Family Tragedy on the West Cork Coast

Divers from the Irish Naval Service, searching for a missing Polish man and his 13-year-old son off the coast of West Cork, have found and recovered a body near the Natural Arch, just south of Cod's Head.

The body has meanwhile been identified as that of the missing man, 40-year-old Piotr Latek. His son Matthias is still missing, and there is little hope to find him alive. The search for him has now been suspended for the night and will resume tomorrow morning.

Mr. Latek had been living in the area for about two years and was employed as a baker at the Breadcrumb Bakery in Kenmare, Co. Cork, while his wife and only son Matthias had remained in his native Poland.

A few days ago Matthias had arrived in Ireland to spend the summer holidays with his father. According to local sources, the two left Kenmare on Sunday morning in Mr. Latek's car to go on a fishing trip to the West Cork coast.

It is believed that they first did some fishing close to Kenmare, but then drove further down the coastal road towards Castletownbere and later to Allihies.

When local people noticed that they had not returned, an alarm was raised yesterday morning. Gardaí, the Coast Guard, lifeboats and local emergency services began a search of the area and soon found Mr. Latek's car, empty and parked at the entrance to a pathway, leading towards the dangerous rocks at Cod's Head, a very remote and exposed part of the rugged coastline.

Later some angling equipment - identified as belonging to Mr. Latek - was found on the rocks. But there was no sign of the missing father and son.

The search continued all day yesterday, but the Coast Guard became ever more doubtful that they would find the two missing Poles alive, two days after they had disappeared.

It is thought the father and son may have been swept from the rocks at Cod's Head in high winds and rough sea conditions.

John Falvey of the Coast Guard station on Valentia Island said that Gardaí and the emergency services were only alerted on Tuesday morning, and that on Sunday the conditions in the Cod's Head area were "windy, with strong gusts and high seas".

This morning a team of divers from the Naval Service joined the search and found the body of Mr. Latek in the water.
They will continue looking for 13-year-old Matthias Latek in the morning, but with almost no hope now to find him alive after four days.

The tragic death of Piotr Latek and presumed death of his young son has deeply shocked the local community in Kenmare and along the coast of West Cork. Accidents like this are quite rare, but they do occur from time to time, mostly when people unfamiliar with the terrain and the rough conditions on the rugged coastline are surprised by severe weather.

Meanwhile the dead man's father has arrived in Ireland, and his wife is expected tomorrow.

EPA threatens Legal Action over Sewerage

Ireland's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promised to take legal action against the country's local authorities, unless there is an improvement in the operation and monitoring of sewerage works.

The EPA's latest report focuses on waste water discharges from Ireland's cities and towns during 2006 and 2007.

Of the 192 treatment plants tested, 51% did not meet EU standards because "they were not operating properly or were overloaded".

At least 20 areas in Ireland do not have secondary treatment, which means effluent is being released into the sea.

These include Bray in Co. Wicklow, Clifden in Co. Galway, Killybegs in Co. Donegal and Kinsale in Co. Cork.

EPA enforcement officer Dara Lynott stated that new licensing powers will result in enforcement action, including prosecutions, being taken against failing local authorities.

Environment Minister John Gormley (right) said it was "quite unacceptable" that a quarter of non-compliance levels can be attributed to the insufficient levels of sampling by the local authorities.

Local authority officials are among the best-paid people in Ireland, and their jobs are among the safest in the country. But it appears that they are either unwilling or unable to do their jobs properly. One of the main reasons for that is the still rampant nepotism that rules Ireland. People are appointed to positions or given certain jobs not on the basis of their qualifications and skills, but on the basis of their personal connections. Often membership of a political party or family ties play a role as well.
The result is widespread sloppiness, shoddy workmanship and carelessness in many areas. Combined with the general lazy and laid-back attitude of many Irish people, it creates a climate of incompetence and mismanagement.

So the threat of legal action from the EPA is a step in the right direction that will - hopefully - wake up the sleeping local councillors and their officials. However, there is one little flaw in the concept: If a local authority would be found guilty of breaking EU regulations or having acted negligant, the worst that can happen to it is a fine. No council official will go to prison for water pollution.
And who do you think will provide the money to pay the fine? Yes - you guessed correctly: We, the taxpayers and ratepayers will foot the bill.

As much as I welcome the more forceful approach of the EPA, I think that the agency needs a lot more powers. Only then will it be taken for serious by local authorities who need to get their houses in order and their sewage systems and treatment plants working properly and according to EU regulations.

The Emerald Islander

New Motorway in Co. Cork

A new stretch of modern motorway (photo) between Fermoy and Mitchelstown in the north-east of Co. Cork opened to traffic for the first time this afternoon.

