But councillors wonder whether the new-ish Residential Zoned Land Tax will prompt Dublin City Council to build more homes – or just push it into selling off its lands.
Opposing the motion, Fine Gael Councillor Ted Leddy said he'd urge people to keep in the front of their thoughts people who are in danger of homelessness, who are homeless, or who are living at home with their parents in their 30s.
In Kilmainham and Santry, planning applications show a couple of the different approaches being taken by employers navigating the affordable-housing crunch in the city, and its impact on staffing.
Frankie’s World is the new graphic novel by Aoife Dooley, who is from Dublin.
The main character is a girl called Frankie, who has a best friend called Sam. Everyone tells Frankie she talks too much and can’t work out why she doesn’t fit in. Frankie lives with her six-year-old sister called Abbie, who she finds really annoying, her really nice mum and her stepdad Gerry.
The book is like a comic and the pictures are great as they really express how Frankie is feeling.
Frankie feels like she isn’t the same as other kids in school. She listens to rock music, doodles in her journal and doesn’t like noise, and the kids in class make fun of her because of this, particularly Nadine.
The book can be very sad but also very funny. Even on school tour, the mean girls in school are cruel to Frankie but my favourite bit is where Frankie gets her own back on the mean girls.
Frankie doesn’t let all this upset her too much. She has learnt to stand up for herself and has two good friends who she has fun with, including sleepovers. I thought there was a lesson that you will always find a group to be friends with.
The book talks about Frankie trying to find her dad, and she finds her birth certificate with her dad’s name on it. When she meets her dad she sees that he is just like her and realises that she has autism just like her dad.
Frankie is actually relieved as she understands why she is different, and she enjoys spending time with her dad.
I would recommend this book to people who like graphic novels and anyone who has autism or feels like they don’t fit in, as this book might help you see that everything will turn out okay, and to accept who you are.
I hope Aoife Dooley writes more books, I would definitely read them.
Aoife Drury Byrne is 11 years old and lives in Clontarf with her mum, dad, big sister Mary and dog Rafa. She likes reading, running with her Athletics Club, drama and playing GAA, tennis and meeting u
"Thérèse" is a story about grief, classism, womanhood, generational trauma, and the weight of a life watching injustices stack up on top of each other.