Irishexaminer.com

Couple brought two young children with them to carry out carjacking

2017-10-24

Gardaí are searching for a couple who brought two young children with them as they carried out a planned assault and car theft in Co Meath.

The carjacking occurred after the couple arranged to meet an individual who was selling his car — a 142-reg Mercedes C class — at a graveyard in Dunshaughlin village last Sunday evening.

A Garda spokesman said the victim had advertised his car for sale and arranged to meet with a prospective buyer at the graveyard, which is opposite St Seachnall’s National School.

“At about 6.20pm he pulled up beside the graveyard in a white Mercedes C220 with a 142-D registration facing in the Dublin direction,” said the spokesman.

He said a red Toyota Auris with a 05-D registration pulled in behind him and a man approached towards the passenger seat of the Mercedes.

“This man assaulted the owner of the car and drove the Mercedes off in the Dublin direction,” said the spokesman.

He said the alleged culprit was described as being 5ft 11in height, with short black hair and sallow skin.

“The victim stood in front of the red Toyota and attempted to prevent the female driver from leaving the scene,” he said.

The Garda spokesman said she was described as being in her 30s, of heavy build with long brown hair.

“The woman drove away and the victim was knocked to the ground,” he said. “The victim received minor injuries.”

The spokesman said the woman drove off in the same direction as the Mercedes.

“It is believed that the woman had two children in the car at the time,” he said.

“One of these children is believed to be about seven years of age.”

Gardaí said earlier that evening, between 4.30pm and 6.15pm, number plates bearing 05-D were taken from a car parked at the Old Forge housing estate, a short distance away.

Gardaí appealed to anyone who was near the graveyard around the time of the incident, or who was on the Dublin Road, and saw the vehicles, to contact Dunshaughlin Garda Station on 01 8258600.

They also asked people who saw a red Toyota Auris with a couple, and who may have had two young children with them, at the Old Forge estate to contact them.

Calls for review of Cork city’s tree policy after Ophelia knocks up to 600 trees

2017-10-24

There have been calls for a full review of Cork City’s tree policy after it emerged that Storm Ophelia may have knocked up to 600 trees citywide — with the clean-up expected to cost millions.

Several councillors said officials need to conduct an urgent damage assessment of surviving trees, and then review the city’s policy on what it allows to be planted and where, and how those trees are managed.

The calls came during a special meeting of Cork City Council last night during which the full impact of Ophelia’s hurricane-force winds was laid bare. A report to councillors showed:

At least 500 trees were knocked — the figure is expected to rise to close to 600;
114 calls about fallen trees and parks issues were logged during the storm — a further 235 calls have come in since;
Over 300 reports of damage to council homes;
Four families had to avail of homeless services;
The city fire brigade attended 48 incidents, including structural failings, lose hoardings, debris and wind damage during the storm;
The council is still liaising with building owners after receiving 38 separate reports of structural damage.

It will take four to six weeks for all knocked trees to be cleared and the cost of the storm clean-up is expected to run into millions.

The city’s head of finance, John Hallihan, said a formal application for funding will be made in due course.

Earlier, acting chief executive Ruth Buckley briefed councillors on the council’s response before, during, and after Storm Ophelia. She said emergency management planning began on the Friday before Monday’s storm, and that a meeting of its crisis management team, involving gardaí and the HSE, was convened at 2.30pm on Sunday. A crisis management office was set up at 7am on Monday . The office was stood down at 7pm as the focus switched to assessment and recovery.

“People went above and beyond the call of duty,” said councillor Fergal Dennehy. “People knew what they were doing, and how they were going to do it. There was no loss of life and no serious injury.”

Lord Mayor Tony Fitzgerald agreed to his suggestion that a civic reception be held for the staff who manned the crisis management office.

Fiann Fáil councillor Ken O’Flynn said the city needs to re-examine its tree policy.

“We need to look at what we are allowing be planted by ourselves and by builders and developer,” he said. “We have trees in the city that are totally unsuitable for city living. We have gigantic oaks next to houses.”

Fine Gael councillor John Buttimer said while trees are important for the environment, the city must, in the wake of Ophelia, debate their place in the public realm.

Sinn Féin councillor Mick Nugent and Solidarity councillor Fiona Ryan said the Travelling community, at Spring Lane and Carrigrohane Road halting sites in particular, had been hit disproportionately.

Fianna Fáil councillor Tim Brosnan said those who were charged with the “defence of Cork” dealt with the situation in a “cool, consistent and calm” manner.

Fianna Fáil councillor Terry Shannon praised local media and radio stations for regular updates, and for providing comfort for people who stayed home.

Fine Gael councillor Joe Kavanagh said the council’s communications plan was implemented with military precision.

“It’s why we came out of this so well,” he said. “There is nothing we can do about falling trees or power cuts. But we can prevent injuries.”

After ‘dragging their feet’, banks to offer customers compensation

2017-10-24

Banks involved in the tracker mortgage scandal are expected to make fresh pledges to compensate affected customers after the Government gave company bosses a dressing down over “dragging their feet”.

Bank chiefs were hauled into Government Buildings and quizzed about the delay in paying back and compensating the estimated 13,000 customers identified as being ripped-off.

The Government later issued a statement warning that the behaviour of the banks in relation to removing people from tracker mortgages was “completely unacceptable”.

After Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe met the CEOs and chairmen of KBC, Bank of Ireland, and Permanent TSB, the statement said the banks have been “dragging their feet in solving the problem, at real human cost”.

Mr Donohoe also met Central Bank governor Philip Lane yesterday and noted the regulator’s investigation into the tracker mortgage scandal had been “the largest and most complex prudential investigation ever undertaken in Ireland, involving around 2m mortgage accounts going back many years across 15 lenders”.

Mr Donohoe said it was “very disappointing” that despite the significant management and board changes that have taken place since the onset of the financial crisis, there “still seems to be a cultural issue with some of the banks”.

The statement says that people affected should have had their tracker mortgages restored and been fully compensated as soon as possible. It says banks would make statements later this week, once further meetings with Ulster Bank and AIB, among others, are finished.

Permanent TSB said it expected to repay and compensate customers by Christmas.

A Cabinet meeting last night saw ministers voice concern about the inaction of lenders to own up and repay customers.

Financial advisor Padraic Kissane, who is helping customers, was reluctant to believe bankers would commit to change, admit their wrongs, and fully compensate customers.

He believes as many as 30,000 customers have been ripped off.

Speaking to RTÉ, Mr Kissane said banks had refused to fix the problems for years and he questioned how suddenly it would all be resolved in a few weeks.

“I’m waiting to see, you’re asking leopards to change spots,” said Mr Kissane, adding that there was a lot of “resistance and condescension” among banks.

Banks would try “every option” in order to stop customers going back to low-cost tracker loans, he claimed.

Mr Kissane warned that the financial scandal was damaging the country. He said the reputation of Ireland was being “destroyed” with Brexit on the way.

Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil will push for the laws to be changed, for the banks to face fresh penalties, and for class action cases to be legislated for as part of a Dáil motion tomorrow.

