Pictured at the presentation of prizes to Heavenly Café were (left to right); Edel Nolan, Enniscorthy Municipal District Council, Jimmy Gahan, Enniscorthy District Chamber of Commerce, Claire Lawless, District Manager, Enniscorthy Municipal District Council, Cllr John O’Rourke, Cathaoirleach Enniscorthy Municipal District, Anastasija Liadova, award -winning owner and Alberto Frongia. Pic; Rocket Science Media.
By Dan Walsh at Enniscorthy
Heavenly Café on Wafer Street is the winner of the Enniscorthy Christmas Window Display competition and the proud owner, Anastasija Liadova, received first prize of an award-winning handmade glass by artist Biana Divito and €500 worth of Enniscorthy District Chamber of Commerce vouchers.
Enniscorthy Municipal District Council sponsored the competition and Cllr John O’Rourke, Cathaoirleach, presented the prizes. “I am delighted to see so many businesses getting involved in the competition, and I wish to congratulate the Heavenly Café on their magical Christmas window display,” said Cllr O’Rourke.
Out of the 27 businesses (21 from Enniscorthy and six from Bunclody) who entered the ‘most imaginative Christmas window display’ competition in both Enniscorthy and Bunclody, the esteemed judges Michael Dunbar and Annette Wall Dunbar chose the Heavenly Café as the overall winner. The standard for the competition was very high, and the following were highly commended by the judges: Bernie’s Florist, Ryland Rd, Bunclody, Darcy Blinds, old Dunnes Carpark, Enniscorthy, and Evolv Healthcare, Castle Hill, Enniscorthy.
Jimmy Gahan of Enniscorthy District Chamber expressed his “delight at the success of this inaugural competition as it highlighted the many attractions shopkeepers in Enniscorthy and Bunclody have to offer at Christmas. “I hope that Enniscorthy Municipal District Council will continue to sponsor the event in the future, and I wish to thank them for their generosity this year and the many other people associated with the competition.”
Pictured at the Christmas Decoration Competition awards ceremony at County Hall were; Front Row (left to right); Freddie Hammel, Screen National Screen, Adel Ahmad Muhammad, Mercy School, John’s Rd, Wexford, Hannah Rae, Kilrane National School, Stephen Rea, Kilmyshal National School, Sarah Goddard, St Garvan’s National School, Caroreigh. At the rear, Cliona Connolly Environment Section, Wexford County Council and Cllr John Fleming, Cathaoirleach, Wexford County Council.
By Dan Walsh
The Wexford County Council sponsored 2023 Christmas Decoration Competition have been announced at Cllr. John Fleming, Cathaoirleach, presented the awards at a special ceremony in County Hall, Wexford on Thursday.
Cllr Fleming said; “The Christmas decoration competition for schools has been an annual tradition in Wexford since 2004. Each year the decorations get more innovative and creative and show how items that normally end up as waste can be given new life through reuse. Those who have participated in this competition have shown us all how to reduce waste by making unusual Christmas decorations from everyday household waste materials. The decorations displayed today show great imagination and are an inspiration to us all.”
Hundreds of children around the county participated in the Christmas Decoration Competition which was open to all primary and secondary school children.
Cliona Connolly, Environment Education Officer with Wexford County Council, explained that “The aim of the competition is to encourage children to make creative Christmas decorations with waste materials, fostering the ethos of reuse wherever possible.”
Ms Connolly added that amongst this years’ submissions were nutcrackers, Christmas owls, Christmas trees, penguins, snowmen, angels, Christmas village scenes, wreaths, Rudolf, and lots of tree decorations.
All 171 decorations received were displayed in County Hall and received great praise. The People’s Choice award proved to be a great success again this year where members of the public voted for their favourite decoration on display.
Annie McGuire, Kilymshall National School secured this award with her decoration ‘Reindeer Head’. A group category proved to be a huge success again this year as it encourages children to work together to make amazing decorations from as young as junior infants.
