on projects to revive the woolly mammoth</a> and the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/world/asia-pacific/2022/08/16/it-is-not-a-matter-of-if-but-when-scientists-vow-to-bring-tasmanian-tiger-back-from-extinction/\" target=\"_blank\">thylacine (the Tasmanian tiger)</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XX2WPYK2DBH6PKFPICH6Z3RIZI","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881937},"content":"With a reported $150 million of additional investment (and a valuation of $1.5 billion), the company has now added the first bird to its list. This is significant, as it means changing the gene-editing technique to accommodate an external egg. This could bypass at least some of the <a href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/feb/16/woolly-mammoth-resurrection-scientists\">ethical dilemmas for scientists</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XAVNQ35ZARA4NKW2HNP376SQR4","additional_properties":{"_id":"HOA5HDVUKVFUZELBSWIMNQJTTE"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"MUFFEYNNQRGRVPPNG7ILP76C2A","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881938},"content":"Beth Shapiro, the lead palaeogeneticist at Colossal, told the Guardian she had been fascinated by the dodo for more than two decades, since pursuing a degree at Oxford, where she saw a <a href=\"https://oumnh.ox.ac.uk/oxford-dodo-en#:~:text=The%20Oxford%20dodo%20is%20the,Mauritius%2C%20in%20the%20Indian%20Ocean.\" target=\"_blank\">preserved dodo</a> as a museum exhibit, and tried to persuade the museum to let her extract its DNA.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IXFKBCBY5VHLJDPNSPNYF3STNE","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881939},"content":"But she warned the revived dodo could never be an exact replacement for what has been made extinct. “What we are trying to do is to isolate the genes that distinguish the dodo,” she said. “It would be crazy to think the solution [to the world’s biodiversity crisis] was to bring back a proxy.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"Y5U5SKFNTJBBNACDVRZG6YS5UI","additional_properties":{"_id":"IRC3EKY4SZHMLPG7WMPZDGBPJQ"},"content":"Give Me a Crash Course In ... Winter storms","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"D2QHRLYL2VD6LGTOIWNBDQV62Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881940},"content":"Where do ethics come in?","type":"header"},{"_id":"S6X5VC3XGZAUDEHFGCYTRZB7NE","additional_properties":{"_id":1675419881941},"content":"Scientific endeavour is neutral but needs a moral and ethical framework to ensure it is in the best interests of humanity and Planet Earth. It raises endless questions. Just because you can regenerate a version of the dodo, should you do it? Is this the best allocation of resources when we should be saving the species that we have before they go extinct?","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Kevin O'Sullivan"}},"name":"Kevin O'Sullivan"}]},"description":{"basic":"Give Me a Crash Course: Colossal Biosciences, a Dallas start-up, wants to mine the dodo genome for key traits to reassemble in the body of a living relative"},"display_date":"2023-02-03T17:36:09.664Z","headlines":{"basic":"Dodos have been extinct for hundreds of years. Can scientists really bring them back to life?","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"MIRKLPGBWED3MMBE6UULYIRHO4","auth":{"1":"a8fd2a93590a5eb70af9e0233e5e76895d7c28cad23ec4dc9e8da778ca6f3654"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/MIRKLPGBWED3MMBE6UULYIRHO4.jpg"}},"subtype":"feature","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Science"},{"name":"Environment"},{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/science/2023/02/03/dodos-have-been-extinct-for-hundreds-of-years-can-scientists-really-bring-them-back-to-life/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/science","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Science"}}}},{"_id":"BCTXOPBV5VGKDEPSDQW37B3CVM","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":290,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/5610034/media/9f610dba83d36c80116bd1a6a581eeaa_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/culture/music/2022/11/12/the-beauty-of-great-music-a-vatican-astronomers-50-year-love-for-rory-gallagher/","content_elements":[{"_id":"ASFI2DM3Y5H4PH6XRJWAN5BBCI","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128503},"content":"“You are a moonchild and pretty soon child, I’ve got that feeling that I’m going to make you smile forever,” – little could Irish rocker Rory Gallagher have realised how aptly Moonchild captured the joy his music was to bring to one of his biggest fans, Vatican astronomer, Br Guy Consolmagno.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CBZV4PLROVGI3M2PDAZJOQ5HEA","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128506},"content":"The Director of the Vatican Observatory based at the Pope’s Summer Residence at Castel Gandolfo, Br Guy is a Jesuit but also a huge fan of Gallagher for over 50 years since first discovering the Cork-reared rock and blues guitarist as a teenager in his native Detroit in the US in the late 1960s.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OXZKACGUONGYBBA75ILZHWJHAA","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128507},"content":"“It was the summer of 1969 and my friend Mike Timmreck went to see Blind Faith who were playing in Detroit and when I asked him what they were like, he said they were a disappointment but the support act, a band called Taste were spectacular and that was my introduction to Rory,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2MCTQT7MGZDCVG7WQ6PFTMIR2E","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128508},"content":"Already a keen fan of both rock and blues after seeing acts like bluesman, John Lee Hooker, an up-and-coming young rocker called Bob Seger and Detroit legends, the MC5 play at his high school, Br Guy began the task of tracking down Taste’s two albums when studying in Boston.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2L5XWBA46BBFDCQC42VVDVNISM","subtype":"youtube","type":"oembed_response"},{"_id":"62VX46BODFDEJBHWQ4ZXYCWUWA","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128509},"content":"“Originally, being young at the time, it was Rory’s guitar virtuosity that attracted me but also the songs – not only did they have this raw power, but they also had something else – after you had something really powerful, it would be followed by something that would tear your heart apart.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZPL2TKUX6FGNZKPT2AVILDWTNQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128510},"content":"“Really for me, it was the first [self-titled] solo album, Rory Gallagher, that sold me on Rory – there are so many sweet songs on it – I Fall Apart has always been a favourite for me from the time I first heard it. When I heard it as a kid, I saw it as a love song, which of course it is,” he explained.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RQVBVZ6PKVDDNALML4GHV7SE6A","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128511},"content":"“But now as a Jesuit, I see it now almost as religious song – a song about any relationship between a lover and one who is loved and that’s sort of anxiety – ‘Do they still love me? Do they not still love me?’ and in a curious way, that’s the beauty of great music – it can speak to you on so many levels.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"6RHQ2I2ANZE5RD4MLXWGCCSXTY","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128512},"content":"“A sputnik kid”, fascinated by the space race between the US and the USSR, Br Guy studied at MIT and the University of Arizona where he specialised in the study of asteroids and meteorites which was what first brought him to Cork in 2009 to give a lecture at Blackrock Castle Observatory.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UZSX5GG4CBAJBHGZGSE6IZWINI","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128513},"content":"Br Guy mentioned to the organisers of his lecture at the then newly opened observatory, then part of Cork Institute of Technology and now part of the Munster Technological University, that he was a Gallagher fan and calls were made so he got to see some of the places associated with his hero.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IKR5WYD5YJBA3IDCHYQYMT2JU4","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128514},"content":"“Sadly, I never got to see Rory play live but when I came to Cork in 2009, I visited his grave which was a rare and special moment – I had no idea that he was so big here in Cork or that there was a music library named after him, so I got a thousand-dollar tour of places associated with him.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GU5TH56IIJC3HERGCL3TIB3J2M","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128515},"content":"“We walked on the stage at Cork City Hall where he performed on the 1974 Irish Tour – I even got to chat with Eric Kitteringham, the original bassist with Taste, who was sadly dying at the time, and I visited Crowleys Music Store where I met the guy who sold Rory his famous Fender Stratocaster.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"DEDMK557PNFEHPGKYST47EAF44","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128516},"content":"“And then Leo Enwright, the Irish space journalist, who is a big Rory fan – he fixed me up with Rory’s brother, Donal – Donal wasn’t around at the time but later when he came to Rome to promote one of Rory’s albums, I invited him to the Vatican Observatory and we’ve been great friends ever since.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"LVZNMLJXDZEY3NF4XH23LHJS34","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128517},"content":"Indeed, Br Guy and Donal have become such good friends that Br Guy has stayed with Donal at his home in Ballycotton on this latest visit to Cork when he gave another lecture – this time in the Rory Gallagher Theatre at Munster Technological University – on why people chose to study astronomy.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PNV7I2CWP5CIVJF34HQZVBPRBI","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128518},"content":"“One of my favourite Rory songs is A Million Miles Away which I discovered he wrote during a visit to Ballycotton with its very evocative line about ‘sailing like driftwood on a windy bay’ so to know that I am standing in the spot, where he wrote that song, makes it feel like sacred ground,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"M5JC5C4ETJEYBFZB5O3B5ZIJ3A","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128519},"content":"“But the whole theme of that song also relates to me as a Jesuit and an astronomer – that we have this nostalgia for something beyond the noise of the bar to remember a deeper time and a deeper place and a deeper calling that we all have, so it really resonates to me as a very spiritual song.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"67PU6FVBBJBQTFMOFRVWIA7UMI","additional_properties":{"_id":1668248128520},"content":"<i>For more information on Br Guy’s work as an astronomer, please visit his blog, </i><a href=\"https://brotherguy.livejournal.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><i>brotherguy.livejournal.com</i></a>","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"premium"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Barry Roche"}},"name":"Barry Roche"}]},"description":{"basic":"Br Guy Consolmagno has long admired the songwriting of the 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like Ireland’s Bayeux Tapestry – all Irish history from the Neolithic Age to modern times is there,” said Diarmuid Ó Drisceoil, contemplating his first-time venture into TV presenting and his exploration of the Munster Blackwater.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MXLGEXQTF5A25HM3NYUSM33L6I","additional_properties":{"_id":1667897539089},"content":"Following in the footsteps of Irish-language activist Annraoi Ó Liatháin’s travel classic <i>Cois Móire</i>, the author followed the river from its source in Kerry through Cork and into Waterford before entering the sea at Youghal in a series of the same name.