It was a mixed week on social media for some Sinn Féin TDs, with party leader Mary Lou McDonald criticised over a tribute to a late IRA commander, while a speech by Cork North-Central TD Thomas Gould proved a hit in an unlikely market.
McDonald’s post on X marking the first anniversary of “comrade” Brendan “Bik” McFarlane, who was convicted over the 1975 Bayardo Bar massacre, which left five people dead, stated his was “a life well lived, a life that shaped a legacy that will inspire generations to come”.
A community note, which allows X users to “collaboratively add context to potentially misleading posts”, beneath the tweet states: “Brendan McFarlane was not a peace activist, he was a mass murderer, his youngest victim was only 17. Well known to have been an active terrorist for many years.”
Former taoiseach Leo Varadkar was among those who criticised the post, saying “attempts to whitewash history” do not help the case for Irish unification.
Brendan ‘Bik’ McFarlane: Photograph: Niall Carson/PA
Gould, on the other hand, may consider visiting the Caribbean during the upcoming Oireachtas recess after a clip of him speaking in the Dáil in his unmistakable Cork accent caught the attention of some in Jamaica.
“The influence the Irish has on the Jamaican accent is uncanny lol,” wrote @colomboclaat876 under the clip from a housing debate, with his post shared hundreds of times and liked by thousands.
Stevroy Steer, of Jamaicans in Ireland, in a segment on Cork’s Red FM featuring Gould, said: “I mean this is the closest similarity in terms of the Jamaican accent I have ever heard.”
If you nuh careful u think a Anju him a cuss 😭 this is an Irish Politician Thomas Gould. The influence the Irish has on the Jamaican accent is uncanny lol 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/YQXTmkqXum
— IG: yawdmonteet🇯🇲 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@colomboclaat876) February 22, 2026
“No, absolutely none at all,” replied Gould when asked if he had any connection to the island.
A clip of reggae artist Shaggy was played during the segment, but the Knocknaheeny man insisted he is more a “Bob Marley kind of guy” and is “really proud of being from Cork”.
He said the Jamaican Observer wants to interview him and people have been saying he “should come over” to visit.
Netflix ‘on board’ for latest dive into Keegan’s back catalogue
They say that success breeds success.
After positive reviews for screen adaptations of Claire Keegan’s short story Foster, which became the Oscar-nominated An Cailín Ciúin, and her novel Small Things Like These, which starred Cillian Murphy, it’s little surprise that Netflix has “come on board” for the latest dive into the Co Wicklow author’s back catalogue.
The streaming giant has announced its involvement in an adaptation of Keegan’s 2007 release Walk the Blue Fields, with production on the film, which is being primarily shot in Ireland, beginning during the week.
Author Claire Keegan at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre in Co Monaghan. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill
Emily Blunt, Andrew Scott and Ciarán Hinds headline an impressive cast.
The story centres around a woman who, on her wedding day, finds her future thrown into doubt when she is confronted with a heart-wrenching decision as a love triangle from her past threatens to be revealed.
John Crowley, who brought us the films Intermission and Brooklyn, is directing and the script has been written by Conor McPherson. Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe, whose Element Pictures produced screen adaptations of Sally Rooney’s Normal People and Conversations with Friends, are also involved.
Emily Blunt will be a co-lead and a producer on the film adaptation of Walk the Blue Fields. Photograph: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
Scott, who has appeared in All Of Us Strangers, Fleabag and Blue Moon, will be a co-lead opposite Blunt, who will be extra keen to see the venture thrive, given her company, Ledbury Productions, is also involved.
‘Confident and social’ dogs wanted to join war on smuggling
Images of dogs sitting alongside hauls of contraband in their “Customs” harnesses have long been used by the Revenue Commissioners to highlight its campaign against smuggling.
The tax agency last week issued a tender notice worth up to €1 million as it seeks to sniff out the next generation of canine guardians for Ireland’s ports and airports.
Revenue detector dog Rua poses with a haul of cigarettes sniffed out at the Port of Cork worth an estimated €4 million. Photograph: Revenue
The three-year contract, with options for extension, involves the provision of “multipurpose dogs” capable of detecting tobacco, cash, vapes and drugs. Revenue said it had procured about 17 dogs over the last three years and expects a similar number to be required over the coming three.
In terms of profile, the tender seeks Labradors and spaniels (“generally springer spaniels but also cocker or Brittany or cross-breeds considered”) aged between one and two-and-a-half years.
“Dogs must be confident, not nervy or aggressive, and social with humans and other dogs,” it notes.
Revenue detector dog Brody alongside a 40kg haul of cannabis, valued at €800,000, sniffed out at Shannon Airport. Photograph: Revenue
Revenue asked that tenderers provide proof of “genetic background” and that “ethical breeding practices are followed, avoiding puppy farms and ensuring dogs are bred in humane conditions”.
The successful applicant will also be expected to provide training to new dog handlers “covering the basic skills required” such as search techniques, dog control, and dog health and wellbeing.
‘Basic laws of physics’ show Dublin 15 commuters get a raw deal
Irish athlete Robert Heffernan moved at an average speed of 13.76km/h when he set the national record for the 50km race walk at the 2012 Olympic Games, covering the London course in a time of 3:37.54.
Rob Heffernan during the race walk event at the 2012 London Olympics. Photograph: Inpho
The Oireachtas transport committee this week heard that the pace that carried Heffernan to fourth place, later upgraded to third due to a Russian doping violation, would be the envy of some commuters taking buses from the city centre to west Dublin.
Fine Gael TD Emer Currie reminded Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien that the National Transport Authority said the BusConnects public transport plan will, on average, reduce bus journey times by 40 to 50 per cent.
“However,” she added, “the basic laws of physics tell us that for a fixed distance, journey times only reduce if speed increases.”
Currie cited data received from Dublin Bus in response to a parliamentary question, showing that “a professional walker could match or even beat one of the primary commuter routes” in her Dublin West constituency.
Fine Gael TD Emer Currie. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill
Number 38 buses departing the city centre between 4.30pm and 6.29pm travel at an average speed of 12.5km/h, rising to 12.9km/h for the 39 and 13.5km/h for the 39a.
Currie said the data showed it was critical that the 12 BusConnects core corridors were completed soon.
O’Brien said big infrastructure projects took time but, “on the positive side”, contracts for two corridors had been signed and works were commencing. However, the route serving Currie’s area has been held up by a judicial review taken by a petrol station operator over the potential loss of business.
Heffernan, now 48, is operating as a coach these days, should any Dublin West residents be interested in cutting their commute down.