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Irish Times
11-08-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Student accommodation scams: ‘People try to get you to pay deposits for a viewing'
A limited supply of accommodation has left students working against the clock to find a place to live during their studies . Jamie McGinty (19), a second-year engineering student from Achill, Co Mayo, says his 'stress levels are through the roof' as he commits to 'a full-time thing checking groups and websites constantly' while working six or seven days a week to afford staying in Galway. In addition to facing a limited supply of expensive housing, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) this week warned students to be cautious of rental scams. Last year, An Garda Síochána reported that about one third of all accommodation fraud reports occur during August and September, with 34 per cent of victims aged under 25, and 66 per cent aged under 33. READ MORE McGinty has come across plenty of posts online which he believes to be scams: 'So many people are trying to get you to pay deposits or a booking fee for a viewing.' One red flag noted by Muriel Dolan, deputy director of financial education at the CCPC, is landlords claiming 'to be out of town or living abroad and cannot show the property in person'. Maria Balan (23) has just completed a four year art degree at IADT 'This one's quite common', says Maria Balan (23), who has just finished a four-year art degree at IADT. 'It's somebody who poses as a landlord from a different country, in the sense of like, 'Oh I live in London right now, so I cannot come down to see you for a viewing if you don't send me some money,'' says Balan. While Balan is aware that no reputable landlord 'will ask you for money before a viewing', she said it can be difficult to filter out scam advertisements, especially on Facebook and Gumtree. [ Where will vital student housing come from? Opens in new window ] Balan, who is from Romania, feels that her nationality has added to the difficulties of finding a place to live in Dublin. 'The moment that they [landlords] realise I'm from abroad, they would kind of, you know, shy away a little bit, and probably just not talk to me any more,' she says. During her third year of studying, Ms Balan paid €600 per month to live in a 'very small space' which housed three other people. Ronan Meleady (20), a law student at the University of Limerick, says some accommodation advertisements 'don't have any pictures' and don't offer viewings until a payment is given. Meleady, originally from Waterford, secured accommodation in Limerick through a family connection. He is beginning a mandatory placement for his degree in Cork in September and has found 'reasonable enough' digs in the city at €650 a month. [ Student housing investors 'spooked' by ghost of Zoom University Opens in new window ] 'Worst-case scenario, I could have commuted. It would have been quite difficult, but I could have done it. I'm not in the same scenario as someone who has no accommodation and desperately needs it,' he said. Ronan Meleady (20) studies Law at the University of Limerick He is concerned that the 'number of students going to college every year is increasing, and we're not really seeing an increase in the amount of student accommodation that's actually affordable for people, and that's actually accessible for people'. Commuting is not an option for Cora Howson (18) from Carrick-on-Shannon, who is going into the second year of an arts degree in Maynooth University this September. Her mother Rachel Howson says that because her daughter doesn't drive, 'It's not feasible for her to commute. She would be doing 12- to 14-hour days [by train] and wouldn't be able to put the focus on her studies.' The search for accommodation is 'absolutely just a nightmare' for the family. Cora is the first in the family to attend university and her mother says the family is having to navigate the market by themselves. Scams on Facebook are rampant, according to Howson: 'Every time I put up a new post on Facebook I get two comments with links. I wouldn't touch anything with a link. I would make sure I can have a viewing, and that deposits are only handed over after we've met the landlord. 'If we don't find something, we'll have to look at taking a year out.'
BreakingNews.ie
09-08-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Man (20s) arrested over fire at Conor McGregor's Black Forge Inn pub
A man in his 20s has been arrested in connection with a fire at Conor McGregor's pub in Dublin. An investigation has been ongoing into the small blaze last month at the Black Forge Inn. Advertisement Dublin Fire Brigade attended the scene on Drimnagh Road at around 3am on Friday, July 25th. No one was injured in the fire. Gardaí said a man in his 20s was arrested on Friday, August 8th, and remains detained at a Garda station in the Dublin region. 'An Garda Síochána has no further comment at this time,' said a spokesman. Mr McGregor posted on social media following the fire that the pub remained open for business. 'You wouldn't get through it with a rocket launcher. There's not a bother on her, she's spotless.' The former MMA fighter bought the Black Forge Inn in 2020 for €2 million and later spent €1 million in renovations. It was the target of a suspected petrol bombing in 2022, in which the bomb failed to detonate and caused no damage to the premises.
Irish Times
09-08-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Garda online promotion test beset with problems, prompting row within force
A competition to promote candidates into the officer ranks of An Garda Síochána was beset with problems, prompting a row within the force, it has emerged. Some of the serving Garda members who applied for promotions claim their efforts to pass an online assessment and secure an interview for promotion were hampered on the day. They are also angry that some of their rivals for promotion re-sat the test for a second time two days later, which they believe afforded an advantage to those candidates, especially as the questions were the same and the format of the assessment was new this year. The IT system also crashed for some candidates, resulting in time lost as they resolved the matter. READ MORE The competition was run by PublicJobs, formerly the Public Appointments Service , on behalf of Garda Headquarters. Initially it was intended that the competition would fill 21 superintendents' posts, though this has been increased to up to 50 posts. In reply to queries, the Garda said the 'promotion competition is being operated by PublicJobs so they are best positioned to comment'. It added because the competition was 'still live' it could not comment further. PublicJobs said it does 'not comment on live recruitment campaigns'. The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI), which represents the Garda inspectors applying for the promotions, confirmed it was made aware of the problems and it believed any of the candidates who experienced problems could have re-sat the assessment. [ Garda 'very unlikely' to hit target of 5,000 more officers Opens in new window ] The competition involved Garda inspectors applying for promotion to superintendent rank. Photograph: Artur Widak/ NurPhoto via Getty Images It 'brought the matter' to the executive director of human resources and people development in the Garda. This resulted in the Garda's executive director, Yvonne Cooke, consulting with PublicJobs, which confirmed it 'stands over the integrity' of the competition. AGSI added that PublicJobs said it believed 'no unfairness arose and no candidate was disadvantaged'. Some sources said the fact only some candidates sat the same assessment twice, whatever the circumstances, was unfair. The competition involved Garda inspectors applying for promotion to superintendent rank, with the process also open to members of the PSNI. An assessment phase of the competition took place over two days at the end of June and involved the candidates logging in remotely online. They were asked to complete three tasks, including a form outlining their policing and academic experience and how it aligned with the position of superintendent. There was also a situational judgment test based on multiple examples of live policing scenarios. The third element was a strategy-based written assessment. Candidates were told they could not begin the two-hour process until a proctoring process was complete. This involved each candidate using the camera on their laptop to sweep the room they were in to prove nobody else was present to assist them and that they had no documents to consult. However, the proctoring process did not occur for multiple candidates, apparently due to an IT issue. This, sources said, resulted in some candidates waiting for an extended period to be told to begin, which then never happened. Eventually they opted to start their assessment after having lost time.
