Donal O’Keeffe

Ireland

Reporter with @echolivecork. Retweets not an endorsement, opinions very much my own. DMs open. [email protected]. https://t.co/1F80c236A9…

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Articles

Taoiseach: We will engage with Cork City Council on tenant-in-situ scheme

1 week ago | echolive.ie | Donal O’Keeffe

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has again said Government will engage with Cork City Council on the issue of funding for the tenant-in-situ scheme, “particularly in respect of homes where commitments were made”. Mr Martin added that nobody wanted to see people becoming homeless. The tenant-in-situ scheme enables local authorities to buy a rental property if the landlord is selling up, allowing tenants to remain in place and continue renting.
Taoiseach confident Cork will receive higher allocation of Garda recruits in June

1 week ago | echolive.ie | Donal O’Keeffe

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said he is confident that Cork will receive a higher allocation of gardaí when the next round of recruits graduate from the Garda Training College in Templemore in June. At the last graduation from Templemore, in March, only three “probationer” gardaí were assigned to the Cork City garda division, while three graduates were assigned to Mallow, in the Cork North division, and one to Bandon, in Cork West.
GRA calls for shortage of garda specialists to be tackled

1 week ago | echolive.ie | Donal O’Keeffe

The Garda Representative Association (GRA) has called on Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to address what it described as a “huge shortage” of specialist gardaí who examine road traffic incidents. The GRA annual delegate conference in Killarney last week heard that An Garda Síochána’s forensic collision investigation unit is not even at half strength.
Taoiseach wishes to ‘drive on’ with building 10k Cork homes on city's docklands

1 week ago | echolive.ie | Donal O’Keeffe

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said his message is to “drive on” with the building of 10,000 new homes on the Cork Docklands site, adding that “a substantial amount” of those homes will be affordable, social, and cost-rental. Accompanied by housing minister James Browne and minister of state Jerry Buttimer, Mr Martin was inspecting progress on more than 600 new State-owned affordable homes at two housing schemes at Marina Depot on the Cork Docklands site, and at Horgan’s Quay.
'It was a job worth doing': Gardaí ‘undervalued and under attack’

1 week ago | echolive.ie | Donal O’Keeffe

Delegates at the Garda Representative Association (GRA) annual conference voted this week to withdraw co-operation from planning meetings ahead of Ireland next year assuming the EU presidency. The vote was preceded by speaker after speaker urging delegates to vote to pass the motion, but some, like Cork city division delegate and central executive committee (CEC) member Pádraig Harrington, said the motion did not go far enough.
Sod turning

1 week ago | echolive.ie | Donal O’Keeffe

An Taoiseach Micheál Martin has turned the sod on 95 social and affordable homes on the northside of Cork city, and officially opened 18 new social homes. Mr Martin, accompanied by the Lord Mayor of Cork, Green Party councillor Dan Boyle, and chief executive of Cork City Council, Valerie O’Sullivan, marked the commencement of construction of 95 mixed-tenure homes at Glenbride, Kilnap, Old Mallow Road.
'Second Time Around': Lord Mayor having a sustainable ball for charity

1 week ago | echolive.ie | Donal O’Keeffe

Given that the Lord Mayor of Cork, Dan Boyle, is a Green Party councillor, the theme of this year’s Lord Mayor’s Charity Ball makes a lot of sense. The theme for the black-tie charity event is ‘Second Time Around’ and Mr Boyle is encouraging all guests to wear pre-loved or vintage clothing, promoting sustainability and the reuse of resources.
Emergency services attend multi-vehicle collision at Farnanes

2 weeks ago | echolive.ie | Donal O’Keeffe

Gardaí and emergency services are currently attending the scene of a multi-vehicle road traffic collision on the N22 at Farnanes. The incident occurred at approximately 5pm this evening, a spokesperson for An Garda Síochána said. No serious injuries have been reported. Drivers are urged to show caution when approaching the scene.
New social housing builds at a 50-year high - Taoiseach

2 weeks ago | echolive.ie | Donal O’Keeffe

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has defended the Government’s record on social housing, saying that despite a failure to meet its 2024 target, new builds were at a 50-year high. Last year, the State built 7,871 new social homes, missing its target of 9,300 by 1,429, or 15%. Speaking to The Echo, Mr Martin accepted that there had been a shortfall, but said the number of social home builds over the past four years has been unprecedented in recent times.
Gardaí threaten to withdraw co-operation on policing plans for Ireland's presidency of EU next year

2 weeks ago | echolive.ie | Donal O’Keeffe

The Garda Representative Association (GRA) has threatened to withdraw co-operation from planning for the policing of Ireland’s EU presidency next year. The association, which represents almost 13,000 frontline gardaí, passed a motion at its annual conference yesterday, saying it will not attend policing planning meetings for the presidency until issues over suspension and entitlements have been resolved.