theirishtimes--2020-08-17--St John Ambulance child sex abuse: ‘I remember not being believed’

Allegations of child sexual abuse made against a former senior member of St John Ambulance have been deemed to be founded , following an investigation by Tusla , the child and family agency .
Mick Finnegan ( 37 ) from Crumlin , in south inner city Dublin , was 12 when he joined the voluntary paramedic organisation in the 1990s .
He was about 14 when he was abused by a senior figure in the ambulance service , which was set up in Ireland in 1903 and provides first aid at sporting , music and community events .
Finnegan and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who grew up in Clondalkin , and Martin Hoey , from Finglas , have spoken publicly for the first time to The Irish Times about being abused .
Finnegan grew up in Crumlin , an area he says was “ destroyed with drugs ” during the 1980s and 1990s .
He was the eldest of four children and says his mother was delighted when he became involved with the organisation as he was steering clear of crime .
The grooming started shortly after he joined the Old Kilmainham division of St John Ambulance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” .
“ You got given a uniform , they taught you how to do first aid , you got to go on duties .
I loved it because you got free entry into Croke Park , and Lansdowne Road and the RDS , ” Finnegan said .
His abuser was a senior officer involved with the Old Kilmainham division , and a member of the organisation from the 1950s until at least 2000 .
The man is now in his 80s and can not be named for legal reasons .
Last September @ @ @ @ @ @ @ child sexual abuse allegations against the man deemed them to be founded .
The man appealed the finding against him and on June 23rd an independent appeals process upheld Tusla ’ s finding , according to correspondence .
“ He ’ d be using the model of teaching first aid to encourage me and others to touch him inappropriately , ” Finnegan said .
One method was to ask cadets how many places in the body you can take a pulse .
“ He goes : ‘ Do you know the most accurate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the femoral artery ’ , so he ’ d have you root around in his groin to get a pulse , ” Finnegan recalled .
“ Over the period of time he would escalate it to masturbation and touching me inappropriately , and then ultimately rape.
” Finnegan said the abuse started in 1997 when he was about 14 , on the first occasion when the pair were on duty for St John Ambulance at Dublin Zoo .
After a patrol of the area , Finnegan returned to the medical aid post where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bed , and instructed the teenager to demonstrate a first-aid initial assessment on him .
“ I went through the process of doing the primary survey , and he says ‘ What about pulse sites , where ’ s the pulse sites ?
’ , ” he said .
“ From there he turned around and he grabbed my hand and he said , ‘ This is the best place to get a pulse on someone , ’ and it was in the crease of his groin .
“ He forced me to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ held my hand there , and then as if nothing happened he pulled his trousers up.
” The abuse would continue regularly at first-aid postings or in the back of ambulances .
When Finnegan was about 15 he was taken by his abuser to an empty house to help move some items in .
“ He says ‘ Come on in here ’ and he ’ s lying on the bed .
And I ’ m just looking at him thinking : ‘ What the f*** – not again .
He wanted me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t having it , ” he said .
“ He punched me repeatedly , held me down forcibly and raped me .
I was in so much pain I was bleeding [ for ] days after the attack .
He pulled his trousers up and I was there on the bed crying my eyes out.
” The damage was to such an extent he still suffers from incontinence today .
After that attack , Finnegan moved to a different division , and about a year later reported the abuse to the organisation .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ now deceased , was tasked with investigating the allegations , and took a statement from Finnegan in a Ballsbridge hotel .
“ He offered me a load of cash in an envelope , and maybe he was only nice and felt sorry for me , but he offered me a load of cash , I told him to f*** off , ” Finnegan said .
On the organisation ’ s overall response , he said : “ I remember not being believed.
” The fallout from his abuse led to a breakdown in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he turned 18 he was living on the streets in Dublin .
“ When I was homeless nobody gave a f*** about me .
When I was eating out of bins , no one cared .
When I was queueing up outside hostels in the rain soaking wet , they didn ’ t care about me , ” he said .
“ I had members within the organisation who would walk by me when they saw me on Grafton Street , none of them believed me.
” In 2001 , Finnegan walked into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the abuse .
The accused was arrested and interviewed over the allegations , with gardaí sending a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions ( DPP ) .
However , the DPP directed that no prosecution be taken .
More than a decade after he first reported the abuse to St John Ambulance , Finnegan would again contact the organisation about what happened to him .
In 2011 , the then commissioner of St John Ambulance , Prof Patrick Plunkett , responded to Finnegan and apologised .
In an email on June 10th @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been “ aware there was some concern ” about the former member when he took over as commissioner in 2008 .
A review of the organisation ’ s files uncovered only “ tangential references with nothing specific ” on the allegations against the man , he said .
“ A decision appears to have been taken that he was not suitable to remain in the brigade and he was persuaded to resign , ” Plunkett said .
This , he said , was “ a ( sadly belated ) attempt to protect vulnerable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for anything we did , or did not do , as an organisation ” .
Plunkett said he told the organisation ’ s then child-protection officer their services “ are no longer needed in this role ” and later appointed an external social worker to the position .
Speaking to The Irish Times , Plunkett said that as commissioner he had set about reforming child-protection policies , which were not in keeping with the “ more modern ” children-first approach of the Health Service Executive .
A process of Garda vetting adult members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some other things ” , leading to two other individuals being removed over “ yellow ” flags , he said .
Speaking about the abuser , Plunkett said he left “ many years before I became commissioner , but it was a case of a push rather than a voluntary resignation ” .
The organisation ’ s standard of record keeping in the 2000s was very poor , he said .
“ Stuff was thrown in a skip at one point to make space.
” “ I couldn ’ t get change fast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some longer-standing members .
We ’ re talking about people in their 70s and 80s , who have been in the organisation since the 1940s and 1950s .
They didn ’ t really see there should be a change , ” he said .
He was replaced by the current commissioner John Hughes , who is a senior civil servant in the Department of Business .
In the years after the abuser resigned , efforts were made to conceal his past association with the organisation .
In 2003 , St John Ambulance produced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the publication the abuser has been airbrushed out of a picture , with an empty black space left where he had been seated .
Finnegan was homeless for about four years before securing a place in supported housing .
He began working for Fr Peter McVerry and managed to get a bedsit on the South Circular Road in Dublin .
He credits Salvation Army worker Howard Russell with helping him get off the streets .
The pair would cross paths again when Russell returned to London after his Dublin posting .
Finnegan moved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but continued to battle with “ constant flashbacks ” to being abused .
In 2009 , he had a mental breakdown .
“ I ended up being detained under the mental health Act after getting into a four hour standoff with the police .
I climbed a bridge in London and shut down the transport network , ” he said .
It was Russell who got a call from the Metropolitan Police at 5am asking if he could come talk Finnegan down , as he was threatening to kill himself .
Officers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gun and several marksmen had their sights trained on him during the standoff .
Russell approached his friend and said : “ Mickey before we start , do you have a gun , mate ?
” It was not a gun but a piece of metal , which Finnegan placed on the ground before eventually being talked down .
For a further six years he would navigate mental health services in England , but a combination of the “ right medication , the right support , the right therapy ” has since allowed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He went on to work in mental health services for the NHS , and has now completed a year in Trinity College Dublin ’ s access programme and hopes to go on to study social work .
Martin Hoey ( 48 ) joined the Finglas division of St John Ambulance in 1986 , when he was 14 .
As an adult member he moved to the Old Kilmainham division in the mid-1990s , and he alleges that in 1998 , when he was 26 , he was sexually assaulted on one occasion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
At the time , Hoey was working some shifts with the man for a private ambulance company .
On occasions when shifts would finish late and the pair had work or duties the following morning , he would stay over in the man ’ s home .
While lying on a bed one night , Hoey said the abuser asked if he knew “ all the different ways of rousing an unconscious casualty ” .
“ He put his hand inside the underwear and put the hand , the finger in , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ , ” at which point he stopped , Hoey said .
Two years later Hoey left the organisation .
“ When I left the brigade in 2000 I cut ties .
.
.
I really drew a line in the sand , ” he said .
Hoey said he “ hid ” the incident away until 2013 when he saw a post from Finnegan on social media about his abuse .
“ I said to Michael at the time : ‘ You ’ re not the only one ’ , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made a complaint to Det Garda Shane Curtis at Sundrive Garda station over the alleged digital rape .
On September 28th , 2015 , Finnegan received an email from Det Curtis requesting permission to reopen his 2001 case , on foot of the second complaint .
‘ I was like his shadow ’ Paul Mulholland ( 43 ) came forward in June 2016 to make a criminal complaint against the former senior figure .
Mulholland joined the Old Kilmainham division shortly after he turned 15 in 1992 .
He now lives in Mullagh @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a National Ambulance Service paramedic for 12 years .
The abuser would pick him up after school to take him to a first-aid course in the St John Ambulance ’ s head office on Tuesday nights .
Before the course he would stay in the man ’ s home , often in his bedroom watching television .
Then on one occasion Mulholland said the abuser sat down beside him and showed him where to take a pulse , before touching his groin and penis .
“ After this occasion he would try @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
.
.
This led from touching me to masturbation and oral stimulation over the coming months to years , ” he said .
The abuse continued at the man ’ s home and while on duty with St John Ambulance .
“ I was like his shadow .
.
.
I never as an adolescent got to have a normal life , because he started to control my life , ” he said .
The grooming progressed and he would more frequently stay in the man ’ s home until he was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ My childhood , my adolescent years , going out with your mates , going to nightclubs , pulling women , normal things , was gone for me , ” Mulholland said .
Other senior volunteers “ all knew I was living with him , ” but failed to intervene , he said .
He would continue to live with the man for much of his 20s , working full time assisting him with delivery work , leaving only after he met his wife .
The organisation “ failed ” to protect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and if it had “ every aspect of my life would have become different ” .
“ Trying to keep it silent for so long , the attempted suicide , it never would have happened , ” he said .
The abuser was twice interviewed after Hoey and Mulholland ’ s criminal complaints .
Following an investigation gardaí sent files on the three cases to the DPP , which in July 2018 directed that no prosecution be taken as it did not feel there was sufficient evidence to secure a conviction .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ on the basis of the individual evidence available , ” a senior prosecutor told Finnegan in a letter early last year .
In his case there was “ no independent evidence of any type in relation to the incidents alleged ” and when interviewed by gardaí the man “ made no admissions ” .
“ Other persons may have alleged similar incidents occurred in similar circumstances , at different times and places , however this is not corroborative , ” the letter stated .
“ It is not sufficient if the evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to show on the balance of probabilities that it was more likely than not that the suspect committed the offence , but does not go so far as to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
” While the criminal investigation seemed to have reached a dead end , a separate inquiry was gathering pace .
On August 22nd , 2013 , a social worker St John Ambulance had brought in to act as an external child protection officer made a referral to the HSE about Finnegan ’ s abuse allegations .
It was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Finnegan to investigate his allegation of abuse .
Finnegan met a Tusla social worker on March 22nd , 2018 , and Mulholland was interviewed in May of that year .
As Hoey was an adult at the time of his alleged sexual assault , Tusla had no remit in his case .
The Tusla inquiry would determine on the balance of probability whether the allegations against the man were founded or unfounded .
Tusla can not compel suspects to attend an interview , and the accused declined to meet the organisation on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has privately long complained that its lack of investigatory powers can often limit its ability to make findings against individuals .
In letters dated September 5th , 2019 , Tusla informed Finnegan and Mulholland that its investigation had concluded their allegations of child sex abuse were founded .
Lawyers for the abuser lodged an appeal , but on June 24th last Tusla wrote to the two men to inform them an independent appeals panel had upheld the initial decision .
Mulholland said when he heard the panel upheld the decision he “ broke @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I was very emotional that day , ” he said .
More than 20 years after the abuse took place , Finnegan said for the first time he felt his perpetrator had been “ held to account ” .
Represented by Coleman Legal Partners , Finnegan , Mulholland and Hoey are now taking civil cases against both the abuser and St John Ambulance .
Finnegan ’ s case alleges St John Ambulance was negligent by failing to appropriately respond to information about the abuser , or ensure reasonable care and protection for youth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acting on behalf of St John Ambulance , has denied the claims , and denied the organisation has any liability for the alleged actions of the former senior member .
Following requests for comment , the abuser ’ s solicitor provided a letter to The Irish Times which did not respond to questions about the allegations .
A spokesman for St John Ambulance said it was “ aware of historic allegations relating to a former volunteer ” but could not comment due to the ongoing legal case .
The organisation said it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ environment and experience for all children , ” and strictly adhered to a “ robust child protection policy , ” with “ clear and comprehensive reporting procedures in place ” .
St John Ambulance is run by volunteers at all levels , and funded by donations and income from events where it provides medical cover .
“ The organisation operates a rigorous recruitment process that includes vetting , while all members are required to undertake child protection training and subscribe to a code of behaviour that prioritises the welfare of children at all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article you can contact : One in Four ( oneinfour.ie ) , Rape Crisis Helpline ( 1800-778888 ) , the Samaritans ( 116123 or jo @ samaritans.org ) and HSE counselling services ( 1800-235234 ) If you wish to contact this reporter about The Irish Times investigation into St John Ambulance email jpower @ irishtimes.com .
All information is treated in confidence .

