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People before bonnet: Reclaiming Irish towns from the clutches of the car

Your guide to the latest subscriber-only columns from David McWilliams, Fintan O’Toole, Roe McDermott, Corinna Hardgrave and more

What happens in Dún Laoghaire regarding cars could serve as a blueprint for other Irish towns, writes David McWilliams. Photograph: Getty Images

Sun Jan 21 2024 - 07:52

Welcome to this week’s IT Sunday, a selection of the best Irish Times journalism for our subscribers.

A battle between the past and the future forms the basis of the latest column by David McWilliams. Specifically, McWilliams is looking at plans to redirect traffic out of Dún Laoghaire and reclaim the town’s streets for use by people. Crucially, he says, whatever happens in the south Co Dublin town may well serve as a blueprint for other towns in Ireland as they face the same issues in years to come. “The plan for green spaces, vibrant walking neighbourhoods and a form of urban living that is the norm in continental Europe but has been denied us by a combination of the car lobby, inertia and Nimbyism, can be cut and pasted for other towns, particularly those blighted by municipal decay and vacancy. The way to get rid of vacancy and dereliction is more people, not more cars.”

In recent weeks, a stream of headlines have appeared concerning tensions in some areas where asylum seekers are due to be housed. Fintan O’Toole, in his column published on Tuesday, examined the parallels between young male asylum seekers arriving in Ireland, and their Irish migrant counterparts who landed in England in the 1960s. “They are, after all, similar in age, gender, experiences of displacement and congregation in dreary accommodation,” he writes. “But there is an obvious difference: the young men in the asylum system in today’s Ireland are much more orderly than the Irish in England were. They don’t drink much, partly for cultural reasons, partly because they don’t have the money. Fighting among them is rare, certainly in comparison with the Irish lads who used to beat the bejesus out of each other outside English pubs on Friday and Saturday nights.”

When it comes to discussion around the upcoming constitutional referendums on women’s duties in the home and the definition of the family - the mansplainers are in full “listen, ladies” voice, according to Justine McCarthy. To those arguing for a “no” vote on the former, McCarthy asks: “Why does the Constitution elevate the role of women in the home for their contribution to the welfare of the state to the exclusion of women teaching or giving medical treatment to their children? The provision is not just anathema. It is nonsensical.”

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In Sport, Gavin Cummiskey is examining the possible candidates to replace Stephen Kenny as Ireland’s next international soccer manager. “Not long now,” he writes. “A four-year contract is waiting to be signed, reportedly paying a head coach €560,000 annually to prepare the Republic of Ireland for the 2028 European Championships, when group matches will be held in Dublin.” From Lee Carsley to Chris Coleman, Cummiskey evaluates the would-be successors and what the rumours are saying.

It may only be January, but Corinna Hardgrave’s latest review is topped with a bold prediction: “I’m in heaven. This is going to be my restaurant of the year.” The heavenly restaurant in question is Allta, an eatery in Dublin 2 that this week earns a glowing 4.5 star review from our food critic.

This weekend, Roe answers a query from a man in his mid-30s who is having trouble in his relationship. The man is planning to propose to his girlfriend of five years soon and the reader sees a bright future; however, he feels shame at how often his mind flashes back to a brief fling he had before his current relationship started. “How can I overcome this shame?” he asks.

In this week’s On the Money newsletter, Dominic Coyle discusses the habit of switching when it comes to your mortgage, energy bills and even banking, and why it’s so important for maximising savings. Sign up here to receive the newsletter straight to your inbox every Friday.

As always, there is much more on irishtimes.com, including rundowns of all the latest movies in our film reviews, tips for the best restaurants in our food section and all the latest in sport. There are plenty more articles exclusively available for Irish Times subscribers here.

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