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Irish Independent
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Cork TD calls for toll barriers to be lifted on All-Ireland hurling final day amid road safety fears
Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould said measures must be taken in the interest of getting Cork fans to Croke Park safely. 'This Cork team has given the Rebels back their roar. They have inspired and motivated fans. We know that there will be a huge turnout from across Cork in two weeks' time,' Deputy Gould said. 'This needs to be matched by an increase in all forms of public transport.' The Cork North-Central TD said it is good to see Irish Rail's plans for additional services, but criticised Bus Éireann's attitude to matches this year. 'It is completely unacceptable that Bus Éireann's attitude for matches this year and last has been to shrug their shoulders and say they have no surge capacity,' Deputy Gould said. 'That should be planned for now. Drivers should be offered overtime, and they should get extra buses on the road.' Deputy Gould said Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) assured him that the use of tolls would not be an issue last Saturday for the semi-final clash between Cork and Dublin. However, there were traffic jams throughout the day. 'I wrote to TII last week and I was assured that the tolls would not be an issue for the semi-final,' the TD said. 'This wasn't the case and there were huge traffic jams all day Saturday with people trying to attend the match. 'This is dangerous on motorways, and it cannot be allowed to happen again.' Munster rivals Cork and Tipperary will lock horns at Croke Park in two weeks' time for the for the first time ever in an All-Ireland final, and both sets of supporters who choose to drive to the capital may use the Portlaoise toll. 'TII needs to consider lifting this barrier for the busiest times as people need to be able to get to Dublin safely. They make more than enough money from tolls every other day of the year; this is about safety,' Deputy Gould said. 'What we need now is real effort from all of those involved in transport – trains, planes, buses and cars.' For Cork, it is a shot at redemption following last year's final defeat to Clare as they pursue that elusive 31st Liam MacCarthy Cup win. Tipperary, meanwhile, are hoping to reach the promised land again for the 28th time, having last succeeded in 2019.
Irish Examiner
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Motorway toll barriers will not be lifted for fans driving to All-Ireland hurling final
Motorway toll barriers will not be lifted for fans driving to the All-Ireland hurling final on Sunday week but Irish Rail has pledged that anything that can move will be used to get fans to the match. It comes amid calls from all public transport operators to up their game to meet the unprecedented demand for attendance at the first ever Cork and Tipperary All-Ireland hurling final. Irish Rail said it is still working on the logistics to deliver extra services from both Cork and Tipperary on July 20, with an announcement expected later this week. A spokesman said they want to identify all available rolling stock and finalise staffing arrangements before announcing all of the available extra services together. 'But you can take it that anything we can get moving, will be moving on the day,' a spokesperson said. 'I would also remind customers, however, that they can only board the train for which they have booked.' The reminder was issued after some fans who had booked later trains tried to board earlier departures from Heuston station after Saturday's semi-final. Toll booths Meanwhile, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) said toll barriers will not be lifted on All-Ireland Sunday, despite complaints of long tailbacks at some of the motorway toll booths ahead of last Saturday's semi-final. Fine Gael TD for Cork North Central, Colm Burke said he was stuck in traffic for 70 minutes at the toll booth which leads on to the motorway south of Fermoy on his way to the match on Saturday morning. 'They have two barriers here but just one barrier was opening, and it was rejecting coins as well,' he said. 'It was crazy that people were delayed that long. They knew there was going to be a lot of traffic and all the barriers should have been properly managed and it appears that they weren't. 'If they couldn't operate it properly, they should have just opened the barriers.' Constituency colleague, Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould, said he wrote to TII last week about toll delays and was told there wouldn't be an issue. 'This wasn't the case and there were huge traffic jams all day Saturday with people trying to attend the match. This is dangerous on motorways and it cannot be allowed to happen again,' he said. 'TII needs to consider lifting this barrier for the busiest times as people need to be able to get to Dublin safely. They make more than enough money from tolls every other day of the year, this is about safety.' But TII said the barriers won't be lifted and fans should prepare accordingly. A spokesman said the State has contractual agreements in place with toll operators under existing public private partnerships. 'Therefore, any removal of tolls would have to be paid for by the state to the private operators,' a spokesman said. 'The existing toll system is a user pays system, if you don't use the motorway you don't pay. Any changes to that would mean people not using the motorway would be subsidising the motorway user.' He said TII has been engaged with toll operators and requested them to be fully prepared for the demands that will be placed on their tolling operations on All Ireland Sunday. TII said it has asked the operators to ensure that all toll lanes are open and fully staffed at the peak travelling times, both before and after the game.
Irish Independent
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Taoiseach hits back at Cork TD's housing criticism, saying councils leave houses ‘empty for too long'
His comments come as figures released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that thousands of local authority homes across Ireland are currently vacant, with some left idle for over five years. The figures, obtained by Cork North-Central TD Thomas Gould, indicate that almost 3,000 council houses across the state are currently idle, with almost 800 vacant for over a year. Dublin City Council has the highest number of vacant houses in the state, with 362 currently idle, 177 for over six months. Figures also show that 17 local authority houses in Limerick have been left vacant for over five years. Figures were not available for Kerry or Offaly. But in Micheál Martin's home city of Cork, 345 council homes are currently being left vacant across the city, with half of those empty for over 12 months. 'Families in Cork are crying out for homes while perfectly good homes have been left to rot,' commented Sinn Féin TD Gould on the figures. 'Cork City and County Councils should be funded to do their job. Instead, red tape and bureaucracy, coupled with underfunding, leave homes empty for years.' 'These empty homes are a constant reminder of the failures of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. If they cared about our communities, about families and about children growing up in hotels, these homes would not be empty for years on end. They should be moving heaven and earth to ensure families are making memories in these four walls.' The Taoiseach struck back, accusing local authorities of playing the blame game with central government, and says that councils have adequate funding, having most recently been allocated €150 million in January 2023 to combat vacancy and dereliction under the 'Vacant Homes Action Plan', part of the 'Housing for All' strategy launched originally in 2021. 'Four years ago, we gave huge funding to local authorities to get rid of voids once and for all,' said the Taoiseach, speaking in Cork last Friday. 'Local councils are leaving houses empty for too long. 'If someone leaves a tenancy, I do not understand why they have to wait for months. If it's good enough for someone to live in a month ago, it should certainly be good enough for someone to live in, in a month or six weeks later. 'Councils can't keep on blaming Central Government all of the time. A lot of this is within their competence and within their control. Certainly, in a lot of cases, it's dragging on too long. 'Houses should be occupied very quickly.' Deputy Gould said: 'I am sick and tired of the government's excuses and broken promises. They try to blame everyone but themselves. The reality is that this is an issue in all local authorities and in far too many communities because of their failings. "They do not provide enough funding to maintain homes, and they do not provide enough funding to return them to use.'
