Coolmine Recycling Centre - Opening Hours

Swords Estuary and Coolmine Recycling Centres  
opening hours:

Open Wednesday to Saturday 9am to 4pm

Closed Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays

Phone: 01-8219475

Please note: in very windy conditions the recycling centre may have to close for Health & Safety Reasons.

The recycling centre is for household use only. No commercial waste will be accepted on site.

The recycling centre is located in Coolmine Industrial Estate, beside the Fire Station and Fingal County Council Transportation Depot.

You can download the location sketch below for more precise directions.

• Download Coolmine Location Map - pdf - 570kbs

What Householders can bring to Coolmine Recycling Centre 

Accepted Free of charge:

•  Newspapers,
•  Paper, Magazines, Light Cardboard
•  Heavy Cardboard
•  Aluminium cans
•  Food tins
•  Glass bottles and jars
•  Plastic bottles, washed & squashed, tops unscrewed
•  Other Clean Plastic Packaging (must be clean - no expanded polystyrene)
•  Clothes
•  Car & household batteries
•  Beverage cartons / Tetra-Pack
•  WEEE: Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (e.g. Fridge, Washing Machine, Cooker, TVs, VCR, kettle, toaster, etc)
•  Fluorescent tubes and Energy-saving bulbs
•  Waste Engine Oil
•  Waste Cooking Oil
•  Household Hazardous Waste: paint, thinners, pesticides, herbicides, household cleaners, medicines, aerosol cans.

Accepted with a charge (to pay in bin tags):

• Bulky waste (e.g. Furniture, carpet)
• Wood
• Metal
• Green Waste (restricted to cars and small trailers)
• Construction & Demolition Waste: concrete, soil, rocks, tiles

2011 Prices are set per vehicle as detailed below, to pay with €8 bin tags only or by debit / credit card.
Car-boot: €8
Car-full: €16
Car-van / Small trailer (max. 6ft x 4ft x 2ft): €40
Small van (max. 6 cubic meters / 212 cubic feet): €128 (not allowed for green waste)
 
Reduced prices apply for green waste :
Car-boot: €4
Car-full: €8
Car-van / Small trailer (max. 6ft x 4ft x 2ft): €24

From 2011 a minimum €4 charge applies to loads containing Household Hazardous Waste: paint, thinners, pesticides, herbicides, household cleaners, medicines, aerosol cans.

Compost bins can be purchased on site, to pay by credit or debit card only. Standing compost bins cost €32, rotating compost bins cost €64, kitchen caddy €8.

This service is for household use only.

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Green Bin Collection update

This is the latest update from Greyhound:-

If your green bin collection was missed between Monday 21st and Tuesday 22nd December

Greyhound apologises to customers whose Green Bin collection was missed due to the severe weather over the last few days.

Greyhound will endeavor to arrange an alternative green bin collection for customers who missed a collection on December 21st or December 22nd on the 28^th or 29^th December. Additional materials will be collected if presented beside the bin in neat bundles or clear / light coloured plastic bags. Please keep checking our website www.greenbin.ie, all updates will be posted there.


Collections scheduled for today or tomorrow should take place as normal.

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Fingal County Council Social Housing

Some questions and answers on Fingal County Council's Housing Stock

(a) Fingal’s total housing stock, broken down by housing type (apartment, duplex etc) and number of bedrooms; Total is 4460 of which 521 - 1 bed: 749 - 2 bed: 3005 - 3 bed: 185 - 4 bed.

(b) Fingal’s total social housing stock including local authority and housing associations; 5160 (Fingal – 4460: Voluntary – 700).

(c) The number of households that are presently on Fingal County council housing waiting lists; 7,903

(d) The number of vacant housing units there are in Fingal broken down by electoral area and length of time they’ve been vacant;
Total = 81:
0 Malahide Howth, 49 Balbriggan Swords and 32 Castleknock Mulhuddart.
Average length of time from securing the property to completion of works is 21.1 weeks.
 
(e) The number of units that have been allocated for people defined as Homeless as per the Housing Act for each year from 2008-2010; 2008 – 11: 2009 – 9: 2010 – 17.

(f) The number of allocations made under the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) for each year from 2007-2010 broken down by electoral area;

RAS tenancies Allocated
- 2007 100
- 2008 170
- 2009 94
- 2010 119

Total 483

By Electoral Area
Balbriggan 158
Blanchardstown 176
Malahide/Howth 9
Swords 140

Total 483

(g) The number of social housing units that Fingal has secured under the Government’s long term leasing scheme: 5 leases signed.

