Phoenix Park concert Promoter in talks to avoid repeat of violence at park gigs
Six people were stabbed during the Swedish House Mafia concert in Phoenix Park and two people died.
THE COUNCIL responsible for a series of concerts at Marlay Park in Dublin later this month have said they are talking to promoters MCD to ensure there is not a repeat of violent scenes at a recent Phoenix Park concert.
Some 53 different conditions have been attached to the licence given to MCD by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council for the three concerts at Marlay Park.
The one that has been identified as being potentially troublesome is the David Guetta concert on August 24th.
The Van Morrison concert will attract an older audience while the joint Kasabian/Noel Gallagher gig is also perceived as being less risky.
Conditions include the right of gardaí to alter security arrangements and the sale of spirits depending on the artists who are performing.
A spokeswoman for Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown council said: “Senior council personnel are currently . . . meeting all relevant parties in relation to the operational detail of the Marlay Park concerts due to take place later this month, with a view to ensuring that they take place without incident.”
Dublin City councillor Mary Fitz-patrick has invited MCD, the Garda and the Office of Public Works, which runs the park, to give evidence to the Dublin Joint Policing Committee, which she chairs, to review the management of the Swedish House Mafia gig in Phoenix Park in July.
She said it was vital to get to the bottom of what happened at the concert which resulted in two deaths from suspected drug overdoses, six stabbings and multiple arrests.
“Each of the authorities involved in every stage of planning and managing this event has questions to answer,” she said.
In a covering letter to a report about the Swedish House Mafia concert, which was submitted to Minister for Justice Alan Shatter, the Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan blamed MCD for inadequate security, poor access to CCTV footage and an event-control system that was “not fit for purpose”.
The report has not been published for operational reasons.
However, MCD is unhappy with the commissioner’s finding, saying he does not mention the Garda’s own responsibilities in relation to security outside the venue.
MCD said gardaí had only objected to the security arrangements in retrospect.
“There was drinking going on all day outside the Courts of Criminal Justice and in the streets. We’ll take our responsibility for what happened inside the arena, but that was their domain,” said one of the organisers.
When asked if gardaí bore any responsibility for what happened, a Garda spokesman said: “A report has been submitted to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence in relation to this matter. It would not be appropriate for An Garda Síochána to comment further at this time.”
A spokesman for the Office of Public Works, which has responsibility for the Phoenix Park, said it would comply with whatever recommendations the Garda Commissioner made about future events in the park.
He said the office had event-planning meetings with the promoters prior to the concert but could not have anticipated the events which unfolded.
“We didn’t know what sort of clientele might be attending, but I don’t think anyone could have envisaged what happened.”
Gardai still looking for mystery men in tunnels under the streets of Dublin
A member of the garda sub-aqua unit emerges from a manhole in the grounds of Dublin Castle yesterday.
The garda sub-aqua unit was yesterday searching tunnels and drains in central Dublin after two men, dressed in waterproof clothing and wearing gloves, used a ladder to climb down a manhole beside Dublin Castle.
The incident was captured on CCTV — showing the men opening the manhole, dropping the ladder in, then replacing the iron cover as they climbed down at around 9.15pm on Friday evening.
Gardai were alerted immediately and went to the scene
They reopened the manhole and heard two men’s voices coming from the tunnel. The area was sealed off and the sub-aqua unit arrived yesterday afternoon and began searching. There was no sign of the men.
The tunnels under the Castle carry the Poddle River underground through the city centre to Wellington Quay, where it flows into the Liffey.
Gardai were uncertain if the two men were part of the ‘urban explorers’ subculture movement, which involves opening manholes and exploring unseen parts of cities.
This activity has become popular in Britain and other countries. The tunnels were featured in a recent episode of Creedon’s Cities on RTE, which may have spurred an interest in exploring.
However, there could be an alternative and more sinister explanation. Dublin Castle houses the Assay Office, which contains amounts of gold and silver. The Poddle Tunnel also runs under the Central Bank on Dame Street.
The tunnel complex, which is big enough for people to walk through, is checked every time an important dignitary visits Dublin Castle.
The sub-aqua unit searched it before the visit of the Queen and prior to visits by British prime ministers while the IRA campaign was under way, as well as in the run-up to the visits of US presidents.
It will also be searched before the major events that will take place during Ireland’s EU presidency.
Irish Government considers having 25 different property tax bands
It’s reported the Government is considering having as many as 25 different property tax bands.
According to the Sunday Business Post, Ministers would like to introduce an extensive sliding scale based on the value of the property.
It’s proposed that these 25 different bands will be based on 25 thousand euro increments.
For example, one band could be between 350 and 375 thousand – with the next band rising to 400 thousand euro.
It’s estimated the new property tax – which will replace the household charge next year – could cost homeowners between 300 and 500 euro a year – with higher bills for more valuable properties.
Fisherman rescued off Donegal as boat sinks, mountain climber rescued after fall in Kerry
A fisherman has been rescued from rocks off the north coast of Co Donegal after his boat sank yesterday afternoon.
The man alerted the Malin Head coastguard that his boat was sinking, just before 3pm.
He maintained contact with the coastguard station until after the boat sank, when he climbed onto nearby rocks.
He was located by emergency services and was airlifted to Letterkenny General Hospital.
Meanwhile, a man was airlifted off the MacGillycuddy Reeks in Co Kerry after he fell while climbing this evening.
The man, who is from Co Galway, and in his 30s, fell a distance of over 50m.
He was stretchered down the mountain by members of the Kerry Mountain Rescue team.
He was then airlifted by the Shannon Coastguard Helicopter and taken to Kerry General Hospital in Tralee, where his condition is stable and his injuries are said not to be life-threatening.
The first attempt to airlift him off the mountain had to be aborted because of bad weather conditions.
However, the airlift succeeded on the second attempt.
This evening’s rescue was the first time the new Sikorsky helicopter, commissioned in July, has been used on the Reeks.
Edinburgh University study pinpoints prostate cancer growth gene (Decorin)
The researchers looked at the genes that control the formation of the prostate gland.
Scientists from Edinburgh University have pinpointed a gene they say could lead to improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer.
The team studied genes that control the formation of the prostate gland and identified one known as Decorin.
The presence of this gene was reduced in tumor’s compared to normal prostate cells.
The researchers now hope measurement of Decorin levels could become a reliable diagnostic test for prostate cancer.
The study by scientists from the Centre for Reproductive Health was funded by Prostate Cancer UK and the Medical Research Council (MRC).
They believe the gene, Decorin, may play an important role in tumour growth.
Lead researcher, Dr Axel Thomson, said: “We pinpointed which genes were active in embryonic prostate development and compared their behaviour in the development of prostate cancer.
“Through this process we were excited to discover that the presence of one gene – Decorin – was reduced in tumours compared to normal prostate cells.
“This observation suggests that Decorin’s normal role may be to slow cancer growth, which is a really exciting possibility.
‘More clues’
He added: “If our suspicions are verified then this could mean that, in the future, measurement of Decorin levels could become a reliable diagnostic test for prostate cancer and also help determine how aggressive the disease is.”
The finding comes as part of an ongoing research exploring how the environment surrounding cancer cells affects tumour growth.
Dr Kate Holmes, from Prostate Cancer UK, said: “This type of early stage research is vital to help us improve our understanding of prostate cancer development and move towards finding better ways to diagnose and treat the disease.
“Every year 10,000 men lose their lives to the disease, yet we still have very little knowledge of how prostate tumor’s develop and grow.
“It is vital that more research of this nature is undertaken and supported so that more clues, such as these, can be discovered.”
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