2 weeks agoNews 1Comments Off on When is Pancake Tuesday and Lent 2025, are they Irish customs and why are celebrations much later than usual this year?
PANCAKE Tuesday is one of the best days of the year – but what the flip is it all about?
Officially known as Shrove Tuesday, it is the time of year when people around the world whip up stacks of delicious pancakes – but the celebration will be taking place a lot later this year than in 2024.
Pancake Day originates from the idea of using what’s left in your cupboard before LentAlamy Stock Photo
For hundreds of years people around the world have overeaten on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, kicking off the season ofLentin the Christian tradition.
Christians believe that the 40 days leading up to Easter, known as Lent, represent the time Jesus spent fasting in the desert before his death and resurrection.
To honour this period, people traditionally gave up certain foods like meat, fish, and dairy — that’s where pancakes come in handy.
Shrove Tuesday, also known as Fat Tuesday, became the perfect opportunity to use up ingredients like eggs and butter before the fasting period began.
The pancake tradition has stuck around but people now typically choose to give something up for Lent, rather than fasting from so many items at once.
Meat, sugar, and coffee are items most commonly ditched during Lent, but in recent years, people have fasted from social media and video games as well.
Shrove Tuesday has been around for centuries, with records of it being celebrated as far back as 1439.
In Irish, the day is known as Máirt Inide, derived from the Latin initium Jejūniī, meaning “beginning of Lent”.
The date changes each year because it is based around Easter, which also varies, but it always comes between February 3 and March 9 and falls the day before Ash Wednesday, which is 47 days before Easter.
And this year, Pancake Day is landing much later than usual — on Tuesday, March 4.
WHY IS PANCAKE TUESDAY LATER THIS YEAR?
People across the world will be able to celebrate on this day next week – whether they follow Christianity or just love a good crêpe or American-style stack.
But in 2025, Easter, and Pancake Day as a result, is particularly late because it follows the lunar cycle.
Easter Sunday falls on the first Sunday after the Paschal Full Moon, which is also called the Pink Moon.
In 2025, that full moon appears on Saturday, April 12, setting the next morning.
That makes Sunday, April 20 the first Sunday without a full moon — so that’s when Easter happens.
Count back 47 days from there, and Shrove Tuesday lands on March 4 this time around.
IS PANCAKE TUESDAY AN IRISH THING?
The specific custom of Christians eating pancakes on Shrove Tuesday dates to the 16th century in the United Kingdom – so it’s not an Irish tradition.
And the first pancake recipe recorded was in an English cookbook from the 15th Century.
However, most people across Ireland will observe the day and be busy making pancakes on this day next week.
The holiday has now become recognised in many countries around the world; in America, Shrove Tuesday is known as Mardi Gras, which means Fat Tuesday.
But while Pancake Day is all about scrumptious treats, Mardi Gras takes things to a whole new level.
In places like New Orleans and Louisiana, the day is marked by lively street parties, massive parades, and plenty of music, dancing, and colourful costumes.
Of course, there’s also no shortage of food, drinks, and all-around revelry, making it a much more raucous affair than the traditional pancake feast.
2 weeks agoNews 1Comments Off on I tried new ‘enchanting’ dress from Dunnes Stores for TV look – here’s how I styled it
AS the days are get brighter many fashion fans will be on the search for a spring dress that will brighten up all wardrobes.
Dunnes Stores bosses have come to the rescue with their latest midi dress.
Shoppers are in a frenzy over a new occasion dressdunnesstores.com
The Savida Mia Ruffle Long-Sleeved Midi Dress has arrived in stores and is also available online.
The pastel blue dress has long sleeves and a v-neck.
Dunnes Stores designers said the graceful guna brings “movement to every step”.
They said: “An enchanting piece for formal occasions, this semi-sheer Savida dress features a flattering ruffled v-neckline and elegant long sleeves.
“The tiered ruffles cascade gracefully, bringing movement to every step. Savida is available exclusively at Dunnes Stores.”
The pretty dress is available in sizes XXS to XXL.
The light-blue dress made an appearance on Ireland AM during the week.
Fashion stylist Rob, who posts under @robcondon1, shared a snap of the dress being modelled.
The model wore it with a cream belt, snake print boots and a matching snake print bag.
Dunnes Stores fans are also scrambling to get their hands on a cute denim dress.
The Savida Denim Mini Dress is available in stores across the country.
The cute denim dress has short sleeves, a button down collar and two pockets.
Dunnes Stores chiefs said the denim dress is perfect for a “stylish night-out look”.
They said: “This shirt dress from Savida is crafted from a soft and durable cotton denim.
