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KERRY COUNTY COUNCILLORS have voted in favour of a motion which would allow people in rural Ireland to have ‘two or three’ drinks and still drive.
The motion put forward by councillor Danny Healy-Rae calls on the Minister for Justice to allow Gardaí to issue permits to people in the most isolated parts of the country to allow them to drive after drinking some alcohol.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie this evening, Danny Healy-Rae said the idea was to help “those people in every parish who are isolated and who can’t get out of their place at night”.
“A lot of these people are living in isolated rural areas where there’s no public transport of any kind, and they end up at home looking at the four walls, night in and night out, because they don’t want to take the risk of losing their licence,” he told TheJournal.ie.
The motion was passed at a Council meeting this afternoon by five votes to three. It is believed that seven councillors abstained while 12 were absent when the vote was taken towards the end of a long meeting.
The councillor said the idea had originated from people who visited his clinics around the constituency to discuss problems and issues who had to leave immediately afterwards because they cannot drink and drive home.
“The pub is invariably the only social outlet left in rural Ireland and they’re getting scarce now – just one or two in every village,” he said.
I see the merit in having a stricter rule of law for when there’s a massive volume of traffic and where there’s busy roads with massive speed. But on the roads I’m talking about, you couldn’t do any more than 20 or 30 miles per hour and it’s not a big deal. I don’t see any big issue with it.
Healy-Rae said the current drink-driving rules are forcing an older generation to stay at home.
These people that are being isolated at present, all the wisdom and all the wit and all the culture that they had, the music and the singing, that’s all being lost to the younger generation because these older people might as well be living in Japan and Jerusalem because the younger generation don’t see them at all anymore.These characters are being isolated now at home, and a lot of them falling into depression.
Healy-Rae said he understood why people would oppose the suggestion but said it was important for rural Ireland:
I know there’ll be opposition. I know that it will be people in urban areas who have access to different outlets than the pub, but in rural parishes, that’s well we have – we don’t have anything else. All they want to do [here] is talk to neighbours, talk to friends, play cards, talk about the match and the price of cattle, about such a lady going out with such a fella, and it’s harmless.
The current maximum blood-alcohol level is 50mg per 100ml of blood for most drivers and 20mg for learner and professional drivers. Although it varies depending on driver, this is roughly equivalent to less than one pint of beer. The level of fatalities on Irish roads dropped significantly over the past five years with the introduction of lower alcohol limits for drivers and alcohol checkpoints.
The councillor called on Minister for Justice Alan Shatter to consider the move and said all parts of Ireland should not be treated the same when it comes to drink-driving rules.
I, as a public representative, feel obliged to try and do my best to move this idea. All I’m asking from the Minister for Justice is that he consider this. I think it is a worthwhile idea.
A blanket rule for the country will not work. You can’t paint the whole country with the one brush and hope that everything works out.
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Why anyone would want to go public after winning the lotto is beyond me.
Agreed and fair play to them waiting it out. There is obviously press camped around there. Id leave it till around day 60 in which case id fake a reason to resign from work and have my passport in hand arrive at airport decide then and there where I shall go :) just go with the wind and ill be back in a few years. That’s the dream anyway just to be lost in the world but not be broke
Just in time for the scorcher weekend, how I’d give anything to be in that situation
Why anyone wants to wish any lottery winner well is beyond me.
So you’d be happy if I won 50 million.
Totally deluded.
That’s like being happy for O’Brien and the robbing bankers and builders.
Some made more then this the past decade.
Are you happy they are spending your tax millions
Of course you are. !!!
Probably waiting for the Medical Card application to go through first.
lmao,
they’re waiting for the bus pass too and the invalidity pension, which is not means tested.
Good one begrudgy!! I nearly fell off my chair laughing at that. We probably have a few on the island with the neck to do it too.
I heard of a guy – a small farmer – who won €45k in Winning Streak last year. Apparently he has been plagued by begging letters ever since. For €45k!
Yep! Thats the reality of it i’m afraid! Imagine the amount of begging letters for €94 million!! Its too much if you ask me! Why not let 94 people each win 1 million. A lot of lives could be changed that way.
lucy,
That makes far too much sense.
You also don’t want the IRA knocking on your door looking for 10% now.
I still hope it’s claimed, we don’t win it that often!
My uncle had similar experiences’s when he won £23 and 9shillings on RTE’s Quick Silver
Lucy no where near the numbers would play therefore revenue would be down and smaller amounts of people.
Whats right is not always commercially viable
Cos they didn’t pick the right numbers Lucy, that’s why it’s called a lottery. I hate when people say that’s too much money to win they wouldnt want that much. If you won what you consider is too much then keep what you consider enough and give rest away
i hope they knock on your door for being a tosser
I’ve been meaning to collect the cheque but I’m just too busy with work at the moment.
I’ll collect it for you. Bring the ticket into work with you tomorrow, I’ll pick it up and nip down to Abbey Street for you, and away I go!
That would be great Brian. I’m swamped here in work. I can trust you right?
