Two point-to-point meetings today (Sunday) at Tattersalls and Boulta but no Wexford winners at the Meath track and three winning Wexford connections at the Cork track at Boulta was the outcome.
SEAN STAPLES in winning form on Sunday.
First timer Lady Rose Hackett in the Blackhall Stables partnership colours brought success to Paul Martin Pierce’s Killurin stables with a two and a half lengths victory in the maiden race for four-year-old mares. Sean Staples, Duncormick, was in the saddle and the impressive mare will be destined for the sales ring.
Another newcomer Rosscahill owned by Caitriona Goff and handled by her husband, Michael Goff, at Clondaw, Ferns, had five lengths to spare at the end of the maiden race for four-year-old geldings. Mickey Sweeney was the successful rider and Rosscahill is also sales bound.
Cleariestown rider Barry Stone teamed up with Waterford handler Paul Power on Gentleman Bill in the maiden race for five-year-old geldings and it ended well with a one length victory for owner Fionan O’Driscoll from Tramore.
The coastal region of Courtown/Riverchapel is in mourning following the sad passing of Declan Dunbar, Courtown Post Office, who was a community activist and stalwart for the betterment of North Wexford. He was aged 87 years.
DECLAN DUNBAR (Pic; Ger Leacy).
Declan was long time energetic Chairperson of Courtown Community Council and in 2015, with the support of the Wexford Arts and Gorey Historical Society, he led a visual art and social history project that resulted in the publication of a wonderful booklet entitled A View of Courtown.
Writing in the introduction, Declan noted; “While there is an amount of history in the booklet, it is perhaps more about memories than the history of the area. Residents will be amazed at a lot of the photos and how places have changed. They will also bring back fond memories of bygone days.”
When I worked as a journalist with the defunct Gorey Echoand stories emerged from Courtown, Declan was always just a phone call away and “the man to go to.” He always called it as he saw it! He was good friend and will be a sad loss because his contribution to the Courtown/Riverchapel area was always in the best interest of his neighbours and his community and he was dedicated to settling for nothing less than the best he could always achieve.
FAMILY NOTICE; Declan Dunbar Courtown Post Office, Courtown, Gorey. Died 8th December 2023 peacefully at his residence. Beloved husband of the late Lily, loving father of Declan, Noel, Donie and the late Ger and brother of the late Dermott, Brendan, Eamon, Pat, Maureen, Eithne and Ita, deeply regretted by his loving sons, grandchildren Jonathon, Lee, Declan, Kenneth and Ronan, great-grandchildren Jennifer, Ryan, Mia and Ella, daughters-in-law Jacinta and Jennifer, sister-in-law Eileen, nieces, nephews, relatives, friends and neighbours. May He Rest In Peace.
Declan will be reposing at Floods Funeral Home McDermott Street, Gorey, on Monday (December 11th) from 4pm to 8pm. Removal will take place on Tuesday at 11.15am to Our Lady Star Of The Sea Church, Riverchapel for Funeral Mass at 12 noon. Burial afterwards in the adjoining cemetery.
The annual Liam Mellows Commemoration takes place at St Patrick’s Church and graveyard at Castletown Gorey, next Sunday, December 10th and the public is welcome to attend.
As there is no Sunday Mass people attending should gather outside the church at 11.30am from where the commemorative party will march to the graveyard for 12 mid-day wreath laying ceremony.
The keynote address will be delivered by James Lawless TD. Following the address, commemorative prayers, playing of the Last Post and the National Anthem, everyone present is invited to the nearby Golden Anchor Pub where refreshments will be served.
The fundraising committee of Courtown RNLI volunteers is hosting the Christmas afternoon Jingle Mingle on the North Pier in Courtown on Saturday. 2-5pm and everyone in the community is welcome.
This is an opportunity to gather and meet neighbours and friends and enjoy some festive cheer. Christmas carols, homemade mince pies and heart-warming hot chocolate will be on offer and Santa will be arriving at 4pm to greet the children and give them a little gift. The team will also be hosting the annual Light a Light remembrance ceremony. Candles of love, hope and remembrance are currently on sale in the Taravie at €3 each, with all proceeds going towards the local lifeboat. The candles will be lit at 4.45pm, a lovely way of remembering loved ones.
