wicklow we deliver!- for 31 years north edition times...

SCIENTISTS AWARDEDpage 6

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NORTH EDITION DELIVERED TO HOMES & BUSINESSES IN: SHANKILL, ENNISKERRY, BRAY, GREYSTONES, DELGANY, KILCOOLE, NEWCASTLE, KILQUADE, ASHFORD, KILPEDDER, NEWTOWNMOUNTKENNEDY, KILMACANOGUE, LARAGH, MONEYSTOWN, ROUNDWOOD.

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Tuesday 21st January 2020 5 Eglinton Road, Bray, Co. Wicklow Tel: 01 - 2869111 www.wicklowtimes.net E-mail: [email protected]

Sarah Fox and Abbey McAnaspie at the Bray Institute of Further Education (BIFE) Open Day lastFriday. Pic: Michael Kelly

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The tens of thousands of Wicklow commuters stuck in thetraffic nightmare on the N11 every morning and night will beconcerned at recent statements by the Green Party on the proposed upgrade of the N11 M11, according to Independentcouncillor and general election candidate, Joe Behan.

“The Greens want tohalt or delay any proposed upgrading of thecarriageway thus prolong-ing the agony of familieswho are forced to endurelong hours apart becauseit takes so long to get toand from work in Dublinevery day,” he said.

“We all agree that anyimprovements must beaccompanied by enhancedpublic transport and parkand ride facilities all alongthe N11 at Arklow,Wicklow, Greystones andBray. It is a disgrace thatthere is no joined upthinking by Governmentto implement this.

“It is also a disgracethat the ultimate decision

on this project will bemade by An BordPleanála not by localcouncillors. I cannotaccept that the people currently stuck in theircars now in 2020 shouldsuffer any further unnecessary delays inupgrading the capacity ofthe N11 M 11.

“While I don’t doubtthe sincerity of the Greensin their reasons for seek-ing to delay the project, Ibelieve it is not in theinterests of the hard-pressed Wicklowcommuters and theyshould reconsider theirposition on this majorissue for the county.”

At last Monday's

Wicklow County Councilmeeting, Green Partycouncillor StevenMatthews called for adetailed transport study tobe carried out on provid-ing an improved rail ser-vice frequency betweenArklow and Bray, the pro-vision of local bus publictransport between townsand improved pedestrianand cycling infrastructurethrough towns to transporthubs, schools and placesof employment beforeproceeding with Phase 2route selection of theN11/M11 improvementscheme.

Greystones GreenParty Councillor LourdaScott said "Given the

environmental sensitivityand importance of the areawe are also asking that allnecessary environmentalimpact assessments beproduced for each pro-posed route to enable thepublic to be fullyinformed of the likely environmental dam-age before being asked toselect preferred roadoptions. We would like tosee Wicklow CountyCouncil take the lead byassessing the carbon footprint of thePhase 2 options anddemonstrating how any ofthe proposed options willreduce transport emissions contributing toclimate change."

Cllr Matthews conclud-ed: "It seems apparentfrom this week's meetingthat most parties just wantthe road built regardlessof the environmental consequences or the factthat widening a road willdo nothing for the

commuters of Wicklow." There was not much

enthusiasm for CllrMatthews' proposal fromFine Gael or Fianna Failcouncillors. Cllr DerekMitchell (FG) said he was"reluctant" to postponePhase 2, and Cllr PatFitzgerald (FF) said hewas against any deferral."Sixty percent of theworking population inArklow are commuting.The people I representdon't want any deferral onthe project,” he said.

Cllr Gerry Walsh (FF)agreed that postponing itwould "send out thewrong message".

Chief Executive ofWicklow County Council,Frank Curran said he didnot recommend postpon-ing it as it would mean"We would go back to theend of the queue".

Cllr Behan, said he wasagainst any delay:

(continued on page 3)

NO ‘GREEN’ LIGHT FOR N11

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The McEvoy family - Luke, Ruby, Tara and Daragh - present cheques to Jim Schofield ofNILMDTS (Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep), and Joan Tuthill of Feileacon in memory of theirdaughter Pippa. Funds were raised by coffee mornings, by Daragh running in the Dublin CityMarathon, and events organised by work colleagues.

The launch of the 43rd Bray One Act Drama Festival took place in the Mermaid Arts Centre lastweek. Actors from the participating groups, along with patrons and supporters of the Festivaland committee members were all in attendance. Also there on the night, were representativesfrom the charities which will benefit from the festival this year. Tommy Gordon (W H 5 Loaves)and Jimmy Fearon (Deborah Ireland) addressed the crowd giving information on their charities.Festival Director William Mansfield launched what promises to be another great week of drama,comedy and entertainment. The Festival runs from Tues 28th Jan - Sat 1st Feb in the MermaidTheatre. Tickets are available from the Mermaid at 012724030 or online at www.mermaidarts-centre.ie. Pictured are Jean Kelly, Ger Gilroy, William Mansfield, Beth Holmes, and Tracey Byrne

Contacts:

Shay Fitzmaurice, Managing Editor - [email protected]

Ian Colgan, News Editor - [email protected]

Erika Doyle, Features Editor - [email protected]

General enquiries - [email protected]

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is published by Wicklow Times, 5 Eglinton Road, Bray.

Tel: 01-2869111

Birdwatch Ireland eventsJanuary

Saturday 25th: Outing to Wexford Wildfowl Reserve.Meet at Wexford Wildfowl Reserve at 10.30am. Car-poolfrom Greystones Park and Ride at 8.30am. (contact [email protected] if you need a lift)

FebruaryTuesday 11th: “ Dippers, fishers, goosers and wags” -

Birds of the Avonmore River Catchment. A presentationby Oran O’Sullivan, Glenview Hotel at 8pm.

Saturday 15th: Wicklow County Bird Race. Meetat the car park at the southern end of Bray seafront prom-enade (by the amusements). Time: 7am (for team registra-tion). Race Start: 7:15am (sharp). Race Finish: 6:45pm atThe Beehive Inn, off the N11 south of Rathnew. Teams of3-4 people per car at €5 per person (fees cover organisa-tional costs of the event with proceeds going to theBirdWatch Ireland Wicklow Branch). Objective: Torecord as many species of bird as possible in one daywithin the Wicklow County boundaries.

Saturday 22nd. Joint outing to Altamount Gardens,The Pottle, Co. Carlow with the Carlow Branch BWI.Meeting at Altamount Gardens at 10.30am. Car-pool fromGreystones Park and Ride at 8.30am. (contact [email protected] if you need a lift). Please note thereis a €3 entrance fee per person to the gardens.

Tiny €5 flutter inWicklow scoops

€7,500 profit in lottowinnings

The champagne was popping in CountyWicklow last Tuesday night after a luckypunter transformed a small stake into awhopping four-figure windfall followinga burst of Lotto luck.

The anonymous punter placed a €5 treble ina BoyleSports shop in the Garden County andpicked three numbers to be drawn in theEuroMillions Main draw.

All three numbers to be drawn were at oddsof 1,500/1. When 25, 39, and 44 all dropped outof the machine, the odds were smashed and thebig win was in the bag. The run of good fortuneallowed them to return to the shop and exchangetheir bet slip for an amazing total of €7,505.

Leon Blanche, spokesperson for BoyleSportssaid: “Sometimes just a small stake can go along way and we have to hand it to our customerin Wicklow for their ambitious approach. Wewish them huge congratulations on an amazingstart to the new year.”

Life saving ‘Message in a Bottle’idea from Wicklow Lions

Members of Wicklow and District Lions Club say they are very proud to be part of theNational Lions project called ‘Message in a Bottle’.

‘Message in a Bottle’ isa simple idea that encour-ages people to keep theirbasic personal and medi-cal details in a commonplace, for example in theirfridge, where in cases ofemergency, the emergen-cy teams can easily accessthem and possibly savetheir lives.

The informationrequired is very basic butnecessary. The personalinformation form is self-explanatory; however onemay like to ask a relative,

friend, neighbour or carerto assist in completing theform.

The bottle which istotally free of charge isactually a plastic contain-er complete with a per-sonal information formand three self-adhesivepharmacy style logo greenstickers which are stuckto the front and back door.

In the event of an acci-dent or incident within thehome, the first responder/emergency services on thescene will be alerted to

the bottle by the label onthe door.

The bottle, which is normally kept in the fridgeor press, can then be locat-ed by the attending service.They quickly read the vitalinformation on the formand act accordingly.

The bottles are avail-able free of charge fromany Lions memberthroughout the district orfrom pharmacies, gardastations, the fire service,first responders, doctorssurgeries, etc.

Whilst it is focused onthe more vulnerable people in a community,anyone can have an accident in the home, sothis scheme can benefitanyone.

Message in a Bottle isnow also available togolfers. A metal disc /tagis placed on the golf bagto indicate that a bottle iscontained in the top pock-et of the golf bag, provingonce again how much alife saving idea this is,created by Lions.

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Tuesday 21st January 2020

Julie New of Plain & Pearl in Arklow with her children’s Knitting & Crochet class, making mit-tens, joey pouches and nests for wildlife in Australia that have been injured by the fires.

Just seven IDA visits There were just seven IDA site vists to Co. Wicklow in the whole of2018 and the first three quarters of 2019, according to data released inreponse to a Parliamentary Question. This makes Wicklow the jointsecond lowest in terms of site vists from the direct investment agency.

Labour GeneralElection candidate, CllrPaul O'Brien fromWicklow MunicipalDistrict, has said it's timefor the IDA to "get awayfrom their bubble inDublin".

In 2018 there was justone IDA site visit to Co.Wicklow, the fewest inthe whole country, andthere were six in the firstthree quarters of 2019.IDA site visits to Co.Wicklow over this periodamounted to less thanone percent of the total ofIDA site visits around thecountry. Over 40 percentof site visits were toDublin. Details of thenumber of site visits forthe whole of 2019 will beavailable soon.

Wexford, Longfordand Monaghan alsoreceived just seven IDAsite visits during thistime period, whileRoscommon has the leastamount with just five sitevisits.

The matter was raisedat last week's meeting of

Wicklow County Councilby Labour GeneralElection candidate PaulO'Brien. Chief ExecutiveFrank Curran said he willpass on Cllr O'Brien'sconcerns to the IDA.

"Over the years it isvery clear that Wicklowhas been consistently letdown by the IDA," CllrObrien recently statedafter seeing the figures."Wicklow has poor pub-lic transport, cloggedinfrastructure, and joblosses being announced.We need the IDA visitingand promoting Wicklow.We live in one of themost diverse, scenic, andeducated counties in thecountry, yet we havebeen consistently letdown. I'm calling on myfellow councillors andour TDs to park ourpolitical differences, towork together and dowhat is right for every-one in our county. Weshould be collectivelydemanding that the IDAget down here, awayfrom their bubble in

Dublin, and get workingon bringing jobs toWicklow."

The ParliamentaryQuesation came fromFianna Fail DeputyAindrias Moynihan, whoasked the Minister forBusiness, Enterprise andInnovation the number ofIDA visits by county, intabular form; and if shewill make a statement onthe matter.

