Tag Archives: Councillor Cillian Murphy

A NEW national policy focused on promoting the vibrancy of town centres should be “a top line priority for everyone in the West Clare District”. That’s the view of the district Cathaoirleach, Councillor Cillian Murphy, who has asked that town teams be supported to represent their areas and drawn down government funding and support. The Town Centre First Policy was unveiled last month by the Department of Housing and outlines a number of actions to promote urban centres through the appointment of Town Regeneration Officers, investment, and training for town teams. Councillor Murphy noted that the name of the policy was “quite misleading”. “This applies to all of our towns and villages,” he said. “The policy will prove to be the single most important document for the sustainability and viability of rural towns.” He said that given that the policy refers to the role of town teams, there might be an opportunity for an early roll out of this element …

WEST Clare councillors are to write to the ESB to condemn the sourcing of coal from Russia for the Moneypoint power plant. It comes against the backdrop of sanctions taken by western nations against Russia over its attack on Ukraine. This coincides with the revelation that Russian coal accounted for almost all of the fuel consumed in Moneypoint in 2021. Responding to Clare Champion queries, the ESB outlined prior to 2021, electricity generation from Moneypoint had reduced significantly, requiring only small quantities of coal in those years. However, in 2021, a combination of factors saw an increase in electricity generation from Moneypoint to meet demand on the Irish electricity system, resulting in more than one million tons of coal being burned over that year. The ESB has seen that trend continue into the early part of 2022. “ESB sources coal for Moneypoint on international markets. Russian coal accounted for almost all of the coal consumed in Moneypoint in 2021,” the …

IT WILL take 31 years to clear the housing waiting list in Clare at the current rate people are being accommodated, writes Conor Clohessy. Councillor Ian Lynch noted that while there are 22 fewer names on the list for council housing in Clare this year than last, there are another 817 still on it. He also noted that the number of vacant properties is 40, the same as it was last year, with Traveller accommodation vacancies included in this figure that had not been accounted previously. Councillor Lynch expressed major concern regarding large families; there are 41 applicants for houses with more than three bedrooms he noted expressing his frustration before the recent West Clare MD meeting. “I appreciate that every case is different and sensitive, but we need to step back from the black-and-white around this. These children need homes,” said the Independent. “I met a family in 2020 whose only wish for Christmas was to have a home …

CONSISTENT fly-tipping in Kilrush and how to tackle it was discussed at the recent meeting of West Clare Municipal District, writes Conor Clohessy. Councillor Ian Lynch commented on the frequent fly tipping and dumping that has become commonplace in Kilrush, particularly at the local bottle banks. He also highlighted the difficulties surrounding installing CCTV to prevent such misuse of public facilities. Councillor Lynch explained that the council sends teams to tidy up the bottle banks every Monday morning, where they regularly spend hours on end restoring the area to an acceptable state. These outdoor crews are now subjected to exposure to household rubbish and clothing on a weekly basis. However, the installation of CCTV has been prevented by concerns surrounding General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), which protect a citizen’s personal data from being processed. “The idea of you being a good citizen and going to the bottle bank, only to throw your rubbish on the ground to let someone else …

THE housing crisis in West Clare, and elsewhere, is being worsened by short-term letting, a meeting of the Council has heard. A motion was tabled, at the December meeting, by Councillors Cillian Murphy, Tony O’Brien, Alan O’Callaghan and Pat Hayes calling on the Minister for Finance to look at a tax policy solution to encourage a switch from short-term to long-term rental. Outlining the situation, Councillor Cillian Murphy said that a search of Daft.ie had shown a total of 1,830 properties to rent nationwide. Of these, four were in Ennis and its environs; one in Lahinch; none in Ennistymon or Lisdoonvarna; two in Kilrush and its surrounds; none in Kilkee and six in the Shannon area. The Fianna Fáil member contrasted that situation with short-term letting, as revealed by the ‘Inside Airbnb’ research. “Across the whole country, there are 15,851 entire homes or apartments available for short term let on Airbnb,” he explained. “6,420 of those are operated by hosts …

THREE North Clare councillors have tabled a motion urging people to inform themselves about the changes proposed in the new Draft County Development Plan. At the December meeting of the local authority, Councillors Joe Killeen, Shane Talty and Joe Garrihy asked for an outline of arrangements for information and consultation sessions. They also sought clarity on proposed taxes on vacant, zoned sites, “to give confidence to relevant landowners”. Proposing the motion, Councillor Joe Killeen said it is vital that members of the public inform themselves. “This plan is going to last until 2029 so it is significant,” he said. Councillor Garrihy noted that “long, hard process of workshops” had gone into producing the draft. “I think all of our strategies – Housing for All, our tourism strategy – everything is impacted upon and needs to converge in a joined up way. The more engagement we get with our communities on this the better.” Councillor Killeen noted that the draft plan …

ASBESTOS removal works, to be carried out by Clare County Council at sites in West Clare, have been described as “significant” and “in the millions”, in terms of the cost. Council CEO Pat Dowling disclosed that information at the monthly local authority meeting, where he also gave a public assurance that there is no immediate risk at any site. The CEO’s remarks followed a question, on the likely costs from West Clare Councillor Cillian Murphy. The Kilkee-based member noted that the council’s monthly management report referred to the assessment of tenders for remediation of sites with Asbestos Containing Material (ACM). “This is an issue we continually report on,” Mr Dowling said. “The cost will be significant, in the millions. “Right now, I want to reassure the public that there is no immediate danger to public health. The sites are maintained in a safe condition.” Senior Engineer Seán Lenihan said tenders are currently being assessed for consultants who will oversee and …

COW dung got a large share of the blame for the state of the L2000 road, at last week’s meeting of Kilrush and Ennistymon area councillors. Councillor Cillian Murphy called for repairs to the road, in a motion he put to the meeting which asked that, “an assessment of the works required to bring the L2000 up to a standard expected of a primary route for tourism on the Loop Head Peninsula, including to the Bridges of Ross, be carried out, including a timeline for undertaking them.” However in a written reply, Senior Executive Engineer Alan Kennelly said livestock are causing an issue which would need to be resolved first. “The L-2000-0 is the access route to the Bridges of Ross and Ross Bay and is an important tourist route. While the road surface overall is in reasonable condition there are sections of it that would benefit from resurfacing works. Shorter sections require both road reconstruction and resurfacing works. “There …