Local representatives draw ire of protestors

***The year in review***

IN February, Clare Fine Gael TD Pat Breen refuted claims that he didn’t spend sufficient time tending to issues in West Clare. At the official opening of the refurbished Kilkee library, a number of protestors greeted TDs, county and town councillors on their way into the building.
Carrigaholt-based Pat Gavin was one of the protestors. He expressed anger at the fact that his autistic daughter has to travel a 130km daily round trip to Ennis to continue her education. His daughter received her primary school education at the autistic unit at St Senan’s National School in Kilrush.
“I’d prefer to see these guys that are coming here to open the library, opening an autistic unit for my child, who’s travelling 130km a day to go to school. She’s doing that for the last three years.
“This crowd that are in power now promised me when Fianna Fáil were in there that they’d open it when they got in,” Mr Gavin claimed at the time.
He also criticised Fine Gael TD Pat Breen, who keeps a constituency sub-office in Kilrush.
“Why won’t he do something positive around here, instead of coming to open a library? He hasn’t been back here to a public meeting since he was elected 12 months ago. He hasn’t been back around here to talk to anybody; fishermen, farmers or business people to give us something to keep us going. Nothing,” Mr Gavin said.
This assertion was denied by Deputy Breen. “I spend a day a week in West Clare. First of all doing clinics at my constituency sub-office in Kilrush and I also spend some time visiting the small villages and towns throughout West Clare. I don’t think he was directing those remarks at me. If he was, they were totally unfounded because the evidence is there that I’m there all the time with the people of West Clare,” he replied.
At the time, Deputy Breen pointed to the positives of the refurbished €1.6m library but acknowledged that further job creation is a priority. “Any construction project going into West Clare is very welcome. The fact that €1.6m was spent on this refurbishment programme created a number of jobs in the construction sector and it was done over a 12-month period. There’s also going to be a temporary tourist office set up within the library and there’s a theatre and exhibition centre. I think it’s important for West Clare to have a centre like that,” he said.