Archives March

ACHIVES...MONTH BY MONTH COMENTARY ON THE REAL IRELAND

March 2007
30 March 2007
Galway City water crisis: Authorities knew of hazards years ago... More
Poorer people's lotto cash being used to fund sports played by higher earners... More
ESRI REPORT: Risk of slump as 120,000 houses lie idle... More
Rise in internet child porn complaints... More
Nursing Home threatened to throw ailing mother out, daughter claims... More
Man (55) pleads guilty to sex assault of two young nieces... More
Horse half buried and left to starve... More
'Sure it's all right...he had a few drinks and a snort of coke'... More
Turf war erupts over control of city sex trade... More

29 March 2007
LIMERICK HOUSING ESTATE: 'The place is a dump. I'm from here and I want to get out'... More
More than 5,000 children on waiting list in Dublin... More
Houses prices: Further crippling interest rate hikes... More
€200,000 cocaine mule gets 13-year sentence... More
Man who cut throat of young French woman is jailed for 15 years... More
FG proposal would hit the rights of burglars... More
Christian Brother may challenge law on indecent assault sentences... More
Galway Water crisis 'a disaster for local tourism'... More
(Do they not trust God anymore?) Nothing sacred as church shuts down the fonts... More
Wife gets hospital bed for gravely ill husband after emotional appeal... More
Colleges call for more corpses... More
Garda who went to dying teen's aid was 'in fear of her life'... More
Sports council 'prostituting itself' to get equipment... More
We're in favour of law, decency, ethics . . . but we are also in favour of some exceptions... More

28 March 2007
BIGGEST PILE-UP IN HISTORY OF STATE
Fog chaos on M7...Major accident plan rolled out
One dead...20 crashes on M7...Another 20 crashes on M9...27 admitted to Naas Hospital...Both roads closed all day...... More
Frightening view of commuters' high pressure life... More
Consumer confidence in housing market hits new low... More
Teen 'had €700,000 of cannabis in bedroom'... More
TAX EVASION: Fashion chain boss hit with €6.4m bill for dodging tax... More
Child watchdog urges probe of care services... More
DPP seeks early hearing of rape sentence appeal... More
Man gets 12 years in prison for sex attack on student... More
Young girl tried to stop father being shot... More

27 March 2007

Gullible voters likely to elect a former Fianna Fail crook... More
See also Flynnasty

Prisoners joined by officers in €20m 'slop out' claims More
Dublin councils: €7m was pocketed by lawyers and doctors ... More
Don't get cancer if you live outside of Dublin.... More
600 waiting for transplant operations... More
Developer faces €12.7m fine(Another little 'planning joke!)... More
36 windows broken by train vandals... More
Hospital 'failed to enact bug policy'... More
Judge adjourns sentences for violent disorder... More
Murder victim's associates in hiding... More
Safeguards will outlaw power supply cut-offs for elderly... More
Addict threatened to cut up teenager... More
Joyride clip condemned... More
Health bosses threaten to dump hospital and 200 jobs... More
Councillors 'didn't declare secret'... More
French woman 'played dead after her throat was cut'... More
Georgian man gets 10 years for rape of Polish job-seeker... More
Cinema forced to close due to arson attack.... More
Ferns child abuse victims face pay-out delay.... More
Education Department fighting 250 court cases.... More

26 March 2007

THIS IS LOCAL POLITICS IN IRELAND
Councillors face ethics probe over rezoning...
'Mr O’Donoghue, who is managing director of the Gleneagle Hotel Group and a Fianna Fáil councillor, and Ms Casey, Fine Gael, have been in the spotlight since a rezoning decision by Killarney Town Council last March'... More

Up to 16pc of Irish children go hungry... More
Hit-and-run stolen car kills two... More
Ahern's poll pledges cost €300m a minute
(Another sick joke played on the gullible voter)... More
Our Great Leader is responsible for sweet FA... More
Journalists summonsed over 'anonymous claims'... More
Risk from internet swindlers 'is rising'... More
Passports unit to hit identity fraud... More
Estimated 200 horses roaming Limerick city's estates and suburbs... More
Fianna Fail TD uses taxpayer's money for electioneering... More
Former Fianna Fail Convict councillor in pledge to work from jail... More
Year-long wait for cataract surgery... More
Councillor warns of housing shortage... More

25 March 2007

Political corruption, Garda corruption, street violence, criminals seeking election, polluted water, hospital chaos and greed...
Robert Mugabe would feel right at home!

