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.
PLANS FOR THE new National Maternity Hospital have been back in the news in recent weeks, with a protest planned for this weekend and various Oireachtas debates planned in the coming weeks.
The new hospital has been in the works for years, with the location of the hospital being confirmed at St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin 4 in late 2016.
That site’s ownership by religious order the Sisters of Charity prompted various debates in previous years about whether Catholic doctrine could influence medical practices.
Assurances given by government and the religious order had quelled the debate in recent years but have again come to the surface.
So how did we get here and what does the debate mean for the hospital?
The National Maternity Hospital is currently located at Holles Street in Dublin and is also popularly known by the street’s name.
The hospital is the largest maternity care facility in the State, with about 8,000 women a year using its services.
Parts of the building date back to the mid-1700s and there is a wide consensus that moving the location of the NMH is preferable to updating the current location.
In November 2016 it was confirmed that the new NMH would be developed at Elm Park in Merrion, Dublin 4. This would mean the NMH would be alongside the existing St Vincent’s Hospital, allowing patients at NMH to also have access to that facility.
Despite support for the construction of the new hospital, which was estimated in 2017 to be €300 million, there was soon controversy over its ownership structure.
The Sisters of Charity owns the land on which the NMH was be built and the proposed deal would see the religious order owning the facility because it was providing the lands at no cost to the State.
Tens of thousands of people signed a petition is protest at the move, calling for the Sisters of Charity to be prevented from becoming owners.
In April 2017, the Department of Health sought to ease concerns about potential religious influence at the hospital by saying that a new company would be established to run it that would have “clinical and operational independence”.
Various polls showed that public concerns were not eased by these assurances.
The plan was for the NMH board to be made up of nine directors. Four nominated from St Vincent’s Hospital Group, four from the current NMH, and one international expert in obstetrics and gynaecology.
Opponents to the plan pointed to the board nominees from the St Vincent’s Hospital Group as potentially being influenced by religious ethos.
Opposition to the plans for the ownership structure included various political parties and former master of the NMH Dr Peter Boylan.
One of the suggestions Boylan raised was that a compulsory purchase order (CPO) could be used to allow the State to buy the lands from the Sisters of Charity.
Some of the obstacles to this included costs, potential legal delays and the fact that the new NMH was envisaged as a voluntary public hospital instead of a HSE facility.
Following the increasing opposition to the plans, the Sisters of Charity announced an end to their involvement with the St Vincent’s Hospital Group and said that they would therefore not be involved in the ownership or management of the new NMH
The Sisters of Charity were the major shareholders of the St Vincent’s Healthcare Group but said they would be transferring ownership of the group to a newly formed company with charitable status to be called ‘St Vincent’s’.
This pledge would also see the Sisters of Charity essentially giving up its ownership of the land on which the NMH was to be built, land which was valued at some €200 million.
This presented some issues however and 30 months in late 2019 it was revealed that the transfer of ownership to the charitable company had not taken place.
This is due to the fact that the the Religious Sisters of Charity required formal approval from the Vatican to relinquish ownership of the land.
The Sisters of Charity said in November 2019 that it had sought approval from the Vatican and that formal sign-off was “imminent”.
The order also said that this should not delay the hospital project “in any way” but despite this ten minister for health Simon Harris said that “all outstanding issues” must be addressed before any substantial building works take place.
Last year, there appeared to be a significant development in the saga when the Sisters of Charity said they had received the required approval from the Vatican, allowing them to transfer ownership of the land.
It said this now marks the final movement towards completion of all legal, financial and regulatory matters involved in the transfer of the sisters’ 186-year involvement in the hospital.
The sisters added:
The new St Vincent’s Holdings CLG will continue to be a not-for-profit organisation. In the event of the new St Vincent’s Holdings CLG going into liquidation, its surplus assets will be vested with the Charity Regulator and used for future healthcare purposes with similar values, to benefit the people of Ireland.
The plans for the site would see St Vincent’s Holdings CLG lease the NMH lands to the State for 99 years.
Now, over a year from that point, the issue of the ownership of the land is still proving to be a stumbling block.
