Engineering work will disrupt railway services serving the Rosslare Line and Wicklow, including DART on Saturday and Sunday, October 8th and 9th, so commuters are asked to take note.
Both Dart and Commuter services will be affected by the work and will increase travel times. Irish Rail have posted the following details related to travel during the work:
Northbound rail services will operate between Rosslare Europort and Bray. A bus transfer will operate from Bray direct to Dublin Connolly. A second bus transfer will operate from Bray direct to Dun Laoghaire. Dublin Pearse and Tara Street stations will not be served by bus transfers.
Southbound: A bus transfer will operate between Dublin Connolly direct to Bray. A second bus transfer will operate between Dun Laoghaire direct to Bray. Rail services will operate between Bray and Rosslare Europort. Dublin Pearse and Tara Street stations will not be served by bus transfers.
DART: Services will operate between Malahide, Howth and Dun Laoghaire only. No service will operate between Dun Laoghire and Greystones. Sandycove & Glasthule, Glenageary, Dalkey, Killiney and Shankill, stations will be closed for rail services. Dublin Bus and Go Ahead Ireland will accept valid tickets within affected area.
A 14 year’s old boy is in Temple Street Children’s Hospital in Dublin tonight following a road traffic collision at Ballylough on the R772 road between Scarawalsh and Ferns which occurred shortly before 2pm today (Tuesday).
It is reported locally that the boy, who is from the immediate area, had dismounted from a tractor when he was struck by a passing car.
Emergency services were quickly on the scene where paramedics with the National Ambulance Service (NAS) made the decision to seek the assistance of the NAS Air Corps 112 Air Ambulance.
Tonight, the teenager’s injuries are understood to be “serious” but “non-life threatening.”
The R772 between Scarawalsh roundabout and Ferns village remains closed overnight while a forensic investigation takes place. Diversions are in place.
Any witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage of the incident are asked to contact Enniscorthy Garda Station on 053 9242580.
BARRY O’NEILL and COLIN BOWE began the new season with a double on Sunday.
The 2023-’24 point-to-point racing season kicked off at Castletown-Geoghegan under the auspices of the Westmeath Foxhounds yesterday (Sunday) and the reigning champions handler Colin Bowe and rider Barry O’Neill made their mark with a double on day one.
Emily’s Choice in the colours of Brendan Murphy prevailed by a neck in the maiden race for five- and six-year-old mares – the second race on the card.
Success was easier for Agent Tequila in the Milestone Bloodstock Ltd colours – 14 lengths to spare – in the maiden race for five- and six-year-old geldings.
First action of the new season in this region comes to Fairwood, Tinahely, on Sunday, October 15th and six fixtures in the south-east region before the end of December.
Happy faces at the cutting of the ribbon and opening the Boolavogue Digital Innovation Hub Community Centre and Heritage Garden on Sunday.
By Dan Walsh at Boolavogue
Minister James Browne officially opened the Boolavogue Digital Innovation Hub Community Centre and Heritage Garden on Sunday deputising for Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, who apologised for not being able to attend but conveyed her congratulations and compliments to the committee and community on the completion of the project.
Barry Turner, Chairman of Boolavogue Development Group welcomed the attendance and said that the building had served as a school from 1890 until 1961, however, “the passage of time wasn’t kind to the building, and it became almost derelict.”
CLLR PIP BREEN, Cathaoirleach Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District Council speaking at Boolavogue.
He said they sought government funding through the Rural Development department to “bring this building back into life”, €100,000 was secured and he acknowledged the support of Wexford County Council in providing a centre for “further education, remote working and training.”
Mr Turner thanked so many who helped with the project including the Development Group who came together in 2018, the Parish Committee and Fr. Murphy Centre Committee who ran a successful fundraising campaign, local contractors who carried out most of the work, the Department of Rural Development, Wexford County Council, District Manager Philip Knight, Liz Hore, Director of Services, Liz and Debbie Stanley from Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District Council offices in Gorey and Cathaoirleach, Cllr Pip Breen, who attended the old school before moving to the other side of the road when a new school was built in the early 1960’s.
