Northside News 07-20-30 by Voice Media

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Farewell Diarmo! TRIBUTES have rolled in from across the length and breadth of the country since Dublin star Diarmuid Connolly announced his retirement. As Dublin fans mourned the loss of one of the finest players to ever put on the shirt, many took to social media to pay tribute. And recently retired Blues legend Bernard Brogan led the way: “It was a pleasure to go to war with this man over the last 15 years! Thanks for all the magic.” One diehard fan said: “There are times you are lucky enough to see the best, the most naturally gifted and talented

Tributes paid to retiring Connolly sports people. Diarmuid was this. He made football and hurling look so easy and fluid. Legend and best of luck.” Sports journalist Roy Curtis took to Twitter to post his personal ode to he great player. “Among the few athletes fluent in

the language of genius. An aesthetic treasure house. A triumph of imagination and daring. With the unfailing ambition to deliver the unforgettable. Box office platinum. The reel of his football life is an authentic blockbuster.”

St Vincents star Eamon Fennell wrote: “I’ve watched Diarmuid setting the bar time and time again. His football skills, knowledge of the game selflessness to bring players into the game, attitude towards winning and so much more... It was a pleasure to wear the county jersey with you.” Former Dub Barry Cahill didn’t hold backl with his words of praise: “The most talented footballer I’ve seen. Pleasure to play on the same team as him. Congrats on a phenomenal career Dermo.” Continued on next page

Sssh! Did someone say Santa? Alyssa (8) and Amilia Breen (5) whose great great grandfather John Breen was a vendor in the fruit and veg market at the launch of the Mistletown Festival near Capel Street. The festival will take place December 5-6, 10-13 , 16, 18-23. Pic: Brian McEvoy

07.10.20

Continued from front page

Lifts to be fixed at 12 DART stations

Mayo’s Conor Mortimer wrote: “One of the greatest to play the game. Unreal skill. Buckets of talent. Strong as an ox. Header. But some genie with the rock. Will be missed lad.” And endorsement also came from former Dublin manager Pat Gilroy, who hailed Diarmuid as a player he was “blessed to be involved with”. “He was a different standard of player from a talent perspective. He was a very intelligent contributor to any kind of tactical discussions. He could see things that maybe others couldn’t see from a very young age.” However, Dublin legend Paul Curran questioned the ‘strange timing’ of Connolly’s retirement. “The timing of it is a little bit strange with the county scene set to restart in a couple of weeks’ time,” Curran said. “At 33, he’d still probably be capable of giving us something but unfortunately that’s not going to be the case and the curtain comes down on a fantastic career.”

Over €3m worth of muchneeded upgrades to lifts at 12 Dublin DART and train stations are to take place over the coming weeks. But the revamp will further disadvantage passengers with reduced mobility who have to contend with ongoing issues with broken lifts. Last summer, Bernard Mulvany, from Marino, set up the Access for All campaign in response to continued lift breakdowns at stations. His nine-year-old daughter Sophia, who has spina bifida and uses a wheelchair, has had to take drastic action to access trains. “I’ve often carried Sophia in her chair up flights of stairs but it’s getting harder now because she’s older,” Bernard said. “She’s well used to the issues we’ve faced but she’s had enough of it now,” he added. Another wheelchair user said she was forced to quit her job. Protesting outside Clontarf station with Access for All campaigners last summer, Saoirse Smith said: “When

Tributes paid to retiring Connolly

the lifts weren’t working, I was losing out on money in my job and I had to leave my job because I wasn’t earning enough.” Some of the city’s busiest DART stations had their lifts break down over 40 times in just over a year.

The lifts at Grand Canal Dock were out of order 45 times between January 2019 and February 2020; Blackrock station and Pearse Street station had 43 reports of broken lifts in the same period; while there were 41 outages in Tara Street and 39 at Connolly. Irish Rail

said people vandalising lifts is a big problem and while there “may be some disruptions now, this work will provide extra reliable station access for everyone in the future”. It said 52 stations nationwide were set for upgrades in the next three years.

