Canvassing over the Bank Holiday weekend in Tyrrelstown and beyond by John Carroll

Just an update for those interested in how Iggy has been doing since last week:

We have as many of you know been back to Tyrrelstown and Iggy has concentrated his efforts to getting to as many homes as possible and would first of all like to thank all who took the time to engage with him and his team from Curragh Hall/Bealing Village/Bellgree/Mount Eusatace; bringing issues from Management Co to Playgrounds as well as the outrageous positioning of the Electrical Pylons virtually next to many residents down by Mount Garret, and he has seen first hand the dangerous situation these Pylons pose with no apparent thought given to those whose children use the area for playing.
We also have been to other areas within TTyrrelstown visiting residents who had contacted Iggy by email requesting to speak with him and we encourage any resident who may wish to speak to him to contact him and this will happen.

Again many thanks to all for their continued support and goodwill and hope that come Saturday Tyrrelstown will have its first Councillor and at last be recognised as a contributor to Local Politics and Community Policy initiatives.

So Friday is the day to make it happen....

Irish Times article featuring Iggy

From the "Irish Times":
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0525/1224247322584.html

Local knowledge and timeless issues help new faces make an impression

RUADHÁN Mac CORMAIC

ON THE CANVASS with IDOWU OLAFIMIHAN, ADEOLA OGUNSINA and IGNATIUS OKAFOR: HE MOVES languidly along the driveway, a stack of flyers in hand, wearing a slightly rumpled grey suit and a broad smile. “Hello, madam. My name is Idowu. I’m here to remind you about the local elections on June 5th and ask for your Number One vote.”

The African woman takes the Fianna Fáil leaflet and scans it for a moment. “Unfortunately, I’m for Fine Gael,” she murmurs apologetically. In his soft-spoken way he tries for one of her later preferences, but seems fairly unperturbed when she fails to commit. “I’m pretty sure the husband will vote for me,” he says as the team retreats across the lawn, chatting amongst themselves in Yoruba.

Across the road, the canvassers are greeted by an elderly man wearing long robes and an endless white beard. “I voted you! I voted you!” he exclaims at a high pitch. “You voted for me?” the candidate asks. “I will vote for you,” interprets Jerry, the campaign manager, in a whisper. “I tried to convince him a few weeks ago,” says Idowu Olafimihan contentedly. “He has his mind made up now.”

Elsewhere, a Portuguese-speaker is called in to translate at a Brazilian house, while an exchange with three Polish men staggers awkwardly to a close when neither side can understand what the other is saying.

Welcome to Mulhuddart, north Dublin, one of the most cosmopolitan parts of the country and a local election battleground where three of the 12 candidates are originally from Nigeria. As well as Olafimihan, Fianna Fáil’s representative, Adeola Ogunsina is standing for Fine Gael and Ignatius ‘Iggy’ Okafor – a former Fianna Fáil member who left the party “just before the recession” – is running as an Independent.

A large part of the ward consists of a constellation of sprawling, sparklingly new housing estates where, as recently as five years ago, there was nothing but fields. Population centres such as Ongar village and Tyrrelstown Plaza have the inescapable feel of Potemkin settlements that arose overnight – and, in a sense, they did.

Olafimihan has lived in nearby Clonee since 2000 and runs a local security company. He got involved with Fianna Fáil at the last local election, he says, having been drawn to the party because it was practically-minded rather than hung up on ideology. He also liked its stance on social integration.

On Thursday evening, in a new estate not far from Ongar, all but three doors on Olafimihan’s tick-list were opened by an immigrant, and it soon became apparent that, owing to anger over the state of the economy, the campaign team were not counting on a big vote among the native Irish electorate. Though Olafimihan insists he would represent the whole of Mulhuddart, he admits that personal ties within immigrant groups will carry a lot of weight. He points to a house with a taxi parked outside. “That is one of my taxi canvassers . . . If they pick up any passenger from around here, they try to persuade them. They say, ‘please, he’s a nice lad’, that kind of thing.”

The following night, Fine Gael’s Adeola Ogunsina arrives for the evening canvass in a jeep decorated with his own name, two Dublin flags and a prominent Barack Obama sticker on the back window. In contrast to the previous night, this estate is one of the oldest, most resolutely middle-class Irish estates in the area. Nearly every household has two cars and as many young children.

