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17th May 2016 • Volume 23, Issue 16 • Leader House, North Street, Swords, Co. Dublin. EirCode: K67 P5W4. • Tel: 01 8•400•200 • info@northcountyleader.ie • www.northcountyleader.ie
Mixed Reaction To VOTE! Have Your Say Monument Idea O’Reilly To Put For Swords Skids Under Do you feel a monument to honour the achievements of the LGBT movement would be an appropriate addition to the North County’s Landscape and would you be happy to have it incorporated in the new Swords Cultural Quarter? Let your feelings be known by heading over to our website and taking part in our poll.
www.northcountyleader.ie
President Obama is considering the erection of a monument, to honour the LGBT movement, in Greenwich Village in Manhattan. This area is of huge significance to the LGBT community in America as it is across from the Stonewall Inn, which is the location of the notorious ‘Stonewall Riots’ in 1969.
By Aoife Read These riots are largely regarded as the inspiration for the LGBT movement for civil rights in the USA. The riots inspired the formation of LGBT organisations across the country and these led to the first ‘Gay Pride’ parades being held across both America and the globe. May 22nd marks the year anniversary of the marriage referendum result in Ireland. On the back of the idea of memorialising the achievements of the LGBT rights movement from President Obama, we asked; Would such a monument be an appropriate addition to our landscape, particularly considering the the development of the new Swords Cultural Quarter, which is now underway? It has been proposed by a Labour Party Senator, Aodhan Ó’Riordáin, that Ireland should also
yard’ camp, It is their opinion that somewhere with a cultural significance to the LGBT movement would be a much more ideal location for a monument, somewhere such as Dublin Castle, or the site of the old Hirschfield Centre in Temple Bar.
highest percentages See page 13 for a detailed break of yes votes in last year’s referendum. A down of Councillors’ responses. smaller number have the fact that they are For those who are in said that they feel that it is not an appropriate supportive of the the ‘not in our back thing to erect a monu- LGBT community in build a monument to ment to at all, despite general. the tremendous work and achievements of our own LGBT rights campaigners in the referendum last year. We posed the question to our public representatives as to whether or not they thought that the North County should lead the way with the idea, and have the erection of such a monument incorporated into the new Cultural Quarter being planned for Swords. The reaction of councillors to the question has been a mixed bag. Some seemed to have Pictured at the ceremony at County Hall, Swords on Monday, 9th May last, where Fingal County Council honoured the the opinion that it Chief Scout of Scouting Ireland, Christy McCann from Donabate, are, Paul Reid (Chief Executive Fingal County Council), would not be a suitChief Scout, Christy McCann, Alice Coady (38th Rush Scouts), County Mayor, Cllr David O'Connor and Dave Clarke able addition to the (38th Rush Scouts). See story on page 7 North County, taking a ‘not in our back yard’ mentality. However, by a thin margin, the majority of our public representatives would be fully behind the idea of it and feel that it would make a fitting addition to the Swords Cultural Quarter. Especially considering the fact that North County Dublin had one of the
Minister Harris By Patrick Finnegan The newly appointed Sinn Fein Health spokesperson, local TD Louise O’Reilly has hit the ground running in her new position on Sinn Fein’s front bench. She has promised to keep new Minister for Health, Simon Harris well abreast of health issues here in the New Sinn Fein Health North County and is spokesperson, Louise looking forward to O'Reilly TD is pictured engaging robustly outside the almost ready, with him on these Primary Care Centre in Balbriggan matters. O’Reilly spoke to the County Leader shortly after her elevation by the party and she said that, while she was excited about her appointment, her first priority is to ensure that residents of the North County have access to the best possible healthcare. She said, “This is a huge honour for me and for our hard working local councillors. I have a lot of experience in this sector, as I represented workers in the health service for many years.” The County Leader checks the Trolley Watch figures which are produced by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) on a regular basis and when we asked her about her plans to improve these, she was most definite. “Unfortunately the North County is sandwiched between the two worst performing hospitals in this category, namely Beaumont Hospital and Our Lady of Lourdes, Drogheda. These hospitals regularly have the greatest numbers on trolleys, but that is no reflection on the hard working staff. It is a reflection on the lack of investment and, Continued on page 4