Three Bus Eireann routes to face axe BUS Éireann has announced it will be cutting Expressway services between Dublin and three other cities. The services between the capital and Galway, Limerick and Cork will end when the emergency supports for the routes expire, which is expected to happen early next year. Bus Éireann said it took the decision to end these services, which it says are losing money. The route cuts will not result in the loss of any jobs as drivers are needed for other routes. The CEO of Bus Éireann, Stephen Kent, said the company cannot continue to run losses. Mr Kent next year will be “very challenging” and it will be 2022 before some of the routes recover. The service between Dublin and Belfast is to be “suspended indefinitely”, but the firm did not say it would “cease”, unlike the other three major routes. The firm blamed the pandemic for “significant medium-term challenges”.

Swords park flys Green Flag with pride Swords Tidy Towns has been awarded a Community Green Flag for their ‘Rock Garden Project’ on the Rathbeale Road. The project was initiated by Chairperson Ken Duffy, who approached the head of Fingal County Councils Operations Department, Colm Rigney, with the idea of converting the derelict playground into a community space and was

backed by local residents. The playground was once a local rock quarry which closed in the 1940s. It was then converted into a playground but fell into disrepair in the 1980s. Many of the park’s features have been restored, including a Tonge and Taggart water pump, full of the character of its original. The name stone for the park is now an old

granite gate post, salvaged from the grounds of Swords Castle in the late 1990s. It has been engraved in Irish and Ogham, the early Irish alphabet. It is the first time a Green Flag has been awarded in Fingal for a community project, which makes the award that much more special to the dedicated volunteers. Swords Tidy Towns worked

closely with Fingal County Council throughout the whole process, in particular with members Matt Cullen and Mary Maxwell on the design of the rock garden. Swords Tidy Towns wishes thank the council for its support, particularly the crew of the Operations Department, who helped to create this wonderful amenity for the community.

Members of Swords Tidy Towns with their Green Flag Award

07.10.20

No Dubs welcome

An Post to hire new staff for Louth hotel defends turning away residents of Capital Christmas The owner of a hotel and restaurant in County Louth who was on the the receiving end of a shocking review for refusing to serve people from Dublin has said his policy is there to protect his customers. McKevitts Village Hotel, in Carlingford, Co Louth, was stung by a one-star review on Tripadvisor this week after it refused a couple service because they were from Dublin. The couple’s child labelled the hotel a “den of ignorance” said they will make certain that no one they know will visit the business when the crisis is over. The review, which labelled the hotel “a den of ignorance”, advises customers to ‘avoid this place’ and the writer will “make certain when the current crisis is over that not a solitary individual known to myself will be darkening the door of this establishment as long as it stands”. Standing his ground however, owner Terry McKevitt in a reply said: “We accept all feedback whether it be positive or negative. However, we feel like this type of review is very unfair. We have completed all

President Michael D. Higgins marked National Tree Day 2020 with tree-planters Sam (10) and Maeve Harrison (8) in the grounds of Aras An Uachtarain. Pic: Maxwell’s

Covid-19 safety charter criteria. As a result we have passed Failte Ireland inspection and are proud to be registered as Covid-19 compliant premises. “It is not just Dublin as such,” he added. “We looked at Donegal too. We decided that to protect our loyal customers

and staff, it would be better if we refused service of those areas. Our way of looking at it is, we are a tourist destination and these people shouldn’t really be in the area.” He said he stands by the decision and if people don’t want to provide their address to

staff, they don’t have to come in. “It is very annoying as an owner of a business that is trying to do our best in these difficult times to get a one-star review — especially when they didn’t even get to experience any of the services in the building,” he said.

“Nobody likes to be refused service, it doesn’t matter where you are, so you can see why people might be annoyed.” But Terry said he has nothing to apologise for by following guidelines. “We do not apologise for protecting our customers both old and new in these trying times and certainly do not apologise for making every attempt to ensure the safety of our hardworking staff. “We encourage all potential customers to listen to government guidelines and recommendations and we will continue to provide a safe environment for all permitted customers.”