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5N6LXROQKBAMLHG6CET6DE35BQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1667893897003},"content":"“Annraoi was from Glendine near Youghal and his father was the gamekeeper at Ballinatray House so he grew up there and that’s where he fell in love with fishing and the river – he joined the Civil Service and was very involved in Irish-language circles and was very republican in his thinking.","type":"text"},{"_id":"D2DCTPPJXBBOXOTHAYTZDQDYLM","additional_properties":{"_id":1667893897004},"content":"“He wrote a book about fishing in Ireland, and he wrote books about the Blackwater and the Suir as well as a couple of novels, all <i>as Gaeilge,</i> but his book about the Blackwater, which was published in 1964 is regarded as a classic of Irish language travel classic and I use that as my guide, as it were.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"QN6ZD7IYNREKZEXVH5JPHPMHTM","additional_properties":{"_id":1667893897005},"content":"Unlike Ó Liatháin, who walked along the banks of the Blackwater, Ó Drisceoil took to the river itself, paddling his own canoe for all but the first ten kilometres from its source on the Kerry side of the Mullaghareirk Mountains and journeying by boat the remainder of its 169 kilometres to Youghal.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MGB3AYBXXRG3VNFP6DQWZBU26M","additional_properties":{"_id":1667893897006},"content":"En route, he passed landmarks including stately homes such as Ballymacoy House, ancestral home of the Hennessy family of Cognac fame, Renny, where Edmund Spenser lived, and Ilecash House, where British fascist Oswald Mosley stayed.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VCZMJD3QLJFAXADB3GJZXV42LU","additional_properties":{"_id":1667893897007},"content":"“I speak to lots of interesting people along the way, like Donal Hickey, formerly of <i>The Irish Examiner</i>, about growing up in Knocknagree, and Con Houlihan, who owns Duarigle Castle, and we look at Nora Herlihy from Ballydesmond who founded the Irish Credit Union movement,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2HH2THAHS5AEHBVD7QFITPENUQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1667893897008},"content":"“At Clonbanin, I hear the story of the famous ambush in March 1921 when the IRA under Sean Moylan attacked a British army convoy and the British general Hanway Robert Cumming shouted ‘To Hell with Surrender – give them the lead’ just before he was shot dead along with 12 of his men.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"PAT5FS7CMZCJPAL4ODEMTPYOFI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Past Banteer, Ó Drisceoil heard the story of 17th century rapparee, Donal A’ Rasca, a descendant of the O’Keeffes of Dromagh Castle, who was betrayed to the British by his lover, Mairead Ní Cheallaigh","type":"text"},{"_id":"WLSG5DMZOJE4BJUGVQBAXTV2FI","additional_properties":{"_id":1667893897010},"content":"“When Donal met Mairead in his hideout at Gortmore Cave, he hugged her and he felt something under her chemise and he found a document given to her by the British, promising her all sorts. He knew he was betrayed, and he stabbed her to death – it’s a tragic story but the cave is amazing.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZAVDQHIPXZDIVGEB7B3JA3DVHM","additional_properties":{"_id":1667893897009},"content":"Further downstream, Ó Drisceoil met Máire Ní Bhriain, who told him about how Mallow developed as a Spa town, styling itself on Bath in England.","type":"text"},{"_id":"E55YQM6P6ZDPFG23C57SBRASNM","additional_properties":{"_id":"23KF232RUVDWRADDD3FK2HZCHM"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"OPOMY2FDXFG3RMFW6NZNA45JMQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1667893897020},"content":"On the home straight, Ó Drisceoil headed for Youghal where the Blackwater enters the sea, encountering links with Sir Walter Raleigh and Richard Boyle, and Ireland’s longest boardwalk at Claycastle.","type":"text"},{"_id":"H6CEOSP6VJEUTDZSNVT2FRCOVM","additional_properties":{"_id":1667893897021},"content":"“The Blackwater is an extraordinary river, so rich in history and lore and stories – I know it’s been called Ireland’s Rhine which probably stems from the Cappoquin to Youghal section because you have these wooded hills and these big striking castles on prominent points,” said Ó Drisceoil.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MLHKPFH7EZHYDOBPXX7EN4SYP4","additional_properties":{"_id":1667893897022},"content":"“But Annraoi Ó Liatháin took an exception to that analogy, and he says that it’s part of our inferiority complex here in Ireland and he says it’s the Germans who should be describing the Rhine as ‘The Blackwater of Germany’, not vice versa.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ERC6KOXFRZCGZN3AQDUYS6MHLM","additional_properties":{"_id":1667893897024},"content":"“All of Ireland’s history is there and when you look at the archaeology, you can talk about the native Irish, the Vikings, the Normans, the Munster Plantation, you have abbeys, and castles and big houses – it’s fascinating and I enjoyed the journey so much. Hopefully that comes across in the series.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"CHD4FHY4PBA5JFBAFJOIWUXWAU","additional_properties":{"_id":1667893897025},"content":"<i>Cois Moire, made by Cormorant Films with support from Cork County Council, begins on TG4 on Wednesday November 9th at 9.30pm.</i>","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Barry Roche"}},"name":"Barry Roche"}]},"description":{"basic":"Munster river carries Irish history from Neolithic to modern times, says Diarmuid Ó Drisceoil"},"display_date":"2022-11-08T08:54:19.900Z","headlines":{"basic":"‘Blackwater is like Ireland’s Bayeux tapestry’: TV presenter takes to river for 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Irish crane manufacturer is helping a major US container terminal operator work towards reducing its carbon emissions — but first there is the minor matter of transporting the three mega cranes across the Atlantic Ocean.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AP4SSW3RD5HHTATZYMLXIJSXQU","additional_properties":{"_id":1661006225456},"content":"Killarney crane manufacturer, Liebherr, secured the order for the three megamax ship-to-shore (STS) container cranes from US company, Maher Terminals in 2021 and since then its expert team of engineers and designers have been working to bring the project to completion.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CEL2223NBVCUXKWFBD7JHI33CI","additional_properties":{"_id":1661006225457},"content":"Liebherr’s Managing Director of Sales, Gerry Bunyan explained that the cranes were designed and built at the company’s plant at Gortroe in Killarney and following manufacture, the main components were transported by road to Fenit from where they then brought by sea to Cobh.","type":"text"},{"_id":"INZIIXFK7VA6TMXBJDPH5IDBGI","additional_properties":{"_id":1661006225458},"content":"“This is the third group of Liebherr ship-to-shore container cranes to have shipped from Cobh — we have previously shipped three ship-to-shore container cranes to Puerto Rico and a further two to the Hull in the UK but these are the largest ship-to-shore container cranes to ship from Cobh to date.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"PN57QZRTDVG75DW2JQWNUTBCOM","additional_properties":{"_id":1661006225459},"content":"Assembly work began on the three massive structures in Rushbrooke near Cobh earlier this year but so huge are the three cranes that they cannot be fully assembled until they reach their final destination at the Port of New York and New Jersey because of the Bayonne Bridge.","type":"text"},{"_id":"E74UNACP4FCEJFLECFOHT45SP4","additional_properties":{"_id":1661006225460},"content":"“The Bayonne Bridge connects Bayonne in New Jersey with Staten Ireland in New York but before arriving at Maher Terminals, the cranes and their specialist transport ship, the BigLift Baffin, need to pass under the bridge which has a clearance of 66 metres,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"T7HUTXAMEBHINI4RL3HVDSYSDE","additional_properties":{"_id":1661006225461},"content":"“A fully assembled crane on board a vessel can be significantly higher than this, so the preferred solution is to transport the cranes partly assembled with the upper structure, comprising the boom, the beam and the A frame resting on the lower structure for the duration of the voyage.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"6YBVP2NG4NBNFB7UMDI52VTAO4","additional_properties":{"_id":1661006225462},"content":"The BigLift Baffin which, at 173m long and 42m wide is over 30m longer than the pitch at Croke Park and almost half as wide, will leave the Port of Cork next week with the three megamax STS cranes and, all going well, reach its destination on America’s East Coast ten days later.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VKW5TDGAGFHR5O7O3FSSOGBEZY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Improved service","type":"header"},{"_id":"JVRHOXTQJ5BO5IDLFSG5C6R4T4","additional_properties":{"_id":1661006225463},"content":"Mr Bunyan said: “When the vessel arrives in America, it will anchor off Sandy Hook off New Jersey where final preparations will be made for passing under the bridge — the vessel will wait until tidal conditions are optimum for clearance under the Bayonne Bridge.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KX2UOEZ7RJH23LLVDKGIRNZULI","additional_properties":{"_id":1661006225464},"content":"“Once the cranes pass under the bridge, they will complete the short journey to Maher Terminals, roll off the delivery vessel, where winch-up of the lower structure to the final operational configuration of the cranes will be completed.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZGSOIBKYJJBCVPZ5I65YMPR4WU","additional_properties":{"_id":1661006225465},"content":"Mr Bunyan said that once the cranes are commissioned, they will enter service alongside eight existing Liebherr ship to shore container cranes already at the port which Maher Terminals ordered from the Killarney-based manufacturer since placing their first order in 2011.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SIOKVJPB2JEYPIS23HZVPOTRQE","additional_properties":{"_id":1661006225466},"content":"He explained that Maher is very conscious of the need for sustainable port Infrastructure and the Liebherr cranes form a key component in Maher’s strategy to become a Net Zero emissions facility by 2040 and Liebherr was proud to play its part in helping the US company achieve that goal.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MJHIUM3OIVGX3LGTDX6LUPP6WU","additional_properties":{"_id":1661006225467},"content":"He said that the Liebherr cranes were manufactured using high tensile steel and, with a lattice main beam and boom, they were lighter and required less energy to operate than traditional cranes while features such as LED flood lights reduced energy consumption by 70 per cent.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MCYC4HFGQ5H6HGNWTANQI7SM6Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1661006225468},"content":"“With these latest technically advanced machines working alongside the other Liebherr STS cranes at the Port, we are confident Maher Terminals will be able to offer improved services and faster turnarounds and continue to grow as the North American’s largest marine container terminal.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Barry Roche"}},"name":"Barry Roche"}]},"description":{"basic":"Killarney crane manufacturer secured order for three megamax ship-to-shore container cranes for US company"},"display_date":"2022-08-20T16:03:10.282Z","headlines":{"basic":"Kerry-built cranes to be shipped across the Atlantic to New Jersey","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"QQHK424X5JFIZFKGKWKMZDHVSY","auth":{"1":"1ecfb4820f3a1f37912366bee7d3dc30270f91ff08d9611303d25cdab4f10bb0"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/QQHK424X5JFIZFKGKWKMZDHVSY.