(h) The number of households that are on the priority housing list and the number of these households that are in need of 4 bedroom accommodation: 113 of which 19 have a 4 bedroom requirement.

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Water supplies running low

From The Water Services Dept. Fingal County Council

This is to advise that it is proving necessary to step up from the throttling back of water supplies, undertaken by all four Dublin local authorities in recent days since the onset of very cold weather conditions, to conserve reservoir levels. 

The escalation is proving necessary to prevent a serious depletion of water reserves and to control supply by matching use with the regional capacity to supply treated water. 

 

The depletion that happened in January last when householders running water taps, combined with serious mains fractures, resulted in a prolonged period before normal water levels in reservoirs could be restored. While there have been relatively few water mains bursts so far this cold season, there is strong evidence from the pattern of use that householders have reverted to running taps to "prevent water pipes bursting". 
 
From tomorrow, Tuesday 07th December each local authority will cut off supply in one of four designated areas in each authority area from 7pm to 7am next morning. 

This cut-off will be for each area in turn so that, in effect, each area will only be affected every 4th day.

Every household has sufficient supply for up to 12 hours minimum from roof-tanks installed according to water byelaws. So the minimum of inconvenience should be experienced if people use water supplies responsibly and plan for the non-supply period.

The Council will be emphasising the normal "conserve water" advice notices on their  website, but are reluctant to over-emphasise the need to conserve water as this, regrettably, had the opposite effect when used in the same context in January. So far there has been relatively few watermain bursts. A sudden thaw may bring an onset of these bursts and resultant pressure on our staff to repair them.
 

 Transportation staff, supplemented by staff from the Parks and Environment divisions endeavour to keep roads, rail stations and transport nodes, hospital access and school crossings accessible. The level of work involved here has been considerable, as will the water cut-offs for Water Services staff who will attend before and after the cut-off and resumption of supply.

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Closure of Porterstown Road extended

Fingal County Council has made an order extending the period of the temporary closure of Porterstown Road at Porterstown Level Crossing on the dates and times indicated below, to facilitate the carrying out of essential maintenance works at the level crossing. 

 

(i)                  From 9.00 p.m. on Saturday 11^th December 2010 to 2.00 p.m. on Sunday 12^th December 2010.

(ii)                Each night from 9.00 p.m. to 7.00 a.m. from Monday 13^th December 2010 to Friday 17^th December 2010.

(iii)               From 9.00 p.m. on Saturday 18^th December 2010 to 2.00 p.m. on Sunday 19^th December 2010.

The alternative routes available are:-

(i)  via Clonsilla Road, Woodwall/Anna Liffey Mills Road, Luttrellstown Road and Porterstown Road (Part Of).

(ii) via Clonsilla Road, Diswellstown Road, Carpenterstown Road, Luttrellstown Road and Porterstown Road (Part Of).

Local access will be maintained.

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Reservoir levels in the Howth area

Reservoir levels in the Howth area are very low due to the increased demand on the water supply network during this extended cold spell of weather and a leakage issue.

Efforts are being made to locate and repair the leak.  Water supply will be disrupted for intermittent periods during the day while we locate this leak.

Customers in Howth are asked to use water sparingly and only for essential purposes in order to maintain reservoir levels and to avoid further disruptions to supply.

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Cold weather update

Severe Weather Conditions – Fingal County Council Update – 3.45pm

Fingal County Council has 185 staff presently deployed in snow and ice clearing operations.

This consists of 13 staff working on gritting of motorways and the main road network. See the Fingal website for a list of Winter Salting Routes for more details.

An additional 172 staff are deployed in different towns and areas across the county. These crews are using other machinery and are working in priority areas such as entrances to fire stations, railway stations, pedestrian crossing areas, access to transport nodes and bus shelters, entrances to housing estates, entrances to burial grounds and ice breaking in town centres/populated areas.

Crews will also treat areas that fall outside these categories, but which are known from past experience to give rise to difficult driving/walking conditions due to gradients etc.

 

Water Services crews are on standby to deal with any problems caused by bursts/leaks in the water network.  Any updates will be posted on our Water Emergency Page on our website. 

Our Waste Collection crews will endeavour to collect refuse as normal.  In the event that we are unable to do so due to the weather conditions, we will return as soon as possible, and customers should present the bins on the following day. 

