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Did you know that in Ireland you can get a gun faster than you can get a pizza delivery? Or that there are almost a quarter of a million legally held guns in the country?
These are just a few of the facts that are raised tonight in TV3’s News Special programme entitled Ireland’s Gun Crime Crisis. The programme aims to highlight the current problem of gun crime in Ireland and to show the brutal impact that it can have on individuals and society as a whole.
Gun crime has featured strongly in the news in recent weeks with the killing of 16 year old Melanie McNamara in Tallaght, among other cases.
According to Conor Tiernan, the producer for the show, the programme will aim to raise awareness about gun crime in the country.
“The purpose of the programme really is to pose the question: how serious is gun crime? Is it better or worse than it was before? How is it impact on people’s lives? How is it impact on society? And what can be done to stop these crimes happening or at least control it?” he said.
The programme also features an interview with a man who is described as a well-known drug dealer and who has direct experience of Irish gun crime.
Mr Tiernan says that while drug dealers are notorious for their reluctance to talk to the media, this drug dealer (who appears wearing a balaclava) was willing to be filmed.
“This particular drug dealer felt so strongly about the shooting of Melanie in Tallaght that he actually felt that things had gone too far, so that’s what led him to do the interview,” he said.
The programme will feature interviews with politicians, journalists, academics and people who have lost partners and relatives to gun crime. There will also be a live studio debate on the topic.
“There’s a lot of ignorance about gun crime. People don’t know much about it because most people live happy lives and don’t come into contact with guns, so one of the central purposes of this programme is to inform people about it,” said Mr Tiernan.
“We’re looking at the illegitimate trade in weapons and its human cost, but we’re also looking at the legitimate side of the gun trade in Ireland which I definitely think is something people don’t know much about,” he added.
Partner hunting men ‘are more likely’
To be influenced by symbolic & material things than women
MEN, and not women, are much more likely to have their heads turned by classic status symbols like flashy cars and big houses when weighing up potential partners.
That’s according to the findings of a St Valentine’s Day poll of 10,000 men and 6,500 women carried out by AA Insurance.
Despite the term “gold digger” being traditionally levelled at women, the survey found a higher percentage of men admitted to being turned on by material possessions or by what someone did for a living.
The online questionnaire asked respondents to rank the importance they attached to wealth and social standing when considering a love interest.
Prestige professions such as medicine and law proved the biggest draw for both sexes, comfortably surpassing “a place in the sun”, “a swish pad”, “a sexy set of wheels” and “designer threads”. However, a higher percentage of men admitted to being attracted by a potential mate’s professional status, with 32 per cent ranking it as either “very important” or “somewhat important” compared with 27 per cent of women.
After profession, the next most alluring aspect for both sexes was whether their potential partner owned a place in the sun. Some 28 per cent of men said they would be impressed by someone owning a holiday home compared to 18 per cent of women.
Despite the moribund state of Ireland’s property sector, 29 per cent of men said they would still rate having a big house as important compared to just 20 per cent of women. Some 26 per cent of men compared to 16 per cent of women said they would ideally like to see their partner driving a high-end car.
Even in expensive clothes, men placed a higher importance on material things when choosing a mate.
“We do, however, warn those looking for love this Valentine’s Day not to get too carried away with the results,” AA’s Conor Faughnan said.
“Statistics we gleaned from the same poll suggest that as many as 10 per cent of motorists have at some point bought a car that was beyond their budget for aspirational reasons.”
‘Over 95% some 96,668′
of Ireland’s households have not registered for the new charge
€100 
Less than five per cent of households have paid the household charge with only a month and a half till the deadline.
Of the current Irish housing stock of 2,004,175, only 96,668 had registered for the charge as of yesterday. Even subtracting the vacant housing stock, that would leave over well over 1 million homes still to organise payment.
It was probably with those figures in mind that the Government has decided to send ‘gentle’ reminders to houses across the country. The leaflets are being delivered this week, so if you have got yours already, don’t be disappointed, it should be with you by Friday.
The leaflets from the Department of the Environment instruct homeowners about how to pay the €100 household charge. But, there’s an upside for Irish business. Citypost won the contract to deliver the instructions. So, Enda Kenny’s jobs plan is already paying off.
People have until the end of the March to register, but must get it done by March 1st if paying by instalments.
The payment website www.householdcharge.ie was launched on January 5th, but has so far not got as much traffic as Environment Minister Phil Hogan would probably like.
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