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Irish Independent
09-05-2025
- Irish Independent
Councillors in cycling study trip to the Netherlands
The three-day trip saw the Sligo group visiting the eastern city of Nijmegen, along with a number of small towns in its rural hinterland. County Council delegation included Councillor Thomas Walsh (FG), Councillor Marie Casserly (IND) and Councillor Dara Mulvey (FG), as well as Sligo County Council officials responsible for the implementation of Active Travel infrastructure. The council says that as it continues to advance ambitious designs for promoting cycling outlined in the Sligo Local Transport Plan 2024-2030, it is keen to learn from successfully delivered initiatives to ensure the plan's successful implementation in Sligo. Speaking about the trip, Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council Cllr. Declan Bree said: 'It presented a fantastic opportunity to learn from well-established Dutch cycling practices in terms of expertise, technology and infrastructure, with a view to informing the active travel plans which will be coming on stream in Sligo over the coming months and years.' The cycling study trip was organised by the Dutch Cycling Embassy, and the university city of Nijmegen and its surroundings were chosen in part because of their relevance to Sligo, where ATU Sligo is now the educational home to almost 10,000 students. In Nijmegen, 45% of journeys are now made by bicycle, and this has been a crucial part of meeting the transportation needs of the whole community, including its many third-level students. The Dutch Ambassador to Ireland Maaike van Koldam said that Nijmegen's cycling paths formed part of the 35,000km of dedicated cycling paths which Dutch cyclists are now availing of nationwide. 'Cycling has been a crucial part of creating a greener, cleaner and safer transportation system for everyone in the Netherlands. 'It is wonderful to see Sligo County Council travelling to Nijmegen to learn more about infrastructure design, how to promote cycling among college students and how to operate safe routes to school, and how to avail of new technologies and develop Smart Mobility. 'As local and national bodies work to accelerate the green transition, deepening Dutch-Irish links and expanding knowledge sharing can be a win-win for all parties,' Ambassador van Koldam said.
Extra.ie
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Extra.ie
Campaigner David Hall: We need conclave on housing crisis
Housing campaigner David Hall has called for a 'Great Conclave' on housing similar to the forthcoming Papal election. Mr Hall, of the Irish Mortgage Holders Organisation, said: 'The problems in housing are so systemic that we need to engage in a similar process to electing the pope.' In an original suggestion, he said: 'We need to lock all of the stakeholders, the mandarins in housing, the councils, the top builders, the financiers, Irish Water, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, the providers of electricity and gas, An Bord Pleanála, into a single room. Housing campaigner David Hall has called for a 'Great Conclave' on housing similar to the forthcoming Papal election. Pic: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos 'They would be only allowed to leave when they come up with a plan for housing they all agree upon. There would be no phones or social media or any contact with the outside world though they would be allowed modest dining facilities.' Mr Hall made the suggestion against a backdrop of collapsing public confidence in the Government's Housing Strategy with only 30% of the public expressing confidence in Housing Minister James Browne, according to the latest Sunday Independent/Ireland Thinks poll. Mr Hall added: 'There is no sense of impetus in Housing. There's a sense that there is no cash, no appetite and no vision. 'There is a sense that everything has come to a shuddering halt. All sense of impetus is gone. Housing Minister James Browne. Pic: Gareth Chaney/ Collins Photos There's tumbleweed in the corridors. The pipeline has stopped. Builders don't want to know. The cranes are still there but they're not moving.' Echoing the concerns of other housing providers on the ongoing excess of bureaucracy and planning, Mr Hall said: 'When it comes to the reluctance to build, it's not just the absence of cash. It is that you are tortured if you try to build anything. Housing is seen as a sinking ship, there is no incentive to get on it.' His warning comes against a backdrop of serious unease over the capacity of Mr Browne in the wake of the implosion of the Housing Minister's plan to hire Nama head Brendan McDonagh as a housing 'enforcer'. Pic:Despite Mr McDonagh ruling himself out, unease within Fine Gael remains high over the Minister's performance, with one senior party source noting: 'Yes we have had our fun, we have our head, but this is going to haunt the Government and us.' One FG source said: 'Browne is a harmless, inoffensive, pleasant sort of a creature who is far too nice to be kicking in doors, let alone challenging infidels. The problem that Fine Gael will have with James is contagion. He clearly is not up to the job so what we are starting to worry about is when will this impact on us.' One FG minister warned: 'Often it is the case that a harmless appointment becomes a harmful appointment for both parties. The electorate reluctantly agreed to give the Government a last chance on housing and then they appointed a boy to do a man's job. Unless James steps up, this is not sustainable.' One FG source said: 'You would almost be nostalgic for [previous hou Pic: Shutterstock The great plan was unveiled and immediately fell apart.' Fianna Fáil though have warned Fine Gael not to bask too much in their victory, with one minister noting: 'We know that [FG leader Simon] Harris knew McDonagh was the choice. There's a lot of mistrust after this week. 