The Department of Transport have advised that people who clear snow outside their business premises or homes will not bring liability upon themselves provided they do not cause any risk in the manner by which they do so (i.e. by piling up cleared snow outside a neighbouring entrance, or causing an obstruction on a footpath).

Pedestrians and motorists are urged to exercise appropriate caution when walking/driving during snow or ice conditions, and to take note of news bulletins and weather advice from Met Eireann and AA Roadwatch. 

If you are aware of any specific local issues which the council may not otherwise be aware of, please contact me.

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Laraghcon Planning Application.

The Planning Authority has requested additional information in relation to the application at Laraghcon for O'Flynn Construction. In March I tabled a motion in the County Development Plan to zone these lands back to greenbelt (GB) and restore them to the Liffey Valley but it did not receive sufficient votes.

FW10A/0155

REQUEST ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Decision Date:   26-Nov-2010 Applicant:  O Flynn Construction Co. Location:   Laraghcon, Lucan-Clonee Road, Lucan, Co. Dublin Proposed Development:  The development will consist of the construction of 70 detached residential units, each with a detached domestic workshop - the residential units range in size from 173 sq.m to c. 365 sq.m (GFA) comprising twenty 5/6 - bedroom units,  thirty-one 4/5 -bedroom units and nineteen 4-bedroom units; the construction of a crèche with a GFA of 238.2 sq.m;  the provision of site development works including road infrastructure, foul sewer network, surface water sewer network, services provision and landscaping;  the construction of a new internal access road forming a junction with the Lucan-Clonee Road;  the construction of a new entrance to the adjoining lands to the north;  the demolition of two habitable buildings and ancillary buildings;  improvements and upgrade works to the Lucan-Clonee Road (R149) between the Laraghcon Roundabout and St. Catherine's Park access road, to include new cycle and pedestrian paths.

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Castleknock road works chaos to continue till March 2011

The chaos caused by the Castleknock Quality Bus Corridor Scheme will continue until at least next March. Fine Gael was the only group to vote against (see here) spending €8m on these works on the basis that there was no cost benefit analysis carried out. The decision to go ahead with the scheme was made in January 2009.


Design began on the Castleknock QBC before the crash in 2007.  It was initiated by Quality Bus Networks, a quango set up to identify roads where bus lanes could be installed. The locations seem to have been chosen more for their convenience and the availability of land than for any benefits they may confer on the routes involved. Essentially Quality Bus Networks are provided with a budget they must spend and as with all such public bodies they usually reach their spending target by year end.


The contractor John Craddock Ltd., provides a list of works to be carried out each week and this can be accessed here

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Closure of Castleknock Gate to the Phoenix Park

The Office of Public Works, have announced that the Castleknock Gate to the Phoenix Park will be closed from Monday 4th  to Friday 8th October between 10 am and 7 pm to facilitate road resurfacing works on the Castleknock Road.  They say that "every effort will be made each day to finish the work as early as possible to enable the gates to the Park to be opened at an earlier time.  In addition, subject to any unforeseen difficulties or poor weather conditions, it is hoped to have the works completed in less than 5 days".

It seems like no time ago since they had it closed for months piddling about to install a new roundabout. Lets hope they get their act together this time.

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Don’t Lose the Head Workshop presented by Crosscare Drug & Alcohol Awareness:

Thursday 7th October Crowne Plaza Hotel, Blanchardstown Centre – 9.45 am – 11.45 am
This workshop is aimed at parents/guardians and other family members who take care of children and
young people and would like information on how to manage situations that may arise around drug & alcohol issues.  This workshop is free of charge and all participants receive a free book which accompanies the workshop.

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More bad news for water supplies in Malahide/Portmarnock

Works were carried out last week to try to locate a major underground leak on the water supply network in the Malahide/Portmarnock area. Our crews narrowed down the search area to approximately 1km of pipeline and postponed further works until now.

There will be disruption to the water supply in the Malahide/Portmarnock area tonight between midnight and 5am as our crews will be “stepping” the area in an effort to locate the leak. If the leak is located tonight a decision will be made on whether to carry out the repairs tomorrow or postpone them to a later date. This decision will depend on the severity of the leak and whether or not there is a threat to the reservoir level in the short term.

If the leak is not located tonight, further step testing will be required after the weekend.

Further information will be provided tomorrow with regard to the outcome of tonight’s step testing process.

