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Extra.ie
a day ago
- Business
- Extra.ie
Army veterans hit out at Aer Lingus over 'ruthless and insulting' refund ordeal
A group of Irish Army veterans has accused Aer Lingus of being 'heartless, ruthless and insulting' as they continue to battle for compensation after their flight from Berlin to Dublin was cancelled due to stormy weather. The Veterans Club of Ireland says its members are being given the 'runaround' by the former State airline over outstanding fees for accommodation, food and taxis which amount to just over €5,000, since last October. According to its spokesman Joe Lynch: 'This is an appalling way to treat former members of the Army and their spouses, people who gave their lives for this country. Treated as a nuisance: The Veterans Club of Ireland. Pic: Supplied 'I have spent over 40 hours – a full week's work – on the phones with customer service staff in Aer Lingus and I'm being treated as a nuisance. It's quite clear to me they would prefer if I would just give up and went away.' The dispute between the Veterans Club of Ireland and Aer Lingus broke out after 22 members, including partners, flew to Berlin for a cultural trip last October. The visit was organised so they could view well known historical landmarks including the remains of the Berlin Wall, the Reichstag Parliament and the East/West crossing point from the communist era 'Checkpoint Charlie'. Aer Lingus, ATR, leaving Dublin airport. Pic: Shutterstock However, while the group were there, Aer Lingus said the return flight had been cancelled due to 'Storm Ashley'. The club, which is based in Drogheda, said Aer Lingus informed them they would have to secure their own accommodation and pay for their own food and taxis. They were told they would be reimbursed upon submitting receipts. But that is not how things worked out, according to Mr Lynch. 'We submitted our expenditure receipts and noticed that Aer Lingus was in no rush to honour them. 'There then began a series of phone calls which, in some cases, I was left holding on the line for up to two hours. In some cases, Aer Lingus customer service staff put down the phone on me. People queuing at the Aer Lingus check in desks at Terminal 2 Dublin. Pic: Sam Boal/Collins Photos 'One of their excuses being used is that they are refusing to pay out on hand-written receipts for taxi fares. 'This was not stated in previous correspondence. They are making us feel that we are trying to obtain the money we are owed by false pretences.' Mr Lynch said the group is owed around €5,000 with individual reimbursements ranging from €350 to €600. 'Ten claims of the 15 submitted allowing for spouses, remain to be settled. This is most upsetting for people who are senior citizens, people who always viewed the former State airline as one of Ireland's great institutions,' he said. Dublin Airport, Aer Lingus check-in area. Pic: Shutterstock FF Senator Alison Comyn, who has worked with the veterans' group before, said: 'I have long known the amazing work carried out by Joe and the other volunteers with the Veterans Club and I am really shocked to think that a lot of their members are still out of pocket nearly eight months after Aer Lingus agreed they are due compensation and refunds. 'I have contacted Aer Lingus and the relevant Government department on their behalf and am hopeful of a swift resolution to this, as these men and women have given their service to their country and community. 'The work of the Veterans Club of Ireland is vital in preserving the dignity, well-being, and camaraderie of former members of the Irish Defence Forces, and I hate to think they are not being treated fairly and with the respect they are due.' An Aer Lingus spokesman said the issue was being looked at and it hoped to shortly resolve the matter. The Veterans Club of Ireland was established in 2018 for former members of the Defence Forces to assist with the mental and physical well-being of ex-servicemen and women and their respective families. It also promotes awareness of the contribution of Defence Forces personnel to Irish society.
