A round-up of today's other home news in brief
Gardaí look into fire in Brittas Bay
Gardaí in Co Wicklow are investigating a fire at the seaside resort of Brittas Bay yesterday that gutted a van and threatened to engulf two houses.
The van belonged to campers who had set up camp across the road beside the beach.
After two hours fighting the blaze, the firemen prevented the fire from spreading to the two homes.
Youths survive river ordeal
Two teenagers had a lucky escape on Saturday night when they were unexpectedly washed downstream in strong currents while swimming in a river in Co Limerick.
The boy and girl had taken advantage of the sunshine and warm weather and were swimming with friends in the river Deel in the north Limerick town of Askeaton when they got into difficulty.
The alarm was raised at 6.45pm and a rescue operation was launched involving gardaí and units of the fire brigade from Askeaton and Foynes.
The teenagers managed to hold on to rocks until emergency services arrived.
It is understood the swimmers had been in the water for over an hour before they were finally taken to safety. They were both taken to safety at about 7.30pm in a co-ordinated effort by the emergency services.
A Garda spokesperson said: “Both were medically assessed at the scene but they did not require hospitalisation.”
Making cities safer for women
The Rape Crisis Network of Ireland (RCNI) has endorsed a Labour Party strategy on making towns and cities safer for women.
The decision by the party to publish the strategy in Galway was “particularly timely” given public consciousness about recent events in the city, RCNI director Fiona Neary said yesterday.
Last week, the Galway man already serving a life sentence for the murder of Swiss teenager Manuela Riedo in Galway pleaded guilty to the rape of a French student in the city, she noted.
The attack by Gerald Barry (29), of Rosan Glas, Rahoon, Galway, on the student in Mervue took place in August 2007, just seven weeks before he killed Ms Riedo.
Proposals by Labour Party’s European election candidate for the North West Susan O’Keeffe aim to ensure that local authorities, town planners and architects play a role in making safer urban areas for women.
“Central Statistics Office surveys indicate that 42 per cent of Irish women feel unsafe or very unsafe walking alone at night, compared to 11 per cent of men,” Ms O’Keeffe said.
Smoking costs economy €1.5bn
More than 6,000 people die from smoking related- illness each year and the cost of smoking to the economy is estimated at €1.5 billion annually, the Irish Heart Foundation said yesterday on World No Tobacco Day.
It said current figures showed that 29 per cent of the Irish population smoked, and 70 per cent of smokers wanted to stop.
In recognition of World No Tobacco Day, the World Heart Federation revealed that by 2010, it is estimated that six million people will die worldwide from the effects of tobacco.
That is more than from HIV/ Aids, malaria and tuberculosis combined – and nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) will be in low- and middle-income countries.