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Homeless campaigner Alice Leahy named humanitarian of the year | The Irish Times 26th November 2018
Irish Red Cross awards recognise pupils’ campaign to revoke classmate’s deportation
Homeless campaigner Alice Leahy has been named as humanitarian of the year at an Irish Red Cross awards ceremony.
Ms Leahy was recognised for her lifetime of dedication to helping society’s most disadvantaged people, said Pat Carey, Irish Red Cross chairman.
“She has developed an unrivalled understanding of the needs of those on the margins of society and during every day of her working life she has implemented practical measures to help combat social exclusion,” Mr Carey added.
Ms Leahy, director and co-founder of the Alice Leahy Trust – a support centre for homeless people – has been working to secure better services for vulnerable people since the mid-1970s.
Students at Tullamore College who campaigned to revoke the deportation order of their friend Nonso Moujeke were also recognised at the Irish Red Cross Humanitarian Awards.
The Offaly teenager was facing deportation to Nigeria earlier this year despite having lived in Ireland since he was two years old.
Public toilets and the capital | The Irish Times 22nd November 2018
Sir, – At last Dublin City Council has budgeted €200,000 for two public toilets in a location yet to be decided on (Olivia Kelly, “Public toilets in pipeline for city centre after 20-year absence”, News, November 20th).
Isn’t it amazing that this decision should make headlines?
The Irish Times should take some credit for this decision following on its Weekend Review feature “Capital Ideas – 10 ideas for improving Dublin’s infrastructure, economy and daily life” (November 20th).
The Letters Page has raised the issue many times over the years. For publishing my plea for this issue to be addressed, I would like to say thank you. It’s been a long wait. – Yours, etc,
ALICE LEAHY,
Director of Services,
Alice Leahy Trust,
Dublin 8.
Turning public toilets into cafés | Irish Times 7th November 2018
Sir, – The former public toilets on Kevin Street will be brought back into use as a café “as soon as practical” (News, November 5th). Should Dublin City Council not see fit to invest in this much-needed facility there must be a business concern with the foresight to see that public toilet facilities are required in our capital city. The business could then hand it back to be run by Dublin City Council. I noticed recently in the UK budget that there was tax relief for public lavatories. My submission in The Irish Times last Saturday regarding 10 big ideas to make Dublin better includes a description of how Paris provides public toilets staffed by friendly municipal workers. If Paris can do it, what is stopping us from doing it? – Yours, etc,
ALICE LEAHY,
Director of Services,
Alice Leahy Trust,
Dublin 8.