This afternoon.

Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty has called AIB’s move to charge customers quarterly fees today “disgraceful”.

The fees don’t apply to AIB members who have more than €2,500 in their accounts.

He released the following statement about the bank, in which the State has a 71 per cent share… 

“Today, tens of thousands of workers who have lost their jobs and income as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak will receive their first COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment of €350. This payment will be needed for workers to pay their bills and feed their families.

“It is disgraceful to learn that AIB, instead of providing relief to these customers, have on the same day decided to charge quarterly fees to many of these customers who have just lost their jobs.

“These fees do not apply to customers with more than €2,500 in their accounts, but if you have just lost your job as a result of this outbreak they do. That AIB are charging workers and families who have lost their jobs and have little in their accounts these fees is a disgrace.

“I have been in contact with constituents who have lost their jobs and were relying on today’s payment of €350 to get them and their families through the week. This morning they were hit with quarterly fees by AIB of up to €100.

“The COVID-19 Unemployment Payment was not intended for the banks, and this pandemic should not be an opportunity for banks to squeeze more out of their customers.

“On March 18th the Government and Banking and Payments Federation announced a suite of measures adopted by the five commercial banks to provide relief to customers.

“We know that this has involved the banks charging customers additional interest of as much as €2,000 for applying for mortgage breaks. To find out that they are still charging quarterly fees of up to €100 to customers who have just lost their jobs is further proof that banking culture has not changed.

“The State is the major shareholder in AIB. It is time for the Government and Central Bank to challenge the actions of the banks and put the interests of citizens first.”

Anyone?

AIB charging of quarterly fees on day customers receive COVID-19 unemployment payment a disgrace – Pearse Doherty TD (Sinn Féin)

Rollingnews

UPDATE:

Meanwhile…

Good times.

This afternoon.

Fallon’s pub in The Liberties, Dublin 8.

Mmf.

Thanks Colm

Andrew McGinley and his now deceased children Conor, Carla and Darragh; a letter from Mr McGinley in which he has appealed for correspondence; a box of correspondence since sent to Andrew

Last Friday.

Andrew McGinley, whose three children were found dead in their Dublin home in January and for whom he launched a YouTube channel featuring videos celebrating their lives, made an appeal on Twitter.

He wrote that he was struggling with isolation and appealed for letters.

This morning he tweeted a picture of two boxes from An Post containing hundreds of letters and thanked all who wrote to him…

In fairness.

Previously: Can You Write To Andrew?

Úna Keane – Piano Squared

In a quiet mood?

Dublin musician Úna Keane (top) played an unforgettable gig in the Pepper Canister Church, Dublin 2 earlier this month.

Now she has uploaded one of those live hypnotic piano pieces onto her YouTube channel with an accompanying video (above) featuring archive footage of kids playing in Victorian England in 1901.

Mesmerising.

Her most recent album is In The Deep.

Nick says: Ivory power.

Úna Keane

Mmm.

Old school Gates.

Luke Silke tweetz:

Following queries, The Oireachtas have confirmed that the software used to display the results of today’s Seanad election count was developed in 1993 and has “worked perfectly” in every election since then, adding that it also “works on Windows 10”

Earlier: Meanwhile, In Dublin Castle

Broadsheet.ie