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BANK OF IRELAND refused a payment between an Irish couple because the transfer slip was marked ‘Cuba flights’.
The woman attempted to make the payment to her partner earlier this month – as the pair had booked a holiday to the Caribbean country for later this year.
The man had paid for the flights, and they had arranged that she would transfer €400 to his account, at Bank of Ireland’s Eyre Square Branch in Galway.
As she did so, she wrote the two-word note saying what the money was for, in the space provided.
A few days after his partner had told him she transferred the money, the bank customer got a call from his branch.
“A very nice lady from Bank of Ireland called and asked what the transaction was all about,” he told TheJournal.ie.
I told her it was money for a flight to Cuba.
In response, she said “Bank of Ireland don’t allow any transaction to occur in relation to Cuba”.
“I started laughing, but she told me the money would go back to the original account and would have to be transferred again.”
He questioned the move, but was told it was bank policy.
I told her it was ridiculous that that was their policy.
What’s going on?
Bank of Ireland banned business transactions to and from Cuba last summer, due to a business relationship it has with a US bank.
It later emerged that the restrictions were also being applied to personal customers.
While Ireland does not have any restrictions on trade in Cuba, a US embargo has been in place since Fidel Castro overthrew the island’s pro-American regime in the 1960s.
In this case, however – neither party is based in Cuba. The couple live and work in the greater Dublin area.
In response to a query from this website, Bank of Ireland said it couldn’t discuss the details of any transactions with anyone other than the account holder.
“In relation to Cuba, as the bank has previously stated, the US Government has a restrictive trade embargo against Cuba which includes an embargo on making or receiving payments to/from Cuba and/or facilitating the making or receiving of payments to/from Cuba.
As a result the bank is not in a position to process such transactions.
“We apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause our customers.”
Minister
Asked about the Bank of Ireland restrictions recently, Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan said Ireland and the EU had “firmly and continuously opposed extraterritorial measures that seek to extend the US’s embargo against Cuba to third countries as contrary to commonly accepted rules of international trade”.
The issue was raised in talks with the US State Department last year.
“We drew their attention to the impact of the legislation on business and others in Ireland, and recalled our position on the relevant legislation.
We are currently in the process of following up further with the US side in the matter.
Most major factories have been allowed keep up with hundreds of staff on site at times since covid kicked in under the banner of being “essential” apparently some believed once u put essential over these large businesses it gave them immunity from covid more than small businesses who were forced to close with little choice……go figure
@Tarraing Mo Liathróidí: Bang on. Was always gonna happen with outbreaks. Amazing how certain business deemed non essential a year ago are now miraculous deeming themselves essential knowing full well nowt can or will be done about it.
@Tarraing Mo Liathróidí: And rightly so. It helps to improve reputation of Ireland and protect jobs.
@Rob Jones: If that’s the case open every business back up. Let’s protect all jobs including those stopped since March last year.
@Tarraing Mo Liathróidí: It is only small businesses & their staff that spread covid. Large businesses have stayed open through out the pandemic. What does this tell us about the government & opposition. They do not care about the ordinary people in Ireland. When are we going to cop ourselves on.
@Gere: plenty of small manufacturing businesses open to support larger ones, Pharma & medical especially
@talksense: and the reason those small businesses are open is cos of that reason they are supporting the big pharmaceutical or multinationals….who do ya think pulled those strings to deem them essential. Its an utterly pathetic joke how some bang on here everyday about holding form, and we are all in this together nonsense, while massive corporations and businesses have literally written their own covid rules from day one with government support and a blind eye turned by so many including the great NPHET
@Tarraing Mo Liathróidí: so you think it would have been a good idea to shut pharma plants? Sure who needs that kinda stuff in a pandemic?
@Pseud O’Nym: my point is the whole narrative at the start that we were all in this together was a total bluff and spoofing by those in charge and their supporters. These companies not to mention the big electrical giants and others have been allowed write their own covid rules under a banner of essential and nobody has batted an eyelid. Yet some lady tries opening her business a few months back and 6 squad cars are there to shut it down…..