Irish Times
7 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Irish Army rangers risked their lives in boarding cargo ship carrying cocaine, court hears
Irish Army rangers put their lives at risk when they boarded the MV Matthew in treacherous weather while the crew of the vessel manoeuvred to evade capture, the Special Criminal Court has heard. Det Supt Keith Halley told a sentencing hearing on Tuesday that it took 'great bravery' to board the vessel, but despite the danger the rangers reacted quickly to prevent the 2.25 tonnes of cocaine on board from being destroyed by fire in September 2023. The court also heard an organised crime group in Dubai instructed the crew of the ship as it attempted to evade law enforcement and deliver the drugs to an Irish vessel. Despite repeated warnings from the Irish Naval Service, including warning shots, the person overseeing the operation told the crew to keep going and head for Sierra Leone, west Africa. READ MORE The original plan was that MV Matthew would deliver the drugs to a second ship, The Castlemore, but rough seas and technical difficulties caused the Irish vessel to miss the connection and it later run aground, with the two men on board winched on to the LE William Butler Yeats. Eight people were before the court on Tuesday for a sentencing hearing, having previously pleaded guilty to offences arising out of the seizure of an estimated €157 million worth of cocaine on board. Those appearing in front of the three-judge non-jury court were: Ukrainians Mykhailo Gavryk (32) and Vitaliy Vlasoi (33); Iranians Soheil Jelveh (52) and Saeid Hassani (39); Filipino Harold Estoesta (31); Dutch national Cumali Ozgen (50); Ukrainian national Vitaliy Lapa (62) and Jamie Harbron (31), of South Avenue, Billingham, in the UK. The court previously heard that while the MV Matthew was sailing under the flag of Panama, it was owned by a Dubai-based company known as Symphony Marine. It departed from Curacao, off the Venezuelan coast, and sailed across the Atlantic before arriving in Irish territorial waters. Det Supt Halley said he was working with the Drug and Organised Crime Bureau in 2023 and was part of a multinational effort to disrupt drug trafficking networks using intelligence reports from agencies around the world. Through that, the MV Matthew was identified as potentially being used to transport drugs across the Atlantic. The vessel used a technique called 'spoofing' to misrepresent its real location as it travelled from Venezuela and picked up the drugs at sea, using a crane to lift the heavy bales from one vessel to the other. On the afternoon of September 26th, 2023, the ship appeared to be heading for the open sea and a Naval Service commander took over the operation and issued several warnings. Mr Estoesta messaged the Naval Service saying they wanted to co-operate, but they were scared. To his crew he demanded they 'prepare for fire'. Det Halley said this was a clear instruction to destroy all the drugs. When the Army helicopter appeared, the MV Matthew began to manoeuvre to prevent the rangers from boarding. The movements of the ship made it almost impossible for the helicopter to position itself to allow for a safe boarding. Despite what they faced, the Army rangers boarded safely, saw the fire and put it out, Det Halley said. The sentencing hearing continues.
Irish Times
23-05-2025
- Irish Times
‘Extraordinary breach of trust': Soldier jailed after €27,000 worth of cocaine found in barracks room
A soldier found with nearly €27,000 worth of cocaine in his Army barracks room has been jailed for four years. Cork Circuit Criminal Court heard Shane Scanlon (35) served in the Irish Army for 18 years. He became involved in drug dealing because of 'financial pressures', his barrister told the court. He resigned from the Defence Forces after he was caught with the cocaine in a room he rented in Collins Barracks in Cork on March 27th, 2024. Det Gda Derry O'Brien said Scanlon, of Cooline Heights, Ballyvolane, Cobh, Co Cork, was the sole occupant of the room. As well as cocaine, gardaí found €1,100 in cash and 'numerous drug paraphernalia', including a blender for mixing drugs, a weighing scales and bags. READ MORE Gardaí found evidence of drug dealing on a phone owned by Scanlon, with the offending behaviour going as far back as 2021. A search of his home recovered €2,250 in cash. Scanlon made full admissions to gardaí upon arrest. He co-operated fully with the Garda investigation. Det Gda O'Brien said Scanlon was using the Army barracks, rather than his home, as a 'safe haven' for storing drugs. The court heard the barracks is constantly guarded. The father of three has two previous convictions for minor driving offences. He has not come to the attention of gardaí since his arrest. The drug dealing was carried out purely for monetary gain and there is no suggestion of drug addiction or a drug debt, the court heard. Defence senior counsel Ray Boland said his client resigned from the Army after years of 'otherwise exemplary service'. He asked Judge Dermot Sheehan to impose a fully suspended sentence in light of certain family circumstances of the defendant. He said his client suffered from homelessness in the past. Mr Boland indicated that Scanlon is keenly aware of the 'shame' his conduct brought on his unit. 