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In recent years there has been a turn within cartographic theory from a representational to a processual understanding of mapping. Maps have been re-conceptualised as mappings that ceaselessly unfold through contingent, citational, habitual, negotiated, reflexive and playful practices, embedded within relational contexts. In this paper, we explore what this rethinking means for cartographic epistemology, contending that attention needs to be focused on understanding cartography through the lens of practices – how mappings are (re)made in diverse ways (technically, socially, bodily, aesthetically and politically) by people within particular contexts and cultures as solutions to everyday tasks. We detail how these practices can be profitably examined using a suite of methods – genealogies, ethnographies, ethnomethodology, participant observation, observant participation and deconstruction – that are sensitive to capturing and distilling the unfolding and contextual nature of mapping. To illustrate our argument we narrate the unfolding production and consumption of a set of mappings of so-called 'ghost estates' in Ireland, a public geography project that has been covered over 300 times in local, national and international media and that has contributed to Irish public discourse and policy debates.

The evaluation of criminal cases involving the discharge of a firearm requires reliable and up to date information regarding the transfer and persistence of gunshot residue (GSR). Similarly, knowledge of background levels of GSR on relevant populations and awareness of the potential for contamination/secondary transfer is essential. In this paper we build on previous work published by this laboratory and provide an update on the frequency of gunshot residue types in discharged cartridge casings (DCC) encountered in casework within the Republic of Ireland. In conjunction, an examination of the types of firearms encountered in casework and the associated residue types is undertaken. Finally, a review of levels of GSR particles detected on control samples taken from members of An Garda Síochána, the Irish police is detailed. Control samples are taken before a police officer samples a detainee suspected of involvement in an incident where a firearm was discharged and/or subsequently handled. •Examination of discharged cartridge casings encountered in case work.•Frequency of gunshot residue types encountered in case work.•Control samples taken from the hands of police officers before sampling of suspects.•Background levels of gunshot residue encountered on control samples.•Evaluation of gunshot residue findings.

Background Cooking skills are increasingly included in strategies to prevent and reduce chronic diet-related diseases and obesity. While cooking interventions target all age groups (Child, Teen and Adult), the optimal age for learning these skills on: 1) skills retention, 2) cooking practices, 3) cooking attitudes, 4) diet quality and 5) health is unknown. Similarly, although the source of learning cooking skills has been previously studied, the differences in learning from these different sources has not been considered. This research investigated the associations of the age and source of learning with the aforementioned five factors. Methods A nationally representative (Northern/Republic of Ireland) cross-sectional survey was undertaken with 1049 adults aged between 20–60 years. The survey included both measures developed and tested by the researchers as well as validated measures of cooking (e.g. chopping) and food skills (e.g. budgeting), cooking practices (e.g. food safety), cooking attitudes, diet quality and health. Respondents also stated when they learnt the majority of their skills and their sources of learning. The data was analysed using ANOVAs with post-hoc analysis and Chi 2 crosstabs with a significance level of 0.05. Results Results showed that child (<12 years) and/or teen (13–18 years) learners had significantly greater numbers of, and confidence in, their cooking and food skills, cooking practices, cooking attitudes, diet quality (with the exception of fibre intake where adult learners were higher) and health. Mother was the primary source of learning and those who learnt only from this source had significantly better outcomes on 12 of the 23 measures. Conclusions This research highlights the importance of learning cooking skills at an early age for skill retention, confidence, cooking practices, cooking attitude and diet quality. Mother remained the primary source of learning, however, as there is a reported deskilling of domestic cooks, mothers may no longer have the ability to teach cooking skills to the next generation. A focus on alternative sources including practical cooking skills education starting at an early age is required. This study also highlights the need for further longitudinal research on the impact of age and source of learning on cooking skills.

Although the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) does not refer explicitly to alien species (AS), it is clear that invasive AS (IAS) are considered a pressure on WFD water bodies. This article discusses the results of a questionnaire sent to all EU Member States, demonstrating considerable variability in the way that AS data are used in implementing the WFD. Responses were received from 18 countries. Most countries define AS in a similar way, but there are discrepancies, for example, in the use of historical dates to determine whether or not a species is considered non-native biogeographically. All countries have developed lists of AS, but those specific for WFD assessments are only used at present in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Few countries monitor AS specifically for the WFD, or assess the risk that IAS are likely to cause water bodies to fail to achieve Good Ecological Status. This article discusses the results of a questionnaire sent to all EU Member States, demonstrating considerable variability in the way that AS data are used in implementing the WFD. Perhaps the most important difference among countries is in the use of AS data in WFD classification; many countries assume that classification methods take account of the impacts of AS, whereas separate ‘downgrading’ procedures that modify classification based on the presence and impact of IAS are used more rarely. New approaches merit further consideration, such as the application of ‘biopollution indices’ to highlight the impact of AS without affecting WFD classification. Alien species feature to some extent in river basin management plans, but more emphasis on action is needed. In addition, closer links with the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and with the 2014 EU Regulation on alien species are required to improve the control of aquatic AS.

