Fisheries Board Lambasted For "Illogical" Stance.
The Connaught Telegraph this week.
Mr. Brian O'Reilly, a senior engineer with Mayo County Council's sanitary department, has accused the North Western Regional Fisheries Board of acting "illogically" in opposing developments in Castlebar because of inadequacies in the sewerage system. Mr. O'Reilly said that the Fisheries Board was taking a blanket approach in opposing all developments in Castlebar, without listening to individual circumstances in each case. The Fisheries Board has recently objected to a £40 m solution to the sewerage problems, drawn up by Patrick J Tobin and Co., because they believe that it is not adequate for the ever-expanding town of Castlebar. The Tobin report spells out the urgency of the crisis in the county town, because the sewerage system has not kept up with the developments of the town in recent years. Mr. O'Reilly said that an EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) is currently with An Bord Pleanala awaiting certification for an expansion of the treatment works together with the provision of a Sludge-Hub Centre. Mr. O'Reilly stated that Mayo County Council will proceed with the advance works as quickly as possible as soon as the EIS has been certified by An Bord Pleanala and that this will strengthen the council's stance in countering objections by the Fisheries Board to new developments.
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Clean - Up Drive Must Continue
The Connaught Telegraph this week.
Members of the Castlebar Tidy Towns Committee are awaiting a second possible adjudication in early August for their efforts in the National competition. In recent years the voluntary committee has invested £50,000 on upgrading the Lough Lannagh area and a further £10,000 has been spent this year on landscaping projects including hanging baskets, tubs and flower beds. Their work has already been highly commended, but there is still a lot of work to do and the committee needs the support of local people. They have appealed for financial help from local businesses to reinforce their efforts and also appealed to businesses to maintain their own premises by cleaning outside and where necessary, refurbishing and painting buildings in need of attention.
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Floodlighting Of Round Tower and Turlough Church
The Connaught Telegraph this week.
Millennium funding has been secured for the floodlighting of the Round Tower and the church in Turlough. Flood lighting already in the Church of Ireland has greatly added to the natural beauty of the area and further floodlighting for the Tower and Church has now been sanctioned by Dúchas, the national heritage service. The organising committee has asked for the co-operation of people who have family graves within a 25-metre radius of the Round Tower and church and has asked them to inspect the markings for the underground cable before August 3rd 2001.
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Council's Win In Mining Controversy A Victory For Democracy
The Mayo News this week.
The decision by the Supreme Court to uphold the ban on gold mining in Mayo has been declared by Fine Gael T.D., Michael Ring, as a "victory for the democratic process". Two mining companies, Andaman Resources and Glencar Exploration, who had discovered Gold deposits in Cregganbaun, Louisburgh, contested their ban to mine the area - a ban that had been imposed by Mayo County Council. Mr. Ring said that a political decision had been made about the issue and that mining would be destructive to the area and its environment. Costs have been awarded to the Council.
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Thousands Expected For Croagh Patrick Pilgrimage On Sunday
The Mayo News this week.
Thousands are expected to travel to Murrisk from all over Ireland and abroad for the annual Croagh Patrick climb on Sunday next (29th). Every year the number of pilgrims that endure the 2,510 ft. climb are growing and this year should show an even bigger turnout with the recent opening of the new Croagh Patrick Millennium Peace Park, for pilgrims who are unable to make the climb but still wish to be associated with it. Mass will be celebrated every half hour on the summit of the mountain from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. with an Irish mass at 10 a.m. and a mass celebrated by Archbishop Michael Neary at 10:30 a.m. Confessions will also be heard from 7:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.
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Government Committed To N5 Road
The Mayo News this week.
Mayo Senator Frank Chambers has responded to recent negative comments about spending on the N5 and on roads in Mayo in general. Senator Chambers said that never before has there been such a rate of expenditure on Mayo roads, with an allocation of £23 million this year in comparison to the £4.23 million in 1997. Senator Chambers also pointed out the various amounts of money been allocated to the Castlebar to Westport 15 km stretch, the Charlestown, Ballaghaderren and Longford by-passes, and the Strokestown to Longford road. He continued to say that the planning for the N5 is going ahead and that a commitment of £110 million had been made to the N5 from the Government. "Planning, design and consultation takes time but the money is committed and this government is committed", he added.
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Ring Gets "Backbencer Of The Year" Award
The Mayo News this week.
The Sunday Tribune has announced that Michael Ring, T.D. for Mayo, has received their "Backbencher of the Year" award. Stephen Collins, political editor for the Sunday Tribune said that the Westport-based deputy showed commitment to politics at a national level. The T.D. is reported to have spoken for over nine hours in the Dail in the past year, which surpassed many other T.D.s and ministers, including Minister Mary Rourke and former Taoiseach Albert Reynolds. Mr. Ring said that he was delighted to have been selected and very pleased that his work for the people of Mayo was recognised.
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Market Square Development Under Threat As Traders Express Concerns
The Mayo News this week.
A meeting of traders, councillors, consultants and officials has shown that there are conflicting views about the new Market Square development. Many of the councillors including Cllr. Frank Durcan, Cllr. Blackie Gavin and Cllr. Burke stated clearly that the design of the square was not the plan that had been originally agreed on and that the traders and the Councillors had been misled. The original plan for the square had incorporated 18 car-parking spaces but these have not been provided in the square. Mr. Alex Fleming stated that due to lay-bys being provided for the traders and further safety measures being introduced, parking space had been altered. It is hoped that negotiations will begin next Thursday evening (26th) to try to find a compromise for all sides involved.
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Meeting on Castlebar Becoming Host Town For Special Olympics
The Mayo News this week.
A public meeting in the Welcome Inn Hotel, Castlebar, will be held on Thursday, July 26th at 8 p.m. to discuss Castlebar becoming a host town for the Special Olympics in 2003. There are many towns all over Ireland interested in hosting teams from over 160 countries in the games. This would be the largest sporting event Ireland has ever hosted. Everyone is welcome to attend.
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