Tag Archives: Deputy Cathal Crowe

A DEBATE on hate speech legislation has prompted a furious reaction from the Clare-based chairperson of The Irish Freedom Party.  Speaking in the Dáil, where the Justice Minister sought support for a measure to extend EU crimes to include hate crime and hate speech, Deputy Cathal Crowe was sharply critical of the party. “It practises hate messaging and it is how it operates,” he said. “Its members message on topics of gender, transgender and immigration. They are the issues on which they campaign. It can be argued it is a political party with a right to represent and speak, but it does not have any elected mandate in this country. “If its members believe they have a right to speech, they will have less of a right to make their statements when we sign up to this because any form of rallying people or inciting hatred in that regard will be illegal.” In a statement following the debate, Michael Leahy …

DESPITE new proposals on redress for homeowners with defective concrete blocks, there is still no clarity on when Clare will gain access to the scheme, or on what terms. At the request of the Clare Pyrite Action Group (CPAG) answers have been sought by three Clare TDs. The responses they have received have been described by the group’s founder, Dr Martina Cleary as “completing ignoring the questions and the pyrite issue in Clare”. Earlier this month The Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) published proposals for the remediation of eight different dwelling types, including those in estates one one-off houses. Options range from full demolition and rebuilding to partial repair options. Significantly, the SCSI proposed grant support based on building costs for 2022. Previously, homeowners raised concerns about the difficulty in meeting eligibility for the revised Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme. They also voiced concerns that homeowners who did quality would be left with large shortfalls on their costs. Following …

BUNRATTY Castle & Folk Park will be open full time next month, Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton has told the Dáil. The Galway TD was responding to questions from Deputy Cathal Crowe about the fate of Shannon Heritage sites. “I understand that Bunratty Castle and King John’s Castle are currently open on a four-day-week basis until March 2022. “I am pleased to advise the Deputy that it is envisaged that those sites will reopen fully in April. “I am also happy to report that, as the public health restrictions put in place due to Covid were eased in the second half of 2021, visitor numbers to Shannon Heritage sites have increased. “With the removal of all the restrictions and the return of transatlantic flights into Shannon Airport this month, I am confident that visitor numbers to the sites will continue to grow.” Minister Naughton also relayed the fact that the OPW has agreed to re-engage on its maintenance responsibilities and …

CENTENARY events for An Garda Síochána must avoid linking the force to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC), Clare’s Fianna Fáil TD has insisted.  In 2020, when he was Mayor of Clare, Deputy Cathal Crowe initiated a boycott of the ill-fated national commemoration plan for the RIC. Last week, at a meeting of the local Joint Policing Committee (JPC), he warned against conflating An Garda with the RIC, which was set up during British rule in Ireland. Deputy Crowe’s remarks followed an outline by Chief Superintendent Seán Colleran of plans to mark the 100th anniversary of formation of the Civic Guards/An Garda Síochána in February 1922.  “I’m glad you’re holding commemorations,” he said. “We’re delighted with everything you do as a force. You should be very proud of your 100-year history, but your history began in 1922. “Please resist the minority effort to link yourselves to the Royal Irish Constabulary, because your lineage doesn’t belong there.” Referring to the first Garda …

THREE projects in Clare will share a grant of just under €734,000, under the first strand of the 2021 Town and Village Renewal Scheme. Projects in Clonlara, Drumgeely and Mountshannon have been selected in this funding stream, which tackles vacancy and dereliction by bringing landmark town centre buildings back to life for community use. The allocation was welcomed by Clare Fianna Fail TD Cathal Crowe, who said, “This is a significant fund coming into our county which will help rejuvenate the three areas that have been selected. “The biggest single allocation of €454,050 goes to Clonlara for the creation of a plaza area at the village crossroads, as well as the development of a multi-purpose community space at Kiltenanlea Church. “This will hugely transform the village centre and I think the idea of a central plaza is one that could be replicated in years to come in communities the length and breadth of the county. “In Drumgeely in Shannon, €225,000 …

FARMERS in North Clare are being “terrorised” on their own lands and a Garda Inspector has been assigned to look into the issue.  Clare’s Joint Policing Committee (JPC) was told, at its quarterly meeting, that a proactive response is needed from Gardaí, after the issue was raised by two Dáil deputies. The matter was highlighted by Deputy Cathal Crowe who handed over a number of registration numbers to the Chief Superintendent.  “There’s a group of farmers in the Liscannor area who are being terrorised at the moment,” he said. “Very frequently, people come onto their land with shotguns, hunting for rabbits and foxes, and, as a farmer is entitled to, they approach them to clear them, only to be told the gun will be used on them. This is happening repeatedly. “It’s one thing to be terrorised on the streets, but to be terrorised on your own property is an entirely different thing. So, they work together and they’re in …

FRESH efforts to boost local piers, harbours and slipways could receive support this year, according to Clare’s Fianna Fáil TD. It follows the release of new figures which show that the allocation to this county over the past nine years was less than €2 million. Deputy Cathal Crowe raised the matter with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in the Dáil, asking him to outline plans to support marine infrastructure in this county. Responding, Minister Charlie McConalogue admitted that funding provision in recent times had been “modest”. However, he urged Clare County Council to prepare applications for a new fund launched by his Department earlier this year. “The responsibility for the development, and maintenance of Local Authority-owned piers, harbours and slipways rests with each Local Authority in the first instance,” Minister McConalogue told Deputy Crowe. “I am also mindful that the primary governance role for local authorities rests with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. “In …

THE founder of the Clare Pyrite Action Group (CPAG) has said she fears campaigners here could be forced into a ten-year battle for redress.  Dr Martina Cleary voiced concern that Clare homeowners are being driven down the same route as those in Mayo and Donegal, who campaigned for a decade to get access to a State-sponsored grant scheme. It follows a briefing from Clare County Council on Tuesday for members of CPAG and Oireachtas representatives. Officials outlined their ongoing efforts to respond to queries raised by the Department of Housing over a report seeking access to the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme. While a rigorous process of core sampling on five private homes formed part of this report, it has now emerged that the Department’s queries will necessitate further investigations of these properties.  Dr Cleary said the council expressed determination to meet the Department’s request for proof of a causal link between structural damage and the proven presence of pyrite. …