Latest news with #GaryGannon
BreakingNews.ie
3 days ago
- BreakingNews.ie
3 babies born to inmates in Irish prisons and 19 pregnant women jailed to date in 2025
Three babies have been born to inmates at the Dóchas Centre women's prison in Dublin and Limerick's women's prison to date this year, new figures show. According to the new figures provided by the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O'Callaghan TD, four infants aged under 12 months, three at Dóchas and one at Limerick - have been accommodated with their mothers at the female prisons to date this year. Advertisement This followed three infants being accommodated with their mothers at Dochas Centre only in 2024. The three babies born to inmates across the Irish prison estate this year follow four babies born to inmates in 2024. This followed no babies born to prison inmates in 2023 and 2022 and there was only baby born to a woman jailed at Dóchas Centre prison at the time during 2021 and 2020. In written Dail replies to Deputies Gary Gannon TD and Matt Carthy TD, Minister O'Callaghan confirmed that two babies have been born to inmates at Dóchas Centre to date this year and one baby to an inmate at the 50-capacity Limerick's women's prison. Advertisement In the replies, Minister O'Callaghan also reveals that in 2025, 19 pregnant women have imprisoned at Irish prisons - 13 at Dóchas and six at Limerick. This followed 27 pregnant women being jailed last year - 22 at Dóchas and five at Limerick and the 27 total was more than double the 12 total for 2023. In his reply Minister O'Callaghan told the two deputies: 'I can confirm that there are currently no pregnant women remanded to custody within the Irish Prison Estate.' He said: 'Pregnant woman in custody are provided with as much privacy as possible and are accommodated in single occupancy rooms.' Advertisement He said that in accordance with prison rules 'a child may remain in the care of their mother in prison, until the child has reached twelve months of age' He added that, in the Dóchas Centre, mothers and babies are accommodated in single occupancy double rooms. 'These rooms are on a small landing which is shared with enhanced status prisoners. Work is commencing in relation to additional, bespoke rooms for mothers and babies in the Dóchas Centre.' 'Limerick Women's Prison does not have a separate building for women with children, however the women and their babies are accommodated in 'independent style apartments'. Advertisement 'Each has their own individual apartment. This overall area is not specifically for women with babies and may house other prisoners deemed suitable to live in these "independent style apartments'. O'Callaghan said that, in relation to the health and safety of pregnant women in custody, the Irish Prison Service has developed and apply bespoke risk assessments to both pregnant women and to mothers and babies who are in their custody. 'These risk assessments inform strategies which support managing the health and safety of pregnant women, and mothers who have given birth to babies whilst serving prison sentences, within the prison environment.' He said that the Irish Prison Service employs a National Family Connections Officer and Iin May 2025 this officer established a multi-agency working group to review Protocols and update the Irish Prison Service Mother and Baby Policy to ensure best practice for the care and support of mothers and babies in custody. Advertisement He said: 'This work is currently at scoping stage.' Minister O'Callaghan said that 'the level of maternity care and supports provided to women in custody, is comparable to that available to women in the community'. Ireland Private properties used to house Ukrainian refugee... Read More "Primary care nursing is provided in female prisons on a 24/7 basis, 365 days a year. Doctor services are available Monday to Friday 9-5, with locum services available at the weekends. "Due to the specific needs of a number of the women who are pregnant, specialist HSE services have a very close and responsive working relationship with both prison management and the prison healthcare team. 'Most pregnant women receive all their antenatal care external to the prison, in routine antenatal clinics in the local HSE maternity hospital. When needed and in cases of emergency, specialist midwives will attend the prison; however, this is not a common occurrence.' He added that 'expectant mothers are always facilitated to have their children born in hospital'.
