Numbers 44/45 O’Connell Street, Dublin 1

This morning.

Ninety-eight properties managed by the Office of Public Works are sitting vacant around the country, reveals Ken Foxe, at Noteworthy:

These include several important historic properties – including two adjoining period houses on O’Connell Street in Dublin – that are being allowed to fall into disrepair.

Nearly two-thirds of the vacant properties are former garda stations, most of which were deemed surplus to requirements by the gardaí late last year.

A single rented property is also vacant, but the government is set to escape from its €112,500-a-year lease for that building on Dublin’s Clare Street in January 2020.

…Seven former coastguard cottages in Crosshaven are also empty and are currently “being prepared for disposal” , the Office of Public Works said.

…According to official records, four of the properties have not been used since “pre-1983″.

Nearly 100 State buildings managed by Office of Public Works lying idle around the country (Ken Foxe, Noteworthy)

See here for full list of vacant properties and for length of time they’ve been vacant

Pic: GoogleMaps

Free Saturday, September 7?

The second Danielle Carroll Summer School.

Named after a young Dublin mother who lost her life while living in emergency accommodation.

Michael Caul writes:

The #MyNameis campaign is proud to announce our second Danielle Carroll Summer School, 2019.

The human stories behind Ireland’s housing and homeless crisis.

Mary Manning – Who, as a 21-year-old Dunnes Stores worker, stood up against apartheid.

Stephen Travers – Leading campaigner for the rights of victims in Northern Ireland.

Jay Lester – Jobstown protest teenager who had false imprisonment conviction overturned.

John Wall – diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer, had emergency medical card revoked.

Colin Power – Bill Kenneally abuse survivor.

We are proud to posthumously award our first Danielle Carroll Social Justice Award 2019 to Dara Quigley, presented to her mother Aileen Malone with words from Martin McMahon and friends.

Tickets available here

Day For Danielle

Today.

Dublin’s Victorian Fruit and Vegetable Market between Capel Street and Smithfield in Dublin 7 will close today, after being open for 127 years, to make way for a redevelopment which is expected to take two years.

Last week RTÉ reported that a compensation package for the last remaining stallholders at the market was believed to involve up to €5million.

A tender for the redevelopment will be put out next month.

Meanwhile…

Gaz Smith, of Michael’s restaurant on Mount Merrion in Dublin, has tweeted that he has seen the council’s planned redevelopments…

He’s tweeted…

Anyone?

Dublin’s Victorian market closes after 127 years (Olivia Kelly, The Irish Times)

Previously: At The Market

Pics: Old Dublin Town

Yesterday afternoon

Last night.

The Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (above) calls out French President Emmanuel Macron (top) for using a stock picture of a rainforest fire taken before 2003. Mr Bolsonora has accused environmental groups of setting the fires in the Amazon.

Amazon fires turn political as Brazil’s president calls out France’s Macron (Fox)

The Amazon in Brazil is on fire – how bad is it? (BBC)

UPDATE:

This lunchtime.

A protest over the fires is taking place at the embassy of Brazil at the Harcourt Centre on Charlotte Way, Dublin 2.

Pics: Cllr Darragh Butler and Martin J Gilbert

The 49-year-old is said to be “stunned” after station bosses dropped his Cutting Edge show despite strong ratings and an IFTA award under his belt.

An RTE spokesman yesterday told the Irish Sun: “Cutting Edge is taking a rest for the moment.

“We are working on other ­projects with Brendan, which will hopefully see him back on screen in 2020.”

But a show insider told us Cutting Edge “won’t be back” on RTE screens.

They added: “If RTE don’t have the money to make Cutting Edge this year, it’s unlikely they’ll have the cash to make it in 2020 when they’ll have even less money.”

Too edgy?

Not edgy enough?

We may never know

Presenter Brendan O’Connor ‘stunned’ as RTE dramatically axe Cutting Edge show and insiders say it ‘won’t be back’ (The Irish Sun)

Yesterday: Anything On?

Shareholders in Irish Forestry Funds (IFF) have seen their investment wither on the vine. Top from left: IFF Managing Director Trevor McHugh, Marketing Director Paul Brosnan and Chairman Richard Hoare in 2010

This morning.

Via The Irish Times:

To the surprise of many of the 12,400 shareholders who pitched in over the years, IFF has just sold its portfolio of 18 funds to Axa Investment Managers.

Shareholders, who thought they were locked in for years still to come, weren’t consulted ahead of the sale, which was decided by [Paul]  Brosnan and IFF co-director Trevor McHugh. The directors say the decision was legally mandated to them.

IFF investors’ cheques arrived in the post on Wednesday morning, and, judging from correspondence to this newspaper and on online forums, many are furious with the outcome.

The Axa deal has resulted in annual returns of between 2 and 3 per cent in most cases. That’s a far cry from the huge “illustrative returns” in the marketing bumf.

Investors in Irish forestry learn money doesn’t grow on trees (Cantillion, Irish Times)

Investors’ fury as forestry fund sale ends hope of hitting return targets (Independent.ie)

In fairness.

Artist, anyone?

Meanwhile…

Yesterday.

Waterford city.

John Gallen writes:

A small teaser of three of the new walls to be seen for 2019’s Waterford Walls this weekend,

Of the three pieces pictured…

Artist: Taquen – image of a woman. Can be seen on Thomas Street .

Artist: Colour Hive – image under the archway.Can be seen under the arch on Great George’s Street.

Artist: Nina Valkhoff – green image with foxes. Can be seen on Gracedieu Road.

Waterford Walls

Broadsheet.ie