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Irish Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Fine Gael says Mairead McGuinness ‘acted in full accordance' with medical advice after being injured in crash
Fine Gael has said Mairead McGuinness acted 'in full accordance with the advice of her medical practitioners,' after it emerged that she flew to New Zealand weeks after she said she had sustained 'severe and debilitating injuries' in a car crash. Ms McGuinness, who will be contesting this year's presidential election as the Fine Gael candidate, also attended a luxury dinner in the days after the crash in which she said had severely injured her neck and back. Ms McGuinness and her husband Tom were involved in a collision with a car driven by an American tourist in Co Monaghan on September 21st, 2003. Ms McGuinness was a passenger in the car, which was driven by her husband. The then high-profile agricultural journalist took a damages claim against a Wexford branch of Hertz Rent-A-Car, which had hired out the car to the American tourist. READ MORE The claim was settled in April 2005, by which point Ms McGuinness was a Fine Gael MEP. In her claim, Ms McGuinness said the injuries she had suffered in the crash 'interfered with her enjoyment of life and all routine and other activities'. She also described them as 'severe and debilitating' injuries. However, just five days after the crash, on September 26th 2003, Ms McGuinness attended a gala meal at Farmeligh House hosted by celebrity chef Richard Corrigan. Ms McGuinness's attendance at the event in the days after the crash was first reported last weekend by The Ditch website. Six weeks after the crash, in November 2003, Ms McGuinness travelled to New Zealand to report on the Irish farming community living there for RTÉ's Ear to The Ground programme, which she presented at the time alongside her work as a newspaper journalist. Ms McGuinness was asked via Fine Gael if she could explain her attendance at the dinner and long-distance travel while suffering from severe injuries. A spokesman for Fine Gael said: 'Mairead McGuinness and her husband were travelling in their car when they were involved in a collision with another car in 2003. [ Who is Mairead McGuinness, the early front-runner in the presidential race? Opens in new window ] 'Ms McGuiness was hurt, underwent medical care and acted in full accordance with the advice of her medical practitioners. 'Ms McGuinness, a well known journalist at the time, got on with her personal and professional life. 'A civil case was settled in 2005.' The details of Ms McGuinness's settlement were not made public. Asked about her own case in 2019, after a compensation claim by party colleague Maria Bailey became public, Ms McGuinness said she could not 'remember the details of it'.
Irish Times
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Letters to the Editor, July 21st: On what political polls reveal, defending bedsits, and waking up to woke
Sir, – According to your recent poll, 25 per cent of voters are undecided, and 20 per cent of those who did express a preference said they would vote for an Independent candidate. Doing the maths, this means that a total of 40 per cent of the electorate do not support any of the nine political parties in the Oireachtas. Is this a record for your series of polls? This suggests a truly extraordinary level of dissatisfaction with both the two main parties and with the various parties of the left, and that an unhealthy proportion of the electorate feel disconnected from our political presents significant dangers. READ MORE First, every single country in Europe – without exception – has at least one new party on the populist right which emerged over the last two decades, capitalising on a similar disconnect among voters, and which now enjoys at least 25 per cent of the vote. Do we think that Ireland is immune from this trend? All that's needed is the emergence of a party with credible leadership which has broad appeal to urban and rural voters. Second, the ground which any new party might seize is that same ground on the centre right which has been completely abandoned by both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil over the last decade, and whose combined total support continues to plumb historic depths in your opinion polls as a result. If one or both of these parties doesn't return to this political ground, then they may find – as establishment parties have in Europe – that they will have the electoral rug taken out from under them. – Yours, etc, BARRY WALSH, Clontarf, Dublin 3. Bishop Eamonn Casey removal Sir, – Credit to the Galway diocese for taking the absolutely correct decision in removing Bishop Eamonn Casey's remains from the crypt in Galway Cathedral. I was sure they would play the long game and hope it would all be forgotten about. Well done to the decision makers. – Yours, etc, JOE HARVEY, Glenageary, Dublin. Medical consultation fees Sir, – Regarding Niall H Doyle's letter about a GP consultation fee hike to €90 (July18th), my GP is also in Rathfarnham and charges a far more reasonable ¤60. I'm now alarmed that he may be an Irish Times reader! – Yours, etc, ANNETTE QUINN, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16. Sir, – Your writer to The Irish Times asks if €90 is a record for a GP consultation fee. I can confirm an extraordinary fee paid to a local chiropodist – €90 some months ago. When I stated the fee was more than I would pay to my doctor, the chiropodist reply was that she was the senior chiropodist. I considered the charge was outrageous and did not avail of the service again. – Yours, etc, MARY McCARTHY, Blackrock, Co Dublin. Local property tax increases Sir, – I was disappointed to read 'T he Irish Times view on the local property tax ,' July 15th. The editorial took a clear stance that 'homeowners