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InvestigatesCoastal ErosionTHE NUMBER OF homes at risk of falling into the sea due to coastal erosion has jumped by 173% in just five years, The Journal Investigates can reveal.
The huge hike is detailed in an internal Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) report which warns 2,279 properties are currently in danger from eroding shorelines — an increase of 1,445 since 2017.
The report, obtained by The Journal Investigates, said the surge of impacted homes is “likely an underestimate”, as just half of local authorities impacted by coastal erosion were able to provide data.
The figures are based on a Climate Action Regional Office (CARO) study of Ireland’s 19 coastal councils, which found a 58% increase in properties lost to the sea between 2017 and 2022.
It also found that five councils are still allowing residential and commercial premises to be built on erosion hotspots.
Details of the internal DECC document can be brought to light as The Journal Investigates reveals how experts believe a lack of government action to date means little can now be done to save vulnerable coastal properties and roads.
The Office of Public Works (OPW) said while it is responsible for the “technical aspects of assessing coastal change impacts”, matters associated with coastal change and erosion are “generally” the responsibility of local authorities.
According to the DECC commissioned report, councils now predict that by 2050, thousands more properties will be at risk – 4,446 nationally – an increase of 2,167 from previous estimates.
Approximately 570.5 km of roads have also been deemed in danger, an increase of 265 km since 2017, the report stated.
“Again, this is the best estimate only and likely an underestimate given that only 10 of the 19 Local Authorities responded to this particular question,” it said.
Of the councils surveyed, 14 said coastal erosion had worsened in their areas.
“This shows the huge challenge currently facing coastal local authorities, which will only escalate into the future with the predicted increase and frequency in storm surges and sea-level rise,” it added.
The report concluded that a lack of resources, “varied” council approaches to erosion, along with a lack of national guidance was negatively impacting on how local authorities dealt with the problem.
It recommended that a scoping study be carried out alongside the affected councils, with delivery of a guidance document as a “first step” to develop a training programme for local authorities.
“The problem is such a local level problem, but we need an all Ireland approach to this,” Mary Bourke, Associate Professor of Geography at Trinity College Dublin, told The Journal Investigates.
“Our coastline doesn’t recognise local borders, whether council borders or national borders.”
Bourke emphasised the ineffectiveness of long-term erosion prevention and the high costs of short-term solutions.
“I think we all need to recognise that we’re in a phase of adapting, rather than fixing or engineering our landscape,” she said.
There’s just so little that can be effectively done.
“We can stop erosion for a number of years, but they’re not enough.
“They’re not enough for your families to grow up. Eventually, your home will erode into the sea depending on where you live,” she said.
The Trinity academic said that realistically, the government should be looking at implementing managed retreat in Ireland’s worst affected areas, including the hard hit east coast.
“The reality is, I don’t think that there is a lot that can be done, and I feel so sad for the people who live there and who invested there,” she said.
“My advice going forward in the future is, do not buy property close to the coastline unless you’re prepared to lose it and maybe very, very quickly.”
One north Co Dublin coastal community knows the devastating impact of coastal erosion all too well.
Since 2020, residents of The Burrow in Portrane have watched helplessly on as their homes edge closer and closer to the sea.
Entire gardens have been lost, and at least one homeowner has been forced to abandon their property.
Despite the situation being described as a “critical emergency” by Duncan Smith TD in Dáil Éireann earlier this year, impacted residents say they have been left in limbo by authorities.
Louise Duffy, whose home is one of those affected, said:
I think there’s a feeling that we’re just kind of being strung along.
“And to be honest, even at the time, if they had been honest with us and said, we’re not going to do anything here, we would have preferred that.”
Fingal County Council said it has put emergency interventions in place in the area while it awaits planning permission for longer term measures to prevent erosion.
One intervention being used by the council – which says coastal erosion is the remit of OPW – is the installation of large concrete blocks along the beach.
Known as ‘Sea Bees’, the blocks break the force of the waves hitting the long line of properties overlooking the Irish Sea.