AN Post has announced it is hiring temporary Christmas staff to deal with demand over the silly season. Postal operatives are being sought to join its Dublin team and the roles are temporary. The rate of pay is €14.50 per hour. Applicants will be working at the Dublin Mails Centre and Dublin Parcels Hub over the festive period. An Post said it was looking for hardworking candidates with relevant work experience, or experience in another customer-focused environment. You should be hardworking and committed, with good organisational skills and be flexible, efficient and effective in undertaking all work practices. Candidates must be 18 years of age on or before the 9th October 2020 and Garda vetting must be completed. Deadline for applications is October 9 and you can apply via the An Post website: https://www.anpost.com/ Working-with-An-Post/ Careers/Christmas-CasualsPostal-Operatives,-DMCDPH

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Raheny rallies to save course A protest to demand the reopening of Edenmore Pitch & Putt course in Raheny took place last week, highlighting its importance to the local community. As a non-contact sport, golf was among the first sports to be permitted in the early lifting of restrictions, yet Dublin City Council Parks Department has yet to reopen the course and locals fear it is under threat. Local Dublin City Councillor Mícheál Mac Donncha, of Sinn Féin, said: “The decision by the City Council Parks Department to close the Edenmore Pitch & Putt course was an underhand and slieveen decision. “When at a Council North Central Area meeting I challenged Parks at the start of the pandemic about their failure to cut the grass and maintain the course. “I said I hoped this wasn’t Parks using the pandemic as cover to push their longterm plan to close the course altogether. “Pitch and putt is one of the few sports and social outlets that can still be enjoyed within the public health restrictions.

Club members gather at the Edenmore Pitch & Putt course, in Raheny

“Yet here we have the Parks Department closing a city council sports facility which can and should be available to the entire community,” he said. In June, Dublin City Council North Central Area Committee said the course occupies four hectares of the park, which represents just over half of the space of the entire park. The authority said it believed the opening of this part of the park to the public, rather than for the sole use of a club of about 40 members, would be much more advantageous to the local community.

The pitch and putt course, it said, costs in excess of €60,000 per annum to maintain and operate, however, the income generated has fallen in recent years from €14k in 2010 to €3k in 2018 and €4k in 2019, which reflects the lack of demand and interest locally. However, Mr Mac Donncha said:“Many older people especially used this facility and it could have been a real lifeline during the pandemic for people of all ages. “We will not let this drop and will continue to demand the reopening of the course.”

07.10.20

Bird-scaring unit scaring away locals IT might not be Halloween yet, but things are already getting scary in the centre of Dublin. Dublin City Coucil is investigating a bird-scaring device at the Central Bank building in Dublin’s docklands, which emits amplified and eery recordings of bird calls round the clock. Locals say the device has been operating on a 24-hour basis and is particularly disruptive at night, when the noise, which mimics the sounds of birds in distress, is not drowned out by daytime traffic. However, the bank said the device was needed to protect equipment on its roof and to protect birds. Derek Allen, who lives in an apartment opposite the bank, said the noise from the machine had been keeping him awake and sounded like “an Alfred Hitchcock movie”.

“At first I thought they were real birds. I thought they might be the Canadian geese you get flying through every year. Then I noticed more unusual calls, something like the noise a pelican would make, and very loud screeching like birds in distress. It was like an Alfred Hitchcock movie,” he said. “One night I was awake at 3am listening to it, and I realised I was hearing the same sounds over and over, and it struck me it must be a machine. At first I thought I was going mad, but I’ve spoken to people living in the houses behind the bank and they’ve heard it too.” “I wouldn’t mind the noise so much in the day time, if it was attracting birds to the neighbourhood, but it’s deterring them. I’ve noticed a huge decline in small birds in the area.” Mr Allen said he had

contacted the bank in relation to the noise, but had not received a response. Councillor Mannix Flynn said residents were becoming increasingly stressed because of the noise. “Every resident is going bananas about it,” he said. “This sound is akin to the opening sequence of Jurassic Park — it’s basically squawking birds, birds of prey, very loud, throughout the entire night.” Mr Flynn said he has lodged complaints with the council’s planning enforcement section. The council said the use of the device was under investigation by its Air Quality Monitoring and Noise Control Unit. The bank said the device was installed to protect mechanical and electrical equipment and “also serves to protect birds from related hazards, such as fan blades.”

