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Extra.ie
6 days ago
- Health
- Extra.ie
Sunbed salons ‘openly flout ban on youngsters'
One in five tanning salons is accepting minors in 'flagrant breaches' of the law, as cancer charities have warned that children as young as First Communion age are using sunbeds. It comes as new data obtained by points to a negligent attitude to customer health in the tanning industry, with one third of formal salon inspections having been failed in the past two years. Responding to the revelations, the minister responsible for public health this weekend pledged to further examine banning sunbeds, calling the level of non-compliance 'unacceptable'. According to the Public Health (Sunbeds) Act 2014, it is illegal for businesses to allow under-18s to use tanning beds. The UV-emitting machines have been shown to increase the risk of skin cancer after just a single use. One in five tanning salons is accepting minors in 'flagrant breaches' of the law, as cancer charities have warned that children as young as First Communion age are using sunbeds. Pic:According to the Department of Health, the risk of melanoma is increased by 75% when sunbed use starts before the age of 35. The HSE, responsible for enforcing the safety legislation, sends supervised minors to tanning salons for 'test shops' as part of its enforcement strategy. Last year, 11 out of 50 salons subjected to that test allowed minors to buy time on a sunbed, according to figures provided by the HSE. In 2023, nine out of 47 salons tested were prepared to allow a minor to use their business. Bernie Carter, who is assistant director of nursing at the Marie Keating Foundation and leads a schools' programme and skin cancer awareness programme for the charity, said that there is 'definitely' an issue with minors illegally using sunbeds. Ms Carter told Extra: 'I was outside a particular [tanning salon] around Holy Communion time last year. There was a parent who was walking in with a very young child. We had our van parked close by, and that young child did come out looking darker.' The experienced oncology nurse, who contributes to the National Cancer Control Programme, said sunbeds pose a 'huge risk when it comes to skin cancer', and pointed to the approach of Australia, where commercial tanning salons are banned. Steve Dempsey, director of advocacy and communications at the Irish Cancer Society, said regulations around sunbeds 'and a lack of enforcement mean that minors are still accessing sunbeds'. It comes as new data obtained by points to a negligent attitude to customer health in the tanning industry, with one third of formal salon inspections having been failed in the past two years. He told Extra: 'We know this from our own research and from parents who contact us to say their child has used sunbeds in flagrant breaches of the regulations by commercial sunbed operators.' A spokesman for Minister of State at the Department of Health with special responsibility for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, Jennifer Murnane O'Connor, said she is 'deeply concerned by the data from the inspections'. The spokesman told Extra: 'Given the well-documented health risks associated with sunbed use, particularly for young people, this level of non-compliance is unacceptable. 'To address this issue, the minister, under the Programme for Government, has requested that officials in the Department of Health examine a ban on commercial sunbed use in Ireland. 'Additionally, the department will explore further public awareness campaigns to highlight the risks of sunbed use, especially targeting minors and their parents.' The lack of enforcement banning minors from using sunbeds was highlighted by Extra just over two years ago, when we reported just two salons in the entire country had been prosecuted under legislation introduced nine years previously. The HSE this weekend confirmed there have now been 10 prosecutions in total – less than one a year since the legislation was introduced. Taoiseach Micheál Martin has previously called for the banning of sunbeds, as have former health ministers Stephen Donnelly and the now Tánaiste Simon Harris. Pic:Ms Murnane O'Connor has also received representations on the matter from her former constituency colleague and now MEP Kathleen Funchion, and from Laura Warren, a skin cancer survivor and founder of Elite Living Nutrition, whose petition calling for a ban on sunbeds has collected almost 2,000 signatures. Pointing to the latest figures that show skin cancer is the fastest-growing cancer in Ireland, with over 13,000 new cases diagnosed each year, Ms Warren said: 'Melanoma can spread rapidly and is often deadly if not caught early. Banning sunbeds would save thousands of lives and millions in healthcare costs.' Aside from the tests at shops carried out with minors, the HSE conducts 'mystery shops' and formal inspections. Last year, 145 formal inspections out of 492 were non-compliant. In 2023, there were 175 non-compliant inspections from a total of 425. Taoiseach Micheál Martin has previously called for the banning of sunbeds, as have former health ministers Stephen Donnelly and the now Tánaiste Simon Harris.
