Dr Lisa Cunningham

[starryeyed10]

well yes most of the 30k trips are probably non essential imo.

also by cancelling all flights with the UK they basically even said no essential travel. no travel whatsoever because of the variant so....

 

[Roisin Dubh]

I get the issues, but the Irish govt hasn’t actually mandated what is an “essential” trip to Ireland. There has been 30,000 people fly in for Christmas- with all due respect, Dr.Lisa is Irish, her primary address is Ireland and her young children are here.
jesus if that’s not an essential trip, none of that 30,000 are

No, you’re right, they haven’t, but they did impose a travel ban on flights to the Republic and the only people that they repatriated directly back to Ireland were those live here and who genuinely got stuck over there. Lisa is working for a UK hospital so is paying tax in the UK. The country that you pay tax in is technically the country you are ordinarily resident in. On that basis, she wouldn’t have been eligible to get on one of the two repatriation flights that the government scheduled. So she really shouldn’t have travelled.

I have relatives in the UK that have effectively been isolating for weeks as they wfh, they are Irish too, they could easily have travelled, they could actually have driven, but they didn’t want to jeopardise anybody over here so they didn’t travel. And they’re not medics, just ordinary decent people with a social and moral conscience. They are on their own for Christmas as a result. So are several of their Irish friends there, who usually ALWAYS come home for Christmas. So she can try and justify it all she wants, but she didn’t wear full PPE for her whole journey home and no matter what she says, it’s a bad example to set, especially as a public figure who stood, saintly, on national TV only a few months ago. She shouldn’t have done it.

 

[Aoife g]

well yes most of the 30k trips are probably non essential imo.

also by cancelling all flights with the UK they basically even said no essential travel. no travel whatsoever because of the variant so....

Yeah I do get it. Except the governmenr hasn’t said no to essential travel That’s the point. They haven’t made an agreement with Belfast, they haven’t outright banned travel. So it’s tough.

No, you’re right, they haven’t, but they did impose a travel ban on flights to the Republic and the only people that they repatriated directly back to Ireland were those live here and who genuinely got stuck over there. Lisa is working for a UK hospital so is paying tax in the UK. The country that you pay tax in is technically the country you are ordinarily resident in. On that basis, she wouldn’t have been eligible to get on one of the two repatriation flights that the government scheduled. So she really shouldn’t have travelled.

I have relatives in the UK that have effectively been isolating for weeks as they wfh, they are Irish too, they could easily have travelled, they could actually have driven, but they didn’t want to jeopardise anybody over here so they didn’t travel. And they’re not medics, just ordinary decent people with a social and moral conscience. They are on their own for Christmas as a result. So are several of their Irish friends there, who usually ALWAYS come home for Christmas. So she can try and justify it all she wants, but she didn’t wear full PPE for her whole journey home and no matter what she says, it’s a bad example to set, especially as a public figure who stood, saintly, on national TV only a few months ago. She shouldn’t have done it.

She does live here though.
Ladies, I reckon we’re being pretty unfair to a mum and her babies. Regardless of what you think of her, she isn’t the problem here. She is deemed an essential worker (whether we like it or not) and she works across both U.K. and Ireland, so is entitled to come home.

 

[Outwageous]

Yeah I do get it. Except the governmenr hasn’t said no to essential travel That’s the point. They haven’t made an agreement with Belfast, they haven’t outright banned travel. So it’s tough.


She does live here though.
Ladies, I reckon we’re being pretty unfair to a mum and her babies. Regardless of what you think of her, she isn’t the problem here. She is deemed an essential worker (whether we like it or not) and she works across both U.K. and Ireland, so is entitled to come home.

I’ll have to correct you there, she does not work in Ireland at all at the moment. She is fully employed by the UK and only an essential worker over there.If she had stayed she wouldn’t not have been the only mother or father kept away from children on Christmas Day. I personally do know a few devastated people that have had to stay in London, including a doctor who works in a major London hospital. Of course it would have been sad for her but hello- this is in the name of safety due to a global pandemic and things have taken a terrible turn recently.

I’ll say it again- lots of people got stranded. She seems to have some sort of sense of entitlement that goes above that where it’s acceptable to engage in risky behaviours and ignore both the Irish and the UK government. It’s people like her that are ruining our attempts to keep the numbers down.

And as people have said- for her to be preaching and calling herself a hero at the same time- that’s just pathetic!

 

[starryeyed10]

So where does she live? Ireland or the UK? Does she work in both Ireland and the UK at the moment? I am confused.

It is just the harsh reality of life during a pandemic tbh. It's only one year out of people's lives though.

Lots of people have made huge sacrifices for the greater good whilst some people seem to think they are more important than others. Guidelines only work if everyone follows them.

In Australia, NZ and China she would be in a quarantine hotel for two weeks. She flies over and back ignoring all advice. It's odd really.

 

[Aoife g]

I’ll have to correct you there, she does not work in Ireland at all at the moment. She is fully employed by the UK and only an essential worker over there.If she had stayed she wouldn’t not have been the only mother or father kept away from children on Christmas Day. I personally do know a few devastated people that have had to stay in London, including a doctor who works in a major London hospital. Of course it would have been sad for her but hello- this is in the name of safety due to a global pandemic and things have taken a terrible turn recently.