“Cut to a mini length, it is designed with a classic collar, a three button placket, and two patch pockets.
“Pair it with tights and boots for an effortlessly stylish night-out look. Savida is available exclusively at Dunnes Stores.”
Retailing at €40, it’s a dress you will keep reaching for again and again.
Shoppers will need to be quick as it appears to be flying out of stock online.
However, your size may still be available in your local store.
Fashion lover Zoe, who posts under @zoepalmerpalmer, took to TikTok to show off the dress.
She joked: “Dunnes stores can just take my money at this point.”
Zoe styled the dress with black tights, a black belt and boots.
She said: “I just feel for work or for the weekend, this is such a versatile dress.”
The dress appeared on Ireland AMInstagram @robcondon1The midi dress costs €40dunnesstores.comThe frock is available in Dunnes Stores nowGarrett White - Commissioned by The Sun Dublin
Why police were called to first Dunnes Stores opening
BETWEEN the weekly food shops and bargain fashion - Dunnes Stores is a staple retailer in Irish households.
But this wasn’t always the case, and when the initial branch of the shop opened its doors in 1944 it caused quite the stir
On March 31 of the year, Ben Dunne opened the first ever Dunnes Stores on St Patrick’s Street in Co Cork.
Locals quickly learned of the grand opening and flooded into the store in what the retailer’s archives recall as a “shopping frenzy.”
The bargain clothing on sale inside the new store at “pre-war prices” was one of the factors cited for the buzz.
During the chaos a window was forced in and Gardai were called to the scene.
Cops worked to deal with the eager crowds and keep shoppers calm and safe before they made it into the store for their first Dunnes experience.
Fast forward some 80 years, the business now employs over 18,000 people and although an opening of a Dunnes branch hasn’t caused quite as much stir since the very first one, it has cemented its place as one of the nation’s leading retailers.
2 weeks agoNews 1Comments Off on Lucy Letby was a ‘scapegoat’ for our hospital’s failings – we were SURE she’d be cleared, killer nurse’s ex boss slams
LUCY Letby’s former boss thought that she was a “scapegoat” for the hospital’s failings and would be cleared without charge, a former chief executive has claimed.
Letby, 35, is serving 15 whole life orders after she was found guilty of murdering seven babies and trying to kill seven others at the Chester hospital.
PAFormer nurse Lucy Letby was convicted of killing seven babies in her care and attempting to kill seven others[/caption]
PALetby is serving 15 whole life orders for the killings[/caption]
MEN MediaSusan Gilby described conversations with her predecessor to the Thirlwall inquiry[/caption]
Now, Tony Chambers was said to have had concerns about Letby’s initial detention by cops in July 2018, according to Dr Susan Gilby.
Dr Gilby joined the Countess of Chester as the new deputy chief executive and medical director weeks after Letby’s arrest.
And she revealed that she had a “quite bizarre” discussion with Mr Chambers at that time, while giving evidence to the Thirlwall Inquiry into the events surrounding Letby’s crimes.
Dr Gilby said she expected the hospital’s executive team would be “absolutely reeling” that a staff member had been arrested on suspicion of committing multiple murders and attempted murders “under their watch”.
She said: “What I found, and what Tony wanted to discuss with me, was his concern that actually he still believed, despite the arrest, that no deliberate harm had been caused.
“He kept repeating that there was no single cause found, and I said to him ‘well it’s not for you to find the cause, you have unexpected and unexplained collapses and deaths of patients and even one of those is a cause of concern’.
“And he just was very focused on the worry that the paediatricians may have caused this nurse harm, and his worry was a wrongful conviction.
“But he was still confident, even though she had been arrested, there would be no progress and there wouldn’t ultimately be a charge.”
Letby was moved out of the neonatal unit to non-clinical duties in June 2016, shortly after consultant paediatricians told bosses they feared she may be deliberately harming babies.
Hospital executives, including Mr Chambers and then medical director Ian Harvey, opted to commission several independent probes into the increased mortality.
And police were not called in to investigate until May 2017.
Dr Gilby said she sensed that both men believed the paediatricians were wrong about their concerns, and that no evidence of deliberate harm had been found in their reviews.
“On a number of occasions it was said to me, [the paediatricians] were just looking for somebody to blame,” she said.
“They just felt the paediatricians were unable to accept they weren’t the best and so when outcomes were poor they were looking for somebody to blame.
“I was being given the impression that I had some ‘problem doctors’ that needed dealing with.”
Dr Gilby later replaced Mr Chambers, who stepped down in September 2018.
Dr Gilby also warned that the medical profession would see killers like Letby again if lessons were not taken into the profession and training.