can pay a bit more' and criticised the decision taken by myself and my colleagues on Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to maintain the 15 per cent reduction in the LPT rate for next year. Surprisingly, the editorial made no reference to the revaluation of properties for LPT purposes that will take place in November. This revaluation, taking into account the significant property price increases since 2021, will result in all homeowners paying a bit more in 2026. It is estimated that this revaluation will see homeowners in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown contribute an extra €10.85 million to next year's council budget. This will facilitate significant expansion of the council's budget for 2026, well ahead of inflation. In this context, I do not see how we could justify imposing further tax increases on local homeowners. – Yours, etc, CLLR EOIN O'DRISCOLL (FG), Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Dublin. Minding children Sir, – I refer to your letter from Siobhán McDermott regarding long summer holidays (July 19th). Teachers are educators, not childcare providers. Schools are educational establishments, they do not exist to mind children while parents work. Deciding to have children means that you take responsibility for them and care for them regardless of how inconvenient that might be for your working life. Let's look at the workplace. – Yours, etc, KATHY CURZON, Co Cork. Sir, – To all those young parents sitting in cafes and parks busy on their phones and devices while ignoring their toddlers and children, I suggest a listen to the song Cat's in the Cradle by Harry Chapin would be useful. He describes so well how; fast forward 10 or 15 years, your children may be less interested in chatting to you than they are now. Enjoy it while you can. – Yours, etc, DAVID S KELLY, Dublin 16. Waking up to woke Sir, – As a plus -70 year-old grandfather I've only become aware of the word 'woke' lately. I hear it being used as a term of derision by various individuals on radio and social media. It seems to this old geezer that to have empathy with people who are suffering or downtrodden is a symptom of wokeness. To be accepting of LGBTQ folk and other ethnicities is also a sign that you might be inclined to be woke. To be on the side of the women and children in Palestine would definitely qualify you. I personally tick a lot of the boxes to be labelled a woke oul fella. And I'm'm proud of it. – Yours, etc, PAT BURKE WALSH, Ballymoney, Co Wexford. In defence of bedsits Sir, – Many years ago, I spent some quality time in a bedsit in Clontarf in Dublin. It was on the third floor of a large period house shared with four other bedsits on the same floor. In modern day estate agent parlance, it would be described as comfortable, in a highly sought after area, good value for money in the current challenging rental market, ergonomically compact with modern conveniences and nice sea views. In reality, the single bed was jammed up against the wall and took up over 75 per cent of the room. The wardrobe consisted of a length of coarse twine hovering over the bed, one end tied to the curtain rail and the other attached to a six-inch masonry nail partially hammered into the door frame. The cooking facilities included a two-ring camping gas stove balanced precariously on an orange box advertising sun-kissed oranges from Seville. There was a small corner sink by the window. The sea could be viewed by exiting the building and walking down the road towards Dublin Bay. Crucially, the main convenience, the toilet, was located on the landing and shared by all and sundry, often resulting in slow moving queues, particularly bothersome when nature was pressing, Of course, a bedsit wouldn't be a bedsit without at least a couple of resident mice, but I had at least four. We coexisted for the while as I didn't bother them and they didn't bother me. The real convenience, not to be underestimated, was that, such was the proximity to everything, all the conveniences could be operated without getting out of bed in the morning, like putting on the kettle, brushing your teeth and turning on the cooker with your big toe to make the porridge, thus gaining an extra 10 minutes shut eye before going to work. In retrospect, the experience wasn't all bad, but like the banks and the financial system and everything else at the time, the much-maligned bedsit suffered from light touch or, more accurately, zero regulation, but surely the resurrection of the modest bedsit could make substantial inroads into the current homeless and housing problems. – Yours, etc, JOHN LEAHY, Wilton Road, Cork. Revenue hours Sir, – The contact hours for Irish revenue are 9.3 0am–4.30pm. If only the rest of the working population had these terms of employment. – Yours, etc, MARY GARDINER, Co Wicklow In praise of Fintan Sir, – Fintan O'Toole's moving and disturbing account of the 'non-resting place' at the former Bon Secours Mother and Baby home in Tuam (July 15th) is typical of his eloquence, knowledge, research and insight. I am inclined to say that there is really no one in my own country quite his match – or I would be if we didn't have the good fortune of being able to read him regularly in The New York Review of Books. – Yours, etc, VICTOR LUFTIG, Virginia, United States. Garda check point Sir, – I was startled today by the headline, ' Garda revokes more that 900 speed camera fines on stretch of N25 due to human error, ' (July 18th). To my great relief, the headline did not reflect the article's content. A single garda had not taken unilateral action to cancel hundreds of fines. It was actually the organisation – An Garda Síochána – which had taken action. What a relief! – Yours, etc, S NESTOR, Co Louth. Carry on writing Sir, – Little did I realise that a casual decision to write to another national