On the anniversary of the first recorded case of COVID-19 in Ireland, community vaccinations began as a Swords GP practice swung into action and began to vaccinate patients over 85-years-old and give them a chance at escaping the isolation they ve endured for the past 12 months.
As Rare Disease Day approaches on Sunday February 28, The Fingal Independent speaks to a Swords mum whose family suffered in silence from a genetic disorder until a Late Late Show episode prompted them to seek help.
Dara Woods and other members of her family suffer from HHT (Hereditary Haemorrhagic Telangiectasia (also known as Osler-Weber-Rendu Syndrome.)
Essentially a genetic disorder in which some blood vessels do not develop properly, HHT commonly affects the nose, lungs, GI tract, brain and liver and other organs.
With symptoms ranging from mild to severe, left untreated or undiagnosed, HHT can be fatal.
Dara speaks to The Fingal Independent about her family s long battle with HHT, and how it ultimately took 22-year-old son, Paul s life.
Commissioned by then Archbishop of Dublin, Charles Cobbe for celebrated architect, James Gibbs to design and plan, Newbridge House has remained a permanent fixture in Donabate since it was first built in 1747.
The imposing building, still residence to the Cobbe family, is a treasure chest of antiquity, complete with ancient artwork, Victorian furniture, curios and rooms steeped in history.
The Fingal Independent speaks to Cathal O Dowd Smith, curator of Newbridge House, to gain something of his encyclopedic knowledge of the great house.
He says: I ve been curator at Newbridge House for two years, two years in spring. I ve been here for eight years and I ve been in the role of curator the past two years. I started as a tour guide then I went to Trinity and I did art history and history, then I graduated in 2018 and I was offered the position then. While I was studying I had been doing conservation courses and specialising in collection care and then the role came up once Shannon
Providing peace of mind for customers across Fingal and nationwide, Bloodworks in Skerries has been offering quick and convenient testing for COVID-19 since December 2020.
A former General Election candidate who was racially abused in an anonymous phone call has revealed he was left with a huge level of fear and left constantly looking over his shoulder.
John Uwhumiakpor, who ran in last year s General Election in the Dublin Fingal area as a candidate for People Before Profit party, was informed by the anonymous caller Don t get involved in Irish politics. Irish politics is for Irish people.
John, who is originally from Nigeria but is now an irish citizen and has been living in the country for the past 15 years, said initially he was taken off balance by the call which he received at 12.26pm on January 29 last year in the run up to the General Election.