She said: “It isn’t unthinkable, [serial killers have] happened time and time again.
“But the [Clothier] report, for example, published after the crimes of Beverley Allitt, was not something considered or mentioned in terms of the training I’ve done … I think that’s something that needs to change.”
Karen Rees, 62, was formerly head of nursing at the Countess of Chester Hospital, where seven babies died under Letby’s care.
She had first metLetbyin summer 2016 when had to tell the nurse she was being removed from the neonatal ward following concerns over her “clinical practice”.
Rees claims that weekly management-advised wellbeing meetings she had with Letby following this revealed how “very distressed” the nurse was.
She added that Letby was always crying whenever the two would meet and claimed the nurse told her she would not be driven out from the “job that I love”, proclaiming she had “done nothing wrong”.
Letby was found guilty of attacking babies in her care often just moments after parents or other nurses left their sides.
She was found guilty of fatally injecting seven babies with air, guilty of trying to kill two others by lacing feed bags with insulin, and guilty of the attempted murder of another by thrusting a tube down the baby’s throat.
Dozens of medical documents belonging to her victims were found hoarded in her home, and Facebook searches on the babies’ parents were also discovered.
The charges Letby has been convicted of in full
Child A, allegation of murder. The Crown said Letby injected air intravenously into the bloodstream of the baby boy. COUNT 1 GUILTY.
Child B, allegation of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby attempted to murder the baby girl, the twin sister of Child A, by injecting air into her bloodstream. COUNT 2 GUILTY.
Child C, allegation of murder. Prosecutors said Letby forced air down a feeding tube and into the stomach of the baby boy. COUNT 3 GUILTY.
Child D, allegation of murder. The Crown said air was injected intravenously into the baby girl. COUNT 4 GUILTY.
Child E, allegation of murder. The Crown said Letby murdered the twin baby boy with an injection of air into the bloodstream and also deliberately caused bleeding to the infant. COUNT 5 GUILTY.
Child F, allegation of attempted murder. Letby was said by prosecutors to have poisoned the twin brother of Child E with insulin. COUNT 6 GUILTY.
Child G, three allegations of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby targeted the baby girl by overfeeding her with milk and pushing air down her feeding tube. COUNT 7 GUILTY, COUNT 8 GUILTY, COUNT 9 NOT GUILTY.
Child H, two allegations of attempted murder. Prosecutors said Letby sabotaged the care of the baby girl in some way which led to two profound oxygen desaturations. COUNT 10 NOT GUILTY, COUNT 11 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT.
Child I, allegation of murder. The prosecution said Letby killed the baby girl at the fourth attempt and had given her air and overfed her with milk. COUNT 12 GUILTY.
Child J, allegation of attempted murder. No specific form of harm was identified by the prosecution but they said Letby did something to cause the collapse of the baby girl. COUNT 13 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT.
Child K, allegation of attempted murder. The prosecution said Letby compromised the baby girl as she deliberately dislodged a breathing tube. COUNT 14 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICTAT ORIGINAL TRIAL, GUILTYAFTER RETRIAL
Child L, allegation of attempted murder. The Crown said the nurse poisoned the twin baby boy with insulin. COUNT 15 GUILTY.
Child M, allegation of attempted murder. Prosecutors said Letby injected air into the bloodstream of Child L’s twin brother. COUNT 16 GUILTY.
Child N, three allegations of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby inflicted trauma in the baby boy’s throat and also injected him with air in the bloodstream. COUNT 17 GUILTY, COUNT 18 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT, COUNT 19 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT.
Child O, allegation of murder. Prosecutors say Letby attacked the triplet boy by injecting him with air, overfeeding him with milk and inflicting trauma to his liver with “severe force”. COUNT 20 GUILTY.
Child P, allegation of murder. Prosecutors said the nurse targeted the triplet brother of Child O by overfeeding him with milk, injecting air and dislodging his breathing tube. COUNT 21 GUILTY.
Child Q, allegation of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby injected the baby boy with liquid, and possibly air, down his feeding tube. COUNT 22 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT.
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A Newcastle mom thought she was doing the right thing by sterilizing her daughter’s new drink bottle for school - but tragically, she will never make the same mistake again.
2 weeks agoNews 1Comments Off on Shreya Ghoshal supports PM Modi’s anti-obesity initiative: It is the need of the hour
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2 weeks agoNews 1Comments Off on Nepo baby, 21, follows in her famous mum’s footsteps as a model – but can you guess her noughties star parent?
A NEPO baby, 21, is seemingly following in her famous mum’s footsteps as a model.