Gruesome discovery of Viking child at excavation The largely intact skeleton of a child unearthed at a dig near Dublin Castle

Ongoing excavations on Ship Street, next to Dublin Castle, have unearthed a mysterious and tragic discovery — the preserved skeleton of a child. The find was made at an archaeological dig near the castle, where in ancient times the River Poddle flowed into the ‘Dubh Linn’ (black pool) near the River Liffey. The largely intact skeleton

was discovered just at the point before the river entered the pool and is thought to date from the 9th or 10th century. After it was excavated it was found to be that of a child aged between 10 and 12 years of age — most likely a boy — and is thought to have been wrapped in a shroud before being thrown into the river. The body was found with an iron buckle or fastener,

Rents fall as pandemic hits growth THERE is some good news for renters in Dublin city, with the Covid-19 pandemic having a significant impact on rents. The latest Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) rent index shows figures for the second quarter of this year in Dublin registered 0.0% growth on an annualised basis — the lowest annualised growth rate seen in Dublin since 2011. However, rents have increased by 3.3% in the commuter belt area. The standardised average rent in Dublin now stands at €1,709 and €928 outside of Dublin. The county with the lowest average rent was Leitrim at €599 per month. Compared with the previous quarter, rents outside Dublin increased by 0.3%, while they decreased by 1.5% in Dublin. Padraig McGoldrick, interim director of the RTB, said: “It is clear that the Covid-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the rental sector — annual growth has moderated and rent levels have slowed compared to Q1 2020.”

Conor O’Toole, Senior Research Officer at the Economic and Social Research Institute said the downward trend could continue: “The economic shock associated with the pandemic has been the sharpest and most rapid in living memory. “These economic adjustments are beginning to feed through into the rental sector with rental inflation moderating across the country. The drop in inflationary pressures has been strongest in the Dublin area which is the country’s largest rental market. It is likely that continued downward pressure will be exerted on rents in the short term as the economy continues to struggle.” However, Sinn Féin Housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin said rents remain “stubbornly high”. “We need to see a ban on rent increases and in Budget 2021, we need to see real capital investment in affordable cost rental homes that are available to rent at between €700 and €900 per month,” he said.

leaving experts to conclude the child met a violent death. Alan Hayden from the UCD School of Archaeology, who was leading the dig, said the fact it was not given a proper burial and was dumped in this manner would suggest foul play. Further tests will be carried out to determine the date of death, gender and the ethnic origin of the child.

Pubs to call time on 1000 bar jobs Up to a 1,000 bar jobs face the axe after pubs boss Louis Fitzgerald said the future of the hospitality sector looks bleak as he revealed a “considerable” number of staff will be laid off at his venues from next week. The Tipperary businessman owns some of the capital’s biggest landmark bars including Kehoe’s, The Stag’s Head and The Quays. The news comes as the Chawke Pub Group, which runs seven gastro bars in Dublin and two in Limerick, including Searsons on Baggot Street and the Bank Bar on College Green in Dublin, said it has to let go up to 300 people, as it has been left with no other option. Meanwhile, Dublin hospitality group has warned it will take legal action if the Government extends current restrictions in the capital. The Press Up group — which is behind venues like The Stella, Elephant & Castle and Workman’s — has asked the State to reveal its restriction plans for beyond October 10.

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I won’t pay for your marathon MICHAEL WOLSEY My neighbour, a fit and feisty man, has been running a marathon in his back garden. He now intends to crown this feat with some incredible number of pressup - a hundred or a million, something huge anyway. And he is planning an equal number of forward thrusts. At least I think that ’s what he said. I didn’ t like to inquire too closely. So long as only consenting adults are involved. He is raising funds for a local football club and I have agreed to contribute. His wife, who is filming it all on her phone, tells me I can watch his efforts online. Watch? Dear god, is it not enough that I have to subsidise these efforts without being expected to watch them as well. The football club in question does a great job and I am very happy to contribute to its coffers. But I would be

happier to contribute directly, rather than by the roundabout route of paying my neighbour for something he loves to do anyway. This sort of sponsorship blackmail seems to have increased since Covid forced us all to limit our social engagements. We’ve nothing better to do with our time, I guess. So the boys at one end of the road are hurling against a wall to raise funds for animal welfare and the girls at the other end are planning a record number of keepy-ups to help a hospital. All good causes that I am happy to support. And all healthy, harmless activities that these young folk are welcome to indulge in. But what’s the connection? Why do they feel that competing in some pointless pursuit will better persuade me to part with my money? The trade-off is not required for simpler forms of giving.

