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ISSUE 100
May 30th 2018
9123527 www.thechronicle.ie Tony 053 still a crowd-puller It may be many years since he was a big star of Wexford hurling but Tony Doran demonstrated this week that he is still a crowd puller when a big
attendance showed up in the Riverside park Hotel in Enniscorthy on Monday night for the launch of his autobiography 'A Land of Men and Giants
WEXFORD A MAJOR SURPRISE Councillors in Wexford have denounced the handling of o. Wexford has undergone the decision to make the Wexa transformation from beford Festival Opera Fireworks inganone of the affair country’s Display all ticket as a fiasco and they have urged a most conservative counties those who threated to bequarter of ahave century ago to force their way than ontomost the other ing more liberal quayfront to stay counties outside theaway mainfrom cities, the the re-arranged event on thethe on basis of the Repeal closing night of the festival. Eight Referendum results. has raged Controversy With a massive 68.4%since of the it was announced people electorate voting in that favour of the would require tickets proposition the Yes votetointake Wextheirwas place on the ford higher thanquayfront the national for the fireworks with average somethingdisplay which virtucouncillors coming in forin the ally no one had envisaged scathing social media critidays leading up to the poll. much of high it of turnout a vile per cism, With a very that sonal nature. represented just short of 50,000 And some of theover voting Yesmembers while just public have warned that they 23,000 opposed the referendum will uphold the right to free question. at the fifty yearhad attendance At best Yes campaigners plus tradition by forcing theirin hoped for a fifty-fifty result waycounty, onto the onhave the the onequayfront they would night of thea major fireworks. considered achievement, The initial threats were made while No campaigners had been when theoffireworks were dueof confident taking a majority to takewith place on the opening voters them,
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night of the festival but the entire event was cancelled dueBut the event the result was to in adverse weather condian absolutely decisive tions. Now it to be heldone on for Sunday November 5ththe at 8pm the Yes side and while high to mark the closing of thewere numbers in the Yes camp event. by big numbers in Gorey, driven At a meeting the Wexford New Ross andofWexford towns, Municipal Council this the Yes campaign heldweek sway members seething over right acrosswere the county from rutheBallythomas fact that theyinwere left into ral the North the dark about thesouth. problems Duncannon in the the festival surrounding In some rural parishesopenthere ing been and the fact they had prayers andreceived rosaries the criticism despite the conducted in churches forreala No ity that were not athad fault vote andthey many priests defor what impassioned was describedsermons by livered many asthea change fiasco. while Bishop against Wexford Festival Denis Brennan had Opera, issued awho hard are thepastoral organisers of on thethe ishitting letter opening ceremony, were tosue. theinprob tally In to theblame event for even rural arlems they failed to to eas thebecause strong campaign failed apply for any licence hold convert a majority of thetopopulathe event. no licence in tion into theWith No camp. place the entire fireworks dis Changing demographics play would been candriven by anhave explosion in the celled unless was population of some Northway Wexford found todrive control helped up numbers the Yes at total 5,000. with three quarters of those cast-
So it was either a ticket affair or no fireworks, the Wexford ing their Director votes in Tony many Larkin polling District told councillors at their Octostations backing the change. meeting. also berThere wereHe high yesrevealed numbers that the Ross Council hadasawell veryand in New urban good working relationship as expected Wexford town voted with strong the Festival Opera and very in favour. thewas massive con recognised While there no complete tribution festival madesugto tally of thethe boxes observers the local economy. gest that the Yes vote was lower It appears that town the desire to the in Enniscorthy than in preserve thiscentres relationship other major of populameant that council officials tion. reluctant to closest hang festival were Rural parishes to the bosses out to dry on the mattowns recorded substantially ter. TheYes result wasthan thatsome coun-of higher votes cillors gotrural the blame and in they the more areas, but all ventedthetheir the to cases Yes anger vote isover believed issueprevailed. this week. have Anthony Councillors With the Irish TimesKelly and RTE and Davy Hynes the opinion polls bothled indicating a charge. Kelly big win for thesaid Yes the sideorganseveral isers had ‘created a fiasco’ hours before a ballot box was over theNo tickets and Hynes