Irish Examiner view: Public has been sidelined in drone operator discussions
Large parts of the airspace over Cork are off limits to drone users unless they seek permission two days in advance. Picture: Larry Cummins
This week, Alan Healy of this parish wrote about the new restrictions on drone flights on Leeside, due (at time of going to press) to come into operation on Saturday.
Under these restrictions, large parts of the airspace over Cork would be off limits to drone users unless they seek permission two days in advance.
Parts of the city’s northside, the central island of the city, the Docklands, as well as Blackrock, Mahon, and Douglas would join the existing red zone areas around Cork Airport and Cork Prison.
Part of the reason for these restrictions is commercial. The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) has stated that drone delivery company Manna is seeking permission to operate in Cork, saying a block or volume of airspace is required to safely allow what is termed ‘beyond-visual- line-of-sight’ operations.
These developments can be framed in a positive way — the IAA is being proactive, a new Irish company is showing leadership and initiative in a new field, and consumers and businesses will benefit from this technology.
However, this restriction of airspace could also be interpreted as a public body facilitating a private company in pursuit of a new market.
Furthermore, there has been a distinct lack of prior public consultation regarding this new restriction of air space.
It is far from clear that many people are even aware that they would have to seek formal permission to use drones in large parts of Cork City, under the terms laid out in the restrictions.
The use of drones has many positives. They are routinely used for safety inspections along with search and rescue work.
In time, they may help to relieve traffic congestion by taking deliveries off our roads.
There are negatives too. Many people are uncomfortable with the potential for intrusion, loss of privacy, and the associated noise from drones.
However, debate on the pros and cons of drone use was conspicuous by its absence ahead of these restrictions being unveiled.
Drones are going to play an increasingly significant role in Irish life going forward, but the parameters of that role need to be discussed.
Readers will no doubt be familiar with the story of Seamus Culleton, the Irish man who has been detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since last September.
In a recent interview, he described conditions at the detention facility in El Paso, Texas, where he is being held as being like a “modern-day concentration camp”.
Culleton said he was being held in a room with 70 other men, adding that “people have been killed by the security staff”.
It was subsequently reported that the Government was in contact with the US department of homeland security about the case.
In recent days, the story took a twist when it emerged that Mr Culleton had a warrant issued for his arrest by the district court in New Ross, Wexford, soon after he entered the US as a tourist in 2009.
That warrant related to drugs offences, while a separate warrant was issued in relation to an alleged criminal damage charge.
The revelations have sparked a good deal of discussion both here and in the US, much of it speculative and uninformed.
Neither the revelations nor the discussion alter the essential facts of the situation.
As an Irish citizen, Mr Culleton is entitled to all the support and protection the Irish State can reasonably offer.
His precise legal status in the US has no bearing on that basic fact.
Only this week, we learned that there are long delays in the interview process in Ireland which aims to rule out “marriages of convenience” for Irish citizenship.
One reason our criteria for citizenship are so stringent is that, once granted, the holder of an Irish passport can rely on the State to come to their aid in extreme circumstances.
On that basis, Mr Culleton is entitled to the State’s aid and support.
The conduct of ICE in the US has been a matter of huge controversy for some time now, which makes Mr Culleton’s situation all the more pressing, and the Government should intervene here as a matter of urgency.
Good news this week for Cork author Chloe Walsh, whose series of books is to be filmed for broadcast on Amazon Prime.
Walsh’s books have been hugely successful, and they have a large and loyal following.
They focus on a group of schoolmates who negotiate the trials and tribulations of their teen years while attending a prestigious school — Tommen College.
Aficionados will be familiar with the exploits of characters such as Johnny Kavanagh and Shannon Lynch.
For readers less familiar with the phenomenon, the books are set in a version of Cork with fictional locations — such as Tommen College — as well as real-life places.
Mahon Point Shopping Centre, for instance, and Cork University Hospital pop up in various parts of the narrative.
This has led to fans of the books visiting Cork to see these locations for themselves, and posting the results of their trips on various social media platforms.
This is rather fitting given the books have a particularly strong following on BookTok.
There appears to be plenty of speculation about the real-life inspiration for Tommen College; perhaps when the TV series is filmed, we will get some clarity on this point.
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