Speaking at Ireland’s Voice in Europe: In Conversation with Midlands-North-West MEPs, held last night at The Hardiman Hotel in Galway, Mullooly revealed that he had directly questioned French President Emmanuel Macron during a recent meeting about the strategic considerations for such missions and their implications for Irish neutrality.

Mullooly expressed serious concern over any ceasefire deal that might emerge from the proposed US – Russia negotiations, its impact on the people of Ukraine and  asked President Macron to clarify any envisioned role of Irish troops in a potential peacekeeping operation, particularly in light of Ireland’s neutrality and its historical approach to international missions. While President Trump and President Macron later provided detailed insights into broader international peacekeeping strategies, Mullooly emphasised that his own conclusions were formed after further consultation with Cathal Berry TD, a former Army Ranger and military expert.

“After speaking directly with President Macron and consulting with Cathal Berry, I have formed a clear position: Irish troops must not be deployed to border regions or other danger zones in Ukraine. Our troops, if deployed towards peacekeeping efforts, will likely be placed inland and away from the borders but they must have proper equipment, resources, and supports to defend themselves if enforcing a UN peacekeeping mandate,” Mullooly stated.

Mullooly also expressed major concerns about the possibility of an EU defence force requesting Irish troops for such roles. “Ireland’s neutrality has served us well for many years, and any move towards an EU defence force raises serious questions about our sovereignty and our ability to make independent decisions regarding the deployment of our Defence Forces,” he said.

The MEP stressed that further debate is required on this issue, particularly given Ireland’s position as a neutral country. “We need an open and honest discussion on the future of the United Nations structures and about how Ireland can continue to contribute to global peacekeeping efforts while safeguarding our neutrality and ensuring that any involvement is consistent with our values,” he added.

Mullooly outlined what he believes to be the most likely scenario if a truce is reached in Ukraine: contested “occupied territories” would require an international peacekeeping presence, with Anglo-French forces likely taking the lead and Irish troops potentially being asked to play a supporting role under a UN mandate.

“Ireland has always played a constructive role in international peacekeeping efforts,” Mullooly said. “But we must ensure that our soldiers are protected, properly resourced, and deployed only in specific inland locations and if this scenario does play out we should not be rushing in as immediate boots on the ground. I am particularly pleased to hear from President Trump that the US are prepared to act as a backstop in a case where our troops might be under attack but I sincerely hope it doesn’t come to that – for the sake of defence force members from barracks in Dundalk, Athlone, Galway , the Curragh camp and Finner camp who may well be asked to join the UN peacekeeping mission.

“We live in dangerous times “ MEP Mullooly said  , “but we must go into these situations with our eyes open and I believe our own government will face crucial decisions in this regard as soon as March 5th so they must be prepared.”

The Galway event featured MEPs Maria Walsh (Fine Gael), Barry Cowen (Fianna Fáil), and Ciaran Mullooly (Independent Ireland) alongside Brendan Flynn, Lecturer and Head of Politics at the University of Galway, as well as Dr Orla Flynn, President of Atlantic Technological University, who moderated the discussion. Organised by the Institute for International & European Affairs (IIEA) in partnership with the European Parliament Liaison Office in Dublin, the event provided constituents with an opportunity to engage directly with their representatives on issues including agriculture, climate change, housing, transport, and international security.

Reflecting on the event, Mullooly remarked: “It was an evening of tough questions and honest answers. I am committed to ensuring that Ireland continues to play a constructive role internationally while safeguarding our neutrality and protecting the lives of our Defence Forces personnel.”

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“Last week, you were in County Kildare on the Byrne family farm. where you were asked about succession and how you plan to support it. You said you cannot answer on that, there are other issues you said you could not answer on, but one thing you can answer on, Commissioner, is CAP.”

Mullooly emphasised that –“At the end of the day, income on that farm is directly tied to CAP. If CAP produces an income that allows them to make a living, they will stay, and there will be more food in Europe as a result,” Mullooly said.

The MEP reminded the Commissioner of his responsibility to ensure CAP delivers for farmers now, particularly smallholders who are struggling with rising costs and inflation. “Stand up for farmers—small farmers—who need a decent wage and a decent income at the end of the day,” he urged.

Mullooly also highlighted the importance of practical solutions over vague promises, stressing that without immediate action, farming families will face an uncertain future. “You have that responsibility. It is not easy, but you can make your mark in these discussions at the Council of Commissioners,” he said.

Mullooly then appealed to Commissioner Hansen’s own farming background: “You know this can be done. Focus on it, fight for it, and make your name as someone who delivered for farming families across Europe.”

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Speaking after meeting with the Farrell family last Sunday at the unveiling of a memorial plaque at Mr Farrell’s home in Rooskey to mark the fifth anniversary of Liam’s death, MEP Mullooly expressed his deep concern over the lack of progress in the case.

“I met with the Farrell family at this moving ceremony and listened to their heartfelt appeal for answers,” said MEP Mullooly. “They have made it very clear to me that there is still a total lack of clarity about the circumstances surrounding their father’s death. While I understand a Garda review of the investigation is underway, I do not believe such an internal inquiry will bring any meaningful closure to the family. Their legitimate concerns must be addressed.