Drunken assaults and attacks of vandalism by 'rich kids' increase
"There is an increased sense of rage on the streets." ... More
Colombia Three fugitive hits election trail for SF... More
Failed FF candidate wants €1m to move office... More
Curious 'pilgrims' flock to home of jailed councillor... More
Water bug affects 100,000, fallout may last for months... More
Row over new maternity unit delays Operation Bambino... More
Hotel owner facing €2m CAB bill... More
Up to €30,000 for a grave in Dublin... More
Power cut alert as ESB fails to meet demand... More
Taxpayers' fury as they are made to queue outside in freezing conditions... More
The smugness of FF's righteous warriors... More
Garda/Police corruption: An appalling vista where no one dared to say stop... More
Gardaí investigate Dublin shooting... More

24 March 2007
400,000 unqualified drivers on Irish roads... More
Two men jailed for kicking Chinese student in attack... More
'The light of learning has been all but extinguished'... More
Target of suspected family-feud shooting escapes gunman unhurt... More
Number of bug victims rises to 79 as tap water crisis goes on... More
Pervert dad jailed over daughter abuse... More
Alcohol caused accused 'to shoot coach'... More
Woman miscarried during wait for scan... More

23 March 2007
Ahern faces loss of up to six seats in Dublin
New poll suggests capital backlash for Fianna Fail on eve of their Ard Fheis... More
Child abuse in school nothing to do with Dept. of Education... More
€600m more now needed for child abuse awards... More
Man shot dead on beach in Mornington
Slain ex-dealer had arranged to meet up with his killers... More
Outrage as more than 3,000 inmates released early ... More
Arms cache is part of crime gang's arsenal... More
Three men arrested following massive drugs bust... More
Pitbull 'blooded' with tied cat before dog fight... More
Anger at failure to find source of illness
90,000 afected by clean water shortage... More
Patrol bomb explodes in Garda Station... More
Draconian measures 'are necessary if we are to curb gang crime epidemic'... More
Tighter jail security will hit drugs smuggling... More
Cauldron of unrest waiting to boil over in melting pot of 'MetroLite' as the new Ireland struggles... More
Ireland on brink of TB epidemic, warn experts ... More
HEALTH SHAMBLES: Roll out ‘would cut 80% of deaths’... More

22 March 2007
Commuters are trapped in traffic chaos at rush hour
Port Tunnel fault sparks gridlock in city... More
Money fears dash Ahern 'feelgood' vote hopes
(Is the true picture starting to emerge?)... More
Publican wins €4.7m damages for trumped-up drug charges... More
Welcome to land of 100,000 worries... More
OVER 300 tourists were crime victims here last year ... More
HEALTH: TDs seek probe into HSE advisers' pay... More
M50 congestion charge ruled out in event of IKEA's arrival
(To even consider putting one of the biggest stores in Europe on a road that's already choc-a-bloc has to be pure madness.)... More

21 March 2007
Former Fianna Fail Councillor jailed for fraud... More
Land registry staff fined for corruption... More
'Continue to boil the water' as sickness spreads in Galway... More
IKEA spells 'traffic chaos' despite €1bn road boost... More
Airlines to have wings clipped on price 'collusion'... More
Ambulance service at 'breaking point'... More
Abbey Theatre to spend €730,000 on a building it's soon to abandon... More
Hospital limits visits over bug... More
Prisoners sue State for being forced to clean cells .... More
Patients left for days on trolleys without food.... More
‘Heinous’ attack on woman in seaside town of Ballybunion.... More
‘Seamen paid less than €1 an hour’.... More
€5m centre for youths lies idle for seven years.... More

