As I finish up my 3 year term as an outside member on Dublin City Council's Housing Committee I'm reflecting on where we are 10 years into our housing crisis /1
(you can read me in back in 2014 predicting much of what's happened over the last decade)
The Royal City of Dublin Hospital - one of the grandest buildings on Baggot St that the State has let decay for decades & left closed for years. Could be great museum or other public resource, or a hotel or housing - but no, instead it's part of
#DerelictDublin
&
#DerelictIreland
Week 60: situation with the
#ShantyTown
is now genuinely insane. Massively expanded over weekend. Other side of Mount Street now occupied too, including by
@eurireland
. Footpaths fully blocked. Largest & most intimidating camp has been yet. Whole city will be lost at this rate.
This is the type of visible no nonsense policing we need all year round. Petty thugs & petty thieves have been ruining the city for everyone since the end of the pandemic and it's long past time they were tackled. This is more like the policing level you see in other EU capitals.
Massive new tent encampment this evening the full length of the canal bank *right beside* Lower Mount Street. Numerous reports to Gardai but no response as yet. Residents expect the government's commitment that no new shanty towns will be allowed to be established to be honoured.
I don't get why Justice Minister & Garda management find it so hard to understand that you need a round-the-clock visible police presence on the streets in your capital's city centre - as in every other EU country. Dublin city centre is comparatively small - please just police it
Week 59: Despite the objection of residents Government has now installed portaloos for the
#ShantyTown
risking making it a permanent blight on our city. Madness. And while Mount Street is ground zero asylum seeker tents are now popping up across the city centre. No one in charge.
So the number of gardai that are right now out on the streets across the country guarding ATMs due to a bank's screw up, that's how many gardai should be on the streets at night deterring anti-social behaviour and thuggery and keeping citizens and tourists safe.
Gardaí across the country have been directed to clear queues at Bank of Ireland ATMs after rumours spread online that people were able to withdraw more money than they had available in their account.
Week 59: the
#ShantyTown
has arrived at FF HQ. Next week it'll be at the Maternity Hospital. Local shops and restaurants being put out of business. Local residents surrounded in their homes. 150 tents, hundreds of asylum seekers on the streets. Still no response from Government.
Nice attractive, hard wearing and easy to maintain surface materials out by the Point. I fail to understand why we can't have similar in the city centre instead of the horrible yellow tarmac that blights College Green, the top of Grafton St, pedestrianised Suffolk St etc etc
Another horrific example of why those that live in, work, visit & socialise in Dublin city centre keep insisting on visible on-the-street policing at the level of other EU capitals. We need round the clock Garda presence at key locations. Thugs can't be allowed act with impunity.
Does any political party or any political leader have any interest in making Dublin city centre safe? Policed at levels seen in other EU capitals. Why is the decline of our historic capital that generates so much of our financial & cultural wealth not a huge political issue?
I think the vast majority of LPT payers in Dublin will be happy to pay a bit more in exchange for key services getting ringfenced increases in funding. The capital's public realm in general, and street cleaning and waste management in particular, badly need to see improvement.
Householders in the Dublin City Council area are likely to see their local property tax increase in 2026 as part of an agreement between a number of political parties on the incoming council
I congratulate the new Irish Government for today establishing a dedicated cabinet-level Department of Higher Education, Innovation & Science. I am delighted that the 1,700 signatories of our Open Letter last month were listened to.
Very disappointed to not see
@lawlessj
get a post in the new
@DeptofFHed
, the creation of which he has been a huge advocate for. The new Department would've benefited greatly from his knowledge and respect across the higher education and research sectors.
It's overdue but welcome that the UCD School of Medicine has explicitly disassociated itself from the misinformation being spread by Dolores Cahill. Her conduct is an insult to all our
@UCDMedicine
colleagues helping fight
#COVID19
Shocking video of Friday's assault in Temple Bar. I know Garda management don't like 'old-fashioned' beat policing but this article reports "one particular gang of youths appear to be asserting dominance in the area" - so how about some 'intelligence-led' policing targeting them!
