Latest news with #SkelligMichael
Irish Times
19 hours ago
- General
- Irish Times
Rev Philip McKinley: ‘My children call me silly, old and rusty. I'm only 44′
How agreeable are you? My role as a Church of Ireland clergyman is profoundly relational. I work with a huge amount of committed volunteers and with people when they're sick and struggling. They are agreeable with me, so I hope I'm agreeable with them. My role couldn't function if I were either a people pleaser or inflexible. What's your middle name and what do you think of it? I have two middle names, Richard and George. George is my maternal grandfather's first name and also my paternal grandfather's first name. Richard is a family name that stretches back to the last Church of Ireland archbishop Richard Lawrence, of whom I'm descended. However, I was specifically named after my half-uncle, Maj Richard McKinley, who died in Monte Casino on March 16th, 1944, aged 25, fighting for the 16th Punjabi Division of the Indian army. No one ever calls me Richard or George. Where was your favourite place in Ireland? Skellig Michael, Co Kerry. It's beyond words, a place of mesmerising solitude and contemplation. I have only visited once, but it left a profound impression. Just before I was to be ordained as a priest, I made inquiries to request that I stay overnight, alone in a beehive cell, to prepare myself for what lay ahead. I wasn't successful in my application, but if an opportunity did arise, I would love to stay there just one night. Although preferably not in winter. Describe yourself in three words I asked my four children if I was cool or silly. In roaring unison, they replied that I was silly. My six-year-old daughter added that, even though I'm only 44, I was also old and rusty. There you have it: Silly. Old. Rusty. READ MORE [ Prof Ian Robertson: 'My father was more like a brother, and my brother was more like a father' Opens in new window ] When did you last get angry? I don't think I get angry too often. I am passionate about things, and this can lead to disappointments and frustrations. What have you lost that you would like to have back? It's not a personal loss. I'm based in St Bridget's Cathedral in Kildare. In 1185, a famous Welsh historian named Gerald Wales came to the monastery and read from a spectacular copy of the Gospels, which was produced in the scriptorium of the Kildare monastery. Gerald said the book was so beautiful it must have been the work, not of men, but of angels. Scholars agree there was once a Book of Kildare, which they say was on a par with the Book of Kells. I would love a geophysical survey or an archaeological dig to uncover this spectacular manuscript again. What's your strongest childhood memory? Probably experiences with my grandparents, like eating exquisitely delicious tomatoes from my grandfather's greenhouse, tasting sherry that my grandmother would let me have a sip of, or bathing in my other grandmother's pine-flavoured Radox bubble bath with bubbles up to the brim. Where do you come in your family's birth order and has this defined you? I was the youngest for 8½ years, and then my throne was usurped by my younger brother, Ian. He went on to play international rugby for Italy – with one eye, I might add – so he has definitely overshadowed me! [ Photographer John Minihan: 'I've seen a lot of heartache in my life but I've never been unhappy' ] What do you expect to happen when you die? I believe that after the death of my body, I will face God's judgment. This might sound scary, but it's also deeply reassuring, as there will be ultimate justice for those who exercised good in life and those who did not. I also believe there is eternal life after physical, earthly life. When were you happiest? A richer term for me is when you are at peace. Life can be full of these moments, from spectacular examples such as my wedding day, my beautiful wife, Julie, or the birth of my four children, or simple moments like having a fresh coffee on a Monday morning. The 17th-century French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal famously said that all the world's problems stem from man's inability to sit still in a room. Which actor would play you in a biopic about your life? Although we're not the same age, I admire the actor Gabriel Byrne. He trained to be a priest for five years, so he might have some sympathies for the role. What is your biggest career/personal regret? It's difficult within my current work to do personal projects because I am committed to serving, but I love to compose music. I've written hundreds of songs, but I've never adequately carved out space to record and perform my music. Have you any psychological quirks? When I was training for ordination, I undertook some psychological and personality tests. One test revealed that I was a very high activist and a very low contemplative. My lecturer told me that I needed to, and I quote, 'Protest less and pray more'. I'm working on that. In conversation with Tony Clayton-Lea
BreakingNews.ie
05-06-2025
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Skellig Michael boat trips can resume, court rules