Sunday World
4 days ago
- Business
- Sunday World
Thousands take to the streets for pro-Palestinian rally in Dublin
It was the 16th such demonstration since October 2023 and came after the Dail rose for the summer recess. Thousands of people have taken part in a pro-Palestinian rally calling on the government to implement sanctions on Israel. Meanwhile, an opposition politician said he would be issuing a legal challenge to the Central Bank over its role in the sale of Israel Bonds. Saturday's rally saw demonstrators march from the Garden of Remembrance on Parnell Square to Leinster House. It was the 16th such demonstration since October 2023 and came after the Dail rose for the summer recess. The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) accused the government of an 'absolute refusal to hold Israel accountable for a genocide in which the Apartheid state has slaughtered more than 58,000 Palestinians'. The march demanded an end to the Central Bank's role in approving Israel Bonds for sale in the EU, for the Government to include services in the Occupied Territories Bill and to pass that legislation. Thouands of protesters on Molesworth Street outside Leinster House (Cillian Sherlock/PA) Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 19th Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon, who spoke at the rally, said he would be lodging legal papers against the Central Bank on Tuesday. The bank is the designated authority in relation to the sale of Israel Bonds in the EU, and has determined the securities meet the standards of the bloc's prospectus regulations. Israel Bonds have been advertised as supporting the country's economy and, more recently, websites promoting the securities emphasise their role in supporting Israel's military operations in Gaza. Protesters and opposition parties have called for legislation that would give Ireland the power to refuse the sale of Israeli 'war bonds' over human rights concerns. They say the bonds are intended to fund the war in Gaza, while Ireland has an obligation under the Genocide Convention to use all means likely to have a deterrent effect on those suspected of preparing genocide. Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon addressed the rally (Brian Lawless/PA) Mr Gannon has issued a letter to the bank about investor protection concerns relating to the bonds, as well as the use of the bonds to finance the war in Gaza. He said the Central Bank has the power to stop the sale of the bonds. He said: 'Politicians have spoken too long all the while a genocide is being inflicted upon the population of Gaza. The demands today are clear – act. He added: 'On Tuesday, I'll be lodging papers against the Central Bank. Genocide can never be considered a technical matter – our only duty is to prevent it and punish those responsible.' Marah Nijim, a 23-year-old who came to Ireland from Gaza three months ago, told the crowd she was forced to leave her home, her family and her 'soul' and 'heart'. She said Palestinians in Gaza are deprived of human rights, adding that she is 'living with nightmares' of people burning alive and calling for help. 'Protesting is not enough any more, we need real actions from Government. People in Gaza are being starved to death.' Demonstrators also called for an end to the use of Irish airspace for the transport of weapons to the region. The rally also criticised the government after 33 Palestinian children were recently denied entry to Ireland over visa issues. GAA Palestine said it had to take the 'heartbreaking' decision to cancel a planned Irish tour for the children. IPSC chairperson Zoe Lawlor said: 'The Irish government is barely lifting a finger to end Ireland's deep complicity in this genocide.' Ms Lawlor added: 'On top of this we have the appalling spectacle of the state refusing visas to child medical evacuees and Palestinian kids to visit Ireland to play our national sports.' Stretching along Molesworth Street in front of Leinster House was a 120ft long and 5.5ft wide quilt, made up of 2,300 panels. Each panel – the vast majority of which were knitted by hand – is designed to represent the deaths of 10 children in Gaza, adding up to a total of 23,000 children. Anna Doyle and Niamh Bonner, from Craftivism For Gaza, said they are still accepting squares as the death toll continues to rise. Ms Doyle told the PA news agency: 'Each square represents 10 children. Their voices have been lost to the world forever. 'It also represents the voice of the crafter because most of them are made by people who wouldn't be able to come to a protest.'
