Tony Holohan is searching out his swimming trunks and umbrella as we ready ourselves for resumed inter-county travel, hair cuts, clicking, collecting, and art gallery-mooching next week. And the Oireachtas transport committee has called for rapid antigen testing to ease a return to air travel.

This as UCD academics claim Ireland has experienced the strictest EU lockdown of 2021, and US wonks estimate the global Covid death-count at more more than twice official estimates, with over 7,000 deaths in Ireland. 

As the housing political pressure piles up, the Indo reports that cuckoo funds are now splashing out over €50 million a week on new-builds in Dublin and its suburbs. The Journal chips in with this on Fianna Fáil's homes' dilemma.

Elsewhere, the State (finally) moves to address the Saint John of Gods funding crisis, the Government refuses to negotiate Sláintecare-related consultant contacts, and the INMO conference goes large on long Covid.

There's also plenty on Tory plans to ban prosecutions of British soldiers accused of killing civilians in the North. And Eoin Harris cops a comeuppance over his fake Twitter account, .

Over the water, Labour looks set for a difficult day as we await the outcome of the biggest crop of UK local, regional and national elections since 2019. In breaking news, the Tories easily won the Hartlepool by-election. 

Zenwise, this day in 1824 a totally-deaf Ludwig Van Beethoven stepped up to a Vienna podium to debut his ninth and final symphony. There are loads of fantastic versions of the master's masterpiece, but this 2020 lockdown version of its triumphant Ode to Joy, by members of the Rotterdam Philharmonic, would bring a tear to a glass eye. 

Enjoy the weekend.

Bernard