'He is ashamed of that and remorseful . . . This was done because he was under financial pressure.' Judge Dermot Sheehan said Scanlon had a lack of 'victim awareness' and 'empathy' for the consequences of drugs on the citizens of Ireland. He said the accused was not just storing drugs in his room in the barracks, but was 'actively bagging and mixing the product for distribution'. Judge Sheehan said Scanlon was taking advantage of the barracks being 'controlled with armed guards 24 hours a day and 365 days a year'. Describing what had occurred as an 'extraordinary breach of trust', he jailed Scanlon for five years, but he suspended the last year. He cited the signed plea, the lack of relevant previous convictions and the accused's personal circumstances as factors in his decision to depart from the otherwise mandatory 10-year sentence for a section 15A offence. Scanlon previously pleaded guilty to having cocaine at Collins Barracks on March 27th, 2024, for sale or supply. He also admitted possessing cocaine unlawfully on the same datefor his own use. Scanlon pleaded guilty to money laundering in relation to €1,100 at Collins Barracks and another sum of €2,250 at his home in Cobh. He entered a guilty plea to having articles, namely a blender and weighing scales, giving rise to a 'reasonable inference' they were for the commission, preparation, facilitation or instigation of a drug-trafficking offence. The charge of having cocaine for sale and supply when it exceeds €13,000 comes with a mandatory 10-year minimum prison sentence unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Irish Times
09-05-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Book reviews in brief: Moral Formations, A Fool's Kabbalah, Motherland
Moral Formations: Discipline and Religion in the Irish Army, 1922-32 by Daniel Ayiotis (Eastwood Books, €20) Replacing the Irish Republican Army that had fought the War of Independence with a 'National Army' that would defend the nascent Irish Free State encumbered the first government as it confronted the threat and then the reality of the Civil War. Ayiotis, who is director of the Military Archives, draws extensively from the archives, and other sources, to show how the Department of Defence and Army GHQ created a command structure and codes of discipline, while Catholic chaplains demanded chapels in every barracks for Masses, retreats and sodalities, and the Medical Corps sought to ensure sanitation and hygiene while fighting 'the twin vices of drink and venereal disease'. Ray Burke A Fool's Kabbalah by Steve Stern (Melville House, £16.99) A Fool's Kabbalah unfolds as a dual narrative set against the wreckage of postwar Europe, where wit becomes not only a refuge but a form of resistance. With precision and dark lyricism, Stern crafts a meditation on survival, grief, memory, and the strange absurdity of history. Gershom Scholem, a renowned scholar of Jewish mysticism, sets out to salvage Jewish texts destroyed by the Nazis, while Menke, a shtetl trickster, faces a very different fate. The novel moves between biting irony and aching sorrow, its language crackling with echoes of Kafka and Beckett. Stern's prose is elegant and richly imaginative, balancing pathos with philosophical insight. He doesn't offer easy solace – only a raw, unflinching reckoning with history's weight. A beautifully crafted novel of intelligence, compassion, and surprising moral grace. Adam Wyeth READ MORE Motherland: A Journey through 500,000 Years of African Culture and Identity by Luke Pepera (W&N, £22) Pepera has set himself an ambitious task in journeying through the history of a people that 'extend[s] all the way back to the beginning of our species'. 'Journey' is the appropriate word, as the author focuses on sharing the essence rather than penning a comprehensive history which, he muses, would take several lifetimes given the 'continent's vastness and the sheer immensity of varied peoples who have lived there'. In order to do so, Pepera reaches beyond the lens of colonialism and the Transatlantic Slave Trade - which occupy a culturally important but rather brief part of the continent's history - focusing rather on topics ranging from ancestral veneration to matriarchal societies, oral storytelling and its influence on modern-day rap music, and how the dead live on in African societies. An informative, enlightening read. Brigid O'Dea
Irish Independent
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Frank Coughlan: Ireland isn't invited to the VE Day 80th anniversary celebrations, but the losses felt here should not be forgotten
As many as 4,983 deserted the Irish Army to enlist in the fight against fascism. After the war an unforgiving Fianna Fáil government court-martialled each and every one Today at 21:30 Europe is having a significant celebration next week and we're not invited. The 80th Victory in Europe Day party is purely for those with scars that still run deep and are tender to the touch. Neutrality in World War II means we are not part of that club. Related topics Frank Coughlan