The party wants “a thorough investigation” as to how the tracker scandal occurred and a probe into whether there was any “co-ordination, formal or informal, across the industry”.

Any offences should be reported to Revenue and gardaí, among others, it says, and extra powers should be given to the Central Bank.

The Government should also vote against the reappointment of directors to the banks in which the State is a shareholder, and introduce legislation to stop repossession proceedings on tracker-related mortgages until all affected customers are redressed, the party will say during the Dáil debate tomorrow night.

High levels of manganese in Cork village's water baffling

2017-10-24

Environmental experts are baffled at the cause of high concentrations of a metal in the drinking water of a Cork village.

An audit was carried by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the water supply to Minane Bridge this summer.

The environmental regulator was alerted by Irish Water to levels of manganese above recommended limits.

Manganese is a natural element, commonly found in groundwater.

It is not regarded as particularly toxic, but it can cause staining problems and, in high concentrations, can cause a bad taste.

A warning notice, ‘Do Not Consume’, was placed on the supply in Minane Bridge on July 20, on the advice of the HSE. It followed complaints from a householder about an unusual odour from the water a week earlier.

Tests carried out by Cork County Council showed samples had a concentration of manganese over 36 times the recommended limit, of 50 micrograms per litre.

An inspection by council officials, of landholdings in the area, found no evidence of any activity that could explain the elevated levels of manganese.

Five further samples, taken on different days in July, also revealed high levels of the metal. The highest had a concentration over 162 times the recommended level.

Irish Water said manganese levels dropped significantly in late July, from up to 7,500 to 730 micrograms per litre, which it attributed to the recharging of groundwater, following a period of rain.

The EPA said monitoring of the Minane Bridge supply was ongoing, in an effort to establish the reason behind the elevated manganese levels.

It pointed out that there were no exceedances of recommended limits for any other elements in the water supply.

Irish Water said that the warning notices were removed after the supply subsequently complied with all current drinking water standards.

A spokesperson said that, in the longer term, the company was exploring options to put in place “a permanent technical solution” to prevent any recurrence of an issue with manganese in the supply.

Landlords use antisocial behaviour ‘excuse’ to evict young addicts’ families

2017-10-24

The families of some children accessing a HSE adolescent addiction service allegedly faced eviction as landlords were using the “excuse” of child antisocial behaviour so as to vacate the property.

The claim is included in a report collated by the HSE’s adolescent addiction service dealing with large parts of south and west Dublin, including areas such as Clondalkin, Ballyfermot, Lucan, and Palmerstown.

It also shows falls in the rate of use of some drugs and said one third of teenagers accessing the addiction service had a drug debt issue.

The recently-published figures for 2016 show that 49 young people accessed the service in 2016, down from 58 in 2015 and 59 in 2014, with the drop understood to be due to greater success in school completion programmes and other interventions for teens.

In 2016, the average age of those using the service was 15.5 years. Most of the referrals came from the young person’s family or from social workers, as well as the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) and other sources.

Last year also saw a marked increase in the number of cases referred to the service by schools. Just 6% of those referred had been out of education or training at the time, down from 18% in 2015, with the report citing “continuing improvements in terms of educational retention”.

Substance abuse was a factor in 36% of families and parental separation was a feature in 56% of cases, while 60% of the children referred had previous contact with CAMHS. As for the drugs being used by those accessing the service, 63% were using cannabis/weed, which was a factor to some degree in 90% of all referrals.

Alcohol was the main abuse in 12% of cases, but was present as a factor in 60% of referrals, even though that figure was down compared with previous years.

Benzodiazepines (33%), amphetamines (31%), and cocaine (29%) were also listed, and the report noted 34% of teenagers had an indebtedness issue. The previous year, that figure was 46%.

Some of those using the service are in care and there was a rise in absconding, in accessing out-of-hours services and in care placement, while 14% attended hospital, 13% had self-harmed and 2% had attempted suicide.

The report added: “Currently, in some areas, a number of families are facing a threat of eviction due to landlords using excuse of anti-social behaviour by young people as competition for accommodation escalates.”

Minister to force banks to pay compo; Government to up pressure over tracker mortgage scandal

2017-10-24

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe is to bring forward a range of measures tomorrow aimed at forcing banks to fully compensate thousands of customers wrongfully removed from their tracker mortgages.

While Central Bank governor Philip Lane said those affected will be repaid and compensated by Christmas time, the Government is not convinced and is to increase pressure on the banks to resolve the scandal.

At a Cabinet meeting last night, Mr Donohoe made it clear that the previously “deferential” attitude towards the banks is at an end. He will make a major announcement tomorrow, several ministers confirmed.

Mr Donohoe told ministers that, in addition to the 13,000 cases that are known, there are 7,000 further cases where agreement has not been reached between the Central Bank and the banks.

Ministers have told the Irish Examiner that one of the options under consideration is subjecting senior bankers to fitness and probity evaluations and possibly using that to force some from their posts.

Just one of the three banks, Permanent TSB, offered an apology to affected customers following a meeting with Mr Donohoe at the Department of Finance yesterday. Neither Bank of Ireland nor KBC made any conciliatory comments following meetings with the minister.

Permanent TSB was also the only one of the banks to commit to deliver redress to its affected customers.

“I can’t comment around the operational plans of my competitors. Certainly, the desire of Permanent TSB is to do that, yes,” said chief executive Jeremy Masding.

It has also emerged that the Government will accept a Fianna Fáil bill on the tracker mortgage issue this week.

The bill calls for “a thorough investigation” as to how the tracker scandal occurred and a probe into whether there was any “co-ordination, formal or informal, across the industry”.

Any offences must be reported to Revenue and gardaí, among others, it says, and extra powers should be given to the Central Bank.

The Government should also vote against the reappointment of directors to the banks and introduce legislation to stop repossession proceedings on tracker-related mortgages until all affected customers are redressed, states the bill.

A spokeswoman for Mr Donohoe told the Irish Examiner the Government’s view is that the general thrust and objective of the Fianna Fáil motion can be accepted.

During his meetings with the banks, Mr Donohoe accused them of “dragging their feet” over their failure to resolve the scandal, which has come at a “real human cost”.

Mr Donohoe warned that the behaviour of the banks in relation to removing people from tracker mortgages was “completely unacceptable”.

In a Government statement, he said it was “very disappointing” that, despite the significant management and board changes that have taken place since the financial crisis, there “still seems to be a cultural issue with some of the banks”.

Mr Lane said there is no upper limit to the amount of compensation banks will have to pay customers they wrongly removed from tracker mortgage rates.

He said banks have paid out €163m in redress and compensation thus far.

“We think the vast majority of those cases will be paid out before Christmas,” he said. “However, we continue to press the banks to expand their coverage to make sure that all those affected are included in their schemes.”

Financial adviser Padraic Kissane, who is helping customers, was reluctant to believe that bankers would commit to change, admit their wrongs, and fully compensate customers. He believes as many as 30,000 customers have been ripped off.