I’ll say it again- lots of people got stranded. She seems to have some sort of sense of entitlement that goes above that where it’s acceptable to engage in risky behaviours and ignore both the Irish and the UK government. It’s people like her that are ruining our attempts to keep the numbers down.

And as people have said- for her to be preaching and calling herself a hero at the same time- that’s just pathetic!

So what would you consider essential then? She has a child under 2yrs of age. if coming home to her children isn’t essential what is?
The Irish government has not issued ANY guidelines on how to define essential. That’s the important part here. She is not breaking any laws.

 

[Pollyannah]

I wouldn’t like to see any parent kept away from their children at Christmas. I have followed and liked Lisa for a while now. I think her cloak and dagger approach earlier in the week about getting home and stepping back from IG annoyed a lot, it did me and I unfollowed. her family are making a huge sacrifice for her training, but it wasn’t compulsory, it was to fulfil her career goal. The pandemic was in full swing when she left so in her job lots of current scenarios must have crossed her mind.

 

[Mocaacom]

I don’t understand why she didn’t use annual leave and come home earlier? Or what if she was rostered on for Christmas? How would she have come home then? I’ve spent many a Christmas Day home while my husband works, not ideal but he’s rostered on and has to work so you put up with it

 

[brandambassador]

I don’t understand why she didn’t use annual leave and come home earlier? Or what if she was rostered on for Christmas? How would she have come home then? I’ve spent many a Christmas Day home while my husband works, not ideal but he’s rostered on and has to work so you put up with it

She said last July that she had already agreed with work to have Christmas off to go home, so I assume she is on annual leave. I think people are missing the point that Lisa is using the fact that she is a doctor in the UK as ‘essential travel’. It’s only essential when she’s going to the UK. She is not a doctor here. I repeat she is not a doctor here, she is not essential here and stop making excuses for her not self isolating when coming from the UK etc.

 

[Mocaacom]

She said last July that she had already agreed with work to have Christmas off to go home, so I assume she is on annual leave. I think people are missing the point that Lisa is using the fact that she is a doctor in the UK as ‘essential travel’. It’s only essential when she’s going to the UK. She is not a doctor here. I repeat she is not a doctor here, she is not essential here and stop making excuses for her not self isolating when coming from the UK etc.

I fully agree with you. If she swung Christmas off I’m saying she should have booked time before it too - we’ve known about the 14 days restricting movements/isolating for ages now. But she’s never bothered with that she’s far too important.

She could play the essential worker card going back to the UK but not coming here. She’s essential to her family here - but so is everyone else.

But she’s a doctor so is used to being hero worshiped and sure she’s practically a god (in her head, I’m not talking about all doctors there are plenty of them following the rules and stuck away from family but they’re not the ones cashing in on the gram ).

 

[Roisin Dubh]

Ultimately COVID-19 has given this woman a platform. It has put her on national TV and radio and given her a lot of exposure. It has boosted her social media following massively, which has led to her engaging an agency to manage her ‘brand’. Most of us would not be remotely aware of this person if there had not been a pandemic. But she has become a sort of public figure as a result of it. And has put herself front and centre with regard to it all too. For this reason, I feel that she should not have been twisting the rules to suit herself. The optics look really bad and it makes a mockery of the position that she has established herself in also.

 

[RaMOANa]

I think she would have been repatriated anyway she doesn’t live in the uk she works there as she comes home on her days off. The HSE will ultimately benefit from her experience over in the UK. She has been tested regularly and I don’t believe she would put her family at risk, she took advantage of a loop hole as many others did. I don’t begrudge her Christmas with her small children.

 

[Outwageous]

So what would you consider essential then? She has a child under 2yrs of age. if coming home to her children isn’t essential what is?
The Irish government has not issued ANY guidelines on how to define essential. That’s the important part here. She is not breaking any laws.

It’s illegal as per UK law to leave a tier 4 area for non essential reasons and she’s registered under their medical council. So there’s that. It’s not illegal for me to lick a covid patient and then lick my elderly father but I still won’t do it. It’s not illegal for me to meet with a different bubble every different day between now and lockdown but as a responsible person, I still won’t do it.

Opening Santa presents with a toddler is very special but not essential. I’ve a friend who is literally missing his own fathers funeral as he is in London. That’s covid for ya! Devastating. One rule and obligation for the most of us to be respectful of that and patiently wait for safer times.... and then another rule for the likes of Lisa...

 

[Pollyannah]

Is also had a child under 2 when she decided to train in the UK to further her career path. There are pros and cons and people in most other professions have to row with it.

 

[Xena693]

Is also had a child under 2 when she decided to train in the UK to further her career path. There are pros and cons and people in most other professions have to row with it.

Exactly, Lisa chose to work in the UK of her own volition for her own personal gain. She’s architect of her own misfortune and isn’t owed sympathy from anyone. My sympathy is reserved for those who lost their loved ones to Covid this year, not those who perpetrate the spread of the virus.

