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9 things you need to know about the Claire Byrne Live seven-way debate

An eventful night at the University of Limerick.

Screen Shot 2016-02-15 at 22.57.10

AFTER ROUND ONE on TV3 last week, it was RTÉ’s turn to have the party leaders debate each other in Limerick tonight.

Renua’s Lucinda Creighton, the SocDems’ Stephen Donnelly and People Before Profit’s Richard Boyd Barrett joined Enda, Joan, Micheál and Gerry on stage at the University Concert Hall.

Claire Byrne had the unenviable task of moderating proceedings as the seven party leaders went at it….

1. An altogether more civil affair

Screen Shot 2016-02-15 at 21.38.09

Despite this being a seven-way debate it was far less shouty than last week’s slugfest on TV3. A lot of that had to do with the excellent work of Byrne who, bluntly, took no bull.

Several times she cut the leaders off when they started squabbling and talking over each other. It proved effective and popular with the audience:

2. Enda holds his punches… 

Perhaps it was the format and the fact there were three extra voices to be heard this week, but it was hard to escape the sense that the Taoiseach was once again silent for long periods.

Kenny seemed to think that staying out of the rows would benefit him. Perhaps it did, but it also allowed the others, like Donnelly and Richard Boyd-Barrett, to make their case, while Adams and Martin squabbled, and Burton answered questions she wasn’t asked.

3. … and consults the archives 

Screen Shot 2016-02-15 at 21.40.56

It’s clear that the government parties are set on targeting Micheál Martin and the Taoiseach repeatedly went to his notes to drag up the Fianna Fáil leader’s past. First he recalled how Martin told Bloomberg and Fox News in 2010 that Ireland wouldn’t need a bailout.

Later, Martin staunchly defended his record on health, saying he “disagreed fundamentally” with Byrne’s analysis of it as she put a question to him.

Screen Shot 2016-02-15 at 21.46.49

“Rubbish, rubbish!” shouted Kenny across the studio before he dipped back into his notes and dragged up a pledge Martin made as minister for health in 2002 when he said the government would “permanently abolish waiting lists in two years”.

Broadly, Martin didn’t have as good a night as he did last week, the format not allowing him to aim as many direct criticisms at the government as he did on TV3.

4. Stephen Donnelly vs. The Establishment 

Screen Shot 2016-02-15 at 22.03.39

It was flagged beforehand that the SocDems could do well out of this debate and indeed Stephen Donnelly, one of their three leaders, was a strong performer throughout. His basic argument was that the political establishment was wrong on everything, from cutting USC to the best way of supporting businesses.

He made the difficult argument that now is not the time to abolish USC with “economic storm clouds gathering”. It was a view that diverged from most of the other leaders on stage, but it might well have appealed to voters who aren’t buying the current round of auction politics from the others.

Perhaps most interestingly Donnelly found a fan in the Taoiseach, who knows well that he might need the SocDems after the election:

But Burton was less enamoured by the Wicklow TD, no doubt aware that the SocDems are threatening to take Labour votes all over the country:

5. Angry Gerry 

Screen Shot 2016-02-15 at 21.57.34 1

There was a particularly heated exchange between the two opposition leaders early on in the debate when Micheál Martin said that Adams had been denying IRA membership for 30 years and expected people to believe them.

Adams challenged Martin to go to the gardaí if he had any information to that effect. Martin shot back that there isn’t a guard in the country who believes Adams.

But by that stage the Sinn Féin leader had launched into an extended rant, with his voice raised and lots of gesticulating, about how all of this didn’t help the homeless children, people on trolleys and others all over the country.

Screen Shot 2016-02-15 at 21.57.35

Adams’s anger at facing the usual questions over his past clearly got to him and he seemed more shaken by it than he was last week on TV3. Twice he referred to Martin, Kenny and Burton as “the three amigos” but the joke fell flat on both occasions.

6. Richard Boyd-Barrett takes off

The AAA-PBP representative was fairly subdued early on, but when he excoriated the government over cutting the dole for under 26s he got the first round of applause of the night. Buoyed by that he increased the volume and the hand waving and before you knew it was just like his regular shouty Dáil performances.