Current Minister of Health Stephen Donnelly said early this month that legal documents to transfer the lands to the charity “are ready”.
He also again sought to reassure the public that the Religious Sisters of Charity would have no involvement in the management of the hospital and would not influence the care the hospital provides.
“Services will be provided in accordance with the law, and in accordance with national policy, and that’s it,” he said.
Last week however, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said there are “problems, quite frankly, in going forward with this project”.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin also described it as “very odd” that the State was to invest so much money in the project but that it would have ownership of the site.
He described this situation as “not entirely satisfactory” but said that stakeholders should not be “overly obsessed” with ownership of the hospital. He added that “nothing has been signed off”, and that it has always been his view that any new hospital should be owned by the public.
Speaking on Saturday, Varadkar suggested that a new location for the hospital may be needed to resolve the ongoing issues.
He also suggested that the State could buy they site from the Sisters of Charity instead of the current plan that would see the Sisters of Chairty transferring the ownership to the charitable company.
Sinn Féin and the Social Democrats are also seeking that the Sisters of Charity transfer the ownership of the land directly to the State, with the SocDems set to table a motion in the Dáil on Wednesday calling for this to happen.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
A man who talks peace, does what he can to promote peace, is vilified in the press.
Is peace not better than war?
@Dave Doyle: were his talks worth sacrificing his country’s democracy?
@Dave Doyle: talks peace unless it’s when he’s threatening to invade Venezuela or attack Iran that is
@Dave Doyle: Mc Milan talked peace with Hitler before. World war 2 and then
@Dave Doyle: oh wake up Dave.
@Dave Doyle:
Here’s a few of his more peaceful quotes
Re Syria: “missiles will be coming”
Re NK: “they will be met with fire and fury like world has never seen”
Re European allies: “they’re foes”
Re China: “trade bullies”
Re Canada: “they’re spoiled”
Re Africa: “sh!thole countries”
@: What democracy? Democracy USA style? Where MSM TV do the neocon warmongers bidding and pump fake news out day in day out. Have the hissy fit we see now when things don’t go their way?
What would you prefer, watching nuclear missiles fly overhead?
That’s what Killary had planned for us all.
@Tweed Cap: He’s fairly accurate on a few of them.
@johnp: Israel wants to attack Iran. Israel and the neocons thrive on war.
The oil barons want to see Venezuela invaded.
@Dave Doyle: not that there was a live danger of the US going to war with Russia? But supporting (at the expense of your own intelligence community) a dictator who murders his own people, including journalists and opposition politicians, who has annexed territory of a sovereign nation and murdered and attempted to murder citizens in the UK with chemical weapons, and is rolling back on human rights, who has interfered with sovereign elections in the EU and US is NOT promoting peace.
@Dave Doyle: the problem is that Putin owns Trump…. wake up and smell the covfefe…!
@FlopFlipU: I think you mean Chamberlin.
@Dave Doyle: Putin loathes the very concepts of democracy and human rights. Cop on, would you?
@Conor Paddington: Are you under some illusion British and the USA don’t take care of serious dissent in their own countries?
What was putin to do, sit back and do nothing while the EU, and NATO engineered a coup in a neighbouring country?
Murdered citizens in the UK? Where’s the evidence?
Interfered in elections in the EU and USA? Again where’s the evidence?
@Dave Doyle: there is evidence, you lunatics just won’t read it. It’s incredibly convincing. Particularly for the latter. Denying that there’s evidence and sticking your fingers in your ear while yelling LALALA doesn’t mean there’s no evidence. And what about murdering opposition poiticians and journalists? That’s just fine?
@Conor Paddington: Have you ever been to Russia? Have you ever spoken to Russians about Putin?
@Conor Paddington: Show you evidence?
@Dave Doyle: apart from Europe being less than a solid ally of America….I’d say he got the rest spot on
@Dave Doyle: Oh David would you just shut up! You’re making yourself look like an eejit!
@Conor Paddington: Still waiting on your evidence. Still waiting to be incredibly convinced.