In response, MinisterHumphreys said"Regional developmentis a key priority for myDepartment. We under-stand the importance ofachieving the best possi-ble spread of employ-ment and investmentacross the country andwe have been workinghard towards that goal.Significant progress hasalready been made, with58% of all IDA client-supported employmentnow located outside ofDublin. This figure repre-sents the highest suchfigure in the history ofthe Agency. Our aim

remains to increase thispercentage further by theend of this year.

"When it comes to for-eign direct investment(FDI), site visits do rep-resent a valuable toolthrough which investorscan be encouraged toinvest in regional areas.However, as I have saidbefore, site visit activitydoes not necessarilyreflect investment poten-tial, as a significant per-centage of all new FDIcomes from existing IDAclient companies."

(continued from page 1)"Tens of thousands of people are

struggling to get home to their familiesbecause of the N11. It 's not goodenough to say that we're going to delaythis. Parents are away from home 12hours a day. I won't agree with stoppingthe process."

After last week’s meeting Cllr

Mitchell said “Councillors did not wantto 'postpone' the N11 study as the GreenParty wanted at Monday’s councilmeeting. The problem is urgent and thestudy has already been redirected in2019 to study public transport more.The Council's Transport Committeewill, next Monday, hear from the Studychiefs about the new objectives.”

NO ‘GREEN’ LIGHT FOR N11


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Pictured last week with General Election candidate Independent Councillor Joe Behan were supporters Independent councillors Peir Leonard, Mags Crean and Mary Kavanagh.

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‘Additional capacity neededfor rail commuters’

John Brady TD has argued the case with the Minister for Transport, Shane Ross, foradditional Irish Rail capacity for commuters on the Dublin-Rosslare line.

Raising the matter in the Dáil, Deputy Brady said: “Every day Wicklow commuters traveling into Dublin forwork face overcrowded trains with barely enough room to stand, let alone sit down. This overcrowding is forcing commuters off public transport and into their cars leading to major traffic on the N11.

“We know from the 2016 Census that 1,750 people from Arklow and 4,339 people from Wicklow Town commute to Dublin on a daily basis for work yet, this is not reflected in the train service provided. There areonly five train services through Wicklow to Dublin daily and the train times are awkward for commuters withonly two morning trains between 6am and 7am.

“At a time when people are being encouraged to use public transport and when many are prepared to makechanges and do their bit for climate change, they simply cannot do so in Wicklow. We know that Irish Rail haveordered 41 carriages which will arrive in 2021 however, it does not appear that any of these carriages will beused to provide additional capacity on the Dublin/Rosslare line. This is completely unacceptable.

“I have met with and asked Irish Rail directly to extend the Short Hop Zone to Arklow to allow commuters toavail of the leap card fares yet, I am told they cannot for fear more people would use the train and they cannotcater for any more passengers. This is madness. We need to see additional capacity on the Dublin/Rosslare lineurgently. Minister Ross must begin prioritising public transport over motorways and invest in a proper publictransport system,” concluded Deputy Brady.

BUS EIREANN CEO QUESTIONEDOVER 133 RELIABILITY

Bus Eireann CEO Stephen Kent has acknowledged the problems with the much maligned 133bus route service and is hopeful that a new timetable will help to improve the service.

Mr Kent and other rep-resentatives from BusEireann attended lastweek’s meeting ofWicklow County Councilto give a presentation andtake questions from coun-cillors, who voiced strongcriticism of the reliabilityof the 133 service.

Mr Kent admitted thatthe company “have notbeen delivering an optimalcustomer experience”with the 133. “We recog-nise there are issues ofpunctuality on the route,”he said, “due to increasedtraffic congestion in theGreater Dublin Area.Traffic congestion hasbeen the biggest bugbearfor us.”

He noted that therehave been differences of18-20 minutes betweenthe timetable and realtime, according to equip-ment on the busses whichmonitor time betweenstops.

However he maintainedthat 98% of journeys weredelivered on the 133 lastyear, a figure whichCathoirleach IreneWinters said she found“hard to believe”.

The 133, which makes300 trips per weekbetween Wicklow Townand Dublin Airport, is themost complained about ofall Bus Eireann’s routes,receiving 889 complaints

per 100,000 passengers in2018 (compared to anaverage of 40 complaintsper 100,000 passengers onthe company’s otherroutes).

Mr Kent said that thecompany has “great ambi-tion to improve the ser-vice”, and plans to imple-ment a new timetable onMarch 22nd.

He said that the compa-ny has “spent months withthe National TransportAuthority” devising thenew timetable, andbelieves it will be “morereliable and more effi-cient, informed by thedata we have collected”.

Included in the changeswill be increased frequen-cy in the morning andevening at peak times toevery 20 minutes insteadof every 30 minutes, andthe service will run from5am to midnight.

Speaking at last week’smeeting, Social DemocratsGeneral Election candi-date Jennifer Whitmoredescribed the 133 serviceas “a huge problem”.“Something has to bedone, people have had tochange their jobs or buy anew car because theycouldn’t rely on the 133.Hopefully the new planswill achieve improve-ments.” Cllr Whitmorealso called for the 133 tobe extended to Aughrim.

Cllr Mary Kavanagh,who recently submitted apetition to Bus Eireannwith over a thousand sig-natures calling forimprovements to the 133,said last week: “Here inWicklow town the bus ser-vice is vital; we have noDart, we have no Luas.People are dependent onthe bus for college, work,hospital appointments, andthey are at the end of theirtether. One of the com-ments included in the peti-tion was from a womanwho said that her hus-band’s mental health wasbeing affected from beingconstantly late.”

West Wicklow council-lors used the opportunitylast week to compalainabout the bus stop atHollywood Cross, whichsome drivers acknowledgeand others don’t. The BusEireann officialsexplained that the stop isnot an official designatedstop but that the companywill enter dialogue withthe NTA to make it one.

Cathaoirleach of theBaltinglass MunicipalDistrict Gerry O’Neillsaid that the stop has beenthere for a long time butthat “it’s hit and miss as towhether the driver stopsthere. It seems to dependon the driver and whetheror not he wants to stop.”

Speaking after last

week’s meeting,Councillor Avril Croninsaid “As a commuter anda regular on the 132 bus, Iam frustrated with theongoing issue regardingthe stop at Hollywood.Traditionally, the BusEireann 132 route hasalways stopped atHollywood Cross, whichhas become a vital servicefor many in Hollywoodand surrounding areas.Recently as issue hasoccurred with the busroute and the bus is nolonger stopping atHollywood. This is amajor loss to Hollywoodand surrounding areassuch as Valleymount andDunlavin.

“I have raised the issueon numerous occasionsand have asked both BusEireann and WicklowCouncil Council to ensurethat Hollywood becomesan official stop on the 132Bus Route. Living in WestWicklow we lack publictransport. We do not havethe luxury of a train ser-vice, a luas line or even afrequent bus service, infact we don’t even have amotorway, Many peoplehave become reliant onthe 132 bus which ser-vices areas along the N81from Bunclody to DublinCity Centre, stopping atTallaght Hospital onroute.”

@AndrewDoyleTDAndrewDoyleTD_@ADoyleTD

Constituency Office: 0404 66622Email: [email protected]: www.andrewdoyle.ie

Putting Wicklow 1stI am running in the General Election and I will be asking foryour support. I hopethat myself or mycampaign team will have a chance to meet with you during the next few weeks.

DOYLE TDANDREW DOYLE TDANDREW

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Eilis Ni Healaithe from St. Gerards, Bray, with sister Meabh and mother Aine, and TrinityCollege Dublin Registrar Paula Murphy at the celebration of Entrance Exhibitioners

Ruth Murphy, Legal Director, BT, presents theSocial and Behavioural Intermediate individual3rd place award to Brendan Conroy

John O’Connor, CEO of the Housing Agency, presents the Housing Agency Award to EvanDargan Hayes from St. Gerard’s

Wicklow's young scientists awardedWicklow students were awarded at the BTYoung Scientist and Technology Exhibitionawards ceremony. The young scientists whoare students at Gerard's and AvondaleCommunity School impressed the judges andtook home 3 awards from the Social &Behavioural Sciences and Chemical, Physical& Mathematical Sciences categories. A totalnumber of 10 projects represented Wicklowat the exhibition this year.

Cormac Harris and Alan O'Sullivan, both aged 16,fourth year students from Coláiste Choilm, Cork, havetaken home the top prize for a project entitled "A sta-tistical investigation into the prevalence of genderstereotyping in 5-7 year olds and the development ofan initiative to combat gender bias". The coveted prizewas presented to the winners this evening in the BTArena by Minister for Education and Skills, JoeMcHugh TD, and Managing Director of BT Ireland,Shay Walsh. Cormac and Alan presented their projectin the Intermediate section in the Social andBehavioural Sciences category.

Head Judge of the Social and Behavioural SciencesGroup category, Professor Joe Barry said aboutCormac and Alan's project, 'Despite awareness of thelower percentage of females relative to males pursuingstudy and careers in science, technology, engineeringand mathematics (STEM), we still do not understandexactly why this is the case.

The aim of Cormac and Alan's project was todetermine how early gender stereotyping can be iden-tified. They conducted workshops with 376 5-7 yearolds from a range of school settings with a number ofdifferent tasks including: choosing between gender-specific and gender-neutral toys; drawing and nam-ing an engineer, and; rating male and female compe-tency at a number of gender-specific roles. One ofthe most striking findings emerging from the researchwas that 96% of boys drew a male engineer whilejust over 50% of girls drew a female engineer. This,along with the other data, indicates that genderstereotypes emerge in young children and that theyare particularly strong among boys. Cormac andAlan's findings are important as intervention typical-ly focusses on girls, but the project recognises theneed to focus on all children, boys and girls, from ayoung age, in order to combat the development ofgender stereotyping. The project is particularlyimpressive in that Cormac and Alan also created verypertinent and useable resources for primary schoolteachers to combat gender stereotyping among youngchildren.'

The 2020 BT Young Scientist & Technology win-ners received the BTYSTE perpetual trophy and thetop prize of €7,500. The lucky winners will also rep-resent Ireland at the European Union Contest forYoung Scientists, which takes place in Santander,Spain in September 2020. Cormac and Alan will alsoget to attend the 62nd Annual London InternationalYouth Science Forum later in the year.

The report for Q4 2019shows that the median ask-ing price for a property inthe county has gone up to€335,000 from €330,000in Q3. It also increased by€15,000 compared to thistime last year. This is thehighest price recordedsince Q4 2010.

The asking prices for 3-bed semi-detached housesin the county have fallenby €5,000 this quarter, to €320,000. However,prices for this house typehave increased by €21,000compared to this time lastyear, when they stood at€299,000.

Meanwhile, the askingprice for a 4-bed semi-detached house inWicklow have gone up by€10,000 in the last quarter,and now stand at€435,000. The price wentup by €60,000 comparedto this time last year.

The number of proper-

ties for sale in Wicklow onMyHome.ie decreased by25% in the last quarter andby 14% compared to thistime last year.

The average time for aproperty to go sale agreedin the county after beingplaced up for sale nowstands at nearly 5 months.