NEW: We’ve obtained exclusive CCTV footage of the recent attack on innocent tourists in the heart of Dublin’s Temple Bar.
Also spoke to a few business owners who say the situation has gotten “out of control.”
Please note we won't see the impact of
#SocialDistancing
for ~2wks as
#COVID19
has an incubation period. So expect spike in 'new' cases over next fortnight. Those are people infected now coming to attention. The plan is
#LockdownIreland
will reduce actual new cases going forward.
The Public Services Card sought to solve a problem that didn't exist, was Orwellian in tone (mandatory but not compulsory) with a Kafkaesque circular application process. Shut it down. In a free society we don't need obligatory State ID cards for citizens.
Another horrific example of why those that live in, work and socialise in Dublin city centre keep insisting on visible on-the-street policing at the level of other EU capitals. We need a round the clock Garda presence at key locations. Thugs can't be allowed act with impunity.
Six One News TV report from
@emma_okelly
with Prof Luke O'Neill & Prof Catherine Godson discussing our Open Letter's call for a Dept of Higher Education & Research, and the sector's funding crisis.
RTÉ: 1,500 scientists warn of third-level funding crisis
Local residents very much welcome this morning's clearance of the huge tent encampment from Lower Mount Street after a very stressful 14 months. And we welcome the new Taoiseach's commitment that tent encampments will not be allowed return. Thank you to all the agencies involved.
@marie_sherlock
Dublin city centre *is* a residential neighbourhood - a very neglected residential neighbourhood, due to dismissive attitudes like this from officials and policymakers. We should be looking to have much more residential in the city core, not discouraging it through neglect.
The State funding the purchase of property by private charities is not a good model. All such properties should be owned by the State and managed by charities or other operators. Taxpayers should not be endowing large property portfolios into private hands with minimal oversight.
Great night at the
@TheRestHistory
live show in Dublin
#RIHLive
. Delighted
@dcsandbrook
and
@holland_tom
had fun on stage answering The Doctor's "what if" question!! 😂 Lovely to meet the guys afterwards. Best of luck with the Dublin episodes!
I have an opinion piece in today's Irish Independent on the urgent need to deal with the growing crisis on Mount Street.
Kevin Byrne: Mount Street’s ‘shanty town’ is an appalling blight on Dublin, and calamity awaits if Government continues to ignore it
Another serious assault on a tourist. Shows yet again the desperate need for visible on-the-street policing of the urban core around the clock, at the levels we see in other EU capitals, both to restore deterrence to criminals and reassurance to residents and visitors.
It's now 3 months since barriers went up on Mount Street & the Grand Canal and 17 months since the State started putting chaos on Dublin's streets, which continues, with most of the 2,400 unaccommodated asylum seekers sleeping rough in the capital, putting huge strain on the city
Dublin city centre *is* a residential neighbourhood - a very neglected residential neighbourhood, due to dismissive attitudes like this from officials and policymakers. We should be looking to have much more residential in the city core, not discouraging it through neglect.
No one who cares about Dublin was surprised by the
#DublinRiots
. This is me talking to the
@IrishTimes
18 months ago about issues that came to a head in Thursday's violence. Residents & retailers have been warning about these growing problems for years with little to no response.
I recently spoke to the Irish Times about antisocial behaviour in Dublin city centre as
@sgcra
chair. I discuss a lack of visible policing, overconcentration of drug services between the canals, the surrender of the streets in the pandemic & threat to city centre's large tax take
I spoke to
@rtenews
this morning about the need to move the International Protection Office out of the city centre as it clearly cannot operate safely on a city thoroughfare anymore. A broken system, that is failing both asylum seekers & residents, cannot be tolerated any longer.
@ciarancannon
Thank you for saying this. As you say recognising a problem is the key first step. It has been too long ignored. Dublin city centre is in trouble. Inadequate policing, unchecked antisocial behaviour, filthy streets, appalling public realm and overconcentration of social services.
