Graffiti and other forms of vandalism have ramped up across Dublin for years now with notable places and statues getting defaced.
There is, however, a different form of vandalism besides spray paint popping up around the streets that may have a more politically charged message behind them. This comes in the form of stickers.
Stickers that aim to spread the message of standing up to racism and becoming a fighter for LGBTQ+ rights. Other messages that are more on the left side of politics advocate welcoming refugees to Ireland and stopping evictions in Dublin.
Vulgarity is less common in stickers than they are on regular graffiti. This could be due to the extent of effort it took to produce these stickers so people can voice what they believe needs to be heard.
Shay Galon reports on the Stepping Stone Forests in the Sean Walsh Park, Tallaght, allowing future generations to interact with the biodiversity that exists in a forest.
Stepping Stone forests are small densely planted forests of native Irish trees. The method of planting these small forests is inspired by the world-renowned botanist Professor Akira Miyawaki. The soil preparation and dense planting ensures that these forests grow and develop extremely quickly. The proposal is to create a forest within the grounds of almost every school in the Tallaght area.
Many of these are DEIS schools in areas of social and economic deprivation.
Stepping Stone forests consist of a variety of native Irish trees and shrubs and can be as small as 100sq meters. The soil preparation, dense planting, and extensive mulching means that these small forests grow very rapidly. Using bare root plants and shrubs is cheaper, easier and generates less waste (there are no pots to get rid of).
One aim is “to convert open parkland,” which John Kiberdy, creator of the project, coins as a “green desert”, to large areas filled with local greenery and plants to both battle the negative effects of global warming while also allowing schools to learn about biodiversity directly.
“Where suitable space and conditions exist, we will plant the forests in a horseshoe shape. The space within the horseshoe will give the school children access to the forest as well acting as an outdoor classroom.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the Covid-19 pandemic will likely drag on into 2022 and could last even longer
Image via Jernej Furmen, Flickr
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently warned that the Covid-19 pandemic will most likely drag on into next year, due to the lack of vaccinations across the world, particularly in poorer countries. Dr. Bruce Awlward, a senior leader at the WHO said: “I can tell you that we are not on track. We really need to speed it up, or you know what? This pandemic is going to go on for a year longer than it needs to.”
The biggest headache for the WHO, is that a huge problem has arisen around the uneven distribution of vaccines around the world. In addition, the low rate of vaccinations in low-income countries as opposed to high-income countries, is setting alarm bells ringing at world health headquarters. High income countries like Ireland and the UK are ideally supposed to be donating to poorer states and have pledged a total of Euros 100 million, but have, so far, delivered only Euros 10 million.
Emerging from the pandemic, is not only vital for people’s general health and well-being, but also, to the economy and those sectors that were hard-hit when restrictions to curb the spread of the virus were originally introduced. One of the main reasons that the pandemic is still ongoing, is that less economically developed countries with high populations, are lagging behind in the rolling-out of their vaccine programs. Some experts argue that without mass vaccinations across the globe, the virus will mutate to the point where the original vaccinations become obsolete, although this is typically difficult to predict.
The “covax pool” was meant to counter-act this scenario and ensure that any countries who could not afford the vaccines, still had access to them, through subsidized costs. However, some countries like the UK and Canada have used the pool to acquire their own vaccines, despite having their own contacts with major pharmaceutical companies. One stark statistic outlines the scale of the vaccination roll-out inequality – under 3% of the entire population of Africa has been fully vaccinated.
In recent months, many observers in both Ireland and the UK have promulgated that the pandemic might be coming to an end. Bars, restaurants and cafes have re-opened with the vaccination program almost complete. Nights out and recreational activities have felt like pre-pandemic times. More than 92% of Ireland’s adult population has been fully vaccinated, while 93% of the population over age 16, have received at least one dose. But with cases now on the rise again (4,607 new cases confirmed, 579 people in hospital and 115 in ICU), the problem at home has risen to the point where some health experts are advising that the government re-impose some of the restrictions that we experienced earlier in the year.
