Tag Archives: Councillor Tony O’Brien

EFFORTS are being made to ease congestion caused by traffic accessing popular water-based activities at Bruach na Sionna in O’Briensbridge. The issue was raised by Councillor Tony O’Brien at the Killaloe Municipal District meeting, when he asked for action to be taken. “€200,000 has been allocated for water-based activities which is welcome,” he said. “At the moment, there are parking issues in the area, especially for households on the lower side of the bridge who have difficulties getting out onto the road. It’s great to see the action on the water but the residents are being discommoded and that’s the last thing we want. There is a carpark there and we need more people to be using that. I would be hopeful that with dialogue between Waterways Ireland and other stakeholders, there will be a solution in the near future.” Seconding the motion, Councillor Joe Cooney said that he had also been contacted by people experiencing difficulties getting in and …

PEOPLE who have benefited from the Killaloe Community Covid-19 Response team hugely appreciated this service, according to a local councillor. While some people were a bit reluctant at first to receive assistance, Councillor Tony O’Brien pointed out volunteers quickly put them at ease by reinforcing the message this was something they wanted to do for their local community. “If the Covid-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it is none of us are an island. Irish people are great for coming to the assistance of our neighbours in a time of trouble. “While rural isolation is a problem, there was also huge isolation within towns and villages. Some people had a routine of going to Mass in the morning and getting milk or bread on the way home. They lost all that. They were so lonely left behind closed doors. “This is where the Covid-19 response teams came to the fore. The volunteers deserve huge credit as they could identify people …

EFFORTS are to be made to provide greater access to the lakeside town of Killaloe, with the local authority committing to look into the possibility of providing additional parking space for those with disabilities. The matter was raised by Councillor Tony O’Brien at the January meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District who appealed for more to be done to promote access to the lower end of the town. “This is a significant issue of concern for a lot of people in the area,” he said. “We need to take action to make sure that people are able to access the town, especially now that they are limited to a 5km for travel. I call on the council to designate a disabled parking bay at the lower end of Killaloe town. This would enable people with disabilities to have access to do business at the lower end of the town.” The Fianna Fáil member’s area colleagues were supportive of the motion …

ACCESS to those with disabilities to one of East Clare most popular amenity areas needs to be improved, in the view of members of the Killaloe Municipal District committee. There was strong support for measures to improve access to Two Mile Gate Lakeside Amenity Park, following a motion tabled by Killaloe-based Councillor Tony O’Brien. Located a few kilometres outside the town at Ballycuggeran, it is a designated Blue Flag bathing area and has seen record visitor numbers over the summer months. “As things stand currently, people with disabilities are unable to access the amenity park and improving the infrastructure is essential,” the Fianna Fáil member said. “The park is a fantastic facility on the eastern shore of Lough Derg. It’s a major tourist attraction and very popular. It’s necessary that everyone should be able to access it.” Councillor O’Brien welcomed the response from the executive of the council which said the authority had applied for Clár funding to carry out accessibility …

JOINED up thinking between agencies including the local authority, the ESB and Eir, as owners of the phone infrastructure network, has been called for in the wake of Storm Ellen in East Clare. Addressing the most recent meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District, Councillor Pat Burke said the storm had had a far more serious impact on East Clare than had been forecast. “If you were in Ennis, Quin or Tulla,” he said, “you’d hardly have noticed that there had been a storm. But, there was an awful lot of damage in areas around Scariff, Mountshannon and Whitegate.” The Fine Gael member commended the work of council crews, the fire service and local farmers and landowners. “Local people were out helping with chain saws and tractors to open a number of roads,” he said. “We’re very grateful to them and there was a very coordinated approach taken between themselves and the council and the ESB.” In relation to the extensive …

A NEW walking trail between Tuamgraney and Ogonnelloe has been hailed as a fantastic asset for East Clare. At this week’s meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District, Councillor Joe Cooney sought an update on the amenity path which is to run from Tuamgraney to Bealkelly and which will ultimately provide greater connectivity between Scariff and Killaloe. Councillor Cooney noted there had been extensive cooperation between Tuamgraney Development Association (TDA) the Ogonnelloe Community Group and the local authority and capitalised on the funding from the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme. “It’s very positive to see funds being secured and the groups involved are very appreciative.” The Fine Gael member asked the executive if there were any plans to widen the trail and how much of it would be paved with ‘blacktop’ over the coming months. Councillor Tony O’Brien seconded Councillor Cooney’s motion, saying the tail was “a fantastic selling point”. “With all of the spurs that will link to this route,” he …

THERE is relief for residents of a South East Clare residential estate following a successful appeal to remove trees which were said to be causing “a serious road traffic hazard”. The ash and sycamore trees have been in situ for several years at the entrance to Shantraud Woods on the Limerick side of Killaloe, but in more recent times have been causing an obstruction for motorists, because of their size. Following a notice of motion, tabled by Councillor Tony O’Brien, Clare County Council has now agreed to remove the trees, in the interests of road safety, before the end of the year. Outlining the situation at the July meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District, Councillor O’Brien said that the trees had become a problem for local residents, exiting and entering the estate from the Limerick side. “The trees have become a major obstacle for drivers,” he said. “There is now a serious road traffic hazard as the trees are severely …

THE death of Dectective Garda Colm Horkan following a shooting incident in Roscommon has been described as “catastrophic” by a Killaloe-based Garda Inspector. Inspector Adrian Queeney was appointed as the new inspector at Killaloe Garda Station during the first week in May, replacing Inspector Frawley. In an interview with the Clare Champion following a minute silence outside Killaloe Garda Station on Sunday, he outlined how devastating his death was on a personal level and for all gardaí. “I was stationed in the Castlrea district from 2010 to 2015 and then I went to Roscommon from 2015 until I came to Killaloe. “We were in neighbouring districts and Colm was a very active conscientious fella who I knew very well. There is no words to explain what his family are going through since this happened last week. It is shocking and I don’t think the word tragic is enough to describe this situation. “For the Garda family word filtered through pretty …