A popular community group is in high need of sponsorship and funding to avoid closing down
Jobstown’s Walk and Talk founded by Stephen Brennan in 2022 grew bigger and bigger over two years as it offered people in the area an opportunity to get out of the house and chat their problems away
and occasional group trips like last September’s hike to Snowdon Peak in Wales all have costs that Stephen can’t keep covering alone
and I really want to put it out there that I need help and sponsorships
Stephen pays for transport for people to get to the walks’ and hikes’ starting points
and water to wait for them at the end of their walks
“At the moment I’m only charging people €10
Stephen already received a few messages from local people
some committing to throw “a hundred euro here and there,” some to help with setting up donations and raffles
and I have a full-time job and two kids,” Stephen told The Echo
but he believes that with someone else on his side
he can get everything “up and running” soon and get sponsorship on top of it
who won the Learning and Innovation Award at Tallaght Person of the Year 2024
improved people’s physical and mental health in his area through his own initiative and is now asking for external support to keep doing it
CLONDALKIN Rugby Club senior men’s team had plenty to shout about when they claimed the Leinster League Division Two A title. It’s the first time ... <a class="item-read-more" title="WATCH: Active South Dublin February Team: Clondalkin Rugby Club senior men’s team" href="https://www.echo.ie/watch-active-south-dublin-february-team-clondalkin-rugby-club-senior-mens-team/#more">Read More </a>
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GARDAÍ IN TALLAGHT have renewed their appeal for information regarding the murder of Tadhg Delaney
The 50-year-old was found unresponsive in the front garden of a residence on Dromcarra Avenue
He was pronounced dead at Tallaght Hospital and a post-mortem examination subsequently led to a murder investigation
This investigation is being led by a Senior Investigating Officer from the incident room at Tallaght Garda Station
two individuals have been arrested and gardaí continue to follow several lines of inquiry
Investigators are appealing to anyone who was in the Dromcarra Avenue area of Jobstown between 5pm and 8.30pm on Wednesday 15 November last year to come forward
They are also appealing to people who may have video footage
including motorists with dash-cam recordings
Kilclare and Cheeverstown Road/N81 areas during this period
Anyone with information is asked to contact Tallaght Garda Station on 01 666 6000
the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111
The investigation is ongoing and further updates will follow
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JOBSTOWN Celtic remain top of the Leinster Senior League Major Division following their hard-fought 2-1 victory over Ballyoulster United in Jobstown Park on Sunday
The Tallaght side had to fight tooth and nail for this win after Ballyoulster piled on the pressure in the last quarter but were denied by keeper Stephen Conlon who pulled off a number of vital saves
The first half was evenly matched with David Simpsons deflected goal after 20 minutes proving the difference between the sides after Jamie Henderson set him up
It was still evenly balanced in the early stages on the second half until Jobstown doubled their lead on the hour mark which turned out to be a crucial score
Henderson won a corner for the hosts and with Glen McAuley scoring directly from the resulting corner to deceive the Ballyoulster defence and keeper
Jobstown had one other opportunity when Henderson tried to chip the keeper
Jobstown Celtic stay stop of the Major Division after a hard fought victory over Ballyoulster Photos by Anthony O’Brien
the game took another twist when Jobstown were reduced to 10 players and then the visitors pulled a goal back from Adam Kenny
It was backs to the walls for the home side in the closing minutes as Ballyoulster applied the pressure but could find no way through
Keeper Stephen Conlon pulled off several vital saves especially in stoppage time as Jobstown held out for a vital win
Having only dropped points against Ballyoulster in the league after a 4-4 draw earlier in the campaign
this was a vital win for the Jobstown side who occupy top spot
The team is also into the last 16 of the Leinster Junior Cup and the quarter-final of the Kevin Nugent Cup so all is going well at this stage of the season
Gardai at the scene of the shooting in November 2023
A man has been arrested by gardai investigating a shooting incident at a house in Tallaght
was arrested this morning and is being quizzed by gardaí in relation to the discharge of a firearm at a home in the Swiftbrook area on November
A woman who is aged in her 30s was shot in the leg in the incident that was related to an ongoing feud in the area
who received hospital treatment for her injuries
has no involvement in the bitter Tallaght feud that had led to numerous shooting incidents
Armed garda patrols were increased in the area and a number of men were arrested and charged before the courts with a wide variety of offences including firearms charges linked to the bitter dispute
“It is something of a miracle that no-one has been killed yet in this feud,” a source told us at the time
Sources say that the dispute started over a seven figure drugs debt
“Gardaí and emergency services attended the scene of a number of incidents in Tallaght yesterday evening
Tuesday 21st November 2023,” a garda spokesman said at the time of the shooting
gardaí received reports of the discharge of a firearm at a residential premises in the Jobstown area
presented to Tallaght Hospital with a suspected gunshot injury
Her injuries are believed to be non-life threatening
“Later in the evening Gardaí and emergency services attended incidents of criminal damage by fire of a car and of a house at separate locations in the Jobstown area
“Scenes have been put in place by Gardaí and technical examinations are ongoing
Investigating gardaí issued an appeal to anyone who was in the Jobstown area
who may have witnessed these incidents to come forward
“Gardaí are appealing to those with camera footage or to any motorist with dash cam footage to make it available to them
“Anyone with information is asked to contact Tallaght Garda Station on 01 666 6000 or at the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111,” he added
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Tadgh Delaney was found unresponsive in the front garden of a residence on Dromcarra Avenue, Jobstown, Tallaght, shortly before 8:30pm on November 15, 2023.
Mr Delaney was found unresponsive in the front garden of a residence on Dromcarra Avenue
The investigation is being led by a Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) from the incident room at Tallaght Garda Station
two individuals have been arrested as part of the investigation
while Gardaí continue to follow several lines of inquiry
Gardaí are once again appealing for anyone with relevant information to come forward
Investigators are particularly appealing to anyone who was in the Dromcarra Avenue area of Jobstown between 5pm and 8.30pm on Wednesday
they are appealing to those who may have video footage
and Cheeverstown Road / N81 areas during this period
Anyone with information is asked to contact Tallaght Garda Station at 01 666 6000 or the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station
"The investigation is ongoing and further updates will follow," a Garda spokesperson said
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 Marking: XX Alison O’Reilly: 24/04/25 Frances (&quot;Fran&quot;) O’Keeffe
looks towards her sister Molly during a deeply emotional moment
with Fran finding ways to communicate through her eyes and body language
As a child Fran spent time in the foster home later linked to serious abuse allegations in the Grace case
Fran lives with serious ongoing health issues caused by the damage afflicted on her bowel
Her family have waived their anonymity to expose the failures of the State
Gardaí are renewing their appeal for information regarding the murder of a man in Tallaght last year
Tadgh Delaney was found unresponsive in the Jobstown area on the 15th of November 2023
The 50-year-old was taken to Tallaght Hospital after he was discovered unconscious in the front garden of a home on Dromcarra Avenue shortly before 8:30pm
and a murder investigation was launched following the results of a post-mortem exam
Two people have been arrested as part of the investigation so far
and Gardaí say they are following several lines of inquiry
Gardaí are appealing for anyone with information to come forward
particularly anyone who was in the Dromcarra Avenue area between 5pm and 8:30pm on the evening
and anyone with video footage from the Dromcarra
Anyone with information is asked to contact Tallaght Garda Station
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IRELAND’S greatest ever goal scorer Robbie Keane watched on as Old County FC booked their spot in the third round of the FAI Junior Cup after a 2-1 win over Jobstown Celtic
A bumper crowd of up to 500 people attended the game including Keane who was in attendance in Brickfield to watch his nephew
An early Old County goal from Eoghan Rowe had been cancelled out by former Liverpool man Glen McAuley
before seven minutes into the second half Zach Furey got the winner to send the Crumlin club into the next round
Old County started the game on the front foot and went ahead after Callum Keane found Eoghan Rowe inside the Jobstown box
who knocked his finish on the half volley into the top right-hand corner
Jobstown began to put more pressure on the hosts and that is how they found their equaliser
Old County FC booked their spot in the third round of the FAI Junior Cup with a victory over Jobstown Celtic
A long clearance from County keeper Jamie Cleary only found Lennon Dillon who knocked the ball back up field which eventually fell to Darragh Murphy and his deft backheel set up Glen McAuley to calmly finish past Cleary
County started the second half in a similar style to their first
and they got their winner on 52 minutes after a well worked throw in allowed Kyle Dunphy to square for Zach Furey who made no mistake with his finish
The Crumlin club head to Ardmore this weekend in the Leinster Junior Cup
having beaten the Bray side 6-0 in their previous league meeting
With four wins on the bounce in the league and the victory in Brickfield at the weekend
County will be confident of progression to the next round of the Junior Cup
JOBSTOWN boxing club had a hugely successful weekend at the Emerald boxing Cup and the U18 National Championships
Adam Olanyian won the 92kg U18 Irish title
Tiffany Spencer won the 48kg u18 national title
while Ava McCabe won the 44kg Irish national bout At the prestigious Emerald Box Cup
Olanyian won the 92kg title after a walkover
and will now head to Montenegro in October as part of the u18 Irish World Championship team
Josh Olanyian will head to Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of the U22 Irish World Championship squad after he defeated his English opponent to capture the 75kg title
The D24 boxing club had four other winners at the tournament which was held in the Tallaght Leisure Centre
Siena Fitzpatrick won the 60kg bout while Brandon Geoghegan captured the 60kg title after defeating his English opponent
Geoghegan had three bouts across the weekend and also picked up the best male youth individual boxer award at the tournament
Preparations for both the u18 national bouts and the Emerald Cup had been ongoing for eight weeks prior to both events
Seven coaches volunteer at the boxing club
Jobstown boxing club has 45 national titles and 5 European medallists in the past 10 years
The success the boxing club achieved certainly wouldn’t be possible without the hard work of the coaches
and also Performance 24 gym which sponsored both Adam Olanyian and Brandon Geoghegan for their strength and conditioning in the build up to both boxer’s respective bouts
A POVERTY report published this week found that Cappaghmore
Fettercairn and Killinarden are areas with “extreme disadvantage”
Poverty and Deprivation Levels in South Dublin County’
the report was compiled by a community network called the Rights Platform
It found that deprivation levels in Cappaghmore
Jobstown and Glenshane had increased by 50 per cent from 2016 to 2022 and were the most disadvantaged areas in the report
The report noted that a quarter of people in Cappaghmore and Foxdene were unemployed
while a third of people in Glenshane and Jobstown were unemployed
“Claims that we have near full employment in Ireland need to be more circumspect,” according to the report
“Full employment is a deceptive term,” it was stated elsewhere in the report
“It does not apply in many of the poor areas in South Dublin: unemployment rates vary from 23 per cent to almost 33 per cent.”
the study found that the people who most experience poverty in South Dublin County are people with disabilities and long-term illnesses at 27.3 per cent
This is followed by households of one person under 65-years-old at 27.1 per cent
and single-parent households with children under 18 at 19.2 per cent
the average lone-parent household rate is 53.9 per cent
compared to the national of average of 10.1 percent
The report concluded that “cost-of-living increases cut across every strata of society
but [the] impact on those existing on [the] bare minimum is very severe.”
