A NEW candidate for Cork North Central has defended his party’s use of the word ‘rapefugee’ to describe certain refugees coming from war-torn countries to Europe.
Peter O’Loughlin is the founder of Identity Ireland, a party which is running on an anti-EU, anti-immigration platform.
The party’s official social media accounts regularly share news stories on what they say are problems caused by mass-immigration and asylum seekers, and have adopted the term ‘rapefugee’ in the wake of a number of incidents in Germany last month.

Mr O’Loughlin said that he stands over this type of language.
“It’s a phrase that makes sense. People look at it and think that it’s base or it’s trying to stir up outrage. It’s a way of separating people,” he said.
He said that he used the word to separate the people committing crimes from real refugees:“It mightn’t be the most highbrow word, but it represents something. It’s a good way to separate people.”he said.
Mr O’Loughlin warned that the same incidents seen in Germany would make their way to Ireland. in time.
“The reason that they happened is because of the insane open border policy. Everything that happens in Europe eventually comes to Ireland,” he said.
This weekend he will lead a demonstration in Dublin against the “Islamic invasion” of Ireland.
The demonstration is organised by Pegida, a pan-European anti-immigration group, whose Irish branch Mr O’Loughlin launched in Dublin last week.
However, he accepted that there will likely be more people demonstrating against Pegida than demonstrating against Islam.
A number of anti-racism and left-wing groups are planning a counter demonstration. A bus from Cork has been organised for the counter demonstration.
“No matter how matter where you bring up these issues there is always someone trying to attack you.“There will always be people trying to shut us down because they don’t want their views to be shown up as nonsense,” he said.
This is Mr O’Loughlin’s third election, having picked up 6,561 votes in the 2014 European Election for Ireland South, and 930 votes in the Carlow-Killkenny By-election last year — less than 1.5% of the vote each time.
He is originally from Carlowtown, but has lived on Cork’s southside for a number of years. He is trained as a primary teacher. He opted to run in Cork North Central due to the presence in South Central of independent candidate Elizabeth Hourihane, who is running on a similar platform.He said that he did not want to split their message, but spread it wider across the city.

THE Mayor of County Cork has heaped praise on Cork’s ‘incredible’ Special Olympians. At a ceremony in County Hall, Mayor Cllr John Paul O’Shea honoured six athletes who had taken eight medals and two ribbons between them across a host of events at the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Los Angeles last summer.

Cork County Council held a civic reception at County Hall to honour the tremendous accomplishments of six Cork competitors at the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games. Pictured (left to right): Colm Monahan, Ballincollig, Laura Aherne, Carrigaline, Trudy Hyland, College Road, Cllr. John Paul O’Shea, Mayor of the County of Cork, Lisa O’Brien, Ballyhea, Tim Lucey, Chief Executive, Cork County Council, Aoife O’Sullivan, Ballinlough and Sean Coleman, Youghal. Photo: Martin Walsh.

Laura Ahern (Glanmire), Aoife O’Sullivan (Ballinlough), Sean Coleman (Youghal), Lisa O’Brien (Ballyhea), Colm Monahan (Ballincollig) and Trudy Hyland (College Road) all competed at the games.
Mr O’Shea said: “To represent your country at Olympic level is a fantastic achievement; very few people get a chance to pull on an Irish shirt at the Olympic Games – you did.”

Colm Monahan, Ballincollig, who was on the five-a-side Irish team which came fifth at the World Games, with his parents Pat and Bríd, brother Seamus and aunt Catherine Murphy (right).
Picture: Denis Minihane.

He described was particularly complimentary of the training and dedication it took for each athlete to reach the level they did, describing the athletes as ‘an inspiration to others.’

 Aoife O’Sullivan, Ballinlough, Cork, winner of one gold and two bronze medals, with her mother Evelyn (left) and Carol Roe, one of the volunteers.
Picture: Denis Minihane.

He said, “I would also like to focus on and commend what it took for each and every one of you to reach this event. Your training and dedication lead to you being successfully selected to compete in these games. This is the culmination of years of commitment and the absolute highest levels of accomplishment that you can reach.” In total, Team Ireland had 88 athletes competing at the Special Olympics, and were accompanied by a coaching team of 40.

THOUSANDS of election posters will be erected across Cork over the next 24 hours following the announcement today to officially kick-start General Election 2016.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny dissolved the Dáil, signalling the start of a campaign to form a new Government.
An army of canvassers and political supporters, armed with step ladders, will be out in force tonight and tomorrow to erect posters on poles all over the city and county — with some even erected overnight ahead of the official whistle.

Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny with Tanaiste and Labour Party Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton at Government Building as they announced to dissolve Dail Eireann. Photo: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

Candidates of the main political parties will raise more than 400 new posters each, on average, as well as recycling old posters.
It’s estimated that more than 20,000 posters will be erected across Cork by the 63 candidates in the race, although some candidates have decided against putting up any. Fine Gael TD Jerry Buttimer said he had taken receipt of 400 new posters and would also be using old ones from the 2011 campaign as well.
He predicted a busy journey to polling day for all candidates.“I’ll be out canvassing from morning to night.
“I’ll be on the bridges in the city in the mornings and knocking on doors in the afternoon and evening. I’m looking forward to it.
“It’s a great privilege to ask people for their endorsement,” said Mr Buttimer.
A Sinn Féin spokesman said they would be erecting 2,000 posters in the city and around 5,000 for the entire county.
“We will be mobilising our entire membership in Cork for the duration of the campaign.
“We’ll have a lot of people out knocking on doors every day,” the spokesman said.Research on the 2011 campaign showed that more than €5,500 was spent by each candidate, on average, on posters.
Almost €20,000 was spent on average on candidates’ campaigns.
Each candidate will be calling on supporters, friends and family members to knock on doors, deliver leaflets and spread policy messages on the doorsteps.
A number of towns have requested that posters not be erected in town and village centres during the campaign.

Cork’s housing market is in disarray with rising rents and limited supply. Kevin O’Neill asks sitting Government TDs if they did enough to prevent the crisis

Fine Gael TDs in Cork have conceded that there is a long way to go before the housing crisis is solved.
Since the current Government took to office, the housing market in Cork city and county has been in crisis. Housing stock has plummeted in the city centre, while rents have sky-rocketed in almost all parts of the county.
In April 2011 — the first month after the current Government took to office — there were 808 houses listed for rent in Cork city on property website Daft.ie. Five years later, the housing market has collapsed and demand increased, with just 108 properties listed in the city yesterday.
Large parts of Cork South Central are among the worst affected when it comes to spiralling rents, with Rochestown experiencing the sharpest jump in the entire county. Rent increased by 19.6% in just five years, with people paying an average of €1,008 per month.
Striking increases can also be seen in Douglas (15.4%) and Frankfield (18.4%), where the highest average rent in Cork is paid —an average of €1,055 per month.
Bishopstown, part of Cork South Central at the time of the 2011 General Election, increased by 18.9% to a monthly average of €1,017.
In other parts of the county, commuter towns like Glanmire (17.3%) and Ballincollig (11.6%) have also increased sharply, with the Cork East rail-adjacent towns, including Midleton and Carrigtwohill, also increasing and experiencing high demand for property.
Though increases haven’t been felt as acutely in West Cork, stock is particularly restricted in towns such as Clonakilty, Kinsale, and Skibbereen.
Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney said that there is still a lot of work to do before the Government can claim to have solved the housing crisis.
The Cork South Central TD said: “I wouldn’t for one minute claim that this
Government has solved the housing crisis — there is still so much work to do.”
Mr Coveney said, though, that the wheels are in motion all over Cork to begin this work, noting huge capital investments in social housing and departmental staffing, which Fine Gael insist will also contribute to a reduction in rent in the private market as demand is met.
“In terms of Cork City and County — €124 million has been committed to build 1,349 social houses in Cork city by next year. €80.5m has been committed to build 1,217 in Cork county by the end of 2017, and some of these have started in Carrigaline already,” he said.
Jerry Buttimer TD said these capital projects are recognition of the need to take action in the housing market.
He said: “These projects are not being announced because there is an election coming. It is important for the Government to prioritise the needs of the people.”
Cork East TD Tom Barry, who was critical of the Government’s housing policy in the past, conceded that there is a lot to do to solve the crisis, and said that more could have been done over the last few years.
“Could we have done more? Of course we could have,” he said.
Speaking in the wake of the announcement of legislative changes to limit the ability of landlords to increase rent, Mr Barry claimed he was going to be forced to sell his own private property portfolio, which included 10 properties.
He said this stance hasn’t changed. “The property market hasn’t changed, so neither has my opinion. As a person who is involved in the market, I can say that a lot of work needs to be done to support it. People are losing hundreds of euro every month in many cases, with many people in negative equity and borrowing money from other income sources to meet payments.”
Mr Barry said he can see the logic in temporary rent freezes to curb private market increases, but insisted they will serve no purpose if the housing stock isn’t increased. “Freezing rents is not the best way to fix it. We need to build and build a lot. That is the only to solve demand issues and to cap rents fairly.”
Cork North West TD Áine Collins agreed that more could have been done, though said the Government’s focus was on fixing the economy.
Ballincollig, the heart of Ms Collins’ constituency, has experienced huge demand for property due to the presence of EMC, VMWare and other international companies drawing in huge numbers of young professionals.
She said the town is feeling pressure from the collapse of the construction market.
Ms Collins said, “From 2000 to 2007, 95,000 houses per year were being built in Ireland. This dropped to about 4,000 per year —we need 25,000 every year. This caused a huge backlog in the sector and now people can’t find homes.”
Ms Collins said that Fine Gael’s priority in Government was to focus on fixing the economy. She said that fixing services will come next.
“There is a lot to be done, but a lot is done already. The focus was to fix the economy before we could fix our services. But the policies are in place and these will come to fruition.”

