Fianna Fáil attacks on Sinn Féin do nothing for peace

Bertie Ahern celebrates his election to the Dáil in 1997. PHOTO: Darren Kinsella

Bertie Ahern is like my local bus service. Nothing for ages and then we see him splashed all over the papers two Sundays in a row.

With the festive season now upon us, he’s the ghost of Christmas past with an honest to Jaysus Dublin accent, appearing out of the shadows of obscurity to offer us his pearls of wisdom on everything from the Irish economy to the peace process.

And to give him his due, the Good Friday Agreement will stand as his enduring political achievement. He has every right to talk about it and take much of the credit for bringing peace to this island.

It’s hard not to cringe, though, when he mentions anything to do with the economic crash and tries to explain how he didn’t see that one coming. I imagine it’s not something he puts on the CV these days.

Little did Bertie think back in those tumultuous days of the late 1990s that the Shinners would not only be nipping at Fianna Fáil’s heels, but would have overtaken them in the polls, trampling all over their candidates in elections.

Fianna Fáil’s current leader, Micheál Martin, is acutely aware of this and rarely misses an opportunity to refer to his arch enemies as “Sinn Féin-IRA”, a term long consigned to the bad old days of  ‘The Troubles’. Whatever his views on Gerry Adams, the reality is that Sinn Féin enjoy considerable electoral support on this side of the border and have as much right to be in the Dáil as Martin’s TDs.

For Micheál Martin to persist with using such a pre-peace process cliché to describe his political opponents is unusual, especially when you consider his party’s role in bringing Sinn Féin to the political table. But politics is a ruthless game and it now suits Fianna Fáil (and Fine Gael and Labour) to remind the electorate of Sinn Féin’s shady past.

That’s not to say that the Sinn Féin leadership don’t have questions to answer, particularly in relation to their handling of sex abuse allegations. But to constantly refer to them – as Micheál Martin does – as “Sinn Féin-IRA” does absolutely nothing to advance the cause of peace in this country and undermines his own party’s role – and Bertie Ahern’s - in achieving it.

How would Martin like it if Mary Lou McDonald constantly referred to his party as “Fianna Fáil-IMF”?

All political parties have their baggage; Sinn Féin’s, to some degree, needs to be viewed in a historical context. Fianna Fáil’s troubled past is somewhat more recent and we are still living with the consequences of their shambolic handling of the economic crisis.

Micheál Martin was a leading member of that disastrous Government.

The right to protest should not be absolute

When does a protest cease to be a peaceful display of opposition and simply descend into thuggish behaviour?

Many commentators feel that a line was crossed this month when the Tánaiste was trapped in her car for a number of hours and had to be protected by gardaí. Subsequent footage has emerged that paints some of those involved in a most unfavourable light.

A journalist colleague of mine was on the scene in Jobstown that day and he recorded the behaviour of some of those involved. It makes for deeply unsettling viewing. The abusive language and aggression directed at gardaí – public servants simply doing a difficult job under difficult circumstances – suggested that, despite the best intentions of the organisers, this was anything but a peaceful protest.

•Joan Burton:  trapped in her car for a number of hours

That is not to tarnish the good names of the majority of the anti-water charges movement – or indeed public representatives – involved in the protest. But it is quite clear that the event became a magnet for troublemakers. As usual, these thugs would have been in the minority but they made their presence clearly felt, running amok under the guise of an organised protest.

Once it became apparent that a nasty element had infiltrated the ranks of the protesters, it should have been immediately called off with the Tánaiste allowed to go on her way. Instead, she was left at the mercy of a baying mob. Even if you strongly disagree with her politics, it’s hard to justify how she was treated that day.

The unsavoury events in Tallaght were in sharp contrast to the dignified protests held in Dublin city centre and throughout the country recently. Quite rightly, many of those involved in the anti-water charges campaign have criticised such behaviour and have sought to distance themselves from it.

Predictably, Government TDs were quick out of the traps in condemning the Jobstown disturbance. Taoiseach Enda Kenny went ridiculously over the top by comparing it to a kidnapping, somewhat undermining his message.

In the days that followed there were reports of alleged bomb threats and menacing calls to politicians. It would be unfortunate if the negative publicity generated by a fringe element deterred ordinary people from taking part in peaceful acts of protest.

We should appreciate that we live in a democratic society where we have a right to protest. But when it comes to violence and sinister behaviour, that right should not be absolute.

A disgruntled nation has finally found its voice

•PHOTO CREDIT: Stephen Kavanagh

A disgruntled nation has finally found its voice, it seems.

Other countries must have marvelled at our apparent tolerance for the brutal austerity measures imposed on us since the IMF/EU bailout in 2010. It’s ironic that this bubbling discontentment only boiled over after the Government unveiled what they widely termed a “neutral” budget.

Once again we were being assured that the worst was over (the late Brian Lenihan rued the day he uttered those words in the Dáil). While all the economic barometers such as housing and employment were starting to head in the right direction, the cumulative effects of punitive taxes eventually took their toll. I find it interesting that it was the issue of water charges that got people out on the streets in their tens of thousands and not the imposition of property tax a couple of years ago. Whatever about the rather spurious case for landing us with yet another household bill dressed up as some sort of water conservation measure, there is something particularly immoral about taxing the family home in the teeth of the worst property crash in modern history.

It beggars belief that people straddled with massive mortgage debt – particularly those in negative equity – should be expected to pay a tax on their ‘asset’. Let’s not forget that the deposits we had to find to get on the property ladder was after-tax income. Our monthly mortgage payments are also after-tax income.

Property tax is a bitter pill to swallow for those who had to pay ridiculous sums in stamp duty during the Celtic Tiger years.

It’s extraordinary that we allowed ourselves to be bullied by the Government into accepting property tax. Why weren’t we on the streets then? What’s going to happen when house values inevitably rise and we have to recalculate our LPT liability after 2016?

The Government’s jittery reaction to the water charges protests shows that Fine Gael and Labour have finally grasped the political reality of the situation. The recent poll showing Sinn Féin to be the most popular party in the country will have further concentrated minds in Government Buildings - and this at a time when Gerry Adams is embroiled in the Mairia Cahill controversy.

We will have a new Government by 2016 but will regime change make any difference to our lives? Recent history will have taught us not to hold our breath. Expect the next Government to blame the old one for all our ills.

Latest fare increases are a tax on working people

Earlier this year I embarked on an experiment to see if we could do without one of our family cars. In this era of austerity, the notion of a two-car household felt a bit Celtic Tigerish.

The cost of keeping two cars on the road has become increasingly prohibitive when you factor in fuel, road tax, insurance, toll charges and servicing. We worked out that getting rid of one car would easily fund a family holiday abroad or – more sensibly – could be put aside for our eldest daughter’s imminent college fees.

Naturally, my car would be getting the bullet. I’d have to bus it to my office in the suburbs or make do with the train if I needed to go into the city. How hard could it possibly be? There’s even free Wi-Fi on the buses these days.

•Public transport needs proper Government funding. FILE PHOTO

I’m not living near the DART line but there is a reasonably regular commuter train service during peak times. The problem is that the station is a two-mile trek from my house so I’d either need to catch a bus to catch a train or park and ride (leaving my wife without a car for the school runs).

On the occasions when I took this option, I was faced with a ridiculous daily rate of €4 to park at the station, followed by a return fare in excess of €10 – and that was before this month’s increase! The train journey into the city was uncomfortably crowded, with standing room only.

The bus option didn’t work out much better. For the privilege of making a return journey to my office (which wasn’t even as far as town), I was charged an extortionate €8.40. This was pretty much on a par with the petrol costs of taking the same trip by car. So after a month of standing in the cold and rain and being forced to listen to commuters loudly babble into their mobile phones, I was back stuck in traffic in the comfort of my car.