Cllr Breen complimented everybody associated with the success of the project and expressed his personal satisfaction for involvement and assured the community that he is always available to support Boolavogue if further assistance is required in the future.
Minister Browne expressed the regret for unavailability of Minister Humphreys but conveyed her best wishes to the community. He complimented everybody associated with the success of the project and he acknowledged the good community spirit found in Boolavogue and promised any support needed in the future.
District Manager, Philip Knight, conveyed the compliments of Chief Executive, Tom Enright, in supporting the community and outlining how the development between Boolavogue, Wexford County Council and the Department of Rural and Community Development worked together to get the project over the line.
The attendance included Minister James Browne, Deputy Paul Kehoe, Senator Malcolm Byrne, Cllrs Pip Breen, Donal Kenny and Willie Kavanagh, Philip Knight, District Manager, Liz Hore, Director of Services, Very Rev. James Butler, parish priest, who performed the blessing of the garden and Very Rev. William Cosgrave, P.P., Monageer.
At Geneva Barracks that young man died And at Passage they have his body laid Good people who live in peace and joy Breathe a prayer, shed a tear for the Croppy Boy.
By Dan Walsh who attended ‘By Hooke or by Crooke’
Inspired by a stirring ballad, organised with passion and pride, and held in atrocious weather conditions defied by marching representatives from Wexford, Waterford, Carlow, Kildare and Meath a moving 1798 commemoration event took place at the grave of The Croppy Boy in Crook graveyard today (Saturday).
The programme was curtailed due to unrelenting rain but proceeded with the short march of pikemen from the village of Passage East to Crook Graveyard led by lone piper Liam Doyle from Enniscorthy.
Proud groups battled against the wind to display their patriotic banners including pike groups from Boolavogue, Oulart, Monageer and Carrigbyrne, members of Enniscorthy Historical Re-enactment Society and the Battle of Ashbourne Historical Re-eneactment Society from Meath.
At the grave of The Croppy Boy a firing party sent out a volley of shots, Ray Murphy from Enniscorthy and Frank Cox from Monageer, each laid a wreath and Breda Jacob from Oulart read a piece ‘as Gaeilgle’ entitled ‘Bás an Croppy’.
Folklorist and organiser Michael Fortune told the gathering; “We have no definitive evidence to say a poor Croppy was buried here but the story exists in local folk memory and we there is no denying that thousands of United Irishmen were held prisoner in the nearby Geneva Barracks. So, in some ways we are remembering the spirit of the Croppy Boy and all of those men, young and old, in this commemoration.”
It was a special occasion for Tim Corrigan who never fails to attend 1798 commemoration events and confesses a fondness for the popular song (also recorded by the great Brendan Bowyer and The Royal Showband) is ‘The Croppy Boy’. Afterwards, Tim confessed to WexfordLocal.com it was a special occasion for him to sing his favourite ballad at the grave of a croppy and be part of ‘living history’.
Tim Corrigan and his friends, Margaret O’Neill Wall and Seamus Corrigan travelled to Crook graveyard last June and located the grave of a croppy. It was overgrown and neglected, but with the support of locals were afforded permission to restore respect and memory to the grave. The bushes were cleared, and a new kerbing and plaque were laid. Today was the day to celebrate and Tim Corrigan headlined the occasion with his unique rendition of ‘The Croppy Boy’ and those present loudly applauded.
Michael Fortune acted as master of ceremonies and thanked everybody who braved the elements, in particular, the staff at the Passage East Hurling Club Community Centre who provided excellent facilities and ensured plenty of refreshments for everybody who attended a memorable day on the 225th anniversary of the Rebellion of 1798.
A fishing trawler grounded off the east coast of Blackwater since last Sunday remains stuck on a sandbank with poor weather conditions hampering the authorities from boarding and conducting a search.