The overall primary school winner was created by Niamh O’Connor, St Fintan’s National School, Taghmon. Niamh made the winning decoration entitled ‘The White Angel’ by simply using a soap bottle, a foil tray, old ping pong ball and milk cartons. The overall runner-up was an entry entitled ‘Christmas is Magic’ by Shona Larkin, 1st class, Mercy School, John’s Road, Wexford. Other winning decorations included ‘Mr. Cool Christmas’ by Luke Murphy, Junior Infants, Ballyduff National School; ‘Snownmen and Snowflakes’ by Ava Lewis, Senior Infants, St Mary’s National School, Enniscorthy; ‘Angel’by Mia Wall, 1st Class, Scoil Naomh Bríde, Blackwater; ‘Snowflake’ by Orrin Murphy, 2nd Class, Danescastle National School; ‘Santa’s Sleigh 2023’ by Roxie Copeland, 3rd class, Gorey Central School; ‘Hannah’s Christmas Wish’ by Hannah Rea, 4th Class, Kilrane National School: ‘The Gingerbread House’ by Karina Tokarska, 5th class, Scoil Mhuire Rosslare; ‘Human SizedNutcracker’ by Ethan O’Byrne 6th class, Scoil Mhuire Barntown. ‘Santa’s Sleigh’ by Tommy O’Leary and Martel Saluveer, St Peter’s College Wexford.
Primary school group categories winners included ‘Santa Got Stuck in the Chimney’ by Millie Franks, Sophie Doyle and Tara Hegarty, Mercy School, John’s Rd., Wexford; ‘Christmas Village’ by pupils of Our Lady of Fatima School Wexford. Congratulations to all participants.
As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ this year, our hearts are moved by the images of small children that we have seen over the past few months. The terrible tragedy of Israel and Gaza, the ongoing war in Ukraine and the persistent and life-destroying famine in East Africa, are all the more shocking when we see their impact on the lives of children. The terror of hunger, fear or maiming should be far from every child’s life and yet we see it daily in our media. It is right to reflect on these matters as we prepare to celebrate the birth of the baby who was God himself.
The world into which Jesus was born was as destructive to childhood as ours in many similar ways: hunger, homelessness, seeking and being refused refuge and being the victim of political leaders’ power struggles. There was no social media to carry the instant story and yet, the events of Bethlehem and Nazareth have echoed down the years, changing people’s hearts from stone to flesh, their lives from hatred to love. As we prepare for Christmas this year, let us pray that the telling of the Christmas story will give us a new impetus to leave aside hatred, jealousy, judgmental attitudes and allow us to see the life-changing effect of letting love in.
BISHOP GER NASH, Bishop of Ferns.
The Christmas story began with Mary and her acceptance of her place in God’s plan. Human, like the rest of us, she could not see all that it would entail of joy and sorrow, but at the moment of the Annunciation she was willing to let God’s love work through her. She was truly faithful in the sense that she trusted God and felt that great things could happen if she said yes.
As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, the challenge given to us is much smaller but no less significant. Can we say yes over the holiday period to children, to the elderly and to the lonely or recently bereaved? Not just by giving material things but also by giving people our attention – the gift of noticing them and making them feel visible and loved in the world.
Throughout his life, Jesus welcomed the outsider, the marginalized and assured them that being included was God’s plan for them. We will have plenty of opportunities to do this over Christmas and the year ahead. It is in small things, kind words, a welcoming smile, a helping hand that the Kingdom of God is found and our chance to build God’s Kingdom is when we take the opportunities to do that.
Throughout the Diocese, the year has been a busy one with many gatherings to plan and to ponder what God is calling us to in these years. These meetings have resulted in a great number of people offering to participate in training and planning for the future. It is truly a sign of God at work in our Diocese at this time and we should take great heart from it.
We are at a time of great change in the church – as Pope Francis calls it, a change of era – but we can look forward with hope to God doing great things in all our lives. With that thought in our hearts and minds, let us see in Mary, God’s mother, a model for journeying in faith without knowing where the journey will take us.
I wish all who see this message the Hope and Joy of Christmas, the confidence to see that God is at work in every person and the courage to fearlessly bring about change in the time and place where we live.
By Dan Walsh at Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District Council meeting
Historic BALLINATRAY BRIDGE, once known as the Courtown Viaduct, was one of the highest stone bridges in Ireland. (File Pic).
