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McManus funeral delayed

A funeral service for the late Emma McManus, the daughter-in-law of hotelier and horse-racing magnate JP McManus, who died suddenly in Barbados on December 30, has been emmamcmanus

deferred until next week.

The 40-year old mother of three, and daughter of former tennis star and businessman Peter Ledbetter, passed away at a medical centre on the Caribbean island after having complained of suddenly feeling unwell.

The Trinity College graduate had been preparing to celebrate New Year’s Eve with loved ones at a private residence on the grounds of the luxury Sandy Lane resort, Barbados, which was purchased in the late 1990s by JP McManus, financier Dermot Desmond, and horse breeder John Magnier.

'Take Away' pints legal- but 'not on'

While the sale of takeaway alcohol is not illegal, the Tánaiste has said the practice of selling pints with a lid is 'not on'. varadkar

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said yesterday that people can "forget about takeaway pints", though the Government later clarified that it would not ban the practice outright.

Speaking to Newstalk, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said "nobody wants to ban" the practice of selling alcohol on takeaway basis. He said he had fears that the sale of pints in plastic containers from pubs could lead to crowds congregating, but conceded there was little evidence of this taking place over Christmas.

"There wasn't the problem that we thought it might be," he said.

"A few weeks ago it was a problem, and we're working on new public health regulations that strengthen the law with regard around drinking alcohol in public streets and that will give the Gardaí more powers of enforcement."

Dalata announces EGM

Dalata Hotel Group has announced that it will hold an extraordinary general meeting at its offices in Burton Court in the Dublin suburb of Sandyford on January 29 at 11.30am. clayton

According to Dalata, the business of the EGM will be to consider and, if thought fit, approve certain resolutions relating to the replacement of Crest with a system operated by Euroclear Bank SA/NV for the electronic settlement of trading in the company's ordinary shares.

Dalata said that approval of the resolutions is necessary to ensure that the company's shares can continue to be settled electronically when they are traded on Euronext Dublin and the London Stock Exchange, and remain eligible for continued admission to trading and listing on those exchanges, which Dalata said is crucial to the interests of the company and its shareholders as a whole.

Business may be shut until 31st March

Businesses, including hotels and restaurants, need to be prepared for the possibility that they may not reopen until the end of March, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has warned. leovaradkar0520

It came as the Government announced tough new restrictions aimed at stemming the surge in Covid-19 cases. Taoiseach Micheál Martin urged people to face the coming weeks with “steely determination and resolve” in a bid to suppress the virus.

Mr Martin, meanwhile, said people should “forget about take-away pints” and publicans should not be selling them as they can lead to gatherings that spread the virus.

Announcing the new restrictions, Mr Martin said: “We are in a battle against the deadly and ever changing virus.

The hospitality sector has been closed since Christmas Eve.

Mr Varadkar said the timeline he described is with use of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines and it could be stepped up more if the Astrazeneca one becomes available. But he added: “if I was running a business now I would be thinking that it’s a probability that I’ll be closed until the end of March.”

Ryanair to axe most Irish flights

Ryanair says it plans to operate "few, if any” flights to and from Ireland and the UK from the end of January until the latest travel restrictions are eased. ryanair0121

In a statement the company said it expects the newly announced Covid-19 lockdowns in Ireland, the UK, and a small number of other European Union countries this week, will “materially reduce” its flight schedules and traffic forecast through January, February and March.

The airline now expects its January traffic to fall to under 1.25 million passengers.

The new restrictions could also reduce February and March traffic to as little as 500,000 passengers each month, it said.

In response to the measures Ryanair will “significantly cut” its flight schedules from Thursday January 21. This will result in “few, if any, flights being operated to/from Ireland or the UK from the end of January” until the latest travel restrictions are removed.

The airline says it now estimates it will carry fewer than 30 million passengers in the 12 months to March 31.