Tributes paid after Dublin man dies in crash on Bolivia's salt flats
It is understood Mr Hoy was among a group of tourists travelling in a 4x4 vehicle across the country's salt flats on their way to visit a volcano near the city of Potosi.
Mr Hoy was fatally injured after the vehicle overturned. Five others, including two Bolivians, two Germans and a Dutch man were also injured in the crash.
Mr Hoy was a member of Clontarf GAA Club, which paid tribute to him on a social media post on Monday.
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'He is remembered by all who played with him or coached him as a hugely positive person. He always presented with a smile and made a significant contribution to any team he played with,' noted the post.
Mr Hoy was a 'long-standing member of the club, having played all the way through the juvenile ranks in hurling and football and into the world of adult football', it added.
The club's tribute detailed his love of travelling and, in particular, his 'deep interest in other countries, cultures and, above all, in people'. Funeral details are not yet known.
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Irish Times
21-07-2025
- Irish Times
‘The worst customer service experience of my life': Tales of Aer Lingus travel trouble
It being the height of summer, it is hardly surprising that travel is on the minds of many, although we are not convinced that plans to jet away to sunnier spots or memories of holidays just finished are behind the recent spike in complaints about Aer Lingus . A couple of weeks back we highlighted the story of a reader called Cathy who was left hungry on a transatlantic flight , having had the temerity to fall asleep ahead of the in-flight meal service. Aer Lingus did resolve the issue to her satisfaction but her story prompted quite a few other readers to get in touch to share stories of how they had been let down by what was once our national airline. Here are just some of them. First up is Joanne who admitted her story was going to 'seem like very much a first world problem' but she was prompted to share it because of 'the recent proliferation of Aer Lingus AerClub advertisements enticing new customers to join' and said it was 'driving me a little round the bend when I've been completely shafted by AerClub despite having spent thousands with Aer Lingus through business and personal travel in the last few years'. READ MORE Joanne has been a member of the Aer Lingus AerClub loyalty scheme for more than three years and usually chooses Aer Lingus for all her air travel. She has had Silver tier AerClub status since 2023. [ Would you want to be woken for an in-flight meal of rubbery pasta? Opens in new window ] 'Before the new Tier Credit period began on April 1st I was tracking my tier credits and planning travel to ensure (as I was so close) that I would fly enough sectors to ensure elevation to Platinum tier, which would unlock more benefits,' she says. 'I flew all the flights needed but noticed that one flight on March 13th was missing and never awarded the credits. Within a week I submitted my first missing credits form.' She says she is 'not joking' about having called the Aer Lingus AerClub line approximately 20 times since, 'and, as nice as some of the agents are, I can get absolutely no answer or update on when my case will be reviewed. 'It seems forever destined to stay 'in the queue'. After three months with no movement whatsoever I can only assume I've been totally shafted and Aer Lingus have no intention to update my status and award me the credits I'm owed.' We contacted the airline and in a statement it said Joanne's AerClub tier credits 'were not automatically assigned at the time of booking due to a technical error. However, our customer's AerClub account has now been fully credited, and as a gesture of goodwill, we have extended their Platinum membership status until 2027.' [ 'I am really disappointed in how Aer Lingus treats customers when things go wrong' Opens in new window ] The next story is far more serious and comes from a reader who contacted us on behalf of her recently widowed mother who is in her 80s. A couple of years ago her parents were in Malaga when her mother's sister had a fall and needed surgery. She was told things were not looking good. Our reader called Aer Lingus and 'spoke to a great chap and he assured me that, although we had to pay for new returns, we could claim this back, if my aunt died, and if we could provide a death certificate'. The woman did pass away but there was a delay in issuing the death certificate and in the interim our reader's father also died suddenly. Our reader was left to chase the refund. In March of this year she mailed Aer Lingus and was told