Latest news with #Fitzmaurice
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Four months on from Storm Éowyn there's still phone lines in County Roscommon not restored
Since Storm Éowyn struck on January 24, Eir has restored phone lines to over 174,000 homes and businesses. However, some premises have experienced months-long delays in having their phone and broadband services restored – including a rural school in County Mayo which had no landline for 116 days. The issue was raised in the Dáil by Roscommon-Galway TD Michael Fitzmaurice, who has called on the communications regulator to take action against Eir over the delays in restoring phone lines in his constituency. Deputy Fitzmaurice said that Eir 'should be ashamed' of how they have treated customers in Cloonfad, Ballymoe and 'a number of other areas' who are still without a landline phone service. Lamenting Eir's response to the storm, Deputy Fitzmaurice said local people in the village of Creggs had to tie a ratchet strap and ropes to secure a broken telephone line that is still 'thrown aside' four months after Storm Éowyn. 'Areas like Cloonfad, Ballymoe and a number of other areas are left devastated and without phone lines. It is not about the phone line because in some cases they have gone back and repaired the broadband, but the phone line is a lifeline to the elderly people for when you need your panic button,' he said. Deputy Fitzmaurice also called on the ComReg to start 'taking the finger out to the likes of Eir'. Replying, Tánaiste Simon Harris said that Eir had informed ComReg, that 'all storm-related repairs for the remaining affected customers' will be completed by 3 June. This, he said, excludes eleven cases where there is a third-party constraint, such as access rights, which are 'outside of Eir's control'. 'ComReg will monitor the restoration work until it is completed,' said Minister Harris. Echoing Deputy Fitzmaurice's concerns, the Tánaiste remarked: 'I do not want to say anything that cuts across the regulator, but Eir really needs to step up in how it deals with customers. I have heard this in countless locations.' ADVERTISEMENT ComReg is currently reviewing the performance of operators regarding service restoration in the aftermath of Storm Éowyn. Last week Minister for Communications, Patrick O'Donavan, and Minister for Social Protection, Rural and Community Development, Dara Calleary, convened a meeting of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Task Force. According to the Tánaiste, this meeting was attended by all mobile and fixed-network operators affected by Storm Éowyn, ComReg, and representatives of local authorities and ESB Networks. 'Knowing the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, we can be particularly sure that he expressed his frustration at the meeting regarding Eir's inability to restore services to all customers nearly 18 weeks later. It is farcical,' Mr Harris commented. The Tánaiste said Mr O'Donavan had held meetings with individual operators, including Vodafone, to address network resilience concerns. The minister is due to meet the CEO and owner of Eir shortly. Deputy Fitzmaurice said he would be amazed if all phone services are restored by June 3, which falls after the Bank Holiday weekend. He told the Irish Independent that no work had taken place on the poll near Creggs – which is still being held together with ratchet straps and ropes - since he raised the matter in the Dáil.
Agriland
4 days ago
- Business
- Agriland
Heydon committed to 2-pillar CAP but has no ‘crystal ball'
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon has reaffirmed his commitment to the traditional two-pillar structure of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), but has said he has no 'crystal ball'. The minister was speaking at his first appearance as a senior minister in front of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine. A range of topics came up, with CAP, and its future post-2027, being one of the main issued raised by TDs and senators on the committee. The European Commission is understood to be planning a radical overhaul of the EU's long-term budget, the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), in which the funding to member states would be consolidated into a single funding pot, with member states then developing a plan to outline how they would use that funding. This has sparked concern that the two-pillar structure of CAP, and even a dedicated budget for the entire CAP, could be scrapped in favour of a single member state fund. The minister was quizzed on this by Roscommon-Galway TD Michael Fitzmaurice, who asked: 'The overall budget in CAP, is it going to be bigger, yes or no? Is Ireland's budget going to be bigger to accommodate it if we're going to be tweaking around on it? Are we going to have Pillar I and Pillar II, is it going to be the same system?' In answer to Fitzmaurice, the minister said: 'Apologies deputy, I left my crystal ball at home, so I don't have that, and we'd all love to know those answers. 'What I can tell you is we'll know in the middle of July. Around July 16 is when these [plans] are going to be announced, and all I can tell you is we are doing everything in our power. 'I can't be clearer – we want to maintain the [CAP] fund, we want to maintain Pillar I and II, we want a fully funded CAP,' he added. 'Will we get that?… We know all the other demands there are on other sides.' Fitzmaurice then asked if, in a situation where the CAP in its traditional form was not forthcoming, the government would be prepared to step in and 'prop it up'. Minister Heydon said: 'We could end up with so many different scenarios here… If what was leaked out in terms of a single fund was to come about…I would make the point that it would be a very bad thing. That would mean renationalisation of our system. It would actually undermine the whole [EU] single market. 'I'm not going to get into predicting what might come of what outcome, because there's so many different outcomes there can be here. 'What I can tell you right now is we are making every effort across government to put our best foot forward to maintain a fully funded cap with the traditional structure that has served our sector so well,' he added. The minister also noted that, in the second half of 2026, when the CAP budget is likely to be finalised, Ireland will hold the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, one of the legislative bodies of the EU, meaning Minister Heydon, if he is still in office, will be the chairperson of the council of agriculture ministers during that period. He said: 'The first element of this is actually the MFF. What happens with the overall budget will totally determine what happens with CAP. 'In terms of the role we play in the agriculture council… What we do have is, in the second half of 2026, I'll be the chair of the council of ministers and, as we're working through that, we'll be working on the basis of consensus. 'I'm meeting with every other minister bilaterally to understand their priorities and so they understand our priorities… Hopefully before the end of 2026 under the Irish presidency, I;ll be in a position to get that CAP over the line by means of consensus.
