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Irish Times
12-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
The real Temple Bar: Thriving cultural quarter or ‘a violent post-apocalyptic place'?
Ask any Dubliner where to go for pricey pints, tourist tat, and the type of 'traditional Irish' establishment they would never themselves frequent, and they'll happily give directions to Temple Bar . Ask them to point towards Dublin's cultural quarter, however, and they are likely to be a bit nonplussed. Temple Bar has, since its inception, been promoted as the city's cultural quarter, but most would agree it has strayed considerably from that vision. The origins of the present-day Temple Bar lie in a plan devised 50 years ago by CIÉ to develop a new central bus station for the city. From the mid-1970s the company began to buy up buildings, and the many derelict sites, in the area between Dame Street and the south Liffey quays with a view to levelling them for the new transport hub. Government funding was slow to follow the transport company's scheme, so with admirable fiscal rectitude CIÉ rented out the properties (those not in use as surface car parks at least) at low rents to Dublin's 'bohemian' set – artists, musicians and independent retailers – and in doing so sowed the seeds of the demise of its bus garage plans. READ MORE Taoiseach Charles Haughey saw an urban development opportunity, far beyond what had grown organically, and threw CIÉ under the bus, so to speak. He envisioned a district of 'attractive small places' with 'recording studios, places for the music industry, art galleries, studios' and also 'pubs, restaurants, discos – anything that contributes to a lively inner city young people's place'. An urban renewal act and a tax incentive scheme came into force in 1991, a development company – Temple Bar Properties – was established, and Temple Bar was born. People enjoying the pub scene in Temple Bar. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill It didn't take long before property prices began to rise, as they did across the city in the 1990s, and for the more lucrative enterprises – pubs, night clubs, hotels and restaurants, to start pushing out the artists and smaller independent operators. By end of the decade it had become a byword for hedonism, even targeted in 2001 by a Channel 4 documentary series of the type that focused on the bad behaviour of 'Brits abroad', though generally in sunnier climes. [ The rise and fall of the Temple Bar dream: 'I feared that our home would become uninhabitable' Opens in new window ] In part to counteract this image, the Noughties saw a definite shift in emphasis in the development of Temple Bar from growth to management, with Temple Bar Properties becoming the Temple Bar Cultural Trust in 2005. However, within a few years that entity had run into difficulties, with several reports and audits identifying financial, governance and regulatory weaknesses. In 2013 a decision was made to dissolve the trust and transfer its functions to Dublin City Council . People walk through Merchant's Arch in Temple Bar, Dublin. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill In 2016 the council published a public realm plan to improve the area, which resulted in not very much for quite a long time, but eventually in 2023 led to a €5 million upgrade of Temple Bar Square, the focal point of the eastern end of Temple Bar. The year 2016 also saw a significant intervention in the fight against overtourism in the district, spearheaded not by the council but by Temple Bar residents who sought a ruling on whether or not planning permission was required to use an apartment for holiday rentals. The council planners determined it was required, a ruling upheld by An Bord Pleanála . This ultimately led to a city-wide and then State-wide crackdown on the unauthorised use of homes for short-term letting, and while that battle goes on, it would never have started without the intervention of those residents. People passing through Temple Bar in the afternoon. Photographs: Dara Mac Dónaill The council has in recent years upped its game in efforts to rein in the worst excesses of Temple Bar, using the planning process. The 2022-2028 city development plan includes a number of provisions to guard against the expansion of pubs and takeaways, and to avoid the concentration of the types of shops which would 'reinforce particular activities in the area to the detriment of the cultural, residential and social functions of the area'. A number of planning applications have been refused by the council since these provisions were introduced, though some of these decisions have been overturned on appeal to An Bord Pleanála. The council has, in the last two years, increased the number of artists' studios in Temple Bar and plans to refurbish the long-closed Eden restaurant in Meeting House Square to provide more. It is also in the process of taking ownership of the historic Smock Alley Theatre at the western end of Temple Bar to create a new Dublin municipal theatre. Visitors outside Project Arts Centre in Temple Bar. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill Perhaps the council's most significant physical intervention in Temple Bar is its most recent: the removal of traffic from Parliament Street since July 4th, which is likely to attract more activity, from the eastern end of the district. Some in the quieter west end may have misgivings over what may be drawn upon them. The image of Temple Bar has been severely tarnished by several violent assaults – on tourists, as well as on two off-duty gardaí . The stark depiction by Judge Pauline Codd, at an assault sentencing hearing last year, said Temple Bar was becoming a ' a violent post-apocalyptic place'. 'It's shocking to see it, that people can't be safe down there. It makes it a no-go area for people.' The IFI in Temple Bar. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill People stroll through Cow's Lane in Temple Bar. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill Martin Harte, chief executive of business group the Temple Bar Company, says dystopian assessments are not fair characterisations of the area. 'I think a lot of the criticism and the view or positioning of Temple Bar comes from the late 1990s and early Noughties and that massive, mad drink culture. It was true then, there were queues outside every pub and hotel; it certainly isn't true now,' Harte says. He argues that there is an overconcentration of addiction and homeless services throughout the city centre. However, he believes the district is moving closer to the original vision of a cultural, entertainment area, but also a residential quarter. 'Certainly in last couple of years the vintage clothes shops are back, the tattoo parlours, the cafes, the cultural collectives, the private galleries – they've really come back. Of course some have been lost, but a huge amount have come, and Temple Bar has a thriving cultural scene. I think it's probably going to get closer to what people thought it might be in the first place. I think its best years are ahead of it,' Harte says.