Speaking to RTÉ, Mr Kissane said banks had refused to fix the problems for years and he questioned how suddenly it would all be resolved in a few weeks.

“I’m waiting to see, you’re asking leopards to change spots,” he said, adding that there was a lot of “resistance and condescension” among banks.

Ryan Tubridy hopes to bring colour to black and white world of kids in difficulty

2017-10-24

RTÉ presenter Ryan Tubridy has said he is upset by the homelessness crisis, and that this year’s Late Late Toy Show will make a special effort to recognise children living in difficult circumstances.

He was speaking at Cork auditions for performers for the Late Late Toy Show, where he said he questions how good Ireland is at respecting childhood.

“The current crisis bothers me,” he said. “It really bothers me. It upsets me. This is a toy show, it is a happy story but I don’t think we should let the opportunity go by without mentioning what is happening for a lot of kids around the country.

“My heart breaks when I see reports on the news. I heard one particular report that I can’t get out of my head, a kid was going to school and she was so upset because she was going back home to a hotel, just because her parents fell through a crack in the system.

“It’s just not fair. They’re sick in their stomachs, they’re nervous, they’re sad, they’re worried. It’s desperate. I don’t know if we can do anything about it, but I can’t ignore it. It’s too sad.”

Tubridy said it was time to remember children who don’t have a voice.

“I want to remember the kids who aren’t in a house,” he said. “I think it is really important that this is the year that the kids who don’t have a voice get heard, and I feel I have a role in that. It’s really important that they know that whatever’s happening in their world, that they’re being thought of, and hopefully the place will be kinder to them.

“We have a very good show, and a very big show, and a very warm show, and a show that’s bursting with happiness from the heart, but there are kids who just don’t have that, and I really want them to know that it’s not going to be bad always, it’s not going to be sad always, it’s not going to be difficult always. That this colour can come to what might be a black and white world.

“I get a great kick out of being ‘the Toy Man’, when kids stop me and say: ‘You’re the Toy Man.’ If you’re going to be the Toy Man, you have got to be the Toy Man for all children and not just for lucky ones.”

However, he said the show would not publicly go to homeless hotels to engage with children.

“I won’t be doing anything publicly in that respect,” he said. “We would have to protect the dignity of any kids, in the event of us talking to any kids in that regard. Even if they were to appear on the show, we would have to be very mindful of where they are coming from, to protect their family and their own circumstances.”

Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil to block votes at abortion committee

2017-10-24

Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil members of the Oireachtas committee on the Eighth Amendment will block any further motions on the amendment if they are put down before the cross-party group completes its work.

Key party committee members are understood to have informally agreed the position before a likely formal request by Solidarity-People Before Profit TD Ruth Coppinger for a vote on Thursday to mark the five-year anniversary of Savita Halappanavar’s death.

The Irish Examiner has learnt that, if Ms Coppinger tables the motion at tomorrow’s meeting, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil members will force a vote on Fianna Fáil’s shelved motion last week asking for no votes until the group’s work concludes in December. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil members said this is because of concerns that repeated votes could undermine the committee’s independent image and distract from its meetings.

Last Wednesday, the committee formally voted on a Sinn Féin compromise proposal “not to retain article 40.3.3 of the constitution in full” by a ballot of 15 votes to three, with two committee members abstaining, and one not in attendance.

The unexpected move was in response to a row over whether to allow a combined motion from eight committee members seeking an immediate vote to repeal the law in its entirety last week.

The original full repeal vote motion was opposed by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael due to concerns that it was too early to make a decision, and by Independent senator Ronan Mullen and Independent TD Mattie McGrath due to their opposition to repealing the Eighth Amendment.

It was initially backed by Ms Coppinger, Independent senator Lynn Ruane, Independents4Change TD Clare Daly, Labour TD Jan O’Sullivan, Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy, and Sinn Féin members Jonathan O’Brien, Louise O’Reilly, and Paul Gavan, with the “not retain in full” proposal ultimately tabled as a compromise by Mr O’Brien.

While welcoming the vote in favour of not retaining the existing law in full, Ms Coppinger said in a letter to committee members last Thursday it has created “uncertainty” among the public as to what the vote means. She said this will continue “unless we now take the logical next step” of voting this week “to commemorate Savita Halappanavar in the most meaningful way”, and is understood to be in favour of a repeal vote on Thursday.

The Irish Examiner understands that since Ms Coppinger’s letter, several Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil committee members have agreed in principle to seek a vote on last week’s Fianna Fáil motion ruling out further votes until the group has concluded its work if a full repeal vote is sought this week.

While Fine Gael TD Kate O’Connell has been outspoken in her pro-choice views, it is believed all six of the party’s committee members will back such a motion, as will Fianna Fáil members.

Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil control 11 of the committee’s 21 votes, and can therefore, block or pass any motion.

Philip Lane: No cap on compo for mortgage customers

2017-10-24

Compensation for customers wrongly removed from their tracker mortgages will not be capped, the governor of the Central Bank has said.

Philip Lane has said there is no upper limit to the amount of compensation banks will have to pay customers they wrongly removed from tracker mortgage rates.

Mr Lane was speaking to the media after he met with Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe yesterday.

The surprise meeting took place just before bank chief executives met with the minister to be “admonished” for their behaviour in relation to the tracker scandal.

Following their meeting with Mr Donohoe, Wim Verbraeken, chief executive of KBC Bank Ireland, and Francesca McDonagh, chief executive of Bank of Ireland, said they would consider the discussion with Mr Donohoe before making a full statement.

Mr Verbraeken told reporters after meeting Mr Donohoe: “KBC Bank Ireland can confirm that we had a productive and informative meeting with the minister for finance this morning.

“The minister conveyed the Government’s great concern around the matter to us. We have undertaken to revert to the minister on the matters discussed and we anticipate to be in a position to issue a statement later this week. In agreement with the minister this is all we have to say on the matter.”

As she was exiting, Ms McDonagh said: “We had a meeting with the minister and we listened very carefully to what the Minister had to say and his concerns. We are treating this matter very seriously and we’ll be making a statement in due course”

Executives of both Ulster Bank and AIB are due to meet with Mr Donohoe later this week.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the taxpayer would not have to foot the bill for the compensation of those wrongly moved off tracker mortgages. “The banks have it in their hands to resolve this in a matter of weeks or months if they want to do so. I would hope that after their meetings this week they will do want to do so,” he said.

The Government had threatened a series of actions against the banks if they failed to compensate those affected by Christmas.

Up to 30,000 homeowners have potentially been caught up in the scandal which saw banks forcing people off loss-making tracker mortgages in the post-crash period. Some of those who were overcharged went on to struggle to meet their repayments and some lost their homes through repossession.

Prof Lane said banks have paid out €163m in redress and compensations thus far.

“We think the vast majority of those cases will be paid out before Christmas. However, we continue to press the banks to expand their coverage to make sure that all those affected are included in their schemes. That is the current focus of our work . . . is to make sure yet more included so that all those affected will receive redress and compensation from the banks.”