However, the blocks don’t cover all properties at risk, and while temporarily protecting some homes, the structures have heightened erosion around others, according to some residents.
“The force of the waves hitting the Sea Bees where they are was driving it down our end of the beach,” Duffy explained.
“So it was making the rate of erosion faster on the dunes in front of our homes.”
In September, Fingal informed its Coastal Liaison Committee that six properties along Portrane’s Brook Beach are now in “imminent danger”.
“We have reached crisis point in Portrane,” Corina Johnston, a councillor for the area, told The Journal Investigates.
“Unless emergency coastal protection measures are carried out along the beach and an alternative access route is found for the homes fronting Beach Lane, it is inevitable that a number of homes will have to be evacuated.”
The council told the committee that it had applied to Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA) for a Coastal Flooding and Erosion Risk Management (CFERM) Project at The Burrow in July.
Should it be approved, a planning application for a permanent Coastal Protection Scheme will be submitted to the An Bord Pleanála, the council said.
However, any permanent scheme could be “years away” from completion, Johnston said.
“Duncan Smith TD raised the need for emergency protection measures with the Tanaiste in Dáil Éireann last April,” the Labour councillor said.
“Arising from this intervention, the OPW in further response confirmed it is open to Fingal County Council to seek additional funding for emergency works through The Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme. “
However, for some Portrane residents, it is already too late.
Louise Duffy is now moving away from the area after resigning herself to the fact her home will eventually be lost to the sea. She told The Journal Investigates:
It’s not if, it’s when.
“I’m lucky in that I don’t have the financial burden of a mortgage, it’s more the emotional attachment of losing our family home.
“But there are neighbours that have mortgages, and they’ll just have to walk away from their house and have a massive debt.
“And there’s no talk of any financial compensation for when the houses do go.”
In response, a Fingal County Council spokesperson told The Journal Investigates that it is in “regular contact” with the community about the issues raised over erosion.
“The Council, in consultation with its specialist consultants and other relevant stakeholders, is continuing to assess options for the protection of the coastline at the Burrow Beach having regard to the particular constraints which apply at this location,” the spokesperson added.
The Journal Investigates asked the OPW what it was doing to address the community’s concerns about the future of their homes, and the area.
A spokesperson said the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien, had personally addressed the matter in Dáil Éireann last month.
In response to a question by Dublin-Fingal TD Duncan Smith, O’Brien said he had met with, and visited residents in The Burrow as recently as the summer.
“Fingal County Council has been engaged in developing solutions to respond to the coastal erosion issues in Portrane for a number of years,” he said.
“Other coastal risks such as related to transport, agricultural, business, are addressed locally and through sectoral responses.”
Responding to the national challenges of coastal erosion, O’Brien stated “there is a need for a framework to inform key decisions as to how the State should best manage its changing coast having regard to such future risks.”
Fingal is one of a number of councils which continue to approve planning applications on vulnerable coastlines.
When asked by The Journal Investigates how many it had approved or rejected in areas where coastal erosion has been identified between 2021 and 2024, a spokesperson was unable to provide us with any data.
However, the council added: “All planning applications are publicly available via our online planning portal, and show what has been given approval or what has been rejected.”
Joan Hopkins, a Social Democrats representative on the council, said over 4,000 homes and businesses are located on the Fingal coastline.
“We already have a legacy issue where we have homes beside the coast that we need to protect, but on top of that, we’re building more houses on the coast,” she said.
“It’s just not practical to build as close to the coast, and governments are still allowing that to happen, Fingal are still giving planning permission for buildings beside the sea.
We need to be thinking about, not even long term, but the medium term and that’s not just in Fingal, but across Ireland.
In response, a Fingal spokesperson said planning applications are assessed on “their merits having regard to the relevant planning regulations and local planning requirements and the need for sustainable development”.
We also asked the other 18 coastal councils for the number of planning applications approved or rejected in erosion hotspots.
The majority were unable to provide any data, stating that they don’t keep databases on planning permissions approved or rejected in areas of coastal erosion, or for reasons of erosion.