The new motorway part, whose building cost € 174 million, was completed nine months ahead of schedule.

This is good news for motorists and means that all but a 40-km-long segment of the overland road from Dublin to Cork is now at motorway or dual carriageway standard.

The final remaining section, which is currently under construction, will link the Portlaoise bypass with the M 8 motorway at Cullahill in Co. Laois and is expected to be completed in the second half of 2010.

Arson Attacks on Garda Stations

A Garda station in southern Connemara was extensively damaged in a suspected arson attack. The fire at Carna Garda station (photo left) in Co. Galway broke out at around 10 p.m. last night.
About two weeks ago windows of the same station had been smashed during the night, but no further damage was done at that time. There were also some other acts of vandalism reported in the area in recent weeks.

Only five days ago the Garda station of Blarney (photo right) in Co. Cork was also badly damaged by another fire.
Gardaí are now attempting to establish a motive for both attacks, but it is not suspected that they are connected.

Arson attacks on Garda stations are fortunately not occurring frequently in Ireland, but there has been a considerable number of such crimes in recent years.

Last year, on March 22nd, 2007, an arson attack was made on the Garda station at Bandon, in the west of Co. Cork. A man walked into the public office of the station at 11 p.m. with a petrol bomb. The spreading fire was quickly extinguished by Gardaí, but there was smoke damage to the floor and walls. A person who had been in the foyer during the attack was treated in hospital as a precaution.

Three years ago the Garda station in Littleton, Co. Tipperary was target of not one but two arson attcks within the short span of 13 weeks. The first took place on July 25th, 2005 and - just as the station had been repaired and refurbished again - a second occurred on November 2nd, 2005.

Six weeks before the first attack at Littleton, in the morning of June 14th, 2005, five petrol bombs were thrown at Blackrock Garda station in Cork city. Two Gardaí, who were in the station at the time, managed to extinguish the fires. There were no injuries and - apart fom burn marks on the outer walls (photo above) - no damage was done to the building.

On May 3rd, 2004 the Garda station at Carrigbyrne in Co. Wexford was extensively damaged by another serious act of arson.

In the night to Saturday, May 31st, 2003 a 19-year-old woman started at fire at Tallaght Garda station on the outskirts of Dublin.

On February 28th, 2002 a 28-year-old alcoholic from Finglas walked into Ballymun Garda station in Dublin, claiming his brother was missing. He then poured petrol, which he had with him, on the floor of the station's public area and set it alight. The Garda in charge on the night reacted quickly and put the fire out himself, so only € 1000 damage was done in this attack. The man was arrested and on June 19th, 2003 sentenced to three years imprisonment.

The most serious arson attack on Gardaí took place on Wednesday, July 21st, 1999 at Tallaght Garda station. A man entered the station at around a quarter to five in the morning, carrying petrol and some flares. He went into the public office, where the Sergeant and several other Gardaí were on duty, and set it on fire. Then he escaped in a white Ford Sierra car. Extensive damage was done to the station and tragically Sergeant Andrew Callanan, a 36-year-old married man and father of three small children, died from severe burns later in hospital. Several other Gardaí were injured in this outrageous attack.

On April 19th, 1999 another Garda station, this time in Edenderry, Co. Offaly, was set alight in the early hours of the morning. The Sergeant's office was completely gutted and some damage was done to the public office. A Garda patrol car, which was parked at the rear of the station, was burnt-out in the blaze (photo above right), while a second car, owned by a civilian, was also partially damaged.

One wonders why Garda stations around the country are not better protected against such attacks. But then again, many of the stations that suffered arson attacks are in rural areas and not manned around the clock. There is only a Garda present for several hours a day, but never at night. And some smaller rural stations are entirely unattended by now. All they provide for the public is an intercom connection to the next manned station, which is often many miles away.

As a historian I can only reflect on the lessons one can learn about this from history. Whenever the State withdraws its visible presence - which is usually the police - from a local community, it leads to two things: Alienation of people from the State and reduction of their respect for government and authorities; and an increase in crime, vandalism and unsavoury behaviour.

Maybe it is time for the Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern (photo above left) and Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy (photo right) to have a closer look at their general strategic policing principles and in particular at the deployment pattern of the Garda Síochána around the country.

The Emerald Islander

Bad Tap Water - It's not just Galway

Last week we heard a lot about the problems with contaminated water supplies in Galway City, and especially about the high lead content in the communal tap water. (see my entries of September 23rd, 24th and 27th)

It now emerges that Galway is not the only place in Ireland with such problems of water quality.

Eleven local authorities from all over the country have now officially contacted the Irish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) because they have also detected lead levels above the acceptable limit in a total of 23 public water supply systems across the country.