Limerick social housing plan will lead to ‘stigmatisation’

2017-10-24

The construction of 16 social houses in the “middle” of an existing private estate will lead to new council tenants being “stigmatised”, according to a former Fianna Fáil mayor of Limerick.

Cllr Kieran O’Hanlon described the decision to put council homes in the middle of private estates as “bad planning” and feared it could lead to a backlash.

At present there are 3,289 applicants on Limerick City and County Councils housing list.

“I came from social housing and was reared in social housing, but a decision by the city and county council to put these houses in the middle of a private estate is bad planning,” said Cllr O’Hanlon. “The people who will be given these houses will be stigmatised as everybody will know they are living in social housing. It will not work for the new council tenants.”

He said that by not providing proper amenities, the council had ignored the quality of life of people in this area for years. One resident said “there is nothing in Rhebogue, but houses upon houses”.

“The council has tenants in the estate in existing houses which the council has purchased and now rent. This is working as nobody knows who is in a council-owned house or a privately-owned house. The mix should be done without making it so obvious; this will not happen if this plan goes ahead,” said Cllr O’Hanlon.

A company has been given permission to build 16 two and three-bedroom social housing units at the Drominbeg estate in Rhebogue.

Up to 100 existing residents in the privately-owned houses in Drominbeg have flagged their intention to object to the new social housing plan to An Bord Pleanála.

Residents say there is already a quota of social housing in the estate and more would lead to an increase in antisocial behaviour and result in a potential drop in the value of houses.

Cllr O’Hanlon said planners held no consultation with councillors: “I am fully supporting the residents. I am strongly opposed to the idea of putting blocks of social housing right in the middle of private housing estates.”

Residents maintain social housing in one corner of the estate would promote social exclusion.

Military archives: Burdock tried to batter Black & Tans

2017-10-24

His name may be best known for fish and chips, but Leo Burdock was trying to batter Black & Tans in the War of Independence.

The Dubliner — whose family opened their first chipper near Christ Church Cathedral in 1913 — detailed his activities in a successful application for a military pension, published online today.

He was awarded a pension in 1946, receiving an annual payment of £21 and 11 shillings and one pence for his service from April 1 1920 to September 30, 1923.

His is one of around only 20% of an estimated 85,000 applications for pensions or allowances that were approved, as the military service pensions acts set strict legal definitions of qualifying active service with the Irish Volunteers, IRA, Cumann na mBan, Irish Citizen Army, Na Fianna Éireann or Hibernian Rifles.

Burdock was a member of C company in the Dublin IRA’s 3rd Brigade, which was active in the south inner city. His name appears on a list of company members provided by ex-IRA officers in the 1930s to help verify military service claims.

Burdock is named there at the Werburgh Street address where the family business still draws customers from around the city today — in the shadow of Dublin Castle.

During the War of Independence, he claimed to have played a part in various attacks on Crown Forces in the city centre. In an attack on a lorry of Black and Tans in the south inner city in April 1921, he said he was posted near Jacob’s biscuit factory as the lorry came from Camden Street towards Aungier Street.

“I was armed with a bomb and grenade. I fired shots only…I fired four or five shots,” he said in evidence to support his claim. “The lorry did not stop, it slowed down passing a tram as we fired.”

The preparedness of the Crown Forces might not be a surprise given the area had been nicknamed ‘the Dardanelles’ by the local IRA because of the number of ambushes they carried out.

Burdock was also part of a group that fired on, what he described as, “a Tan lorry” going from Stephen’s Green to College Green a few weeks earlier.

“I had a bomb and a Webley [revolver]; I lobbed a bomb into the lorry from Knowles Corner,” he recalled.

The file is one of the first known references to Burdock in historic records of the War of Independence. But it also shows that he was an active anti-Treaty IRA member in the subsequent Civil War, including the unsuccessful August 1922 ‘night of the bridges’ plot to isolate the Free State military and political leadership in Dublin.

Burdock was arrested two months later and interned with other IRA members in Mountjoy jail and in a military camp in Newbridge, Co Kildare, but his involvement did not end there.

It also emerges in the newly-released documents that he was sentenced to six months in 1935 for membership of an illegal organisation and failing to give an account of his movements to gardaí.

Military records relate to ‘the 90% of people not known at all’

2017-10-24

Women and children feature alongside household names in the files of more than 1,500 people whose War of Independence and Civil War roles are disclosed in historic records published today.

The files are online from this morning in the latest release from the Military Service Pensions Collection (MSPC), a joint initiative of the Defence Forces and Department of Defence.

The 4,700 files published on the Miltiary Archives website today related to 1,576 people, many of whom had multiple files if they claimed under more than one of the several military service pensions law was passed from 1924 onward. Most are previously unknown people who were the foot soldiers of the Irish battle for independence, and in the Civil War that followed.

“This collection is significant because it contains records relating to leadership but also the rank and file, the 90% of people who are not known at all,” MSPC project manager Cécile Gordon said. “It is fairly groundbreaking, everybody has a voice. Not just the applicant himself or herself, but also their dependants who make claims in respect of them.”

Among those whose files have become available to family members, historians, genealogists, and others researching the period are those relating to 300 women who took part in the events of 1916 to 1923.

Many of those women played key roles in the communications and intelligence networks that helped the Irish Volunteers and IRA keep ahead of Crown Forces actions and movements during the War of Independence.

Among the latest set of files are those relating to nearly 350 anti-Treaty IRA members who died or were wounded in the Civil War that began in June 1922.

They range from previously unknown names like 10-year-old Edmund Quirke in Co Tipperary to better-known figures like Dick Barrett. He was one of four IRA prisoners executed by the National Army in December 1922, the day after the IRA killed West-Cork pro-Treaty TD Seán Hales in Dublin.

Barrett is one of 81 IRA men executed by the Irish Free State from November 1922 to May 1923. His file is one of 66 executed men’s files coming into the public domain for the first time today, adding to seven whose files were previously released.

The last MSPC release in 2015 contained large numbers of files relating to National Army members killed in the Civil War.

The project running since 2008 has already helped to tell the stories of over 4,000 participants in events from the Easter Rising in 1916 through to the end of the Civil War in 1923.

This is the fifth large set of files made available since 2014, and will bring to over 6,500 the number of people whose files can now be viewed online.

A further 66,000 files of applicants for medals in respect of service in the Easter Rising or the War of Independence are open to researchers at the Military Archives at Cathal Brugha Barracks in Rathmines.

The names of those individuals and a summary of the file contents can also be found on the Military Archives website.

The MSPC files are at militaryarchives.ie

Military archives: Volunteer’s mother denied payout as he was illegitimate

2017-10-24

Thomas Greehy was just 19 when he died in the Civil War trying to remove guns from an IRA arms dump in Co Waterford.

He did not get a proper burial for over a year. But to add to his mother Bridget’s woes, any hopes of recompense under laws sanctioning payments to family of dead anti-Treaty IRA members were dashed — simply because he was illegitimate.