The author of the report,Conall MacCoille, ChiefEconomist at Davy, saidthat the slowdown in houseprice inflation was to bewelcomed and wasinevitable given stretchedaffordability.

"Central Bank ruleshave stopped first-timebuyers taking out too muchmortgage debt and shouldlead to more realistic ask-ing prices. Our analysisshows that the average res-idential transaction inIreland (€292,000) is now6.8x the average income of€43,000. This is onlyslightly below the UK's

ratio of 7x. This is the firsttime since 2012 thatIreland's house-price-to-income ratio has declined.

"While there has been a13% fall in new instruc-tions to sell and an 11%drop in the total number ofhomes listed for sale, thereare positives in the market.Mortgage lending to first-time buyers is up 15% inthe first three quarters andtransaction volumes in the€300,000-€400,000 pricerange are up 7% in thecapital," he said.

"It is also encouragingto see homebuilding com-pletions rose above 20,000for the first time in the 12months to September, andhousing starts went above26,000."

Angela Keegan,Managing Director ofMyHome.ie, said it waswelcome that clarity wasemerging regarding Brexitand Central Bank mort-

gage lending rules. "Formost of the year, we under-standably saw prospectivepurchasers being reluctantto take the plunge due tothese two unresolvedissues, leading to sluggishhouse price inflation. Theclarity we now have willlikely lead to more settledprice expectations and astabilisation of residentialtransactions in 2020.

"It remains to be seenhow the Central Bank'sdecision to keep mortgagerules unchanged andindeed Brexit will affectthe Irish market in the longterm, but at least now pur-chasers can plan withoutbeing fearful of any sud-den shocks."

According to daft.ie'Sq4 Report FOR 2019,prices in Co. Wicklow inthe final quarter of 2019were 4% lower than a yearpreviously, compared to arise of 6% seen a year ago.

Property prices up by €5,000

'Nine health care centres are a massiveinvestment in local health care services'In advance of the general election Minister for Health Simon Harris TD outlined theprogress by Fine Gael in delivering Primary Health Care in Wicklow since 2011

Minister Harris said "Since Fine Gael went into government in 2011 four Primary Care Centres -Blessington, Wicklow, Newtownmountkennedy and South Wicklow have opened.

"County Wicklow will have another five Primary Care Centres in the next few years: Construction of theBray Primary Care Centre is nearly complete. Equipping the building will commence in March with the cen-tre due to be operational in summer 2020; Construction of the Baltinglass Primary Care Centre will be com-plete in Summer 2020, and the centre will be operational in Q3 2020; Construction of the Rathdrum PrimaryCare Centre are imminent with the developer informing the HSE that works are planned to commence on sitethis month.

"The Arklow Primary Care Centre received a conditional grant of planning in December 2019 and a finalgrant of planning is due by the end of January 2020 and works are scheduled to commence in 2020.

"The HSE and Wicklow County Council are working on a masterplan for the development of theGreystones Primary Care Centre on council owned lands. The Council have confirmed to the HSE that aPrimary Care Centre will be allowed for in the master plan.

"Delivery and investment of Primary Care in Wicklow has been and remains a major priority for me. NinePrimary Care Centres in Wicklow since 2011 is a remarkable transformation and a huge investment inCounty Wicklow frontline services.

"Fine Gael's work in fixing the economy has allowed increased investment in local health services and Iam seeking Wicklow people's number 1 vote to ensure this progress continues."

Property prices in Wicklow have increased by €5,000 in the last quarter, according to the latest MyHome.ie Property Report.

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The Launch of the 43rd Bray One Act Drama Festival took place in the Mermaid Arts Centrelast. The Festival runs from Tues 28th Jan - Sat 1st Feb in the Mermaid Theatre. Tickets are avail-able from the Mermaid at 012724030 or online at www.mermaidartscentre.ie. Pictured are MaeveEdwards, Noel Connolly, and Marie McCourt, Square One

Quinsboro Road, Bray, Co. Wicklow Phone 01 2860910

34 Stillorgan Shopping Centre, Co. Dublin Phone 01 2831169

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ST. COEN’SNATIONALSCHOOLFor Boys and Girls

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Information session followed by Open Evening

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ENROLMENTSSEPTEMBER 202027th to 30th January

Merrymeeting, Rathnew

The funding was announced last week by theMinister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, MsHeather Humphreys TD.

The Content Creation Enterprise Hub will provide10,000 sq ft of private and co-working spaces and ishoped will boost job creation in the content creationsector and spin out services feeding into these indus-tries.

It will also offer a collaborative social space, confer-ence centre, podcast studio and screening facility alongwith access to a range of existing meeting rooms andtraining facilities on the larger Clermont campus.

The hub will incorporate the Courtyard buildings,the second floor of the existing campus building andthe Chapel which will be refurbished and renovated.It will also include a newly built two floor extension tothe Courtyard buildings.

Mr Frank Curran, Chief Executive, Wicklow CountyCouncil, said: “We welcome the announcement by theMinister of the approval of our application. This is areally positive development for Wicklow County

In response to all this jargon, the National AdultLiteracy Agency (NALA) have a ‘Plain EnglishGuide’ to the way politicians and political commenta-tors speak.

It explains the well-worn phrases used in electioncampaigns that are often misunderstood, such as thehustings, tallyman and marginal seat.

“Politics is awash with terms and phrases that arebeloved of commentators and politicians alike. That’swhy we wrote this guide - to help people to betterunderstand what is being said. But we also encouragepolitical parties to use less jargon and to be moreaware of the issues faced by the 1 in 6 adults with liter-acy difficulties in Ireland. While political jargonallows politicians to talk about issues in a quicker,coded way, it can also act as a real barrier for peopleaccessing information,” said Dr Inez Bailey, NALACEO.

Jargon: What’s out for the election

• Drive: Politicians shouldn’t ‘drive’ anything out(unless it is cattle) or ‘foster’ (unless it is children).• Slimming down (processes don’t diet)• Deliver (pizzas, post and services are delivered - notabstract concepts like ‘improvements’ or ‘priorities’)• Key (unless it unlocks something. A subject/thingisn’t ‘key’ - it’s probably ‘important’)• Strengthening (unless it’s strengthening bridges orother structures)• Tackling (unless it is rugby, football or some othersport)• Going forward (unlikely we are giving travel direc-tions)

Here is a selection of some of the political phrases

explained from NALA’s Plain English Guide toPolitical Terms.Bandwagon effect: The tendency for a popular candi-date or proposal to gather even more support simplybecause they appear to be winning; also called the“snowball effect”.Canvassing: Trying to win votes by contacting votersdirectly, for example, by going door to door.Mandate: The authority to represent people’s interestsand take action on their behalf.Manifesto: A document stating a political party’s val-ues, goals and intended actions.Quota: The number of votes that a candidate needs towin a seat under the proportional representation (PR)system.Swing voter: A person who votes, but whose supportcan switch from one political party to another, depend-ing on the issue at stake.

This plain English guide focuses on political terms aspart of NALA’s ongoing campaign on literacy and polit-ical participation. The National Adult Literacy Agency(NALA) is seeking the support of all political parties forgreater action on adult basic education - literacy, numer-acy and digital skills. Specifically we are seeking thefollowing commitments in their manifestos:

• Develop and implement a 10 year Whole-of-Government Strategy for adult literacy, numeracy anddigital skills (to provide opportunities for those with theleast education)

• Enact a Plain Language Bill to require that all infor-mation for the public from government and State bodiesis written and presented in plain language (so that thosewith low literacy levels can access public information).

CANDIDATESADVISED TO AVOIDPOLITICAL JARGON

With the general election set for Saturday 8th February, we will be hearing a lot more aboutfresh mandates, manifestos, swing voters, fiscal space, building an Ireland for all and a futureto look forward to.

Rathnew content creation hubgets €1.43m funding

A content creation hub planned forthe Wicklow County Campus in Rathnew has secured funding of €1.43m underthe Government’s Regional EnterpriseDevelopment Fund (REDF).

Campus. It’s also positive for the future growth of astrong local screen industry. Stakeholders and develop-ment agencies as well as training providers in this sec-tor have been widely consulted and are extremely sup-portive of this innovative project. We’re aiming to startconstruction this year in order to open the hub in2021”.

The Regional Enterprise Development Fund aims tosupports projects that drive sustainable job creation inthe regions. Twenty-six successful applicants repre-senting all regions of the country have been approvedfor funding of over €40m.

Minister Humphreys said: “The Irish economy hashad a remarkable turnaround in recent years, but wecannot rest on our laurels. Although we have made a lotof progress with six out of 10 jobs created outsideDublin since 2016, some parts of the country are notrecovering as quickly as others.

“The Regional Enterprise Development Fund isabout supporting every region to build on its uniquestrengths and ultimately create sustainable jobs.Collaboration is at its core - among the public and pri-vate sectors, within and across regions.

“The projects we are funding today are at the cuttingedge of innovation. I am confident that they have thepotential to make a real and lasting impact on enter-prise development at both regional and national level.”

VOTE #1

SÉAMUS CONNORFOR WICKLOW

VOTAIL #1 SÉAMUS CONNOR

Tel: 089 612 [email protected]://www.facebook.com/seamus.connor.9

BREAKTHROUGH FOR AONTÚAontú is a new all-Ireland political party with core values of Life, Unity and Economic Justice,led by Peadar Tóibín TD. Aontú is delighted that Séamus Connor will contest the general election in Wicklow.

HEALTH CRISIS IN WICKLOW &- MENTAL HEALTHAs a TD, Séamus will make mental and physical health priority issues and hold those in powerto account for their shortcomings.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND COUNTY WICKLOWSéamus is highly passionate about the environment, nature and cares deeply about climatechange. In 2007, Séamus founded, and is Chairperson, of Bray CoastCare Group and also facil-itated the setting up of Brittas Bay and Arklow Coastcare Groups.

SPORTS AND RECREATIONSéamus has been a strong advocate over the last two decades for sports and recreational facilities.Throughout Séamus’ career of 14 years as a secondary school teacher, he has voluntarily set up many groups for young people.

THE HOUSING CRISIS AND UNAFFORDABLE RENT PRICESSéamus wants to work hard to sort out the mess in regards to the housing crisis andunaffordable rent prices in Wicklow.

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Stephen Donnelly TD signs a petition at BIFE’s Open Day against the proposed development on the campus, with student MelissaMcAnaspie

Meet Wicklow’selection candidatesElected representatives take up positions that can make a real differ-ence to the lives of people and the communities in which they live.

Therefore, Co Wicklow PPN and Disability Federation Ireland have invitedthe candidates to meetings to give Co Wicklow citizens the opportunity to meetthe people that could have an influence on the policies and proposals that willhave a direct impact on their lives.

The first meeting will take place in The Cornerstone Church, main streetBray (opposite the Royal Hotel) from 11am to 1pm on Friday 31st, January. Thesecond meeting will take place in Glenart Community College, Arklow from8pm to 10pm on Wednesday 5th February.

