Author Archives: Bodger

Tonight.

Dublin City Council.

A vote will be cast that could see Bartra Capital as the preferred developer for the O’Devaney Gardens site [near the Phoenix Park] and half of the 824 units being private, with a price range for a three-bed apartment of €360,000-€420,000 and a price range for a two-bed house of €270,000-€315,000.

A council report says the development will not feature any student accommodation, shared accommodation or studio apartments.

Via The Social Democrats:

The SocDems’ five Dublin City Councillors are opposed to Council management’s current plans to privatise the redevelopment of O’Devaney Gardens on the grounds that they will not deliver homes at affordable prices and will do nothing to address the rental crisis in the city.

Cllr Gary Gannon said:

“The proposed sell-off of the O’Devaney Gardens site to Bartra Capital is an incredibly bad deal for the city and for people who are struggling to buy family homes at affordable prices. We reiterate that we will not be complicit in an unaffordable development that further excludes people and families already excluded from the prospect of secure tenure or home ownership in our city.”

More as we get it.

O’Devaney Gardens deal hangs in the balance (Irish Times)

Previously: Not For The Likes Of You

Update:

A decision on the regeneration of O’Devaney Gardens by Bartra Capital has been delayed by Dublin city councillors following warnings from Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy that he would strip the project of funding if councillors blocked the deal.

….The previous council had approved the agreement by 53 votes to eight, with Sinn Féin, Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, Labour and the Green Party all supporting the deal. Labour, the Green Party and Sinn Féin had planned to reverse their support on Monday night, with other parties raising concerns about the terms of the deal. Fine Gael remained in support of the agreement.

Councillors delay O’Devaney Gardens plan (Irish Times)

This afternoon.

Kildare Street, Dublin 2

Supporters and activists of Extinction Rebellion commence their week of ‘non-violent direct actions with a Climate Walk led by a large pink sailing boat (top).

Eamonn Farrell/Rollingnews

Earlier…

This morning.

At Merrion Square, Dublin 2.

Tents thought to belong to supporters of Extinction Rebellion are being set up.

The group is planning to hold a lunchtime rally outside Leinster House for the beginning of a week-long series of events for Rebellion Week.

Green News reports:

Irish action will commence at 1pm this afternoon at the entrance of Dail Eireann.

From here, the activists will walk in procession led by a large pink sailing boat to a nearby, as yet unnamed, location where the mast of the boat will be launched and a flag with the Extinction Rebellion logo raised.

Speeches will then start around 1.30pm and environmental activist and Chelsea Garden Show winning designer Mary Reynolds will then lead a symbolic planting of seeds of native trees.

The group is remaining coy on further actions to take place across the remainder of the week, only stating that they will employ family-friendly non-violent civil disobedience to “bring society to a standstill” and force the Government to respond to the climate emergency.

150 academics outline support for Extinction Rebellion (Green News)

London police arrest 21 climate change protesters as mass action starts (The Irish Times)

Meanwhile…

In yesterday’s Sunday Times, John Mooney reported:

A special unit of gardai is monitoring social media to try to ascertain where the group’s protests of “civil disobedience” may take place and how many campaigners will be involved.

Security sources say there is no evidence to suggest Extinction Rebellion is being influenced by extremists.

The protesters, who come from various backgrounds, are considered by gardai to be people genuinely concerned about global warming.

….Gardai do not believe they will be able to hold large numbers of protesters if forced to make arrests.

The force is not capable of detaining more than a few hundred people, even if all stations in Dublin and the surrounding suburbs are used to capacity.

Dublin gardai prepare for extinction of traffic flow (The Sunday Times)

Top pic: Tim Forde

UPDATE:

Niall Colbert, of Today FM, tweetz:

Climate change activists beginning to gather outside the Dail ahead of Extinction Rebellion protests in Dublin this lunchtime.

Meanwhile….

Continue reading →

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Dr Katherine Zappone

This morning.

In the Irish Examiner.

Conall Ó Fátharta reports:

During questioning from forum [Mother and Baby Home Collaborative Forum] members, the delegation was shown an almost entirely redacted death cert the agency sent to a 69-year-old woman.

The woman was among the 126 cases of illegal birth registrations Tusla discovered in the records of the St Patrick’s Guild adoption agency. Its records transferred to Tusla in 2016.

The certificate was for the woman’s mother, but all information apart from a doctor’s signature and cause of death was redacted by Tusla, including details of the registrar general.

As the recipient of the record had never been legally adopted, the delegation was asked what legislative basis Tusla had “to start interfering with public records”.

“I think the reason to redact all of that is to ensure that it can’t be found in the GRO [General Registration Office] because it is third-party information as per GDPR,” the Tusla representative said.

Mr Ó Fátharta also reports:

The Irish Examiner has obtained an audio recording of that meeting [between the forum and representatives of Tusla] in which a member of the delegation said the agency carries out a “risk assessment” as to the “likelihood of someone being harmed or not harmed” before it decides whether or not to release personal information to adopted people about their early lives.

….The Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) has said there are around 150,000 adoption records in existence and approximately 100,000 of these are currently in the custody of Tusla or the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI). Tusla has held many of the records since 2014.

Tusla censored death cert so it ‘can’t be found’ (Conall Ó Fátharta, The Irish Examiner)

Tusla relying on ‘flimsy grounds’ to justify redacting records and birth certs (Conall Ó Fátharta, The Irish Examiner)

Previously: “Who Are They Trying To Protect Here?”

Conflating And Confusing Privacy And Secrecy

Rollingnews

UPDATE:

Dara Doyle, of Bloomberg, tweetz:

Pensive looking Leo Varadkar this morning, at E&Y jobs launch…

Few enough words from Leo Varadkar beyond saying we are entering a potentially “rocky” period with Brexit ahead. Yes indeed.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was at E&Y’s headquarters in Dublin this morning for the firm’s announcement of 650 new jobs across Ireland.

EY to create 600 jobs over the next 12 months (The Irish Times)

Earlier: You’ve Got Mail