RTÉ News
19-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Mayo soul searching in 'no brakes' football championship
The group stage of the football championship is barely underway, however, this year's All-Ireland campaign looks set to be one of the most open and unpredictable in recent years. Meath have already turned Dublin over, before losing out to Louth in the Leinster final, while the hotly tipped Connacht kingpins, Galway, proved second best on Saturday, getting beaten by the rejuvenated Jacks. And not to mention Cavan joining the conversation with an emphatic victory over Mayo at MacHale Park in their opening Group 1 encounter. On the flip side, Kerry maintained the status quo by signalling their intent with a ten-point victory over Roscommon. "This year, with everything that is going on, there is a freshness and uncertainty about it," said Éamonn Fitzmaurice, speaking on this week's RTE GAA Podcast. "Where are Galway at, because of the way Mayo played, where are Meath at because of the way Dublin played, where are Louth at because they beat Meath. "Down's performance in Clare, where does that put them? Where are Kerry at? You know you can go down this rabbit hole and wonder what it means. "I think what it emphasises for the next couple of weeks is that it is like old-style championship football where we are just going to have to take it on its merits." And the former Kerry boss expects the trend to continue throughout the summer, which will lead to a more competitive, and as a result, more exciting championship with teams unable to coast through the group stages. Three out of four teams go through from each group, however, there will now be a real emphasis on teams winning their respective tables with the uncertainty of what might lie ahead in the preliminary quarter-finals, which see the second and third-placed teams going head to head. "Teams are going to take points off each other, teams are going to beat each other, we're going to get the surprise results," added Fitzmaurice. "It's great for the championship, it's great for us looking on that there isn't a predictability about out it, there isn't a procession about it, there isn't anything about teams pulling handbrakes or anything else because on any given weekend teams are going to beat each other, which is great and exciting." Following Sunday's defeat, Mayo now look like they will need to take points from both of their remaining games against two of the strongest sides in the country, Tyrone and Donegal, while they also have to contend with having a worse head-to-head with Cavan should it come down to it after the round robin stage. And while Fitzmaurice feels that Mayo have put themselves in a really tough position, he does feel that they have the experience of overcoming adversity, which could prove vital. "From a Mayo perspective, it was a serious defeat, and their record hasn't been great in MacHale Park over the last couple of years," he said. "It is very Mayo-like to get themselves into these situations and dig themselves out of it, but at the same time, they are away to Tyrone next and have Donegal coming in their last game, so there are no easy games. "And just the fact that they were so far off it yesterday, there is going to be a good bit of soul searching for them. "They are going to have to dig deep again, they are good at it but they have to dig deep." Fitzmaurice was, however, impressed with Cavan, who he felt were a side transformed from their under-par defeat in the Ulster championship last month. "You have to give a lot of credit to Cavan," said Fitmaurice. "I was at their game against Tyrone and they weren't at it at all that day. Tactically, they weren't at it, they had a lot of under-par performances from the players, and they looked unfit and didn't look like they were not at the required level. "I heard last night that they did do a good bit of fitness work over the last couple of weeks, and you could see that they were full of running and a lot of the scores came from hard running and support play higher up the pitch. "They were impressive and deserve massive credit for righting the ship after that performance in Ulster five weeks ago."