that because her parents had flown home with Aer Lingus from Malaga in September 2023 there was no refund due. It turns out that while the return flight, which was changed for September 22nd from the original date of September 26th, was paid for in full, the Aer Lingus agent used the same booking reference. [ An Aer Lingus passenger's 26-hour trek home, and eventual refund Opens in new window ] 'I've tried to use the refund online service, but as the booking reference shows they did take flights, and no nuance about the flights being paid for separately, their computer says 'no' each time. I've sent an email asking to speak with a person as it needs a light touch and a bit of investigation, but I got the standard reply back: sorry, cannot help you, you flew.' 'Aer Lingus extends its deepest sympathies to the family for their loss and apologise for the delay in resolving their query,' the company said in a statement. 'While Aer Lingus policy requires a government-issued death certificate for bereavement related refunds, given the extenuating circumstances of this case, we are liaising with the family and will accept alternative available documentation to process the refund.' And finally, there is Marc, who has also been given the runaround by Aer Lingus. 'Last August my wife, our three kids aged four, three and eight months and I flew to France with Aer Lingus for a comping holiday. On arrival at Brest airport we realised Aer Lingus hadn't loaded our bags on to the flight in Dublin,' he begins. 'This happens, but it was particularly challenging for us as travelling with three young kids.' He repeats that such things happens but says the 'subsequent experience with Aer Lingus, however, was beyond disgraceful'. He says that after multiple calls to find out where their luggage was and when it might get to them, he was able to establish that they were scheduled to arrive five days later 'on the next direct flight into Brest airport. This is despite multiple flights to nearby airports and even connections via Paris in the intervening days. 'My family's situation didn't matter to them and it was impossible to speak to a direct Aer Lingus employee on this.' Marc says that in the meantime the had buy food and also clothes for their children in the nearest town 'to get us through the first few days of the trip'. 'I kept receipts for most items but not all, which was my mistake, in hindsight. Once the bags arrived I was advised to raise a 'delayed baggage claim' to get refunded for my costs. I did this immediately. You won't be surprised to hear I only heard back from them last week on this – while on this year's holiday. We flew Ryanair – apart from some delays due to French ACT, so far so good. 'I did send a mail [to Aer Lingus] once a month, asking as to the status of my claim – no response, of course. I doubt a human read it.' Marc had submitted claims totalling €160 'to cover food, clothing, toiletries and a bike rental to cycle into the town to purchase these items'. He says he accepts that the last one could be seen as stretching things but, given the circumstances, he figured it was reasonable. 'When I heard back from them last week I was told only €13 was refundable because the other receipts didn't explicitly state they were in euro, even though it was clear they were from a French supermarket, and, in the case of bike rental, were not itemised,' he says. Marc managed to find a clause in EU legislation that states 'inclusion of currency is not mandatory in French receipts' and he sent the full receipt for the bike rental. 'I received a mail the next morning to state that a 'full and final payment' of €13 had been made. When I responded again I got an automated mail saying the case is now closed and this email won't be read. 'What shocked us is that Aer Lingus positions itself as a family-friendly, national carrier who cares about its customers. The staff at the check-in area in T2 are some of the most courteous and professional people I have met and always go out of their way to help when they see us coming with lots of bags and kids hanging out of us. It has always been a trigger to fly Aer Lingus up to now. 'This experience was the polar opposite of it, and as well as being the worst customer service experience of my life, it does a huge disservice to these people too.' In response, Aer Lingus said it 'reimburses reasonable expenses such as the purchase of essential items such as clothes or toiletries in the case of delayed baggage, but does not refund cost of meals. We fully understand the inconvenience of delayed baggage, particularly for a family travelling with young children, and have offered [our reader] a gesture of goodwill on this occasion as a valued customer.'