Sunday World
18-05-2025
- Sunday World
Hopes are high that remains of ‘Disappeared' IRA man Joe Lynskey have finally been found
A republican source in rural Monaghan told us: 'I know we've been down this road before, but I honestly believe this time we have Joe Lynskey' Joe Lynskey with the Price sisters in Say Nothing This is the spot at Annyall Cemetery where Fragments of human remains were discovered by Independent Commission for the Location of Victims this week as the search continues for Joe Lynskey. This is the spot at Annyall Cemetery where fragments of human remains were discovered by Independent Commission for the Location of Victims this week as the search continues for Joe Lynskey Hopes were high last night that the remains of 'Disappeared' IRA man Joe Lynskey have finally been found, the Sunday World has learned. On Tuesday, we were made aware that a convoy of Garda vehicles and a number of black Mercedes cars had assembled near the grave of the Comiskey family in a small Catholic cemetery at Annyalla, Co Monaghan. It came five months after six bodies were exhumed from the family grave of Bishop Brendan Comiskey. However, in March the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims Remains (ICLVR) revealed that DNA tests confirmed that Lynskey was not one of them. The 40-year-old former Cistersian monk from Belfast was killed and secretly buried by the IRA in 1972. The Sunday World can reveal that human remains which were removed from the cemetery this week were 30 yards from the Comiskey plot, where Bishop Comiskey was buried earlier this month. This is the spot at Annyall Cemetery where fragments of human remains were discovered by Independent Commission for the Location of Victims this week as the search continues for Joe Lynskey It's a remote and silent spot, shaded yesterday by a lone hawthorn in full bloom of mayflower. Just a short distance away, boys and girls were inside the adjoining St Michael's church making their First Communion. And last night, a republican source in rural Monaghan told us: 'I know we've been down this road before, but I honestly believe this time we have Joe Lynskey.' He added: 'It's in all our interests that we do all we can to facilitate the finding of the bodies of the Disappeared.' Late on Friday afternoon And following an inquiry from the Sunday World, the ICLVR issued a statement to the press that partial human remains had been discovered. Eamon Henry, lead investigator of the ICLVR, said: 'Following the recent exhumation at Annyalla Cemetery in relation to the search for Joe Lynskey, information came to the ICLVR indicating another small area of interest within the confines of the cemetery. 'This was not another family grave site. The search continues for Joe Lynskey 'I want to emphasise that this information did not relate directly to the disappearance of Joe Lynskey and until we have positive identification or the elimination of the remains of Joe Lynskey, or any of the other Disappeared, we have to keep an open mind.' Joe Lynskey News in 90 Seconds - May 18th Mr Henry also said he was aware the hopes of the Lynskey family had been raised once before, only to be disappointed. And he cautiously added: 'The process of identification could take some time and we will continue to offer the family what support we can.' Garda officers remained at the graveyard on Tuesday and Wednesday, while specially trained experts brought in a small digger machine to begin a new search operation. Last December, Bishop Comiskey had personally given the go-ahead for the search to take place at his family's grave, bearing the bodies of his mother and father and other members of his family. And when Bishop Comiskey was buried there, the family plot was closed for good. It had previously been wrongly believed that the IRA had taken advantage of a tragedy at the Comiskey family farm to cover up the fate of Joe Lynskey. Lynskey had gone missing from his west Belfast home around the same time that Bishop Brendan Comiskey's mother Clare died in fire at the family farm at Tasson, near Annyalla. Former bishop of Ferns Brendan Comiskey pictured during a confirmation cermony in 1997 . Photo When her elderly husband Patrick went off to summons help, Mrs Comiskey re-entered the blazing farmhouse in an effort to retrieve valuables. Lynskey went missing from his home in the Beechmount area of west Belfast in 1972. He was driven to Monaghan town by IRA volunteer Dolours Price. And on the journey, he shared with her the trail of debris he had left in his wake, which almost sparked a full-scale feud within rival factions of the republican movement. Lynskey had previously been in the IRA during the failed 'Border Campaign'. And when violence erupted on the streets of Belfast in the early 1970s, he joined the Provisional IRA. As he was older and had some weapons experience, he was appointed to senior post with a number of