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Fine Gael’s NewERA Policy

Click on the title to read Fine Gael's NewERA Policy

Endorsements of Fine Gael’s NewERA

  Fine Gael's [NewERA] plan makes absolute sense."
  Dave McWilliams, Frontline 20th Sept, 2010

  "It’s  the  best thought out strategy in town, keeps the extra borrowing
  needed off the deficit and will create jobs in crucial sectors.”
  Eddie Hobbs. The Star, December 9th 2009.

  “Interesting, exciting, and achievable… I do think all the right buttons
  have  been  pressed.  If  this  were delivered, it would create a better
  economic  environment  and  move  down  the  road  of an economy that is
  self-sufficient.”
  Jim Power, Irish Independent, November 28th 2009.

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Rent-aid bill of over €500m 'propping up house prices' - Sunday Tribune

THE state is paying more than €500m a year on rent supplements, with economists increasingly concerned that the outlay is propping up a false economy in the housing market.

While the cost of both purchasing and renting properties has declined in Ireland, experts believe there are signs that state-sponsored rent bills are out of sync with market values.

Landlords who once shunned rent allowance tenants are now welcoming them with open arms.

According to figures obtained by the Sunday Tribune, assistance with rental payments across the entire country cost the taxpayer €517,923,074 in 2009.


This represented a total of 87,802 assistance claims, equating to an average payment of €5,900 a year per claimant.

Describing the situation as helping to create a "false rental market", Friends First economist Jim Power said the government ought to examine existing structures to make sure it was getting value for money.

"It's widespread across the country and it has been increasingly evident over the years that this situation has been evolving," he said.

"It has cost the state a fortune and it's clearly a false rental market. People are being given the money to spend on rent, and they spend it on rent, and so landlords have not reacted to prevailing market conditions.

"There is also a huge cost to the state and in an environment where we are on the brink of bankruptcy the government should be looking at this."

Rent assistance is still distributed through the old health board system. The eastern region accounted for the largest single outlay, of €266.3m, last year. This was followed by the south (€64.2m), the south east (€47.8) and the west (€39.9m).

The total of successful scheme applicants in the eastern health board region was nearly three times that of the south region. In the west Dublin area alone, those seeking rent supplement in the suburbs of Blanchardstown and Finglas accounted for a bill of €31.7m last year.


Fine Gael councillor for Dublin West Kieran Dennison said he has noticed a marked change in rental habits since the collapse of the economy.

"It's still propping up house prices. There are places in Corduff where you could buy a council house for not far off €120,000 to €130,000 and yet I am surprised when people tell me they are getting €1,100 in rent supplement," he said.

"There is no relationship between the price of the house and what you pay in rent. It's distorting the whole housing market and putting a floor under the rental market."

Mark Hilliard - September 5, 2010

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Minister Dempsey to bypass Hansfield Station.

Commuters on the new railway line from Dunboyne are in for a surprise when they arrive at their destination in the middle of Dublin’s Sheriff Street. While most commuters will want to travel to Connolly and Pearse Stations, the Dunboyne Line will only service the Docklands Station.

This will likely lead to overcrowding on the Connolly Line as many of the new Dunboyne commuters seek to change trains at Clonsilla. The only connections at Docklands Station are the 151 Bus and the Luas Red Line, both of which service O’Connell Street. There is no link to the business districts south of the river. This issue must be addressed by Minister Dempsey’s Department of Transport.

Meanwhile the new Hansfield station at Ongar remains closed because there is no road access to it. It must have been embarrassing for Transport Minister Noel Dempsey as he passed it en route to the opening ceremony in Dunboyne today. The road was to have been provided by the local developers but they have stopped all building on the site.The Transport Minister must show some leadership here and get the issue sorted between the planning authority, Irish Rail and the developers.

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Tyrrelstown to get community centre but only one new school

The Department of Education has sought planning permission for a Community Centre and a three storey, 24 classroom, National School for Tyrrelstown Educate Together. The local Mulhuddart National School was expected to be included in the application but a separate application was submitted to provide for seven new prefabs at their temporary site on the Powerstown road. 

  

The expectation was that the two schools would be built together on the one site and that they would share the community facility.

Residents will want to know why the Department is not proceeding with both schools and on what basis has one school been chosen over the other. This could potentially become a divisive issue in the community and that’s the last thing Tyrrelstown needs right now. There are obviously no plans to proceed with building the Mulhuddart School for many years to come.

