Author Archives: Bodger

Darragh O’Brien, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage

This afternoon.

Further to dismay over the purchase of entire housing estates by real estate investment trusts or REITs.

Via The Ditch:

…While a TD for Dublin North in 2008, Darragh O’Brien declared in the Dáil register of interests holdings in a Standard Life Assurance savings policy. The policy later promised returns to holders through investments in REITs, which were introduced to Ireland in 2013 through legislation brought by finance minister Michael Noonan…

…O’Brien further declared he was a landlord from 2007-2015. He found himself in possession of not one, but two houses, so chose to rent one out, starting in the heady, pre-crash era.

O’Brien along with his wife bought a family home in 2007, but decided against selling his former residence – a two-bed apartment in Malahide.

O’Brien rented the property first to a family member from 2007 and later to other private tenants, before finally selling the property at 11 Castle Heath, Swords Road, Malahide. He sold it for €290,000 in March 2015.

Meanwhile…

…O’Brien’s government and party colleague Robert Troy is another landlord with a serious property portfolio. And he knows how to protect his interests.

In 2019 he took an unsuccessful Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) case against a tenant renting from him a €1,250 per month one-bed flat in Phibsborough, Dublin 7. Troy had let the flat to small business owner Paul McGahan. The flat is “a tiny little thing” according to McGahan: “You wouldn’t fit two people into this place,” he said…

Fianna Fáil ministers, the REITs and the housing crisis (The Ditch)

RollingNews

Zzup?

‘Pleann Bee’.

A one-hour TG4 documentary on World Bee Day, May 20, about the acclaimed All Ireland Pollinator Plan.

Deirdre Ní Choistín writes:

The All Ireland Pollinator Plan (AIPP), set up in 2015, is almost unique in reversing pollinator decline by engaging with Irish society, mobilising a citizen’s army of gardeners, farmers, community and sports groups, councils and other land owners to become pollinator friendly, protecting the environment and protecting the lives of future generations.

The success of the pollinator plan, and the huge community buy-in involved means that other countries, and the EU in particular, are looking to Ireland for help in improving the situation of their own pollinators….

‘Pleann Bee’ on May 20 at 9:30pm on TG4.

Pics TG4

This morning.

Today with Claire Byrne on RTÉ Radio One.

Kate O’Connell said over the years she has faced personalised commentary and attacks on her and thinks there was a “pushback” against her to replace her.

At one Fine Gael meeting, she said, her team arrived before her and someone had got a sod of turf and was going to present it to her in front of people at the meeting.

She said that was “designed to diminish” and tell her she was “not from here” but from the country.

She said a sign was also erected outside her pharmacy pointing towards the M50 saying “Westmeath this way“.

Ms O’Connell said attempts were made to label her as “undesirable, unsuitable and not good enough”.

Anyone?

O’Connell will not run in Dublin Bay South by-election (RTÉ)

RollingNews

Damn American imperialism.

Original here


Tonight.

“This account was set up in February 2020 under the name of Barbara J Pym, mostly posting tweets about aspects of Irish politics.

“Many of the views expressed – such as opposition to ‘Sinn Féin pressure for a united Ireland’ are in keeping with those articulated by Eoghan Harris in his Sunday Independent column.

“Eoghan has accepted that he was one of the founders of the account. He has also stated to me that he was ‘one of a group of people that contributed to a Barbara Pym entity’.

“Having reviewed the account this week I found it frequently went far beyond what I would describe as fair and reasonable comment. Under no circumstances would such material have been published in our newspaper or on Independent.ie.

“We regard Eoghan Harris’s involvement with this account as a betrayal of trust and as such his contract has been terminated.

“Eoghan has been synonymous with the Sunday Independent for two decades and has been one of its sharpest and most distinctive opinion writers. While we have sometimes had our differences, I have also enjoyed working with one of the most unique voices in Irish public discourse.”

Alan English , editor of The Sunday Independent this evening.

Absurdly harsh.

Or not harsh enough?

YOU must decide.

Eoghan Harris dropped as Sunday Independent columnist over fake Twitter account (Independent.ie)

Meanwhile…

Update:

This morning.

This afternoon.

Thanks, Paul

It was nothing.

Over 30% of adults have received first vaccine dose – HSE (RTÉ)

RollingNews

This afternoon.

Aldi have teamed up with their Ambassador Trisha Lewis, head chef at the renowned Jacobs on the Mall in Cork City to launch Raising the Barbecue, a new campaign to help turn the nation from ‘pit-iful grillers to gourmet barbeque masters’ this Summer.

Aldi surveyed 200 Irish people about their Summer BBQ habits and the results showed that we plan to host/attend an average of 30 BBQs this summer, whether at home or with friends.

Aislinn O’Toole writes:

60% of Irish people want to up their grilling game this year in order to impress friends and family! We’re a nation who loves to cook Chicken (26%) even more than Steak (23%), while fish, which can BBQ beautifully, is popular with just 1.5% of us!

For sauce it’s BBQ sauce (27%) winning closely over Ketchup (25.5%) with a surprisingly low score of 1.5% for Hummus, but we are fond of our Mustard, Mayonnaise, Garlic Mayo and Coleslaw! We’ll usually always serve a salad (92%) but maybe because we feel we should?

Fight!

Aldi Ireland

Daragh Mc Sweeney/Provision