Ogunsina expects to have visited a quarter of the 17,000 houses in the ward by election day, and this is his second time on this patch. There are local whispers of some resentment towards immigrants here, as long-settled home-owners move out and let their homes to new arrivals. But tonight, the reception is mostly warm and unfailingly polite.

Dressed in a sharp tie and a sleeveless jumper, Ogunsina tailors his message to each voter, fluently reciting his ideas on a community creche, improved transport links and the need for more of a “business approach” in politics (Ogunsina ran three petrol stations in the locality).

An encounter with a man in his late 30s is typical of the non-committal goodwill he encounters. “Fianna Fáil won’t be getting the vote anyway,” he says, a computer game controller in his hand. “It’s Labour or Fine Gael, but the fact that you’ve come by will stand to you.”

“Oh, thank you. I wish I could give you a hug,” Ogunsina replies enthusiastically. The man smiles nervously. When a neighbour informs him he can “count on my Number One”, it visibly puts a spring in his step. “It’s getting a positive response like that that pushes you on to the next house.”

The one discordant note comes from a woman in her 30s, who opens to door in her pyjamas and immediately harangues a canvasser about how immigrants “get everything” and how she is “disillusioned with everyone”. Ogunsina is at another door and misses the exchange. “If I had a child, I wouldn’t get anything. We get nothing and they get everything – not just the Nigerians, all of them . . . If I had a baby, I’d have to pay for it.”

Over the evening, the Fine Gael candidate pushes three points: his party, his business background and his being local. Do people ever raise his background? “Today, no one has said it. That’s one of the reasons you start with your own introduction – so you can carry something that people would relate to,” he remarks. “Not that I don’t want to go into that . . . What I want to project first is a capability to do the job, my sincerity in going for the office and the fact that I’m very much interested in community issues.”

It’s almost 10pm on Friday, and a few miles away, Ignatius ‘Iggy’ Okafor and friends are celebrating the launch of Tyrrelstown GAA club, where he is a founding committee member. A former Fianna Fáiler, he left last year and has been campaigning as an Independent for the past nine months. In a former life Okafor was a professional soccer player with Antwerp in Belgium and Linz in Austria, before injury ended his playing career prematurely, and now he works as an IT engineer at Temple Street Children’s Hospital. He has also been a busy community activist here.

In an area where both are patchy, Okafor speaks passionately about the need for better transport connections and amenities for young people. “You’re trying to bring the kids up, give them the opportunity to be someone in the future. That’s how we start, giving them a proper school, facilities where they can play,” he says, sitting outside the Thirsty Bull pub as the warm evening turns into night.

While he insists he expects to win a seat, Okafor believes his run will have been a worthwhile experience, whatever the result. Above all, he feels gratified to have been encouraged and received so well. “I’m very, very happy. My campaign has proved a lot to me about what I thought about Irish people in the first place.”

He finds inspiration from other independents such as Finian McGrath and the late Tony Gregory – “people who stood up for the people”. And he’s also driven by the conviction that seeing an African face on every lamppost in the area will be important in convincing local children that “they can be more”.

“It’s quite tiring, and it’s hard work, but I’d prefer to do a little more hard work and see my daughter and my son do less work in the future.”

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times

Lack of funding for local services

From the "Community Voice" newspaper

http://www.communityvoice.ie/pages/CV137/CV137n04.htm

Lack of funding for local services

As the local election campaign begins to heat up seriously an event organised at the Blanchardstown civic offices recently by the Community Workers Network sparked some debate on the issues closest to the hearts of the local people of Dublin 15. The evening provided an opportunity for members of the public to directly question existing and prospective councillors on their aspirations for the area and how these plans engage with the current economic realities.

While a number of issue emerged during the evening the question on funding and how the area could possibly secure more, or perhaps more realistically survive without any, had an over-arching element to it as it affects every other issue.

Socialist Party candidate Denis Keane criticised the withholding of the €70m in levies from the council saying that this is a time when local investment is needed more than ever. He lamented having to “apologise for being a public servant” asking if it was a case that we can only have services now if they are profitable.

Labour’s Patrick Nulty suggested that “those who made massive profits during the Celtic Tiger years need to pay” while the Green Party’s Roderic O’Gorman recommended that local authorities be enabled to raise their own funds locally, though with his government party hat on he added that the withholding of the levy money was “in line with general policy.”