opened campaigners were a slammed factthey thatarrived councilbit deflatedthe when at lorsSt. were neverCount consulted the Joseph’s centreonon the mattermorning and he described it Saturday while those was a ‘slap face’ for involved in in thetheYes campaign publicstill representatives. were anxious and couldn’t yet believe that they were on the verge of such a victory. Outside some No campaigners prayed for a successful outcome but as soon as the first ballot papers appeared from the boxes inside it was obvious that the exit polls were correct. Still many of those who had After years campaigned for Noofand who had previously found Co. is Wexford complaints action to be such fertile territory for their taken to deal with the conservative message seemed problem of Wexford Main shell-shocked by what was hap-
Cllr. Frank Staples said councillors should have been informed of the situation. ‘As pening. councillors were are expected Many hours before there to knowbewhat is going on’, he would a formal declaration declared. there were only a handful of peoCllr.hanging Ger Carthy that ple aroundrevealed the count. hadofbeen problems there Three Wexford’s five TDs meeting all athe had backed yeslicencing vote butcononly ditions in previous the Labour Party andyears Mickand Walon one everything lace hadoccasion actively promoted a Yes had not been Minister sorted outMichael until vote locally. the 11thindicated hour. D’Arcy prior to pollCllr.day Lisa McDonald ing that he would debe voting scribed the whole affair as a Yes. disaster Paul but she appealed PRMinister Kehoe did not to everyone to allow children give an opinion on the matter enjoy event closing at any the stage andon Deputy James night anddeclared stay away Browne thatrather he was than cause voting No. difficulties. Mayor Moore issued a re ManyJimCo. Councillors similar plea calling about for no their mained tight-lipped nastiness so thatthroughout people could voting intention the enjoy the family campaign, others occasion declared that for is the fireworks. No and some said they would Director of even Services Tonynumvote Yes but the small Larkin said he believed the the ber of councillors who joined ticketing would once off Yes campaign didbe notapredict the solution and wouldfornot beside. rescale of the victory their peated 2018. of Co. CounIn fact tin a majority cillors, regardless of which side of the fence they were on, expected the No side to win in Wexford and they were convinced that rural areas would be strongly against the proposal. In the event they were wrong and this detachment from their local electorate will be a concern District Council for them just a yearthat out from the local elections. retexturing of the surface andWhat the referendumofresults the replacement confirms is that in terms of local some of the gullies, politics the county’s public rep-
Main Street work may start before Christmas
all Wedding bands for June
Free Wedding Coin and engraving with all wedding bands Offer open until the end of June 2018 only. Deposits taken.
Street’s slippery surface. particularly in North There have been Main Street is planned. complaints for years The plan has not yet about people suffering been finalised but it could injuries on the street but start very soon and is there has never been an likely to take place before acceptance that there is Christmas. any problem with the Council officials are surface. Now, however, anxious to avoid any work to tackle the issue disruption of the retail may begin before trade and plan to Christmas. undertake the work either District Director Tony in the evening or withand a TENDER MOMENT........ Edmund Pardskays Larkin told the October 5.30am start each School Rebecca Clayero at the Gorey Community YES MEN.......Cllr. George Lawlor, Labour Leader, Brendan Howlin Grad on Tuesday night morning. meeting of the Municipal and ex counclillor Joe Ryan watch the votes being counted
Chloe Dunne and Alex Bra dy were at the CBS Wexford Grad on Monday night. See Grad Specials ins ide.
Above:Tony Tá............. Yes women Rachel Murphy, Veronica Murphy, shares a Whelan joke and Niamh Murphy at the count centre Siobhan with Ali to welcoming and serving the Hotel Stillorgan, the Midleton resentatives far more wellHotel, remainOriel unchanged Pendergast,The people of are Wexford and con- mayPark House afservative thenew people 2019 elections. beyondthan in Right: this and they ter the Hotel, Cork, as well as Ballagh. represent. exciting venture”. Wexford’s Talbot Suites, and Tony with young However, with thousands of THE The Wexford based hotel the RESULT: Dome Family supporter Ruth those who were mostcomprises exercised of YES 49,935 (68.4%) collection, which Entertainment Centre in Fenlon by the lastTalbot week’s voteWexford, likely toThe NOCarlow, 23,069 currently (31.6%) employs Hotel show littleHotel or no Carlow, interest in next Spoiled Talbot Talbot more 216 than 700 people. year’s local polls that situation Turnout 66.3%