Co Wicklow PPN is a network of 300 community groups covering the 5Municipal Districts of Co Wicklow. One of the functions of the PPN is to pro-mote and encourage citizen engagement in local plans, policies and decision-making and ensure that community voices are heard. The Disability Federationof Ireland (DFI) was set up to make Ireland fairer for people with disabilitiesand to strengthen their voices.

For more information and to book a seat Tel Helen 087 189 5145, Grainne086 048 7434 or Email [email protected]

Helen Howes Resource Worker for Co Wicklow PPN said, “We’d also like tohighlight that Co Wicklow PPN member groups are taking the initiative of host-ing Meet the Candidate events in their local communities. Community Pool forWest Wicklow is running one on Tuesday 4th February at 8.15pm in The Avonand Delgany Community Council is running one in the Glenview Hotel onWednesday 29th January at 8pm. We hope people will go along to a meetingclose to them to have the opportunity to hear and be heard.”

Minister Harris has been leading a campaign with parents and staff in St Catherine’s to finally secure a sitefor this new school building project and ensure a state of the art school building for St Catherine’s.Minister Harris said, “I am so delighted that we have purchased a site in Kilcoole for St Catherine’s. Thiswill deliver a brand new school and state of the art facilities for the children in St Catherine’s. Theydeserve the very best and we have been working towards this for so long.“It has been an honour to work so closely with the Board of Management, parents and staff in the school tosecure this result. I know this will significantly assist so many children with special needs and their fami-lies in our community.“I look forward to the school building project now progressing and continuing to work closely with theschool on this, concluded Minister Harris. Minister Simon Harris

INDEPENDENT Charlie

TO AbortionTO Home TaxTO Parking charges

at hospitalsTO corruption

VOTE NO. 1

NOKEDDY

Keddy sets out his stall as heconfirms he is to run again

Kilcoole man Charlie Keddy has again put his name forward as a candidate for the general election. He recently contested all 4 bye-elections as well as the local elections.

Charlie Keddy

He claims he is “Theonly socialist independentwho has campaigned formany years to stop abor-tion. To the people whovoted no in the referen-dum to let the unbornlive: Don’t give up! I amCharlie Keddy and not aturncoat. My principlesare the same today asthey were on my firstventure as a Labour can-didate many years ago.Being a mudguard for capitalistparties wasn’t my think-ing. Because I stuck tomy principles againstwater charges and servicecharges in general, withthe help of my wife, Una,we kept the Labourbranch alive, and alwayspaid to keep it so. To shut

me up, a coup wasarranged,. I have beenindependent ever sincethat day.

“I am almost twentyyears trying to stop corruption withinWicklow over the illegaldevelopment of my area.The 2000 Planning Lawsprotected Kilcoole andNewtownmountkennedy.I reminded the Councilseveral times, I even tookthe County Council toCourt, and to date thecorruption continues. TheRegional Plan 1999 andthe 2000 Planning Lawsmade both areas green-belt, what do you think?

“I want to stop the taxon the owner living intheir own home. I went tostop the two-tier health

system we have. I went tostop all parking chargesin public hospitals and inall public places whenyour car is taxed to be onthe road. I want muchmore effort going into thepromotion of our lan-guage.

“I am well aware, as asocialist, of many ills thecapitalist governments,with some help from theLabour and Green parties,since we nearly becamean independent country,have made us suffer. Wein Wicklow are veryunlucky to have two TDswith forked tongues, one:the minister for health,and the other: the FFspokesman on health.When the minister stoodfor election he was

against abortion. I thinkto be the minister and todo a U-turn to campaignto allow abortion was anawful thing to do.Stephen Donnelly is theFF spokesman for health.He is well-known forchanging parties. Did youknow that on the LateDebate radio program he

tried to make a case tomake him right in sup-porting the downgradingof our hospital, StColmcille’s. He said hisgranny told him, ‘yougive the ambulance driver£20 not to stop at St Columcille’s Hospital,Loughlinstown’. I nowwant him to publiclyname which of hisgrannies told him this,and I hope the drivercomes forward.

“When I was invited tomake a submission for thefirst local Kilcoole plan, Icovered all the points toprotect the environment. Icovered all aspects ofwhich the born-again envi-ronmentalists have discov-ered. I didn’t have to waituntil 2019 for a child suf-fering from depression totell me how to protect ourenvironment.”

Site has been purchased for St Catherine’s Special School

Minister Simon Harris last Friday announced that the Government has purchased a site forthe permanent home for a new school for St Catherine’s Special Needs School.

Kilcoole Primary School played host to the latest Cumann na mBunscol Young Whistler training course on the 16th January.Pupils from seven different schools across the North East of Wicklow participated on the day. Philip Campion, GDA, deliveredthe course with assistance from Breda Donnolly representing the Camogie Association and Kevin Spain. Pupils discussed therules of the game, identified the qualities of the good referee and role played match situations. Each Young Whistler was thenpresented with a certificate on completion, a whistle and a Cumann na mBunscol referee’s jacket. The newly qualified refereeswill take charge of hurling and camogie games in their schools and Cumann na mBunscol blitzes in the coming year. The schoolsparticipating schools included: St. Laurences Greystones, St. Cronan’s, Scoil Chualann, Newtownmountkennedy PS, GaelscoilUí Cheadaigh, Greystones Educate Together, Kilcoole Primary School.

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AVON MOTORS RathdrumTel 0404 - 46444 Email: [email protected]


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Eva Dreyer from East Glendalough School, with parents Susan and Kim Dryeyer with TrinityCollege Dublin Registrar Pau;la Murphy at the celebration of Entrance Exhibitioners.

Jackueline Atkins-Quigley, Oscar Rigney and Liaorsa Scally-Bolger at the Bray Institute ofFurther Education (BIFE) Open Day last Friday.

Election poster ban in Arklow Following a successful policy in 2019 to keep

areas poster free coming up to elections in theArklow Municipal District, it has now been agreedthat this should continue for the forthcomingGeneral Election.

The poster ban will operate in all areas betweenJunction 20 and 21 (Hill’s Garage to KnockmoreRoundabout) and also in rural towns and villagecentres in Arklow Municipal District, ie. Rathdrum,Avoca, Aughrim, Redcross, Annacurra andGlenmalure.

Councillors felt that this would support and showsolidarity with the Community Groups and the TidyTowns committees who work so hard to promotetheir areas in the District.

They are appealing to the goodwill of the candi-dates and their agents to respect the wishes of theirconstituents and to adhere to this request.

Roundwood Variety ShowBrockagh Resource Centre will be hosting the

ever entertaining and talented Roundwood VarietyShow performers again this year from 31st Januaryto 2nd February with Robin Hood, The MagicalPantomime Adventure. To buy a ticket visitwww.roundwoodvarietygroup.com.

Reading the classics in BrayLibrary

How well do your know the classics? Do youknow your Crime and Punishment from your Prideand Prejudice? What can a budding writer learnfrom the great writers? And was Mark Twain rightwhen he defined a classic as ‘something that every-one wants to have read and nobody wants to read?’Over the next eight months the great works ofauthors as varied as Jane Austen, James Joyce,Charles Dickens, Fyodor Dostoevsky, the Brontës,and Carson McCullers, will be discussed. Sessionswill be chaired by award-winning writer and cre-ative writing author David Butler, whose mostrecent novel ‘City of Dis’, published by New Island,was shortlisted for the Irish Novel of the Year(2015). The course begins in Bray Library onMonday January 27th at 11am and will take placeon the last Monday of the month thereafter at thesame time. Booking required - call 01-2862600.

Garda Youth Awards Wicklow Garda Youth Awards nominations are

now open. The awards celebrate outstanding youngpeople between the ages of 13 and 21 years. Awardswill be considered for nominated young peoplewho, by their presence, make their communities: Abetter place to live; Or who have shown great deter-mination in their own lives. Full details, rules andnomination forms from: Garda Emma Skinner,Juvenile Liaison Officer, Bray Garda Station,[email protected]. Closing date 27thJanuary 2020.

Soup and SandwichesThere will be a soup and sandwiches Lunch on

Tuesday, 21st January from 12.30 until 2.00, in St.Patrick’s Swann Hall, Greystones. Everyone is welcome to enjoy homecooked food, good com-pany and lots of chat. Suggested donation of €5 tobe given to local charities.

Another soup and sandwiches lunch will be heldon Wednesday 29th January, in Killian HouseFamily Centre, in Greystones. The suggested donation is €5 and all proceeds are given to localcharities.

An Evening of Drama inDelgany

Delgany Dramatic Society are presenting anevening of drama in aid of Delgany Tidy Towns.Two plays will be performed on the night, BeforeDawn, a comic drama by Terence Rattigan and TheGame is a Footie, a comedy by Peter Robbie. Afundraising raffle will be held during the interval.Performances begin at 8pm in The Old SchoolHouse Delgany. Tickets are available on the doorand cost €12 or €10 for concessions.

Bray Guided MeditationSession

Learn and practice advanced guided meditationtechniques to help enhance physical, mental andemotional wellbeing, reduce stress and feel calmand in control of your thoughts and emotions. Opento all over the age of 18. Monthly sessions takeplace in Ballywaltrim Community Centre, BoghallRoad, Bray, 7-8pm on the last Tuesday of themonth, Tuesday 28th is for the January session. Nofee to attend (donation box only). For detailsring/text Shideh on 0876710903.

Footloose at St David’sSt David’s Greystones proudly presents

Footloose the Musical, taking place in the MainHall of St David’s between Tuesday January 21stand Friday January 24th at 8pm. Tickets cost €12for adults and €8 for children and are available atthe school office with a limited amount availbaleon the door.

Glendalough Country Market& Car Boot Sales 2020

Encouraging local and non-local producers ofplants, vegetables, crafts etc. The next event for2020 will be on Sun 8th of March, open from 10amto 4pm. Bargains on practically anything fromhousehold items to garden additions, and even vin-tage or antique treasures. Vans must be booked in.Please pre-book indoor spaces early. Contact theBrockagh Centre on 0404-45600, email [email protected] if you wish to book an indoorspace or if you prefer to sell outside just show up at8am on the morning.

Nobody likes January. Christmas has come andgone. Its dark and cold with the brighter months still along way away! Now imagine all that on top of thedesperate reality that your son or daughter is no longerwith you.

Sadly, over 2,000 families a year will lose a childand Anam Cara are there to support these bereaved par-ents at a time when they need it most. They provide a

safeTALK andASIST coursesHSE Community Healthcare East (DublinSouth East, Dublin South and Wicklow) areholding safeTALK and ASIST courses forJanuary to June 2020, starting on Thursday23rd January.

For course details andto book, log on towww.bookwhen.com/che

This training is suitablefor caregivers who regu-larly have contact withvulnerable groups in theirwork or role in the com-munity.

ASIST stands forApplied SuicideIntervention SkillsTraining and trains partici-pants to reduce the imme-diate risk of a suicide andincrease the support for aperson at risk. It helpsthem seek a shared under-standing of the reasons forsuicide and reasons forliving.

The workshop providesopportunities to learn whata person at risk may needfrom others in order tokeep safe and get morehelp.