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/offbeat/2022/08/20/kerry-built-cranes-to-be-shipped-across-the-atlantic-to-new-jersey/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"CICSI2HYDZC7LLMPXP7VQN2IC4","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/offbeat/2022/08/19/fota-pride-swells-as-new-asiatic-lion-is-wooed-by-lionesses/","content_elements":[{"_id":"IH57WAVE7RDWTMW3FLQGG5NS2Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1660932275592},"content":"He may not have a backstory like that of Simba, the hero of the Lion King, but Fota Wildlife Park is hoping that its latest feline recruit will help the Cork nature reserve play its part in saving the endangered Asiatic Lion from extinction.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7UU2I32OMBC5TIZ5ARKWUIQ4SQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1660932275595},"content":"New Asiatic lion <a href=\"https://www.fotawildlife.ie/news/visitors-at-fota-wildlife-park-can-now-see-the-new-male-endangered-asiatic-lion-yali/\" target=\"_blank\">Yali</a> arrived from Paignton Zoo in Devon in the UK earlier this month and has spent the past fortnight undergoing routine acclimatisation to his new habitat in the Asian sanctuary at the park where he is being gradually introduced to the two female lionesses, Gira and Gita.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7NBIUPCP45GYROZLCES6XSA6WQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1660932275596},"content":"Lead ranger at Fota Julien Fonteneau said the wildlife park anticipates that six-year-old Yali will form a new pride at the 40-hectare park in east Cork with Gira and Gita as part of the ex-situ European endangered species programme (EEP) for Asiatic lions.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YLCWGFIHIJHI3KIVO3EXMAP5GI","additional_properties":{"_id":1660932275597},"content":"“The Asiatic lion is classified as endangered and inhabits only one remaining site in the world, the Gir forest in India, with an estimated current population in the region of 500 to 600 lions. Which means that wildlife parks and zoos play a crucial role in safeguarding the species,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BVXPVL7MH5E7NCN4ZTGMGVIL4I","additional_properties":{"_id":1660932275598},"content":"“We will gradually introduce Yali to Gira and Gita, who are sisters, are both aged eight, and came from Helsinki Zoo in Finland in the summer of 2016. Gira gave birth to two litters with the previous male lion, Shanto, who sadly died from kidney failure earlier this year,” he added.","type":"text"},{"_id":"INHKX7MLTRGKRJSM7T2U7JX6MY","additional_properties":{"_id":1660932275599},"content":"Mr Fonteneau explained that the Asiatic Lion is a subspecies of the genus Panthera that split from African lions around 100,000 years ago and it was once widespread from the Mediterranean to India and Iran, covering most of southwest Asia, where it was also known as the Persian lion.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IIHLPJKLIJDYHHDOR3RJJITTOQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1660932275600},"content":"However, since the turn of the 20th century the Asiatic lion’s range has been restricted to the near 1,500 square kilometre Gir forest national park and the surrounding areas in the state of Gujarat on the west coast of India, he explained.","type":"text"},{"_id":"R2B2JCNGVBBAVGWT2WVOBZQUAQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1660932275601},"content":"Mr Fonteneau said that, like their somewhat larger African cousins, male Asiatic lions have a mane, although it is much shorter and darker and does not cover their ears, while they also have a distinctive longitudinal fold running under their belly.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UVH7SSURXNEYDG34ZAU6OQ3QOI","additional_properties":{"_id":1660932275602},"content":"Male Asiatic lions reach sexual maturity at about five years old, while female Asiatic lions reach sexual maturity earlier at about four years of age. Mating is not seasonal and takes place all year round, while gestation lasts 112-119 days, after which one to five cubs are born, he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GSYY2LS6J5CSRIMZ4ZBADRYGQY","additional_properties":{"_id":1660932275603},"content":"Mr Fonteneau said that Fota was delighted to introduce Yali to visitors to the park this week and they were very hopeful that he would soon establish a new pride with Gira and Gita, even though he still has some growing to do.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IQQBG3M3SNFO5LLAVHIG7EZ76U","additional_properties":{"_id":1660932275604},"content":"“Yali has spent the last two weeks slowly getting used to his new surroundings and the lionesses but last night we were thrilled to hear him roaring, which means he’s much more comfortable and feeling territorial in his new habitat here,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YXO4V3W2UVEPVNXUUQA3CC4LGM","additional_properties":{"_id":1660932275605},"content":"“He is not as big a lion as <a href=\"https://www.fotawildlife.ie/news/fota-wildlife-park-are-heartbroken-to-announce-the-death-of-shanto-the-asiatic-lion/\" target=\"_blank\">Shanto</a> was, he still has a bit of girth and muscle to put on and his mane is still growing but we expect it will fill out more as he becomes part of the new pride here in the Asian sanctuary in the park.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WKMDML7HGFGFDEJELWDTESFO3E","additional_properties":{"_id":1660932275606},"content":"“Both Gira and Gita have both been trying to woo him since he arrived, but he’s not paying them much heed so far. 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He will finish the cycle on the anniversary of the death of his other older sister, Deirdre, who died on August 6th, 2019.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SWOLXYENBZHKXPXEHRHQHMSU7E","additional_properties":{"_id":1659522158060},"content":"“I lost my two sisters, Rose and Deirdre, and my nephew Christopher to three different types of cancer in the last six years, and I thought it would be a nice idea to do something in their memory to help fund research plus I regularly come across the impact cancer can have in my work as a coroner,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BY76YA5LVZASPNTEBT3I7ZMBPY","additional_properties":{"_id":1659522158061},"content":"“I first thought of it on the day of my sister Rose’s burial in May last year, but then I let it subside for a while, and then over Christmas I decided I better do something so I bought a bike and I’ve been in training since January, I might do 50km three days a week plus maybe 20km two other days.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"FANQILOOMZE2BF4MR3JO7AAEYM","additional_properties":{"_id":1659522158062},"content":"Mr Comyn’s original plan was to cycle from the home place of his late mother, Cherrie, at Groomsport on the Ards Peninsula in Co Down through Belfast all the way to Cork, but he had some doubts about his ability to do the 450km it would involve so he had to change tack.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TAZLMZTMJFCLNEZUNXTOKUZMZY","additional_properties":{"_id":1659522158063},"content":"“It would have been nice to cycle from Groomsport in recognition of my mother’s northern heritage, but I decided I had better be a bit more realistic in my ambitions, so I am cycling from my father’s home place of Kilconnell in east Galway, which is a bit more manageable at just over 220km.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"DJDH45SALRCFFJJCOWAVHNJOMI","additional_properties":{"_id":1659522158064},"content":"His plan is to complete the 220km trip from his late father, Andrew’s ancestral home at Ballinderry Park House in Kilconnell to Cork University Hospital in Wilton over two days, starting on August 5th and avoiding motorways but sticking to main roads as much as possible.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GLFOFCRU3FH5FOT6L4LVDV5IVY","additional_properties":{"_id":1659522158065},"content":"“I don’t know why this particular idea came to me, but it did — my late father moved to Mallow to set up his legal practice in 1948 so the only family we have left in Kilconnell are those that are buried there so this will be a nice way of connecting with family roots.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"7I5VGGWHIFAEPIOJMFUX5ONSTE","additional_properties":{"_id":1659522158066},"content":"Joining Mr Comyn on the journey will be his friends, Peter Boyle, Ger O’Sullivan, and Jim Ronayne who, like him, have been clocking up the miles on their bikes in preparation for the trip while his wife, Gwynne, will be driving the support car to ensure everything goes smoothly.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6KHFQ4MD7BHQNIHNWAEIGMVDWE","additional_properties":{"_id":1659522158067},"content":"“We aim to leave it early — we will be cycling five or six hours each day, doing 20kp/h or so — there are some hills but it’s not too bad — one of the biggest hills and possibly the toughest challenge will be on the home straight up Wilton Road to CUH but hopefully we’ll make it up to Wilton alright.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"F5I6YG2RXZFERH6JSHH2ML6YGA","additional_properties":{"_id":1659522158068},"content":"“I’ve set up a Go Fund Me page and all the donations will go to the CUH Cancer charity — I’m paying for the bike and the other equipment and the accommodation myself, but everything we raise will go to assist the great work that they do into cancer research at CUH.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"EJDSUF45T5A5BJXKP2XSWQC76I","additional_properties":{"_id":1659522158069},"content":"Anyone wishing to donate to the Galway-to-Cork charity cycle can do so by visiting <a href=\"https://www.gofundme.com/f/6fgpc4-cycle-for-cancer-research\" target=\"_blank\">his page</a>. ","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Barry Roche"}},"name":"Barry Roche"}]},"description":{"basic":"Philip Comyn plans to cycle over 220kms this weekend to raise funds for cancer research after losing three family members to the disease"},"display_date":"2022-08-03T10:46:36.720Z","headlines":{"basic":"Coroner takes to his bike to raise funds for cancer research","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"C2SG5C6UPJJSRPMK5NCWP64CAQ","auth":{"1":"ae7cfdf16ea77a29d70d492e597eb7eb098fcdfe659ffb9f72972c25fbbd6aed"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/C2SG5C6UPJJSRPMK5NCWP64CAQ.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Health"},{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/health/2022/08/03/coroner-takes-to-his-bike-to-raise-funds-for-cancer-research/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/health","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Health"}}}},{"_id":"DWZ2PFZWBZBBRKJNJJBAOUV52M","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":162,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/4686918/media/77d6101edc84bed6163373d4729d21f9_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/offbeat/2022/07/24/learning-to-fly-aged-86-i-think-the-secret-is-to-keep-moving-and-not-to-give-up/","content_elements":[{"_id":"WPI2N6ASDBCWHIBMBBJNJQRRE4","additional_properties":{"_id":1658673765374},"content":"An 86-year-old self-confessed adrenaline junkie from Co Louth has ticked another challenge off her bucket list by flying an aeroplane.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4LKABCQBKNEPVLALUHEFAKXMGI","additional_properties":{"_id":1658673765375},"content":"Annette Callan, from Ardee, recently took control of a two-seater craft during an introductory lesson at the National Flight Centre in Co Kildare.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QHHSBLP3SFD7BDRDXNVUT7XKRA","additional_properties":{"_id":1658673765376},"content":"“The instructor got a great kick out of her and even let her take full control of the plane as she travelled through the skies over Meath and Louth,” says her daughter, Deirdre McCormack. “She absolutely loved it and can’t wait to get back up again so I’d say that’s the Christmas and birthday presents from us sorted for a while.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"JLWG3EXRZNFYDH3ECKYCE4NMRQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1658673765377},"content":"Ms Callan says she could not wait to “get into the driving seat in the plane as I am a bit of a daredevil”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PZKRVMO5QRE6TP2O4ATSUYBY7A","additional_properties":{"_id":1658673765378},"content":"“I was so looking forward to the challenge of flying solo and ticking another thing off the bucket list,” she says. “It was a wonderful experience. I had a great sense of freedom and calm up there. Being in control of the aircraft was really stimulating and just goes to show that you are never too old to do anything.