Family News and Events

Family News and Events
A view of the flu

For history lovers and those who want to discover more of their own heritage, the National Museum’s Country Life department is offering a chance for attendees to learn about one of the most severe flus that hit the country.

The Enemy Within – The Spanish Flu in Ireland explores the legacy of the Spanish Flu which took hold in the early part of the 20th Century.

The flu outbreak in Ireland began in the summer of 1918 and is thought to have been brought to the country by soldiers returning from the Great War on the continent.

The exhibition investigates the folk medicines and rudimentary cures used by the public to combat the flu pandemic, which infected around 500 million people all around the world, and killed between 50 and 100 million.

In Ireland, 23,000 died and up to 800,000 were infected. The Castlebar display ends in April and admission is free.

 

Food for thought

After a long and tiresome day of work, it’s very convenient to fire a ready-made meal into the microwave and not have to worry about make a homemade dish.

While this has a short-term benefit, a new study appearing in JAMA Internal Medicine has shown that consuming higher levels of ultraprocessed foods is associated with an increased risk of mortality. The term ‘ultraprocessed’ refers to food products that manufacturers have put through industrial processes and contain a range of ingredients.

Some examples include sugary drinks, breads, ready-made meals, confectionaries, and processed meats. Overall, a 10% increase in the amount of ultraprocessed food consumed equated to a 14% increase in mortality risk.

The authors conclude: “Findings from this prospective study of a large French cohort suggest for the first time, to our knowledge, that an increased proportion of ultraprocessed foods in the diet is associated with a higher risk of overall mortality.”

 

Driver dilemma deciphered

There are very few things less annoying in life than dropping your keys, loose change or important possessions down the side of seat. This usually results in a flurried attempt to retrieve the item, and upon failing, resorting to using a flashlight and the help of some thin arms.

The Car Seat Gap Filler provides a simple solution to this problem by completely covering the whole surrounding area between the seat and the centre console. It attaches to the seat belt via a built-in slot, and moves with the seat so there’s no need to readjust or reinstall it. One size fits most vehicles and the high-grade casing allows you contract or expand the product to whatever size gap you have.

This will ease much of your driving stress as you will never lose anything in your car again!