I condemn absolutely the shooting in Clonliffe Avenue in Ballybough which took place this week in which a man was murdered.
As a resident of Clonliffe Avenue I am appalled that this action took place in this quiet and close-knit community. Nobody deserves to die in this fashion and no community deserves to have this type of incident occur on their doorsteps. The location of the shooting is a popular play area for local children and it is particularly disgusting that the murderers choose to gun down an apparently defenseless man at a spot where children play football everyday. I am calling on anyone with information on the shooting to contact the Gardai immediately so this sort of incident does not happen again.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
DEPUTY MAYOR DELIVERS FREE BOOKS TO INNER CITY SCHOOLS THIS WEEK AS PART OF RIGHT TO READ CAMPAIGN
Statement from Cllr Aodhan O Riordain
Thursday November 16th 2006
As part of his Right to Read Campaign, Deputy Lord Mayor Cllr Aodhan O Riordain is delivering free books to schools across the inner city and beyond this week. 'The book was written by Eanna Ni Lamhna and I'm delighted to be in a position to give a free book to school children right across Dublin.' he said. 'Thr Right to Read Campaign is focused on promoting improvements in housing policy, accessiblity to public libraries and the establishment of homework clubs across the city'. he continued. 'I hope all children read, and enjoy, Eanna's story. The Right to Read campaign is determined to tackle disadvantage education and needs public support. More information can be obtained at www.righttoread.ie.' he concluded.
Thursday November 16th 2006
As part of his Right to Read Campaign, Deputy Lord Mayor Cllr Aodhan O Riordain is delivering free books to schools across the inner city and beyond this week. 'The book was written by Eanna Ni Lamhna and I'm delighted to be in a position to give a free book to school children right across Dublin.' he said. 'Thr Right to Read Campaign is focused on promoting improvements in housing policy, accessiblity to public libraries and the establishment of homework clubs across the city'. he continued. 'I hope all children read, and enjoy, Eanna's story. The Right to Read campaign is determined to tackle disadvantage education and needs public support. More information can be obtained at www.righttoread.ie.' he concluded.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Right to Read campaign to be presented to Dublin City Council
The Right to Read Campaign Proposals are to be presented to Dublin City Council for adoption this Monday 6th November. The campaign is seeking Local Authorities to accept their responsibility in tackling educational disadvantage and our low child literacy levels by adopting the three basic steps of the Campaign.
The three steps are as follows: improvement of housing policy to enable children space to do their homework; the establishment of city-wide homework clubs; and increased opening hours for our local authority libraries.
The campaign, launched last Friday, is to be presented to Councils nationwide over the coming months and is seeking provision within the budgets of the various councils to achieve the three steps.
Literacy levels in Ireland are depressingly low. One in three children in disadvantaged areas have basic literacy problems and 23% of our adult population are functionally illiterate. This scandal has to change, and the local authority has a massive role in changing it.
Every local authority home must have the basic space within its bedrooms to allow children space to do their homework. Every local authority estate must have a homework club where trained Youth Development Workers manage and run homework clubs. Every local authority must have its libraries open in the evening time and at the weekend and not close on Saturdays as happens in far too many instances.
A package of €1,2 million is due to be made available in the Dublin City Council estimates to make the Right to Read campaign proposals a reality. I am placing these proposals before the City Council seeking all party support for this extremely important campaign.
Larger versions of the booklet can be found here and here.
The three steps are as follows: improvement of housing policy to enable children space to do their homework; the establishment of city-wide homework clubs; and increased opening hours for our local authority libraries.
The campaign, launched last Friday, is to be presented to Councils nationwide over the coming months and is seeking provision within the budgets of the various councils to achieve the three steps.
Literacy levels in Ireland are depressingly low. One in three children in disadvantaged areas have basic literacy problems and 23% of our adult population are functionally illiterate. This scandal has to change, and the local authority has a massive role in changing it.
Every local authority home must have the basic space within its bedrooms to allow children space to do their homework. Every local authority estate must have a homework club where trained Youth Development Workers manage and run homework clubs. Every local authority must have its libraries open in the evening time and at the weekend and not close on Saturdays as happens in far too many instances.
A package of €1,2 million is due to be made available in the Dublin City Council estimates to make the Right to Read campaign proposals a reality. I am placing these proposals before the City Council seeking all party support for this extremely important campaign.
