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Irish Independent
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
‘We want an opportunity to get on with our lives' –Raise the Roof rally demands new approach to housing
Today at 16:09 Hundreds of people gathered outside the Dáil to protest the Government's housing policy, which Opposition TDs said has left renters struggling and thousands homeless. The crowd gathered for the Raise the Roof rally heard how some tenants are paying rents of up to €2,000 each month for their accommodation, while some apartments are advertised for as much as €4,000 a month. Others have been living into their 30s and 40s in their childhood bedrooms or in hidden homelessness, while a record 15,580 people were living in emergency accommodation in April, protestors heard. Speaking to the crowd outside Leinster House, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said the message for the Government from the rally is: 'The game is up, the people are at the gate.' Dubliner Eoin Hogan (33) said the housing crisis is stalling life for the younger generation as major milestones are 'being pushed back' due to difficulties faced in renting and buying a home. "If I wanted to move in with my girlfriend, it's incredibly difficult to find a place, it's incredibly expensive if you want to buy you own home and have kids, everything is getting pushed back and pushed back,' he told the Irish Independent. "We just want an equal opportunity to get on with our lives. I know many people who have moved to Australia, moved abroad. Something needs to be done.' Louis Fallon (31) said 'everything' in renters lives are impacted by the struggle to find affordable accommodation. "When I was back in college, it was €400 in Monkstown ten years ago for a single bedroom. Now, in Dublin, it's like €700 to €800. If I lost the room I had now, I wouldn't be able to afford it. I'd be back home with my parents. It affects everything in your life – education, relationships,' he said. Protestors held party political flags, banners representing trade unions and signs with slogans such as 'housing is a human right', 'rent is too damn high' and 'dereliction is a social crime'. "I'm 30 years of age and I live with my parents because we're saving for a house,' said Stobie (30), who is from Dublin. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more "Myself and my partner were renting in separate apartments for a couple of years but it's just not viable to live independently and save for a house – it's either one or the other and I don't think that should be the way life is.' Faye White (31) said the housing crisis 'has been getting worse, rather than better' in recent years as she said the new legislation around Rent Pressure Zones are 'not good enough' to make a difference for renters. "I have rented myself, I've been lucky enough and I will be able to hopefully get a mortgage and buy a home, the only reason is because my partner's family own the home. I would not even be able to think about getting a mortgage or look to buy a home if I wasn't in that very privileged situation.' Ms McDonald said the Government 'must be faced down' on housing, telling protestors that it is 'shameful' that so many children 'call a hostel or a B&B home', while People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy said rising rents have become policy. "We cannot wait for over 20,000 people to be homeless, and that's where we'll be by the next election if things keep going. We can't wait for average rent in Dublin to go well beyond €3,000 a month,' he said. "We can't wait while house prices continue to rise at a record rate. We have to stop them now with protests like this.' Labour leader Ivana Bacik accused the Government of U-turns and 'terrible' housing policies, while Social Democrats TD Rory Hearne said the 'biggest barrier and blockage to housing in this country is behind us, and it's called Fianna Fail and Fine Gael'.
BBC News
07-02-2025
- BBC News
Cliffs of Moher to be partially closed for rest of year
A popular Irish tourist attraction, the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare, are to be largely closed off to the public for the rest of the year. It comes as the walking trail along the cliffs on the west coast have been deemed unsafe. There have been several deaths on the Cliffs of Moher Coastal Trail in recent 1.5 million people visited the cliffs every year, bringing a big economic spin-off for nearby rural areas. The County Clare Local Development Company (CLDC) said it did not expect the trail to fully reopen for the 2025 tourist season. The Cliffs of Moher Coastal Trail is jointly owned by 38 farmers, with the exception of commonage and 800 metres that are owned by the the moment, CLDC manages the trail and both it and Clare County Council are negotiating with landowners to secure agreement for safety improvements on the trail. Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland programme, Eoin Hogan from the CLDC said: "Serious construction work has to be done.""The trail is too close to the edge in certain sections, so the trail has to be moved back from the edge."We have to get landowner agreement and we have to get planning in place."He said that the best case scenario is that the north section of the trail from the centre to Doolin will remain the reality is "the southern section will not open this season," he added. Last July, a body was recovered from the sea by search and rescue teams off the coast of Doolin after a 12-year-old boy was separated from his death came less than three months after a 20-year-old visiting student reportedly lost her footing and fell to her death while walking with friends. The walking route was partially closed after a Sport Ireland inspection deemed it unsafe. Safety improvements began in August, with specific concerns raised about a 8.5 mile stretch of cliff edge walking route. According to the draft Cliffs of Moher Draft 2040 Strategy, the "long-term vision for the Cliffs of Moher Experience" is to focus "on the sustainable development of a world-class visitor attraction over the next 20 years"."The strategic aim is to enhance significantly the visitor experience within a restored and re-wilded natural landscape, create sustainable access to and within the enlarged site, and encourage managed dispersal of visitors across the area to deliver widespread economic benefits for local communities."Following an assessment, the key outcome from a survey affecting the strategy is that, "where possible, the public should be prevented from accessing the cliff-edge"."Overarching guidance was given to move the walkway back to create a no-walk zone directly along the cliff-edge."Short term measures recommended include the widening of the walkway to the north and south of the Cliffs of Moher County Council has said it is committed to implementing the objectives of the strategy.
