The largest strike in Ireland in almost 20 years took place on October 14th. More than 300,000 public sector workers took action over delays in agreeing a new public sector pay deal. The 24-hour work stoppage caused widespread disruption, leading to the Government engaging in concurrent talks with the Unions at the Workplace Relations Commission.
The following photo essay aims to document the industrial action that took place and highlight the importance of these public sector workers.
The staff at Ballsbridge College of Further Education, members of the Teacher’s Union of Ireland. Over 98% of members voted to take action.
The staff at Mater Hospital, members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation. They are striking due to the cost-of-living crisis.
Leftover picketing signs, as workers wrap up protesting for the day.
Staff at An Garda Síochána Headquarters, members of Fórsa. They voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action to demand better pay and conditions. Joining the march outside the Mater.
Staff at Dublin City Council, members of Fórsa.
Staff at Dublin City Council, members of Fórsa.
A lone house in Phibsboro flying “The Starry Plough” (An Camchéachta). Originally used by the Irish Citizen Army, a socialist Irish republican movement. James Larkin said the significance of the banner was that a free Ireland would control its own destiny from the plough to the stars. The Cuban flag is also seen.
Staff outside TU Dublin’s Grangegorman campus, members of the Teacher’s Union of Ireland.
Staff outside Trinity College Dublin, members of IFUT. IFUT says public sector workers need a credible approach to pay that protects living standards.
PublicPurse.ie is a brand-new independent transparency project that collects and organises information about government spending. Built by William Kennedy, the project aims to answer the question: “Where is Ireland’s public money actually going?”
The site aggregates spending data already published by public bodies, with the end goal of providing a complete index of every line of public spending.
Anyone can access the site and filter data from Government departments, city and county councils, third-level education institutions, and other public bodies such as An Garda Síochána or An Coimisiún Pleanála.
Organisations can be compared using a transparency score that evaluates them based on the legibility of their data and how much information is provided about the procurement and supplier. Additionally, AI agents such as Claude or ChatGPT can easily connect to the site, allowing users to quickly sort through data or get answers in plain language.
Some readers may notice similarities to StateSpend.ie, launched earlier this month by Fianna Fáil TD Albert Dolan. Kennedy and Dolan both identified the same problem: public bodies were already publishing large amounts of spending information, but it was scattered across hundreds of websites and presented in inconsistent formats.
Fianna Fáil TD Albert Dolan. Photograph: Sam Boal/Collins Photos
Improving transparency in state spending is a key focus for Dolan. In a recent blog post, he claimed that 65% of the public do not trust the Government to manage public finances. Projects such as PublicPurse and StateSpend are, in Dolan’s view, a first step towards reforming public expenditure. He believes open and transparent sites such as these will act as a ‘Panopticon’, forcing public bodies to improve their practices.
I asked Kennedy whether the data matched the public’s perception of Government waste.
“We actually don’t know if the money is being spent correctly. Anecdotally, we think the money is being wasted but when we look at the data we can’t tell for sure because when you examine a line item, there’s no invoice attached to it. If there’s no invoice it’s hard to match it up to the tender,” said Kennedy.
“Basically, there’s no way of connecting money spent to the outcome. That means we have a system that we put money into it, and we might get some results, but we’re not sure what the effect more money has on it.”
Where the two platforms differ, is that Kennedy built PublicPurse in his spare time over a few weeks. Initially started in 2025 as a hobby project, Kennedy was further inspired upon hearing of Dolan’s efforts. He even arranged a meeting between them and Matthew Fenlon of The Problem Solving Association (TPSA), the co-founder of StateSpend.
Unfortunately, other commitments, including his career as a software engineer of 15 years, and the vast amount of data that needed to be sorted meant PublicPurse was put on hold for a while.
It wasn’t until recent advancements in AI that the project came back online. These new developments allowed Kennedy to automate a lot of the workload. Collaboration with Fenlon also sped up the process significantly, as Fenlon shared relevant URLs and data, even coming up with feedback and ideas for the project. Cooperation between the projects benefitted everybody.
However, even these increasingly capable AI agents struggled to parse information released by some of Ireland’s county councils. Kennedy spoke of documents being printed off, manually rescanned and re-uploaded, with some pages often crooked or askew.
I then asked Kennedy whether there was any way to standardise archaic methods such as these.
“Well, they should be using cloud-based accounting tools,” he said. “When you use these tools, you don’t need to print off the data. We could just grab the information instantly. These accounting tools must meet certain criteria, like they would need a REST API, essentially allowing computers to talk to each other, as each API endpoint would be allocated to a different public body. Then all the government has to do is get just one developer to write a small program that can gather that data. Now you can monitor each public body easily.”
Kennedy also runs CitizenData.ie, a directory of independently made civic-tech tools, platforms and initiatives that aims to improve democratic participation and empower everyday people. Many might recognise Bustimes.org, a tool arguably better than the official TFI app, or Contactyourtd.ie, which facilitates easy contact with local TDs and provides access to their voting records and results.
