We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
YESTERDAY THE EU ordered Ireland to recover €13 billion in back taxes from tech giant Apple.
However, the Minister for Finance Michael Noonan insists he will appeal the €13 billion bill.
The Cabinet will meet this morning to discuss the issue and it’s expected that the Government along with Apple will lodge formal appeals.
So in today’s poll we’re asking, do you think we should take the Apple money?
Only a matter of time until some do-gooder bans fires altogether
@Peter Brophy: Make your home and your car electric and they could wipe you out with one click.
@cortisola: you do know that electricity is almost entirely generated by fossil fuels – it’s our mass burning of peat that feeds industries and the cause of our massive footprint.
@Peter Brophy: It should be, there’s better ways to heat a home now.
@Gulliver Foyle: a ban on peat burning has to be next
@Thomas McGuire: Burning timber in an open fire is a renewable and carbon neutral heat source.
@Gulliver Foyle: that’s a bold faced lie. There’s only 3 peat powered stations in the country out of roughly 30 and makes up only 350MW in power,Edenderry, Lough Ree and West Offaly. Wind makes up over 3000MW and Gas approx 4200MW, the next would be coal at around 855MW. It’s not that hard to verify facts but by looking at the likes on your comment too many here seem to lap any nonsense up if it fits their narrow view point. Maybe I should make it into a meme so people will believe the truth.
@Derek:
Not questioning your information, I was just wondering where did you get it…
Nice as a source for future reference… Thanks in advance..
I only got this http://ireland2050.ie/questions/where-does-ireland-get-its-electricity/
@Cowboy Paddy: http://www.seai.ie/resources/publications/Energy-in-Ireland-1990-2015.pdf and Wikipedia has the data referencing SEAI and other gov sources in a more concise in a table format https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_in_Ireland
Smokeless coal is simply not as good.
@Cindy Crawford: there’s some fantastic smokeless products on the market now. Take a little longer to light up but have great heat long burn amd low ash. There’s also cheap smokeless low grade products that simply do no compare. But you can give a blanket statement on the whole range. I’m in the business so I’d know all the pros and cons!
@Terence Martin: Name a few fantastic smokeless products please, Terence.
@Terence Martin: That’s all well and good if you have the fire on all day. Ifvyou come home to a cold house you want heat quick and smoky coal does that
@Cindy Crawford: Plus, the process to make coal smokeless is very vague. CPL fuels have a new production facility in foynes- market being created for them.
@Father Hody Commody: you do realise that it actually kills people right?
@Paul Culligan: Supertherm from cpl,
Ecoal30 Cpl,
cosy glo gems bord na mona,
Cosy flame bord na mona,
superflame cpl,
country blend Stafford fuels
Let me know if u need more.
All of these are higher end products not usually found in the local shop contact your local fuel merchant amd I guarantee they will recommend some of these. If they’re selling u stuff from the north there’s a fiddle with regard to carbon tax amd VAT so be aware.
@Paul Culligan:
hi Paul, I use supertherm smokeless. Burns for ages and great heat. About 20 euro a bag.
It’s grand to to ban all this coal .. and I’m all in favour of looking after the planet.. but in all fairness.. the cost of cleaner fuel is way to expensive… the price of non smokey coal Must come down..i for one cannot afford to light a fire to early in the day regardless of how cold it is..people are freezing in there homes as a result of the cost to heat it…
@OCallaghan TP: perhaps look into getting a grant to subsidise insulating your house then. Waste of money and time heating a barn
@OCallaghan TP: lack of insulation and the use of open fires is what causes people to waste money.
Open fires are an awful waste of money and even if you get a stove unless your insulate properly you might as well just burn your money.
People need to think smart in relation to how they heat their homes properly.
@Derek: I don’t live in a barn..smart arse..!!
@Barry Somers: that’s absolute bull..ive stove.. my house is completely insulated.. my house is old.. if I cannot afford smokeless coal..how can I afford a grant
Don’t worry, you’ll be able to get it on the black market : (
In the 1990’s there was non stop talk about the ozone layer. Our old fashioned fridges and spray cans were wrecking it and school kids make posters and were told about it. I’ve not heard much lately, is it all sorted? :)
@Michael McLoughlin: pretty much
@Michael McLoughlin: CFCs were the big issue in the 1980′s…not 90′s.
The ban on CFC’s came into effect in 1989.
To answer your question, ozone levels did stabilized by the mid 1990′s but recovery of the damage is much more long term. The ozone hole is expected to reach pre-1980 levels by around 2075
@Michael McLoughlin: yep. It’s renewing itself slowly.
Another attack on rural Ireland…. Turf ban and diesel cars next… No good.
@Ciarán FitzGerald: a measure that was introduced in the bigger cities up to 30 years ago is an attack on rural Ireland? How do you figure that?
@Dermot Lane: just more ignorant brainfarts from people who know no better, best ignored.
@Derek: couldn’t agree more
Being forced to buy smokeless fuel but no forcing down of the price of it.
@@mdmak33: I buy smokeless fuel wholesale and there’s practically no difference in the price of smoky vs smokeless. Average price for both is €19/40kg bag to the public.
Back to burning the plastic bottles so for a bit of heat.
Is calling coal black racist can some PC SJW tell me now. Thanks in advance.
@number24eu: are you really that stupid?
Solid fuels should be consigned to history.
If the government would just incentivise Electric and Hybrid cars properly there would be no need for any of this beating around the bust regulation to get emissions down.
Ireland is a tiny country, we have no need for big black hulking diesels in every driveway.
I remember back in 1990 when his came out what ever happen to Mary Harney she was the one that passed the motion.
Coal burning effects the ozone makes the sun rays stronger on the earth, yet coal natural is smoky which blocks out the rays. unfortunately tho when in confine area the smoke can cause harm.
If we could all stay in our little settlement’s we would be far better off including nature and the environment. Hopefully modern won’t cause other issues and problems.
we could do with stronger sun down here in Kerry don’t be banning the smokeless coal now.
@: “unfortunately tho when in confine area the smoke can cause harm.”
Confined space, aka the atmosphere.
@number24eu: what ooooo need in kerryaaaa is a strong dose of vibrant Healy “rays” oooo ndiggle!!!!!
The Government are just blowing smoke. If it’s not enforced.
Smoky vs smokeless…. smoky coal creates much much more heat. Anybody (including merchants who sell smokeless) will agree with that. There just isn’t a like for like replacement. If there was, we’d all happily use it. Country’s gone to pot.
More taxes, more expense and we keep allowing idiots to dictate.There is a levy on everything.
If we keep listening to idiots the likes of minister Denis there will people in this country so poor they will be burning their floorboards to keep warm.
How do I create a blanket of fog across the field without it on cold mornings
Ireland stopping all this burning of coals scrapping diesel cars.. when it should be trucks tractors vans and lorries.. Will fix the ozone layer…what a crock of shite..
This is about preventing untimley deaths and improving the quality of life for both children and adults, why is this an issue?
I’m one of the people this ban will help and there is a difference between the air quality in areas where non-smokeless fuels are used.
Plus a ban on burning rubbish and materials which should not be burnt like laminate wood
Ill buy it over the border. 40kg Columbian coal 12.50. Kerosene.49c a litre happy days. Smokeless you may get as well he burning newspapers
Jet planes do more pollution than anything but they won’t do anything to effect them, will they?
Use precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development.
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then these services may not function properly.
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not be able to monitor our performance.
Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).
Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.
Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.
Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.
Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.
Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
have your say