Lady’s Island Lake has made the headlines for all the wrong reasons lately with media reports highlighting the “ecological disaster” unfolding at the Co Wexford lagoon.
An Environmental Protection Agency study found agricultural run-off from surrounding land had raised the saltwater lake’s nutrient levels to multiples of the norm.
This has caused algae to bloom, giving the lake a green hue and blocking light which has led to plants and fish dying at this designated Special Area of Conservation.
With the annual pilgrimage taking place at Our Lady’s Island at present, there was a bit of positive news this week for the lake – a Hail Mary, if you will.
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Birdwatch Ireland reported a good breeding season for the roseate, sandwich, common and Arctic terns that continue to flock to the lake’s islands, despite the gloom and bloom.
However, they were this year joined by little terns, meaning the lake is, according to the conservation group, “the only place in Europe” where the five species are successfully nesting together.
Niall Hatch, Birdwatch Ireland’s aptly named head of communications, said this was “certainly something to be celebrated” given the lake’s well-publicised issues.
“The reason [the pollution] hasn’t impacted the terns is because they are nesting on the islands for security but fishing out at sea for food.”
There has been much talk about multi-agency approaches to restoring Lady’s Island Lake. Nature is trying to do its part, so here’s hoping the State can reverse a decline that has been happening in plain view for decades.
‘Tyrant rooster’ among those recalled on pet condolence website
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Mick Hanly took note of how many people used and mentioned the RIP.ie condolence website, now owned by The Irish Times group.
He wondered if there would be a market for a similar offering for pets and checked to see if the domain name “rest easy friend” was available. To his surprise, it was, but that was as far as things went then.
After enjoying his retirement from An Garda Síochána for another few years, the Clonakilty, Co Cork resident decided he was ready to take on a “project” and was reminded of his idea last year when someone stated “rest easy friend” again.
He registered resteasyfriend.com, figured out what he wanted to offer, and found a web designer “as invested as I was” in the notion. The website allows users, for a €25 fee, to put up a post and a photograph of their late pet that others can view and leave messages of condolence on.
“You go through a lot when a pet passes on,” says Hanly, adding that different pets have been “bookmarks of periods” in his own life. “People with pets get it, others don’t always.”
The service now has nearly 100 posts, which largely relate to dogs and cats, but there’s a wide range of others including a donkey, a possum, a canary, a parrot, a snake and a llama.
One post remembers Cluck Norris, whose owner says he “wasn’t just a rooster, he was a damn tyrant”.
“I didn’t think I’d care, but it’s too quiet now. I catch myself listening for that God-awful scream every morning. Nasty bird. Brave heart. Rest easy, Cluck Norris,” the tribute states.
Hometown wrestling ‘heel’ takes aim at local heroes
Dublin-raised wrestler Becky Lynch, aka Rebecca Quin, got WWE’s SmackDown event under way at the 3Arena last weekend, entering the ring to a rapturous reception.
After welcoming the audience to the “first ever televised WWE event live from Dublin, Ireland”, Lynch leaned into her ‘heel’ persona, a baddy in the wrestling world, complaining live on Netflix about how little respect she gets in Ireland.
“I shouldn’t even have to tell you that I am your hero because that’s not how heroing works, but here we are.”
Chants of ‘Who are ya?’ spewed from the crowd as she detailed a CV that has made her “the single greatest female” wrestler of all time. Undeterred, Lynch said in addition to winning wrestling’s grand slam, she’s also had a New York Times bestseller.
“Did James Joyce or Oscar Wilde have a New York Times bestseller?” she asked. “No they didn’t. Losers.”
Lynch criticised the fact her “groundbreaking face” was not among those lionised in Dublin Airport.
“No, there’s rugby players I’ve never heard of and I assume nobody else has,” she went on.
“The media will write opinion pieces about Katie Taylor ...”
She was cut off by ‘Kay-T-Tay-Lor’ chants from the crowd.
“All right, fine, she’s a good boxer but can she cut a promo?”
Taylor has tended to let her fists rather than mouth do the talking during her career. But the boxer, reportedly pondering retirement after defeating Amanda Serrano in July, also live on Netflix, took notice of Lynch’s spiel, posting a clip of it on her Instagram account along with a ‘thinking face’ emoji. She also tagged Lynch and three WWE accounts.
Might there be another way for the Bray woman to have the big-ticket Dublin fight that has been mooted for so long?
Will solution to festival ‘pet peeve’ become a ‘must have’?
Two decades on from its humble beginnings as a one-day ‘boutique’ festival with capacity for 15,000 people, an 80,000-strong crowd has gathered in Stradbally, Co Laois this weekend for the latest edition of Electric Picnic.
While a larger attendance yields more acts and amenities for attendees, it also means finding friends after food or toilet breaks, or when a mobile phone dies, is a bigger challenge.
Step forward Three Ireland with a would-be solution to “one of the biggest pet peeves” at music festivals. The telecoms firm is trialling “new wearable tech” this weekend in “an Irish festival first” with a view to making sure a “once in a lifetime moment” is not spoiled by someone losing their friends.
“The Three Friend Finder, powered by Totem Labs, connects you to your friends who are also wearing the device using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) by guiding you to their location using a ring of pulsing lights and without the need for any mobile phone service, wifi or Bluetooth.”
The guinea pigs, or “lucky owners of the device” as Three calls them, will, for their troubles, also be “guided to some secret gigs and experiences” over the weekend.
While tents, toilet roll and deodorant have long been festival staples, Three Ireland ponders if these devices could become “the must-have” for next year’s festival season.
