Latest news with #MalcolmByrne
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- General
- Irish Independent
Gorey Educate Together celebrates 20 years as school goes from strength to strength
The event at the school grounds on Kilnahue Lane, was attended by a large group of parents, current and former staff members, and other community representatives, including Malcolm Byrne TD and representatives of the Educate Together National Office. The evening opened with a musical performance by staff members and pupils. This was followed by speeches from Colm O'Gorman, former director of Amnesty International and one of the school's founders; Joanne Bolger, Chairperson of the Parent Teacher Association; Dr. Emer Nowlan, CEO of Educate Together, Ireland; and school principal Raymond Swan. Deputy principal Mairéad Jordan thanked all attendees and highlighted the extensive preparations for the event by students and staff. Guests had the opportunity to visit an expo in the hall, which included a photographic and video display marking the school's journey over the past two decades as well as the school's edible garden and the two commemorative murals, painted by staff members Pádraig Parle, Catríona Lane, Deirdre Hogan, Ewa Minias and the school's two fifth classes. Gorey Educate Together National School first opened its doors in 2005 at St. Waleran's in Gorey, with just 26 pupils. It moved to its current permanent location on Kilnahue Lane in 2008 and currently has an enrolment of 384, including three classes for children with Autism. Food and drinks on the evening were sponsored by school meals company 'Fresh Today' and the Kitchen Restaurant, Gorey.
Agriland
4 days ago
- Climate
- Agriland
Could a new national park be developed at the Blackstairs Mountains?
A Fianna Fáil TD has asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider the development of a national park at the Blackstairs Mountains in south Leinster. The Wicklow-Wexford TD, Malcolm Byrne, asked his party colleague, Minister James Browne, to make a statement to the Dáil on the prospect of a potential new national park in the location. Currently the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) manages eight national parks – including Ireland's latest and largest national park, located in west Kerry – Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara. The land had an asking price of €10 million, however, it is understood that the state bought the land for around €6 million in 2024. The state also paid in the region of €11 million in 2023 to acquire Devenish Lands at Dowth, Co. Meath, to develop the Boyne Valley (Brú na Bóinne) National Park. According to Minister Browne the NPWS does not own or manage any lands within the Blackstairs Mountains. The minister also told Deputy Byrne that most of the uplands are peatland habitats 'held in commonage by local farmers'. 'The Blackstairs Mountains Special Area of Conservation (SAC), however, for the protection of the qualifying interest habitats wet heath, dry heath and also a small area of alluvial woodland, does provide a high degree of nature conservation protection and local NPWS staff actively monitor the SAC for potentially damaging activities including illegal fires and scrambler and quad bike use,' he added. According to the Department of the Environment, wet heath occurs in a mosaic with dry heath on some steep slopes and at lower levels where deeper peat has accumulated in the Blackstairs Mountains. The wet heath is dominated by bog moss, cross-leaved heath and ling heather. National Park Minister Browne said the Programme for Government recognises 'the importance of continuing to support the ongoing expansion and resourcing of our national parks. 'To this end, the NPWS occasionally purchases land for strategic and conservation purposes where suitable land at a reasonable price, and providing strategic value to habitat conservation or public access, becomes available. 'Such acquisitions are always carefully considered on a case by case basis and in line with public procurement requirements. In light of the commercial sensitivity and the strategic implications of bringing these considerations into the public domain, I would not comment on any individual site that is offered for sale,' the minister added.
Irish Times
29-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
RTÉ execs return for another grilling at the media committee barbecue – but where's the beef?