The decision — revealed in her file in the latest release of Military Service Pensions Collection records — is a demonstration of the morals at the time according to archivist Michael Keane.

Thomas was killed in March 1923 after being sent by one of his IRA officers to remove rifles and ammunition from the arms dump. When he went to lift open the door of the dump in the woods at Ballcylement near Tallow, a trip mine that had been planted by the National Army exploded.

Maurice Ronan, a 40-year-old who had served with the British Army in World War I, heard an IRA man had been killed but was lying outside unburied. After going out to look for the body, he was the first person on the scene, probably three or four days after the explosion.

He found Thomas Greehy’s body had been blown a considerable distance away by the mine left by the National Army. They had been searching the area for days beforehand for an IRA arms dump, and left the mine after finding and removing the weapons.

From the position of the body, Ronan believed the young IRA volunteer was in a stooping position when the mine exploded. It left a hole in the ground around 4ft feet deep and twice that in width.

Ronan thought the teenager had died instantly, finding his head and right arm partly blown away by the explosion.

“I tied the body up in his trench coat and put it on my back and brought it to Kilwatermoy graveyard, and buried it without any coffin,” he wrote in a letter to the pension board a decade letter, in support of Bridget Greehy’s claim for a special allowance in respect of her son’s death.

Having already carried the remains of Thomas Greehy over a mile on his back to bury him, Ronan came back the next day to put the body in a coffin provided by a local carpenter.

After his blind mother applied from her home in Lismore for an allowance or one-off gratuity payment, the Military Service Registrations Board certified Thomas’ active service in the IRA in November 1937.

Since the age of around 13, he was active in the republican boy scouts, Na Fianna Éireann. He joined the IRA just after the July 1921 truce in the War of Independence, and was described as a well-conducted and careful Volunteer by a commanding officer.

Although there was no registration of his death because of the circumstances of the Civil War, some of his background is known.

Thomas Greehy was born to 28-year-old Bridget Greehy in the workhouse in Lismore in 1903 or 1904. They were still living there when the census was taken in 1911.

According to one of his commanding officers in the IRA, Thomas was illegitimate and was Bridget’s only son, on whom she would have been dependent if he had lived.

In a letter supporting her claim, Bridget Greehy stated: “I was a widow when my only boy Thomas Greehy was taken from me and now I am left depending on a few shillings relief.”

On August 10, 1924, Thomas Greehy was afforded a proper burial when his remains were disinterred and re-buried at Lismore Cemetery in a ceremony that also honoured a number of other IRA members killed in the Civil War.

With his prior service in the eastern part of the IRA’s Cork No 2 Brigade, Greehy was also honoured seven weeks later at a ceremony organised by Fermoy’s Republican Commemoration Committee at Kilcrumper Cemetery.

But despite the republican honours and the support of various TDs, his mother’s claim for a gratuity was unsuccessful.

“The applicant in this case, Bridget Greehy, is claiming in respect of the death of her illegitimate child and is consequently ineligible for the grant of an award under the [Army Pension] Act,” wrote a civil servant in a note on her file.

Military archives: Civil War victim, 10, could be IRA’s youngest member

2017-10-24

A 10-year-old boy killed in a Civil War shootout in Tipperary may have been the youngest IRA member during the Irish revolution.

Edmund Quirke took a bullet through the head when anti-Treaty IRA in his house and his neighbour’s were engaged in a battle with National Army forces in February 1923.

His IRA service and his death have emerged as he is one of more than 1,600 people whose applications — or those of their families — for pensions, disability or wound allowances, or other payments, are made public for the first time today.

The son of farmer James Quirke was at home in Ashgrove near Bansha when a number of senior IRA figures came under attack there by National Army troops. His death certificate said the cause was a “bullet wound to the head accidentally received”.

In the same attack, south Tipperary Flying Column leader Dinny Lacey was also killed, along with fellow anti-Treaty fighters Michael Ryan, William McGrath, and Patrick McDonough.

The evidence of ex-IRA officers was considered by the Military Service Registration Board before certifying Edmund Quirke’s membership of the IRA in June 1934. He was acknowledged as a member from 1922 up to the date of his death.

The Tipperary TD Dan Breen, one of the most famous figures of the War of Independence, had said the boy was a despatch rider and intelligence officer in the South Tipperary Brigade.

His service as a message carrier was also vouched for by Michael Fitzpatrick, a former quartermaster of the IRA’s 2nd Southern Division.

Quirke’s certificate of IRA service makes him the youngest confirmed member who the Military Service Pensions Collection team at Cathal Brugha Barracks has come across in over 6,500 files processed since 2008.

Michael Fitzpatrick also made inquiries into the circumstance of the boy’s death, but was unable to conclude from which side the bullet that killed young Edmund Quirke was fired.

“There was quite a lot of cross-firing between Byrnes’ and Quirkes’ houses, and from parties of Free State troops from other points,” he wrote almost 11 years after the incident.

James Quirke did not receive a payment under the Army Pensions Acts because he was not dependant on his 10-year-old son.

Military archives: Mum got award after IRA teen’s death

2017-10-24

It took the intervention of his brother to make sure that the mother of a teenage IRA officer killed in the infamous 1920 Kilmichael ambush received a financial award.

The active service of 16-year-old Pat Deasy was not in question, and it was certified by the Military Service Registration Board on November 28, 1934 — the 14th anniversary of his death. He was wounded in the stomach and died hours later, following an engagement that has been the subject of heated historical debate over differing accounts of what happened.

Deasy and two other IRA members — Michael McCarthy and Jim O’Sullivan — died in the exchange that also left 17 Royal Irish Constabulary Auxiliaries dead on the road between Macroom and Dunmanway, Co Cork.

His mother Mary applied under the military pensions acts for an allowance in December 1933, 18 months after the death of her husband.

The file shows that Pat Deasy was employed as a draper’s apprentice with JJ Calnan in Bandon, starting work on seven shillings a week in 1918, and was being paid 12 shillings in the final months of his employment. His entire pay was being given to his mother, where he was the only one of six sons living at home, until October 1920.

Only one of her remaining sons was reported to be financially assisting Mrs Deasy when her claim was probed by a local customs oficer in Bandon at the beginning of 1935. But the claim was rejected, based on a finding that she had not been dependent on her son.

In November 1937, Liam Deasy wrote to then defence minister Frank Aiken asking for the case to be reconsidered. Both had been leading anti-Treaty IRA officers in the Civil War, Aiken becoming chief of staff in the final stages.

Mary Deasy’s case was reopened, and Liam made a statment that his brother left his job the month before his death, to take up their ill father’s work as a postman and local coal agent, work that someone else was paid to do for over a year after Pat died.

“He left my father’s house a few days before the Kilmichael ambush to take part in the preparations for the ambush,” he stated.

This and a similar statement by Mrs Deasy satisfied the Army Pensions Board of her partial dependence on Pat, leading to an award of £85 being made in March 1938.

