Latest news with #DúnLaoghaire
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Irish Times
Man in 70s sent forward for trial accused of historical sex offences
A man in his 70s accused of historical sex abuse offences has been served with a book of evidence and sent forward for trial to the Central Criminal Court. The man, who cannot be named due to the nature of the charges, faces 79 allegations relating to the sexual abuse of four girls in Ireland during the 1970s and 1980s. Judge Michele Finan at Dublin District Court granted a return for trial order at the request of State solicitor Rory Staines. He told the court that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) consented to being sent forward on indictment on the 79 charges in the book of evidence served by Garda Sergeant Amy Kelly. READ MORE They include 78 counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted rape. The offences allegedly occurred at various locations in Co Dublin, including Dún Laoghaire, Killiney, and Blackrock, between 1971 and 1981. At the time, the girls were minors aged between eight and 15. The man was extradited from the US last week. Judge Finan notified the man that he must inform the prosecution within 14 days if he intends to use an alibi in his trial. She also ordered investigating gardaí to provide copies of interview videos to the defence and told the accused that his lawyer would explain it to him later. The man, who has not yet entered a plea, was remanded in continuing custody pending trial with no bail application made. Legal aid has been granted, with the defence stating that he is not working and has no assets. The judge noted that there was no Garda objection, and she agreed to a request by his solicitor, Tracy Horan, that it would include senior and junior counsel representation. The date for his next hearing before the Central Criminal Court has yet to be set but will be held the next legal term, commencing in October. Dressed in a grey tracksuit and black runners, the man sat silently in a wheelchair and spoke only to consult his solicitor, who asked that he get dental attention in custody because he still had no dentures and 'is not able to eat solid foods'. Following extradition proceedings at the request of the Irish authorities, he was arrested at Terminal 2, Dublin Airport on the morning of July 22nd. Gardaí charged him at the instruction of the DPP. He faces 41 counts of indecent assault and one for attempted rape of one of the complainants, 34 counts of indecent assault of another female, two counts of indecent assault of another complainant, and one charge of indecent assault of the fourth. The offences are contrary to Common Law. At his first hearing, a few hours after his arrest, the defence solicitor had informed the judge that her client required medical assistance in custody because he had no dentures or hearing aid, as they had not been brought over from the United States. The judge had noted this information and agreed to add that he should urgently get dentures and a hearing aid in custody. When the proceedings resumed on Tuesday, she heard that the man still had no dentures and recommended that he get the appropriate treatment.
BreakingNews.ie
3 days ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Former Irish sports figure accused of historical sexual abuse offences sent forward for trial
A former Irish sports figure, accused of historical sex abuse offences, was on Tuesday served with a book of evidence and sent forward for trial to the Central Criminal Court. The man, who cannot be named due to the nature of the charges, is in his 70s and faces 79 allegations relating to the sexual abuse of four girls in Ireland during the 1970s and 1980s. Advertisement Judge Michele Finan at Dublin District Court granted a return for trial order at the request of State solicitor Rory Staines. He told the court that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) consented to being sent forward on indictment on the 79 charges in the book of evidence served by Garda Sergeant Amy Kelly. They include 78 counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted rape. The offences allegedly occurred at various locations in Co Dublin, including Dún Laoghaire, Killiney, and Blackrock, between 1971 and 1981. Advertisement At the time, the girls were minors aged between eight and 15. The man was extradited from the US last week. Judge Finan notified the man that he must inform the prosecution within 14 days if he intends to use an alibi in his trial. She also ordered investigating gardaí to provide copies of interview videos to the defence and told the accused that his lawyer would explain it to him later. Advertisement The man, who has not yet entered a plea, was remanded in continuing custody pending trial with no bail application made. Legal aid has been granted, with the defence stating that he is not working and has no assets. The judge noted that there was no Garda objection, and she agreed to a request by his solicitor, Tracy Horan, that it would include senior and junior counsel representation. The date for his next hearing before the Central Criminal Court has yet to be set but will be held the next legal term, commencing in October. Advertisement Dressed in a grey tracksuit and black runners, the man sat silently in a wheelchair and spoke only to consult with his solicitor, who asked that he get dental attention in custody, because he still had no dentures and "is not able to eat solid foods". Following extradition proceedings at the request of the Irish authorities, he was arrested at Terminal 2, Dublin Airport on the morning of July 22nd. Gardaí charged him at the instruction of the DPP. He faces 41 counts of indecent assault and one for attempted rape of one of the complainants, 34 counts of indecent assault of another female, two counts of indecent assault of another complainant, and one charge of indecent assault of the fourth. Advertisement The offences are contrary to Common Law. At his first hearing, a few hours after his arrest, the defence solicitor had informed the judge that her client required medical assistance in custody because he had no dentures or hearing aid, as they had not been brought over from the United States. The judge had noted this information and agreed to add that he should urgently get dentures and a hearing aid in custody. When the proceedings resumed yesterday/today, she heard that the man still had no dentures and recommended that he get the appropriate treatment.
