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The Journal
3 days ago
- Lifestyle
- The Journal
Be independent, make mistakes and start yoga - Dublin's 100-year-olds tell us how to live a long life
HOPING TO LIVE to the age of 100? Well, it's easier than you think, according to Dublin's centenarians. 'Yoga keeps you right,' said 100-year-old Eileen Duffy. Duffy, a proud Dublin northsider who now lives in Dún Laoghaire, was one of 15 people over the age of 100 honoured today at a special teatime event hosted by Lord Mayor Emma Blain. Asked about the secrets to her long and happy life, Eileen told us: 'As you get older, you have to try the yoga'. 'It's tougher to do, but whatever you can do will do you good. I do it every week!' she added. The Journal / YouTube 'I try to be as independent as possible – never worry about anything like that.' She said that Dublin city has changed a lot since she was younger – 'especially the busses'. Teresa Deasy, a fellow Dubliner, also attended the event. Teresa, who is 104 years old, was one of the first to receive her certificate from the Lord Mayor today, and was the oldest attendant. There's currently less than a thousand people in Ireland aged 100 or over, according to the latest CSO data – a fact which doesn't seem to bother Teresa. Teresa Deasy pictured with Lord Mayor Emma Blain. Cliodhna Travers / The Journal Cliodhna Travers / The Journal / The Journal 'I didn't think I'd reach 100, but it just came along,' 104-year-old Teresa Deasy said of the milestone. Asked on her tips for a long and happy life, Teresa said to 'take things as they come'. Advertisement She was joined at the special event by her son Michael, who flew in from Argentina to mark the occasion. At another table, Dympna Coyne told us that she 'can't really believe' her age. Dympna said that she had reached the age of 100 because she 'just went on and on and everything was good, I enjoyed everything'. Dympna Coyne. Cliodhna Travers / The Journal Cliodhna Travers / The Journal / The Journal Any advice for young people? 'Let them make mistakes, do the right things, enjoy and learn,' she told us. Teatime celebrations Fourteen of the city's centenarians, as well as the family of another, attended the ceremony in the Mansion House on Dawson Street this afternoon, where they were presented with special certificates from the Lord Mayor Emma Blain. Speaking at the event, she said that it was a 'privilege' to welcome the centenarians to the Mansion House. 'I've always said that Dublin is a very special city, and what makes it so special is our people, and I think that all of you here today prove that there's definitely either something in the water or something in the air,' Blain said. Lord Mayor Emma Blain with Winnie Smith Cliodhna Travers / The Journal Cliodhna Travers / The Journal / The Journal She praised former Dublin City Council Senior Housing Welfare Officer Frank Goodwin, who originally conceived of the Dublin City Centenarians Project in the 1990s. Frank, now retired and in his 80s, attended the event today. 'I hope I'm here in a couple of decades!' Frank told The Journal . Frank said that the idea for the centenarians project was inspired by the presidential awards given to people who reach 100. 'We said it would be nice if we had an event like that in the city for people living in Dublin,' Frank said. 'Families were invited out for a special day and given a scroll by the Lord Mayor at the time. For those aged over 100 that couldn't make it, I went out personally to make that they got it,' he added. Speaking of his excitement at the event, he said: 'There's a great vibe, and it's a just happy event and a lovely thing to give people that recognition at that age.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Kinsale, an elite address with a top price to match
It's the stuff of legends, the days in England, when lodging houses supposedly had signs in windows saying 'No Irish need apply.' Is Kinsale's property market getting close to the same point? A cursory scan of prices in estate agency windows and online property portals for places with a Kinsale address certainly might give that clear impression — of the 60 to 70 sale offers in and around Kinsale and the coastline, 15 of them have asking prices in excess of €1 million, and with buyers often jetting or sailing in from overseas. Some 15, or up to a quarter of the current available supply to purchase, are priced in excess of €1m?? Yup, only in Kinsale, where the Price Register shows over 70 sales of Kinsale address properties fetching that sum, and more. There's been over a dozen fetch in excess of €2m, with several having make just over and under €5m (up to €5.5 million for a modern build, Seaspray in Scilly, ye gods). Of that 70+ current available to buy listings (71 this week on Myhome, 58 listings on Daft), increasingly more and more of the tally offered at this not inconsiderable sum are new-builds, such as Watersland and The Belvedere, whilst large villas up on the Ramparts — on the old Mercy Convent site — will set blistering new multi-million euro price levels for new stock in Munster once completed and throw Kinsale's high-end home maket back into national and even international headlines. Ever before those vast villas launched at the convent, various analysts show Kinsale to be among the very priciest locations for property anywhere on the island of Ireland. Thanks to several high-end schemes at present, the average price for new-builds in Kinsale is put at €717,000, while the average for all stock (new and second-hand) from mid-2023 to mid-2024 was €529,000, with the CSO putting Kinsale median prices at €452,000. That CSO median c.