The local community in Dun Laoghaire has recently learned of plans to close the Dun Laoghaire play centre on Library Road as a supervised play facility.

A public meeting will take place on Tuesday December 1st at 7.30pm in Weirs Pub, George’s St, Dun Laoghaire.

Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Council is planning to close Sallynoggin Library in the new-year, as a result of government imposed cutbacks.

James Mc Donagh, father of special needs child, Angel Mc Donagh, made national headlines when he and his daughter were thrown out of the Green Party special conference last month when he tried to raise the issue of the State’s failure to provide the educational and housing needs his daughter requires.

Today Mon Nov 2nd at 11.30am, James Mc Donagh, father of 11 year old, Angel Mc Donagh, a special needs child who has been denied schooling for over a year, will take his daughter to St Michael’s House in Rathgar (17 Grosvenor Rd) in an effort to enrol her as we was instructed to do by the Department of Education.

Pictured above: Angel McDonagh

St Michael’s House has already claimed to Mr Mc Donagh, and recently in a public statement on the matter, that it cannot enrol Angel because it lacks the resources as a result of under-funding and recent cutbacks.
The Department of Education, on the other hand, has rejected the claims of St Michael’s House and stated that the school should be in a position to enrol Angel.
Angel Mc Donagh suffers from closed Spina Bifida, Global developmental disorder and ADHD and has been out of school for the last year because all the special needs schools that her father has attempted to enrol her in have said they lack the resources to provide for her education needs.

CLLR Richard Boyd Barrett (People Before Profit) has hit back after a scathing attack by a fellow Dún Laoghaire Rathdown councillor, who claimed that a recent protest he organised outside council offices in Dun Laoghaire was nothing more than a “cheap publicity stunt”.

Last Monday week (October 16) Cllr Boyd Barrett organised a public protest outside the county council offices on Marine Road while the council was in session.

The protest was staged in opposition to the recent demolition of structures by the Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company on the Carlisle Pier.

Public Meeting Organized by Independant Left in The Brandon House Hotel, New Ross Co. Wexford.

Tuesday 13th October@7.45PM.

Guest speakers:

Theresa Shallow, (Founder, Save Our Lady's Children's Hospital);

Dr Kieran Allen(UCD),

Guest Speaker(INTO),

Michael Wall(SIPTU),

Walter Cullen(UNITE),

GuestSpeaker(UNISON),

Cllr. John Dwyer(Indepentent Left),

Cllr. Richard Boyd-Barrett(People Before Profit Alliance).

The People Before Profit Alliance today condemned plans to pull down Carlisle Pier behind the back of the public and talks between Harbour Company and Stena over possible sale of harbour

In a statement today Cllr Richard Boyd Barrett of the People Before Profit Alliance (PBPA) condemned plans by Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company to demolish the buildings on the historic Carlisle Pier starting on September 1st, without any public consultation.

Documents seen by Cllr Boyd Barrett showed that the state owned Harbour Co has detailed plans for the demolition of the buildings on the pier, which are known to be packed full of dangerous Asbestos.

Cllr Boyd Barrett understands that preparatory work for the demolition has already begun with fittings and other items now being stripped out of the interior of the Pier buildings.

The documents seen by Cllr Boyd Barrett also showed that the Harbour Co was currently involved in discussions with the Stena shipping line, where the sale or handover of the whole harbour to the Ferry Company was one of a number of options being discussed for the harbour’s future.

This comes at the same time that Harbour management have told staff that they are seeking redundancies for up to half of the workforce.

NEW COUNCIL FACES IMPORTANT TEST TODAY ON PROPOSALS TO DEAL WITH IMPACT OF RECESSION
In a statement, Cllr Richard Boyd Barrett and Cllr Hugh Lewis of the People Before Profit Alliance (PBPA), said today’s meeting (Monday 6th July) of the newly elected Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Co. Council, now controlled by Labour and Fine Gael, faced an important test as to whether it was serious about taking action to deal with the impact of recession in the County.

PBPA has put forward a number of motions aimed at tackling different aspects of the economic crisis, as they are affecting citizens of the county, particularly in the areas of jobs, housing and those on low incomes.

The PBPA proposals include schemes to create jobs employing currently unemployed workers directly to repair boarded-up council houses and establish a council-run farm/market-gardening enterprise, as well as major expansion in the provision of allotments and community garden, so that local citizens could grow their own food.

PBPA also have two motions dealing with bin taxes, calling on the Council to cease threats and legal action against those unable to pay bin taxes and to restore the full waiver scheme for those on low incomes.

The PBPA proposals come, as it is anticipated that County Manager, Owen Keegan, will today give a financial report, suggesting significant cut-backs in Council spending. PBPA believe the focus should be on generating public enterprise and job creation rather than deflationary cut-backs.

People Before Profit's Richard Boyd Barrett joined the panel on Vincent Browne's TV3 Nightly News show on Thursday 30th April .

Watch the show here by clicking on the image below:

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Richard Boyd Barrett also spoke on Pat Kenny Show on RTE Radio 1 on Friday 1st May.

To listen click on the image below. (Discussion begins at 1hr 30mins)