Military archives: Kevin Barry’s mother was refused payment

2017-10-24

Kevin Barry is probably one of the most famous names in republican history but it was not enough to earn his mother any payment for his death. She applied in November 1937 for a special allowance owing to the loss of her son, who was hanged on November 1, 1920.

His sentence was for his role in an attempted IRA raid for arms on a British army truck that resulted in three soldiers’ deaths in Dublin six weeks earlier. The 18-year-old medical student became a figurehead in the publicity campaign for Irish independence, and his story inspired ballads and poems.

However, it was not until 17 years after his death that Mary Barry decided to write to Defence Minister Frank Aiken to see if she was eligible for some pension or other payment under any of the various acts passed since 1923 to compensate those who took part in the War of Independence, or their families. A copy of her letter, dated the day after her son’s 17th anniversary, is contained in the associated file that comes into the public domain almost 80 years later.

“I wonder if I am too late to apply for a pension in respect of my son Kevin Barry. I did not apply sooner because I could manage without it but I find myself compelled now to try if it is not too late,” she wrote.

She said her home in Dublin’s Fleet Street was her way of living but would soon need rebuilding, at a cost of £2,000 to £3,000. Mrs Barry had a dairy shop at the property, part of which was sublet.

“I have no capital and do not feel able at my age to undertake the worry and responsibility of building and letting and paying interest on so large a debt,” she wrote.

It took more than two years for the case to be finalised, not an unusual delay in the administration of such files. On January 18, 1940, the secretary of the Department of Defence’s finance branch issued a decision to Mrs Barry, outlining that the minister could not make an award.

“He is not satisfied on the evidence that you were dependent on the deceased,” the typed standardised form stated.

In similar cases, but where dependency was proven, family members did receive a gratuity once-off lump-sum payment. As well as the fact that Kevin Barry was not earning while studying medicine at University College Dublin, the investigation of her claim found that she had a 100-acre farm in Co Carlow.

Radiotherapy a keystone of €77m expansion for Bon Secours Hospital in Cork

2017-10-24

Upto 50 clinical and nursing jobs will be created at the Bon Secours Hospital in Cork as part of an ambitious €77m expansion.

Picture: Staff nurse Marian Holly, Bon Secours Hospital, Cork, manager Harry Canning, Bon Secours Health System board chairman Peter Lacy, and Bon Secours Health System group CEO Bill Maher as junior health minister Jim Daly turns the sod on the €77m development.

The project will create an additional 81 private rooms, four more operating theatres, an oncology day ward, inpatient wards, and a 10-bed intensive care unit (ICU), according to hospital manager Harry Canning.

The centrepiece will be a new radiotherapy service, the first private radiotherapy centre in Cork, which is a joint venture between the Bon Secours Health System (BSHS) and US medical firm University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre (UPMC).

UPMC will fund half the cost of the €13m centre, which is expected to open in July 2019. Mr Canning said the development will create job opportunities for nursing staff, radiotherapists and clinicians. He said the hospital is already one of the largest employers in the region with more than 1,100 staff.

Junior health minister Jim Daly yesterday turned the sod for the six-storey extension, which is expected to generate about 200 construction jobs over a two-year period. He described it as “a significant development for the organisation and for the Bon Secours in Cork particularly”.

Bill Maher, group CEO, BSHS, said Cork was their “flagship hospital” and that it was “a proud day” for BSHS. He said the new radiotherapy service would be “a welcome new service for cancer patients”.

The HSE’s quarterly performance report for April-June 2017 shows public patients are not always referred in a timely manner for radiotherapy treatment in Cork. Figures show just 56.6% of patients attending Cork University Hospital were referred within the HSE target time of 15 working days. The HSE target is that 90% of patients be referred within this timeframe. At the UPMC Whitfield Clinic in Waterford, 100% of patients are referred within 15 working days. Nationally, 74.1% of public patients are referred within the target timeframe.

The new cancer unit at the Bon Secours will be accessible to patients via a new entrance to the hospital site on Western Rd. As part of the preparatory work, a bridge has been installed over the south channel of the River Lee. The hospital acquired the site that was formerly home to the Western Star pub on Western Rd in order to develop this key access point.

The €77m investment in its Cork hospital is part of an overall €150m “2020 Plan” investment in the BSHS, which includes five hospitals in Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick (formerly Barrington’s), and Tralee, as well as a care village in Cork and a consultants outreach clinic in Cavan.

Mr Canning said their expanded service in Cork, against a backdrop of a growing and ageing population, would “ensure capacity in the future”.

Judge warns man to co-operate with the Probation Service

2017-10-24

A man who had most of his two-year jail sentence suspended in a case following a teenager’s death at an orgy of drink and drugs has failed to co-operate with the Probation Service, it emerged yesterday

A year ago, Judge Gerard O’Brien imposed a two-year sentence, with 18 months suspended, on Harry Clifton for his part in the supply of a synthetic drug. Alex Ryan, aged 18, of Liscahane, Millstreet, Co Cork, died on January 23, 2016, after taking the drug.

At the sentencing last year, Det Garda Daniel McEnery said the investigation commenced following the admission of several people to hospital after they had taken a drug at a party in Greenmount. Most of the people at the party were students. Mr Ryan died in hospital after nasally ingesting the drug at the party.

Investigations brought drugs squad officers to the door of Harry Clifton, aged 29, at 11 St Finbarr’s Place, Proby’s Quay, Cork — their information was that the drug had been sourced from him.

The case was re-entered at the circuit court yesterday by the Probation Service because of Clifton’s failure to show for appointments and his continued use of cannabis.

Probation officer Mary Walsh said Clifton was required to obey the directions of the Probation Service on his release from prison, with 18 months hanging over him. He was also to abstain from drugs and alcohol.

Ms Walsh said Clifton, by his own admission, continued to use cannabis and had stopped attending at the service in May. He had been contacted four times since then but to no avail. Ms Walsh said he was suffering depression.

Judge O’Brien gave Clifton one week to start complying with the Probation Service.

The judge said: “He is a young person with a full life ahead of him, unlike Mr Ryan. He is to engage with services within a week or I will lift the suspension.”

Garda faces trial on 212 charges

2017-10-24

A date was set yesterday for the trial, by judge and jury, of a member of An Garda Síochána facing 212 charges related to alleged deception, theft, and receiving corrupt payments.

At Cork Circuit Criminal Court yesterday, Judge Gerard O’Brien adjourned the case against John O’Halloran, aged 46, of South Douglas Rd, Cork, until next Tuesday.

Inspector Fergal Foley previously gave evidence of charging the accused. The 212 charges relate to alleged offences between 2009 and 2014. Some theft charges refer to sums as little as €50; one to €2,500; while most of them are in or around €100-€200.

As well as counts of theft, charges are being brought under the Prevention of Corruption Act — it is alleged Garda O’Halloran corruptly accepted or obtained a payment or a gift as an inducement to provide his services as a member of An Garda Síochána.

Garda O’Halloran was based in Cork City during the period of the alleged offences. No evidence has yet been given in the case.