newspaper would trigger a flurry of correspondence about how to be published in this newspaper. I can assure you and your readers that it was not a migration, merely akin to a midweek break. I decided to unmask myself as to paraphrase Oscar Wilde, there is only one thing worse than being written about and that is to be written about anonymously. – Yours, etc, DAVID LOUGHLIN, Rathmines, Dublin 6. Sir, – As regular letter writers to The Irish Times have attested, most letters don't get published. The limited available space cannot accommodate all the submissions. The editor is left with the difficult job of choosing only a few. Far from this being seen as a problem, most letter writers don't seem to mind, and many probably enjoy that it is difficult, as it then seems more of an achievement if a letter does get in. Overall, this tried and tested system of selection and curation, used by many newspapers and magazines, works well. The typical letters page contains a diverse range of opinions, politely conducted arguments, praise and dispraise of people for their actions or views, and plenty of good-natured debate and disagreement. The same cannot always be said of forums where everything gets published. – Yours, etc, COLIN WALSH, Templeogue, Dublin 6W. Sir, – I share the frustration of your many letter writers whose efforts are not acknowledged in your pages. I too have written innumerable letters . . . to the Ephesians, Thessalonians, Corinthians, Timothy et al. To date I have not received one reply. –Yours, etc, (Paul) TOM McGRATH, Ashford, Co Wicklow. Sir, – I didn't realise that the easiest way to get a letter published is to write one about a letter being published. May I have one too? – Yours, etc, DR MARIA O'BRIEN, Bayside, Dublin.
Irish Times
19-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Mairead McGuinness leads in presidential election poll but public imagination yet to be caught
Fine Gael 's Mairead McGuinness leads the field in a list of potential presidential election candidates, according to the latest Irish Times/Ipsos B&A opinion poll, though the results show nobody has yet caught the public imagination. Asked who they would probably vote for in the presidential election, 14 per cent of respondents named Ms McGuinness, who secured her party's nomination this week after emerging as the only potential candidate. The two most popular choices in the poll were 'none of the names so far appeal to me' on 18 per cent, and 'not sure' on 20 per cent. Ms McGuinness is followed by Independent TD Catherine Connolly , who announced her campaign this week, on 9 per cent, and Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald on 8 per cent. Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern is on 5 per cent, while Taoiseach Micheál Martin was nominated by 4 per cent of respondents. Fianna Fáil is yet to put forward a candidate. Other potential candidates – including Conor McGregor, Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, Éamon Ó Cuív, Fintan O'Toole, Frances Black, Gerry Adams, Mary Hanafin, Michelle O'Neill, Mike Ryan and Peter Casey – registered at between 1 and 3 per cent. A number of other potential candidates – including Declan Ganley, Peter Power, Seán Gallagher and Tom Clonan – all registered less than 1 per cent. [ Irish presidency poll reveals just how tuned out of the process people are ] [ Who is Mairead McGuinness, the early front-runner in the presidential race? Opens in new window ] Voters are almost evenly divided on whether they would like the next president to be a current or former politician, or someone from a non-political background. Among those who expressed a view, 43 per cent said they would prefer a politician, with 41 per cent saying they would like a non-politician. Six months after the Government was formed, voters were also asked about how they thought Ministers were performing. The top performer was Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe , with almost half of voters (48 per cent) saying he was doing a 'good job'. Just over a quarter (26 per cent) said he was doing a poor job, with a similar number stating they were 'not sure'. Mr Donohoe's numbers give him a 'net positive' rating of 22 points, putting him far ahead of most of his colleagues. The poll also asked voters their choices for the next leaders of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin. Mr Donohoe was the clear favourite to succeed Simon Harris as Fine Gael leader, with 29 per cent of all voters favouring him, ahead of 12 per cent for Helen McEntee and 8 per cent for Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. Among Fine Gael voters, 50 per cent nominate Mr Donohoe as their choice. Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan is the favourite choice of all voters to be the next leader of Fianna Fáil (16 per cent), narrowly ahead of Jack Chambers and Darragh O'Brien. Almost a third (32 per cent) of Fianna Fáil voters prefer Mr O'Callaghan. Pearse Doherty is regarded as the clear front-runner to be the next Sinn Féin leader, with the backing of 28 per cent of all voters, and 42 per cent among Sinn Féin voters. The worst performer in the poll was Minister for Housing James Browne , whom 59 per cent of voters said was doing a poor job and has a net negative rating of 44 points. Neither the Taoiseach nor the Tánaiste were included in the ministerial ratings, as their satisfaction ratings were recorded elsewhere in the poll , reported last Thursday. The poll was conducted among a representative sample of adults aged 18 years and upwards across 120 sampling points throughout all constituencies. The Irish Times/Ipsos B&A series is conducted through face-to-face sampling; personal in-home interviewing took place on July 14th and 15th. The number of interviews conducted was 1,200. The accuracy is estimated at plus or minus 2.8 per cent.
