Latest news with #Irish-English
Irish Examiner
4 days ago
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Just a tick — take time to find out about Lyme disease
People enjoying outdoor activities during the June bank holiday are being advised to take precautions against tick bites which could lead them to contracting Lyme disease. Ticks are most active during the warmer months of summer and autumn and are often found in areas with high grass, woodland and sand dunes. Lyme disease is spread through a bite from an infected tick on a person's skin. Symptoms include red rash, fever, headache and fatigue. And, chances are, they'll have you bitten before you see them. The HSE points out that a tick can cause Lyme disease in humans after it has bitten an infected animal. According to Professor Jack Lambert, a Dublin-based infectious disease consultant, between 5% and 15% of ticks are carriers and many people may not know they have Lyme disease which, he said, is poorly understood and poorly recognised here. We knew the tick by its Irish name, 'sceartán', and have good reason to remember this little bloodsucker from bites received, almost daily, during childhood days roaming the fields in summertime. It's always interesting to refer to the renowned Irish-English dictionary compiled by the distinguished Fr Patrick Dinneen (An Duinnineach), well over a century ago. Not alone did he give an exact translation of a word, he often provided numerous, detailed definitions as well… some strange or quirky, but always descriptive and even amusing at times. The scholar-priest, who was born, in 1860, into 10 hungry acres in the shadows of the Paps Mountains, on the Cork-Kerry border, defined a 'sceartán' as follows: 'A parasitical insect, a bug, a crab louse, a flesh worm, an insect found in healthy sheep, dogs etc." That's quite comprehensive. No mention of deer, however, which many people now link to the spread of Lyme disease — understandably so due to the massive growth of the national deer population. Deer were not nearly as numerous in Fr Dinneen's lifetime. To prevent bites, people are recommended to wear long-sleeved shirts, and long pants, which should be tucked into socks, when outdoors; and to use insect repellent. If a tick is removed within the first number of hours, the risk of infection is very low. The entire tick, including its mouthparts which might break off, should be removed with a tweezers by gripping it close to the skin. The skin where the tick was found should then be washed with soap and water and the area checked over the next few weeks for swelling or redness. Image: It's also wise to check your body for bites. If you find a tick, the advice is to remove it with a tweezers, avoiding squeezing, or crushing it. The HSE urges people to stick to paths, where possible, and to wear light-coloured clothing so that ticks easier to spot and brush off. Because of climate change and rising temperatures, Asian and north African ticks are moving towards Europe. And, though no new species have been reported in Ireland in recent years, existing species are becoming more prevalent, thriving in warmer, humid conditions. Click here for more practical advice on avoiding ticks and preventing Lyme disease.
The Irish Sun
02-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
Irish-English officer opens up on brutal time fighting Al Qaeda butchers in Iraq & Afghanistan after 9/11 terror attack
AN Irish-English officer who took up his family's tradition of military service has told of his time deployed in the Middle East - including a moment that warmed his heart and another that 'changed him forever'. Mark Stoneman, 56, was inspired by his grandfather, who fought in the Advertisement 5 Mark was deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan Credit: markstoneman 5 The Middle East was ravaged by war after the 9/11 terrorist attack Credit: markstoneman Born to an Irish mum and At 18, he moved to Mark told us: 'When I applied I ran into the British class system where if I wasn't from the right family and didn't go to the right 'I have an interview and everything is going swimmingly with a retired officer, he liked me, it became so apparent that I was qualified for the job until he said, 'When was your dad an officer?', and I said, 'He wasn't, he was a private', and he went 'Oh', and that was the end of the interview. Advertisement READ MORE IN NEWS 'And I was very disillusioned so I up and left, I went to America and got a scholarship to Mark studied history at High Point University in He quickly climbed the ranks to become an officer before the horrific 9/11 terrorist attack on Manhattan's Twin Towers, which led to the US invasion of Saddam Hussain-controlled Mark said: '9/11 happened and I was like, I can't get out now. Advertisement Most read in Irish News GOING AFTER ENEMY 'I knew that we were going to war, I knew I had a duty to lead my soldiers, and there'd be combat. I had just been promoted to captain. 'Everything was focused on Iraq, going there, keeping people alive. Mastermind behind 9/11 attacks Khalid Sheikh Mohammed agrees plea deal to avoid death penalty after years in jail "I wasn't part of the invasion in 2003 but I was in command of a unit in 2004 of about 106 soldiers. 