Covid-19 cases have the potential to overwhelm the HSE and so prevent patients with other medical conditions receiving the care that they need. With the emergence of the very recent Omicron variant of the virus, the overall picture has become far more complex. The Irish government could be forced into its contingency plan for winter that would re-introduce some measures, such as social distancing, mask-wearing and asking people to work from home. The re-enforcing of Covid passports in a number of hospitality settings is also, very much, on the cards. It would be a major setback for many businesses, recovering from the pandemic, particularly those most impacted, such as the hospitality and air travel sectors.
Mike Ryan, a director of the WHO, has warned that this pandemic has the potential to overwhelm health systems throughout the world. “It is a tragedy. We still have doctors and nurses in frontline situations in low-income countries, who are not protected against Covid-19.” Speaking as part of a virtual conversation with Professor Michael Kerin, chair of surgery at NUIG, he was very critical of the uneven distribution of vaccines between developed and developing countries. “What we need to be able to do is not run our health system like a low-cost airline, at 120% occupancy, which we effectively do in many countries. I think that every country, including Ireland, is going to take a hard look at that scenario,” he added.
With the new restrictions hitting the hospitality sector once again, Leigha O’Reilly Hughes reports on the updates and how the nightclubs adopted new guidelines to keep their doors open.
Ceiling of a nightclub only recently opened back up – image by Leigha O’Reilly Hughes
The government has announced new closing times for nightclubs, pubs and restaurants. From Thursday the 18th of November, they must close at midnight. This is due to the high number of COVID cases the country is experiencing.
It has been less than a month since the curfew of 11:30 was lifted on pubs and restaurants and nightclubs were given the go ahead to open their doors.
Nightclubs were the last to open since the pandemic hit in 2020. They were closed for more than 18 months.
Nightclubs were given specific guidance in order to open back up to the public. Covid passes are mandatory for entrance, face masks are to be worn except for when dancing, drinking or eating, and pre-bought tickets were also needed to gain entry.
These rules were put in place for protective measures to help avoid a surge in cases of Covid-19 cases.
The new restrictions were issued due to the high number of daily Covid-19 cases, as well as the hospital and ICU numbers. On the day the restrictions were announced there were 4,407 new cases confirmed by the Department of Health. There were 614 people in hospital, with 114 of them being in the ICU.
The new restrictions have been a major hit for nightclubs. They were the last in the country to open and are now being forced to close their doors early.
Many nightclubs have taken to social media to announce the restrictions, while also showing how they feel about the situation.
Tramline, a nightclub located on D’Olier Street in Dublin took to Instagram to say “We will keep dancing.”
“We are devastated at today’s government announcement. We have followed every guideline and put every safety measure in place. We have opened our doors and provided purpose to countless staff and artists over the past 3 weeks,” says the Instagram post.
“We are devastated,” says Caoimhe, the creative director and social media manager in Tramline.
“In order to open, we had rules of queue systems, masks enforced in certain areas, tickets sold in advance and Covid isolation areas. This was all a massive change we had to take on as a team,” says Caoimhe.
“With the new restrictions, venues must close at midnight. This halves the shift times for our staff, lessens the experience for customers and limits any real progress we have made.”
Caoimhe also expresses how closing the nightclubs early can be dangerous for those who enjoy nightlife.
“In Tramline we have toilet facilities, security, trained medical staff and access to emergency services. The above cannot be said about the illegal raves and after parties that will now happen. This is where our clubbers will go.”
People have also taken to social media to express how they feel about the new restrictions for nightclubs.
People feel as though the hospitality and arts sector, as well as young people are being left behind by the government once again.
With homelessness, young people leaving the country as they are unable to afford rent, families living in hotels and the lack of housing for those who need it, the housing crisis is one of the most prevalent and pressing issues that Ireland is facing.
There are many factors that make up the cause of the housing crisis in Ireland, and the government is one of the biggest problems. The government has a large share of the responsibility due to the fact that there have been years of housing issues in the country with not much progress to solve.
It is also the result of allowing Irish property to be placed in the hands of profit-seeking corporations rather than those seeking to provide housing for those who need it.
Homelessness
One of the biggest problems the housing crisis has caused is the number of homeless people in Ireland.
There are many causes to homelessness in Ireland, such as personal reasons like mental health and abusive relationships. However, the biggest cause of homelessness in Ireland is due to the lack of affordable housing available.
