Sean Kelly MEP August Newsletter

Sean Kelly MEP Newsletter, August 2010

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A chairde,

Following the summer recess it's good to be back at work again. The weather was very good which was a welcome relief for everybody especially families, the hard pressed tourism industry and farmers who suffered terribly over the last three wet summers.

Unfortunately, the summer ended on a sad note in my native Killarney with 5 teenagers being buried last weekend - 4 of these deaths were caused by an unfortunate car accident. I visited all of the families in their homes and the devastation was naturally heart wrenching. My deepest sympathy to all effected. When the dust settles lessons will have to be learnt to eliminate such tragedies ever occurring again.

It has been a great season on the Championship fields - well from the quality of the games anyway, whatever about the results depending on where you come from. Hopefully, now we will have a Munster double! So best of luck to Tipperary and Cork as they bid to bring Liam and Sam to Ireland South.

During August, I had the honour of being guest speaker all as Gaeilge for about 500 Trainee teachers who were in South Kerry for a few weeks to upskill their "caint as Gaeilge". The Irish language is an important part of our heritage and it was nice to see so many "abhar mhunteoirí" ag foghlaim i nGaeltacht Chiarraí Theas.

Also I had the honour of officially opening the Pilltown Agricultural Show - a really wonderful event running now for nearly 184 years. I spoke about the importance of CAP discussions, now underway. It was a first for me, as was

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my great privilege in being involved in starting the Sean Kelly Cycle Classic in Waterford. The cycling legend has done tremendous work in promoting cycling and over 5,000 people took part in the Sean Kelly classic. What a man!

So now that the summer is over, there are many important things coming up in the Parliament over the next few months. I will keep you posted.

Ar aghaidh leis on obair.

Le gach dea-ghuí,Sean Kelly.

In this month's newsletter:

Page 3: Update: Haulbowline Toxic Dump - Petition Submitted

Page 5: A blueprint for the Future of the All-Ireland

Page 7: GAA Project aimed at tackling isolation of older men in rural areas

Page 8: We do not want Ireland to become known as the Island of unemployed scholars.

Page 9: Jargon Buster: Erasmus Programme



Update: Haulbowline Toxic Dump - Petition Submitted

Haulbowline Island -Toxic waste

Today I submitted a petition to a powerful European Parliament Committee regarding the toxic dump at Haulbowline Island Cork Harbour.

I committed to submitting the petition following on from a public meeting in Cobh last month organised by the Cork Harbour Health pressure group who have collected over 5,500 petition signatures.

It is time that the Irish Authorities stop passing the buck on Haulbowline. This toxic dump is not licensed and this has been the case for ten years.

In 2005, Ireland was held to be in breach of the EU Waste Management Directive All landfills are required to be licensed under European Law. There are no exceptions.

Five years later, there is still no action in Haulbowline, therefore I have decided to bring the case to Europe.

The National Cancer Registry of Ireland has proven that there is a 37% higher rate of cancer in Cobh than the national average.

It is vital that a baseline health study is conducted in the Cork Harbour area to prove if there is a link or not between Chromium VI and other toxic metals found on Haulbowline Island and the alarming cancer rate in Cobh.

It is very well documented that Chromium VI causes cancer. The Irish State has full responsibility for the site.



The inhabitants of the Cork Harbour area deserve to know if there is a link between the high cancer rates and the leaching toxins from the site.

I have submitted this petition on behalf of the people of Cobh and the Cork Harbour area. I look forward to the hearing of the Petition in the coming months, where it is my hope that the Irish authorities can finally be forced to tackle this problem.



A Blueprint for the Future of the All-Ireland

WHERE now for the All-Ireland senior football championship?

The elimination of all eight provincial finalists has triggered a debate that’s set to run and run all the way to Congress next April.

On the one hand we had the two most successful managers in the past decade, namely Mickey Harte and Jack O’Connor, pointing out the inequities of the existing system. The latter questioned the value of trying to win a provincial title when it seems to be detrimental to All-Ireland success.

He has a valid point as 2010 is going to be the third year in a row that none of the four provincial champions are going to capture Sam Maguire.

On the other side was GAA director general Páraic Duffy, who, while accepting that there are inequities, poured cold water on Harte’s suggestion that the four provincial winners should play one another, with the losers playing two teams that came through the qualifiers. This would mean that every county would get a second chance in the championship.

But Duffy argued that the qualifiers were introduced so that all counties got two games in the championship, not a second chance for all losing teams. He also pointed out that the All-Ireland series is a separate competition from the provincial championships and that no team gets a second chance once the All-Ireland series begins. He also noted that the introduction of extra rounds in the All-Ireland series would create havoc for county club fixtures.

Well, standing back from this debate it is clear, that while the qualifier system has served a good purpose, its major flaws and inequities cannot be corrected in its present form.

If we want fairness, if we want a system that works, and if we want to help our clubs there is one obvious solution. Run the provincial championships exactly as they are run at present but run the All-Ireland series as a separate competition, on an open draw basis, concurrently.

