Stars in the Hood 2010 an Opening of the Moyross Community Garden
Posted 14 years ago, 08 Aug 2010
by Mark Hester
This is the garden that the Moyross Residents Alliance built with the help of its members.
This garden was the Brain Child of Tommy Daly and his friend Cathal.
These were three perfect houses where the garden stands now. Tommy Daly wishes to thank all the people of Moyross for their help with the garden.
Another big day for Chairperson for events James Daly of the MRA in bringing stars in the hood to moyross and also the opening of Delmege Park Community garden in which James and his dad Chairperson of the MRA and all the members of the MRA who made these events happen. Again James the people of Moyross and surrounding area's salute you for a job well done.
An Garda Síochána Vs The Franciscan Friars of the Renewal
Posted 14 years ago, 03 May 2010
by Cathal Mc Carthy
On Sunday 16th May 2010, at 2pm, Shelbourne Park will bear witness to an historical event of biblical proportions. The 'Monks of Moyross' will take on the Gardaí in a soccer Charity Cup Match to raise money for Irish Cancer Research and Special Olympics.
Moyross resident and organiser of the charity event, Jamie Daly, explains his motives:
"I was talking one day with my good friend and neighbour, Fr. Paulus of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, I was reminiscing about my grandmother, Mary McMahon (nee O'Connell) and how she died in Milford Hospice when I was a child. I was telling Fr. Paulus about my grandmother's generosity and kindness and how much of a character she was. Suddenly it dawned on me that the terrible moans and groans that I used to hear while visiting her were from other people dying of cancer. Fr. Paulus suggested that with my success in coaching the Moyross B team that I might be able to organise something"
"This got me thinking about other people and I recalled a good friend I had when I lived in England, Seán McManus. Sean was a great character and would always greet you with a hug. Seán had Downs Syndrome and always talked about taking part in the Special Olympics. I decided to organise an event to raise money for both charities."
"I started talking about it with my friend, Andrew Keogh, who's mother died from cancer, and before I knew it there was overwhelming support for the event (I've been organising events in Moyross since I was 12 but this must be the biggest one yet)."
"As a member of the Moyross Residents' Alliance (MRA) I raised the matter at a committee meeting and the MRA agreed to sponsor the event with support from Limerick Regeneration Watch"
"We formed a sub-committee to better organise the event: Chair, Jamie Daly; Vice-Chair, Andrew Keogh; Treasurer, Bernie Leech; PRO, Dean Quinn (085 24 06 308)"
"I was born in Moyross and I am proud of my home and my family. I am often upset by the way in which Moyross is portrayed in the media as a no-go gangland area; this does not reflect the majority of people who live here"
"On the day we will have Moyross hero, Bobby Ryan (formerly of Dunfermline Athletic now with Galway United) and Keith Errols (who plays rugby for Munster and Ireland) hopes to be available for the event. Pat Shortt has agreed to coach the Monks and there are a lot more celebrities and special guests to be confirmed.
"It is my hope that this event will do more than just raise money for Cancer Research and Special Olympics, it is my hope that it will demonstrate to the wider community in Limerick that Moyross is a community that cares."
"I would like to thank the main sponsors of the event, the Moyross Resident's Alliance, Limerick City Taxi's and Hassette's Sports Bar for helping to kick-start things by donating over €2,000. I would also like to thank the Moyross B-Team for all their support, Limerick City Council and Shelbourne AFC for use of the pitch, and thanks to the Northside Regeneration Agency for the use of their board room to hold meetings, printing the leaflets and paying for the souvenir programme that will be available on the day.
For Further information contact Jamie Daly: 086 086 40 94
Regeneration agency biggest gang in Moyross
Posted 15 years ago, 09 Jun 2009
by Cathal Mc Carthy
Chairperson of the Moyross Residents' Alliance, Tommy Daly, has accused Limerick's Regeneration Chief, Brendan Kenny, of engaging in bullyboy tactics with Moyross residents.
Three vacant houses, No.'s 52, 53 & 54 Delemege Park, in the square where Mr. Daly lives are being targeted for demolition next week. The houses are in the middle of a terrace of five and are not derelict.
"When I asked if the residents living at each end of the terrace had been consulted I was told they don't matter, they're only tenants" said Mr. Daly who is opposed to the demolition of the three houses.
"Last year, the Moyross Residents Alliance provided Limerick City Council and the Northside Regeneration Agency with a list of Moyross tenants who are willing to relocate to these houses. These people are living next to actual derelict houses and are enduring ongoing acts of anti-social behaviour," said Mr. Daly "Our depopulation / repopulation proposal could save the taxpayer millions of Euro, but the Northside Regeneration Agency won't even acknowledge our existence", he said.