Mick Finnegan was about 14 when he was abused by a senior figure in St John Ambulance. Photograph Nick Bradshaw
Allegations of child sexual abuse made against a former senior member of St John Ambulance have been deemed to be founded, following an investigation by Tusla, the child and family agency.
Mick Finnegan (37) from Crumlin, in south inner city Dublin, was 12 when he joined the voluntary paramedic organisation in the 1990s. He was about 14 when he was abused by a senior figure in the ambulance service, which was set up in Ireland in 1903 and provides first aid at sporting, music and community events.
Finnegan and two other survivors; Paul Mulholland, who grew up in Clondalkin, and Martin Hoey, from Finglas, have spoken publicly for the first time to The Irish Times about being abused.
Finnegan grew up in Crumlin, an area he says was “destroyed with drugs” during the 1980s and 1990s. He was the eldest of four children and says his mother was delighted when he became involved with the organisation as he was steering clear of crime.
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The grooming started shortly after he joined the Old Kilmainham division of St John Ambulance as a youth member or “cadet”.
“You got given a uniform, they taught you how to do first aid, you got to go on duties. I loved it because you got free entry into Croke Park, and Lansdowne Road and the RDS,” Finnegan said.
His abuser was a senior officer involved with the Old Kilmainham division, and a member of the organisation from the 1950s until at least 2000. The man is now in his 80s and cannot be named for legal reasons.
Last September, an investigation by Tusla into the child sexual abuse allegations against the man deemed them to be founded.
The man appealed the finding against him and on June 23rd an independent appeals process upheld Tusla’s finding, according to correspondence.
“He’d be using the model of teaching first aid to encourage me and others to touch him inappropriately,” Finnegan said.
One method was to ask cadets how many places in the body you can take a pulse. “He goes: ‘Do you know the most accurate place to get a pulse reading is the femoral artery’, so he’d have you root around in his groin to get a pulse,” Finnegan recalled.
“Over the period of time he would escalate it to masturbation and touching me inappropriately, and then ultimately rape.”
Pulse sites
Finnegan said the abuse started in 1997 when he was about 14, on the first occasion when the pair were on duty for St John Ambulance at Dublin Zoo.
After a patrol of the area, Finnegan returned to the medical aid post where the senior figure was lying on a bed, and instructed the teenager to demonstrate a first-aid initial assessment on him.
“I went through the process of doing the primary survey, and he says ‘What about pulse sites, where’s the pulse sites?’,” he said.
“From there he turned around and he grabbed my hand and he said, ‘This is the best place to get a pulse on someone,’ and it was in the crease of his groin.
“He forced me to masturbate him until he ejaculated and he held my hand there, and then as if nothing happened he pulled his trousers up.”
The abuse would continue regularly at first-aid postings or in the back of ambulances. When Finnegan was about 15 he was taken by his abuser to an empty house to help move some items in.
“He says ‘Come on in here’ and he’s lying on the bed. And I’m just looking at him thinking: ‘What the f*** – not again. He wanted me to masturbate him and I wasn’t having it,” he said.
“He punched me repeatedly, held me down forcibly and raped me. I was in so much pain I was bleeding [for] days after the attack. He pulled his trousers up and I was there on the bed crying my eyes out.”
The damage was to such an extent he still suffers from incontinence today. After that attack, Finnegan moved to a different division, and about a year later reported the abuse to the organisation.
Another senior figure in the organisation, now deceased, was tasked with investigating the allegations, and took a statement from Finnegan in a Ballsbridge hotel.
“He offered me a load of cash in an envelope, and maybe he was only nice and felt sorry for me, but he offered me a load of cash, I told him to f*** off,” Finnegan said.
On the organisation’s overall response, he said: “I remember not being believed.”
‘None of them believed me’
The fallout from his abuse led to a breakdown in his family relationship and by the time he turned 18 he was living on the streets in Dublin.
“When I was homeless nobody gave a f*** about me. When I was eating out of bins, no one cared. When I was queueing up outside hostels in the rain soaking wet, they didn’t care about me,” he said.
“I had members within the organisation who would walk by me when they saw me on Grafton Street, none of them believed me.”
In 2001, Finnegan walked into Sundrive Garda station in Crumlin to report the abuse. The accused was arrested and interviewed over the allegations, with gardaí sending a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). However, the DPP directed that no prosecution be taken.
More than a decade after he first reported the abuse to St John Ambulance, Finnegan would again contact the organisation about what happened to him.
In 2011, the then commissioner of St John Ambulance, Prof Patrick Plunkett, responded to Finnegan and apologised.
In an email on June 10th, 2011, Plunkett said he had been “aware there was some concern” about the former member when he took over as commissioner in 2008. A review of the organisation’s files uncovered only “tangential references with nothing specific” on the allegations against the man, he said.
“A decision appears to have been taken that he was not suitable to remain in the brigade and he was persuaded to resign,” Plunkett said.
This, he said, was “a (sadly belated) attempt to protect vulnerable children”, and he apologised “for anything we did, or did not do, as an organisation”.
Plunkett said he told the organisation’s then child-protection officer their services “are no longer needed in this role” and later appointed an external social worker to the position.
Speaking to The Irish Times, Plunkett said that as commissioner he had set about reforming child-protection policies, which were not in keeping with the “more modern” children-first approach of the Health Service Executive.
A process of Garda vetting adult members was instigated, which “turned up some other things”, leading to two other individuals being removed over “yellow” flags, he said.
Speaking about the abuser, Plunkett said he left “many years before I became commissioner, but it was a case of a push rather than a voluntary resignation”. The organisation’s standard of record keeping in the 2000s was very poor, he said.
“Stuff was thrown in a skip at one point to make space.”
Plunkett resigned as commissioner in 2013.
“I couldn’t get change fast enough, I ran into resistance from some longer-standing members. We’re talking about people in their 70s and 80s, who have been in the organisation since the 1940s and 1950s. They didn’t really see there should be a change,” he said.
He was replaced by the current commissioner John Hughes, who is a senior civil servant in the Department of Business. In the years after the abuser resigned, efforts were made to conceal his past association with the organisation.
In 2003, St John Ambulance produced a booklet celebrating its centenary. In the publication the abuser has been airbrushed out of a picture, with an empty black space left where he had been seated.
Breakdown
Finnegan was homeless for about four years before securing a place in supported housing. He began working for Fr Peter McVerry and managed to get a bedsit on the South Circular Road in Dublin.
He credits Salvation Army worker Howard Russell with helping him get off the streets. The pair would cross paths again when Russell returned to London after his Dublin posting.
Finnegan moved to London while in his early 20s, but continued to battle with “constant flashbacks” to being abused. In 2009, he had a mental breakdown.
“I ended up being detained under the mental health Act after getting into a four hour standoff with the police. I climbed a bridge in London and shut down the transport network,” he said.
It was Russell who got a call from the Metropolitan Police at 5am asking if he could come talk Finnegan down, as he was threatening to kill himself. Officers from the Met feared Finnegan had a gun and several marksmen had their sights trained on him during the standoff.
Russell approached his friend and said: “Mickey before we start, do you have a gun, mate?” It was not a gun but a piece of metal, which Finnegan placed on the ground before eventually being talked down.
For a further six years he would navigate mental health services in England, but a combination of the “right medication, the right support, the right therapy” has since allowed him to deal with his past abuse.
He went on to work in mental health services for the NHS, and has now completed a year in Trinity College Dublin’s access programme and hopes to go on to study social work.
‘Line in the sand’
Martin Hoey (48) joined the Finglas division of St John Ambulance in 1986, when he was 14. As an adult member he moved to the Old Kilmainham division in the mid-1990s, and he alleges that in 1998, when he was 26, he was sexually assaulted on one occasion by the same senior figure as Finnegan.
At the time, Hoey was working some shifts with the man for a private ambulance company. On occasions when shifts would finish late and the pair had work or duties the following morning, he would stay over in the man’s home.
While lying on a bed one night, Hoey said the abuser asked if he knew “all the different ways of rousing an unconscious casualty”.
“He put his hand inside the underwear and put the hand, the finger in, and I just said ‘Stop this’,” at which point he stopped, Hoey said.
Martin Hoey alleges that in 1998, when he was 26, he was sexually assaulted on one occasion by the same senior figure as Mick Finnegan. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw
Two years later Hoey left the organisation.
“When I left the brigade in 2000 I cut ties . . . I really drew a line in the sand,” he said.
Hoey said he “hid” the incident away until 2013 when he saw a post from Finnegan on social media about his abuse.
“I said to Michael at the time: ‘You’re not the only one’,” he recalled.
In June 2015, Hoey made a complaint to Det Garda Shane Curtis at Sundrive Garda station over the alleged digital rape. On September 28th, 2015, Finnegan received an email from Det Curtis requesting permission to reopen his 2001 case, on foot of the second complaint.
‘I was like his shadow’
Paul Mulholland (43) came forward in June 2016 to make a criminal complaint against the former senior figure.
Mulholland joined the Old Kilmainham division shortly after he turned 15 in 1992. He now lives in Mullagh, Co Cavan, and has worked as a National Ambulance Service paramedic for 12 years.
The abuser would pick him up after school to take him to a first-aid course in the St John Ambulance’s head office on Tuesday nights. Before the course he would stay in the man’s home, often in his bedroom watching television.
Then on one occasion Mulholland said the abuser sat down beside him and showed him where to take a pulse, before touching his groin and penis.
“After this occasion he would try different reasons or excuses to touch me . . . This led from touching me to masturbation and oral stimulation over the coming months to years,” he said.
The abuse continued at the man’s home and while on duty with St John Ambulance.
“I was like his shadow . . . I never as an adolescent got to have a normal life, because he started to control my life,” he said.
The grooming progressed and he would more frequently stay in the man’s home until he was effectively living there from age 17 onwards.
“My childhood, my adolescent years, going out with your mates, going to nightclubs, pulling women, normal things, was gone for me,” Mulholland said.
Other senior volunteers “all knew I was living with him,” but failed to intervene, he said. He would continue to live with the man for much of his 20s, working full time assisting him with delivery work, leaving only after he met his wife.
The organisation “failed” to protect him as a child, he said, and if it had “every aspect of my life would have become different”.
“Trying to keep it silent for so long, the attempted suicide, it never would have happened,” he said.
Insufficient evidence
The abuser was twice interviewed after Hoey and Mulholland’s criminal complaints. Following an investigation gardaí sent files on the three cases to the DPP, which in July 2018 directed that no prosecution be taken as it did not feel there was sufficient evidence to secure a conviction.
Prosecutors had considered the three allegations separately “on the basis of the individual evidence available,” a senior prosecutor told Finnegan in a letter early last year.
In his case there was “no independent evidence of any type in relation to the incidents alleged” and when interviewed by gardaí the man “made no admissions”.
“Other persons may have alleged similar incidents occurred in similar circumstances, at different times and places, however this is not corroborative,” the letter stated.
“It is not sufficient if the evidence is likely to go no further than to show on the balance of probabilities that it was more likely than not that the suspect committed the offence, but does not go so far as to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.”
While the criminal investigation seemed to have reached a dead end, a separate inquiry was gathering pace.
On August 22nd, 2013, a social worker St John Ambulance had brought in to act as an external child protection officer made a referral to the HSE about Finnegan’s abuse allegations.
It was not until February 2018 that Tusla contacted Finnegan to investigate his allegation of abuse. Finnegan met a Tusla social worker on March 22nd, 2018, and Mulholland was interviewed in May of that year. As Hoey was an adult at the time of his alleged sexual assault, Tusla had no remit in his case.
The Tusla inquiry would determine on the balance of probability whether the allegations against the man were founded or unfounded.
Tusla cannot compel suspects to attend an interview, and the accused declined to meet the organisation on the advice of his solicitor. The agency has privately long complained that its lack of investigatory powers can often limit its ability to make findings against individuals.
Allegations upheld
In letters dated September 5th, 2019, Tusla informed Finnegan and Mulholland that its investigation had concluded their allegations of child sex abuse were founded. Lawyers for the abuser lodged an appeal, but on June 24th last Tusla wrote to the two men to inform them an independent appeals panel had upheld the initial decision.
Mulholland said when he heard the panel upheld the decision he “broke down and started crying”.
“I was very emotional that day,” he said.
More than 20 years after the abuse took place, Finnegan said for the first time he felt his perpetrator had been “held to account”.
Represented by Coleman Legal Partners, Finnegan, Mulholland and Hoey are now taking civil cases against both the abuser and St John Ambulance.
Finnegan’s case alleges St John Ambulance was negligent by failing to appropriately respond to information about the abuser, or ensure reasonable care and protection for youth members.
Mason Hayes and Curran, acting on behalf of St John Ambulance, has denied the claims, and denied the organisation has any liability for the alleged actions of the former senior member.
Following requests for comment, the abuser’s solicitor provided a letter to The Irish Times which did not respond to questions about the allegations.
A spokesman for St John Ambulance said it was “aware of historic allegations relating to a former volunteer” but could not comment due to the ongoing legal case.
The organisation said it was “fully committed to providing a safe environment and experience for all children,” and strictly adhered to a “robust child protection policy,” with “clear and comprehensive reporting procedures in place”.
St John Ambulance is run by volunteers at all levels, and funded by donations and income from events where it provides medical cover.
“The organisation operates a rigorous recruitment process that includes vetting, while all members are required to undertake child protection training and subscribe to a code of behaviour that prioritises the welfare of children at all times,” the spokesman said.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article you can contact: One in Four (oneinfour.ie), Rape Crisis Helpline (1800-778888), the Samaritans (116123 or jo@samaritans.org) and HSE counselling services (1800-235234)
If you wish to contact this reporter about The Irish Times investigation into St John Ambulance email jpower@irishtimes.com. All information is treated in confidence.


