Tag Archives: Councillor Mary Howard

EFFORTS to support those fleeing the war in Ukraine will be ramped up in the coming weeks, according to Council CEO Pat Dowling.  The Council chief told members this week that local authorities “are now more centre stage” in terms of providing supports to the more than 20,000 people who have fled to Ireland to-date. Mr Dowling outlined that, as of April 4, Clare is accommodating 1,916 people in 16 venues at seven locations. That number is set to rise considerably, with the Council now mandated to source more accommodation.  The CEO’s remarks came in advance of an emergency motion from Councillor Mary Howard calling for a centralised venue for the distribution of information and services.  The authority, Mr Dowling said, has been asked to identify and activate options, including emergency accommodation, repurposing of venues, acquiring properties and commissioning suppliers. “We are entering a phase of being challenged in the extent of availability,” Mr Dowling said. “A venue in Ennis …

Clare County Council took home a gold medal at the annual Community and Council Awards held in Dublin recently. The local authority won first place in the National Impact Award category for its Covid Heroes Award & Card Writing Initiative. A silver award was won in the Best Waste Management category for its Clare Waste Awareness Week initiative. The Council also took bronze awards in the Best Connected Council category for its Waterways Ireland Virtual Open Day; best disability access and inclusion category for its ‘Age Friendly Clare Digital Nursing Home Initiative’; Clare Fire Service was awarded in the Emergency Response Person/Team of the Year category. Announcing the Clare Covid Heroes initiative at the time, then Cathaoirleach Mary Howard said the idea was to provide recognition for people who have helped others, with no expectation of any reward. “This initiative is about celebrating the ‘everyday heroes’ all around us who have been quietly helping and supporting others during the past …

THE lack of a footpath and street lights near a popular local sports grounds used by hundreds of children and adults is “a serious accident waiting to happen”, an Ennis councillor has warned. Those attending events at Frank Healy Park, Ballaghboy, have to walk on a grass verge alongside a road if they want to get to a local shop, a meeting of Ennis Municipal District heard. Councillor Mary Howard has seen children walking on the grass verge close to the road where cars were speeding by, saying, “it frightens me to see”. While the Ennis Municipal District has said the proposal “has merit”, the local authority says it cannot be done as part of the annual works programme. Land acquisition, construction of embankments and the diversion of large culverts would need to be completed to allow the footpath go ahead. The municipal district office has said they will liaise with the council’s design office with a view to including …

THE transformation of a former town dump in Ennis into a “little haven” for the community was praised as calls were made on the local authority to carry out regular maintenance in the area. The “overgrown” walking trails at Fr McNamara Park were raised at a meeting of the Ennis Municipal District by Councillor Mary Howard. She stated that she regularly receives representations from the public regarding the amenity. “Is it possible to put a regular programme of maintenance in place as it gets very overgrown and the weeds and briars have become trip hazards,” she asked. Anthony Considine, executive engineer, replied, “Similar to 2020, maintainence works continue to take place to the walking trails around Fr. McNamara park. These works took place in mid November 2021 and again were completed outside of the bird nesting season which runs from March 1 to August 31 each year.” Councillor Howard stated that there is “a little haven out there, but it …

A PROBE into how defective blocks came to be used in Clare homes has been sought by a member of Clare County Council. Councillor Mary Howard tabled a motion asking that the authority would call on the Housing Minister “to initiate an investigation into how inferior blocks containing mica and pyrite were used to construct homes”. While there was strong support for her call, as well as an update to a motion tabled, on the matter, by Councillor Joe Cooney, concern was voiced about criticism of the council on the issue. Councillor Pat Hayes said that while there was huge support for everyone affected by pyrite, unfair criticism of the council had to be addressed. Outlining the reasons for her motion, Councillor Howard said she wished to show solidarity with everyone affected. “First of all, I want to send out a message of support to people who are watching their houses crumble,” she said. “The genesis of this is to …

A FORMER Mayor of Ennis has paid tribute to those who visit the graves of unidentified people, believed to have died in tragic circumstances, off the Clare coast. Following a renewed Garda appeal for help in identifying three bodies, recovered since 2010, Councillor Mary Howard said there are many people who take time out to tend to their graves in Ennis. In tandem with a recent TV documentary, Kilrush Gardaí have issued a fresh appeal in relation to the identities of two women and one man. Their bodies were found separately, at locations close to The Cliffs of Moher, in incidents dating back more than a decade. All three have been buried in Drumcliffe Cemetery. “The situation is heartbreaking,” Councillor Howard said. “There are at least three people buried in Drumcliffe who haven’t been identified. “I know people who visit the graves regularly and say a prayer because they realise the pain that their loved ones must be feeling, not …

BUS Éireann has confirmed there are no current plans to allocate staff to Ennis bus station. The national transport company was responding to a Dáil Question from Independent TD Michael McNamara. The lack of staff at the station had also been raised recently by Councillor Mary Howard who had expressed fear that the station could become a “hotspot of anti-social behaviour”. “It can be a scary place and we want to ensure that we don’t have those issues in Ennis.” Deputy McNamara had asked the Minister for Transport his plans to allocate staff to Ennis bus station “given the very high number of staycations around the county and the lack of services available to them at Ennis bus station.” The Department of Transport referred the question to Bus Éireann which responded, “There are no current plans to allocate staff to the station. “Bus Éireann, is currently working on a nationwide upgrade to all our information displays in stations including Ennis, …

CONCERNS about the risk of flooding on the Tulla Road, close to the site of a proposed €1.2 billion Ennis data centre, have prompted calls for screens to be put in place at bridges to prevent blockages, writes Jessica Quinn. However, while council executive engineer Barry Conway has confirmed the local authority will carry out maintenance and clearance works, he cautioned about the use of screens. The engineer said that screens “can often times create bigger issues than they resolve”, citing recent “devastating consequences” when screens were installed in Dublin and Donegal. Flooding at Aughavadda on the Tulla Road and Gaurus Bridge was highlighted by Councillors Johnny Flynn and Mary Howard at the monthly meeting of the Ennis Municipal District. Councillor Flynn pointed to “historic” flooding of R352 Tulla Road and previous river flow blockages/restrictions at Aughavadda bridge and concern about the river flow capacity at the downstream Gaurus bridge. He urged the Ennis Municipal District to “immediately” provide screens …