“The family remains convinced that a third party was involved in Liam’s death,” MEP Mullooly stated. “It is shocking that five years later, they still feel their concerns have not been adequately addressed by the authorities. This ongoing uncertainty is unacceptable”.

MEP Mullooly raised several critical questions about the original Garda investigation. He queried why no nationwide appeal for information was conducted at the time and why a re-enactment of the incident was not featured on RTE’s Crimecall programme to generate public awareness. He also questioned how the blunt force injuries identified during Mr Farrell’s inquest align with Garda conclusions.

“On Sunday, the family of Mr Farrell invited me to personally examine the photographic evidence taken after the death and the scene of the incident.

“My only conclusion after this distressing experience is that the Garda Commissioner must now appoint a senior officer to carry out an entirely new inquiry into the death of Mr Farrell and the Minister for Justice must ensure this happens immediately,” MEP Mullooly added.

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Ireland’s housing market faces a severe crisis. Mortgage rates exceeding 4%—among the highest in Europe—have made homeownership increasingly unattainable. In this context, innovative solutions are imperative. A promising answer lies within our local communities: credit unions.

These community-focused institutions, long integral to Irish life, could significantly reshape the mortgage market through proposed lending regulation changes, all while continuing their essential community services.

A Legacy of Community Support

Established in the 1950s, credit unions have consistently provided financial services tailored to ordinary citizens, often neglected by traditional banks. Inspired by cooperative models from abroad, trailblazers such as Nora Herlihy and Sean Forde opened Ireland’s first credit union on Dublin’s Donore Avenue in 1958.

Their mission was revolutionary yet straightforward: to create community-driven financial institutions offering equitable savings and loans.

Today, over 200 credit unions serve more than 3 million members across Ireland, collectively managing assets exceeding €18 billion. Known for their fairness and trustworthiness, these institutions remain vital to local communities. However, strict regulations have hampered their ability to engage in long-term lending like mortgages—a sector where they have untapped potential.

Unlocking Credit Union Potential

Despite their reach, credit unions currently account for less than 0.7% of Ireland’s mortgage market—a surprisingly small share given their scale. Proposed reforms by the Central Bank aim to change this, allowing credit unions to allocate up to 30% of their assets (approximately €6 billion) to mortgage lending, alongside an additional 10% (€2 billion) for business loans.

This shift could be transformative, enabling credit unions to issue over 18,000 new mortgages at competitive rates starting as low as 2.9%, similar to those offered by Youghal Credit Union. Increased competition in the mortgage market—currently dominated by three major banks controlling over 90% of lending—would be a welcome development.

The Broader Impact on Communities

The potential benefits of these changes go beyond providing more mortgage options. They could invigorate local economies and bolster community resilience in several ways:

• Affordable housing: Lower mortgage rates could make homeownership more accessible, challenging the high rates set by traditional banks.
• Community reinvestment: Unlike profit-oriented banks, credit unions reinvest surplus income into local areas or return it to members via lower loan rates and dividends.
• Stability and sustainability: Diversifying into mortgages, personal loans, and business lending would enhance the financial stability of credit unions.
• Support for small businesses: Increased lending capacity could provide small enterprises with crucial funding for growth.

Pushing for Further Modernisation

In addition to these measures, credit unions are advocating for further reforms to modernise their operations and ease regulatory constraints, including:

• Simplified compliance procedures.
• Enhanced fraud prevention through a national fraud database and PPSN checks.
• Greater flexibility to diversify service offerings.

These updates would enhance the ability of credit unions to serve their members effectively while maintaining their role as a cornerstone of Ireland’s financial system.

Looking Ahead

As an MEP, I firmly support these proposed changes. Credit unions embody fairness, community values, and a member-first philosophy that has benefited Irish families for decades. They have consistently supported communities by encouraging saving, assisting with unexpected expenses, and promoting financial inclusion where others have not.

Now is the time to empower credit unions with the resources and regulatory freedom to achieve even greater impact—for Ireland’s families and the communities we cherish.

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All too often we men keep very quiet about troublesome health problems and feelings relating to stress or anxiety for fear of losing face, being labelled as ‘weak’ or of being accused of being unable to cope with the many difficult stresses and strains of life.

I am big enough to admit I have seen it myself and have probably been guilty of the very same thing over the years. As part of the male ‘herd’, I have gone along to umpteen football matches and social events and sat down afterwards in the inevitable post-mortem among the males in the pub or the club and talked for hours about possibly EVERYTHING else under the sun in this world EXCEPT our own men’s health issues. We can talk about Ronaldo or Mo Salah for hours and hours on end, text and slag each other on Facebook or Twitter for days, but just try and mention men’s prostate problems or the big ‘C’ – and listen to the silence.

Change is happening

I’m glad to report that in the last 18 months since I began a new job with Roscommon LEADER Partnership where I work with men’s groups and men’s shed members all over the county on a daily and weekly basis, I have seen the first signs that this historic weakness of our gender may well be changing.