_____

Increasing supply is the only solution

Build, build, build — that is the only way to solve the housing crisis, according to Cork’s Government TDs.
Limited supply all over Cork has fuelled rent increases as demand for property spikes. Reduced investment in the social housing market has also forced many to look to the private housing market, causing even greater pressure. Minister Simon Coveney said the collapse all but ended construction in Ireland overnight.
“Clearly the biggest problem in housing is that there hasn’t been enough built in the last eight years. There was a huge collapse almost overnight — we went from building 90,000 houses every year to 5,000 houses.”
Cork East TD Tom Barry said that a sudden surge in the number of people working in Cork is the reason for the pressure in the housing market. Additional supply is the only way to solve this, he said. “Until we increase supply, the problem is going to remain. The housing crisis wasn’t a crisis in the early years of this Government. 135,000 extra people are at work and people are returning home — all of this is increasing pressure on the market. It is a legacy of the boom and bust cycle.”
Mr Barry’s party colleague in Cork North West, Michael Creed, said that an ‘aggressive’ housing policy is the only way to ease demand in parts of the county. Mr Creed said that Ballincollig is under a particular strain both in social and private housing. “Anyone who represents Ballincollig must recognise the huge issue with housing in the area. This is both in terms of social housing and private property, which is not at an affordable level.”
He urged the Government to buy houses, as well as building them.
“We need a more aggressive approach. Void and derelict buildings on the streetscapes in smaller towns and villages — these could be bought, renovated, and returned to the market. This would contribute to the regeneration of these areas at an affordable level and ease pressure on the market.”
Labour TD Ciarán Lynch said that demand has caused the spike. “The high rents in Cork are a result of pent-up demand in the market.”
Mr Lynch’s party colleague in Cork East, Sean Sherlock, welcomed the allocation of some €80 million to Cork County Council for housing projects in recent weeks.
He said: “61 houses were announced for Midleton last week, which is significant. I look forward to the local authority continuing this project and others.”

LORD Mayor of Cork, Councillor Chris O’Leary, is seeing first hand the work being done by fellow Cork person Adi Roche, on his visit to the Chernobyl region.
Her charity, Chernobyl Children International, is transforming the lives of children affected by the catastrophic nuclear accident that occurred in 1986
Adi said: “We are delighted that the Lord Mayor is able to see what Irish funding and the work of Irish volunteers has achieved.”

Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Chris O Leary in Vesnova Chirldren’s Institution with Adi Roche of Chernobyl Children International (CCI).
Picture Clare Keogh

The Lord Mayor was afforded a civic reception in the cities of Glusk and Gomel and is accompanied by the Irish Ambassador to Belarus, David Noonan, from Douglas, and Chief Executive of Cork City Council, Ann Doherty.One of CCI’s major achievements has been to bring about changes in the law in Belarus to allow children who have reached 18 and who are capable of independent living to move into Irish funded Independent Living Homes rather than – as was the custom – being sent to nearby adult mental asylums where they would have to spend the rest of their lives.

BANDON is on the verge of a major employment boost, as a new company has lodged planning for a conference centre, outlet shopping village and state-of-the-art hotel that promises 400 new jobs.
Phoenix Tourism Development Bandon have lodged an application for a change of zoning at the Castle Bernard estate, with a view to applying for planning for the three projects “as soon as possible.” The project will comprise a 100-bedroom state-of-the-art hotel overlooking Bandon Golf Club and a further development on the N71, incorporating a 4000-seater conference centre and Kildare Village-style outlet centre.

Pictured overlooking Castle Bernard Estate at Bandon Co Cork are members of Phoenix Developments who have submitted plans for a new€50m Hotel and Conference centre for Bandon West Cork and pictured at the site are directors Tim Cooper, Ger Keohane, Bob Brady and Emma Carter. Picture Denis Boyle

“This will be the biggest project that has gone into Bandon,” says local builder and property developer, Bob Brady, who is one of four directors involved in the project. “We are looking at creating 400 new jobs, 250 coming from construction on the three projects. This is all gauged towards bringing tourism into Bandon.”
Mr Brady said that the news had begun to trickle out and the directors have received “100% positive feedback.”
“Things have just started but hopefully we can get things going as soon as possible.”

MINISTER Kathleen Lynch, Labour candidate for Cork North Central is the first general election candidate to feature in the Evening Echo’s new ‘Get to Know your Candidate’ video series.

The junior Minister for Health with responsibility for Mental Health, Primary Care and Social Care, speaks candidly about her secret character traits, her loves and what she most values in life.
The new video series will offer people a glimpse into their candidates lives, outside of the political arena.
What would most surprise you about Minister Lynch?