@Dave Doyle: you’re a big boy. I’m not going to spoon feed you, it’s not my job to educate you or keep you informed, if you’re not informed then don’t have the argument. You’re denying the existence of evidence which exists amd is widely available. That’s a bloody non-starter, isn’t it?? If you were contending how reliable it is then maybe we could talk. But even at that I reckon you’re a lost cause.
@Tony Stanley: I don’t give a flying one about your opinion.
@Conor Paddington: So you’re talking through your bottom orrifice.
Though so.
@Dave Doyle: here, look: read this, and while you’re at it click into the citations so you can read the primary sources and form your own conclusions. If you respond in the next 2 minutes saying there’s mo evidence, then we have our answers about you, don’t we? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_interference_in_the_2016_United_States_elections
@Dave Doyle: Have you ever spoken to Russian opposition politicians. Thought not but you are a wise man as you would probably be locked up or maybe bumped off. Putin is a multi billionaire who is the head of a dictatorship. However in your mind that is probably fake news.
@Dave Doyle:
It boils down to where you want to get your information. Sounds to me like the free press isn’t the place for you.
Some people make a virtue out of stubborn stupïdity. Take a bow Dave.
@Dave Doyle: Trump does not talk peace. He is gunning for war with Iran. How peaqceful is that? He was the first to move the US emabssy to Jerusalem. Think that was a peace move? He is a stooge, a patsy and he has now been found out, finally.
@Tom Reilly: No i haven’t, have you?
I do work with 3 Russians. Their opinion of Putin is that he is a great man. Doing wonders for Russia.
I’m as wise as anyone else here.
I have my opinions, and i have every right to them.
Trump is all substance over style, unlike most politicians, he actually delivers on what he promises. When I was a youth the threat of nuclear war was very real so to see the leaders of both Russia and the USA have good relations is a strong step forward towards global peace and nullifying the threat of a cataclysmic war that would end everything. He is by no means perfect, who is, but the microscopic scrutiny of everything he says and does is way above what anyone should be subjected to. Killary’s tears at losing the election appear to be endless, she needs to get over herself and accept that her time has come and gone.
@Conor Paddington: ahh the great wikipedia.
You have to do better than that if you want to be taken seriously.
I much prefer Conor Fitz’s link down below.
@Anton Dec: Free press???? Really??? Best joke on this thread.
@Dave Doyle: Israel and Trump want to get on with this war, Trump for the glory and the oil and Israel because Iran are the only country left in the middle east seen as any kind of real opposition or threat to Israel , they just have to get the Russians out of their alliance with Iran then its Boom Boom !! I wonder what Trump was offering Putin in that private session to ditch Iran. If he gets through the current kerfuffle over his latest exploits watch out for talk of the easing of sanctions against Russia , Iran must be a little nervous ,
@Dave Doyle: I laughed out loud when I read Ant’s comment about having a “free” press also. No such thing in mainstream media.
@Frank Cauldhame: Trump wouldn’t be my choice. But when you leave the spin aside he seems to be doing good for the American people. He always was the lesser of two evils being offered for election.
I also lived through that era when the threat of nuclear war was real.
It seems the politicians of today and their fans see such a threat as nothing. They think a nuclear is winnable and worthwhile.
The hissy fit in the American press and the Killary fanboys here is rediculous.
@Dave Doyle: hahaha, I knew that you were going to come back with that. I’m sorry, but you’re a total muppet.
First, denying the reliability of Wikipedia as the basis for an argument id for people in 3rd class. Wikipedia is an incredible resource and I’d be shocked if you didn’t agree with me. It’s not reliable enough as a reference in an academic paper, that’s not what this is.
Second, as I said, click into the citations throughout and read the primary sources. But nope, you’ve more or less nailed your colours to the mast.
You are asking for evidence but you won’t read it. Eejit.
@Pat Price: I think you need to read Conor Fitz’s link he published.
Your estimation of Iran/Israel/USA/Russia is screwed.
@Niall Quinlan: It goes to show where some here get their opinions from
Talk about sheep.
@Niall Quinlan: you understand that no matter what you think of the press, it’s the “free” part that allows them to write what they write. Want them to stop? Then you don’t believe in a free press.
@Conor Paddington: Personal insults. Well done. You’re nothing else to offer have you.