The Department of Housing releases monthly data that captures details of individuals in state funded emergency accommodations.
The monthly homelessness report of August 20201 showed that 6,023 homeless adults entered emergency accommodation. 4,220 of those individuals were from dublin. The number of homeless males made up 3,949 of this number, which is 66%. Females made up 2,074, which is 34%.
Source: Department of Housing
There were a total of 953 families homeless in Ireland in August 2021. 723 of these families were from Dublin. This resulted in 2,189 total child dependents.
Ballymun, which is an outer city suburb of Dublin, is hit hard with homelessness.
“20% of Dublin’s homeless are from Ballymun,” says Dean Scurry, a homelessness activist from the Ballymun area.
Abandoned homes in Ballymun. Poster reads “this house could be a home”
“With that there are about 90 vacant homes in Ballymun that could be used for families instead of leaving them in hotels for other organisations to make money,” says Scurry.
Abandoned homes in Ballymun
The impact on young people
The housing crisis has caused serious problems for the younger generation of Ireland. Younger people between the ages of 20-30 are paying higher amounts on housing for smaller and rented accommodation.
Ireland also has one of the highest rental costs in Europe.
According to the Irish Times, the average monthly price for rent stood at up to 1,477, while the average is now 2,035 euro. This is 100% up from the 742 euro a month that was seen in 2011.
These high rent prices have resulted in young people living at home, unable to afford rent and save for mortgages. It has also caused young people to emigrate to different countries as affording rent is out of the question.
Eva Tiernan, 22 from Dublin who has a Level 8 in science degree from UCD, has had to emigrate to Whistler Canada for the foreseeable future.
“The renting prices in Dublin are unrealistic. I would love to be able to move out in my city surrounded by the people I love, but I can’t,” says Tiernan.
“I feel like my only option is to move to another country so I can live a life where I’m not solely working to pay rent. I want to eventually come back to Dublin, but how will I ever be able to rent and save for a mortgage there?”
In the last four years, 308,000 people have left Ireland – 125,000 of those aged between 15 and 24 years.
The government’s new “housing for all” strategy intends to address the housing issue by expanding supply, promising to build 33,000 homes per year by 2030, a level of residential building not seen since before the financial crisis.
A decade of escalating costs and severe undersupply has created a divide in Irish politics, isolating major parties from a growing number of young voters.
When the Budget of 2022 was released, people were hopeful that the government would provide a solution to help put an end to the growing problem. However, the Government failed to commit to a target of 20% of all housing stock to be social housing, with an annual capital envelope of €3.3bn for social housing. The allocation of €1.7bn for a social housing build of 9,000 units and €224m for 4,100 affordable units in 2022 needs to be increased substantially
If rent costs are not lowered and more affordable housing isn’t being built for those who need it, homelessness and emigration of Irish people will continue to rise.
A group of ladies proudly known as The Wonder Women from county Wicklow band together to chat about security in Ireland for women.
A local women’s chat circle has opened up in the centre of Wicklow to both promote womens’ well-being and have frank and healthy discussions simply about what it is like being female. They have named themselves The Wonder Women Club, a local drop-in where women can support women through deep and meaningful conversations on female empowerment and self-love.
The meetings consist of sitting, listening and learning intently about the different life journeys of the individual women present, the youngest being 20 and the eldest 65. Discussions can range from how social media affects the female body image to consent in sex to women’s safety in nightclubs. Every week, different topics can be discussed and experiences shared and empathised with. When entering the small room of twinkly lights and relaxing music it is like entering a new atmosphere, a safe space where no judgement could possibly be felt.
After many events involving numerous breaches of security for women in both the UK and Ireland came to light once again, it felt like a good opportunity to have a sit down and ask what real life women think of Ireland’s treatment of its female population.
I spoke to Hannah and Sheenagh, two young aspiring women and co-founders of the Wonder Women Club. The intuitive pair came together to create a group of like-minded people who could chat through all of their similar experiences as women in Ireland.