Sinn Féin’s Paul Donnelly spoke about the effect of cuts such as the closure of childcare facilities in Whitechapel and Mountview and said that this will affect the ability of people to go out to work if they cannot get alternative childcare. Hinting at the underlying social cost of cutbacks he said “it is well known that drug use increases when other options are closed off to people.”

Cllr. Mags Murray (FF), on whose shoulders defence of the Government rested, said that the necessity for cutbacks was “a reality” but added that the council has spent vast mounts of money since 2004 - her time as a councillor - opening parks, libraries and such facilities that she said were among the best in the country.

Independent candidate Ignatius Okafor said he was surprised at the freezing of levies given that “there is nothing in Tyrrelstown” and wondered what will be the case there in ten years time.

Community Voice article on the meeting between Local Election candidates and Tyrrelstown residents

Iggy along with other Local Election candidates attending a meeting organised by the "Tyrrelstown Residents Association" on Thursday 14th May. Here is a "Community Voice" report on the meeting.

http://www.communityvoice.ie/pages/CV137/CV137n03.htm

Tyrrelstown residents unite for schools

One of the biggest public meetings in the area in recent times attracted a large crowd to the Park Plaza Hotel. Representatives of all political parties and candidates for the local election were in attendance (with the exception of Fianna Fáil) to hear members of the Tyrrelstown community express their frustration at the delay in providing much needed facilities in their area.

Addressing the meeting Adam Fitzsimons, chairperson of the Tyrrelstown Residents Association, pointed out that it was just over a year ago that a report was commissioned on the needs of the Tyrrelstown community. “Some of the issues raised in this report have been sorted but the three biggest needs have not yet been addressed. These were the provision of school sites, lack of community facilities and the provision of green space,” he said.

According to Adam, “the report also indicated that in the 2006 census 15% of the population of Tyrrelstown was under the age of 4. We have a birth rate of 18 - 20 children a month in the area so that means that since the last census there are 600 more children under the age of 3 in the area. This is now starting to impact on the schools.”

Maurice Hurley, principal of Tyrrelstown Educate Together national school which operates out of temporary buildings on the Powerstown Road confirmed that sites for the schools have now been acquired. “The project is back on track but pressure needs to be maintained.” Thanking residents for their support he said “what’s good for the community is good for the school and vice versa. We are all in this together. Go and vote in the elections. If a community votes it will be listened to - not just this year but in the future also.”

Representing the views of Mulhuddart National School which is also in a temporary building on the adjoining site, Fr. Eugene Taaffe still has doubts about politicians’ promises. “I would love to throw up my arms and say it’s done,” he said “but I‘ve been here before when promises were made and not kept. We should all vote but we deserve our vote to be respected. Your children deserve not just the basics but the best.”

The transfer of the site to Fingal County Council was also confirmed by Rick Larkin, a director of Twinlite Developments. “My company has been developing Tyrrelstown since 2001 and we have been actively trying to build a school because a school is good for business. People will want to live here and that is good for our business,” he said.

However he went on to castigate the Department of Education who, he said “are the worst people I have ever tried to work with. Fingal County Council say that they can deliver the school so we have given them an unconditional contract for €1 for the school site. The county council have told us that when they hand over the site to the Department of Education they will get money for a community centre on the site. However I agree with Fr. Eugene that the community should be consulted,” he said.

Confirming the acquisition on behalf of the county council, Cllr. Michael O’Donovan in his capacity as Mayor of Fingal said “while there is no doubt that the school site is available, as of today no application has yet been made by the department for planning permission for the schools. However when the application does come in, it will get red carpet fast track assistance.”

By coincidence, on the day after the meeting took place a letter was received by Joan Burton TD in reply to representations she had made to the Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe about the Tyrrelstown schools. In his reply the Minister said “the further progression of the site acquisition and the proposed building project will be considered having regard to the competing demands in the context of the capital budget available to my Department for school buildings generally.”

Responding to this latest twist Cllr. O’Donovan said, “it seems to me that the Minister is saying ‘I have a certain amount of money for next year and Tyrrelstown can take its place in the queue along with everyone else.’ I wonder if that reply has been sent to many more schools in this pre-election time. It makes Brian Lenihan’s assertion that the money has been ring-fenced seem a little hollow.”