Screen Shot 2016-02-15 at 22.14.33

“If the public sector does not create jobs, our young people will not come back here,” he said to yet more applause. They were putting their hands together again when the Dún Laoghaire TD slammed the government for closing down local emergency department services. On the clap-o-meter, Boyd-Barrett was the undoubted winner of the night.

7. Joan struggles again 

Screen Shot 2016-02-15 at 21.46.54

The Tánaiste is having her first experience of TV debates in this election and, to be frank, she just isn’t at the races. She was the worst performer last week and she struggled again tonight. Several times she spoke about issues completely unrelated to the question she was asked.

When asked about broken promises, Burton spoke about the economy growing by an average of 3.1% over the next five years. When asked about jobs, she talked about the government having reopened Templemore and recruiting extra gardaí. In the section on housing, the moderator’s intervention was telling:

At one point, Burton began speaking over Kenny to make a point that he broadly agreed with while trying to make his own. He looked rather bemused at the intervention.

walk away

8. Lucinda on the edge

Screen Shot 2016-02-15 at 21.50.46

The Renua leader was to the far-right of the stage and seemed to get very few opportunities to contribute.

She talked of the need to depoliticise health, overhaul the tax system and introduce a flat tax, and got time to speak about the party’s controversial three strikes crime policy. But none of it seemed to enthuse the audience. Of the three smaller party leaders, she was the least relevant on the night.

9. Claire Byrne for Taoiseach 

It’s somewhat cliched these days to praise a moderator after a scrappy debate, but Byrne really was excellent. At no stage tonight did the debate get out of control or even threaten to get out of control.

She cut off the leaders when they started shouting at each other and she wasn’t afraid to challenge them when she felt they needed challenging:

As it happened: It’s the RTÉ general election leaders’ debate

Read: Gerry Adams got a hell of a grilling on this man’s radio show this morning

Enda: I’ve already ruled out Fianna Fáil 10 times – and I’m doing it again

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117 Comments
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    Mute Tom Red
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    Jan 13th 2015, 7:55 AM

    Where did Gardai get their Intel from????…

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    Mute thefunnyman
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    Jan 13th 2015, 7:57 AM

    Inside

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    Mute Alan Rossiter
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    Jan 13th 2015, 8:03 AM

    Haswell then, I’m sure they’ll get to the core of it in pentium time and they can take the culprits to the broadwell for processing.

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    Mute Dave Davis
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    Jan 13th 2015, 8:05 AM

    Yes! Brilliant!

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    Mute Dave Davis
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    Jan 13th 2015, 8:06 AM

    Alan, you couldn’t follow the first one. It was never going to happen for you :(

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    Mute redmarauder
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    Jan 13th 2015, 8:13 AM

    Skynet has become selfaware at 06:30 am.

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    Mute Euro McPúnty
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    Jan 13th 2015, 8:25 AM

    Someone with a chip on their shoulder

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    Mute Mark Lillis
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    Jan 13th 2015, 10:15 AM

    They should just build an Ivy Bridge and get over it!

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    Mute Paddy Hannigan
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    Jan 13th 2015, 4:53 PM

    Maybe it was a logic bomb ?

    11
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    Mute Michael Kennedy
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    Jan 13th 2015, 8:09 AM

    As per normal people joke about it here but given that several thousand were due on site and the array of chemicals it is a serious matter. Better to be on the cautious side that risk so many.

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    Mute Stephen Blake
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    Jan 13th 2015, 8:35 AM

    Exactly! I got red thumbed for similar comments

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    Mute Stephen Blake
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    Jan 13th 2015, 9:09 AM

    And you are privy to this how? I’m all for a joke normally like. I work there… Ye haven’t a clue of the internal workings of intel. It is a massive chemical plant. There are approx 2500 people working there at present. If something went off it would not be pretty. If 2500 got killed then who Wud be a muppet? I apologise for being square and coming across as a “Muppet” and I understand freedom of speech etc and I enjoy d puns and double meanings normally within The Journal (they are normally better than the articles) but there is genuine concern in Leixlip this morning.