The report also criticised “no urgency of response” to the high levels of poverty in the locality and said that national averages measuring poverty “conceal huge pockets of poverty”
The figures compiled in the report were sourced from Census 2022
and the Study of Income and Living Conditions 2023
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Solidarity TD Paul Murphy is demanding a full independent inquiry into the Garda investigation of the Jobstown protest after his acquittal yesterday.
councillors Michael Murphy and Kieran Mahon
Frank Donaghy and Michael Banks celebrate after being found not guilty of the false imprisonment of then-tánaiste Joan Burton
The six defendants were cleared of all charges by the jury at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
nine weeks after the Jobstown protest trial opened
It took a jury just three hours and 10 minutes to return unanimous verdicts of not guilty
erupted in cheers as the verdicts were handed down shortly after midday
and several supporters broke down in tears
Judge Melanie Greally told the men once the crowd calmed down: “You have been found not guilty
Mr Murphy said the decision of the jury meant that an inquiry into how gardaí handled the investigation is required
“The Director of [Public] Prosecutions can only decide to prosecute based on the file given to them by gardaí and certainly it is our view a lot in that file was not true
there has to be an investigation,” he said
Mr Murphy also called for the charges against 11 other persons present on the day to be dropped because he said “the entire investigation is tainted”
The six men had been on trial since April 26
charged with falsely imprisoning former tánaiste Joan Burton and her adviser Karen O’Connell for three hours during a water charges protest in Jobstown
All six defendants had pleaded not guilty to falsely imprisoning Ms Burton and Ms O’Connell by restricting their personal liberty without their consent at Fortunestown Road
were dropped at the conclusion of the prosecution case after Judge Greally ruled the extension of his garda detention in February 2015 was unlawful
from Kingswood Heights in Tallaght; Councillor Michael Murphy
from Whitechurch Way in Ballyboden in Dublin; Councillor Kieran Mahon
from Bolbrook Grove in Tallaght; 34-year-old Scott Masterson
from Carrigmore Drive in Tallaght; 71-year-old Frank Donaghy from Alpine Rise in Tallaght
and 46-year-old Michael Banks from Brookview Green in Tallaght
the jury asked to watch garda air support video footage taken on the day of the Jobstown protest
In her initial charge to the jury on Monday
Judge Melanie Greally outlined the definition of the charge of false imprisonment
which she said must involve “total restraint”
offered no comment to the verdict other than to say she will make comment in the coming days
Solidarity TD Mick Barry described the outcome of the case as “a stunning defeat for the political establishment” who wanted “to create a powerful chill factor” to stop protests
He described Ms Burton as the “star witness for the State” in the case and accused the Labour Party of “a shabby attempt to frame socialists for standing up for their communities”
Mr Barry said the Government used the Jobstown incident in an “attempt to gain revenge against those of us on the Left who have defeated you on the issue of water charges”
“The Government is wasting a fortune in taxpayers’ money on these cases
The Left are on the front foot now,” he said
Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald said the Dáil should not “rerun the evidence”: “We respect the court decision of course
The jury makes it decision and justice takes it course
in this House we have always followed the precedent of not commenting on it in detail
as in many court cases there is always the possibility of appeal
and I intend to continue to do that today.”
<a href="/maintopics/courts_topic-24.html">more courts articles</a>
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</a>Solidarity TD Paul Murphy and five others were found not guilty on Thursday of the false imprisonment of former Labour Party leader Joan Burton and her assistant during a water charges protest in 2014.
The six had faced charges of the false imprisonment of Ms Burton and her then assistant Karen O'Connell, on November 15th, 2014, on the Fortunestown Road, Jobstown, Tallaght, Dublin.
The jury announced its decision just after midday and after slightly less than three hours of deliberations.
Mr Murphy was the first of the accused to hear the jury’s verdict, and there was huge cheering and clapping in the packed courtroom when it was announced that he had been found not guilty. The courtroom then quietened as the jury forewoman announced the verdict in relation to the other accused. When the last verdict was announced, there was more loud cheering and clapping.
Some people stood and clapped, others gave a thumbs up to the jury, and some cried. Others chanted “No way, we won’t pay” in reference to opposition to water charges.
Friends and partners rushed to the accused and embraced them. All of the verdicts were unanimous.
Mr Murphy, of Kingswood Heights, Tallaght, was one of six men who had pleaded not guilty to the false imprisonment of Ms Burton and Ms O’Connell, by restricting their personal liberty without their consent, on November 15th, 2014.
Apart from Mr Murphy, the other accused were Solidarity councillors Kieran Mahon, Bolbrook Grove, Tallaght and Michael Murphy, Whitechurch Way, Ballyboden; Scott Masterson, Carrigmore Drive, Tallaght; Frank Donaghy, of Alpine Rise, Belgard Heights, Tallaght; and Michael Banks, Brookview Green, Tallaght.
Judge Melanie Greally told the men they were free to go and thanked the jury for their work on what she said was a difficult trial. It began on April 26th, and lasted nine weeks.
The judge finished her charge to the jury on Wednesday afternoon.
It is understood that while some jurors thought there had been no false imprisonment of Ms Burton and Ms O’Connell, others felt there had been, but that it could not be said that the accused were responsible.
However, he said he was discharging the youth conditionally on good behaviour for nine months. The teenager will not have a criminal record.
Earlier on Thursday, the jury asked to view video footage taken by a Garda helicopter on the day to consider the question of whether an SUV containing the former tánaiste Ms Burton could have reversed away from water charges protesters.
The trial has heard that, at one stage, gardaí in the helicopter suggested that the SUV might be able to reverse out of where it was being obstructed by an angry crowd of protesters.
In her charge to the jury, which she completed early on Wednesday afternoon, the judge said there were three possible exit routes which the jury might consider when assessing whether Ms Bruton, and Ms O’Connell, were falsely imprisoned during the Jobstown protest.
In her charge, the judge told the jury that in order for an offence of false imprisonment to occur, the persons affected must have no reasonable route available to them to exit where they are allegedly being detained.
The detention must be “total”, she explained.
The trial, which began on April 26th in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, lost one juror who had to withdraw for personal reasons.
Addressing the media and supporters outside the court building, Paul Murphy said that the ruling in the Children’s Court should now be overturned.
He said what had happened in court had been “disgusting”. Joan Burton had attempted to “criminalise a working class community”. He estimated that millions of euro had been spent trying to “criminalise sit down protest”.
The charges were an attempt to “cut across” the resurgence of the left and to pre-emptively “strike off at the legs” a broad section of the left and the working class people, who were getting organised. It was an attempt to “put people back in their box”.
He said the accused had “won this because of the campaign we had outside of court as well as inside of court”, and because they had had “a really good jury”.
Michael Banks read out a statement on behalf of all the men.
“We spent nine weeks in court and we’re now vindicated, can walk free from the courts proven to be protesters and not criminals,” he said.
Colm Keena is an Irish Times journalist. He was previously legal-affairs correspondent and public-affairs correspondent
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</a>CCTV footage shows Paul Murphy approaching the grounds of St Thomas’s Church, in Jobstown, Dublin, at 12.20pm on November 15th, 2014. He is carrying a loudhailer.
Inside the church the then tánaiste and Labour Party leader Joan Burton was attending an event organised by the An Cosán continuing education project for a number of graduates.
There had been a short procession from the An Cosán building to the church, during which Bruton had been verbally abused by water charges protesters. She had been hit on the back of the head with a water balloon. Her then-adviser, Karen O’Connell, was hit on the head with an egg.
The few gardaí that were there to provide security were getting worried, because there were more and more protesters gathering and the mood was hostile. A call went out for back-up.
An unmarked Avensis was driven into the church grounds and parked, facing the wall, next to a side door. Burton was advised that she would have to leave and a few minutes later, accompanied by O’Connell, the two women and a few gardaí came out the side door and hurried towards the unmarked car.
They were spotted by protesters. CCTV shows them quickly surrounding the Avensis so it was unable to move. The car was trapped against the church wall with the two women inside. It was 12.45pm.
The State would later argue that what happened from then on constituted the false imprisonment of Burton and O’Connell.
Courier and Éirígí activist Scott Masterson (34) was among the first of the protesters to reach the Avensis. He was joined by, among others, Murphy, Solidarity councillors with South Dublin County Council Michael Murphy (53) and Kieran Mahon (39); retired construction worker Frank Donaghy (71), who had been out getting petrol for his car when he spotted the water charges protest and joined in; and Michael Banks (46).
The scene was heated and chaotic. Video footage taken by some of those present would later be used in the trial of the above-named men. It showed a scene of anger and mayhem, with people banging on the car and shouting political slogans and personal abuse, while the inadequate number of gardaí struggled to keep people back.
The footage shown to the trial included some taken from inside the car . In one clip Paul Murphy could be seen standing alongside Banks . Banks is smiling and gives the two fingers to the two women. “Up your a**e Joan,” he says.
There were 50 or more people gathered round the car, some thumping , some chanting “ shame on you”.
Minister for Children and An Cosán founder Katherine Zappone didn’t like what she was seeing. She dialled 999 and called for more gardaí. “I felt deeply concerned,” she told the court. “I felt scared.”
The most senior Garda officer present, Insp Derek Maguire, said he tried to speak with Paul Murphy, but the TD refused to engage.
Some of the protesters sat on the ground behind the car. More gardaí arrived. Soon after 1pm they tried to forcibly remove the protesters who were sitting on the ground, but they locked arms.
Footage showed a number of uniformed gardaí pulling at Murphy, who was sitting on the ground. The gardaí were dragging on his top and a woman leaned in to open its zip because the top was being pulled up against Murphy’s throat and was choking him.
The top came off, leaving Murphy bare-chested but still resisting. Soon after this, gardaí abandoned their effort. The scene then calmed down.
However, both Burton and O’Connell would later say they were at all times concerned, and sometimes terrified . Some members of the crowd were banging on the car roof. The women were worried the crowd might be able to open the car doors and pull them out.
“Bitch”, “c**t” and “whore” were among the names being hurled at Burton as the chanting of political slogans was mixed with violent personal abuse. Burton said there was one woman standing beside the car who was beside herself with rage. “She was wishing all kinds of stuff on me. Illnesses. Death.”
After the arrival of Supt Daniel Flavin the decision was made to move the women to a marked Garda SUV at the church gates. The gardaí formed two lines so that the women could run inside a cordon to the waiting SUV. The women were told to move.
Both women described having to run between the Garda lines as a particularly frightening experience. The crowd was angry and surging forward. Video footage showed the cordon collapsed almost immediately. The run from one vehicle to the other took about 30 seconds. One protester could be heard shouting: “Get the c**nts!” It was 1.36pm.
O’Connell said she was absolutely petrified. The crowd was “swarming around” and it felt like an “angry mob”. She was crying and hyperventilating. “I felt very, very fearful and very, very scared.”