20 years ago today the first draft sequence of the human genome was announced after years of work by hundreds of researchers across the world, including three in Ireland all then at Trinity College (Prof Ken Wolfe, Prof Aoife McLysaght & Dr Karsten Hokamp)
The Irish Science community has organised an Open Letter calling for a cabinet-level Dept of Higher Education & Research and highlighting the sector's funding crisis. I encourage colleagues at home and abroad to sign at . It's time to make our voice heard.
So we're now surrendering and closing parts of the city due to the unwillingness to adequately police Dublin city centre at the level you'd see in other EU capitals. As the
@DublinInquirer
article says this is "a sign of a poorly managed city centre and an absence of policing."
Councillors have reluctantly agreed to start moves to close a laneway off Abbey Street. “It is regularly used for intravenous drug use and is littered with needles and other drug paraphernalia,” says a council report.
@DUPleader
@duponline
More deeply embarrassing than your support for the suspension of Parliament by an unelected PM without a House of Commons majority or popular support? All to facilitate Northern Ireland's forced removal from the EU against the democratic will of a majority of people living there.
"There is no real leadership in Dublin. The city has effectively been abandoned by national Government, left rudderless by the lack of a cohesive future plan by local government"
We need a directly elected powerful Mayor for Dublin urgently to ensure capital has a vibrant future
Residents welcome this morning's clearance of the Grand Canal encampment. It had quickly expanded to over 100 tents in under a week so action was needed. Given this is the 4th such operation required in area in a year it's clear IPO processing needs to move out of the city centre
I spoke to
@rtenews
earlier on behalf of local residents about the large tent encampment that emerged on the Grand Canal right beside Lower Mount Street last night & called on the Taoiseach to follow through on his commitment not to allow "shanty towns" to develop in Dublin city.
Residents in an area where asylum seekers have pitched tents are calling on the Taoiseach to follow through on his commitment not to allow "shanty towns" to develop in Dublin city
This Drivetime interview with a local resident from a few weeks ago explains why residents don't want facilities that risk making the
#ShantyTown
permanent. Lower Mount Street is not an appropriate place for this. The tent encampment needs to be cleared.
Important interview with resident living right next to the squalid tent encampment at the IPO on Lower Mount St. Sympathetic, but making clear this is no place for 100 tents & despairing of no authorities taking responsibility (full interview from 1h39m)
This distressing letter from residents living beside the chaotic & evergrowing tent encampment at the IPO shows complete dereliction of duty by Govt. While there is sympathy for the men there this has gone on for 12mths & the impact on local residents & businesses is intolerable.
A clear rebuke by the people of the government's judgement. Govt need to stop listening to unrepresentative lobby groups & listen to actual voters instead. Public didn't ask for this vote. Time also to reflect on State funding for NGOs so clearly out of step with public opinion.
The Care Amendment has garnered the highest ever No vote, by percentage (73.9%), of the 38 Referendums to have taken place in the history of the State.
The Family Amendment, at 67.7%, got the third-highest.
@virginmedianews
Deis schools have been one of the single best government interventions of the last 20 years. While it shouldn't be the only metric 63% of Deis schools-leavers going to college this year is a clear dividend. Huge credit to the teachers in Deis schools changing lives & communities.
A good if depressing reference thread on the many public realm issues in Dublin city centre: unnecessary poles & signage; ugly bins & messy bin bags; pointless bollards; soddy surfaces; broken lights; Luas overhead wires; and ugly electrical boxes everywhere.
A
#thread
on how utterly useless
@DubCityCouncil
is at managing our city, in particular the public realm. No other major European city seems to get so much wrong, so often. I'm honestly not sure what Dubliners have done to deserve Councillors & a Council that are so incompetent.
Look, an actual real Mayor, doing mayoral things. Almost like you see in countries that don't forsake their cities. And with the actual executive power to push for real outcomes, and a popular mandate and five year term to do so. Tell me again why Dublin isn't allowed have this?
Great follow up briefing today at Henry Street from
@gardainfo
team to work out actions arising from last week’s session with city traders and
@LimerickChamber
. I was delighted to meet the new trainees who have just started and will spend the next few months training on the
@SimonHarrisTD
@scienceirel
Best of luck in your new role Minister. As we have learned during
#COVID19
strong independent advice helps government in doing its work. Returning to having a stand-alone Chief Scientific Advisor would benefit the government and is a reform the sector would strongly support.