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    Mute Dmitry Boguslavsky
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    Jan 13th 2015, 10:12 AM

    Totally agree. Massive project/risk management example. Despite the hilarious jokes (I mean it!) – good job Intel Security and Emergency Response Team! As an employee I prefer to know I am relatively safe and if there is anything to be done in order to increase my chances – it is done in the best way. Respect.

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    Mute Paul Murphy
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    Jan 13th 2015, 2:44 PM

    Any Heptane on sight..usually goes with a bang…

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    Mute David Kelleher
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    Jan 13th 2015, 7:41 AM

    Je suis Intel

    276
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    Mute RFZmK5Va
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    Jan 13th 2015, 9:29 AM

    Knob

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    Mute David Kelleher
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    Jan 13th 2015, 9:56 AM

    Freedom of speech and all that. Get over it, everyone had been evacuated when I made the comment so no need to be a drama queen.

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    Mute Ciaran Salley
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    Jan 13th 2015, 10:32 AM

    David Kelleher, 10/10, ***** and a big A+

    77
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    Mute RFZmK5Va
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    Jan 13th 2015, 11:00 AM

    Do you work in Intel David to know everyone had been evacuated??

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    Mute David Kelleher
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    Jan 13th 2015, 11:27 AM

    No, but the lovely lady in the Journal had stated it here. You’re a sensitive soul chief. Some craic on a night out in say!

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    Mute RFZmK5Va
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    Jan 13th 2015, 11:47 AM

    you seem to know more than me and im a manager here in Intel, don’t believe everything you read in the papers soft lad

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    Mute David Kelleher
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    Jan 13th 2015, 12:30 PM

    I bow to your superior knowledge. Over and Out ‘hard lad’

    129
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    Mute Alan b
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    Jan 13th 2015, 3:38 PM

    Lance get back to work and don’t be dossing in the jacks on your phone!!!!

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    Mute Peter Carroll
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    Jan 13th 2015, 8:39 AM

    Someone didn’t get a HOT WORKS PERMIT

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    Mute Has-an
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    Jan 13th 2015, 10:47 AM

    I just don’t want to see any extremist/terror attack in this country.as a Muslim (not a good one), don’t care about any religion or anything.
    All psycho, stay far from this country.

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    Mute Paul Bracken
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    Jan 13th 2015, 7:48 AM

    We’ve been told it’s a bomb scare.

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    Mute John Reese
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    Jan 13th 2015, 9:53 AM

    Weird, I was only reading yesterday that Intel is on the Garda watchlist as a potential target here in Ireland.

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    Mute damien kierans
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    Jan 13th 2015, 8:12 AM

    No access into the plant, I’m away home. See you tomorrow leixlip mate. Sweet.

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    Mute J
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    Jan 13th 2015, 8:56 AM

    Ah day off school, deadly buzz.

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    Mute Nick Kirwan
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    Jan 13th 2015, 9:22 AM

    No commitment from you

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    Mute John Smith
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    Jan 13th 2015, 9:48 AM

    Balls, thought I’d have the full day off.

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    Mute Euro McPúnty
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    Jan 13th 2015, 10:06 AM

    Are you construction? I thought most lads where sent home earlier on?

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    Mute Andrew S
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    Jan 13th 2015, 1:00 PM

    Tenner says I know who made the phone call….

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    Mute Stephen Blake
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    Jan 13th 2015, 7:53 AM

    Not a joking matter. We are outside and it must be serious if everyone is evacuated and people are stopped going in. If there was a bomb here it would be a big radius of a wipeout.

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    Mute Dermot Lane
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    Jan 13th 2015, 7:57 AM

    It couldn’t be a bomb, sure didn’t Charlie Flanagan say we’re grand!

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    Mute John Joseph McDermott
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    Jan 13th 2015, 8:50 AM

    Love to see them get inside the Dail’s security cordon with a live…

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    Mute John Mc Kenna
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    Jan 13th 2015, 8:52 AM

    Freedom of expression means being able to joke about a serious matter. Get used to it.

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    Mute Wayne O'Fathaigh
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    Jan 13th 2015, 9:21 AM

    Depends on the size of the device, now if you are aware of the size of the blast radius perhaps you planted it

    44
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    Mute Bazalini
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    Jan 13th 2015, 10:48 AM

    Some lunatic who obviously read yesterday’s Star newspaper who ran Intel as a site that could be attacked by terrorists.

