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Irish Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
‘This is our home town, but we can't afford to live here': Westport housing crisis leaves no room for ‘coveys'
Shannon Sweeney is an elite Irish boxer with her eyes on the 2028 Olympics and lives in her neighbour's spare room in Westport , Co Mayo. 'I'm very, very appreciative that they're there, because without them I don't know where I'd be. Times are tough,' the 26-year-old says outside the ring at St Anne's boxing club in the town. The housing crisis in Westport hit the headlines last month after a Mayo County Council official proposed a boycott on holiday homeowners to free up housing for locals . There is one Airbnb listing for every three private rental properties in Westport, an ESRI report in April found. READ MORE Legislation aimed at cracking down on short-term letting and freeing up more long-term rental accommodation across the country is due to come into effect next summer. It will apply to towns in Rent Pressure Zones and with a population of more than 10,000 people. Although Westport is in a Rent Pressure Zone, its population was 6,872 at the last census, meaning it would be exempt from the new legislation. As the debate around these short-term lets in the town heated up last month, The Irish Times visited to get local residents' take on the housing crisis there. Shannon Sweeney: 'Cost of renting a house in Westport at the moment is extortionate.' Photograph: Conor McKeown Sweeney is what locals affectionately call a 'covey' – a Westport-local, born and bred in the town. She has been part of the Irish boxing high-performance squad based in Adamstown, Dublin, for the last three years and she trains there four days a week. While in Dublin, she is provided accommodation on campus, but when she comes home she faces a much different situation. She trains full-time so she can compete at boxing's highest level and she earned €12,000 last year, which is nowhere near enough to buy or rent in her hometown. She is on the local social housing list, but does not see herself having a home of her own in her near future. 'I'm giving up everything to pursue something that I love, but it's unfortunate that I can't work and get, like, a certain income in order for me to buy a house. I suppose I'm trying to follow a dream, but then at the same time there's obviously all the stress with the housing situation,' she says. Sweeney fights at 50kg and won gold at the European Championships last year, carving out a path for herself to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. While her vision for the career ahead of her is clear, she doesn't see any path to owning or renting a home of her own in her near future. 'The cost of renting a house [in Westport] at the moment is just extortionate. There's no way, unless you give up everything, go working seven days a week or move to Australia, I can't see any other way,' Sweeney says. 'But you kind of just have to push that to the side and just focus on what you can control, because they're just some things you can control and some things you can't.' Graham Byrne, owner of Krem, says: 'We need to make sure there's enough accommodation for staff.' Photograph: Conor McKeown Graham Byrne, who owns the Krem ice cream shop on Bridge Street in the centre of Westport, says that while the town needs short-term rentals to keep its tourism sector going it also needs more accommodation for the staff providing those services. 'We need it for tourism. We are a tourist town and we love seeing people come through, but we need to make sure that there's enough accommodation for the staff otherwise there's nothing for the people to do,' he says. Some hoteliers in town are building staff accommodation or they're buying houses just to house their staff Byrne has witnessed first hand the struggles of Westport's housing crisis through his staff. 'I'm very lucky with the staff I have. I trust them so much. I have a couple of staff that are very fortunate to live close by, but I also have staff with huge commutes,' he says. 'One guy gets the train or the bus from Claremorris, an hour-long journey, and I have another guy who has to walk over an hour to get here.' While he has provided an e-scooter for the man with an hour's walk, he sees providing accommodation himself for staff as the only way forward. 'I know some of the hoteliers in the town are building staff accommodation or they're buying houses just to house their staff. They just can't get the staff if they can't accommodate them,' Byrne says. Mayo Councillor Peter Flynn warns that crisis will worsen without reforms. Photograph: Conor McKeown Westport Fine Gael councillor Peter Flynn says he has 'never encountered so many working people who are either homeless or living at home with their parents or living in remote parts of the county away from their jobs and families'. He says: 'My 20-plus years as a councillor includes going through the worst recession ever and a bleak period back in the 1990s, but nothing compares to where we are now when it comes to housing.' He believes many homeowners are turning to Airbnb rather than long-term rentals because it makes more sense for them financially. The Rent Pressure Zone rules 'have actually made the situation worse' while the tax system is 'wholly in favour of short-term letting'. There is a transient community in the town now, with many housing estates in the dark from Monday to Thursday due to the dominance of holiday homes. We have created an absolute mess and if serious reform doesn't happen then this crisis will only get worse Flynn says that while supply needs to be increased, councils also need to focus on returning derelict properties into use as residential units in the town centre. 