“I think there’s a misunderstanding that you need to hire experts for these things, actually the public are the experts. There are so many smart people on this island and if you give them a bit of time and you give them the data, they will do amazing things.”
Although, if Ireland has a wealth of talented and technically gifted people, why is that not translating into government projects?
“Being honest, government entities are just not good at building software. It is a real puzzle because they have all the resources, and in theory, they do all the right things; they put out a plan, they have a tender. But when they finally get the product, it’s just not good quality.”
“Software is an odd kind of industry. Small teams and individuals regularly outperform giant companies. It’s why this industry has so much development. People are always coming up with smarter ways of working, that’s why it’s constantly a very competitive area. Small teams are just very effective, and they’re even more effective now in the age of AI.”
Continuing the theme of AI, I was keen to find out Kennedy’s thoughts on the rapid advancements being made in the field. In recent news, Jacob Coxon, a researcher at Anthropic, publicly resigned amid fears that the company was prioritising commercial and competitive pressures over safety considerations. This was notable given that Anthropic was founded by former OpenAI executives who left the company over similar concerns.
Pope Leo with Chris Olah, the co-founder of AnthropicPhotograph: Alberto Pizzoli
Even stranger, Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah met with Pope Leo XIV, reportedly with concerns over the possibility that AI could soon possess something resembling internal experience or consciousness, and what humanity’s role would be in such a world.
I questioned Kennedy on whether these concerns were well founded.
“You have to understand when you see this kind of fear mongering, that it comes from OpenAI and Anthropic, but not from China, who have just as advanced models. Silicon Valley is very good at this; they want people to be afraid. They want to send out this message so that they can corner the market.”
“These companies are huge lobbyists; they spend a fortune on lobbying; despite giving off the idea they hate it. They just want regulations in place so that other competitors can’t enter the market.”
“Yes, there are going to be concerns. Things are going to happen that we’re not going to be comfortable with. But guess what? Humans just solve these problems.”
Issues have been raised about the lack of standardisation across catering companies under the Government’s School Meals Scheme.
By Rebecca Reilly
Nutrition coach Sophie Morris has posted images on social media reflecting parents’ concerns about the quality of meals being served in some schools.
In the post Sophie has said what she is “advocating for is improving the standard of the food that’s currently being served to our children.”
She also references the photos below saying that “this is what’s happening on the ground.” We reached out to Sophie, but she was unavailable for comment at this time.
A pilot for hot meals was introduced by the Department of Social Protection in 2019 to a select number of schools.
The scheme has been expanding since April 2025, with 3,149 schools awarded funding under the programme for the 2025/26 academic year.
There are approximately 100 schools with applications for funding pending, awaiting further information. The Department continues to receive applications as schools finalise their procurement process.
The budget for the scheme in 2026 is €286 million, with the aim of catering to all primary schools across Ireland on a phased basis.
The meals are provided by a number of suppliers such as The Lunch Bag, Freshtoday and Glanmore Foods.
TheCity.ie spoke to a number of parents about the scheme. They spoke to us on condition of anonymity.
“I personally believe it is a disappointing service. My children don’t like the meals, and I don’t believe they are nutritious. We have since opted out and send our kids to school with a packed lunch daily,” said one parent.
Another parent alleged that their 10-year-old child received undercooked chicken. “When I raised the issue at school, I was told to contact the supplier directly.”
According to the parent, the supplier told them that they could opt out of the meal again, apologised that their child did not enjoy it, and they hoped the following day’s meal would be better.
Speaking to TheCity.ie, one primary school teacher in Louth said: “Although the premise in theory is good, over a third of parents have stopped ordering lunch in my class. A handful of kids are now eating them.”
“I can only speak about what I see in my class, but meals are a far cry from the samples we received last year for staff to try and are not consistent week to week – the kids have commented on that.”
The teacher said they also questioned how nutritious the meals are.
“The ingredient list is extremely long. Some labels don’t show the percentage of meat content; some do. Some meals contain added preservatives, stabilisers, sulphites, raising agents, and more. Is there a way to reduce those extra ingredients that you wouldn’t typically put into a home-cooked meal?”
Waste has also become a growing concern in this teacher’s school.
“Parents don’t get to see how much or little their child is eating, as the food is placed into the insulated box it arrived in for the company to collect the next day to dispose of. It is a lot of waste – a waste of food and a waste of taxpayers’ money. Money that could surely be spent better.”
A spokesperson for the Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary said: “The nutritional standards for school meals have been in place since its inception and were developed by a technical nutrition subgroup.”
This group included dieticians from the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute of Ireland, the HSE, Safefood, and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.
“Nutritional standards are a priority,” they said.
“Last September, the Department seconded a CORU-registered dietitian from the Department of Health to strengthen oversight of the School Meals Programme and conduct a review of the nutritional guidelines and the compliance of the main suppliers with the current guidelines.”
Since September 2025, foods high in saturated fat, sugar and salt have been removed from school menus.
