​Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin Fingal Darragh O’Brien has welcomed a strategy by Fingal County Council to better position the coastal villages and towns of Fingal as a tourist spot in Dublin. A number of events will take place over the coming months to promote tourism in the area.

“The strategy to promote the many coastal villages and towns of Fingal is significant and I welcome the positive improvements this will bring to the area. Balbriggan, Skerries, Loughshinney, Rush, Donabate, Portrane, Malahide and Portmarnock will all benefit from the knock-on positive impacts of the strategy.

“It comes as the long awaited tourist office in Malahide will open on the 3rd of May in Malahide Pastoral Centre, next to Malahide DART station. This tourist office, which will be a great asset to Malahide, and the wider North County Dublin area will be fully accessible in this location.

“I and other Fianna Fáil representatives in the area, such as Cllr. Eoghan O’Brien have been working in conjunction with the local Chamber of Commerce to bring the tourist office to fruition. The promotion of the coastal towns and villages of Fingal will coincide with the operation of the new Malahide tourist office.

“The council will stimulate tourist activity in Fingal by promoting or assisting with events including the National Piping and Drumming Championship, Malahide has it Festival and 2 Cricket Internationals. There are also proposals for a “Malahide has Style” fashion event for November. I am happy to be involved with each of these events, which have great potential to boost Fingal in the coming months,” concluded Deputy O’Brien.

Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Dublin, Deputy Darragh O’Brien has said that tourists need to be weary of scam websites offering accommodation, following reports of tourists being defrauded in today’s media.

“A number of websites are offering bogus accommodation in European destinations, including Dublin. This problem is happening in other European cities too, where tourists are being asked to pay for accommodation and apartments upfront, but arriving to find the properties do not exist or are not available for rent.

“Media reports on the news that scam artists defrauded one group of French tourists in Dublin out of €1400. A group of tourists from Paris booked and paid for a house in Georgian Dublin for eight days around St Patrick’s Day. However, when they showed up the property owner knew nothing about the arrangement. 

“Such scams are becoming ever more sophisticated, but I would urge people to take caution when booking accommodation online, and to use trusted, reputable websites. Dublin has countless world-class attractions and tourism plays an increasingly important role in the city and county’s economy, so it is a matter of deep concern that the tourist offering is at risk of being undermined by this type of scamming.

“The Gardaí should be given every appropriate support to deal with anyone in this country colluding with this sort of fraud,” concluded Deputy O’Brien.
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Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin Fingal Darragh O’Brien has heralded the news that a tourist office will finally be established in Malahide. This follows Deputy O’Brien working with the Malahide Chamber of Commerce, business and community groups to bring this into fruition.

“A tourist office is something that has been needed in Malahide for a long time. This is a vibrant area and popular with visitors throughout the year, but particularly in the summer months. The news that a tourism office will open in the next two to four weeks, just in time for the summer, is a great boost for the town.

“I and other Fianna Fáil representatives in the area, such as Cllr. Eoghan O’Brien have been working in conjunction with the local Chamber of Commerce to help bring this about and I met with senior council officials earlier this week to finalise the plans. The office will be fully accessible, located in the parish centre of St.Sylvester’s Church, right next to Malahide train station.

“It is a great facility that I am delighted to see opening. In the locality of Malahide there is a wealth of tourist attractions that visitors can enjoy. The bars and restaurants in Malahide are some of the best that Dublin has to offer. The scenery of this coastal town attracts droves to in the summer months to the area.

“People unfamiliar with the area will now have a great resource to find out information about the wealth of attractions that Malahide has to offer. Being next to Malahide train station, the point where so many people arrive in Malahide, makes this site highly accessible. This will be beneficial to the town and to visitors alike,” concluded Deputy O’Brien.
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Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin Fingal Darragh O’Brien has called on the Minister for Health to approve the revolutionary drug Orkambi for the treatment of Cystic Fibrosis to patients, saying it would be ‘fitting’ given that it is National Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Week.

Deputy O’Brien, who has been campaigning for the drug to be approved since October 2015 commented, “This drug was approved by the EU Medicines Agency over 6 months ago. This is a ground-breaking drug for CF sufferers that has been shown in America to extend life expectancy and improve quality of life for those who suffer from cystic fibrosis. 

“I called for the Minister Varadkar to approve this drug and to give a timeframe for when it would be on pharmacy shelves many months ago. Tomorrow, April 15th is the main fundraising day for CF Ireland in their calendar. It is the highlight of Cystic Fibrosis Awareness week and I believe it would be fitting for the Minister to approve it, given the week that’s in it. I am writing to the Minister to urge him to do so.

“Cystic fibrosis is a very debilitating condition and anything that can be brought forward to improve people’s quality of life and extend life expectancy should be made available immediately.

“I am also calling on everyone to go out and show their support for 65 Roses Day by buying a rose in shops and shopping centres tomorrow, or texting ’65ROSES’ to 50300 to make a quick €2 donation. This most worthwhile campaign by CF Ireland aims to raise €65,000 nationally for CF treatment, research and supports.”
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