Of course, I could have done it slightly cheaper by getting a Leap Card (which is a great initiative) or monthly ticket. But at the end of the day, the saving wasn’t enough to justify getting rid of the car.

The reduction in Government subventions to public transport companies has been directly blamed for the most recent hike in fares. In effect, the increases simply feel like another form of taxation on working people. If our politicians are serious about reducing our carbon footprint and getting people out of their cars, transport needs to be adequately funded by the Exchequer in the public interest.

I suspect that commuters’ tolerance for fare increases is getting close to tipping point.

'Love/Hate' depicts a Dublin we can all relate to

I must admit to being something of a latecomer to 'Love/Hate', RTÉ's riveting and rightly acclaimed crime drama.

Looking back now, the first series bears little resemblance to the tour de force that the programme has become. I remember being distinctly underwhelmed by the show in its early days, despite the fact that it starred acting heavyweight Aidan Gillen. It was late into series four before I dipped back in to see what all the fuss was about. This time, the performances seemed more assured; the writing was stronger; and the tension created by the evolving plotlines was often unbearable.

Nidge is a television character that many communities will be familiar with

There may well have been some disappointment at how series four ended but it set the scene nicely for what was to come. So far, the latest series of 'Love/Hate' has been an absolute triumph and is compulsive viewing every Sunday night.

RTÉ has upped its game in recent years when it comes to original television drama. 'Single-Handed', the story of a lone Garda taking on corrupion and crime in a rural Irish community, was excellent. But last year's highly anticipated missing teen drama, 'Amber', failed to live up to the promise of its opening episode and was ultimately unsatisfying.

The station's upcoming drama on the life and times of Charles Haughey should make for interesting viewing and will no doubt reignite national debate on one of Ireland's most divisive and controversial politicians. Let's just hope that the presence of so many 'Love/Hate' actors in the Haughey production will not prove too much of a distraction.

But back to Nidge and Co for a moment. I was trying to comprehend the huge appeal of the series as the credits rolled on one of the most explosive episodes so far (the one where the young Traveller boy is shot during a botched hit on his dad, Patrick). There is stark realism dripping from every page of writer Stuart Carolan's gritty script. Perhaps it's the familiarity of it all: the recognisable landmarks of the city; the authenticity of the dialogue; the drug lords living abroad; the brutal depictions of the type of violence we read about all the time in newspaper crime reports.

Most of us know parts of the city where residents are in constant fear of  real-life Nidges or Frans. We hear about pub shootings and daylight assasinations with disturbing regularity. It's a story that resonates with us. For all its brilliance, perhaps 'Love/Hate' succeeds most for creating a fictional Dublin we can all too easily relate to.

We should fear the living, not the dead, on Halloween

The other night I was awoken the by flashing lights of a fire engine parked outside my house. I initially thought that a neighbour's property had gone up in flames so was relieved to learn from a fireman that they were dealing with a blaze in an unoccupied Martello tower across the road.

It was quickly brought under control by the experienced fire-fighters. It looked liked an act of wanton vandalism. After all, a vacant historic building such as this is hardly going to be hit by an electrical fault in the middle of the night.

The madness that is Halloween had started early, it seemed. Despite the best efforts of local authorities to remove stockpiled bonfire material in the run up to October 31, certain teenagers somehow always find a way to ruin the seasonal rituals for the rest of us. It's likely that football pitches and local green spaces throughout Dublin will bear the scars of unauthorised bonfires when we wake up on Saturday morning.

What should be a fun night for families and young children can be a fraught with danger. Hospital A&Es tend to be overrun at this time of year with Halloween related injuries sustained through drink-fuelled violence, fireworks and bonfires. Unspeakable acts of cruelty against animals have been committed by low-life thugs during the pagan festival, a sorry reminder of the need to keep our pets indoors over the next few days.

Unfortunately, like St Patrick's Day, Halloween has long been hijacked by out-of-control teenagers intent on causing mayhem in the name of celebration. It's a bit of an Irish thing, really. Any special occasion in this country is often used as an excuse to drink to excess and engage in reckless, anti-social behaviour.

This Friday, it's vital that we supervise our children as they innocently head out trick-or-treating. In particular, we need to keep tabs on our teenagers. A recklessly stacked bonfire or mishandled firework can instantly change their lives forever. One thing's for sure: our overstretched, under resourced emergency services will have their work cut out for them.

Amid the chaos, there will be community-based Halloween events throughout Dublin providing safe havens from the darker side of the festivities. If we take proper precautions and point our kids in the right direction, there is no reason why the night can't be an enjoyable and safe experience for all.

It's a sad fact that Halloween, for all its spooky connotations, has become a night where we should be more afraid of the living than the dead.

Government suffers major water damage

You can only begin to imagine the panic that belatedly gripped the Government parties as the full ramifications of water charges finally hit home over the weekend.

Depending on which media outlet you believed, the numbers protesting in Dublin city centre were somewhere between 10,000 and 100,000; a display of public unity not seen on the streets in decades. Whatever the correct figure, the photographs and television images laid bare the full extent of anger at the Government's imposition of water charges on a nation reeling from seven years of brutal austerity.

•The marchers' message to our politicians was clear. PHOTO: Conor Ó Mearáin

How many of those who marched will vote for Labour or Fine Gael in the next general election? You can be certain that this question concentrated minds in Government Buildings in the panicked pre-budget scramble to offer some concession on water charges. As predicted, there was some respite in the form of tax relief and an additional €100 for those receiving the household benefits package but this is unlikely to be enough to quell growing public discontentment since the establishment of Irish Water.

While tens of thousands of people chanted anti-Government slogans in the city, the political realities were being spelled out for the main parties in Dublin South West and Roscommon South-Leitrim. The election of two new TDs on the basis of their opposition to water charges has sent serious warning shots across the bows of Labour and Fine Gael. Perhaps not quite holed beneath the waterline just yet, but the Government is now very much on the back foot on this issue and the anti-austerity movement will rightly feel that they have the wind in their sails.

Despite all the claptrap about water charges being a measure to encourage conservation, in reality it is simply a revenue raising exercise, with no pricing guarantees beyond 2016. The State itself is the biggest waster of water, not the domestic or commercial user (I am loath to use the word 'customer'), with its antiquated network of leaky pipes.

We are being asked to fund a major capital expenditure programme that will take years or even decades to bear fruit. Once water meters are installed and our new utility bills start plopping through the letterboxes, there will be no turning back. As householders, it's hard not to feel that we are once again being lulled into a false sense of security by having our initial bills based on an assessed charge. It was the same when the €100 Household Charge was introduced, which was simply a precursor to the more punitive Local Property Tax.

Most of us suspect that the only way water bills are heading is up. Just look at what we are now forced to cough up for our refuse collection - a former local authority service that was once funded from general taxation.

The Government continues to insist that water charges are necessary. However, the thousands who marched through the city this month will no doubt be emboldened by the partial climbdown on the issue by Michael Noonan in Budget '15. The question is: how much more water damage can the Coalition withstand?

Soccer parents should be seen and not heard

One of the most welcome developments in schoolboy soccer this year has been the 'Silent Sideline Weekend' initiative.

This is where parents and coaches alike are urged to let the kids play the game without the distraction of expert advice or criticism being shouted from the edge of the pitch. However well intentioned, loudly expressed words of encouragement often have the effect of intimidating the youngsters and hampering their development as players.

Skills: kids should be allowed to enjoy the game. STOCK PHOTO

As a father of two sons involved in schoolboy soccer, I am happy to report that the majority of parents, coaches and supporters generally behave in an exemplary manner. But there have been some exceptions.

I've witnessed unacceptable behaviour from a minority of parents over the years. Some can be incredibly critical of their kids and you shudder to think of what the car ride home is going to be like if the result doesn't go their way. You'd wonder if they are trying to live their own unfulfilled sporting dreams through their children.