SIGNIFICANT progress has been made on the city’s Event Centre with an expectation Taoiseach Enda Kenny will visit Cork next week to officially turn the sod on the €54m project.
Months of discussions between the various project partners have delayed the start of the development but the Evening Echo understands that the necessary funding is now in place.

The concert venue planned for the former Beamish Brewery site.

The centre is a joint-venture between Bam Contractors and Heineken Ireland, with entertainment giant Live Nation set to operate the 6,000-capacity venue. It is understood Taoiseach Enda Kenny will visit Cork next week, likely on Friday, as part of Fine Gael’s election campaign and will use the visit to officially launch the project.
However senior sources, not connected to Fine Gael, have told the Evening Echo the launch is not merely a photo opportunity and that the project will proceed as planned. In a further positive move, it is expected that the entire former Beamish & Crawford brewery site will undergo construction and not just the event centre.
The entire site’s €150m redevelopment will include new apartments, shops, a cinema, two new footbridges and laneways, a brewery museum and viewing tower accommodating a two-storey bar and restaurant.
Cork City Council and the Government have agreed to support the project with €20m in public funding. Minister Simon Coveney, who has been helping guide the project, has repeatedly stated an events centre for Cork would finally come to fruition following decades of disappointment.
This week he told the Evening Echo that he was ‘confident’ that there will be progress on the project shortly.

MINISTER Simon Coveney said that Cllr Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire “doesn’t know what he’s talking about” after the Sinn Féin candidate said that Fine Gael economic numbers don’t add up.
Mr Ó Laoghaire called on sitting Cork South Central TDs Mr Coveney and Jerry Buttimer to explain how they could cut USC while delivering on other promises.

Minister Simon Coveney.

“Fine Gael has been peddling figures in relation to their promise to abolish the USC that simply do not add up. This is very wrong.
“It is incumbent on deputies Coveney and Buttimer to explain to the people of Cork South Central how they will magically allocate 50% to USC cuts, 25% contingency, 70% to public spending. It just doesn’t make sense,” he said.
Mr Coveney said that Mr Ó Laoghaire didn’t know anything about Fine Gael’s numbers, because they haven’t been released yet. The party will release its medium-term economic plan today, which Mr Coveney said would show how they can deliver on their election promises.
“He’s attacking figures that he hasn’t even seen yet. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. As usual this is Sinn Féin with a negative message when they don’t know what they’re talking about,” he said. “Our economic plan will be published today, and he can see for himself, and everyone can see it for themselves and judge it.”
“There are 16,000 more people working in Cork than there were five years ago, and I’m not sure what Sinn Féin contributed to that,” he added.
Mr Ó Laoghaire said that according to current figures, the Government had €12.7 billion to work with, the so called ‘fiscal space’.

Cllr. Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire.
Picture: Denis Minihane.

However, he said that with capital spending, that was reduced to €8.6 billion, and with other commitments on USC cuts and contingency savings, just €1.4 billion was left over for investment in services.
“It seems that Fine Gael are engaged in some trickery with the public finances ahead of the general election. This is extremely reckless and it shows an utter disregard for those caught up in the housing crisis and the chaos currently gripping our hospitals,” he said. It is very disingenuous and it smacks again of auction politics with very little substance,” he said.

EW CAR sales in Cork are increasing faster than the national average as the motor industry picks up.
There were 5,353 cars sold in County Cork last month, a 36% jump on last January when 3,930 new cars were sold. The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) released the figures, describing annual sales forecasts as positive.

File pic

Leading the way is Keary’s Garages in Cork and Midleton, which are reporting a huge 65% increase on this time last year. In tandem with a third Cork garage — Deerpark Motors Ltd — a stunning 822 new Renault and Dacia cars were sold in the first month of 2016.
Brendan Keary said: “In our wildest dreams, we couldn’t have imagined it to be this high. It is brilliant. We are delighted to see growth across all models, especially the new Renault Kadjar which we literally can’t keep up with the demand for.”
Nationally, the number of new vehicle registrations increased by 33%, with more than 150,000 new cars expected to be sold this year.
Light commercial vehicles are also up 34% in January 2016, with 6,589 sold nationwide, in comparison to 4,909 in the same month last year. Heavy-goods vehicle registrations have also increased by a huge 138%, with 492 161 vehicles registered nationwide.
Petrol and diesel vehicles still dominate the sector, with 98% of cars sold in January using traditional fuels. Just 715 electric or hybrid cars were sold nationwide.
2015 had all the hallmarks of recovery for the motor industry, with 30% more cars sold, generating some €1.19 billion for the exchequer, and sustaining 43,400 jobs nationwide.
Mark Boggan, president of SIMI, said that increased consumer confidence is contributing to the positive trends. “An increase in both consumer and business confidence last year has contributed to the growth in sales and we have seen this carry over into the first trading month of 2016.”
Hyundai, Toyota, and Ford are the most popular car makes to date this year, with the Hyundai Tucson the most popular model of car in January, accounting for almost 7% of cars sold.

