Should road tolls be lifted for the All-Ireland final?
should be lifted to make it easier for Kerry and Donegal fans heading to Croke Park.
Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast this morning, the Kerry TD proposed removing motorway tolls to reduce both traffic on the roads and the financial burden on supporters, calling it 'the right thing to do'.
Advertisement
Healy-Rae said that he wouldn't be as passionate about implementing a similar measure for other big events, such as concerts, arguing that they don't draw the same number of people travelling for the All-Ireland final.
So, what do you think:
Should road tolls be lifted for the All-Ireland final?
Poll Results:
No
(480)
Yes
(162)
It should happen for all big events
(100)
Unsure
(13)
Yes
No
It should happen for all big events
Unsure
Vote
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
24 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Independent ministers seek changes to inheritance tax system for adults with no children
Independent Ministers have pushed for changes to the inheritance tax system for the beneficiaries of estates left by people with no children. A campaign group known as Edit (End Discrimination in Inheritance Tax) has been contacting politicians as part of efforts to bring about reforms to the capital acquisitions tax (CAT) regime, which it says is 'grossly unfair'. Independent Ministers of State Michael Healy-Rae and Marian Harkin have raised the issue with Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe . Their separate interventions are included in records released under the Freedom of Information Act. CAT applies at a rate of 33 per cent on gifts or inheritances above certain tax-free thresholds that depend on the beneficiary's relationship to the person that gives them the gift or inheritance. READ MORE For spouses and civil partners, inheritances are free of tax. Children inheriting from a parent can receive up to €400,000 tax-free. For other relatives a tax-free threshold of €40,000 applies, while non-relatives can receive up to €20,000 tax free. Edit argues the thresholds that apply to the beneficiaries of the estates of childless adults are 'discriminatory'. One option Edit has proposed would be allowing people to inherit a home tax-free and to abolish the thresholds in favour of an across-the-board 10 per cent levy on all other assets. Mr Healy-Rae and Ms Harkin highlighted Edit's campaign in contacts with Mr Donohoe last March. Kerry TD Mr Healy-Rae included correspondence from Edit by saying it is a 'genuine campaign for people who do not have children', who are being 'unfairly' treated by the tax system. He said the information he enclosed 'may be helpful in future budgets'. This week Mr Healy-Rae said 'this is something I am very much pursuing and would like to see changed', though he did not offer specifics on what he would like to see happen. Mr Healy-Rae also said: 'I am acutely aware of the pressures on the upcoming budget', including 'the threat of tariffs to our economy' and issues such as the proposal to cut the VAT rate for the hospitality sector. 'I will continue to push for change on this and while it may not be possible for this upcoming budget it's something I'm focused on for the lifetime of this Government,' he said. In her email to Mr Donohoe, Sligo-Leitrim TD Ms Harkin told the Minister she received representations from a number of constituents on inheritance tax for couples who do not have children. She asked that the issue be reviewed 'with a view to increasing the threshold'. A spokesman for Ms Harkin said she has 'no further comment on the issue'. The Department of Finance said: 'It is a long-standing practice of the Minister for Finance not to comment in advance of the budget on any tax matters which might be the subject of budget decisions.' It noted that inheritance tax was covered in this year's Tax Strategy Papers, in which department officials set out options that inform the budget process. Government backbenchers Aindrias Moynihan and Shay Brennan of Fianna Fáil and Barry Ward of Fine Gael asked Mr Donohoe about CAT in parliamentary questions last month. As part of his answer, Mr Donohoe said: 'There would be a significant cost in making any further substantial changes to CAT' and 'the options available for setting CAT thresholds must be balanced against competing demands'.
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Ireland coach Scott Bemand: We need the finest talent available
Scott Bemand has defended his decision to parachute two players into the mix for World Cup selection during Ireland's warm-up games. The tournament kicks off for Ireland against Japan on 24 August in Northampton with a 32-player squad due to be announced on Monday, two days after the team's clash with Canada in Belfast. Centre Nancy McGillivray, whose father is Irish but grew up in Hong Kong and previously trained with England, won her first cap and scored a try in last weekend's win over Scotland. Former England prop Ellena Perry, who won the last of 11 Red Roses caps in 2020, is expected to make her Ireland debut off the bench tomorrow at the Affidea Stadium. Neither player was originally included in the 37-strong preparation squad named in May. "As we grow our group, we need the finest talent available both on-pitch play perspective and an-off pitch, character, person perspective in terms of adding to a group," head coach Bemand, who spent years as an assistant with England, said soon after naming his a team containing 10 changes to face the world's number two side. "Elle (above) is a good player, and she's a really good person having worked with her before. She's known to a good few of the girls and they would endorse that. "IQ [Ireland-qualified] is part of our pathway, and this weekend is an opportunity for Elle to put her best foot forward and to put her hand up for selection. "And then absolutely, we would consider players from IQ. "As we grow our squad depth, as we grow our playing pathway, we also have to be cognisant of people that are Irish and identify as being Irish, that play over in the UK, for example. "I think it's been a great opportunity to add to a group both from an on-pitch perspective which is clear to see. "If anybody looks back through England footage, you'll see. I've worked with her in that space before. "Elle has always a highly, highly valued value prop in that system. "A couple of years ago, she picked up a niggle. She's a mother, she has a young child which is class. "So she's brought this sort of wealth of experience and maturity to a group that adds to us. She's been absolutely brilliant. "Yes, I would consider her, but obviously we'll make that call after the game on the weekend." Gloucester-Hartpury's Perry was called up with experienced prop forward Christy Haney recovering from a hamstring issue. Bemand added: "So she joined a couple of weeks ago. "There is a piece of process that players have to go through if they played from one nation to another. "So I guess in terms of playing depth and when this came online, the Christy Haney piece opened up an opportunity for it really. "She would have been available for last week, Elle would have been available to play against Scotland. "We made a choice not to put her into that game, to give her a little bit more time. But she's been with us since the start of block three." Ireland know they will face a step up in class when they host Canada tomorrow and Bemand believes the timing of the fixture can only serve to prepare the side, ranked fifth in the world, for their Pool C games against Japan, Spain and New Zealand. "We probably don't always get the warm-up games that you want because everyone's got different objectives at different times," he said. "Where we sit in proximity to the UK, there's obviously a few teams that are manoeuvring themselves closer to the World Cup. "The flow of the games we've had, going Scotland into Canada, works really well for us. "We had a good hit-out against them in WXV1 not so long ago. "If you look at the results and scoring patterns within that game, we were 21-3 down at half-time, come back and won the second half. "But there were bits we were disappointed about so it's the next challenge on from Scotland, it's really well placed to tee us up for the World Cup."
