Podcasts about Dublin City Council

In today's episode, Hugh is joined by historian Dr Cormac Moore to discuss one of the most consequential but little-known episodes in modern Irish history: the Irish Boundary Commission. Based on Moore's new book The Root of All Evil, the conversation explores the hopes, fraught negotiations, and ultimate anticlimax that defined the commission's work 100 years ago this year.How did a clause in the Anglo-Irish Treaty come to carry the weight of nationalist aspirations and unionist fears? Why did so many believe that the commission would redraw the map of Ireland in favour of the Free State – and how did those expectations unravel so completely? Was the commission's failure inevitable, or did political miscalculations and miscommunications seal its fate?Moore, historian-in-residence with Dublin City Council, brings a forensic eye to the detail and a deep sense of the human stakes involved. He unpacks the central roles played by figures such as David Lloyd George, James Craig and WT Cosgrave.What lessons does the Boundary Commission hold for how borders are made – and unmade – in contested spaces? And in a world where the political future of Northern Ireland is once again up for debate, is this century-old episode a cautionary tale of how not to manage competing nationalisms?What happened in 1925 offers lessons for anyone interested in the deeper roots of partition, the evolution of identity on this island, and how historical decisions continue to cast long shadows.Produced by Declan Conlon with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

E128 The Fifth Court – Drawing the Line: The Story of the Irish Boundary CommissionDr. Cormac Moore – an historian with Dublin City Council's Historian-in-Residence programme and author of Birth of the Border: The Impact of Partition in Ireland. He is a recognised authority on the politics, personalities, and legal frameworks surrounding the Irish border.It was meant to settle the border between North and South once and for all. Instead, it nearly collapsed the Irish Free State government. On this episode of The Fifth Court, barristers Peter Leonard and Mark Tottenham are joined by historian Dr. Cormac Moore, who explains the secretive, scandal-ridden tale of the Irish Boundary Commission of 1924–25—a political time bomb buried in the Anglo-Irish Treaty.From leaked maps to aborted transfers of land, Dr. Moore lays out how the Commission's quietly explosive findings were suppressed, how the Free State's hopes were dashed, and why the whole affair continues to echo in Irish constitutional law and cross-border politics today.Cormac's cultural reference...a movie 'The Treaty' on YouTube, and he also loves 'Amadeus', the movie.Before that, they examine notable recent court decisions featured on Decisis.ie including:An AI case...artificial insemination that is. A case about bull semen and a woman who, it was claimed, was acting as though she were a vet. The Veterinary Council of Ireland got involved.A defamation case where the wrong person was identified as having been on the tax defaulters list. Qualified privilege did not arise.A case involving a medical practitioner who it was said about him, had a persistent delusional disorder. The Medical Council was on one side.Whether you're in practice or just passionate about the law, this episode is a must-listen for its clarity, depth, and practical relevance.Sponsored by Charltons Solicitors and Collaborative Practitioners – family law with a collaborative approach. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The concept of civil rights in Northern Ireland is as old as the state itself. Established in 1921, the new northern government inherited a deeply divided and disadvantaged society which its practices only served to deepen for half a century. To help us understand the complexities of this period I have enlisted the help and expertise of Dr Cormac Moore. Cormac is a resident historian with Dublin City Council, he is a columnist with the Irish News as well as editing its daily ‘On This Day' segment, and he is the author of several books – the most recent being The Root of All Evil: The Irish Boundary Commission published by Irish Academic Press. I began by asking Cormac his opinion on the extent to which the Unionist government had inherited a deeply imbalanced society which they were incapable of fixing…This episode was produced as part of At the Crossroads: The Campaign for Civil Rights in Northern Ireland, a project developed by The Linen Hall. This project is supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs Reconciliation Fund and has also received financial support from the Northern Ireland Community Relations Council.Send us a textSupport the show

Former US President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle have been invited to accept the Freedom of the City of Dublin when they visit the capital in September.The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Ray McAdam, said the couple had received the city's highest civic honor in February 2017 by Dublin City Council, however they have not yet had the opportunity to formally accept it.Is now the right time to receive this award? And should they get it at all?Joining guest host Mandy Johnston to discuss this and more is Eddie Punch from the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association and Law Lecturer from the University of Galway & Columnist with The Journal, Larry Donnelly.