'There is a sense that Fine Gael were itching for a row after the election, they feel they needed it to regain respect, or rather the leader needed it, but they would be wise to back off now.' Despite the warning though FF also conceded: 'The retention of James Browne is now an issue. This is not Browne's fault, but the state of that Department meant it was a prerequisite a senior minister got the job: a Paschal or a Jack Chambers. This is no job for an intern.' Meanwhile anger is also high within Fianna Fáil over the attempt to appoint Mr McDonagh, with one FF source noting: 'He got someone in to solve a problem that he is part of. 'The Minister was right in saying we need an enforcer. That Department (Housing) is the sick man of Irish governance. There is a culture of fear where if you in any way contradict the Department you will be cancelled. 'McDonagh was not the man to change this. He is the ultimate insider.' Another Minister said: 'It was a mad appointment which raises real concerns about Browne's judgment. Developers would not have worked with him. Top civil servants wouldn't have worked for him.' But other, more sympathetic Fianna Fáil sources close to Mr Browne, warned Taoiseach Micheál Martin that he has questions to answer too. 'Micheál is in thrall to senior mandarins. He has never been able to see a fault in them. Taoiseach Micheál Martin. Pic: Sasko Lazarov/© Was McDonagh actually his choice?' One senior FF government figure said: 'It was insane, and Micheál should have seen that. He has a blind spot though for bureaucrats.' Comparing the appointment to the previous Robert Watt decision, they said: 'At least Watt was going into a vacancy. What was McDonagh doing going in to do the Minister's job or the Secretary General's post. The Taoiseach should have seen the trouble coming and intervened but he doesn't like taking decisions and he worships bureaucrats.' One sympathetic source noted: 'This looks more like a Micheál decision. James is getting a raw deal. He is taking the hit. There is a sense that Micheál is the one living in a bubble, he is the one that is out of touch. He is as separate from the world as any embedded civil servant.' Despite a rise in sympathy for Mr Browne, the long-term outcome is dominating political concerns, with one minister calling it 'death by process'. They added: 'We had three months of it on speaking rights and now, while the Housing Department veers out of control in a worse manner than the HSE, we're going to have nine months of where the new tsar is and who is the new tsar.' They warned: 'The problems are only beginning. There is real tension between the leaders now. Trust does not exist. How do we build a strategy out of this?' One FF TD warned: 'The enforcer is now like Leo's communications unit, whether it be a good idea or not it is politically impossible to implement.' news@
Business Mayor
04-05-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
Punters still changing old money for new
Lucky 'punters' have beaten a path to the Central Bank this year to exchange their obsolete tender for €170,890, new figures show. It is now 23 years since the Punt ceased to the legal tender here with the introduction of the euro across Europe in 2002. However, new figures provided by Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe TD (FG) in a written Dáil reply show that more than two decades on people are continuing to find old punts and pence 'at the back of the couch' with £134,587 in old money exchanged for €170,890 from January 1st to the end of April 25th this year. In the Dáil reply to Aidan Farrelly (Soc Dem), Mr Donohoe has revealed that since 2015 to the present a total value of £7.05 million in Irish Punt banknotes and coins have been exchanged for €8.96 million based on the IR£1 = €1.269 exchange rate. The £134,587 in punts exchanged so far this year followed £451,496 for the 12 months of 2024 which was, in fact, an increase on the £419,794 exchanged by the central bank in 2023. The exchange of punts for euros reached a low of £326,746 during the Covid-19 hit 2020 and there has been a decline in the level of punts exchanged from the years 2015 to 2017, when more than £1 million was exchanged in each of those years for euros. Across the decade-plus long period, the central bank has received 1,737 applications from members of the public with punt amounts more than £750 with an overall value of £5.17 million. Read More Peter Rabbit burrows into Covent Garden this Easter Over the period from 2015, the central bank received a further 4,091 applications from members of the public, totalling £1.39 million in value for punt totals between £150 and £749. Commenting on the reply, Mr Farrelly said: 'I am surprised by the amount of so-called 'old money' still being converted to euros, given the duration of time that has passed since the State adopted use of the euro. He said: 'I don't have a memory of using punts, I seldom see the former currency so when I do, to be honest it is somewhat of a novelty. The Kildare North TD said: 'The Minister has provided an informative response in relation to thresholds for applications of the various sums that have been converted, it clearly illustrates that there was and likely is still small stockpiles of the old currency out there somewhere. For those looking to exchange amounts above £750, the central bank asks individuals to demonstrate from where the banknotes came and that would include reliable and independent data, documents or information to evidence the source of funds and/or proof of their ownership of the banknotes.
