| INTERESTING STUFF |
Part 19 of 35 things you need to know
about Dublin!!!
19 Buck Whaley was an extremely wealthy
gambler who lived in Dublin in the
seventeen hundreds. Due to inheritances,
he had an income of seven thousand
pounds per year (not far off seven million
a year at today's prices). He lived in a
huge house near Stephen's Green which
is now the Catholic University of Ireland.
He went broke and he had to leave Ireland
due to gambling debts. He swore he'd be
buried in Irish soil but is in fact buried in
the Isle of Man in a shipload of Irish soil
which he imported for the purpose.
about Dublin!!!
19 Buck Whaley was an extremely wealthy
gambler who lived in Dublin in the
seventeen hundreds. Due to inheritances,
he had an income of seven thousand
pounds per year (not far off seven million
a year at today's prices). He lived in a
huge house near Stephen's Green which
is now the Catholic University of Ireland.
He went broke and he had to leave Ireland
due to gambling debts. He swore he'd be
buried in Irish soil but is in fact buried in
the Isle of Man in a shipload of Irish soil
which he imported for the purpose.
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DUBLIN UNDERGROUND TO BE COMPLETED
BY 2015
The extension of the Dublin DART train system
underground through the centre of the city is
to be completed by 2015. The 2-B.illion Euro
scheme will connect the Docklands to Heuston
Station. A second underground link will connect
the DART rail service to Maynooth in County
Kildare. An existing plan to create a partially
underground Metro link to Dublin Airport is
also planned.
BY 2015
The extension of the Dublin DART train system
underground through the centre of the city is
to be completed by 2015. The 2-B.illion Euro
scheme will connect the Docklands to Heuston
Station. A second underground link will connect
the DART rail service to Maynooth in County
Kildare. An existing plan to create a partially
underground Metro link to Dublin Airport is
also planned.
OSCAR SUCCESS FOR IRELAND
There was success at the double for Ireland in
the recent Oscars. Irish citizen Daniel Day-Lewis
won the award for best actor in the movie while
Dubliner Glen Hansard and Czech musician
Marketa Irglova won the prize for their song
'Falling Slowly' rom the film 'Once' in the best
original song category. Hansard remarked: 'This
has made our night. We made this film two years
ago and shot it on two Handycams. It took us
three weeks to make. We made it for a hundred
grand!"
There was success at the double for Ireland in
the recent Oscars. Irish citizen Daniel Day-Lewis
won the award for best actor in the movie while
Dubliner Glen Hansard and Czech musician
Marketa Irglova won the prize for their song
'Falling Slowly' rom the film 'Once' in the best
original song category. Hansard remarked: 'This
has made our night. We made this film two years
ago and shot it on two Handycams. It took us
three weeks to make. We made it for a hundred
grand!"
PROPERTY MARKET WOES CONTINUE
Despite the best efforts of real estate agents and
those with a vested interest in the construction industry
the slowdown in sales and decline in property prices is
continuing. It has not all been gloom and doom
however with queues of buyers lining up to buy
discounted apartments in certain Dublin suburbs. It has
been speculated that property developers are holding
back on their impending projects until prices stabilise.
This is certainly borne out by the vast reduction in the
number of housing units likely to be completed in
Ireland this year. However, as the Irish Government
has estimated that Ireland needs at least 60,000 units
annually and that the population of Dublin will double
by 2020, it would not be a major surprise if the slump is
relatively short-lived.
There can be little doubt however that the Irish
property market is currently still overvalued. 2007 saw
an overall 7% decline with a similar number expected in
2008.
Growth in property mortgages in 2006 actually rose
by 13.4% in 2006, down from 24.2% in 2005. The fact
that these huge increases in the amounts lent for
property purchase can be viewed as offering negative
prospects perhaps shows just how quickly the Irish
property market had expanded and how expectations
in Ireland have changed.
Despite the best efforts of real estate agents and
those with a vested interest in the construction industry
the slowdown in sales and decline in property prices is
continuing. It has not all been gloom and doom
however with queues of buyers lining up to buy
discounted apartments in certain Dublin suburbs. It has
been speculated that property developers are holding
back on their impending projects until prices stabilise.
This is certainly borne out by the vast reduction in the
number of housing units likely to be completed in
Ireland this year. However, as the Irish Government
has estimated that Ireland needs at least 60,000 units
annually and that the population of Dublin will double
by 2020, it would not be a major surprise if the slump is
relatively short-lived.
There can be little doubt however that the Irish
property market is currently still overvalued. 2007 saw
an overall 7% decline with a similar number expected in
2008.
Growth in property mortgages in 2006 actually rose
by 13.4% in 2006, down from 24.2% in 2005. The fact
that these huge increases in the amounts lent for
property purchase can be viewed as offering negative
prospects perhaps shows just how quickly the Irish
property market had expanded and how expectations
in Ireland have changed.
INFLATION ON THE WAY DOWN
The stubbornly high rate of inflation in
Ireland has finally started to decline, down to
4.3% from 4.7%, and below the Euro area
average.
Foodstuffs were among the items that
bucked this trend and continued their
inexorable movement upwards, in line with
the experience of other countries worldwide.
