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BreakingNews.ie
7 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Cork Pride festival's only full-time employee gets injunction to lift suspension from work
The only full-time employee of the Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival has been granted a High Court interim injunction lifting his suspension of nine months ago over allegations of misconduct. Kery Mullaly, a business developer of Market Street, Thomastown, Co Kilkenny, has been employed to prepare and obtain sponsorship of the annual Cork Pride Festival, which is due to take place again between July 26th and August 3rd. Advertisement He claims he was suspended on September 13th last year without any prior notice of eight misconduct allegations against him which he vehemently denies. The allegations include that he attended the Electric Picnic Festival while on certified sick leave, that he allegedly had "no regard" for the chairperson and board members, and that he was allegedly aggressive and pressuring to Irish Water when seeking their sponsorship. It was also claimed unnamed members of the festival board were allegedly approached by unnamed sponsors complaining about Mr Mullaly's behaviour and withdrawing sponsorship. The board later decided the investigator would only look at three allegations, including the Electric Picnic attendance and his contract of employment. Advertisement It is alleged he himself drafted his contract giving him €2,000 per month for work on preparing the festival and €100 per hour for work on securing sponsors and fundraising streams. He says the contract was reviewed and signed by the then treasurer of the board. He says, in an affidavit, that he had worked with the festival since 2011, first as a volunteer and later as an independent contractor. In 2021, he was made an employee by the board. He says since his suspension nine months ago his income has been drastically reduced despite a promise that he would remain on full pay while on suspension. He fears his reputation will be irreparably damaged if he remains suspended for the upcoming festival "where I have had, at each of the last 14 festivals, a visible and important presence throughout my role with the defendant". Advertisement He also says that in 2024 he noticed a change in that the previously convivial working relationships between people became strained. He found himself excluded from meetings and events, and following the 2024 festival he went on sick leave due to stress and anxiety. He says the allegations against him are contrived to cause him maximum stress and anxiety. He believed they "could be seen off quickly" and he would be back to work in time for the 2025 fundraising round. Entertainment Mother Block Party: The Blessed Madonna and Samant... Read More Despite extensive communications from his trade union representative and his solicitor to the board, no steps have been taken to address matters, he says. On Friday, Mr Justice Brian Cregan granted Mr Mullaly interim injunctions lifting his suspension and restraining the board from imposing any disciplinary sanction on him other than in strict compliance with his contract, natural justice and fair procedures, pending further order. The application was made by his counsel Cathy Smith following a one-side only represented application. The judge said it was "an extraordinary and regrettable tale" and it was quite clear Mr Mullaly was entitled to the interim relief sought. The case comes back next week.
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Health
- Irish Independent
‘Smelly' Louth coastline a ‘naturally occurring phenomenon'
Cllr. Shane McGuinness raised the issue at the June meeting of Louth County Council, highlighting the red/brown algal bloom which has washed up along the coast at Blackrock. He told councillors the bloom is particularly prevalent 'along the strand at the main street, the Priest's beach and along the marsh grasses at The Loakers which is an Special Protected Area (SPA) and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC).' Explaining that he had raised this with the local authority, he added: 'I was told that it wasn't what I thought it was, and it was a natural occurrence and harmless. I requested it be cleaned up as soon as possible as people couldn't put their clothes outside on the line, or even walk in the area because the smell was so repugnant. I cannot imagine the effect this is having on our wildlife.' The response to my queries was that 'we couldn't take a vehicle on to the beach as the National Parks and Wildlife services would not allow it'. He added: 'I believe this material washed up is an Algal Bloom which is a rapid increase of algae which is caused by an excess of nitrogen and phosphorus in particular. These blooms can be extremely harmful, impacting water quality, causing oxygen depletion and producing toxins that not only affect wildlife but seriously effect humans and pets. Animal and human health is threatened here as this nutrient pollution contains high levels of Nitrogen and Phosphorus from sources like sewage and slurry.' 'Sometimes, you only have to use your sense of smell, to realise that this is a major problem caused by our lack of sewerage treatment capacity in this entire area and toilet waste getting into our seas is the main cause of it I believe. The permitted use of human sludge from WWTP (Waste Water treatment plants) on our lands and the "uncontrolled releases" from WWTP and storm drainpipes has contributed enormously to this algal bloom, I believe.' 'I am requesting the environmental section of this council to get an independent analysis carried out on this Algae, as the onus is on us as councillors in the chamber to have it tested and determine its safety and our next moves. I believe the environmental section of Louth County Council cannot continue to promote the notion that this is a natural occurrence and not in any way a risk to human health.' Cllr. McGuinness criticised what he referred to as 'a lack of engagement' "I have raised this a number of times over the last twelve months, Dundalk South needs a Waste Water Treatment Plant. I know that we can easily say it is an Irish Water issue, but I believe we need to communicate better over the next twelve months.' Director of Service, David Hanratty, said they had been in contact with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in relation to this matter, adding: 'The position hasn't changed, it is a natural phenomenon.' He explained that the nutrient rich water in this area, comes largely from the marsh land. Mr. Hanratty said they had 'no reports of malfunctions at waste water treatment plants that would have contributed to no evidence of any links to sewage or any run off from agricultural activities.' He added that as it is a "naturally occurring algal bloom' the local authority 'cannot clean it up, we cannot interfere with the natural ecological processes.' The very warm Spring weather, coupled with the nutrient rich water, had likely contributed to the increase in algal bloom, he said. 'But, that being said, we will continue to monitor the situation,' On a related topic, Cllr. Marianne Butler asked if there were any 'nature based projects' to deal with the 'run off from streets etc' in Louth. She asked: 'When are we going to adopt nature based solutions?' Mr. Hanratty said that under the new Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, Dundalk has been chosen as one of five pilot sites around the country that will see the development of an integrated waste water treatment plant, looking at where water comes from and where it goes. He added that it is being led by Uisce Eireann, but involves local stakeholders including Louth County Council.