Wexford County Council confirmed it had approved one planning application in that timeframe, and refused five others.
Sligo County Council said it had granted and refused zero applications, stating it does not approve building or development within 100 metres of a soft shoreline.
Clare County Council said it was unable to provide exact data on applications but confirmed that of the 22 properties currently at risk from erosion in the area, 10 are located within areas zoned for housing.
While Louth County Council said new developments within 100m of the coastline are prohibited unless it scientifically proven that the “likelihood of erosion at a specific location is minimal taking into account, inter alia, any impacts”.
Describing the continued building and development on vulnerable coastal areas as “frankly irresponsible”, Bourke said nature should be allowed to take its course.
“I mean, I know we need homes, but there’s no point in building on our flood plains, there’s no point in building in coastal areas that are actively retreating, these need to be set aside,” she said.
“One of the things you can do is, you can let nature do what it’s going to do, and it has a way of balancing itself out, reaching an equilibrium.”
Reporter: Patricia Devlin • Editor: Maria Delaney • Video Production: Nicky Ryan • Social Media: Sadbh Cox • Main Image Design: Lorcan O’Reilly
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News reports last night were saying people were surprised to get a second ballad paper , did not know anything about the blasphemy law referendum, Well if people are that badly informed when casting a vote, not surprised Higgins has a huge lead.
@Dáithí O Raghailaigh: we should have a minimum IQ requirement to vote!!
@Dáithí O Raghailaigh: the blasphemy referendum was just a ball of smoke…the coverage / information about it was practically non existent and all-in-all whether it’s changed doesn’t make one iota of difference. As regards the presidental election the field of runners was of such a low calibre that it’s no surprise the incumbent keeps the reigns/ what would be of concern to fg&ff is that this was the lowest EVER turnout for a Presidential election that cost €15million. Also the fact that Peter Casey in spite of Leo & co saying NOT to vote for him looks like attaining 20%+ of the votes….1 in 5 of the people who actually did bother to vote.Not a good election for the ‘ establishment’ no matter what Leo’s spin machine says
@Frank Dubogovik:
Sorry for pointing out the obvious flaw in your argument Frank, but ‘the establishment’ as you put it just won a landslide victory!
@Dáithí O Raghailaigh: wasn’t an argument though, he was just highlighting some of the issues with this election.
@Frank Dubogovik: Non existent Frank? I saw ads about it on TV and heard the topic being debated on radio and TV news. Also received information to my house. Where have you had your head for the last few weeks?!
@Reg: Frank doesn’t watch TV or read newspapers or possess a radio. He gets all his hear say from the journal…..
@Frank Dubogovik: looks like Peter Casey rallied 4% of the people to his cause!!! That probably is the percentage of morons in Ireland.
@Reg: , if there was a minimum IQ requirement to vote this current shower wouldn’t be allowed sweep the car park in Dail Eirann.
Gift horse and all that !!!
@Paddington C.:
Where do you get your 4% figure?
@Dáithí O Raghailaigh: SF distraction politics
@mattoid: Paddington is just a dumb bear.
@Reg: that would have only increased Higgins win lol
@Reg: Driving, voting and reproducing all things that the window lickers can do that affect everyone
@Dáithí O Raghailaigh: higgins is no saint but casey supports his bank balance and isnt is a rebel for anything, hes just using hate as trump did to get ahead he’ll rob your taxes same as the establishment, casey lost put that trump wanna be back in his box if you are with casey you arent with humanity, maybe he can relaunch renua lol I didnt vote for casey but I did vote against him dont let anti democratic forces like casey or leo mislead you unless you are a divisive white/corporate supremacist then both should get your vote
@Rory: The squeezed middle think there is something to gain by attacking welfare recipients.
Well done to Michael D.
But Casey’s surge in popularity has to resonate with the Irish political class.
We don’t want to be spoon fed waffle and empty promises, we want people to come out and give an honest account of reality, and then we can judge the credibility and application the politician is putting forward. Not lies.