Irish Independent
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
‘Insulting' level in Cork of vacancy rates with 495 council houses currently empty
Sinn Féin TD for Cork North Central, Thomas Gould slammed the government for allowing public homes to lie empty during the current housing emergency. 'There is nothing more insulting to those impacted by the Housing Emergency than the sight of a perfectly good home left empty. 'Each of these homes should have a family living in them, children growing up in those four walls. Instead, these homes are empty, and children are growing up in hotels. 'That is beyond scandalous,' Mr Gould said. The data was released to Sinn Féín by Cork City Council via Freedom of Information. 'Families in Cork are crying out for homes while perfectly good homes have been left to rot. We know that these cause dumping and anti-social behaviour. 'They stigmatise decent communities and for people in Cork they are a constant reminder of the government's failures,' he added. The data also confirms that 150 council houses are currently vacant in Cork county, with 114 houses empty for up to 12 months. 99 homes have been vacant in Cork city for longer than two years. 'Cork City and County Councils should be funded to do their job. Instead, red-tape and bureaucracy coupled with underfunding leave homes empty for years in Cork. '99 homes in Cork city have been empty for longer than 2 years. This is a scandal,' he added. Mr Gould said a Sinn Féin government would 'not stop' until long-term vacancy in council homes is ended. 'I can guarantee that a Sinn Féin government would not stop until long-term vacancy in Council homes has been ended. 'We would cut the red tape and end the bureaucracy. 'We would do everything to ensure that nobody watches homes rot while they cannot access secure accommodation,' he concluded. On June 21, members of the Raise the Roof campaign will take to the streets of Cork for a housing protest. The Raise the Roof campaign includes a wide group of organisations including political parties, unions who represent older people, students, families and people with disabilities. Protesters are asked to meet at the National Monument on Grand Parade at 2pm.
BreakingNews.ie
06-06-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Sinn Féin calls for vacant council houses to be made available within 12 weeks
Sinn Féin has called for local authorities to be given powers that would see council homes made available to move into within 12 weeks of becoming vacant. New figures show that at least one in every four boarded up council home has been empty for longer than 12 months. Advertisement The figures released to Sinn Féin's Thomas Gould show that 38 per cent of those vacant longer than 12 months have been empty for more than two years. Over 750 council homes across the state have been boarded up for over a year. This is shameful. We must fight back together against FF & FG, demand investment in our communities, and ensure everyone has a safe, secure & affordable place to call home. — Sinn Féin (@sinnfeinireland) June 6, 2025 There are currently more than 750 council homes across Ireland which have been boarded up for more than a year. Mr Gould, the party's spokesman on Urban Regeneration and Renewal, Planning, Public Realm and Local Government, said there are thousands of homes that have been boarded up for three to four years, with some homes lying empty for eight years. Limerick, Wicklow, Tipperary and Louth have council homes boarded up for the longest time periods, while Donegal, Cork City and Limerick have the highest levels of vacant stock. Advertisement Mr Gould said the average re-letting times vary across the state. 'Why are local authorities boarding up houses? When a family moves out, (and) if that house is (in) a decent condition, let's put a family straight in. Let's not board it up. Let's put people in there. 'Instead, it's being boarded up, waiting for the Department of Housing to give money in 12 months' time, and then taking another six months for procurement to do it up. 'We want to get every house returned within 12 weeks. We think 12 gives time for local authorities to repair the house and get them out again. Advertisement 'Local authorities are only getting 11,000 euros for each unit to be turned around, when the average cost last year was 28,000.' He added: 'This is a scandal when we're in the middle of the worst housing crisis in the history of the state, and what we are trying to do is bring forward solutions. 'This in itself won't solve the housing crisis, but what it would do, is could release thousands of homes that would help to house people who are homeless, but also take people out of the rental market. 'So this will have a domino positive effect from homeless services to social housing to rent. Advertisement '(We) want local authorities, rather than waiting for the department to give sanctions, that local authorities would be able to work returning homes all year long, and not just waiting for once or twice a year for the government to give sanctions.' He called for Fianna Fail and Fine Gael to bring in a 'proper procedure' to address long-term vacant homes. Mr Gould said boarded-up houses have 'devastating effects' on communities. 'Families are coming out every day and looking at them, they're magnets for anti social-behaviour, the magnets for dumping,' he added. Advertisement Ireland Department of Foreign Affairs spent almost €1.4m o... Read More 'They just drag down the whole environment of really good communities, and it's about time now the Government stepped up. 'We are bringing forward a solution. We hope the Government will take it on board, because we think it makes sense.' The Department of Housing has been contacted for comment.
