FROM Brexit to Vote-gate, it has been an eventful year, to say the least. Here are some of the issues that exercised the mind of group editor Tony McCullagh in his opinion columns of 2019.
JANUARY
Library Fines
Our dependency on gadgets often borders on addiction and our kids are growing up in a world where losing yourself in a good book is no longer the default pre-bedtime activity. Clearly, we are all the poorer for it. We see examples of weak literacy skills on our social media news feeds all the time. Even text messages sent by ‘educated’ people are peppered with bad grammar and spelling mistakes as language is dumbed down. Any initiative that encourages us to read more is to be welcomed. In this regard, the removal of library fines is a small but practical step in the right direction
Morning checkpoints
These days, it’s not unusual for people to wonder aloud whether they should have that one last pint for the road. Even on weekends, many parents have to be out and about early the next day to drive their children to sports events. Could that extra drink after midnight still be in their system? It’s a pertinent question to ask yourself.
Any measure that reduces road deaths is to be welcomed, as long as gardaí are seen to be acting fairly and proportionately. It will be interesting to see how many drivers eventually end up off the road as a result of a morning drink driving clampdown. In the meantime, expect a boom in sales of home breathalyser devices.
FEBRUARY
Hospital parking
These days, you have to queue just to get into a hospital car park. On two occasions last month, I personally witnessed long tailbacks into Beaumont Hospital’s car park. Some of the frustrated motorists stuck in their cars may have been visiting sick friends or relatives, but others would have had appointments of varying degrees of urgency to attend. As a result, there was absolute chaos as people scrambled to find alternative parking in nearby residential areas. And when I say nearby, I mean at least a 20-minute walk away, heaping further pressure on those already late for appointments. The word fiasco really doesn’t do it justice.
Protest backfires
In Ireland, there really is no need to go to a politician’s home if you have a bone to pick with them. This is why the recent protest at the Minister for Health’s house was so unnecessary. To be honest, I’m not even sure what the protest was about in the first place. Whatever it was, the point was completely lost in the cacophony of condemnation that followed. It would have been far more effective had they protested outside the Dáil, the Department of Health or whatever photo-op Harris was next attending. If anything, the protesters actually did Harris a favour by distracting from criticism of his performance as Minister for Health.
MARCH
Protecting peace
The Brexit fiasco has once again brought the North into focus for all the wrong reasons. We are constantly reminded of the fragility of the peace process and the dire implications of a hard border. We live in hope, however, that despite the economic challenges posed by Brexit, a return to violence is the last thing on the minds of the new generation – on both sides of the border – who have known nothing but peace in their lifetime.
The Late Late
During Gay Byrne’s reign as host, the programme was credited with modernising Ireland and helping release the iron grip the Catholic Church had on the country’s collective morals. It’s fair to say that the Late Late started to lose its edge during Pat Kenny’s tenure and has plumbed new depths of banality since Ryan Tubridy took over. But this is a reflection on the predictable format of the show rather than a slight on the host himself. More often than not, the Late Late is merely a promotional vehicle for plugging other RTÉ programmes and seems to have a somewhat unhealthy obsession with country and western music.
APRIL
Election posters
Some would argue for an end to election posters, believing them to be an unsightly distraction, particularly as Tidy Towns’ groups begin their work in earnest. While I have some sympathy for this view, I also feel that the posters are the sign of a healthy democracy at work and help raise awareness of political and local issues. Even in this digital age, not everyone relies on social media so the posters serve as a traditional method of familiarising the electorate with their local candidates.
Leo and Kylie
Leo’s fan mail to Kylie may have gained less traction had his department not initially tried to block its release after a pesky newspaper sought a copy of it under a Freedom of Information request. That’s why writing it on official Government stationery was possibly not the best idea he’s ever had. The Taoiseach, of course, is perfectly entitled to a personal life and if the man has a devotion to a former soap star, then let him at it – unless, of course, it’s done in our name. And it could be argued that sending Kylie a note on official Government notepaper kind of did just that.
Predictably, some of his critics wondered aloud why Leo wasn’t concentrating on more pressing matters our country is facing, such as multiple health scandals and the homelessness crisis. And what about Brexit? How could he possibly have time to meet the global superstar in the face of such political Armageddon?
MAY
Court reporting
Given the amount of professional skill and care involved in writing a court report, it is highly concerning that many stories are now debased when they appear on social media. In recent years, I have been genuinely shocked at the legally dubious (to put it mildly) and vulgar nature of some of the comments posted under court reports that appear on my Facebook news feed.