I recall one particularly nasty incident when a parent positioned himself directly behind the goalkeeper - his son - and shouted instructions in his ear for most of the match. For the rest of the time he hurled abuse at the young referee and almost came to blows with the coach from the opposing team who had asked him to calm down. It was an uncomfortable spectacle for the kids. They just wanted to play the game that they loved and weren't really all that bothered about the final score.

Young soccer players need to make their own judgements and mistakes. It's how they learn to progress. The coach can offer them constructive advice at half time or when the match is over. They should be able to communicate with each other on the pitch without being drowned out by deafening roars from the sidelines.

It's a sad fact that a number of referees have quit schoolboy soccer due to intimidating and thuggish behaviour by some parents. There should be zero tolerance by clubs for this type of behaviour. I imagine it's a problem not just confined to soccer.

When it comes to letting your kids enjoy their sport, it should be a case of parents being seen and not heard. 

Will Budget 2015 help put an end to homelessness?

It's somewhat timely that October 10 happens to be World Homelessness Day, less than a week before the Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan, gets to his feet in the Dáil to unveil Budget 2015.

While we have been cautioned against having unrealistic expectations, all the indications are that there will be some respite for hard-pressed middle income earners. But despite all the positive signs that the economy is finally starting to lift, with less unemployment and rising house prices, a walk through the city on a weekend night tells a different story.

•An all-too-familiar sight on our streets. STOCK PHOTO

A colleague of mine was almost reduced to tears during a recent night out on the town. She was shocked, not only by the numbers of people sleeping rough or begging in the vicinity of Grafton Street, but by the age profile of Ireland's 21st century homeless community. She recalled a time when a homeless person generally fitted the stereotype of down and out wino. Now they look like any of us. They are young, middle-aged or getting on in years. They are a mix of Irish and non-nationals, united by poverty and social deprivation.

No person should have to sleep on the streets, in a hostel or in a car in modern-day Ireland. It's a sad fact that a large proportion of homeless people have drug dependency or other addiction issues. Others may be escaping from a difficult family situation or traumatic event in their lives. Some are homeless through losing their job or business. The rise in rents in the capital has exacerbated the  problem. Rent supplements - if they're even accepted - simply aren't high enough to meet the extortionate rates sought by private landlords. They either need to rise to reflect market values or we need new rent control measures introduced.

If you've a few moments to spare, you should go online and read the Simon Community's 'Stand & Deliver' letter (www.simonstandanddeliver.ie). This is addressed to Government ministers, urging them to fulfil their promise to end long-term homelessness and rough sleeping by 2016. It warns that Ireland is in the middle of "a catastrophic" housing and homelessness crisis.

"If you don't move quickly and wisely - rather than being solved - long-term homelessness will become an epidemic," a section of the letter reads. "This will mean more people facing a brutal winter on our streets. More families sleeping in their cars. Serious illness, depression and death. It will mean more 'working' homeless. More pressure on overrun shelters. More people on the housing lists."

The Simon Community says the Government's emerging ideas on solving the crisis are welcome - but are far too limited, short-sighted and moving far too slowly.

"This is devastating for vulnerable families and is also economically foolish," the letter continues. "Ireland can't afford the overwhelming costs of increased homelessness and lack of housing."

The charity has presented politicians with three 'common sense' solutions:
•Increase housing - and the right kinds of housing;
•Provide adequate support services;
•Prevent homelessness before it happens.

Simon are well on their way to achieving their target of 10,000 signatures in time for World Homelessness Day next week. It's an initiative most worthy of our support. Let's just hope our elected representatives are listening.

Attitudes to drug addiction need to be challenged

If there's one thing that unites Northside and Southside communities across Dublin, it is the scourge of drug addiction.

For every Darndale - as featured in TV3's controversial new series - there is an estate with mirror image problems in Tallaght, Clondalkin or Ballyfermot. Even supposedly affluent areas like Dun Laoghaire have residents battling heroin addiction. Tenants living in inner city flat complexes on both sides of the Liffey have seen more than their fair share of drug-related funerals.

•Fix: the reality is that nobody wants to live like this by choice. PIC POSED

Talk to any of Dublin's homeless and you'll most likely find addiction at the heart of their situation. RTÉ's recent series on women behind bars told a similar story.

TV3's 'Darndale: The Edge of Town' documentary has been a major talking point online and on radio shows. While gritty and uncompromising, it has been praised as an honest portrayal of the social problems of the area. Its critics argue that it has done the community a disservice by relying too heavily on stereotypes - the drug addicts; the single parents; the urban cowboys on horseback; the bored teenagers riding around the park on scrambler bikes.

Within minutes of the first episode going on air, it was trending on Twitter. The trolls got to work immediately, plumbing new depths of ignorance and snobbery. Every harrowing story depicted in the documentary was met with a mixture of mock outrage and pure contempt for the suffering of the contributors. The emotional detachment exhibited by some people was staggering, tweeting as if they were referring to fictional characters from Roddy Doyle's Barrytown instead of real life human beings.

That's the problem with social media - it can desensitise and dehumanise individuals who, under normal circumstances, would not express such hateful sentiments. And while there was a degree of support for the Darndale community, the overall impression on Twitter was that there was little sympathy for those struggling with drug addiction. Likewise, some of the commentary about single mothers living on social welfare was highly derogatory.

There were times when the programme strayed into sensationalist, tabloid television territory. But for all its flaws, TV3's series deserves credit for highlighting the sense of hopelessness felt by heroin addicts and their abandonment by successive governments.

We got an insight into life on methadone, the heroin substitute that allows chronic users to swap one addiction for another; a sticking plaster solution designed to stop addicts from committing crimes to feed their habit. In reality, methadone only benefits polite society. People with drug problems can languish on a maintenance programme for years due to a shortage of detox beds. Some will die before ever getting the opportunity to be drug-free.

Ask any heroin addict and they will all tell you the same thing: they want to be off drugs; they want to stop causing their loved ones pain and hardship; they want a chance to start again and make a positive contribution to society. But most of them can't even begin to think about quitting because the power of their addiction is all-consuming; it is too big a part of them.

Those of us lucky enough not to struggle with drug addiction can't understand it. We feel afraid when we see heroin users, sometimes with good reason. Not all addicts come from local authority estates or dilapidated flats. Some have middle-class backgrounds but made a catastrophic error of judgement by trying heroin, perhaps out of boredom or due to peer pressure. Now they find themselves on the fringes of society, labelled as junkie lowlife by a judgemental, uncaring community.

Rather than demonise all drug users, perhaps it's time we attempted to understand the many complex issues surrounding heroin addiction. Those who are trying to quit need to be given as much support as possible. Providing addicts with easier access to detox programmes is the way forward but it requires State investment and political will.

And while we should all rightly be intolerant of drugs, uninformed views about addiction only serve to make a bad situation worse.

Recovery is about having money in our pockets

Labour and Fine Gael will be hoping that the electorate has a poor memory if this Government manages to last its full term.

Under new leader Joan Burton, Labour is optimistic that it can slowly but surely recover from the mauling its candidates suffered in May's local elections. And while Burton so far appears to have reversed the decline, it remains to be seen if her party will be forgiven for its perceived sins by the time they stand before the people in 2016.

•Broke: will the Budget put more money into our pockets? PIC POSED

Blaming Fianna Fail for every unpalatable decision made since this Government came to power in 2011 is really starting to wear thin at this stage. We are told that the good ship Ireland has been stabilised and the omens are good for economic recovery. Unemployment is falling and property prices are starting to climb again. This is all solid evidence, we are led to believe, that the worst is over and the good times are only around the corner.

However, as we have found to our cost, being able to borrow easy money for overpriced homes should not be seen as a barometer of wealth. During the boom times there were people openly bragging about their portfolios of Bulgarian properties. Today they probably don't have the price of the air fare to Bourgas or Sofia.