This is yet another chapter in the long saga of the Tyrrelstown Schools and Community Centre. In March 2007, just before the last general election, local TD Brian Lenihan issued a letter promising that the schools would be built and operating by that September. Since then, one promise after another has been broken by Fianna Fail and the Greens.

After years of wrangling the sites were finally acquired by the council in February. They were transferred to the Department of Education in record time so that building work could get underway to have both schools opened for this year. Having to wait another year is bad enough but for only one school is even more disappointing.

The new school will include a special needs unit, Teachers room, Library, Multi Purpose spaces and ancillary accommodation which is linked to a shared community facility comprising of a general purpose hall, changing facilities, store, meeting rooms and ancillary accommodation. The new building will have a total floor area of some 6059 m. sq.  

The school will be accessed beside the Lidl Supermarket and will have 96 car parking spaces  as well as set down and turning areas.  There will be three new ballcourts, a safe play area adjacent to the special needs unit and landscaped garden areas.

End.

FW10A/0137	26-Aug-2010	Permission
	Applicant:	The Minister of Education and Skills
	Location:	Tyrrelstown Educate Together, Tyrrelstown, Dublin 15
	Proposed Development:	Permission for a new school at Tyrellstown.  The main school building is 3 storeys and comprises of 24 classrooms with a special needs unit, Teachers room, Library, Multi Purpose spaces and ancillary accommodation which is linked to a shared community facility comprising of a general purpose hall, changing facilities, store, meeting rooms and ancillary accommodation.  The new building will have a total floor area of C. 6059 m. sq.  Proposed site works to include provision for 96 No. car parking spaces with access from public road via new vehicular entrance including set down and turning space, 2 No. bicycle racks, formation of 3 No. new ballcourts, safe play area adjacent to SNU, landscaped garden areas, ESB sub-station and boundary treatment.

FW10A/0127

GRANT PERMISSION

Decision Date:   27-Aug-2010 Applicant:  B.O.M. Mulhuddart National School Location:   Mulhuddart National School, Powerstown Road, Tyrrellstown, Dublin 15 Proposed Development:  The development will consist of: A Temporary Single Storey Building of a Total Floor Area of 320m² comprising of 4 no. Classrooms, 2 no. Resource Rooms and Toilet Accommodation and Associated Siteworks.

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Gormley vetoes 'naming and shaming' of litter louts

Mark Hilliard - Sunday Tribune

Gormley: naming would be illegal

ENVIRONMENT minister John Gormley has been criticised for banning the publication of the names and addresses of 'litter louts' in newspapers.

The department of environment, heritage and local government has contacted every local authority telling them the policy would be illegal, despite perceptions that such a deterrent could encourage people to clean up their acts.

While it is unclear exactly how many councils planned to adopt the move – which would include a 'name and shame' policy on websites and in local media – they have now been told to dump the idea.

Referring to previous such actions, county managers were told the publication of names and addresses in newspapers – referring to advertising paid for by authorities as opposed to local court reports – would be in breach of data protection legislation. (The names and addresses of people convicted in court can legally be made public.)

Specifically, such a policy would breach section 2A of the Data Protection (Amendment) Act 2003.

"It is further recommended that any such material currently on local authorities' websites should be removed immediately and that no further publication should take place," the letter stated.

The direction has drawn criticism from supporters of the proposal.

Fine Gael councillor Kieran Dennison, whose proposal for such a move was adopted in Fingal, north Dublin, rounded on Gormley.

"This is an example of how silly government regulation has become in Ireland," he said. "While the local newspapers can name and shame when reporting court proceedings, the council cannot publish the same details on an adjoining page or even on its website. Ireland has changed from a 'can do' country to become a 'can't do' land."

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Swords water supply outage

The following areas in Swords have no water at present due to emergency repairs which have to be carried out following a road collapse at the junction of Watery Lane and Rathbeale Road:  Watery Lane, Bridge Street, Jugback Lane, Broadmeadow, Castlefarm, Rathbeale Crescent, Glasmore Park, Mooretown, St. Andrews Park, and Daleview Road.

It will be late tonight before the water supply is restored to the area.

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Temporary Closure of Blakestown Road

There will be a temporary closure of the Blakestown
Road from its junction with Mountview Road to its junction with
Blakestown Way from 8.00 p.m. to 6.00 a.m. each night from Monday 20th
September 2010 to Sunday 26th September 2010 to facilitate the carrying
out of necessary road resurfacing works.