The Savoy Cinema and Gresham Hotel, O’Connell Street, in 1962 – the year in which ‘The Quare Fellow’, adapted from the play by Brendan Behan, was released. This photo and many more of Dublin in decades gone by were recently donated to the Old Dublin Society by the family of the late Liam Breen. Details of the society can be found at olddublinsociety.ie. If you would like a free digital copy of the photograph just send an Email to olddublinsociety@gmail.com

If I hand some cash to a homeless person in the street, I don’t request that he first gets up and runs around the block a few times. If I donate some food to a St Vincent de Paul appeal I don’t expect the recipients to prove their worthiness by pushing a bed from Dublin to Cork. So why is sponsorship seen as a necessary part of so many charity efforts? The Covid crisis has, at least, put a stop to madder ventures

like the bed-push and also to people who want others to pay for their holiday in return for them making a donation to charity. If they want to walk the Camino, that’s grand. If they want to climb the Andes, all fine and dandy. And if I want to contribute to Trócaire or Oxfam, that ’s my business. Why should these worthy but quite unrelated ventures be linked by sponsorship? There used to be a more straightforward way of

charity fundraising. Whatever happened to flag days? They once were commonplace. And they worked very simply. The collector carried a box marked with the name of the charity. He, or more usually she, waved it in your direction. If you didn’t care for the cause, you walked on. Otherwise you dropped a few coins in the box and were rewarded with a sticky badge (the flag) which you could

smugly point at when the next collector loomed into view. Have these clear-cut collections gone out of fashion? It’s quite some time since I’ve seen one. A flag-day transaction was swift and, while individual contributions might not have been large, the total raised could be substantial. The flag sellers did a fine job and nobody ever asked them to run a marathon or show us their forward thrusts.

07.10.20

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12 Education

07.10.20

Schools go green with solar power Schools in Dublin have received a boost with news that they will soon be able to power classrooms using energy generated from their own roofs. Microsoft and SSE Airtricity have joined forces to roll-out rooftop solar in 20 Dublin schools, allowing those earmarked for the upgrades to reduce both their costs and carbon footprint. Over 15 years, it is expected that the solar panels will produce enough clean energy to offset approximately 2.1 million kilograms of harmful C02 emissions. Cathriona Hallahan, Managing Director, Microsoft Ireland, said: “At Microsoft, our mission is to empower every person and organisation on the planet to achieve more. Collectively we can take a step in the right direction and harness the power of innovative

technology to help generate renewable energy and go some way towards offsetting carbon emissions. “Through the installation of solar panels and the new datadriven insights from Microsoft’s Azure cloud, we look forward to enabling sustainable practices inside and outside the school gate. Working together, we hope to open up the energy saving and carbon reduction potential of rooftop solar across Ireland and perhaps one day across the world.” A key objective of the project is to educate students about the role they can play in combating climate change. Digital screens have been set up in all 20 schools to enable the students to track energy use in real time and see the impact of the energy efficiency upgrades in their school. The schools to benefit from

the project in Dublin include: Adamstown Castle Educate Together; Adamstown Community College; Coláiste Chilliain, Clondalkin; Coláiste Cois Life; Gaelscoil Shliabh Rua, Sandyford; Griffeen Valley ETNS, Lucan; Kishoge Community College, Lucan; Lucan East Educate Together National School; Monkstown Educate Together; Oatlands College, Mount Merrion; Our Lady of the Wayside NS, Kilternan; Our Lady’s Boys National School, Ballinteer; Rosemount School, Sandyford; Scoil Caoimhin Naofa, Mount Merrion; Scoil San Treasa, Mount Merrion; St John the Evangelist NS, Adamstown; St Mary’s National School, Sandyford; St Olaf ’s National School, Dundrum; St Patricks Boys NS, Blackrock and St Kevin’s Community College, Clondalkin.

