Revenue officers seized approximately 13,000 litres of beer, 225 litres of Asti Martina and seven litres of Polish Mead at Rosslare Europort, yesterday, following the search of an Irish registered truck that had disembarked a ferry from Dunkirk, France.
The smuggled alcohol has an estimated retail value of more than €55,000, representing a potential loss to the Exchequer of over €26,000.
Investigations are ongoing.
These seizures are part of Revenue’s ongoing operations targeting the smuggling of illegal goods. If businesses, or members of the public, have any information regarding smuggling, they can contact Revenue in confidence on Confidential Phone Number 1800 295 295.
Enniscorthy-born writer Colm Tóibín is amongst several Irish writers among one thousand signatories who have signed a letter condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
According toThe Irish Postnewspaper in London,PEN International, the literary and free expression organisation, released the letter over the weekend expressing solidarity with writers, journalists, artists, and the people of Ukraine, condemning the Russian invasion and calling for an immediate end to the bloodshed.
“We, writers around the world, are appalled by the violence unleashed by Russian forces against Ukraine and urgently call for an end to the bloodshed,” the letter reads.
“We stand united in condemnation of a senseless war, waged by President Putin’s refusal to accept the rights of Ukraine’s people to debate their future allegiance and history without Moscow’s interference.
“We stand united in support of writers, journalists, artists, and all the people of Ukraine, who are living through their darkest hours. We stand by you and feel your pain.”
They said all individuals have a right to peace, free expression and free assembly, and that Putin’s “war is an attack on democracy and freedom not just in Ukraine, but around the world.”
“We stand united in calling for peace and for an end to the propaganda that is fuelling the violence.
“There can be no free and safe Europe without a free and independent Ukraine.”
Colm Tóibín is the new Laureate for Irish Fiction, the Arts Council announced recently, for a three-year term.
The role seeks to acknowledge the contribution of fiction writers to Irish artistic and cultural life by honouring an established Irish writer of fiction, encouraging a new generation of writers, promoting Irish literature nationally and internationally and encouraging the public to engage with Irish fiction.
On his appointment, Colm Tóibín said; “I am honoured to be appointed Laureate. I am proud to follow Anne Enright and Sebastian Barry in establishing a public role for a writer of fiction in Ireland. I will do what I can to work with a community of readers so that fiction continues to enrich our lives, allow us to see the world more clearly, or with a deepened sense of mystery. I will also work with fellow writers and aspiring writers to enhance the role novels and stories play in Irish life.”
Wexford Deputy Paul Kehoe questioned An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, about “a wall of silence from the Minister (of Agriculture)” in relation to the extensive flooding of lands in south Wexford following torrential rainfall on Christmas Day.
Deputy Kehoe was speaking during the Questions on Promised Legislation in Dáil Éireann on Wednesday.
Deputy Kehoe said; “The Taoiseach will be very much aware of the devastating flooding in County Wexford on 25 December. In south County Wexford, hundreds of acres of cereals were destroyed. At the time, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine committed to look into this issue and seek the names of the farmers and lands involved. To date, absolutely nothing has happened. There has been a wall of silence from the Minister and the Department. Can the Taoiseach bring some clarification to this issue?”
In reply, An Taoiseach promised to discuss the matter with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Charlie McConalogue TD). “I hear the points the Deputy made in respect of that issue. The Minister is actively considering this and we are working on it,” concluded An Taoiseach.
Local Cllr Jim Codd surveys the thousands of acres of land flooded in south Wexford following the Christmas Day torrential rainfall.
Enniscorthy & District Chamber – public meeting on Friday to co-ordinate Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. All are welcome.
By Dan Walsh
A public meeting will be held at the offices of Enniscorthy & District Chamber of Commerce, Portsmouth House, Templeshannon, next Friday at 7pm to co-ordinate the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. All are welcome.
All members of the public are invited to participate in the collection of goods and a storage depot has been secured. Also, a lorry has been sourced to transport goods to the Poland/Ukraine border.
Preferred items include bandages, guaze, anti-septic gels, masks, disposable gloves, kitchen towels, paper plates and cups, hygiene products, sanitary pads, non-perishable foods, blankets, footwear, knee pads, roll-out mats etc.