The members of the freshly formed Oireachtas media committee must have been exhausted after their speed-grilling of RTÉ's 'leadership team' during a frenetic Q & A session in the bowels of Leinster House. As for their barbecue meat of choice, the witnesses were only slightly seared compared to the long hours of intensive basting they endured from two separate committees two years ago at the glorious height of the Tubsgate and flip-flop fiasco hearings. New chairman, Labour's Alan Kelly, still sounds traumatised. He was on the Public Accounts Committee at the time. 'I lost days of my life in this room a couple of years ago,' he shuddered on Wednesday, before bravely wading back into the Montrose murk. 'I lost days of my life here.' READ MORE Two more survivors turned up for duty – former senators Malcolm Byrne (FF) and Micheál Carrigy (FG) are back on the media committee, but as TDs this time. The high attrition rate was not lost on one post-election deputy observing the line-up for RTÉ v Leinster House: the rematch. 'More RTÉ executives than politicians survived.' Committee meetings can very dull, under-attended affairs, particularly when the issue under scrutiny isn't headline-friendly. Members just nip in and ask their question for the TikTok before scuttling out. This one was very well attended, on all sides. 'There's enough people here to fill a hurling team, in fairness,' remarked Fianna Fáil TD for Carlow-Kilkenny Peter 'Chap' Cleere, telling the DG it was good to see such a fine turnout. 'So fair play for that.' The chair was pleased to note that all of the committee members were present for duty. In a commendable display of time and people management, Alan and his colleagues managed to get in three rounds of rapid-fire questions in a 2½-hour slot in Committee Room Three. This gave Senator Rónán Mullen a chance to get all his misgivings about the national broadcaster off his chest with persistent questioning about RTÉ 'groupthink' and the feeling many people have that the national broadcaster does not reflect the perspectives of 'a silenced significant minority in this country'. Some people believe there is 'a strong systemic bias in favour of so-called progressive points of view'. Whatever about audience research, do RTÉ ever do any 'staff research' to ascertain if 'too many people think the same way about certain things in your organisation'? Kevin Bakhurst was rather taken aback by this. 'I think that would be a little bit North Korean.' But that didn't stop Rónán, who came back later to suggest an 'audit' of staff to find out if there is 'an excessive' sameness of opinion. 'I'm not going to ask people in RTÉ what their religious or political views are,' replied the DG. 'I didn't mention religious,' shot back Rónán. Perish the thought. 'You could do an audit and you could do it confidentially.' The DG repeated that RTÉ is 'not a North Korean broadcaster'. Wouldn't that be brilliant, though. Professional journalists and management heads hauled into a Donnybrook star chamber so an expert in Dublin 4 wokery could hit them with Mattie McGrath's historic demand from 2023. He shouted it at deputy DG Adrian Lynch at the height of the flip-flop/Tubsgate interrogations. 'Who are ya lyal to?' 'Who am I lying to?' 'No. Who are ya lyal to. Lyal.' 'Oh, loyal. Loyal, loyal, loyal.' Indeed. Now Galwegian Rónán Mullen wants a Spanish Arch Inquisition. Who are those left-wingers in Montrose loyal to? [ RTÉ confirms €3.6m write down on partly abandoned IT project Opens in new window ] Meanwhile, supersleuth Kelly wanted to know if the organisation shared its statements with the Government's Department of Media before appearing. These statements had important detail on who knew what and when about the write-down of more than €3.5 million on an IT system which didn't come up to scratch. This embarrassing loss was politely referred to as 'the impairment' by the witnesses. After much muttering and stuttering all round, it seems that they did share statements. But the committee was told this is not uncommon. Anyway, Alan asked if anybody knew about this huge loss – way more than the Toy Show The Musical flop or a well-known presenter's emoluments set them back – 'when we were sitting here and talking about Ryan Tubridy'. Well, they were and they weren't. An unexpected bonus for the committee popped up last week when reports surfaced about newsroom ructions over a short promotional video currently being shot to showcase RTÉ's excellent newsgathering operation. 'I've never had so many phone calls about an issue, to be honest,' said the committee chairman. Most of them, one assumes, from those many staffers in the newsroom who are not apparently 'livid' over this promo, as their observant leadership team continues to insist. [ Dismay among RTÉ staffers as broadcaster hires actors to play journalists in 'make-believe' ad campaign Opens in new window ] Nothing to see here, stressed newsroom boss Deirdre McCarthy, deferring to the Marketing side for further explanation. Kevin Bakhurst is 'very irritated' by the ongoing coverage. Lookit. There were 'only two plants' brought in to take the bare look off the newsroom and he would expect 'our highly professional promotions team' to do a great job putting the promo together. He thinks it will cost less than €100,000. Those hacks in Montrose must be hallucinating when they talk of seeing way more than two plants in their run-down newsroom where normally ne'er a bit of greenery is to be seen. As for sending a crew to Brussels to film a segment with distinguished Europe reporter Tony Connelly, the two witnesses who might have been expected to say how many went couldn't remember off the top of their heads. A question from Chap Cleere on the hiring of 'diverse extras' for the advert got a fuzzy response. It's all a storm in a teacup, insist the Montrose leadership class. Coming in at under €100k is a good result, apparently. Imagine what the cost could have been if RTÉ didn't have a long-established Promotions Department, staffed by full-time producers and directors who are employed to create these high-profile adverts. Instead, said the DG and his deputy, the only outside cost incurred was for a camera crew as all their own people were otherwise engaged. But then, as the session progressed, things began to unravel a little under some gentle questioning from Senator Garret Ahearne and chairman Kelly. Hirings widened out to cameras, technicians and sound. People would like to see the organisation invest money 'in the creative sector outside RTÉ rather than bring all resources in-house', said Bakhurst. Was the production not run in-house? 'Well, the production team running it are in-house and standard practice would be to get expertise whether it be camera crews or sound people or whatever from outside ...' Clear as mud.