Smart D8, Dublin's first smart district dedicated to addressing community health and wellbeing in the heart of Dublin 8, has announced three new pilot projects as it enters its fifth year of successfully engaging the local community. The pilot projects will centre on accelerating cancer detection with the use of AI, driving positive conversations around men's health through community football and supporting remote heart health monitoring for patients living with heart failure conditions. The announced initiatives come as Smart D8 continues its commitment to enhance the health and wellbeing of local communities in the Dublin 8 area following five years of success. Smart D8 pilot projects supporting men's health and managing heart failure through patient empowerment Since October 2020, the Smart D8 partnership has gathered expertise across a range of areas and has established strong community connections among residents, businesses and local organisations. Through the combined effort of pilot calls, local workshop activities and engagement with existing community groups, Smart D8 has reached over 18,500 people living and working in the 45,000-strong population of Dublin 8. Smart D8 is led by The Digital Hub, Dublin City Council, St James's Hospital and Smart Dublin. They are joined by Tyndall National Institute, St Patrick's Mental Health Services, Trinity College Dublin, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, National College of Art & Design, Guinness Enterprise Centre, Health Innovation Hub Ireland and the HSE in this unique collaborative initiative. The pilot programme of Smart D8 operates by selecting a number of health and wellbeing-focused initiatives each year following a competitive application process. Selected projects are supported with community engagement and funding as they are demonstrated in Dublin 8 for a six-month period. After this period, they are evaluated to verify the potential to scale their innovations for long-term population health and wellbeing impacts in the area and beyond. The 2025 pilot projects that will begin implementation across the Dublin 8 area this summer include: Early-Stage Cancer Detection by the RCSI University of Medicine & Health Sciences: This project, run by the PRiCAN research group, aims to support expedited cancer diagnoses through an AI-powered digital scribe tool, which will assist in diagnostic consultations in Centric Health GP practices in Dublin 8. The tool will support GPs by reducing administrative burden and monitoring conversations with patients for subtle symptom patterns potentially linked to cancers with the aim of prompting earlier investigation and diagnosis. Football Cooperative by Football Cooperative CLG: This project, led by Steven O'Connell, aims to engage men in positive health behaviours through weekly pick-up football games, encouraging conversations about men's overall physical, mental and social health. Backed by South-East Technological University (SETU), the programme has already demonstrated a social return of €17.60 for every €1 invested and will aim to co-develop a robust outcome framework to enable national scaling through partners, including the FAI and Local Sports Partnerships. Smart Heart: Heart Failure Care in the Community by patientMpower and in partnership with St James's Hospital Heart Support Unit: Led by Eamonn Costello and Eimear Kelly, this project involves the remote monitoring of individuals living with heart failure, a condition that affects 2% of Ireland's population. Patients will receive connected devices that transmit blood pressure and weight data to clinicians in real-time, enabling the trial of a scalable model of community-based chronic care. Jack Lehane, Smart D8 Ecosystem Manager, said: "As Smart D8 enters its fifth consecutive year, I am delighted to announce the three pilot projects that will be demonstrated with the Dublin 8 community. Each year, the quality of applications for Smart D8 is increasing, which is a re...

Dublin City Council has voted to increase the Local Property Tax for the first time in several years, sparking debate about fairness, affordability, and funding for local services. To discuss the impact of the decision and what it means for housing policy, Mandy Johnston is joined by Rory Hearne, TD Dublin North-West, and Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson & Roisin Murphy, Architect, Artist, Conservationist & Lecturer in Griffith College Dublin.

The majority of Dubliners will see their property tax rise next year as Dublin city councillors are set to become the latest local authority in the capital to vote to increase the tax. Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast was Janet Horner, Green Party Councillor for Dublin's North Inner City, and Daithi Doolan, Sinn Féin Councillor for Ballyfermot Drimnagh.

Homeowners will pay a higher rate of property tax next year as a result of a vote being held this evening by Dublin City Council.Councillors are expected to vote to remove a 15% discount on the tax for the first time in over a decade.So, if there is a hike in property tax, should there be greater transparency around where these taxes are actually spent?Guest host Anna Daly is joined by listeners to discuss.