In case you didn’t already know it, the ‘men’s shed’ is a worldwide, community-based project where men can come together on a regular basis to learn, share skills, have a laugh and make long-lasting friendships. The men’s shed movement was first founded down under in Australia in the 1980s, and has since expanded to other countries including Ireland, the UK, America, Canada, Iceland and Estonia, to name but a few.

In recent years we have all seen that Ireland has become one of the leading nations for men’s sheds, with this island having the most sheds per head of population. Currently, there are over 450 sheds in Ireland, with at least 10,000 men visiting a shed for a mug of tea or an activity once a week. Here in Roscommon we are lucky to have quite a few of them around the county. These include a brand new one just kicking into gear in Roscommon town at the moment – meeting every Friday morning at 11 am and on another weekday evening at their new meeting point in the Roscommon LEADER Partnership offices on the Lanesborough Road (the building formerly known as the HSE primary care centre).

Even though the men’s shed movement has a national structure, all sheds are independent and self-autonomous, and the range of activities carried out by sheds differs from one to the next. Many sheds engage in activities such as woodwork, metalwork, gardening, carpentry and community work, but there is really a blank canvas there for most involved. If they decide they want to go on a history tour or a day’s outing somewhere instead, they generally do that –  depending on what the members decide. In some parts of the country there are more ‘special interests’ sheds that focus on activities like music, fishing and restoration work too, so every need can be catered for. The new Roscommon group has one man with a keen interest in restoring old tractors, for instance, and also a great chess player who can teach you how to play. So, like I say, all interests can be catered for.

Movement grows

Having started in 2009, the Irish men’s sheds movement had its birth in Tipperary where the first shed was formed. Following the formation of the first shed, the movement began to grow rapidly. There are now over 400 sheds registered with the Irish Men’s Sheds Association, and at least 12,000 men visiting a shed every week. Following the formation of the Irish Men’s Sheds Association in 2011, the movement began to receive national recognition of their value to Irish society. In 2013, the Irish men’s sheds movement received recognition at the very highest level when President Michael D. Higgins became patron to the Irish Men’s Sheds Association.

The Association has also received governmental and European recognition of their contribution to Ireland. In 2018, the Association received the European Citizens’ Prize after being nominated by Irish MEPs. Most recently, the organisation was named as one of the twelve Sustainable Development Goals Champions by the Irish Government for 2019/2020.

I have had the pleasure of visiting some of the most successful sheds around the country in the last 12 months and I have to say that no matter where you go, it is hard to beat the efforts of the Ballaghaderreen group! The lads down there have a fantastic workshop on the ground floor of a building they did up (right in behind Durkin’s). On the first floor they have huge social space for a large TV, pool table, kitchen and much more. It really is a terrific set-up and a credit to them all.

New group in Roscommon

Here in Roscommon town, the men’s group is still in an early stage of their development and chairman Tom Harrison has steered them quietly out of the Covid pandemic into a place where up to ten members now meet on a weekly basis for a cup of tea, a chat and often something much more engaging. In the last 12 months this group has conducted day trips to a range of fascinating venues around the county – including Gerry Browne’s fantastic organic garden centre, the Drum Heritage Centre, the Roscommon Museum, the Lough Ree Access for all boat and the famine workhouse at the back of the Sacred Heart Hospital. The group has already shown they are not afraid of tackling the big issues such as mental health, and I strongly recommend them to you.

Guides such as Marie Gillooly, Marian Harlow and Gerry Browne have escorted the group along their journeys and I know they are now keen to welcome up to another ten members for the autumn and winter season of activities. If you would like to join the men’s group please contact Tom Harrison on 086 8278111 or email: roscommonmensgroup@gmail.com and they will come back to you with details of their meeting times.

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I am not a deeply religious person by any means but for the last three decades I have been a personal friend of Fr John Cullen – a priest in the diocese of Elphin who was in charge of religious programming on Shannonside FM when I was Head of News there back in 1991.

John and I have from time to time enjoyed an open dialogue about the ways of the church and the actions of ‘his boss’ AKA God. We have debated the good, the bad and the ugly parts of the institution on a regular basis. I have to say he is a brilliant man to bat on the church’s behalf – making sense of many things I could never have previously understood or accepted.

I remember one particularly entertaining and emotive argument in this vein that I enjoyed having with John. It was about the actor, broadcaster and writer Stephen Fry after his appearance on the ‘Would You Believe’ TV show with the late Gay Byrne. Readers may remember that Fry had pointed to the callousness and unfairness of absolutely harrowing real-life events such as babies developing leukemia or dying with cancer tumours in their youth. In really strong and controversially outspoken language, he told Byrne he could never respect “a capricious, mean-minded, stupid God who creates a world … so full of injustice”.

Public outcry

There was a bit of an outcry about what Fry had said  among those people of deep faith in this country. You may remember that one person even reported Mr Fry to the Gardai on grounds of alleged blasphemy and the Government subsequently changed a law in response to such occurrences. John and I continued the argument for many weeks as we had our own debate in a civil manner, by text and phone call, on how events of such a tragic and heartbreaking nature could ever be interpreted as acceptable in a church which was allegedly endorsing a life where individuals should portray love and respect for one another (and the aforementioned God).