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
‘This war took my entire life from me': Thousands attend pro-Palestine march in Dublin
Tens of thousands of people marched through Dublin city centre on Saturday afternoon calling for the Central Bank of Ireland to 'stop funding genocide' through the facilitation of the sale of Israeli bonds. Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon told protesters he would be taking a legal case against the Central Bank over the issue and would lodge papers next week. The Dublin Central TD has previously written to the bank's governor , Gabriel Makhlouf, claiming that investors in Israeli bonds approved by the Irish Central Bank risk being legally complicit in genocide in Gaza . The bank is the designated authority in relation to the sale of Israeli bonds in the EU, and has determined the securities meet the standards of the bloc's prospectus regulations. READ MORE Protesters leading the demonstration carried a giant sphere in the style of the logo of Ireland's Central Bank with the words 'stop funding genocide' painted on it. Photograph: Ella Sloane Saturday marked the sixteenth national demonstration of its kind since October 2023, with organisers estimating more than 70,000 in attendance. Protesters draped in Palestinian flags and keffiyehs arrived in droves at the Garden of Remembrance before marching to Leinster House. The demonstration was organised by the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) and was backed by more than 170 organisations, according to the IPSC. The group called for the Government to enact sanctions against Israel and to fully enact the Occupied Territories Bill. The Government has committed to implementing the Bill, which would ban trade in goods with the occupied Palestinian territories, and it is due before the Dáil in autumn. Protesters on Saturday called on the Government to include a ban on trade in services in the Bill. Photograph: Ella Sloane They also called for the cessation of use of Irish airspace for transporting weapons. Traffic was brought to a standstill as the march travelled down O'Connell Street, through College Green and up Dawson Street. At a rally outside the Dáil, which filled the length of Molesworth Street, Marah Nijim, a 23-year-old student from Gaza told how her brother had recently been hospitalised due to starvation. 'It's kind of heavy for me to talk now because I just got the news that my brother is in hospital because of a lack of food and because of the starvation,' she said. 'I'm here to speak about my home, the one that I was forced to leave without any clothes, without anything but what I was wearing.' 'This war took away from me my entire life,' she told the crowds who had gathered outside Leinster House. Mr Gannon told the crowd about his legal case against the Central Bank of Ireland. He said he would keep his speech brief because 'politicians have done too much talking and we haven't done enough in terms of acting, legislating and sanction'. 'The case is moral. A genocide is happening. We are obligated to prevent it. So I will take it as far as it needs to go. We are lodging papers on Tuesday,' he said. IPSC chairperson Zoe Lawlor described it as 'shameful' that the Government 'lets the US military use Shannon Airport' to transport Israeli weapons. 'Israel does not commit this genocide alone. It does so with the weapons, the money and the political cover it gets from the US and the EU,' she told the crowd. . Ms Lawlor condemned the Government, saying 'their actions do not match their words'. She spoke about the refusal of visas for 33 young GAA players from Palestine who had planned to tour Ireland. 'They have delayed the visas of the Lajee dancers and football team. They are blocking the students in Gaza who already have been accepted to Irish universities,' she said. During a break in the speeches, Galway singer Declan O'Rourke performed World on Fire, which he dedicated to 'the people of Palestine'. Other speakers at the rally included: Mohamed Migdad, an economics lecturer from Gaza; Dunnes Stores striker Mary Manning; Bernard Joyce, director of the Irish Traveller Movement; and Conor O'Neill of the Pass the Occupied Territories Bill Campaign.
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Thousands attend pro-Palestinian rally in Dublin
Meanwhile, an opposition politician said he would be issuing a legal challenge to the Central Bank of Ireland over its role in the sale of Israel Bonds. Saturday's rally saw demonstrators march from the Garden of Remembrance on Parnell Square to Leinster House. It was the 16th such demonstration since October 2023 and came after the Dáil rose for the summer recess. The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) accused the Government of an 'absolute refusal to hold Israel accountable for a genocide in which the Apartheid state has slaughtered more than 58,000 Palestinians'. The march demanded an end to the Central Bank of Ireland's role in approving Israel Bonds for sale in the EU, for the Government to include services in the Occupied Territories Bill and to pass that legislation. Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon, who spoke at the rally, said he would be lodging legal papers against the Central Bank on Tuesday. The bank is the designated authority in relation to the sale of Israel Bonds in the EU, and has determined the securities meet the standards of the bloc's prospectus regulations. Israel Bonds have been advertised as supporting the country's economy and, more recently, websites promoting the securities emphasise their role in supporting Israel's military operations in Gaza. Protesters and opposition parties have called for legislation that would give Ireland the power to refuse the sale of Israeli 'war bonds' over human rights concerns. They say the bonds are intended to fund the war in Gaza, while Ireland has an obligation under the Genocide Convention to use all means likely to have a deterrent effect on those suspected of preparing genocide. Mr Gannon has issued a letter to the bank about investor protection concerns relating to the bonds, as well as the use of the bonds to finance the war in Gaza. He said the Central Bank has the power to stop the sale of the bonds. He said: 'Politicians have spoken too long all the while a genocide is being inflicted upon the population of Gaza. The demands today are clear – act. He added: 'On Tuesday, I'll be lodging papers against the Central Bank. Genocide can never be considered a technical matter – our only duty is to prevent it and punish those responsible.' Marah Nijim, a 23-year-old who came to Ireland from Gaza three months ago, told the crowd she was forced to leave her home, her family and her 'soul' and 'heart'. She said Palestinians in Gaza are deprived of human rights, adding that she is 'living with nightmares' of people burning alive and calling for help. 