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"7MEC625FVBESNN6GBFFISE4POI","additional_properties":{"_id":1658673765379},"content":"Ms Callan has previously completed a skydive, learned to stand on her head in her morning yoga practice, gone jet skiing and parasailing, and scaled Croagh Patrick before the Covid-19 pandemic put the brakes on her adventures.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MEVUUM5DFVBXVAOPADODQWAE2M","additional_properties":{"_id":1658673765380},"content":"“I think the secret is to keep moving and not to give up,” she says. “I’m a very strong-minded person and I won’t let anything beat me — so bring on the next challenge.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"STRVVBHFFFGLHK63OK5MVGVP54","additional_properties":{"_id":1658673765381},"content":"Keeping positive, she says, is one of the keys to making the most of life.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5WO6XS34MBDKLAICOEDPGLDMCM","additional_properties":{"_id":1658673765382},"content":"“I hate being around complainers,” she says, adding that she insists on getting out in cold weather which is aided by warming up two potatoes in the microwave and putting them in her gloves to keep her hands warm.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VNZFRFQGY5BL5BHGUN6KH63HPY","additional_properties":{"_id":1658673765383},"content":"“Sure I’m busier now than I was 20 years ago.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"JLWG3EXRZNFYDH3ECKYCE4NMRQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1658673765384},"content":"Ms McCormack says relatives struggle to believe how full of life the octogenarian is at times.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BNY3NLVQ7JAZ3LUAKDGZUZRKNQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1658673765385},"content":"“We can’t keep up with her. I’d be embarrassed to tell her I was tired after a day’s work,” she says. “She looks after the grandkids when her children are working and is really the backbone of this family. 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UK cinemas have banned groups of young people wearing suits during screenings of Minions: The Rise Of Gru.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ACKHIYYAXRCTPFNNY2FZQOXLRA","additional_properties":{"_id":1657001384004},"content":"The decision comes after some young moviegoers were criticised for rowdy behaviour after a viral trend erupted on the social media app TikTok.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6HNWTW6CUNB7FIXYAJ4NDC5MJQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1657001384005},"content":"The trend involves large groups of teenage boys, who call themselves The Gentleminions, filming themselves going to watch the latest instalment in the Despicable Me franchise dressed in suits.","type":"text"},{"_id":"M3GPDIRB4JAERJVAMTWMOGTE5Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1657001384006},"content":"It is not clear where the trend originated but the #gentleminions videos show suited groups attending the screenings and copying the main character, supervillain Felonius Gru, and his signature hand 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is not every day a sloth is born at Fota Wildlife Park in Co Cork - in fact it’s the first time so it’s hardly surprising that Fota management are celebrating and inviting the public to come up with a name for their latest arrival.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OEZSZGC6ZJGCXHIRNZS3JL4YDQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1654111898475},"content":"The baby sloth, whose gender is still unknown, was born following a gestation of six months to mother, Talyta and father, Matheo on April 30th, displaying an impeccable sense of time as its home in the Tropical House had just re-opened to the public after closure due to the Covid pandemic.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JT6JDPBGNZCTNLII4FBI56ZYXA","additional_properties":{"_id":1654111898476},"content":"Lead Ranger, Julien Fonteneau explained that Matheo, who is four and a half years old, came to Fota from Wilhelma Zoo in Stuttgart in Germany in 2019 while mother Talyta, who is three years old, arrived in Fota from Papiliorama Swiss Tropical Gardens in 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Not only does the Wildlife Park have great success breeding the fastest land animal, the cheetah and the tallest land animal in the world, the cheetah, we have now also bred the world’s slowest moving animal, the sloth.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"M6NZLQZPM5BRJD4MVQOZANBGIQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1654111898478},"content":"Mr Fonteneau explained that the Linné's two-toed sloth, which is native to South America, can grow up to 65cm and live on average 20 years in the wilderness and up to 40 years in captivity but getting a glimpse of Fota’s latest arrival can be elusive due to the animal’s nocturnal nature.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7CUWFCOWFBH4JLKSCBP3I42DCM","additional_properties":{"_id":1654111898479},"content":"“Young sloths will cling to their mother’s belly for approximately five weeks until they have the strength to move on their own. The little one is already pulling at leaves and other foods we give to the adults, although not leaving the mother’s safety on its own yet.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"2PVIRDV7ZVBCHNX4SBAGVSQTWY","additional_properties":{"_id":1654111898480},"content":"Sloths eat, sleep, mate, and give birth from their upside-down position high among the branches and to accommodate their upside-down lifestyle, the hair in the middle of the belly grows up towards the back while their face hair points upward, allowing water to run off during rainstorms, he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4ODCBPFKVJG3HE5EE2IEL4HRGE","additional_properties":{"_id":1654111898481},"content":"Sloths, which sleep on average 15-20 hours a day, spend almost their entire life suspended from trees and the only time they descend to the forest floor is to go to defecate and urinate, which they do about once a week, he added.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CLDLN5QIAVAKXKCDTZIRRJA7RY","additional_properties":{"_id":1654111898482},"content":"But sloths, who are solitary except when they mate high in the treetops, are strong swimmers and to move to a new area of trees, they often wait for the forest to flood so that they can swim to a new resting and feeding site.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TKJ23JQIG5HE5HLTHB45YXMT7Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1654111898483},"content":"“Their diet primarily consists of various leaves, stems, buds, and a selection of fruit but insects are also consumed. This type of diet requires a specialised digestive system and sloths possess a large, four-chambered stomach, like cows.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"4X7B3DKVORGYDEJWZ3JU6BMVDE","additional_properties":{"_id":1654111898484},"content":"Mr Foneneau explained that while bacteria in the sloth’s guts helps it to digest large amount of plant matter, the animal’s adherence to such a heavily leafy diet with a low nutritional value means sloths are slow to exert themselves unless necessary.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MSMWHN6W3NHFRK7UPVWO67NIFQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1654111898485},"content":"“Predators such as jaguars and ocelots, harpy eagles, and anacondas pose a threat to sloths in their native habitats. They defend themselves with their sharp claws and teeth, and if required, sloths can move quickly through the trees to evade capture.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"TCSOKGEGFJAJJGB7R7LO5YGXPQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1654111898486},"content":"But Fota’s newest arrival will face no such threats in the park’s Tropical House and Mr Fonteneau and his colleagues are hoping that the public will take to the newly born sloth and come up with an interesting name for him or her.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GNS6KYGCFZG3LD2BMRC6UA3QEI","additional_properties":{"_id":1654111898487},"content":"Mr Fonteneau said: “We are urging people to help us come up with a name for the baby sloth via the blog, <a href=\"http://www.fotawildlife.ie/news\" target=\"_blank\">www.fotawildlife.ie/news</a>, and to be in with a chance to win a conservation annual pass and we’re hoping we are going to get a big response.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Barry Roche"}},"name":"Barry Roche"}]},"description":{"basic":"Park’s Tropical House has just re-opened to the public after closure due to the Covid pandemic"},"display_date":"2022-06-01T22:11:10.132Z","headlines":{"basic":"First sloth born at Fota Wildlife Park arrives with impeccable timing","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"MIT2CPZQWBA7JMWDGBFCP4AUGA","auth":{"1":"e90990c300be79f26d2563ca47794188933c83db6b3976050dccae9c6ae9bc4a"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/MIT2CPZQWBA7JMWDGBFCP4AUGA.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"},{"name":"Science"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/offbeat/2022/06/01/first-sloth-born-at-fota-wildlife-park-arrives-with-impeccable-timing/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"K63EXS3URTWHVL2E4ETCAVOW24","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/news/offbeat/four-year-old-dutch-boy-takes-mother-s-car-for-a-spin-in-his-pyjamas-1.4867637","content_elements":[{"_id":"MMDXNNUMKVE2JIHHWB7Z76BWXU","additional_properties":{},"content":"A \"highly enterprising\" four-year-old boy was reunited with his parents unscathed after grabbing his mother's keys and taking her car for an early-morning drive through the streets of Utrecht in the Netherlands, police have said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DT42VNMUQREQNFIQZNXOUD6MLE","additional_properties":{},"content":"The boy, in pyjamas and bare feet, was spotted wandering on a street in the city's Overvecht district early on Saturday morning by bystanders who called emergency services, the North Utrecht police force said on its Instagram account.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6YW5GG4GMFG4VHTGCJX3GHDP7A","content":"After receiving a medical check-up and a cuddly bear from an ambulance crew, the toddler - with no immediate sign of any parents in the vicinity - was taken to the nearest police station and given a mug of hot chocolate, the post said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GFI267I4HRCXHA3JHVPE3RHWKU","content":"Soon afterwards, a police patrol reported that a car had been abandoned in the same neighbourhood, apparently after first hitting two parked vehicles. A call to the registered owner of the car revealed it to be the boy’s mother.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EGJYCKCD6VDPLO46ATTRNT7G74","content":"“She explained that her son was ‘highly enterprising’,” police said. “She spoke to the child on the phone, and we saw him imitate a collision and make a steering movement with his hands. This made us suspect he might have been driving.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"VLICBJJK3VFA7A6H5HEYDMUUHQ","content":"Officers accompanied the mother and her son to the abandoned car, where they were joined by the boy’s father. “At the car, we asked the child if he could show us how it worked,” Utrecht police recounted in their Instagram post.","type":"text"},{"_id":"H6MT3CCZTFEKFFUBZVUVD3UGA4","content":"“He opened the car, and put the key in the ignition. He started the car, moved his left foot to the clutch, and hit the accelerator.” They concluded that he had been “woken up early when his father left to go to work, and decided to go for a drive”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FGIG72UUKBCB7I4HLITRSHT6MI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Fortunately, police said in their post - titled \"New Max Verstappen discovered in Overvecht\", in a reference to the 2021 Belgian-Dutch Formula One world champion - \"this mini boy-racer's adventure ended with a fizzle\".","type":"text"},{"_id":"SVOA3BK4OZB77M2XNFDWAFIG54","content":"- Guardian","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"description":{"basic":"‘Highly enterprising’ child found wandering streets after abandoning car in Utrecht"},"display_date":"2022-05-02T17:20:44Z","headlines":{"basic":"Four-year-old Dutch boy takes mother’s car for a spin in his pyjamas"},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"VWQTYA63U732SX73TM4CLBKGCU","auth":{"1":"c3c54c9b9aae991b9f222e41492fdb98262bb9bb40ff5bb285900bb4733a85ec"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/VWQTYA63U732SX73TM4CLBKGCU.