According to the EPA, so far four public health notices have been issued. The affected areas are: Old Mervue in Galway City, Mallow in Co. Cork, Ballintra in Co. Donegal and Bruff in Co. Limerick.

The other local authorities that have contacted the agency revealing higher than acceptable levels of lead in their water supplies are Co. Carlow, Co. Kerry, Co. Leitrim, Co. Longford, Co. Tipperary (North Riding) and Co. Wicklow.

Somehow I have the strange feeling that this represents only the tip of the proverbial iceberg...

The EPA says it is to liaise with the Health Service Executive (HSE) over the coming days to establish the true extent of the problem.
It advises as "best practice" for local authorities that detect levels of lead higher than the safe standard that follow-up tests should be carried out to establish the true extent of the problem.

That's not more than common sense, and it is somehow alarming that the EPA has to point it out to the local authorities.

It is not yet known if secondary tests have been conducted in the 23 identified water supply areas, but the EPA hopes that a more detailed picture will emerge over the coming days.

Meanwhile Cork County Council says that work on replacing a lead-lined water pipe in Mallow should begin before the end of this week.
It comes after it emerged that some residents have been told not to drink their water after more than three times the safe amount of lead was detected in supplies in the town.

The local authority is in the process of arranging for 450 metres of pipeline, and connections to some 60 premises, to be replaced.
Last Friday residents in the Beecher Street area of Mallow were notified that - following routine testing - "elevated levels of lead" were found in the drinking water in one house in the street. Follow-up tests by the HSE identified two other premises.
As a precaution, Cork County Council has advised all people in Beecher Street not to drink, boil or use the water supply in food preparation until further notice. The water is apparently safe for bathing, washing dishes and clothes.
Two temporary safe drinking water supply taps have been put in place at the northern end of the street for residents' use.

One wonders how long the various County Councils have known about the lead contamination in their area, but said nothing. Only after the recent scandal in Galway City made national headlines, they came out of their cosy cocoons and made their problems known to the EPA.

I think there are way too many incompetent and complacent people in responsible positions in local government, and the up-coming local elections next year should be used to make serious changes.

The Emerald Islander

Gormley called "a Disgrace" at Cork Meeting

Today Cork councillors have been briefed by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, John Gormley (photo left) on the preliminary findings of a report into toxic waste at Haulbowline.

But the session did not progress quite as planned or expected.

Tumultous scenes, emotions and anger erupted in the Town Hall of Cobh during the meeting, whose main subject was a report - compiled by consultants - into the risks posed by waste on the former Irish Ispat site.

Mayor John Mulvihill Jnr had to plead with his father, County Councillor John Mulvihill Snr, to let Gormley speak.
But Mulvihill Snr was having none of it. He accused the minister of being "a disgrace" and told him to resign his position. He also accused Gormley, who is leader of the Green Party, of "not taking the health concerns of people seriously".

Eventually the Mayor, as chairman of the meeting, was forced to intervene again, asking his father to sit down and allow the minister to answer questions from other Councillors as well.

On his way into the meeting John Gormley said that preliminary findings indicate that "the site does not pose a health hazard and people do not have cause for concern".

Last June the minister had promised a full report into the health risks of over 500,000 tonnes of toxic material deposited on the island (photo right) and his plans for a clean-up.
This followed claims by a sub-contractor involved in site clearance work that his company had found Chromium 6, a cancer-causing compound that can be toxic in tiny doses (and is the toxic that sparked a meanwhile famous legal crusade by Erin Brockovich in the USA).

Local councillors were visibly angry that John Gormley had not met with them directly since concerns about the site first came to light.
In the decade before the old steel plant closed in 2001, more than 500,000 tonnes of hazardous waste was dumped on Haulbowline, the same island that also houses Ireland's only naval base (including the HQ of the nation's Naval Service).

The Emerald Islander

More Rain and Floods in Cork and Munster

Met Éireann, Ireland's meteorological office, has warned once again of a risk of flooding, following heavy rain fall last night and today.

Further rain falls of between 25mm and 50mm are predicted, with Connacht and Munster most likely to be affected.

Meanwhile Gardaí in Cork said that traffic is now back to normal, after delays had been caused by heavy surface flooding in the city (photo). A number of road closures were put in place across the city and there were various cases of flooding also in Co. Cork.

Continuing heavy rain has also left thousands of acres of farmland in the West of Ireland flooded.

The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) says that this year's barley harvest is particularly at risk, but dairy farmers are also running out of pasture land, much of which is now under water.

An IFA spokesman said that farmers in East Galway and in the Shannon basin are among the worst affected, while there is also flooding in the Oranmore and Headford area of the county.

Conditions are described as 'unbelievably bad' and among the worst many farmers have experienced in living memory.