AS quiet, hardworking people, Linda and Fidel Espino aren’t used to asking others for help.
The couple, who are originally from the Philippines, has been living in Douglas for the last 14 years. Linda currently works as a housekeeper in the maternity ward of Cork University Hospital while Fidel works as a cleaner for a business in Cork city.Their daughter, two grandchildren and members of their extended family still live in the Philippines, so Linda and Fidel regularly send money to them.
With decent jobs, a better quality of life, and Irish citizenship, all was going well until tragedy struck on New Year’s Eve. A rogue firecracker, set off in celebration, accidentally started a fire that razed 250 homes to the ground in Tongo, Philippines. Linda and Fidel’s family home was among them.

Fidel Espino from the Philippines, now living in Douglas.
Picture: David Keane.

“My daughter heard lots of shouting and when she opened the window she saw the fire one house before ours,” said Fidel.
“She immediately grabbed my two grandchildren out of their beds. Then she went back to see if she could save anything but there was nothing. She rang my wife. ‘Mama’, she said, ‘our house is gone, there is nothing left, just a pile’.
“Then our communications were cut off.” The couple pooled their resources and managed to get Linda a flight back to her home country to look after her daughter and grandchildren in their hour of need. Fidel stayed in Cork to continue working.
Hearing about their plight, a friend of the family, Michael Hegarty from Greenmount, decided to set up an online fundraising page for the Espinos and has been encouraging members of the community to give as much as they can to help rebuild their family home which had been passed down through generations.
“It’s a shot in the dark by all means but we have to try. We have to do something. We’ve set the goal as €190k which is how much it would cost to rebuild the house but any amount would help them. This couple, they’re really genuine. They’ve gotten a terrible shock and now they’re trying to pick up the pieces,” said Michael.
“They’re literally having to depend on the generosity of strangers and for them to even ask that is a hard thing in itself.”

For more information, or to donate, go to the fundraising website at www.gofundme.com/ntkwur9v.

IF there was supposed to be fear among Labour Party members about the potential reception approaching doorsteps during this General Election campaign , then they didn’t get the memo in Cork South Central.
The campaign team for Labour Party TD Ciarán Lynch approached the task at hand in Clifton, Grange last night with enthusiasm, eager to make the case why their man and their party was the best choice for working people and families.

Labour party candidate Ciaran Lynch TD, chatting with resident Martin Donovan during his election campaign in Clifton, Grange Road, Douglas.
Picture: David Keane.

Martin Sullivan  said he would consider a vote for Mr Lynch when it came to the ballot box, following a friendly discussion and the sharing of personal stories between the two men. Despite Labour nationally taking the heat from left-wing parties, for its perceived abandoning of social justice principles it was founded on, some voters won’t hear of it.
Mr Lynch’s supporters say they appreciate the huge hours put in on the national scene with the banking enquiry, while lauding his personal touch and hard work with them back home in Cork South Central.
Grange resident Pat Barrett said: “He has listened to my family whenever we have needed to speak with him. We’ve always felt he has been on our side.
“Plus (Director of Elections) Paul Farrelly has been a godsend for us over the years.

“Ciarán can count on three votes in my household from my son, my daughter and I.”

Paul Farrelly; Director of Elections and Lorraine Kingston canvassing for Labour party candidate Ciaran Lynch TD, in Clifton, Grange Road.

Farrelly, a 40-plus year veteran of the Labour Party, said that although politics has changed dramatically over the years, one constant remains in an election.
“When it comes down to it, canvassing and meeting people is by far the most important thing.”
For former city councillor Denis O’Flynn, it is a completely different scenario to the Labour meltdown of the 2014 local elections. Mr O’Flynn, a city councillor for 14 years, lost his seat, along with all his party colleagues, in a backlash against Labour for the perceived missteps of the Coalition.
Mr O’Flynn was candid about his feelings coming into this election cycle. “I’ll be very honest — I was actually very nervous about coming out to canvass this time. My supporters were subjected to all sorts of abuse in 2014. It was the worst I have seen in 40 years of politics. It was traumatic. I wondered if it was going to be similar this time around.
“Thankfully it is totally different. You still get people who disagree with our vision but that is healthy debate and democracy. Instead of abuse, people are talking about what we can do to bring their children home from abroad. They are challenging us to change their minds It is constructive and healthy. The Labour volunteers, including my supporters, stayed loyal through thick and thin and the reception so far has been much better. I think Ciarán will do very well.”

FINE GAEL stalwart Denis ‘Dino’ Cregan has criticised his own party for taking money from vulnerable carers rather than making the wealthy pay more.
Assessing the election, the former Lord Mayor, who owns the fast food chain Dinos, said he fundamentally disagreed with decisions taken by the Government as part of its recovery plan, particularly cuts to the Carers’ Allowance.