Don’t see how Casey’s ideas about Travelers was going to help, but he said it like it was for many people. Leo and co need to come out next General Election and give it to the public straight about the Health service, homelessness, and the myriad of other problems that can at minimum can be alleviated to a degree with the right attitude.
@Hellenize Dublin: Not a chance of that happening unfortunately. Leo, Murphy and Harris are constantly on the airwaves stating that things are improving in their respective departments when clearly things are getting worse. To report such nonsense and keep a straight face is actually quite frightening when you think about it. They have no morals or integrity and to force feed such lies and nonsense down peoples necks is very shocking indeed.
@Hellenize Dublin: That’s it. Next election we’ll have candidates mumbling incoherently like Casey. They’ll get in after a few comments about a minority in society, and like Casey will support Irexit, or some other suicidal notion. Hopefully people will see through the Trump playbook.
@TheHeathen: it’ll be a sad day. Are people really that stupid to think people enter politics to help the ordinary joe soap.
@Hellenize Dublin: a lot of people are missing huge issues with Casey’s surge. these are not right wing lunatics to counter the leftist lunatics. it is fairer centrist politics to counter the right leaning conservatism of ff/ff/lab. people don’t see fairness in systems that can be abused by anyone, individual or group, and they need people to agree with them. Higgins won by votes from sleepwalking over 50s and blinkered millennials (my own kids voted him “because he’s squiggledey” or some vacous reason) not being engaged in politics, and that will change once we get a political version of Casey.
@Gulliver Foyle: ‘right leaning lab’, you might need to read their policies prior to making such comments rather than just following the PBP rhetoric, the other 2 are right of centre alright.
Oh, and I’m a professional in his 30s who voted Higgins, so not sure how I match your stereotype of a Higgins voter
@Hellenize Dublin: The renua party got nowhere in elections at 0%. but i would say a far right party based on hatred to minorities would do well going on casey’s success.
@Sean Conway: it’s not about hatred of minorities it’s about the truth ffs, wake up
@Gulliver Foyle: Well glad to see you got that wrong. Casey voted for mainly by over 60s.
@Gulliver Foyle: migeldy higeldy
@Joanne Martin: Do you think that you would benefit if there was no welfare at all? it goes straight back in to the economy anyway. it wouldn’t go to the sqeezed middle. the wealthy just want to divide and rule
@Hellenize Dublin: So I guess you would have no issue with folks in the UK saying we are all filthy washed up drunk Paddy’s?, its ok because its the truth right?….you type of people have no idea the dangers of people who single out the weak for their own gain…..I know someone in Germany who done similar but I can’t think of his name for some reason can you?
@Hellenize Dublin: So I guess you would have no issue with folks in the UK saying we are all filthy washed up drunk Paddy’s?, its ok because its the truth right?….you type of people have no idea the dangers of people who single out the weak for their own gain…..I know someone in Germany who done similar but I can’t think of his name for some reason can you?
@Peter Hughes: ignore the part where I said I don’t see how Casey’s comments would help, that’s fine
Stop putting words and deriving meanings in people’s statements that are not there
@TheHeathen: and you just follow the hype and media like the sheep you are Higgins came across as pompous arrogant and self entitled and if the campaign went on longer more people would have seen that
@Peter Hughes: why don’t travellers have to work for a living?
People on the dole long term are sent through Tus or Seetec. Why are travellers exempt?
@ Martin O Donnell: More irony, it’s everywhere today. The hype was Casey. The sheep were Casey’s followers. One comment about a minority, a political bogeyman, and away you went. ‘A man of the people’, ‘saying it like it is’. Such rubbish, such hype, such sheep. A member of the elite, a loon that supports leaving the EU, a mumbling populist, a man looking to get his deposit back. Since he wanted to bring up an inconsequential issue to the role, why didn’t he bring up a bigger issue in society? Health, housing, debt? Because that would shed some light in his golfing buddies and because he read the Trump playbook on how to fool sheeple, and he needed his deposit back. Probably has a tax bill in the US coming up.