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    Mute Luther Cooper
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    Jan 13th 2015, 8:37 AM

    Frank is busy preparing his False Flag theory for this one!!!!

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    Mute Gearóid Ó Murchadha
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    Jan 13th 2015, 9:04 AM

    Take the number 3, a powerful, magical, mystical and significant number, then add 3. What do you get? 6! How many letters in leixlip? 6! The numbers don’t lie!

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    Mute Ron Noco
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    Jan 13th 2015, 9:11 AM

    Ah… Is there not 7?

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    Mute Pearse Mc Mullen
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    Jan 13th 2015, 9:11 AM

    Errrrr!!………..1,2,3,4,5,6,7,……………….

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    Mute Gearóid Ó Murchadha
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    Jan 13th 2015, 9:32 AM

    Eh yes, I was having a go at Frank and his imaginative mathematics.

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    Mute William Boyd
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    Jan 13th 2015, 9:58 AM

    Frank
    11 hours ago # 78 26
    Munster2014_ I posted a link from the BBC
    Did you even read look at the f***ing article
    You constantly accuse me of posting conspiracy and propaganda material and when I produce something “legit” you dismiss it.
    John Rowan_ Edited: this thread is a discussion for those that don’t think outside the box.,
    BTW its past your bed time”

    Frank posted the above last night on another thread,

    “You constantly accuse me of posting conspiracy and propaganda material and when I produce something “legit” you dismiss it.”

    So is Frank admitting that most of what he posts is not legit just delusions?, it seems Frank doesn’t know if he’s coming or going, as for the supposed legit BBC link? laughable!.

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    Mute CreditTiger
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    Jan 13th 2015, 10:06 AM

    Franks anal stalkers are insatiable…..vous êtes Frank!

    35
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    Mute declan leonard
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    Jan 13th 2015, 10:17 AM

    Numbers are lying now ya dumbass

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    Mute Stephen Blake
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    Jan 13th 2015, 7:44 AM

    Any update?

    107
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    Mute Simon Barnes
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    Jan 13th 2015, 8:13 AM

    reports from staff of bomb threat. whole place on lock down

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    Mute Melissa Hall O'Neill
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    Jan 13th 2015, 9:08 AM

    Hope ya have ur laptop steve you can set up office with us on maxol

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    Mute Stephen Blake
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    Jan 13th 2015, 9:17 AM

    Haha…. Cheers! :-)

    10
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    Mute thefunnyman
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    Jan 13th 2015, 7:49 AM

    Mystery is on a building site at Intel and is saying its a bomb scare.

    103
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    Mute thefunnyman
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    Jan 13th 2015, 7:50 AM

    Mystery = my mate

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    Mute Pauliebhoy
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    Jan 13th 2015, 8:44 AM

    Jimi Mystery?

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    Mute Sutt Steve
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    Jan 13th 2015, 8:45 AM

    Cool name, tell Mystery to stay safe and keep us updated

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    Mute Andy Byron
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    Jan 13th 2015, 8:49 AM

    Mr E?

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    Mute ck
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    Jan 13th 2015, 9:49 AM

    Someone claiming to be from Islamic group ISIL said 12 bombs were planted there.

    69
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    Mute brian magee
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    Jan 13th 2015, 10:29 AM

    Are you sure that he wasn’t from the Tallaght Band?

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    Mute Mr Phil Officer
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    Jan 13th 2015, 10:31 AM

    Wasn’t that factory one of a list of “soft targets” mentioned in some of yesterdays papers?

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    Mute Eagle eye
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    Jan 13th 2015, 7:52 AM

    Some fella didn’t feel like going to work today. Sick days look bad but he can’t be blamed for a bomb scare!

    101
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    Mute Alan b
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    Jan 13th 2015, 7:41 AM

    A cow or a sheep probably broke through a fence onto the property

    100
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    Mute Jason Bourne
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    Jan 13th 2015, 8:41 AM

    Wheres Frank, to make sense of it all.

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    Mute Luther Cooper
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    Jan 13th 2015, 8:49 AM

    Just got word. It’s actually Frank inside

    102
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    Mute Timber Planks
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    Jan 13th 2015, 1:07 PM

    Maybe frank actually got a hobby!