“The inspiration was essentially the fact that we needed a space for ourselves as much as we realised other people needed it,” said Sheenagh. “Both me and Hannah went through a series of events that genuinely felt targeted at us as women, for example different forms of sexual harassment, different forms of street harassment and we were sitting back saying that there is just nowhere we can go to sit and talk about this stuff,” she added.
Hannah, the other half of the brains behind the operation had herself experienced sexual assault a few weeks before the club was set up. “I really wanted to meet women that would support me, there can be a difference between talking to strangers and to friends, friendships can be very intense but with people who don’t know you coming to support you, it can feel very nice,” she said.
I asked the group if they felt that Ireland was progressive enough in regard to security for women, all of them collectively said no.
“Sheenagh and I had a bad experience on the DART recently where we and another girl were harassed and it was not even that late at night or anything,” said Hannah. “I think there should be security guards on DARTs for people’s safety, it is such a scary feeling to be alone or even with a friend and be harassed like that,” she added.
“It’s almost like there are more ticket inspectors than security guards,” said Clara. “There are plenty of security guards on the Red Line but it feels like they are there solely for intimidation rather than to be of help.”
“Security guards come on the DART to intimidate but they are never there when something actually goes down,” added Sheenagh. Sheenagh also stated that Hannah texted the emergency number made available on board when anti-social behaviour occurs, no one responded. “Those who are supposed to help don’t care, and it’s awful because it can be such a comforting feeling that if something did happen to you, someone would care,” she said.
Many of the members attending the chat circle all had varying reasons for taking part. Clara had voiced that finding a club after leaving school was challenging. “There aren’t very many places outside of school or college where you can go and meet people of different age groups that isn’t a sports club or a Slimming World group, there was no middle ground until this came along,” said Clara.
Emily, another participant, told me that despite having a friend group with similar interests, chatting about female-orientated things proved tricky. “In my first year, I fell into my friend group who are mainly all guys. We all like the same stuff and we’re all kind of nerdy and get on really well together but there are just some things that I feel I can’t talk about with a group of all guys but that I can talk about with other women,” said Emily.
“Recently we had gone on a holiday and bear in mind, they have known me for nearly a decade and they asked me why I wear so much makeup, I said it’s not for you it’s for me,” she said with a laugh.
Joan, an older woman who had moved from Tallaght to Wicklow to be with her husband fifteen years ago, told me she had seen an advert for the support group on Facebook at a time when she had been feeling particularly low. “My husband has dementia and Parkinsons, and I feel very alone, I know nobody here, most people I know are back in Tallaght so I feel it is lovely to be able to come and talk to a nice group of women,” she said.
The way in which the group brings up subjects that could be deemed ‘taboo’ or uneasy for others also seems to be a very positive factor for members. “For me to be around a group of like-minded women and be able to discuss topics particularly ones that are uncomfortable is great because a lot of the time you can think: am I the only one going through this or is there something wrong with me? And it can be nice to find out that there are other people going through the same thing,” said regular member Anzel.
Colette, another regular member, had known Sheenagh and Hannah for years before the group started. “I thought it was an amazing idea, I felt it would be nice to hear other people’s perspectives and also talk about mine and maybe learn a bit from all of it,” she said.
Another member, Róise, voiced that events in the UK drove her to search for a movement that felt similarly in her frustration. “I was angry about what happened to Sarah Everard, and my boyfriend suggested I join a movement as a way of putting my anger into something and all other movements appeared really big or too far away which felt overwhelming, then I found this and it seemed like a good mix of fitting it into the week while also being able to make friends,” she said.
Upon meeting this group of unique individuals I realised that all it can take is just one small group of incredible and supportive women to make a powerful impact on society today.
Fuel prices continue to increase throughout the country. Photo credits: Shay Galon
By Shay Galon
Amid the rising fuel prices in the country, reporter Shay Galon looks at why the costs have increased this past year.
With minimum prices at €1.70 per litre for petrol and €1.60 for diesel in several petrol stations, it is the highest fuel costs the country has seen in almost ten years.
“Demand for oil dropped considerably during the Covid pandemic, which had a devastating impact on oil production as demand for the product dropped, and so consequently did supply,’ Anna Cullen, AA Ireland, stated.