It encourages honest,open and direct talk aboutsuicide as part of prepar-ing people to provide sui-cide first aid. Participantsalso consider how person-

al attitudes and experi-ences might affect theirhelping role with a personat risk.

Participants will feelchallenged and safe, workinteractively with others insmall groups, learn a sui-cide first aid model thatprovides a framework forskills practice and experi-ence powerful audio visu-als. Attendance at the fulltwo days is mandatory.

ASIST helps peopleapply suicide first aid inlots of different settings -with family, friends, co-workers and in more for-mal helping relationships.Benefits can be found ineveryday situations, pro-fessional work or volun-teering.

Attendees will becomebetter prepared to:Recognise invitations forhelp; Reach out and offersupport; Review the riskof suicide; Work with per-sons at risk to develop asafeplan; Link with com-munity resources.

safeTALK is an interna-tionally recognised half-day training programmethat prepares participantsto recognise and engagewith people who may behaving thoughts of suicideand to connect them tosuicide first aid resources.Most people with thoughtsof suicide don’t truly wantto die, but are strugglingwith the pain in their lives.Through their words andactions, they invite help tostay alive.

s a f e TA L K - t r a i n e dhelpers can recognisethese invitations for helpand take action by sup-porting people to connectwith life-saving resources,supports and services.

JanuaryThursday 23rd: 10am-2pm, safeTALK,Conference Centre,Clonskeagh Hospital

FebruaryMonday 3rd: 2 days,ASIST (8:30am-4:30pm),Taylor Centre, Bray Wednesday 19th: 10am-2pm, safeTALK,Conference Centre,Clonskeagh HospitalThursday 27th, 2 days,

ASIST, (9am-5pm),Wicklow Primary CareCentre.

MarchMonday 9th: 2 days,ASIST (8:30am-4:30pm),Taylor Centre, Bray Thursday 19th: 10am-2pm, safeTALK, TaylorCentre, Bray.

AprilWednesday 1st: 10am-2pm, safeTALK,Conference Centre,Clonskeagh Hospital.

MayWednesday 6th: 10am-2pm, safeTALK,Conference Centre,Clonskeagh HospitalTuesday 19th: 10am-2pm,safeTALK, Taylor Centre,BrayWednesday 27th, 10am-2pm, safeTALK,Wicklow Primary CareCentre.

JuneWednesday 3rd: 10am-2pm, safeTALK,Conference Centre,Clonskeagh HospitalMonday 8th: 2 days,ASIST (8:30am-4:30pm),Taylor Centre, Bray.

Anam Cara Wicklow Parents EveningAnam Cara Wicklow, will host a parent support evening in the Parkview Hotel,Newtownmountkennedy at, Co.Wicklow7.20pm on 20th January.

safe and comfortable space in which to remember andto be open with your grief. Anam Cara parent groupsprovide support from other bereaved parents who knowwhat it’s like to feel shattered and isolated.

This event is open to all bereaved parents regardlessthe age of your child or circumstances of their death.

Bereaved parents can also visit www.anamcara.ie,where in their own time they can watch short videoswith testimonies from bereaved parents and coupleswho have attended Anam Cara events. The videos,which are just four minutes each, show parents inter-viewed on topics like A Dad’s Grief, Sudden andTraumatic Death, and The Grieving Family.

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Dáil candidate and Independent councillor Joe Behan is pictured signing the BIFE student petition against the proposed new development on the BIFE campus, with BIFE students MelissaMcAnaspie and Niamh Dunne.

42 nursing home bedsavailable to facilitatehospital discharges

There are 42 beds available in Nursing Home Ireland (NHI) nursing homes across Co. Wicklow to facilitate timely discharge of patients from acute hospitals to nursing homecare, NHI told Wicklow Times.

Planning application for newGreystones Coastguard Station lodged

Minister Simon Harris TD has welcomed the news that the office of Public Works haslodged plans with the County Council for the redevelopment of the coastguard station inGreystones.

Minister Harris said “My colleague the Minister for Public Works confirmed that it has finalisedrevised plans for the redevelopment of the coastguard station and have lodged them with the local authority.

“I have been pursuing this issue since I was in the Department of Public Works. The GreystonesCoastguard do great work and provide a great service for our community.

“In parallel to the planning application work is continuing by the OPW on putting the constructionworks out to tender. The Minister for OPW expects construction to get underway in the last half of 2020and that these works will take approximately 14 months. This will then allow for the refurbishment ofGreystones Garda Station to get underway.” Have you been told that you have a great singing voice? Well now could be your chance to

prove it as Blackberry Hearing has teamed up with the Irish Countrywomen’s Association(ICA) on the search to find Ireland’s next singing sensation!

Evelyn McKeogh, Blackberry Hearing, Josephine Helly, ICA (centre), amd Matthew Gleeson,Blackberry Hearing, launchhing the Singing Voice of the ICA competition

However, NHI statesthat feedback from members is the dischargeprocess within hospitalsis disorganised, inconsis-tent and supports are notavailable to enable stafffacilitate the timely discharge of patients tonursing home care, whererequired.

There are 18 NHINursing Homes inWicklow and 841 totalregistered beds. With 42of these available tofacilitate the discharge ofpatients, this is an aver-age of more than 2 bedsavailable per NursingHome in Co Wicklow. Anestimated 2,000 beds areavailable in private andvoluntary nursing homesacross the country.

NHI undertook a snap-shot survey on Tuesday7th January asking pri-vate and voluntary nurs-ing homes the number ofavailable beds withintheir homes to facilitate

transfer of patients fromhospital.

HSE figures informcirca 60% of the hun-dreds of patients clinical-ly fit for discharge in ouracute hospitals are await-ing long-term nursinghome care. Recent fig-ures state at the end ofNovember, almost 700patients within our hospi-tals were delayed dis-charges.

Tadhg Daly, NHI CEOstates: “Engagement withnursing homes the pastnumber of days hasinformed of huge level offrustration with regard tothe discharge processwithin our acute hospi-tals. We have nursinghomes informing us theyare aware of patientsrequiring discharge tonursing home care butmany of these patientsare being deterred due todelays in accessing fund-ing support or bureaucra-cy within the hospital.

We’ve hundreds of bedsavailable to provide spe-cialised care for peoplein our hospitals who needstep-down care but theseare not being utilised.Our Members are report-ing extreme frustrationthat patients assessed asrequiring nursing homecare are experiencingunnecessary delays andare remaining within hos-pital for periods of daysin many instances.

“Late Saturday, NHIfielded an urgent requestfrom the HSE at locallevel seeking informationregarding nursing homebeds immediately avail-able to facil i tate dis-charges from two severe-ly overcrowded hospi-tals. Over 20 beds fromten nursing homes sur-rounding the hospitalswere identified within amatter of hours but onlyone bed has since beenutilised. These hospitalsremain severely over-

crowded.“While discharges

occur every day to nurs-ing homes, the urgencyand focus required dur-ing this national emer-gency is not evident.

“Nursing home carehas a lead role to fulfil inalleviating overcrowdingwithin our acute hospitalsand engagement has beenundertaken with the HSEat national level. But it isdamning upon theGovernment that noengagement is undertak-en with the nursing homesector prior to the Winterperiod with view to plan-ning timely discharge ofthe hundreds of patientsrequiring nursing homecare that are within ourhospitals on a daily basis.Year-on-year it fails tocomprehensively plan forthe Winter period and theoutcome is distress forhospital patients, theirfamilies and hospitalstaff.”

The Blackberry Hearing Singing Voice of the ICAcompetition is giving ICA members a chance to showoff their singing talent. ICA Federation members willcompete against each other with the winner from eachfederation progressing to the National Regional Finals.

Each contestant will have 2 - 3 minutes to performtheir chosen song. Participants will not be allowed torefer to the lyrics while singing and will be judged onthe song selection, voice quality, clarity, rhythm andtheir appeal to the audience.

The name of each federation winner and the songentry should then be submitted to National ContestSecretary May Campbell, Doonameran, Kenagh,Longford or email [email protected] nolater than Friday 31st January 2020.

Josephine Helly, National President of the ICA said“We are really excited about the Singing Voice of theICA competition which will give our members a greatchance to show off their singing talent. We are delightedto be partnering with Blackberry Hearing to bring thiscompetition to ICA members and the best of luck toeveryone that enters.”

The ICA is the largest women’s association inIreland, with almost 10,000 members and over 500Guilds across the country. The aims of the ICA is to pro-vide a welcoming and fun organisation which offerssupport, friendship, personal development, educationand lifelong learning.

Visit www.blackberryhearing.com and www.ica.ie tofind out more.

Who will be crooned thebest singer in the ICA?

New report provides first national pictureof Local Authority climate actions

A new report launched last Tuesday outlinesfor the first time the range of actions localauthorities have undertaken nationally totackle climate change and to promote climateaction within their communities.

The research, carried out by the Local GovernmentManagement Agency (LGMA) on behalf of the Countyand City Management Association (CCMA) has foundthat half of all local authorities will achieve energy sav-ings beyond their 2030 targets and have invested morethan 120m in energy efficiency projects, preventingmore than 60,000 tonnes of CO2 from being produced.

The report looks at Wicklow County Council’s solarpanel project in the car park at County Buildings as acase study. The report notes that the project will pro-vide “approx. 285,000kWh/year of 100% renewableenergy. It is not currently anticipated that any of theelectricity will be exported or lost to the grid. Withanticipated increased staff and fleet uptake of EVs, thepotential for renewably powered transport is signifi-cant. The canopy will have guttering that reduces sur-face pluvial flooding in the carpark and offers futurepotential for rainwater collection or attenuation, there-by providing a dual benefit.

“The expected amount of renewable energy is equiv-alent to the baseload, or 40% of County Buildings’requirement, saving an estimated 40,000/year in ener-gy costs. The canopy is being considered on a powerpurchase agreement basis. However, project costingshave indicated that the project would have a simplepayback of 10 years before grants are considered. Theinstallation comes with a 25-year warranted lifeexpectancy. As a proof of concept, there is significantpotential to replicate at virtually any local authoritypublic surface carpark.”

Outside of energy efficiency, the local governmentsector has also been proactive in areas including sus-

tainable transport development, flood risk manage-ment, water conservation, waste management, nature-based solutions and public engagement.

The actions outlined in A Profile of LocalGovernment Climate Actions in Ireland were undertak-en in the period 2011-2018, ahead of the sector beingnamed as a key driver of change under the NationalClimate Action Plan and each council signing up to aClimate Action Charter last year.

The recently published Heads of Climate Action(Amendment) Bill requires all local authorities to pre-pare individual climate action plans outlining the miti-gation and adaptation measures the authority intends toadopt.

The research released today shows councils arepoised to meet that obligation, according to PaddyMahon Chair of the CCMA Environment Committee,“Local authorities have been taking measures to reduceemissions and to position the sector to lead in theresponse to the climate crisis. We have extensiveexpertise and we plan to build on that now by trainingall 28,000 members of staff in climate action. This willinvolve technical training as well as training in leader-ship, community engagement and behavioural change.That is a measure of very wide view we’re taking andthe scale of ambition we have.”