It must be terribley frustrating for you to know i don’t give a damn about your name calling.
I did point out a far better link for you. Did you find the words to big to understand?
Poor boy.
@Dave Doyle: so you’re saying trump is doing the bidding of Israel and the oil barons only a man of peace to the highest bidders
@Dave O Keeffe: It’s who ever pays their bills.
@Dave Doyle: None of my business as I’m not American but I totally agree, this is an orchestrated attack on the leader of the USA that began the day after his election win by the corrupt lady he defeated.
@Dave Doyle: come on. Are we really going to have an argument about whether or not Wikipedia is a good source of information. Grow up.
@Dave Doyle: amd you’re countering it with a conspiracy theory website with zero credibility. Really?
@Dave Doyle: as long as trump goes down world war 3 is a better opinion…..apparently
@Paul Hughes: literally nobody thinks that.
@Paul Hughes: So it seems according to many here.
@Frank Cauldhame: Nail on the head Frank.
@Dave Doyle: according to, again, literally no one here.
@Jane: Oh do back to sleep Jane.
@Dave Doyle: the “man ” is a complete headcase.
Please don’t say Dave that you think he’s a good president.
@Dave Doyle: killary what a Muppet you are sir! Whose hand is up your behind?
@Dave Doyle: amazingly Dave millions of russians loathe Putin! They just don’t fancy been disappeared. You only spoke to guys in bot school
@Dave Doyle: For your Killary comment, where is the evidence? Tell us, poor Dave.
Trump is a legend in fairness. He says what we all think but dont say because the PC libtards control everything. His work at the borders is fantastic. ICE is simply the best thing happening in america
@Dave Doyle: youd swear the media want trump to ho to war.
@johnp: Venezuala is international socialist crisis with million of people starving. It could use being invaded.
@Clever Jake: but Trump doesn’t like the Brits and to some people around here that’s enough to make him an all round good guy.
@Frank Cauldhame: “he delivers on what he promises” <- yah,right..
"Healthcare for everyone" <- nope
"lower drug prices" <- nope
"build a wall" <-nope
"get Mexico to pay for it" <- nope
Made a balls with the 'zero tolerance policy'
Bring back coal jobs <- nope
Brought in a tax scam which will benefit the rich (him and his family) through cuts in medicare,medicaid and social security..
“infrastructure plan” <- nope
Farmers (that voted for him) getting a hammering over his stupid trade wars…
but look,he says it as it is..until he mispokes,that is..
@Dave Doyle: I can’t honestly remember an American president in recent history to threaten nuclear war? But trump has. Even the warmongers the Bush’s cut the US nuclear arsenal. Trump has begun to fun the increase of their nuclear arsenal. He’s also increased military spending by 74billion dollars. Can you stand behind this as man of peace? Oh and I’ve lived in Russia, Putin is far from revered, feared is a more accurate description in my experience.
@FlopFlipU: not McMillan. Check your facts
@FlopFlipU: Was that McMilian and Wife?
@Dave Doyle: kettle pot
No words can describe the actions of a president who would be better off sticking to reality shows, playing with the lives of millions in a chess like policy isn’t working..
@David Dineen: Drafts more like
@David Dineen: Chess like ? More like Ludo..
@David Dineen: chess?? No!! Putin plays chess, Trump plays snakes and ladders. Hi
@David Dineen: what isn’t working?
Two of those papers shown are Canadian..Calgary Sun and the Globe and Mail
@Enda Reynolds: in fairness there’s a prefacing paragraph explaining that
@Enda Reynolds: read the article, it says “meanwhile north of the border”….. in Canada, hence the headlines from those two Canadian publications. If you want to make an informed comment, I suggest you inform yourself by reading the article before making an eejit if yourself.
@Enda Reynolds: so that is three
@Enda Reynolds: We share a border and are currently considering our own wall to keep the president (small p intended) and his cronies from ever getting in.
@Deaglan Macgiollaphadraig: i feel so bad now after being corrected by a superior being as yourself, I apologise profusely to you and beg your forgiveness if not now, but in time
@Enda Reynolds: Enda, you said something stupid because you didn’t read the article carefully. Stop being a little child about it
@hyippy: sounds good faceless commenter
@Enda Reynolds:
It does for him alright, not so much for you.