The demand for oil declined dramatically during the lockdown months in 2020 which naturally reduced the oil production. As the demand lessened, as did the supply. Cullen also outlined that the supply for fuel has not caught up to the demand for oil as traffic levels increase due to the reopening of the country. With more and more cars on the road, it is evidently more difficult for oil producing countries to catch up to the increasing demands, resulting in global shortages.
As oil production fell last year, it had a positive effect on fuel prices for the consumer as there was a surplus of oil. This also had a positive effect on the oil industry as some reported evaporating profit, massive job losses and giant write-downs.
The AA decided to look further into the increase of prices and released a report on the annual fuel prices dating back 10 years comparing the prices of petrol each year.
2020
2021
As of September 2021, there has been a 24.8% increase in petrol and 24.8% in diesel prices compared to 12 months prior.
“This time 12 months ago the average petrol price was 124.9 cents per litre, while diesel was at 116.5.”
2019
Looking at the year right before the pandemic, the price for one litre of petrol was 144.7 cents while diesel costs 134.4 cents per litre.
The Head of the International Energy Agency said that 2020 represented the worst year in the history of the oil markets. Oil consumption fell by 9.1 barrels per day which equates to 9.3% last year.
Not only has the pandemic affected the supply and demand of fuel, but the Government tax in the recent Budget 2021 of two cent on a litre of petrol and 2.5 cent on a litre of diesel, along with the annual escalating carbon tax, have left consumers struggling to pay for petrol, diesel or even heating for homes.
These are the petrol prices for Ireland from July 19, 2021, to October 25, 2021. According to the report, the average value for a litre during that period was 155 cents with a minimum of 153 cents on July 19 and a minimum of 165 cents on October 25.
“With winter approaching us, temperatures are set to drop even more. Demand for oil has risen and will continue to rise even more.”
The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) released an outlook report which said that global oil supply will continue to rise until it plateaus but not until 2035. Due to this, petrol prices will most likely continue for consumers as oil shortages resume around the world.
However, with the popularity of electric cars in recent times, the demand for fuel could also lessen, allowing the supply to meet the demands.
Prices start at 173.8 cents per litre of petrol and 164.8 cents per litre of diesel. Photo credits: Shay Galon
“So, in the future, one could argue that oil demand may drop as the world switches to electric vehicles and green energy,” adds Cullen
However, the transition from petrol or diesel cars does not necessarily rule out oil consumption for rural residents or at home heating. Oil will always be in demand, even into a greener, more sustainable future.
Reporter Jane Byrne looks at the new spiking trends in Ireland and the UK by examining the key part social media has played in bringing awareness to the issue and how it has affected one young woman from Dublin.
Warning:Some readers may find the this article upsetting. Topics of rape, spiking and sexual assault are featured.
With nightclubs and bars finally back open in Ireland for the first time in 19 months, partygoers are eager to attend. However, since their return, an alarming amount of drink spiking incidents have been reported in Ireland and the UK.
According to the HSE website, drink spiking is defined as ‘when someone puts drugs or alcohol into your drink without you knowing. The drugs used are mind-altering substances that affect how you behave.’ A person may find it difficult to know if their drink has been spiked because the drugs usually don’t smell or taste.
Someone may spike a drink to carry out sexual assault or rape, to carry out a theft, to carry out a physical assault or for amusement. Drink spiking has been reported as far back as 1903 and common drugs used are tranquillizers, ketamine or Xanax.
But the way in which drugs are covertly administered in the last number of weeks has changed. Reports of injection through needles are now on the rise. Therefore, even if people choose not to order any drinks when out, they are still at risk of being spiked.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) revealed there have been approxiamately 140 confirmed reports across September and October of drink spiking, and 24 reports of some form of injection within the UK.
Anger and frustration began emerging on social media and victims who had been spiked, notably young women, began sharing their stories on Instagram and Tiktok. Naturally, this gained a lot of attention which allowed the situation to escalate into a digitally-borne movement.
Petitions, warning signs, aftercare and protest information have circulated widely across Instagram in the last few weeks.
A group known on Instagram as ‘Girls night in’ set up a petition for safer nightclubs. The petition, ‘make it a legal requirement for nightclubs to thoroughly search guests on entry,’ which was set up at the end of October has already garnered over 172,000 signatures. On the 4th of November, Westminster Parliament debated the topic and discussion is ongoing.