theirishtimes--2020-08-17--Study signals ‘continued need’ for HPV-awareness campaigns

More than four in five people believe they are unlikely to have ever had human papillomavirus ( HPV ) , despite the vast majority of sexually active adults contracting the virus at some point in their lives , new research suggests .
The survey , which examined awareness of HPV among 1,000 people , also found that almost half of respondents were not aware HPV can cause related cancers , such as anal or cervical cancer .
HPV is a common sexually transmitted disease , with about 80 per cent of the population contracting the virus at some point in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Service Executive .
In Ireland , HPV infection caused up to 420 cancer cases in men and women each year between 2010 and 2014 , with as many as 130 people dying each year from HPV-related cancers .
Despite this , some 54 per cent of people believe the prevalence of HPV in Ireland is either “ extremely rare ” or “ quite rare ” , while only 19 per cent understood that they are likely to have had HPV at some point in their life .
The survey , carried out by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of pharmaceutical company MSD Ireland , which produces HPV vaccine Gardasil , found that 28 per cent of people did not know how HPV was transmitted and that 53 per cent of people didn ’ t know HPV infection could cause genital warts in men and women .
Dr Robert O ’ Connor , director of research at the Irish Cancer Society , said the findings demonstrated the “ continued need ” for HPV-awareness campaigns .
Liz Yeates , chief executive of the Marie Keating Foundation , said it was “ without a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the HPV vaccine , and the availability of cervical screening could reduce the number of HPV-related deaths in Ireland .
The survey was carried out in advance of this autumn ’ s national immunisation programme , which sees the vaccine made freely available to boys and girls in their first year of secondary school .
School vaccine programmes , which include the HPV vaccine , were paused due to school closures in March .
However , since July , school immunisation teams have invited students to HSE clinics across the country to avail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A spokeswoman for the HSE said figures were not available for the number of children who received the HPV jab this year , but that its schools teams “ are indicating a high uptake ” .She added that the HSE was planning for immunisation programmes to continue even if schools were closed in order to cause as little disruption as possible .