'Protesting is not enough any more, we need real actions from Government. People in Gaza are being starved to death.' Demonstrators also called for an end to the use of Irish airspace for the transport of weapons to the region. The rally also criticised the Government after 33 Palestinian children were recently denied entry to Ireland over visa issues. GAA Palestine said it had to take the 'heartbreaking' decision to cancel a planned Irish tour for the children. IPSC chairperson Zoe Lawlor said: 'The Irish government is barely lifting a finger to end Ireland's deep complicity in this genocide.' Ms Lawlor added: 'On top of this we have the appalling spectacle of the state refusing visas to child medical evacuees and Palestinian kids to visit Ireland to play our national sports.' Stretching along Molesworth Street in front of Leinster House was a 120ft long and 5.5ft wide quilt, made up of 2,300 panels. Each panel – the vast majority of which were knitted by hand – is designed to represent the deaths of 10 children in Gaza, adding up to a total of 23,000 children. Anna Doyle and Niamh Bonner, from Craftivism For Gaza, said they are still accepting squares as the death toll continues to rise. Ms Doyle told the PA news agency: 'Each square represents 10 children. Their voices have been lost to the world forever. 'It also represents the voice of the crafter because most of them are made by people who wouldn't be able to come to a protest.'
BreakingNews.ie
06-07-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Oberstown Children's Detention facility staff did not suffer 'life-changing injuries', Foley says
The Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley TD, has rejected claims that any staff at Oberstown Children's Detention facility suffered 'life-changing injuries' in recent incidents there. In wide-ranging written Dáil replies on the operation of Oberstown at Lusk in Co Dublin, Minister Foley has also rejected claims that the centre is experiencing 'dangerously low staffing levels'. Advertisement The facility currently has capacity 46 - 40 boys and six girls - and Minister Foley revealed that her officials have already asked the Oberstown Director to make preparations to provide for 'a small increase in the near future in the maximum number of boys that may be detained at Oberstown'. This follows Oberstown frequently having no space to cater for remand orders from the courts including one incident last month where a lack of space at Oberstown resulted in two Dublin teenagers, who are accused of being armed with a machine gun during a burglary, being released from custody despite a judge seeking to remand them on detention to Oberstown. The 2024 annual report for Oberstown shows that of the 120 teenagers subject to remand or detention orders last year, only two were female. In his written Dáil question, Deputy Gary Gannon asked Minister Foley the actions being taken in response to the serious incident at Oberstown in which nine staff were injured–four requiring hospital treatment, including one with life-changing injuries and how she justifies operating the facility with dangerously low staffing levels. Advertisement In her response, Minister Foley stated: 'I am concerned that the question asked repeats assertions made about recent incidents at Oberstown which were put into the public domain without consultation or verification and which contain significant factual inaccuracies. 'I would like to correct these inaccuracies and provide important context while being mindful of the sensitivities of the individuals involved. 'All individuals involved in the incidents referred to continue to be fully supported by Oberstown. Where injuries were sustained, following triage by the campus onsite medical team, four individuals were referred to hospital for further checks, none of which resulted in hospitalisation (stays in hospital). 'While it would not be appropriate for Oberstown to discuss details of any personal injuries outside the internal review process, I have been assured by the Director that to date the campus has not received any medical information to support the assertion that any staff member involved in the incidents received 'life-changing injuries'. Advertisement 'It is unhelpful to make unsupported assertions on the nature or potential repercussions of any injury sustained in an incident which is under review." Minister Foley added that 'Oberstown is not experiencing 'dangerously low staffing levels''. She stated that in 2025 Oberstown has recruited 18 staff, 16 of these in the roles of Residential Social Care Worker and Night Supervising Officer. Minister Foley stated that 'of this intake, 17 remain (94.4 per cent) – only one staff member left within six months of joining'. The 2024 annual report for Oberstown shows that its allocation for pay last year totalled €17.18 million. The centre employed 250 including 165 directly involved in the direct front line care of young people. In her foreword to the 2024 report, chair, Koulla Yiasouma stated that 'the year has been particularly challenging as our occupancy levels have remained high and staffing levels are still a challenge". She stated: 'The needs of some of the young people are increasingly complex and the willingness of the whole staff team to adapt to those needs is remarkable.'