20 March 2007
Depressingly low rate of prosecution for the slaughter on our streets... More
Irish and foreign building labourers being exploited, claim union... More
Call to review protection of witnesses programme... More
Website launched to help Irish living in America... More
Hospital probes how dead woman had 34 fractures... More
Pop star under fire over social housing... More
Capital's first private A&E unit opens... More
Ahern's 'dig out' pal gets key role for the election... More
A crude epitaph for the ailing Celtic Tiger dream is there for all to see... More
Airlines under fire for baggage charge hikes.... More
State spent €16m on deportations since 2002.... More
Damning reports on nursing home care .... More

19 March 2007
Sixty arrests as drunken teens cause street havoc
Horde runs amok after parade... More
Bouncer wounded in pub shooting... More
Record number of heavy duty scales being sold to cope with obesity crisis... More
Gibney raped teenage Olympic prospect... More
Gangland bill is vote-getting ploy that betrays civil rights
(They're at it again...10 years ago this government were elected on their promise to introduce 'zero tolerence' to combat an a rising crime rate and all they did was 'go through the motions'.)... More
Cowen ranks first in list of tax lobbyists
(Nothing has changed. The sculguggery cintinues unashamedly)... More
Rape victim is living in fear of her attacker... More
House Prices:A return to sanity in the housing market More
Children with allergies ‘wait 18 months to see specialist’.... More
Builders threatened by gangs in turf war.... More

18 March 2007
Institutional child abuse: A bad transfer deal that only got worse...
(It wasn't bad enough that 'these people' reluctantly admitted that they presided over a regime of child abuse and now our complicit government are letting them off the hook when it comes to compensation...the taxpayer has to fork out again.) More
Unfair Stamp Duty tax: ministers snubbed by Cowen... More
Stabbed woman in critical condition... More
A dry Paddy's Day brings the crowds out for parades... More
Cocaine abuse ignored as binge drinking hogs headlines... More
No such thing as a safe street or hour... More
'Suddenly, he was in the car with me'... More
Shameful secret revealed of child sold for sex by her foster mother... More
'If, God forbid, I was raped, I would be reluctant to report it'... More
A hospital struggling to cope ... More

17 March 2007
HAPPY ST PADDY'S DAY

OUR DISASTROUS HEALTH SERVICE...AGAIN
Probe after woman miscarries in corridor
Ordeal as she was left waiting for seven hours at Rotunda... More
Report highlights MRSA blackspots... More
Testing of water continues as bug sickness spreads in Galway City... More
Elderly 'too afraid of bug to go to hospital'... More
'It was cruel to send her home in that way'... More
Heavily pregnant woman can't be admitted 'because there's no bed'... More
'I was left miscarrying at hospital'
This is the woman's account in her own words... More
TD apologises for BreastCheck mistake in his election booklet... More
The health dis-service...INDO EDITORIAL... More

Cash for bypass wasn't diverted to other location, roads agency insists... More
Another 100 jobs go as services firm shuts down... More

CRIME 'SNIPPETS'
Teenager pleads guilty to robbing French student... More
Thieves now selling bin tags in 'cut price' black market... More
Man who spat at garda re-sentenced... More
Knuckle-duster man jailed... More
Man not guilty of death threat to journalist... More
Judge praises brave garda who foiled raid... More
Man convicted of raping student in doorway... More
Judge hears 70pc of rape cases - 'it must take a toll'... More
Teens jailed for assault during car robbery... More
I'll give you HIV, heroin addict told gardai... More