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/news/offbeat/four-year-old-dutch-boy-takes-mother-s-car-for-a-spin-in-his-pyjamas-1.4867637","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"MVIMKQNQIXR5TUU3RJBWV63J4I","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/news/offbeat/feline-the-love-all-my-children-have-four-legs-1.4867407","credits":{},"description":{"basic":"The 2022 Supreme Cat Show returned to Dublin for the first time in three years due to the pandemic. 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A similar bottle sold for €23,000 a number of years ago, although the estimate on the current item goes to just €14,000.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HJ7KCDAYLFFRVKOVFA6PBEF22A","additional_properties":{},"content":"It is being sold complete with leather bag and its newspaper wrapping. \"They've been together for over 120 years, it would be a shame for them to part company now,\" the vendor <a href=\"https://www.whiskeybidders.com/\">whiskeybidders.com</a> said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IQBXPMLDEFHQXBG7UOW7LEGSJY","additional_properties":{},"content":"John Cassidy originally opened the Monasterevin Distillery in 1784, according to notes accompanying the sale, and 100 years later it was producing 250,000 gallons of the drink annually.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7ONT2RVBVFFH5NN2E3ENXUCKJA","additional_properties":{},"content":"It was often exported to London, transported to Dublin initially by canal and then shipped from Dublin Port. Cassidy's Distillery and Brewery closed in 1934.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JTA763OXLBDF7CO2DMDVBE6JRM","content":"“Now, another 140 years later, a bottle of this extremely rare and special whiskey has survived and is available at auction on the current Whiskey Bidders online auction which finishes on Sunday, April 9th,” the vendor said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HMQ3LR3MEJGFDKXHM2RH6HYRLE","additional_properties":{},"content":"\"The Cassidy name is probably the start of a long history of distilling in Monasterevin. Another rare and special whiskey, Ballyhooly Blue Ribbon Twin Cask Single Malt also has links to the town.\"","type":"text"},{"_id":"CO67HYFQQFAT3MP6F2TU3CXDTQ","content":"Valuable Irish whiskeys are often sold at auction, attracting bidders for both its quality and romanticism.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7FHDYPXEIJHZZHPC7CWZMPQB3Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"In 2020, a bottle of Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Chapter One sold at auction for €42,000, at that time reported to be the most expensive bottle.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Mark Hilliard"}},"name":"Mark Hilliard"}]},"description":{"basic":"Cassidy’s Whiskey up for auction after it was found wrapped in newspaper in doctor’s bag"},"display_date":"2022-04-04T12:33:05Z","headlines":{"basic":"Rare 142-year-old Irish whiskey bottle could fetch €14,000"},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"UZEB35LJPVHFAUMR45G5DFWYAM","auth":{"1":"c3603bd7290de4907c73db811497f8b6d407345343d23262025e149346daffe7"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/UZEB35LJPVHFAUMR45G5DFWYAM.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/news/offbeat/rare-142-year-old-irish-whiskey-bottle-could-fetch-14-000-1.4844168","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"ZOTGGKOPH4BKP2WSQZJAX63PD4","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/news/offbeat/the-postman-always-rings-eventually-lost-letters-arrive-51-years-late-1.4787944","credits":{},"description":{"basic":"A recent reconstruction of a post office in Lithuania has uncovered undelivered mail - thought to have been taken by a worker looking for money - from over 50 years ago, which the Lithuanian postal service has since attempted to deliver."},"display_date":"2022-01-28T14:06:43Z","embed_html":"<div class=\"powa\" id=\"powa-ZOTGGKOPH4BKP2WSQZJAX63PD4\" data-org=\"irishtimes\" data-env=\"prod\" data-uuid=\"ZOTGGKOPH4BKP2WSQZJAX63PD4\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.562\" data-api=\"prod\"><script src=\"//irishtimes.video-player.arcpublishing.com/prod/powaBoot.js?org=irishtimes\"><\/script></div>","headlines":{"basic":"The postman always rings... eventually: lost letters arrive 51 years late"},"promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"6b98c75bf54cb91b02b56ef311a7ba670b01f49fc5eba8f207321d4cf59abb0e"},"type":"image","url":"https://d2j5ip5u6h2g6o.cloudfront.net/01-30-2022/t_748399e041d94675938f84571e3c98c4_name_main_.jpg"}},"subtype":"imported","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Video"},{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"video","website_url":"/news/offbeat/the-postman-always-rings-eventually-lost-letters-arrive-51-years-late-1.4787944","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/video","name":"Video"}}}},{"_id":"ZOOLOXRKKWA6OMNG4JMISBKOUA","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/news/offbeat/mayo-shop-that-sold-winning-19m-lotto-ticket-is-named-1.4779951","content_elements":[{"_id":"ISXV5ROFOFCOPPTEL6IABE52IE","additional_properties":{},"content":"A record-breaking €19 million National Lottery ticket which won last Saturday's draw was sold at a small roadside shop in Castlebar, it has been revealed, after more than seven months of un-won draws.","type":"text"},{"_id":"T7YMUIYFARBB5CFRFN5WE4IG6U","content":"On Wednesday morning, all eyes will turn to Laura’s XL store on Hopkins Road in Garryduff, marking just the latest in a string of lottery successes for the town.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MMRTQ4JGCVGUJIKA4RNYE4NC6E","content":"So far, four jackpot prizes have been claimed in this small corner of the northwest, including a massive €29 million EuroMillions haul just over two years ago.","type":"text"},{"_id":"J3N35WVZ5JAK7B5QEWIIELZ2WM","content":"“The Castlebar ticket holder, who has become Ireland’s largest ever Lotto jackpot winner, has made contact and arrangements are now being made for their prize to be paid,” the National Lottery confirmed of the latest win.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ETVG7UXU25E2BGV3S7D6PEA6EM","content":"The unveiling of exactly where the ticket was purchased ahead of last Saturday’s draw is bound to start the usual local speculation and questions about who holds the golden ticket.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UD6EA4QXEFDHHHOVAGC2YZIN5Q","content":"The first Castlebar EuroMillions jackpot, worth €15 million, was won in April 2014. Less than two years ago, another €17 million EuroMillions jackpot was scooped in the area.","type":"text"},{"_id":"B4ODPIYJZJCMRAMEAMAGFLSUHI","content":"This latest jackpot had become a major public and political talking point, having remained capped at €19.06 million since October 2nd and not been won since June last year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2MSQXIOXQRGFZNHTW3WZJ7RCNI","content":"The draw had become the first “will be won” prize with a guarantee that might have seen the prize shared among anyone who matched five numbers and a bonus, or further down the order of winning combinations if necessary.","type":"text"},{"_id":"B63S2BZXXJFQFNRAPAECSI7RPI","content":"In the end, that system was moot – as one lucky person matched all six numbers.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Mark Hilliard"}},"name":"Mark Hilliard"}]},"description":{"basic":"Winning ticket holder has made contact with National Lottery"},"display_date":"2022-01-19T07:02:48Z","headlines":{"basic":"Mayo shop that sold winning €19m lotto ticket is named"},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"SI2VNJ2S5N73LZHHUCOHGLKRMQ","auth":{"1":"ca409dd7ec5bc5c55506e5b4aee73a0b6a199460a25209f17a7e4df15f032b2a"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/SI2VNJ2S5N73LZHHUCOHGLKRMQ.jpg"},"lead_art":{"_id":"LFXYFAGH2DJSADJJ6FL2SWZ3UM","embed_html":"<div class=\"powa\" id=\"powa-LFXYFAGH2DJSADJJ6FL2SWZ3UM\" data-org=\"irishtimes\" data-env=\"prod\" data-uuid=\"LFXYFAGH2DJSADJJ6FL2SWZ3UM\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.562\" data-api=\"prod\"><script src=\"//irishtimes.video-player.arcpublishing.com/prod/powaBoot.js?org=irishtimes\"><\/script></div>","promo_image":{"auth":{"1":"4d825d9a3465bca34fd46870add4c91f2f355b65c1db304f96fb955b10d4fac0"},"type":"image","url":"https://d2j5ip5u6h2g6o.cloudfront.net/01-26-2022/t_4c4b36179bcc40ddb4ef21de23fc196e_name_main_.jpg"},"promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"4d825d9a3465bca34fd46870add4c91f2f355b65c1db304f96fb955b10d4fac0"},"type":"image","url":"https://d2j5ip5u6h2g6o.cloudfront.net/01-26-2022/t_4c4b36179bcc40ddb4ef21de23fc196e_name_main_.jpg"}},"type":"video"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/news/offbeat/mayo-shop-that-sold-winning-19m-lotto-ticket-is-named-1.4779951","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"FW4ISLBMGA2ACKIDGYVFFJAURU","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/news/offbeat/christmas-island-turns-scarlet-red-as-millions-of-crabs-migrate-1.4732321","credits":{},"description":{"basic":"The roads of Australia's Christmas Island have turned scarlet red as millions of crabs begin their annual migration to the sea in order to mate and spawn. 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Despite the high Covid-19 incidence rate among five to 12 year olds, health officials have reassured parents that trick-or-treating can be enjoyed safely by taking some simple precautions.","type":"text"},{"_id":"A2FP2PTYJJFWRF7GCNI5WKE3BQ","content":"So, what are people’s main concerns?","type":"text"},{"_id":"4CY5K7WD6REUHLNBATJY4L366M","content":"<strong>My kids are super excited about tomorrow’s trick-or-treating but I’m slightly nervous about all the close contacts and visits to different houses. What can I do to keep my family and other families safe?</strong>","type":"text"},{"_id":"CZX6Q256ABDANHYD7UGOE5KJNQ","content":"Don’t worry, there’s a few easy steps you can take on Halloween to ensure your kids have a brilliant evening while staying safe.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IVJQ5XGU45DBLLM4YTXHFRBO2U","content":"Firstly, all trick-or-treating should be outdoors – chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan has urged people to step outside when distributing treats and snacks.","type":"text"},{"_id":"U7NHZE63PZG53JWJ7H6WEQQHUY","content":"Keep trick-or-treat groups small, limited to one or two families.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UOZ4KLISHJHOLL6P6TSR2FB2OE","content":"Make sure your children know they should avoid large groups of kids gathering on doorsteps.","type":"text"},{"_id":"M3OKG2R27FBL7ABHXQ4M3PGTXQ","content":"Parents and trick-or-treaters should carry plenty of hand sanitiser and wash/clean hands as often as possible through the evening.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BFTMWIEZD5DIBKZONDXPWV3A4Q","content":"If your child is displaying any flu-like symptoms, such as a dry cough, fever, tiredness or a sore throat, they will need to stay home. Deputy chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn said this week that while people could “do the things they normally do at Halloween”, a sick child should not mix with other children. This is not only to prevent the spread of Covid but also to avoid getting the flu.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RNCDWJMUQVHUVHXJ7TO7OIBKA4","content":"<strong>What about masks, should my kids be wearing them during trick-or-treating?