However when contacted by Community Voice, Minister Lenihan was insistent that the school would be built on time. Referring to the content of Batt O’Keeffe’s letter he said “this is just a standard Department of Education form of words that they use to reply to all such representations. I can assure everyone that this money is available and that it will be there when required to build the school.

These schools are going ahead and I am adamant that they will open for pupils in September 2010.”

Campaign Posters

As you have no doubt noticed every available lamppost in the area seems to have been covered in Campaign Posters by all the candidates for the forthcoming local election. Iggy has been no exception in this. The posters were put up over 2 weeks ago, by Iggy and his team of volunteers over a period of four days. Many thanks to these unpaid and unsung heroes for their time and effort.

Public Consultation Meeting between Iggy and Constituents and Finian McGrath TD at the Paddocks

Last night Tuesday 12th May, in the Paddocks in Clonee, Iggys campaign got a huge boost in both morale and practical advice from one of Irelands most experienced and affective Independent public representatives in recent times namely Mr. Finian McGrath TD.

The public meeting was organized by Iggy and his team and invitations were sent to both residents and prospective candidates of Mulhuddart/Clonee.

Iggy gave a brief outline of how he had come to seek to be elected to Fingal County Council; ‘having arrived in Tyrrelstown (TT) some years before I involved myself in a local initiative to establish a soccer team and this was the catalyst to me seeing first hand the deficit in basic and fundemental local amenities and infrastructure, which brought me into contact with others who were endeavouring to fill the gap, such as the Tyrrelstown Residents Association and which indirectly led to me becoming more and more involved with initiatives to provide constructive outlets for the youth of TT, as well as community based initiatives such as Business Watch/Garda Forum and so on and it was as a consequence of my involvement locally that I was encouraged to consider standing in the then upcoming local elections, this I ultimately did and so far I have only encountered goodwill and support from the wider Mulhuddart Community, visiting so far almost 8000 homes throughout the electoral ward. I chose what many have told me is the most difficult way of seeking election by standing as an Independent but I answer that I believe I must put my constituents uppermost in my considerations and Party Politics does not allow for this in reality’.

Finian then introduced himself recounting; ‘I began my involvement in politics at local level almost 30yrs ago while teaching in Dublin’s inner city and I had the privilege to work with a man named Tony Gregory, who like me saw that there was a need for communities to have their voice heard at local and national government and that this could be done more affectively by way of dedicated community based and supported Independent Candidates, who would be in a position to put constituents priorities uppermost and not be swayed by Party Policy/Allegiance. The key to being successful as an Independent is maintaining the trust and support of the local community and community groups. If enough Independent representatives are elected they in themselves can and have in the recent past, hold the balance of power at both local and national government, so any one who derides the effectiveness of an Independent need only look at the record of Tony Gregory or myself and see the truth of what an Independent voice can achieve. This viewpoint is reinforced by the fact that there were 92 Independent local councilors in the outgoing councils throughout Ireland.’'

It was worth noting that both have entered the ‘public’ arena by a very similar route and see similar strengths in being Independent.

The meeting was well attended by residents who came to with open minds and a willingness to engage with both Iggy and Finian; the meeting started at 19.45 and finished at 21.30 with a very lively question and answer session where everyone was allowed voice an opinion and this was evidenced by the questions they sought answers to, the following are just a sample of some of the many questions/queries contributed on the night;

Resident: What plans do you (Iggy) have to tackle the deficit in class places?
Iggy: Whether elected or not it is my intention to continue my efforts to have the funding released by Fingal County Council (FCC) so as adequate provision of schools are built and thereby class places are provided. Money I might add which according to my enquiries is there but not being used for some unknown reason.
Finian: I would like to add that in my capacity as TD, I am only too willing to assist Iggy getting answers on this issue and I commit to raising this and other issues Iggy may have at Dail level.

Resident: You (Iggy) mention in your leaflet Affordable Child Care Support, what does that mean?
Iggy: At present many of the newer communities in Mulhuddart have little or no local resource/community centers and it would be my intention to prioritize the establishing of these as has been done in other Mulhuddart communities such as Blakestown/Fortlawn/Mulhuddart and so on and as part of these centers there would be provision for crèche/day care for pre-school with qualified staff which would be of great support to families and parents whether they are working or upskilling themselves through reeducation.