This latest assault was in Temple Bar - the tourist heart of our capital that most visitors pay a visit to. There should be multiple beat patrols on duty in the area 24 hours a day. This small area brings in more than enough tax revenue and goodwill to justify some basic policing
My letter on behalf of
@sgcra
in today's Irish Times on how it's time the nation once again took some pride in its capital and put attention and resources into addressing its current neglect.
Happy 30th birthday to the World Wide Web! This time last year I visited the (very modest) office in
@CERN
where it all began with
@lawlessj
. A great example of how undertaking basic research can change the world
#web30
Honoured to have been elected to the
@DubCityCouncil
Housing SPC (Strategic Policy Committee) on behalf of
@sgcra
by
@DublinCityPPN
members.
My main priority will be trying to foster a vision for a large sustainable mixed-income residental community in the city's urban core.
We need someone who loves Dublin running Dublin. It's time to switch to a new model of a powerful directly-elected executive Mayor of Dublin. The proposed plebiscite on this should happen on the same day as the March referendum. Would allow for the election of first Mayor in June
Was delighted to receive a
@UCD_CHAS
10 year service award last week alongside
@Torulaspora
and a few other
@UCDMedicine
colleagues. Thanks to the members of the lab who came along to help celebrate. (Harry Clarke's famous Kevin Barry stained glass window is in the background.)
I spoke to
@rtenews
earlier today on behalf of local residents about the crisis on Lower Mount Street with the 'Tent City' that is now there 14 months and has recently massively expanded. I welcome Government commitments this evening to finally clear it.
I spoke to the
@Independent_ie
earlier today on behalf of local residents about the crisis on Lower Mount Street with the 'Tent City' that is now there 14 months and has recently massively expanded. I welcome Government commitments this evening to clear it
Very good to see
@MichealMartinTD
reiterate his commitment to creating a Dept of Higher Education & Research. We need a cabinet minister whose sole focus is the university sector & wider research agenda, which have been badly neglected over the last decade
At today's
@DubCityCouncil
Housing SPC I raised urgent need for resolution of the crisis at the huge tent encampment on Lower Mount St. It's disgraceful that for 2nd time in 12mths Govt allowed this to happen in Dublin's city centre. 150 tents, piles of waste & disease spreading
Another serious assault on a tourist. Shows yet again the desperate need for visible on-the-street policing of the urban core around the clock, at the levels we see in other EU capitals, both to restore deterrence to criminals and reassurance to residents and visitors.
Or... how about... policing Dublin city centre around the clock with visible street patrols like you would see in every other EU capital city... why do policymakers find it so hard to understand the deterrence need and reassurance value of this completely standard approach?
The full 24/7 pedestrianization of Dublin’s new civic spaces is being reconsidered by Dublin City Council following the recent riots in the city centre, it has emerged.
An alternative history 1983 sees Ireland's first astronaut Doreen Campbell (portrayed by
@opennyobrien
) make a pivotal discovery while working in
#Skylab
for
@esa
in the second season premiere of the excellent
#ForAllMankind
@OCallaghanJim
Thank you for raising this Jim. Residents and visitors to the city core have become very concerned about this big increase in anti-social behaviour. It's very welcome to see a senior Dublin TD highlight the lack of adequate visible policing at the level of other EU capitals.
@CWeston_Indo
Good to see this issue getting attention at last. The increase in standing charges this past year is completely unjustified. Unit price increases in an energy crisis can be justified but the cost of running the network hasn't changed, so standing charges shouldn't have either.
Collecting soil sample by
#GrandCanal
for
@ucddublin
course I help run, where undergrads isolate, culture, identify & sequence yeasts from soil samples across Ireland. Last year’s class found a completely new species & published papers & first ever genome sequences for 3 others
Fully agree - Waterford city centre's public realm looks great - lovely surface finishes that wear well, pedestrian friendly throughout, greenery, quirky art installations, historic fabric respected, consistent and attractive street fixtures.