</strong>","type":"text"},{"_id":"5XUVD7QN7RBNXM4TBVASBABLPQ","content":"Masks are a really easy way to keep your kid extra safe on Halloween night. Try incorporating a cloth mask into your child’s costume, it will add to their overall look and put your mind at ease when they’re running around with other kids.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ITEYYSSWNVEGHPSLKQH3RKHFVQ","content":"<strong>Our neighbours have invited us into their home, is it okay to visit?</strong>","type":"text"},{"_id":"CCN4C23RC5FSLAEXFJFQR2FWWM","content":"If you’re having visitors over, keep a couple of windows open, make sure there is plenty of hand sanitiser and ensure people keep their distance from one another. 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here:","type":"text"},{"_id":"S5UX3AY3ANDAJBT6R3DE3EEYPQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"APPLE","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"YW7ZVCH2YRCOBA5KRUUUSEJOQQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"SPOTIFY","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"ID7HHOS7DFABLMXSIFFE464CRQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"RSS","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"HAFWKDXPIBGHTNJBU44N22NQBE","additional_properties":{},"content":"ACAST","type":"interstitial_link"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Sorcha Pollak"}},"name":"Sorcha Pollak"}]},"description":{"basic":"In the News: Drama is based on people in debt forced to play children’s games for money or death"},"display_date":"2021-10-22T08:54:33Z","headlines":{"basic":"Squid Game: How South Korea’s social inequality inspired Netflix’s biggest 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It’s pretty difficult.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"XVH4TCSRYBD2BCBKIE6SALWTQM","content":"Mr Jackson said the idea for the heart came to him while he was out feeding his sheep “supplementary tucker” as they are “quite pregnant and need a bit of extra TLC”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HU5GWK5BPJF65CT7QB77JLELQI","content":"Actually making the heart took “three or four” attempts, Mr Jackson said, with his initial efforts turning out less than desirable.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4OQN3A5J3BEOZEMQTCF5QYXYGM","content":"“The first time I tried it looked like the sh*t emoji, I tell you, and whilst my Aunty Deb had a good sense of humour, that wasn’t exactly what I was going for,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QHILSBKYXNCMXACF3ZJSE2MMF4","content":"Having created the heart, the video was filmed by drone and sent to his family in Brisbane so it could be overlaid to Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge over Troubled Water and played at his aunt’s funeral.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ST4QIJJLRRDO3FRGEDEGMU4OHI","content":"“When I saw [the final product] I would be the first to admit that there was plenty of waterworks,”Mr Jackson said. “It was very lovely to have it as part of a sendoff. It was certainly something that she would have loved and absolutely cherished.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"GS52NKQKSVHG7CCC2PC3L6VBGU","content":"Mr Jackson said he first started making his sheep art during a previous drought when he fed his sheep from the back of his flatbed truck every single day.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UI6SMF4ARZHUDEXSDV6LDQXOIY","content":"He soon learned he could draw shapes in the landscape and that the sheep would gather.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OWCQZ44B6VEX5OR2X4VT34NSNM","content":"“And they haven’t forgotten yet,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NHHZEQVO6VDL7BUE3GTJQADM4E","content":"In the past Mr Jackson has created other shapes like a giant ABC logo, though he stressed that the tribute was solely for Aunty Deb.","type":"text"},{"_id":"L4TBBR3W6FE3DBRUWIJNLNF7JQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"\"I completely get I'm not Robinson Crusoe, I'm not the only person whose doing it tough with lockdown and borders and Covid,\" he said. \"It's a very, very challenging time. And knowing my Aunty Deb, if this sheep art - if it brought a smile to even one person's face, she would be a very proud aunty.\"","type":"text"},{"_id":"WHYD2Z2QDZAS5IKL4CIW6XEGKI","content":"“Certainly the reaction online has been such that, yeah, hey there’s a lot of people doing it tough and need a smile on their dial.”– Guardian","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"description":{"basic":"Ben Jackson used sheep in a farewell message as he was unable to travel for funeral"},"display_date":"2021-08-26T07:08:24Z","headlines":{"basic":"A love heart made out of sheep: Australian farmer pays tribute to his aunt"},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"3DEZCO73AUOOAPM2J4IDKM4SLM","auth":{"1":"6a88e9cbf9095e98a6587183ac021566cc764aaa53ebe6e6a4e760f4c8e71eda"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/3DEZCO73AUOOAPM2J4IDKM4SLM.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/news/offbeat/a-love-heart-made-out-of-sheep-australian-farmer-pays-tribute-to-his-aunt-1.4656755","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"JJCPE32WOH4C7GJAV3FZHT6VFU","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/news/offbeat/extraordinary-800-year-old-chain-mail-found-in-co-longford-1.4652228","content_elements":[{"_id":"GCPGEBKLSVHLNPWHOZJNRZUEPQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"A vest of chain mail, which is more than 800 years old, has been handed in to the Knights and Conquests Heritage Centre in Granard, Co Longford.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4UC37O2UPNBY3K4IC235PJDM3Y","content":"At an event last weekend a member of the public disclosed that they had a hauberk, or coat of chain mail, in their garden shed.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NEJX32OU2JDXPP5ECT6UDWUQ7Y","content":"The centre’s general manager Bartle D’Arcy said he was astonished when the member of the public brought in the artefact, which is in excellent condition.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3MUADVY3AZBGLNNQZPWTUKXX7I","content":"“We had a Norman heritage day as part of [national] heritage week. I was walking around wearing a chain mail coif when people came up to me and said that they had ‘some of that’ in their shed. I said ‘what do you mean you have some of that in your shed?’","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZMCR5JO6G5CJJKTX77VJSQFHWQ","content":"“They brought it in to me two days ago and it is a full hauberk, 800 years old. They took it out of a drain a few years ago with a digger and just had it in their shed. It is extraordinary.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"F5JH5L3MVZGODPIKIW2PSVB5XQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Mr D'Arcy brought the chain mail to the National Museum of Ireland on Thursday. Officers there said that they were amazed to see an intact hauberk, having only ever seen fragments of chain mail.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WU74WWENLZCSJJCVGNGM4OORPY","content":"“It is an amazing, extraordinary find. This all happened because of a chance encounter. They didn’t know what it was because it got stuck in the digger bucket. Unless you knew your history you wouldn’t really know what it was.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6TQGU4NI6ZA3NJ7JJTXOMOC2AU","content":"“It wasn’t discovered in Granard but it was discovered locally, but we are protecting the identity of the person. We are doing everything by the book and have declared it to the museum and so on,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6FGZ4PJ3AJGYVEECMZFDAN3CEY","content":"Plans are afoot to put the chain mail on display in Longford. Mr D’Arcy said the museum would take the chain mail away to carry out some work on it.","type":"text"},{"_id":"G4SPCK5ALBC3HCZZYNUWDD5HBI","content":"Mr D’Arcy said the chain mail was in such good condition because it was in water for so many years.","type":"text"},{"_id":"K4HIXLLWO5GWXCZUJZXCUI2MTY","content":"“It only rusts if you have water and air and if its only in water it survives. When the digger brought it up it was in peat.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"7DYNNQAKZFBETMJNGVJOQKYF5A","additional_properties":{},"content":"It is understood the chain mail dates back to 1172 shortly after the Normans arrived in Ireland. It will be restored and preserved before it goes on display.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"name":"Olivia Kelleher"}]},"description":{"basic":"Member of public hands in full hauberk dating from Norman era to Granard centre"},"display_date":"2021-08-20T17:16:22Z","headlines":{"basic":"‘Extraordinary’ 800-year-old chain mail found in Co Longford"},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"RT5LK3BVSSHZL6WGJIJICRAQ24","auth":{"1":"53e3636e54abfbc7c10cf31832fbf05809f6b312a66d5cba915747179fbf584a"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/RT5LK3BVSSHZL6WGJIJICRAQ24.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/news/offbeat/extraordinary-800-year-old-chain-mail-found-in-co-longford-1.4652228","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"QQMW2BHDSQEQQJFDEPXQZRWSIM","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/news/offbeat/feathers-ruffled-as-great-white-pelican-spotted-in-co-wicklow-1.4645712","content_elements":[{"_id":"FDIAL7P5VJF2BGNVAD3NBVXX6Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"A Great White Pelican caused some ruffled feathers on Thursday after it escaped from Fota Wildlife Park on Little Island in Co Cork and flew as far north as Arklow, Co Wicklow.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3PYF3OSXFVHZPELTLRZ3QVIABI","content":"The bird was spotted near Nineteen Arches Bridge on the Avoca River by local woman Elaine Murphy and wildlife photographer Sean Garvey. The sighting initially caused some excitement as there has never been a sighting of a wild pelican recorded in Ireland.","type":"text"},{"_id":"26DZA3WTFZAYPEMVKCINXM3HNE","content":"One of the largest flying birds in the world, the Great White Pelican generally weighs about 10kg and has a wingspan of nearly 3m. It is typically found in swamps and shallow lakes around Southeast Europe, Asia and Africa.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3E364FKZSZCPXDJ4RPYYT7CDCE","content":"The bird is awkward on land, but it can fly for a whole day and night without stopping, covering distances up to 300 miles. It is also surprisingly light for its size because of air spaces in its bones and under its skin.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VWMM5KMEUFGMJNUF54AOQ7KM5M","additional_properties":{},"content":"Despite its ability to cover large distances, Birdwatch Ireland spokesman Niall Hatch said it would be a rarity to find one in the wild so far north.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6F7PPJU3LJB4LBHIMQVLAUN424","content":"“There has never been a true wild pelican recorded in Ireland,” he said. “However we have been getting reports of pelicans sporadically for the past three years or so, near the south coast.","type":"text"},{"_id":"C3B2GWT7RNFD7MW3O6YIS7YWRM","content":"“All the previous reports have related to the captive birds at Fota Wildlife Park. These birds are kept there but their wings aren’t always clipped so they can fly freely, which is a little unusual. My suspicion would be it is one of those, but it is hard to be certain.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DNTWIQXT7ZAWBACM55BDVJCY2M","content":"“In August 2018, two of them turned up at Tacumsin Lake in Co Wexford. They had coloured plastic rings on their legs, which was very suggestive of captive origin, and it turned out they had escaped or flown away from Fota Wildlife Park.","type":"text"},{"_id":"P7SEQWFB7JEF7OEXOZCK2OOA5A","content":"“Birds do unusual things. There is no accounting for what they will do. The closest Great White Pelicans get to us is the Balkan Peninsula. They are capable of flying long distances and are free flying birds, but it would take a lot for one to migrate as far north as this.