'I had about six months to train them. We went to Iraq for a year where we were responsible for the stability, security, and development of three villages, about 50,000 people. Advertisement 'For a year we were in combat with insurgents, Iraqis who didn't want us there, but they were also attacking civilians trying to go about their daily lives, and my obligation was to protect them as much as to go after the enemy.' Mark said that while some in the Diyala Province in Iraq were grateful for their presence, there was constant combat with 'If someone was working with us, say we hired an electrician to fix streetlight, which happened, they killed that guy to send a message to everyone else, don't work with the Americans, even though we were trying to do something good. RITUAL KILLING 'We fought against Advertisement 'It was long periods of boredom interspersed with moments of sheer terror, we were driving around, most days nothing would happen, then some days they would shoot a rocket at us, you could never predict when it was going to happen, it was a constant challenge as a leader.' And Mark revealed one of the worst things he came across while deployed. He told us: 'Towards the end there was a guy that I became very friendly with. He was the mayor of the village. 'I thought he was coming around to democracy and moving his country forward. Advertisement 'Then one night I was eating dinner with him and he informed me there's going to be a ritual killing the next day of two teenagers caught having extramarital sex, that violated the norms so the respective families were going to execute them. 'I was completely shocked and disappointed, all this work we had put in for GLIMPSE OF HUMANITY While on his second deployment in Iraq in 2010, Mark suffered a devastating attack on the soldiers he was training. He said: 'Al Qaeda attacked the base we were on, they blew up a 500 pound bomb at the gate, a couple hundred feet from where I was and killed all the Iraqis guarding it, that was probably the worst point, I knew those guys.' Advertisement But he explained there were moments of humanity among the constant fighting, including in 2005 sport brought the soldiers and locals together. He said: 'I supported Ipswich town 'And someone I'd never met collected 500 shirts and we managed to get them out and we gave them to men and boys and outfitted a whole league with these shirts. 'Regardless of us being there, we could unite around football, we could agree that playing football was a good thing. Advertisement 'I look back on that as one of the happiest moments of my life, we were able to do something for these people who were dirt poor.' Mark, now a history teacher in He told us: 'My brain works differently now that it did in 2004, because you're constantly under stress, every day. I'm functional and I have a good life but it changes you.' MARK'S book 'Driving Around, Waiting To Get Blown Up' is available now. Advertisement 5 The US army deployed troops to Iraq in 2003 Credit: markstoneman 5 Mark has written a book on his experiences Credit: markstoneman 5 Mark was the head of a peacekeeping force Credit: markstoneman
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Audrey Hepburn and Marc Bolan among blue plaques honourees
Actress Audrey Hepburn and glam rock musician Marc Bolan are among the blue plaque honourees for 2025. The London scheme, from English Heritage, will also celebrate novelist Barbara Pym, artist Graham Sutherland, ballerina Alicia Markova and Jamaican writer and campaigner Una Marson. Belgium-born Hepburn, who will be commemorated with a plaque in Mayfair, was sent to a boarding school in England by her parents Irish-English businessman, James Hepburn Ruston, and a Dutch-Hungarian-French noblewoman, Baroness Ella Van Heemstra. She landed her Oscar-winning role as Princess Ann in 1953 romance film Roman Holiday while living in Mayfair, after spending her early years in London. Hepburn also has four Academy Award best actress nods for romantic comedies Sabrina and Breakfast At Tiffany's, drama The Nun's Story, and horror Wait Until Dark. Shortly before she died aged 63 in 1993, she was presented the British Academy's Special Award by the Princess Royal. English Heritage curatorial director, Matt Thompson, said: '2025 marks an exciting year for the Blue Plaques Scheme as we honour these outstanding individuals who transformed the cultural fabric of London. 'From literature and art to dance and music, these figures helped shape the London we know today. Their contributions not only had a profound impact on their fields but also continue to inspire generations.' T Rex frontman Bolan will be marked with a plaque at one of his west London addresses, while English National Ballet co-founder Markova is set to be honoured at her childhood home in Muswell Hill. Get It On hitmaker Bolan died aged 29 in 1977 when his car smashed into a tree in south-west London. More London locations will be picked for Marson, claimed by the BBC to be its first black producer on the payroll who would go on to develop Caribbean Voices, part of the Calling The West Indies series, as well as Excellent Women author Pym. Sutherland – known for his controversial 1954 portrait of Winston Churchill that was later destroyed – will be honoured at his childhood home in the suburbs of London. An episode of Netflix royal drama The Crown revolved around the creation of the painting, and last year Sutherland's preparatory painting of Churchill was sold by Sotheby's auction house for £660,000. The blue plaques, which need the owner of the building to approve them, are set to be installed throughout this year. The markings on buildings began in 1866 and had been run by English Heritage since 1986. In 2024, the scheme was officially expanded outside of the capital, with the woman credited as the first black matron in the NHS, Daphne Steele, becoming the principal honouree with a Yorkshire plaque.