"Knocking these houses is an attempt to run down our area and demoralise the people living here. We are in the middle of a Community clean up to make our area look normal. We're sick of 'poverty tourists' coming in here and taking photos of the monk's graffiti. The place looked a holy show, so decided to organise a clean up and paint in windows and doors. We were only informed about the demolition on Monday; when an engineer came down to examine the houses. This will make the place look worse than ever and leave residents vulnerable to anti-social behaviour," said Mr. Daly
"Why aren't they targeting derelict houses for demolition? Why target these perfectly good houses when people are willing to live in them? We were told we could wait while our new houses were being built before any demolition would take place, that they would only knock derelict houses. It should be obvious to everyone that regeneration is nothing to do with people or Communities; it's all about land grabbing," said Mr. Daly. "They want to run the place down to run us out" he added.
Mr. Daly said that the majority of residents in Friars Square are opposed to the demolition and will take a class action against Limerick City Council and the Northside Regeneration Agency should they proceed.
"One of our residents is elderly and has a heart condition and is stressed out about the whole affair, no one from the Agency or the Council bothered to consult with him because he is a tenant. People are worried that houses will be knocked and the Agency will walk away with nothing built. I hope common sense prevails and people are put before profit. Our Community has suffered a lot and survived two murders in the same square. Now the Agency is trying to finish us of. As far as I'm concerned, they're the biggest gang of all," he concluded.
Regeneration needs to be about the people!
Posted 16 years ago, 02 Nov 2008
by Cathal Mc Carthy
The Moyross Residents' Alliance welcomes the recent public statement of Mr. Kieran Lehane, Director of Housing at Limerick City Council, regarding the ongoing depopulation of Moyross.
Mr. Lehane said, "Some people are requesting transfers out of Moyross because they don't want to live there anymore even though their houses are in good condition. If we cannot find some one to let the house to then we have to protect it from possible vandalism or damage and we have no choice but to board it up."
We see this statement as an acknowledgement by Limerick City Council of its failure and the failure of other state agencies to implement the Fitzgerald Report and "restore confidence and stability in the communities".
We especially welcome the fact that Limerick City Council now seems open to repopulating the boarded up houses. This would enable people to stay in Moyross as they wait for their new homes to be built while freeing up houses for demolition.
We will be supplying Limerick City Council with the names and addresses of law-abiding people that want to be re-housed within Moyross while we await regeneration.
Presently, Limerick City Council proposes to spend €2.8 million of taxpayers money to rent private houses in other estates and sublet them to people from regeneration areas. However, our depopulation / repopulation approach would save millions in taxpayers money while at the same time revitalising parts of Moyross and raising the communities spirit.
We have the full support of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, who have welcomed the prospect of seeing the boarded up houses in their neighbourhood occupied with people once again.
We also have the support of the Northside Regeneration Agency; both Paul Foley and Michael O'Kelly of the Northside Regeneration Agency have expressed their personal support for our strategy.
Regeneration needs to be about people. Take for example the case of one elderly resident whose health is failing and who lives in a block where all the other houses are derelict.
Limerick City Council have approached him on numerous occasions and offered him rental accommodation elsewhere in the city, which he has declined. However, this resident would be willing to vacate his home if he could move to Delmege Park where his immediate family live and would be in a better position to take care of him.This particular part of Delmege Park has no derelict houses, but six of them are boarded up.
If Limerick City Council could facilitate this man, and others like him, then we would begin have a regeneration process that puts the community first. More blocks would become empty and our council could hand these over to the Regeneration Agency for legal demolition. It is our continuing hope that common sense and decency will prevail.
We will be presenting our first list of names to a meeting of the Social Policy and Housing Strategic Policy Committee, due to be held in City hall on Monday 3rd November.
Majority of residents want to stay!
Posted 16 years ago, 27 Oct 2008
by Cathal Mc Carthy
The Moyross Residents' Alliance welcomes the forthcoming publication of the Plan for the regeneration of Limerick and look forward to studying it carefully. However, it is clear that any proposed physical regeneration of our troubled estates will take many years to complete. Therefore, the immediate challenge for both Limerick City Council and the Northside Regeneration Agency must be to ensure that residents enjoy the confidence and stability promised by the Fitzgerald Report, while we await construction of our new homes.
Since the publication of the Fitzgerald Report Limerick City Council has spent millions of Euro acquiring peoples homes for as little as €20,000 in exchange for rented accommodation in other estates.
Acceptance of the councils offer is conveniently interpreted as 'wanting to leave' and people lose their right to a new house in the newly regenerated area. Council tenants are also being re-located. Most of the people that have moved out are law-abiding and decent. But it should be acknowledged that in its rush to depopulate, Limerick City Council has also displaced some troubled families, denying them the opportunity of social regeneration. This policy may not be illegal, but it is immoral.