Larger versions of the booklet can be found here and here.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Right to Read campaign launched
A campaign to help improve childhood literacy across Dublin was launched by the City’s Deputy Lord Mayor tomorrow.
The Right to Read Campaign is being led by the Deputy Lord Mayor, Cllr Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, and is supported by Barnardos, SIPTU, INTO, TUI, ASTI and NALA.
The campaign has identified three areas for funding and policy improvements that can be undertaken at local authority level to deliver better conditions in which children can read and learn. These include homework clubs, library services and housing.
As part of the campaign, a website has been created (www.righttoread.ie) which allows members of the public to sign-up in support of the campaign. In addition, a story book entitled Room to Read – which demonstrates some of some of the conditions that result in education disadvantage - was unveiled at the launch. The book, which was written by boradcaster Eanna Ni Lamhna, will be distributed at public transport stations in Dublin over the coming week.
According to Cllr Aodhán Ó Ríordáin,“as a primary school teacher in the North Inner City, I am only too well aware of the factors that contribute to poor literacy levels and educational disadvantage among children. It is unacceptable that despite the resources now at our disposal, 11% of our children are reaching junior cert age with only very basic reading levels.
“I have decided to champion the issue of literacy during my term as Deputy Lord Mayor. To date, I have obtained support from a variety of organisations to mount this campaign, and I am also securing support from my colleagues on Dublin City Council.
“The actions that have been identified by the campaign are not rocket science: We want home work clubs to be run by professionally trained tutors, so that children get the appropriate support. We want libraries to be more child-friendly, with more appropriate opening hours, so that children can learn to enjoy reading. We want local authority and social housing to include sufficient space for children to undertake homework in their bedroom or another quite area in their home.
“It is my expectation that, once the demands of the Right to Read Campaign have been accepted by Dublin City Council, we can roll the campaign out nationally. Every local authority has its disadvantaged areas where children do not have the conditions and support to improve their literacy levels.
“The relatively inexpensive and practical recommendations of the Right to Read Campaign can have a very significant impact on tackling educational disadvantage. Early intervention in childhood literacy will have a very positive impact on a child’s education and employment prospects later in life. A good level of literacy can also have a positive impact on a child’s self-esteem and confidence,” added Cllr Ó Ríordáin.
Adding her voice in support of the Right to Read Campaign, Eanna Ni Lamhna, said, “as well as being critical in informing future educational and career opportunities for children, reading is great fun and offers lots of entertainment possibilities at home, in homework clubs and in the classroom.
“Children need to be helped and supported in reading, so that they can enjoy the benefits and reap the rewards. No child, in this day and age, should be prohibited from enjoying reading because of barriers such as poor access to good books or a lack of suitable space in their home where they can enjoy reading as a past-time.
“The Right to Read Campaign sheds light on the fact that so many children in this country suffer educational disadvantage. This stifles their capacity to fully participate in the classroom and reduces their chances of accessing third level education later in life.
“The little story that I wrote for the campaign material for the Right to Read Campaign demonstrates that when youngsters are given the right environment in which they can enjoy reading they will embrace it.
“I hope that the Right to Read Campaign will extend beyond Dublin City and that it becomes a focus for local authorities and the powers that be throughout the country,” added Eanna Ni Lamhna.
The Right to Read Campaign is being led by the Deputy Lord Mayor, Cllr Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, and is supported by Barnardos, SIPTU, INTO, TUI, ASTI and NALA.
The campaign has identified three areas for funding and policy improvements that can be undertaken at local authority level to deliver better conditions in which children can read and learn. These include homework clubs, library services and housing.
As part of the campaign, a website has been created (www.righttoread.ie) which allows members of the public to sign-up in support of the campaign. In addition, a story book entitled Room to Read – which demonstrates some of some of the conditions that result in education disadvantage - was unveiled at the launch. The book, which was written by boradcaster Eanna Ni Lamhna, will be distributed at public transport stations in Dublin over the coming week.
According to Cllr Aodhán Ó Ríordáin,“as a primary school teacher in the North Inner City, I am only too well aware of the factors that contribute to poor literacy levels and educational disadvantage among children. It is unacceptable that despite the resources now at our disposal, 11% of our children are reaching junior cert age with only very basic reading levels.
