Latest news with #Coolock
Sunday World
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Bono opens up on relationship with his father – ‘I didn't think I was a very good son'
The Ballymun native, who hit superstardom with U2 in the 1980s, told he how became close friends with his father after he passed away, which he described as 'not so smart'. U2 frontman Bono has paid tribute to his 'courageous' father who he said he 'finally has the approval of', more than two decades after his passing. His memoir Stories of Surrender, which has now been turned into a movie, largely tells the story of Paul Hewson and his father, Brendan Robert Hewson "My father Bob, who I played every night, just by turning my neck and then I would have his voice,' he told the Brendan O'Connor Show this morning. "I always loved my father but I really learnt to like him. I realised how funny he was and how I might have missed some of his humour in my teenage years. "And then there is this other father, which I am now and the fear of becoming a father because I didn't think I was a very good son,' he said. Bono News in 90 Seconds - May 24th 2025 The Ballymun native, who hit superstardom with U2 in the 1980s, told he how became close friends with his father after he passed away, which he described as 'not so smart'. "But we got on great in one sense. We would go to Finnegan's and sit there and not speak to each other but there were looks and glances exchanged,' he said. He said that he felt his brother was closer to their father and more useful to him as he got ill. However, the Live Aid performer and philanthropist said that he feels he now 'has his father's approval' and that he can 'move forward' with his life. "I have always felt the blessing of my mother and I still get memories, even though I was 14 when she passed. "It's amazing the amount of people in Rock n' Roll who lost their mothers as a teenager, whether it was Paul McCartney or John Lennon,' he said. He said his father was very clever, but was taken out of school and later got a job in a Post Office. "He had all these other dreams but he just put them aside because in Ireland at that time, it just was dangerous to have those kind of dreams. "People would leave Ireland to follow those kind of dreams and we forget this. My mother was totally non-ambitious, she would tell him to take more time off. "We were just not materially very ambitious and that's very impressive. They put their friends first,' he said. He added that his father 'really lived his life' and 'laughed a lot' . "He had this beautiful voice and he had the Coolock musical society,' Bono added. When asked if he thought his father was jealous of his life, the U2 singer said: 'I don't think so, I just think he couldn't say, 'wow you got to do all the things I wanted to do'. He just couldn't say that,' he said. The Dublin artist also spoke of a third father, after his own father and himself as a father. That is his faith, represented through a father in heaven, or God, which he said he is still involved in a conversation with. "It gets more and more fascinating. I am more and more in awe,' he said. "The Americans have ruined it with awesome, we have all ruined it. But awe is an extraordinary word.' He described his father as a 'very courageous man', who was a catholic, that married a protestant woman against the wishes of his family. "His own family did not turn up at the wedding. He raised us, me and my brother Norman, in the Church of Ireland, if that's what my mother wants,' he said. The 65-year-old recalled how his father would drop them at a protestant church and would then walk 100 metres up the road to attend a catholic church. "I have found myself completely comfortable around Catholicism, with its mysticism… genuinely this sense of awe and wonder. And I love that aspect of Catholicism. "And yet I also feel really comfortable in the Evangelical world, particularly a black church in America where people are up freestyling scriptures, the poetry of them, they are conversant with those scriptures. "I need them. I'd be comfortable in a Synagogue, or in Islam with Sufi singers really take me.. I am in that sense a religious person,' he said. "And if I don't look like one and you bump into me late at night and I'm not acting like one, I would understand you being dismissive of my faith, but it is everything to me and our family share it.'
Irish Independent
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
‘We became close friends after he passed… I didn't think I was a very good son' – Bono on relationship with his father Bob
Bono's memoir, Stories of Surrender, which is now the subject of a documentary, largely tells the story of the singer and his father, Brendan Robert Hewson. 'I always loved my father but I really learnt to like him. I realised how funny he was and how I might have missed some of his humour in my teenage years,' Bono told the Brendan O'Connor Show earlier today. 'And then there is this other father, which I am now and the fear of becoming a father because I didn't think I was a very good son,' he said. Bono, who hit superstardom with U2 in the 1980s, told how became close friends with his father after he passed away, which he described as 'not so smart'. 'But we got on great in one sense. We would go to Finnegan's [pub] and sit there and not speak to each other, but there were looks and glances exchanged,' he said. He said that he felt his brother was closer to their father and more useful to him as he got ill. However, he added that he feels he now 'has his father's approval' and that he can 'move forward' with his life. 'I have always felt the blessing of my mother and I still get memories, even though I was 14 when she passed,' he said. 'It's amazing the amount of people in rock n' roll who lost their mothers as a teenager, whether it was Paul McCartney or John Lennon.' He said his father was very clever, but was taken out of school and later got a job in a post office. ADVERTISEMENT 'He had all these other dreams but he just put them aside because in Ireland at that time, it just was dangerous to have those kind of dreams,' Bono said. 'People would leave Ireland to follow those kind of dreams and we forget this. My mother was totally non-ambitious, she would tell him to take more time off. 'We were just not materially very ambitious and that's very impressive. They put their friends first.' He added that his father 'really lived his life' and 'laughed a lot'. 'He had this beautiful voice and he had the Coolock musical society.' When asked if he thought his father was envious of his life, the U2 singer said: 'I don't think so, I just think he couldn't say, 'wow, you got to do all the things I wanted to do'. He just couldn't say that.' He also spoke of religion, saying: 'It gets more and more fascinating. I am more and more in awe. The Americans have ruined it with that word 'awesome', we have all ruined it. But awe is an extraordinary word.' Bono described his father as a 'very courageous man' – he was a Catholic and married a Protestant woman against the wishes of his family. 'His own family did not turn up at the wedding. He raised us, me and my brother Norman, in the Church of Ireland, if that's what my mother wants,' he said. The 65-year-old recalled how his father would drop them at a Protestant church and would then walk 100 metres up the road to attend a Catholic church. 'I have found myself completely comfortable around Catholicism, with its mysticism… genuinely this sense of awe and wonder. And I love that aspect of Catholicism,' Bono said. 'And yet I also feel really comfortable in the Evangelical world, particularly a black church in America where people are up freestyling scriptures, the poetry of are conversant with those scriptures. 'I need them. I'd be comfortable in a synagogue, or in Islam. I am in that sense a religious person.'