In Ireland, HPV infection caused up to 420 cancer cases each year between 2010 and 2014, with as many as 130 dying each year from HPV-related cancers. Photograph: Matthew Busch
More than four in five people believe they are unlikely to have ever had human papillomavirus (HPV), despite the vast majority of sexually active adults contracting the virus at some point in their lives, new research suggests.
The survey, which examined awareness of HPV among 1,000 people, also found that almost half of respondents were not aware HPV can cause related cancers, such as anal or cervical cancer.
HPV is a common sexually transmitted disease, with about 80 per cent of the population contracting the virus at some point in their life, according to the Health Service Executive. In Ireland, HPV infection caused up to 420 cancer cases in men and women each year between 2010 and 2014, with as many as 130 people dying each year from HPV-related cancers.
Despite this, some 54 per cent of people believe the prevalence of HPV in Ireland is either “extremely rare” or “quite rare”, while only 19 per cent understood that they are likely to have had HPV at some point in their life.
READ MORE
Vaccine uptake
The survey, carried out by polling firm Behaviour and Attitudes on behalf of pharmaceutical company MSD Ireland, which produces HPV vaccine Gardasil, found that 28 per cent of people did not know how HPV was transmitted and that 53 per cent of people didn’t know HPV infection could cause genital warts in men and women.
Dr Robert O'Connor, director of research at the Irish Cancer Society, said the findings demonstrated the "continued need" for HPV-awareness campaigns.
Liz Yeates, chief executive of the Marie Keating Foundation, said it was "without a doubt" that a high uptake of the HPV vaccine, and the availability of cervical screening could reduce the number of HPV-related deaths in Ireland.
School jabs
The survey was carried out in advance of this autumn’s national immunisation programme, which sees the vaccine made freely available to boys and girls in their first year of secondary school.
School vaccine programmes, which include the HPV vaccine, were paused due to school closures in March. However, since July, school immunisation teams have invited students to HSE clinics across the country to avail of any missed vaccines they were due.
A spokeswoman for the HSE said figures were not available for the number of children who received the HPV jab this year, but that its schools teams “are indicating a high uptake”.She added that the HSE was planning for immunisation programmes to continue even if schools were closed in order to cause as little disruption as possible.


theirishtimes--2020-08-18--'You can’t switch off': Covid-19 and the bedroom become office

“ In a house share the only private , personal space you have is your bedroom , ” says Jake Ryan ( 26 ) , who lives with three others in a rented redbrick in Phibsboro , Dublin .
“ But during Covid your bedroom has become your workspace .
In the evenings you want to switch off after work , and if you ’ re in the office , you walk home , you actually leave that place .
“ Now , when the only place you have privacy is also your workspace , you can ’ t switch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work.
” Mr Ryan , a constituency worker for Social Democrats co-leader TD Róisín Shortall , was in the Dublin North-West politician ’ s office when then taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced the closure of schools and colleges and limits on gatherings – early steps in a series of restrictions that became more severe as the weeks went by .
Initially , Mr Ryan ’ s concerns were technological – laptops and remote access to secure servers were needed .
He spent the first couple of weeks working a lot on his phone .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ironing board in his bedroom as a makeshift office space as he did not have a desk .
“ My employer offered to buy me a desk , but space was too cramped and I can fold up the ironing board in the evening , ” says Mr Ryan , who pays €550 a month for his room .
He and his housemates decided against using the kitchen table for working in order to avoid “ a commotion ” when someone wanted to make a cup of tea or grab a bite to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ canteen ” .
Whereas he was used to only seeing his housemates in the evening , they started meeting for breakfast , before retreating to their rooms to work , then meeting again in the “ canteen ” for lunch .
He says feelings of isolation and claustrophobia soon crept in .
“ I suffer from anxiety and I found that it really brought it to the fore , ” he says .
“ Particularly in the early days when you couldn ’ t get out and about and see people.
” Mr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turning off the laptop and email notifications on his phone .
“ But I would go into my room at night to go to bed and suddenly I was thinking I ’ m in my office .
I ’ d be thinking ‘ did I do this thing or that thing for work ?
’ , because I am in my workspace.
” In recent weeks , he was delighted to regain access to an office and would like the flexibility of a few days working from home and a few days there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a “ whole different conversation ” about the state of Ireland ’ s rental market .
“ I think people in house shares don ’ t get factored in , even though we are paying so much money .
We can see now that many houses are not necessarily suitable for working from home .
”

Jake Ryan in the bedroom of the house that he rents with three others in Phibsboro, Dublin. Photograph: Damien Eagers
“In a house share the only private, personal space you have is your bedroom,” says Jake Ryan (26), who lives with three others in a rented redbrick in Phibsboro, Dublin.
“But during Covid your bedroom has become your workspace. In the evenings you want to switch off after work, and if you’re in the office, you walk home, you actually leave that place.
“Now, when the only place you have privacy is also your workspace, you can’t switch off, because you associate it with work.”
Mr Ryan, a constituency worker for Social Democrats co-leader TD Róisín Shortall, was in the Dublin North-West politician’s office when then taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced the closure of schools and colleges and limits on gatherings – early steps in a series of restrictions that became more severe as the weeks went by.
READ MORE
Too cramped
Initially, Mr Ryan’s concerns were technological – laptops and remote access to secure servers were needed. He spent the first couple of weeks working a lot on his phone. He set up the house’s ironing board in his bedroom as a makeshift office space as he did not have a desk.
“My employer offered to buy me a desk, but space was too cramped and I can fold up the ironing board in the evening,” says Mr Ryan, who pays €550 a month for his room.
He and his housemates decided against using the kitchen table for working in order to avoid “a commotion” when someone wanted to make a cup of tea or grab a bite to eat, so it became the “canteen”.
Whereas he was used to only seeing his housemates in the evening, they started meeting for breakfast, before retreating to their rooms to work, then meeting again in the “canteen” for lunch.
He says feelings of isolation and claustrophobia soon crept in.
“I suffer from anxiety and I found that it really brought it to the fore,” he says. “Particularly in the early days when you couldn’t get out and about and see people.”
Flexibility
Mr Ryan was “quite strict” about turning off the laptop and email notifications on his phone. “But I would go into my room at night to go to bed and suddenly I was thinking I’m in my office. I’d be thinking ‘did I do this thing or that thing for work?’, because I am in my workspace.”
In recent weeks, he was delighted to regain access to an office and would like the flexibility of a few days working from home and a few days there.
He says the pandemic opens up a “whole different conversation” about the state of Ireland’s rental market.
“I think people in house shares don’t get factored in, even though we are paying so much money. We can see now that many houses are not necessarily suitable for working from home.”


theirishtimes--2020-08-18--Surge in demand for Covid-19 tests slows tracing system

A surge in demand for Covid-19 tests has led to a slowdown in the State ’ s test and trace system , which is now taking almost four days on average to complete .
As infections have climbed around the country , the time taken from referral for a test to the completion of contact tracing calls has gone from three days on average at the start of the month to 3.8 days in the latest data published on Monday .
Turnaround times are also being slowed by significant increases in the number of close contacts that must be traced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ traced from a single positive case in some instances .
Experts recommend that the entire end-to-end process should take less than three days , and the HSE has a target of completing the entire process within three days in 90 per cent of cases .
A HSE spokeswoman said on Monday evening that a “ slight slowdown ” in turnaround times was being driven by a “ large increase in a short timefame in the number of Covid-19 swabs being tested ” .
Also , more people are presenting for tests from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like nursing homes , or from within the healthcare system , the HSE said , while there had been “ an increase in close contact referral from positive cases ” .
Serial testing of staff at nursing homes , recommended by the National Public Health Emergency Team ( NPHET ) , and a new programme of testing at meat processing plants , is also having an impact .
With more positive tests being returned , at about 2 per cent of all swabs taken , there are more calls to be made by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contacts that must be traced is rapidly increasing , from about two to three on average during lockdown to between five and six .
“ There are also outlier cases with up to 50 close contacts [ and ] flights and complex work settings which take significant time and specialist experience.
” On August 4th , when test and trace took three days , contact tracers were making 260 calls per day .
This has increased to more than 800 per day in recent days , which “ is likely to cause an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tracing calls for positive cases ” .
In order to make these calls , contact-tracing centres operated by the Revenue Commissioners in Limerick and Dublin began operations over the weekend , along with the Army band .
A centre in UCD , which had been stood down , recommended operations on August 9th .
On Monday , Early Childhood Ireland , which represents childcare providers , said it feared delays in Covid-19 testing would have serious implications on maintaining the necessary staff ratios to keep services in place .
CEO Teresa Heeney said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testing occurs , on average , within 48 hours , however with the reported delays , childcare staff who display symptoms could be waiting up a week to be tested and to receive results .
“ Having staff out for such a duration would put huge pressure on childcare providers ’ ability to maintain the legal staff to child ratios and would also be a huge public health concern .
“ This has a knock-on effect on providers being able to keep specific rooms open , and potentially the entire setting functioning fully.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Monday showed there were no further deaths from Covid-19 but an additional 56 confirmed cases of the virus in the State .
This followed an additional 266 confirmed cases over the weekend .