The High Court has given the go-ahead for boat trips to Skellig Michael to resume. Mr Justice Garrett Simons granted an application by the Office of Public Works (OPW) to lift an automatic suspension on landing at the Unesco heritage site and former monastic island, which was also used as a film location for the Star Wars movies, The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. Advertisement The order will allow the OPW to enter into a legally binding contract with each of 15 boat operators who were successful in the public competition for permits to land on the island off the Kerry coast. The landing season runs from mid-May to the end of September each year. Those landing permits were automatically suspended when two unsuccessful bidders brought a High Court challenge to the decision. The OPW then had to apply to the court asking that the stay be lifted pending hearing of the substantive challenge. The unsuccessful bidders, Atlantic Endeavour Ltd and SMBT Ltd, trading as Skellig Michael Boat Trips, disagreed with the OPW interpretation of the legal effect of the automatic suspension. They contended that there are a number of mechanisms open whereby landing permits might legitimately be granted to the successful tenderers for the balance of the 2025 season, while preserving their own right to challenge the allocation of landing permits for the 2026 and subsequent seasons. Advertisement Mr Justice Simons heard the application to lift the suspension this week and on Thursday ordered that it be lifted. He said the practical effect of this order is that it will now be legally permissible for the OPW to issue landing permits to the 15 successful tenderers for the balance of the 2025 season. This will allow for the commencement of passenger landings at Skellig Michael, or Sceilg Mhichíl in Irish. He said his judgment entails no finding whatsoever on whether the outcome of the tender process allows the OPW to confine the right to land passengers on Sceilg Mhichíl to the 15 successful tenderers for a five-year period. Advertisement The proper interpretation of the request for tender and associated documentation, and the legal consequences of the tender process, remain open for debate at the trial of the action, he said. The judgment, he said "goes no further" than deciding that the execution of concession contracts does not result in the crystallisation of a contractual right on the part of the successful tenderers to exclusive landing rights for the 2026 and subsequent seasons. He said the significance of this finding is that the unsuccessful tenderers are not relegated to a claim for certain damages in respect of the 2026 and subsequent seasons. The only right which the OPW seeks to translate into a concluded contract, prior to the determination of the full High Court challenge, is confined to the 2025 landing season,he said. He said he was listing the substantive action for the alleged breaches of the public procurement legislation in July.
Irish Times
05-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
High Court gives go ahead for Skellig Michael boat trips to resume
The High Court has given the go ahead for boat trips to Skellig Michael off the Co Kerry coast to resume. Mr Justice Garrett Simons granted an application by the Office of Public Works (OPW) to lift an automatic suspension on landing at the Unesco heritage site and former monastic island, which was also used as a location for the Star Wars films, The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. The order will allow the OPW to enter into a legally binding contract with each of 15 boat operators who were successful in the public competition for permits to land on the island. The landing season runs from mid-May to the end of September each year. The landing permits were automatically suspended when two unsuccessful bidders brought a High Court challenge to the decision. The OPW then had to apply to the court asking that the stay be lifted pending hearing of the substantive challenge. READ MORE The unsuccessful bidders – Atlantic Endeavour Ltd and SMBT Ltd, trading as Skellig Michael Boat Trips – disagreed with the OPW interpretation of the legal effect of the automatic suspension. They contended that there are a number of mechanisms open whereby landing permits might legitimately be granted to the successful tenderers for the balance of the 2025 season, while preserving their own right to challenge the allocation of landing permits for the 2026 and subsequent seasons. Mr Justice Simons heard the application to lift the suspension this week and on Thursday ordered that it be lifted. He said the practical effect of this order is that it will now be legally permissible for the OPW to issue landing permits to the 15 successful tenderers for the balance of the 2025 season. This will allow for the commencement of passenger landings at Skellig Michael, or Sceilg Mhichíl in Irish. He said his judgment entails no finding whatsoever on whether the outcome of the tender process allows the OPW to confine the right to land passengers on Sceilg Mhichíl to the 15 successful tenderers for a five-year period. The proper interpretation of the request for tender and associated documentation, and the legal consequences of the tender process, remain open for debate at the trial of the action, he said. The judgment, he said 'goes no further' than deciding that the execution of concession contracts does not result in the crystallisation of a contractual right on the part of the successful tenderers to exclusive landing rights for the 2026 and subsequent seasons. He said the significance of this finding is that the unsuccessful tenderers are not relegated to a claim for certain damages in respect of the 2026 and subsequent seasons. The only right which the OPW seeks to translate into a concluded contract, before the determination of the full High Court challenge, is confined to the 2025 landing season, the judge said. He said he was listing the substantive action for the alleged breaches of the public procurement legislation in July.