The majority of Dubliners will see their property tax rise next year as Dublin city councillors are set to become the latest local authority in the capital to vote to increase the tax. Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast was Janet Horner, Green Party Councillor for Dublin's North Inner City, and Daithi Doolan, Sinn Féin Councillor for Ballyfermot Drimnagh.

Jim O'Callaghan is the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. He was elected to Dáil Éireann for the constituency of Dublin Bay South in the general elections of 2016, 2020 and 2024. Previously, he had been a councillor on Dublin City Council. He has served as a member and Chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on Justice and was also a member of the Oireachtas Finance and Education Committees. He has been the Fianna Fáil spokesperson on Justice since 2016. He is a law graduate (BCL) of University College Dublin and attained a Master of Law (LLM) degree and a Master in Philosophy (M.Phil) degree in Criminology from the University of Cambridge. He also holds a Barrister-at-Law degree from the King's Inns and has been a Senior Counsel since 2008.

Ray O'Donoghue, Dublin City Council's night-time economy adviser

Green Party Councillor Claire Byrne, discusses' the passing of an emergency motion at Dublin City Council last night warning government plans due to go before cabinet this morning (Tuesday) would "gut" the provision of 5% community or cultural space in apartment schemes.

This summer in Copenhagen a new scheme offers you something free, if you pick up rubbish. The CopenPay initiative offers around 100 activities in exchange for free or reduced prices on a selection of experiences, from museums to meals out. So should Dublin City Council introduced something similar? Newstalk Henry McKean finds out.

A new service is being launched this week to provide support to people who feel unsafe or unwell during a night out in Dublin city centre.Known as the ‘Nee-Naw' van, it has been launched by Dublin City Council, and supported by the Department of Justice, as a late-night welfare initiative.Moncrieff is joined by Ray O'Donoghue, Night-Time Economy Adviser for Dublin City (also known as the Night Tsar) to discuss the initiative.Listen here.

A new service is being launched this week to provide support to people who feel unsafe or unwell during a night out in Dublin city centre.Known as the ‘Nee-Naw' van, it has been launched by Dublin City Council, and supported by the Department of Justice, as a late-night welfare initiative.Moncrieff is joined by Ray O'Donoghue, Night-Time Economy Adviser for Dublin City (also known as the Night Tsar) to discuss the initiative.Listen here.

In a city increasingly defined by data, design, and digital connectivity, a new pilot project is giving some of its youngest residents a powerful tool for change - Minecraft. As part of the Smart Docklands Pilot Call 2024 projects, Craft My Street addresses the topic of community development by delivering workshops to schools in Dublin. A total of 139 students participated and 54 ideas were designed in Minecraft. This initiative was created by researchers from University College Dublin that uses gaming to amplify youth voices in city-making. Blending open-source geospatial data with interactive multiplayer crowd mapping, this project enables young people to propose real-world urban interventions, all while building their ideas block by block in a virtual version of Dublin's Docklands. The initiative is part of a broader effort by Smart Docklands, an innovation programme established by Dublin City Council and CONNECT, the Research Ireland Centre headquartered at Trinity College Dublin. In 2024, the programme launched a €50,000 open call to fund pilots across four urgent themes identified through public engagement: environmental monitoring; urban greening; antisocial behaviour/safety; and community development. Craft My Street was selected for its focus on the latter and its potential to reimagine what participation looks like in the digital age. "Craft My Street shows what happens when researchers meet young people where they are - in games, in classrooms, in their communities - and hand them the tools to shape the future. It's not just about Minecraft; it's about empowering the next generation to imagine and build a better city," said Trinity's Prof. Dan Kilper, Director of the CONNECT Centre. "Young people are rarely included in decisions that affect the communities they live in," said Ítalo Sousa de Sena, Assistant Professor in Digital Landscape Design at UCD and the project's lead. "The Smart Docklands Pilot Programme was a great opportunity to further develop the Craft My Street project and validate its impacts. The network of participation and expertise in engagement from the Smart Docklands team was essential to achieve the goals of the project. The funding was crucial to guarantee that all students could have the same experience with the project, by securing devices and the game for all participants, as well as to continue promoting the playful crowd mapping of Dublin in Minecraft!" Through Mapathons, classroom-based workshops, and access to a public Minecraft server, participating students imagined new public spaces, proposed green solutions, and mapped safety and accessibility issues. The virtual environments reflected real data and spatial realities - but the creativity was all theirs. Reflecting on the programme's impact, Lord Mayor of Dublin, Emma Blain, said: "Young people are an important part of shaping the future of the city, and it's essential to involve them in the conversation. The Craft My Street project as part of the Smart Docklands Pilot Call 2024 projects is a fantastic example of how technology can make youth participation in decision-making more engaging and inclusive." "By reshaping their surroundings in a virtual Dublin through Minecraft, students created solutions in a fun and meaningful way. I'm delighted to support this initiative and to see the creativity and vision of young people come to life. I was particularly flattered to see my own avatar be brought to life." Karolina Anielska, Programme Manager at Smart Docklands, said: "Craft My Street proved that serious topics like city planning can be fun and engaging, especially when young people lead the way. Through Minecraft, they shared creative ideas for Dublin's future and reminded us that play can be powerful. Their energy doesn't just shape the city - it encourages adults to get involved too. This is just the beginning." While the outcomes are playful, the project is underpinned by serious intent. It supports the National Framework for Chi...

