Family named in Kerry tragedy
The family who died in a double murder-suicide in Lixnaw, Co Kerry has been named locally.
Eileen O’Sullivan and her son Jamie, 23, appear to have been shot dead before Eileen's partner, Mossie O’Sullivan, took his own life.
Gardaí have begun an investigation into the suspected double homicide and suicide following the discovery of the bodies on Tuesday night.
The parish priest of Lixnaw told of the sense of unreality and disbelief in the village at the deaths.
No confidence motion for Coveney
A Fine Gael minister has said the appointment of Katherine Zappone as UN envoy should not have been backed by Cabinet.
Minister for Further Education Simon Harris said they made mistakes when taking the decision to approve the position in July.
Earlier on Wednesday, Sinn Féin said it would consider tabling a motion of no confidence against Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney over his involvement in the controversy if the Taoiseach does not sack him.
Party leader Mary Lou McDonald said Mr Coveney’s handling of the crisis is “not the standard expected” of a government minister.
Courts
A Limerick man accused of harassing Fine Gael TD Jennifer Carroll MacNeill sent her sexually explicit videos and messages with emojis and kisses via the Facebook messenger app, a court heard.
Gerard Culhane, 43, with an address at Marian Place, Glin, Co Limerick, had appeared in court last month after he was charged with harassing the politician at places unknown within the State on dates between January 13th and March 26th, 2020.
As part of his bail conditions, he has been ordered to have no contact directly, indirectly or on social media with the Dún Laoghaire TD.
Covid testing
School children who are close contacts of Covid-19 cases would no longer have to self-isolate if they showed no symptoms, under changes being considered by health officials.
With the testing system coming under extreme pressure as 14,000 children have been deemed close contacts of cases, public health specialists are pressing for a relaxation of rules that require them to stay home for at least 10 days.
The HSE has meanwhile suspended walk-in Covid testing at centres nationwide due to a surge in demand over recent days.
Officials are aiming to reduce queues at testing sites after demand rose by more than a third in the last 48 hours. The increase is being driven by under-14s coming forward for testing following the return of schools.
It comes as an Irish study has found that a PCR test using saliva to test for Covid-19 is almost as accurate as the standard nose and throat swab.
Fire-fighting goats
A squad of 25 fire-fighting goats has been released on Howth Heath in Co Dublin.
The group of Old Irish goats, originating from the national herd in Mulranny, Co Mayo, today arrived at their new home for the first phase of a conservation grazing project.
The goats will both manage gorse growth in the area to reduce fire risk to nearby homes, and enhance the biodiversity of the habitat.
The Old Irish goat can feed on harsher environments with low nutritive quality heathlands due to their grazing behaviour and efficient digestive systems, and offer a more economical and sustainable solution to managing the landscape.
