Latest news with #Glasnevin
Irish Times
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Gavin Friday: ‘U2 and I are almost like brothers – you very rarely blow smoke up your brother's ass'
I'm 65 now. I was born in the Rotunda hospital, and in 1962 I moved to Cedarwood Road, which was old Ballymun before the new Ballymun appeared. I was quite a shy child. I was about 12 or 13 when I met Guggi and Bono and music had become very important to me. The Ireland of then was ridiculous in the stranglehold the Catholic Church had on us. My father was a strict man, a diehard, old-school Catholic guy. Loved GAA, all of that, and I was the polar opposite, a shy kid who didn't like sports. My father thought I needed to toughen up. So I was sent to the Christian Brothers. I can't stand that whole spotlight of 'poor me', but when I look back now, one of the glues that glued Bono, Guggi and myself together was the three of us had not great relationships with our dad. We had a difficult dad. I was bullied badly, even bullied in primary school in Glasnevin. I found the nuns really cruel and hard. There was corporal punishment in school, so you were hit – and badly hit, which is horrific to think of. The stuff they would do even with a cane or a leather. I didn't hang out with many people. My true little world was about music and drawing and art. I always liked performing even though I was shy. Whenever my dad's mates were over, I'd be called down to sing a song. And I would sing. I loved music but I didn't know much, so it was Top of the Pops that became my first touchstone. I was a 1970s kid: glam rock – Marc Bolan, T Rex, Bowie and Roxy Music. I found a home in my head. I started dressing a certain way. My mum would make elephant flares for me. I got my ear pierced when I was 13, and that was a big thing to have your ear pierced then and I was battered for it. I was being beaten up and called names. My response became more prominent when I formed The Virgin Prunes in 1978, when I was 18. I thought, 'I'm going to wear a dress'. It was not gentle-looking, it didn't look fun and cuddly the way Boy George did. It was punk: 'Is that guy gonna bite the head off or kiss us or kill us, or what?' There was an element of threat about it. READ MORE [ Gavin Friday in Dublin review: Svelte, swooning performer lays bare his life on the stage Opens in new window ] There was nothing nourishing going around other than music. I really did find Dublin hard. Things are really hard here now economically for people, but it was a complete nightmare back in the 1980s. As an adult I was kicking against the Catholic Church very strongly in The Virgin Prunes. One of our infamous performances was on The Late Late Show in 1979: it was the same weekend the pope was in Ireland. I think Gay Byrne knew what he was doing because he liked being a bit controversial. My idea of success was 'Get me out of here': get me away from this drudgery of old Catholic Ireland. I started gigging and touring. We were away so much. We weren't earning much money. The first success I had was when I started working with Jim Sheridan , when I did the music for In the Name of the Father. When Jim Sheridan asked me to be the musical consultant on In the Name of the Father, I took on the challenge and we got on well. He said, 'Could you make a bomb go off musically? Could you do that?' I said, 'Yeah, I think so.' Then he said, 'I think you guys can do score, so let's go for it.' I love working to learn more. I'm very singular in what I do. I speak straight, mate to mate. When I worked with Bono on Stories of Surrender , the stage show [version of Bono's memoir ], I said, 'Well, you can't turn the whole book into a stage show'. It's just about having conversations, the way friends do. I have a very strong friendship with Bono and we have a very direct communication. It's not just with Bono, but the whole of U2 , because I know them 50 years. I've always been at a recording session when they go in to make an album, at the beginning, middle and the end. We're almost like brothers – you very rarely blow smoke up your brother's ass. 'What do you think of these songs?' 'I love these five, that needs more work, that's brilliant.' Albums to me are not jobs. It's an expression of who you are and what you're going through. To me, if you want to say something, the best way to say it is to make the tune have a sweetness or a tangibility. In conversation with Nadine O'Regan. This interview, part of a series asking well-known people about their lives and relationship with Ireland, was edited for clarity and length. Gavin Friday's latest album is Ecce Homo. Bono: Stories of Surrender is out now on Apple+
Irish Times
14 hours ago
- Health
- Irish Times
Letters to the Editor, June 20th: Older people and language, loving your neighbour, misery and Gen Z
