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A screenshot of the digital archive preserved on the Dáil100.ie website. Dail100.ie

Dáil centenary site cost €180,000 to build but fails to draw visitors

Public was made aware of the site via tweets from Oireachtas Twitter account.

A GOVERNMENT WEBSITE, designed to commemorate the centenary of the first Dáil, and which cost €180,000 to develop, has had just 12,000 visitors in the first six months since it went online. 

The website Dáil100.ie, which serves as a virtual archive of the first sitting of the Dáil on 21 January 1919, was set up at the beginning of the year. Figures released to TheJournal.ie‘s investigative platform Noteworthy show 12,295 users visited the site up to 23 June this year. 

By comparison, in the first 10 days of going online, a virtual interactive tour of Dublin’s 1916-related historic sites had attracted 148,000 unique users. This site was part of the 1916-2016 celebrations.

For the Dáil100 site, the majority of those views were concentrated around related celebratory events in January and June with little traffic in March, April and May. 

image002 Analytics show small number of visitors to the centenary site in first six months of the year. Oireachtas Oireachtas

(Need to see this image in high-res? Click here)

While figures show over 12,000 unique users on the site, this does not necessarily mean 12,000 ‘people’ visited.

Each ‘user’ represents an individual device which was used to access the site; if someone had looked at the site on their laptop and later on their smartphone, that would count as two users. 

analytics on dail100 Users to Dáil100 between Jan. to June. Oireachtas Oireachtas

(Need to see this image in high-res? Click here)

Cost

In documents released to Noteworthy editor Ken Foxe and published on thestory.ie, it was revealed that the design cost of the website was €33,075, while the build cost was €152,478.

The website was the single most expensive component of an overall commemoration project, which totalled €930,000, including an airport VIP bill of €16,500, branded hats at over €10,000, and an accommodation bill for guests totalling €20,000. 

When asked if there was a specific marketing plan to make the public aware of the Dáil100.ie site, an Oireachtas spokesperson confirmed there was no multi-faceted plan, with potential visitors mainly targeted through the Oireachtas News Twitter account.

This account, @OireachtasNews, tweets news and information about Dáil schedules and debates, as well as events relating to the houses, including Dáil100 events. 

“With over 30,000 followers on Twitter, social media is the primary marketing channel for the Dáil100 website,” a spokesperson told TheJournal.ie

“The successful amplification of Dáil100 via social media can be seen in the relatively high percentage of international users/sessions. No specific marketing to diaspora has been undertaken.

“Most of our marketing is linked to key events taking place during the centenary year. For example, the Treasures of the Parliamentary Library was added to the Dáil100 website on 12 June.”

This year, 9,225 users were recorded as visiting the sites in Ireland, 1,039 came from the United States, and 916 in the United Kingdom. A smaller number of visitors came from a smattering of other countries. 

Some 46% of those users who visited did not venture further than one page; although, on average, visitors viewed four pages and spent more than three minutes browsing when they did arrive. 

“Cross-referencing of both visual and text primary source materials makes the website unique,” the spokesperson said. 

“The Houses of the Oireachtas intends for Dáil100 to have longevity well into the future – it will remain an output that supports students of Leaving Certificate History [...] as well as visitors with a general interest in the history of parliament in Ireland.”

- Additional reporting by Ken Foxe. Read more about Noteworthy.ie here.

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    Mute Laura Maguire
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    Apr 1st 2022, 1:12 PM

    What a tool. Sentence should be increased for the audacity to appeal avd wasting the courts time.

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    Mute FiannaFáilness FineGaelness
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    Apr 1st 2022, 1:27 PM

    @Laura Maguire: Absolutely agree, except tool isn’t a strong enough term for him. But yes I understand TheJournal won’t allow stronger terms be used.

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    Mute Stephen Murphy
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    Apr 1st 2022, 2:05 PM

    @FiannaFáilness FineGaelness: and you will be blocked. Next the journal is going to say that he is a good father and son and a law abiding citizen with 300 convections.

    137
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    Mute Mick Murphy
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    Apr 1st 2022, 1:14 PM

    Has a cheek even appealing the “severity” of the sentence. Could have been double that and still not excessive imo

    470
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    Mute Derek Moean
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    Apr 1st 2022, 1:31 PM

    Should have been given 3 life sentences. For murder

    444
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    Mute john smith iv
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    Apr 1st 2022, 1:52 PM

    So who advised him that he had a chance on appeal here?

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    Mute David F. Dwyer
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    Apr 1st 2022, 8:06 PM

    @john smith iv: A lawyer who saw a nice fat brief for something that was doomed anyway.

    38
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    Mute Richard Ahern
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    Apr 1st 2022, 1:36 PM

    That’s our “justice” system for you!; costly, inefficient, out of touch with reality, mystifying, encouraging thugs/thieves to continue with their life of crime until they hit crime number 140 or 180. Ineffective & pointless in the extreme.