“I have decided to champion the issue of literacy during my term as Deputy Lord Mayor. To date, I have obtained support from a variety of organisations to mount this campaign, and I am also securing support from my colleagues on Dublin City Council.
“The actions that have been identified by the campaign are not rocket science: We want home work clubs to be run by professionally trained tutors, so that children get the appropriate support. We want libraries to be more child-friendly, with more appropriate opening hours, so that children can learn to enjoy reading. We want local authority and social housing to include sufficient space for children to undertake homework in their bedroom or another quite area in their home.
“It is my expectation that, once the demands of the Right to Read Campaign have been accepted by Dublin City Council, we can roll the campaign out nationally. Every local authority has its disadvantaged areas where children do not have the conditions and support to improve their literacy levels.
“The relatively inexpensive and practical recommendations of the Right to Read Campaign can have a very significant impact on tackling educational disadvantage. Early intervention in childhood literacy will have a very positive impact on a child’s education and employment prospects later in life. A good level of literacy can also have a positive impact on a child’s self-esteem and confidence,” added Cllr Ó Ríordáin.
Adding her voice in support of the Right to Read Campaign, Eanna Ni Lamhna, said, “as well as being critical in informing future educational and career opportunities for children, reading is great fun and offers lots of entertainment possibilities at home, in homework clubs and in the classroom.
“Children need to be helped and supported in reading, so that they can enjoy the benefits and reap the rewards. No child, in this day and age, should be prohibited from enjoying reading because of barriers such as poor access to good books or a lack of suitable space in their home where they can enjoy reading as a past-time.
“The Right to Read Campaign sheds light on the fact that so many children in this country suffer educational disadvantage. This stifles their capacity to fully participate in the classroom and reduces their chances of accessing third level education later in life.
“The little story that I wrote for the campaign material for the Right to Read Campaign demonstrates that when youngsters are given the right environment in which they can enjoy reading they will embrace it.
“I hope that the Right to Read Campaign will extend beyond Dublin City and that it becomes a focus for local authorities and the powers that be throughout the country,” added Eanna Ni Lamhna.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Deputy Mayor welcomes drug seizure
Deputy Lord Mayor Cllr Aodhan O Riordain has welcomed the major drugs seizure in the capital on Tuesday night. Up to six million euro worth of heroin has been discovered in an apartment in West Dublin.
Cllr Aodhan O Riordain has congratulated Gardai for their role in one of the biggest single seizures they have made in recent years. 'It is great to hear that such a substantial amount of heroin has been recovered however it is a matter of extreme concern that heroin is still in such high demand in Dublin.' Cllr O Riordain said.
'The Gardai are to be congratulated and I would once again urge people within the community to pass whatever information they have onto the Gardai so that more seizures like this can be made in the future' Cllr O Riordain concluded.
Cllr Aodhan O Riordain has congratulated Gardai for their role in one of the biggest single seizures they have made in recent years. 'It is great to hear that such a substantial amount of heroin has been recovered however it is a matter of extreme concern that heroin is still in such high demand in Dublin.' Cllr O Riordain said.
'The Gardai are to be congratulated and I would once again urge people within the community to pass whatever information they have onto the Gardai so that more seizures like this can be made in the future' Cllr O Riordain concluded.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Life of a Dublin City Cyclist
Some days I feel like a member of an endangered species: despised by many, facing stiff competition from my own kind, consistently relieved of essential assets by the wandering fingers of passers-by and regularly harassed by officers of the state. Yes, you’ve guessed it; I’m a cyclist.
Thankfully I am not alone but there are times I feel that the vast majority of the Irish public have scant regard for the precarious nature of our daily adventures. We do not pollute the air and we do not add to traffic jams. Rather we are visions of healthy living on every horizon, yet we are not understood. We are generally considered, certainly by motorists, to be an unfortunate irritant on the road - certainly not in any way an equal, and have to be reminded at regular intervals to ‘Get off the f**kin road ya f**kin gobsh***’. We are misunderstood – and we need to redress the balance.
I’ve been cycling around Dublin for a number of years now and I cannot believe that I managed to survive for so long without a bike. Previous to this I was a walker, a bus-user and a taxi frequenter but the pull of economic reality and time-management issues propelled me towards the logic of becoming a cyclist.
