In the Irish Examiner today our colleague Ruairí Creaney is quoted from his address to the Oireachtas Transport and Communications committee yesterday. Ruairí told the committee that 40 additional permanent driver tester roles are needed at the RSA, and outlined the experience of precarious working conditions for some driver testers at the RSA, and said that this is impacting the service and adding to the waiting lists for driving tests, currently up to 24 weeks.

Elsewhere, around 30 flights in and out of Dublin Airport have been cancelled as a result of an air traffic control strike in France. 

The RTÉ newsroom remains a gloomy fortress as it's reported that journalists have expressed fear about coverage of upcoming elections as they already feel “absolutely stretched” due to staff shortages. Meanwhile, the broadcaster has guaranteed that Fair City will continue to air throughout the summer months, despite concerns that were expressed yesterday at the Oireachtas Media committee over pressure on the public broadcaster’s resources. 

Zen

Your Zen moment this morning imagines a glorious sunrise in Co.Leitrim (what's it like there this morning Derek Kelleher?).

Capturing a year in the life of a rural, lakeside community in Ireland, That They May Face The Rising Sun was  the final novel by John McGahern. It's 20 years since I read it but it has a still and contemplative quality that lingers long in the memory.

A new film version sees Joe and Kate Ruttledge return from London in the 1970s to live and work among the small, close-knit community near to where Joe grew up: "Now deeply embedded in life around the lake, the drama of a year in their lives and those of the memorable characters around them unfolds through the rituals of work, play and the passing seasons as this enclosed world becomes an everywhere."

In her review of the film Tara Brady says it's the 'best Irish film in a very long time': "An Cailín Ciúin fans should start queueing now. Pat Collins has made an exquisite adaptation of John McGahern’s final novel."

Have a great day.

Niall