Niamh O'Reilly: Yes, reading to your children can be boring
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Irish Examiner
8 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Waterford neighbours appeal against Dyson's planned helipad
Waterford neighbours of billionaire James Dyson have appealed against his plans to build a helipad on his estate. An appeal has been lodged against a decision that permitted the inventor, known for founding the Dyson company, which sells bagless vacuum cleaners among other items, to construct a helicopter landing zone at his expansive Ballynatray House estate near the River Blackwater, near the Cork-Waterford border. The original planning application was submitted by estate manager Christopher Nicholson. Those who submitted proposals against the construction during the initial planning process expressed concern that 'up to 50 helicopter landings a year' would have an adverse affect to the wildlife on the river and the local population, saying the Blackwater is an unspoiled haven', which is 'something that should be preserved and cherished' and not 'spoiled with the weekly noise of a helicopter'. One objector said a helicopter could be heard from miles around and would have a 'disturbing influence' on the wildlife in the area, described as being 'a sanctuary due to the lack of interference from humans'. A neighbour wrote to the Council: 'It is difficult in today's world to find such areas and I feel strongly that for the sake of someone's convenience, an area of natural beauty and importance will be subjected to unnecessary disturbance.' The council was told that the site is an important nesting site for herons, egrets, cormorants and birds of prey such as sparrowhawks, owls and buzzards. Other birds sighted include sea eagle, osprey and red kite. The shoreline is inhabited by curlew, ducks and whooper swans, the submitter wrote, along with red squirrels, otters, badgers, foxes, fallow deer and stoats. An objection to the plan said that the helicopter would fundamentally alter the natural soundscape and peaceful aural environment of the area, 'replacing birdsong and the sounds of nature with the intrusive noise of rotor blades'. A different objection to the original planning submission described the Blackwater River and its surrounds as a 'sensitive area continually under attack' from housing, building, boats, jet-skis 'and now helicopters'. He said there were more than a dozen other houses in the area that could accommodate a helipad, adding: 'I am sure the applicant wouldn't be happy if another 12 helicopters flew over Ballynatray each day.' Waterford Council granted permission for the helipad to be built under certain conditions. However, neighbours have filed an appeal with the Irish planning authority An Coimisiun Pleanala and a decision is due by November 26.
Irish Times
6 hours ago
- Irish Times
Small fraction of applicants to Defective Concrete Block Scheme have had their homes fixed
Just 7 per cent of applicants to the Defective Concrete Block Scheme have had their homes remediated in the five years since the scheme opened, new records show. Some 220 homeowners have had their remediation works completed under the scheme out of a total of 2,870 applications since it opened in June 2020, according to figures released by the Department of Housing up to the end of July 2025 show. A further 977 applicants have issued notices to commence work. The Defective Concrete Block grant scheme helps homeowners to repair or rebuild their homes where significant damage has been caused by the presence of pyrite or mica in the blocks used to build it. READ MORE These minerals cause cracks and other defects to appear in the homes which have been built with blocks from certain quarries. The scheme was originally opened in June 2020 and covered counties Mayo and Donegal , with owners able to claim 90 per cent of a maximum rebuild cost of €247,500. Campaigners argued this left a huge gap in funding the actual cost of rebuilding their homes. Dr Martina Cleary, founder of the Clare Pyrite Action Group and a lecturer at the Technological University of the Shannon, says the new scheme has 'a lot of problems'. Dr Martina Cleary's home under demolition near Crusheen, Co Clare. Photograph: Eamon Ward 'The first problem is you need an awful lot of money to start it,' she says, giving the example of her own home outside Ennis which she has already spent €40,000 on. 'Then the grant itself is short. I have a small bungalow and the grant I got was €187,920. When you take out €30,000 for demolition and €10,000 for engineers, I have somewhere between €145,000 and €150,000 to rebuild my home,' Dr Cleary says. [ Donegal's Titanic: The sinking of a housing estate built on a peat bog Opens in new window ] In June 2023, an enhanced scheme opened for applications with homes in Clare and Limerick now included and the rebuild cost limit pushed up to €462,000. In October 2024, Co Sligo was also added. A total of €163 million has been paid out in grants so far, figures released by the Department of Housing in response to a parliamentary question from Sinn Féin's Eoin Ó'Broin show. These figures, accurate up to the end of June, show that out of the 2,796 applications to the scheme at that stage, 1,334 had met the damage threshold required to qualify for the grant. Some 54 applications were refused or withdrawn, while 27 did not meet the damage threshold. Since applications to the enhanced scheme opened there have been 164 applications in Co Clare, 64 in Co Limerick and three in Co Sligo. 'It will work for people who are wealthy, but it is inaccessible for people who are most at need.' Photograph: Eamon Ward Some 11 applicants have started work in Co Clare, with none on site yet in Limerick or Sligo. Homeowners in these counties say there are several difficulties with getting access to the enhanced scheme. Sinn Féin housing spokesman Mr Ó Broin says the latest figures show 'the defective concrete block scheme is not working for the vast majority of affected homeowners'. Some of the issues he points to are that several properties are being refused or delayed for long periods of time before final grants are awarded. 'Government must go back to the drawing board and introduce an end-to-end scheme run by the Pyrite Resolution Board to ensure 100 per cent redress for all impacted homeowners,' he says. Speaking of her own experience in Clare, Dr Cleary says she spoke to 14 builders and looked at every type of building method, but all quotes came in at between €230,000 and €300,000. While there is light at the end of the tunnel for Dr Cleary, it did not come without significant stress over the last five years since realising her home was crumbling. [ 'I grew up in an apartment in another country. I bought an apartment in Dublin and had to get out after a year' Opens in new window ] 'It consumes your life trying to fix it,' says Dr Martina Cleary. Photograph: Eamon Ward 'It was extremely traumatic, extremely shocking to realise I was in that situation,' she says. 'I remember sitting in the house and I could actually hear the blocks cracking. I could hear the roof rafters moving when it got windy and you're awake at night, terrified,' she says. 'It's just like a train crash in slow motion, it consumes your life trying to fix it.' 'The scheme will work for people that have at least €100,000 to €150,000 to put into a house. It will work for people who are wealthy, but it is inaccessible for people who are most at need,' Dr Cleary says. When asked about the latest figures, the Department of Housing pointed to the fact that 220 homes had been completed and 977 had issued notices to commence work, representing 41 per cent of applications. The Department said in a statement that '2024 was the first full year of the current DCB grant scheme and it is evident from the large number of commencement notices that the scheme is now ramping up'.