Denis ‘Dino’ Cregan 
Pic; Larry Cummins

He said people earning over €70,000 per year should have been asked to pay more taxes to shoulder the burden of recovery.
“We took money from the carers and left people — who were able to pay more — keep their money.
“We didn’t take it from them. People earning more than €70,000 should be taxed more,” he said.
“Some layers of Irish society have done well while others have suffered.”
He also claimed the much-heralded economic recovery was “not what it seems”.
“Dublin is recovering but if you look at our towns they are in a diabolical state. Dublin is too domineering. I don’t see any recovery for our towns.”
Mr Cregan, a former Fine Gael senator, also said the Government badly mishandled the introduction of water charges, but he insisted that people should pay for water.“You get nothing for nothing in this life. Some people think they are entitled to everything for free,” he added.Despite the mistakes, he said the Government had performed reasonably well, giving a score of seven or eight out of 10.
When the chips were down, they handled the country well. I tell it like it is, they didn’t get everything right but I will give them credit for getting the country back on track.” “What happened eight years ago knocked the guts out of people. If you look back at the state of the place, it was frightening.” On the election battles that lie ahead, Mr Cregan predicted that Fine Gael would retain a seat in Cork North Central but that strict vote management was required to keep both seats in South Central.
Sitting TD Jerry Buttimer and outgoing Minister Simon Coveney are both trying to retain seats in South Central, which has been reduced from five seats to four.
“It can be done but I’d be afraid that one candidate will poll too highly. They need to be very strict on how they canvass and they split the vote,” said Mr Cregan.
Meanwhile, Minister Coveney’s brother, Greencore chief executive Patrick Coveney has publicly questioned how so many people have been “left behind” in what he described as the “unprecedented economic recovery” of recent years.
Greencore chief executive Patrick Coveney said there was a great mystery surrounding the economic recovery — “no-one feels it.”

A COURAGEOUS Togher woman is inviting the community to celebrate her son’s birthday — 21 years after his death.
Anna Marie O’Shea is expected to welcome dozens of party guests in the Harp Bar, Pouladuff Road on Saturday, February 20, at 8.30pm to mark what would have been Philip’s 30th birthday. A birthday cake and DJ will form part of the “Remembering Philip” event which is being held to raise funds for the Ladybird ward at Cork University Hospital and suicide prevention charity Pieta House.

Anna Marie O’Shea, Togher, (right) with a picture of her son Philip in a classroom in Togher Boys N.S, Cork, photographed with Sinead Moynihan, deputy principal, who taught Philip in his last year in the school which he attended for four happy years.
Picture: Denis Minihane.

Despite still experiencing unbearably painful days, Anna Marie is determined to celebrate her little boy’s life rather than mourn it.
“When you have such pain locked away inside you it’s bound to find its way out from time to time,” she said. “There are days when it hits you stronger than others but I have still had wonderful times in my life thanks to my amazing son and daughter. I owe my strength to them since Philip died all those years ago. He had always adored his brother and sister. Hopefully by raising money for charity we can turn our pain into something positive.”
Philip continues to bring people together more than two decades after his passing.
“He was invited to every party thrown by his classmates. Many of his friends will be attending the fundraiser. Some of them have gone on to get married and have children of their own which often led me wonder if Philip would be doing the same if he was still with us today.”
The mother of two is calling on as many people as possible to support the event.
“There won’t be any cover charge on the night but people are invited to make a donation on entry. Even each slice of cake is being sold so we can make as much money for both charities as possible. We won’t be singing happy birthday on the day as I don’t think that’s something I could bring myself to do.” She has been thrilled with the positive feedback and added:
“I was initially nervous that people wouldn’t like the idea of the event, but the feedback has all been really positive. I understand that many parents find it hard to talk about a child they have lost because it just hurts too much. Everyone copes with grief differently.”
She hopes that the event can offer hope to other bereaved parents: “Nobody can ever know what it feels like unless they’ve been through the same thing. When you have buried a child you become part of a club that nobody wants to belong to. You don’t realise how time goes until something significant like this happens to you and it feels like the blink of an eye. People are often worried about not being able to find the right thing to say but sometimes a hug can mean more than words.”
Anna Marie has acknowledged a number of milestones over the years in special ways.
“We released red and white balloons at his grave to mark what would have been his 21st birthday as he was a huge Manchester United fan. Afterwards we all went for a meal. My hope is to be able to present a huge cheque to both charities on behalf of Philip. That would make me so very proud.”

A FORTHCOMING play by a Cork stage veteran will explore the private side to one of the county’s most famous sons.
A Great Arrangement, by the former CEO and artistic director of the Everyman Theatre, Patrick Talbot, is inspired by the letter correspondence between Michael Collins and Kitty Kiernan, as well as Collins’ gripping speeches.