Irish Times
04-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Punters still changing old money for new
Lucky 'punters' have beaten a path to the central bank this year to exchange their obsolete tender for €170,890, new figures show. It is now 23 years since the Punt ceased to the legal tender here with the introduction of the euro across Europe in 2002. However, new figures provided by Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe TD (FG) in a written Dáil reply show that more than two decades on people are continuing to find old punts and pence 'at the back of the couch' with £134,587 in old money exchanged for €170,890 from January 1st to the end of April 25th this year. In the Dáil reply to Aidan Farrelly (Soc Dem), Mr Donohoe has revealed that since 2015 to the present a total value of £7.05 million in Irish Punt banknotes and coins have been exchanged for €8.96 million based on the IR£1 = €1.269 exchange rate. READ MORE The £134,587 in punts exchanged so far this year followed £451,496 for the 12 months of 2024 which was, in fact, an increase on the £419,794 exchanged by the central bank in 2023. The exchange of punts for euros reached a low of £326,746 during the Covid-19 hit 2020 and there has been a decline in the level of punts exchanged from the years 2015 to 2017, when more than £1 million was exchanged in each of those years for euros. Across the decade-plus long period, the central bank has received 1,737 applications from members of the public with punt amounts more than £750 with an overall value of £5.17 million. 100 days of Trump: 'It's like The Karate Kid, tax on, tax off, tariffs on, tariffs off' Listen | 42:49 Over the period from 2015, the central bank received a further 4,091 applications from members of the public, totalling £1.39 million in value for punt totals between £150 and £749. Commenting on the reply, Mr Farrelly said: 'I am surprised by the amount of so-called 'old money' still being converted to euros, given the duration of time that has passed since the State adopted use of the euro. He said: 'I don't have a memory of using punts, I seldom see the former currency so when I do, to be honest it is somewhat of a novelty. The Kildare North TD said: 'The Minister has provided an informative response in relation to thresholds for applications of the various sums that have been converted, it clearly illustrates that there was and likely is still small stockpiles of the old currency out there somewhere. For those looking to exchange amounts above £750, the central bank asks individuals to demonstrate from where the banknotes came and that would include reliable and independent data, documents or information to evidence the source of funds and/or proof of their ownership of the banknotes.
USA Today
06-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
How to watch Howard Bison vs. Norfolk State Spartans: Live stream info, TV channel, game time
How to watch Howard Bison vs. Norfolk State Spartans: Live stream info, TV channel, game time | March 6 The Howard Bison (12-18, 7-6 MEAC) will attempt to stop a three-game losing skid when hosting the Norfolk State Spartans (20-10, 10-3 MEAC) at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 6, 2025 at Burr Gymnasium. The contest airs on ESPN+. In its most recent game, Norfolk State lost to North Carolina Central, 91-87, on the road. Its top scorers were Brian Moore Jr. (24 PTS, 6 AST, 50 FG%) and Kuluel Mading (13 PTS, 85.71 FG%). In its most recent game, Howard fell to South Carolina State 79-69 on the road, with Cameron Shockley-Okeke (16 PTS, 7 REB, 37.5 FG%) and Jaren Johnson (13 PTS, 8 REB, 40 FG%) leading the way. Here is everything you need to prepare for Thursday's college hoops action. Check out: USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll Howard vs. Norfolk State: How to watch on TV or live stream Game day: Thursday, March 6, 2025 Thursday, March 6, 2025 Game time: 7:30 p.m. ET 7:30 p.m. ET Location: Washington D.C. Washington D.C. Arena: Burr Gymnasium Burr Gymnasium TV Channel: ESPN+ ESPN+ Live Stream: ESPN+ - Watch NOW Watch college basketball on ESPN+! Spartans vs. Bison odds and spread Spread Favorite: Spartans (-4.5) Spartans (-4.5) Moneyline: Norfolk State (-191), Howard (+157) Norfolk State (-191), Howard (+157) Total: 156.5 points College basketball odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Thursday at 9:35 a.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub. Watch college basketball on ESPN+!