The lifeboat shop will also be open on Saturday from 11am to 5pm with lots of Christmas cards, calendars, diaries and gifts on sale.
Courtown RNLI fundraising committee and the volunteer crew look forward to welcoming everyone to their Christmas get together on Saturday, December 9th. All proceeds will go to Courtown RNLI Lifeboat station. The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea.
Post-Primary Education graduate, Deirdre Kearney, from Gorey, had double cause for celebration after achieving ‘top of her class’ status at the annual Hibernia College conferring ceremony which was held at Dublin’s Convention Centre recently.
In addition to receiving her Masters qualification, Deirdre was honoured by the College with the award for ‘Outstanding Performance in School Experience and Professional Practice’.
DEIRDRE KEARNEY
A teacher at Coláiste Bríde, Enniscorthy, Deirdre was one of over 1,190 graduates from all 26 counties to qualify in Primary and Post-Primary teaching, Inclusive and Special Education and Data Analytics at the ceremony which saw the largest ever number of teachers graduate in Ireland.
Congratulating her and other graduates, Dr Mary Kelly, Academic Dean at Hibernia College, said all teachers in attendance “hold the key to transformative change in the world by shaping the minds and futures of the next generation, at a time when our country is so short of teachers.”
Enniscorthy Sports Hub is to receive an additional €150,000 under the Large-Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF).
The first allocations under the LSSIF were announced in January 2020 with Enniscorthy Sports Hub receiving €300,000, bringing the total funding under this scheme to €450,000.
The additional funding for projects is being provided, in response to delays experienced by grantees arising from the pandemic and construction inflation, following engagement with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform.
Speaking to WexfordLocal.com; Deputy Paul Kehoe said; “It is vitally important that we have sporting facilities like these so that people of all ages and abilities can benefit from their use. The Sports Hub in Enniscorthy is a resource that is used by groups and individuals across Wexford and beyond.”
A new Special School to cater for young people with autism and complex learning needs up to 18 years of age is expected to be established in Gorey for the 2024/25 School year.
This was after analysis by the National Council for Special Education (NSCE) and the Department found that the level of need in the area could not be catered for by expanding places in existing special schools.
Welcoming today’s announcement, Deputy Paul Kehoe stated; “The number of special education placements continues to grow year on year ensuring that children and young people have access to school places which are appropriate to their needs and this Government is committed to ensuring that every child has a school place appropriate for their individual needs. Special schools play a vital role in this.”
Deputy Kehoe added; “It is only two years since the opening of the €14.5 million, state of the art new building for St Patrick’s Special School in Enniscorthy and it is my hope that this new school in Gorey will serve to complement and support the outstanding work that is being done there and provide our young people with further opportunity in their local area.”
Local Gorey District Cllr Joe Sulivan said; “I would like to welcome the imminent announcement of the provision of a Special Needs School to be based at Gaelscoil Moshiolog Gorey. This school will be a considerable help to people who must transport children to Enniscorthy and Wexford daily. This educational facility is long overdue and is to be warmly welcomed.”
Details in relation to the location, the admission process and the number of places to be offered for 2024/25 school year in each new special school will be confirmed very shortly.
The 21st Horse Racing Ireland Awards were presented in Dublin last night (Monday) and Wexford’s Barry O’Neill from Kiltealy is the Point-to-Point Award winner after a thoroughly dominant season.
BARRY O’NEILL receives his HRI Point-to=Point award from Minister of State Martin Heydon TD in the Mansion House, Dublin on Monday night. (Pic; HRI).
A total of 64 winners in the pointing fields saw Barry crowned champion rider for the seventh straight year as he rode almost double the number of winners of any other rider.
With the assistance of Colin Bowe and David Christie in particular, the Wexford rider could boast a 33% strike rate for the season, his highest to date across 18 seasons of race-riding, and his growing list of regional titles was further enhanced by the addition of the eastern and northern awards in 2023.