A collection depot will open in Enniscorthy next week in the Chamber of Commerce offices.
Templeshannon heritage building set for €250,000 ground floor renovation
By Dan Walsh
Deputy Paul Kehoe has today welcomed the announcement of €250,000 in funding to renovate the ground floor of a significant heritage building in Templeshannon, Enniscorthy, into a food and community hub under the Historic Towns Initiative.
This funding follows a similar grant under the same scheme last year for the renovation of Slaney Street.
Deputy Kehoe said; “Enniscorthy is a town with massive potential and huge historical significance. These funding initiatives will help to bring the historic buildings and areas back to their former glory, while ensuring that they play a role in today’s day to day life of the town.
These grant awards will help to provide jobs through heritage-led regeneration and will aid the rebuilding of local economies with heritage as a focal point.
“A new aspect of this year’s initiative was a call for proposals that encourage the specific re-use of historic buildings which we will see with the transformation of one of the historic buildings in Templeshannon,” concluded Deputy Kehoe.
In addition to this individual grant, €40,000 in funding has been awarded Wexford County Council for heritage-led regeneration plans, which will inform future applications for conservation funding in Wexford.
Wexford County Council’s direct labour crew has recently completed works in Enniscorthy to improve water supply in the town.
Works began in October 2021 to replace 1.5km of problematic mains in Rectory Road, St Senan’s Road and Templeshannon in the town.
New service connections were made for more than 70 residential properties, one large demand commercial property and further supply links were installed to allow continuity of supply in the event of an outage in the area.
The works were completed with minimal disruption to supply due to frequent engagement between the local residents and the Local Authority working on behalf of Irish Water. Newsletters were issued periodically for the duration of the project to residents with updates on progress and the upcoming works.
Templeshannon area of Enniscorthy.
Irish Water has invested over €500 million between 2017 and the end of 2021 to reduce leakage and replace old pipes on the public water network.
Irish Water’s customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and customers can also contact us on Twitter @IWCare with any queries. For updates please visit the Water Supply Updates section of the Irish Water website or set your location on our website www.water.ie
CLLR OLIVER WALSH and his daughter RUBY at the entrance to Killila Graveyard, near Blackwater.
By Dan Walsh
Killila Graveyard is the site of a medieval parish church dedicated to St. Brigid and closed for a considerable time, but it is teeming with history and heritage, and local Cllr Oliver Walsh has requested Wexford County Council to lend a hand with clearing some of the overgrowth and assisting with the preservation of the ancient site.
Cllr Walsh raised the matter at the February meeting of Gorey-Kilmuckridge Municipal District Council.
Speaking to WexfordLocal.com and taking us on a tour of the graveyard last Tuesday, Cllr Walsh said; “There are lots of these old graveyards and it is important that they be maintained to a certain standard. I accept they are not going to be kept immaculately, but here in Blackwater we have a local historical group who did quite an extensive work on this graveyard here at Killily and are willing to do it again.
“Thankfully, Wexford County Council do provide a grant to different areas to do a bit of work on graveyards and Blackwater Historical Society will be looking for that grant,” added Cllr Walsh.
Located close to Blackwater village, Killila is without any trace of its church that once served the old parishes of Kilesk, Balyvaldon and Ballyvaloo, but is dominated by an unusual ‘beehive like tomb’, the entrance is blocked off and a small marble plaque over the entrance on the west end records ‘Talbot and Ffrench’. The Talbot family were related to the Earl of Shrewsbury.
It is one of the unmarked resting places of the victims of the American registered emigrant ship Pomona shipwreck off the Wexford coast two days after setting sail on April 28th 1859. Most of the over 400 passengers were lost and a memorial to the Pomona was unveiled some years ago in Blackwater village.
A headstone to A. Richie is a feature of the ancient burial ground at Killila. It is recorded that it was reserved for several unidentified bodies of sailors and many are interred there having been washed ashore at Ballyconnigar Upper and Lower, Ballyvalood and Balyvaldon.