BreakingNews.ie
19-05-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Three await trial decision over Coolock riots at Crown Paints factory
Three men charged with offences connected to riots at a proposed centre for asylum seekers in Coolock, Dublin, last year still await directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions. Ross O'Neill (34), of Buttercup Park, Darndale; Patrick Maughan (21), from Chanel Grove, Coolock; and Keith Daly (57), from Moatview Drive, Priorswood, were each granted €200 bail on February 24th at Dublin District Court. Advertisement On Monday, their cases were further adjourned until September 22nd to establish whether the case would remain in the District Court or be sent to the Circuit Court, which has wider sentencing powers. They have been charged with various offences connected to events on July 15th at or near the former Crown Paints factory on Malahide Road. There were violent scenes in the area after the Government announced intentions to repurpose the building to house international protection applicants. Last week, it emerged that the plan had been abandoned. The three men remain on bail and had been told earlier to remain away from International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres, remain contactable by phone, and stay off social media. Advertisement Mr Daly was given an extra bail term, banning him from attending all protests. He has been charged with burglary of the factory, theft of mattresses, and criminal damage offences. At their previous hearing, Garda Jordan Martin alleged that Mr Daly entered the site without permission and threatened a security guard with "Touch me, and I'll break your fucking jaw, I'm telling you". It was also claimed he told the security man, "Open the gate, or I'll grab something and stick it through you". Garda Martin claimed the accused was captured on CCTV and bodycam in "an agitated state". Advertisement He allegedly removed four mattresses from the site, brought them to an area beside a fire, and took other units out of a truck before kicking and damaging them. The contested bail hearing was told that Mr Daly was identified by CCTV, bodycams and footage shown on an RTÉ Investigates broadcast, and he had distinct facial features. The officer claimed the accused "instigated riots" involving 500 people and assaults on gardaí that lasted into the night. When questioned, the garda confirmed the man had not come to further garda attention, and these were the only charges he had before the courts. "I have never been to a protest before," Mr Daly had told the court. Ireland Beautician (35) jailed for helping her killer ex-b... Read More Mr O'Neill, who is on a community employment scheme, was accused of rioting, production of a long piece of wood as a weapon and violent disorder at Malahide Road. Advertisement Patrick Maughan was charged with violent disorder and criminal damage at the Odeon cinema car park near the factory. Garda Paul Reddy said there was a "major public order incident" at the old paint factory, including seven assaults. He added that CCTV showed Mr Maughan at 2.34pm, "throwing blocks at uniformed gardaí and members of the public order unit". The three men, who have yet to indicate how they will plead, were granted free legal aid at their first hearing in February.