Although the cordon quickly imploded, the women managed to reach the SUV. As O’Connell was getting in a protester grabbed the collar of her coat but a garda pulled the hand away. The women got in. Someone smashed the windscreen. Eggs and other objects were being thrown .
The protesters then fought to prevent the SUV leaving through the church gate. Footage showed that Paul Murphy was one of the first to arrive to frustrate the SUV’s progress.
“People very deliberately stationed themselves in front of the Jeep to make sure it couldn’t move even though people were being caught up in the squeeze,” Garda Jonathan Ryan told the trial. It was “a very dangerous situation”.
At one point a woman fell over and he went to help her up. After he did so, Banks started calling him a “woman beater, a disgrace, a uniformed scumbag, and a coward”. Banks, he said, knew that in fact he had helped the women. He was trying to goad him into losing his temper, Ryan said.
The SUV managed to inch its way out the church gate and onto the Fortunestown Road, with gardaí pushing the crowd forward so the vehicle could occupy the small space created.
Burton said the gardaí outside the vehicle were getting “a horrible time. They were being pushed and shoved and pelted with eggs”.
Det Garda Richard Hansen said he overheard Paul Murphy at one stage saying to another man: “They have no more coming. We’ll stop it here.” He took this to mean that there were no more gardaí coming, and that the protesters would stop the forward progress of the vehicle.
Later, members of the Garda Public Order Unit turned up and made a concerted effort to remove the people . It didn’t work. As one protester was wrestled away, they would be replaced by another.
Paul Murphy was among those who resisted the Garda effort. The crowd was growing and temperatures were rising. Protesters were sitting in front of the SUV and even the slow forward movement of the vehicle was no longer possible. A number of hundreds of people were surrounding the Garda Jeep.
Sgt Brian Boland of the Public Order Unit said the situation was the most violent he had dealt with. After the failed effort to pull the protesters from blocking the Jeep, he looked down and “there at my feet” was Paul Murphy.
The two men discussed the situation. Murphy said it was a peaceful protest and that people had a right to engage in acts of civil disobedience.
Boland said at this stage the protest had been going on for two and a half hours, and it was getting dangerous. The right to protest and to assembly had to be balanced with other rights, he said.
When he asked how the matter could be resolved, Murphy said his starting point was that the public order unit would have to be removed.
Video of what happened subsequently was shown to the trial. There was a dispute about whether there was a “deal” between the gardaí and Murphy, but there could be no disputing that, following a discussion, there was a “vote” held, which seemingly backed the idea that, in return for the withdrawal of the Garda unit, the slow march would resume. That is what happened.
The POU withdrew, the Jeep resumed its slow progress, and the jostling and name-calling and general mayhem continued up the Fortunestown Road.
As the Jeep neared the bypass, it became apparent it was not going to be allowed to leave. Sgt Boland said he again approached Paul Murphy and asked him to intercede in an effort to have the Jeep be allowed to go, but Murphy said he had no mandate for such an effort. He also, the Garda told the court, said that he had “lost control” of the crowd.
For the second time the two women were told by gardaí that they would have to move to another vehicle. When the moment came, Burton got out of the car and ran. “I just legged it as fast as I could,” she told the court.
This time they were not inside a cordon but were running across a stretch of open ground, with gardaí to each side running alongside them. “I felt I was running for my life,” Burton said. Burton reached her car and, once she was inside, it immediately sped away.
The departure in the Garda car from the Fortunestown Road had occurred at 3.45pm. It would later be the State’s case that the period of false imprisonment that began when the Avensis was blocked, ended at this point. It had lasted almost exactly three hours.
</a>Comments by the judge in the Jobstown trial earlier this year about the reliability of garda evidence heavily influenced the decision to drop almost all the other charges in relation to the protest, The Irish Times has learned.
On Monday the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) withdrew all counts of false imprisonment and violent disorder relating to the anti-water charges protests in the south Dublin suburb on November 15th, 2014.
Counsel for the DPP told the court that the case against 10 of the accused was over. Six of the accused had been due to go on trial on Monday, while the remaining five were due to face trial next year.
There is now only one charge outstanding, a single accusation of criminal damage against Dylan Collins (22) of Bawnlea Green, Tallaght, who is alleged to have smashed the window of a garda car. His case will be heard on November 20th.
Supporters of the those acquitted burst into cheers, and of them sounded an air horn, after Judge Melanie Greally formally struck out the charges in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
A large group in court also chanted calls for a public inquiry into the previous trial which saw six protesters, including Solidarity TD Paul Murphy, acquitted of falsely imprisoning then-tánaiste Joan Burton and her advisor Karen O'Connell in their car during the protest.
The group alleges gardaí lied under oath about aspects of the protest and that garda evidence was contradicted on several key points by video footage taken at the scene.
During that trial Judge Greally instructed the jury that if there was conflict between evidence from the gardaí and the video evidence, the jurors should rely on the video evidence.
Following the acquittals last June, the DPP ordered a full review of the evidence and commissioned a legal opinion on whether the remaining trials would have any chance of resulting in convictions.
The Irish Times understands that this legal opinion stated that the comments of Judge Greally regarding the discrepancies between garda and video evidence rendered the prospect of convictions unlikely.
The gardaí involved in the first trial would have been required to give evidence in the remaining two trials. The DPP took the view that the judge’s comments would be used effectively by defence lawyers during future cross-examinations of gardaí to raise doubts about the veracity of the their testimony.
It also took the view that other juries were unlikely to reach different verdicts than the one reached in the first trial, given the evidence before them.
In the aftermath of the acquittals there was commentary by public figures, including Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, about the truthfulness of the garda evidence. These comments had caused concern within the prosecution but were not a factor in the final decision to drop the charges, a DPP source said.
Meanwhile, a garda inquiry into the leaking of information in 2015 about who would be charged in relation to the protests is ongoing.
In August 2015 Mr Murphy wrote to the Garda Commissioner complaining about the “leaking” of information to the media that he would be one of about 20 people charged in connection with the protests.
In recent weeks those involved in the case, including lawyers and gardaí, have been interviewed by gardaí about the alleged leaks.
Outside the court building one Monday, one of the accused, Peter Herbert, speaking on behalf of the protesters, said that they would continue to demand a public inquiry into the prosecution and to campaign for the overturning of a guilty verdict delivered against a teenaged protester in October 2016.
The youth – aged 15 at the time of the protest – was discharged conditionally on good behaviour for nine months so he would not have a criminal record.
This ruling, the only guilty verdict returned in relation to the protest, is being appealed.
On Monday false imprisonment charges against Carol Purcell (58), Declan Kane (49), Glen Carney (22), Keith Preston (38), Thomas Kelly (35), Paul Kiernan (39) and Peter Herbert (66) Adam Lyons (22) and Mr Collins were withdrawn.
The DPP also withdrew violent disorder charges in the cases of Antoinette Kane (24) and Calvin Carlyle (20) and criminal damage charges against Mr Lyons.
Conor Gallagher is Crime and Security Correspondent of The Irish Times
Watch the video shot and directed by Honey JD in and around Jobstown and Tallaght where Curtisy grew up&#8230;
a who&#8217;s who of Jobstown pint suppers
I often walked past it as a kid and thought to myself ‘I wanna sit down and drink a couple of things in there when I&#8217;m older.’  I always knew I’d want to sit down when I grew up
Me and the gang only started showing face inside the last few years and we took a liking to the spot but I made a balls of it
They caught Tallaght rapper Curtisy sneaking cans in the smoking area
I worked in the Applegreen in the heart of Jobstown for the guts of two years
I’ve seen enough characters to write a thousand stories
but I wasn’t paid to people watch or write raps
I got stung with a couple nicknames over the years (‘Birds Nest’
‘The Rapper’) but it’s love between me and the garage
I don’t even know what to name this spot because it’s had so many makeovers but it’s the corner shop in my estate
previously and most famously known as AJ’s
45% of my childhood memories are of spending all sorts of money I shouldn’t have been spending on anything shiny or sweet in here
with a new name but they’ve been there for cotton mouth Curtisy when he most needed them and that’s what matters
If these walls could talk they’d tell you to open a window
I’ve seen my friends grow up around me in here
Almost all of my album and my discography is recorded in this room
the comfort I feel here can’t be replicated
My friends are good enough to bring their equipment here and let me do my thing in my personal smoke friendly studio
My dog Frodo also lives out here we’re 50/50 on the rent
One night me and the undesirables strayed from the usuals spots and were sitting
acting unruly at a nice tucked off spot in Jobstown we weren’t too familiar with
think we hit the jackpot ‘this is the new spot boys
Jobstown celeb Deco hops out and is as confused as us to see anyone else here
He politely informs us this is Decos corner and this spot isn’t big enough for both of us
I often wonder what could have been if the corner wasn’t already claimed
Sometimes we pop the head in and see what’s happening but you have to respect the lay of the land
Curtisy&#8217;s debut album What Was The Question is out on Friday May 3rd and you can buy it on vinyl via <a href="https://curtisy.bandcamp.com/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external">Bandcamp</a>
Sunday May 5th &#8211; <a href="https://fixr.co/event/curtisy-what-was-the-question-release-party-dublin-tickets-125419981" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external">Workman&#8217;s Cellar with Essiray and Ahmed, With Love</a> (before our <a href="https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/indie-sleaze-party-tickets-837337407727" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external">Indie Sleaze club night</a>) 
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In a thrilling encounter dubbed the Tallaght Derby
Kilnamanagh faced off against Jobstown on the green baize that is the Tallaght Community School’s pitches last Saturday in the Leinster League Saturday Premier Division reports Rory Merriman
Despite Kilnamanagh starting strong off the mark
Jobstown&#8217;s David Simpson broke the deadlock just 10 minutes into the game with an early goal putting his side ahead
The visitors continued their dominance when Dominic Plunkett
doubling Jobstown&#8217;s lead within the first 20 minutes
satisfied with their 2-0 lead at the halftime break
second in the table and eyeing the top spot
entered the second half with something to prove as they trailed by two in a game they expected to be ahead in
with both teams displaying resilient defence
Kilnamanagh’s defence faltered as they conceded a penalty
Kilnamanagh couldn’t beat Jobstown to grab top spot in the league
Jobstown&#8217;s central midfielder Jack Keatinge stepped up
picked his target and confidently struck gold
Kilnamanagh’s resilience proved important when Dylan Fitzpatrick managed to put the home team on the scoresheet with a consolation goal in the dying minutes of the game
The Tallaght Derby concluded with a 3-1 victory for the visitors
delighted with his side’s performance told The Echo; “The lads have been working hard in training and to see their work pay off on the field out there today was brilliant
Jobstown beat Kilnamanagh in the Tallaght Derby
“When you’re playing a local team like Kilnamangh
they made life difficult for us out there.”
“We have Ashtown next and they’re top of the table
hopefully we keep the ball rolling now and do something similar next week.”