Although calls for higher quality food echo many parents’ sentiments, some say there are many positive results from the scheme.
“My son is really happy with the food,” Pamela Lee, a mother-of -two from Galway told TheCity.ie.
“I do think there could be more variety – but I do think I could change it up for my son also in terms of my ordering.”
“My son eats everything and has never complained to me about the meals yet,” said Paula Madden from Galway, whose son avails of the programme.
Sinéad Crowe, a nutritional therapist and intuitive eating counsellor, praised the scheme for encouraging independence among children, but said regulation needs to be reviewed.
“My kids go on to the app every week and see what new specials are out and they like going through what to order. I think that encourages some autonomy and agency and promote decision making skills around what they are going to eat themselves,” she said.
“The providers are all different, so it isn’t standardised. Companies are going to vary in terms of what they are offering. I think that would need to be addressed and looked at. The companies need to be more direct with what ingredients are in the food – we need complete transparency.”
Crowe, who co-founded the Intuitive Eating Hub, has also raised concerns about how we frame this conversation.
“We need to be careful about the exposure that our children might have to this conversation… it could negatively affect a child’s relationship with food. We can talk about balanced and optimised nutrition without coming from a place of fear or scaremongering.”
Fine Gael is currently running a public survey on the scheme to inform the next phase of improvements and rollouts.
PhD candidates in Ireland are receiving lower stipends than most other European countries, creating inequalities in the current cost of living crisis.
The average PhD stipend in Ireland is €18,500. According to the PhD’s Collective Action Union (PCAU), which was set up on July 8th of this year, this figure is below both “minimum and living wage”.
This action comes in the wake of the announcement of the Innovate for Ireland scheme by the Government in July of this year. The press release published by the Department of Further and Higher Education, outlines that this scheme seeks to attract 400 PhD candidates to “research climate change and adaption; global health and pandemics; water poverty; digital society; and cyber security”.
This scheme will be open to Irish and international researchers with a stipend of €28,000 on offer; almost €10,000 more than the stipend offered to and received by most other PhD candidates in the country.
As of October 2022, over 900 researchers and supporters have signed an open letter from PCAU regarding “the new government valuation on PhD-level research as seen in their most recent PhD funding initiative”. The open letter calls for all stipends for PhD candidates in Ireland to be increased to €28,000 to address current inflation and the cost of living crisis. The open letter also requests a meeting between PCAU’s Acting President, Jeffery (Siothrun) Sardina and the Irish PhD funding agencies.
“The Central Statistics Office (CSO) reported an approximate 9.1% inflation of prices1 in the last year, which means that the current (average) stipend of €18.5k has the same purchasing power as a €17k stipend pre-inflation, when current first-year PhD researchers accepted their roles”.
Open letter from the PhD’s Collective Action Union regarding PhD compensation.
The 2023 budget included an increase of €500 in stipends for all PhDs funded through the Science Foundation Ireland and the Irish Research Council. This does not include researchers who are funded by external agencies or by universities who decide their own stipends.
Statistics from the department of Higher Education state that there are on average 9,350 PhD researchers in the country. According to the department this once off payment will benefit approximately 3,500 researchers, overall only 37.43% of all PhD candidates in the country.
TheCity.ie spoke with Waqar Ahmed regarding this new programme. Ahmed is the Vice President for Postgraduate Affairs at the Union of Students in Ireland (USI); Ahmed is also a PhD researcher in Dublin City University.
Currently, there are no regulations in place regarding PhD stipends and support. “Even though the Irish University Association (IUA) has pay scales for researchers and academic staff, PhDs don’t have pay scales or standards,” Ahmed said.
There are 13 EU states that consider PhD candidates as professionals. They often receive salaries over three times higher than what Irish candidates receive.
“On a €6000 annual salary, how is a full-time PhD researcher supposed to live?” asked Ahmed. “It is appalling that the average stipend in Ireland is around €13,000. There needs to be a concerted effort on the part of the entire higher education sector if things are going to get better”.
Not only do candidates in these states receive higher wages they also receive employee benefits, paternity benefits, and union representation. Additionally, Ireland’s low stipends “violate the European Charter of Researchers’ Rights,” according to Ahmed.
“In the case of non-EEA PhDs, they suffer from a complete lack of support in terms of their healthcare costs, residence permit costs, spouse working rights, housing costs, and naturalization costs”.
The current economic crisis and rising inflation costs have made this issue more important than it has ever been. The stipends were reduced in 2012 and the USI has been fighting for many years to raise the stipends to a living wage.
“It is extremely evident that many postgraduates aren’t receiving a fair wage for their teaching duties and that stipends are generally below the minimum wage at present,” said Ahmed.
USI is currently working on redrafting a new charter for postgraduate researchers’ rights.
