Tag Archives: Councillor Pat Hayes

    Motor rallying enthusiast, Councillor Alan O’Callaghan, powered his way to the top of Clare County Council following his election as the new chairman at its annual general meeting on Friday afternoon. After spending ten years on the council, Councillor O’Callaghan increased his first preference share from 1,117 votes in 2019 to 1,475 paving the way for his election in the third count when he exceeded the quota, unlike his previous two elections when he was elected without reaching the quota. The former Fianna Fáil publican, who was elected unanimously without a vote as part of the power-sharing agreement, was proposed by Councillor Pat Hayes (FF) and was seconded by Councillor Pat Burke (FG).   In his acceptance speech at the council chamber, Councillor O’Callaghan recalled he wasn’t sure whether he would be re-elected as a councillor, never mind being afforded the honour of representing Clare as cathaoirleach. The father-of-two paid tribute to his predecessor, Councillor Joe Cooney and …

DEER cull figures for Clare have been released, amid ongoing concerns over a rapid increase in their numbers in rural parts of the county. Data secured by the Irish Deer Commission show that 1,844 deer were officially culled in Clare in a 12-month period to February 2022. The true figure, the Commission believes, is likely to be higher when deer poaching and road kills are included.  “The actual deer cull is likely to be significantly higher as the cull total does not include wild deer killed illegally known as deer poaching, nor does the total include the growing number of deer killed on our roads,” Damien Hannigan a spokesperson for the Irish Deer Commission said. “Over the last five years over 200,000 wild deer were culled in Ireland under licence from the National Parks and Wildlife Service [NPWS] and highlights the important role licensed deer hunters play in managing deer at sustainable levels to minimise negative impacts on farming, forestry, …

A MAJOR increase in the number of people using the Western Rail Corridor from Limerick to Galway has proven the case for the re-opening of the train stop at Crusheen, according to a local councillor.  Figures just released show an increase of just over 14% in the numbers using the service in 2022 when compared to 2019, the last full year of figures. “This means that more than 600,000 passengers used the line last year, up from 531,000 in 2019,” Councillor Alan O’Callaghan, Cathaoirleach of the Killaloe Municipal District said. “The Western Rail Corridor remains the fastest-growing rail link in the country.” The figures were also welcomed by Councillor Pat Hayes who called at the November meeting of the Killaloe district for a business case to be made for the re-opening of the rail stop at Crusheen. “To be honest, the members of the travelling public using the Limerick to Galway rail line have made that case themselves,” he said. …

PROPOSALS to sell Coillte lands to an overseas investment fund in order to meet climate targets through afforestation have been described by Deputy Michael McNamara as “a bizarre construct”.  Under the planned deal, thousands of acres are to be planted through the Irish Strategic Forestry Fund (ISFF) launched by Coillte and Gresham House. This aim is attract investors to plant as well as acquire forests across the country to meet Ireland’s climate targets. The Scariff-based TD launched a scathing attack on the deal. “It is a bizarre construct whatever way you look at it,” he said. “To give State funds earmarked for environmental measures to foreign investment companies to fund forestry practices that are not environmentally appropriate is just baffling.” He noted that once the crop is harvested, those profits will go back to funds based outside of Ireland.  Deputy McNamara accepted that forestry does have the potential to store carbon and to have environmental benefits, but he was adamant …

AFTER highlighting the danger caused by an ‘explosion’ in the deer population in East Clare, a local councillor is urging members of the public to take part in a new national consultation initiative.  Deputy Pat Hayes told the most recent meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District that several people had raised the matter with him, with particular concerns over road safety, as well as the damage caused by deer to farm lands and crops. He told colleagues and Council officials that the Slieve Aughtys are currently host to a massive population of wild deer, who have moved from the hills down to the valleys, with  ongoing encroachment into farms. Since the matter was raised, the Ministers for Agriculture and Housing have launched  a new public consultation initiative as part of the development of a Deer Management Strategy. Ministers Charlie McConalogue and Darragh O’Brien unveiled the consultation in recent weeks to gather views on key issues relating to deer management in …

FLOODING concerns have prompted an East Clare councillor to call for a full drainage programme for the Killaloe district, to avoid the risk of a “major crisis”.  Councillor Pat Hayes appealed for a particular focus on the River Graney, its tributaries and the River Rhine, saying drainage and clearing of obstacles was “the only long term resolution”. Addressing the end-of-year meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District, Councillor Hayes said the works being done by the Council were reactive, and not making a difference in the long run. “There is a programme now for rewetting Ireland, but you don’t have to worry too much about that around here,” he remarked. “A lot of work has been done in raising the roads. We are trying now to keep roads open. The idea you can raise road by two or feet isn’t solving the real problem. We have to come back to arterial drainage with all of the agencies involved. In Ayle in …

UNRESOLVED concerns over jet-ski activity on East Clare waterways have been raised at the November meeting of Killaloe district councillors.  Councillor Pat Hayes asked that Director of Services Anne Haugh would take up the matter.  “There are issues around Lough Derg in particular,” he said. “These were not resolved over summer. This time of the year is the time to try to get them sorted out. What has resulted so far is not to the satisfaction of councillors. I don’t know how we deal with it, but I would like to see back on agenda.” Ms Haugh suggested that a meeting be arranged with Cyril Feeney, Senior Engineer at the Environment and Water Department. “That would be welcome,” said Councillor Hayes. “There is a petition in circulation and it is something we can’t ignore.” The petition was launched in August, calling for restrictions to protect swimmers at Knockaphort, a popular bathing spot and launch point for vessels sailing to Inis …

REOPENING the rail stop at Crusheen is something that the Green minister for transport cannot refuse, in the view of Councillor Pat Hayes. The Fianna Fáil member is calling for a business case to be made for the reopening of the stop on what he described as “the very successful Limerick-Galway line”. “This is a critical thing that can make a difference in climate mitigation,” he said.  Councillor Hayes highlighted the amount of new housing in Crusheen, Tulla and Quin and said reopening the rail stop offered huge opportunities to give people access to public transport. “We had the transport minister in the county recently for a lovely day of sod turning,” Councillor Hayes said. “There is a lot of debate about transport and this is an issue on doorstep that we need to address ourselves. There was an application to change zoning in this area in Crusheen and we resisted, because we have a real opportunity to improve public …