@Enda Reynolds: you are totally forgiven Enda. A plenary indulgence has been granted and you don’t even have to go to the Phoenix Park to get it.
Sorry I was arsey earlier, Trump was wrecking my head!
@Deaglan Macgiollaphadraig: No bother, I apologise for being smart also!
Ignore all the fake accounts on here trying to defend Trump. He is an embarrassment. Completely brushes off the findings of his very own intelligence agencies, and takes the word of a foreign despot. Watch the interview for yourself – he is incapable of answering a question directly, and engages in deflection tactics as per usual.
This isn’t about trying to find peace with Russia. Putin has Trump in his back pocket and has some very serious leverage over him.
@Seán Ó Briain: you’d think Bob Muller would have produced evidence of such, considering he was spying on his election campaign and has been investigating him for more than 2 years now. Still ZERO evidence presented.
@JimmyMc: You mean no evidence presented to you, given the growing number of indictments being handed out by the grand jury there is plenty of evidence of wrong doing by multiple parties.
Also personal leverage (such as the bed wetting incidents) would be outside the scope of the Mueller investigation
@Tom Purcell: how incompetent would Mueller be if he let the information he has on Trump get out before he had a chance to interview him. This is how an investigation works. You gather the info, interview the subject and see what they have to say. We don’t know what info Mueller has on trump until he f8les an indictment. No one knew what he had on Manafort until he filed the indictment, why would Trump be any different.
@Tom Purcell: There’s an old saying that a grand jury would ‘indict a ham sandwich’ if a prosecutor asked, because no opposing lawyer is present, and grand juries only have to consider ‘probable cause, as opposed to ‘beyond reasonable doubt’.
@Seán Ó Briain: you’re out of touch with the huge majority mate. People want peace not war. You and the American media/press want a WWIII and whoever survives are then back to the future in the Stone Age. Trump is no genius but he is a successful business man. And even if he saves one life by negotiation with Putin then he has my support.
@Shane Kelly: You’re spinning the same narrative as the rest of the fake accounts. “Peace not war”.
It’s about holding Putin to account for his actions. For meddling in US elections. For shooting down a passenger jet, killing hundreds of civilians. For illegally invading Ukraine and annexing Crimea.
It’s about Trump ignoring the findings of his own intelligence services and publicly shaming them by accepting the word of Putin.
But most importantly, it’s about unraveling all of the political influence Putin has over Trump.
And no, I’m not out of touch with the “huge majority”. Trump has the lowest approval average in the history of the US for a president. Public opinion polling in multiple countries show the majority of the public do not like him.
Save your propaganda.
@JimmyMc: You Cant’t even spen Robert Mueller’s name right, get a life you bot…
@Seán Ó Briain: would they be the same pollsters who said Hilary would win the election by a landslide?
@Clever Jake: Incorrect. She was well ahead in the ‘polls’ right up to the election night, with pollsters and statisticians giving Clinton odds of between 75 and 99 percent of winning
@Seán Ó Briain: Fake accounts? My account is very real.
@Clever Jake: When Comey told the electorate that Clinton was under investigation,he never bothered to mentioned that Trump was also under investigation…it all came down to about 77,000 votes in three states…but anyhow’s…it is what it is..
Undermined the EU, undermined NATO, slated the UK whilst there, basically did Putin’s bidding. Then this. I just wanna know what Russia’s got on him…..
@chinaski: I’m thinking the hooker’s in the pee-pee tape might be underage…
@Dave Doyle: really ? Because there not the ones who had a 13-year-old file a complaint against them.
@chinaski: The EU, NATO,the UK. The track record of your mates is really something. That bunch together have a record of interfering in and destroying nations throughout their ignoble histories.
Hold on a second…. he was vilified for warmongering with Korea, vilified for making peace, vilified for tweeting against Russian action now vilified again for brokering peace???