16 March 2007
Experts warn surging costs 'threaten to kill off Tiger'... More
Calls to curb rent inflation after payments go up 10.5pc... More
Vagrant's court win overturns begging law... More
Victim of rape holds protest at suspended sentence... More
Residents warned to boil water in Galway City... More
Judge 'sorry' for saying he'd shoot intruder... More
Shots fired in feud gardai fear is spiralling out of control... More
Top law firms' refusal to disclose costs is 'disappointing'... More
Prison officers arrested in phone probe... More

15 March 2007
Two Americans fight off knife-wielding thug... More
500 JOBS GONE: Global market jitters wipe almost €5bn off Irish stocks... More
Man shot dead in Dublin... More
Light sentences deter rape victims... More
It may be hard to swallow but we're the biggest binge drinkers in Europe... More
Gangster at heart of city feud took gun lessons in US... More
Key witness takes back statement on gangland murder... More
Teen charged with stabbing in shop... More
Two held as cigarette delivery vans stolen... More
Consumers get shock over soaring price of electricity... More
Paddy's Day political trips cost cool million... More
Councillor who got €46,000 says he's value for money... More
Arthritis sufferers’ agonising four-year wait for specialists.... More

14 March 2007

OUR DISASTROUS HEALTH SERVICE...AGAIN!
Father takes son off drip after four-day wait... More
Surgeon should have been told of clots, inquest is told... More
Protesters launch 'save hospital' campaign... More
Dental scheme close to collapse... More
€1 million lifesaving scanner lies idle in hospital... More

Begorrah, the perfect present for an idiot child... More
Sinn Féin raises €468,000 from US-based donors over a year... More
Gang threatened mother they would gouge out her eyes... More
Convicted man denies 'taking the rap' for his brother over dog cruelty... More
170 jobs face axe after court orders wind up... More
Six out of 10 lorries are defective, study finds... More
McDowell won't reveal number of phone taps he's authorised... More
Commuter chaos as trains get stuck... More
Victim seeks an appeal as her rapist goes free... More
Having a real impact on serious crime will require wiser counsel... More

13 March 2007
Student killer gets life but parents say he should die
Chinese student victim was only child... More
Pair plead guilty to beating up Chinese student... More
Rape victim's horror as convicted attacker walks free... More
Tougher sentencing on way in new crime package
(Groundhog day...AGAIN)... More
Anti-poverty plan 'omits working poor'... More
15 years in jail for rapist of 75-year-old... More
(Mugabe) Ahern payments article 'based on matters of fact', states reporter
(The battle to keep the cat in the bag until after the election)... More
Row over price cuts as ESB to lose power
Coalition accused of election gimmick on reduced costs claim... More
Councils 'polluting rivers with untreated sewage'... More
Child abduction cases hit all time high... More
Sex education is 'patchy & inconsistent'... More
Gunman arrested following standoff ... More

12 March 2007
Number of violent attacks on tourists is on the increase... More
Coffins ripped open during drinks party in historic graveyard... More
Irish paedophile swin coach now living in Florida
Only 3 out of 1,000 child sex abuse claims ends up in a conviction... More
Has ATM crime reached epidemic proportions?... More
Married traveller teen thug can't be named for 'legal reasons'... More

11 March 2007
Ailing economy will be the General Election's biggest issue, stupid... More
Scandal of the MRSA cover-up... More
Amnesty gun falls into criminal hands... More
Kenny opposes early release of McCabe killers... More
Irish parents raising a nation of delinquents... More
Adams's basket-case economic theory... More
Intel executive warns against complacency ... More
Man held over fatal stabbing in Dublin... More
Two held over Dundalk shooting... More
Another shooting in Galway... More

10 March 2007
Closing 700 post offices 'would be death knell' for rural communities... More
Inquiry as mother and baby die in birth tragedy
(Something funny here.)... More
€11,000 fine for drunken BA air rage businessman
Kerry man says 'I've never done anything so wrong'... More
Weary and 'wrecked' from 13-hour shifts... More
98 more jobs gone... More
O'Dea running mate calls FF colleagues 'begrudgers'... More
280 axed, but firm to invest €40m in Poland... More
Out-of-control teen jailed for catalogue of crimes... More
Murder accused 'asked for blade'... More
Jailed priest was in regular contact with abuse swim coaches... More
Dad superimposed daughter's head on child porn images... More