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    Mute Antaine O'Labhradha
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    Apr 1st 2022, 3:30 PM

    @Richard Ahern: It is impossible to have a fully efficient justice system in any jurisdiction due to the nature of the human animal. Punitive action by the state against criminals doesn’t ‘reform’ criminals. It makes them hate the state and society more. It’s always been that way and likely always will. It is impossible to have a crime free society. Always was and always will be. The justice system can only punish transgressors. It is not capable of bringing about the personal change necessary to reform these transgressors. I would say that in the majority of cases, such reform isn’t possible and will not occur. I think a lot of law pays too much attention to the rights of defendants and too scant attention to the rights of victims and an more equitable balance needs to be struck thereabout. Criminality is an integral part of any and all societies that pivot around the acquisition of wealth and are primed by the unequal distribution of wealth. There will never be any country with a perfect justice system, as there will never be a crime-free society in any country of the world. A lot of crime is committed by corporations and businesses, so crime is interwoven into the fabric of our societies. If we wish to reduce crimes, we need to legislate for all of them. For example, why are cars made that can travel in excess of 150 kph? How is that safe, or necessary, on public roads?

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    Mute Richard Ahern
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    Apr 1st 2022, 5:02 PM

    @Antaine O’Labhradha: Antaine, thanks for your detailed, well thought-out, comments. However, as you mentioned, the thugs have far too much lenience & money thrown at them and the damaged victim is entitled to f. all. As I said earlier, the system is inefficient, useless, expensive and to hell with the victims.

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    Mute sean o'dhubhghaill
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    Apr 1st 2022, 5:21 PM

    @Richard Ahern: If it is as you say surely his appeal would have been granted?

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    Mute Jason Walsh
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    Apr 1st 2022, 7:04 PM

    @Antaine O’Labhradha: high enough consequences will deter most folk, if consequences are low as it is now it’s deterring no one

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    Mute Gordon Larney
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    Apr 1st 2022, 1:39 PM

    The level of trust we put in others when we get into a car and drive on the roads is massive. The Rules of the road is what this trust is based on. When someone completely ignores them and drives at totally ridiculous speeds in a reckless manner whilst recording them (to show how “mad” he is in his super cool car to his friends) then disaster can and did happen. Three people are dead because of his attempt to show off. A lifetime ban from driving and a minimum sentence of 20yrs should have been his punishment. The idi0t got off lightly and he still isn’t happy with that….

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    Mute Antaine O'Labhradha
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    Apr 1st 2022, 2:46 PM

    I think anyone who kills someone while driving while doing something they shouldn’t be [drinking, being over the limit, being on drugs, no insurance or no licence or tax, excessive speed, texting or using a mobile phone, whatever it is] should automatically get 25 years minimum, no remission or parole. The relatives of the deceased get a life sentence. So should the person[s] who caused the death of an innocent road user/pedestrian. Driving under the influence or in an illegal or dangerous manner should be regarded as intent, since ALL drivers know the rules of the road, whether they keep to them or not.

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    Mute Shane Terry
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    Apr 1st 2022, 3:06 PM

    @Antaine O’Labhradha: 25 years minimum for No Tax ? Do you work for Revenue.? or the Green Party? Or are you just a keen cyclist ?

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    Mute OnlyHereForTheComments
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    Apr 1st 2022, 3:09 PM

    @Shane Terry: I admire the absolute olympic-standard leap that you’re making to shoehorn a negative comment about cyclists into a story about a car driver that killed three people.

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    Mute Tom Halpin
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    Apr 1st 2022, 4:01 PM

    @OnlyHereForTheComments:
    25 years for o taxand you have the gall to criticise someoneelsefortheirreply

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    Mute sean o'dhubhghaill
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    Apr 1st 2022, 5:24 PM

    @Tom Halpin: It actually says “25 years if you kill somebody while driving with no tax”, not 25 years for not having tax.

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    Mute E.J. Murray
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    Apr 1st 2022, 1:58 PM

    He has some neck on him if he thinks the sentence is too harsh, the accident must have given his brain a severe rattling.

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    Mute Seán Ó Briain
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    Apr 1st 2022, 4:20 PM

    The audacity of him to ask for a reduced sentence. The sentence wasn’t long enough.

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    Mute Keth Warsaw
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    Apr 1st 2022, 5:33 PM

    Tell me the 20 years driving ban starts when he comes out? Please tell me.

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    Mute Marty Quish
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    Apr 1st 2022, 3:32 PM

    What an absolute C yoU Next Thursday.

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    Mute Rostyballs78
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    Apr 1st 2022, 5:40 PM

    Neck on him like a jockeys bollix and a huge show of disrespect to the families of the victims.

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    Mute Alan Rothwell
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    Apr 1st 2022, 6:15 PM

    Why wouldn’t he appeal?! There needs to be a punishment for a BS appeal. Everyone will appeal because they know that the sentence won’t be increased, which it should if your appeal fails.

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    Mute J Flood
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    Apr 1st 2022, 9:07 PM

    9 years, a joke. Insult to the families.

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    Mute Jason Walsh
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    Apr 1st 2022, 7:02 PM

    Will this chap have a life time driving ban when he eventually gets out. He shouldn’t touch the steering wheel of a car again even if he claims it’ll impact him working. He should be struggling to make ends meet everyday after his release, living on the breadline might teach him so humility he’s clearly lacking.

    14
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