The ECB is refusing to reduce interest rates,
unlike their US counterpart. The ECB is
worried about inflation in Germany, the
largest economy in the eurozone. The overall
outlook for interest rates though, in on the
downwards side, which should further help
reduce Irish inflation numbers as a large part
of Irish income is spent on mortgage
repayments.
Inflation will be very much on the agenda
when the Irish government meets with
employers and unions in the coming weeks
to sort out a new national pay deal. Media
speculation intimates that a deal in 2008 will
be very hard to broker.
The stubbornly high rate of inflation in
Ireland has finally started to decline, down to
4.3% from 4.7%, and below the Euro area
average.
Foodstuffs were among the items that
bucked this trend and continued their
inexorable movement upwards, in line with
the experience of other countries worldwide.
The ECB is refusing to reduce interest rates,
unlike their US counterpart. The ECB is
worried about inflation in Germany, the
largest economy in the eurozone. The overall
outlook for interest rates though, in on the
downwards side, which should further help
reduce Irish inflation numbers as a large part
of Irish income is spent on mortgage
repayments.
Inflation will be very much on the agenda
when the Irish government meets with
employers and unions in the coming weeks
to sort out a new national pay deal. Media
speculation intimates that a deal in 2008 will
be very hard to broker.
NEW IRISH SOCCER MANAGER
APPOINTED
Giovanni Trapattoni has been unveiled
as the new manager of the ailing Irish
international soccer team. At a packed
press conference the FAI announced
the appointment of the vastly
experienced Italian who will take charge
of the Irish team for the first time at
Croke park on May 24th when Serbia are
the visitors. He immediately assured the
gathering that Ireland would qualify for
the 2010 World Cup finals, despite being
in the same qualifying group as the
current world champions, none other
than Italy.
APPOINTED
Giovanni Trapattoni has been unveiled
as the new manager of the ailing Irish
international soccer team. At a packed
press conference the FAI announced
the appointment of the vastly
experienced Italian who will take charge
of the Irish team for the first time at
Croke park on May 24th when Serbia are
the visitors. He immediately assured the
gathering that Ireland would qualify for
the 2010 World Cup finals, despite being
in the same qualifying group as the
current world champions, none other
than Italy.
CRACKDOWN ON DRINKING CULTURE
IMMINENT
The continued increase in drink-related
crime has prompted the Irish Government
to consider tough new laws to handle the
problem. The current legal drinking age is
18 but this will possibly be raised to 21
under new legislation being considered.
Drinking in public places is to be curbed
and parents who allow their children to
drink and cause havoc may themselves
be found criminally liable.
Ireland is consistently in the top two or
three in surveys of alcohol consumption
in Europe. While Irish Pubs are constantly
promoted as a great tourist attraction the
stark reality is that random violent crime
as well as a stubbornly high incidence of
road traffic fatalities have all been linked
to excessive alcohol consumption.
The alcohol limit for drivers is to be cut to
50mg per 100 millilitres of blood and to
20mg for learner drivers and professional
drivers. The current 80mg limit is the
highest allowed in Europe.
IMMINENT
The continued increase in drink-related
crime has prompted the Irish Government
to consider tough new laws to handle the
problem. The current legal drinking age is
18 but this will possibly be raised to 21
under new legislation being considered.
Drinking in public places is to be curbed
and parents who allow their children to
drink and cause havoc may themselves
be found criminally liable.
Ireland is consistently in the top two or
three in surveys of alcohol consumption
in Europe. While Irish Pubs are constantly
promoted as a great tourist attraction the
stark reality is that random violent crime
as well as a stubbornly high incidence of
road traffic fatalities have all been linked
to excessive alcohol consumption.
The alcohol limit for drivers is to be cut to
50mg per 100 millilitres of blood and to
20mg for learner drivers and professional
drivers. The current 80mg limit is the
highest allowed in Europe.
DROP IN NUMBER OF IMMIGRANTS ARRIVING
IN IRELAND
Figures released by the Irish government have
revealed that the number of people seeking a PPS
number (similar to s Social Security Number) has
fallen dramatically. January and February of 2007
saw the issuing of 23,226 PPS numbers, compared
with 14,409 in the first two months of this year.
The largest decline has been in the number of
PPSs issued to Romanians but the numbers issued
to Poles, Lithuanians, Slovaks and Bulgarians have
also fallen sharply.
The downturn in the Irish economy together with
the an improvement in the economies of many
eastern European countries (particularly Poland
and Slovakia) are cited as the main reason for
this downward trend.
IN IRELAND
Figures released by the Irish government have
revealed that the number of people seeking a PPS
number (similar to s Social Security Number) has
fallen dramatically. January and February of 2007
saw the issuing of 23,226 PPS numbers, compared
with 14,409 in the first two months of this year.
The largest decline has been in the number of
PPSs issued to Romanians but the numbers issued
to Poles, Lithuanians, Slovaks and Bulgarians have
also fallen sharply.
The downturn in the Irish economy together with
the an improvement in the economies of many
eastern European countries (particularly Poland
and Slovakia) are cited as the main reason for
this downward trend.