Fine Gael Dublin Central Senator, Paschal Donohoe, said the discovery of bomb-making equipment this morning (Friday) near Smithfield is extremely worrying, especially as this is the second bomb-related incident to have occurred in the Dublin Central constituency in less than six months. Read More…

As I wrote on Tuesday I met with a drugs project to discuss problems in the constituency and the wider issues in dealing with the drugs problem. I have probably become unusually sensitive to the issue since then as it is so topical to me and fresh in my mind. I am just finishing off my day’s work in my constituency office. I can’t help but notice that a couple are screaming outside the front door of my office (clearly high on something) and that another group walked by high on some substance a few minutes ago.

I have a real sense that things on our streets are freying at the moment. That chaotic lifestyles are spilling over in public places in a way they haven’t in the past.

My meeting earlier this week gave me plenty of ideas about what to do on this. I’ll be returning to this when the Seanad resumes in a few weeks time.

I am not a TD but most people do not distinguish between TDs and Senators. We are all members of the Oireachtas. Our Oreachtas is now led by a man who is literally a waster. I can’t understand why he is still in his job and why he hasn’t commented on a month of revelations. Read More…

Visited a wonderful drugs project in my constituency this afternoon. They focus on harm reduction in the inner city. Was having a look around their facilities. I walked through their waiting room where something caught my eye.

The room was surrounded by normal plastic chairs (the kind you would see in a school room). Except in the corner there was a brightly coloured little chair for very young kids.

Said it all, really. The people these projects are looking after are mams and dads, sisters and brothers. We cannot forget them in the world of McCarty, NAMA etc.

The little chair made that point to me.

More shootings in my constituency over the weekend. Thank God nobody was killed. It happened on the NCR on Sunday morning. Again, the easy availability of guns is the heart of this. So many of these crimes are occuring because thugs can easily get weapons. The key thing is to clamp down on our coasts to stop these guns getting in. This, of itself, would reduce the number of crimes happening every day in your country.