Dr Bernie O’Donoghue Hynes, LGMA Head ofResearch pointed out that the report provides a snap-shot in time that allows for local authorities to learnfrom each other and to recognise where additionalaction might be taken, “The research shows that localauthorities have been taking a proactive approach toclimate and environmental sustainability for some time,prioritising the needs of their areas and basing theirresponse on prevailing risks in their jurisdictions. Theresearch shows what has been done and serves as animportant reference for local authorities to examinewhat can be done,”

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Megan Byrne Holt from St. David’s Secondary School, Greystones, with Minister Andrew Doyleand Martin Flynn, BT Ireland, at the BT Young Schientist & Technology Exhibition in the RDS.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and theMarine, Michael Creed, last week announcedthe opening of the 2020 GLAS Traditional FarmBuildings Scheme.

This scheme funds the restoration and preservation oftraditional farm buildings and structures such as historicyard surfaces, walls, gates and gate pillars. The HeritageCouncil administer the scheme on behalf of theDepartment.

€1.25 million was secured in the budget for this veryimportant scheme which will continue to make a hugecontribution to the conservation of our rural heritage andthe enhancement of the rural landscape. The benefits ofthe scheme go beyond retaining the structures for futuregenerations because it can also have significant biodiver-sity benefits.

The scheme is open to applicants who participate in theGreen Low-Carbon Agri-Environment Scheme and it isjointly funded by the Department of Agriculture, Foodand the Marine under Ireland’s 2014 - 2020 RuralDevelopment Programme. The grant available can rangebetween €4,000 and €25,000 and it can cover up to 75%of the cost of the works which is subject to the maximumceiling.

The closing date for receipt of applications is Tuesday18th February 2020 at 5pm. Application forms and thescheme’s terms and conditions can be downloaded atwww.heritagecouncil.ie

Eligible applicants for the scheme are chosen on a competitive basis and 70 to 80 projects will be supported.The closing date for the receipt of pplications is 5pm onTuesday 18th February.

Casey was comment-ing after Fianna Failscampaign commitment toholding a referendum tocap insurance pay-outsthat have sky rocketedover the past number ofyears .

Deputy Casey said,“The only reason insur-ance reforms wouldn’twork is because there isno will from the currentFine Gael Governmentfor them to work. TheGovernment are hell benton protecting the legalprofession and Insurancecompanies who are thereal benefactors of fraud-ulent and exaggeratedinsurance claims.”

Pat Casey TD

Speaking on the General Election campaign trail,Whitmore says “much of the data compiled in researchcarried out by the Social Democrats confirms thatWicklow has a significant revenue problem and is oneof the worst resourced counties in Ireland when itcomes to Gardaí, pupil-teacher ratio, spending on fireservices and the number of health staff available tocommunities.

“From our research, we found that Wicklow has the5th lowest in terms of Garda numbers and the fifth-lowest in expenditure per capita. We have the third-lowest expenditure on library services in the countryand the sixth lowest in terms of Government grants.

“Furthermore, our research confirms that Wicklowhas the second-worst commuting times in the countryand is well below average in areas such as adult litera-cy and Council spending.

“This certainly matches up with the experiencespeople are having in Wicklow as they attempt to get

their kids into schools, commute to work, or contactcommunity health services. I have seen it myself asCouncillor and the lack of resources at council levelresulting in resources being visibly stretched as theircommunities expand and demand for services increas-es.

“Wicklow is not getting its fair share of public ser-vices and funding making it a Catch-Up County. Iwant to see this change and bring about a new resourceallocation system that is balanced, transparent andmeets the needs of individual counties like Wicklow.

“Ireland needs to remodel how we identify needsand allocate resources. We must allocate on the basisof population growth and need with pre-agreed criteriaand keep the Ministerial remit completely outside theprocess. Meanwhile there needs to be sustained invest-ment in public services to meet service deficits andgrowing populations in counties like Wicklow” con-cluded Whitmore.

‘West Wicklow Pool must be innext county development plan’

Minister Simon Harris TD has made a submission to the Wicklow County Development Plan in supportof a swimming pool for the West Wicklow Municipal District.

‘Fianna Fáil will deliverInsurance Referendumif needed to end compo

claim culture’Wicklow Fianna Fáil Candidate Pat Caseyhas said the Fine Gael Government are kicking insurance reform to touch becausethey just don’t want to tackle the issue ofmonumental pay-outs for fraudulent andexaggerated claims that are crippling businesses, sporting and community groupsin Wicklow.

“We know that there isa minority of legal andmedical professionalswho are fuelling exces-sive claims. These socalled ‘ambulancechasers’ are the reasonwhy businesses, sportingclubs and communitygroups the length andbreadth of Wicklow arebuckling under the strainof public liability andinsurance premiums.

“It totally unfair forbusinesses in Wicklow tobe expected to meet thecost of fighting fraudulentor exaggerated personalinjury cases. Our tourismindustry which is vital toWicklow has been put

under threat with unnec-essary claims againstwalking trails which near-ly shut down our billioneuro outdoor recreationsector.

“As a Hotelier I haveseen insurance rates forthe hospitality sector sky-rocket forcing smallercafes and restaurants toconsider closing. This iscrazy. If there are nosmall businesses thenthere will be no insurancebusiness.”

“The Governmentneeds to take action andsupport both Fianna FáilCivil Liability and Courts(Amendment) Bills whichwould ensure that where acourt dismisses a case onthe basis that it is a fraud-ulent action, the courtmust refer the matter tothe DPP and that legalcosts be paid by theclaimant.

“If fraudsters knew thatthey would be liable forcosts, and a possiblecriminal conviction, asopposed to a slap on thewrist, they might thinktwice before bringing acase.

“I’ve used every chan-nel available to me toforce Government todelivery reform but to noavail. Fianna Fáil aregoing to deliver Insurancefairness for all inWicklow if elected toGovernment in the com-ing weeks.” he concluded.

‘Wicklow playing catch-updue to lack of resources’

Social Democrat’s General Election candidate for Wicklow, Cllr. Jennifer Whitmore says highpopulation growth counties like Wicklow are constantly playing ‘catch-up’ as resources arebeing stretched across communities experiencing increasing growth in population anddemand for services.

2020 GLASTraditionalFarm BuildingsScheme

'Bray Institute shouldbe preserved for AdultEducation purposes'

Fine Gael general election candidate for Wicklow Billy Timmins is supporting a campaign for the campus of Bray Institute of Further Education (BIFE) to beretained as a centre for adult education only.

Speaking from Bray, the Fine Gael General Election Candidate stated: "Under the remit of Kildareand Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB), BIFE is the only College of FurtherEducation in County Wicklow with over 1,000 students. I'm aware that the college has ambitiousfuture plans in many course areas including nursing, film and the arts. It's essential for our county thatthe college can continue to grow.

The Fine Gael General Election candidate noted "BIFE runs a number of sports courses and anyadditional development on this site would put such courses at risk. Wicklow has some of the greatestsporting talent in the country and it's essential the needs of those students are met in an educationalsense."

Timmins says that new schools must be built on Greenfield sites which are better suited for suchdevelopment. On the need for more second level schools in the North Wicklow area, Mr Timminspointed out: "This is not an issue of Bray Institute vs Educate Together. New schools must be built onGreenfield sites which allow them to cater for the demands of their students. The former school on theBIFE site closed due to a lack of students and redeveloping a school here would hamper plans thatBray institute has for the future."

Concluding Mr. Timmins said "BIFE has developed significantly in recent years and it's my beliefthat Wicklow must have a growing and developed third level educational facility to cater for the needsof Wicklow Students".

In his submission Minister Harris stated: "There is aclear need for this facility for people in West Wicklow.In fact, West Wicklow is the only Municipal District inCounty Wicklow which does not have a public swimming pool. This needs to be rectified.

“An incredible community group has come togetherand has worked so hard to drive this project forward.They need and deserve the full support of the localauthority to make their plan a reality.

“An important way of showing this support is ensur-

ing the inclusion of this project in the CountyDevelopment Plan.

“There are so many benefits to swimming for peo-ple of all ages, including significant health benefits.

“I very much welcome the fact that the feasibilitystudy for a pool for West Wicklow indicates this isindeed a viable proposal.

“For my part, I will work with the community andwith the County Council to help deliver this majorpublic amenity for the people of West Wicklow”.


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16 ARTS

The Launch of the 43rd Bray One Act Drama Festival took place in the Mermaid Arts Centrelast. Actors from the participating groups, along with Patrons and supporters of the Festivaland committee members were all in attendance. Also there on the night, were representativesfrom the charities which will benefit from the festival this year. Also there on the night, wererepresentatives from the charities which will benefit from the festival this year. Tommy Gordon(W H 5 Loaves) and Jimmy Fearon (Deborah Ireland) addressed the crowd giving information ontheir charities. Festival Director William Mansfield launched what promises to be another greatweek of drama comedy and entertainment. The Festival runs from Tues 28th Jan - Sat 1st Feb inthe Mermaid Theatre. Tickets are available from the Mermaid at 012724030 or online atwww.mermaidartscentre.ie. Pictured are Maureen and Brendan O’Sullivan, Balally Players, andFiona Doyle, Glencullen Musical & Dramatic Society

Coming up at Whale Theatre

Wicklow textile designer’swork showcased in Paris

Textile and fashion designer Aoife Mullane, from Wicklow town, has had her latest work showcased along with four other Irish design and craft businesses as part of the Design Irelandstand in the ‘Today: Signature area at MAISON&OBJET (M&O) Paris’ from Friday 17th toTuesday 21st January. Design Ireland is presented by Design & Crafts Council Ireland.

Aoife studied printed textiles at the NationalCollege of Art and Design, Dublin and set up her busi-ness in January 2016. She specialises in creating luxu-ry fabrics for homewares and wearable pieces and isinspired by the ever-chang-ing colours and patterns ofnature in her designs. Thiswas Aoife’s first time toexhibit at M&O Paris.

Building on the success ofDesign Ireland at M&OParis in previous years, thesefive exciting Irish brandspresented their latest cre-ations to an estimated 85,000international buyers, pressand influencers at this keyhome and gift trade show.The design and craft busi-nesses on the Design Irelandstand (located in Hall 6,P136) include both estab-lished names and those rela-tively new to the internation-al arena.

Zelouf & Bell, AlanMeredith Studio and JohnHanly & Co. Ltd. Allreturned to M&O whileIsobel Egan Ceramics alongwith Aoife Mullane Designsfeatured for the first time atthis landmark show.

Participating at M&OParis provides a uniqueopportunity for these fiveIrish makers to build theirbrands and increase their profile abroad, reaching audi-ences throughout the UK, Europe, the US, the MiddleEast and Asia.

Each of the brands featured on the Design Irelandstand in Today: Signature in Hall 6 were specially

selected by the show for their suitability and fit. M&Oattracts a broad range of buyers and design influencerskeen to source sustainable, innovative products andnew design concepts. For exhibitors and visitors alike

the show is a key source ofinspiration, highlighting cur-rent and future trends.Participating in the show alsoenables exhibiting brands todevelop commercial opportu-nities while exploring andresearching key markets inorder to further hone theirexport strategy.