Gardaí have confirmed that it will be treated as a crime scene. It will also be searched, but at this stage Gardaí do not believe there are any drugs on board. amid suspicions it was en route to rendezvous with the impounded cargo ship held in Cork Harbour since Tuesday.
Gardaí are investigating the detention of the Panamanian registered bulk cargo vessel, MV MATTHEW and associated events have this evening (Thursday) made more arrests.
Six men were already in Garda custody being questioned in connection with the seizure of 2.25 tonnes of cocaine which may have a street value of up to €500 million.
Three of these men are Ukrainian, two are Iranian, and one is a UK national.
A seventh man was arrested for alleged organised crime offences contrary to the Criminal Justice Act 2006. He is a 48-year-old Dutch national, who was arrested on board the ship and taken to Mallow Garda Station.
All seven men are detained under section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007 which allows Gardaí to hold suspects for up to seven days. They are being held at Garda stations in Fermoy, Mallow, Cobh, Cork and in Wexford.
Two males were arrested and questioned at a Wexford Garda Station after their fishing trawler ran aground on a sandbank known locally as ‘Money Weights’ two kilometres off the Blackwater coast and twelve kilometres from Rosslare Harbour at around 11.30pm last Sunday night.
The Irish Coast Guard and Rescue 117 helicopter were also involved as were Rosslare RNLI Lifeboat who spent six hours trying to attach a tow-line in a huge swell and strong winds. The men were winched from the stricken vessel by Rescue 117 and handed over to the authorities.
Given the scale of the haul, authorities do not believe the cocaine was solely destined for Ireland and instead suspect the drugs, supplied by a South American cartel, were for distribution across Europe.
Wexford County Council has hosted a delegation of six key representatives from the Jiangxi Province in China and has signed a letter of intent for future trade, education, tourism and cultural ties for Wexford and the Chinese province.
The delegation visited Wexford County Hall at Carricklawn where details on Wexford County Council’s key economic development plans and opportunities for collaboration with Jiangxi were discussed.
CLLR JOHN FLEMING, CATHAOIRLEACH WEXFORD COUNTY COUNCIL
Following this meeting, an official signing ceremony of a ‘Letter of Intent’ took place with the Governor of Jiangxi Provincial People’s Government, Mr Ye Jianchun and Cathaoirleach of Wexford County Council, Cllr John Fleming, in front of an invited audience which included the Chinese Ambassador to Ireland, Mr. He Xiangdong.
Cathaoirleach Cllr John Fleming said; “We were honoured to have hosted such a high-level delegation led by the Governor of the Jiangxi Provincial People’s Government, Mr Ye Jianchun. The purpose of this visit was to establish strategic linkages and collaboration working towards embracing each regions cultural strengths, along with each party learning about the business environment in each region thereby gaining a better understanding of the increasing opportunities between us.
“This visit was a resounding success, and we are delighted to have signed a Letter of Intent between Wexford County Council and the Jiangxi Province to work towards a thriving future relationship.” added Cllr Fleming.
The Jiangxi province is located in Eastern China to the south of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River with a total population of 45 million. It consists of 11 prefectural cities and 100 counties. County Wexford was the only location outside of Dublin visited by the delegation during their visit to Ireland.
The visiting delegation enjoyed a full day of meetings and visits across the county including the Danone Wexford where the group enjoyed a tour of the facility employing over 380 people in Wexford, and on a journey to net-zero emissions, Danone Wexford was of particular interest to the delegation, as a market leader in sustainability within the food manufacturing industry.
There was a visit to the CBS Secondary School in Wexford town, hosted by the Mayor of Wexford, Cllr John Hegarty and Principal, Michael McMahon to further enhance the links between CBS Wexford and China. The school features Chinese studies as part of the Transition Year curriculum and students from CBS have visited China on a number of occasions.
The delegation then travelled to Rosslare Europort where they were welcomed by Cllr Jim Moore, Cathaoirleach of Rosslare Municipal District and Senior Management of Rosslare Europort who outlined future growth plans for the Europort and proposed investment of circa-€440 million in expansion of facilities.
