Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Diamuid Gavin's flower show entry cost Irish taxpayer €2.5m - report

Options
2456

Comments

  • Options
    #32
    Nevermind_
    Closed Accounts Posts: 328 ✭✭Nevermind_


    Monty Burnz wrote: »
    I would point out again that, by the time this was dropped in the ministers' laps, the money was already spent and all that was left was for the garden to appear in the show or not. At that point, 95% or whatever of the money was a 'sunk cost'. If they refused the few extra bob for it to be seen at the show, all the money spent so far would have been wasted for nothing, and they would probably be in a legal quagmire too.

    The people who need to answer for this in my opinion are the people in Cork County Council, regardless of their political stripe.

    I agree if something like 95% of the cost was already incurred then they had little choice but to finish it.
    But if it was only 40 or 50% then I personally would have preferred to cancel it completely.

    Unfortunately it doesnt state in either article how much had already been spent, so we dont know do we..

    BTW I voted for FG in the last election I have no "agenda" here


  • Options
    #33
    Chuck Stone
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,030 ✭✭✭✭Chuck Stone


    losthorizon wrote: »
    People are just jealous of Cork. And with good reason.

    Are you serious? I live in Cork City and have grown up here but I can see thru this rubbish.

    Don't let your misguided loyaties cloud your thinking.

    Oh and drop the 'Cork is the greatest place on earth' attitude - frankly, it's embarrasing.


  • Options
    #34
    Chinasea
    Registered Users Posts: 1,568 ✭✭✭Chinasea


    Shame he just couldn't spend the money on planting some trees - in fact a tiny percentage of the gross amount could have gotten a heck of a lot of badly needed trees planted in those grim auld baron towns that he is trying to clean up.

    I saw them in Charleville last week and the place was screaming out for some permanent tree planting but sadly not a one got planted as far as I could see. Get back to basics Diarmuid and plant for the future.


  • Options
    #35
    syklops
    Closed Accounts Posts: 18,966 ✭✭✭✭syklops


    Pauleta wrote: »
    ...Fianna Gael...
    Pauleta wrote: »
    ...Fianna Gael...
    Pauleta wrote: »
    ...Fianna Gael...

    Fine.


  • Options
    #36
    cml387
    Registered Users Posts: 8,398 ✭✭✭cml387


    The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were one of the seven wonders of the world.

    Look what happened Babylon.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #37
    ShamoBuc
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 32,600 CMod ✭✭✭✭ShamoBuc


    cml387 wrote: »
    The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were one of the seven wonders of the world.

    Look what happened Babylon.

    yeah... they made a song about it..... By the rivers of....:D


  • Options
    #38
    Nodin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 46,938 ✭✭✭✭Nodin


    ShamoBuc wrote: »
    yeah... they made a song about it..... By the rivers of....:D


    Burning, I thought it was.


  • Options
    #39
    My name is URL
    Registered Users Posts: 25,068 ✭✭✭✭My name is URL


    I wish I could say I was still surprised by this sort of bullshit.. but I'm really not anymore


  • Options
    #40
    Emoi
    Registered Users Posts: 107 ✭✭Emoi


    My name is URL wrote: »
    I wish I could say I was still surprised by this sort of bullshit.. but I'm really not anymore

    Me neither :mad::mad:

    But why does tax-payers money fund his entry, I didn't realise the competition worked like that?? I just presumed the designer decides to enter so they or their company pay the costs.


  • Options
    #41
    Absurdum
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,445 ✭✭✭Absurdum


    since the report originated in the Mail on Sunday, I'm guessing that in reality, the taxpayer is probably going to benefit enormously from this


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #42
    Sonnenblumen
    Registered Users Posts: 5,834 ✭✭✭Sonnenblumen


    Emoi wrote: »
    Me neither :mad::mad:

    But why does tax-payers money fund his entry, I didn't realise the competition worked like that?? I just presumed the designer decides to enter so they or their company pay the costs.

    They don't but some civil/public servant approved spending €2.5mio. Unbelievable and incredible though it is, I sense another growing scandal.

    Presumably the cost breakdown will be available under FOI, it certainly warrants an investigation ?:(


  • Options
    #43
    phasers
    Registered Users Posts: 18,159 ✭✭✭✭phasers


    Diarmuid Gavin isn't even good, did anyone ever see that programme on RTE when he put what looked like a multi storey car park in someone's garden, called it art then charged them half a million quid?


  • Options
    #44
    holystungun9
    Registered Users Posts: 2,933 ✭✭✭holystungun9


    Chuck Stone wrote: »
    Yeah that's really typical of an Irish garden.

    Yet again we see tax cows being milked to fund the whims of the privileged.

    .

    Even more typical would have been building a tiny block of apartments.


  • Options
    #45
    Show Time
    Registered Users Posts: 1,637 ✭✭✭Show Time


    No wonder the country is borked.


  • Options
    #46
    squod
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,704 ✭✭✭squod


    €500k for crane plus driver. My fuhken total arse it was!!!!:mad: Betcha it was €500k after they found out who was paying.


  • Options
    #47
    JonathanAnon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 23,718 ✭✭✭✭JonathanAnon


    Can you imagine what that 2.5 million would have done for the towns around Ireland that he was supposedly helping to clean up in "Dirty Old Towns"? .. Instead of this airy fairy bolloxology, putting a crane in a garden.. self indulgent nonsense.. .. Diarmuid Gavin is all showtime and no substance...