@DubCityCouncil
could learn a lot.
Said many a time before me: Waterford city core is streets ahead on public realm - the quality of design, materials used, shady trees, uncluttered streets, places to sit.
But mainly it’s the sense that the city wants people to enjoy their public space, which is an absolute joy.
Week 60: the
#ShantyTown
is now a lead international story, with stark imagery. Maybe some embarrassment might get Government to deal with its mess...
Dublin's migrant 'tent city': Makeshift encampment lines the pavements around asylum processing centre
Shocking but not surprising that
@waterwaysirelan
"has not been contacted by Minister for Integration Roderic O'Gorman or any of his officials on this matter" given they've also ignored Dublin residents & businesses over the 16mths they've been bringing this chaos into the city.
@stephen_coyne
More trees will benefit almost all streets but as you rightly say South Anne St is a rare Dublin street with a lovely vista so in this case I think no trees would be better. The focus should be on top quality surface materials that look good, wear well and enhance the vista.
These ongoing difficulties only a day after the tent city was cleared show why residents & businesses feel the IPO can no longer safely operate from its current location. The IPO demonstrably can't manage their inflow or provide adequate conditions on a city centre thoroughfare.
A large crowd of close to 100 International Protection applicants who gathered outside the International Protection Accommodation Services office on Mount Street in Dublin have been told there is no accommodation available for them today
With bank holidays now for all four of the old Celtic seasonal festivals we should formally name them such:
- Imbolc / St Brigid's Day
(Fri 1st or First Mon February)
- Bealtaine / May Day
(First Mon May)
- Lughnasa
(First Mon August)
- Samhain / Halloween
(Last Mon October)
@sgcra
I'd like to enter this blob for consideration in
#tarfest
- just off our capital's premier street in the shadow of the Spire of Dublin - a beautiful tar blob in a sea of yellow asphalt
The biggest law and order need is for enhanced sentencing of repeat offenders. A small number of individuals carry out most burglaries, assaults, shoplifting, etc. causing massive social harm. They need taking off the streets. (For context see graph below - data from Sweden)
@NiallJournal_ie
@thejournal_ie
Fully agree that a core problem is a "management system that favours statistics over actual police work". Ordinary citizens aren't actually that interested in arrests or prosecutions after the fact, we'd much prefer prevention and deterrence from visible on-the-street policing.
@DaraghCassidy
@DubCityCouncil
At least DCC have retained the reductant pedestrian crossing lights at the Grafton St end of Suffolk St over that time. Gives a few poles something pointless to do.
This is promising from the new Chief Executive of Dublin City Council. The simple fact of acknowledging the problems with inadequate policing, flimsy on-street bin bags, transport capacity and housing output is a start. Has been too much denial in past. Now let's see improvements
I very much welcome
@MichealMartinTD
's commitment to establish a separate Dept of Higher Education & Research at this morning's
@IUAofficial
lecture. We need a cabinet minister whose sole focus is the university sector & wider research agenda
#SaveOurSpark
Absolutely delighted Ireland is finally joining
#CERN
! Visited
@CERN
five years ago & was blown away by the cutting edge science we've been missing out being part of. Long time coming - first campaign to join I recall was back when I was studying particle physics in last century!
A great day in the offing for Irish science. Finally we are about to join CERN, the world's leading institute for research into particle physics... Well done to those who fought for the cause over many years!
#irishscience
Spoke to
@rtenews
on behalf of
@sgcra
as part of RTE's
#dbsbyelection
coverage. Made the point that Dublin needs a vision for a large mixed-income residential community in the urban core and that this is key to addressing antisocial behaviour and the decline of city centre retail
Failing to manage these huge numbers is having ongoing chaotic impacts: currently there are over 2,400 unaccommodated asylum seekers, most of them sleeping rough in Dublin city, putting absolutely immense strain on the capital & its residents & businesses.
Asylum applications per EU country in May…
Ireland - Asylum applications per million inhabitants : 381
EU - Asylum applications per million inhabitants : 184
Ireland highest in EU per capita numbers of asylum applications.
