DUNGARVAN
OBSERVER
CARLINGFORD LOUGH LIGHTS UP L E O PA R D S T O W N
Vol. 103
Friday, 13th February, 2015
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Local student promotes Safer Internet Day page 6
M o e’s a shooting sta r i n Be r l i n Local actor Moe Dunford, who plays the lead role of ‘Patrick’ in the recently released Patrick's Day, holds his European Shooting Star Award tightly after he received one of ten awards presented to young actors from across Europe at the Berlin International Film Festival. [Dan McGrath] SEE PAGES 15 & 23 AND CENTRE PAGE SPREAD
Suggestion made to take hedge cutting costs from farmers’ Single Farm Payments A SUGGESTION that the Council should go after farmers who don’t cut hedges on their land which border public roads, by deducting the cost of the work from their Single Farm Payments, was met with alarm and astonishment at the February meeting of Dungarvan-Lismore District Council. It was Cllr. Seamus O’Donnell who made the suggestion, pointing out that
32 counties in 24 hours charity run page 11
Competition to name river in Tallow page 12 06
there were many acres of land owned by farmers who weren’t resident in County Waterford and not anyone of them were cutting hedges. The trimming back of hedges is an important road safety issue, particularly along rural country roads and regional roads. Continued on page 2
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Councillors’ fury over funding of Irish Water By Paul Mooney A COUNCILLOR has called for the immediate scrapping of Irish Water after it was revealed that the company will receive nearly €1bn from motor tax payments over a period of three years. At the February meeting of Dungarvan-Lismore District Council, Cllr. Tom Cronin said it was brought to his attention that Irish Water received €290m from the motor tax fund in 2014; they will receive €265m from the same fund in 2015; and are due to receive €316m from the fund in
2016. “I was very surprised to hear it. I feel it is a disgrace,” Cllr. Cronin said. “People are paying their car tax and it is being handed over to Irish Water - it is a disgrace.The sooner Irish Water are taken on, the sooner they will stop spending taxpayers’ money stupidly,” he said. Cllr. Cronin said Irish Water “should be scrapped straight away until such time that we get our ‘ducks in a row’ in relation to funding for Irish Water”. He pointed out that if Waterford Council received a proportion of that funding over the last couple of years, “we would nearly get all the
water pipes in this county replaced which need replacing, without it costing millions and running into billions from here on in”. “I think it is a total disgrace we have to go through this and Irish Water should be scrapped tomorrow morning - get rid of them straight away!” Cllr. Cronin added. Cllr. Siobhán Whelan agreed with Cllr. Cronin, but pointed out that they are up against government policy. “It is government policy to keep pouring money into Irish Water which is not fit for purpose,” said Cllr. Whelan. Continued on page 2