Different paths. Shared ambition. Founders in conversation at StartUp Ballymun With the preparations complete, the twelfth edition of StartUp Ballymun takes place on Wednesday 25 June in Ballymun Civic Centre, Dublin 9. This year's event continues the tradition of supporting and encouraging entrepreneurship across Dublin's northside and beyond. StartUp Ballymun returns Find out more and book your ticket here StartUp Ballymun 2025 . Funded by Dublin City Council through its Ballymun Area Office, StartUp Ballymun has grown over the years into a valuable platform for entrepreneurs, startups and small business owners. The event is free to attend but pre-booking is essential. A local event with a clear purpose The heart of StartUp Ballymun is simple. It exists to give practical encouragement to people who are starting or growing their own businesses. This is not a conference for large companies or serial investors. The event is designed for founders at different stages, early-stage entrepreneurs, self-employed, family businesses, aspiring entrepreneurs and those considering their first steps into enterprise. It attracts people from Ballymun and the surrounding areas, as well as entrepreneurs from nearby Finglas, Santry, Glasnevin, Blanchardstown and across Dublin. For those who attend, StartUp Ballymun offers access to stories, advice and insights from business owners who have already taken the same journey. The 2025 theme: Innovation in Action Every year, the event builds around a theme. For 2025, the focus is on practical innovation. It is not about big theories or abstract ideas but how business owners are adapting to change, responding to challenges, and using new tools to improve what they do. Fireside conversation: Bobby Healy Alongside the usual panel, for the first time StartUp Ballymun will feature a fireside conversation with one of Ireland's best-known tech entrepreneurs. Bobby Healy, founder and CEO of Manna Drone Delivery, will join us to share his story. Bobby's work in autonomous drone technology has attracted international attention, but his earlier entrepreneurial journey, including building CarTrawler into a global platform, offers many insights for small business founders. For the audience, the fireside chat offers a rare opportunity to hear directly from someone who has developed and led truly disruptive businesses, while staying firmly grounded in Irish enterprise. The speakers: entrepreneurs sharing real experiences At the centre of the event is the Panel of Entrepreneurs. This year, five Founders will take part, each giving a short talk about their business story. They will share how they started, the challenges they faced, the changes they made, and how they are now using innovation to grow. These are honest accounts of starting and running businesses, including the reality of setbacks and the constant process of adapting. The confirmed speakers this year include Edezima Onilanle of Mamashee, Kevin Murphy of 2GoCup , Sinéad Ryan from Little Fitness, Lucie Cunningham of The Homeshare and Eileen McHugh of Hair Together. Each of these businesses is actively trading and delivering services, employing staff, serving customers and responding to changing markets. Supported by local partners and agencies Dince 2016 StartUp Ballymun has been organised by Billy Linehan of Celtar Advisers and Liam Barry of Dublin City Council on behalf of the Ballymun Area Office of Dublin City Council. Dublin's longest running start-up event receives strong support from many local agencies and networks who promote entrepreneurship in the area. Each year, agencies such as LEO Dublin City, Enterprise Ireland and other partners assist with promoting the event and encouraging participation. The collective support ensures that StartUp Ballymun remains open, inclusive and free to attend. An open invitation to join us If you are a business owner, a founder, or someone simply curious about starting a business, StartUp Ballymun offers a fri...

