Latest news with #O'Boyle
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
First VLR route could be running by 2027
The first Very Light Rail (VLR) route in Coventry could be running by 2027, a councillor has said. A 220m (725ft) trial track of the new technology welcomed its first members of the public for a special test ride on Queen Victoria Road in the city centre on Thursday. Councillor Jim O'Boyle, from Coventry City Council, said VLR was a "cost-effective" alternative to other transport that could make a difference to local people. He told the BBC the Department for Transport (DfT) had released a further £12m of funding, in order to extend the current test track out towards the technology park in Parkside. "Eventually this will form part of a route," O'Boyle said of the test track. "Because we've already identified four routes in the city from the hospital, from the university, from the investment zone, up at Coventry Airport and of course the wider urban extension out on the A45," he explained. The VLR system uses lightweight battery-operated cars and has been billed as a cheaper and faster-to-build alternative to traditional trams. O'Boyle said extending the route out even further would require further investment and once the service had been proven, the authority would be looking for private investment in the system. "Fortunately, the Department for Transport last week released a further £12m of money in order to take the demonstrator track out towards the Parkside area of the city," he said. "And that means we can then further demonstrate how the vehicle works in a real-life environment and eventually we aim to have a track system... in the city, the first route by 2027." "Everyone knows and you'll see it, that it actually works," he said. Passengers who rode the test track after booking free tickets from the city council said it could prove to be a great way to get around the Coventry. One man told the BBC it was a "very short trial" but he had enjoyed it, adding it was a "smooth" journey with "decent acceleration". "I have a disability so I love the fact that everything's smooth and level and plenty of space to move around," another woman said. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Could driverless trams come to your town or city? Rail system's first route could be to airport zone New rail system moves towards on-road tests Very Light Rail faces delays after bid rejected Coventry City Council
Irish Independent
23-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
Louth vape shop owner wants strict licensing laws and heavy penalties for selling to under-18s
Eoin O'Boyle, who owns OB Vape in Drogheda, says Ireland has the chance to lead the world in progressive harm reduction policies, but only if regulations are shaped by science, not sensationalism. He emphasises the need to protect young people while also supporting adult smokers in their efforts to quit cigarettes. O'Boyle expressed concern over recent media coverage that he believes focuses predominantly on youth vaping, potentially overshadowing the benefits of vaping to adult smokers looking to quit the habit. While he agrees that youth access is a serious concern, he warns that reactionary policies such as flavour bans or blanket restrictions will do more harm than good by pushing adult vapers back towards smoking cigarettes. In response, he has outlined a five-step framework he believes would safeguard public health and protect young people. His proposal includes a formal licensing system for all vape retailers, both in-store and online, with strict penalties for selling to under-18s. He also calls for better enforcement of age restrictions through targeted checks and sting operations. Importantly, O'Boyle says that vape flavours – often blamed for attracting younger users – should not be banned outright. Instead, he proposes that flavoured products be sold through regulated, licensed shops where staff are trained to enforce age laws. He is also calling for robust age verification systems and specific licensing. Finally, he would like to see a national public education campaign to inform people about the difference between adult-focused harm reduction products and those that may appeal to teenagers. O'Boyle cites Public Health England (PHE) research claiming that vaping is 95pc less harmful than smoking, however in more recent 2022 research, the Office for Improvement and Disparities (OHID) which succeeded the PHE, published an update which changed the statement to 'vaping poses only a small fraction of the risks of smoking and is not risk free, particularly for people who have never smoked,' given the evolving evidence base. Many of his Drogheda customers, he says, have successfully quit thanks to access to flavoured vape products and responsible advice. 'Flavours are a crucial part of the smoking cessation journey and Irish adults who successfully quit smoking often cite flavours as a key reason that they stayed off cigarettes. Removing flavours will simply force many back to smoking,' he said. 'Ireland can set the standard for progressive, effective vaping regulation globally. With the right framework we can reduce out national smoking rate and prevent young people from taking up vaping, while empowering adult smokers to quit smoking permanently, but this does requite balance and not panic,' O'Boyle stated.
Irish Independent
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Academic role for Sligo solicitor at Trinity College
Ms O'Boyle SC is a partner in O'Boyle Solicitors, The Mall, Sligo where she has extensive experience in civil litigation. She said: 'I am truly honoured to be associated with Trinity College which has an excellent reputation for education, research and innovation nationally and internationally. I look forward to working collaboratively and constructively with Professor David Kenny, together with my colleagues at the School of Law and other disciplines and to contributing to the work and public profile of Trinity College.' Ms O'Boyle SC says she will continue to practice in Sligo as a solicitor in addition to undertaking the academic role at Trinity College. She was an elected member of the Council of the Law Society of Ireland for over 20 years and served on all of its senior committees including regulatory committees and she chaired the committee tasked with the appointment of the current Law Society Director-General, Mark Garrett. Ms O'Boyle was appointed President of the Law Society in 2019-2020 and was the fourth female President in 150 years and the first female President with a practice outside of Dublin. She was awarded the Woman Lawyer of The Year for her Leadership of the Solicitors profession during the Covid pandemic. She currently serves on the Law Society Family and Child Law Committee, Litigation Committee and Assisted Decision-Making Task Force. Having previously served on the Circuit Court Rules Committee as the Law Society nominee, she currently serves on the Superior Court Rules Committee. Ms O'Boyle is a representative of the Law Society on the Council of the International Bar Association (IBA) where she represents the Law Society internationally. She is a Director of Irish Rule of Law International and a Director of Benburb Street Property Company Limited. Appointed by government, Ms O'Boyle is a Board Member of the Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA) and she previously held a State Board position with the Courts Service. She has presented to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice and Equality in relation to access to Justice and Costs and, she contributes to the media on a variety of legal topics.
