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14th June 2016 • Volume 23, Issue 20 • Leader House, North Street, Swords, Co. Dublin. • Tel: 01 8•400•200 • info@northcountyleader.ie • www.northcountyleader.ie
“Utterly Unacceptable” The nationwide news that five beaches in the North County were closed over the June Bank Holiday weekend, has drawn widespread disapproval across the county. On what what the hottest weekend for about three years, the beaches at Balbriggan, Skerries, Loughshinny, Portmarnock and Sutton were closed for swimming.
candidate, Joe O’Brien has launched a blistering attack on the record of Fingal County Council following the widespread bathing water pollution over the June Bank Holiday weekend when he said, “In summer 2012, the pumping station at Isaac’s Bower near Hampton Cove in Balbriggan malfunctioned and a serious bathing water pollution incident followed. It’s not
News of the reopening of the By Patrick Finnegan beaches at the end of last week brought a temporary not acceptable that the public reprieve, but this was super- are kept in the dark on such seded by news that ‘Do Not important issues that affect Swim’ notices have been rein- the health and livelihoods of stated at Velvet Strand Beach, the people of the North Portmarnock; Balbriggan Front Strand Beach and Skerries South Beach since yesterday (Monday). A statement from the County Council says, “The Prohibitive Notices have been issued as a precautionary measure following overflows at the Portmarnock Strand Pumping Station and Hampton Cove Pumping Station, Balbriggan due to technical problems. This is a further blow to the Council’s efforts to put tourism front and centre of its agenda, North County families have been unable to use the wonderful seaside facilities during recent exceptional weather. the discharge of sewage from pumping stations, due to a County. It is particularly unac- clear what exact measures faulty alarm was said to be very disappointing and very ceptable that these problems were taken by the Council to avoidable. This year Portrane are still there after millions of ensure this pumping station beach lost its Blue Flag, while euros have been invested in was brought up to the proper new treatment plants standard, but clearly whatSkerries lost its Blue at Balbriggan, ever action was taken was Flag the year before. Skerries, Malahide inadequate following the Senator James Reilly and Donabate.” said failure of the same pumping (FG), who is a resian angry Reilly. In a station over the June Bank dent of Rush blasted statement, the Holiday weekend.” Irish Water for its County Council “The situation in Rush of cavalier attitude to welcomes the course is an ongoing residents and tourists announcement by disgrace, but as I made the alike. He told this Senator Reilly Irish Water that they point last summer, Rush is newspaper, “It is utterly unacceptable that Irish are planning to decommission symptomatic of a totally inadWater have failed to communi- the existing septic tank at equate waste water system cate the reason why this Loughshinny and hope to sign across Fingal that is simply happened and what the plan is contracts later this year for a no longer fit for purpose. I to remedy the situation, so to ¤7.3 million upgrade to the genuinely fear for the state of our bathing waters and avoid a recurrence. I intend to sewage network in Rush. raise the issue with Minister Green Party spokesperson beaches in the coming Simon Coveney. It is simply and recent General Election years,” he said.
Cllr Brian Dennehy (FF) who lives in Rush said, “Last week, we had nine beaches out of action and we need an emergency task force to look after our beaches. Beaches all the way from Cllr. Dennehy Balbriggan to Portmarnock are an integral part of our community and are crucial to our economic survival,” he said. Cllr Tony Murphy (Ind) said, “This isn’t the first time that this has happened. The investment is not being put in. Everything regarding Health and Safety must be addressed and this should not be happening in the 21st century. When power is inter- Cllr. Murphy rupted, the power pack kicks in and the alarm goes off - it’s as simple as that. The sad thing is that we’ve just had a fabulous weekend weatherwise. We are all working very hard on tourism in the North County and we’ve been let down by an alarm system and this should not happen.” he said. Local councillor, Malachy Quinn (SF) said, “A lot of time and investment has been put Cllr. Quinn in by the council to their tourism strategy. What happened with Summerfest in Balbriggan last weekend was a disaster.” he said.
Pictured at the garden at Corduff National School, where a plaque was laid im memory of Thomas Ashe, prior to the video screening in the school about the inquiry into his death are, Aidan Arnold (Lusk Heritage Group), pupils Adam Harris and Harry Gaines, School Principal Anna McKeown, Rosena Jordan (President of INTO), Pat Kelly (Lusk Heritage Group), pupil, Ciara Hartford, Jim Monks (Lusk Heritage Group) and pupil, Emily Bentley
Thomas Ashe Remembered At Corduff School A large crowd turned out at Corduff National School, Lusk on Wednesday, 8th June for a screening of a video about the death of Thomas Ashe, who was principal at the school from 1908 to 1916. The event was organised by Lusk Heritage group and Aidan Arnold from the group explained to the County Leader how the video came about. He said, “I was born and reared in Corduff and about 30 years ago, I wrote a play called “The Legacy of Ashbourne”, which was all about the death of Thomas Ashe. We put it on at the time for the school, as I had three daughters here at the school and I also attended the school.” “The play has been sitting on a shelf all this time. Then with the 1916 celebrations we decided to do something, not about 1916, but about Ashe as a teacher and his association with Corduff. He was here as principal for eight years prior to 1916. “We decided to employ the services of a local drama group, Power Drama School in Lusk and we made a video and we got a lot of people involved, including the Black Raven Pipe Band. The
school here have been brilliant and I can’t praise principal, Anna McKeown enough. So the video is being shown tonight and it’s called, “An Inquest Into the Death of Thomas Ashe,” he said. “I’m very happy to have been associated with this, as Corduff has been very special to me for the past 60 years and it’s great to give something back. The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) were present on the night to honour Thomas Ashe, as he was a member of that organisation in 1916. They wanted to do something to commemorate any school that has an association with 1916.” Aidan had a very interesting story about Thomas Ashe leading up to 1916. “When I went to school here in 1965, there was a teacher here called Mary Monks, who taught with Thomas Ashe. She was the link going right back to 1916. Mary Monks’ last memory of Thomas Ashe was on the Thursday before Easter 1916, he asked her to go to the garden and pick all the flowers and to bring them in and put them on the altar in Lusk Church. Nobody knew at the time that Ashe was going to be so prominent in 1916,” he concluded.