Reposing at the Brian McElroy Funeral Home, The Square, Tallaght (opp Tallaght stadium) on Friday from 5pm to 7pm. Funeral Mass will take place on Saturday at 10am in St Aidan’s Church, Brookfield and afterwards for burial in Newlands Cross Cemetery.
Those who cannot attend the Funeral, please feel free to leave a message in the condolence book below.                                                                                                                                                                                                              
memorial mass or anniversary for a Loved One?You can now create a family notice on RIP.ie to remember your loved one
A woman (30s) is receiving medical treatment today after she was allegedly shot by a major gangland figure who used a shotgun in the attack in the Swiftbrook area of Tallaght
Crime scene investigators were collecting evidence around two white cars in the driveway of the house where the shooting took place
Join the Irish Independent WhatsApp channel
An <a href="https://static.rasset.ie/documents/news/2018/03/summary-of-jobstown-review.pdf" target="_blank">internal review by An Garda Síochána</a> into the policing operation at the anti-water charges protest in Jobstown in 2014 has found that it lacked strategic direction but it was a "qualified success"
The review also says there was no intelligence received prior to the event that suggested any protest was going to happen
and there is little of no evidence to suggest that any strategic assessment was undertaken
It says with the benefit of hindsight it is clear that the risk of a serious outburst or public disorder was likely to occur
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.<a class="blocked-button" href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="OneTrust.ToggleInfoDisplay()">Manage Preferences</a>
It recommends that the gardaí should ensure that robust structures and processs are put in place to monitor levels of public order and identify potnetial risks and vulnerabilities
It says the fact then-tánaiste Joan Burton and her assistant were extricated from the protest without physical injury and that no protester reported any physical injuries show the policing response was a qualified success
The review also says from an objective perspective the investigation was brought to a successful conclusion
but says because of the court outcomes it is questionable as to how successful this investigation actually was
The events at the centre of the report occured on 15 November 2014 when Ms Burton had been attending a graduation ceremony nearby
She was placed in a garda vehicle to leave but was surrounded by anti-water charge demonstrators
The matter came before the courts last year
After an eight-week trial  group of six men, including Solidarity TD Paul Murphy, <a href="//www.rte.ie/news/2017/0629/886505-jobstown/" target="_blank">were acquitted of charges of falsely imprisonment.</a>
A Dublin teenager who initially was found guilty of false imprisonment had the conviction overturned on appeal.
© RTÉ 2025. RTÉ.ie is the website of Raidió Teilifís Éireann, Ireland's National Public Service Media. RTÉ is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
</a>Kids’ face-painting, live music and free soft drinks were among the attractions at an anti-water charges protest in Jobstown, west Dublin today.
Organised by the local community, the event attracted about 200 people beginning with a march from Jobstown green, past a number of housing estates including Killclare, Glenshane and Bawnlea and back to the green.
The march was headed up a wide banner, with the slogan ‘Jobstown says no, no means no, we won’t pay twice.’
Others placards had such slogans as 'Labour traitors, no way, we won't pay' while marchers delivered chants including, 'Denis O'Brien, hear us clear, we don't want your meters here' and 'Enda Kenny, not a penny'.
The march stopped briefly en route at the An Cosán centre, scene of angry protests last weekend where the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton was hit by a water balloon and trapped inside her car for over two hours.
Ms Burton had been attending a graduation ceremony. Commentators described the ensuing protest as a “travesty of democratic action” and the protestors as a “baying mob”.
Local councillor Louise Dunne (Sinn Féin), who was among those graduating last week, said the people of the area has been "represented inaccurately" by some media and political commentators.
“There is a fantastic community spirit despite the fact some of the most deprived, vulnerable communities in the country are here. People here feel they are totally ignored by establishment politicians, that they have been hit with years of austerity and that people like Joan Burton think they can just throw another €5 on the Child Benefit and all will be forgiven.They have no idea.”
Ms Dunne said her class had objected to the Tánaiste being invited to the graduation ceremony but were told if they objected they could receive their degrees in absentia. "That was not acceptable. It was our day after three years' hard work. It was not Joan Burton's day." She and a number of others accepted their degrees but declined to be photographed with the Tánaiste. Instead they left "to go outside and stand with the people of Jobstown".
Also at last week’s and today’s protest was Kay Keane, a woman in her 50s who lost her job as a machinist five years ago. Her husband lost his job at the same time. They have a combined income now of €317 a week. They have an 18 year-old son still at home and another son and his wife are moving in after Christmas as their rent is increasing beyond what they can afford. “There is just no money left after food and bills. Nothing.”
Jobstown is described as “very disadvantaged’ by Pobal, the not-for-profit body that manages funding programmes for Government. The area is characterised by high unemployment, high number of families headed by single parents, low levels of third level education and more than half the households in social housing.
Today’s event, said local TD Paul Murphy (Anti-Austerity Alliance), was called by the residents to “show everyone the people of Jobstown are not the thugs some in the media would have people believe”.
Soft drinks and crisps were provided by a local shop while face –painting and live music were provided by the community. There was a low-key Garda presence and no arrests were made.
Kitty Holland is Social Affairs Correspondent of The Irish Times
Former Tanaiste Joan Burton has said she is still traumatised by the highly charged Jobstown protest of 2014
in which she was trapped inside a car for three hours
the Labour Party TD had been in the suburb of Tallaght to attend a graduation ceremony at An Cosan Education Centre
were delayed in a garda jeep outside the building for three hours when the vehicle was surrounded by demonstrators protesting water charges
The vehicle was slowly able to move up Fortunestown Road
where the two were able to run to waiting garda cars
in 2017 the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court found them all not guilty
Ms Burton said the incident was far from forgotten
"I think an awful lot of people remember [the protest] because an awful lot of people still mention it and mention it all the time," she told the Herald at the Citywest Convention Centre (inset right)
"It was extremely traumatic so I don't think either of us will ever forget it
I think a lot of people feel what happened was really wrong."
the former Labour leader added the reception on the doors during this election had been "very positive"
"The amount of negativity has been significantly smaller than it was at the time of the last local elections," she said
"Labour was targeted particularly by the hard left
Sinn Fein and the Solidarity party in quite a vicious way
"It was because we're left-centre and from their revolutionary perspective their biggest goal is to try and destroy parties like ours."
who returned to the campaign after open-heart surgery
He said Labour had worked hard and the electorate recognised it
JOBSTOWN Boxing Club added another two Irish Junior Cadet titles to an already incredible haul of national honours this year
Both Faith Killeen and Brodric Abuduoire went all the way in their respective divisions at the National Stadium last week to also secure the chance to represent Ireland at the European Championships in Turkey in August
Killeen faced current two-time national champion
Megan Dagg from Enniscorthy in a straight final
the Tallaght girl increased the intensity in the third round
landing some very heavy right hooks to earn a 4-1 split and become the first female from Jobstown BC to qualify for an Irish European team
had to negotiate a tricky test posed by Zac O’Hara of Paulstown in the last eight of the Boy Three 63kg class before receiving a bye through the semi finals and into the decider
he then took on the current Irish champion
Having lost out to Niblock in the All-Irelands back in April
Abuduoire was leaving nothing to chance this time around and took the fight to his opponent
forcing two standing counts before the referee stepped in to stop the fight in the third
These wins have taken the club’s tally of national titles to 12 since December and more could be on the way with a team of four girls and two boys weighing into the Cadets next week for their chance to represent Ireland
start training with the High Performance team on Sunday ahead of the upcoming Europeans
THERE was success for a number of members from Jobstown Boxing Club last week
Joshua Olaniyan has plenty to smile about in the Haringey International Box Cup in Alexsandra Place in London
The talented boxer had three bouts in the 75kg Elite division were he boxed against two English competitors on his way to lifting the top prize
Josh got the better of Chirstopher O’Reilly from Holy Family
who is the current Irish Elite champion after beating Joshua in January on a 3/2 decision in the Elites
the Jobstown boxer beat him on a 5-0 decision boxing very smart using his jab to win the rounds and cruised his way controlling the bout
“This is Joshua&#8217;s first international Elite title and first for Jobstown Boxing Club,” said club official Amanda Spencer
“After the bout in January we knew what we had to work on and coach James Gray worked endless amount of hours fixing the small bits that made the massive difference
“Joshua is part of the high-performance Irish team out in Abbotstown training on and off over the past few months and we are very happy with Joshua&#8217;s progression at only 19 years of age he holds five national titles and now an elite international gold”
Charlie Connolly won the gold medal at the Monkstown International box Cup
It was a massive achievement for Charlie as he had been beaten in March in his All-Irelands semi-final
He boxed at 46kg in a semi-final against Sean og from Ballynacargy Club beating him on a split decision
Then he drew the current Irish champion Keelan Tormey from Westside Boxing Club with the Jobstown boxer impressing in a tight contest to win on a split decision
the Jobstown Club have had a fantastic year with boxers and coach&#8217;s on the international stage
The club have won two female Irish champion titles in Ava McCabe y1 48kg and Tiffany Spencer y2 48kg and runner-up Siena Fitzpatrick y1 54kg
The club have now secured 31 Irish national titles and three European medalists in only eight years in existence
KINGSWOOD Castle FC’s woes continued in the Leinster Senior League
on Saturday when they made the short trip to Jobstown Celtic and ended up losing 5-3 reports John Mooney
No matter how hard these lads try they just can’t seem to get the rub of the green
and if their situation does not improve in the coming weeks it will be a real struggle to survive in this Division
but at least they have a bit of daylight between themselves and the bottom two
Knocklyon are bottom and the Castle are just above them
They got off to a flying start and were 2-0 up inside 10 minutes when Domonic Plunkett headed home at the near post from a corner kick
and before the Castle had time to recover they were even further behind as Kevin Simpson drilled home a free kick from the edge of the area
they dug deep and on 15 minutes were back in the game as Paul Bracken smashed home from a corner
after the Celts keeper Kenneth Nolan brilliantly saved his penalty kick
But instead of getting better things got worse for the visitors
when they had a player sent off after 20 minutes and really it was backs to the wall stuff
Kingswood Castle FC lost out to Jobstown Celtic
The home side increased their lead on 35 minutes through Adam Cieslinski
while on 49 minutes Sean Doyle smashed home his spot kick to give Jobstown a 4-1 lead
Its fair to say the game died off a bit from that point on until Kingswood got a second
But there was never going to be a dramatic comeback and the home side added their fifth on the afternoon on 80 minutes through Dave Simpson
while minutes later the visitors completed the scoring through Brian Barron
to leave them wondering when things will finally take a turn for the good
Jobstown Celtic beat ten man Kingswood Castle FC
</a>Amanda Spencer stands in a boxing ring, surrounded by playfully sparring club members, in the Jobstown Boxing Club, one of the 18,000-strong suburb's few social clubs.
The club’s motto is “We Take Boxing Seriously”, and so it does. Classes are offered throughout the week for children, seniors and carded fighters; squad training takes place on a Saturday, while the club often opens on Sundays for members to spar.