Irish Times
22-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Should VAT on hospitality be reduced? A cafe owner and an economist debate
Derek Bennett: I've run a cafe for more than 20 years - my business model is nearly broken There has been much recent speculation recently about the planned decrease in VAT for hospitality . The cost to the exchequer would be €545 million, assuming the reduction is applied only to food and not to accommodation . Many commentators have been asking where is the evidence that a decrease is needed. Firstly, I firmly believe the reduced rate should not apply to accommodation, as hotels use a dynamic pricing model which allows them to increase prices when they are busy. One argument against the reduction is that business systems could not cope with splitting accommodation from food to have two different rates, 9 per cent and 13.5 per cent. To me that is laughable: some hotels are already dealing with four rates: 0 per cent (for example, on takeaway coffee bags); 9 per cent; 13.5 per cent and 23 per cent (on alcohol and juices). Their powerful point of sale (POS) systems are well able to cope. READ MORE I own and have run a cafe in Dún Laoghaire for the past 21 years. My business model is nearly broken. To underline this point, my books show the increases we have had to deal with in 2024 and 2025. When customers say the costs of rent, rates and energy must be an issue, I explain they're not really the problem. My hourly employee costs annually are €220,000 for five to six staff on a day, including €25,000 of employers' Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI). Materials costs are €125,000. VAT is €54,000. Rent is €33,000. Energy is €18,000. Rates are €6,000. Our sales prices are at the high end and we have over 1,000 customers each week, so it shouldn't be so onerous. By the end of 2025, material inflation will have increased by 10 per cent (an increase of €12,000 over two years); living wage by 20 per cent (€40,000 over two years); VAT by 50 per cent (€44,000 or €22,000 in each of the two years) and sick pay is up €4,000. All of this amounts to a total of €100,000. The last three items contributed €88,000 or 88 per cent of the increases, and were set by the Government. Now, while any increase in employee benefits is very laudable, there does need to be joined up thinking around whether this is sustainable, along with the other increases we face. Part of that thinking requires Government departments to work together to assess the implications. [ Does Ireland's hospitality sector really need a VAT cut? Opens in new window ] It appears that was not done, and as a consequence, the next planned increase in living wage is delayed, as is auto pension enrolment, which will add €5,000 annually. These delays have been welcomed in the industry. But there is an elephant in the room which no one involved in the process appears to have considered: Covid tax warehousing. My business made a loss during Covid. The only reason we survived Covid was the Government's support programme, including tax warehousing, which left me with a sum of €58,000 to pay over five years, starting in May 2024. That arrangement in the two years for which I have broken down figures will amount to €18,000, and will be €12,000 for each of the following three years. How are small, community-based hospitality businesses supposed to deal with that on top of the increases outlined above? So now I am paying an overall extra of €118,000 – which has been partly offset by a price increase to my customers of €18,000. Therefore, in the two years of 2024 and 2025, my final extra costs amount to €100,000. There are many small businesses across Ireland facing this situation. That, to me, is the justification for a return to a lower VAT rate on food. We need innovative thinking – for example, exploring the possibility of focusing the VAT reduction on small hospitality businesses with net sales of up to €750,000, thereby excluding hotels, international chains, and large businesses. The €545 million cost to the exchequer would significantly reduce and, according to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request I submitted, over 3,000 businesses would benefit. Derek Bennett is the owner of Harry's Cafe Bar in Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin Barra Roantree: Cutting VAT would be expensive and economically illiterate The last few weeks have seen warnings about darkening skies on the economic horizon. We are told that deteriorating prospects and the possibility of a trade war instigated by the United States mean that the Government will deliver a ' much more cautious and restrained budget' this year than previously planned. Yet, an expensive and economically illiterate election pledge to reinstate a reduced 9 per cent rate of VAT on hospitality appears to remain on the table, recently elevated to a 'solemn commitment' by the Tánaiste Simon Harris. VAT is already levied on guest accommodation, catering and restaurant services at a reduced rate of 13.5 per cent rather than the standard rate of 23 per