Irish Times
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Coolock U-turn does not offer protesters model for blocking asylum seeker centres elsewhere, says Minister
Minister of State for Integration Colm Brophy has denied that the Government has provided anti-immigration protesters with a model for blocking asylum seeker accommodation after the scrapping of plans for a centre in Coolock. Last week the Department of Justice scrapped plans to open a controversial 547-bed facility at the privately-owned former Crown Paints site in the north Dublin suburb. The site was the scene of violent clashes last year between gardaí and protesters. There has been Opposition criticism of the Government in the wake of the U-turn. READ MORE On Sunday, Labour MEP Aodhán Ó Ríordáin argued that the Government had 'made a bags' of the plans to locate the accommodation centre for people seeking international protection in Coolock. He told RTÉ radio the proposal 'could have been a template for a success story' but he criticised the level of consultation with the community and said: 'we felt that the protesters had more information than anybody who was trying to work with a sense of goodwill'. 'And it feels now, at this point, that the protesters effectively have won because the project has been pulled.' In an email to local representatives last week, the Department of Justice said the prolonged nature of the proposed centre's progress through development and planning were 'significant factors' in the decision to drop the project. 'All offers of international protection accommodation are appraised according to a range of factors, including the site and its potential, value for money to the State, planning matters and any works required to meet the required standards,' the message stated. Speaking on the same broadcast as Mr Ó Ríordáin on Sunday, Mr Brophy said he and Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan want to see the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) programme 'led by having state-acquired property, state-run, IPAS centres'. He said that 'in the long run' it is a 'process that will actually be good for the taxpayer'. Mr Brophy also said: 'We will still have a requirement for IPAS centres' and added: 'we do learn from every experience, and particularly around things like community engagement'. Put to him that the U-turn on the Coolock site has provided a model for those opposed to such centres elsewhere, Mr Brophy replied: 'No, because that won't actually work. 'What is actually important to remember is that we have many, many IPAS centres operating right around the country. 'We have very good community buy-in, and we have communities and people who are in IPAS centres, working together, coming together, regarding themselves as part of a greater or more integrated community.' Mr Brophy added: 'We have a model, we believe, through our community engagement team – and through the work that myself and Minister O'Callahan want to do in this area to make sure that we will have a programme which has also got a very good state-owned and state run facilities. 'And I think that's going to be part of making the operation of IPAS a success.' On Saturday The Irish Times reported that the Government is planning a significant expansion of asylum seeker accommodation at Dublin's Citywest Hotel as it closes in on a purchase of the facility worth at least €100 million. The hotel has been a cornerstone of the State's response to a surge in migration, with Government sources now saying the final steps are being taken towards a purchase of the 764-bedroom hotel, which has been expected since before Christmas. It is believed that if the plan is put in place, it will potentially lead to a doubling of the capacity there – with indications that up to 1,000 more people could be accommodated. Cabinet is expected to consider the purchase, possibly as soon as Tuesday.
Irish Times
17-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Government may double asylum-seeker accommodation at Citywest Hotel
The Government is planning a significant expansion of asylum-seeker accommodation at Dublin's Citywest Hotel as it closes in on a purchase of the facility worth at least €100 million. The hotel has been a cornerstone of the State's response to a surge in migration, with government sources now saying the final steps are being taken towards a purchase of the 764-bedroom hotel, which has been expected since before Christmas. It is believed that if the plan is put in place, it will potentially lead to a doubling of the capacity there – with indications that up to 1,000 more people could be accommodated. Cabinet is expected to consider the purchase, possibly as soon as Tuesday. It comes after the Department of Justice scrapped plans to open a controversial 547-bed facility at the former Crown Paints site in Coolock, north Dublin. READ MORE The site was the scene of violent clashes last year between gardaí and protesters There was significant Opposition criticism of the Government in the wake of the U-turn, which emerged on Friday. Labour MEP Aodhán Ó Ríordáin , formerly a TD for the Dublin Bay North constituency where the proposed site is located, said he had wanted it to be a success story and a template for how the process should be run. 'Now it's the opposite of that. And the department have handed a template to every protest group around the country for what they need to do if they feel the need to stop an integration centre from going ahead,' he said. The Department of Justice said it engaged with a number of entities in relation to International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) accommodation and regularly did not take up offers. 'This is the position with the offer of accommodation at the Coolock site,' it said. [ Asylum seekers will not be accommodated at former Crown Paints site in north Dublin ] Social Democrats acting leader Cian O'Callaghan said there was no doubt that the handling of the proposals for the site on Malahide Road, Coolock, had been 'shambolic'. Sinn Féin TD for the area, Denise Mitchell, said it had never made sense to locate the centre at the site. The company that leased the Coolock site, Remcoll Capital, said it 'respects the decision of the State' not to proceed with the site. It could not comment further, it said, due to proceedings before the courts. Remcoll is understood to have spent €13 million on the project, none of which it expects to get back, in what would have been a €30 million investment by its Townbe Unlimited company. The Department of Justice said no state funds had been spent on development or site related costs. Townbe, founded in 2018, runs seven IPAS centres in counties Dublin, Kerry, Leitrim and Westmeath, accommodating more than 780 people. Townbe has leased the Coolock site. Costs incurred on the project, which has been under way for more than two years, include rent, legal costs, planning applications as well as security and preparatory works. It is understood Townbe was told at a meeting with Department of Justice officials last week of the U-turn, a week after responsibility for IPAS accommodation provision transferred from the Department of Children . Townbe officials are understood to have been shocked and disappointed at the decision and the company has not received a cent from the State. The company had entered into an agreement with the State, under which it would receive payment only on delivery of a ready-to-go facility. It is understood not to be considering legal action to recoup any of the €13 million as it has other contracts with the State and others pending. [ 'I was very upset about how Coolock came across': Locals believe handling of asylum-seeker centre plan a 'disaster' ] Paul Collins, owner of Remcoll Capital and Townbe, is understood to have had to leave Ireland for a period last year due to concerns for his safety in the wake of July's disorder in Coolock. In an email to local representatives, the Department of Justice said the prolonged nature of the proposal's progress through development and planning were 'significant factors' in the decision to drop the project. 'All offers of international protection accommodation are appraised according to a range of factors, including the site and its potential, value for money to the State, planning matters and any works required to meet the required standards,' the message stated.