Club members have gathered together for darker reasons, too. Last January one of its members, Reece Cullen, aged just 17, was stabbed to death at a house in nearby Kilclare Crescent.
Mr Cullen had not turned up to training for a few months, but had shown interest in coming back the weekend before he was murdered: “He texted me two nights before he died and said to me, ‘Can I come back up on Monday and start afresh?’
"And I said, 'Yeah, of course.' That never happened, it was tragic," Ms Spencer, the club's coach, said. Club members formed a guard of honour at his funeral at the Church of St Martin de Porres in Old Bawn in Tallaght.
Three months later, the members, including Ms Spencer, attended the funeral of another local man, Stephen Lynch (32), a father-of-three who was killed in a hit-and-run incident at Brookview Close in Jobstown on April 13th.
Though not a boxer, Mr Lynch had a close connection with the club as his girlfriend’s brother is a champion boxer there: “No one [outside the area] cares, it’s just another death, another murder,” Ms Spencer said, sitting in the club’s humble headquarters on Kiltalown Road.
Today, Jobstown is best known for the November 2014 water charges protests that led last week to the prosecution and acquittal of local Solidarity TD Paul Murphy and five other protesters.
Posters declaring allegiance, “Our water, not for profit” or “Vote Left, Vote for a change” hang from lamp-posts in the Dublin 24 suburb: “There’s more to Jobstown than that,” Ms Spencer said.
Twenty kilometres west of Dublin city centre, nestling at the foot of the Dublin Mountains, Jobstown is classified as “disadvantaged” by State agency Pobal, with small pockets listed as “very disadvantaged”.
Echoing Ms Spencer, local Labour councillor Martina Genockey said "the outcry would be different" had the deaths of Mr Cullen and Mr Lynch occurred in more affluent parts of Dublin.
“It’s like as if people expect certain things from certain areas,” she said.
In the eyes of some, last week’s court verdict marked the political awakening of previously dormant areas long ignored by the centre, but on a quiet Monday morning it does not feel like that in Jobstown.
For most residents, life continues as normal. Political parties and left or right battles, or even engagement with local politicians remains an alien subject: "I really don't know who he [Paul Murphy] is," said Lewis Loftus, aged 24.
"Sandra Fay [former AAA-PBP candidate] is the only one I'd know. She's from around here, you actually see her around here. She's doing her bit for the community. I've never seen him [Paul Murphy] around the area here before," he added.
Mr Loftus said he would probably vote for Sinn Féin in the next election, “being Irish you know what I mean, stick to me roots”; while a group of passing men and women simply said they “don’t know anything about that” when asked about the trial.
However, Mary Delaney was hopeful: "They may not necessarily follow Paul Murphy but I think it will wake them up politically. A lot of people, who I thought were dormant, you heard their emotions, and say, 'Yeah I can make a difference.'"
The 64-year-old is studying community development and social care at the local community education centre, An Cosán – ironically, the building that Joan Burton was stopped from leaving three years ago by the protestors.
“People are just concerned about their own lives but now feel ‘somebody will listen to us’. People can demonstrate and do it peacefully and that’s what they want to do. They want to be heard. People are beginning to talk about what’s going on and what’s affecting the area,” she said.
One young woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “I wouldn’t have a clue because I don’t follow anything like that, so I wouldn’t know. I don’t follow politics or anything like that, I don’t vote.
“I just checked to see if they were guilty or not guilty and when I found out they were not guilty I said, ‘Grand, that’s great. Great result,’” she said, though she shared Ms Delaney’s hopes that the verdict may change some things.
Bridget Doyle (50) lives in Ardmore in Tallaght and shares the same constituency, but is less hopeful that anything will change: "They're all the same [political parties]. They promise you this, they promise you that and as soon as they get in, nothing changes. Enda Kenny promised this, that and whatever and look what he done. I don't vote for any of them. I did years ago. I've no faith in Labour, or any of them, any more."
JOBSTOWN Boxing Club has been bursting at the seams with the influx of new boxers as well as domestic and international honours over recent years
and it is now hoped that funding can be secured to provide their members with a home fit for purpose
the club has enjoyed a huge amount of success since its founding seven years ago
40 county and 20 international box-cup honours as well as two European medals already feature on the club’s extensive roll of honour
insists so much more could be added to that if they had
we could fit more kids together in a class,” she told The Echo
our facility is not big enough and we have to split the numbers into four classes a day and have waiting lists
“We have a lot of space out the backyard of the club and could definitely extend on to what we have already
“Over the years we’ve secured some grants to help us with equipment and things we need for the club
but now we will be looking at the bigger picture and the development of the club house
“We have the smallest facility in Tallaght and the biggest of champions
“We’ve had massive success every single season
“We are definitely up there with some of the top clubs
To produce all those champions in seven years is a dream come true
“The boxers are with us since they were young kids and
they need space for training and for us to keep them at the level they are at
“A little help and some changes to our clubhouse would have a massive impact for them” she insisted
who was part of the coaching set-up for the hugely successful Ireland team at the recent European Schools Championships in which their own Broderick Abudoire scooped bronze
is hopeful that local businesses and the South Dublin County Council can help them in their bid for a refurbished home
it’s just a money issue and we will be looking to sponsors
Gardaí at the scene this morning of a shooting incident in the Swiftbrook area of Jobstown
Gardaí at the scene this morning of a firearm incident in the Swiftbrook area of Jobstown
Niall DonaldWed 22 Nov 2023 at 09:52A woman is being treated in hospital after being shot last night in Tallaght
gardaí received reports that shot had been fired at at a home in the the Jobstown area
subsequently presented herself to Tallaght Hospital with a suspected gunshot injury
Gardaí and emergency services also attended the scene of a number of other incidents in Tallaght following the shooting
Officers are also investigating criminal damage by fire of a car and of a house at separate locations in the Jobstown area
Scenes have been put in place by gardaí and technical examinations are ongoing
A garda spokesman has appealed for any witnesses to the incidents to make contact with them
"Investigating gardaí are appealing to anyone who was in the Jobstown area
“Anyone with information is asked to contact Tallaght Garda Station on 01 666 6000 or at the garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111.”
EMERGENCY services are currently dealing with a road traffic collision on the N81 just past the Jobstown Inn
Dublin Fire Brigade and an ambulance are currently at the scene and traffic diversions are in place as the road is closed
Traffic is extremely heavy coming from Tallaght up the bypass towards Jobstown and in the opposite direction from Blessington to Citywest
Motorists are advised to avoid the area until the scene is cleared
Dublin Fire Brigade said: “Road closure on #N81 at Jobstown divert if possible”
</a>Two years after water charges protesters surrounded the car of then tánaiste Joan Burton in Jobstown, the name of the west Dublin suburb remains synonymous with the infamous incident.
Burton, who was also minister for social protection at the time, was reportedly unable to leave her car for more than two hours and was said to have been badly shaken by the experience.
Though she and the Labour Party are now out of government, the event remains fresh in the minds of the people in the area, while the legal and political fallout continues.
The trials of 18 people charged with false imprisonment of Burton, including Anti-Austerity Alliance TD Paul Murphy, begin next April. A schoolboy who was convicted last October for his involvement in the protest is appealing against his conviction.
In November 2014, protesters surrounded Burton’s car following a graduation ceremony at the An Cosán education centre, banging on the car with their fists, shouting slogans and refusing Garda requests to step back.
Widespread criticism of the protesters saw them described them as “violent” and their behaviour as “unacceptable”, though such opinions are not shared by many locally.
"The whole of Jobstown has been criminalised by the media since that protest," says Paul Keane (60) on his way into the Centra shop on Kiltalown Way.
His wife was at the protest, says the former printer. “It was blown out of all proportion after. She [Burton] was what, delayed a few hours? It wasn’t just people from Jobstown at the protest. A lot of people were angry with the Labour Party for the broken promises.”
A woman in her 30s who does not want to be named says it was a “toss-up” about what happened. “I understand people were very angry but I think they went too far. But then Joan Burton did a lot of harm cutting lone parent’s allowance, and the gardaí I think made the situation worse on the day.”
A shop-owner also does not want to be named as, he says, he has to be “neutral”.
“A lot of people around here are upset about what happened, but in my own opinion the protest was justified. The Labour Party took the votes of working-class people around here for granted. That backfired on them. They left the way wide open for the far left and Sinn Féin.”
Tricolours fly from several of the houses in the area while some kerb-stones in the Cloonmore estate are painted green, white and orange.
Jobstown, which is 20km west of Dublin city centre, is classified as “very disadvantaged” by State agency Pobal. According to its data, 61 per cent of families are headed by lone parents, just 4.7 per cent of adults have third-level education, 33 per cent have only primary education and the male unemployment rate is 49.3 per cent.
(27), a single mother of two children under nine, was not on the protest, but heard it and came out to see what was happening. “Everyone came out. The whole of Jobstown was there by the end. People weren’t just protesting about water. They were protesting because they want a better life.”
Having completed a journalism course this year, she had hoped it would be “the beginning of something great”, but financial struggles make planning difficult.
“I have a pay-as-you-go electricity meter. Most Wednesdays we have no electricity because I’m out of money. My little boy is used to no electricity on Wednesdays. He shouldn’t have to live like this,” she says.
“My landlady wants us out of the house in January. I can’t think beyond next week most of the time.”
Linda Gorman describes as "poxy" the way Jobstown was portrayed. "It's made out that Jobstown is full of criminals and gurriers, when people living here are very decent. It's not easy. There's nothing for teenagers, no jobs for young people. You make what you can of it."