Irish Times
07-08-2025
- Irish Times
Gang who smuggled €60m of cannabis into Ireland and Britain ‘dismantled', say Spanish police
A conspiracy to smuggle cannabis from Spain to Ireland inside bags of animal feed has been uncovered as part of a policing operation led by the Spanish police and involving gardaí and the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA). As well as 13 arrests in Spain following raids in Madrid, Malaga and Seville, one man was detained by An Garda Síochána in Co Louth. The volume of drugs moved through the network's smuggling routes, based on comments by Spain's Policia Nacional, are valued at about €60 million. Spanish police said that at their end of the operation, involving 12 searches, they also seized almost €100,000 in cash, 630 marijuana plants, a firearm and three detonators. READ MORE They also confiscated high-end vehicles and luxury watches and froze assets valued at about €2 million. Spanish police say they've carried out raids, arrested 13 people (video) re smuggling of cannabis to Ireland, since 2019, inside bags of animal feed Also one arrest in Ireland - Co Louth In Spain, crops of cannabis have been found, a gun, cash, assets seized etc — Conor Lally (@conormlally) The international policing operation started in January, resulting in arrests in Ireland and Spain and the seizure of 300kg of herbal cannabis valued at almost €6 million. Spanish authorities say herbal cannabis had been smuggled from Spain to Ireland and Britain since 2019. They said up to three tonnes of drugs have been shipped in monthly consignments over the past six years. The Policia Nacional said on Thursday its operation with the Garda and NCA had 'dismantled a criminal organisation that shipped marijuana to Ireland hidden in sacks of animal feed'. The international inquiry began when the smuggling operation was discovered in January and involved suspects from Spain, Ireland and Britain, it said. The herbal cannabis was hidden in the animal feed in Spain then transported to Ireland and Britain on pallets. International freight forwarders were used to arrange the logistics. The 12 searches in Spain involved armed police officers breaking their way into properties, carrying out searches and arresting suspects. There were 10 searches in Malaga, one in Seville, both southern Spain, and another in the capital Madrid. The Policia Nacional described the suspect arrested by the Garda in Co Louth as 'another person belonging to the criminal structure'. It was unclear when the arrest took place. As well as a semi-automatic pistol found in one of the searches in Spain, three blank-calibre pistols were also discovered with 11 vehicles and six luxury watches valued at more than €200,000. Electronic devices were also taken for analysis.
Irish Times
06-08-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on racist attacks: no place for hate on our streets
In recent weeks there has been a disturbing uptick in reports of violent attacks targeting ethnic minorities, particularly affecting members of Ireland's Indian community. Members of that community have spoken of rising verbal abuse and assaults on Irish streets, leading them to feel unsafe. Many such incidents remain unreported to the Garda Síochána, though details have surfaced on local WhatsApp groups. The situation has left many people feeling increasingly vulnerable as they go about their daily lives in what was once seen as a welcoming environment. And last weekend the Indian embassy warned its citizens to take extra precautions for their own security. Indians have become Ireland's fastest-growing immigrant group, with thousands receiving residence permits in the past three years alone. In a relatively short period, the community has grown to become the largest non-white ethnic group in the country, contributing significantly to various sectors of the economy. Particularly notable is the valuable contribution of Indian professionals to the health service and technology industries, where their expertise is in high demand. But many now report feeling a sense of threat. The Garda has responded to the reports of violence with statements emphasising its commitment to addressing the problem. But some victims, especially those who have lived in Ireland for many years, believe that things are getting worse. They point to an increase in hostile, racially charged encounters on the streets, fuelled in part by poisonous rhetoric on social media. All of this forms part of a broader, worrying trend that has seen public spaces and public discourse become sites of escalating toxicity. READ MORE Reports suggest that many perpetrators are minors, complicating the issue of legal accountability. While recently passed hate crime legislation now makes it possible to treat racial animus as an aggravating factor when sentencing, the effectiveness of this as a deterrent remains to be seen. The debate on regulating hate speech remains contentious, as evidenced by last year's controversy over proposed legislation on the issue, which was ultimately abandoned. But alongside legislation and enforcement, civil society and individual citizens also have a role to play in rejecting those who carry out these reprehensible acts. It is concerning that in some cases, bystanders have witnessed assaults but failed to intervene or report them. However, there have also been instances where members of the public have come to the aid of victims and brought the assaults to public attention. Such solidarity sends an unequivocal signal that racist violence is unacceptable. It is everybody's shared responsibility to ensure that no one feels unsafe because of their ethnicity or the colour of their skin.