Figures on Monday showed there were no further deaths from Covid-19 but an additional 56 confirmed cases of the virus in the State. Photograph: Ander Gillenea / AFP
A surge in demand for Covid-19 tests has led to a slowdown in the State’s test and trace system, it has emerged.
Turnaround times are also being impacted by significant increases in the number of close contacts that must be traced, with up to 50 individuals being traced from a single positive case in some instances.
A HSE spokeswoman said on Monday evening that a “slight slowdown” in turnaround times was being driven by a “large increase in a short timefame in the number of Covid-19 swabs being tested”.
As infections have climbed around the country, data from the HSE’s testing and tracing dashboard suggests the time taken from referral for a test to the completion of contact tracing calls has gone from three days on average at the start of the month to 3.8 days.
READ MORE
However, on Tuesday the HSE said the publicly available figures do not represent the end-to-end turnaround time, but are “three different component parts of the turnaround times”. *
A spokeswoman said the HSE’s median end-to-end turnaround time, when weighted for various factors including the overall percentage of positive and negative tests, has grown to 2.83 days.
Experts recommend that the entire end-to-end process should take less than three days, and the HSE has a target of completing the entire process within three days in 90 per cent of cases.
Longer turnaround times are also being driven by people presenting for tests from the community, rather than from residential settings like nursing homes, or from within the healthcare system, the HSE said, while there had been “an increase in close contact referral from positive cases”.
Serial testing of staff at nursing homes, recommended by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), and a new programme of testing at meat processing plants, is also having an impact. With more positive tests being returned, at about 2 per cent of all swabs taken, there are more calls to be made by contact tracers.
Complex settings
The number of close contacts that must be traced is rapidly increasing, from about two to three on average during lockdown to between five and six.
“There are also outlier cases with up to 50 close contacts [and] flights and complex work settings which take significant time and specialist experience.”
On August 4th, when test and trace took three days, contact tracers were making 260 calls per day. This has increased to more than 800 per day in recent days, which “is likely to cause an increase in time to complete all contact tracing calls for positive cases”.
In order to make these calls, contact-tracing centres operated by the Revenue Commissioners in Limerick and Dublin began operations over the weekend, along with the Army band. A centre in UCD, which had been stood down, recommended operations on August 9th.
On Monday, Early Childhood Ireland, which represents childcare providers, said it feared delays in Covid-19 testing would have serious implications on maintaining the necessary staff ratios to keep services in place.
CEO Teresa Heeney said: "We're told that testing occurs, on average, within 48 hours, however with the reported delays, childcare staff who display symptoms could be waiting up a week to be tested and to receive results.
“Having staff out for such a duration would put huge pressure on childcare providers’ ability to maintain the legal staff to child ratios and would also be a huge public health concern.
“This has a knock-on effect on providers being able to keep specific rooms open, and potentially the entire setting functioning fully.”
The NPHET’s latest figures on Monday showed there were no further deaths from Covid-19 but an additional 56 confirmed cases of the virus in the State. This followed an additional 266 confirmed cases over the weekend.
* This article was updated on 18 August 2020 to reflect new information supplied by the HSE


theirishtimes--2020-08-18--Millennials during Covid-19 pandemic: ‘God, my life is passing me by’

The difficulties faced by Ireland ’ s millennials during the coronavirus pandemic were largely forgotten about in the rush to help others get through the crisis , a psychologist and a trade union official have said .
Studies show that the mental health of twenty- and thirty-somethings , swathes of whom lost jobs or had to work from cramped shared accommodation for prolonged periods , was hardest hit during the peak of the pandemic .
Dr Yseult Freeney , associate professor in organisational psychology at Dublin City University , said young adults were being robbed of precious time to build @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on hold , ” she said .
“ They are not meeting people , they are not going on dates .
There is a sense they are not making any progress with their lives – that feeling of ‘ God , my life is passing me by ’ .
” Figures from the Central Statistics Office ( CSO ) show an 80 per cent fall in the number of 18- to 34-year-olds who rated their overall life satisfaction as high in recent months when compared to two years ago .
While other age @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the restrictions , the drop was sharpest among millennials .
Nearly half of the age group reported being very happy with their lives in April 2018 , according to a CSO survey .
Just one in 10 reported the same satisfaction this year .
Abrupt unemployment , having to return to parents to ride out the crisis and the loss of a social life were key factors , but Dr Freeney believes there is a hidden struggle in working from home if sharing a property with others doing likewise .
She said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” such as pressure on wifi connections , but also “ the fact you have two worlds colliding ” .
“ It is not just working where we live , but a lot of people feel like they live where they work .
When you have two , three or four people all trying to juggle those boundaries it is incredibly intense , ” she said .
“ There is no escape , people are being pushed together and they haven ’ t planned for it.
” Dr Freeney says the experience in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of married couples or families , who are more likely to have established ways of negotiating challenges together .
“ Some are using the kitchen table for just part of the day , then working on their bed .
If your bedroom is now your workspace , you never really switch off .
When there are no boundaries between work and life , we have no opportunities for proper recovery from work.
” The result can be stress , disengagement , emotional exhaustion and possible burnout , Dr Freeney said , adding that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more on these living arrangements when discussing the benefits of remote working .
Some larger employers have succeeded in getting equipment out to workers ’ homes and offered wellbeing courses online , says Keira Keogh of Junior Chamber International Ireland , a networking organisation of mostly millennial professionals .
But she said smaller employers do not have the same resources .
As well as the usual tensions over the use of communal spaces – like the kitchen while someone is working at a dining table – Ms Keogh says differing attitudes to coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flatmates are very frightened , they don ’ t want to go out , they don ’ t want to be mixing , while others are comfortable to have their friends over , ” she says .
“ If you have someone isolating themselves as best they can , and their flatmate is bringing in a different person every day of the week for a dinner or barbecue , that causes discord.
” Millennials were the most likely age group to feel nervous ( 51 per cent ) , downhearted or depressed ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 42 per cent ) during lockdown – significantly higher than older age groups , according to CSO ’ s Social Impact of Covid-19 survey .
Almost a third who drank alcohol said they were drinking more ( compared to 7 per cent of over-70s ) , while seven in 10 were eating more junk food and sweets ( compared to less than three in 10 over-70s ) .
Bernard Harbor , of Fórsa trade union , which represents many younger public service workers , said millennials and their particular circumstances have been totally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shift to remote working .
“ The enthusiasm for the shift away from the workplace has led people to gloss over some of the issues , ” he says .
“ It is not appropriate for everybody , we can ’ t have a one size fits all approach .
Some people don ’ t have the facilities , they don ’ t have the space.
” Mr Harbor said there are a range of health and safety issues , under Irish and European legislation , that employers need to heed where people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a legal commitment to make sure people ’ s health and safety is minded and that includes mental health .
There are mental health issues around this , ” he says .
“ Employers need to look at this .
For some employees remote working is fine , for others , they are really struggling.
” Mr Harbor said public and private sector employers can no longer continue with “ arrangements that were put in during an emergency ” if they are to avoid future industrial relations cases .
“ Most employers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ specific issues of this age group .
.
.
They have to come round to the fact that you can ’ t sustain emergency conditions for the rest of the future .
Employers have to deal with this now .
”

Dr Yseult Freeney, associate professor in organisational psychology at Dublin City University, believes there is a hidden struggle in working from home if sharing a property with others doing likewise. Photograph: iStock
The difficulties faced by Ireland’s millennials during the coronavirus pandemic were largely forgotten about in the rush to help others get through the crisis, a psychologist and a trade union official have said.
Studies show that the mental health of twenty- and thirty-somethings, swathes of whom lost jobs or had to work from cramped shared accommodation for prolonged periods, was hardest hit during the peak of the pandemic.
Dr Yseult Freeney, associate professor in organisational psychology at Dublin City University, said young adults were being robbed of precious time to build their futures.
“Their life is on hold,” she said. “They are not meeting people, they are not going on dates. There is a sense they are not making any progress with their lives – that feeling of ‘God, my life is passing me by’.”
READ MORE
Figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show an 80 per cent fall in the number of 18- to 34-year-olds who rated their overall life satisfaction as high in recent months when compared to two years ago.
While other age groups also reported lower satisfaction with life during the restrictions, the drop was sharpest among millennials.
Nearly half of the age group reported being very happy with their lives in April 2018, according to a CSO survey. Just one in 10 reported the same satisfaction this year.
Worlds colliding
Abrupt unemployment, having to return to parents to ride out the crisis and the loss of a social life were key factors, but Dr Freeney believes there is a hidden struggle in working from home if sharing a property with others doing likewise.
She said it was “not just pragmatic issues” such as pressure on wifi connections, but also “the fact you have two worlds colliding”.
“It is not just working where we live, but a lot of people feel like they live where they work. When you have two, three or four people all trying to juggle those boundaries it is incredibly intense,” she said. “There is no escape, people are being pushed together and they haven’t planned for it.”
Dr Freeney says the experience in shared houses is radically different to that of married couples or families, who are more likely to have established ways of negotiating challenges together.
“Some are using the kitchen table for just part of the day, then working on their bed. If your bedroom is now your workspace, you never really switch off. When there are no boundaries between work and life, we have no opportunities for proper recovery from work.”
The result can be stress, disengagement, emotional exhaustion and possible burnout, Dr Freeney said, adding that employers and the Government need to focus more on these living arrangements when discussing the benefits of remote working.
Some larger employers have succeeded in getting equipment out to workers’ homes and offered wellbeing courses online, says Keira Keogh of Junior Chamber International Ireland, a networking organisation of mostly millennial professionals. But she said smaller employers do not have the same resources.
As well as the usual tensions over the use of communal spaces – like the kitchen while someone is working at a dining table – Ms Keogh says differing attitudes to coronavirus are also causing friction.
“Some flatmates are very frightened, they don’t want to go out, they don’t want to be mixing, while others are comfortable to have their friends over,” she says.
“If you have someone isolating themselves as best they can, and their flatmate is bringing in a different person every day of the week for a dinner or barbecue, that causes discord.”
Millennials were the most likely age group to feel nervous (51 per cent), downhearted or depressed (45 per cent) and lonely (42 per cent) during lockdown – significantly higher than older age groups, according to CSO’s Social Impact of Covid-19 survey.
Totally overlooked
Almost a third who drank alcohol said they were drinking more (compared to 7 per cent of over-70s), while seven in 10 were eating more junk food and sweets (compared to less than three in 10 over-70s).
Bernard Harbor, of Fórsa trade union, which represents many younger public service workers, said millennials and their particular circumstances have been totally overlooked in the national discussion about a shift to remote working.
“The enthusiasm for the shift away from the workplace has led people to gloss over some of the issues,” he says.
“It is not appropriate for everybody, we can’t have a one size fits all approach. Some people don’t have the facilities, they don’t have the space.”
Mr Harbor said there are a range of health and safety issues, under Irish and European legislation, that employers need to heed where people are working from home.
“They have a legal commitment to make sure people’s health and safety is minded and that includes mental health. There are mental health issues around this,” he says. “Employers need to look at this. For some employees remote working is fine, for others, they are really struggling.”
Mr Harbor said public and private sector employers can no longer continue with “arrangements that were put in during an emergency” if they are to avoid future industrial relations cases.
“Most employers have not done enough to meet the specific issues of this age group . . . They have to come round to the fact that you can’t sustain emergency conditions for the rest of the future. Employers have to deal with this now.”