RTÉ News
05-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Éamonn Fitzmaurice: Kerry in better form than 12 months ago
Former Kerry player and manager Éamonn Fitzmaurice feels the Kingdom's leading players are in better form than 12 months ago. On Sunday, the league champions rustled up four first-half goals to wrap up their latest Munster title quickly, easing off the throttle in the second half to win by 11 points. It was a fifth provincial title on the spin and an 86th overall - though most Kerry supporters stopped keeping count of Munster SFC victories a long time ago - and confirms their presence in Group 2 of the All-Ireland series, alongside Cork, Roscommon and the Leinster final runners-up, a relatively untaxing group when set alongside Groups 1 and 4. Jack O'Connor's side have now scored 24 goals across 10 games in league and championship, with David Clifford - subdued for much of the 2024 season - notching 2-05 against Clare, while Seanie O'Shea, returning after a period on the sidelines, landed 0-08. Paudie Clifford, suspended yesterday, will be available again for the group stage, after his stellar series of performance late in the league. After another routine Munster final success to go with earlier winning the Division 1 title, @efitz6 feels @Kerry_Official are a much improved collective from last year #rtegaa #rtegaapodcast — RTÉ GAA (@RTEgaa) May 5, 2025 "The key difference between Kerry this year and this time last year is that an awful lot of the lads are playing well," Fitzmaurice said on the RTÉ GAA podcast. "They're playing seven, eight, nine out of 10. Whereas, at this stage last year, a lot of them were five or six out of 10. "They were just looking for a bit of form. They weren't quite playing with the confidence or the fluency they can play with. "They just look good at the moment. That's a positive for Kerry. For the next couple of weeks, they just have to try and beat whatever is in front of them. "There will be battles. Obviously, Roscommon in the first game up is all they're going to be focusing on. But that game above in Páirc Uí Chaoimh will have a real edge to it. "Cork will be coming, believing they should have won the first day out. Kerry will be forewarned of the qualities of Cork. "Hopefully, it will lead to the kind of battles that used to be there, 10 or so years ago and over the previous 10 years, where those games were really 50:50 and there was a real physical edge to them." O'Connor observed afterwards that he would be "hard taskmaster" to "quibble too much" with Kerry's display, though Fitzmaurice says there's always issues and imperfections to address. As in the 2023 Munster final, Clare finished in the odd situation of having registering more points than Kerry, while losing by a double-digit margin (it was 5-14 to 0-15 on that occasion). However, much of Clare's tally came late on, when the result was already long settled. "Clare won the second half. It had almost become a challenge match at that stage," Fitzmaurice said. "What'll be most happy with is Kerry would have been focused on getting a good start, coming out of the traps and making sure they weren't giving Clare belief and giving them the chance to get a foothold in the game. "They did that from the off. They won the throw-in, Seanie O'Shea kicked a two-pointer within 30 seconds and they went from there. Once the goals started going in, that was that. "When they're being fussy, and they're really starting to critique their own performance, they'll look at the 21 points (conceded). They were sloppy up front at times which seems very harsh considering they scored 4-20. "But some of the final passes, they were forcing them a bit. And they were turned over and against a better team that could have countered quicker it could have been costly."
Agriland
30-04-2025
- Business
- Agriland
Fitzmaurice: ‘Every time the price of diesel goes up, farmers get hit'
Independent Ireland TD Michael Fitzmaurice has criticised the upcoming rise in carbon tax, which is set to increase tomorrow (May 1). The Roscommon-Galway TD has called the increase 'an insult to struggling families', and said it was time for politicians who previously campaigned against carbon tax increases to 'take a stand' against the measures. The Natural Gas Carbon Tax (NGCT) and Solid Fuel Carbon Tax (SFCT) rates are currently based on a charge of €56 per tonne of carbon dioxide emissions. Earlier this month (April 3) the Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe highlighted that the amount is legislated to increase to €63.50 on May 1, 2025 with further increases each May until 2030. According to Independent Ireland, this will add around €19 to a 900L-fill of home heating oil, €1.50 to a bag of coal, and 65c to a bale of briquettes. It also claims that gas customers will now pay approximately €138 per year in carbon tax alone, rising to €220 by 2030 'if the current trajectory continues'. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice Deputy Fitzmaurice believes the figures highlight 'just how disconnected government policy has become from the everyday reality facing families across the country'. He said: 'You've got people skipping meals to cover the ESB. You've got pensioners afraid to turn on the heating, and now they're being told the solution is more tax. 'Meanwhile, last year the government took in €1 billion in carbon tax receipts. Ask yourself, how many hospital beds would that buy? How many people could be taken out of emergency accommodation for that amount of money?' Independent Ireland is calling for a freeze on further carbon tax increases and for a 'fairer' energy plan that protects those with no viable alternatives, particularly in rural Ireland where home heating oil and solid fuels remain the only practical options. The party has said that Ireland's agricultural sector is also being hammered by the rising costs tied to carbon tax. Deputy Fitzmaurice said: 'Every time the price of diesel goes up, farmers take another hit. You can't move cattle or run a tractor on good intentions. 'The carbon tax is pushing up the cost of doing business, but farm incomes aren't keeping pace. The policy is not just economically damaging, but environmentally incoherent.' 'Small, sustainable Irish farms are being taxed at every turn and in many cases blamed for environmental issues, while it is in fact the state and its failure to address issues in water treatment plants that are having the greatest impact on things like water quality, but that is largely ignored,' he added.