It’s for this reason that we don’t post court reports on Dublin People’s social media platforms. Until such a time that robust legislation or proper safeguards are in place to deal with the problem of unregulated comments on social media, there is a compelling argument to be made for restricting the publication of court reports to print or broadcast formats
‘Free’ travel
If you are willing to take the very slight risk of being caught, Iarnród Éireann is essentially offering free travel. No matter what spin is put on it, self-service train stations are simply an exercise in reducing staff costs. It would be interesting to see the cost benefit analysis of this approach given the potential for fare evasion. Most people would be less inclined to ‘bunk’ the train if they had to hop the barrier in front of an Irish Rail employee. Then, of course, there’s the ongoing issue of anti-social behaviour on trains and at isolated stations. Clongriffin station, for instance, feels like it’s in no man’s land and has been the scene of violent incidents and vandalism.
JUNE
Insurance costs
Around the country, many indoor play centres are facing closure due to eye-watering insurance premium quotes. Some parents are happy enough to treat these places like an inflatable babysitting service, watching their kids from the comfort of the coffee shop. Then they sue when their little one falls and ends up with a bloody nose or soft tissue injury (a term that sounds ridiculously vague).
And here’s some breaking news for them: kids fall – it’s what they do best. They are very, very good at it. If you need to distract them for a few hours and find a cure for parental cabin fever, these places are a godsend. Accidents will happen, of course. Sometimes the injuries will be minor and they will not always be the result of negligence.
Philomena Lynott
In life, you are lucky if you get to meet a handful of people who make a lasting impression on you. Philomena Lynott, who passed away at the age of 88, was one of those people. She may have been best-known for being the mother of Irish rock star Phil Lynott – but she was something of a legend herself. Anyone who has read her extraordinary book, ‘My Boy’, cannot fail to be moved by her story. A young, unmarried mother with a mixed-race child faced many challenges in an era that was far less forgiving and tolerant than the one we live in today.
Philomena overcame these obstacles to see her son scale the dizzy heights of international stardom, only to have it cruelly snatched away from her when he died tragically at the age of 36. Devoted fans of Phil Lynott felt a deep sense of loss – but it was nothing compared to hers.
JULY
Homelessness
We must acknowledge that the Government’s overall strategy on housing is not working. There is no clear plan to tackle family homelessness; all it has is an outdated promise in Rebuilding Ireland and a stack of press statements. We urgently need a more ambitious strategy to tackle this issue. This includes actively building social housing, ensuring that bank restructuring does not come at the cost of mass homelessness, taxing those who hoard building land and protecting the rights of tenants facing eviction.
Student life
The reality is that most students are not from wealthy backgrounds and are still heavily reliant on financial support from their parents. Many have part-time jobs to help fund their day to day living expenses or enjoy the social life that comes with being a student. In the final year of a course, it can be difficult to balance working in a restaurant, bar or shop with achieving academic success in exams. For some of these young people, financial stress and pressure to study can negatively impact on their mental health.
While the rental crisis is a national one, it is most acutely felt in Dublin. There are stories of students enduring hellish commutes to attend college in Dublin as renting is simply not an option for them. Others are forced to live in substandard, crowded accommodation during the academic year.
AUGUST
Funding RTÉ
In principle, I have no problem with the need for a sustainable funding model for public service broadcasting. RTÉ’s news content, both on radio and television, is generally excellent and the station’s recent exposures of scandals in the greyhound and childcare industries were examples of public service broadcasting at its finest. As a compliant licence fee payer, I’m less happy to be funding the eye-watering salaries of some of the station’s big stars. And do we really need three television stations? Personally, I’d keep TG4 for its important cultural role but could easily live without RTÉ 2. That would surely save a few bob and divert funds into independent film and current affairs programming.
The DART effect
The impact of the DART on Dubliners’ lives has been profound. It boosted property prices along the entire line and is even credited with creating a new accent in some of the city’s more affluent suburbs (where it’s known as the ‘DORT’). The pace of progress in expanding the DART service has been frustratingly slow and only small sections of the rail network, from Howth Junction to Malahide and Bray to Greystones, have since benefitted. There are plans to bring it out as far as Balbriggan, which is great news for those of us living along the northern commuter line. I fear, however, that I may qualify for free travel by the time this is ever realised.
SEPTEMBER
City protests
City centre traders are already under huge pressure in the face of ongoing Brexit uncertainty and ever-growing competition from online retailers. The last thing they need right now is another reason for consumers to stay away from Dublin’s main shopping streets. The protesters’ counter argument is that they don’t want a ‘business as usual’ attitude to prevail as we face environmental oblivion. We have a longstanding tradition of protest and civil disobedience in this country and we are lucky to live in a democracy that embraces such freedom of expression.
