Tag Archives: PJ Ryan

AN BORD Pleanála this week upheld a 2021 decision by Clare County Council to grant planning permission  for a bioenergy plant in Stonehall. The development has seen significant opposition in the area going back to 2012, when Clare County Council first opted to rezone the site.  When a planning application was made to the Council there were numerous objections, and when the Council approved it further appeals were made to An Bord Pleanála, whose decision this week will be met with disappointment in the area. The decision allows for the construction of a biomass processing and storage area, a gasification and methanation plant for the production of biofuels and a gasification and combined heat & power plant for production of electricity and heating. There would also be a battery storage facility and a thermal energy recovery and storage facility for district heating distribution, along with a new access road. On Tuesday Councillor PJ Ryan said there is still strong opposition. …

A YEAR as first citizen will conclude for PJ Ryan this week, with the independent councillor set to be succeeded by Fianna Fáil’s Tony O’Brien on Friday. “It was extremely busy, very, very busy and I suppose that was due to the fact that the two previous years had been very quiet because of Covid. I’d say we had more Ministers visiting County Clare than in the five years before that,” said Councillor Ryan this week. His time as Cathaoirleach of the County Council started on a low note, as he attended the funeral of Fionn O’Brien, the lifeguard who died after a surfing accident last June, within days of his election.  Also, the early part of his year with the chain of office was a time when Covid was still dominating much of life. “In the 2021 section of the term it was still very prevalent. It did constrain us a bit and we had to be careful. And …

A PLAQUE has been erected at the bandstand in the Town Park, in memory of the late Mike McKee. Mr McKee was a member of the Shannon Town Council for many years, while in 2014 he was the first Sinn Féin representative elected to Clare Council Council since the 1970s. While he retained his seat in 2019, he was seriously ill by the time of the election and died that November. Donna McGettigan was co-opted onto the Council in his place, and she said the plaque honouring Mike is a very suitable gesture. “It was proposed by PJ Ryan, just before I came onto the Council, he proposed naming the bandstand after Mike, which was very appropriate considering Mike was involved with music. “Mike worked hard with his Council colleagues to get that park going, so it’s very fitting.” Due to Covid restrictions only a small number of people attending the unveiling of the plaque, but she said it went …

WITH the number of Covid-19 cases soaring, many businesses across Clare have either closed or reduced their operations as 2022 begins. Post-Christmas statistics for the prevalence of Covid-19 in Clare are not available as yet, but record figures have been seen nationally this week. Anecdotal evidence does suggest a huge amount of infections in this county. While the vast majority of people are vaccinated and many of those infected have only had mild symptoms, the requirement for isolation means many people are not in a position to attend their places of work. Mayor of Clare PJ Ryan runs an oil business and on Wednesday he said two of his staff were absent due to Covid.  He warned that the impact on business is likely to be very serious throughout the month of January. “Covid is definitely very prevalent in the area and it’s seriously going to affect businesses over the next number of weeks. If the numbers keep going up …

A DO Not Consume notice impacting around 7,500 recipients on the Shannon/Sixmilebridge Public Water Supply was finally lifted on Tuesday. It had been issued due to elevated levels of manganese in the water supply. Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council PJ Ryan said it is unlikely the problem will arise again. “They tell me that it won’t ever happen again now, because they have invested in a new filtration system which should eliminate it. The last time we had the problem in 1995, a year everyone will remember, and that’s 26 years ago now.” He said that the Council had provided water to the public, but there was still a lot of disruption. “In fairness to the Council they provided a good supply of water to the area, but people weren’t able to wash clothes and things like that.” Communication needs to be better whenever future issues arise, he added, “People were very nervous, people with young children and expectant mothers. …

Owen Ryan TWELVE years after first being elected to Clare County Council, Cratloe’s PJ Ryan became mayor of Clare last Friday afternoon. An independent Councillor, he is very much of the Fianna Fáil gene pool, and first stood for election for that party, staying in the race until the final count in 2004. However, when the party hierarchy decided his face didn’t fit five years later, he decided to go it alone. “They had this selection thing, they sent people down from Dublin to select the candidates, people that knew nothing about the candidates or what they were involved in. Michael Begley and myself lost out, so I decided I’d go the independent route. I’ve been elected three times as an independent.” Both sides of his family were rooted in Fianna Fáil, but he says he didn’t seriously look at going back into the party. “No, the thing about it is, why would you change a winning team?” he quips. …

COUNCILLOR PJ Ryan is the new mayor of Clare, having been elected at this afternoon’s Clare County Council AGM. Corofin’s Joe Killeen was elected leas Cathaoirleach. It was Councillor Mary Howard’s last day as Mayor, and she said that being mayor had been “a great honour and a privilege”. While Covid dominated the year, she said Clare had responded well to it. “We connected and galvanised in the face of adversity.” Councillor Ryan was nominated by Councillor Michael Begley, who said they had a similar background, having left Fianna Fáil to run as independents. “We were deemed surplus to requirements in 2008 and got elected in 2009,” he quipped. He also said that himself and the new mayor had “failed the interview, but got the top job.” Councillor Begley said that the new Mayor is a hard worker, while he said he is bound to be travelling over the coming year. “I say to Mary (Councillor Ryan’s wife) get the …

THE plight of those evicted from their homes was highlighted at this week’s meeting of Clare County Council, with one councillor voicing fears that someone could take the law into their own hands. Calls were made for the Government to introduce a moratorium on evictions until the social housing crisis has been resolved. Councillor PJ Ryan commented, “One of these days I can see somebody taking the law into their own hands if the situation is not rectified. The banks are 95% the cause of the problem and they need to take a reality check.” Councillor Mike McKee raised the issue with the local authority where he outlined increases in the numbers of people evicted across the country, those in mortgage arrears and families being made homeless. “Hard-working families are being dragged through the courts by the banks, the very same banks that were bailed out,” he stated. “There is a crisis in social housing at the moment and until …