Irish Times
05-06-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Ireland is like the paradox of Schrödinger's cat: a wet country that has too little water
Debates about whether we need 50,000 new houses a year, as the Government says, or 93,000, as some analysts say, are arguably pointless: neither total is possible as there simply isn't the water there to supply them, or to process their waste. Just 30,000 to 35,000 new houses can be supplied each year for the foreseeable future according to Uisce Éireann . Quite the gap. In 2013, Irish Water – as it was called – inherited a severely neglected water infrastructure system. The average age of a water pipe is about 75 years – double the European average – and leaky as a Government backbencher. At about 37 per cent, our water leakage levels are among the highest in western Europe due to these ageing underground pipes and a legacy of fragmented ownership of the network with historically variable levels of maintenance. Tralee alone loses 6.5 million litres a day in leaks, enough water for a town twice its size. Ireland also uses a lot of water compared to the rest of Europe, 1.7 billion litres daily, with domestic usage accounting for two-thirds of this and non-domestic consumers the balance. Uisce Éireann is expecting non-domestic demand in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA) to increase by 67 per cent by 2040. READ MORE As in housing, geography matters. While the west and south of the country has more rainfall and better water supplies, it is in the east of the country that demand is intensifying, exactly where rainfall is lower and river systems are smaller. About 80 per cent of our drinking water comes from rivers and lakes with the remainder from groundwater, mostly in rural areas. The GDA, with 40 per cent of the country's population, relies heavily on Vartry reservoir and the Liffey, the latter of which supplies 85 per cent of Dublin city's water. Such a narrow base of water supply means systemic vulnerability in case of drought or peak demand. At the same time, population growth means that domestic water demand across the country will increase by 26 per cent to 2044. [ Fixing 'known' water system issues will take until 2050 and cost up to €60bn, says Uisce Éireann ] In the east, the demand for drinking water will increase by 45 per cent to 800 million litres a day in the GDA by 2040, vastly exceeding current capacity. Two-thirds of towns and villages do not have the 'infrastructural headroom' to support new development without upgrades, which is essential for rural revitalisation. We also need to deal with wastewater. More than half of our wastewater treatment plants are not always compliant with their licences, and Ireland has been in continuous breach of various parts of the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive for more than 30 years. In rural areas, more than half the septic tanks inspected last year failed. Just 1,390 of nearly 500,000 were tested, meaning significant risks for surface and groundwater quality. Various studies have noted evidence of faecal contamination in rural wells. There are solutions, the quickest of which is to change usage behaviour and the quickest way to do that is to charge for water. That didn't go down well the last time it was tried. Tánaiste Simon Harris recently promised the Government will not introduce water charges, although he also promised we'd complete 40,000 houses last year. The actual number of new homes completed was 30,330. There is a plan to charge for 'excess' water and wastewater usage (above 213,000 litres per average household annually), but there's no timeline or legislation yet for its introduction. Behavioural interventions like awareness campaigns are also useful: more nudge, less sludge. Better planning decisions about where new housing is allowed to integrate water supply and output also have a role. Rainwater and downpipe harvesting should be part of every new house. Fixing leaks and upgrading existing infrastructure are, however, key. Uisce Éireann spends €250 million a year reducing leaks from 46 per cent in 2018 and is aiming for 25 per cent by 2030. The proposed 170km Shannon pipeline to serve the east and midlands will take 350 million litres a day from the Parteen Basin near Birdhill, Co Tipperary. Without this pipeline, there will be no new housing or commercial water connections in the GDA, which will have significant implications for the national economy, the delivery of housing, social equality and sustainable patterns of development. [ Renters forking out €2,000 per month are paying the price for water charges debacle ] This will cost money, which goes to the heart of the issue: successive governments, all of which contained parties of the current Government, have repeatedly underfunded water infrastructure, exactly as they have housing, in both instances expecting the private sector to do the heavy lifting for them. Whereas expensive and volatile private sector reliance has grown exponentially in housing, no private sector involvement in water infrastructure has happened. Maybe no harm. Across the Irish Sea, privatisation of water in England has led to increased shareholder profits and directors' remuneration, and worse leakage and poorer quality water. In housing, ministers castigate local authorities for not doing enough at the same time as cutting funding. In water, there are announcements of increased funding, but as in housing, this is not always new funding, but recycled old funding. Indeed, Uisce Éireann's chairman recently accused the Government of allowing misleading messages of additional funding to permeate ' within Government circles, industry and the general public ', even though there was no additional funding (while politicians simultaneously blame Uisce Éireann for shortages). Pretend money – particularly annually allocated pretend money – won't solve our water supply issue. A wealthy but still penny-wise pound-foolish Government hasn't made the link between functioning infrastructure and housing output, and indeed climate. As a result, Ireland is now the geographical manifestation of Schrödinger's cat: a wet country that is at the same time lacking in water for new housing; a country with numerous energy-hungry data centres, but also a looming potential shortage of electricity for new houses; and more than 15,500 homeless in a country with over 160,000 vacant homes. You'd have to wonder whether anyone is in charge. Dr Lorcan Sirr is senior lecturer in housing at the Technological University Dublin