Last week was another one of those similarly difficult moments for me and for some of the people around me. As we watched the funerals take place in Donegal our hearts sank to the point of despair as the relatives came forward to speak so passionately and so bravely – at the funerals – about the loved ones they had lost in such an indiscriminate manner.

I wasn’t actually speaking to John about the events in Donegal at all last week. Nowadays he is far from his old Roscommon duties. He is on a working sabbatical in a ministry with the poor and the homeless on the streets of London. Yet, as if by telepathy, he probably knew what was going through my head (and in the minds of a few more people). He decided to email me a copy of some deliberations he put together while speaking at an inter-faith prayer service in London last week.

I read it, and even though I still don’t agree with everything he says, I am big enough to admit that he has once again struck a chord that may well help and console people of faith in the aftermath of such horrific events as those we witnessed in Creeslough. So, with his permission, I am going to republish it here this week in my column in the People. I will leave it to each reader to interpret it as they wish.

‘A lament for Creeslough’

The sound of lament is heard throughout the Bible: cries of grief, distress, oppression, displacement, protest, pain, anguish and a timeless expression of the weeping voice of God, in whose image and likeness we are all made.

Creeslough is twinned with Calvary. Together we stand at this station of sorrow. We all feel the searing pain of this moment in our collective and individual lament. We all cry for the loss of life and for the loss of a future. Our lament expresses a painful paradox: that in the midst of life – we are in death.

In our time, the haunting sounds of lament are heard across our fractured world: Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria, Pakistan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Thailand, Myanmar, Palestine, Nicaragua, the Uyghurs in China, the plight and danger endured by migrants in their search for a welcome and a home, and the victims of knife and gun crime across London…agus anois…An Criooslach… croíthe briste…

The Taoiseach, Micheál Martin solemnly read into the Irish House of Parliament (the Dáil), record, the ten names of those who died. We name them here –  believing God ‘calls each one us by name’ (Isaiah 43:1). A candle will be lit for each one of the names as they are called…Shauna Flanagan-Garwe, and her father, Robert Garwe, Leona Harper, Hugh Kelly, Jessica Gallagher, Martin McGill, James O’Flaherty, Martina Martin, Catherine O’Donnell and her son, James Monaghan.

It is in the prophecy of Jeremiah that we hear the lament of Rachel echoing down the centuries to our own day, as she weeps for her children: “A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children. She refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more” (Jeremiah 31:15). The sound of lament is rooted in our ancient, biblical past. Rachel still grieves for all generations who have known loss, grief, suffering, death and bereavement.

I hear muffled laments in London: in the voices of those who queue for food, in the voices of homeless, in the voices of the elderly, in grieving parents who face the suicide of one of their children, in a young person who is trapped by cocaine or another addiction, in a marriage break-up, in those impacted by the financial crisis, in those who have to beg for food for their families and in that unique quality of silence in a palliative care hospice.

The destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem is the subject of the Book of Lamentations. It was a catastrophic event for the people. It precipitated a tradition of lament that became part of the ritual of the people. It was a vocal expression of collective grief in response and in reaction to the dire loss and displacement that they felt and experienced.

The recent time of mourning for Queen Elizabeth  united Britain’s different faiths, traditions and cultures. People gathered to sign Condolence Books, bring flowers and messages, to stand in silence, prayer and long, overnight procession queues to lament and honour her memory and service with respect. It was a reminder that the ancient language of lament is still expressive and that it has not, as yet, become a lost language, in a society that tends to be so preoccupied and too busy to stop and face the reality of death.

As we lament in silence for Creeslough, we all share a Donegal accent that is now our universal mother tongue. But fluency is not a requirement for prayer or a biblical imperative as we mourn and lament the massive loss of ten precious lives. Jesus gives us a tip on how to pray – ‘do not heap up empty phrases when you are praying’ (Matthew 6:7).

Our authentic lament here at our inter-faith prayer service is grounded in the experiences of Irish people who have made London their home. I also welcome the people who have joined us from other faith traditions, nationalities and cultures. Your prayer and presence with us is appreciated. As we say in Irish…Céad Míle Fáilte.

Together, we believe that our lament for Creeslough is heard, held and healed by our God, ‘who is close to the broken hearted’ (Psalm 34:18). Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine. (In the shelter of each other, people survive).

– John Cullen, October 2022

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The main point of that article was not just to highlight again some of the shocking circumstances that led to hundreds of deaths in this country during that terrible time, but to call on the authorities here to set out a plan to investigate what went right – and what went very wrong during our state’s entire handling of the virus. In particular, I felt we needed to look into the cirumstances relating to those deaths that occurred while people were in the care of the state and private nursing centres.

