Ice dolphins, string quartets and a €13k party...

That's what the taxpayer funded for the retirement party of CIT head Brendan Murphy.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/dolphin-ice-sculpture-part-of-13-000-spend-on-cork-it-chief-s-departure-1.3294529

Echoes of his UCC namesake Michael saying it was hard to get by on just a €232,000 pa salary at the height of the recession...

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/life-is-a-struggle-on-232000-says-university-president-26895973.html

When did the upper echelons of the education sector become so divorced from reality as to think this drain on the public purse was justified?

myshirt

All they were short were a few strippers

The_Valeyard

myshirt wrote: »

All they were short were a few strippers

Theres lads in Kilkenny who could help with information on that

mariaalice

Its the puffed up vainglory of it that's making me laugh, a Dolphin ice sculpture:D 'because im worth it'

corner of hells

myshirt wrote: »

All they were short were a few strippers

And unicorns.

darkdubh

mariaalice wrote: »

Its the puffed up vaingloriou of it that's making me laugh, a Dolphin ice sculpture:D 'because im worth it'

How old is this guy? That's like something the spoilt teenage daughter of a Russian oligarch would demand to have at her birthday party.

suicide_circus

Ireland shan't be free 'til the steets run red with the blood of the cosseted and preening intelligentsia!!!!

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo

It's not a real party unless there was naked dwarves carrying trays of cocaine on their heads.

server down

“Lads do we have enough money for an ice sculpture?”

“Who’s paying?”

“Taxpayer”

“Plenty. Get two”.


Where does this money even come from? Is there a contingency fund in CIT for parties? They hardly went to the Dept. with a request for ice sculptures.

razorblunt

Signed off by Brendan Murphy himself, he of the 30k Austrian Oak desk in his office fame. Whilst the hardworking lecturers of the college sit freezing their tits off in prefabs cabins for offices.

It's not like the college has a School of Music attached to it or anything.

server down

razorblunt wrote: »

Signed off by Brendan Murphy himself, he of the 30k Austrian Oak desk in his office fame. Whilst the hardworking lecturers of the college sit freezing their tits off in prefabs cabins for offices.

It's not like the college has a School of Music attached to it or anything.

Because he’s worth it.

Also

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/cork-institute-of-technology-spent-20-000-on-two-portraits-1.3152684?mode=amp

Outkast_IRE

Complete lack of oversight at third level institutions for the last decade.

You have all the universites and bigger institutes claiming the poor mouth and hiking fees and charges every opportunity whilst pumping money into trusts and other setups to hide it from government eyes so the books look like they are barely getting by.

We dont have "fees" yet we still manage to have one of the highest third level fees in europe!.

We would do well to overhaul the entire system and pump alot of those funds into a more structured apprenticeship system and encourage students to consider them as a worthwhile avenue after school.

As a student of CIT i have been to some awards ceremonies out there that have had the string quartets and good grub along with awards commissoned from a particular artist to sculpt. Every 3rd level institution is the same.

Sure UCC down the road is claiming the poor mouth while buying up buildings all over the city.

suicide_circus

PAC need to get involved and pull these clowns over the coals.

vicwatson

Pay the goddamn money back, you wanna pardee? You pay. Next

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

mariaalice

Having portraits, music at awards ceremonies a bit of food is a good idea as long as its not ott, a utilitarian approach to everything is not a good idea. His retirement party should have consisted of a small party of drinks, food, a few speeches paid for by the college the colleges should have guidelines for those sort of thing.

lawred2

Deleted User wrote: »

That's what the taxpayer funded for the retirement party of CIT head Andrew Murphy.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/dolphin-ice-sculpture-part-of-13-000-spend-on-cork-it-chief-s-departure-1.3294529

Echoes of his UCC namesake Michael saying it was hard to get by on just a €232,000 pa salary at the height of the recession...

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/life-is-a-struggle-on-232000-says-university-president-26895973.html

When did the upper echelons of the education sector become so divorced from reality as to think this drain on the public purse was justified?

They also commissioned a 20k portrait of the lad himself..

fergiesfolly

suicide_circus wrote: »

Ireland shan't be free 'til the steets run red with the blood of the cosseted and preening intelligentsia!!!!

