Tag Archives: homelessness

Eoghan Murphy: a chocolate fireguard

Ireland, Uncategorized, ,

ily

The minister for homelessness in Ireland is a man named Eoghan Murphy. He is the grandson of Russell Murphy – an accountant who was posthumously exposed as having stolen vast sums of money from his clients, who included Hugh Leonard and Gay Byrne (who had been a personal friend of the crook). He is the son of Henry Murphy, a lawyer who made millions from the Mahon Tribunal – a public inquiry in Ireland in 1997 to investigate allegations of corrupt payments to politicians regarding political decisions. He comes from enormous wealth (much of it criminal, no doubt, thanks to criminal Grandpa Russell). His official title is the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government and for the past two years he has sat idly by while the homelessness crisis in Ireland reached catastrophic levels. He is a member of the Fine Gael party – a party that is popular among rich people. It is the Irish equivalent of the Tory Party in the UK. Continue reading Eoghan Murphy: a chocolate fireguard →

House

Amsterdam, Dublin, Ireland, Uncategorized,

Homless
A few weeks before Christmas last year, a group of activists called Home Sweet Home, occupied Apollo House – a vacant state owned building in the city centre, that used to be the home of the Department of Social Welfare. They turned it into a dry (as in no alcohol or drugs permitted) shelter, offering accommodation, food, and support to homeless people. The conditions were far superior than those offered by the homeless shelters funded by the government. They did this, not only to offer support to vulnerable people  but also to address the growing homeless catastrophe that is convulsing Ireland, and to try to pressure the government into dealing seriously with Ireland’s housing emergency. Continue reading House →