Ahmed concluded: “We will continue pushing the government and institutions to overhaul the support system for postgraduate researchers. There is an excellent opportunity to make the right decision with the recent announcement of a national review of PhD supports that will be conducted. Our demands include employee status, minimum living income, recognition and payment of work, access to suitable work environment and resources, support for teaching and work, appropriate supervision, appeal and grievances procedures, provision of suitable accommodation, non-discrimination, rights for non-EEA researchers, and equality of opportunities” – Waqar Ahmed, Vice President for Postgraduate Affairs and the Union of Students in Ireland.
The Green Party is set to hold a teleconference to evaluate their official response to Fianna Fail and Fine Gael’s letter, which answers the 17 questions posed by the Greens regarding policy promises. TheCity.ie’s Kate Brayden speaks to County Clare Green Party councillor Roisin Garvey and Futureproof Clare about the vital Shannon LNG concession, and the 7% emissions target urged by the United Nations.
In a letter published this week inviting the Greens into further governmental talks, FF and FG wrote that they “welcome the desire of the Green Party to be involved in recovering, rebuilding and renewing Ireland in the aftermath of the COVID-19 Emergency” and respect the “strong policy platform” outlined by the Greens, led by Eamon Ryan.
Crucially, the two parties stopped short of promising a 7% emissions reduction target by 2030 – despite the fact that the EU have said the minimum reduction needed is 8% to remain outside of the 1.5C temperature increase. The target is based on the 2019 “Emissions Gap” Report from the UN Environment Programme.
In the document, it was written that FF and FG “would like to understand and tease out with you through talks, the specific actions that would have to be taken to achieve” the 7% reduction.
“We all need to understand the impact it would have on employment, poverty, agricultural practice, public transport, regional development and on the different sections of society.
“Considerable work will have to be done to outline where and when further carbon reductions could or should come from given that we will have to significantly reboot and revive the economy,” they wrote.
Chair of the State’s Climate Advisory Council, Professor John FitzGerald recently commented that achieving a 7 per cent reduction in annual emissions would be extremely difficult but said: “If you do the groundwork…you could get to it in the second half of the decade.”
The Greens emphasised the need for a just transition in their 17 point plan, which advocated for a Universal Basic Income, retrofitted public housing, affordable public transport and a significantly improved healthcare system, among others. Major changes in agriculture, public transport and energy would provide the means for the reduction in emissions.
Despite the estimated €30 billion cost of the Covid-19 pandemic, the chair of the National Advisory Council on Climate Change has affirmed that Ireland needs to prioritise investment in climate action going forward. New research undertaken by University College Cork’s MaREI Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine states that the party’s 7% emissions reduction goal would require “transformative changes” and huge costs, but is a feasible challenge.
‘Is the new Green Party emissions reduction target feasible and what would it mean for the energy system?’, written by Hannah Daly, James Glynn & Brian Ó Gallachóir, asserts that the changes could bring significant health, wellbeing, economic and employment benefits to society.
“While there are real costs associated with greening Irish economy, these ignore fact that we already pay massive subsidies to some of our dirtiest industries”
The Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael leaders committed to enacting climate legislation within 100 days of forming a government, but this legislation could fail to be implemented. The Greens are seeking concrete answers for their detailed questions on exactly how their policies would be enacted should they enter into Government with FF and FG.
“If they want the Greens in power, they’re going to have to do a lot more than greenwashing us – there’s going to have to be proper commitment,” said Roisín Garvey, Green Party councillor in County Clare.
“We’re not tied to five years: Fine Fael and Fianna Fail really need us, because they know that if there’s an election now, they’d be crucified. Now is time to try and get policies we want, not just the promises that we want,” Garvey added.
“I think Fianna Fail and Fine Gael know that, and they also know that there’s going to be huge fines from Europe if we don’t meet our targets. So I think now is a very good time for us to be in negotiations. We have a much better chance now than when we went in with Fianna Fail in 2008, when there were only six TDs. The climate crisis wasn’t being taken seriously by anybody.
“The fact that we have 12 TDs now since the General Election shows that it is an issue – that’s an unprecedented amount. However, FF and FG are just agreeing things in principle to get us into negotiations. But Eamon Ryan’s been around the block before, he’s not naive about it. Those 12 TDs have been in politics for a long time: they’re definitely going to be committed to getting proper timelines.”
It’s important to note that in 2007, six Green TDs entered Government as the junior party in coalition with Fianna Fail. The party were later decimated four years later, suffering a wipeout in the General Election and losing all six of its seats. The party returned to the Dail in 2016, receiving just over one percent of the vote in local election.
"If an Irish party ever wants to truly dethrone the two royal families who've presided over us since birth, it needs to aim for more than simply mitigating their worst decisions" https://t.co/LR3rYKdr5T
Today’s Green Party are heavily split over whether to prop up a FF/FG Government, which younger voters categorically don’t want. Younger members and outliers believe that the radical change needed simply cannot happen with FF and FG. The dramatic 2020 General Election, which saw Sinn Féin emerge with 33% of the overall vote, proved that real change is desired following years of homelessness, housing and rent crises and a deeply worrying healthcare system. The Greens are now between a rock and a hard place, facing strife for entering a FF/FG coalition and political backlash if they refuse to. What they choose now could decide the future of the party by turning their youth vote away (possibly to Sinn Féin) – but the climate is on a timer. Could they pass climate action policies with two parties who are notorious for their abysmal apathy on climate justice.