Irish Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
First AI committee to examine ‘urgent' concern for democracy
'Increasingly urgent' concern around the potential subversion of Ireland's electoral system is to be investigated by the incoming Oireachtas committee on Artificial Intelligence (AI), which is likely to feed into a forthcoming renewal of Government strategy on cyber security. The committee, chaired by Fianna Fáil TD Malcolm Byrne , will meet for the first time on Tuesday in a closed session. It is likely to spearhead much of the State's discussions around the rapidly developing technology, widely perceived to bring threat and opportunity in equal measure. A detailed position paper circulated to committee members in the run up to its inaugural session outlines the various critical areas of AI application it will address, as well as lists of potential expert witnesses. READ MORE [ AI to be used in drafting Government department documents Opens in new window ] [ Major differences in how Government departments and agencies approach AI use Opens in new window ] 'The use of artificial intelligence with specific regard to our democratic processes and electoral systems presents a real and increasingly urgent concern,' it said. 'The deployment of AI to spread misinformation and undermine elections has already been seen in Taiwan, Moldova, Slovakia, United States and Indonesia. These concerns are also developing in an international security context.' Article 5 of the recently adopted draft European framework convention on artificial intelligence, human rights, democracy and the rule of law requires Ireland to adopt measures to protect against AI systems designed to undermine democratic institutions and processes. Key witnesses likely to be called by the committee in this area include dominant social media companies such as X and TikTok, and representatives of media. The committee will also consider economic implications , taking note of a recent report from the Department of Finance that estimated as much as 60 per cent of jobs could be placed in jeopardy. A scoping paper on the 'disruptive impacts' on the workforce is expected to be published by Government before the summer recess. Indigenous industries, particularly SMEs, will be considered in terms of how best to harness the economic opportunities presented by the growing AI sector. The committee has noted, however, Ireland's reduced ranking in the Government AI Readiness Index, falling to 20th position from 17th in 2021. Other areas of AI application have attracted concern in recent years, particularly in policing . The paper noted that real time AI-driven facial recognition software was deployed by the UK's Metropolitan Police during the coronation of King Charles. 'As one can imagine, AI in policing and amongst the judiciary has sparked a great deal of debate,' the paper said. Ireland's National Cyber Security Strategy is due to expire in 2025 and the committee expects to be 'well placed to feed into the drafting of the new strategy'. It will act as something of a think tank around policy and practical use, and represents the latest layer of Government preparation for the technology's anticipated dominance following the development of a national AI strategy, the appointment of an AI ambassador and the establishment of an independent AI Advisory Council. Mindful of its role in promoting AI adoption, the committee expects to use the technology in its own work, in summarising minutes and testimonies, and has suggested its members might be willing to explore the use of AI devices in healthcare settings. It will explore the development of commercial AI by various companies including Open AI and Google, and invite relevant witnesses.
BreakingNews.ie
19-05-2025
- Climate
- BreakingNews.ie
Extensive Gorey gorse fire brought under control
A major gorse fire which broke out in Co Wexford on Sunday afternoon has been brought under control almost 24 hours after it first started. The blaze broke out on Tara Hill in Gorey at around 3.45pm, with seven units from Wexford and Wicklow Fire Services battling the blaze overnight along with gardaí, local farmers and Coillte officials in a bid bring it under control. Advertisement Wexford County Council fire service also ensured that several water tankers were available. Water has also been drawn from the river Ahare. The blaze initially seemed under control but intensified overnight due to nearby sea breezes. Dry weather conditions are making it easier for the fire to spread. Malcolm Byrne, North Wexford TD said the blaze is 'deeply worrying'. Advertisement A helicopter flew over the extensive scene at 12.40pm on Monday and dispersed water helping to reducing the fire keeping flames away from properties in the vicinity. The multi-agency operation is continuing but is now a dampening down operation and fire units remain at the scene. The Council continues to monitor air quality and are advising residents and businesses to keep doors and windows closed as a precaution. A drone is also being used to watch over any threat of another fire igniting. There is already a significant impact to wildlife and the environment in the area. As a result of no significant rainfall in the past month, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is warning that there is a high fire risk or status orange alert. The orange warning has been in effect since 3pm last Friday and will last until midday on Tuesday. According to the Department, current weather patterns indicate a high fire risk 'in all areas' where hazardous fuels such as dead grasses and shrub fuels such as heather and gorse exist.