Real wealth is about how much money is left at the end of each month when the mortgage, household bills, food and the expense of running a car are taken into account. For most families - even those considered to be 'middle-class' - September bleeds them dry with all the back-to-school costs. And just when they are starting to recover from this, Christmas will be upon them. I imagine it's going to be another bumper season for the moneylenders.

While it's impossible to predict what measures Finance Minister Michael Noonan will introduce in next month's Budget to make us feel wealthier, any gains are likely to be negated when water bills start coming through our letterboxes in January 2015. And let's not forget the annual Local Property Tax that will be hoovered out of our bank accounts just a couple of months after that.

Thanks to the punitive effects of the Universal Social Charge, water bills and property tax, it will become increasingly difficult to save money for that rainy day (or any other day for that matter). An unexpected visit to a GP can further throw a household budget into chaos. As for holidays - sure isn't Dollier as good as anywhere when the weather is good?

Fine Gael and Labour may well be banking on economic recovery by 2016 to avoid an electoral punishment beating at the polls. But unless they start giving back something tangible, furious taxpayers will be waiting in the wings to exact their revenge. The upcoming Budget needs to be the start of a process of putting more money into our pockets. Otherwise the notion of Mary Lou McDonald picking out new curtains for the Tánaiste's office might not be as fanciful as it once seemed.

There is hope yet for 'real' music in Ireland

Music is a divisive topic in our house. Any attempt by me to play anything that predates 2013 is met with howls of disapproval from the kids, followed by a physical struggle to wrest control of the iPod.

Things get even more heated in the car. As soon as the youngsters see the words Radio Nova on the stereo display, a chant of 'Turn on Spin' rings repeatedly in my ears until I can take no more and finally relent. You don't want to know what happens if I even suggest switching over to Newstalk or RTÉ Radio 1.

You see, I grew up in an era of 'real' music in the 1970s. This meant a daily diet of Led Zeppelin, Bowie, Supertramp, The Police, Talking Heads, Neil Young - the list goes on. The growing popularity of Radio Nova proves we are far from a dying breed, although we are pushing on a bit.

• Imelda May is fronting her own music show on RTÉ

When I was a teenager in the '80s, there was a thriving gigs scene as a whole new generation of musicians were spurred on by the global success of The Boomtown Rats, Thin Lizzy and U2. You had The Blades, Auto Da Fé, Cactus World News, The Fountainhead, In Tua Nua, A House, Something Happens, Aslan, Hothouse Flowers, Cry Before Dawn, Light a Big Fire, The Stunning . . .

Fledgling bands found their voices in venues such as The Underground, Slattery's and The Baggot Inn. You could walk down Grafton Street and hear a baby-faced Glen Hansard belt out his version of Van Morrison's 'Sweet Thing'. It was impossible to go into town without recognising at least one well-known face from the scene. Back then, the city was simply alive with music; it pulsated from its heart and spread through its veins out to the spare bedrooms and garages of the suburbs.

I remember in 1987 when The Waterboys played a free gig on a Greenpeace ship docked at Sir John Rogerson's Quay, close to the iconic Windmill Lane studios. And right enough, there was Bono and Adam Clayton standing behind us in the crowd. I pulled out my last one pound note and they both graciously signed it for me. I soon realised that this had been my DART fare and so began the eight-mile walk home. While I vowed to cherish that note in the expectation that it would someday be worth a fortune, it now remains lost in one of my old Leaving Cert school books.

For me personally, the music scene took a major nosedive in the 1990s and was tarnished by the rise of the boy bands, where being a singing, dancing clotheshorse was seemingly all that was required to make the big time. Would this generation grow up thinking that 'Father and Son' was the only version of the song, having never had an opportunity to hear it in its original glory on Cat Stevens' 'Tea For the Tillerman' album? The answer, sadly, was probably yes.

Even more worrying was the line dancing phenomenon and inexplicable rise of country and western music, exemplified by Garth Brooks (sorry to bring that name up again!). I realise that taste is a subjective thing and I'm something of a music snob but I could never get my head around the unstoppable rise in the popularity of this genre. It's my loss, as I'm often told.

Things have gone from bad to worse in this century. Success is now determined by 'The X-Factor' and other reality TV talent shows, turning half-decent karaoke singers and novelty acts into pop superstars. Ask yourself: could Jedward have existed in any other decade than this? While they're likable, energetic lads and have a certain comedic quality, do they deserve more success than a group of talented musicians who write, perform and produce their own songs?

But I remain hopeful of a 'real' music renaissance. The popularity of The Electric Picnic proves there is a still an appetite for retro as well as emerging acts like Hozier. And RTÉ's new Jools Holland-style show, presented by Imelda May, bodes well for the future. While the opening programme of the season did depend on old reliables such as Mary Black and Donal Lunny, it also featured a blistering performance by The Riptide Movement. I first heard them a couple of years ago when they brought Grafton Street to a standstill while busking. It goes to show that there are still bands out there willing to work their way up the music business through hard graft and talent.

Just like they did in the '80s.

Mixed blessings as property recovery gathers pace

The property recovery continued apace in August, particularly in Dublin, according to figures just released. And while it still seems to be a two-speed resurgence, there are now tentative signs that things are picking up beyond the Pale. Great news. Or is it?

It remains to be seen if we have learned anything from the spectacular property crash of recent years, which plunged hundreds of thousands of householders into negative equity territory. While we have become somewhat inured to the term, it's quite terrifying when you think for a moment about what negative equity actually means: that we owe more to the lending institution than our property is worth.

•Our home is supposed to be our greatest asset. FILE PHOTO

There was a time when you could pop the keys through the letterbox of your bank with a note attached telling the branch manager that they could keep the house while you did the decent thing and emigrated. But unless you are one of the lucky ones to secure a debt write-down, you can now find yourself in the unenviable position of losing your home while still being in hock to your lender.

The property crash was anything but the soft landing predicted by the last Fianna Fail-led Government. The late Brian Lenihan tried to instill a sense of collective responsibility in us, stating during a television interview that, "to be fair, we all partied". There may have been a degree of truth in what he said but it hardly takes from the fact that the property bubble happened on his Government's watch and was fuelled by Fianna Fail's - and the economy's - reliance on stamp duty.

We may well have partied but it suited the Government for us to do so. In fact, we were encouraged to spend like there was no tomorrow. Remember when Charlie McCreevy gave us money for nothing through the SSIA savings scheme? Or what about all the tax breaks afforded to property developers? We were even given an extra grand a year for every baby we produced - and that was on top of generous, universal Child Benefit payments.

After the crash, it was no longer a case of trying to get a foot on the property ladder; rather a question of climbing too high up it and suddenly discovering you were afraid of heights. For some, declining property prices were the least of their problems as what was supposed to be their most valuable asset began to to crumble before their eyes due to either shoddy workmanship or the scourge of pyrite.

The Priory Hall debacle, in particular, has laid bare the human cost of light-touch regulation and cowboy building practices. History will recall this disgraceful chapter as a parable of the greedy, vulgar times we lived in.

•The Priory Hall scandal is a shameful legacy of the last boom. FILE PHOTO

The latest news that property is now increasing at a rate not seen since the Celtic Tiger era will bring mixed blessings. Those trapped in negative equity will at least have realistic options if they want to trade down or move on. But first-time buyers will be worried that their hard earned deposits will be quickly eroded by a rising market. The consequence of this is that young couples or families may end up saddled with unsustainable rents in substandard accommodation.

There is also the risk that financial institutions will move in for the kill when they realise they can suddenly break even on the distressed mortgages on their books. Don't be surprised if we see a significant increase in property repossessions as 'the recovery' takes hold.

No doubt Minister for Finance Michael Noonan is watching recent developments in the property market with interest. He would do well to learn from the catastrophic mistakes of his Fianna Fáil predecessors as he prepares for October's Budget.