We could have a full scale revolution and within 12 months the new elite would be exactly the same as the old.
The problem in this country is that only gombeens rise to positions of power and the rest of us are too weary to do a damn thing about it.

lawred2

Registration fees of 3k a year have to go somewhere

PeterParker957

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo wrote: »

It's not a real party unless there was naked dwarves carrying trays of cocaine on their heads.

Ah God bless Freddie, that man could throw a do!

mariaalice

fergiesfolly wrote: »

We could have a full scale revolution and within 12 months the new elite would be exactly the same as the old.
The problem in this country is that only gombeens rise to positions of power and the rest of us are too weary to do a damn thing about it.

Its not an Irish phenomenon

'All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others'

mariaalice

mariaalice wrote: »

Its the puffed up vaingloriou of it that's making me laugh, a Dolphin ice sculpture:D 'because im worth it'

Along with the self portraits, it all sounds very Marie Antoinette...

razorblunt

server down wrote: »

Because he’s worth it.

Also

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/cork-institute-of-technology-spent-20-000-on-two-portraits-1.3152684?mode=amp

Yes, I remember that at the time as I was in the college in 2007. Sneaked completely under the radar even then!
Absolutely ridiculous carry on.

lawred2

razorblunt wrote: »

Yes, I remember that at the time as I was in the college in 2007. Sneaked completely under the radar even then!
Absolutely ridiculous carry on.

absolutely rubbish paintings as well

myshirt

The_Valeyard wrote: »

Theres lads in Kilkenny who could help with information on that

I meant chicken strippers, you bad man.

valoren

In IT academia, they lecture on and on about how project management, process models, requirements, delivery etc all fit neatly into established academic models where everything goes perfectly according to plan where the requirements are perfect, the development is a work of art, the testing is thorough and the end users in the business are happy. In reality, these models become completely irrelevant. Put anyone of these tenured academics into a real world IT project with budgets, deadlines and real people and they'd get a serious reality check.

And when they eventually resign and go back to academia, their leaving do will be a cake in the canteen, maybe an email to thank everyone leaving their email and a few pints later that evening that no one turns up for.

uck51js9zml2yt

suicide_circus wrote: »

Ireland shan't be free 'til the steets run red with the blood of the cosseted and preening intelligentsia!!!!

Mao said something similar and look what happened in China!

lawred2

valoren wrote: »

In IT academia, they lecture on and on about how project management, process models, requirements, delivery etc all fit neatly into established academic models where everything goes perfectly according to plan where the requirements are perfect, the development is a work of art, the testing is thorough and the end users in the business are happy. In reality, these models become completely irrelevant. Put anyone of these tenured academics into a real world IT project with budgets, deadlines and real people and they'd get a serious reality check.

And when they eventually resign and go back to academia, their leaving do will be a cake in the canteen, maybe an email to thank everyone leaving their email and a few pints later that evening that no one turns up for.

what's this got to do with anything?

Herb Powell

razorblunt wrote: »

It's not like the college has a School of Music attached to it or anything.

????????

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

Sure UCC down the road is claiming the poor mouth while buying up buildings all over the city.

I actually couldn't believe it when I saw UCC as a sponsor on the Cork City FC jerseys. WTF like.

_Dara_

My Super Sweet Retirement Party.

Charmeleon

Herb Powell wrote: »

????????

I presume they mean a few music students would be delighted to play instead of hiring a string quartet for €700.

diomed

You are cordially invited to my "Taking the Piss" party.
RSVP

Herb Powell

Herb Powell wrote: »

????????

I actually couldn't believe it when I saw UCC as a sponsor on the Cork City FC jerseys. WTF like.

That I can get, it's tied in with sports scholarships, the Mardyke Arena, frankly it's the only advertising I can recall by UCC and I'd say they were delighted given the year the club had.

And I can completely get building up a property portfolio. I've been in enough tutorials and lectures in enough buildings scattered around the south side of Cork to appreciate it's a pretty large campus and it's hemmed in by a city.

Neither compare with ice dolphins.