Sir, – A narrative of protecting our vulnerable 'elderly' has emerged following the recent RTÉ Investigates programme on the horrific treatment of older persons in nursing homes. Listening to the various debates, one is struck by the importance of language and the messaging that it conveys in the public discourse. Organisations such as the Irish Gerontological Society (IGS), devoted to the study of ageing, prohibit the use of the term 'elderly' in their publications due to negative connotations associated with dependency. Terms such as 'older persons', 'older people' or 'older adults' are encouraged by organisations such as Age Action, and Alone who seek to empower older persons and combat ageism. READ MORE Considering later life through the lens of the citizenship frames 'older persons' as citizens and rights holders, with the right to have their holistic needs met in whatever setting they may be residing. Furthermore, the lens of citizenship advocates an analysis of how policies and social structures affect our older citizens, and can challenge ageism which impacts upon the rights of older persons to participate fully in society. – Yours, etc, Dr JENNIFER ALLEN, Senior social worker, Mental Health Service for Older Persons, St Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin. Sir, – In light of the disturbing findings revealed by RTÉ Investigates into the treatment of residents in some Irish nursing homes – particularly Beneavin Manor, Glasnevin and The Residence, Portlaoise – I feel compelled to share a contrasting experience. My 90-year-old mother is supported at home by a home care team. They are men and women from all over the world, and their presence brings her joy, comfort, and dignity. When one of her regular carers recently moved on, she was genuinely sad to see him go – a testament to the meaningful relationships built through consistent, person-centred care. Just this week, with some additional private hours topping up her HSE allocation, the team supported my mum to leave the house for the first time since March. She went to the hairdresser – for a perm! That small act was transformative – restoring her sense of self, and later that day, we learned she will be discharged from palliative care. This is what good care looks like. As a country, we are reeling from yet another scandal in institutional care. But we must also look to the models that are working – those rooted in respect, continuity, and human connection. Home care, when properly resourced and delivered by skilled, valued workers, can change lives. It can restore dignity. It can offer hope. We need strong oversight in nursing homes, but we also need investment and policy reform that empowers people to stay in their own homes for as long as possible – safely, and on their own terms. – Yours, etc, KATHLEEN McLOUGHLIN, Roscrea, Co Tipperary. Key observation Sir, – Reading Ray Burke's Irishman's Diary (June 18th) reminded me of a story of a local character in Athy years ago, who on seeing the fire brigade flying by with sirens blaring was heard to say: 'It's not my house anyway, I have the key in my pocket.' – Yours, etc, NUALA QUINN, Carlow. Loving God and your neighbours Sir, – As someone who has served for over 30 years until my recent retirement as a rector in the Diocese of Down and Dromore, I find Bishop David McClay's statement to the clergy and people of Down and Dromore saddening (' Bishop criticises Christ Church invite to speak at Pride service ,' June 18th). He does not speak for me, or for many members of his diocese. Many committed Christians will find what he says distressing, even hurtful. Of course, the bishop speaks for many Christians, and the issues surrounding human sexuality are currently a cause of much division and pain. People of deep faith and real integrity are on both 'sides' of the debate. I find it difficult to understand why he, and many others, place such emphasis on those few (almost certainly less than 10) scriptural passages that either disapprove of, or condemn, same-sex relationships, while ignoring passages that prohibit wearing clothes of two different types of material, cross-breeding domestic animals or planting two kinds of seed in the same field (Leviticus 19:19). If there are gradations of authority, why this one? But to me the clinching argument is this: over the centuries, and even today, gay people have been made to feel rejected, misunderstood, hurt and isolated, unable to express themselves. The church, along with society as a whole, has been complicit in this. Many have been driven to despair, even suicide. Church condemnation of same-sex relationships causes great pain to many and gives permission to an unacceptable homophobia. I know that this is not Bishop McClay's intention, but it happens. To