Irish Times
10-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
CIÉ's pension saga could be coming to a head
Trade union members in the State-owned CIÉ transport group will next week start voting on whether to accept proposals aimed at bringing to an end a lengthy saga over the future of their two pension schemes. This week unions warned that without changes the entire group could collapse in a future economic downturn under the weight of pension liabilities which could reach up to €4 billion within eight years. Writing in the recently published annual report, chairman Aidan Murphy said the CIÉ Group 'has the largest pension deficit in the State'. [ CIÉ could collapse amid potential €4bn pension liabilities if asset values fall, unions tell workers Opens in new window ] He said the cost of benefits were unaffordable and the risk inherent in the schemes, when allowance was made for the size of the liabilities relative to the economic value of the group, was too high. Murphy said that pension reform had happened years ago in comparable semi-State schemes but efforts to do the same in the CIÉ group had been ongoing since 2018. In that period there has been a lot of argument over who should be responsible for the pension bills: should the company, or the State as the shareholder be on the hook. In the background several thousand former staff have not seen a pension increase in 17 years as the rows over the future of the schemes dragged on. Ultimately union members will have to decide on whether it is likely that a Government could allow the collapse of the transport companies. Private sector companies already provide many bus services. But is it likely there would be much private sector interest in running the rail network? Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien was careful that while he was supportive of the move to resolve the issues, he was not offering any guarantee with respect to any obligation or liabilities of CIÉ and/or the CIÉ pension schemes. But O'Brien will not be the only person in Government keeping a close eye on the vote at the CIÉ companies. Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers reminded Ged Nash of the Labour Party in a recent answer to a parliamentary question that under legislation and the code of practice for the governance of State bodies, he will also have to approve any move to amend or replace any existing pension scheme.
Irish Times
09-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
CIE pensions warning and paying for island living
The State-owned CIÉ transport group could collapse under the weight of its pension liabilities if asset values fell in any future economic downturn, trade unions have warned members in the companies. Martin Wall reports. As Denis O'Brien and Leslie Buckly go on the offensive against Corporate Enforcement Authority boss Ian Drennan following the decision not to take further action into a case involving the former Independent News & Media, John McManus writes on why they are trying to rewrite the history of the data breach row. Island living can sound idyllic, but there are plenty of things to understand if you are thinking about relocating from the mainland. Joanne Hunt shows you how in this week's Money Matters. Ireland's competitiveness is on a downward trend, and there remains a 'critical need' to address key infrastructure deficits, at a time when the country's economic outlook 'firmly tilted to the downside', according the findings of a major report. Colin Gleeson has the story. READ MORE Ireland's economy grew at a robust rate of nearly 5 per cent last year as consumers spent more on goods and services and exports from the multinational-dominated IT sector accelerated. Eoin Burke-Kennedy reports. Ireland's stock of physical infrastructure - from transport and and energy to housing and water - lags that of its international peers by approximately 32 per cent, a new report from the International Monetary Fund has indicated. The Washington-based financial institution published a research paper on Tuesday, assessing Ireland's 'public spending efficiency', benchmarking it against comparator countries in infrastructure, health and education. Eoin has the details. The developer of a major apartment scheme in Dublin has dropped 'controversial' elements of the design have been dropped in a new planning application after a first attempt was refused. As Jack Horgan-Jones and Gordon Deegan report, the revised planning application for just over 1,100 apartments at the former seminary site at Clonliffe College, Drumcondra, was submitted by developers Hines this week. The UK competition authority has started to scrutinise Greencore's planned £1.2 billion (€1.39 billion) purchase of London-based peer Bakkavor. Joe has the story. Specialist property lenders reduce lending to small and medium-sized businesses much more sharply than mainstream banks and general non-bank finance providers during periods of market shock, according to a new Central Bank study. Joe Brennan has the details. Negotiations between the European Union and the United States look like they have a number of more weeks to go before a tariff deal is agreed, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has said. Jack Power reports. As Donald Trump threatens a new wave of tariffs next month, Cliff Taylor looks at the issues at play, and the threat to Ireland. In Commercial Property, Ronald Quinlan reports on a former cinema in Kimmage on the market for €3 million, while Kennedy Wilson has secured a new tenant for its Chase building in Sandyford . If you'd like to read more about the issues that affect your finances try signing up to On the Money , the weekly newsletter from our personal finance team, which will be issued every Friday to Irish Times subscribers.
