'It's crazy': Mother and her newborn without water for six days in North Cork village
The cases have been highlighted by local councillors who claim that Uisce Éireann is letting potentially hundreds of thousands of litres of water leak daily as a result of its decision to reduce the number of repair crews in the region.
Senior county council officials have agreed to write to the utility as a matter of urgency.
In particular, councillors are pointing to Uisce Éireann's decision to halve the number of repair crews, from two to one, in the Fermoy Municipal District Council area which covers Ballyhooly.
The North Cork village has been dogged by water outages for many months, primarily due to an ageing water main which is constantly fracturing.
Water cut off for five days
A recent leak left residents without any water supply from a Thursday to the following Tuesday.
Fianna Fáil councillor Frank O'Flynn claimed the crew reduction is leading to the three main towns in the district — Fermoy, Mitchelstown, and Doneraile — getting priority, with other areas forced to wait if there are leaks.
He raised the issues in Ballyhooly, and both he and Fine Gael councillor Kay Dawson described it as 'ironic' that the utility has introduced a hosepipe ban when it has been ignoring leaks for months on end.
'None of this[hosepipe ban] makes any sense when these leaks aren't being fixed. This is where the water is being wasted in huge quantities,' Mitchelstown-based Ms Dawson said.
Mr O'Flynn said. 'Having just one [repair crew] is absolutely crazy. It isn't good enough and not fair on the existing crew. They are working above and beyond call of duty.'
Repair crew 'can only cover major emergencies'
Northern Division chairman Independent councillor William O'Leary said he had spoken with the only crew left in the Fermoy municipal area and was told they couldn't even travel to the region's second-largest town, Mitchelstown, unless there is a major emergency there.
As a result, he said that villages like Ballyhooly are way down the pecking order when it comes to carrying out repairs.
Labour councillor Ronan Sheehan said a similar issue is happening in the Duhallow region in the North-West of the county.
Fianna Fáil councillor Bernard Moynihan, who lives in that region, said the utility is struggling to cope with the problems.
'There's huge issues with leaks in Boherbue and Freemount. It's brutal. There are fewer teams on the ground to repair them. It's an absolute disaster,' he said.
Northern Division manager Niall Healy said he would raise the issue with the utility as a matter of urgency.
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Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
Letters to the Editor, August 6th: On monitoring public spending, housing solutions and landlords' rent roll
Sir, – Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe, and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Jack Chambers, have announced funding worth billions for Uisce Éireann and the electricity infrastructure, to facilitate housing projects in areas where water and electricity supplies are way behind what is needed. The environment, of course, should be prioritised in all of these ventures. Because of the vast amounts involved, I suggest an independent body be established to scrutinise every cent that is used by Uisce Éireann, the electricity upgrades, the developers and builders and what type of housing is to be built. These accounts should be made public as the projects proceed so that there is no waste of public money – there has been so much waste in the past. We have a right to know how money is spent in all aspects of work promised by the Government. We need accountability and an independent body with real teeth and powers of disclosure would prevent the profiteering that happens all too often in major projects. READ MORE The Government owes it to the people of Ireland that they will not be hoodwinked again by terms like 'Housing For All' – that is obviously a joke in the current emergency. – Yours, etc, KEVIN BYRNE, Bantry, Co Cork. Tackling the housing market Sir, – In his always interesting articles , David McWilliams addresses the housing crisis for the second week in a row (' An answer to Ireland's housing crisis is right behind us ,' August 2nd). He repeats the generally accepted explanation for the crisis, that of an ever-increasing demand outstripping a supply apparently incapable of catching up. He recommends that immigration numbers need to be capped on the demand side and barriers to supply need to be reduced. Few media economists mention the negative effect of corporations and individuals using the housing market to get a better return on investment. Because of the crisis, these investment funds and a significant number of private individuals buy houses because the high rents and rising house prices are a far better option than bank deposits or shares. Until the crisis is over – and currently there is no sign that this is anywhere in sight – we should call on our politicians to pass legislation to the effect that no one could buy a house in which they were not going to live. The removal of the investors and speculators from the demand side of the market would leave more room for people who need to buy homes. The right to private property enshrined in the Constitution is, according to the same Article 43, 'regulated by the principles of social justice'. To paraphrase Mr McWilliams, it is worth greenlighting such a proposal in a crisis. – Yours, etc, LEE HEALY, Ballincollig, Co Cork. Sir, – David McWilliams's column, presents a provocative and timely solution to the housing crisis by promoting 'YIMBYism' – the construction of small homes in back gardens. While I fully understand and share the urgency of the need to increase housing supply, I must caution against uncritically embracing this idea without examining its longer-term environmental and social consequences, especially for cities like Dublin. Garden development may seem like a no-brainer in a crisis, but we must recognise that public urgency should never override sustainability. Dublin already faces significant challenges due to climate change, including increasing flood risks, rising seasonal temperatures, and infrastructure stretched beyond capacity. Gardens are one of the few permeable surface areas left in our urban landscape and replacing them with impermeable housing will worsen surface runoff, overwhelm drainage systems, and heighten flood dangers. This runs counter to the sustainable drainage and climate resilience strategies our city so desperately needs. Gardens are not just vacant land; they are the backbone of the city's green infrastructure. With Dublin's urban tree canopy already among the lowest in Europe, averaging around 10 per cent, and lower still in many built-up areas, garden spaces support urban biodiversity, regulate heat, and offer mental and physical health benefits for residents. Paving over this resource may offer momentary relief, but it will leave our city more vulnerable and less liveable in the decades to come. If garden homes are to be considered, they must be subject to rigorous environmental criteria: prioritising permeable surfaces, retaining trees, incorporating quality design standards, and ensuring that these homes add to, rather than subtract from, the social and environmental fabric of our communities. 