TEENAGERS are going around Valentia Island and “flashing” toddlers, according to concerned mothers. They also claim that someone will be seriously injured or killed due to anti-social behavior on the island.
Weary residents said that children as young as eight are lying in the middle of the road “playing dead” while teenagers are going around “flashing” - exposing their genitals - at toddlers. The problem has been ongoing but has deteriorated over the summer months.
One mother of young children, who did not wish to be named, said people are afraid of the repercussions if they speak out about this behavior. “There is an ongoing problem on the island. For example, there was a car abandoned recently and in the mid-afternoon there were children up on top of the car smashing it,” she said.
“We have contacted the Gardai (police) and the county council and it has just been a waste of time. The Gardai told us they are only kids. But these kids are lying in the middle of the road stopping cars and then running off.” She also claimed that toddlers are being flashed by teenagers.
Another mother of young children also knew of toddlers being flashed by young teenagers.
She said it is not only parents who are concerned about the increase of anti-social behavior, but also many elderly people are in fear on the island. Someone is going to be injured or worse killed if this is allowed to continue. “Young people are deliberately kicking balls at cars and throwing stones at the cars. Tourism is very important to Valentia so the island can’t afford to get a bad reputation. There is also a situation where children younger than 10 are lying in the middle of the road with their coats over them during the day waiting for cars to come along,” she said.
This mother believes more facilities should be put in place for young people. “There are no facilities for young people on the island. We just want something to be done about this as a small minority of people are making life unbearable for some residents. Some measure needs to be put in place before this escalates,” she added.
The Kerryman
Property Bust
RESIDENTS of an exclusive Delgany housing estate who saw up to €100,000 wiped off the price of their homes have threatened to picket new homes being sold in the same development in order to warn prospective house buyers about what has happened.
A number of homeowners who bought houses in the Churchfields estate in the Delgany Wood development now say that they are prepared to speak with people who are intending to purchase some of the remaining homes on sale in an effort to dissuade them from buying after they failed to get a satisfactory explanation for the drop in price from the developer.
Residents of Churchfields had demanded a meeting with developers Elbawn Ltd. to find out how the prices of the houses had dropped so dramatically over a period of just two weeks.
“There are a few houses left, so what we would be telling people is to hang on because in another couple of months you’ll get them for €100,000 less. Why run the risk of paying for them now,” said O Maitie.
O Maitie saw €70,000 shaved off the value of his two-bedroom property, which was bought for €550,000 just four months ago and is now valued at €480,000.
His neighbor, Seán O Hé, paid €675,000 for his three-bedroom house last December which is currently valued at €595,000, a drop of €80,0000.
“When I first heard about this, it set alarm bells off in my head,” said O Hé. “My big concern is the negative equity in the property. We’re continuing to service mortgages of up to €100,000 more than our homes are worth.”
The residents claim that a request which they made for compensation to cover their losses was rejected outright by the property developers.
“We asked for recompense and put a number of options to them, including cash, and putting in extensions or conservatories in order to put some equity back into our homes,” said O Hé. “But we were just told no.”
Auctioneers Sherry Fitzgerald issued a statement which said Churchfields in Delgany was launched in 2006 and prices in the development ranged from €550,000 to €700,000. Currently the prices range from €480,000 to €635,000. “This change in price is determined by current market conditions,” said the statement.
The residents have vowed not to give up and plan to visit the offices of Elbawn Ltd.
“We’re not going away,” said O Maitie. “We’ve given them the opportunity to the decent thing. Only seven houses are affected so it wouldn’t take a lot to appease us. It’s more of a moral matter at this stage.”
Bray People
Great Samaritan
A BOX containing a whopping €11,400, an elderly man’s entire life savings, was astonishingly found lying on the street, then amazingly handed into Gardai by an admirable good Samaritan.
The honorable man in his 40s, who does not wish to be identified, found the box containing the lump sum on a grass area on the outskirts of Castledermot, on the Dublin side of the town.
Opening the lid, the man didn’t suffer a moment’s hesitation and immediately rang Detective Frank Stephenson of Carlow Gardai to hand over the rolls of cash.
“Detective Stephenson went to see the man who found the box and through good detective work he discovered that it belonged to an elderly man from Co. Laois,” said Sergeant Benny Mills.
“There was no forwarding address, contact name or anything inside the box so it took a bit of searching to see who it belonged to. But the elderly man was found and the property returned.
“The poor man had mislaid it and was totally distraught; it was his entire life’s savings. He just couldn’t believe it when he got it back.
“The man who found the money didn’t want to be named or anything. He didn’t even count the money before he handed it in.
“It just goes to show there are people out there who do the right thing, people who will do the honest, decent thing,” Sergeant Mills added.
Carlow Nationalist
Time for Dads
A MALLOW man has made strong calls for more services to assist separated fathers in North Cork.
The appeal from Denis Fitzgerald, a resident in Mallow town, comes in light of the first “Dads Only” parenting program taking place this week at Le Chéile Family Resource Centre.
The Dads Only course will be available over the next six weeks for fathers of all ages with the aim of coping with all the stresses and strains of parenting. Fitzgerald is a separated father who has been voicing the importance of a course for fathers in North Cork for a number of years.
However, while he welcomed the new initiative, he pointed out that there was a huge gap in services for fathers in North Cork, especially separated fathers.
“I would like to see a course specifically for separated fathers in Mallow, although I welcome the dads program. Essentially, I think that there is a real need for a men’s center,” he said.
“When my wife and I separated I chose to leave the family home. I was jobless and slept in the car for two nights. There were no places available in hostels. I had to approach a family member.
“We should have a more structured approach. There needs to be more support mechanisms to help people through.”
In addition, Fitzgerald suggested that there needs to be a course covering men’s issues on a wider scale. “We need to be looking at men’s issues, not just courses confined to parenting alone. I would like to see courses covering what makes a man and what makes a father,” he said.
The Corkman
Pet Ashes Proposal
THE man behind moves to build a pet crematorium on the outskirts of Derry insists there is huge demand for the service.
Robert Gallagher, who currently runs kennels and a cattery from his Kee Road base at Donnybrewer, said, “One of the problems we see in the future is what does a pet owner do when they lose a pet. A lot of them want to have a memory of their pet and see it disposed of humanely and with dignity.
“People have expressed a lot of interest in it and vets have told us a lot of owners are looking for a means of having their pets’ ashes as a memory. They want it done with respect and that is what we are hoping to do.”
Gallagher added, “It is a way of showing appreciation for the friendship a pet has provided. We will also be giving pet owners the opportunity of putting them into a casket so it can be buried.”
The businessman is excited at the prospect of being only the second pet crematorium in Northern Ireland.
“It’s a great challenge and it will be really exciting if we get it up and running. We feel it’s the next step and the area has a need for it,” he said.
Coleraine-based architect Alan Thompson, who has drawn up the plans for the pet crematorium, says it will include a special room for people to “remember their dearly departed pet.”
“The kennels and cattery will remain and there will be a grooming center as well. It will be looking after the living and the dead. Total care will be provided — residential care, holiday care, pet grooming and welfare and, then at the end of their lives, to see them off humanely with dignity and respect.”
Both Gallagher and his architect are eager to get work started as soon as possible and are hopeful planning permission will be granted within 12 months.
Derry Journal