My thoughts at that stage were first and foremostly with the relatives of the people who died in the pandemic (and they still are today). I think, in a subsequent radio interview, I admitted to being on the verge of depression some of those weeks when  reporting on the multiples deaths night after night on the TV News. It was a groundhog day-type nightmare that nobody would ever want to experience, but at the end of the day I was just a third party in all of this. One must still remember that for the people who had lost a mother or a father, a grandad or a granny – often someone who had been in relatively good health when the whole nightmare began – this was heartbreak day after day, an episode that will undoubtedly go down as one of the darkest days we have ever seen in the history of this state.

Hospital admissions

I am thinking in particular of people like the woman from County Laois who rang me repeatedly about the fate of her father in those terrible times. This was a man who went into a nursing care centre with no major physical ailments before the pandemic began, but who subsequently contracted Covid and died there. This poor woman used to be on the verge of tears on the phone to me as she spoke of her family’s repeated efforts to get that relatively young man out of the home where he was staying and into an acute hospital where he could receive intensive care treatment for the virus. The begging and heartbreaking phone calls were made by the family day after day as their Dad’s condition deteriorated – yet the hospital authorities said they were unable to admit the man into their emergency department because he had contracted the virus. The fear was obviously that, if he was admitted, he would then spread it to dozens of other people who were not sick in that hospital at the time.

I wrote in that article 12 months ago that I felt very strongly that a full independent legal inquiry was the only way to deal with cases like this (and other concerns) when the pandemic was over. Rather than spend millions of euro on barristers and lawyers looking at thousands of specific cases, it might be better to go and look at the hospitals and units where the highest level of fatalities actually occurred, and try and learn from the mistakes that were made there and throughout the state. This was so that, if – God forbid – we ever encounter another worldwide pandemic of this nature, we might have learned something from this horrible experience which could perhaps help us to save lives the next time.

In this country, that appeal of mine for a public inquiry seems to have largely fallen on deaf ears. After some initial talk about a tribunal, I haven’t heard any mention of such a move in months. Yet three months ago, across on the other side of the Irish Sea, the then British Prime Minister – the much-maligned Boris Johnson – set out the terms of reference for the UK Covid-19 Inquiry and appointed Baroness Heather Hallett as chair. She has now begun the process and is actually taking evidence in an inquiry that has already led to public consultation with over 20,000 people on what unfolded.

Cutting to the chase

In fairness to Baroness Hallet and our British neighbours, they seem to have cut to the chase and already got their priorities right as they set out on this fact-finding review of what happened. She said on day one that people who have suffered during the pandemic will be at the heart of the inquiry’s work and that the inquiry team is committed to listening to people’s experiences.

The chairperson has reinforced the strong position that the inquiry will be firmly independent and has already said publicly that she will not tolerate any attempt to mislead the inquiry, or to undermine its integrity or independence. If she encounters any such attempt she will make her views known in a public hearing and therefore publicly expose any third party bids by government or anyone else to try and twist the truth of what happened.

Interestingly, the British inquiry is not just going to focus on only the capital city or parliament area. The inquiry team has said they will travel around the UK to ensure they hear from as many people as possible, and Baroness Hallett has already told the BBC she is acutely aware that experiences were different in different care centres across the UK – as no doubt they would also have been here in Ireland – based on the number of fatalities one witnessed in each corner of the country.

Care centres

What I particularly like about the British inquiry is the clear focus they already have on where the key questions MUST be answered. The chairperson will have the discretion to explore issues in more depth as part of the inquiry’s scope. They have prioritised their investigation into the role of primary care settings such as general practice, the management of the pandemic in hospitals, including infection prevention and control, triage, critical care capacity, the discharge of patients, the controversial use of ‘Do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation’ (DNACPR) decisions, the approach to palliative care, workforce testing, changes to inspections, and the impact on staff and staffing levels.

All of these issues are absolutely critical here too and had an effect on the number of deaths in this country. I honestly believe that health care workers in all these areas will be the first group to come forward and put up their hand to testify about what happened so that they explain it from their unique point of view –   isolated and abandoned as they were behind the screens in care centres all over the country in those desperate days.

I believe it is absolutely essential that an Irish public inquiry MUST follow the lead of the UK model and examine the management of the pandemic in care homes and other care settings, including infection prevention and control, the transfer (and failure to transfer) of residents to or from homes, treatment and care of residents, restrictions on visiting, workforce testing and the controversial procurement and distribution of key equipment and supplies, including PPE and ventilators, and all those key areas where millions of euro were spent in a very short period.

It is still not too late for the state to stand up and admit that a public inquiry of this nature is badly needed. If this Government does not do it, I think the next one may well do so. It is the only way we will ever learn from what happened in this tragic era of our history.

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Everybody knows that the housing crisis is the number one national issue after energy bills at the moment, but very few seem to have heard the news on Budget day that a new vacant homes tax is now on the way. This is a measure aimed at increasing the supply of residential properties around the country – and especially at a time when there are thousands of people on the waiting list for a home or living in temporary emergency accommodation.

The new regulation is relatively straightforward: the tax will apply to any residential properties which are occupied for less than 30 days in a 12-month period.  But it remains to be seen how many homes and owners it will affect, as even the Department of Finance estimates the new tax will raise just a measly €3 million to €4 million a year.

