Yearly Archives: 2019

Sunken buses?

No, silly.

Folklorist Terry Fagan writes:

Air Raid Shelters On Lower Gardiner Street, 1940s. I recorded some good stories of people living in the Dublin tenements during WW2. One man told me how he got locked up in prison for breaking a lock on an air raid shelter during a air raid alert.

Some flats complexes built 1939/ 40s had underground air raid shelters. Like St Mary’s Mansions on Railway Street are still there. I ran a youth club in that one, they are massive and go right around the complex. The flats were built after the knocking down of the houses of “Monto”….

Denis O’Brien

Ratings agency Fitch is suggesting that Digicel Group [94 per cent owned by Irishman Denis O’Brien] consider raising new capital or sell additional ­assets in order to prepare for its next payout on maturing bonds.

That’s because more than half of its debt maturities are due within four years and its free cash flow is negative.

[Digicel already tried to restructure its debt by ­extending the maturity dates. But an ­extension needs to be matched with increased capital or revenue to repay the maturities]

Digicel’s total debt maturities are estimated at US$6.97 billion: with US$1.3 billion in payouts set for April 2022; another US$2.9 billion in 2023; and an additional US$2.56 billion for repayment ­beyond that.

The telecoms’ total debt is more than 6.7 times its operating earnings.

The Financial Gleaner awaits a response from Digicel on whether it will contemplate selling shares or assets, going forward….

Digicel advised to sell assets or add fresh capital (Jamaica Gleaner)

Rollingnews

This morning.

Lord’s Cricket ground, London.

Ireland need 182 to beat England in Lord’s Test match – live! (The Guardian)

UPDATE:

Ah.

Previously: Whiplash Away

An Injection room, Vancouver Canada

Last night.

Dublin City Council has refused planning permission for Ireland’s first ever supervised injection rooms for drug users.

Merchants Quay Ireland had applied to run the facility from its building in the city centre.

It would have compromised of seven booths and would have catered for around 65 to 100 users per day.

The council turned down permission citing a lack of a policing plan and the effect it would have on the tourist economy.

The supervised injection facility was a major part of the national drugs strategy and was included in the 2016 Programme for Government.

Dublin City Council refuses permission for drug injection centre (RTÉ)

Previously: More Than A Fix