Tag Archives: Councillor Shane Talty

SAFETY improvements are to be made at a scenic walk, along the River Inagh, in Ennistymon, following a request from local Councillor Shane Talty. Tabling a notice of motion to the most recent meeting of the West Clare Municipal District, the Fianna Fáil member urged officials to address an issue at Shrohill on the Falls River Walk. “The river walk was developed with the assistance of CLÁR funding and it’s been a fantastic sanctuary for many throughout Covid,” he said. “The problem, at the moment, is that those using the walk have to emerge onto the road and there are very dangerous bends before they go back onto the walk.” Councillor Talty thanked Senior Executive Engineer (SEO), Enda McNamara, for his reply which undertook to install safety signage to warn motorists of the presence of pedestrians in the Shrohill area. Cathaoirleach of the West Clare Municipal District, Councillor Joe Garrihy also welcomed the news. “This is a popular walk,” he …

A SCATHING attack on the slow pace of repair works on local roads has been launched by an Ennistymon-based councillor. At the January meeting of the West Clare Municipal District, Councillor Shane Talty described the Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) as “unfit for purpose”. The scheme involves the council drawing down national funds to repair privately-owned roads, and levying a contribution on those using the routes. According to figures given to Councillor Talty, the scheme has only addressed a fraction of the demand for works over the last three years. “I’m sure that like myself, other members are inundated with queries and requests from people who have applications in under the LIS,” the Fianna Fáil member said. “These are applications that – as far as they’re concerned – are in there for years and they’re expecting that a response or a solution is only around the corner. At the current rate of progress, over the last three years, from the figures …

CLARE County Council has been urged to apologise for the role it played, in the 1920s and ‘30s, in the running of the County Clare Nursery in Kilrush. Last week, in the Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes, the high infant mortality rate there was revealed. The deaths of so-called “illegitimate” infants is recorded as 168 during a ten-year period from 1922 to 1932. The commission concluded that the vast majority of those children died at the home. The facility was owned and financed by Clare County Council. At the outset of this week’s meeting of the West Clare Municipal District, Councillor Shane Talty proposed that an apology would be issued by the council at its February meeting.  He said the council was proud of its history but added, “We should acknowledge our dark chapters and if the local authority had a role in that, albeit nobody today can take responsibility, I think at a …

MORE than twice as much money is being spent on graveyards in Clare, as is being generated by the sale of burial plots, a member of the local authority has been told. Details of income and expenditure related to the 50 burial grounds in the ownership of the council were given to Councillor Shane Talty in response to a request for details for the last four years. A written reply from Senior Executive Officer Bernadette Haugh outlined that there are 30 council-owned cemeteries that generate revenue from the sale of plots, and 20 that don’t. Over the period 2016 to 2019, a total of €299,794 was raised through sales of plots which vary in price from €315 for a single plot to €735 for a double, depending on the location. Average annual income runs to €74,000, while an annual average of €162,000 is spent. Reacting to the figures, Councillor Talty noted that concerned members of the public frequently got in …

THE business community in Ennistymon has been expressing its concern over the reduction of up to 16 parking spaces from the town centre. The matter was raised by Councillor Shane Talty at the July meeting of the West Clare Municipal District, who said he had been hearing of “huge trepidation” among retailers. Under a Part 8 planning application to revitalise Main Street in the town, 14-16 spaces will be removed with the council proposing to expand pedestrian facilities and increase street furniture. Councillor Talty said that while the Part 8, which is to be lodged later this year, was widely welcomed, an alternative town centre parking is needed. “We have a historic problem with congestion,” Councillor Talty noted. “There has been a welcome increase in the number of businesses opening, with one business from Parnell Street in Ennis recently relocating to Ennistymon. We have a very vibrant town, but I’m hearing of huge trepidation at the prospect of a reduction …

TOURISM in Ennistymon is set to take a major step forward as a number of enhancement projects are ear-marked to tie in with the development of its status as a Fáilte Ireland Destination Town. Last December, the tourism body announced that €500,000 would be issued, in two rounds, in order to boost the town’s attractiveness to visitors. The aim is to capitalise on the huge numbers travelling to North Clare attractions like the Cliffs of Moher and to entice them to spend more time and money in the town. At the June meeting of the West Clare Municipal District, Councillor Shane Talty urged the council to tackle the “low-hanging fruit” and examine projects that might be completed in conjunction with the Destination Town works. “The Fáilte Ireland funding will deliver a very welcome post-Covid boost for Main Street, Ennistymon, later this year,” the Fianna Fáil member noted. As an example of a project that might be tackled, Councillor Talty highlighted …

ONGOING water outages on the supply for the Miltown Malbay area have been described as “hell” for families, farms and businesses by a member of the West Clare Municipal District. Councillor Shane Talty told the monthly district meeting that people were “crying and tearing their hair out” and that there had been more than 30 outages lasting for three days or more. The Fianna Fáil member’s comments were made as he tabled a motion calling on the council to make sure that water was tankered promptly to group schemes during future outages. “I’m calling for a protocol where, in the event of disruption, tankers would be made available within 36 hours,” he said, “and this should be the case until Irish Water completes the long-term upgrade works. Bursts and breaks will continue . We must have some kind of interim solution. I would hope we would be able to bill Irish Water, if necessary.” Backing the motion, Councillor Joe Killeen …

CONCERN at ongoing delays in upgrading the water service in the Miltown Malbay area has prompted one local woman to go public on the matter, saying that a fourth outage in as many weeks, has put her family and her livestock at risk. In a letter to The Clare Champion, Dolores Murphy of Rineen described a litany of issues that she and her neighbours have endured in recent years. While Irish Water has apologised for the situation, the utility has confirmed that it will be 2021 before all works to secure the supply are completed. Last week, a burst water main led to an outage affecting Miltown Malbay, Mullagh, Spanish Point, Cree, Cooraclare and those on surrounding Group Water Schemes. Commenting on the situation, Mrs Murphy, wrote: “It has come to the point where I can no longer sit in silence. In the past month (four calendar weeks) we have been without water four times. The latest interruption to service …