Businesses in an industrial estate in Glasnevin in north Dublin say they're facing an uncertain future due to Dublin City Council's plans to redevelop the area for housing.

Dublin's North Inner City remains one of the city's most littered areas, that's according to the latest survey from Irish Business Against Litter IBAL's Conor Horgan has called for a ban on refuse bags, bin collection rollout, and stronger laws to tackle littered basements. For more on this we heard from Derek Kelly Executive Manager in Environment and transport at Dublin City Council.

Dublin's North Inner City remains one of the city's most littered areas, that's according to the latest survey from Irish Business Against Litter IBAL's Conor Horgan has called for a ban on refuse bags, bin collection rollout, and stronger laws to tackle littered basements. For more on this we heard from Derek Kelly Executive Manager in Environment and transport at Dublin City Council.

Samantha Libreri, Eastern Correspondent, reports on calls for local authority tenancy to be brought under the remit of the Residential Tenancies Board.

Dublin City Council has approved Fáilte Ireland's planning application to transform the vacant St Andrew's Church on Suffolk Street into a vibrant new food hall in the heart of the capital. Get get reaction to this news with Dee Laffan, Food Journalist and Editor of Scoop Food Magazine.

Dublin City Council has approved Fáilte Ireland's planning application to transform the vacant St Andrew's Church on Suffolk Street into a vibrant new food hall in the heart of the capital. Get get reaction to this news with Dee Laffan, Food Journalist and Editor of Scoop Food Magazine.

Its been six months since the new Dublin City Council rules involving waste management in Dublin city were implemented but bin bags are still causing an issue throughout the city. Businesses have voiced concern over the opening of rubbish bags throughout the city. As Dublin is set to enter its busiest time with tourists, how can we make the city cleaner?Pat asked Richard Guiney, CEO of Dublin Town and also Paul Gallagher, CEO of IHF and former Manager of Buswells.

Cormac Moore, Historian in residence with Dublin City Council and Columnist with the Irish News, joins Pat to discuss his new book "The Root of all Evil: an Irish Boundary Commission."

Pedestrians and Cyclists need to “Be Sound” to each other on shared greenways.Officials from Dublin City Council are soon to launch an information campaign to “remind all users of their responsibilities” along traffic free paths along Dublin's canals and rivers.Joining Kieran to discuss this further is Green Party Councilor, Janet Horner.

An Estate in the Balgriffin area is in a transition period of being taken over by Dublin City Council and residents feel they are being left in limbo. Our reporter Josh Crosbie has been looking into this.

For years tourists have been told it's a tradition in Dublin to rub Molly Malone's breasts – “for luck”. Something that's news to residents of the capital.And it is causing damage – not just to the look of the piece but also to its stability and that has prompted Dublin City Council to take action. Every day this week “Molly minders” were at the statue with one job – to stop tourists climbing up to touch her.The metal statue made by sculptor Jeanne Rynhart in 1988 shows all the signs of constant friction – the patina has rubbed off her breasts leaving them gleaming in the sunshine, a contrast to the dull finish on the rest of the near life-size figures.But that's been obvious for at least a decade, what hasn't been so visible is the damage people clambering up on Molly is doing to the structure of the piece and increase her stability is now in place.Irish Times Dublin editor Olivia Kelly explains why Dublin City Council has moved to protect the statue and what will happen next.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dublin city centre's only public toilets, installed at the top of Grafton Street five years ago, are to be shut.Dublin City Council say they have decided to remove the facility – which costs almost €400,000 a year to operate, due to reduced demand.What do you think about the public toilet situation in Dublin? And, indeed, throughout the country?Andrea is joined by listeners to discuss.

Have you got an artistic flair? This week, Dublin Canvas in association with Dublin City Council launched their call out for submissions for people to paint those grey traffic boxes around the city, and show off their creative flair!The project has seen unique artwork transform the grey dull city streets by adding individual art installations across the capital.To discuss, Seán is joined by Siobhan Maher, Administrative Officer at Dublin City Council…Image: Dublin Canvas

Katie Blackwood, Historian in residence with Dublin City Council, hosted an afternoon of chat and memories in Coolock library last August. At the event, she spoke to people who had worked at the famous Cadbury's factory in Coolock. We'll hear from some of them and celebrate all things chocolate.