Th e trial could take up to three weeks.

Enda Kenny backs Michael D Higgins and rules out run for Áras

2017-10-24

Former taoiseach Enda Kenny has ruled out any possibility of running for the presidency and said it is entirely a matter for Michael D Higgins if he wants to remain at Áras an Uachtaráin.

Mr Kenny, speaking at NUI Galway where he was conferred with an honorary degree of doctor of laws yesterday evening, said he had no intention of going forward to succeed Mr Higgins.

“I have no interest in contesting the presidency for Áras an Uachtaráin. I believe that Michael D Higgins, as Uachtaráin na hÉireann, is doing a superb job there and I wish him every success with the decision he must make in due course.

“It is a matter that is entirely for the President,” said Mr Kenny, when asked if Mr Higgins should go forward for a second term.

Mr Kenny said victims in the tracker mortgage scandal would be compensated, but declined to go into detail.

“I am not going to get into political issues now. This has been coming for quite a long time with analysis from government, and you are aware of the statement made by the governor of the Central Bank today, and the fact that the Minister for Finance [Paschal] Donohoe is meeting all of the banks, and the Government means business here. People were wronged and that wrong will be righted.”

Mr Kenny said he was honoured to receive the honorary degree from the NUI, having initially attended what was then UCG before leaving when his father died.

“I consider this as a very significant honour for public service because that is what it is about. I have spent 46 years now in public life be it throughout teaching or through politics,” he said.

“I am very proud to be receiving this doctorate. I came here in the 1970s but I wasn’t able to finish as my father died.

“In many ways you can say should one have an honour like this bestowed upon them, but I see it on behalf of the people as a measure of service to public duty.”

Mr Kenny said the “quality of my time” is different since he stepped down as taoiseach, and he paid tribute to the way the country had moved forward from the recession, citing the work of two former graduates of NUI Galway as key to the recovery.

“It is a situation where, obviously, the country has moved on. I have paid tribute on many occasions to the service and the decisions made by Eamon Gilmore and Pat Rabbitte as graduates of this university, and as members of the Labour Party serving in government from 2011 when our reputation was in shreds and our economy was shattered, and took really difficult decisions,” said Mr Kenny.

“And I give credit to the people for putting up with the sacrifices that they had to put up with and to see the results in such a short time is truly astonishing in European terms.”

Man held after eight-hour crime spree

2017-10-24

A man brandishing a firearm was dramatically arrested by armed gardaí at a shopping centre after an almost eight-hour crime spree across west Dublin involving six carjackings.

Gardaí called out to customers, including mothers with their children, in the Citywest Shopping Centre to “get down, get down” as they pursued the man, arresting him as he emerged from an exit.

A firearm, believed to be a loaded submachine gun, was recovered from the man as six officers managed to restrain him and take him into custody.

The 37-year-old criminal had earlier carried out an aggravated burglary, in which he bashed a man in the head with the butt of the gun, and later pointed the weapon at another man.

He was being questioned last night and is expected to be brought before court to face serious charges.

The man has multiple convictions in Ireland and Britain, for violent robberies and carjackings, as well as a petrol bomb attack.

His arrest marked the end of a terrifying ordeal which began at 6.20am, when he attacked his partner at her home in Brookfield, west Tallaght, and stole her car.

He crashed her car a short distance away on Russell Square in nearby Jobstown.

There, he carjacked another vehicle and it is thought he drove down onto the N81, abandoning it soon after on Whitestown Way, near the Tallaght Stadium.

He walked a short distance behind the Sean Walsh Park into Watergate Estate, in the Old Bawn area. There he kicked in the door of a house and carried out an aggravated burglary.

A man was in the house at the time along with his daughter and her child.

It is understood the man went to the front door and that during a confrontation, the burglar kicked in the glass panel of a porch and forced entry.

He struck the owner in the forehead with the butt of his gun.

The burglar took the man’s 162-reg black Renault Kadjar.

Senior officers in Tallaght scrambled all units and called in the Armed Support Unit, the Emergency Response Unit as well as the Air Support Unit.

They assisted local uniform and detective officers in piecing together the man’s movements.

He was later spotted on the Ninth Lock Road in Clondalkin, some 8km north of Watergate Estate.

At some stage, he abandoned that Renault Kadjar at a restaurant on the Naas Road and hijacked a Volvo.

He then abandoned that vehicle at a car showroom, pointed the gun at the salesman and stole a Subaru Impreza.

He later transferred from this car to a Mercedes E-Class.

Garda units pursued him into Citywest, west Tallaght, where he was forced to abandon his car and fled into Citywest Shopping Centre.

Gardaí at the scene yesterday

He was chased and arrested shortly after 2pm when he emerged from one of the exits.

He was taken to Tallaght Garda Station and detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act. He can be held for up to 72 hours.

Garda Representative Association president Ciaran O’Neill said: “Well done to those colleagues in the apprehension of an armed man in Tallaght. Just shows the dangers we face every time we go into work.”

Local Fianna Fáil TD and spokesperson for Dublin, John Lahart TD, said: “I commend the work of each the members of An Garda Síochana that were involved in [the] successful operation. I am relieved that there was no loss of life or major injury and that the armed suspect involved is now in Garda custody.”

Watchdog destroys over 700 Halloween products

2017-10-24

The consumer watchdog has warned parents to make sure they purchase safety- approved costumes for their children after confirming it has seized and destroyed more than 700 imported Halloween products which could pose a public risk.

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) revealed that, in recent weeks, it had examined two consignments containing Halloween products following information from Revenue and Customs.

A detailed examination determined the products did not meet safety standards set out in Irish and European legislation.

“Our aim is to ensure that goods placed on the Irish market do not pose a safety risk to consumers,” said Áine Carroll of the CCPC.

“These items did not meet required safety standards and so we took the necessary steps to ensure that consumers in Ireland were not put at risk.”

Ms Carroll said that, at this time of the year, when children are dressing up for Halloween, it is important parents check costumes and toys for CE marks.

She said the labels show the manufacturer has complied with national and international standards and parents should also follow any safety warnings attached to garments such as “Warning Keep Away From Fire”.

“If you see a product that seems unsafe and if it doesn’t have a CE Mark, don’t buy it,” she said.

“Instead, contact us on our website, www.ccpc.ie with the details of the product and where you saw it.”

Ms Carroll said the CCPC will continue to take measures including seizure, destruction, or deportation if a trader fails to fulfil their duties.

“Failure to do so may not only result in financial loss to the trader but, more importantly, their products may cause physical harm,” she said.

Cars to be fitted with emergency callout system

2017-10-24

Ireland’s emergency call-out services will be automatically linked to a hi-tech safety system in all new cars and other vehicles over the coming months.

The life-saving system will go live in the spring. Cars involved in collisions will automatically initiate a call and transmit the vehicle’s location to emergency services.

Rapid response times for motorists involved in accidents are expected to improve as part of the initiative being finalised by Communications Minister Denis Naughten.

