Latest news with #Kerry-based
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
No commitment to compensation for landowners affected by Roscommon fires
A delegation of local representatives, including Oireachtas members Michael Fitzmaurice TD (Independent Ireland), Claire Kerrane TD (Sinn Féin), Martin Daly TD (Fianna Fáil) and Senator Gareth Scahill (Fine Gael) met with the minister to discuss fires which burned over 500 acres in the Gorthaganny area alone. Turf banks, family farms, fencing and forestry investments were damaged by blazed which ripped through the area last month during a dry spell of weather. A large amount of a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) containing a rich variety of flora and fauna was also burned. Minister Healy-Rae described the damage as 'a very serious situation that has impacted people's land, livelihoods and long-term environmental assets' but did not commit to providing state compensation. A well-attended public meeting in Gorthaganny heard that most of the land burned in the fires was not insured. There is currently no government compensation available for landowners who lose forestry to fire. Minister Healy-Rae said the Department of Agriculture would continue to engage closely on the matter. He also confirmed that district inspectors would be deployed to assess the damage on the ground. 'We have to learn lessons from this and take every step to ensure proper support, coordination, and prevention going forward. My department will continue to engage constructively, and I've asked our local forestry teams to prioritise inspections in the area,' said the Kerry-based TD. Speaking on Shannonside FM, Roscommon-Galway TD Martin Daly said there was 'no indication' that any compensation would be granted to landowners. 'In fairness to Minister Healy-Rae, he was honest with people there and I think the people who have suffered losses, which some of the representatives from Gorthaganny had, they understood what he was saying to them,' he said. 'Now, they may not have liked all the answers he gave them, but it was an honest conversation.' The National Parks and Wildlife Service have assessed the area and are preparing a remediation plan for the damage done to the SAC.
Irish Independent
12-06-2025
- Science
- Irish Independent
Kerry exhibition to show how old maps could help to restore Ireland's boglands
The temporary exhibition is part of the RePEAT (Rediscovering Ireland's Peatlands in Precarious Times) project, which seeks to identify ways to reduce the management intensity of peatlands. It has been running since Monday, June 10 and will be officially launched on Thursday, June 12 at 7pm. The launch will feature presentations from researchers and a Q&A session. The display demonstrates RePEAT's use and interpretation of the maps and reports of the early 19th century Bogs Commission and contemporary satellite and land use data. The Bogs Commission maps were created to enable the drainage of Ireland's peatlands to expand farming or industry. However, RePEAT scholars have used the maps to model the extent of peatlands in Ireland before drainage was carried out. The digitisation of the Bogs Commission maps, said to be 'astonishingly accurate', have been used alongside land-use data to help identify present-day agricultural areas located on peat soils. This will allow discussion to take place on possible avenues for restoration of the peatlands. Kerry-based artist Karen Hendy's work exploring changes within the natural environment is also on show at the exhibition. The RePEAT exhibition will run at Kerry County Museum until June 29. Those interested in finding out more can contact education@
Irish Independent
04-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Staff at Bord na Móna bin collection service to go on strike this month over planned sale
A Siptu spokesperson said its members have rejected a proposal brokered at the Workplace Relations Commission to resolve the dispute. The industrial action will begin with a one-day strike on Thursday June 19 and will ramp up to two days of stoppages the following week, and three days the week after that. Bord na Móna Recycling provides wheelie bin and waste collection services to up to 135,000 customers in Leinster and Munster. It has customers in Carlow, Kildare, Laois, Limerick, Meath, Offaly, Roscommon, Tipperary, Westmeath, Wexford and Wicklow. Bord na Móna has announced plans to sell the company to Kerry-based KWD Recycling. Siptu officials said it is the country's last publicly owned domestic waste-collection service and warned prices could rise if the number of operators shrinks. Siptu divisional organiser Adrian Kane said the workers' strike committee met last night and unanimously agreed to reinstate a notice of strike and industrial action. He said notice was served on the company today 'and our members are determined to see this through'. 'Our members don't want to be in this position but feel they have no choice,' he said. He said the primary reason they rejected the proposal was due to an alleged failure of the company to agree a Registered Employment Agreement. ADVERTISEMENT Mr Kane said this would guarantee the workers' terms and conditions were protected in the event of a sale. 'The fire sale of Bord na Móna Recycling is bad for workers, customers, and the environment,' he said. 'It makes no economic or environmental sense. 'Why privatise the last remaining publicly owned domestic waste provider?'
Irish Independent
06-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Legal bill at Airborne Capital hits €4.2m after it is sued in UK
The scale of the firm's mounting legal bill is revealed in the latest set of publicly-available accounts for Airborne Capital, which is a specialised aircraft leasing and asset management firm. The fees compared to just $443,000 incurred by the company in 2023. They were $2.3m in 2022. Airborne Capital is embroiled in a legal battle with former shareholder, UK-based InterGlobe Aircraft Management Services (IGAM), a unit of InterGlobe Enterprises that owns India's largest airline, IndiGo. IGAM has sued Airborne CEO and co-founder Ramki Sundaram and the Irish firm's chief financial officer, Anand Ramachandran. InterGlobe has also sued a UK-based entity called Airwayy Partnership, which controls 90pc of Airborne Capital's ordinary shares. All the defendants are being represented by London-based global law firm Slaughter & May. IGAM has claimed they and Airborne conspired to deliberately mislead it and induce it to sell an interest in the business 'at a far lower price than it otherwise would have done'. Airborne Capital has insisted IGAM has no basis for the $28m (€25m) claim. The firm has said the claims made against it and its directors 'have no basis in fact or law'. InterGlobe first invested in Airborne Capital in early 2019, acquiring a 42.5pc stake from Kerry-based financial services firm Fexco and taking a total 65pc shareholding in Airborne. That involved InterGlobe investing $73m in Airborne. Fexco retains a working relationship with Airborne Capital. In 2022, InterGlobe exited Airborne via an agreement whereby it received an upfront cash consideration of $43.2m and profit participating notes valued at $30.3m. But InterGlobe claims the defendants misrepresented revenues by more than $15m in order to adversely impact Airborne Capital's valuation, resulting in InterGlobe selling its interest in the leasing firm 'at a discount to the full value'. The case remains open, according to official court records. The latest set of accounts for Airborne Capital show that it made a $4.3m pre-tax loss last year, compared to a $1.5m profit in 2023. Revenue last year rose to $19m from $15.1m the year before. Had the firm's legal bill not jumped, it would have been closer to a break-even position. In 2024, the trend of increased travel continued with airlines returning to profitability, the directors note in the newly-filed accounts. 'Capital markets and investor demand for new aviation issuances/exposures is rebounding, offering aircraft trading and other opportunities,' they added. Earlier this year, Airborne Capital and Daiwa Securities confirmed a joint venture to create Daiwa Airborne. Airborne Capital said it continues to pursue emerging opportunities, supported by its business alliance with Daiwa Securities, that will offer 'comprehensive support' to high-net-worth individuals and corporations through Japanese Operating Lease products and the management of leasing services. Last year, activist investment giant Elliott increased its stake in Airborne Capital by way of about $3m in payment-in-kind equity notes.
