Tynan slams cuts to Mayfield library services

Workers’ Party Councillor Ted Tynan has accused management at Cork City Council of “backwards thinking” following cuts in services at the Frank O’Connor Library in Mayfield as a result of understaffing.  Cllr. Tynan is to raise the issue at tomorrow (Monday) night’s meeting of Cork City Council.

The library will now be closed on Thursdays and will no longer open late on Wednesdays.   These cuts have forced the scrapping of a Junior Chess Club which has been an outstanding success since it was established some years ago on the initiative of one of the librarians.

Cllr. Tynan said that the reduction of staff and opening hours at the Mayfield library made no sense and showed a tendency on the part of some in City Council management to pick soft targets for cutbacks.

“The Frank O’Connor Library is an important part of the fabric of community in Mayfield and the North East Ward.  It should be used a lot more and its services should be better advertised by the City Council.”, said Cllr Tynan.

Mayfield Library (Photo: Cork City Council)

He continued, “The abandonment of the Junior Chess Club is a serious mistake. Chess is recognised worldwide as being beneficial to the developing minds of children especially in expanding their thinking and analytical skills.  In 2002 an important US study proved that children who played chess from an early age scored significantly higher on all measures of academic achievement, including maths, spatial analysis, and non-verbal reasoning ability”.

The Workers’ Party councillor pointed out that Frank O’Connor, the renowned Cork writer after whom Mayfield library is named, had been a librarian before he became a full-time writer.  “I’m sure Frank O’Connor, if he were alive, would be deeply disappointed at this retrograde step in downgrading the library and that nearly 50 years after his death this service is going backwards”,

Top council officials wined and dined by Irish Water at Croke Park corporate box

Cllr. Ted Tynan (WP)

Cork Workers Party Councillor Ted Tynan has called on Irish Water to confirm or deny reports that top local authority officials, including some from Cork, were wined and dined in the company’s corporate box at Croke Park during last Saturday’s American Football game (Aug 27th).

Cllr. Tynan said he had been given sight of a photo in which at least one senior official from Cork was clearly recognisable and said the attendance of local government officials at such an event was completely inappropriate.

He said, “The presence of these very senior officials as guests of Irish Water represents a serious conflict of interest on the part of the officials concerned and a blatant waste of taxpayers’ money by a company which has become a black hole into which vast amounts of public money is disappearing”.

"Corporate boxes at Croke Park cost upwards of €160,000 or can be hired on a once-off basis.  Already Irish Water has spent more than €85 million of public money on consultants and unknown sums on corporate entertainment. This cavalier attitude to scarce public funds shows Irish Water's contempt for the Irish people."

“This junket must be deeply repugnant to the householders of this country who are being told that they might be facing water bills of up to €900 a year for a service they already pay for.   I am calling on both Irish Water and the officials concerned to come clean and account for their actions and for the government to see sense and put an end to Irish Water and the water privatisation plans”, said Cllr. Tynan.   

He commended the stand of thousands of householders around the country in resisting the installation of water meters and urged others to join that battle. 

Cllr. Ted Tynan, Telephone (086) 1908281