The eCar device will be linked to special sensors which detect an impact or damage to a vehicle but the alert to the emergency call answering service can also be triggered manually by motorists.

The eCar devices will be fitted in all new vehicles purchased as of April next year. This is in line with an EU directive.

Systems will work using what is known as telematics technology, where the information is transmitted from the vehicle in the same way as GPS navigation systems work. A vehicle’s eCall chip connects to the nearest cellular network, establishing a phone call and data transmission to emergency teams.

Ireland’s emergency call answering service has been upgraded so its infrastructure is capable of handling the eCall technology. It will undergo rigorous testing over the coming months and go live on April 1 next.

The new system will cost €1m, around half of which will come from EU funding. All new models of cars sold in Ireland from April will have to have the electronic safety system built into vehicles.

Ambulance services could get to accident victims quicker under the system, which is part of the soon-to-be EU wide emergency alert system.

Data to be sent to the emergency services if a car’s sensors are impacted include the type of vehicle, the engine type, the time and, crucially, the geographic location.

All of this data is expected to be sent in the first seconds of the call, before the voice call commences. This means operators will already have critical details about accidents in front of them when they speak to the motorists.

The alert system will particularly help drivers involved in accidents crossing Europe’s borders, where there may be language barriers for motorists in collisions.

To prepare for the new alert system, call centres here are making technical and training changes to prepare for a possibly huge increase in the number of voice and data calls.

Mr Naughten told the Irish Examiner: “Last week I launched new mobile phone precise location technology that will save lives as it allows the emergency services determine the exact location of people in need that call 999 or 112. I am confident eCall technology will also save lives by ensuring the emergency services get to people faster on our roads.”

Meanwhile, Mr Naughten will be given the use of an electric car this week, a Renault Zoe.

This month’s budget saw the Government announce tax incentives for electric cars. A zero rate of benefit-in-kind tax will now apply to electric vehicles used for business purposes.

The new incentive is expected to see more companies and employers embrace electric-powered vehicles. The Government has made a commitment that all new cars and vans sold here from 2030 will be zero emission or zero emission capable. There are currently just over 3,000 electric vehicles here.

Flats not viable to build or buy, say surveyors

2017-10-24

Apartments are currently not viable to build and too expensive to buy for too many people, according to a new report published by the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland.

In the report, entitled ‘The Real Costs of New Apartment Delivery — analysis of affordability and viability’ published today, the SCSI looked at 28 apartment schemes in Dublin and found that only in the case of a suburban low-rise development did the current market price adequately meet the total delivery costs.

According to the report, for that scenario to change either the current price of an apartment must rise or the total delivery cost must fall.

The SCSI said poor information had “compounded the crisis” and sought to analyse the market conditions and costs around delivering two-bedroom apartments to the market in Dublin. Based on 28 apartment schemes involving 2,146 apartments, it categorised them into three types: suburban (low-rise); suburban (medium-rise); and urban (medium rise).

In the first category, it found that an apartment would cost €293,000 to build, with a sale price of €298,000. However, a suburban medium-rise apartment would cost €400,000 to build but would sell for around €318,000, while an urban medium-rise apartment would cost €470,000 but make €337,000 on the market.

“Only in the case of a suburban low-rise development does the current market price adequately meet the total delivery costs,” it said. “In all other scenarios, it is not currently commercially viable to build at these costs when compared to current market prices for similar apartments.”

Affording the apartments was also an issue. According to the report: “The least expensive type of apartment (suburban low-rise at the lower range) requires a (combined) gross salary of at least €87,000 per annum provided they have a 10% deposit. According to the most recent CSO figures, only the top 20% of households are earning over €80,000 per annum. These figures illustrate that there is limited capacity for price and moreover a need for nominal price stabilisation leading to real price reductions.” It said the focus needed to be on costs, typically divided between site purchase cost (16% of overall cost), the ‘bricks-and-mortar’ construction costs (43%), and ‘soft costs’ (41%).

While admitting that building apartments was too expensive, the report said “they can and should form a significant part of our affordable housing supply”. It said a number of options could be used to address the factors driving construction costs, such as increasing the supply of serviced land, innovation in apartment design, revising the design guidance and parking ratios, and establishing a state finance agency for funding housing projects. Other options could include a temporary cut or rebate on Vat for new affordable housing, and revising the department’s design guidelines to include build to rent.

Paul Mitchell, chair of the SCSI working group behind the report, said: “Our research shows the higher you go the greater the costs. This is due to the fact that these buildings have a more complex structure and require a wider range of mechanical and electrical services, sophisticated facades, basement parking and much more.”

Director general of the SCSI, Áine Myler, said costs needed to be tackled, claiming one element — the obligation to have a car parking space for each apartment — was “out of sync with modern urban lifestyles”.

Fire victim’s son pleads with arsonist to give himself up

2017-10-24

The son of an elderly man killed in an arson attack on the family home has appealed directly to the arsonist to give himself up.

On RTÉ’s Crimecall last night, Tomás Crowe spoke for the first time of the horror of seeing his father, Michael, disappear in the burning house as flames shot up towards him.

He described the last time he saw his father alive after being awoken by a loud noise in the early hours of the morning on October 4, 2009.

“Suddenly around 6 o’clock, there is this almighty bang,” he said. “I rushed out from the back bedroom and I got to the first step and this power just came up the stairs, it was incredible, and these flames shot up.

“Suddenly he was there, then there was this bang and then he was gone.”

While Tomás and his mother Betty escaped the burning house, Michael didn’t manage to get out and died of his injuries.

His son said on Crimecall that he is haunted by the horrific death of his 81-year-old father in their home in Páirc Mhuire Estate in Newbridge, Co Kildare.

“It never leaves me. It has changed my life completely,” he said.

“What we try to do is get on with our lives as best we can but this hangs over us. This will not leave us.”

Gardaí have treated the case as a murder investigation and have made repeated appeals for witnesses to come forward with any information.

Tomás appealed directly to the person who started the fire to give themselves up.

“My father is an innocent man. Our family is an innocent family,” he said.

“We’ve done nothing wrong to you, (to) anyone. Surely you must see that. You have to do the right thing.”

Michael’s brother, Tom, also joined the appeal to anyone with any information about the eight-year-old case to come forward to the authorities.

“I’d love to say to anyone who has any information on what developed that night or what happened to come forward to the gardaí,” he said. “It would mean a great lot to our family.”

Gardaí in Newbridge suspect the fire was started deliberately and are appealing for information.

The family were also awoken at 2am that morning as a window at the front of the house was smashed by a brick.

Since the incident, An Garda Síochána have taken nearly 700 statements, carried out hundreds of separate lines of inquiry in the live and ongoing investigation.

“We would appeal in particular to anyone who may have been in or around Páirc Muire estate on the morning of Sunday, October 4, 2009 between 2am and 6am to contact us”, said Inspector Mel Smyth.

“All information will be treated with the utmost confidentiality and we urge anyone who has any information even if they believe it to be insignificant or trivial to get in contact with us at Newbridge Garda Station at 045 440180.”