theirishtimes--2020-08-18--DPP tried Aaron Brady case before a jury despite Garda recommendations

The Director of Public Prosecutions declined to use the non-jury Special Criminal Court to prosecute Aaron Brady for the murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe , despite the recommendations of the investigating gardaí .
The decision to prosecute Brady before a jury was met with surprise by legal observers at the time due to the nature of the crime and Brady ’ s connections to paramilitaries and organised criminals .
Brady was convicted last week of the capital murder of Det Gda Donohoe during an armed robbery at Lordship Credit Union in Co Louth on January 25th , 2013 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ years .
The lead investigator into the case , now retired Detective Inspector Pat Marry , told The Irish Times he was in favour of the trial taking place before the non-jury court .
“ I made the application for it to go before the Special .
I spoke with the DPP and they were more in favour of doing it in front of the jury .
And that ’ s what they decided and it was as simple as that.
” Opposition to the Special Criminal Court is a core tenet of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this changed somewhat earlier this year when , for the first time , Sinn Féin TDs did not oppose the renewal of emergency legislation related to the court .
The non-jury Special Criminal Court is used in cases where the DPP fears a jury could come under intimidation or undue influence .
It is typically used in cases involving organised crime or subversive offences .
In the case of Brady , the DPP took the view the ordinary courts were adequately equipped to handle allegations of intimidation .
Having used the non-jury court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ related to the Hutch-Kinahan feud , there is some evidence the DPP is becoming more reluctant to refer cases there .
Last year , Thomas Bates of Abbey Street in Cahir was tried and convicted before a Tipperary jury for conspiring to possess a gun , explosives and firearms .
At his appeal last July Mr Justice George Bermingham expressed surprise the case did not take place before the non-jury court .
It is understood a trial due to start next year involving alleged serious organised criminals will also proceed in the ordinary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a significant factor during the Brady trial .
The prosecution said it was aware of “ very serious ” but unsuccessful attempts to intimidate its key witness .
On another occasion a video of a witness making a statement to gardaí implicating Brady was shared widely on social media , accompanied by text calling him a “ rat ” and a “ tout ” .
The trial judge , Mr Justice Michael White , described it as “ the most outrageous contempt of court ” he had ever seen .
However , there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or influence the jury , meaning it is unclear whether holding the case in the Special Criminal Court would have offered any greater protection against intimidation .
There are provisions for witnesses to give anonymous evidence to the Special Criminal Court but only if they are gardaí or other law enforcement .
What is certain is the seven-month trial would have finished much sooner if it was held in the non-jury court .
Much of the delay related to legal argument which had to take place in the absence of the jury and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 12 jurors due to the coronavirus pandemic .

The decision to prosecute Aaron Brady before a jury was met with surprise by legal observers due to the nature of the crime and Brady’s connections to paramilitaries and organised criminals. Photograph: Collins
The Director of Public Prosecutions declined to use the non-jury Special Criminal Court to prosecute Aaron Brady for the murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe, despite the recommendations of the investigating gardaí.
The decision to prosecute Brady before a jury was met with surprise by legal observers at the time due to the nature of the crime and Brady’s connections to paramilitaries and organised criminals.
Brady was convicted last week of the capital murder of Det Gda Donohoe during an armed robbery at Lordship Credit Union in Co Louth on January 25th, 2013. He faces a minimum term of 40 years.
The lead investigator into the case, now retired Detective Inspector Pat Marry, told The Irish Times he was in favour of the trial taking place before the non-jury court.
READ MORE
Fears
“I made the application for it to go before the Special. I spoke with the DPP and they were more in favour of doing it in front of the jury. And that’s what they decided and it was as simple as that.”
Opposition to the Special Criminal Court is a core tenet of most strands of republicanism. However, this changed somewhat earlier this year when, for the first time, Sinn Féin TDs did not oppose the renewal of emergency legislation related to the court.
The non-jury Special Criminal Court is used in cases where the DPP fears a jury could come under intimidation or undue influence. It is typically used in cases involving organised crime or subversive offences.
In the case of Brady, the DPP took the view the ordinary courts were adequately equipped to handle allegations of intimidation.
Having used the non-jury court effectively to successfully prosecute several high-profile cases related to the Hutch-Kinahan feud, there is some evidence the DPP is becoming more reluctant to refer cases there.
Last year, Thomas Bates of Abbey Street in Cahir was tried and convicted before a Tipperary jury for conspiring to possess a gun, explosives and firearms. At his appeal last July Mr Justice George Bermingham expressed surprise the case did not take place before the non-jury court.
It is understood a trial due to start next year involving alleged serious organised criminals will also proceed in the ordinary courts.
Intimidate
Attempted intimidation of witnesses was a significant factor during the Brady trial. The prosecution said it was aware of “very serious” but unsuccessful attempts to intimidate its key witness.
On another occasion a video of a witness making a statement to gardaí implicating Brady was shared widely on social media, accompanied by text calling him a “rat” and a “tout”.
The trial judge, Mr Justice Michael White, described it as "the most outrageous contempt of court" he had ever seen.
However, there is no evidence of attempts to intimidate or influence the jury, meaning it is unclear whether holding the case in the Special Criminal Court would have offered any greater protection against intimidation. There are provisions for witnesses to give anonymous evidence to the Special Criminal Court but only if they are gardaí or other law enforcement.
What is certain is the seven-month trial would have finished much sooner if it was held in the non-jury court. Much of the delay related to legal argument which had to take place in the absence of the jury and the need to ensure social distancing for the 12 jurors due to the coronavirus pandemic.


theirishtimes--2020-08-18--Rural schools that struggled to stay open now have social distancing advantage

