When the, when the prison stopped operating as a prison, now there is a, a more, just so people are, are clear on that site, there is a, a, a more modern prison there that is a prison, but the old building, what, w- were there proposals as to what to be, what was to be done with it?

Um, Sean, I suppose, uh, as well as, as, um, uh, we'd say the historical part and the older prison, there's also a community, and I think it's important from the outset to stress that as well.

Um, but in 2021, um, there was a motion, um, for, from Cork City Council, um, supported by all parties and none, um, to develop the old prison site, uh, for housing, and then on the, on the heritage side, to incorporate there a heritage center, um, uh, a pop-up place where we could support community initiatives.

Um, and we wrote to the then Minister for Justice, um, and the answer back was, "We have no interest in the site as, uh, as, as, as it currently stands," and that we will, um, that it would then go to the, uh, the LDA to consider housing.

And then the next thing, a community kind of reads a sign that was put up, you know, using some government legislation, that they can fast-track, uh, the building of a new prison.

So it all happened really kind of quick, considering that in 2021, um, and I heard last week that the Taoiseach said it's late in the day.

I, I, I disagree with that.

Mm

When the, when the prison stopped operating as a prison, now there is a, a more, just so people are, are clear on that site, there is a, a, a more modern prison there that is a prison, but the old building, what, w- were there proposals as to what to be, what was to be done with it?

Um, Sean, I suppose, uh, as well as, as, um, uh, we'd say the historical part and the older prison, there's also a community, and I think it's important from the outset to stress that as well.

Um, but in 2021, um, there was a motion, um, fa- from Cork City Council, um, supported by all parties and none, um, to develop the old prison site, uh, for housing, and then on the, on the heritage side, to incorporate there a heritage center, um, uh, a pop-up place where we could support community initiatives.

Um, and we wrote to the then Minister for Justice, um, and the answer back was, "We have no interest in the site as, uh, as, as it, as it currently stands," and that we will, um, that it would then go to the, uh, the LDA to consider housing.

And then the next thing, a community kind of reads a sign that was put up, you know, using some government legislation, that they can fast-track, uh, the building of a new prison.

So it all happened really kind of quick considering that in 2021, um, and I heard last week that the Taoiseach said it's late in the day.

I, I, I disagree with that.

Mm

You've gone through the positives there.

No, no, my point is, PJ, is that this is us doing our everyday life.

Yes.

And this was happening.

Yes.

This is not, like, there's no positive.

You can't go about your everyday life living in fear.

Have you?

Mm

... by any person.

Let's be very clear about this.

It's criminal activity, and I don't care who did it.

It should happen in nobody's back garden, in nobody's community.

This is wrong.

And council, it could have happened before in some shape or size.

Yeah.

What are your immediate thoughts?

Yeah, we're really happy with it, really happy with it.

We took the foot off the gas for the last 10 minutes, but proud of the lads today.

We put in a really good effort for most of the game, yeah, and it's good to see a few lads coming back from the States and having a good impact for us.

So, yeah, happy out with the day's work.

Great to have him back.

Absolutely.

I think the last time he played a pitch or a game in Ireland was against Leitrim in the FBD.

Can you maybe speak to what that looks like a little bit across settings? We

have a variety of different trainings that we do at our locations.

We do active shooter training, active shooter drills, fire drills.

And those drills, we try to run those drills in a trauma-informed way where it's less stress on everyone, especially the individuals and the staff.

You know, we're mandated by the state where we have requirements, where we, you know, the amount of times that we have to run these drills.

And it's different at each setting.

But one of the key things that we try to stress is when we do do this type of training, we try to keep it simple.

to

And just imagine that during the night a bunch of... gougers have been there with their cider and their syringes maybe and they've made sugar of the place and just left it they've left drug paraphernalia on your mother's grave or they've torn down the plants and the flowers like the county council can say it all day that they didn't do any damage but it doesn't sound like it when you're standing there councillor John Maher again in St. Catharines John again good morning

Good morning, PJ.

As you said, if you ask me what would happen to me, I'd have to be tied up if it happened to one of my loved ones.

Whether it's a flower or a broken headstone or whatever, it's just not good enough.

And I'm reminded of something I learned in the Scouts a long time ago is, you know, leave no trace.

And whether we go to a cemetery or a city centre or a park, you know, leave no trace, you know, but particularly in a cemetery.

It's a place where people go to talk to their loved ones.

And I know that's a matter for the guards and the DPP and all that, but when no one's charged, the sad part, John, is people come to accept that every so often the graveyard will be desecrated.

And just imagine that during the night a bunch of... gougers have been there with their cider and their syringes maybe and they've made sugar of the place and just left it they've left drug paraphernalia on your mother's grave or they've torn down the plants and the flowers like the county council can say it all day that they didn't do any damage but it doesn't sound like it when you're standing there councillor John Maher again in St. Catharines John again good morning

Good morning, PJ.

As you said, if you ask me what would happen to me, I'd have to be tied up if it happened to one of my loved ones.

Whether it's a flower or a broken headstone or whatever, it's just not good enough.

And I'm reminded of something I learned in the Scouts a long time ago is, you know, leave no trace.

And whether we go to a cemetery or a city centre or a park, you know, leave no trace, you know, but particularly in a cemetery.

It's a place where people go to talk to their loved ones.

Does council have powers to do anything more? Are there security cameras there? Are there lights there? You know, security spotlights that come on when someone goes

What, what, what happened?

Yeah, I suppose, look, like yourself, the, the video went around, but a lot of people have made contact with me kinda Sunday evening, uh, and then obviously into yesterday.

Um, just seems that there was an event or maybe somebody was paying respect to maybe their loved ones, but, but, but, but what seems to be then is not, I suppose, not, um, being, uh, not, uh, not respecting other people around them, and the videos now have gone around where there seems to be just damage of flowers and graves and, and the stories that have come into me via other people, that there's been damage to maybe flowers and walking over their loved ones' graves and it's just really, really unfortunate and, and, and it shouldn't be happening, you know.

Um, a graveyard, the, the cemetery is a sacred place, and I think everybody goes there f- to remember their loved ones, but we need, we need to be, w- we need to remember that everyone else is there as well for the same thing.

Um, so the, the people that have contacted me, we've made direct contact with the council.

Um, the, the council staff, they, j- as it happens, between sick and holidays, there just might have been an overlay yesterday, but they're out there now this morning.

It's awfully disrespectful to everybody else.

No, they, they have.

If I can finish,

PJ, because I am answering.

The trial on McCurtain Street, way back when, was only a trial.

There was the same issues presented to us.

There was the same for and against.

Now it is the best in class example across the city.

I don't know will this be the best in class or not, but what I am willing to do is to give it a change.

They're