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2nd May 2017 • Volume 24, Issue 15 • Leader House, North Street, Swords, Co. Dublin. K67 P5W4. • Tel: 01 8•400•200 • info@northcountyleader.ie • www.northcountyleader.ie
High-Level Seminar On Metro North County Mayor, Cllr. Darragh Butler will host a high-level seminar in County Hall, Swords, on Monday, 8th May to discuss the merits of accelerating the development of Metro North, from Swords to the Airport and onto the City Centre. Metro North was identified by the Government in 2015 as a priority project in Building on Recovery, its infrastructure and capital invest-
By Patrick Finnegan ment plan 2016-2021. However, work on the transport corridor is not expected to begin for a number of years and is planned to be in operation by 2026/2027 at the earliest. The Government is currently undertaking a midterm review of its investment plan and has additional resources to commit to priority projects.
O’Reilly Wants Health Ministry In an interview with An for change. The only Phoblacht last week, person who can do this Sinn Féin Health is the Minister for Health spokesperson and local and that’s a job I would TD, Louise O’Reilly love. outlined her vision for She was ruthless in the health services and blasting all former why she wants to be holders of this precarMinister for Health. ious office, once dubbed She said, “I want to be O’Reilly TD ‘Angola’ by a previous Health Minister. I can see the office holder, when she said, potential in our health service “Fine Gael have plenty of right-
wing, privatisation ideology but they are bereft of new ideas. The report card for this minister is not good, but the report cards for previous ministers – including Micheál Martin, let’s not forget – wasn’t good either.” Should she try to become the third Minister for Health from the Fingal area, succeeding two Fine Gael ministers, Dr James Reilly and Leo Varadkar, her odds on succeeding are not a bad bet with odds from Boylesports who quoted her chances at 10/1 last Friday afternoon. With this in mind, Louise may reconsider her stance - but you never know, a week is a long time in politics!
Pictured are Chief Scouts Award recipients, Kate Robinson, Helen Howard and Cian Butterly, with Chief Scouts Award mentors, Bert Ellingboe and Jim Quill at Malahide Sea Scouts AGM. See story on page 5
The County Council is advocating that for the sustainable development of the Dublin city region, Metro North should be fast-tracked. This will enable future development to be underpinned by a fast, dedicated and efficient public transport connection. Speaking in advance of the seminar, the Mayor said: “Metro North is an essential investment for the North County and for Swords in particular. Given its significant growth in recent years and the forecast expansion of Swords, it is vital that the commitment to Metro North is maintained and that investment in the project takes place as soon as possible.” Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, Paul Reid, supported the call by the Mayor adding: “The Fingal Development Plan 2017-2023 identifies Swords, with its large undeveloped land bank and highly accessible location, as offering a unique opportunity for Dublin, while continuing to support the growth of the City region as a whole. In this regard, Metro North will connect Swords to Dublin City via Dublin Airport supporting the development of Swords, up to a population of 100,000. This development is predicated on the delivery of Metro North. With travel demand along the route forecast to grow by up to 40 per cent by 2033,
car dependency will be unsustainable and key public transport investments such as Metro North are essential.” The seminar will be attended by key stakeholders from across the Dublin region, as well as representatives from Government Departments and national agencies such as the National Transport Authority.
Balbriggan Coaches Fundraiser The group of inspiring coaches from Balbriggan FC have decided to By Shauna Carson come together and lose weight for Diabetes Ireland. They originally came together to get fit and they set their target of losing 100lbs collectively over the course of eight weeks. Then they had the idea of running a bootcamp, so that others could get involved and stay healthy. The upshot of this is that the dedicated group of coaches have lost a combined weight of 201lbs, which was twice their original target of 100lbs, raising an impressive €2,700 in the process. Inspiration struck father and coach, Peter Monks to raise money for Diabetes Ireland, as his son, Jake Monks, was recently diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and it seemed the perfect opportunity to show support the charity. Jake is now a National Diabetes Cup Type 1 soccer star, the inspiration behind the fundraising and was even on hand to present the fundraising cheque of €2,700 to a Diabetes Ireland representative on the day. Speaking to the County Leader, a representative of Diabetes Ireland said, “It’s fantastic to hear what the group got in terms of health awareness, exercise, club spirit and camaraderie from their efforts. A feel good Sunday afternoon and certainly a win-win for all concerned.” To find out more about Diabetes Ireland visit their website diabetes.ie discover tips on prevention, pregnancy and find locations of fundraising events near you. Pictured: (back row) David Byrne, Declan Bagnall, Frank Forde, Mark Higgins, Derek Woods, Dan Byrne, Dave Worthington, Tom Quigley. (front row) Derek Grehan, Peter Monks, Tony Byrne, Ray Kelly, Richie Barrett, Warren Murray, James Cleary . (very front) Jake Monks
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