School principal Tara McGovern says finding safe spaces won ’ t be an issue for her pupils , with just 13 children enrolled for September so far - six in the junior room and seven spread out over third , fourth , fifth and sixth class .
Rural communities which have had to fight to keep schools open because of depopulation , are finding themselves at an advantage as social distancing concerns loom in advance of pupils returning to the classroom .
Tara McGovern is principal of the two-room Curravagh primary school in Glangevlin , Co Cavan where in 2018 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Glan appeal , in a bid to attract families to the parish .
“ Ironically , the low numbers which threatened our school with closure can now be viewed in a positive light as we prepare for reopening , following the Covid-19 closures ” said the principal .
But if she wants to keep her second teacher next year , McGovern must find one more pupil before September 30th , so she ’ s hoping the safety appeal of the school will woo more families .
Meanwhile the number of pupils at one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than double – but its principal also has no worries about social distancing .
Appointed last year as principal of Lecarrow community national school , Naos Connaughton ( 29 ) , a member of the Roscommon senior hurling team , will welcome 17 pupils into the two teacher school .
It ’ s a dramatic increase from the cohort of eight pupils who were enrolled just a year ago .
“ Every school in the country will face challenges but we are very very lucky because we have a beautiful campus here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ himself a past pupil of what was formerly St John ’ s national school .
Recently divested of its Catholic patronage and now under the auspices of the Galway and Roscommon Educational and Training Board ( GRETB ) , the school has a covered play area outside , as well as a football pitch and jungle gym .
Children attending Curravagh NS which is in the foothills of the Cuilcagh mountains , are also likely to have a lot more space than their city counterparts .
“ We are lucky .
The school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ big rooms with lovely high ceilings and we have great gardens with trees and raised beds , and four separate play areas .
It ’ s a step into nature , ” said Tara McGovern .
There are no junior infants enrolled for September yet although there is one possibility .
But speculation that there could be ongoing Covid-19 spikes , causing disruption to the school year , is apparently making some parents anxious about whether it ’ s the right time for “ big school ” .
“ It is understandable .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ year ahead , ” said the principal who has had a new sink and hand sanitising stations installed over the summer .
Jenny Grothe who moved her family from Berlin to west Cavan when she heard about the Stand with Glan campaign says she feels that her children will be much safer there during the global pandemic .
“ My children went to a big international school in Berlin with maybe 500 pupils so I was delighted to have them here ” said Grothe who is living a few kilometres from the Cuilcagh @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 13 ) and Cailin ( 8 ) speak English as their first language and adapted very quickly to the rural school .
“ Because of the numbers they are probably used to social distancing - I don ’ t think they will notice much difference , ” said the mother of three who had her “ lockdown baby ” Lily on April 29th at Sligo University Hospital .
“ I had her to save the school , ” she joked .
Cathal Hickey also moved to Glangevlin in 2018 , having lived in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Westmeath and from there to Cavan .
After hearing about the school ’ s campaign “ we decided we would come and have a look and we fell in love with the place , especially the school ” .
The musician said the numbers at the school are so low “ it ’ s almost like getting a private education .
You could not pay for it ” .
He says social distancing will be as easy for his children Peadar and Sinead at school as it is when they are at home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a kilometre away .
Around here the neighbours are there when your need them.
” Tina Doyle ’ s two school going children Eoghan ( 8 ) and Ferdiad ( 6 ) ( O ’ Reilly ) make up one third of the total in the junior room at Curravagh school .
“ I feel this is the only really viable option at the moment .
They are already in a bubble , ” said the native of Glangelvin who moved back home from Dublin 8 with her family , around the time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ school .
“ So he has two in his class instead of maybe 32 , ” she explained .
“ We were in the inner city and people are joking saying we must have known in advance what was going to happen ” .
Doyle , a secondary school teacher herself says that in a way the community in Glangelvin is very lucky to be in their own bubble because of the remote rural location .
“ I feel the boys will be really safe .
They were already social distanced in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ won ’ t be any big transition for them and they wont feel their environment is restricted the way children in other schools might ” .
She also attended Curravagh primary school at a time when they were not always struggling to have the numbers to hold onto a teacher .
“ When I was in that room there were about 26 of us .
Now there are six including my sons .
I ’ d love to see just a few more kids there of course.
” Parents are hopeful because of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the school will survive , with about nine children under the age of five in the locality .
“ There were twins born last week so that ’ s a big increase ” joked Doyle who if she had stayed in Dublin would be working in a school with 1200 secondary students .
Naos Connaughton will have eight pupils in one classroom and nine in the other .
“ We are right beside farmland so we have cows and sheep coming up to the fence , ” said the principal who is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ often leads walks to the nearby harbour at Lough Ree , or the local Rindoon medieval settlement .
Even indoors social distancing rules won ’ t be a huge change for his pupils .
“ The rooms are about 20 meters square .
We have double desks so can have one child in each desk , ” he pointed out .
Having risen to the challenge of online lessons , including online Ukulele classes , the school principal reckons pupils as well as teachers and parents will be glad to revert to face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everyone will pull together .
We have to keep things as normal as possible especially for those starting in junior infants .

School principal Tara McGovern says finding safe spaces won’t be an issue for her pupils, with just 13 children enrolled for September so far - six in the junior room and seven spread out over third, fourth, fifth and sixth class.
Rural communities which have had to fight to keep schools open because of depopulation, are finding themselves at an advantage as social distancing concerns loom in advance of pupils returning to the classroom.
Tara McGovern is principal of the two-room Curravagh primary school in Glangevlin, Co Cavan where in 2018 they launched a successful online Stand with Glan appeal, in a bid to attract families to the parish.
“Ironically, the low numbers which threatened our school with closure can now be viewed in a positive light as we prepare for reopening, following the Covid-19 closures” said the principal.
READ MORE
But if she wants to keep her second teacher next year, McGovern must find one more pupil before September 30th, so she’s hoping the safety appeal of the school will woo more families .
Step into nature
Meanwhile the number of pupils at one Co Roscommon primary school is set to more than double – but its principal also has no worries about social distancing .
Appointed last year as principal of Lecarrow community national school, Naos Connaughton (29), a member of the Roscommon senior hurling team , will welcome 17 pupils into the two teacher school.
It’s a dramatic increase from the cohort of eight pupils who were enrolled just a year ago.
“Every school in the country will face challenges but we are very very lucky because we have a beautiful campus here,” said the Lecarrow native, himself a past pupil of what was formerly St John’s national school.
Recently divested of its Catholic patronage and now under the auspices of the Galway and Roscommon Educational and Training Board (GRETB), the school has a covered play area outside, as well as a football pitch and jungle gym.
Children attending Curravagh NS which is in the foothills of the Cuilcagh mountains, are also likely to have a lot more space than their city counterparts.
“We are lucky. The school was built in 1933, there are big rooms with lovely high ceilings and we have great gardens with trees and raised beds, and four separate play areas. It’s a step into nature,” said Tara McGovern.
'The rooms are about 20 meters square. We have double desks so can have one child in each desk'
There are no junior infants enrolled for September yet although there is one possibility. But speculation that there could be ongoing Covid-19 spikes, causing disruption to the school year, is apparently making some parents anxious about whether it’s the right time for “big school”.
“It is understandable. There a lot of uncertainty about the year ahead ,” said the principal who has had a new sink and hand sanitising stations installed over the summer.
Jenny Grothe who moved her family from Berlin to west Cavan when she heard about the Stand with Glan campaign says she feels that her children will be much safer there during the global pandemic.
“My children went to a big international school in Berlin with maybe 500 pupils so I was delighted to have them here” said Grothe who is living a few kilometres from the Cuilcagh mountain geopark.
Her children Lennon (13) and Cailin (8) speak English as their first language and adapted very quickly to the rural school. “Because of the numbers they are probably used to social distancing - I don’t think they will notice much difference,” said the mother of three who had her “lockdown baby” Lily on April 29th at Sligo University Hospital. “I had her to save the school,” she joked.
Cathal Hickey also moved to Glangevlin in 2018 , having lived in China for five years before re-locating to Westmeath and from there to Cavan.
After hearing about the school’s campaign “we decided we would come and have a look and we fell in love with the place, especially the school”.
The musician said the numbers at the school are so low “it’s almost like getting a private education. You could not pay for it”.
He says social distancing will be as easy for his children Peadar and Sinead at school as it is when they are at home. “Our nearest neighbour is over a kilometre away. Around here the neighbours are there when your need them.”
Tina Doyle’s two school going children Eoghan (8) and Ferdiad (6) (O’Reilly) make up one third of the total in the junior room at Curravagh school.
“I feel this is the only really viable option at the moment. They are already in a bubble,” said the native of Glangelvin who moved back home from Dublin 8 with her family, around the time her eldest son was due to start school.
“So he has two in his class instead of maybe 32,” she explained. “We were in the inner city and people are joking saying we must have known in advance what was going to happen”.
Doyle, a secondary school teacher herself says that in a way the community in Glangelvin is very lucky to be in their own bubble because of the remote rural location. “I feel the boys will be really safe. They were already social distanced in a way because of the numbers so there won’t be any big transition for them and they wont feel their environment is restricted the way children in other schools might”.
She also attended Curravagh primary school at a time when they were not always struggling to have the numbers to hold onto a teacher. “When I was in that room there were about 26 of us. Now there are six including my sons. I’d love to see just a few more kids there of course.”
Pulling together
Parents are hopeful because of a recent “population explosion” that the school will survive, with about nine children under the age of five in the locality. “There were twins born last week so that’s a big increase” joked Doyle who if she had stayed in Dublin would be working in a school with 1200 secondary students.
Naos Connaughton will have eight pupils in one classroom and nine in the other.
“We are right beside farmland so we have cows and sheep coming up to the fence,” said the principal who is a great believer in bringing children outdoors and often leads walks to the nearby harbour at Lough Ree, or the local Rindoon medieval settlement.
Even indoors social distancing rules won’t be a huge change for his pupils.
“The rooms are about 20 meters square. We have double desks so can have one child in each desk,” he pointed out.
Having risen to the challenge of online lessons, including online Ukulele classes, the school principal reckons pupils as well as teachers and parents will be glad to revert to face to face classes.
“I think everyone will pull together. We have to keep things as normal as possible especially for those starting in junior infants.


theirishtimes--2020-08-18--Loss of water through leaks in Irish Water network down 9% in 2019