Páraic Duffy rightly said it is a separate competition already – separate but not apart from the provincial series. It is time to make the Sam Maguire Cup both separate and apart but run concurrently with the provincial campaign.

Here’s how it would work. Firstly, make your draw for each provincial championship as here to fore and run them off as normal with the fact that they would no longer be linked to the All-Ireland series giving the provincial councils some flexibility regarding dates. Also, make a separate open draw for the All-Ireland; 32 is the perfect number of counties and its time we used such a natural resource. New York or London could be given the option of playing a preliminary round or just opting for a shot at the provincials.



The first round should be played over two legs home and away, regardless of the size of the county ground in each county. This would mean that over the two legs of the first round, every single county in Ireland would have a home game.

This would start your championship not with one big bang but 32. This would create massive interest in each county and would be a welcome boost for county grounds, many of which seldom get a championship game at present. If finance was a worry, the second round, involving half the teams in Ireland, could be played over two games again on a home and away basis. Then you’d be down to quarter-finals and they could be played in Croke Park.

This approach is both simple and fair. How often have I had it said to me ‘Yerra, Kerry wouldn’t have won half the All-Irelands if they were in another province.’ An open draw would end that perceived inequity forever.

Some will say the provincial championships would be downgraded, that you couldn’t run the All-Ireland series and the provincial championships together and that n o b o d y would take the latter seriously.

Judging by other sports, and indeed, other competitions within the Association, this is pure fearful speculation. Don’t the Magners League and Heineken Cup run side by side and aren’t they both growing in stature every year? Don’t the top soccer clubs in England play the Premiership, the FA Cup and the Champions League concurrently? If these three competitions can run concurrently and draw in big crowds week after week, why couldn’t our games do likewise?

Indeed, with proper promotion and marketing the provincial championships could be reinvigorated as standalone competitions. The provinces also could be given guarantee of greater financial returns from central funds in the eventof an initial downturn in income. Anyway, there is too much made of the financial situation. If, as is said so often, ‘all the money goes back down the kine’ does it make much difference to counties and clubs whether it is coming from national or provincial coffers? So that is purely a budgeting and book-keeping exercise.

Having the All-Ireland series as a separate competition could also leave the way open for each province to have its own sponsor for its senior championship.

This gives us a system that’s fair, equitable, and workable. What I have outlined covers all those aspects. It is time we gave it a try.

My proposals were originally published in the Irish Examiner on August 10th.



GAA Project aimed at tackling isolation of older men in rural areas

It was very encouraging to read that the pilot GAA project aimed at tackling the isolation of older men in Ireland is to become permanent. This social project will be warmly welcomed by older men living in rural areas who would like to be more socially active in their communities.

Living in rural areas can be challenging for the older generation. There tends to be a social divide because it is more difficult for individuals to socialise. Barriers to social inclusion may include lack of transport, not having a social network and farm commitments.

I am delighted that so many groups and organisations are involved in this initiative. It is a very positive action and I sincerely hope that it can be rolled out across the country in an expedient manner. In 2009, there were over 26,877 burglaries and related offences in Ireland as reported by the Central Statistics Office. These figures represent a substantial increase in such offences since 2005. Now more than ever it is very important that we ensure older men, living alone in rural areas do not feel excluded and isolated.

I would also like to commend President Mary McAleese for instigating the stimulus for this project in Irish society.



We Do Not Want Ireland to Become Known as the Island of Unemployed Scholars

With the Leaving Certificate results and CAO offers out this past month, college courses, points and unemployed graduates are the main topics of discussion in every household.

Historically and in modern times Ireland has been renowned for being the island of saints and scholars. We do not want a situation to occur where inaction and prolonged unemployment will lead to Ireland being known as the island of unemployed scholars.

Our young talented graduates deserve a bright future with good employment prospects and opportunities. Ireland should be a place where new graduates can contribute to knowledge based sectors and help mould Ireland into a more sustainable, competitive and attractive country to do business in.

Growth and innovation is within our grasp. Irish Universities should consider creating more centres of excellence in different fields. This would create post research job opportunities.



Jargon Buster - Erasmus Programme

Travel broadens the mind and education fills it, so what better way to expand your horizons than to travel abroad as part of your education.

This is the idea behind the Erasmus Programme, named after the much-travelled Renaissance Scholar Erasmus of Rotterdam, who brought his wisdom to many universities across Europe.

23 years ago the Commission proposed this scheme to fund the exchange of students between Universities and Institutes of Technology across Europe.

To date, over 2 million students have taken part in what is a very successful programme. Movies have been made about it and it has gone a long way to fostering a European identity, creating friendships across borders and improving language skills.

It also teaches life lessons, taking students out of their comfort zones and allowing them to fend for themselves in a foreign land, a great skill especially in our globalised economy.

I encourage all students to look into doing an Erasmus exchange. The common misconception is that it is reserved for language students, or that if you don't speak the language of the country you wish to travel to, you can't study there.

In fact nearly every university in the EU offers an extensive range of modules in English so I would encourage undergraduate students to consider travel to broaden their educational horizons.

Sean Kelly MEP August Newsletter

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