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    Mute Michael Russell
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    Jan 13th 2015, 2:13 PM

    Frank is typing furiously into a calculator at the moment. Once he links this to some innocuous event 8888 days ago, he’ll be in touch.

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    Mute Buckwheat MacMillan
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    Jan 14th 2015, 6:12 AM

    Frank is a legend in his own subconscious

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    Mute Mike
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    Jan 13th 2015, 7:40 AM

    I blame ISIS

    88
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    Mute paul meade
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    Jan 13th 2015, 7:42 AM

    Good man mike u will get a job at sky!!!

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    Mute Mike
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    Jan 13th 2015, 7:51 AM

    While the likes of you will stay unemployed. Good luck

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    Mute Emer Caffrey
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    Jan 13th 2015, 7:51 AM

    fox news

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    Mute Mike
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    Jan 13th 2015, 8:00 AM

    That’s it Emer, some people like paul and country folk are a little slow……bless……

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    Mute Teresa Kelly
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    Jan 13th 2015, 8:18 AM

    Well, someone skipped breakfast…

    103
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    Mute Middle Class Cork
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    Jan 13th 2015, 2:03 PM

    ISIS? The Industrial Skivers Irish Society?

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    Mute Tom Fennelly
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    Jan 13th 2015, 7:56 AM

    Probably a virus

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    Mute John Joseph McDermott
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    Jan 13th 2015, 8:48 AM

    This is a cheap response to Enda’s swanning around Paris to get cheap press coverage from RTE.
    We have so many foreigners in Ireland now that some of them are bound to be ISIS supporters.
    Dublin Airport etc. next port of false call.?

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    Mute RI Twing
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    Jan 13th 2015, 9:13 AM

    Tit

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    Mute William Boyd
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    Jan 13th 2015, 9:50 AM

    Didn’t a certain newspaper highlight a few potential targets for Jihadi’s in Ireland the Intel plant been one of them.

    So probably some prank call.

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    Mute Mark Scott
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    Jan 13th 2015, 8:26 AM

    Hope yous had time to grab your jackets

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    Mute Níamh Rock
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    Jan 13th 2015, 8:44 AM

    We do this to get off school all the time

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    Mute Jason Bourne
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    Jan 13th 2015, 9:27 AM

    Ladies and gentlemen…….our future.

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    Mute Brian Rochford
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    Jan 13th 2015, 10:00 AM

    Lighten up Jason and all the other red thumb brigade.
    She’s just a kid.
    I would have posted similar at her age.

    Take no notice Niamh.

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    Mute Jason Bourne
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    Jan 13th 2015, 1:16 PM

    Brian, if you took a sec, you’d see I was joking.

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    Mute Brian Rochford
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    Jan 13th 2015, 3:11 PM

    Thanks for clarifying Jason.

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    Mute Celticspirit321
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    Jan 13th 2015, 8:35 AM

    Someone get fired recently?

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    Mute Peter Fitzsimons
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    Jan 13th 2015, 1:15 PM

    Thankfully it wasn’t a real threat. Fair play to everyone involved with securing and evacuating the site. By far, it’s not the easiest task to do.

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    Mute Eileesh Buckley
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    Jan 13th 2015, 9:53 PM

    As a former Intel employee I can confirm that we were all made well aware of our status as potential targets. I worked at the site in Shannon which is in the flight line for Shannon Airport. Less than a week after 9/11 there was an Arabic man outside our building taking photos, it turned out he was legit, but our facilities manager chased him down & brought him to the Gardai before his legitimacy was confirmed.

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    Mute declan leonard
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    Jan 13th 2015, 10:15 AM

    Obviously someone with a chip on their shoulder

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    Mute Eggfuel
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    Jan 13th 2015, 10:06 AM

    You would wonder if the systems are being tested for a full scale attack in the future as they did in NI before a first proper attack

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    Mute Luther Cooper
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    Jan 13th 2015, 8:07 AM

    Was it the Mexicans?

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    Mute CreditTiger
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    Jan 13th 2015, 10:12 AM

    So sleeeepy, essay!!

