Message from Cycling Ireland President

godtabh

‘I am writing on behalf of the Board to inform you of issues that have arisen from a capital grant application by Cycling Ireland in 2020. This matter is now the subject of investigation by a qualified external party, so we are not in a position to go in to any detail. 

The events in question are the subject of inquiry by the Sunday Times and we can expect there will be an article this coming Sunday, and following that possibly more coverage. The media response is not likely to be positive, but when a matter such as this occurs it is to be expected.

The Board is carefully managing the matter and taking both legal and professional communications advice. You will understand that it is not appropriate to go into any detail at this point, but we will be happy to provide an update once we are in a position to do so.

Separately, may I take this opportunity to wish you and yours a Happy and Peaceful Christmas.

‘

So what’s going on here?

dahat

Mad curious, please elaborate.

Someone or some club dipped their hands in a pot of cash it read to me.

Deagol

EDIT: No they didn't

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/taoiseach-had-no-hand-in-securing-20-000-for-his-local-cycling-club-1.2886688

dahat

How’s the club going since that generous grant was given?

Morris Garren

A bit odd that at 6pm on Christmas Eve, the President of CI is emailing this to every member in the country. I've no idea what this is about, apart from the possibility that it's the same issue that BBC NI were investigating earlier this year, something about sports grants up north that weren't applied for correctly- this was mentioned at the CI AGM this year in Tralee. I don't have any insight beyond that. But emailing ahead of a Sunday Times 'exposee'-- giving us all the heads up before the turkey and ham..?

Deagol

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118371355#Comment_118371355

Damned if you do and damned if you don't... can you imagine the reaction if he didn't tell CI members and instead we read it Sunday morning in the newspaper?

magicbastarder

A bit odd that at 6pm on Christmas Eve, the President of CI is emailing this to every member in the country.

seems to me that the timing is just meant to get this out before the press does.

jamesd

I'd say it's the NI grant, they applied for £400,000 and got £14k.

https://www.stickybottle.com/latest-news/cycling-ireland-application-for-400000-for-clubs-to-be-scrutinised/

2 Wheels Good

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118371475#Comment_118371475

Doesn't appear to have gone to all members though.

Morris Garren

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118371524#Comment_118371524

It isn't the NI Grant, as I suspected. So some skullduggery around finance during 2020 Covid is what is most likely; I doubt we are in the John Delaney/FAI ball court here but obviously the current El Presidente wants to let everyone know ahead of the big 'reveal' - I wonder is it actually that bad altogether.?

Daroxtar

Is there any way of paying my club membership without paying CI? I love my club and what they do for us but honestly can't see what CI do at all for me and now some financial boloxology going on?

magicbastarder

CI got 14k? blow me down, it's a scandal!

meanwhile:

"For example the Royal County Down golf club got £1.56 million"

summer green fees - for a single round! - next summer - are STG£290 per person there.

(in the interests of fairness, the annesley links are £50 a round, the championship links are £290, or £300 if you want a sunday slot)

ednwireland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118373106#Comment_118373106

no because your insurance is through CI

Seth Brundle

You've to register to read it (which I didn't) but seemingly the issue has been referred to the gardai...

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/cycling-ireland-funding-bid-referred-gardai-officials-wdk5tf5k0

ednwireland

doesnt seem much of a story so far. although theres not too much detail so far.

mewso

I'll keep an eye on off the ball. They'll squeeze it in somewhere amongst their extensive cycling coverage.

ted1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118373122#Comment_118373122

Big issue is cycling club be cycle on public roads so don’t really require funding for CapEx projects.

our GAA club is one if the biggest in South Dublin and uses council pitches such could never get funding from lottery etc as no CapEx

Morris Garren

I read the Sunday Times article-- not a particularly explosive revelation, sounds like a bit of creative accounting and improper applications during Covid. The truth will come out eventually.

What I found more interesting is that 3 women resigned from the board of CI in recent times, along with other resignations over recent years.

No female reps on the Board at all now. That in itself would be cause for a newspaper article these days.

benneca1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118370859#Comment_118370859

This quote is factually incorrect there is no such allegation. The original post should be taken down immediately as there was no question ever of any wrongdoing. I am surprised the mods left it up so long

Deagol

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118379103#Comment_118379103

You're technically correct - I misremembered the controversy but I cannot edit the post to correct it. I will happily withdraw the remark here and correct the record.

There was no wrongdoing by the Islandeady cycling club - just one of those wonderfully Irish pieces of coincidence that an ex-Taioseach's 'cycling' club got a very good grant when many other clubs and associations in Mayo weren't so lucky.

TGD

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118379141#Comment_118379141

Maybe you should correct it again unless you are sure that “luck” did the trick - e,g. Were the applications by other Mayo clubs of similar quality relative to the grant award criteria.

Deagol

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118380144#Comment_118380144

Can't be sure can we? Might have been luck, might have not been something else.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/kenny-twice-rode-to-rescue-of-local-bike-club-58c9c62pp

Seems there is some confusion within the club about it: "Pádraic Horkan, the club’s public relations officer, has previously said the taoiseach had “no hand, act or part” in the funding application and had not been consulted about it." - "This weekend Ger Deere, the taoiseach’s assistant and a member of the club, said he had brought the application to Kenny’s attention."

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/kennys-quick-word-helped-his-club-buy-cycle-machines-gg5vw7g8j

magicbastarder

so, what is actually known/confirmed about the issue at hand? someone in CI lied on an application form/applied for a grant which they were not eligible to apply for?

ted1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118379141#Comment_118379141

No coincidence, just the way it works.

its about known what’s available and how to tick boxes.