Special Needs Assistants to gain from free training Education Minister Norma Foley and Director Tomás Ó Ruairc at the launch of the Festival of Education in Learning and Teaching Excellence (FÉILTE). Pic: Chris Bellew/ Fennell

Special Needs Assistants will soon be able to avail of a new national training programme, delivered by UCD and funded by the Department of Education, at no cost to the assistant. The new online programme will begin in January 2021 and will consist of five modules delivered over a 10-month period. In total, there are

3,500 places on offer over the next four years. Launching the new programme, Minister for Special Education and Inclusion Josepha Madigan said: “Nearly 17,000 SNAs work in our schools dealing with the care needs of the most vulnerable students so they can participate in school life as much as possible and

achieve the best possible education outcomes.” The programme is open to all SNAs working in primary, post-primary and special schools. It will begin in January 2021 with the enrolment of 500 SNAs in the first year. Application forms and information is available on the UCD website.

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Education 13

14 Education

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Permanent jobs down by 40%

Lessons about Dracula

Impact of Covid pandemic taking toll on jobs market THE number of permanent jobs fell by a staggering 40% in Dublin between January and July 2020, compared with the same period last year, as the impact of the pandemic on the jobs market begins to emerge. The jobs report, by Matrix Recruitment, looked at client and candidate data and demonstrates that the overall jobs market has fallen by 33% since the pandemic hit, when directly compared with 2019 data. At the same time, the company is seeing a gradual but definite increase in temporary and contract positions and believes this is a trend set to continue into the months — and potentially years — ahead. Kieran McKeown, CEO of Matrix Recruitment, said: “Many companies may have short-term requirements that are necessary to help steer the business in a new direction it might be taking, or to simply get their business back up and running after the impact

of the pandemic. “While it is very concerning that there is a huge drop in permanent roles, we do see a gradual but steady increase in temporary and contract positions, and those roles can offer a candidate a lot of benefits and appeal that permanent posts wouldn’t.” The subject of remote working is one that has been much debated over the last six months as more people have been forced to work at home. This has led to calls for employers to create a better work-life balance for employees and is sure to become a legacy issue once the pandemic passes, with those taking up temporary or contract posts more likely to be offered this perk. “A lot of people want a different way of working now,” continues Kieran. “They are looking at things a little differently. I firmly believe more flexibility will be an expectation of employees now, not just a ‘wish-for’ benefit. Temporary and contract roles can offer

more flexibility and balance, an opportunity to learn new skills and can be very lucrative.” Add to this the often generous rates of daily pay, and one might wonder why it is only now that this upward trend of temporary work is appearing. The truth is, it is not a new trend for certain industries, with contract roles historically prominent in the IT, pharma, finance and engineering sectors. But according to Matrix, this trend is spreading to other industries with an increase in these types of roles in the public sector, banking, food, healthcare and manufacturing. “We can see these roles being created in almost every industry that we specialise in at Matrix at the moment. Businesses have many shortterm needs now, and indeed many requirements they never anticipated having at the outset of 2020. That is why they are now offering these roles, it is less commitment for both.”

WITH Halloween fast approaching, Dublin is readying to summon the spirit of its top horror attraction — Dracula. The Bram Stoker Festival returns with four days of living stories and four nights of deadly adventures from October 27th to 30th. Highlights include Al Porter’s Camp Dracula comedy show; the Macnas parade Memory Song through the Northside of the city; and Gravediggers & Resurrectionists at one of Ireland’s most historic and storied cemeteries, Glasnevin. You can also take part in a spellbinding walking tour of Glasnevin Cemetery, taking in the famous graves and the stories of the living, the dead and the undead. For full information and tickets for more events than you can sink your teeth into, visit: www.bramstokerfestival. com

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Education 15

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Education 17

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Classifieds 21

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Dublin In The Rare Old Times 23

07.10.20

We take a look back at extracts from old newspapers to see what was in the news this month in years gone by

Irish Independent 29/10/1943

Irish Press 17/10/1980

Freemans Jrn 06/10/1842

Freemans Journal, 06/10/1843

Sun Ind , 11/10/1931

Irish Press 17/10/1933

Freemans Journal 08/10/1842

NORTHSIDE NEWS 07.10.20