Manach

It does seem a bit rich, the 13k party, given recollections of a fair percentage of students scrimping and saving to make it through 3rd level and pay whatever are the euphemism for fees.

Grayson

Deleted User wrote: »

That I can get, it's tied in with sports scholarships, the Mardyke Arena, frankly it's the only advertising I can recall by UCC and I'd say they were delighted given the year the club had.

And I can completely get building up a property portfolio. I've been in enough tutorials and lectures in enough buildings scattered around the south side of Cork to appreciate it's a pretty large campus and it's hemmed in by a city.

Neither compare with ice dolphins.

True. And I'd have no problem with 13k being spent on a xmas party either. If it's for all the staff etc then it's ok spending a certain amount.

But a fcuking ice sculpture!
And for a retirement party!
at CIT!

It's taking the piss.

jobbridge4life

I'm normally fairly sanguine about things like this but honestly 13k on an ice sculpture for a person's retirement. Someone needs to be sacked.

topper75

Would one large front-on college prospectus cover of him riding the sculpted dolphin bollic naked with a magnum of champers in either hand represent value for money for the taxpayer?
I would think so.

alchemist33

This concerns me...

The department’s secretary general Seán Ó Foglú, who appeared before the committee, was asked what he knew about the spending and urged to introduce mandatory guidelines for staff parties .

The attendees should arrange and pay for their own parties, and then they don't need guidelines at all. I've been to a few retirement functions for doctors and nurses. People contributed money, got them a present and went to a restaurant for an evening out. These people worked for longer in their posts, and did more good, than this gobshyte.

nice_guy80

did everyone get to lick the sculpture?

bucketybuck

fergiesfolly wrote: »

We could have a full scale revolution and within 12 months the new elite would be exactly the same as the old.
The problem in this country is that only gombeens rise to positions of power and the rest of us are too weary to do a damn thing about it.

Too weary?

The problem isn't the population being too weary, but that the population itself is a fertile breeding ground for these types of people. Don't fool yourself, the people in power are just reflections of the population at large, its chancers all the way down.

"Sure it'll be grand", "It'll do rightly", "Sure we'll chance her". Lazy unprofessional idiots aren't confined to cushy jobs and ice sculptures, they are endemic right throughout the country.

Have a revolution? The people don't want a revolution, it would just show themselves up.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

razorblunt

Herb Powell wrote: »

????????


.

To play the music for them.

WoollyRedHat

Not even a university! They should be made pay back that 13k with interest and if they refuse asset strip them.

I can't wait for someone to do an expose about UCD and the waste that goes on there, that will blow everybody out of the water not least of all Deeks in his ivory tower paid for by the Chinese.

I think a few shootings wouldn't go astray for some of these guys. It's been 100 years, surely we're due a nice few executions to reign in some of these top brass.

beefburrito

Ostentatious bunch they're.
Emperor's New clothes in action again.

I thought David Icke was off his chuck.

For year's he was warning us about being fucd over by the elite and their shenanigans in Hollywood....

Nobody believed him.....

Ipso

beefburrito wrote: »

Ostentatious bunch they're.
Emperor's New clothes in action again.

I thought David Icke was off his chuck.

For year's he was warning us about being fucd over by the elite and their shenanigans in Hollywood....

Nobody believed him.....

He's not the messiah, he's a very crazy boy.

DEFTLEFTHAND

If it was Trinity or something maybe I could understand but CIT? Seriously?


only joking...:)

Ipso

Was it modelled on Fungi?

WoollyRedHat

Ipso wrote: »

Was it modelled on Fungi?

I heard they ate Fungi for the main course

jackofalltrades

Delighted to hear the €13,000 party with the ice sculpture has made the news.
They have some neck to throw parties like this and at the same time reduce services to students.

corner of hells

jobbridge4life wrote: »

I'm normally fairly sanguine about things like this but honestly 13k on an ice sculpture for a person's retirement. Someone needs to be sacked.

Erm the ice sculpture was not 13 grand , the whole party was.

5rtytry56

WoollyRedHat wrote: »

Not even a university!

Well, if called out on it CIT would say that its going to put that money into the fight for uni status to beat WIT, Carlow IT etc.