Collins maintained a lengthy correspondence with Kiernan when he was in London during the Treaty negotiations. They wrote to each other almost every day. Some 300 of these letters were displayed in Cork Public Museum in 2000.
Running from March 15 to April 2, the play will coincide with the 1916 Rising’s nationwide commemorations, offering an insight into some of the most important figures in Irish politics in the turbulent years that followed.
The ‘great arrangement’ referenced in the play’s title is a phrase that Collins used to describe an imagined scenario of the two sitting side-by-side at a fireplace late in their lives. Sadly, it would never come to pass.
Mr Talbot paints a compelling portrait of the couple, as well as of Ireland in the aftermath of the War of Independence, as the country slid irrevocably into civil war. In addition to the personal letters, Mr Talbot draws on the extracts from the Dáil Treaty debate and newspaper accounts of the period. Blackrock actor, Dominic McHale, will play Collins, while Ovens native, Irene Kelleher, will play Kiernan.
The production also features Paula McGlinchy, Mark D’Aughton and Michael Grennell.
The series will be the first staged at Cork’s newest professional theatre, the Gardens Theatre.
It is situated just behind Ballyphehane Church, and parking for patrons will be provided at the nearby Presentation Secondary School.
After its Cork premiere, A Great Arrangement will tour nationwide.
Tickets for A Great Arrangement are available for €20 from Cork Opera House. It is one of two new plays in which Mr Talbot will be involved over the coming months. God Bless the Child, the critically acclaimed adaptation of a series of Frank O’Connor stories, will open at Cork Opera House on Tuesday, June 28, for a week of performances.
This run will be part of its second national tour, following a hugely successful outing in 2015.
The play will also visit the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin, the Lyric Theatre in Belfast, and the National Opera House in Wexford, as well as a host of other venues around the country.
God Bless the Child, which stars Glanmire actor, Ciarán Bermingham, began its life at the Everyman Palace Theatre in 2014 and has since earned rave reviews from national and international media outlets.
It adapts three well-known O’Connor stories — My Oedipus Complex, The Genius and First Confession — into one, feature-length play.

Video: Audrey Ellard Walsh & Liz Dunphy

COUNCILLOR Mick Barry, General Election candidate for Cork North Central with the Anti-Austerity Alliance (AAA), is the latest candidate to take part in the Evening Echo Get to Know Your Candidate video series.

The left-wing politician divulges secrets on his previous right-wing pastimes, and his admiration for politically active working-class women, while chatting from his favourite place in Cork, the Gate Cinema.

What other secrets does he divulge in the cloistered darkness of the cinema seat? Go to www.eveningecho.ie to find out.

He admits in the video that he never gives up, and his political career backs up that assertion.

Nearly 14 years since he first contested a Dáil seat, the Dublin-born politician said that this time he is running for Government.

He believes that this election is the first chance the Anti-Austerity Alliance has at a seat in Cork.

“We do realise that this is the first election that we have fought in Cork with a real serious chance of winning. So we are going to really go for it,” he said.

“This time, there’s no hiding the fact that if we don’t win, it will be a defeat. We’re not focusing on that, we have a real chance of winning. We’re optimistic, but we’re not taking anything for granted.

“I want to be in Government. But if I’m part of Government, it will be a radical left-wing Government that will bring in real change for working-class people on a range of issues,” he said.

A man who suffered burn injuries on board a Russian factory ship has been airlifted to hospital in Cork.

The Irish Coast Guard was contacted earlier today and advised of the incident on the 344ft (105m) long Armenak Babaev, a fishing factory trawler.

At the time, the vessel was about 370kms west of Valentia in Kerry and the captain was requested to make way towards the Irish coast.

This was to ensure the vessel was in range of the Shannon-based search and rescue helicopter Rescue 115 when it took off to rendevous with it.

The helicopter crew left Shannon Airport at 2.20pm and stopped at Kerry Airport in Farranfore to take on additional fuel before heading out to sea.

While the helicopter was refuelling, an Air Corps CASA CN-235 maritime patrol aircraft was scrambled to provide ‘top-cover’.

Top Cover is required for long distance helicopter communications and is where another aircraft relays radio communications between the helicopter and the Irish Coast Guard on shore.

At 3.30pm, Rescue 115 departed Kerry Airport and routed west to meet with the ship which by then was within 150 nautical miles (278 kilometres) of the Irish coast.

The injured man was airlifted at around 5.45pm and flown to Cork Airport where an ambulance was standing by to take the casualty Cork University Hospital for medical attention.

The operation was coordinated by the Coast Guard Rescue Coordination centre in Valentia.

According to the Coast Guard: “It is understood that the patient suffered burn related injuries in an engine room accident.”

Fianna Fáil will not be campaigning as a political party to repeal the 8th Amendment to the Constitution, Micheál Martin said today.

It is expected there will be growing demands after the General Election to reform the law relating to abortion in Ireland.

Speaking in Youghal, Co Cork today, Deputy Martin said that addressing abortion on-demand is a complex situation and has to be dealt with in a sensitive manner.

“I don’t believe in simple sloganising in terms of ‘Repeal the 8th’,” he said.