RTÉ needs to prove it deserves our TV licence fee

This week, I was forced against my will to watch the annual 'Lovely Girls' competition, aka 'The Rose of Tralee'. Admittedly, I must take some responsibility for subjecting my eyes and ears to such old-fashioned nonsense. After all, this is car crash television - you know you shouldn't be watching but there is something strangely compelling about seeing how bad it is.

I have to confess I was reasonably impressed with some of the musical competency on display. As for the poetry, well, let's just say that it wasn't to my particular taste. Dáithí Ó Sé did as good a job as any of his illustrious predecessors and seemed genuinely at ease in his role as host. No better man for a bit of harmless banter with the ladies.

But within one hour of this great big Kerry love-in, I could take no more and left the room while my sanity was still relatively intact. I was gutted when I learnt that this was only the first night of the competition and we would be doing it all over again the next day. It was like a being trapped in your own version of 'Groundhog Day' with big gúnas, tin whistles and a twinkly-eyed presenter who could collectively charm all the mammies of Ireland.

•Ryan Tubridy is not responsible for the flaws of 'The Late Late Show'

In a cruel twist of fate, the following morning I received a final demand for my TV licence fee. Not the best time to be reminded that my hard-earned €160 is helping to fund the State broadcaster's original output.

But in fairness, the beauty/talent/nice personality pageant in the Kingdom is only a small part of what RTÉ has to offer. The station recently revealed its autumn schedule, with highlights including another season of the acclaimed 'Love/Hate', as well as a drama on the life of the flawed politician Charles Haughey.

The fact that some of the same actors will be appearing in both productions is a little bit worrying and smacks of laziness. I find it hard to believe that there is such a small pool of talent in this country that we are forced to wheel out the same faces time and time again.

Naturally, 'The Late Late Show' will again take its place at the top of the table when it comes to the autumn/winter schedule. The station's flagship chat show has been in decline for some time and it's not the fault of genial host Ryan Tubridy. For starters, it's far too long. This may not have been a problem when we were living in five channel land but in an era of digital TV and Netflix, RTÉ needs to realise that the viewer has a shorter attention span than in days of yore and wants instant gratification.

In recent years 'The Late Late' has largely become a vehicle for promoting the station's other programmes or plugging some Z-lister's book. As for the musical content, let's just say that a Garth Brooks cover band was a particular low point in the last season for me personally. Tubridy has great empathy with the guests that have harrowing, human stories to tell but seems to struggle with the more lowbrow stuff concerning has-been soap actors or reality TV stars. And who could blame him for that? At least give the guy something he can work with.

RTÉ should shave at least an hour off 'The Late Late Show' and concentrate on attracting a higher calibre of guest if it wants the nation to stop flicking over to Graham Norton at the earliest opportunity. It will take far more than a fresh redesign of the show's set to reverse the rot.

There is still much to love about RTÉ. Its current affairs output - on television, radio and online - has yet to be matched by its competitors, although the excellent Newstalk is nipping at the broadcaster's heels in this regard. But with the impending launch of UTV Ireland and the station's acquisition of prize bull Pat Kenny, the media landscape is set for radical change in 2015.

RTÉ will still be able to compete for lucrative advertising while enjoying a financial top-up from the TV licence fee. But now, with more choice for the viewer than ever, it needs to prove that it's worthy of it.

Are Leaving Cert foreign holidays an incentive too far?

I collected my Leaving Cert results way back in 1987. Memories of that morning came flooding back today when I saw images of overjoyed teenagers all over social media sites.

I know I sound like an old curmudgeon but our celebrations were a little more muted and innocent than what you see today. A group of us boarded a DART to Howth and tried our luck in some of the local pubs, with mixed results. Frustratingly, I had just turned 18 but still found it hard to get served. Not surprisingly, the girls fared better than the lads thanks to the transformative power of makeup.

The upside was that I had a part-time job in the St Lawrence Hotel, home to the legendary Good Time Charlie's nightclub. Staff were permitted free entry on Thursday nights. The doorman was a neighbour of mine and turned a blind eye to the 'over 21s' policy for the night that was in it. I was home by 2am and slept till the afternoon the next day. Pretty lame, as kids today would put it.

•Life's a beach: should we allow our teenagers to go on holidays unsupervised? PIC POSED

Things are different now. For many Leaving Cert graduates, a foreign holiday with their mates, without parental supervision, is the norm. Perhaps the lure of a trip abroad helps keep them motivated through those difficult months of intensive studying. But is it sensible to give a teenager such unrestricted freedom?

Even before the recent controversy surrounding the hellhole that is Magaluf came to light, I had serious reservations about the post-Leaving Cert holiday trend. While not every resort has such a seedy reputation, allowing teenagers to celebrate the end of their exams or results in another country is a risky move.

Even 'sensible' kids can go off the rails when exposed to cheap drink, excess sun and the prospect of no-strings attached holiday sex. It's a potent mix. To an impressionable teenager on holiday with their peers, this type of temptation can throw up many potential dangers: alcohol poisoning, drownings, exposure to drugs, unplanned pregnancies, STDs ... take your pick.

While most of these risks can as easily present themselves at home, young people are often in fear of being caught by their parents. Such a deterrent does not exist when they are abroad, making them more likely to engage in uncharacteristic, reckless behaviour.

I'm of the view that a 17 or 18-year-old does not have the emotional maturity to navigate the hazards presented by a foreign holiday. Sitting the Leaving Certificate remains one of the most trying times of a young person's life. Even many university graduates will attest that it remains the most difficult exam they ever had to face.

Parents will understandably want to dangle a carrot during the difficult two years preceding the Leaving Cert and reward their children for the hard work and effort. There are other ways to do this: give them money; put them on your car insurance policy; bring them on a shopping spree; organise a party etc.

But I believe that allowing teenagers the freedom of an unsupervised foreign holiday is perhaps an incentive too far. It's not enough just to trust them. Protecting your children should always take precedent over pleasing them.

Here come the good times . . . apparently!

It has been a pretty busy silly season so far. Newspapers usually struggle to fill their pages with interesting copy during the summer months but this year has been something of an exception, what with the Garth Brooks fiasco, the conflict in Gaza, multiple air disasters and a former politician being sent down for a spell of porridge.

Governments often try to bury bad news when there are a lot of other things happening. But this week we were showered with nothing but positivity. It was like being given a great big hug, with a reassuring whisper in our ear that everything is going to be OK.

•Party time is almost back - but we're still suffering a hangover from the last one. PIC POSED

Indeed, most of the things that have troubled us since the turn of our fortunes in 2008 are about to get back to near normal if the ESRI is correct. Easing fears of a new property bubble, the think-thank reckons that our humble abodes will be worth 20 per cent more by 2017. Not quite back to the Celtic Tiger prices we paid for them but possibly enough to drag most of us out of negative equity. I suspect it will make the option of repossessions more attractive for the banks, too.

Next year should see the creation of 50,000 new jobs and Ireland's unemployment rate will fall below the magic 10 per cent figure. It remains to be seen if the level of wages offered by prospective employers will support an average mortgage repayment. Unlike the heady days of the early noughties, the job seeker of today will be conditioned to accept the new reality when it comes to salary expectations.

We were also told that the Government may revise its growth projections upwards and we are being drip-fed hints that this year's budget may not be as harsh as previously feared. But the reality is that even if Michael Noonan has a bit of wriggle room to feed the taxpayer a few scraps from the table, any such gains will most likely be eroded by water charges and the next LPT payment. As Bertie Ahern would have put it: it's all "smoke and daggers" really.

Some people seem to think that the good times are already here and have started celebrating early. Sales of luxury cars in the 100k-plus bracket are up, according to new figures. And notoriously, one pub in Temple Bar was recently shamed on social media for charging the bones of €20 for two pints of beer and two packets of crisps (in fairness, there was 10 cent change).