Burning issue

On the week of the Budget, I was asked to chair a discussion at the ploughing championships about this burning issues of empty houses around the country. I got an opportunity not only to get some proper up to date statistics about the situation as it stands around the country, but also to talk to some of the main players with a view to trying to find out what can be done about the situation.

In the first instance, it is important to point out and indeed emphasise that we are not talking about derelict houses here in this measure, or about houses that are just abandoned for years or have been only half-built.

Instead, we are looking at good quality houses with roofs and windows on them and in perfect living condition that, for any of a variety of reasons, are just lying idle. The whole objective of this new tax is to try and create more housing stock by encouraging people to put all these properties that are sitting vacant for most of the year into good use all year around by incentivising these property owners to either rent or sell these homes and make them contribute in some way to addressing the housing crisis. It’s really about maximising the use of existing housing stock. The new tax will be self-assessed and administered by the Revenue Commissioners.

When I read the brief given to me about the tax, I was intrigued firstly to find out just how many empty ‘good’ houses we have around the country and how the Revenue Commissioners will know which property is vacant and which is not. Apparently it all goes back to the census that was done earlier this year. It seems that even though they might not have noted down the owners of these homes, the census enumerator certainly did do a count on vacant houses – paying close attention to giveaway signs such as uncollected post in the letter box and (for example) gates simply left locked for days.

Census count

On the night of Census 2022 in April, these enumerators found that there were 166,752 vacant dwellings and 66,135 unoccupied holiday homes in the 26 counties – a staggering 35,000 of these in Dublin, where they are needed most. It’s an incredible number of empty beds when one thinks of the scale of the housing shortage in our country.

As a result of this finding, Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien – himself under renewed pressure to do something about the national housing crisis – had already made it clear the week before the Budget that there was most certainly going to be a new and punitive measure brought in to tackle all these empty homes. When it landed on Budget day, we all learned the tax would be charged at a rate that is three times the local property tax already applying to each home. That means in effect that if you own a second home valued at €300,000 that is occupied for less than 30 days a year, you would have to pay the annual €315 local property tax on it, with an additional tax of €945 a year on top of that, or three times the annual tax you would normally be paying on this property. All of this would mean in effect that your new annual bill for that property would now go up to €1,260 a year (for both the new tax and the old one).

At our discussion on the new tax at the ploughing, some people suggested to me that it would not be easy to work out for sure and certain whether a house was really vacant or was actually not legally available to be rented. For instance, in the case of the death of a person when the house of the deceased would normally remain empty for months, it could well be justifiably claimed that sorting out the probate matters and the will could take well over a year or two years in some cases before the new ownership could be sorted out and the house actually rented or sold by a new owner. However, the Minister and his Department say that even though the tax is aimed at long-term vacant properties that are unoccupied for 12 months or more, there are a number of exemptions.

Minister O’Brien is adamant that exemptions will apply to ensure owners are not unfairly charged where the property may be vacant for a genuine reason. It seems to me that a letter from a solicitor handling a probate would probably suffice to explain quite a few cases. Tax will not be applied either to properties that are recently sold or listed for sale or rent, properties that are vacant due to its occupier’s illness or long-term care, or to properties that are vacant due to significant refurbishment work. Therefore it seems to me that these exemptions would also probably take several thousand more houses and owners out of the new tax net.

Holiday homes

Another question raised at the public debate I chaired was the thorny issue of holiday homes lying idle around the country in places like Rosses Point, Kilkee and Ballybunion. Thousands of these buildings are unused quite a lot and it seems now that at least some of them might actually be eligible for the extra tax – depending on how often they are occupied/used.

For instance, anyone just using their holiday home for only a few weeks every summer would be in trouble (i.e. eligible to pay the tax) as it could be claimed that house could in fact be rented to a needy or homeless family for the rest of the year, but because it is more than likely that the vast majority of holiday homes are occupied for at least five or six months of the year, I can’t see how too many more of these seaside properties will actually fall into the tax net.

The reaction to the new measure has been a quiet one. There’s been a fairly muted response about the actual merits of the new scheme from those in the ‘housing for the homeless’ sector, with few of the main players getting too excited about the new tax. Pat Doyle, chief executive of the Peter McVerry Trust, was quoted last week as saying the new tax had “the potential to increase the availability of all forms of housing” but it’s clear that the actual regulation of the new tax and its enforcement probably holds the key to whether or not it will actually make a difference.

We will have to wait and see if it actually frees up these vacant homes or the holiday ones on our coasts – and that may well take a year or more to clearly determine.

The post Will the new vacant housing tax really change the fate of the homeless? appeared first on Roscommon People.

  The departure of Boris Johnson from Downing Street, the relatively sudden death of the Queen, and the arrival of what was loosely described initially as a ‘mini-budget’ in the UK, made for some of the choppiest waters that the markets have ever seen. This, of course, has led to equally serious implications for our own economy here, which relies so heavily on what happens in London and elsewhere.

  My old secondary school economics teacher used to proclaim that “if Britain sneezes, then Ireland comes down with pneumonia”. That has proven to be the case over the last two weeks with fears over export costs, the collapse of Irish-based business in the UK, and general unease about the ability of the British to repay some of the massive debt that they are building up with a series of tax breaks and tax cuts for not just the lower paid but, bizarrely, for some of the best-known millionaires in the Union too.