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"72P4QAU6WVA7ZLZTKY3F344G4I","content":"The suspicion was confirmed by Fota Wildlife Park animal care manager Declan O’Donovan who said one the park’s male pelicans is currently missing.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5O7EGYWDH5AFDLK3AAQA2O67CA","content":"“It is one of ours,” he said. “We have one of our two males out at the moment, and we can see a blue tag in some of the photographs.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NVJT36JQDVHNJJLECPOMGFQMQM","content":"“Normally we tend to clip them to keep them within the park. This one just got a bit of flight underneath his wings and was able to pop out. He comes back to us on a regular basis and we feed him.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4OVYCHYN4BAT5BOULFUGWUZBUY","content":"“He will spend a few days up around Wicklow. He’ll then come back in to Fota, and pop out to the harbour.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KXOKOAFB7FGY5P2SXPOO27HX4E","content":"“We have a sort of plan in place to catch him when he comes back. It doesn’t always work out the way we want it to, but we will catch him and once we do we’ll clip his feathers and he’ll be back with his buddy.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"NH4OFJQB7ZAWPLEJIRWEXNUZNU","content":"The Great White Pelican eats about 1.5kg of fish each day, catching food using its pouched beak, which can expand to hold nearly 13 litres of water. It also eats crustaceans and ducklings on occasion.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JLT4AUJFLBDOLIDXOEYSULTEYA","content":"It spends most of its time in water and tends to choose reed beds or small islands near freshwater lakes when it is looking to establish a safe nesting area. Pelicans often breed in large colonies of between 40,000 to 50,000 pairs in the wild.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Colin Gleeson"}},"name":"Colin Gleeson"}]},"description":{"basic":"‘We have a sort of plan in place to catch him’: Bird escapes from Fota Wildlife Park"},"display_date":"2021-08-12T18:22:41Z","headlines":{"basic":"Feathers ruffled as Great White Pelican spotted in Co Wicklow"},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"IY5NT5YBO6EUXLFAKEDQDM7SXA","auth":{"1":"4acf293dd169ac63010b9eef611bf3d333d41b4db3743597e5b48cb986375101"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/IY5NT5YBO6EUXLFAKEDQDM7SXA.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/news/offbeat/feathers-ruffled-as-great-white-pelican-spotted-in-co-wicklow-1.4645712","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"B5SZYAEMG7AZL4BIDM67WLEHVU","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/news/offbeat/man-bitten-by-python-while-sitting-on-toilet-in-austria-1.4614298","content_elements":[{"_id":"XEOIYGXEOJBWTOOSWTBKOSKDXQ","content":"A man in Austria was bitten by a 1.6m python during an early-morning visit to the toilet at his home, police said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SPCKWGQMK5BARCJWKPIKWUIEL4","content":"The reptile, which apparently escaped from a neighbour’s apartment and may have slithered through the drains, was later cleaned and handed back to its owner.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DXPUOMZYJFAHZPQVKJ72XB7VBM","content":"The 65-year-old man said he “felt a ‘nip’ in the genital area” shortly after sitting on the toilet at home in Graz, according to a statement from police in Styria province. He then looked into the toilet and discovered the albino reticulated python.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZCXQF4TK5FEW5JBNYJNEXXII4M","content":"The snake apparently had escaped unnoticed from the apartment of the man’s 24-year-old neighbour.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TT3Q652LR5CUJMGK4S3W6FKC4M","content":"It was not immediately possible to figure out how it escaped and how it got into the toilet, but police said it may have made its way through the drains.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EGU3DXVVYFHSZB23DLSCXNKJUY","content":"A reptile expert was called to retrieve the snake, which was returned to his owner.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LPA3UZZOHNC6LB6IT4GZVO3WSY","content":"Police said the younger man kept 11 non-venomous constrictor snakes and a gecko in his apartment, in terrariums and drawers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2AUNMH35TBGSRJ7JGENLZDCMW4","content":"He faces an investigation on suspicion of causing bodily harm by negligence.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VPSPUILFPNAUNEWAVHT2VWOAVM","content":"The victim sustained only minor injuries, police said. - PA","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"description":{"basic":"Police in Graz believe snake escaped from neighbouring apartment and went through drains"},"display_date":"2021-07-07T19:13:21Z","headlines":{"basic":"Man bitten by python while sitting on toilet in Austria"},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"4RBKYU7GY72ZYYNV7UPSHXFGGA","auth":{"1":"c3ca305100efe2e1121c70928e772ac6973f5c4cbfddf208bb8e24f9a80e291b"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/4RBKYU7GY72ZYYNV7UPSHXFGGA.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/news/offbeat/man-bitten-by-python-while-sitting-on-toilet-in-austria-1.4614298","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"CNLPAGUN33JOB2FAPQAVTFMY7Y","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/news/offbeat/peter-parker-and-the-pontiff-spider-man-meets-the-pope-in-rome-1.4601333","credits":{},"description":{"basic":"27-year-old Mattia Villardita from northern Italy has met with Pope Francis, dressed as Spider-Man, in recognition of his work visiting sick children in hospital dressed as famous superheroes. 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Cat hit grass bounced and walked away! <a href=\"https://t.co/LRBsjMta2Z\">pic.twitter.com/LRBsjMta2Z</a></p>— Chicago Fire Media (@CFDMedia) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/CFDMedia/status/1392939570380029953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 13, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>","type":"raw_html"},{"_id":"7IRBIVV3P5GWVPRRIPRQZURLFA","content":"Prompting screams from some at the scene, it soared through the air, over a wall, and on to the grass.","type":"text"},{"_id":"24GGX4IT2NCQBAIAFFNBDKLFV4","content":"Having bounced off the turf it immediately wandered off, unharmed.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FFWQH6G2LVFRDOYNJMG2JIQQP4","additional_properties":{},"content":"\"It went under my car and hid until she felt better after a couple of minutes and came out and tried to scale the wall to get back in,\" said fire department spokesman Larry Langford.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BAXDLLH5XVECZMEOEZLFMJZHRA","content":"Mr Langford said he was attempting to find the cat’s owner.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YR2AEXJRCJHSBFT32UAWB5MI4I","content":"The video has been viewed more than 200,000 times, while no injuries were reported after the fire. –PA","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"description":{"basic":"Video shows cat soaring through the air and on to the grass, landing unharmed"},"display_date":"2021-05-14T09:54:48Z","headlines":{"basic":"Cat jumps from fifth floor of burning Chicago building"},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"274QGL7WO6S5RJBDH2YQU7JRNE","auth":{"1":"46ccf1dee28d1d6be0c0788a881a6c65d8ae55a4bdf296a86065d8db7b834583"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/274QGL7WO6S5RJBDH2YQU7JRNE.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/news/offbeat/cat-jumps-from-fifth-floor-of-burning-chicago-building-1.4565063","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"Q3FQN7GRNBKKPYUHS2TCVGLLEQ","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/news/offbeat/bells-ring-out-in-celebration-as-dublin-church-re-opens-for-services-1.4564547","credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Bryan O'Brien"}},"name":"Bryan O'Brien"}]},"description":{"basic":"Bell ringers at Christ Church Taney in Dundrum, Dublin have returned to bell ringing duties to celebrate the reopening of church services to the public there after a long break, due to Covid- 19. 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Video: Jakub Walutek"},"display_date":"2021-05-08T09:24:32Z","embed_html":"<div class=\"powa\" id=\"powa-D3XMKPSJGLEBSSG5NS5JQ74C54\" data-org=\"irishtimes\" data-env=\"prod\" data-uuid=\"D3XMKPSJGLEBSSG5NS5JQ74C54\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.562\" data-api=\"prod\"><script src=\"//irishtimes.video-player.arcpublishing.com/prod/powaBoot.js?org=irishtimes\"><\/script></div>","headlines":{"basic":"Kinsale marks Darkness into Light with special parade"},"promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"3bbe71f2e265ee5a7572496be484038c228fca06a477c937419aa8eaa3e23a78"},"type":"image","url":"https://d2j5ip5u6h2g6o.cloudfront.net/10-19-2021/t_e08e62315e7946a1b0d5a53cc0aa9d1e_name_main_.jpg"}},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Video"},{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"video","website_url":"/news/offbeat/kinsale-marks-darkness-into-light-with-special-parade-1.4559469","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/video","name":"Video"}}}},{"_id":"ZPFUXTKXCITAIBBXOBW5DVP3E4","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/news/offbeat/dad-told-me-to-call-down-cork-shop-lists-responses-it-doesn-t-want-to-job-ad-1.4552570","content_elements":[{"_id":"ZKO44323SZGSXMDHFXOD5EMCNE","additional_properties":{},"content":"A west Cork supermarket owner who is recruiting summer staff has received a number of applications after he posted a tongue-in-cheek advert warning that he did not want to receive CVs from teenagers who were being forced to apply by their parents.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UBGQ6WRD2JE3XAKRUKD2KR5WIU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Colm O'Sullivan of Sam's Gala store in Dunmanway, Co Cork laid out exactly what he didn't want from applicants.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2SHU7XSSGJFFZOVCVAQP6B2A3Q","content":"The list of preferences is as follows, according to the ad:","type":"text"},{"_id":"L7A36OAQ6VDMHOAQNW32FFNMSM","content":"“Daddies asking for a job for their son because he’s a big strapping lad, is a good footballer, feeds the neighbour’s goldfish when they’re on holidays and cuts the lawn every Saturday.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TOMTZW3GCFAJJN7RBIIXP6R6GQ","content":"“Mammies asking for a job for their daughter and telling us she’s great around the house, emptied the dishwasher at Christmas, cleans her bedroom every Saturday and loves meeting new people yet is sitting in the car outside the door!","type":"text"},{"_id":"QJK6HADWDRHXLNDWZNXGADJLJ4","additional_properties":{},"content":"\"People coming in, handing in their CV over the counter and running out the door like Paddy Cullen running back in to the goal in 1978 to catch Mikey Sheehy's free.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RWKO4R6UZFBKJFRVLRTIGOUAH4","content":"“People who cannot work on Sunday because it’s their next-door neighbour’s third cousin’s First Communion.","type":"text"},{"_id":"M52H7LS2ABHPPE2F3R3LPX6Y24","content":"“People asking for a job instead of asking for work as the country is full of people with jobs who don’t do a tap of work.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KN5RXAMRUJAI3OQ7MAX4XTODY4","content":"“What we DO want are;","type":"text"},{"_id":"NCXL3LITFRCTBEXGKABFYKCISE","content":"“Teenagers who want to make the transition from pocket money to earning their own to come into the shop unaccompanied by parents, ask to speak with Noreen or Colm and simply tell us why they want to work for the summer.","type":"text"},{"_id":"R7W2N7NLFBBZHLF6VVQFWWW5BU","content":"“Top Tip; ‘My mother doesn’t want me hanging around the house for the summer’ or ‘my Dad told me to call down’ are not the correct answers.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"NGTEGDUYS75VXJDCIT7Y2RNOEM","additional_properties":{},"type":"image"},{"_id":"Z5LGZPGB3VHXLAXFXQYNNIL45A","additional_properties":{},"content":"Mr O' Sullivan told Patricia Messinger on Cork's C103FM that the response to advert has been fantastic.