But our rip-off culture extends way beyond our city's tourist traps. I was at a community festival earlier this month where I was relieved of over €7 for a hotdog and chips. Note to food stall owners everywhere: putting the word 'gourmet' in front of sausage, burger or pizza does not mean you can charge exorbitant prices for what is, after all, just basic takeaway grub.

When the good times eventually return, we will need to be more vocal when faced with ridiculous prices. So the next time a barman tries to charge you more than €7 for a standard pint, simply walk away and let them try to sell it to some other gullible fool.

It's not my intention to put a dampener on last week's good news. But we can only prepare for the next boom by learning from the mistakes of the old one. And that means being more assertive when it comes to standing up for your rights as a consumer.

Callely has paid a higher price than a prison sentence

Ivor Callely was first elected as a TD in 1989, the year I joined Northside People. He was a great man for feeding stories to his local paper, always making sure you knew that he was giving you the 'exclusive' first and at the expense of the national media.

The first time I met him was on Bull Island causeway in the heart of his Dublin North Central constituency. I was working on a story about a proposal to breach the causeway to prevent silting in the bay. Naturally, Callely was giving me the lowdown first. If memory serves me correctly, he pulled up that day in a Merc. A lot of flash for a mere backbench TD but each to his own, I suppose. Dapper as always, he was smartly dressed in a suit, which was pretty much how you'd expect your local representative to look.

•Ivor Callely pictured in his office just after his appointment as Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, June 2002. PHOTO BY DARREN KINSELLA

Callely seemed to subscribe to the theory that to be successful, you had to appear successful. It would be at least another decade before he would be appointed a junior minister but that day he already looked the part. Seemingly, in Ivor Callely's mind, being a local TD was simply a dress rehearsal for greater things to come.

His stated ambition to one day become Taoiseach was not as fanciful as it seemed. Callely was one of the biggest vote-getters in the country and was nothing short of a local legend with his constituents. He had a reputation as a hard worker; a fixer; a politician who got things done. He was a familiar face on the funeral circuit.

But 'Ivor the Engine' was viewed with suspicion by his political rivals. The late Sean Dublin Bay Loftus once told me in no uncertain terms that he had little time for him. Unsurprisingly, Callely was seen as a constant threat to the Haughey political dynasty. His critics dismissed him as a delusional dreamer with ideas above his station.

But it was impossible for Bertie Ahern to ignore such a consistently strong performer in elections and Callely finally got the nod in 2002 when he was given a junior ministry at the Department of Health. He was later moved to the Department of Transport before it all came crashing down spectacularly over a free paint job to his Clontarf home by a developer who had carried out work for the Eastern Health Board in the early 1990s, when Callely had served as chairman.

From this point onwards, his political career descended into chaotic freefall. In the wake of his resignation from ministerial office, Callely's star was on the wane and his once-loyal constituents dumped him as a TD in the 2007 General Election. Bertie gave him a dig-out by appointing him to the Seanad but this would turn out to be Callely's undoing. His tenure as a senator was dogged by a long-running expenses controversy that ultimately resulted in his jailing this week for making fraudulent mobile phone claims.

Ivor Callely, now aged 56, is a shadow of his former self. He seems haunted by the events of recent years and the stress has clearly taken its toll. Personally, I feel sympathy for his family. Jailing Callely doesn't seem to make economic sense. The cost of imprisoning him will be far greater than the few grand he ripped us off for. But the general consensus seems to be that the judge made the right decision on the basis that there was a breach of trust involved by a person holding a position of public office. It's hard to argue with her reasoning.

Ivor Callely is highly unlikely to make a political comeback. He has suffered enormous reputational damage that far outweighs the length of his custodial sentence. Even if he only serves a portion of his time behind bars, he will have paid a high price for his serious errors of judgement and blatant sense of entitlement.

And for that, he should be afforded the opportunity to rebuild his life as a private citizen.

Rip-off Ireland laid bare by Garth Brooks fiasco

Not since JR Ewing was shot in 1980 has a man in a Stetson hat proved such a talking point in this country.

But despite global coverage of the Garth Brooks Croker fiasco, I expect the international media have already moved on from a story that has dominated the headlines here for the past number of weeks (seems longer somehow, doesn't it?).

•Garth Brooks pictured in Croke Park earlier this year at the announcement of his planned concerts

In true Irish style, no party to this sorry mess comes out in a particularly good light in the aftermath of the cancellations. As the blame game continues, we have politicians, the GAA, Dublin City Council, the promoter, local residents and, darn it, even the great country crooner himself, taking their share of the flak.

Notwithstanding the High Court injunction threat, which has since been withdrawn, three sold-out gigs could have gone ahead had Brooks not thrown a strop and taken his ball back. Frankly, his "five or none at all" ultimatum was a crass display of brinkmanship that won him little sympathy. Similarly, comparing which concerts to play as being like having to choose between children was mawkish sentimentality at its worst. It's hardly 'Sophie's Choice', Garth.

So should we be collectively embarrassed as a nation, as has been widely suggested? Well, yes and no.

In my view Dublin City Council management are to be applauded for not bowing to the considerable pressure from political and commercial interests to reverse its decision to only allow three concerts. A number of politicians did themselves a disservice by issuing populist statements to the media calling for a solution to the standoff, while naturally being cognisant of the local residents' grievances. Er, isn't that what Dublin City Council's decision sought to achieve in the first place?

We should rightly be embarrassed by a system that allows 400,000 tickets to go on sale for concerts that have yet to receive a licence. This is a particularly Irish way of doing business and will no doubt force a belated review of our licensing laws. The army of loyal Garth Brooks fans who bought tickets were caught in the crossfire and it's hard not to feel sorry for them.

Much has been made of the reputational damage caused to Ireland by the controversy. Residents were urged to support the five concerts in the national interest, with dire warnings that €50m would be lost to the local economy if they didn't go ahead.

I certainly have a degree of sympathy for genuinely struggling hotel and pub businesses affected by the cancellation of the concerts. I have also been impressed at how some hotels have been facilitating full refunds to their customers owing to the exceptional circumstances involved.

But let's cast our minds back to January when the tickets first went on sale and a number of Dublin hotels immediately hiked up their rates to cash in on the Garth Brooks bonanza. This type of behaviour smacks of greedy opportunism and lays bare the rip-off culture alive and well in post-Celtic Tiger Ireland.

And for that, we should be genuinely embarrassed.

Critics' reaction to Mrs Brown movie is hilarious

Mind-numbingly boring, off-the-wall, totally hilarious and outrageously vulgar. But enough about some of the reviews that have greeted the release of 'Mrs Brown's Boys D'Movie'.

If you don't find the antics of the matriarchal Finglas street trader funny, you can guarantee yourself a good laugh by Googling a selection of the serious critics' reaction to Brendan O'Carroll's first big screen outing. Some of them can be very grumpy, precious individuals, to say the least. It's hard to know what bothers them most: the commercial success of the Mrs Brown franchise or the lack of subtitles in the film.

They might have preferred it if the movie was three hours long and set in a monastery in Tibet. Naturally, it would have to be filmed in a single sequence on a handheld camera with the actors eschewing a script in favour of some self-indulgent improvisation. You can almost predict the plaudits coming off the pages - 'brave', 'groundbreaking', 'exceptional', 'challenging'.

•PRAMTASTIC: A scene from 'Mrs Brown's Boys D'Movie'

The point that many critics miss is that 'Mrs Brown's Boys' is not art for art's sake. It's not even art. It's old fashioned entertainment and does exactly what it says on the tin. The sexual references and bad language have certainly polarised opinion. But taste is a subjective thing and millions of people around the globe love Mrs Brown and her on-screen family. She certainly has her knockers (fnar fnar!) but TV viewing figures consistently show them to be very much in the minority.