'The council executive has lost sight of what their powers are in terms of dealing with derelict and vacant homes in our town centres,' Flynn says, citing an estate of 22 new homes in Newport which are lying vacant in the midst of a housing crisis. 'We have created an absolute mess and if serious reform doesn't happen soon with senior people in our councils, Approved Housing Bodies, this crisis will only get worse,' he says. Danny Coughlan: 'You would be lucky to come across a one-bed apartment for under €1,400.' Photograph: Conor McKeown Danny Coughlan (35) is another Westport native. He works in pharmaceutical plant AbbVie in the town and is living in his mother's house with his partner, who is a preschool teacher, and their three-year-old daughter. The couple began looking for a place of their own to rent in the town about five years ago, but there was nothing they could afford. 'You would be lucky to come across a one-bed apartment for under €1,400,' he says. They were approved for the help-to-buy scheme, which would give them tax back on a new-build house purchase, but finding a new-build home in Westport within their budget proved impossible. An affordable purchase scheme of five homes was launched in the town last year, but there were so many other applicants the couple failed to secure one. 'We missed out on that, which was very disappointing. We kind of had to go back to the drawing board thinking what do we do now? We can't stay in my mother's forever.' The couple have recently gone sale agreed on a new-build home in Ballyvary, a town 30km east of Westport. Westport relies on tourism, but locals say their accommodation needs must be addressed too. Photograph: Conor McKeown While Coughlan says they were 'very lucky' to get the last house in that development, it will mean a lot of driving in and out of his hometown where the couple work and their daughter goes to creche. 'It's very frustrating. The price of renting and buying [in Westport] is just ridiculous. This is our hometown, it's where we've grown up for the last 35 years. But we just know now there's no way we can stay in it,' he says. 'It's great to see the tourists in the town. But at the same time, it'd be nicer to see the local people be able to afford to live in the town.' Music filled the streets of Westport on Sunday, with people with backpacks down from Croagh Patrick mixing with young pubgoers out on a bank holiday weekend, as far flung accents ordered ice cream across the road. While part of Westport's charm is the warmth of its coveys, it appears many of them are beginning to wonder if their days are numbered, Byrne says. 'A lot of the older stock who live in the area are wondering now what about my son and my daughter? Will they be able to live in Westport?'
The 42
22-05-2025
- Sport
- The 42
'Watershed moment' as IABA joins World Boxing and secures Olympic future
THE IRISH ATHLETIC Boxing Association [IABA] has officially joined World Boxing, securing its Olympic future. World Boxing's executive board today approved the applications of 17 national federations, bringing its membership to 106. Advertisement 'This is a watershed moment for Irish Boxing, following the resounding 'yes' of member clubs to safeguarding our Olympic future at our EGM in April,' said Niall O'Carroll, Chair of IABA's Board of Directors. 'Every kid in every boxing club in the Association deserves the Olympic dream – and their clubs have made sure that dream can live on, to LA 2028 and beyond.' Ireland has won 19 Olympic boxing medals, stretching back to its first involvement at Paris 1923, making it the country's most successful Olympic sport. O'Carroll named Kellie Harrington, Katie Taylor and Michael Carruth as 'the best of us' but stressed there are 'more Olympic podiums to climb, more medals to win — and our joining of World Boxing today ensures that'. While the various stakeholders involved were thanked in an IABA press release, President Anto Donnelly added: 'This is a red letter day for the Irish Boxing family, and all the more important because our membership of World Boxing was the express will and wish of IABA's clubs. 'It's vital that we move forward, together. Our joining of World Boxing today represents the unity of Irish boxing, but also the value we place on our Olympic heritage and our Olympic future. 'No club knows when the Olympic medalists of the future will walk through their doors – and its in support of that possibility, in support of that dream, that we have such a comprehensive volunteer-led underage training and competition programmes at local, regional, national and international levels. With World Boxing, we can continue to strive to build on our standing as Ireland's most successful Olympic sport.'