Irish Times
03-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
‘Livelihoods are at stake': High Court to decide this week on lifting of Skellig Michael boats suspension
A High Court judge has said he will decide this week whether or not to lift a suspension on boating permits needed to ferry people to and from Skellig Michael, saying 'people's livelihoods are at stake'. The permits have not been issued while legal proceedings are before the courts in the form of a judicial review of the tendering process. At the High Court on Tuesday, Mr Justice Garrett Simons said he was 'staggered' by the assertion by lawyers for the Office of Public Works (OPW) that it would need six months to prepare the case. He ordered the case would be heard next month and would get 'top priority'. READ MORE The granting of permits to successful applicants is on hold pending a judicial review taken against the OPW by two companies who were unsuccessful in their applications to the government body for the 2025 season, which runs from May to the end of September. The OPW had run a competition in late 2024 to award 15 boating permits for summer 2025 to serve the Co Kerry island, which was chosen as a film location for the Star Wars movies The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. The OPW has said that under Irish and EU law it was precluded from issuing permits for the 2025 summer season until legal proceedings were resolved. Skellig Michael Boat Trips and Atlantic Endeavour Limited both dispute the process underpinning the granting of the licences, alleging it to be 'deficient' and 'without transparency'. They have been granted permission for the challenge. David Dodd, for the plaintiffs, told Mr Justice Simons nobody wanted the boats not to visit the island. He said permits could be granted by the court in an interim fashion and the issuing of a one-season permit was not a 'contract' as contended by the OPW. Mr Dodd said he was resisting a suggested 'five-year framework' on the OPW's granting of the permits as part of a contract, but the plaintiffs also wanted to see the boats out. He said the OPW in applying to the court to have the suspension lifted had referred to a 'contract' having to be in place for the boats to take to sea. There should be no such 'contract' and permits issued were akin to planning permission or a gun permit being granted, neither or which, he said, were 'contracts' nor necessitated frameworks. A permit is a statutory one without an offer or an acceptance as found in a contract, he said. Whether or not this granting amounted to a 'contract' was a matter for the full hearing of the main case, Mr Dodd said. 'We are happy, however, for the suspension to be lifted,' he said. Mr Justice Simons asked Andrew Beck SC, for the OPW, how it was looking for six months to prepare for this 'most straightforward case of competition for licences'. Mr Beck said there was discovery of documents needed, amendments to make and a possible issue around cross-examination. The judge said he was 'staggered' the case would take up to six months to get on. Mr Justice Simons said he would rule on Thursday whether or not he would lift the suspension of the permits. He adjourned the main hearing to July 21st.
BreakingNews.ie
03-06-2025
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Skellig Michael delayed boat permits row to be decided this week
A High Court judge has given "top priority" for a case involving the granting of boat permits to ferry people to Skellig Michael. Mr Justice Garrett Simon's will decide this week whether or not to lift a suspension on boating permits needed to bring tourists to and from the UNESCO heritage island Skellig Michael, saying "people's livelihoods are at stake". Advertisement The permits have not been issued while legal proceedings are before the courts in the form of a judicial review of the tendering process. At the High Court on Tuesday Mr Justice Garret Simons said he was "staggered" by the assertion made by lawyers for the Office of Public Works (OPW) claiming it would need six months to prepare the case and ordered it to be heard next month, giving it "top priority". The granting of permits to successful applicants was delayed as two companies who were unsuccessful in their applications for the 2025 season, which runs from May to the end of September launched a legal challenge. The OPW ran a competition in late 2024 to award 15 boating permits for summer 2025 and serving the monastic island, which was chosen as a film location for the Star Wars movies The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. Advertisement However, in April 2025, two unsuccessful participants in the competition brought High Court proceedings challenging the outcome of the competition. The OPW has said that under Irish and EU law, the OPW was then precluded from issuing permits for the 2025 summer season until legal proceedings were resolved. Skellig Michael Boat Trips and Atlantic Endeavour Limited both dispute the process underpinning the granting of the licences, alleging it to be "deficient" and "without transparency" and have been granted permission for the challenge. At the High Court Davud Dodd BL, for the plaintiffs, told Mr Justice Simons that nobody wanted the boats to not visit the island and that permits could be granted by the court in an interim fashion, as the issuing of a one-season permit was not a "contract", as contended by the OPW. Advertisement 'Five-year framework' Mr Dodd said he was resisting a suggested "five-year framework" on the OPW's granting of the permits as part of a contract but that the plaintiffs also wanted to see the boats out. Mr Dodd said the OPW in applying to the court to have the suspension lifted had referred to a "contract" having to be in place for the boats to take to sea. Mr Dodd said there should be no such "contract" and that permits issued were akin to planning permission or a gun permit being granted, neither or which, he claimed, were "contracts" nor necessitated frameworks. Mr Dodd said that a permit is a statutory permit without an offer or an acceptance as found in a contract. Advertisement Whether or not this granting amounted to a "contract", was a matter for the full hearing of the substantive case, he said. "We are happy, however, for the suspension to be lifted," he said. Documents Mr Justice Simons asked Andrew Beck SC, for the OPW, how it was possible that the OPW was looking for six months to prepare the case in what the judge described as "the most straightforward case of competition for licences". Mr Beck said there was discovery of documents needed, amendments to make and a possible issue around cross examination. Mr Justice Simons said he was "staggered" that the case would take up to six months to get on and that there were "livelihoods" at stake. The judge said the court would give the case "top priority", adding that the court had "gone out of its way" to facilitate an early trial. Mr Justice Simons said he would rule on Thursday of this week on whether or not he would lift the suspension of the permits and adjourned the substantive hearing of the judicial review to July 21st.