@Peter Hughes: what did he say that was so bad?
@TheHeathen: are you for real Higgins acted arrogantly by not doing all the debates so u are quite happy to have someone who gets paid a huge salary but yet uses the 300k fund for his personal use u my friend are one of the 55 percent so a sheep by definition follow him just like ur masters told you
@Hellenize Dublin: Hatefacts. The truth is hateful to those who hate the truth.
@Hellenize Dublin: Not sure why folks are even talking about Casey, he got approx 20 percent, its nowhere taxi for him and his merry band of racist followers period.
@Martin O Donnell: I hope you have evidence that he uses the 300k for personal use. No body has ever accused him of that. I hope he sues you for slander.
@Hellenize Dublin: The second stupidest comment on the Journal. Making a comparison between singling out a group to the Nazi’s party..
@Peter Hughes: racist how?
Miggledy was always gonna be a sure thing. But we’ll done to Peter Casey. For a few minutes a politician told the truth. THATS what the people want. Honesty.
@Kath Noonan: Peter Casey is not a politician.
@Kath Noonan: Peter Casey may as well have said “If I get elected I’ll give everyone in Ireland €10,000″ unreal that there is less than 5% of the population who fall for such simplistic sound-bites, we have a pretty good educational system by OECD standards, some people just aren’t suited to it though it seems.
@PaulineSmith: we’re not all lick arses ……looking for something we’ll never get off a politician
@Mr Mystery: Yeah, licking windows more like.
@Kath Noonan: ” for a few minutes”.. and that made him a ” hero” with some, and suitable Presidential material??? Oh, dear the mind boggles..
@PaulineSmith: what’s worse is that 55 percent bought into the spin about Higgins unreal he never answered about dipping into the 300k for personal use even though he on a huge salary crazy that people go with the flow rather than look deeper into things
He’ll need to bring a load of Pavees to the Aras to prove he likes them so much
@The Bull McCabe: Paveee point Administrative expenses a few years back were 1,631,698 thats tax payers money, they are very comfortable without the Aras
@Dáithí O Raghailaigh: a great maybe there new wedding venue with all that space and all..
@The Bull McCabe: Taxpayers money given to people who won’t pay tax on their earnings. One for the irony fans.
It is clear evidence that it is time for a Rural Political Party based on Law and Order . FFG /Sinn Fein play lip service to dealing with Rural Crime and the concerns of Rural People .
A Rural Political Party is the only solution to this . The other Political parties have had more than enough time to get their finger out but they have done nada and are going to do nada .
@Pl O’neill: Identity Ireland and Renua suggest not
@Pl O’neill: Yes, have your rural Party but recognise most of the money you get is from City PAYE workers paying your subsidies (without which you wouldn’t add survive).
@Simon Peters: city PAYE made up of people from the country! PS I’m a Dub living in the country..
No doubt the FF, FG and labour shower will spin this as an overwhelming endorsement of themselves but the fact is, if the turnout was around 50%, and higgins got say 58% of that, it means less than 30% of the electorate bothered to come out to vote for higgins, hardly as popular as they’d like to fool you into thinking.
@Adrian: of my seven cats, not one voted for Higgins,. He is clearly nowhere near as popular as people make out.
@Adrian: reminds me of some time last year when pascal was on the radio trying to sell the results of a survey on the what public sector workers though of politicians, 56% bothered to reply, and about half said they trusted and valued the work of the politicians. So it was around 25% but to pascal, he was spinning the 56% as an overwhelming majority, discounting the crowd that didn’t reply!
@Adrian: it’s perfectly reasonable not to count the people who didn’t bother to vote. If they want to be counted they know what they have to do.
@Neal Ireland Hello.: and that also applies to michael d. To emphasize a point, say if only 100k people voted, and 90k of them voted for michael d, does that mean that michael d is overwhelmingly popular, as popular as the establishment want you to believe, no!
@Adrian: and less than 10% of people voted for Casey. No matter what way you look at it, Michael D is 3 times more popular than the next candidate
Miggledy was always gonna be a sure thing. But look at what a moment of truth did for Peter Casey. THATS what the people want. Honesty in the politics.