me the call to love our neighbour demands that I do not take positions that make others feel less than worthy. Love is the supreme command – love God and neighbour as we love ourselves. That trumps any legalistic prohibitions. Let us celebrate same-sex love just as we celebrate heterosexual love. Let us affirm those who are different, those we may not understand. That is part of love, the supreme command. – Yours , etc, Rev Canon TIMOTHY KINAHAN, Northern Ireland. Trinity College and Israel Sir, – Dr David Landy states that academic freedom was 'an important consideration in the Trinity debate' that resulted in the university's decision on June to cut ties with Israeli universities (' Why academic institutions are cutting ties with Israel ,' June 19th). But there has been no debate in Trinity. The college board voted to accept the internal taskforce recommendations before referring the report for further consideration to relevant college committees in line with the terms under which the taskforce was established. Indeed, the taskforce report has not been published, so most of the faculty have been unable to scrutinise it or understand how the board came to its decision. The principle of academic freedom has been shredded by the board's decision. Academic freedom is not compatible with an institutional ban on co-operation with colleagues in Israeli universities and research units. Academic freedom gives Dr Landy the choice to personally cut ties with colleagues in Israel or any other country he chooses, but that freedom is no longer available to Trinity academics who wish to continue contacts with colleagues in Israel. As Israel is an associate country to the European Union's research and innovation funding programmes, Trinity academics are now unable to apply for EU funding for research projects which include Israeli colleagues. As an illustration, one such current project is working on a novel, off-the-shelf delivery system for mRNA-based nanomedicines to improve diagnostic and therapeutic options for cancer and cardiovascular disease. Researchers from Trinity and the University of Tel Aviv are working on this project together with colleagues from the Netherlands, Canada, France, Hungary, Sweden, Spain, Norway and Belgium. Trinity researchers are also working on trials whose objective is to improve outcomes for people with autistic spectrum disorders via a global clinical trial. Researchers from Trinity and the Israeli pharmaceutical firm Teva are two of 63 European and US participants including hospitals, universities, patient groups, pharma companies and not-for-profit organisations. While these projects will continue, Trinity academics are now locked out of all such research consortia. Years of academic endeavour will now go to waste and millions of euro of funding will be lost. Dr Landy claims that Trinity's boycott of Israel is not anti-Semitic. However, while Trinity singles out Israel alone – the only Jewish state on earth, home to half the population of the world's Jews – but maintains ties with other countries with well-documented human rights and international law violations, the charge of institutional anti-Semitism and racism is unavoidable. – Yours, etc, JANE MAHONY, PhD, TCD, Dublin 6. Misery and Gen Z Sir, – The Oxford Dictionaries define Generation Z as 'the group of people who were born between the late 1990s and the early 2010s who are regarded as being very familiar with the internet'. Finn McRedmond writes that 'it's no surprise that Gen Z are miserable' (June 19th ). Perhaps spending less time with the internet and the phone might bring less misery. – Yours, etc, PATRICK O'BYRNE, Dublin 7. Missing out on transition year Sir, – What a great idea to have a national plan to target educational disadvantage. I note the Minister for Education, Helen McEntee, plans to particularly tackle high levels of absenteeism in disadvantaged and special education settings. I wonder does always excluding children in special schools from transition year, thus missing an entire year of education that over 80 per cent of their developing peers receive, represent State-endorsed absenteeism? Transition year is never offered in any special school in the State as per Government policy or never has been in the 40 years since its inception. If Ms McEntee's genuine priority is to really target educational disadvantage, it might be useful to finally lift this rock? – Yours, etc, CAROLINE FARRELL, Dublin 3. Debating security and the EU Sir,– In the Letters page (June 17th), Senator Tom Clonan, John O'Riordan and Fintan Lane comment in different ways on Ireland's potential contribution to debates on European security and global order. Ireland has a solemn duty to speak truth to power within the EU, said Clonan. The EU should 'negotiate directly with Russia to find conditions for an immediate ceasefire and an enduring solution to the Russian-Ukrainian war', said O'Riordan. 