The alternative routes available are:-

(i)     via Mountview Road, Hartstown Road, Huntstown Way and Blakestown
Road (Part Of)
(ii)    via Mountview Road, Blanchardstown Road South, Blakestown Way
and Blakestown Road (Part Of).
(iii)

Local access will be maintained.

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Temporary closure of Lucan Clonee Road

It is proposed to temporarily close the Lucan Clonee
Road from its junction with Barberstown Lane North to the Fingal County
Boundary with Meath County Council from Tuesday 24th August, 2010 to
Friday 27th August, 2010 to facilitate the carrying out of road
resurfacing works by Meath County Council on the Lucan Clonee Road
adjacent to the Fingal/Meath County Boundary.

The alternative routes available are:-

(i) via Lucan Clonee Road (part of), Hansfield Road (part of), Ongar
Road, Woodwall Anna Liffey Mills Road, Westmanstown Road to Lucan Clonee
Road.

Local access will be maintained and the Diversion route will be
signposted.

Any interested persons may lodge an objection in writing with Tommie
McManus, Administrative Officer, Transportation Department, Fingal
County Council, Grove Road, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15 to arrive no later
than 4.30pm on Thursday 5th August, 2010.

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Temporary Closure of Blakestown Way

It is proposed to temporarily close Blakestown Way
from its junction with Blakestown Road to its junction with
Blanchardstown Road South from 7.30 p.m. to 6.00 a.m. each night from
Monday 9th August, 2010 to Friday 13th August, 2010 to facilitate the
carrying out of road resurfacing works at Blakestown Way.

The alternative routes available are: Blanchardstown Road South,
Mountview Road and Blakestown Road.

Local access will be maintained.

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Malahide Water Supply

Message today from Water Services Department

Malahide Water Supply: Our crews have located the leaking watermain in Malahide which was near the Tennis Club in the village. The water supply on a small section of watermain at this location has been turned off to facilitate repairs but will be on again within a couple of hours. The water supply to the Malahide area will not be throttled over the weekend provided there are no further problems with the network and the reservoir level can be maintained.

Water Services Department

(01) 8906253

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Temporary road layout changes on the N3/M50 junction from 13 July

As work continues on the M50/N3 junction upgrade new traffic changes take effect from July 13th. The good news is that inbound N3 traffic can now bypass the junction. Click on image to expand.

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Castleknock QBC Scheme

Work on the construction of the Castleknock QBC Scheme has commenced. 

 

The Contractor, John Craddock Limited has commenced work along the section of Castleknock Road between the Castleknock Gates to the Phoenix Park and the roundabout at the entrance to the Phoenix Park Developments.

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Lack of landing strip at Dublin hospital is 'unacceptable'

Mark Hilliard - Sunday Tribune

Beaumont Hospital: patients flown to Dublin airport and transferred

IRELAND'S specialist neurological hospital has been criticised for airlifting patients to Dublin Airport before transferring them up the M1 motorway by ambulance because it does not have landing facilities on site.

Senior ambulance personnel said that while a number of other hospitals have landing sites, they can no longer use them as they are outdated and unsuitable for modern aircraft.

A football pitch on the Beaumont campus, which had been used for landing patients in the past, was replaced with a car park.

Fine Gael Cllr Kieran Dennison criticised the situation at a recent meeting of the Dublin and North Eastern Health Forum and said it was unacceptable that patients could not be airlifted straight to Beaumont.

Read more »

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Garristown Water Supply Update - Thursday 27th MAY: 10am

I recieved the following update at 4.30pm on the water supply problem in the North of the County.

Read more »

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Government trying to reinvent Economic History

Government Ministers over the last fortnight have been trying to rewrite economic history. Included in this rhetoric is repeated (wrong) assertion that we were in favour of abolishing stamp duty, and that we wanted more government spending.  The quotes below from Richard Bruton’s responses to budget debates in the years between 2004 and 2009 highlight our approach to the budget and national finances.  

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DISRUPTION TO WATER SUPPLY - Malahide/Portmarnock/Drynam/Kinsealy Areas

 EMERGENCY UPDATE 6pm SUNDAY 23rd MAY

DISRUPTION TO WATER SUPPLY Malahide/Portmarnock/Drynam/KinsealySunday 23rd May/Monday 24th May 2010

Emergency restrictions will be applied to water supplies in these areas overnight from 10pm on Sunday 23rd May until the 8am on Monday 24th May to allow reservoirs serving these areas to fill.