@Kath Noonan: Yeah just like hitler he was honest too all the same.
@Kath Noonan: Thats what people of the same opinion as you want
@Kath Noonan: too l
Unbelievable how set in yer ways ye are, afraid of change? And then you all say the president has no say at all, doesn’t matter who it is up there, but vote for this buck who already had his turn he should be relaxing with his feet up in his own house enjoy retirement as anyone else does at 70 but no at 77 greed set in… I want more, and the Irish followers bowed down to him,
Good luck to ye.
@Rosemarie F Martin: and yet you didn’t see how arrogant Higgins came across tunnel vision I think
@Mr Mystery: Set in our ways? I didn’t vote for Michael D. but I certainly wasn’t going to vote for a candidate whose rhetoric was more suited to 1930′s Europe, it’s Casey supporters who want to drag us back to the Dark Ages, thankfully there’s feck all of them.
@Mr Mystery: if he’s all about greed and milking the system, explain to me why he’s handed back to the state every year for the past seven years (and will presumably continue to hand back), pensions worth around 100 grand a year? Pensions he would be perfectly entitled to claim.
@Dermot Lane: Mr Mystery has disappeared!
@Mr Mystery: You being a grandmother, you probably remember those times?
Sense looks to have prevailed.
Great result
@Tweety McTweeter: disastrous result for the country 45 percent of the people actually showing some sense unfortunately still a majority are like sheep and believe the media hype and can’t think for themselves
@Martin O Donnell: Dry your eyes Martin :)
@Tweety McTweeter: The only other possibility, which of course is completely ludicrous, so that other people are right and you’re wrong.
@Martin O Donnell: @Dáithí O Raghailaigh: so Michael D with 55% of vote, then the bigots of this country voted for Peter C (because he says ‘what we’re all thinking’- heard that from 2 taxi drivers yesterday as well as every Trump supporter I’ve ever met) then the other 25% is split over 4 candidates most likely just their Geographical area of where they came from or those that they have known over the years- so basically your some of the country have sense comment is null and void. The country disagrees with you basically… resoundingly.
@Tweety McTweeter: I’m pretty sure dublin taxi drivers don’t vote, or do anything with a paper trail.
@Martin O Donnell: I think you need to read up on how democracy works
@Martin O Donnell: the one plus with Miggledy winning is it’s not yet ANOTHER massive pension WE have to pay.
@Glenn O’hAilpín: not really the spin and the media got Higgins in Casey jumped from 1 percent …If this had being a much longer campaign the majority of people would have seen the spin for what it is Higgins came across as arrogant and entitled just not enough time for everyone to see that
@Martin O Donnell: or the people who see that Higgins is the best representative for the country got him in. Peter Casey jumped because he decided to spout shite that he knows people would buy and he would get some of his money back.
@Martin O Donnell: today I learned that anybody who holds an opinion that’s different from Tweety is a sheep and unable to this k for themselves. Some logic there
@Sam Harms: If Higgins is that good why didn’t he attend all the debates why did he lie about using the 300k for personal use get a grip man he is laughing all the way to the bank knowing that he has enough sheep to believe the spin
It’s one small step for Michael D, one giant leap for his bank balance!!
He knocked them out of the Park.
If MDH had been fair and announced his running in a timely manner there would have been more time to have better candidates. Once he did he was basically handed the Presidency by FF/FG/labour and the media and it was going to be an uphill battle for anyone without that Political Support. Delighted Casey got so many votes, not because of Travellers but because Leo said not too and hopefully its Trend and Leo is not elected again
@Mr E: the parties or anyone interested had 7 years to prepare
Casey has been a poor candidate who transparently used negative tactics throughout his campaign. Yes, there are genuine concerns about elements of the Traveller community, but likewise settled citizens can be violent, criminal, dysfunctional, entitled, drug-addicted, bullying, abusive, irresponsible, offensive, etc. I’ve suffered directly from many members of a settled community in which I’ve lived in Dublin. It’s an issue that runs across all parts of this society.