A tax on hotel guests is planned by four Dublin councils...Dublin City Council, Fingal and South Dublin county councils have all signed up to the proposed working group, while Dún Laoghaire Rathdown is close to doing so. Will this be off-putting to visitors and bad news for tourism?Joining Andrea to discuss is Paul Gallagher, CEO of Irish Hotels Federation. Michael Lennon, Director of Skylon Hotel in Dublin, Eugene Garrihy from Dublin Bay Cruises, Seamus McGrattan, Sinn Féin Dublin City Councillor as well as listeners.

Dublin is one step closer to finally getting a tourist tax, but what impact will it have on hotels across the city? Pat discusses this with Janet Hornet, Green Party Councillor for Dublin City Council and also Eoghan Corry Editor of Air and Travel Magazine.

Dublin City Council has published a plan to develop a new town in north Dublin between Glasnevin, Cabra and Finglas. The town of Ballyboggan would be located along the Royal Canal west of Glasnevin Cemetery and east of Ratoath Road, which is currently occupied by the Dublin Industrial Estate. A public consultation on the plan opened yesterday and is inviting submissions until May 12th. We hear all about it with Tom Philips, Managing Director of Tom Phillips and Associates and Adjunct Associate Professor of Town Planning, UCD.

Dublin City Council met yesterday to discuss the aftermath of the chaos over the weekend by the Grand Canal in Portobello which saw people littering, urinating and defecating in the area.Labour Party Councillor Dermot Lacey joins Kieran to discuss…Image: Damien Storan

On Friday afternoon Taoiseach Micheál Martin talked to Hugh and Pat about a range of issues: On tariffs, the Taoiseach says he "suspects" a US decision on pharmaceuticals may be incorporated into overall trade negotiations, to Ireland's advantage. He says that Ireland will resist any move by the EU to apply new taxes to US tech firms and supports the pharmaceutical industry's call for more favourable EU regulations.With the Government not on course to meet its goal of 300,000 new homes built by 2030, Mr Martin insists that figure is still the target and says a more aggressive social housing program is needed, criticising Dublin City Council for not building social housing "to any appreciable degree". On working with Michael Lowry and the Regional Independents, he insists no individual deals were made with independent TDs to secure their support and that he dealt with Mr Lowry only to enable the formation of a stable Government. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dublin City Council has won its appeal against a High Court ruling that it could not build a cycleway on Sandymount's Strand Road reducing traffic to a one way system without planning permission. Our Eastern Correspondent Samantha Libreri has been following this case...

John and Sarah discuss Dublin City Council's move to protect the Molly Malone statue from boob-gropers, discuss Donald Trump's cleavage of the western economy with tariffs, and laugh quite openly at RTE's new campaign to tackle "fake news and misinformation".

John and Sarah discuss Dublin City Council's move to protect the Molly Malone statue from boob-gropers, discuss Donald Trump's cleavage of the western economy with tariffs, and laugh quite openly at RTE's new campaign to tackle "fake news and misinformation". 

In this episode, Niall asks: Is it really inappropriate to touch the statue of Molly Malone, or are Dublin City Council overreacting by hiring supervisors to stop tourists from doing it?The discussion follows a new move by the Council to station staff near the iconic statue after concerns were raised about tourists fondling the statue's bronze breasts for selfies. The so-called “Tart with the Cart” has long been a popular photo op on Grafton Street, but officials now argue the statue is being treated in a disrespectful and overly sexualised manner. Critics, however, say it's political correctness gone mad—and a waste of money.Some callers think absolutely, it's inappropriate. That statue represents a part of Irish history and culture, and constantly grabbing her chest is just plain disrespectful. Tourists wouldn't do that to a statue of a male figure, so why is it okay here? Hiring someone to protect it might seem silly, but maybe it's what's needed. One caller said it's embarrassing—we're known for our craic, but this crosses a line. It's not funny anymore when every tourist feels the need to grope a statue for a photo. It's degrading, and the council is right to step in.While other callers feel it's a bit of harmless fun. Tourists have been doing this for years and nobody was offended until recently. It's not done with any malice. Spending public money on supervisors for a statue is ridiculous. Others said we've far bigger problems in Dublin than people touching Molly Malone. Save the money and focus on housing or cleaning the streets instead of policing a bronze chest.Niall concludes by acknowledging how something seemingly light-hearted like a tourist attraction can spark a deeper conversation about respect, cultural preservation, and whether we've lost the run of ourselves with public money. Is this about dignity, or are we just being killjoys?

