In other news today, Ireland is to sign up to a major new EU defence initiative that will allow member states to jointly procure military equipment, patients at a number of HSE-run mental health centres are receiving substandard care due to “persistent, critical” noncompliance with regulations, and the Government is to prioritise "cost and efficiency" over "design standards and aesthetics" in future infrastructure projects.

Does this mean it was previously too concerned with design and aesthetics? I don't think that was the problem lads.

Fórsa's planned industrial action at Barnardos, which had been deferred until next Thursday, has been suspended, following the employer's decision to pay its employees a 4% backdated pay increase sought by Fórsa. That's reported in the latest edition of Industrial Relations News (sub required), where there are a number of other Fórsa-related stories, including the recent adjudication at the State Examinations Commission, the HSE's extended working week agreement and Oberstown.

Zen

The picture above is of my ticket to see U2 in Croke Park, 40 years ago this Sunday. I confess I was slightly underwhelmed, despite being a fan at the time.

It marks an interesting point in modern Irish history. The band themselves were all about 25 years old, and just over half the country's population was aged below 25. Ireland's youth population was well above the European average, and it felt like they were all in Croke Park that day.

Unemployment was staggeringly high (there was quite a bit of grumbling about the ticket price on that basis), and most young people were emigrating once they hit adulthood. Change was coming, and that day it had a soundtrack. A couple of weeks later, U2 did this. Fair warning, Bono is in that clip.

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Have a lovely weekend.

Niall Shanahan