It will be interesting are the exit polls accurate saying Casey is 21%. When the votes are counted will it actually be quite a bit higher than that? I am not sure these polls are in any way accurate.
@Accounting Pro: So you’re saying the people counting the votes can’t count? Think you’re getting mixed up with Casey voters there, the ones who all spent their money at the bookies backing him for a Number 1. Fools and their money!
@Accounting Pro: Pauline, the “fools” as you call them are €1,250 better of if they had €10 e/w at 500/1. I wish I was that fool this morning
For the first time in history every pavee in Ireland voted. If there vote was taken off the 56%, what percentage would Michael D get?
@John O Brien: There’s 40,000 of them? We have bigger issues, like the near million on waiting lists, 200billion debt, schools falling down, corruption, squeezed middle and hard working lower class unable to buy houses, homelessness, useless political class in the pockets of the elites… even the fines coming from Europe on our inaction about climate change should be higher on the agenda than some tiny minority.
Congratulations Mr Higgins!! You certainly got my vote!!
Surprised the Liadh and all the shinners done so bad… guess they don’t have the support they they have
@Mark Murphy: I guess they don`t have the support they have??
Best thing you can do is to stick to your American politics along with all your tweets about your heroine killery Clinton.
@Pixie McMullen: they thought they had. For what’s it’s worth I actually gave her my number 1 vote. I thought she was a very good candidate. My point was I was very surprised so didn’t poll higher given I Pressumed they had much more support out there. Anyhow you clearly got upset about my comment so maybe go have a walk in the fresh air and clear your head for a while , you sound stressed.
Mary Lou imploding in RTÉ Radio 1. Stammering, pausing, confused, all over the place
Very clear that Peter Casey, whatever you think of his comments, struck a chord with the rural communities in this country. Wonder will any of the politicians take note?
@John Marshall: not at all!! They have to stomach to listen to backlash from the liberal majority who are unneffected by the issue he raised.
SF getting a flogging in Donegal. Also in Cork. Did their TD’s even canvass? Question to be answered by May Lou McD
SF candidate 3rd place in own constituency. Mary Lou and SF lead a disastrous campaign
Any exit poll for the referendum?
@Leadóg:
Yes, overwhelmingly carried.
@Leadóg:
They are saying 70-72% yes
@Patrick Nolan: aren’t they great
Wonder how many votes Gemma O’Doherty got.
Multiple puff pieces about travelers on boards today and no comments allowed on all of them ! Pravda would be proud.
Depressing day on one hand for Ireland but bit more optimism around as anti establishment rhetoric starting to ring true now only if we could have a GE and get the sock monster out
Looks like it’ll be full steam ahead with the Gravy Train for another seven years. As a nation we get the leadership we deserve. It’s not like the UK where they’ve no say in who their head of state is.
How is Atheist Ireland a thing?
It’s like having a club for people who don’t like football!
@Niall Power: The GAA? Sorry, I’ll get my coat.
How did the blasphemy vote go?
@Paraic:
people voted to get rid of it
Who is voting for Sean Gallagher? And why?
How slow can they go in counting? This should not take too long as MDH will win on first count easily.
This presidential election has been a shocking waster of the Northern Bank money by Mary Lou
Disaster for SF. Abandoned by their own “supporters”.
Poor Liadh and SF had a disaster. Understandable when she showed that the SF clatter about the average industrial wage is nonsense. She also had a very poor understanding of the constitution. A very limited candidate overall.
SF supporters were quick to abandon her – but then they always do less than the polls indicate in elections.
Poor Liadh and SF had a disaster – understandable when she showed that the SF clatter about the average industrial wage is nonsense. She also had a very poor understanding of the constitution. A very limited candidate overall.
SF supporters were quick to abandon her – but then they always do less than the polls indicate in elections.
The People have spoken once more. O well have to except the democratic vote. ….fock it.
Pathetic Moran
have your say