Louise Allen, ManagingExecutive of Design & CraftsCouncil Ireland, said: “A keyaim of Design & CraftsCouncil Ireland is to supportthe promotion of the high-calibre work of establishedand emerging Irish designersand makers both in Irelandand abroad.MAISON&OBJET is a valu-able opportunity for thesefive brands to showcase theirproducts to buyers, influ-encers and collectors and forDCCI to continue promotingcontemporary Irish design tointernational audiences. Weare maintaining our focus onexport diversification, help-ing businesses such as theseto network and make impor-tant contacts so that they can

develop and grow to meet the demands of the market.It is our fifth year of attending M&O Paris and we aredelighted to once again to have the chance to supporthigh-quality Irish craftsmanship at this prestigious fair.We wish all Irish brands at the fair every success.”

Aoife Mullane with one of her designedcusions

Lineup revealed for Wicklow Federation 65th One Act Drama Festival

Wednesday 22nd: Balally Players “I’m NotLaughing I’m Screaming” One Act Comedy by

Sandy Taylor ; Bal lycoog ICA “Digging”Sketch/Short Play by Thomas Clare; St. Patrick’sD.S. “ Billy’s Will” One Act Drama by SeymourCresswell; Studio Productions “There’s NothingOn” Sketch/Short play by Mark J. Legan.

Friday 24th: Delgany D.S. “Before Dawn” OneAct Comic Drama by Terence Rat t igan; StPatrick’s D.S. “Medea” Sketch/Short Play byChris Durang & Wendy Wasserstein; DelganyICA “Chari ty Begins” One Act Comedy byBettine Manktelow.

Saturday 25th: AshfordICA “A Matter ForRevenge” One Act Comedyby Ciarán Roche; WicklowTown ICA “The PerfectArrangement” Sketch/ShortPlay by Mary Finlay;Glencullen Musical & D.S.“The Rats” One Act Mysteryby Agatha Christie; DalkeyPlayers “The Proposal” OneAct Comedy by AntonChekov.

Sunday 26th: GlencullenMusical & D.S “Give ALit t le Love” One ActComedy by Alan Stockdill;Delgany D.S. “The Game IsA Foote?” Sketch/Short Playby Peter Robbie; Avoca ICA“Oh Mother!” One ActComedy by Andrew Perkins.

The Wicklow Federation 65th One ActDrama Festival will take place in GlenealyVillage Hall on Wednesday 22nd, Friday24th, Saturday 25th and Sunday 26thJanuary. The curtain wil go up at 7:30pmsharp each night. Tickets €10 at the door orcontact 087 9833935. The Adjudicator willbe Martin Maguire.

Anne Doyle, Hilda Roche, and Alice O’Loughlin at the launch of the65th Wicklow ICA Drama festival which will take place in GlenealyVillage Hall from 24th-26th January

Bolshoi Ballet coming soon to Whale Theatre.See www.whaletheatre.ie or call the bookingoffice on 01 2010550

Bolshoi Ballet LIVE: Giselle

The young peasant girl Giselle dies when she learnsthat the man she loves, Albrecht, has betrayed her.Against her own will, she joins the Wilis, vengeful spiritsof jilted brides who condemn Albrecht to dance until hedies of exhaustion...

Giselle touches upon great and universal romanticthemes. In this brand new production, renowned chore-ographer Alexei Ratmansky brings a fresh perspective toone of the oldest and greatest works of classical dance,giving the audience an opportunity to discover this iconicballet anew.

Music Adolphe Adam; Choreography AlexeiRatmansky; Libretto Théophile Gautier and Jean-HenrySaint-Georges; Cast - The Bolshoi Principals, Soloistsand Corps de Ballet.

Sunday 26th January 2020 at 3pm (Doors open at2.30pm) Tickets €25.

NEWS 17TimesWICKLOW

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Pat Casey TD starts his election campaign in Arklow, with Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin,Councillors Tommy Annesley, Pat Fitzgerald, and Pat Kenneddy, and supporters.

Pictured are Sam Doherty, Brion Kelly, Ryan Smith, Hanna Grace, Alice Orlagh, Sean O’Keeffe,and Sheenagh Shannon at the Bray Institute of Futher Education (BIFE) Open Day last Friday.

O’Connor welcomes Bog Meadow fundingand resroration of seafront pavillions

Cllr Rory O Connor has welcomed the allocation by Wicklow County Council of €25,000for improved landscaping, lighting and curbing works for Enniskerry’s Bog meadow.

Speaking after last week’s Bray Municipal District meeting Cllr O’Connor said “The Bog Meadow is thecentre of the sporting, leisure, educational and commercial aspects of Enniskerry village so this funding isboth needed and welcome.

The local Enniskerry Councillor also welcomed other funding for Bray in particular the €85,000 allocat-ed to the restoration of the derelict Victorian era seafront pavilions in Bray. “This will add value to theimage of Bray as a unique seaside town,” he commented.

€17,000 funding forMen and Women’sSheds in Wicklow

Funding of €17,000 has been allocated to local Men and Women's Sheds. The funding will goto Blessington Men’s Shed, Wicklow Men’s Shed,Roundwood Men’s Shed, Arklow Men’sShed, Vale of Avoca Men’s Shed, Baltinglass Men’ Shed, An Bothán, Bray Men’s Shed,Tinahely Men’s Shed, Avoca Men’s Shed, Newtown & Newcastle Men’s Shed, KnockanannaWomens Shed, Shelton Abbey Men’s Shed, and Rathnew Men’s Shed.

Minister Simon Harrissaid, “My colleagueMinister Michael Ring,the Minister for Ruraland CommunityDevelopment, has todayconfirmed that 372Men’s & Women’s Shedshave been allocated atotal of €500,000 fromhis Department in orderto support the importantcommunity work doneby these groups.

“This funding wil lsupport these excellentlocal projects in the con-tribution they make toour local area. This capi-tal funding will enableindividual Men’s &Women’s Sheds to pur-chase equipment or tocarry out minor works toimprove their premisesthrough the provision ofsmall grants.

“I am delighted to seethat Women’s Shedshave also received fund-ing from theGovernment for the firsttimes. I hope the numberof Women’s Sheds con-t inues to grow in thecoming years.

“Men’s and Women’ssheds have become avital element in the fab-ric of our communitiesand have done so muchto tackle social isola-tion,” Mr Harris added.

Minister Ring said: “Since its establishmentless than ten years ago,the impact of the Men’sSheds movement hasbeen phenomenal.

“I have decided toextend this funding toWomen’s Sheds. Havingwitnessed the exception-ally positive impact of

Men’s Sheds in recentyears, I’ve no doubt thatthe emergence ofWomen’s Sheds can onlybe a good thing for com-munity life in Ireland.I’m delighted that 33Women’s Shed Groupshave availed of the fund-ing on offer and I hopeto see this number growin coming years.”

Fine Gael GeneralElection candidate BillyTimmins stated “I havealways believed in theconcept on these shedsand was a proponent ofthem for many years.They are part icularlyimportant in areas likeWicklow.They are aforce for good in ourcommunities

“This funding wil lsupport these excellentlocal projects here in

Wicklow in the contribu-tion they make to ourlocal area. This capitalfunding will enable indi-vidual Men’s &Women’s Sheds to pur-chase equipment or tocarry out minor works toimprove their premisesthrough the provision ofsmall grants.

“I am delighted to seethat Women’s Shedshave also received fund-ing from theGovernment for the firsttimes. I hope the numberof Women’s Sheds con-t inues to grow in thecoming years.

“Men’s and Women’ssheds have become avital element in the fab-ric of our communitiesand have done so muchto tackle social isolationin Wicklow.”

TimesWICKLOW

WE DELIVER!

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GREYSTONESMUNICIPALDISTRICTin association with

• Sportsperson of the Year• Civic Award • Special Person of the Year• Cultural Person of the Year• Commercial Award• Young Entrepreneur of the Year

2020 GreystonesMunicipal DistrictPeople of the Year Awards

The Awards will be presented in theGreystones Golf Club, Greystones

on Thursday 7th May, 2020 at 8pmApplication forms and tickets are available from Greystones

Municipal District, Tel: 01 2876694 or Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

Ticket Price €35

w w w. w i c k l o w. i e

Closing date for receipt of nominations is Friday 3rd April 2020


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18 NEWS / LOCAL BUSINESS

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Arklow man’s Smarter Surfaces businessshortlisted as finalist for SFA Awards

Smarter Surfaces whose founder is Arklow native Ronan Clarke, has been shortlisted asa finalist in the 2020 SFA Business Awards. They were selected from hundreds of applicants to be one of the five finalists for ‘Exporter of the Year’.

The SFA Awards, now in their sixteenth year, celebrate small businesses for their achievements inIreland and also the contribution they make to the Irish business sector. The exporter category highlightsbusinesses with a proven track record in export who can demonstrate their successful strategies.

Smarter Surfaces was thrilled to discover their success. Export is a major element of their business withcustomers in over 25 markets.

This is not the first award nomination the company has had. Smarter Surfaces products have won anumber of prestigious awards throughout the years, the latest of which was presented to their newest prod-uct Smart Magnetic Whiteboard Wallpaper - Low Sheen. Named ‘Top Product’ at the Active OfficeAwards 2018. The company has also enjoyed success at awards such as the PWC Innovation Awards andthe Ulster Bank Business Awards.

Smarter Surfaces is a world leader in providing innovative surface solutions with a variety of functional-ities. Exporting to many international countries such as the USA, Australia, Germany and as far afield asKenya, they have gained a reputation for their ability to design and create truly innovative commercialwallpapers, self-adhesive films, paints and plasters that have one purpose - to add functionality to surfaces.

Founder, Ronan Clarke, is “delighted to be shortlisted. We have a large number of customers from avariety of industries including AirBnB, NASA and Reebok and we are continuing to grow our direct sales,distribution partners and e-commerce websites, which are currently in 5 different languages. We are com-mitted to delivering innovation through functional surfaces and coatings, with this latest shortlist support-ing our achievements in the sector.”

Outgoing Network Ireland President HelenWycherley presents her chain of office to her successor for 2020, Louisa Meehan.

Wicklow woman takeson role of NetworkIreland President

Wicklow businesswoman Louisa Meehan hastaken the reins as President of NetworkIreland, following the group’s AGM in Dublinat the weekend. Louisa succeeds hotelier andCork native Helen Wycherley in her fifthyear of being involved with the dynamicorganisation which has 1200 membersaround the country.

Louisa is the owner ofWoodview HRM inWicklow, offering tailoredHuman Resource solu-tions and WorkplaceMediation Services tocompanies in the SMEsector. She is also a parttime lecturer in UCD andSmurfit Graduate Schoolof Business in the fields ofHR and OrganisationalBehaviour and is a trainerwith IBEC.

Louisa has chosen thetheme of ‘Power Within’for her term in office. Asthe new decade begins,she believes 2020 bringsan opportunity for womenin Ireland to take stock oftheir achievements andacknowledge the innerstrength that has broughtthem to this point, to helpdrive ambition for thefuture.