SOLIDARITY TD PAUL Murphy and five other men have been found not guilty of falsely imprisoning former Tánaiste Joan Burton and her adviser during a 2014 water charges protest
The jury of seven men and four women returned the unanimous verdicts today after just over three hours of deliberations
we won’t pay” and several supporters broke down in tears
South Dublin County Councillors Michael Murphy and Kieran Mahon
Frank Donaghy and Michael Banks were on trial in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for over two months
They nodded and smiled as the not guilty verdicts were handed down
They had pleaded not guilty to falsely imprisoning Ms Burton and her adviser Karen O’Connell by restricting their personal liberty without their consent at Fortunestown Road
It is a charge that carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment
were dropped towards the end of the prosecution case after Judge Greally ruled that the extension of his garda detention in February 2015 was unlawful
Judge Greally thanked the jury for their “exemplary” service and told them they had shown extreme bravery and courage in taking on the case
A juror was discharged halfway through the trial for personal reasons
She exempted them from jury service for life
There were further cheers in court as she told the six men they were free to go
heard the two women were attending a graduation ceremony at An Cosán adult education centre in Jobstown when demonstrations broke out around them
The jury heard they were detained in vehicles for three hours as they attempted to leave the area
The prosecution case was that by surrounding the cars
the accused men engaged in a joint enterprise to “trap” the women and totally restrain their liberty
The defence argued that their clients engaged in a peaceful protest and this could not amount to false imprisonment
their clients were engaged in obstructing a vehicle or delaying and inconveniencing the women
Tallaght; Kieran Mahon (39) of Bolbrook Grove
Tallaght; Michael Murphy (53) of Whitechurch Way
Dublin; Michael Banks (46) of Brookview Green; Scott Masterson (34) of Carrigmore Drive
Tallaght and Frank Donaghy (71) of Alpine Rise
FORMER TÁNAISTE AND Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton said she felt “terrified” and “ran for her life” after the car she was travelling in was surrounded by anti-water charge protesters in Tallaght
Burton broke down as she told the trial of Solidarity TD Paul Murphy and six others about the moment she and her advisor were told by an inspector to get out of a garda car and into a waiting jeep in the midst of a large angry crowd of protesters
“I was quite frankly terrified,” she told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
describing the large crowd surrounding her as “very
death,” and shouting and roaring names at her like “c*nt” and “bitch”
The former leader of the Labour Party said Deputy Murphy looked “pretty happy with himself” and was “smiling broadly” as he spoke through a megaphone behind the unmarked garda car in which she remained sitting for over an hour with her advisor Karen O’Connell
the person who sort of stood out,” she said
as she made her way to a graduation ceremony at a church in Tallaght
she had been struck twice in the back of the neck
south Dublin councillors Kieran Mahon (39) and Michael Murphy (53) and four other men are charged with falsely imprisoning Burton and her adviser Karen O’Connell by restricting their personal liberty without their consent at Fortunestown Road
Tallaght; Michael Murphy of Whitechurch Way
Tallaght; Ken Purcell (50) of Kiltalown Green; Michael Banks (46) of Brookview Green
Tallaght and Scott Masterson (34) of Carrigmore Drive
it had been a very happy and celebratory occasion when she arrived at the education centre of An Cosán in Tallaght where about 60 people were graduating with a variety of degrees and diplomas
She said she got a shock when she was struck in the back of the neck twice
and could feel the back of her hair and her jacket being drenched
She said her advisor gave her a loan of her jacket and that she dried her hair as best as she could with a tissue before she spoke to graduates at the church
Burton said that towards the end of the ceremony gardaí advised them to leave very quickly by a side door to a waiting unmarked garda saloon car
She said when she and her advisor got into the car
it was immediately surrounded by a large crowd shouting
banging on the car and throwing eggs and other missiles
The court heard that O’Connell became extremely upset and began to cry
Burton became upset as she told the court that her shoe began to come off as she tried to make her way to another garda car
“There were two lines of gardaí to one side of the car when I got out
the shouting and roaring was much more intense
and how would I run without my shoe,” she said
The court heard the jeep that Burton and her advisor were escorted into was also surrounded and blocked by protesters
and that the left windscreen was shattered
they were being pushed and shoved and pelted with eggs,” she said
describing one guard beside her car window as “very stoical
Burton said the jeep made “very painful progress
which included a number of children aged nine or ten
the jeep turned off the main road towards the Jobstown Inn
and the guards told Burton and her advisor that when they opened the doors
Burton said gardaí then drove her into the hills and to the Phoenix Park
where she used the toilet facilities and had a cup of tea
She said throughout the incident a number of people contacted her by text
including her daughter and her Labour Party colleague Brendan Howlin
Burton said she took a couple of photos in the first car and gave her phone to her advisor in the second car
The court heard that there were 42 videos of the incident on her phone when she gave it to gardaí to download
Burton said the crowd was shouting and roaring abuse at her and the gardaí
including “derogatory names for women and for the guards” such as c*nt
She described one woman attacking and banging the car who was “beside herself with rage – very
she couldn’t hear much political language and was more struck by the personalised language and name-calling of herself and the gardaí
she said at one point she heard Murphy say “peaceful protest” or “something like that”
The trial continues before Judge Melanie Greally and a jury of seven men and five women
Comments have been closed for legal reasons
GARDAI are investigating a shooting incident that occurred in the Jobstown area of Tallaght on Tuesday evening
Nobody was reported injured by gardai who rushed to the scene of the incident around 7.30pm
Access to the area was blocked off by gardai as they investigated the incident
and the Emergency Response Unit was also present in the area
A Garda spokesperson said: “Gardai in Tallaght are investigating all the circumstances in relation to the discharge of a firearm on Jobstown Road
The protest outside Mr Murphy&#x27;s house
Neil FetherstonhaughTue 25 Apr 2023 at 14:21George Hook has compared the protest outside the home of Paul Murphy and his family to the infamous incident in 2015 when the TD was arrested for the alleged false imprisonment of the then Tánaiste Joan Burton at a water charges rally in Jobstown
The former broadcaster and TV pundit took to Twitter in response to the far-right protest staged outside Mr Murphy’s house on Monday
his partner Jess Spear and their newly-arrived baby Juniper were inside
Mr Murphy and his partner have said they are not calling their baby
aggressive protests have targeted libraries carrying certain books dealing with issues of sexuality and gender identity
Deputy Murphy posted a photograph on Twitter showing a handful of people on the footpath outside his home carrying placards
with some reading: “Concerned Communities say NO.”
the TD added: “Far right protesting outside our home right now
"We were literally preparing to give our newborn baby a bath.”
In response to Mr Murphy’s tweet that had generated numerous comments
Imagine how Joan Burton felt?” to which Murphy simply replied: “Classy”
Hook’s tweet refers to how Joan Burton was trapped in her car in 2014 with her adviser amid chaotic scenes when protestors banged on the car and shouted abuse
The TD was arrested the following year with six other men for falsely imprisoning the then Tánaiste at the heated water charges protest in Jobstown
The charges were later dropped against him following a high-profile case in Dublin’s Central Criminal Courts
Hook tweeted at the time: “I hear Paul Murphy TD was arrested re the Joan Burton demo
said he had no regrets about how the 2014 Jobstown anti-water charges protests played out
claiming Socialist Party members played a "productive role" on the day
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Mr Murphy told the Irish Examiner's 'Let Me Tell You' podcast that
despite the fallout and subsequent court case
He said: "I think me and other members of the Socialist Party played a productive role on the day of the protest
He later said it was “bizarre” to compare himself being attacked by right-wing protestors to how Joan Burton was treated at the water charge march in 2014
Mr Murphy said he was assaulted leaving Leinster House as he was exiting the building to join a protest against defective apartments
People later compared the two incidents online
but Mr Murphy said this is a “bizarre” thing to do
as one was a “community protest” and the protest where he was attacked was fuelled by members of the far-right
"I think it is utterly bizarre that you are attempting to suggest that there is an equivalence between a community protest against water charges eight years ago and the far right who are physically attacking me,” he told Newstalk’s The Pat Kenny Show
“The jury found that I engaged in peaceful
that that is not the same as far right abuse
I’m absolutely grand but there are people being attacked by these people.”
The People Before Profit TD said didn’t think anyone would draw an equivalence between the two protests
“No I didn’t think anyone would go there at all
I assume most people don't draw an equivalence between a community protest,” he said
"There’s no allegation of assault against me
and me being arrested for false imprisonment for a sit down protest which I was subsequently cleared after a jury trial
"People understand the danger that the far right represents
“I think most people can differentiate between a community protest and the right people have to protest
which there was a trial and everyone was cleared of criminal charges.”
JOBSTOWN Boxing Club fielded six competitors in the Golden Girl Championships in Sweden last weekend and emerged with one gold and two silver medals
In what is the biggest female boxing tournament
the Tallaght club were represented at the top of the podium after Tiffany Spencer captured the 46kg Junior title
She faced England’s Dolly Sambrook in a straight final and dominated from start to finish
landing some heavy left hands that helped see her take the bout on a unanimous decision
Ava McCabe earned her place in the Girl Four 44kg Final after carding a convincing victory over Khrystyna Semeniv from Ukraine after which she was edged out on a split decision by her Polish opponent in the decider
It was a similar story for Siena Fitzpatrick in the Girl Four 54kg division where she took a unanimous decision against home boxer
Isabelle Josefssen in the last four only to emerge on the unfavourable side of split in her final against another Swedish girl
Jobstown Boxing Club&#8217;s Siena Fitzpatrick and Ava McCabe both made the podium at the Golden Girl Championship
Faith killeen (Girl Two 60kg) was pipped by a strong Polish opponent in her quarter final while Alicia O’Reilly
was edged out in the penultimate rounds by Ukraine’s Sofia Movchan
Going up against England&#8217;s top champion Ruby White in the Junior 48kg class
Jobstown’s Stacey O’Connor battled superbly
“All six girls hold Irish national titles and had a brilliant international experience
Spain and Finland,” said Jobstown BC coach Amanda Spencer
“This was a fantastic tournament for our team of girls and comes off the back of Jobstown Boxing Club winning 10 Irish national titles this season
“We are now gearing up for the Cadets to qualify for the Junior Europeans to take place in June and we’re also preparing for our big annual seventh anniversary show in July,” she added
The third episode of This is Jobstown hit our screens last night
and two people in particular stole the show
with many commending Mikey and Dylan for their hard work and determination
Many will know Mikey from his work across the community
keeping areas clean and making sure the general appearance of Jobstown is maintained
On last night’s show Mikey went through his daily ritual of picking up litter
explaining that he could easily collect up to five bags of rubbish a week
Anyone who is up early enough in the morning will have spotted Mikey is the fields adjacent to the Jobstown House
and many on Twitter had kind words to say about the community volunteer
Mikey, 70, spends 4 mornings a week picking up rubbish around <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Jobstown?src=hash">#Jobstown</a>. Volunteers on his own. <a href="https://twitter.com/LordMayorDublin">@LordMayorDublin</a> can you give him a medal
 — 1916 Walking Tour (@1916walkingtour) <a href="https://twitter.com/1916walkingtour/status/824732988327989249">January 26, 2017</a>
.<a href="https://twitter.com/sdublincoco">@sdublincoco</a> should do more to empower people like Mikey who look after their communities <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThisIsJobstown?src=hash">#ThisIsJobstown</a>
 — Stephen Wade (@Stephen_Wade1) <a href="https://twitter.com/Stephen_Wade1/status/824732029040427008">January 26, 2017</a>
Fair play to Mikey, best of luck to him. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThisisJobstown?src=hash">#ThisisJobstown</a>
 — Eamon White (@whitebhoy) <a href="https://twitter.com/whitebhoy/status/824733157719171072">January 26, 2017</a>
Dylan’s ambition to become a commercial airline pilot really struck a chord
and his positive outlook was certainly impressive
Funding his own training as he works his way to getting his private pilot licence
Dylan plans to head to the US next year and build up his flying time ahead of hopefully securing a permanent position as a commercial airline pilot
Many took to Twitter to praise his efforts
and everyone at the Echo and Echo.ie would like to wish him the very best for the future
Hope Dylan make it he has ambition and seems to be level headed good luck <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/jobstown?src=hash">#jobstown</a>
 — angela gaffney (@Angelamgaffney) <a href="https://twitter.com/Angelamgaffney/status/824737363641393158">January 26, 2017</a>
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/thisisjobstown?src=hash">#thisisjobstown</a> someone out there could surely help this fine young man fulfil his dream of becoming a pilot ambitious and determined
 — joanne nolan (@jnvetnurse) <a href="https://twitter.com/jnvetnurse/status/824733773791199236">January 26, 2017</a>
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/thisisjobstown?src=hash">#thisisjobstown</a> fair play to young bloke training to be a pilot
 — Brendan Finn (@bfinn1888) <a href="https://twitter.com/bfinn1888/status/824753014984564738">January 26, 2017</a>
Good one Dylan <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThisIsJobstown?src=hash">#ThisIsJobstown</a> keep the positivity going
 — Margaret Traynor (@WicklowLiving) <a href="https://twitter.com/WicklowLiving/status/824758012355166208">January 26, 2017</a>
Catch the next episode next Thursday on TV3 at 9pm
You can also watch last night&#8217;s episode <a href="http://www.tv3.ie/3player/show/1087/0/This-is-Jobstown" style="color: #cb2a2a;">HERE</a>
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0.26);}PrintShareSaveThe death has occurred of
26th August 2022 (Jobstown and formerly of Inchicore)
in the wonderful care of the staff of Tymon North Community Unit Tallaght; beloved husband of Rita
R&iacute;an and Darach and loving brother of the late John and Patrick
Philip will be forever loved and very sadly missed by his loving wife
extended family and friends especially those of CIE
Reposing at the Brian McElroy Funeral Home
Tallaght (opp Tallaght Stadium) on Monday from 5pm to 7pm
Funeral Mass will take place on Tuesday at 11am in St Mary&rsquo;s Church
Tallaght Village and afterwards for burial in Newlands Cross Cemetery
Those of you who cannot attend the Funeral
please feel free to leave a message in the condolence book below
To view Philip&rsquo;s Funeral Mass on Tuesday at 11am please click on the following link;&nbsp;<a target='_blank' href="https://www.churchservices.tv/tallaght">https://www.churchservices.tv/tallaght</a> &nbsp;
&nbsp;Please Note: The link provided to live-stream the Funeral Mass is managed by an independent streaming company. The Funeral Home accepts NO responsibility for its functionality or interruption to a live transmission.