Shannon LNG: concrete concessionor vague promise?
Stating that both parties are “committed to a pathway to phase out all fossil fuel exploration licenses”, FG and FF also claim to be open to introducing a moratorium on exploration licences for offshore gas exploration. Referring to the controversial Shannon LNG project, which would import dangerous fracked gas from Pennsylvania, the letter states:
“Both of our parties accept that as we move towards carbon neutrality, it does not make sense to build new large-scale fossil fuel infrastructure such as liquid natural gas import terminals.”
FF and FG mention that economic activity must be stimulated in the areas which were expecting local development plans, and exploring how strategic investment in the Shannon estuary and port infrastructure could support renewable energy.
William Hederman of Futureproof Clare, speaking to TheCity.ie, mentioned that zero room for loopholes must be allowed by the Green Party if they want to ensure that no LNG terminals or fracked gas imports will go ahead in future:
“A crucial first step is for the new government to tell the European Commission that Ireland wants Shannon LNG taken off the EU’s projects of common interest (PCI) list.
“For Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil to accept that it does not make sense to build LNG import terminals is a huge milestone. It is the result of years of grassroots campaigning, particularly in Kerry, and also here in Clare, that has grown into an international coalition against Shannon LNG,” Hederman continued.
“However, the language used by Leo Varadkar and Micheál Martin is vague and looks like they are trying to leave wriggle room. We must keep pressure on them to translate this statement into a firm commitment. Building new infrastructure such as this would lock Ireland and the EU into fossil fuels for decades, when we need to be rapidly transitioning to renewables in order to avoid catastrophic climate breakdown.”
Fianna Fail and Fine Gael wrote that they “would need to have a shared understanding of what is meant by new fossil fuel infrastructure, what type scale does this relate to, and whether this proposed ban would apply to State infrastructure or to private sector infrastructure as well.”
Stating that they would need a “clear understanding” of the State’s powers in this area and the limitations of European law, as well as international treaties, but removing Shannon LNG from the EU’s Projects of Common Interest list is very much possible.
Extinction Rebellion poster during the 2020 General Election (Photo: Instagram)
Speaking on the list, Roisín Garvey chastised the two parties on their unwillingness to face the realistic possibilities of climate action policies.
“Fianna Fail and Fine Gael act like we can’t do that – but sure we all know that’s not true. They shouldn’t play us as fools. FF/FG need us more than ever, because we can bring back jobs, we can save people money in how they run their houses through retrofitting, we can put money into transport instead of cars; this is now a really good time for them to hear us out.
“We’ve seen it happen in other countries. There have been hugely successful policies in Denmark and Scandinavia and Germany – lots of places have figured out their education, their housing, their transport: we don’t have to come out with these ideas all by ourselves. They’ve been around for years, that’s why the Greens exist, because we’ve all seen it done.”
The 12 Green Party TDs and two Green Senators will hold a second teleconference meeting this week to evaluate their response to the joint Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael letter inviting the party into formal talks.
As the main political parties in Ireland scramble to form a coalition, members of the Traveller community are urging the new government not to forget Traveller rights and to follow through on a long-awaited promise to reserve seats in the Seanad for members of the Traveller community.
By Kim O’Leary
As a new Government starts to take shape in Ireland following the 2020 General Election, fresh calls have been made for a place in the Seanad to be reserved for members of the Traveller community.
A new Seanad report released in January 2020 recommended a quota system to be installed in both Houses of the Oireachtas to ensure Traveller participation in politics, the report says.
The report of the Seanad Committee, which is made up of 10 senators from across the political spectrum, examined Travellers’ experience of life in Ireland following recognition of their ethnic minority status three years ago. A total of 34 recommendations were made.
These include: ● Reserving a seat in the Seanad for Travellers (Taoiseach’s nominee) and introducing Traveller quota system across the Oireachtas, in local democracy, in other decision-making for and within the civil and public service. ● Setting targets for Traveller women in mainstream gender quotas, party political gender quotas and State agencies’ quotas. ● Introducing a paid internship scheme for Travellers in the civil and public service. ● Protecting and increasing resources for independent national and local Traveller organisations in respect of their work to support Traveller participation and towards broader social inclusion.
The Irish Traveller Movement, Pavee Point, the National Traveller Women’s Forum, Mincéir Whiden and the Traveller Counselling Service gave unanimous support to the report at the launch and called on the next government to prioritise the recommendations.
Brendan Joyce of the Irish Traveller Movement told TheCity.ie that last month’s report is the first report of its kind and has brought the issues in terms of Traveller equality “right into the government building”.
In particular, Joyce highlighted the lack of Traveller participation in political life in Ireland, and the levels of inequality still experienced by Travellers today.
Testimonials by members of the Traveller community were given as part of the report – there were 34 recommendations in total made in the report that were partly informed by the testimonials.
