Category Archives: Misc

trevormurtagh

Trevor Murtagh

Trevor Murtagh was the only child of Seamus and Carole Murtagh of Dundalk, Co Louth.

A busy political activist and writer, Trevor graduated from Trinity College Dublin with a masters degree in Psychoanalytical Studies.

He took his own life the day after his 29th birthday.

In Village magazine, where Trevor interned, Trevor’s cousin Jon-Paul Faulkner documents the family’s struggle to get him help in a system that made things worse.

Jon-Paul  writes:

I was living up in Dublin. Trevor was at home in Louth. We were close cousins who had lived next door to each other our whole lives – he was my brother really, to be honest. Trevor, apart from my Mum, was the closest person in my life, he was my family.

I always thought Trevor was fine, he was honestly the most positive and encouraging person I had ever met, he seemed to have a philosophy on life that was all about living and having fun and loving. In all my life I never once heard Trevor say he disliked anyone, and that was the kind of person he was; it was the kind of person I aspired to be.

Whenever I felt down, I’d be really quiet; Trevor was the opposite: he could always talk ‘til the cows came home and was really outgoing. This made me think that Trevor was happy.

He had changed a little since he had had a bout of depression in 2011, just after he finished his Master’s in Psychology. His family and friends knew about it. He was still Trevor, positive and outgoing, but when we’d go socialising he would sometimes be more hyperactive than usual, talking non-stop, but still so, so much energy, so outgoing, clever, and apparently happy.

I got a phone call from his parents to say Trevor had been admitted to hospital. His friends had found a suicide note crumpled up in a basket and he had been hospitalised. I couldn’t believe it. It came as a complete shock.

I had seen him the previous weekend, and he seemed ok, though not his usual cheerful self, certainly a bit quieter than usual. Trevor was admitted to hospital on 20 June 2014 and was discharged nine weeks later on 22 August.

It took me a long time to write this, mainly because we wanted to wait until Trevor’s inquest before telling our story, and that didn’t happen until 3 November 2015, but also because, going through in detail what happened to Trevor during his stay in hospital is so, so painful for me: I don’t want to remember him that way.

I think of Trevor from the moment I wake up to when I lie in bed at night, but I try to remember the real Trevor, the happy one – of those memories I have so many. The perverse images of Trevor, once so full of life, lying in a coffin, these memories come to me and I struggle to push them away and think of happier times.

Trevor’s family, and particularly his Mum, Carole, struggled in vain to get help for her only child. We thought we were lucky that Trevor was actually admitted to a psychiatric hospital, but unfortunately we were not lucky with a minority of his healthcare professionals, including his head consultant. His mental health actually deteriorated during his stay in hospital.

When I came in to the hospital that evening of 20 June it broke my heart. It was surreal; Trevor wasn’t Trevor, he was manic, he was so distressed, he kept rubbing his fist against the side of his head, “there’s nothing, there’s nothing in here”, he was saying. “I’m nothing”. It didn’t make sense, Trevor thought he had nothing in his head, nothing to say, the guy could talk for two hours straight about most topics, he was an intelligent guy! He was also saying he had no friends, yet Trevor had such a huge number of friends, and they were ‘real’ friends, they all really loved him, and they were from all walks of life.

Trevor was delusional. I tried to comfort him. “Trevor”, I said, “look, you’re going to get better, trust me, these doctors are the best in Europe, this is one of the best hospitals in Ireland, they’re going to find out what’s wrong with you and you’re going to get better, soon, trust me!”.

But I was wrong, and it didn’t take long to realise it.

(continued at link below)

Documenting A Suicide (Jon-Paul Faulkner, Village)

Trevor Was A Scholar And Environmental Campaigner (Obituary, Independent.ie)

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First three episodes of Dolin’ It Out

Cork writer and artist Dylan Fitzgerald, of weekly webcomic Joe Dole, writes:

Joe Dole is about the main character Match-head and his buddies Mo and Bob who are factory workers but are laid off at irregular intervals. It deals with the trials and tribulations of being employed and unemployed in that system.

The theme of the strip is that not all people on the dole are trying to screw the system and this story follows those people who rarely get reported about in the media.

The first part is up (Dolin’ It Out) which is 13 episodes and each is done in the style of a newspaper strip (4 panels an episode).

Joe Dole

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From top: Garda Commissioner Noirín O’Sullivan and SIPTU’s Jack O’Connor perusing the Dublin Metropolitan Police prisoners’ books this morning; and one of the books

This morning.

The UCD Digital Library, with SIPTU and the Garda Museum and Archives, launched four sets of Dublin Metropolitan Police prisoners books.

