Tag Archives: Councillor Gabriel Keating

E-SCOOTERS, drug driving and safer cycling could be some of the tasks on the ‘to-do’ list for the new joint role of Active Travel and Road Safety Officer at Clare County Council.  At the January meeting, Councillor Gabriel Keating called on the authority to appoint an officer to deal with the issues of active travel and road safety. “In January 2021, Minister Eamon Ryan and Hildegarde Naughten launched funding for up to 248 jobs in local authorities to expand walking and cycling facilities all over the country, costing more than €1.8 billion during the lifetime of the government,” he said. “One of the conditions was that each local authority will appoint an Active Travel Officer. Now regarding the Road Safety Officer, there has been a huge increase in the number of fatalities on our roads in Clare and I think it’s time now that we consider appointing a new full time Road Safely Officer.” The motion was seconded by Councillor …

THERE were 27 camper vans parked on the green at Carrigaholt one morning during the summer, along with a number of tents. With this in mind, at last week’s meeting of West and North Clare, members of Clare County Council, Councillor Gabriel Keating called for toilet facilities, similar to those provided in Doolin car park, to be installed there. He said that at the moment Carrigaholt is “ticking all the boxes” for the provision of a wastewater treatment plant, but he said installing portable toilets in the interim would be very positive. In a written reply to his motion, Senior Executive Engineer Alan Kenneally acknowledged that the area is becoming increasingly popular with visitors. “While Carrigaholt may not have the visitor numbers of Doolin, the village is becoming increasingly popular with tourists, helped by its location on the Wild Atlantic Way and its Green Coast beach.” However, he said that there are a number of difficulties with putting in place …

DERELICTION in the centre of Kilrush is to be tackled, following representations by Councillor Ian Lynch.  The Independent Council member raised the issue at the West Clare Municipal District meeting earlier this month when he highlighted the state of Moore Street in the heart of the town. He asked that the area be considered for inclusion on a suitable scheme to address dereliction and also that overhead electricity lines be put underground, if possible.  In a written response, Mairead Corbett, Administrative Officer in the Housing section stated: “The Vacant Homes Office is currently undertaking a study of Moore Street, Kilrush with a view to identifying vacant properties with potential for redevelopment.  Assessment is ongoing on a number of properties to determine their potential and decide on future action”. A second response was supplied in relation to the electricity cables. Alan Kennelly, Senior Executive Engineer (SEE) under took to contact the ESB in relation to their requirements relating to the possible …

“THERE’S something for everyone” in the approved schedule for works for this year in West Clare. That was the view of Councillor Gabriel Keating who proposed the approval of the multi-million euro plan at the district committee meeting last week.  An increase in almost all funding streams will see a total of more than €48 million being invested in roads infrastructure across Clare this year. Major projects earmarked for funds in West Clare include Blake’s Corner in Ennistymon. Funding of €970,000 allocated to Clare will be funnelled mainly towards The West Clare Greenway. There have also been increases in the funds available to West Clare for road improvement and maintenance this year. A total of 13 bridges in the district will be refurbished and five safety improvement schemes will be progressed. Under the heading of climate mitigation, eight schemes will be advanced in West Clare, mainly in the Kilrush Local Electoral Area (LEA).  Outlining the schedule for 2022, Senior Engineer …

Councillor urges creation of more apprenticeship roles A WEST Clare councillor forecast success in the stars, as he called on the local authority to create more opportunities for apprentices. Councillor Gabriel Keating, with permission from the Mayor, read his horoscope at the December Council meeting. The prediction, he said, was that “a dynamic influence can add extra sparkle to your social life and community activities’. He then called on the authority to “expand its role in this regard with the initiation of the process for recruitment of apprenticeships into the trades and green skills”. These would include opportunities for carpenters, block layers, plasterers, plumbers, fitters, mechanics, electricians, retrofitting personnel, alternative energy technicians, and others. The Fine Gael member said the measure would help the Council retrofit its housing stock. There was a generally positive response, with Mayor of Clare, Councillor PJ Ryan describing the motion as “fantastic”. Councillor Donna McGettigan said she would like to see more women taking up …

A BID has been made to reduce the backlog in West Clare of local roads that need upgrading under the Local Improvement Scheme (LIS), writes Fiona McGarry. At the July meeting of the municipal district, Councillor Gabriel Keating proposed that, in view of the 220 roads on the waiting list in the West Clare district, funding might be contributed from the income generated by the Local Property Tax (LPT) to match that from the Department of Rural and Community Development. In a written response to Councillor Keating’s motion, Noeleen Fitzgerald, Director of Finance said the matter would be considered when the 2022 budget was being drafted. “The draft budget 2022 process has commenced and will be considered by members at the statutory budget meeting later this year,” the reply stated. “The Local Government Act 2001 Section 102 as amended by The Local Government Reform Act 2014 provides the legislative basis for the preparation of the draft local authority budget. “This …

THE government has been urged to prove its commitment to rural Ireland by moving the department responsible for it out of Dublin. At the May meeting of Clare County Council, there was widespread and cross-party support for a motion tabled by Councillor Gabriel Keating calling on the authority to ask the Department of Rural Affairs and Community Development to decentralise “as an indication of their commitment to Our Rural Future policy document”. The Fine Gael member referred to the publication last month of the new strategy document, which runs to 122 pages. “Clare is a mostly rural county and we lead the way in terms of rural development,” he asserted. “We were the first authority to have its own rural development strategy. Now that 80% of public servants are working remotely, this may be our best chance to get a government department and it would mean a huge amount to this county.” The Fine Gael member urged Clare’s seven Oireachtas …

FURTHER concerns have been raised in West Clare over the adequacy of street lighting in rural areas. At the March meeting of the Municipal District committee, the matter was brought up by Councillor Gabriel Keating who called for upgrade works in Knockerra Village. “There are a number of houses on the side road close to the church and there is not public lighting there whatsoever,” he said. “I would ask the authority to look at rectifying this situation as soon as possible.” A written reply from Alan Kennelly, Senior Executive Engineer (SEE) outlined that works are unlikely unless money becomes available to the authority. “Clare County Council does not have any plans to extend public lighting along the L-6168-0 – the side road up by the Church,” the response said. “If a funding source should become available then public lighting may be installed.” The response prompted Councillor Ian Lynch to ask officials to provide estimates on the cost of street …