Tag Archives: Councillor Tony O’Brien

EFFORTS to coordinate all of the agencies responsible for cleaning up Killaloe are ongoing, local councillors have been assured.  The matter was raised, for the second time in three months, by Councillor Tony O’Brien when the Killaloe Municipal District meeting took place last week. Previously, the Fianna Fáil member had called for a clean-up and facelift for Killaloe, particularly along the bridge into Ballina and on the pedestrian bridge over the canal.  Last Wednesday, the Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council asked for an update on engagement with statutory bodies responsible for the enhancement of lower end of Killaloe.  In response, Senior Executive Officer (SEO), Morgan Lahiffe said progress is being made. “There have been a number of conversations with our engineer, and emails to Waterways Ireland asking for meeting. I suggested last Monday morning, but didn’t work out. Our intention is that, before end of week, we would set date for that meeting. “We will move on separately to a …

THE CATHAOIRLEACH of Clare County County Council made his television debut in the United States this week promoting tourism in the Banner county. Councillor Tony O’Brien was a guest on the Fox 6 News Breakfast Show in Milwaukee on Thursday morning ahead of the annual Irish Fest in Wisconsin’s state capital. The Killaloe councillor packed plenty of promotion into his 4.30 second slot with presenter Kim Murphy, espousing the delights of every part of Clare to his receptive host. Councillor O’Brien was keen to emphasise also that visitors should fly into Shannon, a point he made more than once. The catharoirleach is part of a tourism delegation led by Clare County Council and members of the Clare Tourism Advisory Forum that is promoting the Banner County as a desirable visitor destination to over 120,000 festival goers at Milwaukee Irish Fest this weekend. In the biggest international tourism promotion of County Clare since before the pandemic, 11 representatives of the local …

REVITALISING Shannon Airport to ensure it becomes a key economic driver for Clare and the Mid-West is one of the key objectives for the new Clare County Council chairman, Councillor Tony O’Brien. There have been calls for the election of a council representative to the Shannon Group, which the new first citizen believes should be seriously considered by the Department of Transport. Councillor O’Brien, who became the first public representative from Killaloe, to be elected as council chairman has called for due diligence to be undertaken to ensure the terms and conditions of workers in Shannon Heritage sites are fully protected before the council’s proposed takeover is fully completed. Stressing the need to improve co-operation with the University of Limerick, he said there is huge development potential on the 214 acres in South-East Clare if the new Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) can proceed as planned. “I am humble enough to know that one person can’t deliver on my own. I …

A SPEED survey is to be carried out on a busy residential street in Killaloe following concerns raised by a local councillor.  At the July meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District committee, Councillor Tony O’Brien asked that ramps be included when planned road resurfacing works are carried out at lower Ardnataggle. “This is a highly residential area,” the Fianna Fáil member told the meeting. “There are two rowing clubs in the area, which attract traffic and there are a number of residents who are quite elderly. We had the same problem around Clarisford Park. What happens is that Johnny or Mary have to be rowing at 9am. It’s 30 seconds to nine, and all they can see is that they need to get down there.” Councillor O’Brien, who is Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, said it is not just rowers who are using the route. “There is speeding happening day and night and we need to give a bit of …

A KILLALOE councillor has called for “a major clean-up and facelift” in the town, particularly the bridge into Ballina and the pedestrian bridge over the canal. Addressing the July meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District committee, Councillor Tony O’Brien said he didn’t want people to get the wrong impression of the twin towns, and a major effort was needed to tidy up its key amenities. The Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council noted that several organisations, including Waterways Ireland and Tipperary County Council had a role to play in maintaining infrastructure and facilities in Killaloe. “I’m tabling this motion on the back of the new Killaloe-Ballina Town Enhancement and Mobility Plan,” he told his committee colleagues. “I’ve had a good walk around and I have to say that the bottom of the town is in a neglected state. “I have included the pedestrian green bridge in this motion because it certainly is an eye-sore. There is some doubt, it seems, about …

A FORMER Bus Eireann inspector from Killaloe has driven to the top of Clare County Council. Councillor Tony O’Brien was elected unopposed as Clare’s next first citizen without a vote as part of the power-sharing arrangement that was first brokered in 2004 at the annual general meeting in Ennis on Friday. The former Smith O’Brien GAA club secretary replaced Councillor PJ Ryan, who was lauded for being a great ambassador for the county over the past year. Councillor O’Brien was proposed by his Fianna Fáil colleague, Councillor Pat Hayes and seconded by Joe Cooney, Fine Gael, while Councillor Gerry Flynn, Independent also expressed his support. Councillor Hayes said his close friend Councillor O’Brien’s years working as a union official for the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) has left him very grounded in reality of how things worked. Since his retirement from Bus Eireann, the new first citizen is challenging planning, housing and budgets in the council, Councillor Hayes said. …

A FORMER Bus Eireann bus inspector from Killaloe has driven to the top of Clare County Council. Councillor Tony O’Brien was elected unopposed as Clare’s next first citizen without a vote as part of the power-sharing arrangement that was first brokered in 2004 at the annual general meeting in Ennis on Friday.   The former Smith O’Brien GAA club secretary replaced Councillor P J Ryan, who was lauded for being a great ambassador for the county over the past year. Councillor O’Brien was proposed by his Fianna Fáil colleague, Councillor Pat Hayes and seconded by Joe Cooney, Fine Gael, while Councillor Gerry Flynn, Independent also expressed his support. Councillor Ann Norton was elected as vice-chairperson for the next year, succeeding Councillor Joe Killeen. In his wide-ranging address following his election, Councillor O’Brien pledged to work in partnership with the Shannon Group to attract further investment and more traffic through Shannon Airport. The Killaloe resident promised to continue progressing the proposed …

THE provision of out-of-hours GP services in the Mid-West will be examined as part of a wider strategic review of general practice, Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People, Mary Butler has announced. Responding to questions in the Seanad from Senator Martin Conway, Minister Butler stated preparatory work for this review has already started this year. Since the emergence of Covid-19, the HSE provided out-of-hours co-operatives with a support grant to ensure continuity of care. Minister Butler confirmed funding for Shannondoc was increased to over €6.8 million in 2020. “Where there is increased demand in certain areas, Shannondoc can provide support from other treatment centres, to ensure services are provided where needed most,” said Minister Butler. “The service is demand-led, and the HSE has advised that Shannondoc has continued to meet the targets for urgent and routine calls set out under its service level agreement. “The Government is committed to increasing the number of GPs working nationwide and …