 

[Whoami11111]

Lisa is working for a UK hospital so is paying tax in the UK. The country that you pay tax in is technically the country you are ordinarily resident in.

Wrong. You are resident for tax purposes somewhere else after spending 183 days in that country. Given Lisa left in July and has been home so much, it’s safe to assume she’s tax resident in Ireland. She will be liable to Irish tax on her worldwide income and will get a credit for tax paid in the UK. Ordinary residence only kicks in after you are 3 years resident in a country. She’s resident and ordinarily residence in Ireland.

 

[CiCi87]

It’s worrying that her husband is out today delivering presents with her sons. They should be restricting their movements now that she’s home - I’m pretty sure that’s the guidance.

 

[Streetlight]

Jeez I don't know some of this commentary about her is harsh. Life is not black and white. She took the role in the UK to further her career yes, but it is not like she is some investment banker where career advancement only betters her life. The role she has in the UK will give her specialist skills she cannot obtain here in Ireland and will allow her to return to a role in Ireland where she can hopefully bring those skills to a pre hospital role here. She also took the role pre covid so those saying she went in the middle of a pandemic are incorrect. Not one person here could have foreseen how this year would go this time last year. She found herself in a difficult situation and has tried to make the best of it. People are pontificating here about her as if she is a super spreader and I would love to know if each of those people has stayed in the confines of their own homes in the last 2 weeks and didn't go to any busy shops, santa events crap, see family or friends or go and eat in restaurant or pub. You are more likely to be a spreader than her! She has 3 small kids I absolutely cannot believe that anyone is saying po faced she should have stayed in UK and not seen them for xmas. Like seriously.
I have absolutely no connection to her before anyone starts but she has been incredibly kind to me via DM. And I know for sure if I am ever unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident where getting to a hospital in time is not likely I would want her and the skills she is learning in the UK to give me or my loved one the best chance.

 

[Nobodoycares85]

Jeez I don't know some of this commentary about her is harsh. Life is not black and white. She took the role in the UK to further her career yes, but it is not like she is some investment banker where career advancement only betters her life. The role she has in the UK will give her specialist skills she cannot obtain here in Ireland and will allow her to return to a role in Ireland where she can hopefully bring those skills to a pre hospital role here. She also took the role pre covid so those saying she went in the middle of a pandemic are incorrect. Not one person here could have foreseen how this year would go this time last year. She found herself in a difficult situation and has tried to make the best of it. People are pontificating here about her as if she is a super spreader and I would love to know if each of those people has stayed in the confines of their own homes in the last 2 weeks and didn't go to any busy shops, santa events crap, see family or friends or go and eat in restaurant or pub. You are more likely to be a spreader than her! She has 3 small kids I absolutely cannot believe that anyone is saying po faced she should have stayed in UK and not seen them for xmas. Like seriously.
I have absolutely no connection to her before anyone starts but she has been incredibly kind to me via DM. And I know for sure if I am ever unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident where getting to a hospital in time is not likely I would want her and the skills she is learning in the UK to give me or my loved one the best chance.

Very well said felt some of the comments here very very harsh. Think anyone that has worked on the front line this year derseves more credit and a little happiness.

 

[Xena693]

Jeez I don't know some of this commentary about her is harsh. Life is not black and white. She took the role in the UK to further her career yes, but it is not like she is some investment banker where career advancement only betters her life. The role she has in the UK will give her specialist skills she cannot obtain here in Ireland and will allow her to return to a role in Ireland where she can hopefully bring those skills to a pre hospital role here. She also took the role pre covid so those saying she went in the middle of a pandemic are incorrect. Not one person here could have foreseen how this year would go this time last year. She found herself in a difficult situation and has tried to make the best of it. People are pontificating here about her as if she is a super spreader and I would love to know if each of those people has stayed in the confines of their own homes in the last 2 weeks and didn't go to any busy shops, santa events crap, see family or friends or go and eat in restaurant or pub. You are more likely to be a spreader than her! She has 3 small kids I absolutely cannot believe that anyone is saying po faced she should have stayed in UK and not seen them for xmas. Like seriously.
I have absolutely no connection to her before anyone starts but she has been incredibly kind to me via DM. And I know for sure if I am ever unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident where getting to a hospital

Very well said felt some of the comments here very very harsh. Think anyone that has worked on the front line this year derseves more credit and a little happiness.

I’m sorry but I just don’t understand this mentality.
If comments are harsh, maybe ask yourself why. My children haven’t seen their grandparents in over a year. They didn’t see them at all this Christmas. We don’t know when we’ll see them again. One of my best friends works overseas and missed his baby daughter’s first Christmas. My brother in law and family couldn’t come home from the US. My cousin is stuck in Australia. My only sibling didn’t come home from Christmas.

This is a very serious pandemic. People are dying. NPHET haven't imposed these restrictions for no reason and Lisa Cunningham has no right to break them when so many others are trying their damnedest.

What’s really harsh is elderly grannies and grandads dying alone in nursing homes because that’s the reality.