Sky News
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News
Audrey Hepburn will get blue plaque in London - as list of honourees revealed
Audrey Hepburn and glam rock musician Marc Bolan are among the stars being honoured with blue plaques celebrating their "profound impact". Plaques will also honour novelist Barbara Pym, artist Graham Sutherland, ballerina Alicia Markova and Jamaican writer and campaigner Una Marson. The blue plaque scheme has been running since 1866. Hepburn's plaque will go up in Mayfair, a high-end neighbourhood of London where the actress landed her Oscar-winning role as Princess Anne in 1953 romance film Roman Holiday, starring alongside Gregory Peck. The actress was sent to a boarding school in England by her parents, Irish-English businessman James Hepburn Ruston and a Dutch-Hungarian-French noblewoman, Baroness Ella Van Heemstra. She has four Academy Award best actress nods for romantic comedies Sabrina and Breakfast At Tiffany's, drama The Nun's Story, and horror Wait Until Dark. Shortly before she died aged 63 in 1993, she was presented the British Academy's Special Award by the Princess Royal. English Heritage curatorial director, Matt Thompson, said: "2025 marks an exciting year for the Blue Plaques Scheme as we honour these outstanding individuals who transformed the cultural fabric of London. "From literature and art to dance and music, these figures helped shape the London we know today. "Their contributions not only had a profound impact on their fields but also continue to inspire generations." T Rex frontman Bolan will be marked with a plaque at one of his west London addresses, while English National Ballet co-founder Markova is set to be honoured at her childhood home in Muswell Hill. Get It On hitmaker Bolan died aged 29 in 1977 when his car smashed into a tree in south-west London. The location for a plaque commemorating Jamaican writer Marson, claimed by the BBC to be its first black producer on the payroll who would go on to develop Caribbean Voices, part of the Calling The West Indies series, is yet to be chosen. The blue plaques, which need the owner of the building to approve them, are set to be installed throughout this year. Previous honourees include Princess Diana, Waiting for Godot playwright Samuel Beckett, and Great Expectations author Charles Dickens. In 2024, the scheme was officially expanded outside of the capital, with the woman credited as the first black matron in the NHS, Daphne Steele, becoming the principal honouree with a Yorkshire plaque.
The Independent
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Audrey Hepburn and Marc Bolan among blue plaques honourees
Actress Audrey Hepburn and glam rock musician Marc Bolan are among the blue plaque honourees for 2025. The London scheme, from English Heritage, will also celebrate novelist Barbara Pym, artist Graham Sutherland, ballerina Alicia Markova and Jamaican writer and campaigner Una Marson. Belgium-born Hepburn, who will be commemorated with a plaque in Mayfair, was sent to a boarding school in England by her parents Irish-English businessman, James Hepburn Ruston, and a Dutch-Hungarian-French noblewoman, Baroness Ella Van Heemstra. She landed her Oscar-winning role as Princess Ann in 1953 romance film Roman Holiday while living in Mayfair, after spending her early years in London. Hepburn also has four Academy Award best actress nods for romantic comedies Sabrina and Breakfast At Tiffany's, drama The Nun's Story, and horror Wait Until Dark. Shortly before she died aged 63 in 1993, she was presented the British Academy's Special Award by the Princess Royal. English Heritage curatorial director, Matt Thompson, said: '2025 marks an exciting year for the Blue Plaques Scheme as we honour these outstanding individuals who transformed the cultural fabric of London. 'From literature and art to dance and music, these figures helped shape the London we know today. Their contributions not only had a profound impact on their fields but also continue to inspire generations.' T Rex frontman Bolan will be marked with a plaque at one of his west London addresses, while English National Ballet co-founder Markova is set to be honoured at her childhood home in Muswell Hill. Get It On hitmaker Bolan died aged 29 in 1977 when his car smashed into a tree in south-west London. More London locations will be picked for Marson, claimed by the BBC to be its first black producer on the payroll who would go on to develop Caribbean Voices, part of the Calling The West Indies series, as well as Excellent Women author Pym. Sutherland – known for his controversial 1954 portrait of Winston Churchill that was later destroyed – will be honoured at his childhood home in the suburbs of London. An episode of Netflix royal drama The Crown revolved around the creation of the painting, and last year Sutherland's preparatory painting of Churchill was sold by Sotheby's auction house for £660,000. The blue plaques, which need the owner of the building to approve them, are set to be installed throughout this year. The markings on buildings began in 1866 and had been run by English Heritage since 1986. In 2024, the scheme was officially expanded outside of the capital, with the woman credited as the first black matron in the NHS, Daphne Steele, becoming the principal honouree with a Yorkshire plaque.
