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Tag Archives: Fianna Fáil

Government slated on ‘Irish Water shambles’

The Government cannot continue to ignore the voice of the people over the Irish Water shambles, Deputy Timmy Dooley has warned. The Fianna Fáil TD said the Government’s disastrous handling of the set-up of Irish Water has caused considerable public anger. “At the weekend, I along with thousands of people from communities in every part of Clare, marched against the Government’s strategy and delivery on Irish Water. Fianna Fáil has been against the way Irish Water was set-up from the very beginning and the complete lack of debate on its establishment was a disgrace. This, together with the bonus-culture and over €50 million being spend on consultants, led to the huge numbers we saw in Clare protesting over the weekend. “The protests included people against water charges of any sort, but also a sizeable section of people disgusted with how the Government has handled the issue. The complete lack of fairness by not including an ability to pay clause, utter confusion …

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€150,000 to elect council

OVER €150,000 was spent on campaigning by the 58 candidates who contested the Clare County Council election last May. According to figures obtained by The Clare Champion, the 28 new county councillors spent a total of €87,434, while 30 candidates who did not secure election incurred expenses totalling €66,985, giving a total of €154,419. The newly-elected Mayor of Ennis, Johnny Flynn, topped the list with a figure of €5,204, of which €3,811 came from his own resources and €1,392 was spent by Clare Fine Gael. It included €1,946 on adverstising, €1,464 on election posters and €1,417 on other election promotional literature. He was closely followed by former Ennis Town Councillor, Frankie Neylon, who spent €5,200, which included €2,000 on advertising, €1,000 on publicity and other election material, €500 on transport and another €1,000 on his campaign workers. In reaction to the figures, Sixmilebridge-based Richard Cahill, who spent in the region of €1,000 on his Euro South campaign, has called for …

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State Funeral of Albert Reynolds

The State Funeral of former taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader, Albert Reynolds takes place today, Monday. RTÉ will broadcast live coverage on television, radio, online and mobile of the State Funeral. On Saturday, Mr Reynolds lasy in repose at the Mansion House, Dublin before being brought to the Sacred Heart Church in Donnybrook, Dublin. David McCullagh will present special television coverage of the State Funeral, starting at 11.30am on RTÉ One and RTÉ News Now. John Bowman and Mary Kennedy will provide commentary on the funeral mass of the former taoiseach in the Sacred Heart Church in Donnybrook, at which Father Brian D’Arcy will be chief celebrant in the presence of the Archbishop of Dublin and a number of other con-celebrants. The President, Michael D Higgins, An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny and other dignitaries will be in attendance. At approximately 2pm, the funeral cortege will proceed to Shanganagh Cemetery in Shankill, County Dublin where Mr Reynolds will be laid to rest …

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Dooley critical of inaction on mobility allowance grant

Clare Fianna Fáil TD, Timmy Dooley TD has deplored the Government’s failure to make any attempt to replace two support schemes for people with disabilities that were discontinued last year. The Mobility Allowance and the Motorised Transport Grant were closed to new applicants from February 2013. The Government promised last June that these schemes would be replaced. “There was outcry when the Government discontinued these two important supports for people with disabilities were cancelled last year. Almost 400 people in the Mid West are dependent on the Mobility Allowance alone. They are still in limbo as the Government drags its heels on establishing alternative support schemes. It is completely unacceptable that a year later, these people are still waiting,” said Deputy Dooley. “The Government first announced the cancellation of these schemes early last year, describing them as ‘obsolete’. It caused great distress among people with disabilities who depend on such support to maintain a level of independence. The Mobility Allowance …

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Mayor odds favour Ennis councillors

Seven out of the eight Clare County Councillors elected to the Ennis area will hold the title of mayor over the coming five years, it emerged this week. Fine Gael’s John Crowe, from the Shannon Municipal District, was elected Clare’s first citizen on Friday, after days of negotiations between his party, Fianna Fáil and the technical group made up of independents and the local authority’s only Sinn Féin member. The Sixmilebridge man will be the only Fine Gael mayor of Clare during this council term. However, at Tuesday’s meeting of the Ennis Municipal District, the only municipal area where the title of the chairperson is ‘mayor’, Fine Gael’s Johnny Flynn was elected as Mayor of Ennis. This is due to the fact that Ennis has a population in excess of 20,000. His fellow Ennis councillors, Independent James Breen and Fianna Fáil’s Tom McNamara, will both hold the county’s first-citizen role during this five-year term. The Mayor of Ennis position will …

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Dooley criticises changes to LEADER

Clare TD Timmy Dooley has criticised the Government for “unnecessary changes to the LEADER programme”, which he says is underming the sizeable amount of voluntary effort that is involved. “The vast majority of people involved with LEADER companies in Clare and throughout the country have expressed their opposition to Government changes to the programme, which they feel is undermining the considerable community effort involved. For instance, by publishing the expenses and salaries of those employed in LEADER companies, it suggests that the administrative costs are out of kilter with the work that is being done,” the Fianna Fáil deputy said. Deputy Dooley claimed the change of Government policy towards LEADER companies fails to take account of the huge voluntary effort in communities throughout Clare. “In fact, in comparison with every other state entity, the benefit to the local communities far outweighs the costs. The hard work that is done by everyone involved in LEADER companies is being undermined by the …

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Mayor of Clare Joe Arkins

No white smoke for Mayor of Clare

A negotiating team representing the political parties and independents on the new 28-member Clare County Council will meet for the eighth time this Wednesday evening to try to broker an agreement on the rotation of  the Mayor of Clare position. The situation must be resolved in this for the annual general meeting of the council on this Friday afternoon. In the past, the post of Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council was retained within the majority party but for the past decade or so, the position [now mayor] has rotated among parties and independents. The outgoing mayor, Joe Arkins lost his seat in the recent local elections, an outcome that was due in no small measure to the redrawing of the electoral areas. It is understood that Fianna Fáil will have two terms  and at the crux of the matter is how to strike a balance of sharing the role of mayor between the seven independent, joined with the one Sinn Féin councillor, …

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O’Callaghan’s election a surprise to many

THE new six seat Killaloe Electoral Area has seen two changes to the current makeup with the election of one newcomer, Kilmurry man Alan O’Callaghan (FF), and the return of Killaloe’s Tony O’Brien (FF). The four returning for a consecutive term are O’Callaghan’s Mills man Joe Cooney (FG), Pat Hayes (FF), Michael Begley (NP), and Pat Burke (FG). Alan O’Callaghan’s election came as a surprise to many as it was expected that former county councillor Colm Wiley’s son Liam Wiley would take the surplus Fianna Fáil vote in the region. However, the Kilmurry man netted 140 more first preference votes than Liam Wiley. Although both continued to climb the story was all but told when the majority of Niamh O’Brien’s (FN) votes were distributed in the fifth count to O’Callaghan. At this stage the Kilmurry man had 1,100 votes, and Liam Wiley had 958. Commenting on his performance, newly elected Councillor O’Callaghan said, “I didnt think it would go on …

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