Resident: What is your (Iggy) intention to deal with anti-social behavior?
Iggy: I emphasize in my policy leaflets Community Facilities and Extended Garda Services and it is my opinion that early intervention and prevention programmes are vital for any hope of diverting in particular young people away from anti-social tendencies but that this is not achievable if we as a community do not have either the facilities or activities to attract young people to in the first place and added to this we need the ongoing and committed involvement of the Local Gardai as well as maintaining and improving the visibility of Gardai to act as a deterrent and also as importantly as a reassurance to residents.
Finian: I would back up everything Iggy has said as being needed to tackle anti-social behavior but would add that this is an issue which affects all our communities both new and well established and will tell you that if we can achieve what I saw in London where Police who are rostered for 8 hour shifts are on the ground in the community for 6 out of the 8 hours then I believe that this would go a long way to curtailing anti-social behavior and crime itself within our communities.
Iggy: I take on board what Finian has said and I intend to take this issue which is in essence a Garda Management one to the Garda Forum of which I am a member I would like to add that Local business’ can and have a role to play on this issue and it is for them to involve their business’ in initiatives like Business Watch which can and do play and effective role in anti-social issues in their communities after all it is in their commercial interest to have a safe environment for their customers.

Resident: While we are talking about Gardai can I ask (Iggy & Finian) why is there such a delay in Garda response to calls I and others have made? Sometimes up to 3 or 4 hours? Iggy: There should not be such a delay and if you wish I can enquire as to why this was so if you provide me with the details. At many Garda meetings and forums I and others have been consistently reassured that such delays are not acceptable to Garda Management either and they have in all fairness when given details of such occurrences made contact with the residents concerned and where required carry out follow up enquiries most times to the satisfaction of the residents concerned.
Finian: Again I would agree with Iggy and would also commit that if this is an ongoing failing within your community I will take this issue up with the Minister for Justice on your behalf.

Resident: There was an article recently (Metro Eireann) in which it was cited that you (Iggy) had contradicted the Fine Gael Candidates claims that he (FG) would get passports for those immigrants who voted for him, is that what he said and if so what are your (Iggy & Finian) views on this?
Iggy: I stand by what I said in that article as I was at an event to hear him (FG Candidate Adeola Ogunsina) say it and I go further in saying that it is a low form of false political promises which preys on a vulnerable section of our community by raising false expectations and I not only raised this in the media but also wrote to Fine Gael headquarters by way of Mr. Enda Kenny seeking an explanation. I am still awaiting a reply. He (FG Candidate Adeola Ogunsina) also I might add confirmed my assertion of the event and what he had said to the editor of Metro Eireann when queried on my claims.
Finian: To be honest this is the first time I have heard of this and I haven’t as yet read the article, I can however point out that there is a process that all must follow to attain citizenship and this is not at the discretion of any individual or elected representative to circumvent.

The night was brought to a close by Iggy who thanked all and by a very warm and sincere applause by all for Mr. Finian McGrath taking the time to attend and his willingness to be so forthcoming in his answers and support for the concerns raised and it is of note that before the meeting closed Finian wished to draw alls attention to a particular part of Iggys policy leaflet going so far as to quote directly from the leaflet;
“My vision is a system that meets the peoples aspirations, needs and yearnings…yet going further to reward societal trust and endeavor. My mission is to pursue and insist on people-centered policies and actions in this visibly multicultural and integrating Mulhuddart Constituency”. This I (Finian) believe should be our National Policy Vision for Ireland.

This heartfelt and sincere statement by Finian received an enthusiastic applause from those present and was a fitting tribute to Iggy and his team and finished the meeting on a very positive and invigorating note.

Ignatius Okafors Official Registration as an Independant Candidate in the forthcoming local elections

By John Carroll

On Saturday the 9th last; the quiet of Fingal County Council offices in Swords was broken by the exited chatter and laughter of a number of children, who had accompanied their parents, who themselves had come to Swords to be assenters for Iggy.

This was described by the registration staff as something unique, which many hadn't witnessed before, not the kids but rather that it was very unusual for all (15 plus) assenters to turn up in person for the nomination process.

One staff member said that he'd been involved with the nomination process for over 12yrs and he'd not seen the type of turn out like this before.