BingCrosbee

Cute hoorism is a way of life in the west.

loyatemu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118380440#Comment_118380440

back in the news today - they submitted fake quotes for the grant application 😮

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/cycling-ireland-admits-submitting-false-quotations-in-claim-for-grant-1.4795288

magicbastarder

well, whatever chance of a velodrome being built with their input has taken quite a knock now...

cletus

Reading that article, it would seem like they had a genuine quote for whatever the grant was to pay for, and they fabricated or falsified two other quotes to get around the procurement procedure, which likely required 3 quotes before the money was released (if it's the same system as used in other parts of the public sector)

Without wishing to downplay this, or suggest what they did was right, it can be difficult, sometimes, to find 3 companies to quote you. This can be because the service or goods are very specialised, or sometimes companies won't quote because they know from experience that procurement goes to certain companies or suppliers.

ednwireland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118594307#Comment_118594307

I think anyone applying for grants has faced this problem.

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118594354#Comment_118594354

Absolutely. I'm not suggesting what they did was right, but I've seen lots of issues with procurement over the last decade and a half, some was malice, some stupidity (or bureaucracy, which increasingly seems to be a synonym for the latter)

loyatemu

generally if you can prove that you can't get enough quotes, you can just go with the ones you have. This sounds dodgy as hell.

Mercian Pro

Do we know if the project involved was initiated by CI or by a specific club and, if the latter, who obtained the quotations?

Bambaata

Sounds to me like it was a club who applied to CI and CI didn't do any due diligence to verify it as valid. And as someone above said you don't need 3 quotes, you just need to prove you approached 3. Even the amounts noted are below where Procurement can start getting tricky.

cletus

All of the above could absolutely be true. I have no affiliation with CI, not a member, and not excusing it.

I have seen people make stupid decisions over amounts much smaller than the 54 grand or whatever the amount in article was, so I wouldn't be surprised if stupidity was at the root of this too

Bambaata

Yeah i feel those involved at the root of it might not have realised what they were getting themselves into!

Mercian Pro

Given the number of high level resignations, and the suspension of capital spending grants by the Sport Ireland, I very much suspect that there is evidence of more widespread disregard for rules and required procedures. The sloppy way the Covid grant in NI was handled points in that direction too.

TGD

Does it raise serious questions about current members of the Board who were also members then, when dodgy dealings came to light and the Board was alerted (if I’m reading it right), but seemed to do nothing about it. Also, this was known about at the time of the AGM but not reported to members then: surely not right??

This article is much more enlightening.

“Cycling Ireland confronted with mammoth task to restore its reputation following State grant debacle”

https://www.e-pages.dk/irishtimes/2646/article/1529922/5/2/render/?token=cc10bae7e76c042be33ff65f0c1d1578&vl_platform=ios&vl_app_id=ie.irishtimes.ereader&vl_app_version=5.4.4

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118594307#Comment_118594307

That's one possibility. The other possibility is that the "genuine " quote is over inflated, which is why the couldn't submit other competitive quotes alongside it.

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118595174#Comment_118595174

Yep, that's also a distinct possibility

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118379103#Comment_118379103

Easily missed, no one reported it, edited now

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118594387#Comment_118594387

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118594451#Comment_118594451

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118595174#Comment_118595174

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118594307#Comment_118594307

Just on these, as loyatemu says, simply sending in attempts that you tried, or even a written letter stating that this is the only suitable item for the task is enough, even if there are other companies selling similar.

The genuine quote being over inflated only stacks up if a) you could get what was in that quote on the free market for much less, which would imply fraud on someone's part and b) the other quotes were of an equal or better product.

magicbastarder

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/cycling-ireland-may-face-oireachtas-grilling-over-state-grant-debacle-1.4796216

Casati

I really hope that Cycling Ireland Board decide to communicate with members and explain what has happened and what the impact it is going to be rather than simply say ' we are not able to comment on executive matters' or some other dribble, - its clear that the impact is a lot more than the value of the original grant applied for- already two grants have been rescinded according to the Stickybottle article, and if the fed hasn't been allow apply for grants in 2021 where does that leave things now in 2022?

The obvious capital grant we are all hoping that CI can get is the one to cover the national velodrome - it would be great to get formal reassurance that this will not be delayed any further as a result.

Obviously if they are getting hauled into an Oireachtas committee they will have to say something but hopefully they decide to speak out to the members

TGD

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118601660#Comment_118601660

“The obvious capital grant we are all hoping that CI can get is the one to cover the national velodrome …” - Was/is it to become Cycling Ireland’s velodrome? I doubt it and ‘we’ (the members) shouldn’t want it either. That’s going to be a financial albatross around somebody’s neck and CI don’t have the capacity to run it.

MojoMaker

Absolutely. Leave that in the hands of the National Sports Campus to stand up and manage.

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118602168#Comment_118602168

Can't even get the CX course there booked so, not sure that is great either.

Raam

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118604695#Comment_118604695

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118604457#Comment_118604457

There is a cross-country running track anyway.

magicbastarder

there's a 'cyclocross skills zone' which makes it sound more like a training facility than an actual race course:

https://www.sportirelandcampus.ie/cyclocross-skills-zone

Casati

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118602107#Comment_118602107

Are you sure that Cycling Ireland have no involvement in the grant application? I understood from previous AGM's that Cycling Ireland were the key party applying for the grants but I might have misunderstood

magicbastarder

i assumed that was associated with the hospital grounds, when i spotted it on google maps.

TGD

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118604818#Comment_118604818

I have no idea - just surmising - may be completely wrong