Source: Instagram
Similar petitions were set up in Ireland. To date this petition on needle spiking has reached 5,000 signatures with growing numbers daily.
Source: Instagram
“Girls night in” also set up thirty different Instagram accounts that focused on specific colleges and areas within the UK. This allowed students within the UK to keep up to date on issues relating to spiking in their area.
On the 28th of October, ravers decided to boycott night outs in an effort for club and bar managers to implement better safety measures in their premises.
Source: Instagram
This was a movement that was seen across all social media sites with participants sharing stories and encouraging others to follow suit. Their mission was a success with thousands of young people boycotting clubs for the night.
Source: Instagram
Since then, Instagram, Tiktok and Twitter have been flooded with spiking stories, helpline information and safety precautions.
Elysia O’Neill and Della Clayton are two female students from Leeds who set up a spiking database where people can see where spiking has been prevalent. Victims can also report spiking incidents themselves. Their motto is “awareness is the best safety measure.”
The database is nothing short of harrowing with girls detailing traumatic and scary dark club nights where they have been spiked and woken up with no recollection of the night. They encourage everyone to use it because more reports and more information mean more awareness and hopefully prevention. The database can be accessed here.
How would you know if your drink has been spiked? Changes to your drink that could indicate tampering. Source: Instagram
With most of the noise on social media surrounding British nightclubs, Irish party goers might think our clubs and bars are safe. Unfortunately for young doctor Megan, * this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Megan just recently graduated with a degree in medicine and was on a night out in Dublin City with friends celebrating their graduation. Megan and her friends did not ‘pre-drink’ before heading into town and her first drink was at the club. She details what happened next.
“My friends and I were all at the bar dancing and celebrating getting through the last five years. I ordered a vodka soda lime. After that, I ordered another, eager to catch up with my friends. Unfortunately, that was the last thing I remember.”
She continues, “it’s easy for me and others to think that I was just drunk and hadn’t eaten that much that day, but the reality is I had been out with my family for a three course meal two hours before meeting my friends and I had two single measured drinks, it wouldn’t make sense for me to be that drunk.”
The next thing Megan remembers is being at home in her childhood bedroom. “I woke up and thought to myself ‘god did I really get that drunk that I had to be brought home, how embarrassing.’ Then I looked at my phone and saw messages from friends I had been with asking me to ring when I saw their call, texts saying ‘were at the dancefloor where are you??????’ At this point I panicked and called out for my Mum. She came in and told me everything.”
The nightclub was packed, and Megan’s friends were all dancing. Soon they realised Megan wasn’t with them and they began searching the club. “We couldn’t find her, and the bouncers just kept saying she probably went off with a boy or is talking to someone she knows in the smoking area but we hadn’t seen her with anyone. We were calling her phone and there was no answer. After an hour of looking, I decided to put my head over the toilet doors and Megan was on the floor unconscious. It’s an image that will never leave my mind.”
Luckily Megan’s friends found her and were able to stay with her. They implemented safety measures and made sure her state didn’t deteriorate. Megan regained consciousness and was well enough for her parents to collect her. Her parents describe the situation as every parent’s worst nightmare.
The following day Megan went to the hospital to run blood and urine samples. “It’s so scary not knowing what happened and I will carry the trauma of it around for a long time. I’m lucky I had my friends with me and that I went to an empty toilet stall and not home with someone. It’s a very invasive feeling and I have reason to believe it was the staff who spiked as I wasn’t drinking anywhere else, and they were the only ones handling my drinks.”
If you believe you have been spiked, make sure to tell a friend, a medical professional or someone you trust straight away. If you are with someone who is acting drunker than usual or is suspected to have been spiked, stay with them, keep their drink if they still have it, report the incident to the Guards and if necessary, go to the emergency room.
The spiking movement sparked a larger conversation about safety for women in our communities. Following the murder of Sarah Everard earlier this year and the way in which spiking has developed whereby victims could have all safety measures in place and still be spiked, a broader discussion has developed. Many echo the response on Twitter that it should not be up to the victim to make sure they are not attacked but up to society to hold predatory behaviour and attackers accountable for their actions.
