Pharmacist claims ex-TD Kate O'Connell and husband were working him ‘to death'
A pharmacist who claims he was forced out of a €112,000-a-year job because former TD Kate O'Connell and her husband were working him "to death" has denied raising his voice and becoming "aggressive" when she pulled him up on using his phone at work.
In a complaint under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977, Marwan Al Rahbi has alleged that he was constructively dismissed by Rathgar Pharmacy Ltd -- having been forced to quit in order to protect his health after a diagnosis of workplace stress, the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) was told.
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Irish Post
a day ago
- Irish Post
Who owns the legacy of the Troubles?
MY FRIEND Lyra McKee died from a gunshot wound and became a symbol of a post-Troubles generation. She was a young lesbian and a freelance journalist starting to establish a reputation. One night in April 2019 she stood watching a riot in Derry. Dissident republicans who had rejected the peace deal of 1998 were throwing stones and petrol bombs at police officers who had come into the Creggan estate to make arrests. Riots of this kind were common during the period of the Troubles, generated by both republican and loyalist communities, often with the police as the main target. I watched many riots as a young journalist as Lyra did that night, standing behind police or army lines or occasionally on the sidelines for a clearer view, depending on how safe I felt there. On that night in Derry a man came forward with a pistol and fired at the police. One of his bullets struck Lyra in the head. She then became a symbol of change because this was not supposed to happen. The violence was meant to be behind us. Most of those who had led the violence of the past agreed on that. And Lyra was seen as part of a post conflict generation. She would have been watching that riot perhaps because she had never or rarely seen such a thing. She would have regarded it as a throwback to an awful time. British prime Minister Theresa May applauds with Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar and mourners as the hearse leaves the church after the funeral of murdered journalist Lyra McKee at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast (Pic: Rolling News) Her symbolic importance was such that her funeral at St Anne's cathedral in Belfast was attended by the then Prime Minister Theresa May and several dignitaries including the Northern Irish First Minister, Arlene Foster. Her writings were republished, and one particular piece was seen as speaking for her whole generation. As a lesbian writing to her younger self she had said: 'It won't always be like this. It's going to get better.' The tragic irony of how she had died was that it seemed to affirm that the awfulness continued despite her hopes and confidence. And the starkness of that seemed to reinforce a determination that her vision would be fulfilled, that her death could not be pointless, that there had to be a Northern Ireland free of violence and prejudice in which a new generation had put the past behind them. Young people today in Northern Ireland seem divided between those who regard themselves as a fruitful new generation untainted by the past and those who retain the anger and suffer inherited trauma. Both often seem naive to me, as inevitably young people will when trying to respond to events that took place before they were born. Some say they are not like the generation of their parents which made a mess of things. Some carry grief for what their families suffered and struggle to understand a society that has moved on. Take Liadan Ní Chuinn who has just published an extraordinary collection of short stories that the critics are raving about. Liadan is a pseudonym and there is no public disclosure over who she or he is. The name is female. The Irish Times has said of Every One Still Here that it deserves to be considered 'among the best Irish books of the 21st century'. That's one hell of an endorsement. The stories are largely about generational trauma, featuring young characters who agonise over the legacy of the Troubles and relate the deaths of older relations to the stress and violence of those days. The book is brilliantly written. An energetic imagination relates characters and situations vividly and movingly. There is a coherent and authentic young voice throughout. In the closing story a character Rowan confronts an older person, Shane who doesn't want to dwell on the past and tells him he'll get over it. Rowan is furious and the older character is saying that the past is behind us and best left there. This presents us with a counter to the image of Lyra McKee who is taken to symbolise the generation that has moved on. There can be no question that Liadan is a major artist, an impressively evocative writer but there is naïveté and warped perspective here too. That last story ends the book with a passionate litany of many of those who were killed by British soldiers during the Troubles, many of the soldiers being defended by their own officers and by government ministers; few were charged and convicted of murder. The scandal of murders by soldiers is well recorded yet few have ever been held accountable. But Ní Chuinn's vision of the cause of conflict presents the British army as the main source of grief. And this book is not alone in thinking like that. The First Minister, Michelle O'Neill, who has said that there was no alternative to the IRA campaign, has recently spoken of how she and those around her were moved by the horror of young men being killed by soldiers. That conviction that the primary evil, the most damnable source of grief and grievance was the British army may be reality for some but what is missing here is context. Most of the killing was done by the IRA and by loyalist paramilitary groups. How can that simply be forgotten or discounted as irrelevant? There is danger in that blindness for that simplistic account of our past is what drives the dissident republicans still, the ones who couldn't compromise for peace, the ones who shot Lyra McKee. See More: Lyra McKee, Northern Ireland, Troubles