'Instead of decoupling Irish Army deployment abroad from the UN,' the Government should argue 'for deeper reform within the UN and a greater role for the General Assembly', said Lane. Pope Leo XIV states that 'the temptation to have recourse to powerful and sophisticated weapons needs to be rejected'. From this perspective, there is a scenario that draws together the thinking of Clonan, O' Riordan, and Lane. If a mission linked to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) monitors a future line of contact in eastern Ukraine, as happened under the Minsk agreements, a reimagined OSCE can recover the role it played in the former Helsinki process as a space for deliberation about the future. The defining goals of a new Helsinki-style dialogue can be summed up in three points: (i) recognition of the European Union as the anchor of a wider European zone of peace and economic cooperation; (ii) avoiding economic and cultural 'zero-sum games' in eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and other parts of the region: and (iii) a renewed commitment, based on the Helsinki principles, to enshrine cooperative economic relationships as a core value in international relations, and in this way to bring the European and global agendas together. In becoming the advocate and anchor of a wider European zone of peace and economic cooperation, the European Union can discover a new energy and sense of purpose. In the absence of some new departure in diplomacy, we are likely to see a hardening of the 'unquestioned assumptions and myths' referred to in Clonan's letter. In Germany, the UK, and elsewhere, the proposition that the arms industry and the arms trade are the key to 'future-proofing' the economy is mingled, not quite coherently, with arguments based on considerations of military security. A recent article by the president of the European Central Bank asserts that 'joint financing of public goods, like defence, could create more safe assets'. Christine Lagarde associates the supposed benefits of manufacturing weapons of greater and greater lethality with a further centralisation of power within the EU: 'more qualified majority voting in critical areas would enable Europe to speak with one voice.' The forthcoming international conference on financing for development in Seville will give us an indication of the extent to which the temptation to pursue growth and innovation through the arms industry is accompanied by reductions in development assistance and a loss of interest in the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and international financial reform. This year, for the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, the chair-in-office of the OSCE is Finland. In 2026, it will be Switzerland. Is it unthinkable that in a spirit of solemn duty, as evoked by Clonan, Ireland could take on this burden in 2027 or 2028? We would bring to the table the values of the Good Friday agreement and Irish Aid, our peacekeeping tradition and our military neutrality, our standing as an EU member state with close links with the US, and our role in co-facilitating the negotiation of the SDGs. EU founding father Robert Schuman believed that 'the peace of the world cannot be maintained without creative efforts commensurate with the scale of the threat'. For him, the European project stood for the economics of solidarity at home and abroad. The Schuman Declaration emphasises Europe's responsibility to Africa. Let Schuman be the north star of the project I have in mind. – Yours, etc, PHILIP McDONAGH, Adjunct professor, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Dublin City University. Visiting other countries Sir, – Dennis Fitzgerald suggests in his letter (June 18th) that, given the current state of the world, we might do well to visit Australia – a safe and friendly destination, with only the occasional jellyfish or mushroom to worry about. It's a tempting thought. But I wonder if we are not long past the time when choosing a holiday should simply be a matter of personal taste, budget and travel brochures? Flying halfway around the planet for a bit of sunshine and sightseeing is hard to square with the knowledge that the very act of doing so helps fuel the fire – quite literally – that is making many parts of the world increasingly uninhabitable. This isn't a question of blame, but of awareness. Perhaps instead of encouraging long-haul leisure travel, we should be asking how to make it feel less normal – and a bit less easy to justify – in a time of planetary crisis. There are worse things than jellyfish. One of them is pretending there is no climate emergency. – Yours, etc, JAMES CANDON , Brussels, Belgium.