On 4 June 2020, David Fitzpatrick, condemned all forms of “structural racism and discrimination in the strongest terms” in an email sent to students and staff.
Aramark Ireland holds the catering contracts for TU Dublin, and operates a number of popular food services operations, including Avoca cafe. As well as serving your iced latte in the morning, or your cottage pie at lunch, they also operate three direct provision centres in Ireland: Kinsale Road in Co. Cork, Lissywollen in Co Westmeath, and Knockalisheen in Co. Clare.
TU Dublin has paid Aramark €2.2 million since 2015 for catering and food services across its City, Blanchardstown, and Tallaght campuses. In 2018, Aramark were paid over €56,000 for providing catering at graduation ceremonies alone and a further €280,000 for catering at internal events.
Aramark Ireland owns nearly 50% of the market share of the food services industry in Ireland, with a number of subsidiaries operating under different names. The company is the Irish arm of the international Aramark behemoth — a global catering, cleaning, facilities, energy, property management and retail firm — which provides catering services for a large portion of the American prison system.
The Immigrant Council of Ireland described direct provision as one of the few remaining cases of structural racism and many campaign groups have called it the “Magdalene Laundries” of the 21st century.
Direct provision centres across the country have come under fire for their poor living conditions and lack of investment in improving their facilities, despite the substantial payouts by the state. A report commissioned by the Irish Immigrant Support Center (NASC) back in 2011, found the food served in a number of direct provision services was bland and lacking in nutrition. It also found that portion sizes were far too small.
Aramark’s direct provision centre in Knockalisheen also received media coverage when a story emerged that a mother had been denied a slice of bread and some milk to feed her sick child because the staff had been instructed by management not to serve food outside the designated meal times.
Regular inspections are conducted by the Reception and Integration Agency (RIA), the agency responsible for direct provision in Ireland, with the most recent reports from 2018 until 2020 currently online.
Most recently, the biggest issues noted by inspectors were around fire safety with cooking equipment and covered smoke detectors found covered in several bedrooms. Aramark said it has addressed the issues raised.
Aramark, which trade as Campbell Catering LTD, received €6 million in 2018, and €6.5 million in 2019 from the Department of Justice for the operation of direct provision. Aramark Ireland reported €352 million in turnover in 2018.
The tender records for TU Dublin’s catering contracts, also released under freedom of information, contain some of the criteria that Aramark needed to meet to be eligible for the contract. A turnover of €2.5m each year for the past three years and the completion of between two and five successful contracts of a similar size and scale were both required. Despite the document’s suggestion that smaller companies are encouraged to “explore the possibilities of forming relationships with other SMEs or with larger enterprises”, this criteria makes it very difficult for smaller catering companies to be awarded contracts.
Aramark was chosen following the tender process because it was considered the “most economically advantageous” contractor that applied. There is no mention of Aramark’s other business interests as a consideration in the tender process.
TU Dublin did not answer direct questions about their relationship with Aramark, and issued a statement that the university considers tender submissions “in conformance with the requirements of Public Procurement Policy and is not in a position to exclude bidders on the basis of their contracts with other third parties either in the public or private sector.”
The National Public Procurement Policy, is a framework laying out the policy that governs the tender process for contracts offered by public bodies or private companies with more than 50% public funding. This legislation is a combination of national and EU law.
The PPP currently only allows for exclusion of potential tenders if there is evidence of Corruption, organised crime, human trafficking, terrorism, fraud or money laundering. It does not allow for the exclusion of a contractor on any other grounds.
Aramark Ireland declined could not be reached for comment.
CORRECTIONS:
Knockalisheen is in County Clare, not Limerick, and Lissywollen is in County Westmeath, not Meath, as previously stated.
A previous version of the article cited inspection reports from 2013 to 2017 on the Knockalisheen facility. The currently available reports are from 2018 to 2020 and do not cite major issues around cleanliness.
Aramark Ireland owns nearly 50 per cent of the market share in the Irish food services sector, not 50 percent of the businesses in it.
