Latest news with #CollinsDublin
Extra.ie
3 days ago
- Politics
- Extra.ie
'I'm in charge', says Browne amid claims he's lost reins over his top civil servants
Embattled Housing Minister James Browne has moved to assert his authority over his department and most senior civil servant, declaring: 'I am in charge of this brief.' He told 'Let me be clear; policy decisions are made by the minister. I lead, decide, and I am held to account for that.' Mr Browne spoke out after the secretary general of his own department publicly said there is no need for a housing 'tsar' to help the Government meet its pre-election promise to build 300,000 new homes over the next five years. Minister for Housing, James Browne. Pic: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin Speaking at a Property Industry Ireland conference, Graham Doyle said: 'We do not need a housing tsar – can I just clear this one up please, once and for all? 'There is a sense in some quarters that if you knock a few heads together, if you give enough people a kick in the backside, then things happen. I only wish that was the case.' Mr Doyle's comments sparked a political backlash, with one minister criticising what they described as 'an unruly leadership class of senior mandarins who increasingly appear to believe they run the country'. Graham Doyle, Secretary General of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Pic: HSE The senior civil servant later issued a statement saying his issue was with the use of the term 'tsar', but he is 'fully supportive of the HAO [Housing Activation Office] and wholly supportive of the Minister and what he is trying to achieve in this regard'. But one senior figure central to the Government's housing strategy told 'When you are explaining, you are losing, particularly when the explanation is not convincing.' Another senior Coalition source noted: 'He [Doyle] demolished the Minister's own phraseology word by word and then expects us to believe what he is quoted as saying was not what he was saying. That lacks credibility.' Housing Minister James Browne. Pic: Brian Lawless/PA Wire They added: 'It represents another blow to the authority of Mr Browne. His top officials are running riot in that department, and he isn't even the referee. He's just a bystander.' The latest controversy comes after the botched attempt to appoint the €430,000 NAMA boss, Brendan McDonagh, who was Minister Browne's preferred choice to head up the new housing task force. And concern is also mounting over the political consequences of the difficulties Mr Browne appears to be having within his own department. Brendan McDonagh. Pic: Leah Farrell/ One minister noted of Mr Browne's new housing policy: 'If it is not radical and seen to be radical, public faith in our capacity to solve this crisis will melt away. 'It already is.' Mr Browne's political authority was initially weakened by the strong response of Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers, who warned his colleague's top civil servant that, while he is entitled to his own view, he will have to 'implement what the Government decides'. This contrasted sharply with Mr Browne's initial, more diplomatic observation that differences between him and Mr Doyle were a matter of 'semantics'. One senior Coalition source noted: 'It certainly raises serious, systemic questions as to who actually is in charge here. 'There is a real contrast between the way [Health Minister] Jennifer Carroll MacNeill cleared the Children's Health Ireland Board – four gone by their own hand – and the chaos in Housing. They added: 'I don't think a secretary general, even of [Department of Health Secretary General] Robert Watt's status, would be hanging around for long if they started calling out Jennifer.' Another veteran Government source added: 'He [Browne] lacks authority. If Graham Doyle had behaved in that way to [former finance minister] Charlie McCreevy, he would have been booted out of the department on his return.' Growing tensions between the Cabinet and senior civil servants have also increased unease about the longevity of the Coalition. One experienced TD told 'Governments do not always last for five years. 'The administration Bertie put together in 2007 [a coalition of Fianna Fáil, the Greens, two Progressive Democrats TDs and four Independents] barely managed to survive for three-and-a-half years, and all that kept them together for the last year of that was the IMF coming in. 'There are a lot of similarities between this administration and the 2007 coalition. The mood is very fragile and very dislocated. There is a similar sense of absence of control when it comes to housing, crime, everything really except for health.'
Extra.ie
26-05-2025
- Climate
- Extra.ie
Summer on pause as nasty conditions forecast for coming week
If you're hoping for a continuation of the beautiful weather and sunny spells, sorry to break it to you — the forecast for the week sees 'a lot of wind and a lot of rain.' Ireland enjoyed a spell of Mediterranean-esque conditions over the last fortnight, but the good weather is on pause for the coming week according to Met Éireann's latest forecast. Monday has started off fairly wet, with it set to be much the same for the coming days. If you're hoping for a continuation of the beautiful weather and sunny spells, sorry to break it to you — the forecast for the week sees 'a lot of wind and a lot of rain.' Pic: Colin Keegan/Collins Dublin The forecaster said rain on Monday will turn 'heavy at times', particularly in the afternoon and evening time in the west and north. Monday night will be clearer with some scattered showers throughout, leading to a wet Tuesday morning as rain extends across the country from the southwest. Tuesday afternoon will be generally cloudy with some showers while Tuesday night will see scattered showers along with a mix of cloud and clear spells. Unsettled week ahead with spells of wind and rain here in Ireland while Spain and Portugal heat up and stay dry. — Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) May 25, 2025 Wednesday will be more sunny and scattered, though the rain is set to get heavier on Wednesday night where it is expected to be blustery also. The breezy and blustery spells will continue into Tuesday, though temperatures are forecast to be up to 17 degrees. Met Éireann said Thursday will 'become mostly dry with clear spells as showers become isolated.' Friday will start off dry with rain moving in across southern areas. Unfortunately, it looks to be much the same for the bank holiday weekend with Met Éireann stating that 'current indications suggest that unsettled weather will continue for the weekend with spells of rain and showers.' Carlow Weather's Alan O'Reilly echoed the forecaster's sentiments, sharing: 'We're going to see some low pressure systems coming across the Atlantic bringing spells of rain on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, probably Wednesday evening moreso than during the day. 'Quite windy conditions especially on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and later on Wednesday. A lot of wind and a lot of rain.'