09 March 2007
Hundreds of our pensioners are 'living in squalor'... More
Pensioners left waiting for up to 6 months for pension.... More
Crime being directed from prison mobiles.... More
Jobs crisis deepens as Motorola closes plant: 330 jobs gone.... More
Mortgage costs soar by €300 a month as seventh rate hikes hits.... More
500,000 welfare fraud cases to be probed... More
COCAINE: ‘Many users owe a fortune’.... More
Special treatment centres to be built for cocaine addicts... More
Foreign thugs run scam with magazine to help homeless... More
Former partner quizzed over mother-of-two Baiba's murder
Two other inmates arrested by gardai over 'hit'... More
A callous crime that proved to be a watershed...66 killed last year... More
Prison releases 470 inmates prematurely because of overcrowding.... More
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08 March 2007
DPP appeal over 'short' sentence after feud shooting
(Here we go again. A thug fires five shots from a pump-action shotgun
in order to kill another man and gets a 4 yr. SUSPENDED sentence)... More
Surprise as top PD quits her role in O'Brien firm
(Are the rats leaving the sinking ship?)... More
Hang-about teens told to buzz off with sonar power... More
Couples put deposits on creche places before conceiving... More
400,000 calls to Childline last year went unanswered... More
Sudden bank resignation leaves a raft of questions unanswered... More
Arrest warrant issued for no-show teen mugger... More
Why the new-look M50 'will soon grind to a halt'... More
Civil service 'marriage bar' claim could cost €200m... More
Jail staff uncover stash of mobiles and booze... More
360 jobs lost in just one day: High costs driving companies overseas... More
'Gentlemen's club' stops women from going into politics... More
Burglar is found guilty of murdering Chinese student... More
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07 March 2007
800 workers face axe as firms flee costs spiral
Spiralling costs are driving major companies out of the country.... More
'Death blow for an entire region'... More
Thousands of angry motorists caught in road chaos after accident brings M50 to a standstill... More
State refuses to put brakes on boy racers
They can still speed through housing estates... More
Misleading road signs driving tourists round bend... More
MRSA hits 'at least' one in 10 patients in Dublin hospital... More
FF councillor Fahy is found guilty on charges of fraud... More
Locals fume over 65m chimney at Boyne site... More
Phone users facing line rental hikes... More
Cars burnt out in Newbridge... More
Crime is the scourge of local communities... More
Vandals smash windows at Newbridge VEC ... More
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06 March 2007
Tourist remains critical after vicious, 'random' city centre assault
by group of youths... More
Open Skies deal 'to double number of US tourists within seven years'... More
Future skills shortage due to inadequate education system... More
Chronic shortage of skills 'will result in jobs crisis'... More
Council gets tough with fat problem clogging up city... More
Asians now rising up first time home buyer ladder... More
I've been framed, fraud case councillor tells trial... More
Council anger at use of city square as tile showroom... More
Next stop, eco-paradise. . . new €400m 'green' trains arrive... More
Plain fact is price of a pint going up by at least 8c... More
Appeal Court sends sex abuse priest to prison... More
Fury at one-year term for sex attack on child... More
Gardai quiz man over alleged rape of teen... More
'Apartheid' alive and well and living in Ireland... More
Lay church members asked for help as priests disappear... More
Suffer little children - The dog ate my homework... More
Government faces McCabe killer crisis on eve of election... More
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05 March 2007
MRSA crisis: 3,000 people infected every year ... More
Hundreds of MRSA victims and families to sue State... More
'There is no excuse for the dirt. It isn't rocket science. It's
down to management'... More
Ireland ‘a banana republic for psychiatric services’... More
Cabinet hospital plan an obscenity... More
Helicopters the new status symbol for high-flyers... More