Completely!! I’ll even lodge it into my own account, so you can be sure it’s safe. Much more secure than carrying around those big cardboard cheques, yeah?
wish it was me , :(
its thursday €9.40 would even be nice
come back in 81 days please.
i don’t want to see this everyday for the next 81 days.
The most sickening part of this is the winner is losing €7,500 in interest for every day they don’t collect.
They have 94million why wud dey be worried about 7500
That’s my point, they have so much money €7,500/day is peanuts to them.
That 7.5 k could be given to those who need it …
Probably died from an overdose of champagne and cocaine..
lmao,
whoever finds the body will be one lucky fcuker.
the guard will be literally saying “nothing to see here, move along” as he shoves the ticket into his sock.
Waking Ned.
I just hope they are good people and best of luck to them.
How long does a cheque for €94m take to clear these days??
Imagine going into the bank saying when that’s cleared, I’ll have it all in €5 notes !!!
Delighted they claimed it and also Fair play for not going public. Enjoy it
Why are you delighted? And why fair play?
I don’t know them but if I did would be green with envy.
Would not hate them. But most definitely would not wish them well.
But then again I am a human.
Cop on.
81 days to find that damn ticket it’s around here somewhere
I put it in a safe place so I wouldn’t loose it
*lose :)
It was me and whoever gives me a red thumb gets nothing!!!!
That’s it……you eleven get €50,000 each!!!
I but a ticket every week for the Euro and Irish Lotto and I believe I will win one day.Its called positive thinking.
Hope you do Denise
The lottery is also known as the stupidity tax
I always thought you had to go public if you won the euromillions… Must be an urban legend?
Where was the tickets sold?
If I won ;
I would tell no one initially -including the other half and the kids.
I would fly immediately to Switzerland and open an account (can’t trust Irish bank staff not to talk) , lodge the lot and take a credit card, an atm card and €1m in cash back home.
Then tell the kids I have made some money in business and tell the other half that we won half of what we did actually win.
Finally agree how much to give the siblings and parents (11 in total) and hopefully they would agree to keep schtum
Not something you want to loose…
Dear Y’All.
Statistically speaking, your chances of winning ‘The Lotto’ are not significantly increased by playing it.
Think about that for a second.
Goodnight.
You’re not great at stats are you? What are your chances of winning it if you don’t play the lotto?
Chances of winning the euromillions if not played is 0%
Chances of winning the euromillions if played is 0.000000858134861% generally known as zero.
I’m not kidding, the chances are 1 in 116,531,800
Dearest Tommy, you are clearly not capable of comprehending the concept – I did advise you to think about it for a second, but you have not. Keep paying that poor tax.
So statistically insignificant. Thank you Darragh.
Some Muldoon will just invest it…
Them muck savages are tighter than a ducks hole
Obviously talking from experience there Robin. Tell us, please, how tight exactly is a duck’s hole?
Who really gives a shit where the ticket was bought and who has won.!
I only heard about it today and could not care less.
I am healthy. My kids are healthy and happy.
Money make life easier but to much of it only buys luxury.
A Bentley instead of an Audi (Both still get you from A to B)
A fancy Rolex displaying the same time as a watch from the pound shop.
Imagine going on holiday to Spain for two years. You’d get bored with that pretty quick.
Your friends now only like you for you money. (and have you pay for all the dinners and drinks)
A 10 bedroom house when you only need 4/5 bedrooms.
A Swimming pool when you don’ t even like swimming (just because it looks cool)
Cloths costing 5000 Euro (and even those are made from cotton!)
I was not born to spend my entire life thinking about money.
Be happy with who you are and what you have simply can not be bought for any amount.
And most of the time people who have obtained wealth not via hard work are often all to eager to show off how much they have (or so they think)
I’d rather have on my grave stone: He found a cure for cancer rather then he won 94 million in the lotto.
You’re a right tool.
I’ve been a bit busy in work this week but if I can get a lunch break ill nip in and collect it next week. Sure it ill be grand.
According to Rick O’Shea they have in the last 2 hrs
Who is Rick 0 Shea ?.
he bumped into me last week….
A four year old child was killed on the roads yesterday….is money really what makes people happy?? Reading my kids a bed time story is worth mother than any 94 million…money brings temporary happiness…good luck to that person who won spend it wisely
I had never believe in voodoo all my life until i order a spell from the a voodoo Doc called Dr. Soula a man who give out lottery numbers for any lottery you want to play and the numbers must win. He was newly discover after he has help so many millionaire in the world. I am grateful that some like Dr. Soula exist because this man voodoo spell is the best you can think of. Do not use online tips or eBook they all scam. The email is drsoula_b@live.com contact him now for he is the only secret to win lottery.
Gosh 94 million is a crazy amount to be responsible for. I just hope it brings the winner happiness. Was reading a blog article on https://www.worldlotteryclub.com/ about how 70% of winners end up losing everything within a few years. I really think there should be a proper support network for anyone who wins a life changing amount of money to ensure they can cope with it. On the other hand if it was too regulated I suppose we’d all complain that some corporation was interfering with the winners millions and become distrustful of them.
have your say