SOCO’s first public gig in the Wiley Fox was a successful sell-out set (photo credit via Rayan Bouguerra)
After 19 months of closure, Irish nightclubs have finally reopened under new COVID-19 guidelines. Now, the Irish electronic music scene has new players working to make a name for themselves and revitalise the industry.
Dublin’s electronic music scene was struggling prior to national lockdowns – staples of the scene like Hangar and District 8 had closed, leaving only the smallest of venues with limiting restrictions to carry on the industry.
Since the reopening of nightlife, new labels and DJs have risen from the ashes of a stagnant scene, one of which being the new electronic duo SOCO. Comprised of Jordan O’ Donoghue and Caolan ‘Slim’ O’Donnell, the pair separately have been involved in Irish music culture, have started hosting their own events in an industry desperately lacking them.
SOCO’s first event, held in the Wiley Fox on October 9th, was held as a lunch and party featuring Dublin duo Dylema, Italian guests Niz and Miche, and hosts SOCO closing out which continued into the evening, with the event selling out quickly and to great success.
The City spoke to SOCO about starting out as a new act, their gigs and mixes they have already held, and their plan for the rest of 2021.
The City: Why have you started SOCO?
Jordan: Myself and Slim have been DJing for years, separately and together. We know how each other play, from playing at parties or just for fun, and then we started recording our mixes. We started going back-to-back more often, and we said why don’t we try to do something together? We know how the industry works, and so many people in it, so why not?
The City: Where did you get the name, SOCO, from?
Jordan: It’s funny how we chose that. It means punch in Portuguese. We were brainstorming what we should call ourselves and were thinking of words like a beat. One of us thought of a punch, and Slim happened to know the Portuguese for punch off the top of his head, so SOCO it was.
The City: What are you guys hoping to achieve out of playing as SOCO?
Jordan: We’re not looking for money or fame or anything, we’re just doing it for fun. We enjoy mixing and now with these gigs, we can do that on another level. We’re just looking to have a few parties and have a good time.
Slim: We’re looking for a platform to play. At the end of the day, the reason we started was to give ourselves the opportunity to play out and host gigs in Dublin.
The City: How do you think the pandemic has changed the Irish dance music scene?
Slim: Some venues have closed since the pandemic started but also some have taken the time to refurbish and reinvent. A lot of new artists and sounds have been born out of this. There’s been an increase in Irish labels and artists. Lockdown led to a lot of people launching new projects, like ourselves.
The City: Do you think the current environment for Irish dance music tempts artists to move abroad in order to get a full-time career out of it?
Jordan: I think so. Our friends at Digital Indecency found it difficult in Dublin to get their name around. They’ve moved to Berlin and have kicked off over there because there is a better set-up for it over there. It’s great that they’re doing it of course, but it’d be great if Dublin was less focused on hotels and more focused on creating venues to make the next generation of musicians wants to stay here.
The City: What’s SOCO’s plan for the rest of 2021?
Slim: We’ve been booked for quite a few gigs coming up. Supporting a few international artists, as well as local nights. Taking the rest of 2021 to play as many events as possible and build the SOCO brand throughout the city. Hopefully another SOCO party towards the end of the year but you can catch us playing out at upcoming Resound, OMNI & Eureka parties.
The City: Do you think you emulate any artist’s style when you’re playing?
Jordan: I don’t think I have a specific sound. It’s not just house, and it’ not just techno, but something really nice in between. One of my favourite artists, Detroit Swindle, does fantastic live sets where it’s a unique mix of genres that’s just fun to listen to, mixing stuff you know into what feels like a completely new track, which is what I try to do in sets.
The success of their first show has secured SOCO with plenty of gigs for the remainder of 2021 (photo via Rayan Bouguerra)
From the sound of SOCO’s enthusiasm, it’s clear that Dublin’s electronic scene still has plenty of fight left in it. The duo will be playing in Bowlane Social Club, the Soundhouse, and Centre Point before the end of the year.
If you’d like to check out SOCO, the duo can be found on Instagram, @socodublin, and their mixes can be found via Slim’s SoundCloud, with links available below along with their Linktree, which hosts all their upcoming mixes and events. All photographs were supplied with permissions by event photographer Rayan Bouguerra.
You must be logged in to post a comment.