Simply put, it is taking advantage of the disadvantaged.
More worryingly, it has now been brought to our attention that a senior member of the Limerick Regeneration Board is going around Moyross threatening homeowners that their homes will be compulsory purchased if they refuse the Council offer.
The ongoing depopulation of Moyross by Limerick City Council is undermining the hope and goodwill that residents initially had towards regeneration. Perfectly good houses are being boarded up as people vacate and parts of Moyross that used to look normal now look run-down and frightening. This degeneration process must stop.
We propose that Limerick City Council repopulate these houses with people already living in the area. This would enable people to stay in Moyross as they wait for their new homes to be built while freeing up houses for demolition.
Presently, Limerick City Council proposes to spend €2.8 million of taxpayers money to rent private houses in other estates and sublet them to people from regeneration areas. However, our depopulation / repopulation approach would save millions in taxpayers money while at the same time revitalising parts of Moyross and raising the communities spirit. Furthermore, both Paul Foley and Michael O'Kelly of the Northside Regeneration Agency have expressed their support for our strategy.
Unfortunately, the Northside Regeneration Agency have told us that Limerick City Council have refused to even consider our proposal as they intend to knock all the houses in the next 18 months.
This is nothing short of ludicrous.
Firstly, Limerick City Council cannot legally demolish a house unless it is declared derelict. In fact, our council is legally obliged to let out any house it acquires that is not derelict.
Secondly, it is envisaged that the physical regeneration of Moyross will take 5 to 10 years, so how can all our homes be demolished in the next 18 months if our new homes won't be ready?
We will be supplying Limerick City Council with the names and addresses of law-abiding people that want to be re-housed within Moyross while we await regeneration.
Regeneration needs to be about people. Take for example the case of one elderly resident whose health is failing and who lives in a block where all the other houses are derelict.
Limerick City Council have approached him on numerous occasions and offered him rental accommodation elsewhere in the city, which he has declined. However, this resident would be willing to vacate his home if he could move to Delmege Park where his immediate family live and would be in a better position to take care of him.
This particular part of Delmege Park has no derelict houses, but six of them are boarded up.
If Limerick City Council could facilitate this man, and others like him, then we would begin have a regeneration process that puts the community first. More blocks would become empty and our council could hand these over to the Regeneration Agency for legal demolition. It is our hope that common sense and decency will prevail.
Meeting Behind Closed Doors
Posted 16 years ago, 23 Mar 2008
by Cathal Mc Carthy
Chairperson of the Moyross Residents' Alliance, Tommy Daly, attended a meeting of the curiously titled 'Moyross Partners' on 18th March 2009. Mr. Daly said that he wasn't formally invited to the meeting but was asked to accompany a resident who believed that a regeneration meeting was taking place.
"The meeting wasn't open to ordinary residents but was discussing matters and making decisions that will affect all the residents of Moyross," said Mr. Daly
Representatives the of Paul Partnership, Community Enterprise Board, Limerick City Council, the Northside Regeneration Agency and the Agency-run residents forum were in attendance.
"These meetings are taking place every month and yet ordinary residents don't know what's going on because no one is telling them. What is the point in having these meetings if the residents of Moyross are not being informed? Indeed, what's the point in having a resident's forum when there is no real debate? The decision to demolish our estate was made over our heads and the area is being deliberately run down so that people will want to move out. In my view, the residents of Moyross were very poorly represented by those purporting to do so at the meeting."
Mr. Daly said that "one so-called residents rep challenged my presence at the meeting and had the affront to ask me where and when the Moyross Residents Alliance held our meetings. I informed the meeting that the MRA holds regular committee meetings and had written to both Limerick City Council and Mr. Brendan Kenny of the Regeneration Agency on numerous occasions but had never once received a reply."
"The Moyross Residents Alliance is the only independent residents group in Moyross and we are the only group informing residents of their rights. People are being bought out for a pittance and tenants are being displaced. The place is being run down and is not properly policed. The residents' forum is a bad joke, leading residents by nose and not defending people's rights." said Mr. Daly
"We invited the Dublin based Tenants First to Moyross and we tried to get the community hall to hold a Tenants First workshop to help empower residents, but we were refused. No one from the residents' forum bothered to attend a Tenants First workshop in Dublin when they were invited. The MRA has a constitution and is now affiliated to the newly established Limerick Regeneration Watch, a citywide organisation for residents living in regeneration areas. We will continue to defend residents rights and we will not be brow beaten or bullied by anyone," he concluded.
ENDS.
Note to Editor: The Moyross Residents Alliance is representative of both homeowners and tenants living in Moyross and was formed to ensure that all residents have their rights upheld during the regeneration process. The local regeneration committees seem to be failing in this regard and are not representing our views. So far over 250 households are affiliated, with more joining everyday .- 23/03/08