€450k level is where 'entry-level' new three-bed homes around Kinsale have been likely to start 'from'. If there is, or was, a blessing over the past few frenetic years, it was that Kinsale had started to offer new builds at a good/reasonable price points for families and first-time buyers back almost a decade ago, with the likes of Gannon Homes delivering over 130 homes at Kinsale Manor from 2017. Here, prices had started at €310,000 to €340,000 for three-beds: they now come on the resale market from €490,000 to €530,000. The stylish and beautifully finished homes at Abbey Fort are a good example of the lifestyle that Kinsale has to offer. Following on from Kinsale Manor and continuing to tap into the more 'affordable' end of pricy Kinsale came the likes of Abbey Fort: last offers here of new, A-rated 102 sq ft three-bed homes were at €435,000, but that was for mid-terraced ones. Last Abbey Fort three-bed semi-ds sold out at €485,000/€490,000, says Paul Hannon, Sherry FitzGerald director of new homes. Abbey Fort is now closed out after 150 sales were chalked up via Sherry Fitz over the past three years, at prices from c €300,000 to the strongest of late for four-beds at €535,000. As Abbey Fort (plus creche, due to open soon) now wraps up, a further new scheme, Park Laurence in a field immediately north and accessed through Abbey Fort, will have a mix of 86 two-three and four-bed townhouses and semi-ds designed by Wilson Architects, who also did Kinsale Manor. Inside one of the stylishly finished homes at Abbey Fort, Kinsale. Park Laurence construction has commenced and the first release is likely to be late summer/early autumn and 'will be a high quality residential development located adjacent to the successful Abbey Fort scheme which is walking distance of Kinsale Town Centre. We expect strong interest in these homes given their excellent specification and location,' says Donna Ryan Pender of Sherry FitzGerald New Homes. Prices of this Port Laurence launch are not yet indicated, and while two-beds will now clearly be 'entry level', and terraced will be next, might the standard and much-loved three-bed semi-d start just under, or much over €500,000? The agents expect a good range to be under the €500k mark at least and say 'there's is a good mix of townhouses and semis so there should be homes qualifying for the FTB incentives'. Meanwhile, older existing three-bed stock can be bought in the mid-to-late €300ks around Kinsale at the likes of Rose Abbey, The Orchards or Springmount, where a one-bed in the same estate starts at €195,000, one of the very cheapest listings locally at present. Nationwide, supply in 2025 appears to be on a broad par with last year, at just over 12,000 listings, but this is less than half what it was before the coronavirus hit in 2020 when available stock stood at 25,000 second hand homes, according to this week's daft report (and remember that Kinsale has just a meagre 58 offers on that portal right now with 15 of those in the €1m+ price echelon!). As if the current Irish property market wasn't enough of a struggle for average Irish (and other) families, with asking prices nationally up 12% (however, up by 'just' 8% overall in Cork), they have now risen by a whopping 40% since the start of the coronavirus five years ago. Demand at the 'lower' end of the market in Kinsale is very broad, including locals, those working in ever expanding Eli Lilly at Dunderrow, commuters to and from Cork city and those working in the Airport Business Park, as well as lifestyle relocators, retirees/downsizers, and international buyers seeking coastal living and convenience to a city, airport and third level institutions. Want even more glum news? The rental market is even tougher right now, with a search on Myhome this week showing 0, zero, nada, nought available to let, whether you are Irish or from well out of town.
Irish Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Brendan Gleeson backs major fundraising drive for 'game-changer' hospice
Brendan Gleeson has backed a major fundraising effort for the building of a 24 single-bed in-patient unit at St Francis Hospice in Dublin's Raheny, where both his parents received care. The Hollywood star took on his latest role – dressing in a builder's hard hat – to support the €20million Buy a Brick campaign. "I know how much of a game changer this new facility will be for the entire community of North Dublin," said Gleeson, 70. "Brick by brick, we can make this happen." The new unit will enable staff to care for an extra 3,000 patients over the next 25 years – and the fundraiser invites people to contribute to the build by buying a brick for €25, €100, or €250 and leaving their name or message on a Virtual Community Support Wall. As he prepares to make his West End debut and return to theatre for the first time in a decade, Gleeson urged everyone to embrace the project. "I know first-hand how difficult end-of-life care can be for families. "Hospice care is magical in terms of the respect, dignity and compassion it offers to people receiving palliative care. This new unit will provide the privacy, comfort, and highest quality facilities that people need and deserve. "I'm asking people to support it by visiting or contact the Fundraising Department at 01-8327535." Construction at the site is due to begin next year and will also include an underground carpark and clinical support facilities, with a pedestrian bridge linking it to the existing building. Last year, St Francis Hospice cared for 2,313 patients at its two facilities in Blanchardstown and Raheny - almost double that of a decade earlier. According to CSO census figures, the North Dublin catchment area served by the hospice is consistently one of the fastest-growing areas in the country. "The current in-patient unit can care for around 6,750 patients over the next 25 years but with the planned expansion to 24 single rooms, this capacity will rise to 9,600 patients," said Fintan Fagan, CEO of St Francis Hospice. "That means it will serve at least 2,850 additional individuals than the current in-patient unit would allow. In all, the new unit will positively impact the lives of about 100,000 patients and their loved ones over the next 25 years. "As well as increasing the number of patients we can care for, it will provide more comfort and privacy for them and their families at a precious time in their lives. "We are under no illusion that it is a big fundraising target. St Francis Hospice has been an integral part of the North Dublin community since 1989. It was founded and continues to grow thanks to the amazing fundraising efforts of the community. "We are relying on the continued goodwill and support of individuals, companies and foundations to make this new facility a reality so that we can provide specialist palliative care for all who need it in our growing community." The Buy a Brick campaign will run throughout the construction phase and until the new in-patient unit is completely paid for. To participate, visit or contact the Fundraising Department at 01-8327535.