Brendan O'Carroll is no fan of the critics as he believes many of them have been unkind to him since his early days. He has been at pains to point out that he writes for his fans, not the reviewers. But even O'Carroll must have been taken aback (and hopefully amused) by some of the brickbats flung at Mrs Brown's first big screen venture. Frankly, suggestions that the film is racist, sexist and homophobic are pretty wide of the mark. Criticising the vulgarity of a film featuring Mrs Brown is like saying you were shocked by the level of violence in a Bruce Lee movie.

There's a scene in the classic American comedy 'Seinfeld' where the hapless George Costanza tries to chat up a woman by telling her he's a writer. She seems initially impressed until he discloses that he's writing a sitcom, at which point she laughs with derision at what she perceives to be such a low art form. It reminded me of some of the critics' reaction to Brendan O'Carroll's work.

So while 'Mrs Brown's Boys D'Movie' will not be to everyone's taste, it's already a box office sensation here and is likely to propel O'Carroll and his team to even greater heights of success. Quite rightly, he will be more focused on his core audience's reaction to the film than the elitist, snobby views of some of the begrudgers. He should make a sequel, just to annoy them.

Life's a beach this summer - so let's make the most it

The recent spell of good weather has seen us flocking to Dublin's sandy shores in our droves.

For a capital city, we are pretty spoiled when it comes to quality beaches on our doorstep. Northside gems include Skerries, Loughshinny, Rush (North and South), Donabate, Portmarnock, Sutton and Dollymount, while south Dublin boasts the likes of Sandymount, Seapoint, Killiney and Sandycove.

If only we had the climate, our beaches would be thronged for most of the summer months, like they were at the end of June. For the rest of the year, they are usually the preserve of dog walkers, kite surfers and keep fit enthusiasts.

•Portmarnock's Velvet Strand pictured in 1994. PHOTO BY DARREN KINSELLA

Nevertheless, we are blessed to have access to such a variety of coastal havens so close to a major European city like Dublin.

I am lucky enough to live within five minutes' walk of a fantastic beach, which I visit on a daily basis with my four-legged companion. For most of the year I am among a handful of users of this wonderful amenity and it was heartening to see it packed with locals and tourists during the recent 'heatwave'.

I must pay tribute to my local authority for implementing such an efficient early morning beach cleaning programme, which made the experience all the more pleasurable for swimmers and picnickers alike. As usual, unfortunately, some inconsiderate idiots left a trail of litter in their wake. Seriously, how hard can it be to bring your rubbish home with you?

In the case of my local beach, there is a serious shortage of bins. While this is not entirely a justification for irresponsible littering, it is an area that councils need to improve on. The problem with dog dirt in public places could also be eased if the facilities were in place to encourage responsible behaviour by pet owners.

It would also be nice, incidentally, if more public showers were installed on our beaches (particularly the ones without Blue Flags!)

Anti-social behaviour at our beaches can also ruin a perfectly good day out for families. While there were reports of near-riots in Howth at the beginning of the bathing season, I was happy to note a strong Garda presence at nearby Portmarnock on one of the hottest days of the recent warm spell.

There have been other improvements, too. Many beaches (including my local one) have been closed off to cars in recent years on safety grounds. Once a magnet for brainless boy racers, our sandy shores have been rid of this menace once and for all.

Parents also need to be mindful of safety when their children take to the water. An inviting sea can be an unpredictable, dangerous beast and rip currents or rising tides need to be taken into account. Despite the presence of lifeguards, remember that they are not babysitters and it is primarily the job of parents to ensure their child's safety in the water. Cheap floating devices or toy store dinghies should also be discouraged at all times.

We can only hope that the best of the summer is not behind us so we can continue to enjoy Dublin's enviable selection of seaside hot spots.

Tears are not enough to resolve medical card fiasco

Health Minister James Reilly has a tendency to get emotionally involved in the plight of others and can turn on the waterworks with the frequency of Eamon Dunphy. Fortunately for him, the Government has no proposals at present to install water meters on our tear ducts.

For all his perceived failings as a minister, at least he comes across as sensitive and humane. Personally I like that about him and see it as a strength rather than a weakness. However, it does make his department's shambolic handling of the discretionary medical cards fiasco all the more difficult to understand.

•Face in the crowd: Minister for Health, James Reilly. PHOTO BY DARREN KINSELLA

After the coalition parties received a right old kicking in the recent local and European elections, the penny finally dropped. There appeared to be a sudden realisation that the electorate didn't approve of medical cards being removed from some of the most vulnerable members of society.

The Government's response to public outrage seemed to be: "Really, you didn't like it when we did that? Why didn't you say something? If only we had known."

The Taoiseach himself announced that the callous cull would be suspended and ordered an immediate review of the eligibility criteria for entitlement to cards to be based on specific medical conditions rather than household income. It was expected that this review would be finalised in a matter of months, ending the misery and uncertainty for those with lifelong illnesses or disabilities.

Maybe - just maybe - this Government was starting to cop itself on.

But not exactly. Minister Reilly has since announced that discretionary medical cards will now be restored to over 15,000 people. Quite rightly, he apologised to those with serious illnesses who had been affected. This, he said, was an "unintended consequence" of the decision to centralise the processing of cards in 2011. On this occasion the Minister managed to keep the tears at bay but his apology sounded sincere.

But this good news was tempered by Reilly's refusal to entertain the notion of compensation for those who had their medical cards taken away. He was quoted as saying that the decision to remove the cards had been made "validly and legally".

Perhaps, Minister - but what about morally?

Minister Reilly also revealed that while the expert group tasked with reviewing the criteria for eligibility of medical cards was expected to report by the autumn, legislation on the matter was unlikely to be enacted until 2015.

The Government's U-turn on medical cards is to be welcomed but kicking the legislation on new eligibility into next year has taken the fizz out of the announcement. If only the health and wellbeing of our nation could be treated with the same urgency as the banking crisis was in September 2008.

Memories of papal visit tarnished by abuse scandals

I was 10-years-old when Pope John Paul II made his celebrated visit to Ireland in September 1979. I can still vividly recall standing on a train station platform as the Aer Lingus 747 carrying him descended on Dublin, escorted by the Irish Air Corps.

I was among the 1.25 million people (almost a third of the Irish population) on their way to the Phoenix Park for the historic mass. We were herded like exported cattle onto a packed, seatless train carriage and on arrival at Ashtown made the short walk to the park. There was a carnival-like atmosphere as we anticipated our audience with the Roman Catholic Church's most senior figure. This pontiff was box office, to put in mildly. Not even the Rolling Stones were as rock 'n' roll as this Pope when it came to star power.

•The Papal Cross can evoke mixed feelings towards our Catholicism. PHOTO BY DARREN KINSELLA

We munched on ham sandwiches and packets of Tayto as the Pope said mass. The sound quality was poor and I couldn't understand his accent very well. But I remember being excited when the Popemobile started its tour of the park, craning my neck to get a glimpse of the main man. Much to my disappointment, he didn't come anywhere close to us. After mass had ended, it was impossible to get near the train station due to the large crowds and like thousands of others we had to trek, pilgrimage-style, to the city on foot.

That evening, as luck would have it, we happened to be on Sean McDermott Street just as the Pope was passing Our Lady of Lourdes Church, home to the shrine of Matt Talbot. There had been weeks of speculation that he would stop to visit the shrine but locals were left disappointed on the day when the Pope's entourage sped past the assembled crowd. The Popemobile came so close to us that were it not for the crush barriers and Garda presence we almost could have reached out and touched it. We screamed "your holiness!" as he approached. He smiled in our direction and blessed us. That moment was one of the highlights of my childhood but my precious memories of the papal visit have since been tarnished by scandals involving the Catholic Church.

It's hard not to cringe today when you look at archive television footage of hypocrites like Eamon Casey and the late Fr Michael Cleary warming up the crowd as they awaited the Pope's arrival in Galway. But their transgressions were mild in comparison with the evil depravity of other priests.