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    Mute Nigel O'Neill
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    Jan 13th 2015, 1:43 PM

    How convenient!? Ok so what made the threat ‘credible’ ? Please show us the evidence of that? How come nothing was found then and do they really expect us to believe this!?!?
    People of Ireland..dont fall for this absolute scaremingering and agenda engineering

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    Mute filthypete
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    Jan 13th 2015, 1:59 PM

    Tinfoil hat

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    Mute Peter Fitzsimons
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    Jan 13th 2015, 3:03 PM

    Well, when you receive a call from an anonymous entity saying there are explosives planted on the Intel site and you will have potentially 3-4 thousand people on this site, with enough chems and gases on this site to provide us with a mini Hiroshima, would you take this threat seriously, regardless of how credible you could deem it at the time??
    I’m not trying to debunk your theory, I don’t want a stupid internet conspiracy argument I’m just putting that simple question to you!

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    Mute jb
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    Jan 14th 2015, 6:39 PM

    for yourself is it pete ? The caller had an Irish accent and sounded like a teenager according to reports and they call it a credible threat……

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    Mute jb
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    Jan 14th 2015, 6:40 PM

    I would agree with you Peter Fitz , but from reports a teenager with an Irish Accent…..how could that be credible ?

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    Mute Peter Fitzsimons
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    Jan 14th 2015, 9:40 PM

    Correct JB,
    I’ve heard that it was also from a payphone in Balbriggan (hilarious I know) but this is a hindsight view now. Intel’s officials weren’t made aware of this at the time however. Even if it was made aware, they’ll take the negative side every time. Christ they won’t let you climb a ladder without a medical from NASA ha! But when it comes to a 7 billion dollar fab, thousands of lives and the surrounding area they’ll seriously go as far as pushing the question “What if it were a young Irish teen who converted, and wanted to uphold ISIL’s honour ??” As was stated on the phone. I’d say there’ll be more of this crap at Intel!! I suppose how do they draw the line as to what’s credible when they’ve no real experiences to reference them to! There was another scare once but I wasn’t working there then.

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    Mute Jack Bowden
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    Jan 13th 2015, 9:36 AM

    I bet it was a disgruntled, drunk, ex employee with a mental disorder. Or kids messing.

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    Mute Owen Griffin
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    Jan 13th 2015, 8:08 AM

    Mike the Anchorman = Ape

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    Mute Mike
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    Jan 13th 2015, 8:18 AM

    Says someone from doonbeg. lol. I feel sorry for you. You look like an ape in that picture…..

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    Mute Ken Power Grouch
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    Jan 13th 2015, 11:48 AM

    Will someone please think of the children!

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    Mute SCO Electrical
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    Jan 13th 2015, 8:12 PM

    Rumour is it was a lad who was all set for a snow day, re watch House of Cards before Season 3… snow didn’t arrive this morning but didn’t want to change his plans…..

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    Mute Paul Parsons
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    Jan 13th 2015, 9:51 AM

    Thankfully getting up mad early was not part of today’s plans. That traffic would have made a sh!te of everything. Oh and that it was a hoax too… or was it?

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    Mute Ger
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    Jan 14th 2015, 3:44 AM

    You can be sure if it was an actual Islamic group there would be no phone warning.
    Once went for an interview out there. Got there in plenty of time but managed to get myself lost on the campus. Didn’t have the balls to go in late and tell them why so just went home.

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    Mute glenoir
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    Jan 13th 2015, 1:59 PM

    Where or who made the threat!

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    Mute Paul McNevin
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    Jan 14th 2015, 1:19 AM

    Velly ‘INTELesting’.

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    Mute Wayne O'ceallaig
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    Jan 14th 2015, 12:39 PM

    U push a button the alarm sounds everybody leaves simple . They also said the place was sweeped and declared safe bullshit to take nothing away from the ert they didn’t even know what they were looking for . The plant is so vast it would be impossible to declare it safe and also we were all evacuated across the road if there was an explosion we were all dead

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    Mute jb
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    Jan 14th 2015, 6:37 PM

    The guy was supposed to have an Irish accent and sounded like a teenager and they call it a credible threat…….WTF?

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    Mute Greg
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    Jan 13th 2015, 9:07 AM

    Is it Mercury rising

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