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HUKUI2MAONH6DE4NFQQ3JLUWTU","content":"“People have taken it as it was meant to be – tongue in cheek with some seriousness in there. I have teenagers myself and they took the decision at about 14 to distance themselves from myself and my wife because they think they are adults at that stage.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XDJEEXCWMFG7JO4WVBG5DCNJ44","content":"“I think young people should go and fend for themselves, go and look for a job and they appreciate it a lot if they have to go out for the first time in their lives and go looking for work.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NBGW6C4D5BAQZDQ4GRGAN63LLE","content":"“They learn there is a lot more to getting a job like opening a bank account, paying PRSI and in the space of two weeks they have had a serious reality check.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LLPJFXBOQNACHEX4UEOVNI5GAA","content":"“We are not going to do a rigorous interview process where they have to provide details of exams or tests, all we want is for them to come in and have a chat and tell us why they want to work.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"Q4JVP7WHGFFL5PC6K77KHF77WU","content":"Mr O’Sullivan intends to provide the successful teenagers with up to 10 hours paid work a week in order to spread the earnings around among them.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JW3VM6BQUNBJJGP34VEHJKXUZQ","content":"He said “I want to see the teens coming in on their own and leaving the parents outside. 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He had travelled to Australia on an immigrant programme, but because he was returning home early, he would have had to repay the government for the costs of sending him there, and he could not afford it.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LPSR2QCQVZCR5HIXYBRNGUG3AE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Mr Robson's journey proved hazardous as his crate was diverted to a much slower route than the 36-hour trip he had envisaged. He was in the crate for more than four days when he was detected in Los Angeles. He was flown the rest of the way first class after the story made headlines worldwide.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FKJ66MD2JLTR6AKYD7J33LEJXI","additional_properties":{},"type":"image"},{"_id":"QHTC7UJ25R4MNCETOFKBP3BAMQ","additional_properties":{},"type":"image"},{"_id":"VKOWXOUIGVGTJL77FR3PAGAP2I","content":"Mr Robson tried but failed to resume contact with the two friends on his return but after The Irish Times recently reported on his efforts, one of them got in touch. Mr Robson said his friend wished to remain anonymous but he was happy to let people know they had made contact. The Irish man is trying to establish contact with the second man. “We don’t know 100 per cent where he is, to be honest. He could be anywhere,” Mr Robson said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7ANS337LVFCAXLX7YNQYBQJYTA","content":"Mr Robson said it was “really brilliant” to get an email from his old friend. To be certain it was him, he asked three questions, which only he and the other Irish man could have known. “And not only did he answer the three questions, he added more to it. We are still getting on as well as we were 56 years ago, which is nice,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PXU2XL54IZEUDLDIM2466MK2VE","content":"“He’s a lovely chap and his wife is wonderful. My ultimate aim, when the [Covid-19] virus stops spreading around, is to meet up.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"LJUTIJHEKVC4HNVA2HKSSYLJWU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Quiet","type":"header"},{"_id":"3CEAZDKWJBELHKYLTNAE4NRB6E","additional_properties":{},"content":"The Irish man told him he had returned to live in Ireland some years after Mr Robson's journey. He had told his wife, children and grandchildren about his involvement, but they had done their best to keep it quiet.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SWRKV76N4VDBBDZCA36JN2535E","content":"When the Irish friends heard Mr Robson had been discovered, they changed address, to avoid repercussions. “And so the reason I did not get a reply to my letters is that they didn’t receive them. It was rather pleasing because at one stage I thought they didn’t want to talk to me, but that’s not true at all. Quite the opposite.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"6SJDR2ISX5GQVCE4PNM5XTUGHI","content":"Mr Robson is working with a film production company to tell his story and pre-sales of his book, The Crate Escape, which will be published at the end of April, have rocketed.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LZRZDHEAENDPTBKRPWARPL4YZE","content":"Mr Robson said he was completely unprepared for the level of interest in the story and was exhausted. He will turn 76 in June and has some health issues. “To be honest, I’d like it to stop now, the newspapers and interviews, and get back to my normal, boring existence, and perhaps go to the premiere of the movie,” he said.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Alison Healy"}},"name":"Alison Healy"}]},"description":{"basic":"Robson says friend who helped nail him into wooden crate wished to remain anonymous"},"display_date":"2021-04-17T03:00:46Z","headlines":{"basic":"Man to meet Irish friend who helped airmail him from Australia"},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"joanna_us"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"4DH4O4S443KRQUM3IFAKVSKRVM","auth":{"1":"caa86b9da1257cb687fffbcc7950a0778dcdc978e1261b1f2f8f0d4041d97f58"},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/4DH4O4S443KRQUM3IFAKVSKRVM.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Offbeat"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/news/offbeat/man-to-meet-irish-friend-who-helped-airmail-him-from-australia-1.4539579","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/offbeat","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Offbeat"}}}},{"_id":"WEBA6QVOGPIWJFJSKAZS6BLMZU","additional_properties":{"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/4555/podcasts/1738570/media/c4d146a37daae0f5f74e4a84fb674c74_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/news/offbeat/the-crate-escape-two-irishmen-who-helped-mail-friend-home-from-australia-sought-1.4529448","content_elements":[{"_id":"SRXHNNBONZGUDKIEFEBSG3MZPE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Were you in Australia in 1965, and did you help a homesick Welsh man to mail himself home in a wooden crate? If so, he wants to hear from you.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MSFY7XHHIZC75PGOEV7WUIPLLE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Brian Robson was just 19 when two Irish friends helped him to climb into a crate so that he could airmail himself from Melbourne to London. His journey took some hazardous turns and could have been fatal had it not been interrupted.","type":"text"},{"_id":"T3CBLVPAIFA25HTUEVGCCCUTVU","type":"quote"},{"_id":"GND3QXBK4ND7BONL3BUCSISTEE","additional_properties":{},"content":"The Cardiff teenager had taken a job with Victorian Railways on an assisted immigration programme in Australia in 1964. He immediately regretted it and wanted to return home, but under the scheme he would have to repay approximately £700. His monthly wage was around £40.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QVH5I6GUSZB2FCIX64VWJLNHWY","content":"Eleven months into his stay he devised a plan to send himself home by air-freight, cash on delivery. He had become good friends with two Irish people who also worked for Victorian Railways.","type":"text"},{"_id":"A6FNNC7PKNEA5GWS6P24FOKKII","content":"“I’m 99 per cent sure that they were called Paul and John,” he told The Irish Times. “I couldn’t even tell you their surnames it’s such a long time ago, and I’d only recognise them if I saw photographs of them that were taken at that time. We got on famously…They used to come to my bedsit, or I would go to see them, almost on a daily basis.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"XWSSFL3S2BBERND5HKXL4YCQ2E","content":"He asked them for help with his unorthodox itinerary. “Paul really was 100 per cent against it…but John said ‘don’t worry about it, I’ll persuade him’. And so, they both went ahead and helped.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"AKXQQQQVRNGTHPKWKEM5TJXR6Y","content":"He bought a wooden crate the size of a mini-fridge and booked his slot with Qantas airline. The Irish pair helped to harness him into the crate and nail it shut. It was a tight fit as it also contained his suitcase and pillows as well as a flashlight and a book of Beatles songs to keep him company.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4RS2YMDJXBEKXJ5DSSJF3ZVRIM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Horrific experience","type":"header"},{"_id":"ZBFKIO3SABARFF5M4PKNVR3UFA","content":"Mr Robson was not expecting a pleasant journey, but it was still much worse than he had bargained for. “It was quite a horrific experience, in truth.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"5KIFZAY4Z5CQ3AHURQXC3ROLXA","additional_properties":{},"content":"The journey from Melbourne to London was supposed to take 36 hours but that flight was full, so he was loaded onto a Pan Am flight which took a much slower route.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RZNG2MGATZHK3LQ5KUHALOSFGI","content":"Despite numerous “This Side Up” signs on his crate, it was unceremoniously dumped upside down, so he was left standing on his head for almost a day before being loaded on to a plane. The airplane’s hold was simultaneously freezing and boiling hot, his body ached, and he had difficulty breathing.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Y3NGXBNGWJC2RINLPAIE6X5E7Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"Four days later his crate was lifted into a freight shed. But it wasn't London. He was in Los Angeles, and the FBI immediately became involved.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6KXTCGPCZZ3LJZK7V4EQ4IOVRE","additional_properties":{},"type":"image"},{"_id":"4OKDBXVGFRERTBN7HWLOOF3XXE","content":"“My two friends and I didn’t know whether my plan was legal or illegal, quite honestly, so I agreed that I would keep their names out of it completely, which I did.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"RIJUWXOVJ5ATXCS5HYAIDOHSNM","content":"After the FBI confirmed that he was not a Cold War spy, he was released and flown to London first class by Pan Am. He spent a life working in retail, and now, aged 75, will tell his story in a book, The Crate Escape, which will be published in late April. A film is also in the works.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DJYPRHBLLFHOBFYCBUXBGCG33Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"Sealed shut","type":"header"},{"_id":"JY4JKHAVTVGDXATTAZ56GMJ2BM","content":"Yet he has always wondered what happened to his Irish friends. He wrote to them when he returned from Australia, but didn’t get a reply.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QSQUWVP3QFHNHLEPT3SJIYLAVU","type":"quote"},{"_id":"XNHF4V2P45GX3P2I766DFT4NFA","content":"“I did try a couple of times, I think, and of course we didn’t have internet in those days, so from that day to this I’ve never spoken to them. They were the last people I spoke to in Australia before the crate was sealed shut.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"RJL62VUXXJDCRCH764A5CMQ7OY","content":"They must know what happened to him because his story went all over the world at the time. “But I’ve got no idea what happened to them. I would love to hear what happened after I left.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"I4ABNDHW4NGBRNIN4ROGI4SETY","content":"*Paul and John, or their relatives can contact Mr Robson at brianpms@hotmail.com","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Alison Healy"}},"name":"Alison Healy"}]},"description":{"basic":"Welsh man who airmailed himself in crate in 1960s seeks two Irish friends who helped nail it shut"},"display_date":"2021-04-06T00:58:22Z","headlines":{"basic":"‘The crate escape’: Two Irishmen who helped mail friend home from Australia 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