Plant parasitic nematodes are a major problem for growers worldwide, causing severe crop losses. Several conventional strategies, such as chemical nematicides and biofumigation, have been employed in the past to manage their infection in plants and spread in soils. However, the search for the most sustainable and environmentally safe practices is still ongoing. This review summarises information on plant parasitic nematodes, their distribution, and their interaction with their host plants, along with various approaches to manage their infestations. It also focuses on the application of microbial and fermentation-based bionematicides that have not only been successful in controlling nematode infection but have also led to plant growth promotion and proven to be environmentally safe. Studies with new information on the relative abundance of plant parasitic nematodes in two agricultural sites in the Republic of Ireland are also reported. This review, with the information it provides, will help to generate an up-to-date knowledge base on plant parasitic nematodes and their management practices.

Tracing the campaign for marriage equality, this book highlights how this movement and the related referendum result have propelled Ireland from a country perceived as one repressed and controlled by the Catholic church to a country that is now admired as a leader in equality of human rights.

The epidemiology of inborn errors of immunity (IEI) in the Republic of Ireland was first published in 2005 but has not been updated since. IEI prevalence data from Northern Ireland was last published in 2018. Using data from the United Kingdom Primary Immune Deficiency (UKPID) and European Society for Immunodeficiencies (ESID) registries, we reviewed all registered cases of IEI affecting adult patients ≥ 18 years of age from the two largest immunology specialist centres in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, respectively and calculated the combined minimum adult prevalence of IEI on the island of Ireland for the first time. We also recorded data pertaining to presenting symptoms of IEI, diagnostic delay, immunoglobulin data, and genetic testing, as well as briefly reporting data pertaining to secondary immunodeficiency in both countries. As of 1 May 2020, we identified a minimum adult IEI prevalence in Ireland of 8.85/100,000 population.

The ability of macrophytes to indicate pressures in rivers was assessed by comparing metrics for nitrate (NO3), ammonia (NH4), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), dissolved oxygen saturation (DO), pH (PH) and siltation (SUBS) with direct estimates of the pressures at 810 sites in the Republic of Ireland, supplemented with General Linear Models (GLMs). The bivariate and rank correlation coefficients using the full data range and the first and fourth quartiles of the river pressures varied between 0.22 and − 0.39 for NO3 and DO; they were smaller or not significant for the other four metrics. The GLMs provided evidence for an independent association between NO3 and the nitrate concentration and SUBS and ammonia, indicating some specificity for these metrics. Discriminating sites in the first and fourth quartiles produced Type II errors between 37 (PH) and 69% (NH4), with a mean of 50. As the pressure-impact relationships are not precise enough (low correlation coefficients) that evidence from a single macrophyte metric is reliable, combining the metric with evidence from other biological groups at one site or from three or more sites may be the most useful approach.

As the primary source of learning cooking skills; it is vital to understand what mothers think about the transference of cooking skills to their children. The current analysis aimed to highlight mothers’ perceptions of children’s involvement and cooking practices within the home setting. Sixteen focus group discussions were conducted on the island of Ireland (Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland [UK]) with 141 mothers aged 20–39 years old. All focus groups were transcribed verbatim and an inductive thematic analysis using NVivo software was undertaken. Seven themes emerged from the dataset; (1) “How we learned to cook”; (2) “Who’s the boss”; (3) “Children in the way”; (4) “Keep kids out”; (5) “Involvement means eating”; (6) “Intentions versus reality”; and (7) “Kids’ ‘interest’ in cooking”. These themes illustrate a lack of cooking skill transference in relation to everyday meal preparation in modern times. The culture of children in the kitchen has vastly changed; and opportunities for children to learn basic skills are currently limited. Further research is required to confirm the findings that emerged from this analysis.

Purpose The trace element iodine is a vital constituent of thyroid hormones. Iodine requirements increase during pregnancy, when even mild deficiency may affect the neurocognitive development of the offspring. Urinary iodine concentration (UIC) is the means of assessing iodine status in population surveys; a median UIC of 100–199 µg/L is deemed sufficient in a non-pregnant population. Milk is the main dietary source of iodine in the UK and Ireland. Methods We surveyed the iodine status of 903 girls aged 14–15 years in seven sites across the island of Ireland. Urine iodine concentration was measured in spot-urine samples collected between March 2014 and October 2015. Food group intake was estimated from iodine-specific food-frequency questionnaire. Milk-iodine concentration was measured at each site in summer and winter. Results The median UIC overall was 111 µg/L. Galway was the only site in the deficient range (median UIC 98 µg/L). All five of the Republic of Ireland sites had UIC ≤ 105 µg/L. In the two sites surveyed twice, UIC was lower in summer vs winter months [117 µg/L (IQR 76–165) vs 130 µg/L (IQR 91–194) ( p  < 0.01)]. Milk samples collected from Galway and Roscommon had a lower mean iodine concentration than those from Derry/Londonderry ( p  < 0.05). Milk intake was positively associated with UIC ( p  < 0.001). Conclusions This is the largest survey of its kind on the island of Ireland, which currently has no iodine-fortification programme. Overall, the results suggest that this young female population sits at the low end of sufficiency, which has implications if, in future, they enter pregnancy with borderline status.