Some of those recommendations refer to the lack of political representation for Travellers:
“Since the formation of the State, there hasn’t been a Traveller [politician] within the Seanad or Dáil Éireann. Hopefully now that a new government is on its way in after the General Election this might change,” said Joyce.
The newly released report calls for a seat to be reserved in the Seanad for a Traveller representative on a permanent basis, which would be important to the 40,000 Travellers who live in Ireland.
Joyce noted that for Traveller inclusion in Irish politics to really work, there is also the need for training in anti-racism and anti-Traveller prejudice to be carried out across all government agencies, something which all parties should sign up for.
He also noted the current discussion around the pension age in Ireland, saying that while this is going on, half of Irish Travellers won’t live until the age of 38 according to the 2010 Traveller Health Plan. “A new Traveller health action plan should be published as a matter of urgency by this new government, the last action plan in 2010 really needs to be updated because we’re in a very different time now socially and economically,” Joyce said.
Meanwhile, Kildare Travellers are calling for the new government to do more to include Travellers both locally and nationally.
Speaking to TheCity.ie, Sylvia Walsh, a settled traveller living in Newbridge, said that inclusion for all should be the new government’s priority.
Seanad Éireann. Photo: Eolas
“I think the Travellers are very misunderstood in Ireland, we’re got Kildare Pavee Point trying its best to support us in everything from family planning to mental health, but we’re still not seen in society,” Sylvia said.
“A representation in the Seanad would do wonders for us, to be seen on a very public platform with other members of the government, the government must respect travellers’ rights.”
“This past year has been tough on us especially after cuts to primary care centres in Newbridge, so a bit of representation in the Seanad for our chosen representatives would be great so that our concerns over issues such as mental health and education are heard and respected,” Walsh continued. “This new government coming in, whether it’s Sinn Fein or Fianna Fail or whoever, they need to step up and hear us out.”
Read the full Seanad Public Consultation Committee Report on Travellers Towards a More Equitable Ireland here.
Alternative fuel vehicles accounted for 10% of all new cars
registered in 2019, according to statistics released by the Central Statistics Office.
Between January and October 2019, 110,900 new private cars
were registered. Of that, there were 3,119 electric vehicles (EVs) and 10,742
hybrid cars registered.
Compared with the same period last year, there has been a
3.6% increase in new alternative fuel cars being registered on Irish roads.
The Irish Government published their Climate Action Plan in
July of this year, detailing their vision for a future without traditionally
fuelled vehicles, which currently make up just over one quarter of all
emissions. The Government hopes to have 840,000 private EVs on Irish roads by
2030.
Sarah Doherty, from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport’s Climate Change Unit spoke to TheCity.ie about the Climate Action Plan’s expectations: “This is a very challenging target; however, as technology improves and becomes cheaper, and if we continue to incentivise and invest in EVs and the associated recharging network, we are ambitious that we can make real progress towards getting the electric vehicles we need on the road by 2030.”
Compared to conventionally powered cars, the price of a new electric car can be anything from 15% to 50% higher. Currently, the Government offer a grant scheme to incentivise consumers to choose alternative fuel vehicles over traditionally fuelled ones. Currently, consumers can avail of up to €5,000 off their purchase, as well as €600 for the installation of a home-charging system.
The notion that electric vehicles are a better alternative to other options has been widely disputed. An Post recently took a number of EVs into their fleet, branding them as “zero emissions”. This isn’t strictly accurate, as EVs do not remove emissions from the equation, but rather have zero “tailpipe” emissions, which means they do not have an exhaust and do not emit gases the same way traditionally fuelled cars do.
Ms Doherty stated: “It must be remembered that emissions are
generated to produce the electricity used to fuel these vehicles.”
Despite a climate action plan in place, the Government does not predict we will lose dependence on fossil-fuelled vehicles anytime soon. “There will be approximately 2.45 million fossil-fuelled vehicles in 2030, of which, 1.75 million would be fossil fuelled private cars,” Sarah Doherty added, which suggests a mere 20% of vehicles will be EVs by 2030.
Travellers’ unique
status as an ethnic group within Irish Society was recognised by the Irish
Government in 2017.
In 2018, the
Traveller History and Culture Bill, was passed by the Seanad, encouraging
schools to teach Traveller History and Culture and include it in the
curriculum.
Senator Colette
Kelleher, Chair of the Joint Oireachtas Committee, was one of the people
involved in the process of getting this Bill through the Seanad.
Speaking to TheCity.ie,
she recounted one of the individuals who gave a testament about why this is an
important element of Irish history.
“Young historian and
traveller, Patrick McDonagh, during a briefing for this bill told us how
nomadic groups have lived in Ireland for centuries. They are part of Ireland,
part of its history and part of its culture, but travellers already know this.
It is the wider population that need to be taught the importance and richness
of traveller history and culture”.
Patrick McDonagh Credit: Ana Novais
Travellers have a deep
and rich culture. They have a long musical history, a language, a deep love of
animals and a strong tradition of metal and tin smithing.