“We won’t, as a party, we will not be collectively pushing for the repeal of the 8th, it’s much more complex than a simple election slogan.”

TAOISEACH Enda Kenny has pledged to fully support measures that would ensure flights from Cork Airport to the USA get off the ground.
On a visit to Mallow to address 365 employees of water and wastewater treatment company EPS and to stage a party rally at TD Tom Barry’s constituency office, Mr Kenny said he hoped for a conclusion to the negotiations “as soon as possible”. The Cork-Boston flights announced by Norwegian Air last year have been held up by opposition from unions and Government regulations in the USA.

An Taoiseach Enda Kenny meets Larry O’Riordan on the election campaign trail in Mallow yesterday. Picture: Des Barry

Mr Kenny said: “It is a case of encouraging them to sign off on it and I hope that can happen as soon as possible. We don’t have direct influence over it but we are in discussion with the authorities so that might be concluded.
“It would mean massive potential in terms of business for Cork and the region.”
Mr Kenny also said he was looking forward to turning the sod on the long-awaited events centre in Cork next week, hit back at Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin, and admitted “some people are not feeling the recovery”.
He said: “I look forward to having a big shovel next week and turning a Cork sod on the convention centre which will be a major attraction for Cork. That is only part of the major infrastructure that has gone into Cork and the city by this Government.”
He pointed to the likes of IMERC, the cleaning-up of Haulbowline, the Dunkettle Roundabout and the Ballyvourney-Macroom road, as making Cork much more attractive for major investment.
“In the next 15 to 20 years, I hope thousands of people enjoy many nights out in Cork with the event centre.”
Mr Kenny hit back hard at Fianna Fáil leader and Cork South Central TD, Micheál Martin, who has accused him repeatedly of being afraid to debate.
“I am going to participate in as many debates as I can with all of those who aspire to be leaders in Government. I think the issues are too serious not to be debated. I have the best story to tell. I have the best plan. I have the best opportunity to say if you want more progress and development, vote for it. I look forward to hearing from Fianna Fáil in the debates. I look forward to them revealing how they left 300,000 jobs go.”
Mr Kenny said criticism that many towns and regions hadn’t seen the recovery like others was valid. One of the most prominent Fine Gael city councillors in Cork’s history, Denis ‘Dino’ Cregan, told the Evening Echo this week that “some layers of Irish society have done well while others have suffered” and that some towns were in a “diabolical state”.
Mr Kenny said: “Fianna Fáil drove people out, we want to bring them home. I accept some people are not feeling the recovery. We’re out of intensive care and surgery has taken place. We’ve got to grow it bit by bit. There are thousands of people still struggling, who can’t get a house. That is why we want to change things.”

STORM damage in the Lee Fields should be cleared over the next six weeks.
Officials at Cork City Council say that repair works will get underway shortly, with particular focus on the damaged swimmers’ hut in the park.

The gazebo and surrounding area at the Lee Fields. Picture: Denis Minihane.

Rainfall in Cork in December and January broke all records, with three times the average rainfall recorded in Cork in December as storms Desmond and Frank battered the city and county.
While the city centre escaped much of the damage, the Carrigrohane Road and Lee Fields area was heavily flooded as the River Lee broke its banks.
Persistent rain in the early part of January prevented the waters from subsiding, with footpaths, river banks, green areas and the iconic swimmers’ hut all damaged as a result.
The hut is currently cordoned off by barriers after storm and flood damage weakened the structure, rendering it unsafe.
The footpath in front of the hut is cracked, while the river bank itself has been badly damaged.
The hut has long been used as a start and end point by swimmers in the area, with others using it as a point to change, shelter or leave belongings while they swim.

The gazebo at the Lee Fields. Picture: Denis Minihane.

Stephen Scully, a spokesman for Cork City Council’s parks department, said they hope to return the park to its former glory over the course of the next six weeks.
He said: “We have a number of works to do in the Lee Fields over the next six weeks. As part of this, we hope to reinstate the swimmers’ hut and improve its appearance.”
Mr Scully added that the damage to the riverbank is more extensive and that repairing it will take longer.
He described it as a ‘medium-term’ project, rather than a long-term one.
“A lot of the banks were damaged during the flooding. We will have to put additional resources into stabilising them.”
The green areas in the park are currently usable, with runners, joggers and dog walkers all returning to the area after the disruption.
However, remnants of the flood damage can still be seen, with many of the green areas remaining waterlogged.
These areas are expected to dry out in the coming weeks, provided no further flooding hits the area.
Mr Scully said: “The Lee Fields was under water for a considerable amount of time. The green areas are sodden. The park is still usable at present and should hopefully continue to improve over the next few weeks as it dries out — provided we don’t suffer any additional flooding.”
Mr Scully also confirmed that the €600,000 Fitzgerald Park playground, which remained under water for some time after the Christmas floods, is fully operational again.