The Central Mental Hospital opened in Portrane, Co Dublin, in 2022 at a cost of €200m, and it has had a relatively chequered history ever since. Now that heating system is malfunctioning, and hospital management have rented large industrial air-blow heaters in order to warm the hospital. Those in a mental health hospital — particularly one which is so new — surely have a reasonable expectation of modern standards, such as reliable heating. There are now almost 400 fewer gardaí in roads policing units than there were patrolling 15 years ago. Ineffective road traffic policing has the potential to have a serious impact on many people’s lives.

Source: Irish Examiner February 12, 2026 11:01 UTC