Irish Times
21 hours ago
- Irish Times
Garage forecourt ‘drive-offs' without paying for fuel a daily occurrence, court hears
Fuel 'drive-offs', where motorists leave forecourts without paying, happen at a Dublin filling station every day, a judge has been told in a case in which a van courier successfully sued Circle K for defamation of character, winning €10,000 in damages. Judge Mary O'Malley Costello heard some drivers return to pay their bill when they realise they have made an error, some are never seen again, while others return to pay only when the guards are notified and visit or contact them. Barrister Kevin D'Arcy, counsel for courier Paul Brooks, of Palmerstown Lawns, Palmerstown, Dublin 20, said his client only realised he did not have his wallet with him after he had poured €20 of diesel into his van. Mr D'Arcy, who appeared in the Circuit Civil Court with Mackay Solicitors, said his client had not driven off but had gone into Circle K filling station beside Glasnevin Cemetery on the Finglas Road, Dublin, in May 2020 and told the sales assistant of his dilemma. READ MORE He told her he had forgotten his wallet and would ring his mother so she could pay for the diesel by giving her card details over the phone. Mr Brooks was told Circle K was not set up to take an over-the-phone payment. He told the court he had made an arrangement with the sales lady whereby his mother would call to the filling station the following day and pay for the fuel, which she had done. While he was confident he had such an understanding with Circle K, the sales lady had told the court that Mr Brooks had been told the debt had to be paid that day. Mr Brooks said that a month later he had been embarrassed to hear in a phone call from his sister that gardaí had called to his home inquiring about him and telling his sister and his mother of a fuel drive-off by him. He said his neighbours had seen the gardaí pulling up at his home and making inquiries. Mr Brooks sued Circle K of Circle K House, Beech Hill, Clonskeagh Dublin 4, for defamation of character. His mother had called and paid for the fuel the day after the incident. Judge O'Malley Costello said she found Mr Brooks and his mother and sister, and the Circle K sales lady, to have been honest witnesses. She said it was clearly accepted in its defence by Circle K that the fuel had been paid for on the following day. Somehow the gardaí had not acted on a report until July 9th and had attended at Mr Brooks's home, causing him the difficulties he had complained of in his defamation proceedings. She awarded him €10,000 damages and Circuit Court costs against Circle K. A member of Circle K staff had told Judge O'Malley Costello that drive-offs were an everyday occurrence at the filling station.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Health
- Irish Times
Woman in Emeis nursing home left in diarrhoea and vomit-stained bed sheets for 48 hours, says daughter
Not long after entering the care of the Emeis-owned Belmont House nursing home in south Dublin, 78-year-old Ann Walshe had been left in diarrhoea and vomit-stained bed sheets for 48 hours. Her daughter Michelle Walshe, who recalled the experience, said her mother 'didn't understand the gravity of the situation' because she was so unwell and dehydrated. 'You wouldn't leave a dog like that,' she said. It is yet another allegation against the French nursing home group, the focus of an RTÉ Investigates programme last week, and now the subject of a wide-scale review of its 27 facilities. READ MORE The programme focused on conditions endured by residents at its facilities at Beneavin Manor in Glasnevin, Dublin, and The Residence, Portlaoise . The company has since issued 'a genuine and open apology' to those affected. [ Where are Emeis's Irish care homes located? Opens in new window ] Ms Walshe brought her mother, who has for years been living with dementia and bipolar disorder, to Belmont House in early December 2024. She said she was 'scarred' by the admission process on her mother's first day when it seemed nobody was prepared for her arrival. She said her mother was asked by a nurse hours after entering the facility 'if she wanted to be resuscitated when it came to end-of-life care'. Towels and toilet rolls in her room were left unreplaced when she had norovirus, Ms Walshe also claimed. While discussing incontinence pads, staff were so dismissive, she alleged, that her mother became upset and started to cry. 'Dignity? I haven't encountered it yet within the Belmont walls – talking about her in front of her as if she's not there,' Ms Walshe wrote in an email to the care home seen by The Irish Times. She said she brought her allegations to the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) , the monitoring body, in February this year, but was dissatisfied with its response, telling her, she said, to raise the concerns directly with the care home or with the ombudsman. 'I can't report the horrors, I can't protect my mum,' she said. 'There's no proper procedure in place.' A spokesperson for Hiqa said such information was routinely logged, brought to the attention of an inspector and used to inform regulatory oversight. In 2024, it received more than 1,000 such submissions relating to nursing homes. Concerned parties are first encouraged to raise complaints with the service provider, which is required to have a complaints policy in place. Another woman whose 90-year-old father has been a resident of Beneavin Manor in Glasnevin since August 2023 alleged the treatment he had received 'amounts to institutional abuse'. After he suffered a series of falls in quick succession, she said that in September 2023 she saw him 'hanging off the door' to his room 'shouting for help', while nurses ignored his pleas. Still image from RTÉ Investigates, inside nursing homes. Image: RTÉ On a separate occasion this year, the woman, who requested anonymity, alleged she had found her father 'head to toe covered in his own stale faeces', screaming for help after attempting to clean himself. After asking for a meeting with senior management, a nurse told her sister that such a scene 'was normal for dementia', the woman claimed. However, since the airing of the RTÉ Investigates programme last week, she had 'seen a huge difference, a huge improvement' in the quality of care. 'It's sad to say that this is what it took, but will it last? My fear is for what's next.' Minister of State with Responsibility for Older People, Kieran O'Donnell , has initiated a review of the 27 Emeis-owned nursing homes in the State, while additional safeguarding teams are also being put in place. Emeis has been contacted for comment.
