Tag Archives: Killaloe Municipal District

GREATER efforts must be made to keep key local link roads passable during the current winter lockdown, according the Cathaoirleach of the Killaloe Municipal District. Councillor Pat Hayes made his remarks at this week’s meeting of the district committee noting that during the recent lengthy spell of sub-zero temperatures, there were particular issues around Flagmount and between Feakle and Scariff. In a motion calling for a review of the Winter Gritting Plan, the Fianna Fáil member noted that the Feakle-Scariff road and the Gort-Tulla road are among some key routes currently excluded from the plan. “These roads need to be included as a matter of urgency for the safety of motorists,” he said. “Now that people have to stay within 5km of their homes, it’s particularly important that they can safely access local services. If you take O’Meara’s in Flagmount, people have to be able to get there safety for essential food and supplies. I’m calling on the council to …

WEAK broadband infrastructural across Clare has been condemned by the county chairperson of the IFA, after online mart trading collapsed recently due to pressure on the system. Level 5 restrictions have severely curtailed the operation of marts across the country with all transactions now taking place virtually. Tom Lane of Parteen said that the inadequate state of broadband infrastructure in the county had been exposed and that speeding up initiatives like the National Broadband Plan was now an urgent matter. A technical glitch, outside of the control of Clare Marts, who use an external supplier for their streaming and online sales, meant that trading was interrupted for a time last Saturday week. “There was a major problem nationwide,” Michael McNamara, the manger explained. “One of the software providers that offer livestreaming, their server crashed or was unable to handle the volume of business. Thankfully, that got resolved. It was out for two to two-and-a-half hours, but got up and running …

“OUTRAGEOUS flooding” on land and roads in East Clare was discussed with council officials at the most recent meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District. Cathaoirleach, Councillor Pat Hayes tabled a motion proposing a planned programme of drainage works for the River Grainey and its catchment area. “We need to take the bull by the horns on this,” he said. “The river is 40 to 50 miles long and the lack of drainage is now coming home to roost on the roads around Feakle and Tulla, especially around the likes of Derrynahila. I have called previously for a single authority to deal with drainage. Some good work has been done in the past, but not for a long time on the River Grainey. If we don’t act we’ll end up having to raise the roads in places like Ayle, Core and Caher.” The Fianna Fáil members pointed out that the River Grainey is also an important amenity in terms of recreation …

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 …

STORM Ellen resulted in thousands of homes and businesses in East Clare being left without power and phone coverage, some for a number of days, as repair crews worked into last weekend to repair damage. The situation, which caused serious inconvenience for local retailers and households over the course of last Thursday and Friday, prompted the Cathaoirleach of the Killlaoe Municipal District to call on the main operators of the fixed-line network to keep their customers better informed in terms of outages and repair times. Eir came in from considerable criticism from Councillor Pat Hayes, who said the company needed to do more to support customers the event of widespread outages. “The power and phone outages caused real difficulties for people from Scariff, Mountshannon and out as far as Whitegate, after Storm Ellen,” he said. “The council and the Fire Service did a huge amount of work. The ESB, in fairness, were very helpful and, as always, responded as quickly …

MEMBERS of the local community are being invited to participate in the development of a Town Enhancement and Mobility Plan for Killaloe-Ballina. Clare County Council and Tipperary County Council have started the preparation of the plan, which will facilitate a coordinated approach to public realm enhancements within Killaloe and Ballina, providing a clear vision for Killaloe and Ballina as linked settlements. The Killaloe-Ballina Town Enhancement and Mobility Plan is a non-statutory plan that is being prepared on behalf of both local authorities with a view to supporting the development and enhancement of the twin villages. The plan will deal with a number of topics, including transport and mobility, place making and public realm; street furniture design, tourism, blue-green infrastructure strategy and the development proposals for identified ‘opportunity sites’. Specific measures, designs and schemes will promote the towns’ complementarity, and create an overall focus on their joint strengths and opportunities in terms of functionality, aesthetics and the changing transport profile of …

A ROAD safety assessment for the village of Quin is being sought, after numerous concerns were flagged by local councillors. The matter was raised at the most recent meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District Committee by Councillor Alan O’Callaghan, who tabled a motion calling for the assessment to be carried out. The Fianna Fáil member noted that Quin has been brought back under the remit of the Killaloe Municipal District since the boundary changes came into effect this year. “When Quin was in the Ennis District, there was a draft plan for traffic and I would like to see if that can now be progressed under our remit,” he told the meeting. The Kilmurry native acknowledged the work done already in the village in terms of pedestrian access and safety. “Lots of good work has been done around the area of Quin Abbey and the bridge,” he said. “There are a number of outstanding matters and there is a very …

SAFETY concerns over a junctions on the main arterial route into East Clare have been raised by local representatives who have described it as one of the most dangerous in the county. Henchy’s Cross on the R352, close to Clooney, was described by the Cathaoirleach of the Killaloe Municipal District as a “blackspot” and the site of a number of accidents. Councillor Pat Hayes told the most recent meeting of the area committee that it is time for the authority to take action, now that responsibility for the location has come back into the Killaloe district. “This crossroads is one of the most frequently used junctions onto the R352 and it’s also one of the most dangerous,” the Fianna Fáil member told the meeting. “It has been the scene of several accidents and I have had one myself at this location. It’s a danger for those coming out onto the main road, as well as for those using the R352, …