Irish Times
21-07-2025
- Irish Times
‘On your bike': Aer Lingus treatment of reader with young family ‘does the airline's own staff a huge disservice too'
It being the height of summer, it is hardly surprising that travel is on the minds of many, although we are not convinced that plans to jet away to sunnier spots or memories of holidays just finished are behind the recent spike in complaints about Aer Lingus . A couple of weeks back we highlighted the story of a reader called Cathy who was left hungry on a transatlantic flight , having had the temerity to fall asleep ahead of the in-flight meal service. Aer Lingus did resolve the issue to her satisfaction but her story prompted quite a few other readers to get in touch to share stories of how they had been let down by what was once our national airline. Here are just some of them. First up is Joanne who admitted her story was going to 'seem like very much a first world problem' but she was prompted to share it because of 'the recent proliferation of Aer Lingus AerClub advertisements enticing new customers to join' and said it was 'driving me a little round the bend when I've been completely shafted by AerClub despite having spent thousands with Aer Lingus through business and personal travel in the last few years'. READ MORE Joanne has been a member of the Aer Lingus AerClub loyalty scheme for more than three years and usually chooses Aer Lingus for all her air travel. She has had Silver tier AerClub status since 2023. [ Would you want to be woken for an in-flight meal of rubbery pasta? Opens in new window ] 'Before the new Tier Credit period began on April 1st I was tracking my tier credits and planning travel to ensure (as I was so close) that I would fly enough sectors to ensure elevation to Platinum tier, which would unlock more benefits,' she says. 'I flew all the flights needed but noticed that one flight on March 13th was missing and never awarded the credits. Within a week I submitted my first missing credits form.' She says she is 'not joking' about having called the Aer Lingus AerClub line approximately 20 times since, 'and, as nice as some of the agents are, I can get absolutely no answer or update on when my case will be reviewed. 'It seems forever destined to stay 'in the queue'. After three months with no movement whatsoever I can only assume I've been totally shafted and Aer Lingus have no intention to update my status and award me the credits I'm owed.' We contacted the airline and in a statement it said Joanne's AerClub tier credits 'were not automatically assigned at the time of booking due to a technical error. However, our customer's AerClub account has now been fully credited, and as a gesture of goodwill, we have extended their Platinum membership status until 2027.' [ 'I am really disappointed in how Aer Lingus treats customers when things go wrong' Opens in new window ] The next story is far more serious and comes from a reader who contacted us on behalf of her recently widowed mother who is in her 80s. A couple of years ago her parents were in Malaga when her mother's sister had a fall and needed surgery. She was told things were not looking good. Our reader called Aer Lingus and 'spoke to a great chap and he assured me that, although we had to pay for new returns, we could claim this back, if my aunt died, and if we could provide a death certificate'. The woman did pass away but there was a delay in issuing the death certificate and in the interim our reader's father also died suddenly. Our reader was left to chase the refund. In March of this year she mailed Aer Lingus and was told that because her parents had flown home with Aer Lingus from Malaga in September 2023 there was no refund due. It turns out that while the return flight, which was changed for September 22nd from the original date of September 26th, was paid for in full, the Aer Lingus agent used the same booking reference. [ An Aer Lingus passenger's 26-hour trek home, and eventual refund Opens in new window ] 'I've tried to use the refund online service, but as the booking reference shows they did take flights, and no nuance about the flights being paid for separately, their computer says 'no' each time. I've sent an email asking to speak with a person as it needs a light touch and a bit of investigation, but I got the standard reply back: sorry, cannot help you, you flew.' 'Aer Lingus extends its deepest sympathies to the family for their loss and apologise for the delay in resolving their query,' the company said in a statement. 'While Aer Lingus policy requires a government-issued death certificate for bereavement related refunds, given the extenuating circumstances of this case, we are liaising with the family and will accept alternative available documentation to process the refund.' And finally, there is Marc, who has also been given the runaround by Aer Lingus. 'Last August my wife, our three kids aged four, three and eight months and I flew to France with Aer Lingus for a comping holiday. On arrival at Brest airport we realised Aer Lingus hadn't loaded our bags on to the flight in Dublin,' he begins. 