Irish Times
11-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
‘Dystopian future' warning as noise of commercial drone ‘delivering burgers, lattes' played in Dáil
A recording of the noise of a commercial drone was played in the Dáil as the House was warned that 'our sky is going to become as busy as our roads'. Opposition TDs highlighted the 'dystopian future' Dublin and other cities faced because of the unregulated growth in the use of drones that are 'not delivering blood or medicine. They're delivering burgers and lattes for profit.' Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon and Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger warned of the growing noise disturbance and intrusion on privacy because of the failure to regulate the increased use of commercial drones across the north and west of Dublin for fast food deliveries. [ 'Like living near a helicopter': Residents fed up with takeaway delivery drones buzzing over their homes Opens in new window ] Mr Gannon called for a drone restriction zone to be created over Glasnevin which has been designated Ireland's first autism friendly village. READ MORE Ms Coppinger played the recording of the drone and said 'in Blanchardstown, we've been suffering this for over a year and a half, and nobody's listening'. Mr Gannon said the autism friendly designation 'carries responsibility to protect the sensory and the environmental stability the community relies upon. Unregulated drone activity, threatens that stability'. He said the area is also home to protected bats and nesting birds and the drones pose a risk to the species 'operating without any environmental assessment'. The role of the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) is restricted to licensing and mechanical safety, he said as he called on Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien to 'establish a temporary drone restriction zone' over Glasnevin. 'It should be something that we can just clearly agree on.' Ms Coppinger said that since drone company Manna began operating in the area there have been more than 170,000 flights 'and the plan is for two million'. She added that they have now linked up with food delivery company Deliveroo . 'And let's be clear here, they're not delivering blood or medicine. They're delivering burgers and lattes for profit.' People are 'losing their right to enjoy their backyard, they're losing their right to privacy, and the noise is unbelievable for many, many people'. She added that 'drone delivery of fast food and consumer goods is not a public necessity'. [ EV owners could have free charger installed and be paid to share with neighbours under new EasyGo scheme Opens in new window ] It 'undermines the quiet residential character of the neighbourhood. It adds yet another layer of stress to daily life and reflects a broader problem, the growing incursion of tech companies into our communities without democratic oversight or meaningful accountability.' Mr Gannon warned of a 'dystopian future' of drone activity. 'We have one operator at the moment' causing major annoyance and disturbance. 'What happens when we have the second one, the third one,' he said. The use of drones 'could probably be beneficial in more remote areas' but for the city areas of Glasnevin, Castleknock 'this is not a requirement'. Minister of State Jerry Buttimer , replying for the Government said he agreed that 'there must be other ways of being able to get home delivery done', and he would bring the matter back to the Department of Transport. He said the IAA is working with the EU on 'developing guidelines and regulations around drone noises'. Two specific current regulations deal with ensuring drones are 'safe and secure'. He said that commercial drone operations such as Deliveroo delivery are 'more closely regulated' and may require 'specific authorisation'. The Minister said 'I actually agree with Deputy Coppinger. There must be other ways of being able to get home delivery done.'