Louisa is conscious thatmany famous women arerightly held up as interna-tional role models, but asPresident of NetworkIreland, she wants to drawattention to the heroinescloser to home - amongfamilies, friends andneighbourhoods, whoachieve great things intheir lives, that may gounnoticed. She believesthey’re also a vital sourceof the ‘Power Within’,because of the inspirationthey provide for others.

Addressing NetworkIreland members onSaturday, Louisa said:

“We have the power andstrength within ourselves,individually and withinNetwork Ireland, toachieve our goals. I’mparticularly excited aboutembarking on this journeyas a new decade begins.It’s a unique opportunityto look back and reflect onall we have achieved, toappreciate where we are atright now, and look aheadto an exciting future”.

Louisa is also deter-mined to further growNetwork Ireland as a valu-able resource for womenin business across Ireland.She’s prioritising commu-nication and consistencybetween the national andbranch levels of the organ-isation and is pledging tolisten to and act on feed-back coming from mem-bers around the country.

“During 2019, underthe wonderful leadershipof Helen Wycherley,Network Ireland had abrilliant year workingwith new and existingmembers around thecountry and significantlyboosted its profile throughvibrant PR and socialmedia coverage. “I mustalso pay tribute to ourwonderful partners atAIB, who have backedour ambition and achieve-ments through their con-tinued support”.

Leitrim native Louisahas already begun work inearnest on a hectic

Presidential schedule,with one of NetworkIreland’s flagship eventsrapidly approaching.International Women’sDay on February 28th is ahighlight of the organisa-tion’s calendar, and aninspirational line-up ofspeakers is being preparedfor Network Ireland’sexciting event. Full detailsare available at net-workireland.ie.

Established in 1983,Network Ireland now hasalmost 1,200 membersacross fifteen branchesaround Ireland. Each yearthey organise up to 200events for members. Theyalso run a number of flag-ship national events,including an InternationalWomen’s Day Celebrationand the AnnualConference and BusinessAwards.

Killarney Road Businesses Park, BrayJames 0404 70109 Mobile: 085 7700542

Email: [email protected]

CLASSFIED / NEWS 19TimesWICKLOW

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PLANNING

PLANNINGPLANNING

C LASSIFIED ADS & PLANNING / APPOINTMENTSCALL 01 2869111 EMAIL: [email protected] NOTE DEADLINE FOR CLASSIFIED ADS AND APPOINTMENTS IS 12 NOON FRIDAY

C LASSIFIED ADS & PLANNING / APPOINTMENTS

Retention planning permissionis sought to retain slatted unitwith associated storage tank as constructed and fullplanning permission is soughtto construct agricultural shedadjoining existing shed with alean-to canopy over existingslatted unit, all ancillary siteworks and services atRathbran, Grangecon, Co.Wicklow on behalf of John andPatricia Finn. The planningapplication may be inspectedor purchased at a fee notexceeding the reasonable costof making a copy at the officesof Wicklow County Council,County Buildings, Wicklowduring its public opening hours and a submission orobservation in relation to theapplication may be made tothe authority in writing on payment of the prescribed feewithin the period of 5 weeksbeginning on the date ofreceipt by the authority of theapplication.

WICKLOW COUNTY COUNCIL

I Julia Miller intend to applyfor permission for the construction of a newdwelling, garage, wastewa-ter treatment unit & polishing filter, new well,new entrance onto publicroad and associate works at Ballinastoe, Roundwood,Co. Wicklow. The planning application may be inspect-ed or purchased at a fee notexceeding the reasonablecost of making a copy at theoffices of Wicklow CountyCouncil, County CouncilBuildings, Wicklow Town,during its public openinghours and a submission orobservation in relation to theapplication may be made inwriting to the planningauthority on payment of theprescribed fee within 5weeks from submission ofapplication to PlanningAuthority.


Rory P. Benville B.C.L.

Brian Robinson B.B.L.S., L.L.M.

Eilish Bradshaw B.A., L.L.B., L.L.M.

Clare-Ann Temple L.L.B.

Riverview House,Seapoint Road,Bray, Co. Wicklow.

LEGAL SECRETARY ANDLEGAL EXECUTIVE

REQUIREDBenville Robinson Solicitors are recruiting a Legal Secretary and LegalExecutive to join their busy and expanding practice. These roles are inthe firm’s Litigation Department reporting directly to the Partners andrequire immediate starts. If you are interested in applying for eitherposition, please email your CV in confidence to our Office Manager

Alison Heffernan at [email protected]

Tel: 01 276 1330 Fax: 01 276 1336Web: www.benvillerobinson.ieE-mail: [email protected] Patrick Mc Donald intend

to apply for permission for anew dwelling, garage, newentrance, wastewater treatment unit, soil polishing filter, new welland associate works atTomriland, Roundwood, Co.Wicklow. The planningapplication may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding thereasonable cost of makinga copy at the offices ofWicklow County Council,County Council Buildings,Wicklow Town, during itspublic opening hours and asubmission or observationin relation to the applicationmay be made in writing tothe planning authority onpayment of the prescribedfee within 5 weeks fromsubmission of application toPlanning Authority.


I, Saranna Condel, intend to applyfor permission for development at Ball inacarrig, Ball inacor,Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow. The pro-posed development is for thereclamation of land through theimportation of 24,500 tonnes ofclean, inert soil and stone over anarea of c. 2.16ha for the purposesof land improvement for agricultural end use. Permissionis also sought for (1) continueduse of the existing entrance fromthe private laneway and from theL2149, (2) overburden storage (3)use of a portable wheelwash (4)temporary staff welfare facilitiesand (5) all other site ancillaryworks.The planning application may beinspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy,at the offices of Wicklow CountyCouncil, County Buildings,Wicklow, during its public opening hours. A submission orobservation in relation to theapplication may be made in writ-ing to the Planning Authority onpayment of the prescribed fee,€20, within the period of 5 weeksbeginning on the date of receiptby the authority of the application,and such submissions or observations will be consideredby the Planning Authority in making a decision on the application.


Lusra Teo, seek planning permissionfor residential housing developmentconsisting of 102 dwelling units andcreche. Comprising 3 HTA - 4 bed-room detached 2 storey, 6 HTB - 4bedroom semi-detached 2 storey,9 HTC - 4 bedroom semi-detached 2 storey, 9 HTD - 3 bedroom semi-detached 2 storey, 28 HTE - 3 bed-room semi-detached 2 storey, 1 HTF- 5 bedroom detached, 17 HTG - 3bedroom semi-detached and terrace,12 HTH - 2 bedroom terrace, 1 HTJ -2 bedroom bungalow, 8 apartment 2bedroom units, 8 duplex 3 bedroomover apartments, together with ancil-lary site development works and ser-vices at Ballynerrin (E.D. WicklowRural) Ballynerrin Lower, Co. Wicklow.The planning application may beinspected or purchased at a fee notexceeding the reasonable cost ofmaking a copy at the offices ofWicklow County Council, CountyBuildings, Wicklow during its publicopening hours and a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to theauthority in writing on payment of theprescribed fee within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date ofreceipt by the authority of the application.


Stanley Pettigrew is seeking(a) Retention permission forbungalow and garden studiotogether with ancil lary site development works.(b) Permission for new sewerage pumping systemfrom existing septic tank topublic sewer in the adjoiningroad at Corr Riasc, ChurchGate, Bollarney South,Wicklow Town. The planningapplication may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding thereasonable cost of making acopy at the offices ofWicklow County Council,County buildings, Wicklow,during its public openinghours and a submission orobservation in relation to theapplication may be made tothe authority in writing onpayment of the prescribedfee within the period of 5weeks beginning on the dateof receipt by the authority ofthe application.


72 archers set theirsights on gold

On Sunday, January 12th, Wicklow Archers hosted 72 archers from around the country forthe Wicklow Archers Indoor Wicklow Open 2020.

The event broughttogether archers from anumber of different cate-gories, from traditionalunsighted archers, toOlympic-style recurvearchery and everythingin-between to compete inthe event in Shoreline,Greystones.

It was a grueling dayof mental and physicalfocus, as each archer shot120 arrows at 40cm target faces across a distance of 18-meters. Inthe end, winners fromeach of the 23 categoriestook home medals. 23

Wicklow Archers com-peted, winning 10 medalsin Longbow, Instinctive,Barebow and Recurvecategories. Two of theparticipating WicklowArchers, Eoin Wylie andDavid Moran, went toNimes, France from the17h to 19th January, tocompete in the NimesArchery Tournamentwhich is part of theWorld Archery IndoorWorld Series.

A full list of competi-tors, categories andmedal winners can befound on the IANSEO.

Olympic years tend toboost interest in archery,and with the 2020 gameson the horizon clubs allaround Ireland are look-ing forward to welcom-ing new members. Inpreparation, WicklowArchers will be hosting aCome & Try event inShoreline Greystones2020 promises to be a bigyear for archery, with the2020 Olympic Games asWicklow Archers willalso be hosting a ‘Come& Try’ event on 22ndJanuary in Shoreline,Greystones from 7.30pm

for anyone who’s inter-ested in giving the sport a try.

Wicklow Archers is ac o m m u n i t y - b a s e darchery club that supports the growth andpromotion of every styleof archery, for people ofall ages, ability and background. It is thebiggest archery club inIreland with multiplevenues catering toindoor, outdoor, and fieldarchery. They also regu-larly host inter-club com-petitions and nationalcompetitions.

THE MIRACULOUSPRAYER

Dear Heart of Jesus in thepast I have asked for manyfavours. This time I askyou this very special one.(Mention request) Take it,dear Heart of Jesus andplace it within your bro-ken Heart where yourFather sees it. Then, in hismerciful eyes it willbecome your favour notmine. St Anthony and StJude, helper of the hope-less, aid me in my distress.Amen. Say this prayer for threedays. Promise publicationand favour will be grant-ed. Never known to fail.B.C., M.K.

PRAYER TO THEBLESSED VIRGIN Never known to fail. OMost Beautiful Flower ofMount Carmel, faithfulvine, splendour ofHeaven, Blessed Motherof the Son of God,Immaculate Virgin, assistme in my necessity. Oh,Star of the Sea help meand show me herein youare my Mother. Oh, HolyMary, Mother of God,Queen of Heaven andEarth, I humbly beseechYou from the bottom ofmy heart to succour me inthis my necessity (makerequest). There are nonethat can withstand Yourpower. Oh show here youare my Mother Mary con-ceived without sin, prayfor us who have recourseto thee. (say 3 times).Sweet Mother I place thiscause in your hands (3times) Say this prayer for3 consecutive days thenpublish and it will begranted to you.

M.K.

RECRUITMENT • RECRUITMENT

Ph: 086 8375602 E: [email protected]

As an Independent Councillor, I have worked tirelessly to promote economic and social justice for all, particularly in the areas of Housing, Health, Planning, Employment and the Environment.

VOTE JOE BEHAN No.1 to ensure Wicklow’s INDEPENDENT VOICE in Dáil Éireann

Forenvironmental

and litter reasons

I will not beusing posters

in this election

wicklow we deliver!- for 31 years north edition times...

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