The completion work on the Gorey-Courtown footpath was back on the agenda at last Tuesday’s December meeting of the Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District Council held in the Civic Centre, Gorey, and the proposal received the full support of members… however, there is one major obstacle in the way… crossing the historic Ballinatray Bridge!
Some members were furious at the suggestion that the footpath would be facilitated by a ‘STOP/GO’ operation on the bridge. “No way. That cannot happen, We cannot have a STOP/GO system on such a busy road in and out of Courtown” stated Cllr Anthony Donohoe, who received strong support from his colleagues.
It was agreed that the completion of the Gorey to Courtown footpath is a priority, a topographical survey is in progress, crossing the bridge will be actively addressed and a fresh presentation is anticipated at the January meeting.
WexfordLocal.com reported that “plans were previously discussed at the May 2018 meeting of the Gorey-Kilmuckridge Council when the course of the footpath was discussed in detail and faced a narrow passage over the historic Ballinatray Bridge over the Ounavarra River about a mile from Courtown Harbour.
For many years now the elected representatives have been strongly campaigning for the completion of a footpath between Gorey and Courtown which is being developed in stages, is more than half-way completed to date and is extremely popular and well used by the public.
WexfordLocal.com had seen draft plans by Wexford County Council that would see a spectacular new footbridge and it proposed to purchase private lands from the new owners of Courtown Woods to complete the scheme, however, it appears such plans came to nothing and are no longer active.
HISTORY; A work relief scheme organised by Lord Courtown in 1846 for the benefit of the starving poor consisted of drainage and the construction of a road southwards from Ballymoney crossroads to join Gorey and Courtown Harbour road. In 1847, the present three-arch bridge at Ballinatray, once known as the Courtown Viaduct and at the time, was the highest stone bridge in the country. Ballinatray Bridge is a 19th century civil engineering feat designed by James Barry Farrell, (1810-1893), who was the County Surveyor, and other similarly amazing works by him can be admired at Carrigmannon, (1844), near Killurin, and Corbally Bridge (1854) on the Enniscorthy to Oulart Road. And for the record, Farrell was involved in the design of St Senan’s Hospital, near Enniscorthy, built in the 1860’s and now closed as a hospital and in private ownership.
Mayor of Wexford Cllr John Hegarty and Cllr John Fleming, Cathaoirleach Wexford County Council were amongst those at the planting of ‘The Rocks’ in Maudlintown.
By Dan Walsh
A small forest of 1,325 native trees have been planted on ‘The Rocks’ at Maudlintown on the southern side of Wexford town as part of the ‘100 Million Trees Project’ launched last year.
The attendance included Cllr John Fleming, Cathaoirleach Wexford County Council, Cllr John Hegarty, Mayor of Wexford Borough District, Cllr George Lawlor and Cllr Garry Laffan. Also present and who carried out trojan work in planting the 1,325 trees were community volunteers from St Mary’s GAA Club, Mauldintown, The Rocks Walking Trails and Southend Family Resource Centre.
Cathaoirleach Cllr John Fleming welcomed all and said he was “delighted to support this project and thanked most especially the volunteers who helped plant the trees but who also care and maintain this unique amenity known as ‘The Rocks’.”
Mayor John Hegarty stated that “this project will provide so many benefits for biodiversity, but it also creates a positive legacy for future generations to enjoy.”
Richard Mulcahy stated; “We were absolutely thrilled to meet our launch objective of planting 20,000 trees in year one, but this year, we have much greater ambitions and aim to deliver over ten times that amount in 2024. By next April, we aim to have, 200,000 to 250,000 new young native tree varieties planted in the ground at over 75 different sites around the country.”
GOREY TOWN and DISTRICT PARK will be nominated for a national ward in 2024. It was quiet in the park today due to winter conditions.
By Dan Walsh at Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District Council meeting
Gorey Town and District Park, which officially opened in August of this year, will be nominated for a national award in 2024, Director of Services Liz Hore told members at the December meeting of Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District Council held in the Council Chamber at Gorey Civic Centre on Tuesday.
The District Manager’s report from Philip Knight stated that “2023 was a particularly busy year for the Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District and saw the completion of several public realms works, the opening of several new resources, the expansion of existing services and the staging of several festivals and events.”