Irish Independent
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Five-star Duleek on the rise as they see off Meath neighbours
DULEEK 5 Premier Division DULEEK moved up to second in the Premier Division with this thumping win away to Parkvilla on Friday night. It was very much a performance reminiscent of Duleek when they were in the First Division last season, with Dylan O'Boyle having a hand in four of the five goals at Claremont Stadium. Parkvilla had only lost once previously in all competitions this season, that coming in the Leinster Junior Cup, but Duleek hit the front on 18 minutes when Matthew Noone picked out Josh O'Reilly who scored his first Premier Division goal for the club. Two minutes later Bobby Brady and O'Boyle combined for the latter to score his seventh goal of the campaign in total. Brady was dominating the right wing and was proving to be a fulcrum for a lot of Duleek's early attacks. He went on to score Duleek's third goal on 27 minutes when, with a reverse of the second, O'Boyle supplied the pass for Brady to smash home. Jayden Clarke was industrious and he was unlucky not to get his name on the scoresheet. He met a cross with a sweet headed connection, but his effort smashed back off the post with the Parkvilla keeper rooted to the spot. Duleek were very much on top at this stage, with Parkvilla struggling to get into the game, but the hosts did pull one back on the half-hour mark when Jonathan Clear was beaten by a well-struck shot. The teams then exchanged goals as Brady restored Duleek's three-goal lead for all of four minutes, before Parkvilla made it 4-2. That was the score at half-time, but just four minutes into the second-half Duleek added a fifth. O'Boyle put O'Reilly through and he duly secured his brace for the evening. It looked as if Duleek would add more to their total. Having made his first-team debut the previous week, Tom Reilly came on for the final half-hour in central midfield and put in a good performance. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more Duleek almost netted a sixth goal in the closing stages as substitute Karl Dyas cut in from the left and let fly, but his dipping shot hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced away to safety. Duleek are on the road again this coming Friday night as they return to Dundalk to face Bellurgan United in the last 16 of the Kilmessan Shield. Bryan Murphy's side will be hoping to avenge their recent 3-2 defeat at the hands of the in-form Cooley Peninsula side in the league. Duleek: Jonathan Clear, Ben Boyce (Sean Kennedy), James Traynor, Eoin Tierney, Robbie Daly, Jamie McCarthy, Bobby Brady, Matthew Noone (Tom Reilly), Dylan O'Boyle (Cormac McGroggan), Josh O'Reilly (Karl Dyas), Jayden Clarke.
Agriland
28-04-2025
- Health
- Agriland
Modern dairy cow output equal to '19 finished cattle'
A Co. Antrim veterinarian has likened the modern dairy cow to a thoroughbred racehorse in terms of her metabolic ability to produce milk. Nial O'Boyle spoke at the recent AgriSearch 'High Output Dairy Herds – Profit from Performance' conference in Armagh. He said that a cow yielding 50L of milk per day was producing the equivalent muscle dry matter (DM) contained within 26.5kg of beef. This assertion was based on milk containing 13% DM (6.5kg), which can be multiplied by a factor of four to equate with the DM muscle content of a standard beef carcass (26.5). This extrapolates through to the equivalent bodyweight of the Irish rugby player, Bundee Aki, every four days. O'Boyle said: 'A 12,000kg cow produces the equivalent of 6,240kg of beef. This equates to the total carcass output of 19.1 finished cattle. 'These figures very clearly show the significant abilities of modern cows to convert feed into milk. 'Making all of this happen required the dairy cow to expend 50,000 calories on a daily basis. This is the equivalent of running a marathon per day,' he added. O'Boyle said that most of this activity is taking place in the udder. 'Towards the end of her lactation, the cow will start to redirect a lot of this energy intake towards the laying down of fat and other body tissues,' he said. Looking to the future, O'Boyle highlighted the need for research to help identify ways by which the reproductive lifespan of the modern dairy cows can be increased. AgriSearch survey Meanwhile, AgriSearch is inviting all dairy farmers in Northern Ireland to take part in a survey on the research and innovation needs of the sector. The organisation's strategy manager, Jason Rankin said: 'It has been over 10 years since AgriSearch last undertook a significant survey of dairy farmers. 'There have been many changes in the sector since that time and this survey will give us an invaluable insight into how AgriSearch can best meet the present needs of the sector. 'The first of our objectives in our five-year strategic plan was to place the farmers needs at the heart of research and innovation in Northern Ireland. 'We will use the findings of this survey to articulate farmers' research and innovation needs to government and academia.' Confirmation of the survey coincides with the launch of AgriSearch's new five-year strategy. 'Farmers continue to experience unprecedented challenges. AgriSearch has a crucial role to play in helping Northern Ireland farmers to succeed in economic, environmental and indeed social growth. 'This new statement of strategy has been developed by the AgriSearch Trustees to ensure that we continue to deliver for our farmer levy payers,' Rankin said. The survey can be found on the AgriSearch website and will be open until Monday, May 5.