Persistent
discrimination is still, sadly, the reality for Irish travellers.
According to the higher
education seminary report issued by Maynooth University, Irish Travellers are a
distinct ethnic group.
Patrick McDonagh is an
Irish traveller from Omagh Co. Tyrone, a neighbourhood in Northern Ireland. He is
currently undertaking a PhD in Trinity College.
“I did a history and
economics degree, and I’m currently doing a PhD in medieval history,
essentially about late medieval imperialism in Britain and Ireland.
“I would never have the
opportunity of studying medieval history if I hadn’t gone through the education
system and even the way I see the world is quite shaped by what I read and by
what I study,” he added.
According to the 2017
Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) report: “A Social Portrait of
Irish Travellers and the educational disadvantage experienced by Travellers
means that specific additional supports will be required in order for them to
participate in mainstream education on equal terms with their settled peers.”
Christy Moorehouse (Daish Manager) and Paddy Moorehouse (Community employment placement) at Bray Bray Travellers Community Development Group. Photo Credit: Ana Novais
Jim O’Brien, manager of
Bray Travellers Community Development group said: “Our education at the minute
is not really positive, but we are starting to make changes.”
“Education is now just
as important for our community as it is for any community because what else is
it for them when they become an adult or late in their teens if they don’t have
certificates in their back pockets what hope have we got?” he added.
According to the Irish
Census 2016, the level of education among travellers remained well below that
of the general population, showed in Figure 2.1.
Only 13.3% of traveller
females were educated to upper secondary compared with 69.1% of the general
population.
Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO)
O’Brien said: “change
comes from everyone, anyone who stays fixed to one spot falls behind, change
won’t destroy the community.”
Jim describes his
experience in education through mainstream school as bleak or non-existent. He
recalls that he could never understand why in a class of 30 plus students, he
was put behind the teacher instead of in front of the teacher, all the time.
“From a traveller
perspective a good change for the traveller community would be a better focus
and appreciation of education but change also has to come from the other side,
and one of the issues is racism.”
“If we have children
coming back from school saying someone called me a gipsy or a knacker, we are
going to be less keen to send them to school. Sometimes children don’t feel
welcomed, they feel like an outsider,” he continued.
According to the
National Traveller Survey funded by The Community Foundation for Ireland, 4 out
of 10 travellers have experienced bullying in school while, many have been put
on reduced hour timetables. There is also an 80% drop out rate before the
Leaving Cert.
Senator Colette Kelleher
finished up by saying: “I have recently begun saying pushed out rather than
drop out, as it more accurately reflects the situation. Schools should be open
places for all, and everyone has a right to an education.”
Construction
of a new border inspection post at Rosslare Europort has cost the Irish
Government over €3.5 million since construction began earlier this year.
The
total spend on the construction was €3,541,914 as of the end of October,
according to figures obtained by TheCity.ie
under the Freedom of information Act.
The
development, being carried out by the Office of Public Works (OPW), consists of
facilities allowing the Department of Agriculture, Department of Health, and
the Revenue to conduct checks on goods entering and leaving the country
post-Brexit.
Work
commenced in March on a 16-hectare site near to the port, which was purchased
by the Government for €1.6 million.
The
site will have inspection areas for goods and livestock coming into the country
from the UK, as well as facilities for drivers and parking areas for trucks.
“It is worth upwards of €11 million to the Irish economy”
Rosslare
Europort is the second largest port in the country, and sees 120,000 trucks
pass through it every year. It is worth upwards of €11 million to the Irish
economy.
Interim
facilities are due to be completed by January 2020, with more permanent
facilities due to be in place by the end of 2020. In the event of a no-deal
Brexit, the OPW is certain construction at Rosslare will be able to cope with
the custom checks required.
A
spokesperson for the OPW stated: “Interim infrastructure was put in place in
Rosslare to deal with the possibility of a no-deal Brexit in March. This has been
enhanced incrementally since then. The final phase of the development of this
interim infrastructure is under way and will be completed by early January
2020.
“Brexit is not a completely negative story for every port in Ireland”
“The
OPW are satisfied that the temporary facilities provided in Rosslare will be
sufficient to allow import controls to be conducted in a timely and efficient
manner thereby facilitating legitimate trade to the greatest extent possible.”
Speaking
in the Oireachtas last Thursday, Minister for Transport Shane Ross said:
“Brexit is not a completely negative story for every port in Ireland. I gather
that Rosslare Port is looking for potential opportunities arising from Brexit.”
The
new opportunities Minister Ross referred to include a plan to spend €25 million
on upgrading the facilities at the port.
Minister
Ross explained that the port is also investing in infrastructure to deal with
increased levels of traffic after Brexit: “Some €1.8 million will be spent
every year for the next five years on general renewal and maintenance.
“€1.5
million will be invested in information technology and creating a smart and
automated port which will include vehicle recognition systems, trailer tracking
systems, compound management and check-in and check-out systems.”