Hamilton Spectator
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Hamilton Spectator
New community safety officer vehicle in Humboldt
HUMBOLDT — The City of Humboldt has approved the purchase of a 2016 Dodge Charger as the new, fully equipped community safety officer (CSO) vehicle. At its June 23 meeting, council approved the replacement of the 2014 Chevrolet Tahoe currently in service. The purchase will be funded from the fleet reserve, with $26,700 allocated for the replacement of the CSO vehicle. Mike Kwasnica, director of protective services, said in his report, 'The 2014 Chevrolet Tahoe currently used by the community safety officer program has exceeded 350,000 kilometres and is experiencing significant mechanical issues. Necessary repairs are extensive and costly, with no guarantee of long-term reliability.' According to Kwasnica's report, the newer 2016 Dodge Charger, already equipped with emergency lighting, a siren, radio equipment, decals and other CSO operational tools, has been identified as a suitable replacement. Kwasnica said that the vehicle has been offered to the City of Humboldt at an extremely low cost of $15,000 taxes included. According to Kwansica's report, the vehicle offers several advantages, including: Upon approval, the city will remove the emergency equipment from the Tahoe for potential reuse, and dispose of the stripped-down vehicle at market value. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Irish Examiner
5 days ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Trump's policies blamed as Irish tourism revenues plummet
More than half of Irish tourism businesses have seen their revenues drop so far this year with 60% of businesses blaming US President Donald Trump's 'radical' economic policies for the downturn. Fálte Ireland's tourism barometer report shows revenue are down in every sector and region compared to last year with B&Bs, self-catering operators, food & drink establishments and tour guides being worst affected. The survey of more than 800 tourism businesses found a lack of disposable income, combined with a lack of affordable tourist accommodation, got the year off to a slow start, but this has recently been compounded by global economic uncertainty brought about by President Trump's policies. "Businesses across numerous sectors are seeing some cancellations of US trips and a lack of forward bookings from this market as US travellers are concerned about their income and also how they are perceived abroad," the report states. Separate data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows that trips by tourists to Ireland from abroad this year have dropped significantly, down 18% on the same period in 2024. Domestic tourism is also down 8%. Fáilte Ireland said the challenging market conditions are seen across the whole country and are not regionally specific. "As overseas visitor levels are down, even Dublin, which often performs better than the other regions, is affected," the report states. It suggests an over-reliance on the North American market, with 59% of those surveyed saying revenues from this sector are down on last year. "The North American market has so often delivered for the industry, underpinning positive overseas market performance at times when European markets were flat. Now that North American levels have seemingly slipped back, Irish tourism businesses are feeling the effects." Some tourism businesses have reported cancelled trips from the US market as travellers are concerned about their income and job security. It follows heightened uncertainty in the US and globally over the tariff war instigated by the US President. In comments for the survey, businesses said operating costs, lack of disposable income and a lack of affordable accommodation were dominating concerns before President Trump was inaugurated. The proportion of businesses expressing concerns regarding the Trump presidency has escalated from 18% in January, before his inauguration to 60% today. Some say that pre-planned trips from US visitors have largely gone ahead in 2025, but they fear that 2026 is when Ireland will feel the effects of US policies most fully. Fálte Ireland said the hotel sector has performed well, with half of businesses saying average room yields are up on last year. However, the domestic market for hotels is lacking long leisure stays, and the corporate stays are also down. For restaurants, 69% have seen a decline in revenues this year, while 52% of pubs have seen revenues fall. Fállte Ireland noted that despite the overall concerns, 56% of tourism businesses say 2025 will be ahead of, or on par with, 2024. Others are hoping for a summer of fine weather, unlike last year, with many operators pining their hopes on the domestic market.