It would be preferable, however, if Extinction Rebellion and its supporters aired their grievances with the political establishment by holding rallies outside the Dáil or at local authority headquarters instead of antagonising the very people who share their concerns about climate change
All-Ireland Final
Nothing could have prepared me for the atmosphere of an All-Ireland Football Final. The crowd were boisterous and passionate, with mostly good-natured banter between the Dublin and Kerry fans. Every point was greeted with mass euphoria; every wide with incredulous gasps, cheers and boos, depending on who you were supporting. And as for that Dublin goal at the opening of the second half, if you had plugged the crowd’s reaction into the national grid, you would have been able to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels for a while. It was pure, unapologetic tribalism; Dublin and Kerry fans alike had so much emotional investment in what was happening on the pitch for those often agonising 76 minutes.
OCTOBER
The digital age
Life really has become a daily chore of trying to remember log in names and passwords. Even when you go into a bank, you are lucky if you get to speak to a real person, unless they are there to nudge you towards the self-service machine. I’m starting to suspect that they don’t really want us there. I was once a fan of modern technology but am now getting nostalgic for the good old days when life was less complicated and you could rely on the kindness of strangers to help you out of a bind.
Domestic violence
Just two days after the Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe, presented his Brexit budget to the Dáil, Aoibhneas, the domestic abuse support service for women and children, launched its annual report for 2018. At times, it makes for uncomfortable reading. The report demonstrates the widespread prevalence of domestic abuse in Ireland and the growing pressure on service providers like Aoibhneas to help those affected.
A total of 1,266 women and children (634 families) were supported by the organisation in 2018, representing a 57 percent increase on the previous year. One of the most worrying findings of the report is that the charity was unable to support 365 families seeking refuge
NOVEMBER
Gay Byrne
Gay looked like a man who didn’t suffer fools, yet knew how to respect them. To others, he became something of a father figure, certainly to his younger colleagues looking for advice in a very challenging business. He was particularly avuncular towards singer Sinéad O’Connor during some of her more troubled times. Some would argue that ‘The Late Late Show’ should have ended when Gay stepped down as presenter in 1999. Without him, the show just became a rebranded version of ‘Kenny Live’ and ‘Tubridy Tonight’, with forgettable interviews and, more recently, an unforgivable fixation with country and western music.
Like all media outlets, RTÉ faces major financial challenges ahead. It was unfortunate that news of the planned cutbacks broke on the week when Gay Byrne’s friends and colleagues were mourning his passing and, in particular, while the station was demonstrating what it does best.
Euro 2020
Personally, I gave up taking the train to the Aviva a long time ago after a near-crush experience on a dangerously overcrowded DART. Since then, I’ve taken the car and, on each occasion, have been forced to endure a trail of tears, from nightmare traffic tailbacks along the East Link to limited, overpriced car-parking. By the time you take your seat in the Aviva, you’re already plotting an early exit to avoid the post-match chaos on the roads. Visiting football fans will no doubt marvel at the Aviva next year. But they may also be struck by our capital city’s limited public transport options as they sit in their overpriced hotels, with room rates opportunistically hiked to capitalise on a major event.
DECEMBER
Late night transport
It would be most welcome if Iarnród Éireann extended its current late night services so trains could run every weekend on a year-round basis. Any such decision would ultimately be informed by demand for the Christmas services and the behaviour of passengers. While late night services will have security personnel on board to ensure customer safety, it would be unfortunate if the behaviour of drunken thugs ruined it for the rest of us.
There are so many benefits for Dublin from a late night train service: it makes the city a more attractive place to socialise in and takes the uncertainty out of getting home. Moreover, it means less people trying to funnel out of town at the same time, reducing overcrowding on buses or trains and minimising the potential for anti-social activity. With all-night buses now running on both sides of the city, can we dare to hope that we are starting to get our act together when it comes to having a public transport service fit for purpose? There may well be cause for optimism.
White-water centre
The facility planned for George’s Dock would give paddlers of all levels the ability to hone their skills on a year-round basis. Crucially, it also has the support of Dublin Fire Brigade who have fully endorsed the project and plan to use it for rescue training exercises.
I have some reservations about the location. Traffic congestion along the quays is a nightmare as it is and there is limited parking in the vicinity of George’s Dock.
If kayakers wish to use their own boats at the facility, they certainly won’t be bringing them on board the Luas. Putting these misgivings aside, however, I still believe that this is a plan worthy of public and political support.