Energy crisis

Here in Ireland, the coalition government produced their own array of measures to try and deal with what has become an energy crisis for most families in the last few months by introducing fairly widespread changes in the 2023 Budget on Tuesday, dishing out cash and incentives in several directions – with mixed  views on how effective it’s all going to be. 

  The electricity bill chaos was the big one that had to be attacked and the finance minister’s first attempt to calm things down was to try and effectively subsidise everyone’s bills. You don’t have to go too far in Roscommon or any other county to meet somebody who has been severely affected by the staggering spike in electricity charges.

  Stories of customer bills going up by thousands of euro in the space of just one month are everywhere. We all read the incredible details of how Annie & Vincent Timothy in Roscommon town saw the family supermarket electricity bill go from just over 6000 euro to an incredible high of over 20,000 euro in a very short period of time. I know of dozens of people in business who are literally not sleeping at the moment in the fear of what is going to be on the bottom line of the electricity bill the next time it pops through the letter box or drops into the inbox.

  The Government response on Tuesday was to pledge that businesses will receive up to €10,000 a month to assist with energy bills and that every household will get €600 in electricity credits in three payments over the coming months. 

To cap or not

The reaction on Tuesday night was fairly muted for the most part. For most people, the thought that there would at least be some sort of a hand-out or an effort to give them a leg-up with paying a big bill every month over the winter period was at least reassuring. But since then, there’s also been a feeling much broader in the community that what is required is not a month by month approach to the energy bills crisis, but some sort of a cap that could be put on the final electricity or gas bill account next April or May when most people know they can hopefully turn off the heating again and relax for a few months over the summer without the fear of a whopper of an ESB bill coming in.

  There is no energy price cap as it stands in Ireland. In the UK, however, the energy regulator Ofgem introduced an energy price cap in 2019 to help protect households from excessively high prices and to ensure people who didn’t switch supplier regularly weren’t charged an excessive ‘loyalty premium’. The cap used to be reviewed twice a year (but was then scheduled to be reviewed every three months) and was set to increase by 80% to £3,549 from 1 October following the most recent review – but the new UK price cap, introduced this week, puts a limit on the unit price of gas and electricity.

  On average, it is reckoned that the price increases announced so far here in Ireland have added around €2,200 a year to the average household’s energy bills, so most want to know if this figure can effectively be capped now by the Government – instructing the energy companies to hold the overall cost below 3000 euro or 4000 euro by the end of the winter.

  The problem for us is that we don’t have the control on the energy providers who are charging the customers here. Ireland is a huge importer of coal, oil, and gas and we have very few natural energy resources of our own – apart from the controversial Corrib gas field off Mayo. That effectively means that we have no major power to cap the price of these fossil fuels as we’re buying them from other countries.

  So if we really want to cap prices, someone (i.e. the taxpayer) would have to pay for the difference between the wholesale or market price of the fuel that we buy and the cap that’s been set. 

  All of this brings us back to the UK economic crisis and the decision by the new PM Liz Truss to borrow a staggering £100bn over just one year to cover the cost of capping the energy prices over there. The huge level of borrowing has led some analysts to forecast a collapse in the value of sterling over the coming months, which in turn would make imports such as food and clothes more expensive for British consumers. We saw evidence of this only this week with the instability in the markets. If something similar were to be implemented here, economists say it could cost up to €10bn over one year and would have left the Government with no room for any other type of social welfare measures, public pay increases or tax cuts, such as we saw in the Budget this week.

Other options

There could, of course, be other ways of approaching this issue. In Ireland, we know from recent publication of annual accounts that the ESB is not a loss-making operation. Readers will remember I argued in a column here last February that the Government should ask them to take the hit with the price of oil and coal going up, etc. It seems somebody may have been listening to me after all as there was a lot of this going on in the last few weeks with the increased government dividend from the ESB’s accounts apparently going to pay for some of the measures we saw in the Budget this week.

  The bottom line, however, is that hefty electricity and energy bills are on the way to every home and business in the country next month – and while the government subsidy in the Budget will help to take the sting out of it in some places, there are others who will not be able to pay the bills. That doomsday scenario is going to be a reality for many people – which is why there really is a need to revisit this situation on a month by month basis in the coming months. 

  People who are vulnerable cannot be left alone to suffer. They must be carefully monitored and supported this winter.

The post Did the Budget go far enough on energy bills? appeared first on Roscommon People.

“You dream. You plan. You reach. There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, with belief, with confidence and trust in yourself and those around you, there are no limits”

The brave and inspiring words of the record-breaking Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps opening our column this week after seven days when the true value and importance of sport in our lives was underlined with a very special and emotional event for the small community of Ballyleague and Lanesborough and the surrounding areas.