Once a stronghold of Catholicism, Ireland's devotion to the church has been rocked by revelations of child sexual abuse by members of religious orders and more recently the Tuam babies' scandal. To some extent we have almost become inured to controversies involving the Catholic Church. It took a member of the clergy, Fr Brian D'Arcy, to bring home the gravity of the case of the dead babies when he drew parallels with Nazi Germany during a radio interview on Newstalk.

Every church scandal erodes our Catholicism but not necessarily our Christian faith and beliefs. If it's a challenging time to be a Catholic in Ireland, you can only imagine how difficult it is for decent, law-abiding members of the clergy who abhor the abuse of children.

The Papal Cross in Dublin serves as a poignant reminder of more innocent times, when Ireland wore its Catholicism with pride. But for many victims of church abuse, it is a symbol of oppression. If a papal visit were to happen today, I imagine the mass would be celebrated in a much smaller venue than the Phoenix Park.

Sport is the antidote to anti-social behaviour

With the 2014 World Cup about to get underway, we are reminded of the important role that sport can play in the development of young people.

There may be a few notable exceptions, but in general soccer stars are extremely positive role models for our kids. Today's generation of top-tier players may be over-pampered and excessively paid (to put it mildly) but they do give our youngsters something to aspire to. Only a tiny minority of young footballers reach the dizzy heights of success enjoyed by Ronaldo, Van Persie or Messi. But so what? We should encourage them to chase their dreams.

•Teenagers should be encouraged to participate in sport to prevent them going down the wrong track. FILE PHOTO

A few days ago I noticed a bunch of teenagers loitering in a children's playground. Like any group of young lads hanging around, they looked more menacing than they actually were. A Garda patrol car happened to be in the park at the time. It slowed down as it approached the playground but the teens defiantly stood their ground. Realising there was nothing sinister going on, the gardaí drove off.

This particular playground has been vandalised by mindless thugs on numerous occasions. Expensive equipment has been set on fire and the surface has been badly damaged, costing the local authority tens of thousands of euro to repair it. There was nothing to suggest that this particular group of teenagers had engaged in such reckless behaviour. While they were largely harmless, their use of foul language in front of pre-school children made the atmosphere threatening and uncomfortable for parents.

The teens were a pitiful sight, really; sitting on swings and hanging out of the climbing frame like a bunch of five-year-olds. If boredom was a crime, these guys would have been guilty as charged. It was a bank holiday weekend and they had absolutely nothing to do but sit in a children's playground. Just a few metres away was an all-weather football pitch with goalposts and basketball hoops. There were enough of them there to organise a five-a-side match but they chose instead to do nothing.

Boredom can be extremely dangerous when it comes to teenagers. Kids from decent families can do stupid, out-of-character things when they are bored, from abusing alcohol to smoking a joint to shooting up heroin. A chaotic lifestyle often starts with anti-social behaviour such as vandalism and graffiti and quickly moves on to joyriding and more serious forms of criminality.

Teenage boys, in particular, are more prone to disaster if their hormonal angst and energy is not channelled in a positive way. Early intervention through sport is the best way to divert them away from a path paved with misery. Be it soccer, boxing or Gaelic Football, there are clubs in every community in Ireland full of dedicated volunteers who can help steer your teen in the right direction and make them believe in themselves.

Participating in team sports engenders a sense of camaraderie and instills confidence in young people. It promotes good health, making those who want to achieve sporting success less likely to smoke or drink. In a world of Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat, it forces our youth to socialise and interact with actual people instead of virtual friends.

With secondary schools now closed (except for exam students), parents should ensure that their teenagers are kept occupied by taking up a sport or joining a summer camp. Don't let boredom win and potentially destroy your child's life.

SF have a chance to prove their economic credentials

Depending on your viewpoint, the results of the European and Local Elections can be interpreted as either a seismic shift in Irish voting patterns or a warning shot across the bows of the Government parties.

As Fianna Fail candidates discovered to their cost in the 2011 General Election, hell hath no fury like a battle-weary electorate scorned. And at the ballot box last week voters enthusiastically exacted their revenge. The message for the Government parties couldn't have been clearer - the public are mad as hell and aren't gong to take it anymore.

Unlike the civil unrest that greeted austerity in places such as Greece, in this country we give the impression that we are compliant pushovers in the face of property tax and water charges. But boy do we vent our spleens on polling day.

•Sinn Féin is now the largest party on Dublin City Council. PHOTO BY DARREN KINSELLA

The voting shift to the left saw major gains for Sinn Féin, anti-austerity parties and Independents. Alliances will be formed between like-minded councillors on local authorities throughout the country. Sinn Féin is now the largest party on Dublin City Council. When grouped together with other left-leaning councillors, they will have a powerful voting lobby.

But this type of power and control brings with it great responsibility. Councillors who would have traditionally voted against unpopular measures now hold all the cards. The question is: will they have the stomach to support unpalatable but necessary cutbacks or be able to come up with viable alternatives? Will they be able to vote through Dublin City Council's budgets? It's easy to oppose everything when you haven't got the numbers to ultimately influence the outcome but that's not the case anymore following the May 23 election.

With the prospect of this Government lasting its full term looking increasingly unlikely, Sinn Féin and their allies have a valuable opportunity to prove they can be trusted with the economic management of our local authorities. If they fail, a fickle electorate will migrate en masse back to Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Labour when it comes to electing TDs to the 32nd Dáil.

Crime can bring out the dark side in all of us

There's a memorable scene in Guy Ritchie's film 'Snatch' where Vinnie Jones' character jams a man's head in the window of his car and starts to drive off. The hapless victim is forced to run faster and faster as the car accelerates before he is unceremoniously released and collapses onto the road. I imagine that's what I'd like to do if I was carjacked.

But this is just a fantasy and my reaction to such a traumatic event may not be as swift or dramatic as in the movies. In reality, would I drive off with a dangerous criminal still attached to my car, hearing him plead for mercy as I put the foot down? The honest answer is probably not.

•How would we react if confronted by a drug-crazed intruder in our home? FILE PHOTO

But that's what happens in society when we are faced with new forms of criminality. Fear can bring out the worst in us and put dark thoughts in our heads.

Just look at Ryan Tubridy's out of character reaction when he recently interviewed a self-confessed domestic abuser on his radio show. RTE's golden boy is not the type of person you'd normally associate with violence but you could forgive his lack of restraint when he told the cowardly thug that he would have broken his legs had he subjected his loved ones to such abuse. Quite frankly, I've a whole new respect for Ryan Tubridy. It was an honest response to being confronted with a firsthand account of this monster's history of violence against his wife. I doubt Tubridy would ever follow up on such a threat but I can understand his thought process.

Most people don't have a natural propensity for violence but do possess a primal urge to protect their families. How would you respond if confronted by a drug-crazed intruder inside your home while your children slept close by? Would you be paralysed by fear or would your survival instinct kick in? It's impossible to know whether you would meet violence with violence unless you were actually in that situation.

I personally believe that burglars' human rights are diluted as soon as they illegally cross the threshold of a property, but I also realise that it is morally wrong to physically harm another human being. That's what separates most decent, law-abiding members of the community from low-life criminals and petty thugs.

While media reports of aggravated burglaries and carjackings can feed into our insecurities, it is important that we don't get caught up in the hysteria generated by these events. Such incidents - while disturbing and horrific experiences for the victims - are still relatively rare in this country and there is no evidence yet that we are facing a carjacking epidemic similar to the one that plagued post-apartheid South Africa. I'd like to think we're someway off from having our vehicles modified to include extreme anti-theft devices such as flamethrowers or Tasers.

As with most forms of crime, the most effective deterrent to would-be carjackers is prevention. By adopting a commonsense approach - such as keeping valuables out of sight and making sure your car doors are locked at all times - drivers can help avoid becoming the next victim.