James Reilly’s friend from earlier.

You may recall how Fine Gael Environment Minister Phil Hogan, within months of taking office, stopped inquiries into alleged planning irregularities at six local authorities last year.

The inquiries had been set up by the previous Environment Minister John Gormley and focused on Dublin city, Carlow, Cork city and counties Donegal, Galway and Meath.

In 2004, it was proposed that Drogheda Borough Council, and Louth and Meath County Councils join forces and create a conurbation incorporating lands known as Bryanstown.

It  was also decided that other lands closer to Drogheda, on the Mornington Road, would be reserved and not developed until long-term plans for a port in the town were finished.

Following this decision, Wicklow developer Bill Doyle bought 124 acres in Bryanstown.

This was, he claimed, after he got assurances from Meath County Manager Tom Dowling that the three local authorities’ plans would go ahead as planned.

Doyle designed a major residential, retail and industrial ‘new town’ on the site. He also helped soccer club Drogheda United get new grounds on a 20-acre site.

It was also decided – following talks between Doyle, his professional advisers and council management – that a variation to the County Development Plan would be the best way to make this ‘new town’ happen.

Doyle borrowed millions from Anglo Irish Bank. But he then learned three councillors objected to the Bryanstown development – unless the reservation on the Mornington Road was lifted.

The objections by Jimmy Cudden (Ind), Pat Bushell (FF) and Thomas Kelly, formerly of the Green Party, stalled Doyle’s plan.

Even Fianna Fail minister of state Dick Roche – who was connected through marriage to one of the Bryanstown landowners –  tried to break the deadlock in August 2008 but failed.

Doyle later learned, in 2008, that that 80 acres of his land in Bryanstown had been dezoned from residential to green space and industrial – making it unviable for his development.

But the lands at Mornington Road were freed up for development – to joy of the owners of the land, notably Shannon Homes’ Phil Reilly and Seamus Murphy.

Footnote

Because the Mornington land got the green light for development, the Drogheda sewerage scheme couldn’t accommodate Bryanstown’s proposed development – thus, putting an end Doyle and Drogheda FC’s plans. Both sites are now idle.

Zoning Change Destroys New Town Plan (Village Magazine)

Thanks OC

(Pic: Tony Healy)

Het Leven, a Dutch news magazine that lasted between1906-1941, was a pioneer of photo-journalism

These images, from the magazine’s archive housed at the Netherlands state digital library, were unearthed by the ever-resourceful Sibling of Daedalus, who, like us, had never seen them before.

The collection covers the period1920-1922.

Can you help identify the locations?

Het Leven Collection (Geheugenvannederland)

Bonus ‘Het Leven photo for Cork readers: Twilight’s Edward Cullen a pouting Michael Collins:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhIgou4dcL0

What you may need to know:

1. The clip is NSFW.

2. Movie 43 is a sketch comedy movie, in the spirit of Kentucky Fried Movie (1977) and our own personal favourite, Amazon Women On The Moon (1987).

3. Directors include a Farrelly brother, James ‘Super’ Gunn, Bob ‘Better Call Saul’ Odenkirk and Hunger Games/30 Rock star Elizabeth Banks.

4. The cast includes Johnny Knoxville, Anna Faris, Seann William Scott, Hugh Jackman, Richard Gere, Uma Thurman, Halle Berry, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Kate Bosworth, Kate Winslet, Terrence Howard, Liev Schreiber, Elizabeth Banks, Justin Long, Kristen Bell, Patrick Warburton, Josh Duhamel, Jason Sudeikis, Chloe Grace Moretz, Stephen Merchant, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jack McBrayer, Kieran Culkin and Chris Pratt.

5. Loving Gerard Butler as a psychotic leprechaun @ ’40.

6. We’ve never watched a Richard Gere movie on purpose. But might be willing to make an exception.

Release Date: January 2013 (US)

On Sunday (because that’s a day you launch a website), the Residential Property Price Register was unveiled.

Long sought after, it lists every house sale since the start of 2010 with the actual amounts of money handed-over..

But what interested our code monkey Karl was the fact you can download the data and use it for your own purposes.

A few hours down the code mines later and and the snappily-titled Yet Another Searchable Property Price Register was born.

Karl sez:

What this remix of the data has over the couple that have crossed our desks already is that I’ve used some Google Maps witchcraft to figure out the locations of the houses and place them on a map for a more glorious visual of where houses are actually switching hands.

We’ve set it up so when you visit the site it tries to guess your location and show you the closest sales to you. Enjoy.

 

Do tell us how you get on.

James Reilly with developer Seamus Murphy at the Balbriggan Chamber of Commerce Christmas ball.

He would also see him on the television.

Troubled developer Seamus Murphy owns the lands on which the primary care centre is set to be built.It is currently in the process of being sold by Mr Murphy to a development company which will build the health centre.

“I put up posters for Fine Gael in Balbriggan,” Mr Murphy told the Irish Independent.

“I am a Fine Gael supporter.”

When asked if he knew Dr Reilly, Mr Murphy said he would see him on the television, but pictures show the pair socialising together at events in Balbriggan.

Balbriggan was included in the list of 35 primary care centres in the Government’s stimulus plan after Dr Reilly bumped it up the list

 

James Reilly Backer Owns Controversial Primary-Care Site (Fiach Kelly, Irish Independent)

Pics by Tony Healy at Balbriggan.net


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sS2cLkICZ4

20 year-old Toronto magician Madhi Gilbert at Magic-Con 2012:

A rare gentleman and scoundrel who palms without palms, shuffles without fingers and is living proof that nothing is impossible.

Here he is being interviewed about his act at Magic-Con.

boingboing

Broadsheet.ie