After some hastily gathered forms and the subsequent filling out of same Iggy and his supporters were treated to a guided tour of the Council Chambers by a very friendly and informative staff member. It must be said that all the staff went out of their way to not only deal with the nomination process, but equally to put everyone at ease.

The only hiccup was when the registration staff were trying to decide whether the word/name Iggy appeared with or without brackets () on the Ballot Papers....you'll have to wait 'till voting day to find out what they decided!!

Meanwhile there where many photos taken to remember the day...

To para quote: One Small Step for Iggy...One Giant Leap for New Irish

Voters Forum Meeting Part 1

I was invited to, and attended the above mentioned meeting on Thursday 7th May. I will post a report on the meeting and some photos shortly.

Ignatius "Iggy" Okafor - Your INDEPENDENT Candidate

Ignatius (Iggy) Okafor
Mulhuddarts Independent Candidate in 2009
Representing Change through Grassroots Empowerment & the Integration of People and Ideas

Fellow Residents,

I have been out visiting the many estates and peoples that make up the Mulhuddart Ward. I have been heartened by the enormous goodwill extended to me and my campaign. The generosity and hospitality of people is humbling and has invigorated my campaign in our efforts to secure my election to Fingal County Council (FCC) because we truly believe that it is time for change.

Visiting Lachford/Alandale/Beechfield which are relatively new estates (and subject to intolerable flooding in some places) in Clonee, the lack of community infrastructure and facilities was blatantly absent, yet the resilience and willingness of the residents to form local associations to fill the gap by way of community festivals and action committees to foster neighbourly and community support and cohesion was encouraging and should be seen and acknowledged as assets to FCC.

· Public Transport – or indeed the lack of Public Transport forcing locals into their cars to visit local amenities and services is self-defeating environmental policy both at local and national levels more public transport means less private transport this is not rocket science!

· Traffic Calming – estates built for families need child friendly thoroughfares

· Educational Facilities – everyone agrees education is the key to a secure future yet the infrastructure is needed in the present

· Youth Facilities – these are a necessity to divert the young to progressive and positive outlets and away from a future hanging around corners to meet and socialize

· Community Resource Facilities – these are fundamental to cohesion of a diverse population in providing for social and cultural discourse.

· Sports/Recreational Facilities - Play Grounds– an open field is not sufficient in modern society to pass off as ‘sports/play grounds’ and does nothing to encourage young and old to participate in healthy outdoor activities.

Yet FCC has repeatedly failed to redress many issues, which they should have insisted were built and put in place at the planning phase of these and many other estates, rather they allowed and pandered to the needs of the developers, leaving the families with huge deficits in social infrastructure, which if left as is, will leave many vulnerable to the long term threats of community isolation - anti-social behaviour and the fragmenting of the Fingal Community into the communities that have and the communities that have not.

Why has a population of 92,000 and growing…only appx 19 Ambulances?

If elected to FCC I intend to make my priority the implementation of
Social /Community infrastructure and facilities in all the communities as these should be as of right and not left to the whim of developers.

Road Safety in Dublin 15

The following letter was published in the "Community Voice" newspaper.

Road Safety in Dublin 15


Dear Editor,

I would like to use your widely read media to highlight growing concerns on the safety of roads in residential areas within Mulhuddart Constituency. I also wish to use this medium as another effort at drawing the attention of relevant authorities to this dire issue.

As a candidate in the upcoming local elections, I have been conducting door-to-door canvassing aimed at familiarising myself with fellow residents and fostering a shared understanding of common problems in our community with a view to a more effective representation. During my dialogues with local residents, one commonly recurring theme has been dissatisfaction with the safety provisions in the design and construction of roads in newly developed residential areas including Hazelbury, Linnetsfield, Latchford, Allendale, Phibstown, Ravenswood and Beechfield. Residents in these estates complained about inadequate (and sometimes misleading) road signage and markings, lack of speed calming measures, and insufficient pedestrian crossings. On one occasion, I had the dreadful experience of witnessing an accident in which a child was knocked down, fortunately with only minor injuries sustained. In a similar incident in Tyrresllstown, also in my constituency, a car recently mounted the kerb at a bus stop, crashing through it. Even more fortunately, on this occasion no one was harmed as the bus stop was empty.