I have never owned a car and indeed I can’t drive. The last time I sat behind the wheel was at the bumpers in Salthill where I was the talk of the amusement park. An unsuspecting Spanish student incurred my wrath by daring to access the blue bumper car that I wanted before me. I had to settle for a rather less manly pink effort which made Senor Spanish Student public enemy number one in my eyes. Thankfully no representatives of Fáilte Ireland appeared to be present as I pinned him repeatedly against the outer ring of the bumper track causing him to swear at me in Spanish and making all his mates hoot with laughter from the viewing stand.
As always happens with bumper cars, your turn ends far too quickly. I ran enthusiastically toward the ticket booth a wanting another go and imagining in my little head that I was winning over the crowd and that surely it was only a matter of time before roars of ‘Ole Ole’ would be ringing in my ears. However the glaring look in the eyes of my companions and indeed the menacing grunt of the bumper attendant as I skipped past him convinced me that my time would be better served at one of the hoola-hoop stands.
I did receive a kind gift of a number of driving lessons once as a birthday present but I spent so much time putting my hand on the driving instructors knee instead of the gear-stick that I’m sure he was getting the wrong idea. ‘As long as you don’t make a mistake when you go for the hand-brake’ he muttered after I apologised yet again for another transgression. I didn’t go back for another driving lesson after my gift certificate had expired and I don’t think the instructor was too upset.
So I have become reasonably content with the life of a cyclist. However I must admit that I rebelled against the term ‘cyclist’ for a long time. I didn’t want to be pigeon-holed as a helmeted, lycra-wearing reflector-junkie. When I’m cycling merrily along, I don’t like the sight of a Stephen Roche wannabe with all the cycling must-haves sticking his slender buttocks in the air as he passes and waddling off into the distance with his rear red light flashing even though its only 3:15 in the afternoon. I like the freedom of doing my own thing, and trying to impress on people that I have no real interest in perfecting the art of negotiating through my native city on the back of a bike. I want my body language to scream: ‘This cycling buzz is surely only a temporary stint until I take time out of my busy schedule to buy that black Beemer!!’
However the only screaming that took place in the first number of weeks was done by little old ladies trying to dodge me or mothers grasping the arms of their children as I approached at full tilt, completely unaware that I was breaking some well known rule of the road.
I’m a committed cyclist now who knows better. Far behind me are the days when red traffic lights used to call to me to tempt me into breaking them. I no longer believe that pedestrians have less of a right to the path than I have. And I have overcome my hesitation towards the reflector culture. Arriving alive is now a priority with me.
Certainly there are drawbacks to cycling – the weather being one. But on a rainy day you do get the satisfaction of passing out the endless queues of traffic elongated by the large population of Dubliners who are allergic to rainwater and therefore feel they have to drive to work. You will have something stolen from your bike – if not the entire vehicle – at some stage. And yes you will lose all faith in humanity for a number of minutes and fill the air with blue tones when the realisation hits that the empty space in front of you is where your bike used to be. However for sure physical exercise and for a speedy way of getting from A to B, I can’t recommend it enough. Just don’t let the red lights tempt you into breaking them. Listen to the Garda when he tells you not to go down the one-way street frequented by heavy-goods vehicles and lock your bike.
It’ll be good for you and you’ll get there quicker – I promise!
Thankfully I am not alone but there are times I feel that the vast majority of the Irish public have scant regard for the precarious nature of our daily adventures. We do not pollute the air and we do not add to traffic jams. Rather we are visions of healthy living on every horizon, yet we are not understood. We are generally considered, certainly by motorists, to be an unfortunate irritant on the road - certainly not in any way an equal, and have to be reminded at regular intervals to ‘Get off the f**kin road ya f**kin gobsh***’. We are misunderstood – and we need to redress the balance.
I’ve been cycling around Dublin for a number of years now and I cannot believe that I managed to survive for so long without a bike. Previous to this I was a walker, a bus-user and a taxi frequenter but the pull of economic reality and time-management issues propelled me towards the logic of becoming a cyclist.
I have never owned a car and indeed I can’t drive. The last time I sat behind the wheel was at the bumpers in Salthill where I was the talk of the amusement park. An unsuspecting Spanish student incurred my wrath by daring to access the blue bumper car that I wanted before me. I had to settle for a rather less manly pink effort which made Senor Spanish Student public enemy number one in my eyes. Thankfully no representatives of Fáilte Ireland appeared to be present as I pinned him repeatedly against the outer ring of the bumper track causing him to swear at me in Spanish and making all his mates hoot with laughter from the viewing stand.