'This happens, but it was particularly challenging for us as travelling with three young kids.' He repeats that such things happens but says the 'subsequent experience with Aer Lingus, however, was beyond disgraceful'. He says that after multiple calls to find out where their luggage was and when it might get to them, he was able to establish that they were scheduled to arrive five days later 'on the next direct flight into Brest airport. This is despite multiple flights to nearby airports and even connections via Paris in the intervening days. 'My family's situation didn't matter to them and it was impossible to speak to a direct Aer Lingus employee on this.' Marc says that in the meantime the had buy food and also clothes for their children in the nearest town 'to get us through the first few days of the trip'. 'I kept receipts for most items but not all, which was my mistake, in hindsight. Once the bags arrived I was advised to raise a 'delayed baggage claim' to get refunded for my costs. I did this immediately. You won't be surprised to hear I only heard back from them last week on this – while on this year's holiday. We flew Ryanair – apart from some delays due to French ACT, so far so good. 'I did send a mail [to Aer Lingus] once a month, asking as to the status of my claim – no response, of course. I doubt a human read it.' Marc had submitted claims totalling €160 'to cover food, clothing, toiletries and a bike rental to cycle into the town to purchase these items'. He says he accepts that the last one could be seen as stretching things but, given the circumstances, he figured it was reasonable. 'When I heard back from them last week I was told only €13 was refundable because the other receipts didn't explicitly state they were in euro, even though it was clear they were from a French supermarket, and, in the case of bike rental, were not itemised,' he says. Marc managed to find a clause in EU legislation that states 'inclusion of currency is not mandatory in French receipts' and he sent the full receipt for the bike rental. 'I received a mail the next morning to state that a 'full and final payment' of €13 had been made. When I responded again I got an automated mail saying the case is now closed and this email won't be read. 'What shocked us is that Aer Lingus positions itself as a family-friendly, national carrier who cares about its customers. The staff at the check-in area in T2 are some of the most courteous and professional people I have met and always go out of their way to help when they see us coming with lots of bags and kids hanging out of us. It has always been a trigger to fly Aer Lingus up to now. 'This experience was the polar opposite of it, and as well as being the worst customer service experience of my life, it does a huge disservice to these people too.' In response, Aer Lingus said it 'reimburses reasonable expenses such as the purchase of essential items such as clothes or toiletries in the case of delayed baggage, but does not refund cost of meals. We fully understand the inconvenience of delayed baggage, particularly for a family travelling with young children, and have offered [our reader] a gesture of goodwill on this occasion as a valued customer.'
Irish Times
20-07-2025
- Irish Times
Haunted house? Dracula author's Dublin birthplace available for €400 a night on Airbnb
Are short-term lets sucking the lifeblood out of Ireland? The debate rages on , with a new data point to consider: you can now rent Bram Stoker 's house on Airbnb. The Dracula author, the only true northsider among Dublin's 19th century literary greats, was born at 15 Marino Crescent, beside the aptly named Bram Stoker Park at the point where Clontarf, Fairview and Marino join. The Crescent, built in 1792 by the enjoyably named Charles Ffolliott as a means of blocking his enemy's view of Dublin Bay, is a pleasantly curved street of classic Georgian houses that seems a nice enough place to spend a Dublin holiday. The Airbnb listing is disappointingly light on references to Count Dracula, citing instead 'elegant sash windows' and 'fresh towels' as selling points of the three-bed. READ MORE Halloween is already unavailable, but a sample Thursday-to-Sunday stay in September would set you back €1,641. That's €413.67 a night plus a €400 fee for professional cleaning – which seems a lot, but vampirism can be a messy business. Seo libh canaig' 'Have modern fans lost their respect for true Gaels past?' Photograph: Ryan Byrne/ INPHO One of the more curious aspects of attending matches at Croke Park these days is the lecture that precedes the playing of the national anthem, chiding people for any cheering they might be tempted to do before the final word is sung. 'When we sing our national anthem before we play our national games, we take pride in our unique identity and the culture that has been entrusted to us,' says the disembodied voice of the GAA. 