Last year, following an independent assessment of the state public amenities in my constituency, I came to the conclusion that some of our roads are not safe enough. In this regard, I wrote a letter to Fingal Co Council highlighting this issue, though with particular reference to Tyrresllstown at that time. Furthermore, on my invitation the then Chief Superintendent John Toomey along with Superintendent John Harnet came and were conducted round the estate to have a first hand view of the situation. Following the visit, they promised to seek the relevant road safety audits from Fingal County Council and to follow up on the progress to ensure that the matter was looked into. I had also voiced this issue of road safety on several occasions at the periodic ‘Ethnic Garda Meetings’ where the Council and the Local Garda are represented. Unfortunately, all these efforts have yielded little in terms gaining the attention of relevant authorities.

It would be sad if we have to wait until an innocent life is lost before this issue is addressed. It is surprising that the Council allowed these developers to open up roads such as this to the public in the first place. It is hoped that these errors will provide a useful lesson that will ensure roads of this quality are not constructed in the future, and that no more estates will be built without a comprehensive plan on road safety. I call on the Co Council to urgently intervene with the introduction of speed calming measures such as ramps and speed limits as well as appropriate road signage on these roads.

Many thanks.

Ignatius (Iggy) Okafor
Tyrrellstown, Dublin 15
info@iggyokafor.com

Mulhuddart Cemetery

A very sensitive issue was brought to Ignatius’ attention last summer when he had attended Mulhuddart cemetery. He got chatting with a local he encountered cleaning up who bemoaned the ‘state of the place’ with rubbish. Ignatius has since committed to ensure the deserved upkeep and maintenance of the cemetery, even going so far as to organise regular clean-up days by volunteers as well as reminding the Council to fulfill their end in a proactive and participative approach. He is also pursuing the disgraceful and dangerous lack of pedestrian safe ways to and from, and across the busy section of road for visitors.

Local man hopes to make a difference to Tyrrelstown

Hello fellow Tyrrelstown residents,

Ignatius "Iggy" Okafor has lived in the Greater Blanchardstown Area since 2000 and moved to Tyrrelstown in 2004. He hoped to make his new community a home for himself and his young family. But Ignatius found out soon enough that Tyrrelstown lacked all the necessary facilities to make a community a true home. The lack of a proper community centre for young people, poor transportation links, apparent over-emphasis on the commercialisation of the area and the clear ‘divide and rule’ style of the 8 management associations make any sort of decision making and community cohesion extremely difficult.

For Ignatius, it was no surprise that the recent report commissioned by the Tyrrelstown Development Group: A Profile of the Needs of the Tyrrelstown Community – concluded that the area was not ‘sustainable’ in the long term. The report sponsored by the Blanchardstown Area Partnership, Fingal County Council, Foróige and other agencies slammed the lack of foresight on the part of planners and developers. The numerous issues that beset the relatively new 4000 home Tyrrelstown Community include among others: lack of proper bus services; the absence of a community facility which will provide opportunity for cultural, leisure, community, sports and other activities, including dedicated spaces for children and young people; a lack of Garda diversion plan to assist in checking low levels of crime, drugs and antisocial behaviour with visible, effective and community-friendly policing; poor services for preschool children with affordable childcare support in the area and a lack of a decent secondary school to address the current deficit in places. To make matters worse, the absence of a direct government plan to address these problems in a timely manner are major concern to residents of Tyrrelstown.

At a recent meeting at the Park Plaza, the residents clearly voiced a need for a local person to represent and champion their interests and Ignatius made a mental note to do his best for the area. Ignatius, like many other residents has felt helpless in the face of the numerous gross inadequacies of the Tyrrelstown Community but recently summoned the will to step in the gap on behalf of his ‘people’. Says Ignatius: “Tyrrelstown is my community and the people are my people; I know the problems in the area and the people’s problem are mine also”. He says he will use all legitimate means possible to continue to press for attention to be given to the issues and plights of the people in the area because his children and family stand to benefit when things get better.

Ignatius who works with the HSE at the Temple Street Hospital is a local community leader and the Executive Co-ordinator of the Mutual Cultural and Literary Exchange Centre (MCLEC).

Please post if you have an issues i can help with.

Ignatius "Iggy" Okafor
info@iggyokafor.com