Government renewable energy plans ‘too little, too late’... More
700 Romanians a week are exploiting permit loophole... More
Shot teen to always have pellet pieces in his heart... More
Dozens tried to have sex with 'schoolboy'... More
One-in-five gay and lesbian youths attempted suicide... More
Report due soon to tackle city's crime wave... More
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04 March 2007
Bertie sinks as house market is going under... More
Bertie (Mugabe) Ahern looking after his friends... More
Bertie (Mugabe) Ahern looking after his constituents... More
City crime rate down despite spate of 'gruesome' assaults... More
Fahey, Frankly, made a mockery of grants scheme... More
Few can afford affordable housing... More
Shame on us all, being politically correct about suicide costs lives... More
Victims still await apology, as child abuser walks free... More
Ahern to blame for chinks in his armour of affability... More
Rising rates slow new homes sector ... More
Mortgages of seven times incomes offered ... More
Government presses ahead with plans for private hospitals ... More
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03 March 2007
Fears of more legal child-sex loopholes... More
'Pervert' doctor who filmed female patients loses appeal... More
Health warning to Bertie: 'ignore us at you peril'... More
Jail(But not yet) for publican who fiddled his taxes to dodge gift payout... More
Tourists wish to meet addict who mugged them... More
Moriarty Tribunal trying to unravel more corruption... More
Uday Hussein's 'body double' wins libel case... More
Gardai uncover weapons and drugs stash in graveyard... More
Why small child protection error casts such a long shadow... More
The drug dealers have their reps in every school. It's going on in front of our eyes ... More
'Spend some time with addicts, Bertie, and you mightn't be so casual about our drugs' crisis'... More
IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN OFFERED DRUGS, YOU'RE LIVING THE LIFE OF A TRAPPIST MONK... More
Stay safe online... More
Paedophile Brendan's story... More
Opening of maternity hospital under threat... More
Scout leader linked to paedophile ring... More
‘For-profit care may impact on nation’s health’... More
Neurology patients face two-year wait to see consultants... More
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02 March 2007
PROTECTION OF CHILDREN A JOKE
Legal loophole - Laws must be carefully considered... More
Paedophile O’Rourke release - Shameful treatment of victims... More
McDowell to close child sex law loophole... More
Victims angered by week amnesty for paedophile... More
Fear paedophile ring may have abused others... More
SUSPENDED sentence for paedophile with 400 images... More
14 yr old teen assaulted three times... More
Political point-scoring will not protect our children... More
'ORDINARY' STUFF
Superbug to remain a threat for next five years... More
Motorists ignoring new road tolls to be fined... More
Third drive-by shooting sparks gang war fears... More
MORE CORRUPTION...Fraud case councillor 'repaid funds when confronted'... More
DAMNING REPORT...Minister's defence over marina 'a political rant'... More
IS THIS NEWS?...Lawyer fees could increase... More
KPMG hit by probe into work permit ‘concerns’... More
Reckless drivers ‘ruining beauty spot’ in Dingle Peninsula... More
Mother and baby survive gun attack... More
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01 March 2007
IRELAND 2007
It's not a crime to ask children for sex in Ireland... More
Civil Servant in State Solicitors Office and Garda
among those questioned over sex relations with 14 year old boy... More
Five more interest rate hikes forecast... More
Fahey 'wasted public money' on marina for wealthy yachtsmen... More
Time-warped Bertie plays tiddlywinks... More
Public given another chance to query €300m marina proposals... More
€250m computer fund 'not realistic'... More
Union anger as Ahern tells companies watchdog it must wait for extra staff... More
Operating surgeon not told of amputation patient's MRSA... More
€30m tribunal set to wind up after 10 years... More
Government record on suicide crisis ‘a shambles’ ... More

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