'We all have a duty to honour that tradition and to set an example for others and for future generations to always give our anthem at our games the respect it deserves.' Have modern fans lost their respect for true Gaels past, fallen under gunna scréach and lámhach na bpiléar? One other possible explanation: they don't know the words. Sinn Féin TD Conor D McGuinness has pointed out that Amhrán na bhFiann isn't actually in the curriculum for Irish children, at primary or secondary level, something he considers 'shameful', 'outrageous' and, of course, a 'disgrace'. In response to a parliamentary question from McGuinness, the Minister for Education Helen McEntee suggested that 'curricular frameworks provide clear pathways for schools to include Amhrán na bhFiann'. They 'might choose' to teach it in primary school history class or 'could choose' to teach it under the heading of Song Singing in primary music class. Secondary school history 'enables study' of the anthem at various points, and in Junior or Leaving Cert music, students 'may wish' to sing the anthem as part of their practical performance exam. Which is all to say that, no, it is not on the curriculum. 'Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are actively undermining Ireland's republican heritage,' McGuinness said, citing also the possible conversion of the GPO into a shopping centre. 'Amhrán na bhFiann should be taught to every child in every school. It's a basic expression of national identity and civic belonging.' They could include a 'no whooping during the second last line' rule on the curriculum while they're at it. The rocky road to Dublin Presidential candidate Catherine Connolly arrives to a count centre in Salthill during a previous election. Photograph: Joe O'Shaughnessy Meanwhile, Catherine Connolly , the left-wing independent vying to inherit the Áras, is no stranger to the trappings of power. Though seen more often these days sailing through Galway on her trusty bicycle, the firebrand was once used to a more opulent mode of transport. In 2004, as mayor of Galway, she racked up a bill of €650 – €900 or so in today's money – on a trip in the mayoral car to see the county's minor hurlers win the All-Ireland at Croke Park. Leaning on the services of Limo Corporate Hire Irl Ltd, as the Galway City Tribune reported at the time, she was paying a rate of €25.20 per trip, plus €34.98 for waiting time. Her markedly unsupportive deputy mayor at the time, Padraig Conneely, noted that it would have been cheaper to fly to Los Angeles – although the Galway minors weren't playing there at the time. Trips to Croke Park to see her county should be cheaper if she wins the presidency: it's well within cycling distance up the North Circular Road. Never say never RTÉ's Dáithí O'Sé, 2012 Rose of Tralee Nicola McEvoy and Leo Varadkar, then Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, on board a replica Famine ship for the Gathering. Photograph: Alan Betson / The Irish Times With choppy waters ahead and the Ireland's small boat at risk of being capsized once again by global waves, the Government has kept an important lifebuoy on hand. Remember The Gathering? The 2013 'initiative' largely entailed the diaspora being wheedled into coming to Ireland and spending money in order to lift the economy out of the doldrums. Despite not offering anything in particular other than the general idea of welcome to affluent third-generation Irish-Americans, it did actually work. Fáilte Ireland's final report found that around €21m of Government and third-party cash was spent to make an estimated €170m for the flagging economy, with 250,000 more tourists than would otherwise have been expected. Like many a figure from folklore, The Gathering disappeared from view once its job was done, but it remains ready to creak back to life when it is needed most. The company set up by the Government to run it is still alive, filing accounts, dormant but available if needed by tourism chiefs or ministers. Its directors, according to its accounts, are Deborah Nolan and Michelle McEvoy, heads of operations and finance respectively at Fáilte Ireland, and it has assets, liabilities, income and expenditure of zero. For now. Grimefighter Signsy is a masked man who has taken to cleaning up graffiti and grime. Image: Signsy/ YouTube Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a council worker? No – it's Signsy, a masked man who has taken to cleaning up graffiti and grime on the streets of Northern Ireland . A version of Superman who is more concerned with the cleanliness of the public realm than crime per se, he uses WD40 and the superpower of being willing to actually do it himself to return obscured road signs to their shining-metal glory, among other amazing feats. 'I've become a hero in disguise cleaning signs, graffiti and maybe even fixing some of the potholes that seem to be everywhere,' he told Belfast Live this week. 'I may do it at any day any time in the cover of darkness to remain hidden.' He uploads his resulting clean-up and repair videos to YouTube with his voice disguised and his face covered. He doesn't have a cape 'yet', he says. He even pledges to tackle spray-painted slogans that 'cause division within our community'. A positive force for his locality no doubt. If he tires of anonymity, that combination of unity rhetoric and pothole-fixing ability sounds like electoral dynamite.
