Tag Archives: Galway County Council

A DECAYED statue dating back to Famine times has been restored and reinstalled in Portumna’s Workhouse cemetery thanks to the help of Ennis-based artist Larisa K Bevillard and Moycullen-based Klaus Dieter Von Kerckoff. The statue, depicting the crucifixion of Jesus, had been lying abandoned and badly damaged at the cemetery of Portumna’s Workhouse for decades. The pair were tasked to carry out the repair work by Galway County Council and the newly restored statue has now been reinstalled back in its original location. Ms Bevillard told The Champion it was “horrifying” to see the damage to the statue recalling it “crumbled extensively due in part to its composition and  mixture of excessive sand with insufficient cement”. She explained that as part of the restoration the remains of the statue were first brought to Ennis, before Covid-19 restrictions, for initial works. It was partially restored in Ennis with Ms Bevillard rebuilding the fingers and hands before it was brought to Moycullen …

THE New Year was welcomed in style with the bang of drums and the clash of cymbals as the people of Gort staged a noisy fun walk against the proposed construction of one of the country’s largest Biogas plants in their town. People of all ages gathered and braved the elements to show their opposition to what the group has labelled an “ill-thought-out development”, with a short walk from the town to the gates of the proposed site. A spokesperson for the Gort Biogas Concern group said, “The kids loved it, making all that noise, and we want to show our continued support against this development.” For well over three years the people of south Galway have been engaged in an ongoing battle against the development of a Biogas plant in the town of Gort. Galway County Council refused planning permission and this decision was appealed to An Bord Pleanála. Another participant on the walk stated, “Gort has made some …

A VISION by Burren Lowlands to reimagine the Gort Market Square, was recently realised with the completion of the enhancement works on this much-loved public space.  Burren Lowlands CLG is a volunteer-led community development group whose mission is to make the region a better place to work, live and visit. The Market Square has always been central to the life of Gort town and surrounding communities. The Weigh House located here is a testament to the busy market days of the past, and a Friday market is still held in the Square.   Local architect, Brent Mostert, was responsible for the design. The fact that his office was once located above the Square inspired the design, as he looked upon the comings and goings around the space daily. The primary idea was to create a more open space to allow interaction between the Christ the King monument and people. After some initial fundraising by Burren Lowlands CLG, Town and Village …

THE community spirit and endeavour that has powered the opening development of Gort River Walk has “blown us all away”, according to one community activist. A wave of volunteers, supported by Galway County Council and other agencies has helped complete the first three kilometre section of the Gort River Walk from trail head to the railway bridge and back. The second phase of this exciting community project is a bridge that will create a 3.5 kilometre loop. Community activist, David Murray said locals and visitors can scarcely believe the dramatic transformation of what was previously a “repulsive field”. “People just couldn’t get their heads around that such a beautiful, vibrant amenity was possible with a few steps from the town. As a community, Gort had lost its connection to the river for decades. “A town dump created close to the river in the 1980s, the destruction of Gort Mill and installation of Gort Mart, severed that connection and created a …

THE iconic statue of Christ the King in the heart of Gort will be the focal point for a rejuvenated town centre, as a local fund-raising campaign has been intensified to provide upgraded seating, planting and paving. The Burren Lowlands Group, which works with 16 local parishes in North Clare and South Galway, has just teamed up with a local business woman to run a fund-raising raffle to boost efforts to cover the cost of enhanced paving around The Square. The Dolly Tub, which is a new business based in Peterswell and run by Susanne Orsford, has donated five gift boxes containing had-made sanitisers, balms, soaps and candles. “We have extended our fundraising efforts because, while we’re very grateful for all of the support received to-date, we need a little more money to really get the project right,” explained Kathleen Bell Bonjeau of Burren Lowlands. “We had hoped to have the second phase of the redevelopment complete by Christmas, but …

Plans by Clare County Council to attract new large-scale data centres to the county should be accompanied by a link to generate the required energy through renewable sources. That’s according to An Taisce heritage officer Iam Lumley, who stressed that lessons need to be learned, following Apple’s decision to abandon its plans for an €850 million data centre in Athenry. The company, which was facing a fresh Supreme Court and European Court appeal to a facility it announced more than three years ago, is proceeding with a second data centre in Denmark. “Several years ago, we applied to build a data centre at Athenry. Despite our best efforts, delays in the approval process have forced us to make other plans and we will not be able to move forward with the data centre,” said the company in a statement. Mr Lumley said that, if a data centre is being planned for a county, it should be linked to the provision …

AN elected representative has accused Galway County Council of turning its meetings into a “farce” and warned he would be calling for legal advice if an adequate explanation was not forthcoming in relation to the non-implementation of a motion passed by the authority last year. At September’s monthly council meeting, Councillor Gerry Finnerty proposed “that all county towns have a (sic) two-hour, free parking where council parking charges apply, at any time during the day. I request that this be on an experimental basis for a period of time.” This was seconded by Councillor Karey McHugh and passed with 21 votes in favour, eight against and two abstentions. Hence, the motion was carried. However, the item was back on the agenda for the April meeting of Galway County Council, which took place on Monday. A lengthy discussion followed on proposed changes to parking charges in towns across the county. Councillor Finnerty said towns such as Gort need incentives to encourage …

THE much anticipated Bullseye Wood Project will be launched on this Wednesday next as an initiative of Galway Community Archaeology Advisory Project, in partnership with Woodford Parish Development Group. The project will involve the sensitive cleaning of a small children’s burial ground within woodland and the organisers are recording it as a community archaeology training programme. The site is located over the border in Galway, just outside the village of Woodford and the aim of this project is to have the site included in the Heritage Council’s Adopt-a-Monument Scheme. The Adopt-a-Monument Scheme (AaM) aims to empower communities to become actively involved in the conservation and interpretation of local archaelogical heritage sites by providing expertise, mentoring and support. The initiative originates in Scotland, whereby the local community will be involved long term in the management and maintenance of the site. It is also planned to create a green walkway around the site as a local amenity so that the archaeology, ecology …