Irish Times
09-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
CIÉ could collapse amid potential €4bn pension liabilities if asset values fall, unions tell workers
The State-owned CIÉ transport group could collapse under the weight of its pension liabilities if asset values fell in any future economic downturn, trade unions have warned members in the companies. In a bulletin to members in Dublin Bus , Iarnród Éireann and Bus Éireann in advance of a ballot of proposed reforms, the unions maintained that without changes, pension liabilities at the group could, under some estimates, exceed €4 billion within eight years. If agreed, some of the proposed pension reforms would need to be underpinned by legislation. In a letter to Lorcan O'Connor , CIÉ group chief executive, Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien said if the proposed reforms were backed in the ballots he would 'support and actively progress the process for the preparation and consideration of statutory instruments' needed to bring about changes in the two pension schemes operated within the State transport companies. READ MORE However, Mr O'Brien warned that while he was fully supportive of this process, 'nothing in this letter should be construed as a guarantee by the Minister with respect to any obligation or liabilities of CIÉ and/or the CIÉ pension schemes, or as ministerial consent or confirmation of such statutory instruments'. In a joint document for members, trade unions including the National Bus and Rail Union, Siptu , Connect , Unite and the TSSA said all defined benefit schemes had liabilities which were the valuation of the future pensions promised under their terms. 'Under the funding standard, a defined benefit scheme must have assets in excess of the liabilities with headroom to allow for potential market volatility.' 'The current level of liabilities across both schemes is circa €2.7 billion and with a projected growth in staff, this has been forecasted to surpass €4 billion by 2033.' 'Therefore, in the event of a financial crash, as was the case in 2008, and if the schemes' assets dropped by 10 per cent – 20 per cent, this could collapse the schemes and potentially collapse the group', the report said. Some informed sources maintained that at present the economic value of the group, based on revenue, was about €1.8 billion. At present there are two pension schemes in CIÉ. Under the reform proposals both the regular wages scheme and what is known as the 1951 scheme would be closed to new members. The unions said such a move would 'effectively contain the liabilities to existing levels associated with existing members'. Under the proposed reforms future staff in the transport group would be covered by what is described as a new 'best in class' defined-contribution scheme where pension rates are determined by the amount in the individual's fund on retirement. 'Where new entrants choose to contribute 7 per cent of basic salary or above, their employer will contribute 12 per cent. There is also a range of other contribution levels available to members depending on their own circumstances.' Under the proposals, the group also agreed to provide €32 million to facilitate pension increases to those already retired and who have not had a raise in about 17 years. Such increases would range from 3 per cent to 5 per cent, depending on the date of retirement. The unions said they had sought support from the Minister 'to ensure an acknowledgment of the State's role as the sole shareholder of CIÉ' and that the letter from Mr O'Brien had achieved this purpose. 'The Minister states in the letter that, subject to acceptance of the proposal, he will 'support and actively progress' the process for the implementation of the statutory instruments (legislation), which will underpin your accrued and future benefits'. 'As we would have expected, the letter contains the standard caveats regarding 'guarantees' that have applied to other semi-States and in previous letters of support to CIÉ. This in no way seeks to, nor does it, undermine the clearly stated support from the Minister for Transport as sole shareholder for CIÉ.'