Here's a tip sheet for govt going forward after
#Referendum2024
:
- does idea help build more housing, add health, transit or infrastructure capacity, or make the streets safer - if so do it
- does idea come from an unrepresentative NGO & have no public support - if so don't do it
70% of Dublin Airport asylum applicants presented without a passport in 2023 - completely unacceptable level - we need to restore the airplane door checks we had in 2019 that refused entry to those with fake/no documents (with return at airline's expense)
3,285 people arrived to Dublin Airport without a valid identity document in 2023, representing nearly 70% of all asylum applications made at the airport.
READ
@MurphyPaule
:
@rtenews
|
#rtept
Great to see strong signals this morning that a cabinet-level Dept of Higher Education & Research is on the cards as part of a wider reorganisation of government. It appears our recent 1,700 signature petition has been listened to.
The simplest solution is adding external racks or shelves to bins that Re-Turn eligible cans or bottles can then be left in. They are common in other jurisdictions with similar schemes.
A welcome promise from the incoming Taoiseach. But the capital doesn't need another talking shop - it needs actions to address the well-known and long-standing issues it faces.
Harris pledges to "immediately convene a Dublin City Centre Taskforce"
So true and it's so gratifying to see that investment paying dividends in a time of crisis. However government commitment has wavered badly over the last decade. And we'll pay the price in the future if Ireland doesn't recommit to proper investment in scientific research urgently
So, Ireland’s decision to step into the world of investment in scientific research in the late 1990s (PRTLI & SFI) is paying dividends. We actually have a cadre of competent scientists, from epidemiologists to immunologists to data modellers, to inform covid policy.
#knowledge
@surfguna
@Eoin_Hayes
After is closed as a hospital in 1986 it was used for some community health services like that for many years. It fully closed in 2019 and is totally vacant now. There was talk of the HSE selling it but nothing has happened to date.
While enjoyable RTE's
#TwoTribes
on the Civil War parties was much too focused on the 1980s/1990s.
A decade ago on
#TWIP
myself and
@AnMailleach
discussed the deep roots of FF & FG, going back before the Civil War, using surnames to study the two tribes.
Was very happy to sign this Residents' Network statement as Chair of
@sgcra
. While it shouldn't have come to this I'm very proud of how inner city residents and businesses have come together in the face of this untenable situation.
A residents' group in Dublin’s south inner city has called for people staying in tents on Mount Street to be moved to "more appropriate space of accommodation or interim shelter"
What happened on South William Street was inevitable & predicted. It's bad for the city, Gardai, govt & public. Gives unnecessary succour to hard left & hard right. Was big mistake not to advance opening of outdoor hospitality by few days after last weekend. Completely avoidable.
Here's a question... Does anyone on the NTA board do a daily commute by public transport? Anyone use Dublin Bus late in the evenings? Anyone use the Luas Red Line regularly? Judging by this response I very much doubt it.
Enjoyed listening to David McWilliams
@davidmcw
discussing myself and
@AnMailleach
's research on the deep roots of the FF / FG divide (from 12m20s on)
You can read the underlying research here:
YouTube version of the podcast here:
Election fever pod this week. We examine the deep differences between FF & FG, what grandfathers did in 1920, class in 1916, Leinster Rugby & Christian Brothers Revolutionaries & why Irish politics prevents populism. …/irish-elections-…/id1462649946…
We need better geographic reporting of cases. The Dublin HSE areas presented yesterday are too vague. Use LEAs. HSE database logs ED. LEAs are made up of EDs and have understandable boundaries. Put it together, refresh once a week and you've a reporting system everyone can follow
The loss of
#CollegeGreen
plaza is unfortunate, but the root problem is introduction of
#LuasCrossCity
without consideration of its impact on bus services. You can't just wish away the 140m annual
#DublinBus
journeys.
Dublin city centre is the heart of our national cultural and economic life, generating huge tax revenues from tourism, retail, gigs, hospitality and multinational HQs - all threatened by the lack of adequate round-the-clock on-street policing at levels seen in other EU capitals.