Ireland's Eye

“This is very stressful for everyone and we want it to come to an end. But the only way the bank is dealing with us is through solicitors,” he said.

Sligo Weekender

Get Rid of Refugees

REFUGEES should be “brought to the airport” and not allowed to treat our country like “a soft touch,” according to Bagenalstown town councilor Paddy Kiely, who lashed out at refugees in Ireland “getting three square meals a day” while Irish people are left to languish in dire housing conditions.

“NAMA is advocating buying houses for refugees ... the only place I’d bring them is to the airport,” Kiely declared at a meeting of Bagenalstown Town Council.

Kiely’s comments sparked a furious reaction from the Minister for Equality, Integration and Human Rights Mary White, who called on Kiely to step down from the council.

“There is no room for racism in this country, either overt or covert, and any public representative who speaks in those terms should resign,” she stated.

At the meeting, Kiely spoke of his outrage at the fact “they’re in this country getting three square meals a day” while there are “seven to 10 people living in three-bedroom houses in this town and they’re not cribbing; they’re waiting on the housing list.”

In a move that is sure to spark accusations of racism, Kiely then proposed that the council send a letter to the minister to tighten refugee status.

“They get two or three months -- in or out,” Kiely added flatly.

Kiely pointed out that he was “not against any seed, creed or anyone. We need to simplify the whole thing and send out the message that Ireland is not a soft touch.”

Council Speaker Liam O’Brien jumped in to defuse the situation by citing “international and humanitarian obligations.”

Councilor Arthur McDonald then waded into the row, adding, “We need to get our priorities in order. The whole system has to be reformed. This bleeding heart thing has to stop. Let’s feed our own ... we’re all half-starving here.”

Carlow Nationalist

Too Much Zoning

ENOUGH land was zoned for residential development in Co. Roscommon in the past 10 years to provide more than 33,000 homes -- a whopping 30,000 in excess of what was required.

New figures have revealed that zoning trends throughout the country far exceeded what was necessary during the past decade.

The figures showed that nationally there was enough zoned land to provide for almost 1.5 million houses and apartments throughout the country, which was more than three times the 400,000 units that were needed up to 2016.

The figures also singled out Roscommon as the worst offender when it came to the “overzoning” of land for residential purposes in the past decade.

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Nster.com