The average daily amount of water lost through the Irish Water pipe network decreased by almost 9 per cent last year .
New figures published by the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities ( CRU ) show the level of “ unaccounted for ” water averaged 712 million litres per day in 2019 – down from 782 million litres the previous year .
“ Unaccounted for ” water , which is mostly attributable to leaks and overflows , represented 42 per cent of all water last year compared to 46 per cent in 2018 .
Despite the falling levels , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ challenge for the water sector in Ireland .
It has also pointed out that 1 per cent of Irish Water ’ s 1.6 million domestic customers accounted for nearly 15 per cent of all water consumed by households last year .
“ While most high users are likely to have leaks , meter data indicates that some customers do not , ” the CRU said .
It said the average household consumption of the top 1 per cent of water users was approximately 1.87 million litres per year – almost 15 times the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regulator said severe weather events in recent years had highlighted the need for Irish Water to increase its efforts to fix leaks , reduce and then maintain lower leakage levels “ than is currently the case ” .
The CRU said the decrease in leakage rates last year was a combination of data improvements following the introduction by Irish Water of a new leakage management system and the company ’ s leakage reduction activities .
Repairs completed under the First Fix Scheme in the first half of 2019 are estimated to have saved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The CRU ’ s Energy and Water Monitoring Report 2019 shows the median consumption level of water by the average household last year was 96,031 litres or 263 litres per day .
It highlights how the median consumption level , which is regarded as the most accurate measure of typical household usage , has remained relatively stable over the past five years .
The average household allowance set by the Minister for Housing , Planning and Local Government before a consumer is liable for excess use charges , which are set to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 213,000 litres .
The CRU said there were also fewer planned and unplanned interruptions to water supplies last year with year-on-year decreases of 18 and 31 per cent respectively .
However , the number of customers affected by a boil water notice reached a record high of 1.3 million as a result of two separate incidents at the Leixlip Water Treatment Plant in late 2019 which supplies drinking water to more than 600,000 customers in the greater Dublin region .
The number of people affected by a water restriction notice at the end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ annual total in recent years .
CRU figures show the number of complaints reported to Irish Water fell from 10,831 in 2018 to 9,230 last year , representing a complaint rate of 68 per 100,000 customers .
An Irish Water spokesperson said its new national leakage management system allowed it to analyse data from over 1.1 million domestic , non-domestic and district water meters which provided a more accurate representation of actual leakage figures .
“ The system also allows us to identify the worst areas of leakage to plan targeted repair programmes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ water , ” the spokesperson said .
The company said it was focusing on carrying out leakage detection and repairs in the parts of the country where water supplies were under pressure .
It is currently fixing approximately 1,500 leaks per month .
Irish Water was on track to reduce leakage to 38 per cent nationally by 2021 which would save an additional 166 million litres of drinking water on a daily basis including 44 million litres in the greater Dublin area as a result of investment of €500 million , it said @

New figures show the level of “unaccounted for” water averaged 712 million litres per day in 2019 – down from 782 million litres the previous year. Photograph: Rui Vieira/PA Wire
The average daily amount of water lost through the Irish Water pipe network decreased by almost 9 per cent last year.
New figures published by the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) show the level of “unaccounted for” water averaged 712 million litres per day in 2019 – down from 782 million litres the previous year.
“Unaccounted for” water, which is mostly attributable to leaks and overflows, represented 42 per cent of all water last year compared to 46 per cent in 2018.
Despite the falling levels, the CRU said leakage remains a significant challenge for the water sector in Ireland.
READ MORE
It has also pointed out that 1 per cent of Irish Water’s 1.6 million domestic customers accounted for nearly 15 per cent of all water consumed by households last year.
“While most high users are likely to have leaks, meter data indicates that some customers do not,” the CRU said.
Household consumption
It said the average household consumption of the top 1 per cent of water users was approximately 1.87 million litres per year – almost 15 times the average demand of all households.
The regulator said severe weather events in recent years had highlighted the need for Irish Water to increase its efforts to fix leaks, reduce and then maintain lower leakage levels “than is currently the case”.
The CRU said the decrease in leakage rates last year was a combination of data improvements following the introduction by Irish Water of a new leakage management system and the company’s leakage reduction activities.
Repairs completed under the First Fix Scheme in the first half of 2019 are estimated to have saved 12 million litres of water per day.
The CRU’s Energy and Water Monitoring Report 2019 shows the median consumption level of water by the average household last year was 96,031 litres or 263 litres per day.
It highlights how the median consumption level, which is regarded as the most accurate measure of typical household usage, has remained relatively stable over the past five years.
Interruptions
The average household allowance set by the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government before a consumer is liable for excess use charges, which are set to be introduced in January 2022, is 213,000 litres.
The CRU said there were also fewer planned and unplanned interruptions to water supplies last year with year-on-year decreases of 18 and 31 per cent respectively.
However, the number of customers affected by a boil water notice reached a record high of 1.3 million as a result of two separate incidents at the Leixlip Water Treatment Plant in late 2019 which supplies drinking water to more than 600,000 customers in the greater Dublin region.
The number of people affected by a water restriction notice at the end of 2019 at 3,689 was the lowest annual total in recent years.
CRU figures show the number of complaints reported to Irish Water fell from 10,831 in 2018 to 9,230 last year, representing a complaint rate of 68 per 100,000 customers.
An Irish Water spokesperson said its new national leakage management system allowed it to analyse data from over 1.1 million domestic, non-domestic and district water meters which provided a more accurate representation of actual leakage figures.
“The system also allows us to identify the worst areas of leakage to plan targeted repair programmes to save the greatest possible volume of water,” the spokesperson said.
The company said it was focusing on carrying out leakage detection and repairs in the parts of the country where water supplies were under pressure.
It is currently fixing approximately 1,500 leaks per month.
Irish Water was on track to reduce leakage to 38 per cent nationally by 2021 which would save an additional 166 million litres of drinking water on a daily basis including 44 million litres in the greater Dublin area as a result of investment of €500 million, it said.


theirishtimes--2020-08-18--UCD student accommodation block shut amid fire safety concerns

A large south Dublin student accommodation complex has been shut down , and its residents relocated , following the detection of fire safety problems with the building .
It is understood the 210-bed Montrose student residence opposite UCD , formerly the Montrose Hotel , is likely to be closed for the full academic year because of the extent of the remedial works required .
Returning residents and new students who had reserved places in the complex , run by private student accommodation provider Aparto , were told in recent days the company had “ no option ” but to “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ building .
“ This means you will not be able to move in to Montrose as expected at the start of your tenancy date , ” a letter sent to students states .
“ I know this is a huge imposition as you are due to move in shortly – and I want to apologise sincerely for this disruption – but the safety of our residents and staff has to be our number one priority and we therefore see no option but to take this decision .
” A small number of students @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the summer months have been found alternative accommodation .
The fire safety problems , the nature of which is understood to be still under investigation , emerged during recent renovation works to the outside of the 1960s building .
When the problems were detected , the company decided to close down the building .
“ This proactive decision taken by Aparto management , is due to a fire safety issue which emerged as a result of its own commissioned inspection and follow up assessment of the building , which was conducted in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the company said in a statement on Monday .
“ Aparto has apologised unreservedly to all those impacted by this decision while reiterating that the safety of residents and staff is a top priority.
” It said it has arranged for all those booked in for the coming academic year to transfer to alternative accommodation in Dublin city centre .
Students will be entitled to a full refund should they choose not to opt for the alternative accommodation on offer .
The three other Aparto complexes are not close to UCD , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Binary Hub on Thomas Street on the southside , and Dorset Point on Dorset Street and Beckett House in Summerhill on the northside .
The company said it understood many students chose the Montrose location because of its proximity to UCD and has offered to pay for an annual Leap bus pass or a voucher towards a bike or scooter to the value of €1,000 for those who transfer their license agreement to another Aparto building on a 51 , 43 or 41 week lease .
The Montrose building is the only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ build .
US-based developer Hines , which owns Aparto bought the complex in 2017 for €37.6 million , after the old hotel had already been converted into a student block by UK student accommodation provider Ziggurat .
The Montrose Hotel , built in 1964 , was once one of Dublin ’ s best-known hotels , but ceased trading in 2010 .

Private student accommodation provider Aparto has said it had ‘no option’ but to ‘immediately’ suspended the use of the building. Photograph: Tom Honan/The Irish Times
A large south Dublin student accommodation complex has been shut down, and its residents relocated, following the detection of fire safety problems with the building.
It is understood the 210-bed Montrose student residence opposite UCD, formerly the Montrose Hotel, is likely to be closed for the full academic year because of the extent of the remedial works required.
Returning residents and new students who had reserved places in the complex, run by private student accommodation provider Aparto, were told in recent days the company had "no option" but to "immediately" suspended the use of the building.
“This means you will not be able to move in to Montrose as expected at the start of your tenancy date,” a letter sent to students states.
READ MORE
“I know this is a huge imposition as you are due to move in shortly – and I want to apologise sincerely for this disruption – but the safety of our residents and staff has to be our number one priority and we therefore see no option but to take this decision. ”
A small number of students who had stayed on in the complex during the summer months have been found alternative accommodation.
Other complexes
The fire safety problems, the nature of which is understood to be still under investigation, emerged during recent renovation works to the outside of the 1960s building. When the problems were detected, the company decided to close down the building.
“This proactive decision taken by Aparto management, is due to a fire safety issue which emerged as a result of its own commissioned inspection and follow up assessment of the building, which was conducted in conjunction with ongoing renovation works,” the company said in a statement on Monday.
“Aparto has apologised unreservedly to all those impacted by this decision while reiterating that the safety of residents and staff is a top priority.”
It said it has arranged for all those booked in for the coming academic year to transfer to alternative accommodation in Dublin city centre. Students will be entitled to a full refund should they choose not to opt for the alternative accommodation on offer.
The three other Aparto complexes are not close to UCD, but are in the city centre, at the Binary Hub on Thomas Street on the southside, and Dorset Point on Dorset Street and Beckett House in Summerhill on the northside.
Compensation offered
The company said it understood many students chose the Montrose location because of its proximity to UCD and has offered to pay for an annual Leap bus pass or a voucher towards a bike or scooter to the value of €1,000 for those who transfer their license agreement to another Aparto building on a 51, 43 or 41 week lease.
The Montrose building is the only Aparto student residence which was not purpose build. US-based developer Hines, which owns Aparto bought the complex in 2017 for €37.6 million, after the old hotel had already been converted into a student block by UK student accommodation provider Ziggurat.
The Montrose Hotel, built in 1964, was once one of Dublin’s best-known hotels, but ceased trading in 2010.