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The 85 per cent higher gross household income of those with a second property is most likely to be largely explained by higher salaries/income that have enabled them to buy a second property in the first place rather than income from this property. Interestingly, Sirr doesn't elaborate on the sharp drop off in the income difference when comparing gross to net (85 per cent dropping to 56 per cent). This is likely to be disproportionately impacted by how rental income is taxed, a topic that bizarrely is largely ignored in the media. With income tax of 40 per cent, USC of 8 per cent and PRSI of 4 per cent all applying, the small landlord is left with 48 per cent of the rent after Revenue takes the majority. Deduct an annual management fee, some repairs, time lost to constantly changing regulatory requirements, and the psychological burden of being consistently vilified in the media, and you are more likely to get a real insight into 'How much do small landlords really earn' and why they are exiting the market. – Yours, etc, EMMETT McCRANN, Kilmainham, Dublin 8. Sir, – I was intrigued by the headline to Lorcan Sirr's Opinion piece. And almost immediately disappointed that the article moved on from the very salient issue of landlord incomes within a few column inches. It was interesting to learn that, according to CSO data, the gross household income of small landlords was 85 per cent higher than that of non-landlords, with net income 56 per cent higher. What I would have liked more clarity and analysis on, however, was if that 'net' figure is simply net of tax or net of tax and other costs, such as mortgage principal payments, maintenance and compliance? 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The fact that the values of these estates are matters of public record does not make them of public interest. What purpose is served by publishing this, aside from identifying bereaved family members who may have benefitted from these estates? – Yours, etc, BRENDAN McCARTHY, Islington, London. Brought to book Sir, – Maureen Dowd is enthused by men who read novels (' Books are sexy and men who enjoy reading are attractive ', August 4th). Seemingly a 'man staring into a phone is not sexy. But a man with a book has become so rare . . .' I wonder does a Kindle e-book qualify ? – Yours, etc, MIKE MORAN, Clontarf, Dublin 3. Sir, – In relation to the article by Maureen Dowd, would she please confirm it also applies to old guys who read The Irish Times! – Yours, etc, JOE WALSH, Dublin 13.
Irish Independent
21 hours ago
- Irish Independent
IDA accused of ignoring Wicklow with less than 30 site visits in a decade
Fianna Fáil Deputy Malcom Byrne has obtained figures which show in the period 2015 to 2024, there have been just 29 visits to County Wicklow organised by the IDA for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) companies. This is out of over 6,000 visits across the country. The 2024 IDA Annual Report showed employment levels within the FDI sector remain above 300,000 for the third consecutive year. The 2024 employment figure of 302,566 represented a slight increase (0.2%) in client employment over 2023 and accounted for 10.8% of overall national employment. IDA Ireland's portfolio now comprises more than 1,800 clients across a range of sectors in every county in Ireland. Deputy Byrne has asked for clarity on why the number of visits is so low. 'The IDA need to be honest as to why there have been so few visits to Wicklow over the past decade and if there are issues with infrastructure or skills as to why they are not bringing companies to the county, they need to spell that out.' 'To tell the truth Wexford does not fare much better with just 41 visits in a decade and I worry that IDA headquarters don't know that the M11 exists.' In response the IDA highlighted that site visits are only one measure of a company's interest in a particular location and may not be a true measure of the overall level of foreign direct investment activity in a region or county. 70pc of FDI won by IDA Ireland in 2024 came from its existing client base, rather than new companies.
Irish Times
a day ago
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on the budget debate: striking a difficult balance
A clear danger is emerging in the run up to October's budget. It is that all the spare cash available will be spent as Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael each try to get as many of their own policies into the package as they can, with the Independents also pitching in. Rather than taking a balanced view of the outlook, the negotiations thus turn into a haggling exercise. There were media reports this weekend of – unnamed– ministers saying that the economic outlook had not changed much and the budget can go ahead as planned. In this context, pressure will come on, in addition to the €9.4 billion package of tax cuts and spending increases outlined in the Summer Economic Statement, to have additional once-off measures. Ministerial statements, while suggesting there will not be a full cost-of-live package, have become more equivocal on this point. Ministers may be correct to believe that the short-term budgetary outlook has not changed markedly, with the US and EU striking a trade deal. But two points are relevant here. The first is that the two sides have really just set a framework for future talks and a lot remains to be signed off. Also, a separate US investigation into the pharma sector carries danger for Ireland., The second point is that, as Gabriel Makhlouf, the governor of the Central Bank has said, the Government needs to be careful not to add further demand to an already strongly-growing economy. This is all the more the case given the significant planned increase in State investment. READ MORE The balance will be hard to get right. But it must err towards caution. As well as the short-term issues, the economy is now facing significant uncertainties over the next few years. The trade environment is far from settled and tensions between the US and EU may still emerge. Meanwhile, the US president is determined to attract pharma investment back to the US from countries such as Ireland and this could threaten both jobs and tax revenue. And that is before we consider a troubled and rapidly changing international political situation. Ignoring these factors and squabbling over budget giveaways is the wrong approach.