Irish Daily Mirror
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Irish boxing's 'red letter day' as LA 2028 qualification path secured
Irish Olympic medal hopefuls are on course for LA 2028 as boxing chiefs hailed a "watershed moment" for the sport in this country - the announcement that the IABA has joined World Boxing. A vote by members last month on dual membership of IBA and World Boxing was comprehensively passed and, with World Boxing granted provisional recognition by the IOC, the sport has been recommended for inclusion in the LA is one of 17 national bodies, including Cuba and Spain, who have now joined World Boxing, taking its membership over the 100 federation mark.'This is a watershed moment for Irish Boxing, following the resounding 'yes' of member clubs to safeguarding our Olympic future at our EGM in April," said Niall O'Carroll, the chair of IABA's Board of Directors."Every kid in every boxing club in the association deserves the Olympic dream – and their clubs have made sure that dream can live on, to LA 2028 and beyond."Irish Boxing has always valued our Olympic journey – from our first team of nine boxers at Paris 1924, to winning 19 medals over the last 100 years and maintaining our standing as Team Ireland's most successful Olympic sport. "Kellie (Harrington), Katie (Taylor) and Michael (Carruth) are the best of us, but we have more Olympic podiums to climb, and more medals to win. Our joining of World Boxing today ensures that."This has been a journey for IABA, from our first vote on joining World Boxing in August 2023, to the decisive ballot last month. "I'd like to thank central council and president Anto Donnelly for invaluable advocacy and leadership and Sport Ireland and the Olympic Federation of Ireland for their on-going support of Irish Boxing. "The pace of World Boxing's growth, from six members in August 2023, is testament to the focus of its leadership team on process, performance and the Olympic spirit. "In that time, WB has scaled from a handful of members to organisation at confederation level on four continents, with full calendars of World and confederation level championships at all age groups. It's a remarkable achievement, and one IABA is proud to now be part of.' Donnelly reacted: 'This is a red letter day for the Irish Boxing family, and all the more important because our membership of World Boxing was the express will and wish of IABA's clubs."It's vital that we move forward together. Our joining of World Boxing today represents the unity of Irish boxing, but also the value we place on our Olympic heritage and our Olympic future. "No club knows when the Olympic medalists of the future will walk through their doors – and it's in support of that possibility, in support of that dream, that we have such a comprehensive volunteer-led underage training and competition programmes at local, regional, national and international levels. With World Boxing, we can continue to strive to build on our standing as Ireland's most successful Olympic of World Boxing, Boris van der Vorst, commented: 'To have surpassed the landmark of 100 national federations in just over two years is a massive achievement."I would like to thank all of my colleagues and every one of our members for their support and their commitment to ensuring that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic movement."
RTÉ News
17-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Irish boxing has 'ambition and potential to do better', says new chief Jon Mackey
A smile breaks across Jon Mackey's face when asked how he has found his role as national performance director for Irish Boxing. "It's been an eye-opener," he tells RTÉ Sport, acknowledging that given he is less than a month in the position, there has been plenty of meeting and greeting as he plots a way forward. Mackey arrives at a critical juncture for the sweet science. Boxing has been the poster sport for Ireland on the Olympic stage, with 19 of our 42 medals won inside the ring. The London Games was the peak, with four brought home, but since then, only Kellie Harrington (twice) and Aidan Walsh (Tokyo) have stood on the podium. If questions have been asked about a decline inside the ring, alarm bells have sounded outside it. Mackey's predecessors, Billy Walsh and Bernard Dunne, left in contentious circumstances, while governance issues have dominated the agenda. The sport has endured a difficult time of late globally – it was only officially included in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics programme in March after much uncertainty – and it has been no different on these shores. The Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) has formally approved a proposal to join World Boxing, paving the way for Irish boxers to compete at the LA Games. Mackey, who enjoyed a successful eight-year tenure with Canoeing Ireland, decided to take up the new role before that constitutional change came into being, but was confident that the sport was moving in the right direction. "It was a no-brainer at that point and I think that came out in the vote," he said. "It was a substantial number of clubs that voted to make that change. "I listened to Anto Donnelly's acceptance speech when he was voted in as president of the IABA and that interview inspired me to go for the role because I thought 'this is something different'. "I found myself nodding in agreement, so I was confident and positive that the right decisions were going to be made in due course. I think they've shown that." Given the turmoil his predecessors in the role found themselves in at various points, he greatly appreciated Dunne and Walsh reaching out to him upon his appointment. A few hours in Dunne's company, in particular, crystallised his own view on what he needed to bring to the role to make it a success. "He said just to be open to what you see yourself and make your own impression of it which I think was very useful advice. "I've taken that on board and it has stood me well so far." With over 360 clubs nationally, Mackey is keen to engage with them throughout his tenure and dispel the notion in some quarters that there is a growing divide between the clubs and the high-performance unit. "I don't see high performance being a disconnected, siloed part of the sport that operates on its own," he insisted. "The work that's being done at club level is paramount to the success of the high-performance unit. Boxers don't come to the high-performance unit unpolished, they come at a very high standard. I think that needs to be recognised and I think it is recognised." Having competed for 30 years at international level at kickboxing, combat sport is far from a new calling for Mackey. After some lofty heights, he is keen to restore the glory days, aware of the work required to meet their goals. "Our ambition is to do better. I think the potential is there to do better," he said. "It's built into our strategy, a 10% increase in our international medals. "It's a young team that we're dealing with. If you look at the age profile of the medal winners from the Paris Games, there's a significant gap between the age of our boxers and the medal winners, which shows that there's potential for us to grow and mature into performances. "That in itself is possible. Our aspiration is always going to be to build on the legacies of days gone by."