Torrential rain, high winds, fallen trees and flooding appears to be the legacy of Storm Agnes which passed over County Wexford today (Wednesday), but thankfully no accidents or injuries have been reported.
Cllr Joe Sullivan was keeping a watching brief on North Wexford and reported on social media that he visited three bridges over the Ahare River at Inch, Barrogue and Ahare and the water level is very high at all three locations.
Cllr Sullivan has been continuously calling on Wexford County Council for action at the Ahare Bridge and constant flooding there and raised the issue as recent as the September meeting of Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District Council.
Later today the Ahare River flooded and the road between Castletown and Tara Hill became impassable. “I have put out the flood warning signs at either end, but they may not remain out due to the strong winds. I would urge people not to use this section of roadway tonight and indeed better still try avoiding going out at all tonight,” concluded Cllr Sullivan.
The Corach River at Wellingtonbridge burst its banks and the road through the village was closed for a time.
Due to high tides in the River Slaney the usual flooding reappeared on the Wexford road side of Edermine Bridge. Localised flooding was reported at Grange, Kilmore.
A tree toppled at Ballymacsimon close to the Blackwater Golf Course and the road is closed overnight. Trees also down on the road to Ballymoney Golf Course and close to Curracloe beach.
The Diocese of Ferns is developing openings for new lay volunteer ministries in the Diocese and an Information Session on Lay Ministry takes place today (Wednesday) in the Seamus Rafter Suite, Riverside Park Hotel, Enniscorthy at 7.30 pm.
All interested are invited and other Information Sessions on Lay Ministry are planned for New Ross Pastoral Centre on Monday, October 9th at 7.30 pm; Wednesday, October 11th at Pastoral Centre, Rosslare Strand at 7.30 pm and Thursday, October 12th in the Pugin Room (access through main tower), St. Peter’s College, Wexford at 7.30 pm.
Training programmes will begin soon. These new ministries, open to women and men, will be of interest to those already involved or those wishing to be more involved in the life of their local Church community. They will involve lay people working side by side with priests in key ministries in parishes and pastoral areas.
TIM CORRIGAN, MARGARET O’NEILL WALL and SEAMUS CORRIGAN at the grave of The Croppy Boy in Crook Graveyard in Waterford where a 1798 commemorative event takes place next Saturday and everybody is invited to attend. (Pic; Michael Fortune).
By Dan Walsh
Pikemen and women from many parts of Wexford will take the sailing from Ballyhack to Passage East and then march to the grave of The Croppy Boy at Crook Graveyard in a special 1798 commemorative event next Saturday starting at 2pm. The event is being organised by Tim Corrigan and Michael Fortune and back in June, Michael recorded Tim and a few of his friends at the grave in Crook Graveyard in Waterford. The site was badly overgrown and forgotten about locally, so Tim, Margaret O’Neill Wall and Seamus Corrigan cleaned it up and got a new stone cut. Michael travelled down one evening in June and made a little film about this and also recorded Tim singing The Croppy Boy.
Folklore tells us that this was a spot where a ‘Croppy Boy’ was buried in 1798, however Michael says that “we have no definitive evidence to say a poor Croppy was buried here but the story exists in local folk memory and we there is no denying that thousands of United Irishmen were held prisoner in the nearby Geneva Barracks. So, in some ways we are remembering the spirit of the Croppy Boy and all of those men, young and old, in this commemoration.” The organisers would love to see a big crowd attend from Wexford and everyone is welcome to come on board and join in the march from local groups, clubs, schools etc.
People are asked to arrive at 2pm at Ballyhack Ferry where at 2.30pm they cross on ferry to Passage. Please note there is a free bus available in Passage to drive anyone that can’t walk up to the graveyard. The distance in 1.7km and everyone is welcome to follow the march from Passage to Crook Graveyard.
There will be short speeches, songs and wreath laying at the graveside and then back to the local GAA complex for refreshments. For more information please call Tim on 085 7351403 or Michael on 087 6470247.
WexfordLocal.com 