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Train station name confusion makes monkeys of tourists - Tribune

Sunday Tribune

Mark Hilliard

Phoenix Park station: nowhere near the Phoenix Park

DISORIENTATED tourists visiting the Phoenix Park are regularly left scratching their heads at least a kilometre away from their destination due to ongoing confusion over train station names.

Local politicians say that because of the misleading naming of the Phoenix Park stop, those unfamiliar with the city have been going to the wrong one, and finding themselves left with a considerable walk.

Iarnród Éireann says that while it had not received many comments on the situation lately it is prepared to examine signage at Ashtown, the station closer to the park, "to indicate its proximity".

"The station was funded by the developers of the Phoenix Park residential development, hence its name," a spokesman said.

However, local councillor Kieran Dennison said complaints were regular and the number of official comments to the company was probably not reflective of the true situation. When this opened the developer had to build it as a condition of building apartments, he said.

"It was called the Phoenix Park train station but it is a kilometre away from the park and the actual train station that serves the park is Ashtown.

"Tourists are getting on the train and going to the Phoenix Park, getting off and finding that they have gone at least a kilometre too far.

"There have been complaints. People have mentioned it in the locality. We are probably not even getting the level of complaints that we could have."

Iarnród Éireann said that while it would look at the issue, the majority of tourists visiting the park do so from the entrance near Heuston Station.

Meanwhile, the company has said that a recent inability to refund machine tickets to rail users at Connolly Station was due to a "mis­under­standing".

Customers looking for reimbursements on unused tickets were being told that if they bought them from the automatic machines they were unable

to receive over-the-counter refunds.

A spokesman explained the company was seeking to collect information on refunds recorded in a specific way and this was misinterpreted by staff as not being possible for machine-bought tickets. Instead, forms were filled out and processed.

"Staff will be rebriefed so that tickets not yet used can be refunded over the counter," he said.

May 2, 2010

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Quinn Insurance staff face job cuts.

An email from the administrator this afternoon to the staff of Quinn Insurance suggests that not all the jobs there are viable.




Dear All

We welcome the Financial Regulator's decision yesterday to allow limited re-entry to  the UK market for provisional drivers. This re-entry is only in some of the areas in the business plan that was submitted to the Financial Regulator. We will continue as a matter of urgency to liaise with the Financial Regulator in relation to other UK business lines submitted in the business plan and will keep you updated accordingly.

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Council spends €36,488.95 to webcast meetings but is anybody is watching?

Fingal County Council will spend €36,488 this year to broadcast 120 hours of council meetings on the Internet. The information was supplied in response to a question I had about the cost of webcasting the monthly council meetings, the various local area meetings and the number of viewers they attracted.

This works out at €304 per hour. Bear in mind that the figure given is just the cost of the contract with the UK company that handle the webcasting. There are council staff costs that are not included such as the cost of operating the equipment and preparing the meetings. 

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A tale of two Leaders

Interesting contrast between the Leadership shown by Enda Kenny and the complete absence of it from Labour’s Eamonn Gilmour on the Croke Park Agreement

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny sets out his party’s view on the Croke Park agreement – “given that the timescale extends beyond the timeframe of this Government. In our pre-budget proposals we set out a much fairer solution to achieving the reduction in the public service pay bill.

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ABP approves Lynam Development

An Bord Pleanála have given the go ahead to the high rise development by EP Lynam Properties Ltd  (FW09A/0019) on the Clonsilla road.  The site, which is at the Link road across from the funeral home, was considered by many to be unsuitable for four and five story apartment blocks. The appeal was submitted by Portersgate Residents Association with the assistance of a professional planner.

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Council golf courses deep in the red.

Fingal County Council’s two municipal golf courses have lost almost €610,000 over the last three years. Responding to a question from Cllr. Kieran Dennison (FG) the Manager revealed that in 2007, before the economic crash, they recorded a loss of €54,000. A year later the two courses were €328,278 in the red and managed to lose another €227,216 last year.

The Elmgreen Golf Centre at Castleknock has an18 hole golf course, 18 hole pitch and putt course and 24 bay driving range. It costs an average of €1.3m to run but recorded losses over the three years totaling €389,755.

The Corballis public links golf course at Donabate costs €1/2m to run. In 2007 it managed a profit of €26,887 before running up losses over the three years of €220,112.

