Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
July 10 WE NEED
Tattoo studio ready to make a mark again Long urges O’neill to explain conduct at republican funeral
FOLLOWING months where body ink fans were unable to add to their collections, one facility has given us a behind the scenes look at how they are getting ready to reopen.
Tattoo studios have been given the green light by the Executive to finally reopen their doors – and their books – and start inking again from today.
And State of the Arts Tattoo in Dungannon, Co Tyrone, are all ready to welcome customers back.
Artist Rory O’neill said: “Interest has been high in coming back, there’s been a lot of phone calls, a lot of text messages so we are delighted to see there’s work ahead of us.
“We’ve developed a screen so that hopefully we can get to tattooing without having to wear all the PPE, the masks and everything that’s really
Date when Revolution Fitness and other NI gyms are set to reopen
uncomfortable – so that it’s more natural and as natural as it can be in the environment we are working in for ourselves and the client.”
Manager Rory O’neill also said designs will be finalised outside appointment slots and emailed to clients to cut the time they spend with them.
While they are pleased to get going again, Ryan O’neill said times were tough during lockdown but they did get a £10,000 grant.
He added: “It has taken a lot of work to get back in, replacing a lot of inks, screens, printers, ink in the printers might have dried out – we don’t know, we haven’t got them back up and running again.
“But it being a luxury item, that’s one of the things that’s going to take a massive hit. Hopefully we can sustain that and get on through to the other side.”
MICHELLE O’neill should explain to Stormont’s Assembly her attendance at Bobby Storey’s funeral, Naomi Long has said.
The Justice Minister urged her Executive colleague to outline why she remains convinced her conduct was in line with official health guidance.
The veteran republican’s funeral last week drew hundreds of onlookers who lined the streets of West Belfast as the cortege passed through.
The Deputy First Minister has apologised for grieving families experiencing more hurt.
She said she did everything within her power to control numbers and marshals were in place. Mrs Long told the BBC’S Sunday Politics programme: “Of all the things we’ve asked people to do, watching your loved ones make their final journey alone or almost alone has been the most difficult.
“I know that we’re dealing with grieving families, and I include in that Bobby Storey’s family, so we need to tread lightly on these issues but it is important that if you make the rules, you are seen to keep those rules.
“It’s about confidence between the public and the Executive in terms of the things we may have to ask them to do again later this year if there is a second spike and will they treat the advice and regulations with the same respect that they had to date.
“I hope they do but we need acknowledgement of that from Michelle and an apology for the damage done.”
The four other Executive parties are backing a motion which calls for an explanation from Sinn Fein ministers who attended the
ON SUNDAY POLITICS YESTERDAY
funeral. Meanwhile, Stormont should introduce a voucher scheme for people to spend in local businesses, Belfast Chamber has said.
Footfall will be down for some time and firms will start incurring costs as they reopen without the level of custom they would ordinarily expect, the traders’ body said. Retailers have been impacted by restrictions imposed to stop Covid-19’s spread. Chamber chief Simon Hamilton said: “While it is brilliant to see places like Belfast city centre reopening with shops, bars, restau