WexfordLocal.com

New Rector for Wexford and Kilscoran Union of Parishes

The Reverend Norman McCausland of Wexford and Kilscoran Union of Parishes with Mayor of Wexford Cllr Maura Bell and Cathaoirleach of Wexford County Council Cllr George Lawlor at the special service in St. Iberius Church, Wexford (Pic; Diocese of Cashel Ferns and Ossory).

By Dan Walsh

The Reverend Norman McCausland was instituted as incumbent of the Church of Ireland’s Wexford and Kilscoran Union of Parishes at a special service in St Iberius Church, Wexford, last Friday night.

He was instituted by The Venerable Ruth Elmes, Archbishop’s Commissary until the consecration of new Bishop-Elect Adrian Wilkinson in October.

Mr McCausland succeeds Canon Arthur Minion who is now Rector of Birr Union of Parishes in County Offaly.

The new rector is from Omagh originally but has ministered in many places. Prior to his appointment here he was rector of the parish of Raheny and Coolock in the Diocese of Dublin and Glendalough for nine years.

Ordained in 1989, Norman has a rich variety of pastoral and parochial experience and has served on the staff of the Church of Ireland Theological College. He is also known for his interests and qualifications in music, theatre and communications. He is married to Tara and has three sons – Cian 23, Tom 21, and Conor 12.

The preacher at the service of institution was The Reverend Canon Gillian Wharton, Rector of Mount Merrion parish in Dublin. She welcomed the new rector and his family to Wexford and wished Mr McCausland well in this new chapter of his life. “It is an exciting and daunting time for ministry as we try to work out how it is that we go forward,” she said, and concluded; “Each of you is called to share in that ministry with him so tonight is a night of joy for Wexford and Kilscoran. Tonight our hope and our prayer is that God will richly bless you in your ministry here, Norman, and that together you will grow in your understanding of God, in your faith in Christ and in your care, compassion and love and welcome and inclusion for each other and all those who are beyond these doors and part of the wider community.”

Fr Billy Swan welcomed Norman on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church and looked forward to continuing the strong ecumenical relationship that has been established by clergy of all faith traditions in Wexford. “I would like to wish you every blessing for a long and fruitful ministry here in Wexford for many years to come,” he said.

He also acknowledged the work, service and friendship of the new rector’s predecessor, Canon Arthur Minion, and saluted the dedicated ministry of the Reverend Conor O’Reilly, curate, particularly as priest-in-charge during the recent vacancy.

Norman McCausland was also welcomed by The Reverend Katherine Kehoe of the Methodist Church. “I am delighted to be here this evening to greet you and welcome you and your family to the sunny south-east,” she said. “My prayer for you this evening as you set out on a new adventure and journey with God that the light of hope will fill your heart with peace and love.”

Cathaoirleach of Wexford County Council, Cllr George Lawlor welcomed him on behalf of the people of Wexford town and county. “I hope it is a most enjoyable stage in your ministry,” he said before adding; “Congratulations on being appointed to this place where you will find friendly and welcoming people.”

Completing the greetings, parishioner Anna Skrine welcomed Norman to the Union of Parishes that includes nine churches – St Iberius, Wexford, Ardcolm (Castlebridge), St Munn’s, Taghmon, St James’s, Horetown, Killurin Church, St Enoch’s, Killinick, St David’s, Mulrankin, St Paul’s, Balloughton and St Peter’s, Kilscoran. “We hope you will be very happy here,” she said.

In reply, the new rector thanked everyone for the warm parish, civic and ecumenical welcome he had received – and all those who had organised the service.

The organist at the service was Dr Jeffrey Cox accompanied by trumpeter Anthony Nolan.

Raheny and Coolock parishioner Séamus Puirséil and Wexford and Kilscoran Youth Intern Victoria Hawkins read the lessons and seven other parishioners presented symbols of the teaching, pastoral and sacramental ministry of an incumbent, namely a Bible, water, The Book of Common Prayer, bread and wine, oil, a towel and a key of the church. Canon Mark Hayden of Gorey Group of Parishes presented him with a copy of the Diocesan directory.

Guests included the Mayor of Wexford, Cllr Maura Bell and the President of Wexford Chamber of Commerce, Mr Brendan Crowley.

Refreshments were served in Clayton White’s Hotel Wexford after the service and a cake cut by The Reverend McCausland to celebrate the special event.

Two launches by Kilmore Quay lifeboat

By Dan Walsh

Kilmore Quay RNLI were called in the early hours of Saturday to assist a lone sailor whose yacht had run aground just outside Kilmore Quay harbour, having also launched the previous afternoon to assist two people whose yacht experienced engine failure.