As always happens with bumper cars, your turn ends far too quickly. I ran enthusiastically toward the ticket booth a wanting another go and imagining in my little head that I was winning over the crowd and that surely it was only a matter of time before roars of ‘Ole Ole’ would be ringing in my ears. However the glaring look in the eyes of my companions and indeed the menacing grunt of the bumper attendant as I skipped past him convinced me that my time would be better served at one of the hoola-hoop stands.
I did receive a kind gift of a number of driving lessons once as a birthday present but I spent so much time putting my hand on the driving instructors knee instead of the gear-stick that I’m sure he was getting the wrong idea. ‘As long as you don’t make a mistake when you go for the hand-brake’ he muttered after I apologised yet again for another transgression. I didn’t go back for another driving lesson after my gift certificate had expired and I don’t think the instructor was too upset.
So I have become reasonably content with the life of a cyclist. However I must admit that I rebelled against the term ‘cyclist’ for a long time. I didn’t want to be pigeon-holed as a helmeted, lycra-wearing reflector-junkie. When I’m cycling merrily along, I don’t like the sight of a Stephen Roche wannabe with all the cycling must-haves sticking his slender buttocks in the air as he passes and waddling off into the distance with his rear red light flashing even though its only 3:15 in the afternoon. I like the freedom of doing my own thing, and trying to impress on people that I have no real interest in perfecting the art of negotiating through my native city on the back of a bike. I want my body language to scream: ‘This cycling buzz is surely only a temporary stint until I take time out of my busy schedule to buy that black Beemer!!’
However the only screaming that took place in the first number of weeks was done by little old ladies trying to dodge me or mothers grasping the arms of their children as I approached at full tilt, completely unaware that I was breaking some well known rule of the road.
I’m a committed cyclist now who knows better. Far behind me are the days when red traffic lights used to call to me to tempt me into breaking them. I no longer believe that pedestrians have less of a right to the path than I have. And I have overcome my hesitation towards the reflector culture. Arriving alive is now a priority with me.
Certainly there are drawbacks to cycling – the weather being one. But on a rainy day you do get the satisfaction of passing out the endless queues of traffic elongated by the large population of Dubliners who are allergic to rainwater and therefore feel they have to drive to work. You will have something stolen from your bike – if not the entire vehicle – at some stage. And yes you will lose all faith in humanity for a number of minutes and fill the air with blue tones when the realisation hits that the empty space in front of you is where your bike used to be. However for sure physical exercise and for a speedy way of getting from A to B, I can’t recommend it enough. Just don’t let the red lights tempt you into breaking them. Listen to the Garda when he tells you not to go down the one-way street frequented by heavy-goods vehicles and lock your bike.
It’ll be good for you and you’ll get there quicker – I promise!
Monday, October 02, 2006
Accent issue runs and runs
What can I say? You say something that you've felt for years and because you're the Deputy Lord Mayor; Morning Ireland want you, Newstalk want you, 98fm want you, Spin103.8 want you, the Irish Independent want you, the Evening Herald and the Irish Sun write full pages about you and even Podge and Rodge are tickled...... all over the misuse of Dublin accents in advertisements.
I hope I handled the issue carefully because I feel very strongly about it. I cannot stand the way that the Dublin accent is associated with criminal behaviour by advertisers for security systems and other products. Alarm companies feed off fear and when they advertise they have to humanise that fear so they use the accent that they know they'll get away with - a working class Dublin one.
Either way I got massive reaction from the public - only one nasty e-mail which I responded to comprehensively and got no further comment. Enough said. Back to real politics - housing, poverty, drugs, educational disadvantage......
I hope I handled the issue carefully because I feel very strongly about it. I cannot stand the way that the Dublin accent is associated with criminal behaviour by advertisers for security systems and other products. Alarm companies feed off fear and when they advertise they have to humanise that fear so they use the accent that they know they'll get away with - a working class Dublin one.
Either way I got massive reaction from the public - only one nasty e-mail which I responded to comprehensively and got no further comment. Enough said. Back to real politics - housing, poverty, drugs, educational disadvantage......
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