Golf courses all over the country are finding the going tough but it is surprising that even at the height of the boom in 2007 the council’s courses were losing money. Action should have been taken in 2008 to stop the rot. Instead they increased expenditure rather than reduce it and again last year, they spent more than they took in the previous year. 

The Council now seems to have finally thrown in the towel when it comes to managing their courses and have sought tenders for management services for 2010 but it is likely to be the second half of the year before this is in operation.

The real question here is whether the council should be running golf courses at all. Even during the boom there was no shortage of courses around Dublin and for those willing to travel prices were reasonable. If it means subsidizing them to the tune of €300,000 per year then the answer is no. 

The Council also operates a 9 hole, par 3 golf course and pitch and putt course at Malahide Demesne. No details were given for this.

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Remarks at the Rally for Toyosi Shitta-Bey

On Saturday I was asked by the Shitta-Bey family to speak at a rally in Dublin in houour of their son Toyosi who was stabbed to death the previous weekend. 

Friends we are rallied here today to make something positive from the tragic loss of Toyosi Shitta-Bey.

Toy’s killing demonstrates once again how cheap life has become in the Ireland of today. This was a crime against the whole community, an offence against society.

Last night I asked Toyosi’s parents what message they would like me to convey to you.

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Garda appeal for calm following fatal stabbing of teenage boy

RONAN McGREEVY

Irish Times - Mon, Apr 05, 2010

"Local Fine Gael councillor Kieran Dennison said he was shocked by the details of the incident, having spoken to several witnesses.

He said there had not been many racist attacks, but racism did exist in the area. “Racism is something people have in their hearts,” he said.


RONAN McGREEVY

Irish Times - Mon, Apr 05, 2010

GARDAÍ HAVE appealed for calm in Tyrellstown, west Dublin, following the fatal stabbing of a teenager on Friday night.

Angry friends of Toyosi Shittabey (15), originally from Nigeria, smashed the windows of a car yesterday afternoon on their way back from a rally held in the teenager’s memory.

Garda spokesman Supt John Gilligan urged people in the area, one of the most ethnically diverse in Ireland, to “take a deep breath, take a step back and let the gardaí do their job”. Supt Gilligan said there was not a history of racial tension in the area, and he described the stabbing incident as “truly exceptional”.

Locals will gather at 1pm today to hold a rally at Hartstown Community School, where Toyosi was a third-year student. A candle-lit vigil is to be held this evening.

About 300 local people took part in a procession yesterday from Tyrellstown Plaza to Mount Eustace Crescent, where the stabbing occurred.

Tributes were paid to Toyosi and prayers were said at the scene during a rally at the spot where he was killed. The Nigerian ambassador, Dr Kemafo Nonyerem Chikwe, attended the rally.

A message was read out from President Mary McAleese expressing her condolences over the attack.

Tributes were also paid to Toyosi from Shelbourne Football Club. The youngster was on their books and he also played for Insaka-Ireland Football, the football club for African children in Ireland.

Several youngsters had to be restrained during the rally from attacking people they believed to be associated with the killing.

Toyosi and four of his friends were on their way back from the National Aquatic Centre on Good Friday night at about 8.10pm when the stabbing took place.

Local TD Joan Burton said the incident was not typical of the Tyrellstown area and she praised the “excellent relations” between Irish and non-Irish nationals who live in the area.

Local Fine Gael councillor Kieran Dennison said he was shocked by the details of the incident, having spoken to several witnesses.

He said there had not been many racist attacks, but racism did exist in the area. “Racism is something people have in their hearts,” he said.

However, Bobby Kuti (16), who was with Toyosi when he was killed, said they had been subjected to “loads” of racial abuse in the past.

“This is where we live,” he said. “He had been living here 11 years. We thought we were safe here. It is not like we went to some mad place where we weren’t supposed to go. It has gone too far.”

Patrick Kabangu (17) from Congo said: “Racism is hiding everywhere. It is in the schools. Everywhere in Ireland is racist, it is just being hidden. This country is crazy.”

Yesterday, Blanchardstown gardaí community liaison officer Sgt Vincent Connolly appealed for witnesses to continue coming forward with information.

“I just wish to say to the people, if they have anything to say to us, please call us,” he said. “We cannot do it without you.”

Anyone who may have witnessed these incidents, who may have information or who may have seen a Black Nissan Qashqai in the general area is asked to contact gardaí at Blanchardstown on 01-666 7000, the Garda confidential line on 1-800-666-111, or any Garda station.

© 2010 The Irish Times

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