Irish Independent
26-05-2025
- Climate
- Irish Independent
Uisce Éireann crews working to repair burst water mains in Wexford
The burst is affecting water supply to Uisce Éireann customers in Gorey and the surrounding areas and crews are on site and are working to repair the burst. It is estimated that repairs will be complete and supply will return to normal levels from approximately 2p.m. this afternoon. Uisce Éireann's Padraig Lyng assured affected customers that supply will be restored as quickly as possible. 'We acknowledge the inconvenience caused to customers by unplanned outages and we want to thank affected homes and businesses for their understanding while our crews work to repair the burst and restore normal supply,' said Padraig. Typically, it takes two to three hours following repairs for normal supply to restore to all customers affected by an unplanned outage. However, it may take longer for normal supply to be restored to customers at the end of the network or on higher ground as the system recharges. Vulnerable customers who have registered with Uisce Éireann receive direct communications for planned and unplanned outages lasting more than four hours. To register as a vulnerable customer or as an alternative contact, visit their Vulnerable Customers page. For further updates, go to Uisce Éireann's website, X channels @IWCare and @IrishWater, on Facebook and LinkedIn or their customer care helpline which is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278. Uisce Éireann has a free text service, providing real-time updates for local issues. Customers can sign up with their Eircode and mobile number on their text updates page.
Irish Independent
25-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Council leisure centre's swimming pool project takes on water – as costs of eight-year project set to rise to €20m
The pool facility, in Lucan in west Dublin, has been dogged by delays — and the final price of the project is now expected to come in at around €20m. When it was originally costed in 2017, South Dublin County Council expected the final bill to be around €12.985m. A project schedule from the time said that once the contract was awarded, it should only take 14 months to construct. Construction got under way in May 2019, but the Covid pandemic, severe weather and a variety of other issues have seen the project go way beyond schedule, with completion dates pushed back at least a dozen times. A series of updates to queries from councillors, released under the Freedom of Information Act, show how the opening day for the swimming pool and leisure centre kept shifting. In late 2020, a local representative was told the handover date had been meant to be February 2021, but that this had been moved back to June 2021. I'm satisfied the council has done everything in their power to expedite the project An update said: 'The project has been significantly delayed due firstly to poor weather conditions in the early part of 2020 and then the enforced closure of the site for a number of weeks during the Covid national lockdown.' In late 2021, another councillor was given an update, saying the completion date was now likely to be in April or May of 2022. That date then got pushed to August 2022, though even that proved hopelessly optimistic. Local Sinn Féin TD Eoin Ó Broin asked in January 2023 when the pool was likely to be open and was told that June 2023 was now the target, and that this was 'very disappointing' to the council. A letter to him said: 'As you will be aware, the project has been impacted significantly by various construction sector challenges.' By last year, the project still wasn't complete — and in August 2024 councillors were told that the local authority was still working with the contractor to 'agree a revised programme'. ADVERTISEMENT In February of this year, Mr Ó Broin again sought an update and was told more resources were being provided to 'expedite project completion'. A letter to him said: 'The council understands both the importance of this project to the local community and the frustration that the delays have caused.' An update to councillors in January said: 'Completion of the project continues to be challenging, primarily; as noted previously, due to contractor resources and sub-contractor availability. 'We are continuing to intensively manage the project and main contractor to achieve the earliest possible completion dates.' South Dublin County Council had originally refused to provide details of how much they had so far spent on the project. However, following an appeal under FoI laws, they disclosed that costs so far were €17.87m, which included €15.7m in payments to the main contractor. A further €702,000 was paid to an architectural firm while fees of €33,919 were paid to Irish Water and just over €20,000 to ESB Networks. That is unlikely to be the final bill, however, and local representatives have been warned that an overall cost of around €20m can be expected. Parts of the facility are in use, but the main swimming pool has yet to be opened to the public. 'The ongoing delays have been enormously frustrating, but I'm satisfied that the council has done everything in their power to expedite the project,' said Mr Ó Broin. 'What I would say is the way in which procurement rules are imposed on local bodies is far too rigid. It means that when something goes wrong, it's very difficult to resolve those issues in a timely manner. 'The council has done a large number of capital projects, including housing and community facilities, and none of those have had the kind of delays that this centre has.'