The volunteer crew were requested to launch their all-weather Tamar class lifeboat, Killarney, by the Irish Coast Guard at 2.34am on Saturday night in response to a ‘Pan Pan’ call received from a solo sailor. The 10-metre yacht had run aground in low water just outside Kilmore Quay harbour.

**Kilmore Quay RNLI Lifeboat in action on Saturday night (Pic;RNLI/Aidan Bates)**

The lifeboat, under Coxswain Eugene Kehoe with four crew members on board, immediately launched and made its way to the scene. Conditions at the time were calm and clear. As the water was too shallow for the Killarney to come alongside, the lifeboat’s inflatable Y-boat was launched to make the final approach to the yacht and check that the crew member on board was safe and well. As the tide was rising, the decision was taken to wait on the tide to re-float the boat. At 3.13am the yacht was re-floated and made its way back to Kilmore Quay harbour escorted by the lifeboat, arriving at 3.35am.

On Friday afternoon the crew were requested to launch by the Irish Coast Guard to assist two people aboard a yacht with engine failure. The lifeboat, under Coxswain Eugene Kehoe with five crew members on board, immediately launched and made its way to the yacht which was anchored on the northeast side of the Great Saltee. Arriving on scene eleven minutes later, the crew assessed the situation and decided to establish a towline. Having retrieved the yacht’s anchor and with a towline secured, the lifeboat was soon underway back to Kilmore Quay, arriving back at the harbour 2.48pm.

Man (30s) dies in road collision

A man in his ‘30s has died in a road traffic collision and Gardaí are appealing for witnesses to the crash to come forward.

The man was a passenger in a car that collided with a tree on the R733 at Bargy Commons, Cleariestown, at approximately 10.40pm last night (Sunday).

The driver of the car, also in his 30s was treated at the scene by paramedics.

Gardaí are appealing for any witnesses to the crash to come forward and also want to speak to anyone who was travelling in the area at the time and who may have dashcam footage to make it available to them.

Contact Wexford Garda Station on 053 9165200, the Garda Confidential number 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.

5,000 affected by issues at Taylorstown Water Plant

By Dan Walsh

Irish Water and Wexford County Council are advising customers that due to issues overnight at the Taylorstown Water Treatment Plant supplying the South Regional Water supply scheme, that customers in Duncannon, Ramsgrange, Arthurstown, Ballyhack, Fethard and Ballycullane and surrounding areas are currently experiencing supply interruptions and water outages.

Crews are working to resolve the issues and restore normal water supply as soon as possible with an estimated 5,000 people currently affected.

Speaking to WexfordLocal.com this morning, Irish Water’s Ronan Walsh said; “There were electrical issues overnight at the Taylorstown Water Treatment Plant that may have been brought about by the thunderstorms in the area. They have been exacerbated by low supply levels and high demand. Repairs are currently underway to minimise disruption to the community and restore water for all customers as soon as possible. We are not yet in a position to provide an estimated time for restoration of supply but will provide further updates during the day as work continues.

“In the meantime, tankers of water have been deployed for customers at Duncannon Church, Ramsgrange, Arthurstown, Ballyhack, Fethard and Ballycullane.

“While this water is fully treated and safe to drink, any customers taking water from the tankers should boil it before use as the containers they use to collect it may not be fully disinfected.

“We understand the inconvenience unplanned outages can have on customers and we appreciate your patience as we work to return the water supply to homes and businesses as quickly as possible.”

Vulnerable customers who have registered with Irish Water receive direct communications for planned and unplanned outages lasting more than four hours.

The customer care team is available to help 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and customers can also contact on Twitter @IWCare with any queries. For further updates please see the Irish Water website www.water.ie

Allen and Ireland qualify for Olympics

By Dan Walsh

The Irish Showjumping team has qualified for the Olympic Games in Paris following a Friday night of high drama at the ECCO FEI World Show Jumping Championships in Herning, Denmark, where an outstanding performance from Michael Blake’s Irish Showjumping team of Denis Lynch, Bertram Allen, Cian O’Connor and Daniel Coyle, saw them take one of the five coveted places on offer for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

At the end of one of the most thrilling nights in the history of the sport, Ireland climbed from overnight ninth place to finish fourth overall and take one of the five Olympic places on offer – and at the finish, missed out on the bronze medal by just one penalty.