    And to think of the lecture that he gave to us all about "doing things for ourselves" on the Late Late Show last year.. And then he goes and dips in to all our pockets..


  • Options
    #48
    My name is URL
    Registered Users Posts: 25,068 ✭✭✭✭My name is URL


    Anyone remember his appearance on The Late Late Show a while back where he ranted incessantly about how badly the country had messed up and about the lack of responsibility that its citizens showed?

    Why the hell couldn't his own company pay for his bloody entry? I'm sure he's made enough money over the years to do so.


  • Options
    #49
    Solnskaya
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,463 ✭✭✭Solnskaya


    To find out the real story, you would probably have to look a little closer at DG's family tree and who his friends are.

    Small Irish company goes to the State and asks for funding so they can take on more employees on a solid, proven venture. Answer-Feck off.

    Well connected but essentially crap semi-celebrity goes to friend/acquaintance/relative in govt. with half assed idea to write a book/paint a wickle piccie/make a naff documentary/install a piece of sh1te sculpture/refurbish a fairy ring, cue deluge of cash into new half-baked trendy idea that will "bring long term benefits".
    This Country is a feckin MADHOUSE


  • Options
    #50
    JonathanAnon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 23,718 ✭✭✭✭JonathanAnon


    Solnskaya wrote: »
    To find out the real story, you would probably have to look a little closer at DG's family tree and who his friends are.

    I thought everybody knew?
    Diarmuid Gavin (born 10 May 1964) is an Irish garden designer and television personality. He is married to Justine Keane, daughter of The Hon. Ronan Keane, the former Chief Justice of Ireland, and Terry Keane, and they have a daughter named Eppie born December 2004.


  • Options
    #51
    Solnskaya
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,463 ✭✭✭Solnskaya


    JonathanAnon wrote: »
    I thought everybody knew?

    So did I.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #52
    johnmurph01
    Registered Users Posts: 58 ✭✭johnmurph01


    Sweet Devine!!

    Who is on for doing some sort of a petition on this and rattling some email inboxes and doors in Kildare street.

    2.5 million for a garden.....10k for a garden!!!

    2.5 million could be put to so many good uses around the country. While there is one person lying on a trolley or one bed closure in an old person's home or 1 viable business employing people which can't get credit money cannot be spent on the total crap that is Gavin's ego and this waste of space.


  • Options
    #53
    JohnMarston
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,881 ✭✭✭JohnMarston


    Who gives that much of a fcuk about flowers to spend 2.5 million we dont have?


  • Options
    #54
    ejmaztec
    Registered Users Posts: 24,010 ✭✭✭✭ejmaztec


    JohnMarston wrote: »
    Who gives that much of a fcuk about flowers to spend 2.5 million we dont have?

    All Ireland needs is a wreath:(


  • Options
    #55
    SeaFields
    Registered Users Posts: 6,551 ✭✭✭SeaFields


    Local radio here said that Cork city council will be footing the over budget €2.5 million for Gavins vanity project.

    No chance of rates being reduced for struggling businesses when this kinda of daft thinking is going on. How the hell anyone justified this is beyond me.


  • Options
    #56
    JohnMarston
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,881 ✭✭✭JohnMarston


    SeaFields wrote: »
    Local radio here said that Cork city council will be footing the over budget €2.5 million for Gavins vanity project.

    No chance of rates being reduced for struggling businesses when this kinda of daft thinking is going on. How the hell anyone justified this is beyond me.

    How on earth did he get enough support to get that sort of money!? :mad:


  • Options
    #57
    BoDiddly
    Registered Users Posts: 51 ✭✭BoDiddly


    Does he even live in Ireland anymore ?


  • Options
    #58
    pmct
    Registered Users Posts: 220 ✭✭pmct


    I don't think DG is really to blame here I think it the fools who approached him in the first place and then signed off on a garden that was going to cost 2.3m are. The way public projects are done in this country 200k isn't all that big of an overrun.


  • Options
    #59
    kippy
    Registered Users Posts: 18,488 ✭✭✭✭kippy


    Ah jaysus,
    Not again.
    No doubt the excuse will be or has already been "Sure we'll make it all back on tourism - millions of tourists will want to see this and come here SPECIFICALLY to see it"
    Not a fubbing notion lads, not even close to it.
    2.5 million on a garden is an absolute disgrace at the best of times, but especially at the current time.
    I don't blame DG so much, I blame the idiots that sign off on this sort of thing. As someone stated above if it was going to be worth so much to the economy surely some private investor would have backed it?

    No doubt, this will all pass over like every other scandal that has hit the country, the taxpayer, via the eu/imf will carry the can and we'll keep on making the same mistakes........


  • Options
    #60
    iamwhoiam
    Registered Users Posts: 16,127 ✭✭✭✭iamwhoiam


    Can anyone explain Diarmuid Gavins accent ? I know no one in Ireland who speaks like him ,Was he raised in Templeogue ? No one in Templeogue speaks like that .


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #61
    tinofapples
    Registered Users Posts: 2,957 ✭✭✭tinofapples


    Chuck Stone wrote: »
    Whoever okayed this wasteful venture should resign. If they don't resign they should be fired.



    Bollocks.





    .

    More money to relocate it !!


Advertisement