Cost of living a big issue for Men's Sheds in Tipperary say members

I sat down with Cahir Men’s Shed in Tipperary and asked them what issues are important to them with the upcoming election.

Many issues propped up during our meeting including the cost of living, fuel and electricity prices, funding, and housing.

COST OF LIVING
“Prices are a big issue, the prices of fuel and diesel are expensive as well as electricity.” said chair Patrick O’Keeffe. This is a huge reason why men’s sheds around Ireland need extra funding, he said. “We’d like extra funding for the Men’s Shed so we can stay in our current premises.”

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Another member Donal McCarthy, a retired teacher, agreed with Mr. O’Keeffe: “I was listening to the radio last Sunday and they had representatives on from all the main parties and the interviewer asked them all what would they do about the cost of living, everyone of them, what specific move would they do for the cost of living and not one of them answered the question. They came on with all sorts of things saying they’ll give grants etc but they’re already in government and now they're telling us they’re going to give us all these things after they’ve been in government for years. The cost of living is huge here. Everything is going up, insurance, shopping for example.”

The Men’s Shed spends a huge amount on insurance and electricity costs in the year and have to charge members to pay for this. Extra funding is needed to keep these small community groups alive, members said.

HOUSING
Another member Tom Prendergast spoke of how he had the chance to own his own house and he made the conclusion that this is not possible for young people today.

“God help anyone that’s trying to buy a house. In my day we were lucky enough to get a council house and then ten years later you got a chance to buy it. We had a choice of a five or a ten year mortgage and we picked the ten year one. At least we got a chance of getting a house, renting it from the council and living our life even without buying it and then a chance later on to own it. I’m as happy as can be with that after fifty years but now people aren’t getting the chance to own anything.”

Donal McCarthy spoke of how house prices keep rising: “I was talking to a woman whose son is living in Cork City and he bought a house last year for €340,000 which is a fair whack, and the house next door to him was sold yesterday for €460,000. For the very same house.”

Frank Costigan from Clonmel said “They’re not building enough council houses, and now you have to live there for a certain period of time before you can buy them, which has changed again.”

Tom Prendergast said “The council should be building more houses every year for people on 35-40k earnings and actually give people a chance to own a home, that’s not happening.”

Mr. Costigan worried about younger people commuting for college: “Another concern is, now I’m older now, but for people who have children going to college or University, they’re having to commute to college now because there’s no accommodation. For younger parents that’s a big concern”

Mr. Costigan wondered about the use of modular homes saying “modular homes could be used for housing people.”

PLANNING AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Donal McCarthy argued that “planning permission in the countryside is an issue, it’s almost impossible to get it. I think that should be relaxed.”

Michael StJohn said “They’re going to have to build a lot of huge massive sewerage plants, because the population has increased, they need them. In Golden they have no sewerage plant, the pollution is high. We need to provide reservoirs especially with climate change. We need to reserve water.”

Donal McCarthy brought up the issue of Uisce Éireann being under funded for many years: “Water sewerage plants need more funding. They’ve been neglected for years upon years.”

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