The Gorey Town District Park project won support from all members with its rich community attractions including a new playground, outdoor gym, sensory garden, playing pitch, changing spaces unit, biodiversity garden and pocket forest. Sinead and Eoin Cullen, who served from a coffee van in the park for eight months won the tender to operate the Coffee Pod Café and they were delighted to be part of the opening ceremony and continuing to expand their services.
Cathaoirleach Cllr Pip Breen said; “The Town Park is an outstanding success and is a credit to everybody who got the project over the line.”
Cllr Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin said the park was a great success, he suggested maybe a holding a market there and he also asked the Director of Services if it was possible “to do some planting in the corner?” He was asking for a landscaping plan for the Commemorative/Reflective corner where Peter Kavanagh is installing a stone with the 1916 Proclamation. “I’vd been suggesting that it’s planted this winter to have developing next Easter similar to the Kilmuckridge Commemorative Garden,” he added.
Cllr Diarmuid Devereux congratulated the Council on completing the Town Park making it a good year for Gorey. “Everything worked out well,” he added.
Cllr Joe Sullivan said the most outstanding aspect of the park was the Coffee Pod and he complimented the people running it (Sinead and Eoin Cullen). “There is a nice atmosphere that enhances the experience” for people using the facilities.
Director of Services, Liz Hore told the meeting that Gorey Town District Park will be nominated for a national award next year, a comment that was greeted with universal approval.
Other projects mentioned in the District Manager’s “end of the year” report included the Riverchapel to Courtown Walking Trail, the community centre at Gorey Family Resource Centre, Gorey Men’s Shed, the playground in Oylegate, in conjunction with Slainte Ireland; Boolavogue renovated community hall and garden, the Remote Digital Hub and community shop in Craanford; the public realm works in Ballycanew, and the upgraded CCTV system in Gorey town. The latter was recently completed and “we now have a state-of-the-art system,” concluded Mr. Knight.
The changing face of Enniscorthy town centre. An artists impression of the replacement buildings on the old Murphy Floods Hotel site which is due for complete demolition in the coming months. (Image; Wexford County Council).
By Dan Walsh at Enniscorthy Municipal District Council meeting
Eighteen years since fire ravaged Enniscorthy’s much loved and successful Murphy Flood’s Hotel and ongoing negativity about the abandoned site, Enniscorthy Municipal District Council, at its December meeting held today (Monday) in the Council Chamber, Presentation Centre, were informed that complete demolition is planned for the early part of 2024. Cllr John O’Rourke, Cathaoirleach, chaired the meeting and there was a full attendance of members.
The Planning Department at Wexford County Council, in collaboration with Special Projects has developed a strategic plan for Enniscorthy town centre, which was adopted at the Enniscorthy Municipal District meeting a year ago in December 2022.
David Whitty from Special Projects gave a detailed presentation around regeneration works to the Market Square, Enniscorthy Castle Quarter and Templeshannon areas of the town.
Wexford County Council has recently acquired the former Murphy Floods Hotel site, and adjacent derelict properties, in Enniscorthy Town Centre. The Council now seeks to advance a proposal to redevelop this vacant plot, which has previously secured Part 8 consent in July 2022. O’Connor Sutton Cronin Consulting Engineers were appointed in May 2023 to undertake full stage design services for the demolition and site preparation elements of the scheme. A tender competition to appoint a works contractor for the demolition works is ongoing. Tender assessment is underway, with phase 1 works anticipated to commence on site in the first quarter of 2024.
Delays with legal issues and complaints by elected representatives regards “the eyesore in the town centre” has blighted the derelict site for many years, and at recent meetings locally and at county level questions were tabled as to when the old Murphy Floods site would be redeveloped.
Murphy Floods Hotel was gutted by fire in 2005 and has remained static ever since. In March 2023 the site and adjoining property was acquired by Wexford County Council who announced an €8 million plan to develop a new library building, retail units, 18 apartments and underground parking. The next step is to demolish the existing buildings and commence the new development.
Also at today’s meeting it was stated that the Part 8 process for Market Square and town centre street enhancement commenced recently on October 4th and was designed by Moloney O’Beirne Architects & Roughan & O’Donovan Consulting Engineers. Preliminary design work on the Enniscorthy Castle Quarter project has now also commenced and it is intended to submit a Part 8 planning application for this in the early months of 2024.