Tipperary’s Denis Lynch was first to jump with his Rome Grand Prix winner Brooklyn Heights. The World No.25 produced an excellent round, jumping clear over the fences, picking up just one time fault over what was proving a very difficult course.

Wexford’s Bertram Allen then gave Ireland another huge boost when he jumped an outstanding clear round with The Irish Sport Horse Pacino Amiro. Those rounds from Lynch and Allen moved Ireland up five places to fourth with two riders left to jump for each of the 10 teams.

Third to go for Ireland, Meath’s Cian O’Connor and C Vier 2 were clear until the penultimate combination where they had one fence down and picked up one time fault for a five fault score. That score from O’Connor would prove vital, as Derry’s Daniel Coyle had a couple of fences down with Legacy, after which Coyle decided to retire knowing he couldn’t improve Ireland’s score.

Irish team manager Michael Blake said: “Obviously we are delighted to take an Olympic qualification place at the very first opportunity as it now gives us two full years to prepare for the Games.”

Horse Sport Ireland CEO Denis Duggan added: “Huge congratulations to Michael Blake and his team on a fantastic performance at the World Championships and in gaining Olympic qualification. To qualify here at the very first opportunity against all of the top teams in the world, is hugely significant, as it gives us as much time as possible to prepare for Paris.”

Water tankers deployed at Ramsgrange, Duncannon, Arthurstown and Ballyhack

By Dan Walsh

Irish Water, working in partnership with Wexford County Council, are advising that due to issues at the Water Treatment Plant in for the South Regional Water supply, customers in Duncannon, Ballyhack, Arthurstown, Ballycullane, Clongeen, Foulksmills, Saltmills, Ramsgrange and surrounding areas are currently experiencing supply interruptions and crews are working to resolve the issues and restore normal water supply as soon as possible.

Speaking about the unplanned interruption, Irish Water’s Ronan Walsh said: “There is a mechanical issue at the Water Treatment Plant, which has been exacerbated by low supply levels and high demand. Repairs are currently underway to minimise disruption to the community and restore water for all customers as soon as possible. We are not yet in a position to provide an estimated time for restoration of supply but will provide further updates during the day.

“In the meantime tankers of water have been deployed for customers at Ramsgrange National School, Duncannon Church, Arthurstown Quay and Ballyhack.

“While this water is fully treated and safe to drink, any customers taking water from the tankers should boil it before use as the containers they use to collect it may not be fully disinfected.

“We understand the inconvenience unplanned outages can have on customers and we appreciate your patience as we work to return the water supply to homes and businesses as quickly as possible.”

Vulnerable customers who have registered with Irish Water receive direct communications for planned and unplanned outages lasting more than four hours.

Large gorse fire on Mount Leinster

Crews from Carlow Fire and Rescue Service are battling a large gorse fire on Mount Leinster. “These are very difficult conditions for our fire crews to work in,” said a spokesperson for the fire service.

The road to the Nine Stones from the Bunclody to Myshal side is closed and will remain so for several hours.

The fire service is asking people to stay away from the area until further notice and are asking people not to light fires outdoors for any reason.

Joe Duffy unveils Inch River project

**RTÉ broadcaster JOE DUFFY and CATHY LEE, Chair of Ahare River and Biodiversity Development Group at a special launch at Inch this aftermoon.**

By Dan Walsh at Inch

A public information plaque on the Inch River was unveiled this afternoon by RTÉ broadcaster Joe Duffy as part of the Castletown River and Nature Festival taking place this weekend as part of National Heritage Week.

The plaque, located at Toss Byrne’s famous on the R772 Arklow to Gorey road, bypassed in September 2017 and formally part of the N11 Dublin to Wexford road, carries details of the river environment, ways of protecting the river, the challenges that the river face and a Do You Know list of Fishy Facts.

Erected by the Ahare River and Biodiversity Community Group, its chair Cathy Lee acted as master of ceremonies, invited all guests, and thanked everybody for their support. Attendance included Cllrs Joe Sullivan and Andrew Bolger and refreshments were provided on a sweltering afternoon.

Experts did some tests on the river for under water life and were surprised with the findings which were exhibited and explained to the people in attendance, many of them children, who were fascinated to see small trout and all sorts of tiny, exciting creatures and secret life inhabiting the river.

Information on the plaque – there is a similar information board at the Ahare River crossing – reads as follows; “From the foothills of Croghan to the Irish Sea at Castletown the Inch River is formed and flows through the green countryside, the joined by the Clonogue River and continues its journey from the floodplains at Ahare before exiting to the sea at Kilgorman on Clone Beach.

