Tag Archives: Killaloe Municipal District

Waterways Ireland has been urged to proactively engage with landowners once the preferred route for the proposed Limerick to Scariff Greenway is selected. This was stressed by Councillor Pat Burke (FG) following a presentation by Waterways Ireland, Western Regional Manager, Brian Treacy at a recent Killaloe Municipal District meeting. As a farmer working on the shores of Lough Derg near Dromann Harbour, Burke recalled he has received phone calls from land owners on the Limerick and Clare side of Lough Derg enquiring if the final route selection has been made. “If someone gets on a bike in Limerick and arrives in Scariff along the greenway and asks where is Iniscealtra or Holy Island and how do we get there, in my view, it should have continued to Mountshannon,” he said. “Even if the greenway went north of Scariff, it doesn’t have to run by the lakeshore. It should connect to Mountshannon in some form from the low or the high …

DANGEROUS trees along roadsides in East Clare are to be removed in the coming months, a meeting of the Killaloe district has been told.  The pledge was given on foot of a motion from Cathaoirleach, Councillor Alan O’Callaghan, who raised the issue at the January gathering. The Kilmurry man asked that “in light of yellow warnings for high winds … a survey to be carried out in this MD on roadside trees especially Ash where the die back has set in”. A written reply to the motion from Derek Troy, Acting Senior Executive Engineer (SEE) outlined that following the consultation with members of the public and community groups, the required assessment reports had been completed, and that removal of trees would begin shortly.  “In 2022, Killaloe MD identified a number of trees for Arboricultural Safety Assessment Reports to be undertaken by a Member of the Society of Irish Foresters (MSIF) Certified Arborist,” the response to Councillor O’Callaghan’s motion explained. “These …

CLOSER links between the villages of Bridgetown and O’Brien’s Bridge could be on the horizon, after a well-received motion from Councillor Tony O’Brien. The Fianna Fáil member, who is also Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, has proposed the installation of a footpath, incorporating a cycle lane, from the village of Bridgetown to O’Brien’s Bridge and Upper Ardnataggle on the R463. “This necessary piece of infrastructure would enable the community to access their local amenities such as the church, school, public houses and community playing pitch,” a motion before the Killaloe Municipal District outlined. “In the case of the primary school alone, it would cut down on a huge amount of private cars using the area on a daily basis as students cannot walk or cycle to school because of road safety concerns.” The Killaloe man told the end-of-year district meeting that the area in question is “very large and highly populated”. “This is very necessary infrastructure,” he said. “The area …

WORKS on footpaths in Tulla are set to begin this month, with a significant improvement project for the junction of Main Street and Chapel Street likely to get underway in March of 2023. Councillors received the update in response to two motions which raised concerns over the condition of footpaths in the East Clare town. At their final meeting of the year, members of the Killaloe district were told that, in addition to the work funded through the Active Travel scheme, replacement and upgrading work will be carried out in the coming days at Lower O’Reilly Park.  Motions were tabled by Councillor Joe Cooney and by Cathaoirleach, Councillor Alan O’Callaghan at the November meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District. The latter told the meeting that the local Tidy Towns group had contacted all local councillors calling for an update on footpath works in the area.  Councillor Cooney welcomed the work done to-date on the Gort Road to link with the …

“TOTALLY ridiculous” speed limits on rural roads have been strongly condemned by members of the Killaloe district, after a recent road incident recently in Mountshannon. Tabling a motion at the final district meeting of 2022, Councillor Pat Burke said people unfamiliar with rural roads needed to be alerted to the fact that the 80kmph speed limit is not appropriate. The Fine Gael member called for a review of all speed limits on local and minor roads and said the current 80kmph signs should be removed because of the confusion they are causing.  “All of us are familiar with 80kmph signs on local roads and boreens,” he said. “Heading down a boreen at 80km per hour, for the ordinary Joe Soap, that has never made sense at all. In some places on national roads, when you’re leaving to go down a local road, the sign is different and this is an indication to drive slower.” Senior Executive Engineer Derek Troy explained …

FLOODING concerns have prompted an East Clare councillor to call for a full drainage programme for the Killaloe district, to avoid the risk of a “major crisis”.  Councillor Pat Hayes appealed for a particular focus on the River Graney, its tributaries and the River Rhine, saying drainage and clearing of obstacles was “the only long term resolution”. Addressing the end-of-year meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District, Councillor Hayes said the works being done by the Council were reactive, and not making a difference in the long run. “There is a programme now for rewetting Ireland, but you don’t have to worry too much about that around here,” he remarked. “A lot of work has been done in raising the roads. We are trying now to keep roads open. The idea you can raise road by two or feet isn’t solving the real problem. We have to come back to arterial drainage with all of the agencies involved. In Ayle in …

TRAFFIC calming and safety are to be boosted in Tulla and Kilkishen, following the approval of works by members of the Killaloe Municipal District.  Both projects have been eagerly anticipated by elected representatives and local communities alike. However, there was a qualified welcome for the work in Tulla, where one local representative said further work will be needed to fully address issues on the ground, especially in light of new housing developments on the Gort Road.  In Tulla, traffic calming will be carried out on the R462 Regional Road at Church Road and Ennis Road. The works were proposed by Councillor Joe Cooney and seconded by Councillor Pat Hayes. “I really welcome the fact that the issue at the primary school will be addressed,” Councillor Cooney said. “It will be now be safer for children, staff and parents. Great credit is due to Council for all of the efforts to-date. More does need to be done. no scheme is achieved …

UNRESOLVED concerns over jet-ski activity on East Clare waterways have been raised at the November meeting of Killaloe district councillors.  Councillor Pat Hayes asked that Director of Services Anne Haugh would take up the matter.  “There are issues around Lough Derg in particular,” he said. “These were not resolved over summer. This time of the year is the time to try to get them sorted out. What has resulted so far is not to the satisfaction of councillors. I don’t know how we deal with it, but I would like to see back on agenda.” Ms Haugh suggested that a meeting be arranged with Cyril Feeney, Senior Engineer at the Environment and Water Department. “That would be welcome,” said Councillor Hayes. “There is a petition in circulation and it is something we can’t ignore.” The petition was launched in August, calling for restrictions to protect swimmers at Knockaphort, a popular bathing spot and launch point for vessels sailing to Inis …