Dublin City Council are to take a number of measures in the coming months to restore and protect the Molly Malone statue on Suffolk street.These include a pilot scheme which will see stewards deployed to protect the statue from tourists jumping up, touching and posing with the statue.For more on this, Kieran is joined by Ray Yeates, who is an Arts Officer a Dublin City Council.

Samantha Libreri, Eastern Correspondent, reports that Dublin City Council has said that illegal dumping and a significant increase in "scavenging" at clothing banks have left bring banks in the capital in "disarray".

In Ireland, more than 5,500 children are currently in foster care. This could be because of illness in the child's family, the death of a parent, neglect, abuse or violence in the home, or simply because the parent or family is not coping. Whatever the reason, foster carers are there to take care of children who cannot live with their own family, either on a short-term or long-term basis. In today's episode, we hear from two foster carers Sinead O'Donnell and Sharon Kelly. O'Donnell, who lives in Donegal, began fostering during Covid and has welcomed two young girls (sisters) into her home. Kelly, who lives in Kilkenny has fostered children for more than a decade and has provided foster care to two children since birth. They tell Róisín Ingle about why they wanted to open up their homes, the challenges involved and what advice they'd give to anyone considering becoming a foster carer. But first Irish Times Opinion editor Jennifer O'Connell is here to discuss some of the stories making headlines this week including American comedian Rosie O'Donnell's decision to move to Ireland, why girls are getting their periods earlier and why Dublin City Council might elevate the Molly Malone statue. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are more public toilets in Dublin than people realise – and the Council must ensure there are proper signs and access. That's the call from several councillors, including Darragh Moriarty, Labour Group Leader on Dublin City Council who explained Shane this morning.

Samantha Libreri, Eastern Correspondent, explains why Dublin City Council is removing lockboxes from public spaces.

Dublin will host Ireland's first NFL regular-season game at Croke Park later this year. No date has been given but one side is known: the Pittsburgh Steelers, who will be the designated ‘home team'.It is believed the Government and Dublin City Council will contribute almost €10 million to stage the event. Sports Minister Charlie McConalogue says the American football game will attract 30,000 international visitors with an expected economic boost north of €60 million, plus €20 million to the exchequer.Other figures predict a far greater economic bump. And that's not counting the massive US TV audience with the potential for tourism growth that that level of exposure brings.Ireland has become the latest pin in the map for the behemoth that is the NFL because the Dublin date is one of several outside the US this year signalling the global growth of the game.And with annual revenue of over $20 billion, the NFL is the richest and most profitable sports league in the world.Irish Times sports columnist Dave Hannigan, who is based in the US, explains just how massive the NFL is; the extraordinary amount of money swirling around the sport, and how the NFL has so successfully managed to monetise the appeal of the game.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we talk to Veronica about Ireland's huge potential for Advanced Air Mobility and the work she is doing with the various organisations. Dublin was one of the world's first cities to adopt a drone strategy, so Veronica goes into more detail about the background behind the initiative and what the roadmap looks like for the coming years. We also talk about why Ireland is best placed to be a real leader in this industry, and Veronica also tells us what the rest of the year has in store with her work.

Ailbhe Conneely, Social Affairs Correspondent, reports on poor living conditions for some Dublin City Council tenants in Sallynoggin.

RTÉ's Samantha Libreri speaks to homeless people and service providers about a Dublin City Council plan to regulate so called soup kitchens.

In 1898, tens of thousands of people paraded in Dublin for the unveiling of a foundation stone to a Wolfe Tone statue. So why did it not happen? Only in 1967 did Edward Delaney's tribute to Tone appear on St Stephen's Green. In this podcast, celebrating the fact the Tone monument is part of Dublin City Council's Dublin Winter Lights, Delaney's son and biographer joins me at the memorial to talk about one of my favourite Dublin statues. For more see: https://www.dublinwinterlights.ie/