Ireland

Are 'giant' sculptures going to be built in 21 states in 2021? No, that's not true: The company creating them plans to use the structures to showcase quasi-animated images of heroes, athletes and celebrities once they have found investors in 21 cities that would want one. The claim originated in an Instagram post (archived here) on June 14, 2021, by…

Did an Irish woman take the gun of her wounded fiance and continue fighting the British army until she was killed? And did someone overhear the comments of the British commander who had called off the fighting so the "Irish could bury their dead"? And lastly, was this photo "chosen" for Women's Day in Ireland and given the motto, "Don't…

Did a laboratory analysis commissioned by a German children's charity find bacteria and mold on a mask? Yes, that is true, but it does not mean these microorganisms are harmful or abnormal. According to experts, it is likely that the bacteria found on the mask are just the regular bacteria found on the skin and in the mouth. Without further…

Did Irish Health Service officials "admit" COVID-19 does not exist? No, that's not true: The claim rests on a purported Irish Health Service (HSE) letter the agency says does not exist. The person based her claim on a bit of sophistry: She declares that since she demanded and did not receive HSE documentation of lab isolation of the novel coronavirus,…

Is the psychiatrist who leads off a video attack on epidemiology and vaccinology correct in saying there is no SARS-Cov-2 virus, no COVID-19 pandemic, no safe vaccine and no need for one? No, that's not true. Neither Dr. Andrew Kaufman, nor any of the other medical professionals who appear in the video with him offer evidence to support their extraordinary…

Was the Parler social network hacked? No, there is no evidence for that. The original news came from a now deleted tweet by a conceptual artist known for high-tech art projects. A configuration file that was supposedly part of the hack has been online for several months. No hacked data has appeared online so far and the CEO of Parler…

Did the term "hungover" originate from a practice of allowing drunks to drape their bodies across a rope overnight for the price of a penny in Victorian England? No, that's not entirely true: The term hungover -- and its noun form, hangover -- did not come from the practice of sleeping over a rope, but there is record of some…

Did Joe Biden say, "if you're going to vote, vote early and vote often"? No, that's not true: During the first 2020 presidential debate, the Democratic nominee encouraged Americans to vote, but he did not use that phrase, which is a well-worn quote that's been around for decades, if not longer. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published…

Did Kamala Harris buy her California home with money inherited from an ancestor who owned slaves -- one of whom was apparently her own great-great-great-great-grandmother? No, that's not true: It is a bizarre claim used to argue that the Democratic vice presidential nominee is now living off the profits of slavery. Harris shares the same family history of an estimated…

Did Kamala Harris descend from a slave owner and it is a "deep, dark secret" that has "come back to haunt" her? Yes, it is true that Sen. Harris does apparently have an Irish great-great-great-great-great grandfather who owned slaves in Jamaica, it is also likely that Harris's great-great-great-great-great grandmother was his slave and was impregnated through rape. This is no…