Certain sections just condemn whatever the outcome here. He was asked about the investigation in front of Putin at a summit….. he would have been an idiot to risk it all by openly condemning them for the 2016 election
@Ciarán FitzGerald: so better to say he doesn’t believe his own intelligence agency and turn on his own people than to upset Putin? That’s a strange view I have.
@Jane: even if is true the Russians have done the ordinary folks of the United States and the world a favour.. Just imagine what that war hungry phychopath hillary would be doing with the likes of North Korea and Russia now..
@Acedeuce: Go away bot, Trump wants to invade countires in Middle America like of Venezuela and any nations that are rich in natural minerals. Which is Americas policy, no matter if Repbulican or Democrat.
@Acedeuce: __ Russia and NK would have known better than to yank Hillary’s chain, they’d have been grovelling at her feet for forgiveness, and would have been sent to bed with no supper.
@Ted Murray: Like Bill was, poor auld fella.
The Art of the Deal by The Fool on the Hill
@Mick Barnier: Apparently Donald Jr is writing a sequel. The Art of the Squeal..forward by one R. Muller..
America voted for the reality tv personality to be their president. No use crying over it now. Unfortunately it can have huge negative affects on other countries.
@Seán Dillon: Had Obama met Putin and said what Trump said it wouldn’t have been an issue
There is a campaign to discredit and remove Trump from office .
No denying this
I now feel that I have been vindicated for my attitude towards this fella. For those that cheered for him, weelll, I’m sure that some kind of lesson has been learned.
@Patabake Kennedy: well aint you just swell :)
@Conor Walsh: Thank’s Conor. Lovely gesture.
@Conor Fitz: A very good article. But it wont suit the consensus here.
Wonder how long after he is out off office before he announces that the Trump brand is building a few hundred hotels across Russia, With steel from China?
The EU can only blame itself for becoming redundant. If you go to Brussels you will receive a lecture on penguins and plastic straw’s.
At least Russia is a relevant country with huge oil and gas reserves where a relevant conversation is possible.
Obama and Hillary have weaponized the DOJ, FBI and CIA. This is the greatest threat to our democracy.
@Clever Jake: The Telegraph. If it’s not Russia and Puting it’s pumping out lies about, it’s Corbyn.
I wish we had media in Ireland that’s like what they have in the UK or the US, our gombeen FF and FG led gov wouldn’t last a full day!
@Adrian: The problem is we have the exact same style media.
@Dave Doyle: Our media are pussy cats compared to the US and UK media, and our inferior, glorified local councillor level TDs, who being very little experience to their roles in gov from the real world, they get away with murder!
@Adrian: I wouldn’t call O’Brien owned and directed media inferior to anyone else’s media.
@Adrian: We have the same media
@Austin Rock: looking forward to Saturday night live so on RTE next weekend!
@Adrian: __ The UK media is good at persuading morons to vote for what the media barons want. Social media and online comments sections steer the morons in this country.
@Adrian: If only you were right, some are decent enough but afraid. Most are out and out prestitutes. Its amazing any independent journalism is allowed atall at this stage of our journey into the Orwellian dystopia.
@Jointheclubtoo: now I agree with you there. RTE is basically the political establishment (FF, FG, lab) propaganda tv station. And sur weren’t FG caught a few months ago paying some papers to write positive biased pro gov news stories. And did anything happen when they were caught, not a jot!
2+ years into his term and here we all discussing in another monster comment thread another mistake by Trump and he is soaring in the ratings.
I can safely say, trump couldn’t give a rats a1se what anyone thinks least of all the MSM
Trump’s the biggest threat to world peace and stability ever. Dangerous cret*n.
Senator Rand Paul is interesting on this matter
We get it . The press doesn’t like Trump. We know already!.
Putin was always going to demand his pound of flesh. He’s got Trump exactly where he wants him. In his pocket.
A President who is doing what he said he would. He is draining that swamp. Putin has the goodies. They are all in shyte street.
@Mary Cull: the only ones that are being ‘culled’ are the ones that he put in…this is hilarious stuff..
Ah the man is deaininf the swamp. Look at what putin has against them. They are running scared.
The amount of freaks on this some of you people need to get a grip. Like nuclear war is better than peace?? Trumps the king :)
have your say