Ros Pan writes:

The Dublin Metropolitan Police (DMP) Prisoners Books for 1905-1908 and 1911-1918 are amongst the most valuable new documents to come to light on the revolutionary decade.

They include important information on social and political life in the capital during the last years of the Union, from the period of widespread anticipation of Home Rule, to the advent of the 1913 Lockout, the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, the Easter Rising and its aftermath in 1916, and including the conscription crisis of 1918.

They will also be invaluable to those interested in criminology, genealogy, and family history.

The collection comprises of four large leather bound, double ledger volumes containing hand written entries that record the details of daily charge sheets issued by DMP members to offenders or alleged offenders.

Each volume contains the name, age, address, occupation, alleged offence and, in most cases, outcome of cases involving over 30,000 people arrested by the DMP.

Each volume also contains an index of prisoners with references to the pages containing details of the charge. The information in these volumes serves, therefore, to provide new perspectives on life in Dublin during a time of war and revolution.

The collection can be viewed online here

Pic: Sinéad Hussey

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“The Islamic Republic of Iran is gravely concerned about the high rate of racial discrimination, related intolerance and racial profiling, especially against Muslim people and people of African origin in Ireland.”

“We know the measures taken by Irish government to address these human rights however we share the Committee on the Rights of the Child’s concerns regarding the state of health of children in single-parent families, children in poverty, Travellers, Roma children is significantly worse than the national average.”

“Therefore we would like to make the following recommendation to Ireland: to put in place a robust mechanism in order put an end to racism, discrimination and related intolerance, especially against Muslim people and people of African origin…”

A representative from the Islamic Republic of Iran speaking at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva this afternoon.

More to follow.

Watch proceedings live here

Previously: Free At Lunchtime?

UPDATE:

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From the VenturePulse survey

Silicon Republic reports:

Tech firms in Ireland raised €237m in venture capital funding in the first quarter, almost double that of last year, according to the latest VenturePulse figures from the Irish Venture Capital Association.

The amount of funding raised in the first quarter was nearly double the €119.8m raised in the first quarter of 2015, according to the VenturePulse survey published in association with William Fry.

“About half the funds came through international syndicates which shows an encouraging and continuing strong global appetite for the Irish tech sector,” said Brian Caulfield, chairman, IVCA.

Caulfield said that the growth continues the strong trajectory of funding growth in Irish tech SMEs, which grew overall last year by 30pc to €522m.

Venture capital investment in Irish tech firms doubled to €237m in Q1 (Silicon Republic)

 

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Tesco workers at a Mandate conference in Galway last month

What do we want?

An answer.

When do you want it?

NOW!

Jack Ascinine writes:

So all the staff and members of the Oireachtas just received an email this morning inviting them to a presentation this Thursday by Mandate Trade Union in regards to the churning conflict between Tesco corporate and their employees (didn’t know there was one to start with).

With all of the talk about LUAS strikes and Transdev negotiations and the Minister for Transport not wanting to get involved, how is it that Mandate Trade Union not only gets a forum to present to all Oireachtas TDs and staff, but actually get to present WITHIN Leinster House facilities itself? 

Who secured this slot for Mandate? Is Tesco corporate going to get their slot secured for presenting their rebuttal as well (every little helps)?

Anyone?

Pic: Tescoworkers.com

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Inside the Brú Aimsir Hostel in November and outside the hostel this morning

You may recall the opening of the Dublin City Council-run Brú Aimsir Hostel at the Digital Hub on Thomas Street, Dublin 8 last November – as part of the council’s Cold Weather Initiative.

The 100-bed facility is now to close with 50 beds already closed, while the 42-bed John’s Lane West hostel is to also close.

In response to the closure, a group of homeless people is now occupying the building, while the Irish Housing Network is holding a demonstration outside the Dublin City Council offices on Wood Quay.

In a statement, residents of Brú said:

“Thank you for your support, please continue to do so – it could be you next week. We feel as though the dogs on the street are treated better than us. They are taken in and put in shelters so they are not roaming the streets, but the Government are willing to let people roam the streets every day.”

“One woman here came from a women’s refuse due to domestic violence. She has severe mental and medical health issues and relies heavily on Brú’s services since the beginning of March.”

“She has been approved for H.A.P. (Housing Assistance Payment) with South Dublin County Council, but is finding it extremely difficult to find anywhere suitable for her and her 12-year-old son.”

Suitable accommodation before closing John’s Lane West (Facebook)

Previously: Nice Crib, Brú

Pic: Rollingnews and Richard Chambers

There you go.

UPDATE: You can read the report in full here

Previously: Just The Facts

‘Something For Everyone’

Update:

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Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald announces the publication of the O’Higgins Commission report this afternoon at government buildings.

Rollingnews