It happened on Saturday afternoon. There were no Olympians present (that I am aware of) at the official opening of the new 3G soccer pitch and playing grounds at Lanesborough Community College out by the Shannonside town, but there certainly were hundreds of young boys and girls there on the playing fields with the ambition for greatness and the will to win. I suppose that’s what Phelps was really talking about when he spoke those memorable words after the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The American superstar won a staggering 28 Olympic medals in his career, to make him the most successful and most decorated Olympian of all time. 23 of those Olympic medals were gold ones. When he won eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Games, Phelps broke fellow American swimmer Mark Spitz’s famous 1972 record of seven first-place finishes at any single Olympic Games. He was just awesome – yet, like so many other great sporting heroes of his generation, it had not been a bed of roses all along the way to glory. His parents divorced in 1994 when Phelps was just nine years old. He went through a very tough time at home and the American swimmer later revealed that the divorce had a heavy and severely negative impact on him and his siblings. Yet, he continued his swimming training throughout the whole trauma and finally mastered his sport – to become a man who was, undoubtedly, the greatest of all time in the swimming pool.

The atmosphere at Ballyboro FC on Saturday afternoon was probably a million miles away from that of an Olympic stadium in Beijing or London, yet I doubt if anyone who was there in the sunshine would accept that it was not just as important an arena to be in on the day. Saturday saw the amateur youth soccer club finally open its fantastic new facilities at the athletic track behind the community college on the Ballymahon road.

Four years

This is a development project that has been four years in the making. A meeting of parents away back in the late summer of 2018 kick-started a plan to upgrade the local soccer facilities and produce an all-weather pitch for the long winter season. A hugely dedicated group of 14 local volunteers took on the task. EU LEADER funding of over €175,000 was drawn down and the local school principal worked diligently with the committee to try and help raise the remaining €60,000 that was needed to pay for the new facility.

Bernice Martin was no ordinary school principal. Her first day at Lanesboro Community College entailed setting a blistering pace at the annual school walk. It was evident from the outset that this lady was a force of nature – that’s according to Hazel Hannon, who today holds the principal’s role at the school.

Hazel says Bernice was a proud principal who  endeavoured at every step to ensure that the student’s experience of excellence in education was to the fore. This included the co-curricular and extracurricular domains including the classroom, sporting field, music, science and the arts, to name but a few. She also worked tirelessly with Ballyboro Football Club and LWETB (Longford Westmeath Educational Training Board) to bring the dream of an all-weather astroturf pitch to fruition.

Led from front

Bernice led from the front throughout the campaign to raise the funds and get the new soccer pitches put into place, helping the Ballyboro club to achieve an effective operational licence for a 15-year period with LWETB – and then going on to roll up her own sleeves in fundraising and starring in the big ‘Oskar’ Night film production as Kitty Kiernan in the Michael Collins film. I know from first-hand experience that Bernice never let the club down at any point and the brilliant new facilities that are in place today are a direct result of her support.

Regrettably, the young principal was not with us on Saturday last to celebrate that achievement. Her husband Eric and her young family lost Bernice from this life through illness and the Ballyboro club and school community was heartbroken in February 2021 to hear of her passing.

“Words cannot adequately describe the scale of the personal contribution made by this fantastic lady to achieving this dream for our club, her school and the community” the Ballyboro FC chairman John Tynan says. “Bernice, we will never forget what you did for us all here in Lanesborough. We will remember your contribution today at our official opening with the unveiling of a special memorial bench with your name. We will remember Bernice again every time we come to the pitch and use this bench, and her legacy here will never be forgotten. Rest in peace, Bernice”.

The greatest blow of all from her tragic passing was obviously felt by Bernice’s family and it was poignant and heartwarming to see her husband Eric, her children Ella, Ava and Conor, her parents Hugh and Bridget, sisters Gloria and Edel and brother Hughie with their families all there on Saturday to unveil that special memorial seat in her honour. Eric’s family was also by his side to mark the occasion. Lanesborough Community College has also marked her contribution to the school and the community with the most lasting legacy – called the Bláthu award, presented annually during the school annual awards ceremony. This award acknowledges an individual student’s journey and flourishing. Before her death, Bernice had asked that the school might continue to keep her vision alive – and that’s why they had a memorial sculpture crafted from bog oak by the school’s woodwork department and presented to the award winner every year to acknowledge another student inspired by Bernice’s vision of all students blossoming into fine young adults.

Blossoming

It is well known that Bernice assisted many students to find their way when times might have been tough, giving new direction and a sense of hope despite her brief tenure as principal. Her colleagues at the school say Bernice often spoke on the concept of students blossoming, like the way a flower will thrive if the conditions are right. She dedicated her time and energy in trying to bring out the best in every student. It has been remarked that in good times and bad, you could always count on Bernice to be supportive, helping students to achieve their full potential.

Saturday’s ceremony at the official opening was hugely poignant and emotional for all the members of the Martin and Treacy families, and for the entire community too. But it was also important to mark Bernice’s extraordinary contribution to the soccer club, the school and its pupils.

At the graveside where she is interred at Scramogue cemetery, the ultimate tribute remains in stone:

“Always remember, you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think”

Rest in peace, Bernice.

The post Remembering Bernice on Ballyboro’s special day appeared first on Roscommon People.