by Louise Doyle
ONE week in the past former RTÉ journalist and campaigner Charlie Bird was remembered as a “hero and legend” who was “brave beyond words” at a service to have fun his life.
The famend 74-year-old broadcaster died on Tuesday of final week having been recognized with Motor Neurone Disease in 2021.
Mr Bird didn’t shrink back from his prognosis, and , in reality, used it to deal with charity work and elevating consciousness of the situation in his typical fearless vogue
A step via the archives of the Derry People Donegal News this week exhibits the exact same tenacity of Mr Bird when he examined unlawful playing claims in Donegal
Our information archives on Friday, March 26, 1999 featured a entrance web page story titled ‘TV report claims illegal gambling in Donegal’.
The report how an anti gaming activist known as on gardaí to “act on the unlawful gaming in Donegal uncovered by RTÉ’s Charlie Bird this week.
A nationwide information report claimed that funds at two amusement arcades in Bundoran “blatantly contravened the law”.
The report states: “The activist, Mr Liam Bradley of Buncrana contacted RTÉ three months in the past concerning the gaming state of affairs within the county, resulting in the tv crew finishing up an undercover filming operation in two of Bundoran’s gaming arcades final Saturday.
“One of the arcades visited was owned by Buncrana Urban District Councillor Colm O’Donnell who has lobbied for a number of years for the ban on gaming machines in Buncrana to be removed. The second arcade featured on RTÉ was run by Conor McEniff. Conor McEniff told reporter Charlie Bird he had been in the arcade all that afternoon and “nobody had won any money as far as he was concerned”. Mr Bird instructed Mr McEniff the “evidence was quite clear for both the cameraman and myself to see”.
“The undercover operation claimed bets of greater than the authorized restrict of two and a half pence had been being made. It additionally recorded prizes being paid out within the two arcades exceeding the authorized restrict of fifty pence.
“A garda spokesman said yesterday there were ten prosecutions before the court and they were expected to come up shortly.”
The tv report sparked wider dialogue amongst councils and business proprietors. The archive information report states that the RTÉ report raised fears amongst some native individuals in Bundoran that the city may endure if the Gaming and Lottery Act of 1956 was not up to date.
The report states: “Local arcade proprietor Liam Clancy mentioned the laws had been very outdated and any change to playing premises in Bundoran may drive the business individuals away.
Mr Conor McEniff mentioned on Wednesday that it didn’t make sense to have a legislation limiting the utmost payout on a slot machine to fifty pence when there was no efficient controls on the quantity of money individuals may spend on lottery tickets.
“Chairman of Bundoran UDC Cllr Frankie O’Gorman was pleased with the business the amusements delivered to the city.
“They bring lots of people into the town and the one year they were closed there was no one in Bundoran. I would be very disappointed if there was any harm done to their trade.”
“Controversy about gaming in Donegal arose within the mid Eighties when the County Council voted to have gaming machines banned within the county council space. In 1986, the ban was put in place with the county’s three city councils left to resolve the difficulty for his or her space.
While Letterkenny and Buncrana UDCs enforced the ban, Bundoran UDC voted to not.
“Local councillor Dessie Mulhern was delighted with the RTÉ expose and he claimed gardaí had been instructed sufficient occasions about what was occurring.
“Gamblers Anonymous have mentioned that enjoying slot machines was some of the addictive types of playing however Mr McEniff rejected ideas that individuals utilizing his premises may turn out to be addicted.
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Posted: 6:00 pm March 23, 2024
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