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Conor McGregor's megaphone is no guarantee of electoral success
Last year Serge Betsen, the former French international rugby union flanker; Marie-José Perec, a triple Olympic gold medallist sprinter; Marion Bartoli, who won the women's singles title at Wimbledon in 2013; and French football team captain, Kylian Mbappé, signed an open letter calling on voters to reject the far right in a snap parliamentary election called by president Emmanuel Macron. They all dipped their toes in the political arena. Early this week the Donald Trump -backed former MMA fighter Conor McGregor posted on his X account. 'As President, I [will] remove all imported criminals and mentally deranged lunatics from Ireland. As well as put a rapid end to the funding/teachings of radical ideologies in Irish society.' READ MORE On Wednesday he posted a picture of a bust of philosopher Aristotle with a non-ironic caption: 'Tolerance And Apathy Are The Last Virtues Of A Dying Society.' McGregor is one of the long lines of sports stars who have jumped into the political lane. Not the first. We've had former rugby international Trevor Ringland, who was vice-chairman of the Ulster Unionist Party's East Belfast branch and Olympic silver medal-winning boxer Kenny Egan, who was elected to South Dublin County Council for Fine Gael in the 2014 local elections, while Jim Glennon, who played for Ireland in the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987, became a Fianna Fáil TD and senator. We've had twice-elected taoiseach Jack Lynch, with his hurling and football All-Ireland medals and Federation Cup (now Billie Jean Cup) tennis player Catriona Ruane, a Sinn Féin MLA in the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for South Down from 2003 to 2017 – both athletes making the move from sport into politics. Outside Ireland, middle-distance Olympic champion Seb Coe, a Conservative member of parliament from 1992 to 1997 for Falmouth and Camborne in Cornwall, has become a baron. Pakistan cricket captain Imran Khan was prime minister of Pakistan from August 2018 until April 2022, while Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar, widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketers of all time, was a member of India council of states by presidential nomination from 2012 to 2018. Manny Pacquiao, the only eight-division world champion in men's boxing, became a senator in the Philippines and in 2022 ran for the presidency. Vitali Klitschko, the former heavyweight champion of the world, has been mayor of Kyiv since 2014, while two-time Grand Slam champion Marat Safin won a seat in Russia's lower house of parliament to become one of the youngest members of the Russian legislature after he retired. Vitali Klitschko, the former heavyweight champion of the world, has been mayor of Kyiv since 2014. Photograph:Then there is Bebeto, elected to the legislative assembly of Rio de Janeiro representing the Democratic Labour Party and World Cup-winning striker for Brazil, as well as his great forward partner at USA 94 Romário, who was elected a senator in 2014. In January 1995, Pelé was appointed by Fernando Cardoso as minister of sports in Brazil. The fact is sport is common among those active in electoral politics. It is an obvious pathway into political office as athletes in team or individual sport possess transferable skills. Discipline, team play, goal-setting, diplomacy within a group, focus, resilience and the possession of an ability to bounce back from disappointment are skills applicable to both; although the most obvious one is visibility and name recognition, which gives instant traction in the public arena. Looking at what voters' favourite sports are can also inform about their political views and this is used to great effect in election campaigns. In the United States, the political leanings of the audience are sharply reflected in sport. On the right of the spectrum is the professional men's PGA Tour, college football and Nascar. Also heavily Republican are professional hockey's NHL and the LPGA Tour women's golf. Closer to the centre but still red are the Olympics, college basketball, American football (NFL) and professional baseball (MLB). Romário de Souza Faria was elected a senator in Brazil in 2014. Photograph: Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images More left or Democrat is the ATP men's tennis, professional soccer in the MLS, the WTA women's tennis, the NBA men's professional basketball and the WNBA women's professional basketball. In terms of participation in politics, a paper published this year in The Journal of Representative Democracy argued that individuals who take part in organised, competitive sports are more likely to engage in formal electoral politics than those who do not. In an aside it also asserts that the long-standing underrepresentation of women in organised sports 'is simply one more impediment towards achieving gender equity among political aspirants'. In other words, sport, for a variety of reasons, is a natural grounding place for the political arena. The toxic McGregor and his Maga spew probably knows that his past in the Octagon and his 10.6 million followers on X give him an advantage, at least in profile and volume. But caveat emptor. Former England footballer Sol Campbell ran for the Conservative party's nomination for mayor of London in the 2016 election but was not shortlisted, while All Black David Kirk captained New Zealand when they won the inaugural Rugby World Cup before becoming a National Party member in New Zealand. He then sought the party's nomination for the 1992 Tamaki byelection but lost to Clem Simich. McGregor should know. A loud megaphone and high stump is not the whole kit and caboodle.
