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A NUMBER OF people have spoken out against suicide awareness charity Console after details of financial irregularities emerged yesterday.
In light of work done by an RTÉ Investigates programme last night which delved into the finances of Console over the past number of years, founder and CEO Paul Kelly resigned.
The programme claimed that Kelly has a “history when it comes to misrepresentation and deception”.
The programme shows that, when applying for state grants and tax exemptions, the charity altered accounts to omit or edit references to directors’ pay and other benefits.
RTÉ also reports that the charity’s directors, from 2010 to early 2014, were made up of founder Kelly, his wife Patricia, a close family relative and, briefly, another immediate relative.
Under Revenue Commission rules, there should be “a minimum of three Officers, Trustees or Directors, who are not related and (are) independent of each other.”
“We feel left down”
Speaking today on RTÉ’s Liveline programme, a woman whose son had died by suicide and who had worked hard to raise funds for Console expressed her anger in the charity.
“I actually feel physically sick,” said the woman.
We feel totally let down. We were in shock yesterday… and obviously we’re all deeply upset over it.
The woman commended the counselling staff at Console, saying that they were “absolutely fantastic”.
“They’re absolutely fantastic staff and they’re dedicated to what they do,” she said.
This is not down the counsellors in the centre and they heard about this in the same way that we heard about this.
Bríd said that through fundraisers she and her family had conducted for Console they had raised somewhere in the region of €60,000 for the charity.
“That’s not including the advertising that we have done for Console around the country,” she said.
Bríd said that she had met Paul Kelly “eight or 10 times” and that she had “never seen anything wrong” with him.
Another man – Robert Davy – who said that he had lost a son to suicide, also spoke on the programme about meeting Kelly.
Davy said he had raised money for the charity in the past and echoed Bríd’s statements about the “fantastic” counselling service offered.
“They’re counselling service is fantastic… it’s just fantastic,” he said.
Following yesterday’s revelations about Console, the board has appointed external reviewers to conduct an investigation into alleged financial irregularities at the charity.
The two reviewers are a forensic accountant Tom Murray, and David Hall, CEO of the Irish Mortgage Holders Organisation.
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Would help if I had all the pictures.
@Deano74: i just guessed.
@Deano74: poor form to have quiz and not show the clues
6/10 and couldn’t see half the pictures. Impressive.
4/10. Much like a pub crawl, I started well knowing where I was with the first 4 right, then lost and confused from then on with no idea where I was. And all I was drinking was Coke Zero.
8/10 guessed the blanks
Jaysus 2 outta 10. Need to get out more
@Dr Albert S Meinheimer: I need to stay in more.
@Dr Albert S Meinheimer:
Same here 2.
Guessed the rest.
9 from 10
To be fair I’m a bartender 37 years
The Grey Square, lovely pint.
9 but I am a functioning alcoholic
@Joe Beirne: not surprised Joe, supporting man utd would turn anyone to drink.
@Deano74: try supporting Norwich city
Aaah I couldn’t wait,6/10,and only some pictures,I fancied a full house (public) on this one.
10/10 , not something to be proud of
Was out for Rugby and seen a French lad shocked to find out six Bacardi and coke was 84.50 in temple bar. I was in half adozen pubs over weekend, most not in that area, and could still not find a single one selling one glass of wine and one pint for less than 18 euro. Dublin is an absolute kip of a place.
Drank in them all bar one
04/10. Too difficult. Is Ron Black’s Dawson Lounge still open?
@Glenda Locked – Wickla Drag Queen: I’ve 4/6 and some with no pictures.
@Glenda Locked – Wickla Drag Queen: not for you it isn’t
@Philip Kennedy: transphobic pubs must be boycotted. Dawson Lounge is not one.
And not a price of the Guinness mentioned anywhere probably too afraid it would frighten off customer s of the business with extortion prices anything over a fiver ain’t worth the money they can keep it
Where was Sean’s bar in Athlone?
Since when, is the confession box, on the Northside?
@Vincent Ward: it’s on Marlboro Street, is it not?
@Vincent Ward: what,since when is it somewhere else.
6/10 , saavy drunk
5! I’ll take that!
I waited until next day, 9/10 love Dublin pubs
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