ODKM Architects have been appointed to undertake concept master planning design services for the Templeshannon Regeneration Project.
It looks like Enniscorthy will be transformed in 2024!
A man in his 50s was arrested by Gardaí following a seizure of approximately 12,5kgs of cocaine with an estimated value of €876,000 at Rosslare Europort on Saturday.
The illicit drugs were discovered when Revenue officers stopped and searched an accompanied freight unit that had disembarked a ferry from Cherbourg, France.
A man in his 50s was arrested by An Garda Síochána and is currently detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996 at a Garda Station in County Wexford.
Investigations are ongoing.
This seizure is part of Revenue’s ongoing work targeting smuggling and shadow economy activity. If businesses, or members of the public, have any information regarding smuggling, they can contact Revenue in confidence on 1800 295 295.
There are serious concerns across Co. Wexford that the Coast Guard Waterford Airport-based Rescue 117 helicopter service may be stood down for up to six months to facilitate new training regimes as a new tender has been accepted to take charge of operating the national search and rescue service.
In a statement on social media Wexford Deputy Verona Murphy has announced that she is supported by fellow Independent Deputies Matt Shanahan, Michael Lowry and Cathal Berry in writing to the Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan TD to confirm and ensure that Rescue 117 will not be stood down!
The Irish Examiner (January 24th, 2022) reported “the fear is that the base (Waterford) will be lost under a new contract worth hundreds of millions of euro for the renewal of aviation services for the Irish Coast Guard. The current bases from which these search and rescue helicopters launch are in Shannon, Sligo, Dublin, and Waterford. However, the tender for the €800 million contract states that there should be a “minimum” of three helicopters included in the new deal; this has prompted fears that Waterford could lose its helicopter base, which would have ramifications for the south and south-east region.”
DEPUTY VERONA MURPHY
The R117 helicopter operates out of Waterford, and its crews had a busy year in 2021; typically it responds to around 700 calls a year but that increased to more than 900 last year. The service covers the south-east and the large coastal area around Co. Wexford from Courtown to Rosslare and the Hook Head area and it would be catastrophic if the region was to lose this vital service.
In response to a query from the Irish Examiner, the Department of Transport said the Government agreed to begin the formal procurement process for a new Coast Guard aviation service.
“The existing helicopter service contract with CHCI commenced on July 1st 2012, for a period of 10 years, with an option to extend for a further three years. The contract has since been extended to July 2024.”
A revised and reprinted version of Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin’s book detailing events around 1798 in North Wexford entitled Towards the Mountains of Liberty was launched in The Gap Pub, Ballythomas, Gorey, tonight (Saturday).
The official launch was performed by Michael Fortune of folklore.ie who delivered a synopsis and anecdotes from the publication. The verbal was supplemented by the visual with video from 1998 showing pike groups from Askamore Gorey Kilanerin and many others. Kieran O’Brien acted as master of ceremonies.
“Launched by the late Ulick O Connor in Gorey in 1998, this revised edition of “Towards the Mountains of Liberty” brings our ancestors inspirational story to a new generation. We are taken into the battles of Ballyellis, Ballygullen, Tubberneering and Arklow and witness the heroic deeds of the Catholic Miles Byrne if Monaseed, the Protestant Anthony Perry of Inch, and numerous other unsung heroes.”
FIONNTÁN Ó SÚILLEABHÁIN launching his book Towards the Mountains of Liberty at the Gap Pub, Ballythomas, Gorey, tonight.
Author Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin told the gathering he was so happy to see so many turn up on the night he thanked them all, especially Michael Fortune and and Wally and Kieran from Red Books.
Originally launched in 1998 for the bicentenary of the rebellion, the new publication contains a lot more information and colour photos and was revised and reprinted by the now famous Red Books of Wexford, who recently opened a bookstore in Gorey, under the stewardship of Kiaran O’Brien and Wally O’Neill.
Towards the Mountains of Liberty by Fionntán Ó Súilleabhain is a limited edition retailing at €15. It is on sale at Red Books, Peter’s Square, Wexford, and Gorey.
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