The only thing consistent about COVID-19 is that the majority (between 70 and 90%) of cases are spread at the workplace. And the private market doesn’t really care in many cases, they will force people into the office. And then hospitality and air travel takes the blame for all of it. Cosy little arrangement.
@Tomo: How can hospitality be taking the blame for Covid when it is closed?
@Justin Gillespie: ask that donkey nuts George Lee, he was waffling on rte a few weeks ago how pubs and restaurants were still responsible for covid cases even though they were closed. Meanwhile meat and big multinational plants and factory’s are protected like sacred cow’s by those in power and ignored by their supporters as a reason we have cases. But hey its easier to hurt and Bury small business and hospitality, retail etc…than dare upset the big boys and FDI’s and actually make them close for a bit to see if that could drive down cases
@Tomo: Many cases are being spread through schools but it goes against the agenda to get kids back to school. Kids get it, pass it around the class, they’re asymptomatic, then bring it back home. The parents get symptoms, get tested and it goes down as household/community transmission…… As for workplace transmission its bound to happen but people need to take personal responsibility. It only has a minute chance to spread with proper mask wearing, proper hygiene and social distancing. Ive worked in the office throughout and there has been no spread internally because everyone is diligent…….. I agree that hospitality and air travel has been unfairly disrupted. Its peoples disregard for the guidelines that is spreading it/keeping cases high
It’s not Intel Staff that are infected….it is the contractors construction workers back on the building site less than a fortnight. Curious to know if it spread after many of them returned from Eastern Europe and didn’t self isolate. As according to construction representatives a few weeks back on Claire Byrne, a huge percentage of them were working while the industry here was in lockdown.
@Jennifer Rabe: site open through lockdown with no outbreaks previously
@Jennifer Rabe: you’re talking through your h0le there Jenifer. Sure the construction site at Intel never shut down as they had a derogation to keep working throughput the lockdown. Not sure how you think they are only back on site 2 weeks.
If I didnt know any better I’d think you’re a bit of a raci5t seeing as ye called out certain communities in your post.
@Eoin Scanlon: That’s a, very valid point Eoin
@Jennifer Rabe: it never closed..money talks
@Ian Synnott: I never made any assumptions of nationality or ethnicity, I only commented on a region that construction representative stated,on national radio, was where construction works from the Irish labour force were working during the lockdown we were in a few weeks back.
@Jennifer Rabe: you could join the construction force yourself Jenifer. You seem well capable of digging a big hole all by yourself. Leave the Eastern European’s alone and stop being a raci5t ;-)
@Eoin Scanlon: really , u must know noone who works there lol
@Jennifer Rabe: you did, you singled out Eastern Europe hahahahaha
@Jennifer Rabe: Jennifer, you’re embarrassing me. Please refrain from that in future. Ta, fellow Jennifer.
@Ian Synnott: comment of the evening goes to you Ian !! Couldn’t have said it better! Wind your neck in Jennifer and just because you heard the tripe that RTÉ are spouting on the radio does not make it true! Ian is out new fact checker !!!
@LadyBMW: *our
I suppose they will all be hotel quarantined now? You know, to stop the spread of infections, etc. It’s risk-assessment, right?
Long as breaks. Table pool.
xbox, and netflix. No clocking in.Doctor on the site
Great dental( 2 implants) five guys drink fountain for free. Sleeping pods.dominos every 3 months and massive bonus every quarter. “Workin from home” for those that catch my drift. Great memories. Still MSD pays more.
@transik: Its the construction site mate, Not the intel employee’s themselves.
@transik: cool story
@JillyBean: The construction guys shared the canteens, toilets, when i was there.
@Trevor Donoghue: No! They let the dirty builders inside? Made the rest of ye share with them? No wonder you left. The very idea.
I drove past it last week and loads of people working on the site were waiting at a bus stop and some were wearing masks and others not. They were all standing quite close together. So hardly surprising if it spread around so much.
@Audrey: Regular occurrence there
“Covid Inside”
What About THOMAS REID living next to the intel plant wouldn’t he want to be protected ?
What about THOMAS REID Living next to the Intel plant ???
He needs to be protected !
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