Irish Times
18-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Warning labels on alcohol an idea from ‘different time', Minister warned Cabinet colleague
Plans to require health warnings on alcohol products were thought up in a 'very different' time to the current period of global economic uncertainty, Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke privately warned a Cabinet colleague. The Government is expected to delay requirements for alcohol products to carry warnings about the links between alcohol consumption, liver disease and cancer. The mandatory health labelling had been due to be introduced next year, but it is expected will now not come into force until 2029. In a May 15th letter, Mr Burke asked Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill to consider pushing back the health labelling plans in light of the 'profound' risk Ireland was facing from the current global economic uncertainty. READ MORE The idea for health warning labels on alcohol was 'developed at a time when geopolitical economic pressures were very different to those being experienced at present', he told Ms Carroll MacNeill. The danger of US president Donald Trump 's sweeping tariff threats starting a transatlantic trade war with the European Union is causing significant concern inside Government including on its impact on Irish exports of whiskey and other alcohol products. Mr Burke appealed to his Fine Gael colleague to take these new circumstances into account and 'pause' plans for alcohol labelling. 'Recent months have seen significant global economic uncertainty and a rapidly shifting trading landscape – which you will be aware could have profound competitiveness implications for small open economies like Ireland,' he wrote. The fact Mr Burke had asked Ms Carroll MacNeill to delay the introduction of the labelling was previously reported but this is the first time the contents of his letter have been reported. [ Delay on health labelling on alcohol comes amid uncertain trading environment Opens in new window ] A copy of his letter to the Minister for Health – released to The Irish Times under the Freedom of Information Act – said the new labelling rules would lead to higher prices for consumers. 'The proposed measures will mean increased production and sale costs for Irish producers and importers, and add to the price payable by consumers, at a time when prices are also rising due to a multitude of other factors,' Mr Burke wrote. This would come at the same time companies and producers were already seeing 'very significant disruption' to their supply chains, he said. 'Notwithstanding the overarching health benefits of the proposal, I would ask you to consider pausing the introduction of the proposed new requirements,' the correspondence said. It is expected a decision will be taken at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday to defer the new rules for several years. In his letter, Mr Burke said Ireland's plans had faced pushback from other EU governments, as it was believed the labelling rules would hamper the movement of trade and goods within the bloc's single market. There had also been intense lobbying from the drinks industry, over the 'likely negative impact on sales and costs,' he said.
BreakingNews.ie
15-07-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Mairead McGuinness confirmed as Fine Gael nominee for presidential race
Mairead McGuinness has been confirmed as the nominee for Fine Gael's presidential candidate. Her ratification as the party's candidate is to take place at an event in September. Advertisement Tánaiste Fine Gael leader Simon Harris said Ms McGuinness, who was a former TV presenter and farming journalist before becoming an MEP and EU commissioner, 'possesses all the attributes to bring our nation together'. Ms McGuinness is the first official nominee in the presidential race to replace Michael D Higgins this autumn, after he served the maximum, two seven-year terms as President of Ireland. Independent Galway TD Catherine Connolly, who is expected to officially enter the race on Wednesday, has already received the backing of the Social Democrats and People Before Profit and is expected to garner the support of several independents. Labour said it would 'seriously' consider whether to back Ms Connolly, who is a former party member, as a presidential candidate. Advertisement Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has also refused to rule herself out of running for the presidency. Prospective candidates need the support of 20 Oireachtas members to get on the ballot paper. Fianna Fáil, the party with the most TDs in the Dáil, has not clarified if it will run a candidate. Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers said the party was 'assessing our options' and a decision would be made by the parliamentary party in the early autumn. Advertisement Asked about Taoiseach Micheál Martin as a possible candidate, Mr Chambers said he was 'very focused on the job of government'. Labour TD George Lawlor said on Tuesday that Ms Connolly had approached Labour party leader Ivana Bacik seeking the party's support and they would 'consider very seriously' their decision. 'We will speak with our members, and our members will be contacted, and a decision will be made after that. No decisions will be made today.' He added: 'We will be asking Catherine to outline her vision for the presidency and where she sees her role in that. It's a position that the Labour Party has promoted very strong candidates for in the past.' Advertisement Left-wing independent Ms Connolly worked as a barrister and a clinical psychologist before becoming a councillor for 17 years and spending a term as a Galway mayor until 2005. She resigned from the Labour Party in 2006 after being turned down to be a running mate of then-incumbent TD Michael D Higgins. She was first elected to the Dáil as an independent candidate for Galway West in 2016 and has been an outspoken advocate for Palestine and against US army aircraft refuelling at Shannon Airport.