RTÉ News
11 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Are free schoolbooks limiting how children are taught?
Opinion: While free schoolbooks are a welcome support for families, they may be narrowing how children learn in the classroom The recent announcement by the Minister for Education of a million free schoolbooks aims to ease the financial burden on parents facing back-to-school costs. But while this initiative is undoubtedly welcome, could it also unintentionally encourage an over-reliance on textbooks in the classroom—at the expense of more engaging, interactive learning? What is the schoolbooks scheme? Launched in 2023, the Department of Education's free schoolbooks scheme covers the cost of textbooks, workbooks and stationery for all primary schools. In 2024, it was extended to the Junior Cycle, with further expansion to the Senior Cycle from September 2025. The Department of Education recently confirmed that funding is now in place to cover 1,000,000 free textbooks. For families, this is a relief, especially in households where books have long been a costly annual expense. But for educators, it raises an important question. Is this funding helping to broaden educational experiences, or is it reinforcing a narrow, textbook-focused model of teaching, especially with parents of children in school and the wider public? Textbooks are familiar but limiting Many of us remember the start-of-term excitement around new schoolbooks or, for those of us from larger families like mine, the hand-me-downs wrapped in brown paper. We also recall the endless textbook work that could be momentous and not tailored to our individual learning needs. These shared memories point to how deeply ingrained textbooks are in Irish education. They have their place, particularly for guiding teachers or supporting learning in content-heavy subjects. But when textbooks become the main tool for teaching, the classroom experience can become rigid and uniform, leaving little room for creativity or differentiation. From RTÉ Radio 1's Liveline, parents call in about the cost of children returning to school In post-primary settings, "teaching to the textbook" is a well-worn phrase. Preparing for high-stakes exams like the Leaving Certificate often results in one-size-fits-all teaching, which doesn't suit the varied needs, interests, or learning needs of all students. The primary curriculum and the rise of textbooks Over the last 20 years, there's been a rapid increase in the number of textbooks available for primary schools. This is not just in core subjects like Maths and History, but in areas like handwriting and wellbeing too. This trend raises concerns about whether we're striking the right balance between traditional textbook use and more active, exploratory approaches to learning. Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) offers an interesting case. At primary level, SPHE hasn't been dominated by textbooks, giving teachers more freedom to adapt the subject to their local context. But this flexibility can also leave teachers unsure how to approach sensitive topics, particularly without access to high-quality, context-appropriate resources. There's no doubt that free schoolbooks offer real relief to families, but what's less visible are the educational trade-offs Ireland's new Primary Curriculum Framework promotes inclusive, evidence-based teaching that connects with children's lives, interests and strengths. It champions playful, active and curiosity-driven learning, and encourages teachers to move away from narrow or overly prescriptive teaching methods. But this vision needs support. Many schools are crying out for funding to enable more hands-on learning, whether that's through play-based activities, field trips, project work or community engagement. While the new curriculum offers exciting possibilities, a funding focus on textbooks alone risks limiting the very flexibility it seeks to promote. Rethinking what we fund There's no doubt that free schoolbooks offer real relief to families. But what's less visible are the educational trade-offs. When funding prioritises textbooks, other vital teaching and learning supports often go under-resourced or ignored. Children themselves know how they learn best—through games, exploration, creativity, and hands-on experiences. Findings from the Children's School Lives study highlight that children thrive in learning environments that are playful, interactive, and connected to their lived experiences. If we're serious about creating classrooms that are inclusive, engaging, and responsive to different learning needs, then we need to look beyond textbooks. They are part of the picture, but they shouldn't be the whole story.
