Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
LAST UPDATE | 14 Jul 2022
REGULATIONS THAT WILL ban the retail sale of turf, as well as smoky coal and wet wood, will be introduced at the end of October.
Cabinet met incorporeally to sign on on the new measures, with the Environment Minister Eamon Ryan stating today that the new measures will save lives.
Ryan said there is effectively little change in the final version of the regulations, stating that turbary rights and low level sales were always going to be facilitated.
He said it was right to hear all the concerns of backbenchers in Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
The selling of turf through “traditional channels” will continue to be allowed and the ban on smoky coal will be extended nationwide under new regulations that will take effect on 31 October.
At a Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting last night, TDs and Senators were told the new regulations will continue to allow people with turf-cutting rights to be able to gift or sell turf as normal through “traditional channels”.
However, it will no longer be possible to sell turf from retail premises such as shops, petrol stations or fuel depots and selling it online or through any traditional media channels will no longer be permitted.
The regulations will also restrict the sale of wet wood as small bags of wood will be required to have a moisture content of less than 25%.
Environment Minister Eamon Ryan has now formally dropped a controversial proposal that turf transactions would only be allowed in communities of 500 people or below.
Concerns were raised about the rule by backbenchers in Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, however, sources within the Green Party said that such a proposal was in the draft regulations, and was never going to be part of the final regulations.
The Fianna Fáil parliamentary party was told that the regulations will not impinge upon traditional practices associated with turf and the traditional trading of turf in rural areas will be maintained.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the main effect of the proposed solid fuel regulations will be to bring an end to the sale of smoky coal.
The Fianna Fáil leader said this fuel is the main contributor to air pollution in Ireland and causes significant health damage and loss of life.
Contains reporting from Christina Finn
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
ISS is visible several times every year from Ireland
Download the NASA app and go to missions / sighting opportunities and it will tell you exactly where in the sky to watch and the correct time & date.
The ISS passes over Ireland hundreds of times a year. The journal is abit late with this story, for the past week it’s passed directly over us twice every evening .
ISS SPOTTER is a great App if anyone is interested. Tells you when, tells where from and the direction. Makes it very easy to watch out and track it.
22nd, 6:26 pm and 8:04 pm
23rd. 7:15pm
24th 6:26 pm
26th. 6:25pm
Clear sky is only requirement.
Eyesight is also a requirement
You can also get email alerts set up for a certain town/area, I set it up and I’ve seen the space station many times overhead!! All we need is a few clear nights :)
Despite the couple of red thumbs, that made me laugh a wee bit Eddie
how do you set that up Arianna??…..
I can’t remember exactly how I did it,it was a while ago, but this is the email address I receive them from so I’m sure if you google spot the station or go to the nasa website you should be able to find the link, sorry I can’t be of more help! spotthestation@mail.nasa.gov
Found the link….. http://spotthestation.nasa.gov
I miss Chris Hadfield, I only copped onto him for his last 3 months but what a guy, made science so interesting
I read his book and watched Space Oddity on YouTube. Does that count as a sighting?
Would it be half as bright if there were only three astronauts on board?
“The aircraft. . . .”? It’s not an aircraft, it’s a spacecraft. I know this isn’t National Geographic, and a lot of people are no longer bothered about punctuation, spelling or grammar, but it would be good if we could preserve the meanings of at least some words. Then we might have a chance of understanding each other.
Welcome to the journal – where we strive to get things wrong.
They’ve fixed it on the sly –
None of these idiots will notice they said
Well, at least they fixed it, I guess that’s progress of a sort.
“The aircraft will be visible over Ireland for the next four nights”
Sorry for the pedantry but it’s not an aircraft =p
Awesome sight. Science at its best.
I tracked it with a powerful telescope on its last pass over Ireland. I could even read the letters on its underside!
G -A -R -D -A
Report your sighting… Why? We know where it’s gonna be and be seen from.
Oh yes so astronomy ireland can pound you with emails……
Hope I get abducted and probed! #YOLO
It’s not an aircraft. It’s a spacecraft. There is no air up there.
Eh – iv seen it loads of times.
It does this a few times a year
Err, don’t harsh the scientific dudes’ buzz – they get ratty!:-D
Been there.
Nice spot.
Great views.
Aircraft??!! Come on guys in fairness. SPACECRAFT.
This has been passing us around tea time for a couple of weeks already.
Looks like a standard phone box to me!
Seems like a strange story? It’s visible on average 2 or 3 times a week – you can get notifications for your area from spotthestation (.com possibly? Either Google it or search for it on NASA’s website)
have your say