Irish Daily Mirror
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Former RTE presenter's semi-detached Dublin home on the market for €2.25m
Former RTÉ Broadcaster Thelma Mansfield is selling her semi-detached home in Dublin for over €2m. The daytime presenter, who hosted RTÉ's Live at 3 until the late 90s, has lived in the Glenageary home for over 40 years. 5 Rus-In-Urbe on Glenageary Road Lower is described as a charming Georgian family home dating back to 1840. The five bed, four bath 235m2 house is on the market with Sherry FitzGerald for €2,250,000. Thelma decided to sell the house, which she raised her children in, after her husband John Morris died in 2022. The home features long sash windows, parking for up to three cars and a lush lawn area out the front and back. Inside, the entrance hallway is flooded with natural light on bright days as folding double doors lead to a cosy dining room with a fireplace. The agent says the country style kitchen is undoubtedly the heart of the home, as it has original quarry tiled floors and bespoke cabinetry. This country feel can be seen throughout the house, however with a modern twist. The light brown wooden doors and rustic floors pair well with the bright kitchen cabinets and white walls. Two sets of Venetian double doors open out into the gorgeous courtyard that has been maintained by Thelma. She is a keen gardener and filled the lawns with colourful agapanthus, wisteria, olive trees and a fig tree. After retiring from RTÉ in the late 1990s, the homeowner focused on her passion for painting. At the end of the garden is an original coach house which Thelma transformed into her art studio. The little space features a wood burning stove and shower room. See pictures of the house from below. The rear garden area of the €2.25m home 1 of 8 Thelma Mansfield photographed in 2015. Photo: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin. (Image: Collins Photo Agency Dublin. 2 of 8 The Glenageary home boasts beautiful plants and flowers in the large outdoor space 3 of 8 Thelma has carefully crafted the courtyard and gardens 4 of 8
Sunday World
13-05-2025
- Sunday World
Book of condolence opened after tragic death of late Garda Kevin Flatley
Garda Kevin Flatley, a 49-year-old father of two, was hit by a motorcycle as he recorded vehicles' speeds on the side of the road on the R132 at Lanestown in north Dublin. Books of condolences for the late Garda Kevin Flatley pictured. Photo: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin. A book of condolence has been opened at local Garda stations in Sligo and Leitrim following the tragic death of Garda Kevin Flatley. Garda Kevin Flatley, a 49-year-old father of two, was hit by a motorcycle as he recorded vehicles' speeds on the side of the road on the R132 at Lanestown in north Dublin on Sunday afternoon. Emergency services rushed to the scene and Gda Flatley was discovered with fatal injuries. Books of condolences for the late Garda Kevin Flatley pictured. Photo: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin. News in 90 Seconds - May 13th He was pronounced dead a short time later. The driver of the Yamaha motorbike, aged in his 30s, was also seriously injured in the collision, and remains in a critical condition in Beaumont Hospital. Kevin Flatley. Photo: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin Gda Flatley, from Balbriggan in Dublin, had served as a garda for 26 years and had been with the Roads Policing Unit since 2018. Following his death, tributes have flooded in from all over the country. People in Leitrim and Sligo are invited to express their sympathies to Gda Flatley's family, friends and colleagues as a book of condolence has been opened at local Garda Stations. A spokesperson for gardaí in Sligo and Leitrim said, 'A Book of Condolence has been opened in Sligo and Carrick-on-Shannon Garda Stations in loving memory of Garda Kevin Flatley, 27260D, who died in the line of duty on 11th May 2025.'
Extra.ie
07-05-2025
- Extra.ie
Woman charged with arson of bus during Dublin riots
A woman has been charged with the arson of a Dublin Bus during the Dublin riots in November 2023. The riots stemmed from the stabbing of three children and a care worker outside of a school in Dublin City Centre, with a number of arrests being made in the year and a half since. In a new update from the riots, Gardaí have confirmed that nine more people have been arrested in connection with the incident between Sunday (May 4) and Tuesday (May 6), with a woman set to appear before the courts charged with the arson of a Dublin Bus. A file image of a bus set on fire on O'Connell Street in Dublin on November 23, 2023. Pic: Stephen Collins/Collins Dublin 'A female will appear before Court 1 in the Criminal Courts of Justice this morning, Wednesday the 7th of May, to be charged with Criminal Damage (Arson) to a Dublin Bus at O'Connell Street Lower on the 23rd November 2023,' a statement from Gardaí said. 'Separately, between Sunday 4th May 2025 and today Tuesday 6th May 2025 Gardaí in Store Street have arrested nine people in connection with the ongoing investigations into the serious public disorder events of 23rd November 2023, that occurred in Dublin city centre.' Four Dublin Buses and a LUAS tram were destroyed during the riots. A file image of a double-decker bus set alight on O'Connell Street in Dublin on November 23, 2023. Pic: Sam Boal/ Gardaí confirmed that nine more people — three adult women, four adult men, and two male juveniles — were arrested over the past few days. Two of the three women were charged in connection with the riots, and were released on station bail to appear at court at a later date. The two male juveniles were released pending the submission of files to the Director of the Youth Diversion Programme, while the remaining were released without charge pending the submission of files to the DPP. These arrests bring the total number of arrests to date following the riots to 85, with 66 people being charged with offences. Following a media appeal shared on the first anniversary of the riots, 24 people have been arrested. An Garda Síochána continues to appeal to anyone with information about the events on that day, or anyone involved in organising or participating in these events, to contact the Garda investigation team at Store Street Garda Station at 01 666 8000, the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.