CLLR OLIVER WALSH and his daughter RUBY at the entrance to the Talbot tomb in Killila Graveyard pointing out the plaque to ‘Talbot and Ffrench’.
Many wrecks occurred on the Blackwater Bank with fatal losses of crew and it was in this plot they were buried. Richie (1916) would have been the last of the seafaring men washed up on Ballyconnigar beach and buried at Killila.
Richie lies beneath a British War Office standard 1914-1918 war memorial. The crest is an anchor with rope entwined around the shank, and the inscription reads; A. Richie, deckhand, Barbara Cowie, 4th October 1916, aged 50.”
The oldest grave belongs to Richard Geoghegan who died March 15th 1758, John Murphy (age 26) died on May 29th 1798 and it is believed that he was a native of the Unyoke and was killed in the Rebellion of 1798.
With St Brigid’s Day becoming a national holiday from next year many associations with St. Brigid may regain an importance and the community in Blackwater may be able to take tourism advantage?
AUDIO ADDITION – CLLR OLIVER WALSH speaking with DAN WALSH at Killila Graveyard.
Irish Water, in partnership with Wexford County Council, is replacing ageing, problematic water mains in Ballygarret to provide a more reliable water supply and reduce high levels of leakage. The works involve the replacement of approximately 2,300 metres of problematic water mains with new larger capacity modern pipes. The programme to replace the water mains in Ballygarret will commence in early March.
These works are being carried out as part of Irish Water’s National Leakage Reduction Programme. The section of works will take place on the L5119-1 road from Ballygarrett Village to the junction with the L5122 at Kilmichael.
Speaking to WexfordLocal.com; Irish Water’s Programme Delivery Lead, Joe Carroll said; “We are delighted to continue with the replacement of more ageing pipes in Wexford. The works are being carried out by our colleagues Wexford County Council and their own direct labour crew, and once complete, will improve the quality of water supply for the community in Ballygarrett. The benefits will see fewer bursts and water outages and will ensure a reliable supply of water to customers and local businesses in the area. The new pipes will eliminate existing leaks and reduce the amount of clean drinking water lost into the ground.”
“In order to complete the works in a safe and efficient manner, the L5119-1 road will remain closed from during working hours (8am to 6pm Monday to Friday) from Wednesday 6 March to Friday 6 May. Local access will be facilitated. A diversion from Ballygarrett to Kilmichael via Clonevin and Seaview via the R742, L5123 and the L5122 will be signposted on approach.”
The works will also involve laying new water service connections from the public water main in the road to customers’ property boundaries and connecting it to the customers’ water supply. Where the existing service connections on the public side are lead these will be replaced as part of this improvement work.
Irish Water’s customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and customers can also contact us on Twitter @IWCare with any queries. For updates please visit the Water Supply Updates section of the Irish Water website or set your location on our website www.water.ie
After a two year break the Amateur Drama Festival circuit resumes this week. In preparation, Ballycogley Players, who won the All Ireland Confined Finals in 2018 with The Night Alive by Conor McPherson, make a welcome return to Wexford Arts Centre by putting on the amateur première production of The Beacon by Nancy Harris on Friday and Saturday, March 4th and 5th starting at 8pm and, tickets €14/12 at https://wexfordartscentre.ticketsolve.com/shows/873624288
The production goes to Our Lady’s Island on Friday, March 11th at 8pm, tickets and €10 available at the door. The group will take part in Festivals in New Ross, Tipperary, Carnew, Shercock, Kilmuckridge, Ballinamore and Wexford.
The Ballycogley Players cast of The Beacon preparing for the amateur drama festival circuit.
About The Beacon by Nancy Harris, it was commissioned by Druid Theatre in 2016 for a co-production with the Gate Theatre as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival in 2019.
A mysterious accident. A dead husband. People are talking. Secrets are resurfacing from the depths. Beiv, (played by Pauline Doyle), a celebrated artist, has moved from her suburban home in Dublin to her holiday cottage off the Cork coast. Her estranged son and his new young wife arrive, and she must face some difficult questions. It’s an intriguing, thoughtful and humorous play with some adult themes. Over 16’s.
WexfordLocal.com 