Today’s Speaker is Brian Cooke, Director General, Society of Irish Motor Industry speaking about Electric Vehicles
Forthcoming Speakers and Events
Sep 27th Maggie Hayden and Ben Dundon, the Samaritans
Oct 4th
Oct 11th
Oct 18th
Oct 25th
Nov 1st
Nov 8th
Nov 15th Dr Richard Conway – Disorders of the immune systems – a mystery. Dec 6th Special General Meeting
John Feeney, former Press Ombudsman Polio Plus, the need to continue
Katrina Buckley, Men’s Aid
Public holiday – no meeting
Business meeting
Shabnam Vasisht - Digging up the Raj in Deansgrange cemetery.
Dec 13th Christmas lunch.
President Alexander was in the Chair at our meeting last Monday in the Grand Canal Hotel.
Thought for the Day was given by Gerry McLarnon as follows: We are all familiar with the word service in the context of our membership in Rotary. However, in the context of my Thought for the Day, I should like to use the word in a different way. The greatest service we, as individuals, can offer is courageous investigation of everything we see, know and believe. Go deep enough, I say, to get under a thing to see it from a new perspective, Rise high enough, I say, above a thing to see it from a new perspective, Until we get to the core of a thing, or see it from a new place, we will not be able to determine how, or if, the experiences of our lives serve our highest and greatest need. Until today, you may have been walking through the middle of an experience, trying to figure out what it is. Justfortoday,courageouslyinvestigateeverypossibleangleofthesituation. Moreimportant,perhaps, be willing to acknowledge how you might have been keeping it in place. Once we know the truth, we cannot go back to not knowing. Living the truth that we know is the greatest service we can offer the world.
Visitors and Apologies
There were 21 members in attendance. Bernadette introduced our only visitor, Michael Hayes, a friend of Delma. President Alexander welcomed him.
Last week
we received apologies from PP Ethna Fitzgerald, Patrick White, Caroline Barnardo, David
Horkan, Randal Gray, Hon Treasurer Dermot Knight, PP Paul Martin, Vasily Ogievsky, Alan Harrison,
Derek Bell, Rana Al Damin, Roger Owens, Brian O'Boyce, Willy Widmer and (soon to be member)
Cormac Trant.
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Rotary Rangers’ Schedule
Sep 21st Kanturk and Scarr Mountains, Oldbridge, Lough Dan.
Sep 28th Deerpark, Powerscourt.
Secretary’s Announcements
Secretary Tony made a correction to the date for our Christmas dinner published in the Dubliner as 15th December. The date is the 13th December.
President’s Announcements
President Alexander announced a visit from members of the Rotary Club Bonn overnight in Dublin in November. They have invited our club members for a visit to Bonn on 25th and 26th March next year, details circulated by Secretary Tony.
A Rotary District Council meeting will be held in the coming week.
Members Wishing to Speak *
David Booth expressed his deep gratitude to club members who gave huge support to the 2021 Duck Race in aid of Foundation. He thanked Roger Owens, Eamonn Allen, Mary O’Rafferty, Alan Harrison, Bernadette Mulvey and Delma Sweeney who contributed to the success of the day. Mercifully no accidents occurred after our our first Risk Assessment. We had a fun filled event. First prizes went to Mark Doyle, Brian George, Jono Pim, Cormac Trant and Caiden Balfe.
At lunch on the 7th September and following a meeting with Tony Murray, Tom O’Neill d our traditional Christmas Tree project in Dundrum
The Marino Project
He explained that there had been over 50 years of crises and reports into living conditions in Dublin slums. An enquiry showed that Dublin slums were the worst in the UK. With a population of 304,802 between 45-50% lived in second class accommodation and an estimated 60,000 needed rehousing. Living conditions were one of the root cause of the “lockout strike” of 1913. There were some early housing initiatives such as private development and Guinness Iveagh trust (flats). Western Railway also provided housing still standing today as did the defence forces in Killester. At this time Dublin Corporation also developed some small scale housing in Clontarf.
Social reformers of early 20th century envisioned the model of a “Garden City”. This ideal would have to be out of town, in the suburbs, surrounded by parkland and connected to the city by public transport (Ebeneezer Howard, 1898). Fifty acres were offered to the corporation by James Walker in Fairview in 1914. These lands were acquired by 1915 and Geddes and Unwin developed a plan to build
Delma Sweeney reminded us again of a request for funding for an initiative by the Samaritans. A raffle
will be held on 27th September in aid of this project.
Due to the illness of our intended speaker, at very short notice, our speaker today was Eamonn Allen,
who gave a very informative talk on the Marino Development built at the beginning of the Irish state.
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asked members
should we hol
this year.
This was confirmed by an
almost unanimous show of hands. The details now need to be analysed and reported back to council.

1,100 houses on this site. These were adopted by Horace O’Rourke (Dublin City Architect) in 1919. Horace had been responsible for the rebuilding of O’Connell Street after 1916.
Finance for this new estate was provided by way of a grant from new Irish government to Dublin Corporation of £1,000,000. Irish banks lent this money at 4.5% interest rate after some haggling with the new government. Dublin Corporation provided 1/3rd of overall funding. It raised 2/3rd financed by rates and 1/3rd by a loan. Houses were expected to cost £657 but be offered to householders for £450 (approx 30% below cost). Threshold for qualifying was a minimum of 4 children in the family. There was no limit on earnings but cost per week was between 15 shillings and 16s and 1d. Selection was by lottery. The launched was held In 1925, with 4,400 applicants for the initial 248 houses. A garden design was adopted by O’Rourke based on a radial plan (like spokes in a wheel), with each house having a view of a central green area. This design reflected
an original plan by Lord Charlemont for a planned formal gardens on the site.
Gardens were provided front and rear and each block had a different design, different frontage and different fenestration. The “H” house design included a scullery, coal shed and an area in the hallway for a bike. Overall, the Marino development. totalled over 1,500 houses, meaning a population of approximately 10,000 people were housed.
The Benefits of this development were an improvement in living conditions for Dublin citizens, decrease in overcrowding and spread of communicable diseases. The scheme consolidated position of the New State in improving the life of its citizens, consolidated its support and alleviated unrest. Described as the best housing development ever undertaken by Dublin Corporation.
Discussion amongst club members concluded that our government could learn from this housing project today.