Barry O’Neill has ridden 798 career winners and is leading the 2023-24 championship with 19 winners to date.
There was a second Wexford winner at the awards. Poulpeasty native Aidan O’Brien won the Flat Award. A multiple Group 1 winner once again, Aidan won at the highest level in Ireland with Auguste Rodin taking both the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby, the trainer’s 100th European Classic win, and the Kingdom Of Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes. Paddington won the Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas while also at the Curragh, Savethelastdance won the Juddmonte Irish Oaks, Luxembourg captured the Tattersalls Gold Cup with the Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes going the way of Henry Longfellow. Auguste Rodin also gave Aidan a record ninth Epsom Derby success and his 17th winner at the Breeders’ Cup in early November and the following afternoon he was crowned champion trainer for the 26th time. Horse Racing Ireland Chairman, Nicky Hartery, commented: “Our annual awards give deserved recognition to everyone who makes the Irish racing and breeding industries the outstanding successes they are. I want to thank everyone for their efforts and dedication throughout the year and on this night.”
The members of Wexford County Council have adopted €164.2 million for 2024 at yesterday’s (Monday) Statutory Budget meeting held in the Council Chamber at County Hall, Carricklawn, Wexford. This represents an increase of €12.9 million over the 2023 figure.
The Budget provides funding across the full range of service areas provided by Wexford County Council including social housing, road maintenance, street cleaning, car parking charges, fire services, libraries, burial grounds, parks and a range of other services in towns and villages, seaside and rural locations across the county.
The 2024 Budget also includes additional funding at Municipal District level to provide for additional local developments based on specific priorities in each district.
TOM ENRIGHT Chief Executive Wexford County Council.
In presenting the draft budget Tom Enright, Chief Executive, extended his appreciation to the Cathaoirleach and members of the Council for their continued assistance and support. “This has been hugely important, and I look forward to continuing to work in partnership as we progress through these unprecedented and challenging times and plan, with an air of optimism, for the future on the delivery of high-quality public services for the people of County Wexford.”
“Despite the challenges of presenting a budget for 2024, we very much look to building further on the progress we have made and plans we have in place to develop County Wexford into the future. The Council must and will play a leading role for the development of the county and will work tirelessly to ensure the county will continue to recover from this period of instability and uncertainty and we are very much looking and planning for a brighter and better future for all,” concluded Mr. Enright.
The meeting was reminded of projects developed in 2023 and other projects to be further progressed in 2024 include: Market House, Gorey; John Street Building Regeneration Project (New Ross); Acquisition and master planning of 50-acre site for new South East Technical University; Esmonde Street Gorey Project; Wexfordia Projects at The National Irish Heritage Park, Hook Lighthouse and New Ross Tourism Projects; Enniscorthy Town Centre Tourism Project; Delivery of temporary car park in Courtown; Oyster Lane Car Park, Wexford; Wexford Town to Rosslare Greenway; Enniscorthy Sports Hub. Curracloe Water Sports Activity Facility and Rosslare Strand to Rosslare Harbour Greenway.
Following a meeting with local representatives from the Society of St Vincent de Paul, Bishop Ger Nash has called for ‘a generous response‘ to the annual Church Gate Collection which will take place after all Masses in the Diocese of Ferns on the weekend December 16th/17th.
Bishop Ger Nash pictured with SVP members Brian Keenan, Eileen Godkin and Brian McGonigle at the launch of the annual Church Gate Collection appeal.
This year’s Annual Appeal is focused on providing help to struggling parents who wonder how they will provide a Happy Christmas for their families.
Bishop Nash has commended the work of so many volunteers who give so selflessly of their time to assist with the work of the Society of St Vincent de Paul throughout the Diocese and beyond and has asked Mass goers to respond as generously as they can to the upcoming collection.
With nationwide calls for help already at almost 200,000 to date this yearthe Society expects calls at the end of this year to well exceed last year’s record number of 230,000.
WexfordLocal.com 