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THE MINISTER FOR Children Frances Fitzgerald will continue “to monitor” the beauty pageant situation in Ireland and “whether there is a need for further action”.
This comes as the organisers of a controversial child beauty pageant which took place in Monaghan last week signalled their intention to stage up to four more contests in Ireland next year.
The Texas-based Universal Royalty Beauty Pageant was forced to find a last minute venue for the contest after the Bracken Court Hotel in Balbriggan cancelled the organiser’s booking, stating that they were not honest about the nature of the contest.
The organisers of the contest held the pageant in a pub in Monaghan.
Back of a pub
In a statement to TheJournal.ie, the minister said she “welcomed the fact that the force of public opinion in Ireland forced last week’s event to be moved to the back of a pub”.
She added that she hopes “that public opinion will continue to play a role in ensuring any further attempts to hold such pageants are also dissuaded”.
When asked if Ireland will follow in France’s footsteps and ban child beauty pageants altogether she said that while the French Senate did vote last week on a possible ban, as she understands it, “this is not likely to be implemented in the way proposed”.
No place in Ireland
Last week, Senator Jillian Van Turnhout called for a ban on child beauty pageants telling TheJournal.ie that she thought child beauty pageants had “no place in Ireland”.
She added that she would be looking into how legislatively it can be handled in the future and called on Seanad and Oireachtas members for support.
Minister Fitzgerald said she felt “strongly that we need to address issues in relation to the sexualisation of children” which is why she has previously worked with Retail Ireland to introduce the first guidelines on the responsible retailing of childrenswear.
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Is there a chance the track would bend?
@Barry Goodwin: if ya have nothing good to say just say nothing!
@Barry Goodwin: haha Barry. Now I have that song stuck in my head.
@Barry Goodwin: Not on your life my Mancunian friend.
@Elrond Rivendell: what about us brain dead slobs?
@Stephen Boland: you’ll be given cushy jobs
@Stephen Boland: you’ll be given cushy jobs!
@Thomas McDonnell: were you sent here by the devil?!
@Fergal O’Hagan: Not unless you’re Gary Neville!
@Fergal O’Hagan: No good sir I’m on the level
Any chance of some public transport on the Northside? Sick of sitting ages in traffic AT 6am! Whats happening with Metro North? Or are we going to be constantly vilified for having to use the car? I have osteoarthritis before anyone mentioning cycling!
@Lisa Jones: traffic at 6am, where?
@Dublin days: From Crossguns bridge right through Phibsboro and over the 2 luas lines and right up as far as the quays. Lights stay red longer, lanes have been reduced to one lane. I have been working the whole last year starting work at 6.30am and traffic is getting mental. Yes even that early, most likely by people trying to avoid getting caught up in rush hour traffic.
@Lisa Jones: Metrolink – Metro North was the old plan – is still going ahead.
Is the electrification of the line to Maynooth included as was suggested last year? I don’t see it mentioned here but it has been on the table for years. Let’s hope this isn’t another endless pipe dream consultative process that will cost the taxpayer millions without a single sod turned like Metro North, the Royal Canal Greenway deep sinking project, the DART extension to Maynooth. Consultants and engineers making money left, right and centre for flashy drawings and brochures of fictitious, never to be built infrastructure.
https://www.newstalk.com/news/irish-rail-reveals-details-plan-extend-dart-maynooth-1066555
Extension from Heuston…does the dart go to Heuston??
@dreiglaser: Not sure if you missed it but it says in the article a feasibility study and concept design would be undertaken for a future station at “Heuston West” (I assume that is within walking distance from the main Heuston station and it is a change stop), that line would run from Hazelhatch to Connolly via the Phoenix Park Tunnel
Well I hope they have better success than reopening the current line to navan, wasn’t even a priority for the greens
@Hugh Mc Donnell:
Public transport in Ireland is for the fairies.
@iohanx: there must be an election coming up, the usual empty promises and grand plans. Do politicians really think we believe this nonsense. It’s going on years now, metro North an underground Harcourt line to Bray navan rail line
But there’s a train
@Sazzle: if you have nothing good to say just say nothing
@Mark Dit: Nothing
@Mark Dit: sometimes saying nothing is good. I enjoyed Paul’s saying nothing, brightened up my day no end did that.
@This time its personable!: this applies to you more than Paul
With the money in all of these reports and consultation over the years, they would have the price to pay for metro-north and the extension to the Dart line
Should be extended to Sallins/Naas. What a wasted opportunity.
@Tomo: it should be all the way at to Portlaoise
So as per usual with the semi state and the department of wasting money. This will take years. Cost millions more than it should and be over loaded before it launches.
Needs to include a revamp of Hazelhatch Station. Secure bicycle parking, quicker access to platforms, hourly shuttle bus into Celbridge, go-car spaces.
Stations and commuters. Need I say more
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