younger men under his command. Soon afterwards, he became infatuated with the wife of a young IRA member. And in an effort to get rid of his love rival, he ordered another IRA volunteer to shoot the woman's husband dead. The order was carried out, but it was botched and the targeted man survived. He approached a number of leading Provos and he told them Lynskey had ordered him to be shot because he was having and affair with his wife. But Lynskey had already told his IRA bosses that the shooting was the work of the Official IRA, which at the time was as powerful as the Provos. The Provo leadership had already ordered a number of retaliatory attacks on the Officials. Joe Lynskey with the Price sisters in Say Nothing But when the full truth emerged, Lynskey was court marshalled and ordered to travel to Monaghan until the IRA decided his fate. On the journey across the border, Dolours Price later revealed how she felt sorry for her passenger, even offering to leave him off at a cross-channel ferry terminal, but Lynskey insisted he had to take his medicine. The journey scene was re-enacted in the recent Disney+ series Say Nothing. In Monaghan, Lynskey was dropped off at the Park Street home of a well-known republican family related to legendary IRA figure Fergal O'Hanlon, who was shot dead in 1957 attacking Brookeborough RUC barracks in Co Fermanagh. We recently learned that although Lynskey was under IRA orders, he wasn't a prisoner and he was free to come and go as he pleased. In the evenings, Lynskey prayed a lot and he enjoyed discussions about Irish history with Einaghan O'Hanlon – Fergal's brother – as they ate home-made bread and drank tea. We learned from republican members who knew Lynskey that he was resigned to his fate and he was fully aware that one day he would pay the ultimate price for trying to deceive the IRA leadership. Eventually, an order came from Belfast saying he was to be shot dead. But local volunteers who had come to know him and liked him refused to carry it out. In the end a number of IRA gunmen from Belfast were despatched to Monaghan to carry out dirty deed. According to our sources, Lynskey asked to be buried in consecrated ground. And his killers took him to the cemetery at Annyalla where they shot him dead. As DNA testing on the remains found there this week begin, many of Lynskey's old republican friends are praying and hoping the tests prove positive. As well as Lynskey, the commission is also tasked with finding three other victims – County Tyrone teenager Columba McVeigh, British army Captain Robert Nairac and Seamus Maguire, who was in his mid-20s and last seen in a bar in Aghagallan, Co Antrim. Anyone with information on the four outstanding Disappeared cases, can contact the Commission on 00 353 1 602 8655 or by email to secretary@ or by post to ICLVR, PO box 10827, Dublin, Ireland.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Princess Charlene and Prince Albert's Adorable Twins Reach Major Milestone in Matching Outfits
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Princess Charlene and Prince Albert of Monaco are raising 10-year-old twins, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella. On Sunday, May 11, Monaco's Royal Family shared two new photos of the Monegasque royals celebrating an important milestone. In two photos, Jacques and Gabriella could be seen posing in white robes, and standing with their proud parents. "On this day of First Communion, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to Hereditary Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella who received this sacrament with faith and reverence," the caption explained. While Prince Albert wore a navy suit with a silver tie for the occasion, Princess Charlene wore a blue shirt dress with capped sleeves and gold round buttons. In November 2024, Princess Charlene opened up about Jacques and Gabriella in a wide-ranging interview with Gala magazine. "Gabriella is very curious," Charlene told the publication. "She is very intrigued by the world and life in general. She asks lots of questions and demands a lot of attention." Discussing her son, Charlene noted, "As for Jacques, he is curious and observant. [He is] more reserved, he is naturally very calm." Former Olympic swimmer Charlene also got candid about aging during the interview, and how getting older has impacted her sporting ability. "I walk, I cycle, I swim too, but not as much as before," she told the outlet. "I don't practise swimming as intensely as in the past. When I was young, I trained very hard, I challenged myself physically. These days, it's all about moderation." Prince Albert's wife continued, "It can be quite difficult because my nature is to want to beat records, win medals and surpass my limits." Charlene continued, "But, at nearly 47 years old, I can no longer do body won't let me. My spirit and my heart might, but my body says no!"