cent that applies to most goods and services. Figures from Revenue suggest this amounts to a tax relief of almost €2 billion per year and that lowering the rate to 9 per cent – as was temporarily the case from 2011 to 2019, and then again during the pandemic – would cost an extra €810 million per year. Excluding guest accommodation from the cut would slightly lower the cost (to less than €600 million), though it is not clear how feasible this would be. What rate would apply, for example, to a hotel package including dinner, bed and breakfast? The Irish Hotels Federation has renewed calls on the Government for a 'permanent restoration' of the 9 per cent VAT rate on the hospitality food services sector. Photograph: Getty Images Either cut would be expensive – costing more, for example, than lifting 55,000 children out of poverty; indexing tax credits and bands by forecast inflation; or extending the full-rate of Carer's Allowance to those currently receiving a partial payment or Domiciliary Care Allowance. The economic case for prioritising a VAT cut over these other commitments in the Programme for Government is exceptionally weak. This is reflected in the constantly shifting rationale provided by the sector for the cut: an evergreen response to whatever the issue of the day is. Previously it was to stimulate demand by reducing prices. However, both Irish and international evidence suggests that such cuts were pocketed by business owners with subsequent increases passed onto consumers in the form of higher restaurant and hotel prices. Now lobbyists for the sector claim a reduction in VAT is needed to preserve or increase profit margins, otherwise warning of 'another catastrophic year of shutdowns and job losses'. This is despite the fact the latest figures show there were 11 new companies incorporated for every liquidation in the sector, and that hospitality employment was 7 per cent higher in the first quarter of 2025 than a year earlier. Even if the sector wasn't booming, cutting VAT is a terrible way of supporting any businesses that may be struggling. That's because the largest share of the gains from a VAT cut go to businesses with the highest turnover: those selling at high volume and/or high prices. In other words, a VAT cut benefits owners of McDonald's and Michelin star restaurants more than a small cafe or restaurant. [ VAT rate cut for hospitality is back on the table - but will it be enough? Opens in new window ] If the Government and sector really believes that some smaller cafes and restaurants are struggling and deserve support, there are countless better ways to provide this. For example, the Government has previously paid a grant aimed at smaller hospitality businesses based on the size of their commercial rates bills, while long-delayed reforms to reduce litigation costs would help reduce insurance premiums. Given the availability of superior alternatives, competing priorities, and the worsening economic outlook, all that cutting VAT would achieve is to recklessly erode our already fragile tax base. Doing so would be the final nail in the coffin of this Government's claim to be responsible stewards of the public finances. Dr Barra Roantree is Assistant Professor in Economics and Programme Director of the MSc in Economic Policy at Trinity College Dublin
Irish Times
19-07-2025
- Irish Times
Saoirse, the small Irish boat that sailed into history carrying the Tricolour in 1925
A remarkable centenary has just slipped by under the radar, apart from a small gathering in Dún Laoghaire , Co Dublin last month and a few posts on social media. But maritime historians are hoping that the 100th anniversary of a special nautical event will shine a spotlight once again on this story, and Ireland might finally celebrate a record-setting achievement that drew 10,000 onlookers to Dún Laoghaire seafront on June 20th, 1925, to raise a cheer as a small Irish boat sailed into history. Saoirse had just become the first boat to carry the Tricolour around the world, sailing up the Irish Sea two years to the day since embarking on an epic circumnavigation. The 42ft ketch was also the first known small craft to sail the globe via the Three Great Capes, crossing oceans and surviving storms with neither an engine nor a radio on board. Limerickman Conor O'Brien, owner, designer and skipper of Saoirse, made headlines around the world. This was seen as our nation's first international sporting achievement, and the voyage would herald a new era of ocean-going sailing aboard smaller craft. [ A dispatch from Conor O'Brien for The Irish Times in June 1925 Opens in new window ] The Irish Times was there to record the hero's welcome, describing O'Brien as an ambassador, proudly flying the newly-minted flag of the Irish Free State. Many years later O'Brien's biographer, Judith Hill, would come across contemporary descriptions of the scenes in Dún Laoghaire, where bands played on the East Pier, and an aeroplane flew low over the crowd: 'O'Brien emerged [on deck] in dark glasses. He was cheered and carried shoulder-high as people pressed around ... and then driven into Dublin in a procession of 100 motorcars led by one carrying a model of Saoirse, with his young godson, Conor Cruise O'Brien, dressed in a white sailor suit posing as Conor.' READ MORE The purpose of O'Brien's sea voyage isn't entirely clear. According to his great grandnephew, Dermod O'Brien, he was an avid reader of the epic challenges that were making headlines at the time. Amundsen's and Scott's expeditions had reached the South Pole a decade earlier; George Mallory, with whom O'Brien had climbed Mount Brandon in Co Kerry, had made summit attempts on Everest. But Dermod says O'Brien hadn't thought much past getting to New Zealand: 'He'd wanted to go mountaineering with friends and this was the easiest way to get there'. Fortunately, we can read O'Brien's own accounts of his voyage around the world. A prolific writer as well as a reader, he partly financed the trip writing dispatches for The Irish Times . He was the author of 15 books, including Across Three Oceans recording his adventures aboard Saoirse: here we can read of trouble with his drunken crew in Brazil, hitting a submerged whale in the Indian Ocean, running out of supplies days out from Australia and nearly resorting to putting Saoirse up for sale in Fiji. We also have first-hand accounts of O'Brien's earlier adventures, most notably his gun-running operation for the Irish Volunteers along with Erskine Childers. O'Brien landed 600 rifles at Kilcoole in Co Wicklow in July 1914. Dermod O'Brien says the Childers' landing is much better known because Asgard's cargo was unloaded in broad daylight whereas O'Brien, on the Kelpie, worked under the cover of darkness. To give the impression they were on a pleasure sail, neither boar carried an engine, and O'Brien's crew of four included his sister Kitty; among Childers's crew were his wife Molly and Conor O'Brien's cousin, Mary Spring Rice. Despite being an Oxford-educated architect who'd grown up in Cahermoyle House, a landed estate in Co Limerick, and who had served with the Royal Navy in the first World War, O'Brien was an outspoken nationalist. He was a grandson of the 19th-century nationalist MP for Mallow, William Smith O'Brien, leader of the Young Ireland rebellion of 1848 who had been transported to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania). O'Brien would later campaign unsuccessfully for a Seanad seat for Sinn Féin in 1925 (an adventure that didn't end quite so well. Asked for a publicity photo, O'Brien gave the party a portrait of himself in his British naval uniform). Saoirse setting sail from Dún Laoghaire on June 20th, 1923 Conor O'Brien, circa 1915 in a Royal Navy reserve uniform The O'Briens spent their summers at their house on Foynes Island in the Shannon Estuary, and at Derrynane in Co Kerry (the home of Daniel O'Connell), where young Conor learned to sail. Cruises along the coast of west Cork meant he was familiar with the local mackerel boats, which would ultimately influence his design of Saoirse. Comfort aboard during long voyages was to be more important than speed. And so Saoirse, modelled on these traditional working boats, was built in Baltimore. The Irish Times from Monday, June 22nd, 1925 It was the beginning of a long association between O'Brien and boatbuilding in Baltimore, which continues to this day. O'Brien died on Foynes Island in 1952, predeceased by his wife Kitty. Saoirse was eventually destroyed during a hurricane in Jamaica in 1979, but in the past decade a replica has been built at Hegarty's Boatyard, the last remaining boatyard in Ireland building these traditional boats. Today Saoirse sails again side by side with another Conor O'Brien-designed boat, AK Ilen (Auxiliary ketch, Ilen). So impressed were authorities in the Falkland Islands with Saoirse, they commissioned O'Brien to build them a trading vessel. AK Ilen was delivered across the Atlantic in 1926 by O'Brien and two experienced mariners Denis and Con Cadogan from Cape Clear. After 70 years transporting sheep AK Ilen was repatriated by Limerickman Gary McMahon in 1997, and reconstruction began, again at Hegarty's Boatyard. Quietly observing the work in Hegarty's were two local artists, including documentary photographer Kevin O'Farrell. He says these boats are part of our heritage and the skills to construct them should be celebrated. Paula Brown Marten's paintings beautifully capture the reconstructions, the huge whale-like hulls gradually taking shape. Both Saoirse and AK Ilen can be seen this summer sailing the waters off west Cork. Dermot Kennedy, who's taught sailing in Baltimore for decades and is an authority on Conor O'Brien, says that if he'd been 'a Frenchman, a German or an American the world would know his name'. He points out that Saoirse is remembered in other parts of the world, 'for example on the island of Madeira, her first port of call in 1923'. Kennedy says at the very least the story of Saoirse should be on our school curriculum, 'we're a small maritime nation, we should be celebrating our achievements rather than writing them out of the history books'.