Gardaí in Dublin have arrested two people in relation to the death of a man in his 50s who was found unresponsive in a garden late last year
Tallaght Gardaí arrested two teenagers over the violent death which occurred in Jobstown on November 15 2023
A youth has since been released without charge
while a man in his late teens continues to be questioned at a Dublin garda station 
A Garda Spokesperson said today: “A male juvenile was arrested on Monday
and detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act
This person has since been released without charge and a file will be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions
The Garda Spokesperson further stated that: “A man (aged in his late teens) was arrested this morning
and is currently detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act
gardai began a criminal investigation after a post-mortem examination indicated “the man died violently.”
The deceased man was found unresponsive in the garden of a house on Dromcarra Avenue
He was treated at the scene but was subsequently pronounced dead in hospital
Gardaí had made an appeal for witnesses after the man was found circa 8pm in the evening
The investigation was led by a senior investigating officer and a Garda Family Liaison Officer (FLO) had been appointed to liaise with the family of the deceased
An examination of the scene at Dromcarra Avenue was carried out by members of the Garda Technical Bureau
A new ground breaking series called ‘This is Jobstown’ will air on TV3 at 9pm tonight
The four part fly-on-the-wall series spends a year with some of the families living in Jobstown
Over the course of four episodes we see what life is like in this sprawling council estate
as the drama of everyday life unfolds with stories of hope and despair
this is a place with a strong community spirit and home to families&nbsp;that pull together to help each other
Built in the 1970s with little thought for the families who would grow up there
there&nbsp;are over 900 houses on the estate and with a growing population
overcrowding in some homes is becoming a problem
who live in a small three bedroom house with eleven people
Darcy Coomber and his girlfriend Dawn also live in the house along with their six month old baby Layla
They share a small room with Darcy’s two brothers and are desperate to find a landlord that accepts the council’s HAP (Housing Assistance Payment) scheme
something most landlords have been refusing
We also meet internationally renowned UFC fighter and local celebrity Paddy &#8216;The Hooligan&#8217; Holohan
who was born and bred in Jobstown and still lives there despite his fame
alongside pal and team mate Conor McGregor
who also makes an appearance in episode one
Paddy is facing his toughest battle to date as a rare medical condition has finally caught up with him
forcing him to give up his hugely successful career in the octagon
As he tries to accept the hand that fate has dealt him
an opportunity he cannot refuse arises when he is asked to open his own state-of-the-art gym in Tallaght
a training venue never seen before on this scale in Ireland
as he tries to turn what could have been a disastrous situation to his advantage
This is Jobstown is produced by Motive for TV3
COMMUNITY buy-in is “critical” to reinvigorating a “bare” park in West Tallaght
with South Dublin County Council bidding to create a source of pride and a safe-space as it starts consultations
Jobstown Park could be about to get a facelift
with residents and stakeholders set to have an opportunity to contribute ideas before councillors vote on plans in June
Public Realm have appointed a landscape consultant team for the Jobstown Park redevelopment with a renewed focus on meeting the needs of the communities that live and surround it
clean environment free from anti-social behaviour for people of all ages to meet
exercise and enjoy nature,” the council said last week
“The park should be a source of pride for the local community and a place they feel ownership of.”
A masterplan will be established with an aim of connecting the park to the wider green infrastructure and greenways
linking the 27-acre park to other high-quality open spaces nearby
Informal consultations with local residents
groups and clubs are said to have commenced and are expected to be wrapped up by the middle of February
This initial step will be to gauge the needs and wants of local community
councillors will be presented with an informal pre-Part 8 briefing
The Part 8 statutory public consultation process will kick-off in the second week of march and will conclude in late April
with a report to be brought to the June meeting of the county council for approval
“We have to go through the process at this stage,” says Cllr Charlie O’Connor
“I am quite happy to see this development because I’d be of the view
that Jobstown Park is a very bare park that is underutilised
there is a lot of potential there to create a park which is better equipped for the community.”
There is an old notice on the South Dublin County Council website
of a proposed masterplan for Jobstown Park – which ultimately never fully came to fruition
This masterplan included the development of a recreational hub including a 400m athletics track
The all-weather five-a-side proposal in the 2011 masterplan has since been developed and is tied in with the facilities in Tallaght Leisure Centre
A RESIDENT was left “shocked and disgusted” after she and her five-year-old son discovered discarded used needles – some of which contained blood – near a wall in Jobstown Park on Saturday
said her son was walking along a wall in Jobstown Park near Tallaght Leisure Centre when he pointed at the discarded drug paraphernalia and asked her what it was
“My son was standing on the wall and he pointed at the needles and said
the resident contacted gardai but said that she was told the removal of the hazardous waste was outside of their remit
A garda spokesman confirmed to The Echo that the removal of the waste “would be a matter for the local council”
The Echo contacted South Dublin County Council
asking them if they were aware of the drug paraphernalia in the aforementioned location
what action they plan to take in relation to it
and who should be contacted if drug paraphernalia is discovered in a public place during the weekend
A response wasn’t received from the local authority at the time of going to print
especially when you think that there could be a child in that field and they could prick themselves with a needle and then have something for the rest of their life
“I wouldn’t like it to stop me from going to the field
but I’d be more aware of what’s there [now]
they should bring the needles home with them.”
The Echo reported on similar issues with discarded needles in a section of Sean Walsh Park in recent weeks
with local addiction services reiterating the importance of needle exchanges and a need for “safer injecting facilities”
There are a number of needle exchanges in Tallaght
which are provided by St Aengus Community Action Group CLG
the Community Addiction Response Programme (CARP) in Killinarden and Jobstown Assisting Drug Dependency (JADD)
A HSE spokesperson told The Echo that while there is “always a need” for more needle exchanges
“this does not necessarily stop drug-related litter”
“Perhaps the introduction of safer injecting facilities would have a better impact on this issue,” they said
adding that local addiction services will continue to highlight the importance of the safe disposal of drug paraphernalia to service users
In relation to overall concerns about drug use and drug dealing
a garda spokesperson added: “Nationwide each region has dedicated Garda personnel committed to policing drug misuse
“Please contact your local Garda Station if you would like to pass on information about drug misuse
“Every district in Dublin city has a local drug unit that tackles the sale and distribution of controlled drugs at a local level
“To find out which drug unit covers your area
if you have any information that could help Gardai in combating drug dealers
please ring the Garda Confidential Line Freephone on 1800 666111 or ring GNDOCB on +353 1 6669900.”
JOBSTOWN Boxing Club has risen from the ashes of last November’s fire
which brought down sections of the clubhouse roof and caused significant damage to equipment
However,&nbsp;<a href="news/article/community-rallies-behind-jobstown-boxing-club-after-fire-at-premises" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="color: #cb2a2a;">after a lot of support</a>&nbsp;from parents
South Dublin County Council and the wider community
Jobstown Boxing Club is back fighting fit - after doubling the size of its training space
James Gray and Andrea Molloy (SDCC) with (back row) Danny O'Connor
The club has built a steel structure in the previously unused back garden of its premises
which now houses the ring – creating more space for additional members in the main building for training
Coach Amanda Spencer told The Echo: “Every year we had a massive amount of numbers who wanted to join the club
but we had to turn kids away… we didn’t have the facilities
“We were always saving for an extension out the back but the fire set us&nbsp; back
“After the fire we had to build back up the club’s funds.”
Around €15k has been invested into the club’s expansion
€7,500 in infrastructure funding from South Dublin County Council and €7,500 through fundraising and a grant from the Dublin Bus Community Fund
we are better this year than we were last year and are really rising.”