A further €12.5 million is due to be spent upgrading the port to cater for larger ships.
Is it time we give Fine Gael, and
the rest of the government, a break and actually let them get on with running
the country?
There needs to be a recognition that
Fine Gael didn’t create the financial crisis that crippled the country in 2008,
they inherited it in 2011 and Got Ireland
Working… to paraphrase their 2011 manifesto.
Ireland got working and slowly, its
economy was lifted out of recession due to austerity measures: the introduction
of the Universal Social Charge (USC), the rollback on goods and services and the
attempt to introduce “water charges”. Consequently, voters were not entirely
happy with Fine Gael and the “water charges,” which became a point of
contention in 2014.
Enough was enough.
Even though the implementation of
charges were rolled back, we saw that in the 2016 election the message was sent
loud, perhaps not clear, that people wanted change, voting in a rainbow
coalition made up of independents and the confidence and supplydeal with Fianna Fail. Leaving the
fractious left to whimper and fight amongst themselves in the corner of their
own choosing.
Distrust lingered and was felt by
the sting of rising rents, hospital queues and a homeless crisis that has only
exacerbated since the collapse of the country’s economy.
It almost seems like Ireland is
bursting at the seams as the population grows. There always seems to be a push
back on anything the government wants to implement: from Bus Connect, to
National Broadband, to the children’s hospital.
“As the population grows, so does the need to commute to work. Workers commuting has risen by 11%, with those who commute by car up by 8% and those using public transport up 21%”
Of course, it is understandable that
people have reservations when the Government trys to implement anything, people
saw the damage that can be inflicted when those pulling the purse strings are
not fiscally prudent.
Malthusian
theory of growth
Malthusian’s theory dealt with exponential growth and its effect on food supply. In a more contemporary setting, it could be applied to population growth and commuting. The population of Ireland rose by 64,500 in the past year, with 4.92 million people now living in the country according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO). With an estimated 1.4 million people now living in Dublin – accounting for 28.4% of the total population – Ireland’s population is forecast to increase by almost one million people to 5.75 million by 2040.
And therein lies a problem.
As the population grows, so does the need to commute to work. Workers commuting has risen by 11%, with those who commute by car up by 8% and those using public transport up 21%, according to the CSO. With that increase there needs to be a recognition that something radical needs to be done about Ireland’s infrastructure.
Throughout 2015, Ireland’s road
network saw a steady rise in general traffic volumes which saw a return of
severe traffic congestion at peak times. Ireland has a radial motorway network
extending out of Dublin that is on a par with those in Europe. Investment in
roads has been targeted at upgrading roads where there is the highest demand
and this has resulted in Ireland’s motorways being able to meet demand, apart
from the M50, which is currently carrying 29% more traffic since its upgrade in
2010.
Does change
begin with Bus Connect?
In 2018, the CEO of the National
Transport Authority (NTA), Anne Graham, said that the city will slowly “grind
to a halt”. Ms Graham was talking about the need for a radical NTA move to
shorten bus times and to introduce Bus Connects. This would be done by a compulsory
purchase order of gardens, the removal of parking spots, and the removal of
trees, a fair
point of contention for the implementation of new bus corridors.
If you stand at a bus stop on
College Green long enough, you begin to see that the current system is not
working. Buses are at a standstill, which in turn causes traffic and delays in
services.
Those who say there needs to be a Dutch-style
implementation of public transport, to make sure it is pedestrian and cyclist
friendly, need to look at the current infrastructure and recognise that such a
system is currently infeasible in Ireland. The argument for a cyclist-friendly
city is moot, when there is a point of contention with the necessity to widen
roads.
“People must accept that there is a need for new infrastructure to be put in place”
Speaking to Labour Party Councillor Marie Sherlock on the Cairn development in Glasnevin, one area that has garnered an outcry about the possibility of trees being felled, Cllr. Sherlock spoke about what she describes as a: “city wide issue of not putting in traffic plans when it comes to any of the major construction projects.”
If Bus Connects works, this could
lead to a change in cycling throughout Dublin City, and hopefully it will lead
to an upgrade to meet the demands of the growing population on Irish Rail too.
Cllr. Sherlock said, in regards to
Bus Connect, that they [Bus Connect] will go ahead with: “one of their proposed
original proposals… keep the trees but close the road to cars for a period of
time…allowing pedestrians and cars to get out of the city faster.”
At Dublin Airport, there was a push
back against another runway with people not recognising that new runways will
help to increase tourist numbers coming into Ireland, something that is good
for the economy of Ireland. An argument perhaps, of the needs of the many
outweigh the needs of the few?
People must accept that there is a need for new infrastructure to be put in place. Infrastructure, right now, seems like it does more harm than good. However, in the long run there will come a time when the airport needs a new runway, the roads need to be widened, faster internet connection is required and hospitals need to be built. So why not now?
Infrastructure is the cornerstone of
modern society and this dependence will continue to increase in the coming
decades.
What seems like the greatest harm now might reduce the greatest harm later.
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