Irish Times
12-07-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
State's ‘shameful' treatment of thalidomide survivors criticised
A Government backbencher has accused the State of behaving 'appallingly' towards the victims of thalidomide and criticised the 'glacial pace' with which the issue is being dealt. Fine Gael TD Barry Ward said the Government has 'dragged its heels' in apologising to the affected mothers and their children, now in their mid to late 60s. The treatment of the survivors 'is fundamentally wrong and shameful and is a stain on the recent history of this State', he said. He believed a 'basic justice' has 'never been met', more than 60 years after pregnant women were prescribed the drug, originally developed in Germany in the 1950s as a sedative and later promoted to treat morning sickness. It was withdrawn from most markets in 1961 following evidence of its link to birth defects. However, it was still sold in Ireland until 1964. READ MORE Many children were born without limbs or with shortened limbs, with hearing and vision impairment and injuries to internal organs. Mr Ward said since then there has been 'no apology, acknowledgment, full suite of treatment and no compensation'. The Dún Laoghaire TD said he was highlighting the issue because this week marks a year since the three former coalition leaders wrote a letter to thalidomide survivors, which was 'not in fact an apology or an acknowledgment, but really a communication in respect of some supports that have been put in place'. At the time the letter angered members of the Irish Thalidomide Association, still waiting for a State apology following a long-running campaign in which they are also seeking compensation and supports. [ Jacqui Browne obituary: Thalidomide survivor and leading advocate for the disabled Opens in new window ] There are fewer than 40 survivors still alive, and only five of their mothers who were prescribed the drug. In September 2024 the then government appointed retired High Court Judge Mr Justice Paul Gilligan to engage with thalidomide survivors. Mr Ward said he did not want 'in any way to interfere with that process'. But raising the issue of thalidomide in the Dáil this week, he condemned the lack of apology for what had happened to the women. 'These are people who have lived throughout their lives with debilitating issues as a result of the fact that they survived thalidomide while their mothers were pregnant,' he said. 'The glacial pace with which the State is actually addressing this problem is shameful' and 'the treatment of thalidomide survivors by allowing the matter to go on for as long as it has is a very poor reflection on the State'. He said most of the women who took the drug and 'bore that burden throughout their lives', have died. Minister of State for Justice Niall Collins told Mr Ward the Government 'is committed to supporting people affected by thalidomide' as he referred to the 'enhanced package' of health supports and personal social services. Enhanced healthcare, social care and independent living supports are currently available, he said. Mr Collins also pointed to the establishment last year of the national thalidomide advocacy office, set up to liaise with thalidomide survivors and assist them to access health and social service supports. 'The support provided is on a one-to-one basis, tailored to the specific needs of the person and in response to contact received from survivors,' with liaison from relevant HSE and other personnel to ensure the services are provided. He said 'each survivor is also eligible for a medical card on an administrative basis, regardless of means, in addition to aids and appliances, equipment, housing adaptations and access to a full range of primary care, hospital and personal social services'. The Minister also said the German Grünenthal Foundation, established by the drug manufacturer, has 'accepted applications from individuals for compensation for thalidomide-related injury'.