The club also thanked Kilsaran for providing a cheaper rate on the concrete needed to level the back garden and local councillors Cathal King (Sinn Fein) and Mick Murphy (Solidarity)
At the Esker International Box Cup at the weekend
Jobstown Boxing Club had something else to celebrate after the club took home gold for the fourth year in a row
visit www.jobstownboxingclub.com or visit the Jobstown Boxing Club Facebook page
Ugly and violent scenes were more like a scene from the cult novel and film
“Lord of the Flies,” rather than any peaceful protest
Mr Varadkar defended his expressions of concern about aspects of garda conduct during the marathon trial which arose from an anti-water charge protest in Tallaght in November 2014
were prevented from leaving the area and subjected to verbal abuse and threats
The Taoiseach said just because nobody was convicted in the resulting trail
did not mean there were still no matters of concern
I was particularly struck by the moment when there a vote taken on whether the two women should be detained or not all night," the Taoiseach said
"That to me was more like a scene from ‘Lord of the Flies’ than a scene from any peaceful protest," Mr Vardkar added
This was a reference from the cult story about a group of English boarding school boys shipwrecked on an uninhabited island where bullying and violence soon becomes rampant
Mr Varadkar rejected allegations from Fianna Fáil leader
that his comments last week were inappropriate and risked prejudicing a related trial yet to be held
The Taoiseach said big trials required large taxpayer funds and tied up the lives of jurors for a long period
It was appropriate that a review be held when a prosecution failed
Mr Varadkar said he had the height of regard for An Garda Síochána whose numbers would soon increase to 15,000 with an average pay of €70,000 per year
 But he said it was also right to demand the highest standards of work from the force
admitting concerns about conflicts between garda testimony and video evidence
were welcomed by Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald
But Mr Boyd Barrett said it was not enough to ask the Garda Commissioner to investigate this conflict of evidence in the case
"It has to be done by people who can look at the evidence impartially," he said
PROPOSED measures to address issues of anti-social behaviour in the vicinity of the Whitestown Stream as it flows through Jobstown are expected in the coming months
Ongoing issues with this stretch of the Whitestown Stream have been on the agenda of local councillors and residents for years
with illegal dumping and the burning of waste a regular occurence
At the Whitestown Stream in Jobstown last week
The stream and its parkland are also easily accessible to scramblers and stolen cars
with a number of burnt-out cars ending up in the biodiverse waterway
Alongside contaminating the wildlife corridor
dumping and anti-social behaviour is impacting negatively on the wellbeing of the wider community
At the March Tallaght Area Committee meeting
South Dublin County Council management presented an ‘initial report’ to councillors
the council carried out repeated inspections of the area between February and March of this year
four locations were identified as primary spots for illegal dumping and the burning of waste
with dumping also taking place directly into the stream
It has been proposed to examine if any of these locations or routes can be closed off
the council said that in total there are 20 pedestrian access points into the area
all of which are accessible by scramblers – and which will be examined
of the pedestrian bridge linking Bawnlea Avenue and Cloonmore Road
It was also noted that sections of path are in poor condition and extensive areas of green space badly damaged due to the repeated burning of waste and cars
The public lighting system in the general area will also be looked at
Tallaght South councillor Kieran Mahon (Solidarity) said: “This is the first time we’ve seen a report that takes an overview of the whole area along the Whitestown Stream at Jobstown
“It’s an area that should be a natural recreation area for thousands of people from the neighbouring estates
Bawnlea and Dromcarra to the wider area and to local services
“€2 million has been committed to transform the much larger area at Killinarden Park so a relatively small investment could transform the area at Whitestown Stream Jobstown
“There is barely a tree or plant in the half mile stretch
“The area is barren and needs to be taken back for community use.”
Cllr Mahon believes that the “important steps” taken need to be built on
with expectations in place that the council will come back with possible solutions and project costs in the coming months
Believing more focus needs to be on the “right of the entire community to a clean environment and good local services”
Cllr Mahon is encouraging residents to engage with their councillors
“At this point there is agreement among many of the Tallaght councillors that this is an important project
“We’d encourage people to contact the council and local councillors from all parties and keep this on their agenda.”
the council said that there is currently no provision for a programme of works to address the issues identified
the council said it “is intended that this process will lead to agreement on a set of measures which can be costed and considered through the budgetary process later in the year”
The Echo contacted the council this week and asked what the next step was now that the initial report had been compiled
A council spokesperson said that the next step is to present a further report to councillors “proposing measures which will hopefully resolve some of the issues in the area”
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pleaded guilty to burglary of the Centra store in Jobstown
A CONVICTED burglar who took part in shop looting during the snows of Storm Emma last March has been jailed
Dublin <a href="http://thesun.ie/topic/courts">Circuit Criminal Court</a> heard that 37-year-old David Berney was reminded of his childhood by the heavy snowfall
Berney, of Tallaght, <a href="http://thesun.ie/where/dublin">Dublin</a>, pleaded guilty to burglary of the Centra store in Jobstown, Tallaght, on March 2 last.
He was found hiding in the back of the shop in a cash room.
Berney was on bail at the time awaiting prosecution for the burglary of a private home in Stepaside on December 3, 2014, and has since pleaded guilty to that offence.
burglary and making threats to kill or cause serious harm
Judge Cormac Quinn imposed a two-year sentence for the 2014 burglary
He imposed a further 18 months for the looting but suspended this on condition Berney keeps the peace and engages with addiction and social reintegration services
THE delivery of 21 years of therapeutic and practical support by the Jobstown Family Centre has been celebrated
alongside its steady provision of targeted and accessible services in an ever-changing society
Meeting the needs of local families since 2001
the Jobstown Family Centre provides a free service from its location in the Mary Mercer Health Centre
Run by the Daughters of Charity Child and Family Service
the Jobstown Family Centre is a not-for-profit voluntary agency mainly funded by TUSLA
Free services include a range of supports across the areas of advocacy
school avoidance and school related issues
There’s also services for the impact of domestic abuse
support with traumatic life events and building relationships in families
which supported more than 100 families last year
provides a flexible support service for families
who can refer themselves or be referred by an agency
the service continued to respond to families and young people seeking support
with remote services including phone calls
all staff were commended for their creativity in supporting the continuity of services during this time and introducing new ways of responding to the needs of the community
programmes are back on a face-to-face basis
with a number of programmes introduced to help alleviate emerging issues as a result of the pandemic
an activity group established to support young people struggling socially following lockdown
those struggling to return to school or who have lost friendships
This group has since grown into a programme called Terrific Teens
which helped the centre achieve TUSLA’s Investing in Children’s Award
A mural project was also completed outside the centre this year with a group of 26 children and young people
and with support from graffiti artist Darrin Rask
This mural enhances the warm environment of the family centre as parents
young people and children visit the welcoming premises
the centre is continuing to adapt and introduce additional services
including a small anxiety group with both children and parents
leadership group for young people and play therapy
Covid-19 also highlighted the many gaps in services for families
with the centre aware of the huge challenges faced by parents as they await assessments for their children with additional complex needs
local organisations and agencies joined centre staff
the CEO of TUSLA Bernard Gloster and clients in marking the milestone birthday
families and voluntary and statutory agencies
centre manager Laura Murphy said: “We know we are making a difference in the service we provide in Jobstown for children and families
“We in the [Jobstown Family Centre] recognise the essential dignity and potential of every person and the right of every child to live as full a life as possible within his or her own family
and undertake to deliver quality services to children at risk and families most in need in a constantly changing society.”
Contact the Jobstown Family Centre on 01 4585703, email jobstownfc@docharity.ie or download a referral form from <a href="http://www.dochildandfamily.ie">dochildandfamily.</a>
THERE HAVE BEEN more arrests this morning by gardaí investigating last November’s Jobstown protest by anti-water charge protesters
Gardaí confirmed that four males have been detained
following an early-morning operation in south-west Dublin
They’ve been taken to Rathfarnham and Tallaght stations for questioning under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act
Anti Austerity Alliance councillor Kieran Mahon — who himself was arrested on Monday in connection with the investigation — said a 14-year-old and an 18-year-old had been arrested
He said eight gardaí called to the home of the 14-year-old in three cars
Mahon described today’s arrests as an “escalation” of activity against the community
Seems at least three arrested this morning so far. The arrests and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PoliticalPolicing?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PoliticalPolicing</a> must end
This morning’s news follows the arrest of Mahon
and a member of republican group Éirigí on Monday
Four more people — three males (including a 16-year-old) and one woman — were questioned yesterday in connection with the protest that saw Tánaiste Joan Burton surrounded in her car by angry protesters and prevented from leaving an event
A press conference by AAA politicians is being planned for later this morning
and a city centre protest is being planned outside the Department of Justice for tomorrow evening
Paul Murphy says he&#39;s expecting more arrests tomorrow <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/jobstown?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#jobstown</a> <a href="http://t.co/meabPmFVW0">pic.twitter.com/meabPmFVW0</a>
Much like the operations yesterday morning and on Monday
this morning’s arrests involved multiple gardaí calling to houses at around 7am to take people into custody
The partner of one man arrested in Jobstown this morning said six gardaí had called to their door at around 7.20am as they were getting their children ready for school
She said he hadn’t been allowed go upstairs to change
and that she went upstairs to fetch him fresh clothes before he was taken away
Her partner had been at the Jobstown protest
TD Paul Murphy said that communities were “being terrorised by the actions of gardaí”
In a break with tradition,  a left wing heckler has interrupted Paul Murphys press op. <a href="http://t.co/HX6P1DZFT5">pic.twitter.com/HX6P1DZFT5</a>
A SOD-TURNING event took place at the 28-acre neighbourhood park in Jobstown due to be upgraded to meet the growing needs of the community
Works are set to commence by Clonmel Enterprises Ltd which will include the upgrading of the main park entrances
a cycle south Dublin link that will connect to the wider cycle infrastructure as well as landscape and biodiversity improvements
Mayor Alan Edge said: “The park will offer amenities
“We acknowledge and thank the community for their assistance and input during the preliminary design stage and their support for this project in general
We ask them to kindly bear with us during this construction process
We will endeavour to cause as little inconvenience to them as possible
I wish all involved a safe and successful delivery of the project.”
WITH €500,000 being allocated to groups across the island of Ireland in year four of the Begin Together Fund
Citywise Education  in Jobstown will receive €45,000 in from Begin Together for the ‘Citywise Means Business’ programme
The Begin Together Fund is delivered in partnership with the Community Foundation Ireland
The total value of grants issued via the Community Fund is €2 million since 2020
Citywise Education said: “The support of the Begin Together Fund will help Citywise to improve financial literacy among young people
but it will also support us to open up opportunities for our members to explore studying and working in professions such as business
from an early age it will help young people in our community to see themselves in careers which traditionally may not have been open to them
The growth of this programme would not be possible without the generous support of this fund.”
Groups working to support community enterprise and innovation and financial and mental wellbeing are among 20 community projects receiving financial support from Bank of Ireland’s Begin Together programme in 2023
Project initiatives spanning financial literacy and wellbeing
The funding allocated to applicants has increased from between €4,000 and €6,000 previously to grants now ranging between €15,000 and €45,000
The grants are being distributed to a smaller number of groups
with the intention of providing substantial supports that will drive real impact
The Community Fund is one strand of a wider commitment to support society which has seen €4.8m awarded to various community groups
social enterprises and arts projects across the island of Ireland
Begin Together has provided financial supports to a broad range of community groups
and social enterprises across the Island of Ireland
The work that they do unites local communities
who are working together to drive positive outcomes
“Supporting social enterprises is an important focus for the Begin Together Fund this year
who have been awarded a grant in our Community Enterprise and Innovation category
is a fitting example of an effective social enterprise in action
The group has been part of the fabric of the community in West Tallaght for over 30 years
providing learning opportunities that equip the community for future study or employment
“The Citywise Means Business programme places real emphasis on educating and empowering people to take control of their own financial wellbeing
which we know can have a transformative impact on people’s lives
they embark on their community programmes”
the Citywise Means Business programme has received significant support through the Begin Together Fund to deliver this programme
The project supports young people with educational resources to assist in improving their financial wellbeing and managing their finances
This year Citywise Means Business programme plans to include a pilot third-level aspect of the programme
The programme will support 300 students this year
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