Evie is 21 years of age and was born in 2004 to a very famous noughties star mum.
Can you guess this brunette beauty’s famous mum?InstagramInstagramHer mum shot to fame as a Page 3 model[/caption]
Following in her model mum’s footsteps, Evie often shares glamorous snaps on social media.
However, her most recent offering on Instagram was a snap of her posing with her famous mother.
Wishing her mum a happy birthday, Evie shared a string of photos and wrote a touching caption.
“Happy birthday to the best mum ever,” Evie penned alongside a recent selfie of the pair on holiday, as well as some throwback photos from when she was a tot.
The famous mum – who shot to fame as a Page 3 model – commented on the post and said: “Thank you all, for such lovely messages, I’m feeling the love, and sending it back out to you all.”
At 53, the famous noughties star is known for having switched career from Page 3 star to TV presenter.
Known for having hosted the likes of Eurotrash, Fort Boyard, and To Buy Or Not To Buy, this famous lady has also popped up as a celebrity star on several reality shows.
Appearing in Celebrity Big Brother, Dancing On Ice and Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, surely you’ve guessed who the famous mum is?
That’s it! It’s Melinda Messenger.
InstagramMelinda Messenger recently celebrated her 53rd birthday[/caption]
InstagramHer daughter Evie shared a sweet throwback snap to commemorate her mum’s birthday[/caption]
News Group Newspapers LtdMelinda was a famous Page 3 model in the 90s[/caption]
ReutersMelinda U-turned from modelling to TV presenting[/caption]
Known for being at the helm of the Health Lottery, Melinda then went on to quit regular television work.
After quitting regular TV work, Melinda undertook training in psychotherapy and has practised since 2015.
The stunning blonde beauty married Wayne Roberts in Bali in 1998 before welcoming three children.
Melinda and Wayne are parents to aforementioned Evie, as well as Flynn and Morgan.
The couple sadly divorced in 2012.
What is a Nepo Baby?
A ‘nepo baby’ is a colloquial term used to describe individuals who have gained opportunities or success in their careers primarily due to familial connections or the influence of their well-known or wealthy parents, rather than solely through their own talent, skills, or efforts.
The term ‘nepo’ is short for ‘nepotism’, which refers to favouritism granted to relatives or close friends, often in a professional context.
Key Characteristics:
Inherited advantage: Nepo babies often benefit from their family’s established reputation, wealth, or industry connections.
Access to networks: They typically have easier access to influential networks and resources within their chosen field.
Public perception: The term can carry a negative connotation, implying that their success is not entirely merit-based.
Industries Affected:
Entertainment: Many actors, musicians, and other performers are often labeled as nepo babies if they have famous parents.
Business: Individuals who inherit or are given significant roles in family-owned businesses.
Politics: Politicians who follow in the footsteps of their parents or other relatives.
Examples:
Children of famous actors who become actors themselves.
Heirs to business empires who assume executive roles.
Offspring of political figures who enter public office.
The concept of nepo babies is often debated, with some arguing that it undermines the notion of meritocracy.
Meanwhile, others believe that it is natural for families to support and help each other succeed.
Melinda then moved on with Dr. Raj Joshi, whom she got engaged to after meeting on the Channel 4 show, Celebrity SAS, while filming the show in Vietnam.
But sadly, the couple split just six months after the pair got engaged in New Zealand.
At the time of the news of Melinda and Raj’s split breaking, The Sun revealed that a source had shared details on their break up.
A source told us that the pair “fell fast” and had an “amazing” year travelling around the world together but ultimately decided to part ways.
“Melinda is gutted because she thought he was the one after they bonded over such an amazing experience,” the source added.
They concluded: “The wedding is off. They are no longer in touch.”
Explaining how they fell in love, Melinda previously told The Sun: “So when I came out, I was crying, sweat, blood tears, and wee, I am not kidding you, in this old sports bra and cycling shorts covered in bruises and yeah, foot rot.
“The producer was like, ‘Do you want to see the doctor? You may as well. Just pop in and just have a quick chat.’
“We just carried on chatting after that and that was it!
“So the show changed my life in more ways than one, and I’m truly thankful for that.”
Channel 4Melinda appeared on Celebrity SAS in 2023[/caption]
Splash NewsThe stunning former Page 3 model has remained in the public eye[/caption]
GettyShe can often be seen posing at events[/caption]
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Do you remember playing Call of Duty as a kid? All the reloading after killing one enemy, picking up enemy guns because they look more interesting. Well, none of that is going to fly in the Delta Force – Black Hawk Down campaign. It’s been three days since the campaign came out and people don’t […]
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