Sunday World
a day ago
- Sunday World
Customers need lower prices if hospitality sector VAT rate is axed, TD says
Hotel, bars and restaurants say if the VAT rate is cut they they need to keep the cash to survive. A cut in the VAT rate for the hospitality sector must be passed on to customers, a Government TD has insisted. Paula Butterly, the Fine Gael Deputy in Louth said consumers must also benefit with reduced prices in our bars, restaurants and hotels. The Finance Minister Paschal Donohue is expected to axe the vat rate in the October budget from 13.5 to 9pc at a cost of almost €1 billion to the exchequer. However a large number of Fianna Fail backbenchers are against it and want some of this money used on a cost of living package to help families instead. They also say if the VAT cut is coming it should be brought into play from July 2026 - thus freeing up half a billion quid. Bar. News in 90 Seconds - August 16th But Deputy Butterly said the hospitality industry is struggling and needs help. She said the cut in the hospitality VAT rate is also part of the programme for government and must be delivered. She stated: 'Our SMEs are the fundamental employer in our economy and the tourism sector plays a very significant role in this, especially in regional areas. "While I fully support the VAT reduction I would hope to see their customers benefiting from this with reduced prices. "It is vital we protect and support employment in this sector but we also need to ensure that people coming through their doors see the benefit of the reduction as well." However the hotel, bars and restaurants say if the VAT rate is cut they they need to keep the cash to survive. They argue their costs from food to energy have soared in recent years and they have had no option but to hike up prices to stay in business. They say if they get the VAT rate cut it will mean no job losses and pubs especially in rural Ireland will survive. Adrian Cummins the CEO of the Irish Restaurant Association said the Government decision to increase the VAT from 9pc back up to 13.5pc in September 2023 was catastrophic for the whole industry. He said: 'Restaurants, cafes and food businesses operate on notoriously tight margins. The average profit margin goes between 3 to 5pc in good times and far less in rural parts during the off season. "The increase of 4.5pc was a massive blow. A lower VAT rate supports job security, keeps wage bills manageable, and allows businesses to invest in training and growth. "It is not a gift but an investment in Ireland as a tourist destination."
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Irish Independent
Cork outdoor recreation projects receive ‘major boost' of more than €600,000 in funding
The funding, a total sum of €608,550, has been provided from the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS). The overall fund is worth €8.7m and will cover 221 projects across Ireland including walking trails, cycleways, water-based amenities and mountain access routes. Fine Gael senator Eileen Lynch said she is 'delighted' to see the investment in outdoor projects in Cork. 'When projects are delivered, this funding will provide a major boost to the local economy by attracting visitors and furthering our reputation as a destination for adventure tourism,' Senator Lynch said. The Macroom-based senator said she is particularly delighted to see funding for IRD Duhallow and Cork County Council as these bodies 'provided so much joy for the community over the years.' 'This new funding is going to make a big difference for outdoor amenities in Cork, making them even better for local families and visitors alike. It's so important to get out and make the most of what our outdoors has to offer. 'I want to thank the community groups across Cork who work so hard to develop and enhance recreational amenities in our local community. 'These amenities are here for us all to enjoy. I really encourage everyone to get out there and enjoy the incredible outdoor spaces Cork has to offer', Senator Lynch concluded. ORIS provides funding in three separate measures. Measure 1 offers funding up €40,000 at a 90pc rate of aid for small scale repair/development/promotion or marketing. Maximum six applications can be submitted by each local authority and three applications can be submitted by each local development company. Measure 2 offers funding up to €200,000 at a 90pc rate of aid for medium scale repairs/upgrade and a new trails/amenity development. Maximum three applications can be made by each local authority and one application can be submitted per local development company or state body. Measure 3 offers funding up to €500,000 at a 90pc rate of aid for large scale repair/upgrade and or new strategic trail/amenity development. Local authorities and State bodies can submit one application each under this Measure. 11 Cork projects received funding under Measure 1. Avondhu Blackwater Partnership CLG received €31,050 to develop a car park and upgrade Ballard trail. The partnership also received €29,700 for Blackwater Way map boards and €31,505 for repairs along the Blackwater Way. Cork County Council received €40,000 to replace fencing between Belgooly walkway and Riverstick Estuary. The funding will also cover the installation of benches and street furniture. The local authority also received €40,000 for sea swimming infrastructure for east Cork beaches and €37,800 for sea swimming infrastructure on Great Island. The council also received €40,000 for upgrade works at Seefin car park on the Duhallow Way. IRD Duhallow CLG received a total of €120,000 for upgrade works in the area. West Cork Development Partnership received €40,000 for development of a new walking trail that connects Ballingeary village to Drom an Ailigh to Ceim Chorrbhualle. Four projects received approval from the Project Development Measure. Cork County Council received two separate allocations of €49,950, for works on Abbey Pier on Sherkin Island and the development of Skibbereen Recreation and Amenity Park. IRD Duhallow received €50,000 to map and screen off-road sections of the Beara-Breifne Way. SECAD Partnership CLD received €49.500 to carry out assessment surveys for the Ballycotton Cliff Walk in East Cork.