Irish Independent
05-07-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
Obituary: Brother Kevin Crowley, Capuchin friar who fed and clothed generations of people who fell through the cracks
Brother Kevin Crowley, a man of profound goodness and faith, who died on July 2, need have no fear of judgment. The Capuchin friar, who died in his 91st year, lived the values of his Catholic faith right to his fingertips. Through his work in the Capuchin Day Centre in Dublin, he fed and clothed generations of people who either fell through the cracks or the rest of society preferred to forget. 'And we never asked any questions,' was his unshakeable philosophy. As prosperity ebbed and flowed, the need for the vital services in Dublin's north inner city never eased. With more families experiencing homelessness, Brother Kevin and the centre were there to offer a hot meal or a food parcel — and respect, dignity and the knowledge that someone cared. As the cash machines pinged on Dublin's most fashionable streets in the run-up to Christmas every year, the queues for the Capuchin food vouchers grew longer and longer. The last person who would want to be eulogised would be Kevin Crowley. The only reason he even had a public profile was that fundraisers managed to convince him he was the face of the work, and people wanted to donate because they admired him. He was born William, in Enniskeane, Co Cork, in 1935, and his parents, William and Catherina (O'Donovan), had him baptised in the local parish church. Those were hungry days when the scars of the Civil War were still raw, and there were real fears that the new Free State might fail. After schooling locally, he worked for Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ) as a railway inspector, but he felt deeply the call of a religious vocation. It must have seemed like an act of insanity at that time, to leave a comfortable job for life to volunteer for a life of perpetual poverty. When he announced his shift in career at the boarding house where he lodged, the bean an tí confidently predicted he wouldn't last a week. But a gentle hand always seemed to guide Kevin, and he recently celebrated 67 years as a religious brother. He entered the Capuchin Postulancy in Co Kilkenny on April 7, 1958 — Easter Monday of that year. Before he entered, he called into a bookmaker to put a bet on a horse. Years later, he would recall with glee how he never found out how the horse fared, since radios and newspapers were forbidden in the community. Regardless of his fortunes on the racecourse, he found in his ministry a life dedicated to service that brought him priceless happiness. In 1968, he was asked to take over the running of a clothing guild on Church Street in Dublin to collect unwanted clothes for those in need. As he watched grown men rummaging through bins to try to feed their families, he quickly realised something more was needed, and the soup kitchen was born. There were brief stints at other Capuchin projects around the country, but his heart was always in the north inner city, and the proud Corkman quickly took to the Dublin wit. He was there to defend the church when he thought it was getting an unfair lashing Brother Kevin would always say that the people he served were not subjects of charity, but people with hopes and dreams in need of respect and dignity. He could be caustic about politicians, but saw that they could be a means to an end, and he would hold them to public commitments to do more to help the homeless. While he never gave in to despair about the challenges facing the church, he was there to defend it when he thought it was getting an unfair lashing. When a left-wing TD told the Dáil that she thought the church should be 'consigned to the dustbin of history', he told an interviewer that history would 'put her in the bin'. It was typical of his style of straight-talking and went hand in hand with his determination to never take no for an answer. Whenever a politician called, Brother Kevin was happy to oblige for a photo opportunity, but he would also bend their ear, and usually got what he wanted. He was passionately pro-life, and until recent years was a feature of the annual Pro-Life Campaign dinner. A disciple of St Francis, like his hero Pope Francis, he saw care for the vulnerable as part of the same Christian witness: whether the poor, the sick, the unborn, the homeless, the powerless, the addict or the elderly, he was a powerful advocate for those he saw as having no voice. Brother Kevin was never robust of health, but he wasn't one to mind himself too much either. He was awake each day at around 4.30am, and after going to the kitchens to turn everything on, it was back to the friary for two hours of prayer — sometimes, his confreres say, peppered with a well-deserved snooze in the chapel. He was not in thrall of celebrity, and the story is told about the day a famous folk singer arrived to announce he was donating the proceeds of one of his gigs to the Capuchin Day Centre. Brother Kevin had no idea who it was, but professed himself to be suitably grateful. He was proud of what his mission achieved, but depressed that it was still necessary. A crowning moment was when Pope Francis visited in 2018. As the papal motorcade made its way to the centre, he turned to a colleague and said: 'I never thought I'd see the day when the Pope would be coming to Bow Street.' We all know the vocations crisis facing the Catholic Church in Ireland, and it would be easy to see this as a mere sociological reality. But the pragmatic truth is that the fall in vocations means we will no longer have people such as Brother Kevin — people who will willingly embrace a life of poverty, putting their own needs aside to live their life for and alongside those most in need. His loss, and the loss of such people, will be felt far and wide.