“Inch River is an important salmon river and this site at Inch is an important spawning ground. At the lower end of the catchment the river is also known as the Ahare/Kilgorman River.

AUDIO ADDITION; RTÉ broadcaster JOE DUFFY speaking at the unveiling of the Inch River information plaque at Inch today.

Events continuing tomorrow (Sunday). At 12 noon a Seashore Nature Treasure Hunt and Litter Pick with Jeshua Taucher from Seal Rescue Ireland.

Bring a picnic and don’t be left out at 1pm and in the afternoon there is a Family Sant Art Competition and Make a Seashore Mobile. Not sure what that’s all about so discover the secret by being there!

More information or to make a donation the contact is friendsoftheahareriver@gmail.com

Joy wishes Ferns hurlers good luck

**WEXFORD ROSE JOY QUIGLEY IS GIVEN A WELCOME ‘MEDIEVAL STYLE’ ON THE WEXFORD ROSES TOUR AT ENNISCORTHY CASTLE THIS MORNING.**

By Dan Walsh at Enniscorthy Castle

It was an emotional Saturday morning for Wexford Rose Joy Quigley as she was given a warm send-off with applause, flag waving and festive enthusiasm in her native Ferns where the bus made a brief stop with 33 Roses on the Wexford Rose Tour.

Speaking to WexfordLocal.com at Enniscorthy Castle this morning, Joy said she was emotional in Ferns where family friends and the community came out to wish her well in the prestigious Rose of Tralee. “That’s what it is all about,” she said, before adding; “It’s all about the hurlers in the county final tomorrow and best of luck to the Ferns lads!”

Cllr Aidan Browne, Cathaoirleach of Enniscorthy Municipal District Council, Mico Hassett and staff at Enniscorthy Castle welcomed the girls to Enniscorthy. Also present were Cllr George Lawlor, Cathaoirleach Wexford County Council, Minister James Browne, Cllrs Kathleen Codd-Nolan and Jackser Owens and the members of Enniscorthy Historical Re-Enactment Group. The occasion concluded with Cllr Lawlor singing Boolavogue.

AUDIO ADDITION; Wexford Rose Joy Quigley talking to Dan Walsh with the Wexford Rose Tour at Enniscorthy Castle this morning.

**Vikings, public representatives, 33 Roses enjoying the sunshine with Vinegar Hill in the background at Enniscortby Castle this morning.**

Following a brief tour of the castle with Eve Furlong and photo opportunities on the castle roof it was back onto the bus heading towards New Ross, Campile and Hook Head this afternoon.

The girls were in dancing form last night when attending the Wexford Rose Tour Reception in the Ashdown Park Hotel, Gorey.

The Wexford Rose Tour lasted three days in the hottest weather on record and the scene is set for big Wexford interest in the Rose of Tralee which will be televised live by RTÉ 1.

Joy leads the Wexford Rose Tour

By Dan Walsh

Thirty-three contestants in the Rose of Tralee International Festival are on the Wexford Rose Tour this week with local celebrity status focused firmly on the Wexford Rose, Joy Quigley from Ferns.

I will be joining the Wexford Rose Tour at Enniscorthy Castle at 9am tomorrow (Saturday) morning, but some information is coming in about the tour so far which is taking place in record-breaking weather conditions.

On Thursday the Roses checked into the Ashdown Park Hotel in Gorey where they became acquainted with the local welcoming party and they enjoyed a light lunch and then it was back on the bus!

**Texas Rose Arden Stringer, (29, from Dallas) receives a Wexford coloured stetson from Cllr George Lawlor during a visit to Johnstown Castle. Photo By : Domnick Walsh.**

Next stop was Johnstown Castle for the Wexford County Council Reception and greeted by Mayor of Wexford Cllr Maura Bell and the Cathaoirleach of Wexford County Council, Cllr George Lawlor, who spoke eloquently and waxed lyrical with a rousing rendition of the popular tune ‘Rose of Tralee’.

At Johnstown Castle, Taste Wexford prepared some grazing boards packed with local Wexford producers for the Roses to sample.

The next stop of the tour was Wexford Quay where the Roses were treated to some fish and chips by The Cheeky Cod followed by some Scúp Gelato ice-cream. The final stop of the tour was back to Gorey town where the Roses were welcomed by the local community and business owners. Cllr Donal Kenny, Cathaoirleach of Gorey-Kilmuckridge Municipal District Council made all feel welcome as if he knew the names of every one of them as they alighted the bus and 33 times he uttered the immortal words – ‘Welcome to Gorey’.